An American friend proposed the following:
I think that this Britain First movement in the UK is the tip of the ice berg in Western Europe. Just to crystal ball gaze. I believe that the combination of leftist government and the explosion of Mideast immigrants could spark a rather nasty European First neo nationalist movement. Like you, I am a Submarine Docent. I have talked to many young European visitors and many of them talk just like American Tea Partyers, with a continental twist. What do you think!"
In response, I wrote:
I'm not sure the leaning of the government is particularly relevant. The nasty people have been around for a long time and BF is just a new manifestation having evolved through the Black shirts, the National Front, and the British National Party. Similarly. the US has it's neo-Nazis, the KKK, white supremacists and others although given the right conditions anything can happen
It's all the more terrifying when one is sat in the middle seeing the extremes of both sides; knowing that one side is causing alienation of a lot of good people by its horrific actions and words, and for those actions and words to be portrayed as representative. The other extreme are hoodwinking a lot of good people with lies, by being disingenuous and by capitalising on the the deeds of the other extreme. And we are almost powerless to do anything about that other than to try and show the fallaciousness of both sides words.
But then,
"He that complies against his will is of his own opinion still."1
1 http://www.bartleby.com/100/168.html
*Please, read his biography and listen to some of Alistair Cooke's broadcasts that spanned the decades.
Letter From America on the BBC iPlayer
Letter from America on Wikipedia
I think that this Britain First movement in the UK is the tip of the ice berg in Western Europe. Just to crystal ball gaze. I believe that the combination of leftist government and the explosion of Mideast immigrants could spark a rather nasty European First neo nationalist movement. Like you, I am a Submarine Docent. I have talked to many young European visitors and many of them talk just like American Tea Partyers, with a continental twist. What do you think!"
In response, I wrote:
I'm not sure the leaning of the government is particularly relevant. The nasty people have been around for a long time and BF is just a new manifestation having evolved through the Black shirts, the National Front, and the British National Party. Similarly. the US has it's neo-Nazis, the KKK, white supremacists and others although given the right conditions anything can happen
It's all the more terrifying when one is sat in the middle seeing the extremes of both sides; knowing that one side is causing alienation of a lot of good people by its horrific actions and words, and for those actions and words to be portrayed as representative. The other extreme are hoodwinking a lot of good people with lies, by being disingenuous and by capitalising on the the deeds of the other extreme. And we are almost powerless to do anything about that other than to try and show the fallaciousness of both sides words.
But then,
"He that complies against his will is of his own opinion still."1
1 http://www.bartleby.com/100/168.html
*Please, read his biography and listen to some of Alistair Cooke's broadcasts that spanned the decades.
Letter From America on the BBC iPlayer
Letter from America on Wikipedia
