Il consigliere comunale che ha posto domande su 300 migranti in un hotel e se i veterani locali potrebbero ottenere lo stesso livello di sostegno è “segnalato alla polizia” per “suscitare l’odio razziale”

The police deny receiving any such report about this. Another councillor complained and threatened to involve the police, but presumably didn’t actually do so.

Ah, the ol’ “but what about homeless veterans?” from people who clearly don’t give a shit about homeless veterans. You almost never hear this stuff during general elections or in day-to-day discussions of government finances, but if there’s some money that might benefit group-you-don’t-like *x* (usually an ethnic or sexual minority, but sometimes certain kinds of artists or scientists) in the mix, well then suddenly all government finances boils down to a zero-sum game of “*x* vs. homeless veterans.” Very convenient.

It’s so easy to play this game with literally any cause you can pick, too, which basically proves that nobody really believes it. You wanted Brexit? Sorry folks, but we have to reverse it as the growth it’s cost us could have helped pay for homeless veterans. You want to grow the military in response to Putin’s aggression and America’s pullback? Sorry folks, there are still homeless veterans. You want a tax break? Well, sorry folks, that would reduce the pool of money available for homeless veterans. You want to improve the NHS? Well, sorry, etc.