No wonder that so many New Labourites voted for John Bercow. No one ever asks him about his Hang Mandela days. Just as they never ask John Reid or Peter Mandelson about the Communist Party, in those days the paid agents of an enemy power. Just as they never ask Alistair Darling about the International Marxist Group. Just as they never ask Stephen Byers or Alan “Haze of Dope” Milburn about Trotskyism. Just as they never ask Charles Clarke about Labour’s Soviet fellow-travelling faction and its control of the NUS not only during his presidency, but also during (among other people’s) Jack Straw’s. Just as they never ask Harriet Harman about the Paedophile Information Exchange and Paedophile Action for Liberation. And so on, and on, and on.
The “moderate”, “mainstream”, “Centre Left” New Labour was, and is, riddled with this sort of thing, entirely unrecanted, and with only the tactics (if anything) changed.
Likewise, the “moderate”, “mainstream”, “Centre Right” Cameroons are riddled with old cheerleaders for, and fund-takers from, the Boer Republic set up as an explicit act of anti-British revenge in a former Dominion of the Crown. Circles in which it was also de rigeur to demand the dismantlement of the public services, the forced abortion and sterilisation of ethnic minorities and the working class, the legalisation of all drugs, and the abolition of marriage, public holidays, any minimum age of consent, and much else besides.
(Quite what would have happened to them if they had ever moved to South Africa or, say, Chile with views like that? This rather amusing question can also be asked of the enemies of uniformed, row-seated, teacher-led, rigorously examined schooling: what would have happened to you if you had ever moved to the Soviet Union?)
Once again, entirely unrecanted.
And once again, with only the tactics (if anything) changed.
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I quite enjoyed the whole we must modernise" campaigns with the comic opera doffing of tricorn hats.
ReplyDeleteBercow is indeed only a "Labour man" for a few years. Reid a non Communist for a few years.
The zealous nature of the convert.
What's wrong with tricorn hats? Labour stopped bothering with things like the Welfare State and workers' rights when it started attacking things like tricorn hats instead of things like poverty, having been taken over by old student Communists and Trots still in revolt against the ceremonial side of universities.
ReplyDeleteBercow should wear a wig. It's not the man, it's the office.
A lot of them were also in revolt against the ceremonial side of the Catholic Church. John Reid for one.
ReplyDeleteJohn Mooney should consider that if it weren't for converts, the old Irish stronghold of Birmingham Archdiocese would now have hardly any priests.
"A lot of them were also in revolt against the ceremonial side of the Catholic Church. John Reid for one."
ReplyDeleteQuite so. And now that She is emerging from that to which they subjected Her, we may hope that the body politic will do so, too.
A very senior Roman figure once told me in an email that convert Anglican clergy should be sent as missionaries to reconvert priestless Ireland. He was completely serious. Who knows? Perhaps a scheme is being drawn up even now...
Anyway, back on topic.
Birmingham is not the worst. There is one Diocese that Rome is ready to close of the convert priests ever dry up.
ReplyDeleteI know. But let's stay on topic.
ReplyDeleteWe have any amount in London. We couldn't do without them but we'll have even more once the C of E has bishopesses so perhaps we could send them as missionaries to Ireland.
ReplyDeleteJohn Reid isn't a convert to anything. Neither is John Bercow. Their views haven't really changed in the least.
Oh, well, that's half on-topic, anyway, Tom.
ReplyDeletePicking up on something from earlier, both the Catholic Church and the Labour Party had huge followings among the workers and the poor when they were all in favour of birettas or tricorn hats, as the case may be.
Turning against such things was part of becoming peculiarly middle-class. As I said, it was a revolt against the ceremonial side of universities. And also, I might add, a revolt against the ceremonial side of public schools and grammar schools.
"Bercow should wear a wig."
ReplyDeleteOne of Cher's. And he should dance.
Bring back the Tiller Girl?
ReplyDeleteWhether widening participation in universities and everything beyond them like Parliament, or enabling the laity to participate more in the Liturgy, what is the point if you are going to do away with the things participated in?
ReplyDeleteWhat indeed, Frank? What indeed?
ReplyDeleteThe Church seems to have cottoned on at last; of course, the Conciliar documents themselves and the Papal teachings based on them were always completely sound.
But Parliament won't under this Speaker. Maybe under the next one.
You?
ReplyDeleteI'm not really cut out for impartiality.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, you do have to wonder how they ever find a Speaker. Who stands for Parliament because they are the impartial type?
Ah we have managed to rid ourselves of all the trappings of "ceremony" at Norn Irons premier university (as it considers itself wrongly to be).
ReplyDeleteThey are obliged to be "neutral" working environments and "Ceremony" therefore has no place. No "traditional" punch ups either, Im afraid.
No wonder so many people from Northern Ireland come to Durham, or go to the four ancient Scottish universities, instead, then. Whether that will survive the end of the grammar schools is another matter, of course.
ReplyDeleteoddly Queens University has a record among all British and Irish universities.
ReplyDeleteIt is the one with the highest proportion of students from "state education"..I think the figure is about 95%. Most of course are from Catholic grammar schools.
The current religious make up at QUB is about 62% Catholic.
You are indeed right that a large number of kids go off to Scottish universities (cant say that I ever thought that Durham was a big attraction)....Stirling is the usual destination.
The majority on the Brain Drain (aka Chicken Run) are of course Protestant kids. They believe that QUB is no longer "user friendly" to them.
Unfortunately most will never return.....thus depriving unionism of a middle class intelligensia.
Certainly the ambience at QUB has changed from my first experience 1970-'73.
How some "Schools" at QUB survive is a source of wonder. They are closing "German" (staff 3 and new students 9) and QUB management will be appearing before the Stormont Education Committee to explain themselves.
Mr Lindsay wrote:
ReplyDelete"Circles in which it was also de rigeur [sic] to demand the dismantlement of the public services, the forced abortion and sterilisation of ethnic minorities and the working class, the legalisation of all drugs, and the abolition of marriage, public holidays, any minimum age of consent, and much else besides."
Hmmm, could we please have some evidence for this? Like, oh, I don't know, names, dates, places in which such sentiments were uttered? I'm familiar with the fact that Sir Keith Joseph sometimes vaguely talked of eugenic policies with approval. Other than that I am unaware of any such advocacy as Mr Lindsay complains about.
Or would the citation of hard evidence get in the way of Mr Lindsay's hit-and-run kvetching?
That was the Radical Right in the Eighties, Arthur. You know that perfectly well. And you also know aht became of them.
ReplyDelete"Most of course are from Catholic grammar schools"
Well, indeed.
"cant say that I ever thought that Durham was a big attraction"
Oh, they are noticeable here. Both sides, in fact.
"No wonder so many people from Northern Ireland come to Durham, or go to the four ancient Scottish universities, instead, then"
ReplyDeletealthough I understand Durham is not even in the Russell Group.
Although at my sons graduation the QUB Vice Chancellor pointed out that when QUB joined the Russell Group, they would get better students and lecturers........a point that was greeted by amusement by the students but did not raise many smiles on the platform behind him.
Oh, Durham and the Russell Group seems to be rather a complicated story, which I wouldn't dream of discussing on here.
ReplyDeleteI remember them well. You are right of course, the Cameroons are riddled with them.
ReplyDelete