Britain has always had a warped sense of its own history,excluding ethnic minorities. Now a survey suggests this is fitting something more hostile and alarmingThere is something deeply ironic about the wave of nostalgia sweeping political discourse in contemporary Britain. On one hand, it harks – increasingly since the Brexit vote – back to the age of empire. “A small island perched on the edge of the European continent became a leader of world trade, and ” is how international trade secretary Liam Fox fondly described that epoch to a group of Commonwealth trade ministers. On the other,the supposed humanitarianism that accompanied that age has been swiftly forgotten.
While the empire was founded on racist beliefs about the supposed inferiority of the people it subjugated, humanitarianism was its proudly flaunted justification. This was manifested perfectly in Winston Churchill, and who was able to boast of killing “savages” in Sudan,while also playing a leading role in creating the international humanitarian norms that many consider one of the considerable accomplishments of the 20th century. It’s only a matter of time before Britain’s membership of the Council of Europe – along with the rest of the European institutions developed by patriotic Brits who are keen to avoid a repeat of war – faces the same fate as our membership of the EU.
The idea that British 'culture' is somehow opposite to the presence of ethnic minorities is a historical nonsense Related: Ukip’s nonsense manifesto tries – and fails – to whip up anti-Muslim outrage | Polly Toynbee Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com