My England

Every so often there is a reason to write a blog beyond saying something for the delight of one’s own ego. That occasion is now. Having just read an article on how English university campuses are being radicalized by extremist versions of Islam it has struck me how different this is to where I live now in Oman. I live in a Muslim society and I have yet to meet anyone who has appeared hostile.

Most people in Oman are friendly. Some show this stopping to give lifts to Englishmen they do not know. Some may know their history which will document the good relations Britain and Oman have shared over the years. In 1982 Oman supported Britain in a UN resolution on the Falklands conflict. British troops had helped Oman rid itself of communist insurgents from the 1950’s onwards. Evidence of this fact can be seen in the Sultan’s Armed Forces museum in Muscat. On display are a plethora of captured Chinese and Soviet weapons. Although I felt more at home viewing the British, Enfield rifle. I digress.

Where were we? Ah yes, Islamic extremism in England. What is going on? Why is extremism flourishing in my own country and not in a Muslim country where I now live and work?

I have heard some say that Islamic extremism most appeals to young men who have grown up without a father to guide them in life. This sounds apologist to me – I know someone whose childhood was fatherless and a less extreme person I have yet to meet – although I do not discount it as a factor. One of many factors.

Some say that immigration to the UK has been without due care and attention taking in people without concern for qualifications and education. Gordon Brown and Tony Blair certainly cared very little about the effects of their own lack of immigration policy. About 7,000,000 immigrants have arrived in the UK since Labour took power in 1997. Another explanation. But still not the whole picture.

There appears to be a contrast with the generally peaceful Muslim people I meet in Oman and the Muslim people who are drawn to extremism in my own country. Why?

British authorities have over the past few decades become more and more left liberal. More and more politically correct. More and more bending over backwards to avoid offending anyone. I recall how an Islamic extremist protest in London displaying hatred and death threats was largely ignored by the Police. The Police now appear symbolic of left liberal thinking in uniform.

Hardly surprising when one considers the issues involved arresting anyone today. We all have our rights, of course, but if you are Gay or from an ethnic minority the perception is amongst those who are not that those rights are now largely weighted in that direction. Was not a student in Oxford threatened with arrest for calling a horse gay? Are not newspapers such as the Guardian likely to scream from the rooftops as soon as they sense that ethnic rights have not been met? Who would want to be a Policeman in multicultural fractured Britain today?

It could be good. It certainly could be better. What is wrong?

People today are afraid of the answers. The Left have a stranglehold on the moral high ground. Any comment made is vetted for racism or any possible offence caused to anyone. This is not freedom. This is left liberal fascism.

Those in authority in Britain think they are doing the right thing. They are not. Not so long ago I read a book by an Indian man aged ninety nine. It was a lament for an England he knew from the 1950’s. He was an immigrant but came to love his England, his new home. An immigrant who was intelligent and hard working. He had something to offer. He was not an economic refugee looking for a free lunch or someone with a chip on his shoulder. The English have been brainwashed by decades of left liberal dogma. This is the result. A country which is powerless to do anything about the extremism in its midst because it ties itself up in knots arguing about who is most likely to be offended. If it was not so tragic it would be pathetic.

England, get a grip.

See link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/8478975/University-campuses-are-hotbeds-of-Islamic-extremism.html

A Clash of Civilizations

n the Summer of 1993 Samuel Huntington wrote about a "A Clash of Civilizations". He talks about the future conflicts of Mankind which he says will be increasingly based upon cultural differences. But I am not about to write a book review. I do not have enough time for this. What I would like to say, however, is that the history of this world tells us that power does not stand still. It either displays its strength or wither and dies. Nature abhors a vacuum. If America, and its cultural and religious inheritance ie Christianity, were to forego its role as the world's Policeman someone else would necessarily step into their shoes. It will not be the EU because it does not have the political will to enforce moral imperatives. So who would fill a power vacuum left by The United States? I think the concern is that the answer to this question is Islam. This is the reason for all of the blogs. My guess is that if those who now write blogs about Islam were suddenly to heed recent advice and refrain from doing so those who follow Islam would gain in confidence and begin to assert their own views. World history tells us that more often than not people base their cultural identity through language, race and religion. Multiculturalism is, as yet, an unproven liberal ideal. We all wait to see the consequences.

HMS Politics

Since Britain caved into the demands of the suffragettes and granted universal suffrage I have seen my country gradually go down the tubes. No two ways about it. Bleedin' heart ideas about politics have now crystallized into New Labour dogma. The women who once burned their bra's are now freezing our pants. This is the feminization of society.

It is now more and more likely to find someone who is vegetarian and demands equal rights for animals. The ancient Greeks and even the Victorians never had to put up with this crap. Neither should we. But we do. All the time.

I'm surprised that Britain still has an effective Army. Certainly it no longer has a democracy worth fighting for. Almost every idiot under the sun can now vote. And they do. In their dreams New Labour would like the vote to be given to children and, if they had their way, criminals too. Change, is the mantra; the dogma appears as change for changes sake. For some, change is progress. Most would prefer progress for a change.



The ancient Greeks would have thought us bonkers. And, of course, we are. No longer does a classic template exist in trendy, right on, minds. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle; they had it about right. What a time it must have been when the most educated voted for the wisest and most able. Unlike today that was a democracy worth fighting for. It inspired what we have now. But what do we have today?

What appears to concern many today is racism and homophobia as if every other sin was somehow less important. Well, it probably is to those who have nothing better to think about. The feminization of society has led to New Labour being voted into government three times in succession. It used to be a Man's world.

In her classic book, 'Black Lamb, Grey Falcon', Rebecca West said that women are idiots. She also said that men are lunatics. Her point was that generally speaking women knew very little about the world of politics but they knew much about their private and domestic world. By contrast, men tended to be far more interested the public and political world outside. But they often knew far less about the concerns and interests of their own family. These are genetic differences. Celebrate them.

Sometimes nature will provide an exception to the rule. Margaret Thatcher - God bless her - was an exception. Please, no more social engineering from unthinking conformists who follow slavishly prevailing fashions. No more vogue. No more New Labour. No more idiots running the country.

I have known a woman for many years who bought a newspaper so that it gave the appearance of knowing what she was talking about. Problem is she never read the damn thing. She is bright, able and much better than myself at most things. But in conversation about politics or history it is obvious to me that she has not a clue except on matters related to character and personality. Discussion about policies or past national or international events would be pointless. My guess is that she is not unusual in this respect.

What we need today is someone who is capable of navigating and commanding HMS Britain. A person with exceptional talent. Not someone who is paraded as a victory for left liberal social engineering. In the ebb and flow of political change perhaps a beautiful, mid twenties, Margaret Thatcher could improve things. But she would have to be tough and to know the ropes. The ship must sail, the wind must blow and Britain expects every woman to do her duty.

Views on Western Civilization: A letter to Left Liberals

I am posting this blog for the sake of posterity. It was written a few years ago and I would like to keep it on file here.

I feel there is a need to say more about the value of Western Civilization. It is my contention that many overlook the importance of Christianity as a model for society. I too have done this. But I am taking more time to understand our origins which now shape the society and culture we have inherited and live in today.

I have been critical of Multiculturalism. I still am. I cannot see how a British New Labour Government can expect a society to run smoothly if it has had a policy of uncontrolled immigration. England is an already overcrowded small island. It is not America. I believe this debate is about common sense. But some are intent on crying "racism" as soon as a discussion takes place. Shame on them.

My intent is to open up a debate that has been crying out for attention. To expect a society to tolerate every religion, creed and language is a noble idea based upon the evolvement of Human Rights law in secular society. Although, this law is not so well received in countries which do not share a Western Christian tradition.

And this is yet another essential point. British society is changing. Not all change though is for the better. In this view I remain conservative.

Whether it is realistic to expect societies to transform themselves for the sake of Human Rights law is open to discussion. What I suspect has happened is that the Government, New Labour, have abused their power and the democratic process by creating a client state. And, that uncontrolled immigration was not simply a matter of negligence but Government policy to assist it in holding onto power.

But these are mainly political contentions. My aim here is to highlight the importance of the tradition and culture that is now the world's great inheritance. A Europeanization which many now refer to as Globalization.

So how did Western Civilization evolve into the society we have today?

To my mind it is to a self critical, liberal, tolerant Christian culture and tradition which has forged and shaped the secular society that liberals enjoy today.

In many ways Christianity has argued itself out of power and influence to accomadate a Christocentric view. The classic example of this is perhaps the fight against slavery by William Wilberforce. Christian ideas about equality encouraged others. Eventually, women and womens suffrage.

All this happened in a Christian society which became more Secular by the minute. All this began two thousand years or so ago because one Man, Jesus Christ said, "the Sabbath was made for Man; not Man for the Sabbath." This was revolutionary thinking and freed Man from excessive religious legalism. In other words, a law of love; not a love of law.

What we have today, and that includes womens equality, has evolved from Christian consciousness and ideas about equality. Without which we would be the same as any other Civilization.

What do you mean by that? I hear you ask.

Well, if we examine women's rights - in almost every country in the world which does not have a Christian religious tradition -you will find that women are often held in some disregard. Certainly, there is little chance of equality unless there are exceptional circumstances.
One only has to travel to any of the following countries to test the validity of this observation; China, Japan, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Iran, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria, North Korea, Qatar etc etc. I have visited or lived in seven of these countries but I do not think I need to travel to every country in the world to make this case. As it is I have travelled to nearly thirty different countries and this experience has shaped my opinion.

The view expressed here embraces Christianity and not just Catholicism because any attempt to provide an overview on Christian thinking and its affects on society necessarily demand it. To talk only about Catholicism, is, in this context, like painting a picture of a tree without its branches.

Lastly, I wish to quote Joseph Ratzinger from his book on Jesus of Nazareth. He writes about the solid ground of a Christian belief that guarantees the dignity of man by rooting it in the dignity of God:

"In the antithesis of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus stands before us neither as a rebel nor as a liberal, but as the prophetic interpreter of the Torah. He does not abolish it, but he fulfills it, and he does so precisely by assigning reason its sphere of responsibility for acting within history."