Highly recommend this piece published on the 50th anniversary of Powell’s speech. Important context for the racist mob violence currently occurring in Britain. www.publicbooks.org/rivers-of-bl...
Imperial historians, and inhabitants of places colonized by Britain, know that much of England’s history happened beyond its borders. As decolonization whittled away imperial possessions ...
"In his mind, migrants posed a threat to the nation by bringing different ways of life and eroding the organic social relations rooted in Britain’s history." Or cultural dilution, was he wrong? Change happens, but it's not always for the better. Is a KGB scion become a Peer a good thing?
“Powell provided a vocabulary and framework for many white Britons to express their sense of loss, to demand the restoration of a world organized through white authority.” Very resonant with current American politics.
Thanks, Seth! That was a great conversation we had in your class.
Powell also started the Deep State/‘Enemy Within’ modern conspiracy theory narratives www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... that plague us now
"...his memory of that world was selective. The past and the sense of organic community it promised was a mirage... Powell took these fictions as fact and denied the possibility of an expansive and inclusive Britain." In America, we call this MAGA.