Sterilising poor people has been revealed as a big thing on UK right wing. It’s closely linked to racism & EURef. Thread. 1
In just 2 weeks, 4 pointers to pro-eugenics views gaining acceptance in UK right wing establishment: 2
1st: Toby Young appointed by Tories & defended by 2 of their most powerful Johnson & Gove - despite his 2015 essay to stop poor, not-so-clever people having children. quadrant.org.au/magazine/2015/… 3
2nd. University College London (a top UK Uni), hosted a eugenics conference for last four years londonstudent.coop/news/2018/01/1… central figure wants “phasing out” of the “populations of incompetent cultures.” 4
3rd. MP & new Tory vice-chair Ben Bradley agreed with Young in his 2012 blog - poor people should be sterilised theguardian.com/politics/2018/… 5
4th. Suella Fernandez appointed Minister even after she & fellow Tory John Penrose condemned EU Charter of Rights for protecting people from - guess what - eugenics 6 
Eugenics is inseparable from totalitarianism & racism. It demands that the state decides who should have children - because the state can decide who deserves this 7
EU Charter of Rights does prohibit eugenics eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/… Why did Fernandes & Penrose highlight this? How many Conservative colleagues agree with Young & Bradley? 8 
These ideas - that rich people can have as many children as they like - but that poor people can’t - gain legitimacy from wider anti-working class tropes. 9
Widespread ideas that people who don’t earn much are stupid or lazy - and that “hard-working” is the only label worth having (unless you live on inheritance). (Ht @gracepetrie ‘s “Workshy” ) 10
EURef saw some Remainers saying Leavers were too stupid or ignorant to have a vote. Legitimate anger misused to support anti-democratic ideas. 11
Dangerous ideas: the state should sterilise the poor & limit the franchise to people it considers clever enough. But they remain illegitimate as responses to them show. 12
But the threat is serious & needs investigating. 4 prominent Tories all defending eugenics - is this connected? Who’s linked to the conference? 13
May should fire Bradley. He had the chance to say he’d changed his mind - but he only apologised for his language, not his ideas. 14
Fernandes & Penrose should have to explain- why don’t they want people of Britain to be protected from state deciding if they are rich (& pure?) enough to have children 15
These powerful people already use the state to control others who are “different”. Using benefits laws to drive poor families out of “desirable” neighbourhoods that have been home to generations 16
Using immigration laws to break up poor families & keep them apart. Using council powers to deny freedoms Romani people have had for centuries. 17
Using public order laws & private control of malls to exclude working class young people from public space, where their “elders & betters” don’t want them.
Brexit could provide these politicians with enormous coercive powers. And May would still end our European Human Rights if she could. 18
So let’s stand together & with the poor, the disorganised - even the lazy. We’re all people & this society belongs to all 19
PS: in rare cases, courts have power to sterilise - where person doesnt have mental capacity to make decisions about sex - & where it’s in their best interests. This isn’t eugenics - it’s welfare of very vulnerable people 20/20
