Current Affairs London Protests

[catcherintherye]

TBF his commitment to opposing appeasement is best shown by how quickly he jumped at the chance to join the same Government once war loomed.

The rest of them were left to do the actual work (getting rid of Chamberlain) and very few of them, got any reward or advancement for their earlier opposition (Macmillan was the only one who did and that was more because of his war service and subsequent reinventing of himself as an Uber-Tory).

I'm not sure what your point is mate?

 

[Yid4life]

I used to get told by the pub landlord to go home all the time.

Looking forward to it happening again in the near future.

 

[Kurt.]

The problem we have is we refuse to teach Churchill honestly in this country. In all honesty we don't teach Britains past honestly either. We are enormously defensive about the things we've done wrong. Strong powerful institutions, organisations, countries or whatever else can honestly and openly reflect on their past. As a country we're just not able to do that really. You just get the nonsense "you hate our country" stuff. What is really hateful to the country would be to assume we could have done no better than have 300 years of the slave trade.

As for Churchill, he's a contradictory character. Displayed elements of racism, put the troops onto working people, behaved dubiously (and thats being kind) to Indians etc. He was also a man who probably did more than any figure in this country to oppose the Nazi's. He was not a fascist like Hitler. When he said no to Hitler, whatever his reasons, we were at that moment on our own and looking in a really bad place. He could have got out and ran away, like most of the Tory establishment were considering, but he stayed and tried to resist.

I think if we taught things more openly and honesty, a lot of the anger would be dissipated against it. I hope the police move along any louts planning on protecting the statue (who are really their to antagonise people). Again, the absolute last thing Churchill would have wanted to be associated with is scum like that.

Behaved dubiously towards Indians.... wow.


3 million of them

 

[tsubaki]

I'm not sure what your point is mate?

That what you’d said, though correct about him being a contradictory character, did contain loads of bits of the myth still.

 

[spectateur]

It's the insinuation that Britain is a white place. That black people, who were born here, raised here, have contributed lots to this country don't count. Britain has always been an ethnically diverse nation, been invaded multiple times from multiple people. People who are British citizens have nowhere to go. In all honesty, if anyone should leave, it's the racists.

I beg to disagree, Britain has not always been an "ethnically diverse" nation.
Invasions of England have always been perpetrated by ethnic NW Europeans (apart from the romans of course). Never invaded or occupied by people from other parts of the world.

 

[catcherintherye]

I beg to disagree, Britain has not always been an "ethnically diverse" nation.
Invasions of England have always been perpetrated by ethnic NW Europeans (apart from the romans of course). Never invaded or occupied by people from other parts of the world.

The Norman's? I mean Northern Europe is quite a big mix as well!

 

[spectateur]

The Norman's? I mean Northern Europe is quite a big mix as well!

The Norman's were of Scandinavian (Viking) origin, occupied N France in 9th century.

 

[JLW]

Just seen a video of an incident with a load of Coventry fans and two black guys, anyone seen it?

 

[catcherintherye]

The Norman's were of Scandinavian (Viking) origin, occupied N France in 9th century.

I always thought they had a something of a mixed heritage, involving french and some Norwegian. Either way we have been invaded regularly by multiple nations across Europe so the idea of a single monolith just doesn't hold up.

 

[Jebus_lives]

Bristol mayor wants 'citywide conversation' on future of Edward Colston statue

Marvin Rees urges discussion on memorials and places with slavery links

amp.theguardian.com

Mayor of Bristol:

"There were 10,000 people and no violent confrontation, no big smash-up of shop windows, no lines at accident and emergency. The police are here to keep us safe and they kept us safe. I think it was wise and ego-free policing. That’s what we need. They served the city.”
He criticised the UK government’s strong criticism of the protesters who hauled down the statue. Rees said: “Bombastic statements from the touchline don’t help. They don’t know what’s going on in Bristol, they don’t know what’s happening on the ground, they don’t know the culture of this city. How can they think they can speak with any wisdom or insight?”

"Send in the Army!!!!"

 

[spectateur]

I always thought they had a something of a mixed heritage, involving french and some Norwegian. Either way we have been invaded regularly by multiple nations across Europe so the idea of a single monolith just doesn't hold up.

I'm nervous to point out on here but invaders of the island of Great Britain throughout history could be classified as being white Caucasian.

 

[Shevin Keedy]

Comissioner Gordon:

"There were 10,000 people and no violent confrontation, no big smash-up of shop windows, no lines at accident and emergency. Batman is here to keep us safe and he kept us safe. I think it was wise and ego-free policing. That’s what we need. He served the city.”
He criticised the UK government’s strong criticism of the protesters who hauled down the statue of nefarious arch-villain the Penguin. Gordon said: “Bombastic statements from the touchline don’t help. They don’t know what’s going on in Gotham, they don’t know what’s happening on the ground, they don’t know the culture of this city. How can they think they can speak with any wisdom or insight?”

"Send in the Boy Wonder!!!!"

See how easy it can be to change the facts? This is why the erasure of historical events, aspects and figures need careful consideration.

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

Don't know if it's already been mentioned, but Queen Victoria's statue (in Leeds) I wonder if those that done it knew that the Slavery Abolition Act was passed by parliament a few years before she took the throne.

 

[edge]

Just seen a video of an incident with a load of Coventry fans and two black guys, anyone seen it?

It's on youtube mate, just seen it.

 

[JobForTheMoyes]

Sounds to me like this Colston was a significant figure in Bristolian history, so I think his statue should go back where it was.

We should not be eradicating our past due to the fact historical figures did not share the views upheld in the current day. I doubt, for example, that Alfred the Great would have been pro immigration, or that Wellington was a lovely fellow. But these are the people who helped create the world we live in today.

Similarly this Colston seems to have done a lot for his city, so to try and sweep him under the carpet, while doubtlessly enjoying some of the stuff he left behind, seems wrong. You can always put him in context by teaching about him:

Colston's name permeates the city on buildings and landmarks. Colston supported and endowed schools, almshouses, hospitals and churches in Bristol, London and elsewhere. Colston constituted his charities to deny their benefits to those who did not share his religious and political views.[1] Many of his charitable foundations survive to this day.[5] In Bristol, he founded almshouses in King Street and Colstons Almshouses on St Michael's Hill, endowed Queen Elizabeth's Hospital school, and helped found Colston's Hospital, a boarding school which opened in 1710 leaving an endowment to be managed by the Society of Merchant Venturers for its upkeep. He gave money to schools in Temple (one of which went on to become St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School) and other parts of Bristol, and to several churches and the cathedral. David Hughson, writing in 1808, described Colston as "the great benefactor of the city of Bristol, who, in his lifetime, expended more than 70,000L. [£] in charitable institutions".