Well, the Leave Alliance (nice man is Peter North) today claimed the RNLI were enabling organised crime, so it appears to be common theme among those of a certain political persuasion...
This was gaslit a couple of weeks ago when the Home Secretary proposed removing some words from the law which would theoretically mean that the RNLI could be prosecuted. Instantly clarified that that wasn’t the purpose of the proposed change, but gave the right wing knobs justification for attacking the RNLI. It’s typical Johnson government playbook, and ought to be more obvious to more people (on both sides) that they’re being played into a culture war.
Yes the verbal word of a Tory minister that it wasnt intended to apply to the RNLI but nothing in the legal text to support that view. This is the same government remember that said the NI protocol wouldnt mean checks in the Irish sea for example. Fortunately at present its a real vote loser to go after the RLNI but maybe after a few years of campaigning enough of their knuckle dragging support may be on board with the idea
