Trump, Brexit, and the working class
By Dickson Igwe, Contributor
Now, this old boy has been labelled a racist for his pointing out the fact that politics in the USA and UK today is driven by race, ethnicity, and social class, principally.
Politics in the USA and UK is driven by a demographic that is overwhelmingly tribal — the herd instinct. For example, the Trump Pitchfork Revolution is driven by white middle-aged men who never went to university, and are blue-collar in their work culture.
Brexit possesses much the same demographic. White men over 50 in the UK without a university degree are the core Brexit base of support. One suspects that in the UK Overseas Territories, older white Britons over 60 are overwhelmingly pro-Brexit.
Pointing this out is not racism. It is fact. Brexit at the top may be driven by a ruling class Eton and Oxbridge subset, but its main supporters are English whites over age 50 from the South of the UK.
The English are 85 percent of the UK mainland population. OK. Trump, Brexit, and blue-collar anger in the USA and UK are a symptom of a changing world.
It has been asserted that 100 families control the global economy and commonwealth. The preceding include Vladimir Putin who is alleged to be the world’s wealthiest man and King of the Russian Oligarchs. The list also include a motley of world leaders — the Sultan of Brunei, The Queen of England, blue-blooded European royals — and the super-wealthy owners of the worlds multinational corporations: Apple, Google, Facebook, Dell, Ali Baba, Oracle, Microsoft, Amazon, Virgin, Dyson, Dangote, and a number of Asian, African and Middle Eastern billionaires.
The one percent rule the world of commerce and finance, and have been aided in their hegemony by a post-1970s economic model termed Supply Side.
Supply Side and Trickle Down has driven individual, and family borrowing in the west, to such an extent, that the debt the 90 percent own — mortgages, loans, credit card debt — is owed to the one percent who are the backbone of global financial organizations that control global finance such as the Federal Reserve, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the European Central Bank, and a motley of super banks that drive high street commerce.
Chinese increasing the super-wealthy global class
The Chinese economy is following the western finance model, as Chinese billionaires dominate Asia and are rapidly increasing the numbers of the super-wealthy global class.
Chinese wealth is a major component of western finance and western debt. The one percent pull the levers of economic and political power the world over, with the aid of compliant politicians, and world leaders.
Now, fear, homophobia, and racism are tools that keep the working classes at each other’s throats, while the super-wealthy drive up their wealth and power.
As blue-collar whites – low income, manual, and factory floor workers who support Trump and Brexit – look with loathing at migrants and minorities who they wrongly believe steal their jobs, they look to super-wealthy demagogues such as Donald Trump for deliverance.
The great irony is that Trump and others such as Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson are all part of the elite that drives the idea that austerity and trickle-down are good for Jack Plumber and Jill Average.
For all the talk of dislike for the EU, and Brexit has been driven by ‘English blue-collar anger and xenophobia’ mainly, the EU is not the enemy of the British working class.
The reason for working-class poverty is actually closer to home in the 20-bedroom mansion, deep in a wooded forest, on the city’s outskirts, with its owner reclining on a yacht in Monaco.
In any event, xenophobia and dislike of foreigners is nothing new in the UK.
To be continued
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If the only message you bring is a message to drive people away from each other it is probably best to just keep your mouth shut.
You are the racist here. Stop pointing fingers others.
Bring people together or shut up. We are all one.
agree with the above comment . Nothing quite like s self appointed intellectual on matters and countries he knows nothing about .
Week after weeks of racism masked as pseudo intellectual student union level politics. Time for that old boy to stop with his divisive claptrap.
It is not racist and divisive to throw the spotlight on racist and divisive people.
You cannot bring together people who do not want to be brought together because they think they are superior.
Centuries of observation should tell you something.
Ever hear the proverb. “Better to keep ones mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt”. As the saying goes you just can’t fix stupid. I suggest that you keep your commentaries related to your little third world cesspool of corruption, illiteracy, unemployment, sickness and financial upheaval and live the first world to the stupid white man. That’s why the white man lives in first world countries and the black man lives in third world countries. Last, don’t start the slavery shit. The whole world knows that the black man captured those slaves and sold them to the white man. Get a grip and go away.
The fact is that this Territory you call home Igwe, is completely dependent on the white man that you hate so much. You import, food, clothing, fuel, transportation, medicine, building material, etc. You manufacture nothing except hatred You can’t even s**t without the white man because you buy your toilet paper from him. In 200 years the black man has done nothing to improve living conditions in the Territory. In fact this is true throughout the world. Your people of Africa still live in prehistoric conditions, no water and attack each other with machetes. The black man has contributed nothing to the betterment of any society or mankind. You Sir should be the last to comment on the white man.
You are clearly either a Black man hater or a complete unread lunatic.
Go read and learn that it is the existence of the Black man is the sole reason the white man even exist.
Go read, figure and educate thy mind. While you are doing so, cleanse thy mind of ignorance and hatred.
Last, the conditions existing in some parts of Africa are a direct result of rape, plunder, thieft, political and economic subversion by the white man.
So, keep thinking falsehoods and false narratives will continue to keep you in control.
Africe will recover and thrive. You civilization is on its last step, and the world is eagerly awaiting your demise into fossils.
You are obviously the product of the racist education institute of the BVI. South Africa as an example after apartheid and white rule is on a slide into oblivion. The economy is shattered, crime is on the rise and living conditions have diminished. This is the way of Black rule everywhere. Even in the US in Cities completely governed by the Black man, corruption and crime is the only things rising. You my dear sir may not like what I write but it’s the truth and is factual.
South Africa is a shining epitome of the white man’s evil. Who in the world are you trying to fool in the 21st? Not the well read for sure!
Black man sell black man to the white man so Africa your homeland will never thrive as Power corrupts everyone no matter the color of their skin
How can the “black man” be at his best while under a CONSTANT barrage of violence, oppression, discrimination, sabotage and religious indoctrination spanning centuries?
Even today, a little black American girl can’t sell water without getting the cops called on her. Africans are routinely beaten up in India or sold into slavery in Libya. And there are so many similar cases worldwide. No other race in history has been treated like this.
The reality is that change is happening fast, and this change is frightening the oppressors. They see their social, economic and numerical advantage dropping and they are scared sh!t-1ess. This is why you have Brexit and Trump.
The only thing frightening is that the world is running out of prison space for the black man. You are a degenerate race that robs, steal, rape and murder as a way of life. The black man has no idea what a family unit is as the majority of children are brought up by a mother or grandmother as the sperm donor disappeared upon birth. You hold nothing of value. Education is meaningless. Betterment through work is meaningless. You offer nothing to society and expect society to feed and house you while your women spread their legs. Get a grip and stop spouting the greatness of the black man. Although slavery was terrible and horrendous, you and future generations are reaping the results of it.
If only you were not so blinded by your bigotry and hatred.
Thankfully, many know that what you have written are the direct results of the white man’s evil against the Black man.
It is a history of the devil, and you are still thinking and writing as one. Good luck into history, but a fossil you will soon be.
Wow, you pulled those gems from a deranged mind and laid them on pretty thick! I don’t think I can match that level of madness.
Let’s have this conversation again in 100 years.
To: @cuckoo
The only thing frightening is that the world is running out of prison space for the black man [only in America, because there slavery assumed a different form].
You are a degenerate race that robs, steal, rape and murder as a way of life. [more true for white folks, since they do degenerate acts on a mass scale]
The black man has no idea what a family unit is as the majority of children are brought up by a mother or grandmother as the sperm donor disappeared upon birth.[high divorce rate for white couples. White women put career above family. LGBQT is a white invention – these are a few reasons their numbers are dropping]
You offer nothing to society [average whites generally benefited directly off the efforts of other races but cant anymore] and expect society to feed and house you [poor whites expect to be the only ones on benefits but now end up on the streets like everyone else] while your women spread their legs [this one is true, we need to work on this (-:].
You hold nothing of value. Education is meaningless [this one is true, we have degree holders who are useless]. Betterment through work is meaningless [this is not true, we thrived after the British slaveholders ran away].
Although slavery was terrible and horrendous [NOW, you admit that? Hand over the reparations, please], you and future generations are reaping the results of it [God is not mocked, whatsoever a man (or race) sows that also shall he (or it) reap. This is ironic since they did their “terrible and horrendous” things in the name of their God].
nothing new here either, its the same the world over. Look in the mirror these statements fit the BVI and every other country in the world perfectly……
xenophobia and dislike for foreigners is nothing new to BVI.
I am glad you toned down your racism this time.
Trickle down economics? I would argue that it is actually a trickle up economy.
The last US election was driven by the economy and the desire for a non-politician. It is not surprising that the middle age (and older) working class voted for the guy that could fix the economy.
Good insight Igwe
This is totally wrong…. Brexit supporters are from the north of England. The people from the south travel to Europe far more frequently & wanted to stay in the EU.
Could this be why the over fifty, non-college educated, BVIslander male demographic has a xenophobic dislike for, as Igwe said, minorities and immigrants? The world is tribal, and a mirror is often the best lens to it. If that lens is cleaned, one can see many other political drivers to the world’s affairs. Racism is there, sure, and it’s to be lamented, and every race, nation and colour has it. But, this is a very narrow and slanted article, even by Igwe’s standard.
igwe is out of touch as usual with his recited talking points from BBC
If only you were not so blinded by your bigotry and hatred.
Thankfully, many know that what you have written are the direct results of the white man’s evil against the Black man.
It is a history of the devil, and you are still thinking and writing as one. Good luck into history, but a fossil you will soon be.
Actually your so called ‘facts’ are absolute lies.
The main support for the leave vote in the 2016 referendum came from the north of England not the south. This is fact.
And there is absolutely no officially breakdown of the referendum vote based on race. So you have absolutely no credibility for stating your assumptions are facts. In reality, most opinion polling taken at the time showed ethnic minorities (particularly blacks and asians) were more likely to vote Leave than their white counterparts so you are very much mistaken.
All of your commentaries on this issue are riddled with so many inaccuracies it is actually shocking they are allowed to be published.
I instinctively disagree with so much that this guy writes that I can’t understand why I feel compelled to read it.
Brexit’s “… main supporters are English whites over age 50 from the South of the UK …” is plain nonsense. Leave were East Midland 59%, W Midlands 59%, NE England 56%, NW England 54%, Yorks & Humber 57%, Wales 52%. Remain were Scotland 62%, N Ireland 55% & London 60%. If you don’t know something, it’s best to say nothing – unless you prefer to just make stuff up or disseminate fake news and/or untruths.