Not all as first appears

The report states that figures from Northumbria Police show that in the three months following June’s referendum the number of crimes with a racial element in South Tyneside “leapt” to 39 – in an electorate of over 115,000 – in other words, assuming all 39 crimes were committed by people eligible to vote, and all were committed by different people, fewer than 1 in 2,700 of the electorate committed such crimes.

Those crimes sufficiently serious to result in summons and charges doubled – to six – fewer than one in 19,300 of the electorate. Not quite the Krystallnacht-style pogrom suggested by the headline.

The hysterical tantrums of the sophisticated, educated and self-satisfied elite, who so obviously understand what’s good for us better than we do ourselves and who still cannot believe that common people could be so stupid as to reject their doom-laden prognostications, are really becoming tiresome – pack it in guys – you lost.

Those of us who voted to leave the EU (not, please note, to leave Europe) were motivated by many things but certainly not by hate for anyone and, with many others, I find the implication behind the headline deeply offensive.

Note that one well-known politician who once described those wishing to leave the EU as “fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists” has already collected his P45 – keep sneering at and traducing those who dare to disagree with you if you must, but if you ever succeed in getting a re-run of the referendum don’t be surprised if the result is even less to your liking than last time.

Dennis Maccoy