Some Thoughts from England

David Lott is no stranger to these pages.  For several decades he has argued consistently that the United Kingdom should go it alone without membership in the European Union. Last year, the members of his party, the United Kingdom Independent Party, helped lead the charge for Brexit.  In this tome, David, a founding member of UKIP, a veteran of the Royal Air Force and a son of a Battle of Britain hero, reflects on why the current state of Western politics seems to be trending toward populism, or some would argue a return to democratic nationalism. - Glenn N. Holliman

Thoughts on Populism

by David Lott, Englishman

Since the beginning of civilisation there has been rebellion against civil and military governments. The populist uprising in our times is certainly not new and common throughout history. Each authority whether Empire, Nation or even Tribe come to live in fear, sometimes paranoia when a threat from within appears inside their horizon. There are such a remarkable variety of examples of rebellion that there is a danger in being selective as it can be the enemy of objectivity. I will try my best to be fair but brief in order to avoid boring you.

The reaction by rulers to rebellion is mostly authoritarian leading frequently to tyranny. Those in charge convince themselves they are behaving reasonably and their idea of the status quo is sound. They tell themselves the troubled protesters are either mad, simple or a deplorable destabilising threat, whilst fear courses through their veins and colours their response. Occasionally enlightened rulers perceive merit in their opponents’ arguments or perhaps they are simply pragmatic but in both cases upset and violence are avoided. More often than not the Authority has a mindset that cannot be changed which is, in the majority of cases, at the root of protest in the first place as rational argument simply cannot prevail.

Members of David's family take a spring walk amongst the English bluebells!

Protest comes in many forms with many perils. Some are led by the evil as in the rise of Adolph Hitler and his Nazis which was avoidable had not France determined to beggar Germany with its insistence upon unpayable reparations. A little magnanimity would have done wonders.

Other rebellions begin with the best of intentions led by the high minded against oppression or simply poor and/or corrupt government but these idealists are regularly thrust brutally aside by sly selfish and greedy conspirators lurking in their midst. The most recent example of a just rebellion being usurped by evil was that of the the Arab Spring which was traduced by religious fanatics. The desire for democracy was overwhelmed by carefully placed religious freaks from within. 

Unfortunately, political leaders in the West, since the outrageous tragedy of 9/11, have been painfully blind to the forces of evil that circumvented the Arab Spring’s desire for secular change. The financiers of religious extremism subsequently, in an act of madness, became our allies in the Middle East. As a result, we created a state of affairs that fuels hatred, violence, gruesome brutality and servitude that should have no place in the ‘enlightened’ West’s foreign policy, a policy which results in terrorism at home and death by drowning for the thousands in the Mediterranean seas.

Some revolutions simply exchange one set of tyrannical leaders for another as ideals become corrupted by power as in the communist revolutions in the 20^th century.

The perils of revolution were very much in the forefront of our minds of those of us who struggled for over 20 years to free ourselves from the tentacles of the European Union and break free to once more have the freedom to govern ourselves.  

Just because there have been examples of tragedy following the usurped intentions of various uprisings of populism in the last century it does not mean to say it always leads to disaster or regression, far from it. The US War of Independence followed a successful uprising against the arrogant and inflexible British leading to the creation of the greatest nation on earth. What a wonderful achievement, you wished to govern yourselves and you succeeded brilliantly.

Oliver Cromwell’s uprising led to civil war and victory over monarchical rule. His rule, though austere, allowed Britain to transition from a largely autocratic model of government to that of a democratic kind subsequently adopted throughout much of the world.  Many would argue that the outcome ended better than the bloody French revolution 150 years later. It certainly ended better than Wat Tyler’s peasants’ revolt in 1381 which so very nearly succeeded when his force occupied London. He was too easily appeased by a deceitful King and paid the ultimate price. Yet another example of the perils of rebellion.

Today’s rise in populism in the West is not happening because all is fine and dandy with the governing class.

The reasons are highly complex but in very general terms faith has been lost in the veracity of the ruling elite who seem to believe their corruption, their abuse of privacy and a telling air of superiority has not registered with much of the electorate. Many on the liberal left too often despise the merit within their own country’s culture and nationhood. The preservation of which seems unimportant to them. Much better that home culture is watered down with mass immigration, as immigrants can be used as voting fodder. Hillary Clinton to her credit was openly honest about watering down national characteristics in a drive towards global governance during her campaign for the presidency. Today’s President elect in France holds the same beliefs.

None but the most dyed in the wool supporter of the current rulers can say there is no reason to protest. My worry is that there are a huge number of such leopards that cannot change their spots who simplistically see the populist opposition as anything other than a deplorable threat to their power. Populism thrives does it not, when poor, deaf, arrogant, deceitful, corrupt and undemocratic politicians rule? And boy is it thriving.

Today people have woken up to the Globalist agenda that thwarts democracy through corrupt malleable politicians and waters down distinct and admirable civilised cultures. War has actually become a method of distracting people from the underlying agenda. Thanks to social media the people no longer buy the established line and the press is losing the battle of information. Social media has more factual credibility than mainstream media with the ordinary man and woman on the street. We now see government trying to influence the organs of the social media such that they deny freedom of speech. It is a sterile unimaginative approach that will be scorned.

In Europe the EU provides profoundly undemocratic, corrupt and incompetent government. Its only policy body, the European Commission, is not even elected. Its ability to take decisions requires 28 once sovereign countries of very different viewpoints and cultures on geopolitics to agree! If they do not comply, they can be, and sometimes are punished. It is no wonder this process leads to paralysis when negotiating trade agreements. And always Germany lurks behind the scene pulling their puppet strings. The EU will fail, the leaders may hold hands after a terrorist attack but any real solidarity is dissolving rapidly as the tide of independence swells.

I have mentioned corruption being rife. There are 30,000 lobbyists in Brussels entertaining officials in every field with flattery, nice lunches, holidays and finally juicy jobs when their time is up within the institutions. The situation in Washington is not dissimilar.

EU and German leaders are deaf to the cries of Greece, now governed in terrible austerity linked to an overvalued Euro that denies any escape from penury.Germany’s unilateral opening of EU borders, automatically supported by the EU directly leads to the cries of alarm from Hungary, the Czech Republic, Holland, Austria, Italy, France, Sweden and Poland on the subject of mass Islamic migration. The culture of these people is perfectly easily absorbed into our own when small numbers are involved. 

Spring in England can be chilly, but what would England be without lovable dogs and the early bluebells of the season.

But many within this tsunami bring a different legal system of Sharia and refuse to integrate which generates fear from north to south and east to west in Europe, especially in the case of female safety from molestation, grooming and rape. Many individual governments are refusing to dance to the German tune played dutifully by the EU’s orchestra.

Time is so ripe for rebellion that of course there are populist groups rising, as so many criteria for their existence are met and the only answer seems to be more faceless Globalism and more EU forced integration. Unless EU leaders take note opposition will grow and grow.

Interestingly in the UK the government of the day seems to have listened (but I am wary and only time will tell) to the voice of the people who, I am proud to say, have been provided with populist leadership that has prevailed in its intention to leave this failing institution of the EU. Let us all hope that populism has done its job in the UK. The people seem to think so at the moment. As I write this there has been an extraordinary protest at the England and Wales local elections in favour of a government determined upon its course to leave the EU.

The UK Independence Party, under the leadership of the charismatic Nigel Farage, of which I am a part, brought about our successful result in a referendum and the application by the UK Government to leave the EU. This was achieved completely from outside the Westminster arena. It was an extraordinary example of popular uprising and it looks at the moment that the General Election is turning into a second referendum upon our EU membership with those advocating to remain in the EU losing massively. Our Ukip vote has collapsed and gone to those with the task of implementing the departure from the EU; the Conservative party.

This is a real worry as we got where we did through honest toil and dedication spanning more than 20 years of superhuman effort sustained by conviction and iron determination. Prime Minister May will need the same qualities to see this through. She voted to Remain in the EU so it is only natural we suspect some backsliding as she is unlikely to have our conviction – how could she?

The Labour Party is collapsing and may split, the Liberal Democrats as a pro EU outfit will remain in limbo. The last Prime Minister the pro EU David Cameron was forced from office and all this achieved through populism led by the UK Independence Party. This was an immense and unprecedented victory for the people and an underpinning of democracy with huge political realignment bringing change to our country.

You see folks it can be done if you are determined enough, without bloodshed and within democratic parameters, but I can assure you it was very hard work!

Some say that in reality Mrs. May is the new Ukip Leader! However, there is much water to still flow under the bridge and our Party will continue ready to surge forward again should this Conservative government fail to deliver. Unlike Wat Tyler we have learned the lessons of not being too easily appeased. - David Lott