I am always pleased to see the Tories doubly at home.
In the lands of the langues d'oïl and especially in Brussels, a citadel of such speech surrounded, and inhabited below the class barrier, by people whose language is pretty much what English would have been if the Norman Conquest had never happened.
The key to understanding both the Tories and the hostility towards them is that they are foreign conquerors who have never lost the mentality of an occupying, colonial power.
Not even after a thousand years this century. One way or another, they have always preferred Abroad.
The English and British Left's general sympathy for the Irish Republican cause may be seen in those terms, as may the pro-Palestinian sympathy, the anti-war sympathy and rather more than sympathy, and so on.
It would and does define itself as the original anti-colonial struggle, all the way back to 1066.
Against an occupying French aristocracy and an occupying French, then German monarchy, the latter lately binding a deracinated client class to the interests of the former.
Hence, in no small measure, the Left's opposition to the European Union.
Not even after a thousand years this century. One way or another, they have always preferred Abroad.
The English and British Left's general sympathy for the Irish Republican cause may be seen in those terms, as may the pro-Palestinian sympathy, the anti-war sympathy and rather more than sympathy, and so on.
It would and does define itself as the original anti-colonial struggle, all the way back to 1066.
Against an occupying French aristocracy and an occupying French, then German monarchy, the latter lately binding a deracinated client class to the interests of the former.
Hence, in no small measure, the Left's opposition to the European Union.
In the privacy of the polling booth, the people now running the Labour Party will vote as Mr Benn would have voted, and we all know it.
They cheerfully disagree with the previous policy on Trident, but not on this. I honestly do not understand.
Unless they are just biding their time for the moment when they can say that they would have voted In, but Cameron's deal was so bad that they were going to have to vote Out?
If Remain wins, then it will be the Eurosceptic Right's fault for existing, and especially UKIP's.
People who had wanted to vote Leave will have been unable to bring themselves to vote with them, and especially with Nigel Farage.
It will be his fault, just for being there.
If UKIP and that wing of the Conservative Party simply did not exist, leaving the leadership of Leave to the Left, then the Leave vote would be 50 per cent bigger.
People cannot bring themselves to vote with the Pub Bore Right belching about race. And even some people who are going to vote that way for other reasons, cannot bring themselves to say so publicly.
Those latter are now running the Labour Party.
No comments:
Post a Comment