As the tournament comes to its final game, Jon Bloomfield and David Edgar reflect on what it has demonstrated about nationhood, identity and the global rules-based order
It is really quite astonishing that the peak of narrow-minded ethnic nationalism is the USA. A country whose white European-heritage population, who claim to be the country's true representatives, only started to immigrate there less than 400 years ago. A country with one of the youngest immigrant-majority populations in the world.
I had been feeling gloomy, focussing on the negatives, particularly Trumps pernicious influence not only over the suspension but also over the victimisation of players and officials from countries he does not like. That this happened with no objection or protest from FIFA itself is appalling and demonstrates how out of touch the FIFA leadership have become under Infantino.
This piece of writing looks beneath that and highlights the changing reality of the world despite the best (or worst) efforts of the totalitarian neo-nazis around the world. However, continued vigilance is needed to ensure there is not a spread of their pernicious ideology.
It's interesting that the likes of Lowe feel the need to use weasel words like "remigration" when what they mean is "mass deportation".
Perhaps they realise that people in the UK can see what's going on in the US, and the vast majority don't want that here.
It really won't win votes, but we need to stop allowing them to get away with pretending it's not going to be absolutely horrible, and probably wouldn't affect everyday friends & neighbours.
It is really quite astonishing that the peak of narrow-minded ethnic nationalism is the USA. A country whose white European-heritage population, who claim to be the country's true representatives, only started to immigrate there less than 400 years ago. A country with one of the youngest immigrant-majority populations in the world.
It’s clearly based on the forbidding colour laws of the slavery era - something not all countries retain, or retain so desperately.
Excellent writing.
I had been feeling gloomy, focussing on the negatives, particularly Trumps pernicious influence not only over the suspension but also over the victimisation of players and officials from countries he does not like. That this happened with no objection or protest from FIFA itself is appalling and demonstrates how out of touch the FIFA leadership have become under Infantino.
This piece of writing looks beneath that and highlights the changing reality of the world despite the best (or worst) efforts of the totalitarian neo-nazis around the world. However, continued vigilance is needed to ensure there is not a spread of their pernicious ideology.
It's interesting that the likes of Lowe feel the need to use weasel words like "remigration" when what they mean is "mass deportation".
Perhaps they realise that people in the UK can see what's going on in the US, and the vast majority don't want that here.
It really won't win votes, but we need to stop allowing them to get away with pretending it's not going to be absolutely horrible, and probably wouldn't affect everyday friends & neighbours.