Wednesday 8 April 2015

Extreme East

Extreme Russia is to be BBC Three's new series, including a programme on Nazis. Not before time. Putin's faults do not cancel out those of his opponents.

The totally unreconstructed Communist Party of the Russian Federation, notable for its Soviet flags at demonstrations. Those who on the same occasions wave the equally ubiquitous black, yellow and white of Russian ultranationalism in all its anti-modern, anti-urban, anti-scientific and anti-Semitic awfulness.

The Caucasian Islamists. The National Bolsheviks, whose flag is that of Nazi Germany, but with a black hammer and sickle in place of the swastika. Pussy Riot.

A Western neocon stooge for whom next to nobody in his own country voted. In fact, it is difficult to see why anyone in Russia would have considered Boris Nemtsov important enough to kill. Except in order to provoke a reaction in the West.

All in all, BBC Two, BBC Four and Radio Four ought to be taking a leaf out of the book of this underrated channel. Why has none of them ever put on a hour-long programme about the Russian Nazis, still less a whole series in the above terms?

But hold on. The Russian Nazis are a very real problem, but they are in opposition the present Russian Government. The Ukrainian Nazis, by contrast, are in support of the present Ukrainian Government, and are indeed part of it. When is BBC Three going to make Extreme Ukraine?

Or, indeed, a whole series on the re-emergence of Nazism, properly so called, in Europe? Such as in Kosovo. Or in the forms of several parties that are legislating for us in the European Parliament. Including, as of last year's European Elections, one from Germany.

2 comments:

  1. You deserve a major role in both foreign policy and cultural policy. I wish you were a candidate, I wish you were an MP, I wish you were our MP. That Geordie Shore reject has a lot to answer for. He'll never be an MP either, but you deserve more vengeance than that.

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  2. Why, Russia,, you want Nazis,, head to your own door step and report on Northern Ireland's community of intolerance and scapegoat culture for every conceivable woe. These are Nazis too, only they run away and hide unlike the Russians .. why always an old foe, is it because we still have not forgot the war. In NI, they burn the homes of blacks, poles , Lyths, etc nearly every day and hardly a word is reported on BBC..

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