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Hannes Wessels,
Recently, more information has come into the public domain about the British plans to intervene militarily in order to bring the ‘Rebel Rhodesian’ government to heel in the aftermath of the unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) on the 11th November 1965.
Just why it never came to fruition remains a matter for discussion; but I believe the invasion was probably called off because the Americans declined a request for assistance and Britain lacked the logistical resources to proceed without them. In the Falklands, the British probably would not have prevailed without American assistance, but they adept at grabbing most of the glory for themselves.
In this context I follow the exhortations of the UK media and the political establishment as they rally the populace, Europe and America to heed their clarion call to arms and give the Russians a good thrashing for their ‘brutal slaughter of the innocents’ in Ukraine. One politician who has cautioned against this jingoistic hubris is the Reform Party leader Nigel Farage who has a more balanced view of the cause of the conflict and what might be done to end the killing. [Farage did not condone Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, nor – as far as I recall – did he suggest any solution. The USA political scientist, John Mearsheimer, is the most notable proponent of the views expressed by Farage – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mearsheimer) For this heresy he has been absolutely crucified and ne’er a whisper of support for him from any quarter among his compatriots.
Piers Morgan has expressed outrage against anyone who dares suggest anything other than that Putin is a bloodthirsty dictator bent on European conquest. The Telegraph newspaper, once truly conservative and inclined to provide a more measured platform, has been at the fore of the vilification of Farage process through columns by former soldiers, Colonels, Hamish de Bretton-Gordon and Richard Kemp.
Like virtually everyone else, these two vocal veterans condemn Farage as a Putin ally, a borderline traitor, and refuse to entertain the idea that there are two sides to every story and that this tragedy could have been easily avoided had NATO and the US not been so aggressive in expanding the alliance, leading to the installation of nuclear missiles on Putin’s doorstep [It’s worth pointing out that Putin received repeated assurances if not undertakings over 20+ years by Clinton, Blair, Obama and Cameron, that NATO would not expand its membership and footprint into the former Eastern Bloc EU states.]. What, asks Farage, would America’s response be to Russian nuclear weapons systems in Mexico? We all know what happened in Cuba in late 1962 so the answer is obvious, but for some reason Moscow is denied the right to harbour the same sensitivities.
Speaking, it appears, for the majority in the UK, the two colonels insist the war in the Ukraine is entirely Putin’s fault and that it is now waged for the very soul of the West, and Kiev’s demise will trigger the beginning of the end for our cherished democracies and for Western civilisation in general. This, despite repeated denials from the Russian president that he seeks any further territorial gains beyond establishing some sort of suzerainty over the Russian-speaking enclaves in the west of the disputed territory.
But what is troubling about these two writers and the media in general is nobody reports on the fact that democracy in Ukraine is stone-dead; having been killed by the incumbents. Zelensky, is unelected, (his term expired on the 21st June and no suggestion of the need for new elections), the opposition is in jail, the media is muzzled, and Christianity is under attack with the ongoing closure of churches and the arrest of clerics. Young men are being press-ganged into military service and almost certain death, while millions of others flee the country. Added to this, the EU, which has been very supportive of the Zelensky regime, has announced the country will not be allowed to join the bloc until it does more to address the reputation it has as being the most corrupt country in Europe.
This has had no impact on the British policy-makers; across the spectrum; Labour, Conservative, and Liberal Democrats; all agree that the fight to ‘save’ Ukraine and bury Putin must not only continue, but be prosecuted with increased vigour, and Britain must, if need be, lead the noble charge.
Looking at possible political swings around the world this could be interesting. France under Macron has echoed the UK view and even expressed interest in deploying troops to join the fight but power in Paris is slipping, and both Le Pen’s National Rally on the right, and Melenchon’s, New Popular Front on the left, have indicated little interest in following Macron’s lead. Germany is cowering, and Hungary’s Victor Orban is cobbling together an informal alliance including the Czech Republic and Austria which will consist of countries that seek peace and an end to war. In Holland, the new government in which Geert Wilders is an influential figure, appears unwilling to be uncompromising in dealing with Moscow. More importantly, Trump looms large on the American stage and a win in November will almost certainly bring an end to Washington’s support for continued war.
It’s starting to look like the bolshy Brits might get what they wished for and be tasked with leading the war effort to depose Putin and conquer the Russian Federation. I use the word ‘lead’ loosely because it is far from clear who will be following but if this scenario unfolds I’m not sure how much sleep Putin will lose. He’s a historian and he will know that even with Morgan, de Bretton-Gordon and Kemp in the lead, the British military have seldom fought wars on their own, let alone won them, and without the Americans to hold their hands, they probably won’t lose sight of the white cliffs of Dover.
I was only a boy when Britain threatened my homeland but my memory of those events is clear, along with an awful sense of betrayal; I could not understand why soldiers of the Queen we had been taught to revere were coming to kill us.
I subsequently came to learn about the British political class and their propensity for deception and dishonesty which led to the destruction of much I held dear. I would be lying if I suggested I will shed a tear if and when they are hoist by their own petard.
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