Sunday, October 04, 2015

The cold, dark heart of the British public

Matthew Parris writes:
What Jeremy Corbyn, like David Cameron, understands about the cold, dark heart of the British public - leave compassion to journalists and Lib Dems. Voters want a dash of acid.
Oh yes, I can relate to that and so, it seems, can the "cold-hearted" British public:
I think Mr Parris is on to something. When the little boy refugee was found drowned on a beach in Greece, the media tugged hearstrings for the plight of all refugees. But I found a much colder attitude amonst people I knew. There was universal sadness that such a small child should suffer such a tragic fate, but that sadness did not translate to a willingness to be open armed to every refugee. Rather, the sadness was offset by questions about why the family left a safe location in Turkey, the responsibility of that family, and the responsibilitry of the people smugglers. I do not think this is new - the British have always been a less emotional, more pragmatic, more realistic, people than, say, some continentals. Whether Jeremy Corbyn, champion of the underdog, will connect to this realism is another matter - I doubt it.