Peter Hitchens and Tommy Robinson
UK political commentator Peter Hitchens is the proverbial “Curates Egg”, good in parts. I had a dinner with Peter and a colleague back in the late 1990’s and he was an agreeable soul if somewhat lacking in humour - there weren’t too many laughs. But Peter and I had a public falling out during the Brexit debate. He thought we should stay in the Single Market whereas I believed in a complete break from the rotten EU. He seemed unwilling to accept another point of view.
The other day, Hitchens turned his fire on Tommy Robinson and those many Brits who support him. He posted this on his X account;
“The strange worship of Yaxley-Lennon by law-abiding, civilised people reminds me of one of the great lines in English literature, in which it is said of Jemima Puddleduck (who is preparing a meal with a fox) that 'even the mention of sage and onion did not make her suspicious'.
Leaving aside the asinine “Yaxley Lennon” reference (Does Peter make a point of calling Elton John “Reg Dwight” for example?), the substance of his criticism is that those who support Tommy lack the intellectual wit to realise they are being taken for a ride by Tommy, a bit like Jemima Puddleduck was by that sly fox. It’s this snobbish patronising attitude of Hitchens that turns me off.
I have known Tommy for about ten years. I am familiar with many of those around him. I realise that he is not perfect and that he has made mistakes, so what? So have I! I bet you have to! Even the blessed Peter Hitchens will have made mistakes. The British State has hounded Tommy Robinson primarily because he DOES connect to many patriotic British people! That’s the big point that Hitchens misses. Tommy has been vocal on the Rape Gang issue and that seems to be a trigger issue for the British establishment to come down on him. A working class lad from Luton may lack the urbane media education that Hitchens has but his heart seems grounded.
Let’s return to Jemima Puddleduck. You see the Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck is that of an innocent duck who wants to hatch her own eggs and is deceived by a sly fox, only to be rescued at the last minute by Kep, the farm's dog.
Jemima learned her lesson: never trust a stranger, even if it dresses smartly.
Peter should reflect on that!
I'm a long-time admirer of Peter Hitchens, but I have grown frustrated with him of late. I think his problem is that he's spent so long saying "I told you so," that he's rather grown to like it. He wallows in the misery of being right about Britain's decline. He doesn't seem to realise or care that there is an entire generation emerging into politics who grew up listening to his views and seeking to change Britain for the better, who would love to work alongside him to achieve it. I recently listened to an interview he gave in which he spoke at length about the constitutional changes Labour made, and concluded by saying that "no one understands this, so they can't do anything about it." It's maddening... YOU UNDERSTAND IT, PETER. Instead of pontificating on Mike Graham's show once a week, why not offer your knowledge to a political party?! But no, he won't have it.
The reason Tommy changed his name was through necessity because of all the threats to himself and family after standing up for what he believed in.Cassius Clay changed his because of Religion and a host of others like Reg (Elton) Richard Starkey (Ringo) did it to further their showbiz careers but I doubt Hitchens still refers to them by former names!