UKIP

I don't really want to write about UKIP - I've been writing and arguing about them intermittently today on Facebook.

Anyone who thinks Facebook is all kittens and video clips doesn't see my pages.  There are very tough political slogging matches going on.  It's been lucky that I've had a good friend who shares my views doing a lot of the heavy lifting - and in some cases it was her statuses that provoked these fights.   Part of me just wishes that UKIP supporters would just shut up about it - but they've won the majority of the seats - they feel entitled to gloat - those of them who were more discreet before the results are now strutting about and going for fitting for their new uniforms (I jest!).

Although UKIP strenuously tries to distance itself from neo-fascist groups such as NF and BNP the more it protests, the more we are counting the spoons.... the fact is that it has attracted their supporters (as well as many disaffected Tories and Labour voters) is a small thing, the worse thing, I think, is that it has enabled people who are pretty racist to find an outlet and to express their opinions.

The people who say "I'm not a racist but...." mean that they probably wouldn't use the N- word - but that's now the only definition of a racist - feeling alienated from foreigners, unable to make them welcome - yes, it's xenophobia - but it often covers a racist set of beliefs.   These xenophobes are Ukippers - they aren't educated, cosmopolitan or sophisticated.  Are they nice, kind, decent people?  Perhaps - to their own kind - they would probably help out if they saw a foreigner in trouble - wouldn't they?   They aren't monsters surely.

Nevertheless, I am feeling as alienated from them as Nigel Farage would from a household of Romanian men - Ukipophobia... Sadly, I have rather exhausted my energies on them on Facebook - but my overall view is that this victory is voters who perhaps don't really understand how Euro elections work voting for people who aren't going to work in the European Parliament - so rather a waste of time.  Probably some voters think if they can get enough UKIP MEPs elected they will be able to change European legislation - well yes, but...

Apparently UKIP are going to overhaul their policies - at present they are trying to present themselves as a party of the politically marginalised working classes - who are ignored by the media and Westminster.  If the working class took a close look at their agenda and manifesto they might wonder how getting rid of sick pay and the minimum wage was going to help the working classes exactly? This is because UKIP are not of course a working class party - they are a Poujardiste petit-bourgeois small business persons' party.... their interests are limited to making themselves richer and letting the weakest go to the wall.  Again not something most ordinary British people are totally enamoured of - we are famous for liking under dogs - I don't think we've lost that yet.   Perhaps we are safe.

I certainly don't believe they will make significant gains in a General Election in 2015 - barring some unforeseen horror... However, Nigel F is making the most of his victory - crowing that it is the first time a third party has won a "national election" for a 100 years.  Pas grand chose really - EU elections are not exactly national elections - correctly it should be "won a majority in the national section of a Europe-wide election".  But the truth isn't always a good sound-bite is it?

Fat women on Facebook posts

What can I say - there are so many and varied posts, but the ones that upset me are the ones that give me greater insight into people's unpleasant traits than I wanted to see...  Of course this is particularly apparent with Mrs Thatcher's demise.  The unholy glee, the grave dancing etc. has required a certain amount of explanation.

The one that has upset me today was put up by a friend of mine - a local friend (i.e. someone I know quite well but who has not been tested by time and tribulation).  I think she's suffering from "faded looks syndrome" (something I've just invented but often observed).  She repeatedly posts pictures of beautiful young people and beautiful objects.  I felt that anyone who knew her would probably see what was going on there.  God knows, we all suffer from the ravages of time - but you can always brush your hair and put on some lipstick (yes, I've finally succumbed to lipstick) and say toujours gai! like mehitabel the cat.  But this friend was obviously very attractive when young and is probably having a bit of a sulk over that.  Whereas I was never conventionally attractive, because I've always been "too fat" for most people's aesthetic...   SO, today she put up a really nasty picture of a fat young woman wearing some rather unwise opaque tights with a thong underneath - this was a rearview - she was wearing something on top, and shoes, but it was a rather sad picture of a young woman who didn't have the confidence to refuse to wear the latest fashion, or a bold young woman who was wearing it ANYWAY... it wasn't a conventionally pretty sight at all, her legs were not particularly her loveliest feature - but she didn't know what her rear looked like - perhaps someone should have mentioned it before she went out that morning.

So some stupid bloke (you can see it's a bloke - his shadow appears next to hers in the picture) secretively takes a picture of her with his phone and now it's all over FB.  And my friend, who is of course as skinny as an eel, has posted it there with the comment "New Weight Watchers advert".  and then added her own comment below.

I have spent some time today looking at it and wondering why?  And what to say?  I can't get beyond something sarcastic and unkind - but I know she's a delicate flower - I'd probably make her cry; I also know she's a bit of meanie.  What to do?  Say nothing - but I think she ought to be challenged about this.  After a bit of consultation with a mutual friend I put this up:

Would you want photos of yourself looking grim or badly dressed to be shared on FB along with some unknown person's superior comments? I blame the bloke who took the photo - but it's simply unkind to share it.

I hope that gets the message across, but without being too offensive - yes, I have called her unkind, but ain't that the truth?  Perhaps she just doesn't think.  

I've been slightly empowered by reading Susan Faludi's article about Shulamith Firestone in the New Yorker.  There can be such a thing as female solidarity... but poor old SF suffered terribly from lack of it at certain points in her life. It reminded me of so many things - but most of all how we shouldn't let our feminist standards lapse, sadly it was of course a woman who needed to be reminded a bit about sisterhood (that's what I meant - I do see sisterhood as a politicised version of kindness - anyway here's the link http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/04/15/130415fa_fact_faludi

Update
This was her comment back:

: "But if you cared that much surely you wouldn't go out like that Kate. I guess we all have our own views of what's unkind." Since that seems to be rather horrid and self-justifying, I decided to unfriend her.  It seems a bit pathetic behaving in that teenage way.  But I would rather have friends who weren't unkind and mean and thought they had a divine right to criticise everyone.   She is a raddled old trout anyway!  So who is she to stand in judgement...?  But I'm angry that it's an anti-fat thing - if it was a skinny girl people wouldn't be treating the picture of her like that.