Dame Sara Khan, a senior adviser on extremism who has served under Conservative prime ministers Theresa May, Boris Johnson, and Rishi Sunak, has delivered a scathing critique of recent Conservative administrations. She accuses them of failing the British people by ignoring clear warnings and fostering an environment conducive to far-right violence through their culture war agenda.

 

 

Khan, who was Sunak’s independent adviser for social cohesion and resilience until May this year and acted as counter-extremism commissioner under May and Johnson, asserts that the Conservative government left the UK vulnerable to far-right violence by neglecting crucial red flags. She argues that top politicians have exploited culture wars for political gain, further exacerbating the issue. 

 

"The writing was clearly on the wall for some time," Khan remarked. "All my reports have shown, in a nutshell, that, firstly, these extremist and cohesion threats are worsening; secondly, that our country is woefully unprepared. We’ve got a gap in our legislation which is allowing these extremists to operate with impunity."

 

She highlighted the scrapping of the counter-extremism strategy in 2021, which included essential resources and funding for local areas grappling with extremist activities. "Previous governments have astonishingly failed to address these trends, and they’ve taken instead, in my view, approaches that have actually been counterproductive and just defy any logical rationale," Khan said.

 

Khan criticized politicians for using inflammatory and dehumanizing language, which she believes has indirectly or directly undermined social cohesion. She cited instances where far-right extremists have co-opted such language to further their agendas. "There’s a serious duty on our politicians to not engage in inflammatory language; to not use, for example, dehumanizing language about asylum seekers, refugees, and people who are coming to our country. Of course, there’s a legitimate debate about immigration, about numbers and all of those things, but there’s a way that you can talk about these issues without using dehumanizing and inflammatory language," Khan emphasized.

 

Khan, who grew up in Bradford and is a British Muslim, conducted a review on social cohesion in the UK for Michael Gove in March this year, known as the Khan review. She pointed to evidence of the far right spreading disinformation to incite unrest in areas like Oldham, Knowsley, and Barrow. 

 

Despite previous calls for a change in the law on extremism, Khan noted that it remains legal to stir up racial hatred that is not threatening, abusive, or insulting. "There are claims about white genocide, promoting dangerous narratives, which is intended to stir up hatred against a racial and religious group," she said. "Hateful extremism has evolved significantly in the last decade, and extremists have professionalized and coordinated, locally, nationally, transnationally, they’re using social media to spread their extremist ideology and spreading disinformation. Our rules have failed to evolve with this growing extremist threat, there are gaps in our legislation that is allowing them to, in effect, operate with impunity."

 

Khan argued that the political instability in recent years, with five different prime ministers in seven years, has weakened the government’s ability to respond effectively to these threats. She recounted dealing with three different home secretaries, each with varying levels of support and interest in tackling the problem. "Why it was that they didn’t respond to the reports, ultimately, is a question for them, but it’s just astonishing that they didn’t do anything about it," she said.

 

She also highlighted a lack of institutional knowledge on combating disinformation and protecting vulnerable people, citing poor communication between the Home Office and local authorities. On Sunday, police clashed with rioters outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham, with demonstrators chanting “Get them out” as they smashed the windows of the Holiday Inn Express.

Khan concluded by saying that the Conservative administrations have failed those working to protect social cohesion and combat extremist actors. "Ultimately, unless we address these problems, it will get worse," she warned.

 

A Conservative spokesperson responded, stating: "Rishi Sunak as prime minister made it clear that we must stand up to extremism in all its forms. The police must take a zero-tolerance approach to extremist tactics, and we set out reforms to how governments deal with extremists, redoubled our support for the Prevent programme, and demanded that universities stopped extremist activity on campus. We must stand together to combat the forces of division and give the police the powers they need to protect our country and values."

 

Credit: The Guardian  2024-08-06

 

 

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Spot on!

Total nonsense from Khan. 

 

The mistake the Tories made was abandoning their conservative principles and allowing mass uncontrolled immigration. Unfortunately Labour will make this even worse. 

 

People are sick of it and are finally making their feelings known. Expect more protests. 

8 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Spot on!

 

You say spot on , but it's far from clear what Dame Sara Khan has in mind.She blames recent governments for ignoring warnings and promoting civil strife through a culture war agenda (latter part is highly dubious). Surely, even accepting her premise, it's a bit like blaming an inattentive physician for a patient's cancer.The physician can certainly be faulted but the cancer acted independently.Wouldn't be worth spending a bit more thought why UK's very serious social problems arose in the first place.

Just now, jayboy said:

 

You say spot on , but it's far from clear what Dame Sara Khan has in mind.She blames recent governments for ignoring warnings and promoting civil strife through a culture war agenda (latter part is highly dubious). Surely, even accepting her premise, it's a bit like blaming an inattentive physician for a patient's cancer.The physician can certainly be faulted but the cancer acted independently.Wouldn't be worth spending a bit more thought why UK's very serious social problems arose in the first place.

A false equivalence.

 

Statements by doctors don’t incite disease in patients.

 

There’s been a change of Government, the very serious social problems that have for the past 14 years been ignored and or exacerbated are now getting addressed.

3 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

There’s been a change of Government, the very serious social problems that have for the past 14 years been ignored and or exacerbated are now getting addressed.

 

Getting addressed?

 

That's a bit like saying a doctor is addressing his patients skin cancer by putting him under a sun bed on max for 24 hours.  

5 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Total nonsense from Khan. 

 

The mistake the Tories made was abandoning their conservative principles and allowing mass uncontrolled immigration. Unfortunately Labour will make this even worse. 

 

People are sick of it and are finally making their feelings known. Expect more protests. 

Law abiding people made their feelings known in the election.

 

Rioting, attacking completely innocent communities, destroying property, torching cars and libraries, looting businesses, and violently attacking police officers is not ‘people voicing their opinion’.

 

Its a tiny minority of violent thugs engaging in coordinated criminality.

 

Unfortunately for them, but fortunately for the vast majority of law abiding people, there’s been a change of Government, the past practice of pandering to the far right has come to an end.

 

Let’s hear it from you Jonny, the rioters deserve to face the full force of the law.

 

They will, but will you condemn their lawlessness?!

2 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

Getting addressed?

 

That's a bit like saying a doctor is addressing his patients skin cancer by putting him under a sun bed on max for 24 hours.  

When I mentioned false equivalence, I wasn’t asking for more examples of the logical fallacy.

1 minute ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Rioting, attacking completely innocent communities, destroying property, torching cars and libraries, looting businesses, and violently attacking police officers is not ‘people voicing their opinion’.

 

So why do the police ignore it when it's the Pro Palestine mob or BLM doing it?

 

This 2 tier policing is making the situation worse. It's stoking the flames. 

Just now, Chomper Higgot said:

When I mentioned false equivalence, I wasn’t asking for more examples of the logical fallacy.

 

It's called an analogy Chomps.

 

Makes things easier for people like you to understand...

6 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

A false equivalence.

 

No, it's a precise equivalence.Government might well have handled matters better but they did not cause the problem.

8 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

 

There’s been a change of Government, the very serious social problems that have for the past 14 years been ignored and or exacerbated are now getting addressed.

 

Sure - the calm tranquillity of our cities bears witness to that.If pesky reporters ask questions about two tier policing, a Chief Constable smashes the microphone to the floor.

5 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

So why do the police ignore it when it's the Pro Palestine mob or BLM doing it?

 

This 2 tier policing is making the situation worse. It's stoking the flames. 

Ah, whataboutary, who would have guessed.

 

 

4 minutes ago, jayboy said:

 

No, it's a precise equivalence.Government might well have handled matters better but they did not cause the problem.

 

Sure - the calm tranquillity of our cities bears witness to that.If pesky reporters ask questions about two tier policing, a Chief Constable smashes the microphone to the floor.

Tell that to the thugs getting arraigned in court and held on remand.

 

https://amp.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/aug/05/ministers-prepare-extra-500-prison-places-for-accused-far-right-rioters

There are only 3 reasons, mass and illegal immigration, Islamisation and 2 tier policing.

1 minute ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Tell that to the thugs getting arraigned in court and held on remand.

 

https://amp.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/aug/05/ministers-prepare-extra-500-prison-places-for-accused-far-right-rioters

 

The Guardian has not been a trusted source for the past 20 years, it's a left wing activist propaganda rag

Just now, proton said:

 

The Guardian has not been a trusted source for the past 20 years, it's a left wing activist propaganda rag

Says ‘trusted source’.

4 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Ah, whataboutary, who would have guessed.

 

 

 

I am not complaining about BLM or the Pro Palestine mob.

 

I am pointing out the different way the police handle different groups.

 

Do try to keep up dear...

Just now, JonnyF said:

 

I am not complaining about BLM or the Pro Palestine mob.

 

I am pointing out the different way the police handle different groups.

 

Do try to keep up dear...

Tell me Jonny, these ‘BLM, ProPalestinian mob’ injustices you cling to, when did they occur? Who was in Government at the time?

 

 

7 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Tell me Jonny, these ‘BLM, ProPalestinian mob’ injustices you cling to, when did they occur? Who was in Government at the time?

 

 

 

The riots were in London. 

 

Sadiq Khan was head of the Met Police.

 

He is Labour. 

 

Any more questions?

1 minute ago, JonnyF said:

 

The riots were in London. 

 

Sadiq Khan was head of the Met Police.

 

He is Labour. 

 

Any more questions?

And the Home Secretary?

 

The PM with his ‘Stop the Boats’ posters?

 

Dame Sara Khan is spot on.

 

 

 

9 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

And the Home Secretary?

 

The PM with his ‘Stop the Boats’ posters?

 

Dame Sara Khan is spot on.

 

 

 

 

Sadiq Khan is in charge of the Met Police. Not the PM. 

 

I thought I'd told you that already?

3 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Unfortunately Labour will make this

Give them some credits but not assumptions.

The Tories made UK a sinking/stinking ship. It will take time to tackle that nonsense what Tories left. The migrants are only one of the problems. But this only to be handled with EU together.

New age conservatives are anything but conservative.

5 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Ah, whataboutary, who would have guessed.

 

 

 

To compare one situation with another is not whataboutery unless it is a deliberate attempt to deflect attention.I don't think that is the position here; it's more to underline selective indignation on the part of the established political and media class who regard the white working class as the very bottom of the pile, particularly the young and poorly educated.

 

One cannot expect a great deal of penetrating analysis on this forum but I was struck by the remarks of the centre-right commentator Tim Montgomerie:

 

"Britain now has a significant underclass (there may be a better word to describe it)? 10% to 15% of the population who are/feel completely cut off from the rest of the population. They are poorly educated. They are intergenerationally welfare dependent. They live in communities where anti-social behaviour is normal. Where family structure and virtue has collapsed. We all pay them money. We police them. But we don’t really care about them. We have no grand desire - let alone plan - to change this. We can afford this underclass - even though it means huge misery and lost human potential."

 

It is these people that are fueling the current riots.Surely the big question - leaving aside the asinine forum squabbling - is how to we deal with these people, educate them, give the hope and make their lives better.To date the government hasn't appeared to consider any of this.It can be forgiven because the need now is to restore order - but what happens next? Will the problem go away by itself because the wicked Tories are no longer in charge?

5 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

A false equivalence.

 

Statements by doctors don’t incite disease in patients.

 

There’s been a change of Government, the very serious social problems that have for the past 14 years been ignored and or exacerbated are now getting addressed.

 

past 14 years....again...so bloody funny

1 hour ago, nauseus said:

 

past 14 years....again...so bloody funny

Refer the OP at the top of the thread.

 

The subject Conservative Governments were in power for a total of over 14 years, and it wasn’t funny.

7 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

are now getting addressed.

Not from Labour who will do nothing to slow the fall of illegals into the country. Chicken and egg, no illegals the protests will fade away

7 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Says ‘trusted source’.

Still protecting your friends then, I see.........About time, you watched some recorded media on them, unless you are blind, that is..........

13 minutes ago, biggles45 said:

Not from Labour who will do nothing to slow the fall of illegals into the country. Chicken and egg, no illegals the protests will fade away

Or so you tell us.

 

But it’s just a biased guess.

 

 

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Refer the OP at the top of the thread.

 

The subject Conservative Governments were in power for a total of over 14 years, and it wasn’t funny.

 

I was referring to your comment. You persist in claiming this problem is only due to the most recent 14 years of Conservative government. Wrong, boring and repetitive.