I had to smile when I read this on Our Kingdom. How thrilling for its priggish, anti-English/England writers that a film apparently depicting skinheads in the 1980s has made best "British" film!
"YES! Well done, Shane!" Quick, file under England, fascism...
You can just imagine the writer, almost pooing his usually pristine geeky knickers to get that online.
A couple of points:
The skinhead thing was up and running well before the 1980s as was football hooliganism - fans were being penned in in the early 1970s.
Old Labour voter, that was me, hated Thatcher, but this constant priggish nonsense about the 1980s is very wearing. Just for a change, couldn't it have been set in the just as grim 70s?
The other point is the constant anti-English bias of "Our Kingdom". The makers of the "This Is England" film were, I suggest, very ignorant in trying to portray English nationalism in this light in the modern day and age.
This is the age of the West Lothian Question, a non-representative PM ruling England, health apartheid, etc. It would be refreshing to see something set in the modern day, highlighting the current forms of English nationalism and the reasons for it.
We have a government which habitually discriminates against every man, woman and child in England, valuing Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish lives far higher than ours.
And yet some film makers and "Our Kingdom" are anxious to promote English nationalism as it was in the 60s/70s/80s.
Great.
I do not recommend "Our Kingdom". Sometimes I suspect that the people behind it are all clones of Tristram Fourmile.
Actually, it strikes me that England was used as a negative (remember "Oi! For England"?) and Britain as a positive even back in the '80s. UK PLC brainwashing was obviously up and running. But, after the devolution scares of the '70s, nobody was going to examine Scots' racism. Which is great. And probably contributes to the way the arrogant, non-insightful likes of Gordon Brown strut around Westminster now.
And other little things.
Like health apartheid.
I have to disagree, the main people behind Our Kingdom may not share our point of view, but it is a good discussion forum. Toque/Gareth has had an article there, and it makes a change to have a discussion rather than we write a blog post and someone else writes an opposite one. The answer to them posting crap is to get on there and tell them why they are wrong!
ReplyDeleteWe've tried it. But they will not acknowledge problems like health apartheid and continue to promote the "all English nationalists are fascists" nonsense at every opportunity.
ReplyDeleteYour post is almost Scots! Get in there!
ReplyDeleteIt's those in charge of "Our Kingdom" who are at fault. I understand your outrage. That's usually what's missing from English nats if you don't mind me saying so - most of you have got no balls or fire!
When you get your freedom, we get ours, so here's to you!
As an occasional contributor here, I'd like to reply to Secret Person:
ReplyDeleteFirstly, the discussion at OK seems pointless as the organisers never change their views one jot, nor take on board our view or give it any credence at all. Plus they give space to other people who are downright unreasonable at times, behave in a fascist manner towards the English, and then accuse English nationalists of fascism!
I believe that OK is partly a smear campaign against English nationalists, and as for the issues, there's something very "let them eat cake about it".
"Health apartheid? What nonsense. Anyway, haven't these plebs heard of BUPA?"
Views like yours annoy me intensely, Secret Person. Everything's nice and civilised? No it is NOT and sites like OK do our cause a great deal of harm!
Our Kingdom wants to preserve the Union.
ReplyDeleteBasically, I think it's a laugh that they back the view of Scots, Welsh and Cornish correspondents who think they are "Celts". Fascist assumption, surely? But, on the other hand, any opportunity to whack the English is gleefully seized -
http://ourkingdom.opendemocracy.net/2008/01/21/english-fascist/#comment-19160
The more Our Kingdom's organisers can link "England" and "English" with "fascist" and "fascism", the more they like it.
If you're NOT a fascist and you support equality for England in the devolutionary UK, and somebody insists YOU ARE a fascist and you get your window broken or a smack in the mouth, you know that the likes of Our Kingdom are doing a good job.
You do right to show that site up for what it is. Don't let the Lady Bella types wafting through here, offended by the ripe stench of honesty, change you!