Political

Three Brexit supporters, three pieces of nasty behaviour

1. Insulting a murder victim

A Tory councillor has been suspended after responding to news of a memorial fund set up after Labour MP Jo Cox was killed by saying “I’ve just donated the steam off my p***”.

Dominic Peacock, a Conservative Party councillor for East Riding … is campaigning for the UK to leave the EU. [The Independent]

2. Physically assaulting a Remain campaigner

A 78-year-old man has been punched in the face while handing out Remain leaflets, it has been alleged.

The man was reportedly giving out the leaflets on a busy high street in Carlisle when he became involved in an altercation with another man, 52, about the upcoming EU referendum. [The Independent]

3. Sick rape jibes

They still haven’t learnt

In which context, it’s worth remarking how some Brexit supporters also continue to push apologetically the line that ‘we’re the principled one, if you disagree with us you must be in it for yourself’. That’s a remarkably unwise attitude to take, as well of course as being untrue:

All the more so given who the Brexit campaign has as its supporters:

One of Vote Leave’s biggest single donors is a former member of the British National Party, BuzzFeed News can reveal. Gladys Bramall, of Sutton Coldfield in Birmingham, has given £600,000 to the official campaign to leave the European Union, according to updated Electoral Commission filings released on Tuesday morning. [Buzzfeed]

I say “has as its supporters” because, when asked if they would return the donation, Vote Leave dodged the question:

And of course there was this earlier in the week:

Vote Leave board member quits over anti-Muslim retweets [The Guardian]

Perhaps given that, some common sense will prevail over the extremist donation too, although judging by Michael Gove’s most recent statement – “Michael Gove has compared economic experts warning about Brexit to Nazis who smeared Albert Einstein” – the Brexit camp is sorely lacking in leaders with a desire to treat opponents in anything like even a half-dignified way.

What you can do

You can sign up to back the Liberal Democrat In campaign here, and the official Remain (In) Campaign is here.

If you’d like to know more about the wider topic, see my other European referendum posts, and in particular Nick Clegg’s demolition of the anti-EU case.

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