By Charlotte Ndupuechi.
A Southampton hotel housing asylum seekers was under a suspected attack on Sunday, 7th September. Police are treating it as an arson attempt after a flare was thrown through a ground-floor window . Police have stated the incident could have resulted in fatalities. Thankfully, no one was injured, but the incident is a chilling reminder of how angry and distorted the debate around immigration has become.
Headlines have been dominated by inflammatory coverage about “small boat invasions.” Political speeches, protests, and demonstrations keep the issue on the front page. One party leader after another seems determined to outdo Nigel Farage in promising to deport the most people. The country appears fixated on this single issue—while the challenges that affect all of us on a daily basis go largely under-discussed.
In politics, this tactic has a name: the “dead cat strategy.” Coined by Australian strategist Lynton Crosby, it describes how a shocking or divisive topic is thrown into public debate to distract attention from deeper problems. Right now, immigration is our dead cat.
While the political spotlight stays fixed on immigration, people are struggling with soaring bills, schools are cutting staff, and NHS waiting lists are at record highs. Issues such as corporate monopolies, environmental destruction, and the prioritisation of profit over public good are pushed aside in favour of the politics of fear. Blaming asylum seekers for almost every current issue seems to have become the norm.
Meanwhile, banks and supermarkets are raking it in. UK banks made record profits, with the “Big Four” (Lloyds, HSBC, Barclays, and NatWest) reporting a combined pre-tax profit of £45.9 billion in 2024.
Supermarkets too are announcing record profits. Tesco, for example, reported its annual profit jumped to £1.6 billion, a rise of 37 per cent, and a collective of 20 energy companies has amassed over £457 billion in profits since the onset of the energy crisis. The stark contrast between soaring corporate profits and the struggles of ordinary people should at least be raising questions.
The truth is, there is no shortage of money in this country. The profits being declared show clearly that the wealth exists. It is an illusion to believe we “can’t afford” the schools, hospitals, housing, transport, and energy systems needed for a fair and successful society. The resources are already there; the problem is political will, not economic possibility. Blaming people seeking asylum is nothing more than a distraction technique.
Waving flags won’t solve our real problems. Fear and division will not clean up our rivers, bring down bills, or plug the funding gaps in our public services.
We need to stop chasing headlines about Channel crossings and start demanding more from both the media and our politicians. We don’t have to accept distraction politics as the new normal. We can refuse to be dragged into the politics of hate.
It’s time to stop feeding the dead cat—and start asking the questions that really matter.
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