Normalising Hate

Why is the fact that a political party whose entire existence is based upon opposition to immigration has members who are out-and-out racists treated by the UK's media as some kind of shocking revelation?  Perhaps the fact that, for the past few years, most of them have been trying to normalise Nigel Farage and Reform UK as if they are somehow a legitimate political leader and party, despite the sort of hate-speech they regularly engage in, might have something to do with it.  Of course, the upper, more visible, part of Reform (the above water bit of the iceberg, if you will), are always careful to couch their public bigotry in the sort of terms that make it easier for the media that fawns over them to present it as somehow falling within the 'norm' of political language, albeit at the 'tough' (ie extreme) end of the spectrum.  Hopefully, the recent ITV News investigation which revealed various Reform UK councillors and candidates using racist language and advocating all manner of repugnant, racially discriminatory policies, will make this normalisation of Reform UK by some sections of the media a bit more difficult.  But then again, let's not forget various of their MPs openly expressing racist sentiments - being 'sickened' by the number of non-white people being featured in TV ads, ring a bell? - which were quickly buried by the media.  Still, Farage and Reform UK seem to be on a downward spiral right now, the party dropping in the polls and Farage's personal standing with voters well down, following all the revelations about their funding, so maybe the media's love affair with them will wane.  After all, they only like to be associated with winners.

Speaking of that funding, this would  be an opportune time for a reminder that Reform UK isn't actually a political party in the normal sense.  It is, in reality, a limited company of which a  certain Nigel Farage is the majority shareholder.  Consequently, they don't have any semblance of a democratic internal structure, as do the other, legitimate, political parties, in one form or another.  Reform UK leaders aren't elected, but rather appointed by 'the board' - which, in practice, means Farage.  All of which means, of course, that any donations, memberships, etc aren't political donations or memberships in the usual sense.  They are, in effect,  gifts of money to a private company.  Not loans.  Gifts.  Which means that, if you are foolish enough to give money to Reform UK, you are, in effect, giving it to Nigel Farage.  I do wonder what will happen to all that money it has received from dodgy crypto billionaires if Nige finally gets fed up with Reform when he finds that it isn't going to get him into Number ten and decides to wind the company up?  I mean, it is all now a financial asset of Reform UK ltd and when a company is wound up, goes into voluntary liquidation, any assets that remain after outstanding debts are paid go to the company's owners. Which, in this case, would effectively be Farage as the majority shareholder.  Not, obviously, that I'd dare to suggest that good old Nige would ever contemplating such a thing.  God forbid!  He's as honest as the day is long, (barring, maybe, that five million quid 'personal gift' he forgot to declare upon becoming an MP).  But it makes you think, doesn't it?