Thread by @SimonFRCox

couldn’t find a leader who *wants* #HostileEnviroment. Just @DPJHodges - “it’s what people want, but politicians hate it”

Tragic commentary. Thread 1/

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ignores political leadership & public learning from experience. He’s wrong about politicians & public opinions. And he’s not doing his job. 2/

Leadership matters: studies find many anti-foreigners want political leaders to be *better than them* - less ideological / obsessive. Kinder. 3/

People are conflicted. Few want to think of themselves as “unfair”. Few want responsibility for hurting people. They want someone else to blame (like @DPJHodges does ) 4/

When leaders choose to say “this is wrong, we don’t need to do this”

VOTERS CHANGE THEIR MINDS

5/

And *experience* changes minds. #Windrush shows this. When people learn abt what immigration enforcement does to their neighbours, People. Change. Their. Minds.

6/

There’s no evidence for @DPJHodges ‘s claim that most people would want a #HostileEnviroment - once they realise what that means. 7/

Individual’s opinions in favour of harsh measures soften when asked about specific examples where this hurts people. 8/

Politicians do the same distancing that voters do - it’s not *really* me “the voters made me do it”. Classic device to promotes xenophobia & racism, while trying to retain a “decent” veneer. Enoch Powell did it. 9/

said Cameron wished he didn’t have to talk abt immigration. Cameron’s mistake was to think talking harsh abt foreigners is a long-term strategy. It lost him #EURef 10/

But some politicians *believe* in harsh immigration control. Theresa May does. She’s drunk gallons of that Kool-Aid.

Voters won’t take responsibility for the harm a #HostileEnviroment does to our country. They will blame politicians. 11/

When victims fearing deportation don’t report serious crimes - and this means someone else gets raped or beaten - voters will blame May & Rudd 12/

When children are deported , or schools are raided “by mistake” people will blame politicians. Even people who said they wanted more immigration control. 13

should be calling for politicians to explain themselves - and their #hostileenvironment . How it’s supposed to work. What good they claim it’s doing - and what harm its causing. 14/

In a democracy, people shouldn’t be shielded from seeing the harm their votes cause - to others and to our society. 15/

Let’s hold our politicians to account @DPJHodges , not just tell them the affirming tales they want to hear.

Speak truth to power. 16/16