Each time tragedy strikes, a predictable script unfolds: politicians stand before the cameras, blaming the toxic Prevent strategy for the atrocity, while presenting it as the solution to protect us against the next. This is part of a downward spiral that we must exit in order to find real solutions. The political performance takes place before the full facts are established—often alongside calls for a “review” or “inquiry,” though logic would dictate that conclusions should follow, not precede, such investigations. In this spectacle, politicians play the roles of decisive leaders, delivering rehearsed lines about the ever-present boogey-man (implied as “Muslims”), while the real threats and root causes remain hidden behind the curtains, never quite making it into the script. Our current Prime Minister and Home Secretary’s response to the Southport attack is one in a long line of familiar instances. A tragic event has been used to reinforce the prevailing […]