Unity

From Unity, 19 June 2010

Empire apologist

by W. Owl

Whilst in opposition the Tories displayed their far-right credentials when they pulled out of the mainstream European grouping of right-wing parties and joined up with another mob taking in some of the east European states.
     This crowd of rabid anti-communists are busy taking revenge on socialism by outrightly banning, or trying to ban, communist organisations, declaring what they term communist symbols illegal, and of course rewriting history.
     Former members of the Waffen-SS are revered as fighters for independence in such places as Latvia and have now taken to holding parades to commemorate their comrades.
     If we take guilt by association as legitimacy, then the Tories are as guilty as sin.
     Having said that, in the past they had no problem with cosying up to fascism, Spain and Franco being one example, the signing of the Anglo-German naval agreement in 1935, and of course the infamous Munich sell out of Czechoslovakia in 1938, being other examples.
     The declaration of war by the Chamberlain Tory government in 1939 in defence of Poland resulted in the British and French armies not firing a shot in anger, much to the delight of the German generals, who knew that the Wehrmacht could not have withstood any onslaught against them. Hostilities only began when the likes of Churchill saw Hitler as threatening his beloved British Empire.
     It is no surprise then that the present Tory government, with its pathetic Liberal Democrat partners, have turned to the historian Niall Ferguson to help rewrite the history curriculum for English schools.
     This move prompted Seumas Milne to write a column in the Guardian on 10 June under the heading “This attempt to rehabilitate empire is a recipe for conflict.”
     Milne describes Ferguson as a man “who has unashamedly championed British colonialism” and has declared, “Empire is more necessary in the 21st century than ever before.” As Milne writes, “letting him loose on some of the most sensitive parts of the school syllabus in multicultural Britain might have been expected to provoke uproar.”
     Unfortunately, though, Milne confirms that “instead it passed almost without comment.” With everybody’s mind concentrated on the economy, there is no better time to make such a move.
     The now Education Secretary, Michael Gove, gave an indication as to their intent in March this year when he suggested that Ferguson should join Andrew Robert, described by Milne as “more extreme,” in bringing school history teaching more in line with Tory thinking.
     Gove himself apparently believes history lessons should “celebrate” empire. No doubt they could parade Baroness Warsi around schools as a living example of how marvellous the empire was.
     As an aside, I’d love to hear her opinions on this.
     To show how extreme Roberts is, Milne quotes him as describing the British Empire as an “exemplary force for good,” and for good measure he has claimed that imperialism is “an idea whose time has come again.”
     As Milne writes, “if Britain had genuinely come to terms with its imperial history, no senior politician would have dared suggest celebrating it or mobilising apologists to sanitise its record for school children.”
     Of course Gove, Ferguson and Roberts actually do believe what they are saying, and their coming to terms with British imperial history is to teach it as they see it. Not for them any description of the Union Flag as the “Butcher’s Apron.” Neither will they quote Hitler, who, according to Milne, described the British Empire as an “inestimable factor of value.”
     The truth is that this obscenity was an “an avowedly racist despotism built on ethnic cleansing, enslavement, continual wars and savage repression, land theft and merciless exploitation.” A perfect description from Milne.
     He also quotes Ferguson giving advice to the United States on how to deal with the Iraqi city of Fallujah. He told them they should learn from the British Empire and crush resistance with “severity.” As we know, they did.
     Milne points out that in contrast to the colonial period there are now millions living in Britain whose families had direct experience of colonial tyranny.
     Of course, you do not have to travel very far for that experience. One hour by plane will get you here, where there is plenty of experience of that “exemplary force for good.”

Home page > Publications > Unity > Empire apologist

Baile > Foilseacháin > Unity > Empire apologist