In late 2016 we had one gutter element of the press describing three UK judges as "Enemies of the people" in a shocking headline. An attack on the judiciary's independence that was belatedly answered by the then Lord Chancellor, Liz Truss, with a weak response in which she failed to condemn it.
Three months later the author of that headline, James Slack, was appointed the PM's official spokesman.
The current UK PM expressing his view on Covid mitigation as "Let the bodies pile high". His lack of concern of the effects of Brexit summed up in his phrase, "fark business". His description of Muslim women who wear a burka as looking like letterboxes or bank robbers. And who can forget his picaninnies, water-melon smiles, or tank-toppped bum boys.
The Home Office tweeting the message which they later had to delete only for the Home Secretary to later tweet on her own account the same message. In it, reference was made to human rights lawyers as "activist lawyers ... delaying and disrupting returns". Although that tweet and an associated video advert were withdrawn after being found to breach civil service standards, Patel repeated the phrase in a tweet (which is still live). Days after her tweet, a man entered the office of immigration solicitor in London brandishing a large knife and threatening to kill him. He carried out a violent, racist attack on staff, injuring one of them before being overcome.
Patel did nothing to tone down her attacks, in fact she went further by later targeting 'do-gooders' and 'lefty lawyers' at the Tory Party Conference. PM Johnson got in on the act too, stating that the criminal justice system was “being hamstrung by lefty human rights lawyers”.
The Tory government's inhumane and divisive rhetoric is shaping the violent and intolerant behaviour we are seeing played out on our streets.
The Tories are acutely aware of the inflammatory and provocative nature of their words and policies, which they use to drive forward their populist form of government.
They will reap what they sow.
