The Abolition of Britain by Peter Hitchens

I must first apologise for not posting anything in quite some time. Although I have not been posting, I have certainly been doing allot of reading, and I intend get a few reviews/thoughts of each piece of literature I have read up by the end of the week. After finishing the life of Enoch Powell I went straight onto the Abolition of Britain and finished it within a few days. The Abolition felt like it was an extended essay in comparison to the book of Enoch, but a brilliant one at that. The book is a critique of government policy between the set goalposts of Churchill and Princess Diana’s funerals, and reads more like philosophy than the standard non-fiction I expected it to be.

The version I read was the revised edition that includes a chapter about homosexuality, which was previously kept out of book for fear the overall message may have been lost in the likely outrage towards the chapter. The theme of the book focuses mainly on the damage done to schooling and religious institutions, and touches far less on immigration – book released in 1997 – as one might have thought.  A particularly interesting chapter covers the advent of television and the negative effects it has on children. As seen in the clip below, Hitchens refers to the Telly Tubbies as being unique in children’s shows, as one of the staple parts in each episode is essentially a television show within a television show.

My favourite chapter of the book was about the teaching of history in comprehensive schools, mainly because I could empathise with every word. Hitchens even gave an example that was identical to the experience I had when learning about the Spanish Armada. Instead of learning about the heroes that saved England from conquest, we got hours of learning based around the living conditions of sailors and how they battled with the rigging in torrential weather without any safety harnesses. Only a small amount of the tuition ever touched upon the heroes or genius battle manoeuvres from our rich and glorious history, but of course the whole point of modern schooling is to avoid instilling any form of patriotism into the next generation.

The largest chunk of the book is dedicated to religious institutions and ordered liberty. Although the book states early on that it is focusing on the events between Diana and Churchill’s funerals, it also brings up two exceedingly important events in the downfall of Britain. The first one is that the Church of England decided to support the Great War, a decision of which it has never recovered and most likely never will. The other event is the Suez crisis, which showed the moment when confidence in Britain was shattered, and authority along with it. These two events have contributed in a double edged sword that has seen our law and order deteriorate, and the special ability the British had at restraining itself. This liberal attitude towards the freedom we hold so dear will result in a huge expansion of the state and opens up the possibility of a Brave New World scenario.

The Abolition of Britain is a fantastic book, and should be the first Hitchens book that you start with. As Hitchens himself has said, most of his following books are supplements to this one, but he has also said in recent years that it needs rewrote. As much as I love the book, it would be nice to see a more present version, but I would recommend to Peter that he waits until the coronation of Charles as the new goal post before writing it. As for the chapter involving homosexuality, it was as Peter suggested in his pretext, that it was measured and reasoned, but I can understand why it was initially left out. I will conclude by saying that I have also finished reading Jesse Norman’s book on Edmund Burke, and the parallels between Burke and Hitchens are very much there, showing the true genius within The Abolition of Britain.

On The Life of Enoch Powell by Simon Heffer

A few days ago I finished reading The Life of Enoch Powell by Simon Heffer. I will be honest in saying that this is definitely the longest book I have ever read, being a length of almost one thousand pages and printed on much larger sheets than any of my other paperbacks. I will also be honest in saying that there were times in which I felt myself exhaling at the sheer magnitude of this book, particularly after endless paragraphs on Enoch’s free market economic beliefs. However, regardless of this minor complaint I have to say this may well be the best biography I have ever read.

During the reading of this book I wrote a few blog entries on some of the specifics that caught my attention. This includes Enoch’s early years, his evolving attitudes towards imperialism and his opposition to Britain’s involvement in the Vietnam War. The first two hundred pages naturally focus on Enoch’s years prior to politics, and it was these early chapters I found the most thrilling and captivating. After all, our personalities and politics are heavily influenced by the environment we grow up in and the events that we witness. So naturally my interest gravitated towards wanting to know more about the man behind the politics.

Enoch’s intellectual prowess was really something to be admired, and in many cases during his career, feared. More so by the members of his own party rather than his opponents, of whom he formed an alliance with on many issues following Britain’s joining of the EEC in 1973. Simon Heffer mentions early on in the book that many suggest Enoch may have had a somewhat over baring mother – who was a school teacher, and taught Enoch the alphabet by age three - , and that this may have led to a desire to please her through academic pursuits. Enoch himself denied this, but one cannot say his mother had anything other than an amazingly positive influence on his life. Reading Herodotus and Thucydides by the age of six, attending six form at the age of thirteen, winning every scholarship and prize available, attaining a double first at Trinity, becoming a professor at the age of twenty five and eventually being fluent in seven languages has led me to believe that Enoch Powell may well have been one of the most, if not the most intelligent minister of parliament this country has ever had.

What helped Powell achieve his high levels of academic knowledge sadly may well have been the same thing that stopped him from attaining high levels of office. Most of his time as a pupil was spent studying in his room, waking at 5:30am to begin his translation of Herodotus and studying in a cold environment, which he said prevented him from becoming drowsy. During this time he made much less friends than others around him, earning him the nickname of ‘loner’, something which followed him long into his political career. This attitude of sacrificing his social life for gains in knowledge was something that prevented him from being able to play the game of politics. This being similar to most other professions, in that knowing the right people will get you places.

Wherever Powell did make friends however, he usually always had a profound impact on them, managing to change their minds, like in the case of his stint as secretary to the treasurer. When the cuts they proposed were rejected Powell managed to persuade the then treasurer, Peter Thorneycroft, and fellow secretary, Birch, to resign alongside him in principle. Equally, when Powell made enemies they seemed to hate him with a passion. Powell discovered early on into Edward Heaths leadership that he was not being listened to at the shadow cabinet meetings. Heath apparently had Powell moved from opposite the table from him due to feeling uncomfortable at Powell’s scowl and roaming eyes. He would also outright blank Enoch’s contributions at the meetings, sometimes not even giving a rebuttal to his ideas, and instead simply moving onto the next agenda. No doubt because Heath couldn’t actually rebut much of what Powell was saying, and instead of admitting he was wrong and incorporating some of Enoch’s ideas into party policy, he rather decided –seeing him as a threat - to become more stubborn and shut Enoch’s ideas out altogether.

I had a feeling that this frustration Powell had with Edward Heath may have partly manifested itself within the Rivers of Blood speech. Although Powell claimed to have never held a grudge against Heath, – something I believe to be true once Powell contributed to Heaths collapse in 1974 – at the time of the speech it felt as if he did want to make an impact upon conservative policy and upon Heath himself. However, Powell being a politician of conviction undoubtedly believed every word he said in that speech, and it is tragic to see that so much of what he said has been taken completely out of context. Many of the segments recorded by the camera hide that he was reading out quotes from concerned constituents, and many have used his poetic quotes to insinuate he was calling for something hideous to erupt on the streets of England. The speech gave Heath the ammunition he needed to sack Powell from the shadow cabinet. Powell never sat on the cabinet again.

Following Heath taking Britain into the EU on a parliamentary majority of eight, Powell decided he could no longer stand in election for a party that had surrendered the sovereignty of the country he loved. He went across the pond to Northern Ireland and stood for the Ulster Unionists, a seat he held for thirteen years. Enoch had a great passion for the unionist cause, previously frequenting Ulster to give speeches, as well as being extremely critical of the government’s policy toward the six counties, policies he saw as the surrender of them to the Republic of Ireland. Enoch lost his seat in 1987 by around 750 votes and was reportedly plunged into a deep depression for an amount of time.

Through the book there are a few touching and interesting moments worth mentioning. One of these moments was when he was living on his own in the constituency he was campaigning in, and decided to stay there over Christmas, alone. Secretaries from his local branch – including his future wife – learned about this and brought him a Christmas tree, to which he was ‘almost moved to tears’ by the gesture, a moment which displayed how lonely he felt prior to meeting his wife. Powell also believed that MI6 were behind much of the terrorism in Northern Ireland and in particular believed they were behind the killing of Airey Neave. He also believed that Shakespeare did not write his own plays, claiming that there was no way that someone outside of court at that time could have had that much knowledge of how it functioned, knowledge which is displayed within his writings. These are two subjects I wish Powell wrote about in detail, but there are plenty of books on the internet about these two theories, which may well be my next focus of research. The final touching moment of the book ultimately has to be Enoch’s death. After reading a one thousand page book on a great individual’s life and reading through the decline of their health and ultimate fate makes it hard to hold back the tears.

I must say thanks to Simon Heffer for writing such a brilliant and comprehensive book on the best prime minister this country never had.

Enoch Powell may have Prevented a War

When Edward Heath took over leadership of the conservative party in 1965, he gave Enoch Powell choice of what shadow cabinet role he wished to take up. Many thought Enoch would choose shadow treasurer due to his relentless outspoken views on libertarian economics, but surprisingly he chose shadow defence secretary. This was partly due to the fact he thought it was a good access point towards commenting on public spending, but also so he could become more vocal on his now developed anti-imperialist vision of Britain. Just prior to the 1966 general election Powell made a speech in Falkirk making vocal his strong suspicions that Britain may be heading to war with Vietnam.

The previous day Powell had received a message instructing him to phone central office in which he was notified that there were rumours the then prime minister Harold Wilson was planning to send a small token force to Vietnam in aid of the Americans. In his brilliant speech Powell highlighted how Britain had effectively became a satellite state of America, regurgitating a number of instances in recent years that Britain had asked for permission from America to pursue its own national interest and how it applauded American actions like an ‘obedient commentator’. He demanded Wilson should let the public know prior to the election what his plans were for aiding the Americans.

Denis Healy, then secretary of state for defence, described Powell’s concerns as a ‘delusion’, and Harold Wilson called them a ‘last minute scare’ before the election. However, in 1970 Wilson admitted that President Lyndon Johnson did in fact ask him for military assistance, and it was reported in Washington that the public’s reaction to Powell’s speech was so strong that it had made any British involvement in the war impossible. Enoch’s Americo-scepticism that was formed through US desire to destroy the British Empire during the Second World War, and their threat of bankrupting Britain during the Suez crisis had managed to manifest itself in a way that may well have saved many people’s lives. Thirty years after the event Enoch remarked that if it was true his speech had stopped British military intervention in Vietnam then it was the ‘greatest service I have performed for my country’.

They are even Penetrating our Escapism

Have you ever been so depressed with the state of Britain and Western civilisation that you just had to lose yourself in a film or video game? For many of us this escape is an essential part of recharging the batteries that are exhausted from the constant drip of cultural Marxism into our ears. As many of us know they have in recent years figured out this survival plan of ours and have adjusted their methods accordingly. Like the Guantanamo bay detainees, we will soon be subjected to the Marxist equivalent of a high decibel Metallica playlist 24 hours a day. It started in the music that was thrust upon us in public places and on the radio. It moved on the universities, art, newspapers and even into our homes, tearing apart families. It has since been creeping into the theatre, and more recently into video games.

As we well know, one cannot be a successful comedian or actor in the modern age without espousing some sort of left wing ideals. The old guard generations are nearing their end. The likes of Michael Caine and Clint Eastwood will one day be whisked away to join other right wing actors like Christopher Lee, leaving the slate open for the pure unadulterated left wing cuckoldry of the public. Benedict Cumberbatch is the archetype of what is to become of television actors. Just as furious in their political opinions as they are when performing as the descendent of a slave in search of reparations 200 years on. This is however bearable, as I have the luxury of changing the channel when I don’t like what I see.

A number of days ago I switched on the television to be presented with the trailer for the brand new Ghostbusters movie. Like so many remakes it was painfully obvious from the trailer that it was going to be a flop, as the soul and beauty of the original film is always replaced with something that feels synthetic and forced. Obviously there was nothing out of the ordinary for a remake in this trailer, except I noticed that the level of Marxist intensity had been increased. If you are a white, straight, Christian privileged male trying to get a job in a society that has double the amount of men unemployed than women, along with a growing list of laws and regulations making it even harder for you, then you are probably not going to find this film in any way an escape from reality. Men cannot even bust ghosts these days without being haunted by the 2010 equal opportunities act.

So I moved onto my laptop in an attempt to lose myself in a role-playing game. Recently I purchased the long awaited expansion to one of my favourite games of all time. It is called ‘Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear’. I had previously put this game down as a result of myself being lectured by a transgender character on their hard luck life, having just met them a minute earlier. It immediately dragged me out of the immersion and back into real life, reminding me of just how privileged I was. Regardless of this I attempted to finish the game as some of the voice acting was done by David Warner of whom I respect immensely. During the rest of the game the number of liberal events and women characters that explained how strong and independent they were left me disorientated and riddled with heart palpitations.

The question to ask is what to expect next? Will classics like Treasure Island and Frankenstein be reissued with footnotes telling us about how bad that period in history was for minorities and members of the opposite sex? Will we pay a special tax on goods that have a connection with anything likely to trigger a liberal? A health tax you might say. Our only hope is the reformation of the conservative party, because this country has never needed one so much than it does right now.

How to Enrich oneself with Knowledge for Free

Tonight I was going to start writing some reviews of books I had previously read. However the reviews are going to take a little long to compose than I thought, due to the fact they are not as fresh in my mind as I would have liked. I began looking through my kindle in order to jog my memory of what I have read, something that proved rather frustrating as I have around 1600 ebooks on my device. It was then that I realised that I had a duty to make known how to acquire such knowledge, as the majority of them are free on the amazon store.

These books are however very old and most are free because they are out of copyright. Some of the history like that of Samuel Rawson Gardiner and George Rawlinson would be described as ‘heavy reading’ in contrast to modern standards, but they are none the less worth acquiring. Philosophy books are also available, from Plutarch and Plato to Kant and Nietzsche as well as classic fiction such as Dracula and Frankenstein. A couple of the ones I would personally recommend are ‘The Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius’ by the Emperor himself and ‘Social Life at Rome, in the Age of Cicero’ by W. Warde Fowler.

So how does one acquire said knowledge? Well first we should touch upon Public Doman Books, these are books that are out of copyright, except they have to be typed up and placed on the internet by the public. They are always free and this is why their selection can sometimes be a bit limited, as companies have no incentive in which to type these books up and place them on amazon. Books that are out of copyright can actually be typed out, repackaged and sold by any company however. This leads us onto our next and most valuable part.

These books usually come in at around £1 or slightly more but there is a way to get them for free, providing one is willing to bide their time. They are actually very simple to acquire and all you have to do is enter the kindle store on amazon and then type in the name of the publishers that churn these books out. I have gone to the trouble of searching through my kindle to locate the names of all these publishers, and have listed them below. You type them in, press search and then simply order the results by price. The publisher will most likely only have a selection of books for free at any one time. I can pretty much guarantee though that a number of these publishers will have at this very moment a numbers of books on sale for free.

•          Didactic Press
•          Waxkeep Publishings
•          Acheron Press
•          Lecturable
•          Nisyros Publishers
•          Heraklion Press
•          Pyrrhus Press
•          Halcyon Classics
•          Chios Classics
•          Kypros Press
•          Paphos Publishers
•          Kitrinos Publishers
•          Perennial Press
•          HarperTorch
•          Wisehouse Classics
•          Coterie Classics
•          Endymion Press
•          Ozymandias Press
•          Quintessential Classics

This is how I have amassed the bulk of my 1600 ebooks, but there is one more company I believe deserves an honourable mention. Pen and Sword Military have published a huge amount of history and war memoirs. Their books are new, original and of extremely high quality. Most of them in kindle format are only £1 and there is a few I would deeply recommend to all, but I shall discuss these in their own blog posts another time.

Binge Watching Roger Scruton

When I put down a book and get into bed I tend to then watch a documentary on the same subject to accompany the learning. It is especially a good way of solidifying information that you have previously absorbed while reading, as well as providing some additional context for the time and place in which the events played out. Regurgitating the information in the form a blog is also a good way of insuring you will remember the days learning. About a week ago I watched a documentary on Enoch Powell after I finished the chapter on his childhood. An individual known as Roger Scruten was featured in the documentary lavishing blandishments on Mr Powell. My friends occasionally remark upon my ability to read the character of an individual, so when I listened to professor Scruton speak I immediately identified him as a person of interest.

As mentioned in a previous blog I went ahead and purchased his books on modern philosophy, the meaning of conservatives and Immanuel Kant, adding them to the top of my pile of unread literature. This was of course after I watched a number of his videos on youtube. I started with the one subject I must have mutual agreement in before proceeding with his other content; this came in the form of a wonderful speech he did on reasons to secede from the European Union. I was impressed with his calm and collected manor and his soft spoken tone that emanates reason. At the end he was answering questions, one of which was about the continuation of culture and traditional values. He recommended getting married, having children and instilling the desired values into them. I was impressed with his bluntness.

The documentary he made for the BBC called ‘Why Beauty Matters’ (which I have imbedded below) is absolutely fantastic. It included many angles I have myself never considered before in terms of the case for religion and god, but its main attack is upon modern art. The concept is that modern art akin to that of Tracey Emin, which depicts an unmade bed with used condoms and other filth strewn about, is actually missing the point. Roger doesn’t attack its credibility as art, but rather the creativity that is attached to it. He explains that through the age’s art has always been intrinsically linked with beauty, and its main function was to amplify beauty and in alternate situations to console the individual through times of despair. For example, paintings of death that depict it with a level of dignity designed to make the person come to terms with it.

The Crucification by Andrea Mantegna

Much of modern art does not attempt to capture such beauty and in fact aims to do the exact opposite. In the case of Damien Hirst he often chooses to depict the harsh realities in which there is no beauty. The documentary offers the metaphor which summed this art up, that if Tracey Emins bed was in a skip down a back ally, instead of in a museum, a person would walk right past it. Whereas if you saw the bust of the Apollo Belvedere you would instantly be struck by its beauty regardless of it being in a skip. Roger’s fear is that we are losing touch with the origins of art and with it we will lose the meaning of life, but this is not the only philosophy he attempts to convey.

The case is very well put that beauty has an intrinsic link with the spiritual. He describes it as love with no attachment, sighting the example of the joy felt when holding a friends baby. Biologically and psychologically you have no vested interest in the child, you feel joy regardless of the fact you’re not going to use it, you are not going to eat it and you are not going to raise the child. Yet you still feel a sense of joy which psychologically has no scientific function. Scruton claims it is this unexplainable positive feeling which amplifies a belief in god, something he mentions in frequent conjunction with Immanuel Kant.

Some of the other Scruton videos I watched included his appearance on Russia Todays ‘Going Underground’, a great interview where he talks about the potential for conservatism in every individual. What I was really impressed with was his ‘reluctant capitalism’; he stresses the point of balancing the books but with a desire to run the economy in aid of social cohesion. He champions the elements of ‘Das Kapital’ that calls out the consumer culture, as part of Conservatism is teaching self-restraint and responsibility, something that consumerism can override through material desires. We need look no further than the music industry to see one of the great negative effects of capitalism.

The last thing I am going to mention is a video he made about fox hunting. Fox hunting is one of the subjects in which I personally have not formed an opinion. It’s something I have not thought essential to look into but at the same time have always had a fascination to learn about. Scruton has a book entitled ‘On Hunting’ which I will have to add to the wish list once I have finished some of his other books and grasped a better understanding of his philosophy. I am rather excited to begin his short work on Immanuel Kant and have decided to read it in parallel to ‘The Life of Enoch Powell’.

Objective Thinking: The Path to Conservatism

It is said by many that Politics is subjective. This is something I am not going to argue with in this blog entry, but let’s just say that there would be no point in holding a political opinion if we were not trying to make it as objective as possible. It is my belief that it is the subtlest of differences that separate Conservatives and Socialists. The events we witness alter the composition of our minds leading to different beliefs; it is metaphorically like kicking a ball down and a hill and watching how it takes a different path, coming to rest in a unique final destination on each occasion. There is a potential conservative in everyone, and given the right tools it is possible to reach into the subconscious and drag it to the forefront. Being a former socialist this is something I have personal knowledge and experience of, I have talked about my political past in a previous blog entry and intend to elaborate a little more right now.

When I was attending sixth form I classed myself as an anarchist. I listened to punk rock in an elitist manner and harboured allot of anger and frustration towards the world. There is not much more to tell about this period in my political history, as I literary didn’t hold many opinions let alone enough to justify my ideological position. It was within the first two months of university that I made my first attempt to apply objective thinking. I sat down in my chair and had a deep thought about whether or not anarchism was practical, and even if it was I deduced that I never had the understanding that was essential for supporting it. I made a categorical error, but a forgivable one for someone so young and naïve, because I thought the next best thing by default must then be socialism. At the time I did not realise that I had swapped an ideology focused on absolute freedom with one which was fundamentally authoritarian.

Looking back in hindsight has led me to conclude that the left are just as good at policing the opinions of their allies as they are at policing their opponents, so it was not until I left university that I final started to doubt these left wing views. I believe it accelerated when I found my hatred of Peter Hitchens shifting to a more neutral fascination, something I believe is fundamentally down to the serious attitude he takes towards politics. You at the very least get a feeling that he believes every word he says, which is something my left wing friends agree with me on (at least the ones who have decided to remain friends following my change of heart).

My second most revolutionary moment was when I again sat back and decided that I must try and follow a completely objective approach to analysing issues. A process I compare to that of Aliens analysing human civilization from orbit, or to a lesser extent David Attenborough analysing a pride of Lions. This form of thinking opened up a tear in my world of which I have been sucked through and am unable to resist the gravitational pull. Formulating political opinions of what is not just possible, but what is also the most practical within human nature is for me the principle difference between my younger self and the present. Many things can be deduced from this method of analysis, most importantly for me was the concept of ‘in-group’ preferences in which you discover that the majority of humans are not much different from any other form of social animals. It reveals that countries are advanced versions of biological design, similar to that of a pride of lions as mentioned earlier. The psychology of people draws them to others of the same preferences as a defence mechanism, making rubbish of arguments against patriotism and in favour of mass immigration. I will at some point write an extended piece on what I have just explained complete with all the arguments for why it proves dangerous to attempt the perversion of biology/psychology too much.

Reaching into the subconscious and exploring doubts buried deep within is no easy task for anyone. Humans long for pleasure more so than they understand the necessities of responsibility, and information painting a bleak picture of the world is much less desirable than one of hope. The truth is unpopular precisely because it is not something anyone wants to be true, myself included.

Enoch Powell and Imperialism

Brigadier Powell

I have now made my way through the first quarter of the ‘The Life of Enoch Powell’ by Simon Heffer. I can certainly say that at present his life prior to politics has been the most interest part of the book, but he has yet to make any decisive moves in politics other than resigning as financial secretary to the treasurer, due to inadequate cuts being made. Another interesting part within the early political chapters of the book is his shifting attitudes towards imperialism. Throughout Enoch’s life he had in his heart a love for the British Empire, something he said would only be extinguished by his death. However we also know how extremely logical he was in formulating his policies and so it was no surprise when his love for the empire clashed with what he thought to be the interests of his country.

During the second world war Enoch sought a posting in India, which he thought would lead him onto the pacific arena where he could finally achieved his much longed for goal of serving in action. He remained in India throughout the rest of the war where he fell in love the culture and learned his sixth language, Urdu. His love for India convinced him of a new life ambition once the war was finished, which was to become viceroy to India. Edmund Burke once said that the keys to Calcutta were to be found in the houses of parliament, and so it was this ambition of becoming viceroy that led Powell into politics. During the war he also developed a dislike for America as he was convinced, quite rightly in fact, that America’s main aim was not just to cripple the Axis, but was also to finish the British Empire in the process. Powell was to go as far as to seek passage to the Americas on a US naval ship once the war was over in an attempt to scout the geography in Peru where he thought the next Great War, being between America and Britain, would take place.

Powell’s motivation for entering politics was to be shattered very early on. With Labour winning the general election, Mountbatten was appointed viceroy of India with the instructions to make the nation independent within as short a period of time as possible. Enoch was devastated and said that when India’s Independence was announced, that he wandered the streets all night distraught and occasionally sitting on a doorstep to sob. Powell was of the belief that for Britain to hold onto her far eastern enclaves that she would also need to be in possession of India. This was the first step in triggering him to rethink his initial Imperialist stance.

The events leading up to the Suez crisis had seen the formation of a group of 24 MP’s who came together as a pro Imperial pressure group to ensure the government made the right decisions. Enoch was among them, but this would be the last time he championed the British Empire. He knew at the time that the Empire was finished but decided to support Britain’s success in the matter as he thought the situation was partly contrived by the Americans who at the very least wanted Britain to withdraw from the canal. Powell remarked years later that not only did he think the Empire was over at this time, but that it was also many years past its sell by date and perhaps should have collapsed decades earlier. After Britain’s humiliation in the Suez crisis Powell never attended anymore of the Imperial meetings.

Another delightful piece from 'The Life of Enoch Powell'

The Suez crisis is something that I actually know precious little about and so I have managed to find a cheap book on the matter through the kindle store. I have heard it referred to many times in recent months, particularly as a piece of political gesturing when pointing out the moment Britain realised it was no longer a power to be reckoned with.

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The Death of UKIP

It is needless to point out the extreme difficulty UKIP were facing in replacing Nigel Farage; following his resignation in June. Recent events have convinced me it is a problem that as I thought probable weeks ago, is now metamorphosing into a disease that will prove fatal. Leaving aside the obvious reason for UKIP disbanding, mainly that it has achieved its objectives; it could well have continued to function for a short period of time as a battering ram against the Tories.

When the first internal struggle came to light between Farage and Carswell I initially concluded that this was some minor disagreement blown up by the media for propaganda purposes. However not only did these problems refuse to go away, it was soon followed by many other scandals, betrayals and tragedies fit for a graphic novel. It became common knowledge that there were certain anti-Farage movements within the party, the paradigm being similar to the current struggle between the traditional and blairite elements in Labour.

This made me extremely suspicious of the way in which the leadership election was going to develop. With Farage effectively removing himself from having any influence in the election, it showed that the climate was right for the rebels to ensure one of their own was finally instated.

For me, Raheem Kassam had the best qualities to take UKIP forward. He breaks many of the perceived narratives of a UKIPer in that he is young and of an ethnic minority. His ability to debate is his strongest point, putting across his arguments in a sensible and assertive manner that makes him bulletproof to slander and race bating. Raheem was a staunch supporter of Farage and so my first inclinations of electoral prevention were aroused when the announcement was made that candidates had to have five years of membership as opposed to the customary two years to be able to run.

Steven Woolfe being the second most competent leader and a supporter of Farage has also reached a similar fate. Although partly incompetence on his behalf, it was also incompetence on behalf of the party that his application was not processed in time. The party are taking the attitude that the rules would be breeched following the incident if Woolfe were allowed to stand for leadership. Surely they well know this is completely contradictory to the desires of the membership. The rest of the candidates in the leadership bid are rather terrible in contrast with Steven Woolfe, and I think it will be this event that results in the fall of UKIP much sooner than it should have.

The death of UKIP might well be the best result for the future of politics in this country. UKIP’s main problem was always its desire to win parliamentary seats as opposed to bringing down the Conservative party, and now the conservative parties own ideological enemy are dying we might well get the opportunity to construct a more effective weapon in achieving reform.

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