Sargon of Akkad - Carl Benjamin - The Last Englishman in London
Aired: 2019-05-30
Duration: 13:34


=== Why London Isn't English (05:43) ===

[00:00:00]  Well, well, well.
[00:00:02]  Looks like John Cleese is in trouble for saying something that is demonstrably true by the numbers.
[00:00:10]  Because this is a world we live in, dominated by political correctness, in which speaking the truth makes you the enemy of the establishment.
[00:00:22]  I guess we'd better pour a tea and then get into it really, hadn't we?
[00:00:26]  On the 28th of May, John Cleese tweeted this.
[00:00:29]  Some years ago, I opined that London was not really an English city anymore.
[00:00:33]  Since then, virtually all my friends from abroad have confirmed my observation, so there must be some truth in it.
[00:00:39]  I also note that London was the UK city that voted most strongly to remain in the EU.
[00:00:44]  10,000 retweets and so much screeching.
[00:00:48]  This caused outrage for some reason.
[00:00:52]  Now, I'm not sure what that reason is, and nobody really explained themselves.
[00:00:57]  They just said, I'm angry.
[00:00:58]  Gregor Findlay, who describes himself as firmly pro-EU, anti-Brexit and worried about climate change.
[00:01:05]  What the hell is an English city?
[00:01:07]  Is Edinburgh a Scottish city anymore, considering how many English live there?
[00:01:11]  English city!
[00:01:12]  The arrogance from a nation that for centuries invaded other countries, took their resources and made them British colonies and before that, English.
[00:01:21]  Gregor, an English city would be one that is majority English, that just has mostly English people living in it.
[00:01:29]  Edinburgh, as far as I'm aware, still has mostly Scottish people living in it.
[00:01:34]  So yes, Edinburgh is still a Scottish city.
[00:01:37]  I hope that clears that up.
[00:01:38]  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?
[00:01:50]  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.
[00:02:00]  Because I have got some bad news for the Mongols if that's the case.
[00:02:03]  The idea that England has no right to exist because in the past some people from England did things you disapprove of is insane.
[00:02:12]  You would not say that to any other ethnic group in the world.
[00:02:17]  So why would you say it about the English?
[00:02:19]  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.
[00:02:33]  It's as English as it's ever been.
[00:02:36]  Maybe you could define a bit better what you mean by it no longer being English and clear this up.
[00:02:40]  In an effort to help James with the old Google machine, I did a bit of digging and I found this Evening Standard article.
[00:02:47]  Census reveals white Britons as minority in capital for first time.
[00:02:52]  Statistics from last year's census show that 45% of the capital's 8.2 million population class themselves as white Britons.
[00:02:59]  That compares with a figure of 58% when the census was last compiled in 2001.
[00:03:03]  One of the key reasons for the change is a sharp increase in the number of foreign-born people living in London.
[00:03:09]  They now account for 37% of the nation's population compared with only a quarter a decade earlier.
[00:03:15]  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.
[00:03:29]  Victoria W, whose profile is an EU flag, replied with, well thank goodness for that.
[00:03:35]  I personally can't stand Englishness and I take zero pride of having been born in Little England.
[00:03:42]  I love being a part of a London that's proudly British, European and open.
[00:03:47]  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.
[00:03:56]  And this is what he said about negative nationalism.
[00:03:59]  The first kind, anglophobia.
[00:04:02]  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.
[00:04:13]  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.
[00:04:20]  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.
[00:04:34]  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.
[00:04:45]  Really makes you think, doesn't it, Victoria W?
[00:04:48]  You seem to be one of George Orwell's anglophobes, one of those people who, by your own admission, hates Englishness.
[00:04:54]  Presumably, England itself, as you derisively call it, little England, and any of the good things born thereof.
[00:05:02]  I presume they're all foreign inventions.
[00:05:04]  Democracy, freedom, individual rights, free speech, liberty, you know, all the things that we consider good about modern democracies.
[00:05:12]  Yeah, that's the English.
[00:05:14]  And then the proud European decided to get involved.
[00:05:19]  I'm a proud European, Sadiq Khan said.
[00:05:22]  These comments make John Cleese sound like he's in character as Basil Faulty.
[00:05:26]  Londoners know that our diversity is our greatest strength.

=== Sadiq Khan's Proud Fact (04:11) ===

[00:05:30]  We are proudly the English capital, a European city, and a global hub.
[00:05:35]  That's not a rebuke of what John Cleese has said.
[00:05:39]  That in fact completely conforms with what John Cleese is saying.
[00:05:44]  It might be the capital of England, but it's not an English city as Sadiq Khan says.
[00:05:50]  It's a European city and a global hub.
[00:05:54]  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.
[00:06:03]  And Sadiq Khan is in fact proud of the fact that London is no longer an English city.
[00:06:11]  Just two days before John Cleese had tweeted about London, Sadiq Khan had posted this video to his Twitter feed.
[00:06:47]  And on the 16th of January, he had tweeted out this video.
[00:07:01]  I've been here for almost 23 years now.
[00:07:03]  Five years?
[00:07:04]  35 years.
[00:07:06]  Since 1999.
[00:07:08]  I was born in Amsterdam.
[00:07:09]  Portugal?
[00:07:10]  Sicily.
[00:07:11]  I'm Romanian.
[00:07:15]  When you're here, the first thing you are is a Londoner, and then the rest comes second.
[00:07:20]  London made me feel very, very welcome from day one.
[00:07:24]  And from day one, I felt like a Londoner.
[00:07:27]  I have seen firsthand how the people of London are open to foreign cultures.
[00:07:34]  They don't just if I'm black, if I'm fat, if I'm short, what your accent is, what your religion is.
[00:07:42]  I feel free.
[00:07:43]  I feel like anything I think about, anything I dream about, I can do easily.
[00:07:50]  You can own your own destiny.
[00:07:52]  set out to become a CFO like I did and you become one and you're just from a small town in Hungary.
[00:08:00]  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.
[00:08:13]  And in September 2017, he tweeted out this video.
[00:08:17]  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.
[00:08:27]  There are nearly a million EU citizens living in London.
[00:08:31]  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.
[00:08:39]  It would seem that Sadiq Khan is in complete agreement with John Cleese about London no longer being an English city.
[00:08:47]  And it's down to his activism.
[00:08:49]  He's proud of this.
[00:08:51]  He's been working towards this.
[00:08:53]  Which is presumably why he called it the English capital and not an English city.
[00:08:59]  Yes, London is the capital of England, but the English are a minority in this capital.
[00:09:05]  And they're a minority in their capital because of Sadiq Khan's preferred open door policy.
[00:09:11]  Why isn't Sadiq Khan proud of this achievement?
[00:09:14]  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?
[00:09:22]  Why isn't he proud of that?
[00:09:24]  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? (04:08) ===

[00:09:34]  After all, his supporters are very proud of this.
[00:09:38]  Some self-confessed Ramona posted this.
[00:09:41]  London isn't an English city, it's a world city.
[00:09:44]  It's a home for people who wanted to better themselves, regardless of their circumstantial place of birth, yet still struggle.
[00:09:51]  Most migrants help other people, like any decent person, and what do they get in return?
[00:09:56]  John Clees.
[00:09:58]  So John Cleese was right.
[00:10:00]  And yes, London is not an English city.
[00:10:04]  If you're all in agreement with John Cleese, why are you outraged?
[00:10:08]  Is it just that John Cleese, an Englishman, wasn't supposed to say it?
[00:10:13]  Of course, then the allegations of racism came in.
[00:10:17]  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.
[00:10:29]  Secondly, it's a racist tweet by a man who lives on a Caribbean island.
[00:10:33]  The irony of that is insane.
[00:10:35]  Even the language is insane.
[00:10:37]  Who uses the word opine?
[00:10:40]  Is it racist or is it an observation backed up by census data supported by Sadiq Khan and his followers?
[00:10:48]  Just a question, Don.
[00:10:49]  Also, what's wrong with him living on a Caribbean island?
[00:10:52]  Are you saying there's something wrong with Caribbean people?
[00:10:56]  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.
[00:11:05]  Having seen his tweet, he'd be the perfect candidate.
[00:11:08]  Xenophobic, self-interested, soundbite speaker, and a nasty human being.
[00:11:14]  Shut the door on your way out, John.
[00:11:16]  Hashtag good riddance.
[00:11:17]  It's not very inclusive, is it?
[00:11:19]  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.
[00:11:28]  The uncomfortable truth is that the white race is the most violent and oppressive force of nature on earth.
[00:11:35]  Said this.
[00:11:35]  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.
[00:11:46]  let alone that he literally lives in the Caribbean, but that's okay because Nevis was a Brit colony, shake my head.
[00:11:52]  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?
[00:12:04]  She also followed it up with this gem.
[00:12:06]  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.
[00:12:14]  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?
[00:12:23]  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.
[00:12:31]  Thankfully, Clees did not back down to these anglophobic bullies on Twitter at all.
[00:12:36]  He followed it up with this.
[00:12:38]  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.
[00:12:45]  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.
[00:12:56]  I think it's legitimate to prefer one culture to another.
[00:12:59]  For example, I prefer cultures that do not tolerate female genital mutilation.
[00:13:04]  Will this be considered racist by all those who hover, eagerly hoping that someone will offend them on someone else's behalf, naturally?
[00:13:12]  Good show, Mr. Clees.
[00:13:13]  And I have to let you know that yes, that's Islamophobia, and yes, apparently, that's a form of racism.
[00:13:19]  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?