Meet Theodora Dickinson. She’s an ardent Conservative, and an ardent Leave supporter. Her Twitter bio claims she is a “Conservative political communications and social media consultant. Reads Hansard under the bedcovers and has a Google alert on Margaret Thatcher”. Sadly, her ideological devotion has taken over from reality, to the extent that she is prepared to believe whatever suits her politics - and prejudices.
No further questions, m'Lud
She is also - perhaps merely sub-consciously - peddling low-level prejudice and bigotry towards Muslims, showing once again that the Tories and their right-wing allies just don’t get it. Rationalising prejudice by defensively retorting “but it’s only about Radical Islam and Islamic Extremism” does not cut the mustard. Also, hers is not an exception position.
We can see how this detachment from reality plays out in Ms Dickinson’s Twitter excursions. Here, she happily Retweets professional liar Suzanne Evans’s endorsement of someone claiming the EU is to compel all member states to join the Euro, and the Schengen Zone. It isn’t. It’s another Europhobic myth.
Or how about her Retweeting US idiot Jack Posobiec saying “There was a mass shooting on a train in the Netherlands yesterday and it’s already been memory-holed [because] it didn’t fit the Narrative-Of-The-Week”. The danger in endorsing propagandists like Posobiec is that they lie. It was a tram, and the story headlined on the BBC News site.
It gets worse. “Macron has been using chemical weapons against the #GiletsJaunes protestors in Paris” she gasped yesterday. Except Macron didn’t use anything; the law enforcement authorities in Paris used a strong form of tear gas on protesters.
Her casual bigotry was evident as she asserted “Well said Brendan O’Neill: ‘It’s mad to blame the Christchurch massacre on columnists who oppose radical Islam. This basically says that if we talk too much about Islamist terror we will cause anti-Muslim terror. It’s a sly attempt to silence discussion of Islamist extremism.’” Was Trevor Kavanagh talking about “Islamist extremism” when he talked of “The Muslim Problem”? Get out of here.
But a fascinating glimpse of why the right is riddled with Islamophobia - the bigotry is explained away by claiming it’s only opposed to “Radical Islam”. Sounds like For Britain, or even Stephen Yaxley Lennon, who styles himself Tommy Robinson.
Anti-EU bigotry is also on display: “Our political system is geared against the little guy. But unlike the corrupt European Union, this system can still be saved”. “Corrupt European Union”. No citation, and nor will there be. Prejudice replaces reality.
The Pièce de Résistance, though, was saved for last. “In response to the New Zealand mosque attacks, Islamists have burned down a Christian church in Pakistan … Why is this not being shown on @BBCNews?!” It’s not being shown on BBC News because the video was shot in Cairo, which is not in Pakistan, and in 2013, not 2019. The sound of Arabic being spoken should have been a dead giveaway. For those interested in facts.
Also note the continuing readiness to shout “Islamists”. It’s OK to demonise Muslims because it’s only “Islamists” and “Radical Islam” they’re objecting to. Thus the sad state of the young Conservative right. Bigoted, blinkered, and not interested in reality.
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