Toxic stench of the xenophobe

So Nigel Farage couldn't get himself to a meeting in South Wales…

It was a political meeting and he was the main speaker, so not to turn up is pretty poor. It's hardly likely to inspire much confidence for those looking for someone to take on the establishment.

Farage knew this, and got his excuse in early. "It's the fault of immigrants."

This is not just laughably petty, it is an insight into a particularly dangerous and twisted mindset that blames others, that sows irrational discord and pits majority against minority.

Black and minority ethnic groups must realise that the UKIP leader's rant against immigrants puts them in the line of fire, despite the attempt by Douglas Carswell in his acceptance speech at the Clacton by-election to appeal to "all Britain and all Britons." When his leader gets frustrated at his inability to get from one end of the M4 to the other, an irrational anger at the foreigner comes bubbling to the surface, its toxic stench identifying a bigoted xenophobe.

We can laugh a contrived guffaw at the saloon bar buffoon who blames 'bloody foreigners' for all our woes, but it would behold us to be fearful of such sentiments when they demonstrate only too clearly the mindset of someone who might, heaven forbid, play an important role in how this country is governed in the coming years. Such an attitude points the finger of blame at those who are 'different', and history teaches us where that leads.

But rest assured we can have a strong say in the forth coming elections about what we think of  those who seek to sow the seeds of hatred and division.

We have a great nation and we must stand  up together to those who would realidy pit one community against another in order to serve their own narrow interest.

Paul Hensby