David Vance SubstackRead More
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!
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