#missing millions

After Trump’s election, millions of words were typed about how ‘blue collar’ areas had turned out to vote Republican. Yet Clinton led by 11% among voters who earn less than $50,000. Trump secured his victory by winning among those who earn $50-200,000. Much the same can be said for the far right in Italy, whose core support is in the wealthier – though now de-industrialising – north, rather than in the more impoverished south; or about Brazil, where 97% of the richest areas voted for the fascist Bolsonaro, whilst 98% of the poorest neighbourhoods voted for the Workers’ Party candidate, Haddad.

We see a similar distortion in debate about Brexit. After the vote, journalists went on endless tours of deprived areas to report on how working-class people voted Leave (which many did). However, they somehow forgot to mention that wealthy counties like Wiltshire backed Brexit, while some of the poorest areas of the UK – the western parts of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as Liverpool and Leicester – voted Remain. Academics who studied the class breakdown of the Brexit vote found ‘the Leave vote to be associated with middle class identification and the more neutral “no class” identification. But we find no evidence of a link with working class identification.’

This is nothing new. Ruling classes have always sought to blame bigotry on the working classes. Too often in recent times, the liberal media have been willing to champion this myth, rather than confronting the prejudice in its own ranks.

We blame the working classes for the rise of the far right when it is the more wealthier classes that tend to go along with the far right.

Adam Ramsey has conducted research in relation to the backings of Brexit during the United Kingdom’s EU in-out referendum in 2016, examining the power dynamics and wealth of the primal backing of the campaign fro the withdrawal of the UK from the EU.

The article additionally looks at Arron Banks, the missing millions and the dark money behind Vote Leave. Cambridge Analytica and SCL are also examined.

I will quote from the conclusion as it highlights that what is researched is not a new tale but rather a familiar notion...

Brexit, Trump, Orbán, Salvini, Bolsonaro and Le Pen all tap into deep social and cultural crises in their countries. But their success comes not from addressing the causes of the deep feelings of alienation produced by late capitalism, but from facilitating displacement mechanisms and from encouraging people to blame anyone but those with real power – those who have thrived in the recent crisis.

BREAKING - LEAKING

A photo has leaked of Peter Murrell's interrogation by the SNatzi High Command searching for the missing SNP millions!

While the SNPolice investigation could not locate Murrell - to help with their inquiries into mission monies, it now transpires he was being held in a SNP detention facility (a former care-home, now long since emptied out of life).  The SNazi High Command were keen to locate the millions before Murrell could skip to Ireland.

“He wiz eyeing an auld Irish pile the hide oot.  Oor mutual IRA pals telt us..!  So he kens whar the dosh is.... I’ll squeeze it oot o’him” Said General Yousless.

Deek Mackay - a dab hand at tappin, and now a sec ret member of the High Command - joined his more high profile colleagues for the interrogation.  “It’s grate just tae be oot” he said, adding “gettin tae crush Peter’s baws is just icing oan the cake, ken?”