Those of you unfortunate enough to know me or follow my activities may be aware of the fact that, as of now, I’ve been in Russia for more than a week.
As detailed in my last post on this blog, I’m studying the Russian language at Exlinguo in Novosibirsk, Siberia.
For the last few weeks I’ve been running another blog, A Briton in Russia, to detail my experiences there.
Now that things are a bit more off the ground, I feel content to share it here. From this point onwards, I will be posting links to new and interesting articles on said blog here as well, so those of you that follow my antics might be able to, should the mood take you, take a look!
Thanks for reading and I hope to see you on the other blog!
I wanted to take a departure from my usual format, namely my posting of ‘essays’ (more accurate known as rants) and add a bit of a personal angle to my posts. Given that this is ultimately a blog about my own views, and not a news site, I think it’s fair enough that I reveal some of my own personal circumstances.
I’ve had a busy time these last two months or so. I am quite open with my fondness for international relations, travel and the former states of the Eastern Bloc, so it may not come as a surprise that I’ve been trying to learn the Russian language on and off over the last year. Well, one month ago I signed up for proper lessons; lessons that I saved the money for by working odd jobs.
Yes, I’ve booked myself onto a two month course with ExoLinguo in Novosibirsk, to attempt some immersive learning. I’m equally excited about/dreading it.
In addition to that, I was lucky/unlucky enough to get a phonecall during one of my lessons offering me work experience at a local magazine, some five weeks ago.
Naturally for the industry, it wasn’t paid; not that I have a problem with that. Frankly I view the relationship between an intern and their employer was one of reciprocity; the employee gets his experience, training and the time of people experienced in the industry they’re interested in and the employer hopefully gets creativty, a fresh perspective and (hopefully) a possible candidate for any real job opening.
So although I wouldn’t complain about the lack of payment, I knew that I had to tide my way so I’ve persisted with my evening job.
The effect of this is that, three days a week, I’m careening out of bed at 7.30am to get to the office for 9.30am, then scramble out of there at 3.30pm to get to Marble Arch for 5pm and I’m not back in my bed until 12.20am – phew! On the other two days, I’m getting to my Russian classes for 11am before work, so that’s at least a bit better.
Now I’m not complaining, these are circumstances I’ve willingly entered into, but it’s certainly interesting to see how, over the weeks, fatigue can really get to you.
Still, the experience has lent me some great stories: First of all, I can now presume to lecture anyone my age working a job about how easy they have it, I can also cast myself as some kind of tragic Stakhanovite, like George Orwell’s Boxer character from Animal Farm, and I’ve learned a lot about my capabilities as a person and a journalist.
Though, if I am to make lame excuses, it’s the above circumstances that have rendered this blog so barren.
Still, I hope to change things up with lighter posts with a focus on what’s going on for me. In my evening work as a concierge, I come upon a lot of interesting happenstances but, perhaps more significantly, come my trip to Russia in November, I will be a Briton abroad, with hardly any language skills in a foreign and alien country.
I’m looking forward to documenting the experience immensely!
For now, watch this place, and this weary soul shall try his best to share some of what’s going on that’s a bit more personal to myself. What’s certain is that my dryer articles are not to be so predominant on this blog anymore.
Vladimir Putin – Is he really responsible for the downing of MH17?
Although it was insincere and, perhaps, somewhat tasteless of me to believe such, I felt a degree of contentment about the news of MH17’s fate. It seemed to me that some good could come out of the disaster; perhaps the commentators and public of the West might draw their attention away from Gaza, no matter how briefly, and once again consider the the very real threat lying to the east of Europe.
I’ve made no secret of my disdain for Vladimir Putin. Though not the cause, the man is a symptom of the debased and low-thinking nationalism that currently grips large swathes as Russia, as well as its various transplanted peoples and exclaves.
Cordoned off: Separatists had proven uncooperative in allowing access to the crash site and the removal of bodies
But in honesty, the swiftness with which he has been condemned, with no real investigation (not that the Ukrainian Separatists have exactly facilitated such) or substantial irrefutable evidence, has made me rather nervous.
The line being touted, backed up by a few stills and a YouTube video, is that the jet was destroyed by a Russian-made BUK missile system; an apparatus that originates from the Soviet Union and can be found in both the Ukrainian and Russian military inventories.
Admittedly, the delayed and somewhat strained accusation by the Russians that a Ukrainian Sukhoi fighter jet was shadowing the flight at the time seems spurious at best, but can it be said that Western sources are any more solid?
In action: the BUK anti-air missile system dates from the 1970s and is a staple in the inventories of post-Soviet states
I’m personally not willing to throw myself wholeheartedly behind any side on this incident at such an early stage and with so little evidence. The reluctance that the rebels had shown to secure access to the crash sight and prevent its being compromised is arguably just as explainable by an enmity for an uncaring west that has only shown interest in the Ukrainian situation because of foreign deaths as it is by a possible desire to cover up.
Nevertheless, the Ukrainian situation remains an example of Russian aggression. Russia has continued to arm the rebels and volunteers have joined the struggle masquerading as natives. The affair is a flagrant attempt by Vladimir Putin to destabilise a neighbouring country that has attempted to remove itself from the Russian bloc.
It is my heartfelt hope that, in spite of the contestable nature of the facts in the MH17 case, that some aggregate good might come out of it: Tougher sanctions on Russia, widespread European condemnation of Putin and closer military cooperation between Ukraine and NATO. It must be hoped, however, that the MH17 is not used as a foundation for this condemnation, should the western version of events be found to be dubious.
A small train station near the Chinese border on the Yalu River
My decision to visit the Hermit Kingdom, the last truly Stalinist bastion on the planet and one of the most isolated countries in existence, was made totally on the spur.
In spite of the understandable moral dilemmas surrounding a decision to visit, and by extension fund, a despotic regime, it’s a decision that I do not regret.
Visiting North Korea is a unique and once-in-a-lifetime experience that will shape how you view politics, governments and man’s relationship with the state. It will affirm that you should always think critically about not just the state, but also the media: In spite of its genuine eccentricities, the Korean regime doesn’t exhibit quite every fallacy ascribed to it by the press here in the West.
Please give it a read and let me know what you think. The country is an emotive topic for many and no doubt everyone who’s visited or come into contact with this unique nation will have their own views on the subject.
Well it’s been an eventful week here in Weybridge since my family and I discovered that lightning can indeed occur indoors.
A flash out of the corner of my eye, a streak barely two feet past my sister and mother and a crack before my father led to the house being rid of internet these last few days.
Nevertheless, I’ve made do with my phone’s modest 3G allowance to remain plugged in as best I can.
The news has likewise been eventful this week but my own eyes have been glued to coverage of the D-Day celebrations. Many commentators paid keen attention to President Putin, who seemed an odd intruder in Western Europe after Russia’s exile from the G8. Looking somewhat out of place, much was made of Putin’s conscious self-placement on the peripherary.
Seemingly in a bid to have the two hug it out, French organisers at the commemoration event had the two leaders appear side by side on a plasma screen, which was quickly noticed by both politicians. Mr Putin’s reaction was quite difficult to read.
Putin & Obama – Just Hug it Out?
Nevertheless, awkward reunions could not be avoided; Obama and the Russian President exchanged their first words since the Ukrainian crisis began, and Putin was able have an exchange with the Ukrainian President-Elect, Petro Poroshenko.
A mark of progress came from the presence of another foreign leader, however. Angela Merkel’s attendance with a handful of German veterans showed that Europe is on its way to coming to terms with the conflict; and that both sides are ready to remember.
Although it’s understandable that today’s politican concerns should have had a bearing on the proceedings, in the eyes of many viewers, it’s nevertheless important that they do not overshadow the significance of this year’s D-Day gathering.
It marked the last time that the Normandy Veterans Association would be gathering together, before its disbanding. With 2014 marking the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, a sad and begrudged admission has been made that many veterans are not up to the task of travelling.
Which makes it all the more inspiring that the turnout remained so great.
D-Day, a standard military title for an operation with no set date, has entered common parlance as the name for the Allied invasion of Normandy. Beginning with landings by the American 82nd and 101st airborne divisions, as well as the British 6th airborne, on the night of June 5th and followed by amphibious landings across the Contentin Peninsula on June 6th.
Although the course of the war had already turned by June 1944, the landings opened a third front against Nazi Germany and represented a firm commitment to the European theatre by the Western allies to the Soviet Union and other friendly nations.
On D-Day itself, British forces were responsible, alongside Free French allies, for taking Gold and Sword beaches, as well as Juno with the Canadians.
Although casualties were light compared to those sustained by the Americans at Omaha, the British went on to fight a tough campaign to capture the strategically important city of Caen.
The operation also sped the coming of the war’s end, by throwing the German army into retreat and disarray from which it would not recover until the autumn, by which time it had been pushed out of France and Belgium.
Just as significantly, it also provided the Allies with a presence on the continent in the aftermath of the Second World War, which lent more hard power to the negotiating table with the Soviets in carving up the new world order.
Given its importance, it’s small wonder that the invasion is held alongside Bomber Command’s campaign against German industry as one Britain’s most important contributions to the war.
While President Obama and American veterans marked the occasion at the American cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, the Royal family and British combatants assembled at Arromanches-les-Bains, the site of the famous Mulberry Harbour; toed over the Channel as a makeshift port.
Below is an article of mine that I was lucky enough to have printed in LookLocal, a Surrey-based local magazine. It concerns an interview I had with a former secretary of rock star Frank Zappa, about her book that was converted into a play by BBC Radio 4. The story appeared in the May issue.
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Pauline Butcher – My Life with Frank Zappa
Living in Twickenham, Pauline Butcher was a well-mannered young woman, a typist and amateur model in 1967, when a chance encounter started a partnership that would fuel her writing career.
Working as a typist for a London agency, Pauline was commissioned to transcribe the lyrics of musician Frank Zappa’s song, ‘Brown Shoes Don’t Make It.’ The song’s crude and abstract metaphors, as well as Zappa’s constant use of profanity were a stark contrast to Pauline’s sensibilities. Her protests about his language and the song, along with suggestions of alternate lyrics endeared her to Zappa and the two struck up a rapport.
The association that followed is documented in her book Freak Out! My Life with Frank Zappa, which BBC 4 adapted into a play broadcast on May 6th.
After their meeting, the pair kept in touch and, when Pauline took a holiday to New York in 1968 to stay with her sisters, they met again. Pauline, who had come to admire Frank as a man who actually listened to and valued her opinion, was somewhat shocked to learn that he was a married man.
At dinner one night Pauline joked, when talking with Frank about a proposed book, that she could type it up for him in London. Frank responded to the quip by offering to hire her as his secretary in California. Though taken aback, Pauline accepted the offer.
Their professional relationship got off to an awkward start when Frank took Pauline back to his hotel room and asked if, were she his secretary, he’d be able to become intimate with her. Pauline, fearful of losing the job and mindful of Frank’s wife, rebuffed his advances.
The star remained true to his word about the job, however, and Pauline flew on with him to California, where she went on Frank’s payroll, ostensibly as a songwriter.
She was quickly shown the ‘Log Cabin’; Frank’s hangout property where she was to live for five months. Pauline recalls that it always full of people and bandmates. “Frank liked having people around, even if he didn’t pay them much attention.”
Perhaps one of the most dramatic incidents was when a gunman, named ‘Raven’, arrived at the Cabin with a bag of blood and a revolver. Zappa calmly manipulated Raven and the other occupants of the cabin into walking to the nearby lake and, when there, to throw things into it. Pauline threw a twig. Fortunately, Raven threw his gun.
In spite of Frank’s seemingly progressive character as a musician, some frictions did develop between him and Pauline. Although he was “supportive more than anyone else in my life” of her ambitions to write, Zappa was not in favour of a newfound attraction to feminism on Pauline’s part. Additionally, he did not show any enthusiasm for Pauline’s desire to apply for the University of California.
Whilst in California, Pauline had read Kate Millett’s sexual politics and came to embrace the movement. “The phrase ‘love me less, respect me more,’ really spoke to me. it was exactly what needed to be said.’ Frank was disparaging of feminism as a movement and feminists as a whole.
Contrary to his womanising on the road and his rockstar persona, Frank himself was “at the core, deeply conservative.” He abhorred drug-use and was strict in banning their consumption at the cabin. He even took care to stay in a separate hotel from his band mates for fear of police intervention.
In 1971, a severe ear infection prompted Pauline to fly home for an operation. She remained in England recuperating and continued to work for Frank.
Pauline had wanted to attend university in California, but, back home, she became aware of eased restrictions for entering Cambridge. She took a gamble and decided to apply, even though it meant losing her Green Card.
At University, she met her husband and the two married. After her spouse became active in banking, the two moved to Singapore.
When they eventually moved back to Cobham, a few years ago Pauline decided to rekindle her earlier ambition to write a book. Her time with Frank was “the only story that only I could tell” and publishers showed immediate interest.
The book and the new radio programme, were successful. Although it may be some sixty years since Pauline developed her writing aspirations, she’s nevertheless fulfilled them. Frank, she believes, would have been proud.
UKIP have done it – for the first time in well over a century, a third party has achieved the highest vote share in a national election.
That this followed in the wake of a concerted barrage by the media of unflattering thumbnails, allegations of racism and general lunacy, goes to show how out of touch the London-centric media evidently is with public consciousness.
That support has proved so widespread does a great deal to discredit the carciacture, espoused by progressives, of a UKIP voter as some backwards neanderthal on the peripherary of society. It seems that we, as a nation, ought face the reality that a sizeable amount of our populace wants to discuss the European issue.
And it’s hard to imagine that the assorted plethora of voters who took to the polls for UKIP are likely to appreciate the derogatory accusations of Fascism, racism, bigotry and backwardness levelled at them.
Source: Daily Mail | BBC Editor Jasmine Lawrence joined many others mocking UKIP voters through the #WhyImVotingUkip trend
For me, acknowledging UKIP’s sizeable mandate is a begrudged admission, but Farage’s ‘People’s Party’ clearly have some democratic willpower behind them.
Mainstream media and political discourse has repeatedly failed to address or acknowledge the concerns that have driven such a large portion of our society into UKIP’s hands.
Considering the rarity with which the key issues that have driven dissenting views toward the European Union have been fairly discussed, it seems reasonable to suggest that there are clear the feelings of disenfranchisement at work in the country.
The swiftness with which David Cameron issued a statement acknowledging ‘disillusionment’ and pledging to voters that their message was ‘received and understood’ serves to illustrate the brevity with which reality has hit the government.
It is nevertheless tragic that things have gotten to this point. Not only is it troubling that such a large portion of the voting public should feel so disillusioned with mainstream poloitics, but such an expression of support for UKIP may well damage a moderate Eurosceptic agenda.
The best conclusion on the European issue must be a referendum, preferably brought forward, initiated by the Conservatives.
Whether Europe will allow Britain to renegotiate a more favourable relationship with the Union, akin to that of Norway or Switzerland, is not clear.
It seems unlikely that moderate Eurosceptics or liberals will be able to engage in an effective debate and dialogue with UKIP supporters so long as the party, and its followers, are so openly mocked in civil discourse.
Here I am again with my weekly round-up of everything I’ve omitted from my other articles; and, unfortunately, it’s quite extensive this week.
On that note I think I ought apologise for the sparsity of postings this week; this was due to much of the time I spend blogging being consumed by the groundwork for another project; on that note, please watch this space!
Source: Evening Standard | Ed Miliband’s not had the best time following Labour’s latest campaign
At any rate, let’s get the ball rolling with an attempt at some balance in my rather partisan ramblings. ‘In Defence of UKIP’ proved a popular post last week, so, in the name of impartial journalism, I think it’s only fair that I address the media’s hounding for the blood of another political leader.
I am, of course, referring to Labour’s Ed Miliband. Ed has been subject to, as we the public are reliably informed, a strong rumbling of dissent from the backrooms by his own cabinet after Labour’s performance in the local elections.An anonymous source, speaking with a journalist from The Independent, has labelled his leader ‘damaged goods,’ stating that he’s ‘not a Prime Minister.’
This follows a series of gaffs that could rival that of Neil Kinnock. From awkwardly consuming a bacon sandwich, which followed an equally awkward conversation with the small business owner who provided said nutrition, to demonstrating absolute ignorance as to the cost of a weekly shop; a figure that you’d expect to be on the mind of someone so singularly obsessed with the cost of living.
Though Ed’s detractors may well be correct in suggesting that the man has all the charisma and likeability of a damp sponge, its being highlighted now seems a late realisation. Indeed, following Labour’s quite adequate performance in the local elections, it even seems unwarranted. Are we to assume that this dissent is a backroom power play?
As things stand, Labour held council seats, a positive change of 341, against the Conservatives’ 1,333 (-174) and the Liberal Democrats’ 409 (-254).
If any leader deserves to come under fire at the moment, it’s Nick Clegg.
Of course, alongside picking local candidates, the UK was taking to the polls for the European elections, with 73 seats for MEPs up for grabs in England.
The results will come out tonight, with television coverage beginning at 9pm. Polls have generally suggested a slim UKIP lead, with Labour and the Conservatives following in close behind. It looks set to be a tight election!
The results and UKIP’s fortunes will be addressed in tomorrow’s blog.
In more disturbing news, police this week confirmed the identity of the Santa Barbara drive-by shooter as Elliot Rodger, son of the Hunger Games’ deputy director Peter Rodger.
Source: HuffPost | Elliot Rodger, the sexually frustrated killer
In the aftermath of the shooting, the younger Rodger attracted some attention for a YouTube video uploaded before the day of the attack.
In the video, an entitled, self-centred and evidently disturbed Rodger satisfies hismelf with a loaded self-indulgent monologue.
Describing himself as the ‘perfect gentleman,’ the killer voices his dissatisfaction with University life, his own feelings of superiority and his loneliness and resentment toward his more sexually active peers.
Another item to have emerged following the shooting is a so-called ‘manifesto‘ penned by the killer before his rampage, numbering 141 pages.
Rodger is keen to paint himself a victim, he shows a clear sense of resentment toward the concepts of sexuality and ‘hedonism’ that he believed permeated the world around him:
‘There was a time when I thought this world was a good and happy place. As a child, my whole world was innocent. It wasn’t until I went through puberty and started desiring girls that my whole life turned into a living hell. I desired girls, but girls never desired me back. There is something very wrong with that.’
‘I am not meant to live such a pathetic, miserable life. That is not my place in this world. I will not bow down and accept such a horrific fate. If humanity will not give me a worthy place among them, then I will destroy them all. I am better than all of them. I am a god.’
‘The most beautiful of women choose to mate with the most brutal of men, instead of magnificent gentlemen like myself.’
The life of the revolutionary is a lonely one: Lenin was said to hardly get any sleep as he worked through the night, Che Guevara was so dedicated to international struggle that he was never able to stay in one place too long, Joseph Stalin spent his early days as an activist either in hiding or in prison.
So it’s clear to say that Communists need all the help they can get in finding someone to share their life with. Well fortunately for all the reds and aspiring class vanguards out there, the answer may have come in OkComrade.
OkComrade hopes to help single Leftists find love
OkComrade, which aims to emulate the success of its unrelated namesake (OkCupid) and other similar dating services, seeks to match the world’s Fidel Castros with their Rosa Luxemburgs.
Though only a Facebook page at the time of writing, its founders hope to make the full transition into a website. Apparently, in-keeping with Socialist ethics, it will not be profit-seeking enterprise.
Single Socialists need only send through a picture and a short bio and the page will host their picture and allow others to message them through Facebook, it’s quite simple really.
Some profiles that have come up so far:
“I’m a 24 year old, Poly, anarchofeminist, college student who lives in Orlando. I am also trans, and I love gender-bending.”
“Hi, I’m Tommy. 21 year old, cis male. I am attracted to people that identify as women, whether they are trans or cis. Student, activist, community organizer. I identify as a socialist but I work/ organize with all radical leftists. I am also a Buddhist Athiest and I’m interested in the philosophy of Dhammic Socialism.”
“I identify as an eco-socialist, acknowledge my Trot, Luxemburgist, and social anarchist influences, and am a (fairly recently minted) Wob. My main activism interests are climate, food, extractive industries (particularly frac sand, which I wrote my giant thesis on), and labor, though I will/do take part in other movements.”
“Late 20s queer cisboy looking for primarily androgynous or femme queers of all sexes/genders (but open to some more butch presentations too). Into care work, (vegan) cooking, geekerie, and making out. “
“Friendly genderqueer/agender (female assigned at birth) human based in West Yorkshire, UK. I identify with anarchism and have a more specialist interest in industrial issues, feminism, veganism and queer issues. Also interested in Buddhist Philosophy (from a humanist and secular non-fluffy perspective), mental health, film, philosophy, community organising and random adventures. “
An interesting bunch.
It was perhaps inevitable that dating websites emerge that centre around politics, but the emergence of OkComrade stokes a curiosity in me as to why leftists might feel the need for a partner who’s on the same page ideologically.
Perhaps it all stems from a supposed monopoly on morality by the left. Where liberally-minded people might be able to live with differences, those on the extreme periphery of the ideological spectrum are likely to denounce those who do not follow their prescribed moral course.
So it will be of great interest to see how successful OkComrade becomes and whether it inspires any copycats for other political positions. If it does, it’ll be interesting to see just how successful they may be. Still, it is somewhat sobering to think that people can be so committed to a position, and to such an extreme degree, that they will preclude the possibility of partnership with anyone else who happens to disagree. Such personal outlooks do not seem conducive to a harmonious and democratic society.
Of course, though, democracy isn’t something that the left has always been keen on – perhaps it’s no small wonder, then that intolerant behaviour should materialise in their personal lives.
Source: Telegraph | Nigel Farage, the embattled UKIP leader
I really feel for Nigel Farage at the moment. Though my words may sound like the utterances of a paranoid rightist, it’s clear that UKIP is under concerted attack from the media.
Flitting through media sources on the web on a daily basis, I’ll frequently pass allegations about outdated quips by some backwater party member or candidate, or come upon yet another unflattering caricacture of the figurehead himself.
Source: Telegraph | ‘Farageosaur’ – the UKIP leader is likened to an archaic dinosaur for his regressive policies
I imagine that all this must come as quite the chagrin to actual supporters and members of UKIP, neither of which are groups among which I count myself, though I wonder if my feeling pressured to readily make that admission is a bit of a sad reflection on today.
It seems that, with elections looming closer and UKIP looking set to potentially knock the Liberal Democrats from third place, that the political mainstream is keen to dominate and set the agenda for debate with this rising underdog.
Ideology and the merits of euroscepticism as an ideology have not been on the cards, however, instead focus rests on much the same ground as the headlines; namely on the personal character of Farage himself and the idiocy of other members of his party.
Source: Guardian | UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom produces enough gaffs to rival Prince Philip
Admittedly, the peculiar talent that the rank-and-file of UKIP appears to have for moronic utterances and racist gaffs seems particularly suspect. Indeed, you might be forgiven for supposing that the party’s been infiltrated en-masse by anti-fascists.
As I’ve said, this is frustrating to those in the UKIP camp, but it ought be more-so to UKIP’s opponents. Unless the logic of xenophobes and nationalists is very publicly debunked, those who might sympathise with such outlooks will only grow more resolute as they feel that unsubstantial issues are discussed in their place.
Negative aspects to individuals’ personality; be it hypocrisy, bigotry or otherwise, though in and of themselves wholly deridable, are centred to the individual and therefore do not negatively reflect on the wider principles of their parties. That’s why UKIP ought be engaged fairly in true democratic discourse.
Currently much is being made of a “trainwreck” interview between Farage and James O’Brien, an exchange currently venerated by the left as a confrontation to match Trafalgar:
I’ll concede that UKIP’s social attitudes ought be scrutinised. Were the party genuinely a single-issue group, this might be superfluous, but in aspiring to national government in Westminster, UKIP is placing itself into a forum where domestic policy is of key importance.
So far we’ve only addressed the actions of media outlets that have actually sought to engage openly with UKIP. Some of the party’s other opponents have proven all the more sinister.
Two stories that have been running in the news for some time pertained to UKIP’s usage of a freepost address and, now, a freephone line. Both of which have had to be shut down by the party due to their being abused by political opponents.
Farage is no stranger to heckling – which, in his case, is rarely pleasant
In social media these acts of protests were touted as good and lighthearted fun. But the humour isn’t so readily apparent when you consider the broader implications of deliberate and concerted campaigns to leave a political party that you might disapprove of out of pocket.
With regards to the postal address, people were sending boxes of bricks and other heavy items in a deliberate attempt to cost UKIP as much money as possible.
Now I shan’t blow this unduly out of proportion; it’s not my intention to equate this kind of harassment with the outright intimidation and threats of violence that fringe parties have faced elsewhere in the world.
But can it not be said that harassment is exactly what this is? The end result of any deliberate attempt to deprive a political party of its funds is to move a step closer towards its cessation of function: In short, to disable and silence a political group on the grounds of its being undesirable.
Ultimately it was this behaviour on the part of my peers over recent weeks that led me to write in defence of UKIP. My mind has been drawn to a poem, the contents of which can vary, that is attributed to German Theologian Martin Neumöller;
It begins with “First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—”
And ends with “Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
I am no fan of UKIP. I find their ideology remorselessly xenophobic, their rhetoric utterly populist and their nationalism totally unthinking. But I am on the political right. Further to that, I am a Eurosceptic, though for altogether different reasons.
I’m also acutely aware that I sit on the political peripherary of many of my peers. Seeing the harassment levelled against individuals involved in UKIP for participating in that party, as well as the broader moves to silence UKIP as a movement, fill me deeply with worry.
I promised not to equate attacks on UKIP to what other movements have come up against in other parts of the world, but I feel that Neumöller’s words, describing a time when a struggling left came to odds against a resurgent right, may well ring true today in an opposing sense.
That Britain’s media and Britons themselves will sit idly when a party comes under subjected attack by hooligans who’d see it removed from existence and all this within an ostensibly democratic society, is fundamentally troubling to me.
Henry Turner 