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Only Farage can save our precious bodily fluids from HIV Only Farage can save our precious bodily fluids from HIV
(about 1 hour later)
“Here’s a fact,” Farage bellowed at the only volume he ever speaks at, “and I’m sure that other people will be mortified that I dare to talk about it. There are 7,000 diagnoses in this country every year of people who are HIV positive. It’s not a good place for any of them to be, I know. But 60% of them are not British nationals. You can come into Britain, from anywhere in the world, and get diagnosed with HIV, and get the retroviral [sic] drugs that cost up to twenty five thousand per year per patient. I know there are some horrible things happening in parts of the world, but what we need to do is put the National Health Service there for British people and families who in many cases have paid into this system for decades.”“Here’s a fact,” Farage bellowed at the only volume he ever speaks at, “and I’m sure that other people will be mortified that I dare to talk about it. There are 7,000 diagnoses in this country every year of people who are HIV positive. It’s not a good place for any of them to be, I know. But 60% of them are not British nationals. You can come into Britain, from anywhere in the world, and get diagnosed with HIV, and get the retroviral [sic] drugs that cost up to twenty five thousand per year per patient. I know there are some horrible things happening in parts of the world, but what we need to do is put the National Health Service there for British people and families who in many cases have paid into this system for decades.”
Well I am mortified. Not out of some vague allegiance to the dogma of political correctness, as I’m sure bores like Farage would have it, but for reasons I’ll come on to in a moment. First though, let’s deal with the facts. Is what Farage is saying true? Well I am mortified. Not out of some vague allegiance to the dogma of political correctness, as I’m sure boors like Farage would have it, but for reasons I’ll come on to in a moment. First though, let’s deal with the facts. Is what Farage is saying true?
Well no. As Buzzfeed pointed out this morning, his figures were a little off – more like 5,000 diagnoses and 54%. But there’s another crucial difference as well – the figures provided by Public Health England are for “foreign-born” people, who may well be nationals. In fact there’s little evidence of HIV ‘health tourism’ at all. Somehow though – well, we know how – this debate has managed to conflate the likes of British Olympian Mo Farah with foreigners, asylum-seekers and illegal immigrants. I’d treat them the same. Apparently so would UKIP.Well no. As Buzzfeed pointed out this morning, his figures were a little off – more like 5,000 diagnoses and 54%. But there’s another crucial difference as well – the figures provided by Public Health England are for “foreign-born” people, who may well be nationals. In fact there’s little evidence of HIV ‘health tourism’ at all. Somehow though – well, we know how – this debate has managed to conflate the likes of British Olympian Mo Farah with foreigners, asylum-seekers and illegal immigrants. I’d treat them the same. Apparently so would UKIP.
This isn’t the first time Farage has shown an interest in AIDS, having called previously to keep HIV positive migrants out of Britain. As others have pointed out, the numbers are tiny and testing at the border would be a ridiculous waste of everyone’s time. You can’t seal borders against disease, and the best way to tackle AIDS globally is to get people tested and treated while removing the stigma associated with being HIV positive – something banning people from Britain is hardly going to achieve.This isn’t the first time Farage has shown an interest in AIDS, having called previously to keep HIV positive migrants out of Britain. As others have pointed out, the numbers are tiny and testing at the border would be a ridiculous waste of everyone’s time. You can’t seal borders against disease, and the best way to tackle AIDS globally is to get people tested and treated while removing the stigma associated with being HIV positive – something banning people from Britain is hardly going to achieve.
Why should we give a crap about dealing with HIV globally? In ascending order of selfishness because we’re a rich and decent nation, because tackling disease globally prevents future outbreaks here, and because AIDS is massive drain on the world’s economy, which we’re a part of, and because it boosts Britain’s medical expertise and reputation.Why should we give a crap about dealing with HIV globally? In ascending order of selfishness because we’re a rich and decent nation, because tackling disease globally prevents future outbreaks here, and because AIDS is massive drain on the world’s economy, which we’re a part of, and because it boosts Britain’s medical expertise and reputation.
And the cost of this is tiny. As with international aid, the amounts we are small enough to be pretty much irrelevant. There are many reasons why poor people in Britain are struggling, and none of them have anything much to do with what other poor people are getting, British or foreign. And the cost of this is tiny. As with international aid, the amounts are small enough to be pretty much irrelevant. There are many reasons why poor people in Britain are struggling, and none of them have anything much to do with what other poor people are getting, British or foreign.
A lot of people found Farage’s comments instinctively offensive or even ‘dangerous’, but struggled to explain why exactly. I think part of it is that his dog-whistle appeals to ‘us’ and ‘them’ are the familiar rhetoric of the diseased foreigner threating the wholesome body politic. In that respect these kinds of debates recall attitudes from darker episodes in European history in a way that makes another of Farage’s dog whistles – his constant and tedious references to “Mrs Merkel” – seem rather ironic.A lot of people found Farage’s comments instinctively offensive or even ‘dangerous’, but struggled to explain why exactly. I think part of it is that his dog-whistle appeals to ‘us’ and ‘them’ are the familiar rhetoric of the diseased foreigner threating the wholesome body politic. In that respect these kinds of debates recall attitudes from darker episodes in European history in a way that makes another of Farage’s dog whistles – his constant and tedious references to “Mrs Merkel” – seem rather ironic.
More than that, there’s another quality about Farage that stood out last night – his smallness. When I imagine the kind of nation I want Britain to be, I think of words like generous or gregarious. We’re a rich and powerful nation – considerably more rich and powerful than it’s fashionable to acknowledge - and helping others is just a decent thing to do. The fact that we do more than others to help people around the world should be a source of great national pride, not resentment.More than that, there’s another quality about Farage that stood out last night – his smallness. When I imagine the kind of nation I want Britain to be, I think of words like generous or gregarious. We’re a rich and powerful nation – considerably more rich and powerful than it’s fashionable to acknowledge - and helping others is just a decent thing to do. The fact that we do more than others to help people around the world should be a source of great national pride, not resentment.
Farage is like the host who charges guests for using too much loo roll. The student in halls who drew up spreadsheets to see who used the most milk. The miser in the pub who won’t buy a round because they’re only drinking Coke. In place of vision, they have fear. Instead of ambition they have entitlement. They claim to be liberal but in reality they’re obsessed with rules, because without rules an identity built on a fragile myth of British exceptionalism would crumble, and they would be forced to confront their own smallness. They would have to accept that they, a Brit, are not intrinsically ‘better’ or ‘more deserving’ than a Polish or a Romanian or whatever.Farage is like the host who charges guests for using too much loo roll. The student in halls who drew up spreadsheets to see who used the most milk. The miser in the pub who won’t buy a round because they’re only drinking Coke. In place of vision, they have fear. Instead of ambition they have entitlement. They claim to be liberal but in reality they’re obsessed with rules, because without rules an identity built on a fragile myth of British exceptionalism would crumble, and they would be forced to confront their own smallness. They would have to accept that they, a Brit, are not intrinsically ‘better’ or ‘more deserving’ than a Polish or a Romanian or whatever.
So yes, I am mortified. I’m mortified that foreigners might see this kind of pettiness and imagine that the rest of Britain is as small as Farage is.So yes, I am mortified. I’m mortified that foreigners might see this kind of pettiness and imagine that the rest of Britain is as small as Farage is.