Make a stand against the far right of Trump, Modi and the Tories by voting for Corbyn
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It recently came to light that the UK branch of the BJP were campaigning to get British born Indians to vote for the Conservative Party. The news registered as a shock for migrants, specifically migrants of colour, who have traditionally voted for the Labour Party. In a further opportunist attempt to scoop BAME votes away from Labour, Boris Johnson attended a puja (prayer ceremony) at the Hindu temple where he warmly praised the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On the same day, the Conservative Party released an election video specifically targeting voters of Indian heritage.
Despite their anti-migrant rhetoric, the Tories are hell bent on winning this election, which explains their attempts at veiling over their racial insensitivity over the history of their rule. These tactics come as a shock to some of us because outrage can be a useful marker of our moral compass and we should investigate the actions of the far right further - the far right being inclusive of Boris Johnson.
Importantly, we should not miss out on this very transnational way on how the right seems to organise itself. Whether it’s Modi’s use of Bollywood to forge closer links with Benjamin Netanyahu or Farage’s travels to the US in support of his friend Donald Trump - the right has been building allies on an international scale.
This can be traced back to decades ago, when UKIP were forging links with fascist parties back in the early to mid-2000s. We also know of how they made use of their MEP clout to try to influence UK voters on issues of race. Back then, a number of us laughed off their fascist views. Today, due to the use of their divisive tactics, that ideology of hatred has influenced the country, successfully creating chaos and importantly, perpetuating intolerance. With all the heightened anxiety over this Brexit-driven general election, let’s remind ourselves what the right stands for and why Jeremy Corbyn is a threat to that.
Narendra Modi, Donald Trump, Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson: all these international figures have one thing in common, their thirst for increased capitalist ventures. Ongoing Tory government policies have been beneficial to only one group of people: the rich. With their insidious drive to fill in their pockets and those of their friends, the British community has lost out on services for mothers, support for vulnerable youth such as LGBT people, and a large increase in unemployment.
The UK employment industry is riddled with the public desperately seeking the little amount of jobs available.
The Tories have shifted wealth social investments away from education, healthcare and into private wealth gain and they did it openly. Donald Trump has operated on a similar fashion. Modi’s India is equally facing serious economic issues while attacks on religions other than Hinduism is on the rise and, the rich in India are getting richer. United by their commonality in private wealth accumulation for a minoritised few, their international messaging has been about blaming the worse off for the creation of poverty. Coinciding that, access to rights such as decent social care for the disabled and legal aid for marginalised women in the UK have been slashed.
Let’s have a think at how this has played out internationally. In 2018, the US walked out of its membership of the UN Human Rights Council, claiming unduly bias against Israel. At the same time, Boris Johnson has pledged support to the US for leaving the UN and Modi has featured in an election campaign for Israel’s Netanyahu. Jeremy Corbyn’s stance on Israel’s actions towards the Palestinian people have been unpopular among the far right. That’s not to say that the far right is not without issue on Israel, but their stance in supporting the maiming of Palestians drastically differ from that of Corbyn’s.
Importantly here, the UK government, has faced increasing criticism for their attacks on the disabled, so much so that the United Nations had to conduct an investigation on government policies. The Tories simply refused to acknowledge the findings of the United Nations on the destruction of disabled rights in the UK. The UN have also been critical of the US government's deliberate mistreatment of migrant children. Hence on an international level, there has been a lot of friction with regards to the erosion of rights. Some countries such as the US and the UK would prefer zero scrutiny, in favour of the UN’s gaze being on countries such as China or other postcolonial countries that favour a ‘backwards’ narrative they like to perpetuate.
It’s important to acknowledge that there are criticisms of the UN which are very valid. However, when the UN try to enact change, for example in the UK, the US and Palestine, they face a hindrance. Due to the skilled organisation of certain groups such as The Republican Party and the Conservative Party, the issue of human rights become points of contention which are debated so much, that rights protecting vulnerable people become negated. In the UK, these rights are a hindrance for private wealth accumulation.
The Tory view on disability is one that perpetuates the myth that if a person is not useful for private wealth accumulation, then that person is of no worth.
The regurgitation of this mindset has led to an increase of stress in workplaces and in mental health issues across the UK. Negating someone’s worth for the purpose of profit has led to an increase of negative narratives with the vulnerable - such as refugees, the disabled and women facing domestic abuse.
The drastic policies that Corbyn aims to bring forth is inclusive of rights for the employed, the disabled and importantly employment rights. Additionally, on the international stage, the Corbyn tactic incorporates conversation with the United Nations, as opposed to the gerrymandering tactics that we have witnessed over the last few years. Corbyn policies do not stand in opposition of either Hindus, or Muslims, rather they seek to unite cultures and religions to exist harmoniously.
In contrast, the Conservative tactic has been to create divisions between the different cultures and religions that exist in the South Asian community. It is crucial to recoup constructive policy making at the international stage and to salvage whatever community is left in Britain. A Labour vote is the safest alternative in contrast to what is currently on offer by Boris Johnson. On polling day, it is imperative that the South Asian community show up to vote at their local polling stations. We need to do so for our community and we need to do as people living in this country. We need to do this in numbers and we can make a stand against the far right.