cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/59167394

Others said the campaign had a darker side and stirred up fear of newcomers. Some backers of the Piddington referendum compared their fight against the asylum accommodation to the 1940 Battle of Britain against Nazi Germany.

Villager Herbert Owen, 76, said after voting on Tuesday that the independence referendum "isn't just about Piddington," adding: "It means everything our grandparents, our parents fought for. Today is the Battle of Britain."

Comparing unauthorized immigration to an invasion has become increasingly common among politicians including Nigel Farage of Reform UK, and far-right groups that have been active in organizing and attending anti-immigrant protests.

What a bunch of assholes. From earlier in the article:

Residents of Piddington, which has a population of about 350…

That makes sense. Small town people need to have no say over issues pertaining to classes of people who are "different" from themselves. They're too insulated and lack exposure to those who aren't like them to properly recognize that they're human beings in all the ways that they'd recognize if they knew someone from said class.

Brief story: decades ago, while I was on excellent drugs at a rave, my homophobia (thanks, Mom!) instantly disappeared when I realized the hilarious gay guy, in a group of us smoking cigarettes, was no different from me. "He just wants to take his drugs and have a good time on Saturday night," I realized. He was no different from me!

Small town people need drugs and a good time with people unlike themselves.

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[–] 3 points 1 month ago

whoops, all white!

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago

    Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit!

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  • 80 comments in c/world@lemmy.world view that post
    [–] 37 points 1 month ago (5 children)

    At least when their barely-a-worthwhile-orgy of a village falls apart, they'll be able to seek asylum within easy walking distance.

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  • [–] 17 points 1 month ago (4 children)

    Are you suggesting the proud people of the Principality of Piddington are practicing polygamy?

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  • [–] 57 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    I say, give them independence. Cut them off from the grid, water, sewage. Add border checks requiring visas if they want to enter the rest of the country. Treat them how you would treat any other country, with the influence of 300 people. See how long they last.

    As a nice gesture, let them have another referendum to see if they want to rejoin.

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  • [–] 81 points 1 month ago (11 children)

    They say that "Today is the Battle of Britain" yet for some reason they switched sides and joined the fascists

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  • [+] -55 points 1 month ago (10 children)
  • [–] 19 points 1 month ago

    The reason houses are not affordable has nothing to do with fighting fascism, so it's an absurd question.

    there’s huge grooming gangs that the police doesn’t dare do anything about because they might be accused of racism

    That's a lame excuse the police use to cover up for their gross incompetence. And the similar police inaction on predominantly white grroming gangs can't be credibly attributed to fears of accusations of racism.

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  • [–] 46 points 1 month ago (7 children)

    They would be horrified that there are bell ends like you cropping up again in their own country. Seriously.

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  • [+] -38 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (7 children)
  • [–] 32 points 1 month ago

    Maybe ask yourself WHY it's only the far right parties that are anti-immigrant and blaming all society's ills on immigrants? Have a little think about that, and about what happened in the lead up to WW2. See if you can spot any similarities between those people who's policies you support and the people your grandfather and my father fought against.

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  • [–] 10 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    I want the political landscape to be like Denmark

    Speaking as someone who lives in Denmark and have for my entire life: no you don't.

    It's become increasingly full of demagogic nonsense ever since the Fogh campaign introduced spin doctors in 2000.

    I guess that IS what you like, though, based on your jingoistic catchphrases below..

    hard on illegal immigration

    Translation: xenophobic and needlessly cruel

    unlimited immigration

    Translation: not forcing people to suffer and die for being born on the wrong side of arbitrary lines on a map

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  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 child)

    Translation: not forcing people to suffer and die for being born on the wrong side of arbitrary lines on a map in a foreign country that my country and their allies bombed, sanctioned, and otherwise manipulated into poverty.

    They wouldn't leave their homes [edit: in the numbers racists complain about], if their countries were fine. And their countries aren't fine as a result of decades, if not centuries, of exploitation and political and economic meddling/espionage from the West/"global north".

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  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago

    That is also true, yes.

    Even if their countries WERE fine, though, it should be none of our concern whether they prefer to live in ours.

    Since they're not, though, letting them live in peace here is the LEAST we can do to make up for our imperialist past and present!

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  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago

    Hey, while you seem cool with making bad choices on the Internet today, let me help you make just one fewer faux pas:
    In your YouTube link, you see that string that begins with ?is=? That's a referral identifier so that Google can track who watched a video based on whose referral. The fact that this code can be internally associated with your Gmail account means that a third party has the potential to relate your Lemmy account to your Gmail account. While you're not full-on doxxing yourself, you're still inviting a potential invasion of your privacy.

    So, swap your YouTube link with this cleaned link https://youtu.be/c2LTcqnFXY0, and good luck with the xenophobia.

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  • [–] 15 points 1 month ago

    Serious question, if the boys that fought fascism knew the future is where their grandchildren wouldn’t be able to afford a house, would stop having children on masse, and wouldn’t be able to get hired. Do you think they’d still have fought? It made their sacrifice worth it?

    That generation themselves took charge of the new councils that in many cases would then veto further housing development to put upward pressure on the value of the homes they had secured, starting to pull up the ladder after many new homes had been freshly built for them following the destruction of the war. Their direct children who inherited the housing are still profiting quite handsomely with similar incentives, although it’s terrible for the great grandchildren. So the bad part is basically working as they themselves intervened to achieve, and regardless of that now reducing homeownership rates those rates still remain higher than those of when that generation was growing up and the homes are much nicer in quality than the slums of the time which were destroyed.

    People stopped having children en masse because new technology allowed for family planning and for people to do what seemed important to them in life rather than suddenly winding up as parents and being forced to lock in.

    The unemployment rate of 4.9% is much lower than what that war-winning generation had experienced in the interwar period.

    None of this situation seems like it would be helped by becoming the slaves of a self-proclaimed master race who themselves were under the unrestrained despotism of a rabid band of bloodthirsty lunatics.

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    [–] 22 points 1 month ago (4 children)

    There is there classic film called passport to pimlico.

    The story of how technically speaking pimlico belonged to some foreign prince. At the time because the post war rationing was making life difficult... They all decided to secede the UK. Only to find the actually rationing wasn't that bad when faced with all of the other issues that came from being isolationist.

    It was relevant then. It was relevant during the brexit referendum. And it is relevant today.

    Although this shouldn't be confused for the cases Scotland Ireland and Wales make for independence.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    Although this shouldn't be confused for the cases Scotland Ireland and Wales make for independence.

    Why? Devolving power is a good thing.

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  • [–] 11 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    Oh absolutely. That's what I'm saying. The biggots in this village, and the movie I'm referencing, seem to think that all their problems will disappear if they break away.

    Scotland Wales and Ireland absolutely should have independence should they want it. There's a big difference. These aren't tiny groups of people who think all of their woes will evaporate as soon as they declare independence.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago*

    groups of people who think all of their woes will evaporate as soon as they declare independence.

    To be fair this does describe the SNP quite well! I'm a strong believer that a democratic institution is only worthy of the name if you can leave, but the Yes campaign's whitepaper was very sloppy on its economics for example, it did a lot of wishful thinking around oil prices and Westminster paying for pension entitlements. The SNP is also incredibly crooked as it turns out, I'd be properly miffed if I was a Scot that petty corruption was damaging the credibility of the broader independence movement.

    I have a lot more time for Plaid Cymru though, they're doing the right things on the subject and they're definitely a lot less shady in my view. Welsh independence is obviously even more challenging economically, but Plaid seem to be pacing themselves sensibly and building trust rather than going full-tilt into an ill-conceived gamble. I can see them delivering independence credibly in the future. Also they've done very well to gain enough seats from Labour to overturn their century-long Welsh streak.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago

    How funny would it be for them to instead vote to kick England out of the UK? "We're mostly fine with maintaining our unification under a monarchy, but (and we can't stress this enough) fuck England's politicians with an unlubed rake."

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  • [–] 21 points 1 month ago (12 children)

    That's nice of them to show me what village i am not going to visit. Glad moronic racists are happy to show themselves on the map

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  • [–] 6 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    Not even to take a piddle on piddlington?

    I think this could be a thing. Wouldn’t want the new housing for migrants to smell like piss, after all. Gotta put our best foot forward….

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  • [+] -8 points 1 month ago (8 children)

    Nothing racist about opposing 1000+ migrants being suddenly moved into your area which previously had 300-400 people. Doesn't matter where they're from - that's going to completely change the way of life.

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  • [–] 17 points 1 month ago* (4 children)

    I remember when people were happily housing Ukrainian migrants after Russia first attacked. The government even paid out grants to help people do it. It does 100% matter where they are from. It seems that it's a lot more difficult to welcome people into the country if they aren't the same colour as you.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago (3 children)

    Or maybe it is easier to integrate ukrainians than deeply rural people escaping from wars caused by Europeans and US.

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  • [+] -6 points 1 month ago* (2 children)

    Honestly I think it's deliberate, at that point the problem isn't who is being moved in it's that there's no way the existing infrastructure and services can support the population suddenly quadrupling. Easy way to manufacture a small crisis to drum up anti-immigration fervor.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    If this is the piddington I think it is, they're not that far from the outskirts of Bicester (pronounced bister) which has had an almost nonstop expansion since 2013 and is home to one of the most hyped up nothingburger shopping "villages" I've ever seen which means constant tourists in the area in a much more disruptive way. Also turns out this migrant housing place is going to be in Bicester itself so I can't even comprehend the self-importance required to try to secede like this...

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  • [–] 42 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    Town expects to be taken seriously

    It's named Piddington

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  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

    There's an old Top Gear episode where Jeremy Clarkson makes fun of that name. How it's like something you'd call someone who's a bit of a wet blanket. "He's a bit of a Piddington."

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  • [–] 15 points 1 month ago

    Villager Herbert Owen, 76, said after voting on Tuesday that the independence referendum "isn't just about Piddington," adding: "It means everything our grandparents, our parents fought for. Today is the Battle of Britain."

    Herbert, Britain took hundreds of thousands of refugees when Nazi Germany invaded all of Europe. Many of those refugees fought for the Allies during the Battle of Britain when UK was left standing alone. You shame your grandparents and parents who fought during the war and tarnishing the name of the battle that fought for everything that is right.

    No wonder the Scots and Welsh are right to push for independence. I would not want to be associated with England-- an old man yelling at clouds.

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  • [–] 29 points 1 month ago (3 children)

    Just let them get their independence. Build a razorwire fence around the village, invalidate their passports, and cut off water, power, and phones. And just in case they have boats, place a coast guard boat in front of their harbour (or whatever they have).

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  • [–] 20 points 1 month ago

    Yeah, i wonder how that would go with no money to support anything from infrastructure to basics like electricity.

    You need to be very stupid or old, say 75 or 80 to support something like this.

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  • [–] 17 points 1 month ago (3 children)

    The migrants are coming regardless, the only choice you have is whether to be humane or cruel.

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  • [+] -13 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    You're not being "cruel" by not allowing what you didn't agree to in the first place. The government is cruel by not getting approval from people who actually live there. The government is cruel by telling the migrants they have a place to go, when they don't. The government drops them off and goes "cool, good luck" into a community who doesn't want them, then they act shocked when the migrants are treated like shit.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 month ago

    drugs can only help overcome views that are not your own

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  • [–] 7 points 1 month ago*

    So wait are they actually independent then?...

    Because if so, that technically means it's perfectly fine for anyone to declare war on them and just take over the area. I mean, they're calling it a battle, so why not give them a taste of what they want then? Considering it's about 300 people, most elderly, it's probably not hard for the internet to gather a 100 who have just some basic combat training. Then they can be given the choice to surrender, and once they do, their land can be sold been to Britain or turned into an anarchist commune, with them being kicked out. /s

    Unfortunately, even with such a direct drastic action, the irony would be entirely lost on them.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 month ago

    Great, invade them and make them a vassal state to the UK with an 80% tax rate and forced serfdom. Should be done before lunch.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 month ago

    What a bunch of wankers

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  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago* (1 child)

    I am in agreeance with the comments basically telling those people that they would need to basically build up their "country" but definitely under a time constraint before being kicked out of the country.

    Hell, I was thinking similar things like that for certain parts of my country. Could easily apply to both. Simple things like them having to draft their own laws, create their own currency and then when that is created hand over basically all the foreign money back, government from the part of the country that didn't secede still keeps control over the military bases and other government things of importance still in the new country. Things like other have said about disconnecting from nationwide utilities and having to have their own passports.

    I bet in both situations they wouldn't even last more than a few years before collapsing inder their own ineptitude.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    From the latest Popbitch gossip missive: "The uproar over Piddington’s Jubilee Park is a surprise to some locals, given that its sole purpose prior to the erection of the big Hollywood-style Piddington sign - in support of the village’s risible vote to secede from the UK - appeared to be for dogging. Rarely frequented by locals, given its relative distance from the village, things had got bad enough that the hedge at the entrance to the park had to be cut down so that Thames Valley Police could see in from the road."

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  • [–] 3 points 1 month ago
    [–] 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

    I will never feel bad for UK having to deal with "migrant crisis" after terrorizing the world for centuries

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago

    The news, now majors on the minors and the village idiots suddenly become emboldened by their stupidity

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago

    Do they still draw and quarter people at Tyburn?

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  • [–] -4 points 1 month ago (11 children)

    I mean, it's a small village of 300-400 people. Why the fuck there. Everyone probably knows each other, there are alot of old people, probably nothing much to do there. The resistance is understandable, it's like a government telling you someone random will be living in your family's backyard

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  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago (8 children)

    Maybe some new genes would help everyone out.

    Why are people so scared of anyone not like them?

    I always love meeting people from different backgrounds than me.

    Tell me your life. What's it like where you are from. What's different from here. What do you miss and what are you happy to leave behind.

    What's your cat's name and will you invite me over for dinner. ?

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  • [–] -3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (7 children)

    Tell me your life. What's it like where you are from. What's different from here. What do you miss and what are you happy to leave behind.

    What's your cat's name and will you invite me over for dinner. ?

    No, I chose to live in a quiet village away from crowds of strangers, in a solitude. Don't come here. This isn't about race.

    Maybe some new genes would help everyone out.

    So you're saying their ethnogroup or race is inferior and should be fixed with eugenics?

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  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago (6 children)

    Genetic diversity is healthy.

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  • [–] -2 points 1 month ago (5 children)

    Healthier for who? Let me ask you this - if countries like US and Germany didn't saw such immigration, do you think AfD and MAGA would be winning? If immigration leads to right-wing governments and that is healthy, then MAGA is a natural, healthy response to what is happening. It's of course idiotic, but so is your saying. It almost always leads to problems in society and rise of authoritarism, just like how nazis came to power.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (4 children)

    What?

    Are you a fake person cause you didn't even read. That's not what genetic diversity means.

    Fyi. The US and the UK's military actions are directly responsible for the mass exodus of civilians from their home countries.

    They caused this.

    I realize that neither I, nor you were asked if we agreed to fuck up their country for the better part of a century, but nevertheless, our country's leaders used our taxes to go in and fuel dissent, corruption, civil wars, and gave both sides weapons.

    All because they wanted to control a natural resource and keep other countries from becoming independent.

    This is the end result.

    People, who also didn't have a say, getting displaced.

    Running from living in hostile unsafe countries to western ones that look a hell of a lot safer.

    Don't blame them for what our governments caused.

    Don't blame them for trying to survive. Especially when it's our fault they have to leave their home country.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

    Immigration directly contributes to entropy, therefore genetic diversity. But that's not the argument. That's not even what I care about. It's about failure of integration which we see alot in my country, which ends up being our problem. For fucks sake, we had to fight to keep our language as the main language of the country because large group of immigrants started pushing for second official language.

    EDIT: It might be interesting for you to know that the groups we do not want the most are of white people. Like, yes, stereotypically people of color can seem scarier, especially to rural folk, but my experience tells me it's really not them you should fear.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago (2 children)

    If the immigrants were pushing for a second language, how is that removing the first language ?

    Spanish was the 2nd language here in the U.S until Trump. Literally never negatively impacted my life in any way.

    It just makes it so signs and food labels are in both languages.

    It's just making information available to everyone.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago* (1 child)

    And that's normal trajectory for immigration? So if UK accepts enough Indians (honestly don't know which group is the most common), it would be perfectly fine to push for Indian as second official language of the country?

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago*

    Yeah I don't see why not .

    If there was, for whatever reason, a high sustained influx of people who spoke a different language, sure. Why not make it a secondary.

    As I said. It's just so everyone has access to information in their preferred language. So they can understand it better.

    I sure appreciate it when I travel to other countries and they have English added to signs or guides.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    I get that this is ridiculous, but I have to ask how a town of 350 will accommodate 1200 more? I don't know about small towns in UK but is there enough housing? If more is built, is there a proper infrastructure? As in when I lived in a small town in US, roughly 600, everyone had well water and septic tanks; there was no city like plumbing.

    I bring this question up because where I live now, the city keeps building giant apartments and car washes; yet sewage is being dumped in the water. There is a "drought" so plenty of water restrictions. And despite the heatwave this has never been an issue 15 years ago. They okayed all of these buildings, but the entire infrastructure is completely outdated, like don't be surprised if you're showering with sewage or reclaimed water and the lights flicker often sigh. A lot of people that have lived here their whole lives aren't happy about this and there is no possible way this will be fixed even in my lifetime. But hey they just keep increasing bills and taxes.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    They don't have to accommodate anyone, as the article explains the asylum seekers are being housed on a self-sufficient former army base half a mile away. They're just racists.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago

    I see, as long as they don't have shitty living conditions then I don't see what the problem is. I will say if it's anything like certain bases I've been on, like Camp Blanding in the US which was an Internment Camp in WW2... I would feel pretty bad for them.

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  • [–] -3 points 1 month ago

    Nice little supremacist rant of your own in that body text lmao

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