Saki’s 1913 When William Came is the best guide to a Britain transformed overnight. | Daniel Hardaker
How adrift we are to be wrestling with something which, especially in England, none of our forebearers has ever had to deal with. As there is absolutely no precedent for a medical-Stakhanovite England steaming into the horror of perma-biosecurity panopticon living, let me, then, suggest Saki’s 1913 When William Came. It is not perfectly suited – one has to compromise here –, but its tale of a Britain under the thumb of Imperial Germany has many remarkable parallels with the events of the last year.
The novel’s focus is the absurdity of a handful of Britons as they simultaneously attempt to adapt and to resist. I hope the tragicomic resemblance to our own behaviours and thought patterns offer at least a little release. It did for me.
An American looks at the self-debasement of the British Establishment | William Franklin
British high society subconsciously seems to think that if they continue to degrade and debase themselves in public enough, eventually a New Man will emerge as if by magic. The ‘stuffy’ past will fade into the night and a new Cool Britannia will emerge in a flash of light. But that is not going to happen. The past has already happened. It cannot be destroyed. Therefore, the British elite will continue in this cycle from now until they reconnect with this past. Over and over again, the political operatives will instruct the leaders to dance like chimps and over an over again they will do it, thereby acting out this desperate attempt to purify themselves of their history and their character.
Free speech as an antidote to error and falsity | Lili N. Zemplényi
We all come across error in the form of various kinds of extremism our lives. While the British education system is unable to prepare us specifically for the individual moments when we will face such comments or situations, during our education we are supposed to be given guidelines to be able to recognise the worst forms of radicalism when it materialises.
Farewell to crass comedy at the BBC | George Marsden
So, for this among many reasons, The Mash Report was quite simply incompetent comedy. And it’s this fact that makes the fears of Twitter brawlers like Jessica Simor QC and James O’Brien that its cancellation represents a totalitarian crackdown on satirists obviously absurd; the show was so unfunny that it’s impossible to believe Nish Kumar and Rachel Parris were “speaking truth to power”, or that they were even persistent furrowers of Tory brows.
Social distancing: how to prevent insurgence | Joseph Robertson
When we look at resistances to a Draconian form of government, either intellectual or violent, necessary or unjustified, we see a trend. From the Cristeros in Mexico, to the Bolsheviks in Russia, to the pacifist resistance against Lukashenko in Belarus, all those groups had or have one thing in common. They all formed in groups. They were physically in the room at the same time as each other - they thought together, fought together and where necessary died together. So in hindsight, not only is social distancing a commendable tactic for those wishing to hone in on ‘Covid separatists’ but imperative to prevent the ‘spread of misinformation’ (read anti-narrative thought).
The response to Sarah Everard’s murder requires neither misogyny nor misandry | Sam Hall
The present discourse on this issue predictably blames all men. Critics of this view will argue to the contrary; but the attack on masculinity and the very reality of being male has been underway for some time. On the one hand, we argue violently for men’s mental health and well-being and that we should be kind; but on the other, we give undue credence to the narrative that all men are monsters and should be unilaterally held with suspicion. Many men are not confident to walk home alone on a dark night through crime-ridden streets and areas of London, or other major cities. Therefore, you cannot blame all men for the crimes of a minority who not only exploit the risks women decide to take, but also the the cosy world that has become our virtual reality during the pandemic.
Overdue tax reform in Britain for the common good | Laura Sánchez Pérez
If marginal tax rates are too high in the UK compared to other developed economies, investment is likely to go elsewhere, and economic growth is likely to suffer. This will have a detrimental effect on society. After all, investment brings employment opportunities and with that, economic growth for households up and down the country.
COVID-19 and the abrogation of personal responsibility | Orthodox Conservatives
An article in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) calls attention to the factors neglected by policymakers. To summarise, the economic consequences of lockdowns are projected to worsen inequality and disproportionately target lower socioeconomic brackets, while the repurposing of the medical system to counter COVID will leave patients with other pathologies at much greater risk.
‘Know thy place’ - explaining what happened on Capitol Hill | Joseph Robertson
The gathering, whether they were incited or not, had ascended to challenge (metaphorically speaking), that very cornerstone of the Capitol. They challenged not just the base level of democracy but the very top of the pyramid.
Regardless of who members of the American Republic support in their political aspirations, regardless of happenings in the subcurrent of the general population, one must remember that any challenge to the most elite level of power, whether by optical assault or by physical approach, will surely be met with the severest penalties, carried out in the broadest of daylight.