Thread by @docrussjackson

A firebreak is a gap in combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a wildfire.

What Boris Johnson's reckless Government of sociopaths has announced is the opposite of a firebreak: they're doing everything they possibly can to fuel the fire.

This is an incredibly dark time for Britain: we have a pathetically weak opposition, our democracy hangs by a thread, & our broken electoral system has handed unimaginable power to by far the worst UK Govt in history - despite fewer than 3 in 10 of the electorate voting for them.

In a functioning democracy, the powerful are held accountable for their actions. But our Government lies with impunity & misleads constantly, while demonising swathes of the population, & showing utter contempt for voters & flagrant disregard for rules, regulations, codes & laws.

Our spineless & subservient journalists are largely absent, & so we have to rely on foreign journalists to point out the crystal clear dangers of our illiberal populist nationalist Government: "Shift to the right in Great Britain: An illiberal democracy".

taz.de/Rechtsruck-in-…

Below is a translation of this important news story, published in Taz. That it should take German journalists to state the obvious, shames UK #journalism.

"Anyone who thought Boris Johnson was a political clown was wrong. He is changing Britain in an authoritarian direction."

"Boris Johnson is an entertaining politician. The British Prime Minister knows how to garnish dry political affairs with wit and inventive rhetoric and to make headlines suitable with eloquence and nimble feet."

"It was not least his lack of seriousness that led many political experts to underestimate his effect on voters. Brexit did not, as has often been predicted, split the Tory party - on the contrary, it enabled Johnson to cement conservative supremacy."

"But behind the Prime Minister's clown-like facade hides a tough politician. Johnson is increasingly pursuing an authoritarianism that threatens basic civil liberties. In Brexit Britain the outlines of the characteristics of an autocratic regime can be seen -

attacks on freedom of expression and assembly, blatant corruption, cold-hearted politics against migrants. That is extremely dangerous. But the opposition is sleeping - the resistance has to come from the streets."

"One of the leading representatives of authoritarian politics is Priti Patel, whose reactionary stance is hair-raising - until a few years ago she supported the death penalty. She complains about “do-gooders” & “left lawyers” who benefit from the allegedly broken asylum system."

"According to a new proposal, refugees who come to Britain “illegally” are no longer entitled to protection eg anyone who makes it across the English Channel should be deported. People from war & crisis areas who risk their lives to start a new life should not be welcome here."

"The law is still a proposal, but the aggressive rhetoric is already having consequences. EU migrants report problems at the border. A Bulgarian woman was warned by a customs officer at the airport not to stay too long in the country -

although she has lived in London for over ten years and is married to an Englishman, but has not been granted the right to stay. This is a consequence of the anti-migration line that is given from above: The authorities are encouraged to signal racism and xenophobia."

"In addition to refugees, protesters are also among Patels' favorite enemies. She calls XR activists “criminals”. That the police don't have enough instruments to take action against the irritatingly peaceful climate movement protests causes deep frustration in Westminster."

"So another law is needed: The new "police bill" is supposed to give the state the necessary powers to prevent protests of any kind: the police can prescribe exact start & end times for demos, & prohibit protests if it is too loud. Such proposals have no place in a democracy."

"The government is also arming itself on the ideological battlefield. Anything that appears progressive or “woke” in any way is considered dangerous. "We don't want our teachers to give their white students lessons on White Privilege," said Minister for Equality, Kemi Badenoch."

"Institutional racism doesn't exist in Britain, according to the Govt, despite being proven by countless studies. Schools have also been urged to avoid “anti-capitalist material”. It is an "extreme political stance", comparable to - no joke - the rejection of free speech."

"And then there is corruption. Courts have already ruled in several cases that the government acted illegally in awarding public contracts during the pandemic. A number of orders have gone to personal acquaintances of members of the government, although they have no experience."

"In any reasonably functioning constitutional state, this would have consequences. At least the minister would be advised to resign. Not so in Brexit Britain - here the government shrugs its shoulders and continues."

"An effective opposition would find ample material to make mince of the Govt, or at least position itself as a progressive alternative to the authoritarian right-wing conservatism. But under the leadership of the pale Keir Starmer, Labour has practically given up the opposition."

"But the party leadership appears much too shy, always afraid of scaring off socially conservative voters.

On the other hand, the resistance on the street gives hope. Thousands of citizens have roamed London & other cities to protest the police law."

"When the murder of the young Londoner Sarah Everard shook the whole country in March, a broad social movement was formed calling for more security for women in public spaces. The Black Lives Matter movement organized huge demonstrations last summer."

"And finally, resistance to the reactionary immigration policy is increasing. In Scotland, criticism of the raids by the migration authorities has been growing for months - & citizens are taking action. In May, over a thousand people blocked a migration authority truck carrying..

two migrants. The authorities had no choice but to release them. Such solidarity gives courage & shows that many are unwilling to accept the Govt's authoritarianism. If Britain is to get off the dangerous path towards autocracy, the Govt must be forced to do so by the public."