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May 30, 2019 - Sargon of Akkad - Carl Benjamin
13:34
The Last Englishman in London
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Time Text
Why London Isn't English 00:05:43
Well, well, well.
Looks like John Cleese is in trouble for saying something that is demonstrably true by the numbers.
Because this is a world we live in, dominated by political correctness, in which speaking the truth makes you the enemy of the establishment.
I guess we'd better pour a tea and then get into it really, hadn't we?
On the 28th of May, John Cleese tweeted this.
Some years ago, I opined that London was not really an English city anymore.
Since then, virtually all my friends from abroad have confirmed my observation, so there must be some truth in it.
I also note that London was the UK city that voted most strongly to remain in the EU.
10,000 retweets and so much screeching.
This caused outrage for some reason.
Now, I'm not sure what that reason is, and nobody really explained themselves.
They just said, I'm angry.
Gregor Findlay, who describes himself as firmly pro-EU, anti-Brexit and worried about climate change.
What the hell is an English city?
Is Edinburgh a Scottish city anymore, considering how many English live there?
English city!
The arrogance from a nation that for centuries invaded other countries, took their resources and made them British colonies and before that, English.
Gregor, an English city would be one that is majority English, that just has mostly English people living in it.
Edinburgh, as far as I'm aware, still has mostly Scottish people living in it.
So yes, Edinburgh is still a Scottish city.
I hope that clears that up.
But Gregor, to your second point, which I think is more important, are you saying that because English people did things you disapproved of in the past, that the English have no right to exist?
That the English as an ethnicity, an identity, a series of values and a people, have no place in the world because of past historical grievances.
Because I have got some bad news for the Mongols if that's the case.
The idea that England has no right to exist because in the past some people from England did things you disapprove of is insane.
You would not say that to any other ethnic group in the world.
So why would you say it about the English?
Someone called James Felton, who tells us that he is a TV and radio comedy writer, and if he didn't tell us, how would we know, says, John, I love your work, which is why I was quite disappointed to hear of you speak of London like that.
It's as English as it's ever been.
Maybe you could define a bit better what you mean by it no longer being English and clear this up.
In an effort to help James with the old Google machine, I did a bit of digging and I found this Evening Standard article.
Census reveals white Britons as minority in capital for first time.
Statistics from last year's census show that 45% of the capital's 8.2 million population class themselves as white Britons.
That compares with a figure of 58% when the census was last compiled in 2001.
One of the key reasons for the change is a sharp increase in the number of foreign-born people living in London.
They now account for 37% of the nation's population compared with only a quarter a decade earlier.
And since that cleared that up, as in John Cleese was demonstrably right when he says that London is no longer an English city, as in a city that is majority English, the anglophobia began.
Victoria W, whose profile is an EU flag, replied with, well thank goodness for that.
I personally can't stand Englishness and I take zero pride of having been born in Little England.
I love being a part of a London that's proudly British, European and open.
You might be wondering why I happen to have a copy of George Orwell's notes on nationalism with me on holiday when I go to Pompeii, but I somehow do.
And this is what he said about negative nationalism.
The first kind, anglophobia.
Anglophobia, within the intelligentsia, a derisive and mildly hostile attitude towards Britain is more or less compulsory, but it is an unfaked emotion in many cases.
During the war, it was manifested in the defeatism of the intelligentsia, which persisted long after it had become clear that the Axis powers could not win.
Many people were undisguisedly pleased when Singapore fell or when the British were driven out of Greece, and there was a remarkable unwillingness to believe in good news, e.g., El Alamein or the number of German planes shot down in the Battle of Britain.
English left-wing intellectuals did not, of course, actually want the Germans or Japanese to win the war, but many of them could not help getting a certain kick out of seeing their own country humiliated.
Really makes you think, doesn't it, Victoria W?
You seem to be one of George Orwell's anglophobes, one of those people who, by your own admission, hates Englishness.
Presumably, England itself, as you derisively call it, little England, and any of the good things born thereof.
I presume they're all foreign inventions.
Democracy, freedom, individual rights, free speech, liberty, you know, all the things that we consider good about modern democracies.
Yeah, that's the English.
And then the proud European decided to get involved.
I'm a proud European, Sadiq Khan said.
These comments make John Cleese sound like he's in character as Basil Faulty.
Londoners know that our diversity is our greatest strength.
Sadiq Khan's Proud Fact 00:04:11
We are proudly the English capital, a European city, and a global hub.
That's not a rebuke of what John Cleese has said.
That in fact completely conforms with what John Cleese is saying.
It might be the capital of England, but it's not an English city as Sadiq Khan says.
It's a European city and a global hub.
And Sadiq Khan's activism over, well, let's just say the last three years completely confirms that what John Cleese is saying is correct.
And Sadiq Khan is in fact proud of the fact that London is no longer an English city.
Just two days before John Cleese had tweeted about London, Sadiq Khan had posted this video to his Twitter feed.
And on the 16th of January, he had tweeted out this video.
I've been here for almost 23 years now.
Five years?
35 years.
Since 1999.
I was born in Amsterdam.
Portugal?
Sicily.
I'm Romanian.
When you're here, the first thing you are is a Londoner, and then the rest comes second.
London made me feel very, very welcome from day one.
And from day one, I felt like a Londoner.
I have seen firsthand how the people of London are open to foreign cultures.
They don't just if I'm black, if I'm fat, if I'm short, what your accent is, what your religion is.
I feel free.
I feel like anything I think about, anything I dream about, I can do easily.
You can own your own destiny.
set out to become a CFO like I did and you become one and you're just from a small town in Hungary.
I think people understand that and then that's why they want to come here because they want to work and they know they're going to be rewarded for what I do here in London.
And in September 2017, he tweeted out this video.
One of our greatest strengths in London and across the UK is our world-class pool of hard-working and inspiring people from across the globe.
There are nearly a million EU citizens living in London.
They are all Londoners and they make a massive contribution to our city, not only to our economy, but to our culture and our society too.
It would seem that Sadiq Khan is in complete agreement with John Cleese about London no longer being an English city.
And it's down to his activism.
He's proud of this.
He's been working towards this.
Which is presumably why he called it the English capital and not an English city.
Yes, London is the capital of England, but the English are a minority in this capital.
And they're a minority in their capital because of Sadiq Khan's preferred open door policy.
Why isn't Sadiq Khan proud of this achievement?
Why isn't Sadiq Khan tweeting out, London is no longer an English city, it is a world city, is an open city, is a European city?
Why isn't he proud of that?
Why in fact is he recoiling as if some mask has been pulled off and now all the world can see what he's been doing behind closed doors?
Is It Racist? 00:04:08
After all, his supporters are very proud of this.
Some self-confessed Ramona posted this.
London isn't an English city, it's a world city.
It's a home for people who wanted to better themselves, regardless of their circumstantial place of birth, yet still struggle.
Most migrants help other people, like any decent person, and what do they get in return?
John Clees.
So John Cleese was right.
And yes, London is not an English city.
If you're all in agreement with John Cleese, why are you outraged?
Is it just that John Cleese, an Englishman, wasn't supposed to say it?
Of course, then the allegations of racism came in.
Someone called Don Jolly, who The Guardian reliably informs me is a British comedian, said, he is clearly a very smart, funny man, but it is basically a very racist tweet.
Secondly, it's a racist tweet by a man who lives on a Caribbean island.
The irony of that is insane.
Even the language is insane.
Who uses the word opine?
Is it racist or is it an observation backed up by census data supported by Sadiq Khan and his followers?
Just a question, Don.
Also, what's wrong with him living on a Caribbean island?
Are you saying there's something wrong with Caribbean people?
Someone called Space Angel hashtag stop Brexit said, When I saw John Cleese trending, I assume he'd thrown his hat into the ring for the Tory leadership contest.
Having seen his tweet, he'd be the perfect candidate.
Xenophobic, self-interested, soundbite speaker, and a nasty human being.
Shut the door on your way out, John.
Hashtag good riddance.
It's not very inclusive, is it?
Munro Bergdorf, one-time labor advisor and a black trans woman who's currently vying with Nick Griffin for the most racist person in the country.
The uncomfortable truth is that the white race is the most violent and oppressive force of nature on earth.
Said this.
Wonder what John Cleese thinks about America, Australia, South Africa, and parts of the Caribbean not being indigenous, Aboriginal or black-owned anymore because of his colonial ancestors.
let alone that he literally lives in the Caribbean, but that's okay because Nevis was a Brit colony, shake my head.
Okay, to start with, Monroe, black people are not indigenous to the Caribbean either, you damn colonizer, but are you saying colonialism's okay when you do it?
She also followed it up with this gem.
When you move to the Caribbean because of your white fragility but end up living on an island inhabited by the descendants of the people your ancestors enslaved, wild.
If John Cleese is willing to move to a Caribbean island that is majority black, then can we assume that he's not a racist?
Unless you think that he's there to oppress the natives with his whiteness or some other nonsense that, let's be fair, you probably do believe.
Thankfully, Clees did not back down to these anglophobic bullies on Twitter at all.
He followed it up with this.
It might interest those people who seem to think my remarks about London are racist as opposed to culturalist to consider what I like about spending time in Nevis.
Nevis has excellent race relations, a very well-educated population, no sign of political correctness, and the icing on the cake is that Nevis is not the world center for Russian dirty money laundering.
I think it's legitimate to prefer one culture to another.
For example, I prefer cultures that do not tolerate female genital mutilation.
Will this be considered racist by all those who hover, eagerly hoping that someone will offend them on someone else's behalf, naturally?
Good show, Mr. Clees.
And I have to let you know that yes, that's Islamophobia, and yes, apparently, that's a form of racism.
The question is though, why are they so upset when an Englishman points out that their plan to turn London, the capital of the United Kingdom, into a non-English city, an open global world European city, has been a success?
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