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ARGUMENT
The supposed continuity of the British establishment has actually been a disastrous run of utter failure since over a century...
...but foreigners & legacy of the empire hid this so well most Brits never even noticed.
Brexit is slowly uncovering this.
A thread.
The supposed continuity of the British establishment has actually been a disastrous run of utter failure since over a century...
...but foreigners & legacy of the empire hid this so well most Brits never even noticed.
Brexit is slowly uncovering this.
A thread.
2/
Whether one thinks empire was great or terrible one thing Brits imbibe from childhood is the continuity of an elite - the gentleman class - they may have been Conservative, we may want change but we did OK - relative to other countries didn’t we?
But take a step back...
Whether one thinks empire was great or terrible one thing Brits imbibe from childhood is the continuity of an elite - the gentleman class - they may have been Conservative, we may want change but we did OK - relative to other countries didn’t we?
But take a step back...
3/
Britain early 1900s was a commercial powerhouse a - if not the - centre of the world.
Anything could have been possible.
Instead 1914 our gentlemen class ended up in a war of choice it didn’t need to sacrificing thousands for idiotic trench warfare, bankrupting the country.
Britain early 1900s was a commercial powerhouse a - if not the - centre of the world.
Anything could have been possible.
Instead 1914 our gentlemen class ended up in a war of choice it didn’t need to sacrificing thousands for idiotic trench warfare, bankrupting the country.
4/
WWI came to an end largely through foreign intervention & the realisation it was ridiculously ruinous.
On economic terms though the British gentleman class turned their back on industry unlike other countries & despite all the benefits of empire British industry declined.
WWI came to an end largely through foreign intervention & the realisation it was ridiculously ruinous.
On economic terms though the British gentleman class turned their back on industry unlike other countries & despite all the benefits of empire British industry declined.
5/
What happened is the empire myth was born even as it was coming to an end. Why? - because gentleman liked it. The public schools continued to turn out gentlemen for empire even as we needed economic growth..
...then came the 1930s..
What happened is the empire myth was born even as it was coming to an end. Why? - because gentleman liked it. The public schools continued to turn out gentlemen for empire even as we needed economic growth..
...then came the 1930s..
6/
The English gentleman backed the fascists. Big time.
It was Labout that brought Churchill to power not the Conservatives - they wanted Lord Halifax - the gentleman.
And the war - we didn’t “win” it so much as..ended up on the winning side. Thanks to foreigners.
The English gentleman backed the fascists. Big time.
It was Labout that brought Churchill to power not the Conservatives - they wanted Lord Halifax - the gentleman.
And the war - we didn’t “win” it so much as..ended up on the winning side. Thanks to foreigners.
7/
Post war Britain didn’t look too bad. We hadn’t been invaded & our “clever elite” saw us through right?
The Europeans came to us with plans for a European confederation with London as its capital & Britain as its leader.
Our gentlemen of empire turned them down of course...
Post war Britain didn’t look too bad. We hadn’t been invaded & our “clever elite” saw us through right?
The Europeans came to us with plans for a European confederation with London as its capital & Britain as its leader.
Our gentlemen of empire turned them down of course...
8/
Our economy did OK under the post war US led & financed recovery - then again everyone did - just not as fast growth as other Europeans..
Then came the 1970s...
Our economy did OK under the post war US led & financed recovery - then again everyone did - just not as fast growth as other Europeans..
Then came the 1970s...
9/
1970s UK was the sick man of Europe & Thatchers early 80s monetarism destroyed much industry. But 3 things saved us
1. North Sea oil
2. Rich oil flush foreigners depositing money in London
3. Foreigners using UKs EU entry to invest in industry we’d destroyed
We got lucky..
1970s UK was the sick man of Europe & Thatchers early 80s monetarism destroyed much industry. But 3 things saved us
1. North Sea oil
2. Rich oil flush foreigners depositing money in London
3. Foreigners using UKs EU entry to invest in industry we’d destroyed
We got lucky..
10/
The Empire left us with London as international city & foreigners love of it & English meant all we had to do it was charge foreigners as high price as possible taxes, school fees, “service charges” etc & we’d be alright.
We wouldn’t be top dog but we’d be fine.
And then..
The Empire left us with London as international city & foreigners love of it & English meant all we had to do it was charge foreigners as high price as possible taxes, school fees, “service charges” etc & we’d be alright.
We wouldn’t be top dog but we’d be fine.
And then..
11/
..and then we did something really stupid.
We forget the near misses, the century of decline, the “kindness of foreigners” helping us out and started to believe not only that it was our cleverness that had protected us all along - but worse it was our gentleman class.
..and then we did something really stupid.
We forget the near misses, the century of decline, the “kindness of foreigners” helping us out and started to believe not only that it was our cleverness that had protected us all along - but worse it was our gentleman class.
12/
We mistook our luck for the natural effortless superiority of the Rees-Moggs & Johnsons. We may not be gentlemen ourselves - but if we hung on to their dinner jackets theyd take us along with them right?
They’d done everything right for a century..right?
Over the top boys!
We mistook our luck for the natural effortless superiority of the Rees-Moggs & Johnsons. We may not be gentlemen ourselves - but if we hung on to their dinner jackets theyd take us along with them right?
They’d done everything right for a century..right?
Over the top boys!
13/
That’s where Brexit comes from.
We got lucky & couldn’t be content with our luck so ascribed it to ourselves & “our gentlemen”.
What happens now?
I’ll tell you....
That’s where Brexit comes from.
We got lucky & couldn’t be content with our luck so ascribed it to ourselves & “our gentlemen”.
What happens now?
I’ll tell you....
14/
..Nobody knows what happens now - our fate lies in the hands of the “kindness of foreigners”.
But what I do know is this:
Our gentlemen will want to keep this myth going..as without it, all that’s left is...
...public school songs, a tie and jokes about the French.
/ends
..Nobody knows what happens now - our fate lies in the hands of the “kindness of foreigners”.
But what I do know is this:
Our gentlemen will want to keep this myth going..as without it, all that’s left is...
...public school songs, a tie and jokes about the French.
/ends
