BLM: The March Goes on … But Nothing Changes.

July 19th, 2022 / Leave Feedback / nezuppal

The death of George Floyd on the 20th May 2020 was obviously a tragic event, epitomising the inherent racism which exists in both America and in Britain. The outcry was massive. Despite a global pandemic, people marched and protested and signed petitions and changed the way they viewed their past behaviour. It was beautiful and horrifying at the same time. And in my naivety I thought it would last more than about two weeks.

Everyone was involved. Footballers take a knee before every game because in their sport Black Lives Matter. The same is done all over America. Lewis Hamilton tried to achieve the same level of protest by demanding that all drivers and pit-crews take a knee before the Austrian Grand Prix. 14 drivers knelt. 6 did not, including Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. An embarrassing response from an extremely wealthy and influential sport – but not at all surprising considering Lewis Hamilton is the first mixed-race Formula 1 driver in history.

That’s right, if you didn’t know. I’m not a fan of Lewis Hamilton I find him obnoxious, aggressive and frankly weird. But you can’t deny his passion, skill and natural talent. And when I say “first mixed-race driver” I don’t mean first to win 6 world championships. I don’t mean first to do a ‘three-peat’, winning three years in a row. And I definitely don’t mean the first to win a Grand Prix. I mean Lewis Hamilton was the first (and at the time of writing this article) and ONLY mixed race Formula 1 driver to start a race. Let that sink in for a second.

But the knee protest, popularised by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016, is not the end nor the beginning of my problem with the way people have responded to the BLM protests.

People rushed onto Instagram to quickly tell their like-minded followers not to be racist, a good thing obviously, although something I suspect was more a demonstration of how ‘woke’ they were, rather than an attempt to actually educate anyone. They posted ‘how you may be being racist without knowing’, they posted ‘research racism’s history’ and they posted ’10 ways YOU can combat racism’. They were all very interesting articles, but they were things we knew? Surely they were things you know? You know racism instantly – I have always said you can tell if someone’s genuinely racist within 20 seconds of meeting them. You know who the racists are and so do I.

Racists out there need to be treated in a similar way to the way we reacted to this pandemic. A slow start (150 years) but soon they must simply be isolated. You should stay away from them, you should wear a virtual mask and not talk to them. It may be a step too far to wash your hands after meeting one but if you have to that’s fair. Forget trying to ‘educate’ racists in 2020, they don’t want to learn. They should just be rejected, ignored, possibly even feared. Follow these rules and watch as they just disappear – not unlike COVID-19.

And that brings me to the question what happened to the BLM protest? Everyone posted their picture of the infamous Edward Colston statue being replaced by a sculpture of Black Lives Matter protester Jen Reid. Then what? Silence. No more posts on how not to be racist? No more lessons? Racism must be over then?

Then people argue, ‘well, one statue may not sound like a lot but its a start!’. Again, I don’t think so. In 1833 Britain introduced the ‘Slavery Abolition Act’, which abolished slavery in most British colonies, freeing more than 800,000 enslaved Africans in the Caribbean and South Africa as well as a small number in Canada. That could be classed as a ‘start’ of the fight against racism. A full 3 decades later, in 1865, Abraham Lincoln managed to emancipate American slaves and have them classed as humans instead of ‘property’, as they had previously been titled in the Southern states. That could’ve been a starting point.

When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on December 1st 1955, that should be considered a starting point. In the 1960s, a century after slavery had ended but the United States of America denied basic civil rights to African Americans, during the Civil Rights Movement. That could have been the ‘start’. In 1963 when Martin Luther King Jr gave his famous ‘I have a dream’ speech, that could have been a ‘start’. Two years later, when Martin Luther King Jr. led three peaceful protest marches in 1965 along the 54-mile highway from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery; on the way encountering dogs, bomb threats, death threats and riot police. That could have been a ‘start’.

When, in a similar but arguably even more brutal manner, unarmed Rodney King was beaten mercilessly on camera by four police officers who “could’ve struck him with batons between fifty-three and fifty-six times.” That could’ve been a ‘start’. But that was in 1991.

It’s 2020 and ‘starting points’ simply are not good enough. They haven’t been for a long time.

Broken Boris, Broken Brexit, Broken Britain

June 12th, 2022 / Leave Feedback / nezuppal

Oh how it was only a month ago that people seemed to be celebrating the end of the Boris Johnson’s era, as he announced his “intention” to resign. As an article I wrote exactly a month ago outlined, this was never an official resignation. Nor was it a signal that Boris wanted to leave politics.

The man needs to be in the limelight, he needs to be seen, he needs to be adored. And thanks to a never-ending stream of media and millions upon millions of Boris fans, he will get to choose his moment to leave. And this is not it.

I am no fan of Tony Blair, but many will remember in his final PMQs speech in 2007 he displayed a level of grace and diplomacy that Britain had been lacking since he launched his illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003. However, leaving that to one side, Blair’s final words during Prime Minister’s Questions to Parliament were moving, profound and entirely suitable for someone leaving such an important role in for such a long time. He said at last, and with almost a tear in his eye, “To all my colleagues from all of the different political parties. Some may belittle politics but we know, who are engaged in it, it is where people stand tall. And although I know it has its many harsh contentions – it is still the arena that sets the heart beating a little faster. And if it is on occassion the place of low skullduggery, it is more often the place for the pursuit of noble causes. And I wish everyone, friend or foe, well. And that is that. The end.” Met with a standing ovation from both sides of the House.

For all his mismanagement, his lies, his enemies, he still left the highest office in the country with dignity and respect. By this point, his party had begun to hate him, those around him had begun to conspire and eventhough he held a strong majority – he knew that his time was up. And so he resigned. This is not to say Blair held the office with any special dignity or treated it any better than those who had preceded him; in fact, he probably disrepected the role of Prime Minister and the Houses of Parliament more than any other leader in history. Except one.

Boris has nothing but contempt for the British people. He has no respect for the role of Prime Minister.  Attending those weird Downing Street parties (really, who wants to party with those over-grown prefects. I bet Jacob-Rees Mogg really knows his way around a 7 minute anechdote about paint drying). As wild and fun as I am sure these parties were, they were still illegal.

A further quick list – the Rwandan deportations, a vote of no confidence, two massive by-election losses, soaring inflation, a hike in interest rates, a hike in national insurance, mounting strikes from TFL which will soon spread to other working sectors (just believe me, it will), a cost of living crisis, a widening gap between the rich and the poor which is almost comparable to Dickenensian times, as one commentator posted. And Boris’ final words?

“Hasta la vista, baby.”

Are you joking? Your final words in Parliament are a quote from the Terminator? After all the mess, lies and fear you’ve created, those are your final words? Without a second of remorse or even an attempt to regain some form of bipartisanship … is it because you knew they wouldn’t be your last words in Parliament?

Directly translated “hasta la vista” does technically mean goodbye, but is usually said with a note of “see you later” or “I’ll see you again”. But I don’t think we should get bogged down in the direct nuances of what Boris said; half the time I don’t think he even knows what he’s saying so let’s put that to one side. There’s a possibility that studying his final speech may become like studying Shakespeare at school, endlessly analysing The Bard’s use of the word “red” until you drove yourself mad. By the way, Shakespeare described blood as “red” in Macbeth because blood is bloody red! But I digress.

A better way to judge Boris’ plans, and most people’s to be fair, is to look at the surrounding context, look at their past actions and then apply that to potential future contexts you can see coming. Let’s apply this.

Firstly, the context surrounding Boris’ “resignation”. It is essential that we understand that Boris has not resigned. He is still our Prime Minister; but as I said in a previous article, he is not an idiot. He plays the idiot.

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players” as Shakespeare once famously wrote. (If only my English teachers could see me quoting the playwright now! Not that I’m still holding that grudge.)

To be quite honest, I don’t think Britain has really experienced a politician like Boris Johnson before. A man who not only knows when to seize an opportunity and run with it, as he did with Brexit as everyone around him was calling him mad. He saw the opportunity as a win-win. And it was.

But more importantly than seizing opportunities as they immediately arise, Boris also knows when to step back into the shadows if necessary and let others take control. After the Brexit vote, surely a Brexit-supporting politician should have immediately stood. Whilst Boris was essentially “stabbed in the back” by Michael Gove at this point, he did not cry or kick up a fuss – allowing the media to do this for him. But rather than this being an honourable act of stepping aside to let the better man stand (if you think Michael Gove is a better person than you just give up, genuinely just give up).

He did not even complain when Theresa May won the election, by the slimmest of margins, despite the fact that she was a Remainer. This was because Boris knows how to play the game. It was obvious, or seemingly so, that whoever took over as Prime Minister after David Cameron would face an incredible challenge over seeing Brexit through. And while all the Tory MPs rushed to get their names on the ballot, Boris potentially knew that his time would come later.

Obviously, with the benefit of hindsight, Boris’ plans did work out. Theresa May did make a mess of things, she did nearly bring the Tory party down and it was only due to the divided nature of the Labour party, coupled with the in-fighting over Jeremy Corbyn, that the Tories managed to stay in power.

Boris did then see an opportunity to strike, as the Labour party was unimaginably weak at this point. He led the bid and was successful – as a lot of people forget how immensely popular he is amongst the Tory membership. And, whilst the Tory members may share 3 brain cells between them, their voting powers are very strong when deciding who the next leader of the party will be.

Context. So whist everyone is clamouring to find out who the next Tory leader will be. *Sigh*. Will it be the well-informed, tax dodging criminal? Well … apparently he “stabbed Boris in the back”, according to many Tory party members, because he refused to work for a criminal…

But guess what? There’s no honour amongst thieves. Learn it the hard way. Or the next Prime Minister could be Liz Truss, who is possibly the most incompetent politician I have ever seen.  I am being entirely objective when I say Liz Truss is not fit to be the Prime Minister. That is not sexist. I feel the same way about Rishi Sunak too, as he is a criminal, but at least he is knowledgeable about the current situation of the country. But anyway, who knows who will win. The Tory members will let us know the bad news soon enough.

Rather more interesting than who will win out of those two losers. They are doomed to be one-term PMs as there is no way they can continue to lead the country without massively raising taxes, tackling the Unions and solving the housing crisis – a competent PM could not acheive this. Either one of these overgrown children could not and will not be able to do it, even if they had the best ministers around them and not a who’s-who of political ineptitude.

But who comes after that? If we assume that Labour will continue with its in-fighting and Starmer as their leader then I think it’s safe to assume they do not pose a threat to the Tories’ massive majority.

Increasingly, there have been demands within the Tory party for Boris to return. There are even reports that the PM has discussed and even broadly outlined a plan for his return. Indeed, a leaked report from one of his close aides suggests that Boris has gone so far as to say that he wants to be back as Prime Minister within a year. It really is incredible and, unfortunately, I cannot tell whether this manouvre is too far or whether he’s just a step ahead of every political commentator there is, as he has been throughout his career.

I’d imagine the former. Boris has been in politics long enough. As the famous Bible saying goes, “You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain”. Or maybe that’s Batman. Nevertheless, even as I write this there is a slight worry that Boris may be toying with us, yet again. His claims of returning to government, the fact that he hasn’t disappeared to become some millionaire adviser like Blair, Cameron, Clegg all have done is interesting to say the least. He has the option to ride off into the sunset with millions of pounds to sit with – but he isn’t. Why? Don’t tell me it’s out of some patriotic duty he must feel. Give it a rest.

But with over 8,000 Conservative Party Members signing a petition calling for Boris to be put back on the ballot paper, people should be concerned. Boris’ tenure has led to a failed Brexit, with strains on relations with Europe, the USA and the rest of the world as Britain seeks to isolate itself further. Added to that, the lies, the crimes, the wasted money on COVID schemes. Even as I research this article I come across new information that Norway could cut power to Britain, compounding the effect of the predictions that the UK’s energy prices are expected to jump by 70% in October.

Boris’ tenure has been marred by such headlines. And whilst the next PM will definitely be either Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss, don’t expect either to be around for long. In fact, don’t expect much from either of them – the situation will get worse before it gets better.

But “Hasta la vista baby” – all we can do is hope we never see you again Boris. Hope beyond hope.

Winston Churchill – Hero AND Villain?

Februrary 7th, 2022 / Leave Feedback / nezuppal

Pretend, for a moment, that you did not read the title to this article and picture for me two European leaders in the first half of the 20th century. One is bipolar, an alcoholic and rarely seen without a cigar in his mouth. The other, a tee-total, animal-loving vegetarian who remained abstinent for most of his life. One is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (twice) and one is the Chancellor of Germany.

Hailed as the saviour of the world in some desperate British people’s eyes, British school children are taught to love and adore Churchill in the way we would Charles Darwin or Margot Robbie. Maybe not the latter …

We are taught that it was Churchill’s stern resistance, his refusal to bow to Hitler’s demands, that won World War 2 for the Allies and secured the defeat of fascism in Germany. Whilst some aspects are true, most are not. Churchill himself once famously, as an addage to the famous quotation ‘history is written by the winners’, commented that ‘history will be kind to me, for I intend to write it’. That he did and that it is.

If we want to go into details of battleplans during World War 2 it is important to remember the idea which many historians share that ‘the UK gave us time, the USA gave money and the Soviets gave their lives’. This is true.

But Churchill’s ‘perfect’ image which is continually shoved down our throats is something which should certainly be questioned. Firstly, his wartime efforts. The amount of courage it must have taken to be the sole voice against Hitler as France and the rest of Europe collapsed must have taken immense bravery, I don’t deny. But this bravery overrides every other aspect of his character.

People think the war was won because of Churchill? Hitler’s decision to invade Russia forced him to move most of his forces East and ended the Blitz which had brought London to its knees. Hitler’s poor planning saved us there.

Some then argue that Churchill’s relationship with the USA (being half-American himself) brought them into the war, another falsehood as it was actually Hitler who declared war on the USA in support of their ally Japan. The USA had no intention of entering the Second World War in Europe until Hitler declared war on them after Pearl Harbour. Another tactical mistake by Hitler that many ascribe to Churchill’s genius.

Then we get onto my real point. The Bengal Famine of 1943. Don’t worry, I know you haven’t heard of it, because it makes Britain, Churchill and both their legacies look bad. Why would it be taught in school?

Bengal (now Bangladesh) was part of the British Indian Empire. Despite millions of Indians volunteering to fight in Europe and Japan to support the Empire, who had been oppressing them for years, Churchill decided that blockades, sanctions and restrictions in that region had to be upheld. To support the war effort. Churchill’s detractors point to his well-documented bigotry, articulated often with shocking callousness and contempt. “I hate Indians,” he once trumpeted. “They are a beastly people with a beastly religion.” Cheers for that Winston.

It is estimated that of the 60 million Bengalis, 2-3 million died of starvation because of this decision.

Want more? He referred to Palestinians as “barbaric hordes who ate little but camel dung.” When quashing insurgents in Sudan in the earlier days of his imperial career, Churchill boasted of killing three “savages.” Contemplating restive populations in northwest Asia, he infamously lamented the “squeamishness” of his colleagues, who were not in “favor of using poisoned gas against uncivilized tribes.” Read that again. Then once more. I’ll stop now but it goes on.

This may sound like an angry rant against Churchill but it’s not. The man displayed great courage and leadership at a time when Britain needed it most. But he is not the hero we have been taught throughout our lives. He was not the Second Coming. In a recent poll he was ranked as the Greatest Briton of all time. Not Darwin? Not Shakespeare? Newton, Lennon, Hawking? None of them ever sanctioned genocide or expressed views which are inexplicable.

Famed for his quick wit, he once entered into an argument with Lady Astor. Lady Astor, infuriated, snapped and commented “Well Winston, if I was your wife I would poison your tea.” To which he replied, “and if I was your husband I would drink it.” A war veteran, a well-versed politician, an excellent public speaker and a Nobel Prize winner for Literature. No one denies the gifts God gave Churchill and it would be difficult to suggest he did not utilise these gifts. But the white-washing of his history is terrifying.

It was in the darkest of times that we needed a man like Churchill. A man of principle and conviction. A complicated man and, if we’re honest, were his incredibly offensive comments so much different from what other politicians at the time were spouting? There is no doubt, however, that in modern times a politician who switched from the Conservatives, to the Liberals, then back to the Conservatives whilst having a drinking problem and advocating policies that many who class as “insane” could ever become PM – twice.

Hero or Villian? Perspective or fact?

The Capitol Insurrection – The Dangerous Start

Februrary 7th, 2023 / Leave Feedback / nezuppal

To be honest, I can’t remember the overall stance of this blog on Donald Trump. I think the man is a master media-manipulator, uncompromising (for good and bad) and that he is at least six foot tall. I also happen to think he is the most dangerous President since Nixon, Andrew Johnson (both of whom, coincidentally, were similarly impeached but the Senate refused to remove them from office – Nixon resigning the day before and Johnson surviving by just one vote.)

I oft avoid the news, because whenever I open the BBC News App I see three items: COVID-19, Climate Change, Trump. I don’t feel particularly positive about any of those to be honest. It’s almost as if 2021 is a continuation of 2020 and the change of one day makes no difference. But something slipped through my ignorance gap – which has included deleting Facebook and Twitter.

It was the storming of the Capitol building. It was outrageous when my parents told me about it. I thought they must be confusing the Capitol building with another famous building in Washington. I was wrong. I visited the Capitol on a school trip to Washington, even standing in front of it you get a sense of its importance – both symbolic and real. It has been the scene of so many important laws, wars, conflicts, political leaders and it was just stormed by a bunch of gun-toting red-necks.

A lot of people instantly jumped on the argument that if these protestors had been Black or a member of a minority community there would be far more than four dead. Indeed, if the BLM movement had ever reached that far (before being constantly beaten, harassed and arreseted) far more violence would have ensued. I can assure you. I have done a few pieces on the BLM movement and their treatment by the police, despite their anti-violent protests, is absolutely stunning when compared to how these white armed citizens were able to storm the United States legislature building. It’s shocking. But not surprising and the only common denominator is the pigment colour of their skin.

But we all know that. We all know that the establishment cannot attack it’s supporters, no matter how many or how mad they may be. What, for me, is more scary is the fact that this was even possible. For those people who have followed Trump’s politics this was entirely predictable if he lost the election. He built his campaign around mocking war veterans, disabled reporters and getting into Twitter arguments with basically anyone famous. He may not have specifically said violent things (although this is entirely possible) … but this was always building. I’ll admit even I didn’t predict to this unprecedented extent. But still.

The problem, however, in this case is not about race it is about constitutional authority. Read on, it’ll get more less boring after those two words, promise. After the 1860 election in the USA Abraham Lincoln, then a famous anti-Slavery candidate and the first Republican President (how the Republicans and Democrats switched their rhetoric and policies over time and how Lincoln, the greatest US President was the first Republican President, has led to the last Republican President, Donald Trump, will be tackled another time).

A lot of people like to focus the American Civil War on slavery. The Southern states needed it, the Northern states did not. However, much like the arms race prior to World War 1, slavery was just powder keg. The spark, in the First World War was when Gavrilo Princip incidentally ran into and assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, sparking a long list of alliances and sparking a World War. On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln famously gave his Gettysburg Address, after the Battle of Gettysburg, in it, he famously stated:

“Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war … that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” – Abraham Lincoln 1863

Because that’s the truth of the American Civil War. Slavery was always a key issue. But the bigger issue was the constitutional democracy and whether that would maintain and endure. When Lincoln was elected the Southern states decided that they did not like this election outcome and seceded – forming the Confederacy and their own state. That was what the war was fought about. Because democracy cannot function if the losing side is not willing to concede defeat. It is a never-ending cycle. What if the newly formed Confederacy don’t like the next President they elect? Will part of that group secede? What about that group? And so on. The American Civil War was fought to maintain a respectable, fairly new, type of democracy where you accept loss with good grace because there is a mutual understanding that both parties want what’s best for the country.

What happened in the Capitol was not only shocking but showed similarities to a country so deeply divided that violence was the only recourse. Some political commentators have suggested that this is all a build up for his 2024 campaign. Personally, I find this highly unlikely for several reasons.

A) Will he live that long?

B) These people are literally rebels. They must be prosecuted and held to account.

C) How does he plan to survive the impending charges of rape, indecent assault, fraud, money laundering, tax evasion, perjury?

D) I like to think that Americans are smart enough to realise they made a grave error and I trust them not to repeat it.

Fool me once …