The Wind Up of the Easily Led is working in the UK

On Thursday, an MP in the British parliament, one Rupert Lowe, (now independent because he was thrown out of Reform UK) having mistaken a charity rowing event as it passed the Norfolk coast for immigrants trying to land in a small boat, without doing any further checking, gave into his paranoia and took to social media with a blurry photograph and a declaration that he was going to make sure that everyone in the boat was going to be deported.

Immediately groups of people rushed to the coast to defend British soil. They were riled up and had stopped thinking. No small boats have ever landed on the Norfolk coast. The weather was not conducive to such a landing. Even if it was, is vigilantism now going to be the order of the day for anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant?

In interviews on television news, they of course blamed the idiot MP for sparking rumours in a volatile situation. Some truth there, I think. However, they are the tinder to his spark and need to take some responsibility. If we continue to move in this direction, with divisive politicians winding up people with real concerns to act foolishly, we all have a problem. 🙁

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdd32lnq445o

ninalanyon · 61-69, T

How much fuel would you need to get a small boat from Calais to Norfolk? Calais to Great Yarmouth is about 200 km, six times as far as Calais to Dover. A small boat with an outboard is much slower than the ferry, it surely would take more than 24 hours of extreme discomfort and risk. And the outboard would have to be refueled more than once I suspect.

These people aren't just easily led they seem utterly unable to think.

I'm not a mariner of any kind so my numbers are not much better than guesses of course. Except for the distances that is.

FreddieUK · 70-79, M

@ninalanyon

These people aren't just easily led they seem utterly unable to think

Spot on. This is what happens when emotions completely run wild. It's the mob mentality.

Picklebobble2 · 56-60, M

Good to see both the police and (for a change) reporting media attending the scene and BOTH showing just how wrong he was.

But this is what Reform and it's 'affiliates' do.
Present a lie; get (spurious) support from 'interested business supporters' (thus ensuring it's financial donations keep coming) gaining headlines everywhere and eroding ANY credibility politically as they go.