Johnson’s experience demonstrates what I have said several times - that many of the people who have been scapegoated and demonised by a right wing anti immigration ideology in government these last years are literally saving their arses. /1
Equally there are many migrants both from EU and ROW who are working in what Johnson and co describe as unskilled roles but look how important they turned out to be. Carers, shop workers, warehouse operatives, farm labourers. 2/
Whilst we continue to only measure people in economic terms or even pure skill terms we are saying there is no other value they bring to our communities. 3/
Yet here they are, doing jobs in the community where they may be exposed to this virus and which allow everyone else to stay at home safe and to still have their food, or be sure their elderly relatives in homes remain cared for. 4/
Immigration brings us people with heart, with real guts. What makes someone,who has little,move away from everything they know? Strength, tenacity, courage, resilience, work ethic, a desire to be better, to do better and very often feel great gratitude to their new home 5/
These are all things which cannot be measured but we feel the benefits every day in our lives of these immigrants and the benefits from their children and grandchildren who learned those same skills from their adventurous antecedents 6/
Not just skills but kindness, culture, new interests. We all have much in common but our differences are equally fascinating and desirable and to be cherished, not to be feared or hated or viewed with suspicion. 7/
If the national and international experience of this virus which cares not if you are a prime minister or a homeless person does not shake far right ideologues our of their instincts to other and to hate I don’t know what will. Their ideology is demonstrably a nonsense 8/
I hope that a near death experience will bring permanent changes and that the gratitude that Johnson appears to show is not a sham but a genuine awakening to what really matters in life. 9/
In the end, nursing staff treat all patients the same - prime minister or cleaner they all get the same treatment in the NHS. All we want is for all members of our communities to be treated the same, to have a say - as one of us, regardless of where they were born. /end
This seemed such a perfect video to add to my thread. It made me cry. Please share it far and wide
#YouClapForMeNow
#YouClapForMeNow
