In the last few days, there has been uproar over the use of the term ‘Surrender Bill’ by the Prime Minister in Parliament, with many calling it an incitement to Brexit violence. Whilst it was somewhat amusing to watch our elected representatives put aside a day of shouting insults across the Chamber to debate moderating their language and acting like grown ups, it won’t be long before they are back acting as children in slanging matches. Even Jeremy Corbyn, who generally doesn’t speak at the Despatch Box without shouting, moderated his tone to sound quite reasonable.
Somewhat perversely, some of those with the most measured the language during the debate where they called for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to apologise for calling the ‘European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 2) Act’ the ‘Surrender Bill’, had just days earlier openly been vociferously shouting him down as a liar and demanding his resignation on the grounds he ‘broke the law’. He pushed the envelope on a point of law which was yet to be decided upon by the High Court. Those opposing him were frankly gobsmacked that they won but the behaviour of many MPs following this even has been deplorable and that includes MPs from all parties. One might conclude that many of the current crop of politicians are two-faced (on all sides of the debate and the chamber) and it will be interesting to see how many of them keep their jobs after the next General Election.
There is of course a serious side to the debate on inciting hatred and violence. Many of us are sensible reasonable people and will listen to the words, agree or disagree with them, and get on with our lives. There is however a tiny minority who are deranged lunatics and send threats or very occasionally act such as the man arrested on suspicion of a public order offence for Brexit violence when he as banging on the windows of Birmingham Yardley MP Jess Phillips.
With all of this in mind, it was somewhat of a surprise when a friend (who’s not in the ecommerce world) sent me a link to a notebook for sale on Amazon, sold by Amazon, and picked, packed and fulfilled by Amazon, with the cover title “My Little Book Of All The Brexiteers I Want To Stab”. The notebook is described as a journal/notebook to ‘put a smile on the face of anyone who is against Brexit’ for ‘all anti-brexit remainers and Pro-Europeans, Anti Leave British supporters who want Britain to remain in the European Union’.
A bit of tongue in cheek fun, or just another example of how toxic the country has become on the subject of Brexit? Currently there seems no end in sight with a Government that can’t govern, a Parliament who can take over the Order Paper at any time that they choose but who for three years have only been able to universally disagree with everything, political parties whos chosen course of action is a “Confirmatory Referendum” (for which, whether you are in favour or not, read “a please change your minds referendum”) and a Prime Minister who resolutely insists that the UK will leave the EU on the 31st of October with or without a deal even through MPs voted through a law requiring him to ask for an extension if a deal hasn’t been agreed.
It might be reasonable to expect Amazon to remove this item for sale. Whilst it’s understandable that third party sellers sometimes list offensive products on Amazon and naturally more difficult to police, it’s a surprise to see Amazon as the merchant of record in this instance. Whether you are for Brexit, against Brexit, want a different type of Brexit, or are just past caring, this type of tat has no place in Britain. It doesn’t matter if it’s a joke, it’s distasteful in the extreme, mistimed, and somewhat of a surprise to see Amazon as the retailer selling it.
20 Responses
Unless amazon remove this item for sale i will never buy from them again
I think there’s a difference in what constitues “incitement”, between the prime minister and elected officials saying on public record, in parliament, and a little joke on the front of a notebook.
there’s a wave of trump-inspired nationalism/racism spreading across america, if it’s okay for trump to do it it’s okay for me to do it, type of thinking.
i haven’t heard anyone use the excuse i saw a joke on a notepad.
Amazed that is for sale. Allowing that sets a precedence, hard to justify banning similar items after that. Or is Amazon a law unto itself? [Answer = yes]
With so many people around the UK, which have been murdered by knife crimes. A little joke on the front of a book?
It’s surprising what you can buy and where from.
For example, I saw an advert from wish.com and one of the items it was featuring was packs of “tyre puncture triangle / nail / star”. Yes, you can actually buy these nasty little things. Imagine what would happen if so clown thought it would be funny to throw them off a motorway bridge. Yet that doesn’t appear to have occured to wish.com. And upon checking, ebay are OK with selling them too. Amazon doesn’t sell them, so that’s a plus I guess. At least they’re checking some things and deciding it’s not a good idea to sell them.
As for the stab a brexiteer book…whatever. It just goes to show the further left wing people go, the nastier they get, until they’re really no different from the far right they hate so much. Is that irony? It probably is, and it makes me chuckle that they can’t see that about themselves.
Utterly despicable!
We would not sell it as we would not want to be associated with content. I agree with all the comments above. Looks like it has now been removed?!
Ultimately as a merchant, I think it is important to believe in what you sell and whilst there is always going to be different points of view, it must come down to the retailer to decide “to I want my customers to associate me with that item” – it must been a fine line when selling novelty/tongue in cheek/ provocative items.
Am still slightly amused by the “Longer delivery than typical Prime items” messaging from Amazon – kinda sums up everything Brexit related!
Surrender is a passive (non aggressive) word!
I’m not appaled by the book. This has simple reasoning – as a biker I’m used to hate. I’m used to it from news chats, facebook and web itself overall. You will get bored of the hate speech evetually. One little notepad intended as a joke and people are getting crazy over hate speech. What actually surprises me is that people are not willing to tolerate one, but accept another one, even promote it.
The question I would overally ask: What is democracy? What is freedom? I would say both of those are associated with me, as a reader, to view content that sometimes is not what I like, but accept it – it makes me stronger. I will see rhus content as there are people having different opinions.
As of promoting hate and crime to rhis notepad? That is your perception of a situation.
I personally will not promote it. I won’t buy it.
When did anyone say that a “traitor” should be stabbed ?
“Surrender” is tame in comparison.
Many of those wanting to ban “surrender” and “capitulation” style themselves “liberal”.
Hyprocrites, the lot of them.
the author should be prosecuted for promoting hate and violent crime
no excuse its insensitive and ignorant
if i were to sell a book with a similar title, listing race ,gender or sexual preference
I would be locked up now
In times gone past no one would have batted an eyelid… but times have changes and im not just talking about the snowflake movement… I mean real violence.
This book just isn’t really funny nowdays. If i were to go online and suggest such a thing, i would proberly have the police at my door… This was a case of very very poor judgement by amazon. Someone is proberly looking for a new job right now!
Im sure ebay will be selling it very soon for those who wish to still buy it!
well no it’s really not an incitement to violence, it’s a notebook.
if you’re that easily influenced you wanna have a good hard look at yourself.
to paraphrase chris “I’m sorry you are such a wilting flower that you’re offended by a notebook”.
this isn’t a brexiteer specific joke either, it’s been around for an eternity, it’s a 1-word twist on something that’s been available for yeeeeeears, but suddenly it’s got brexiteer on there and a certain section of society screams “liberal bedwetters wanna kill us all!”. please.
so where’s the campaign to remove this one?:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Book-Idiots-Want-Stab/dp/1729089461/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=stab&qid=1569928734&s=gateway&sr=8-6
only one word different, surely must be just as inciteful, exact same violence, except it says idiots instead of brexiteers, so has 100% 5-star reviews and no complaints.
hmmmmm….
“The EU Withdrawal (No.2) Act was an act passed by the UK Parliament of democratically elected officials. If you don’t like the result, lets have another vote. Oh wait, but brexiteers don’t like second votes do they?”
Notwithstanding they were not ‘officials’, they were members of parliament, if they had been officials, as in the civil service, the withdrawal act would certainly never have been passed.
However, a ‘second’ vote must include the most preferred option of the first vote. It would be a ridiculous second vote to remove the preferred vote of the first, replace it with a new option (knowing many could not accept) and keep the option that was rejected first time round on the ballot paper.
So yes, a second vote. Deal on offer or no deal. That would be the only fair second vote!!!