TWICE before I have written to yourselves pointing out that proroguing parliament had parallels with Hitler’s Germany in 1934. Now, in the light of the Prime Minister’s rhetoric in the House on Wednesday evening, I regret I have to write again.
Surely it is obvious to any fair-minded person that the words used in his rant were not ad-libbed but premeditated, which brings into question why such emotive and vitriolic language was used. My conclusion is simple: he was not speaking to parliament nor to the public at large, but to the vocal hard core of Brexit supporters who, with internet anonymity, invariably use the threat of violence if Brexit is either questioned or watered down.
Unfortunately that also includes far-right fascist groups who would love nothing better than to subvert our parliamentary democracy. Do we want violent fascist brownshirts on our streets as they were in 1930s Germany? How many reading this have fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, aunts and uncles who struggled, fought and died to rid the world of far-right fascism?
It is interesting to note that during the 1930s many of our aristocracy, Old Etonians and Old Harovians included, sympathised with Hitler. The first Viscount Rothermere, through his ownership of the Daily Mail, openly supported the British Union of Fascists with an article written by himself titled “Hurrah for the Blackshirts”. He also expressed hope that “Adolf the Great” would become popular in Britain. Now the Daily Mail uses headlines that could well incite those on the far right to use violence to obtain their objectives; headlines such as that which portrayed the judiciary as enemies of the people. It is now many of privilege, together with those wealthy enough to have the ability to move their capital to safe havens, who are at the forefront of the anti-EU propaganda. Do leopards actually change their spots?
It is obvious that the predominantly English lurch to the far right is a threat to democratic government, and even peace on our streets.
Now more than ever it is imperative that Scotland becomes an independent nation, with her own set of anti-dictatorial democratic values.
Steve Brooker
Inverness
BORIS Johnson’s tactics are transparently strait out of Dominic Cummings’s job sheet: delay, deceit, aggression, chaos, confuse your enemy and deliver the killer blow when the opposition is disorientated. Page 325 of Sun Tzu’s Art of War. Will it succeed in this poor excuse for a Westminster Parliament? I hope not, but it will succeed in accelerating Scotland’s move to independence.
Mike Underwood
Linlithgow
SO it has got to a slanging match in the mother of parliaments and the only party which has been resilient, consistent, with a real plan, is the SNP. Their influence has been crucial in retarding the extremists of the ERG who now control the Conservatives. One previous Prime Minister has played a substantial part too, namely Sir John Major. Where oh where was Goordie Broon this time?
Kenny Burnett
Aberdeen
BAH humbug is typical of the Tory educational and social persona. To use the phrase, as did Johnson in the context referring to Jo Cox, was demeaning, insulting and childish. However, it was Johnson’s intention to use such insult in order to get the reaction as shown, which somehow was a point-scoring episode for the likes of himself and his Brexit and other Tory cohorts.
Alan Magnus-Bennett
Fife
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