OPINION:
London is falling. Soon, it will be the rest of the United Kingdom. After that, it could be the rest of Western civilization. It is time for us all to wake up and take action before it is too late.
Restrictions on free speech undermine personal freedoms and self-governance and move Britain down the path toward Communist China or North Korea. Socialist policies remove the motive to work and undermine a once-great nation. Failure to crack down on crime strikes fear in citizens and terror in the hearts of minors. Even legal immigration, without assimilation, can cause major problems for a just society.
I just returned home from London this week. Ironically, Reform U.K. leader Nigel Farage, himself a member of the British Parliament, appeared before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee days later to warn about restrictions on free speech in Britain.
One of the examples he gave involves an Irish comedian named Graham Linehan, who was arrested for posting on X about men pretending to be women. In one, he said: “If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act. Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the balls.”
For this, he was arrested upon arrival at London’s Heathrow Airport. Mr. Linehan correctly noted: “In a country where paedophiles escape sentencing, where knife crime is out of control, where women are assaulted and harassed every time they gather to speak, the state had mobilised five armed officers to arrest a comedy writer.” His bail requirement was that he not go back on social media. In other words, he was given a gag order.
Restraints on speech aren’t the only problem in the United Kingdom. Years of socialist policies are faintly catching up with the British economy. Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher warned of this dilemma in 1976, saying, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.”
Today, low productivity, stagnant real wages, weak investment and high housing costs in the U.K. have led to poor economic growth for more than a decade-and-a-half. Excessive government spending commitments have increased the national debt and cost-of-living pressures on citizens.
The Labour Party took charge of the national government last year and continues to push for increased government spending on expanding the government-run health-care system, a new, government-owned clean power company and plans to build 1.5 million new homes. Labour leaders claim they can pay for it by clamping down on tax evaders, yet the national debt continues to grow.
Public safety is also a persistent issue in the United Kingdom. Data shows that the total number of sexual offenses in England and Wales has risen dramatically, with the number more than doubling between 2014/2015 and 2021/2022. Police recorded a record high that year, and the statistics suggest that the trend will continue for 2024/2025. Child grooming gangs have been a problem for years in the UK, but recent reports indicate that police are reluctant to prosecute in areas of high immigration for fear of being portrayed as culturally insensitive to local residents.
Last month, Mr. Farage stated that, “An Afghan male has a 22 times more likely chance of being convicted of rape than someone born in this country.” He went on to note that, “40 percent of sexual assaults in London over the course of the last five years have been committed by those born overseas.”
Boris Johnson, who previously served as British prime minister and mayor of London, posted this on X: “Everywhere I go I find international investors worried about levels of crime and disorder in Labour-run London. And what are Khan’s cops doing? Arresting comedians for jokes.”
Mr. Johnson continued, “Be in no doubt that under Keir Starmer the authorities are destroying this country’s ancient and priceless reputation for free speech. Take away free speech, freedom of expression, freedom of thought — and you remove much of what is unique about this country and our culture. We are witnessing a slow motion disaster.”
This should serve as an urgent warning to all of us in the West. Free speech is fundamental to ensuring liberty and justice for all. The government doesn’t create jobs. It creates an environment that is either better or worse for job creators. More government leads to more spending, which drives up inflation and the cost of living for our citizens. Deterrence must be certain to ensure public safety. Illegal immigration is a major problem. But so is immigration without assimilation.
When a guest enters the home of their host, they do not give up their own identity. They do, however, agree to respect the owner’s wishes when they accept the invitation to stay in the home. Those who come to a new country should respect the laws and traditions of that nation. Those who do not should be asked to leave.
• Scott Walker is a columnist for The Washington Times. He was the 45th governor of Wisconsin and launched a bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. He lives in Milwaukee and is the proud owner of a 2003 Harley-Davidson Road King. He can be reached at swalker@washingtontimes.com
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