Comment: RNLI volunteers are true patriots

Last week we witnessed deeply shocking scenes throughout the country. Masked men in balaclavas marching around the South Coast in protest against migrant arrivals, blocking roads, shutting down ports and smashing the windscreens of police vehicles were deeply distressing scenes to comprehend.

This was indicative of much of the divisive and vitriolic politics we have seen from the far right in recent years, and has been fuelled by social media, through Elon Musk’s platform, the accounts of Tommy Robinson and countless Reform MPs. These individuals are not patriots; they seek to sow division and hatred for their own personal gain and thrive on the scenes we saw last week.

Jess at West Wittering beach

The impact of this behaviour is being felt by individuals up and down the country, but last week, nobody felt it more than volunteers at the RNLI, including those in Selsey, who faced utterly disgraceful abuse. These are individuals who, day in and day out, put themselves in harm’s way to help others. They constantly perform selfless acts, not for money or recognition, but because it’s the right thing to do. I think a number of those hate-stirrers could learn a lot from them.

I pay tribute to these brave individuals, who are true patriots, and fully support the police in their investigations into these incidents.

The news over the weekend was dominated by reporting of the two mammoth donations received by Reform. Fundraising has always been an important part of politics, but it’s clear there has been a sea change. Nigel Farage wants to bring Trump’s America to our shores by buying his way into power. £72 million in donations is only comparable to levels of donations seen in the US. He’s trying to get into Number 10 as if it’s a stop on a Monopoly board.

The Conservatives increased the spending limit for general elections in 2023 from around £19.5m to a whopping £35million, when at the time it was only the Conservatives who had got anywhere close to spending near to the limit. Now Reform will have no issue reaching that spending limit.

We in the Liberal Democrats are calling for emergency legislation to cap political donations and spending and will press the Government to take decisive action. What we have seen demonstrates the need for action. No politician should be able to buy the keys to Number 10, exactly what Farage is trying to do now. The future of our democracy depends on it.