Why Are There Flags Hanging From Lampposts? // with Aarti Joshi

The pervasive, mendacious and downright malevolent diatribe directed towards immigrants in the UK – or those wrongly categorised as such – irrespective of their social, economic or citizenship status, is at what feels like an all time high.

So who better to hear from than someone who’s experiencing this continuing embarrassment to Britain. Step forward, Aarti Joshi.

Aarti is a good friend of mine and was previously a guest on Blethered back in 2021, where we discussed what it’s like to be a Scottish-indian woman in a so-called man’s world.

Aarti is a strong-willed, intelligent, Scottish woman who is fiercely proud of her heritage, and so she should be. I knew she’d give me a no-holds barred account of what life has been like lately.

The trigger point for this sit-down was the sudden appearance of flags hung from lampposts, all over North Glasgow, where I’m from. This was irrefutably and undeniably an attempt to intimidate those deemed to be nonindigenous from Scotland and the UK in general, and it succeeded in its attempt to instil fear in those it was aimed at.

In the face of bullies, and especially in that vein, neutrally is not an option. It’s silent support of the systematic bullying and scapegoating of people who do not deserve it. I’m not standing by and watching it happen without doing something, and neither should you.

To claim you’re apolitical, in the face of grotesque unfairness and injustice, is an intrinsically political choice.

Don’t sit this one out. Believe it or not, after such a morally indignant monologue from me, this chat is genuinely full of laughs. It’s two pals chatting about the state of the world as we see it, and we’ve pulled up a seat for you, as well.

contact: seanmcdonald.podcast@gmail.com

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