The Old Kent Road

Posted by Guest Blogger on Tuesday, 05 April 2005 12:35.

Tory leader Michael Howard recently proclaimed “We are all British, we are one nation.” Which, unfortunately, isn’t true anymore, as left-wing Guardian journalist Peter Preston was quick to point out. Preston used the example of the Old Kent Road, a place now so multicultural that Preston happily labels it “omnicultural”.

Of course, as a left-wing journo Preston sings the praises of the “naturally polyglot” Old Kent Road, writing that it represents “A Britain future, not Britain past.”

The best response I’ve seen to Preston is over at Faute de Mieux. The article there seems to suggest voting Tory might improve things - something which I am deeply sceptical about - but I like the concluding paragraph:

“Should Preston get his way, we shall have just as little love for our transient neighbourhoods, cities, regions and countries as his immigrants have for the Old Kent Road. With this crucial difference: his immigrants will always have a place called home.”

Reading about the fate of the Old Kent Road makes me feel fortunate that I live in a very Anglo suburb of Melbourne which still does feel like home for me. But I’ve observed enough about the transformation of much of Melbourne to know exactly what the writer at Faute de Mieux is talking about. We can’t assume that we’ll always find such places where we are something more than just outside observers.

Tags: British Politics

Comments:

Posted by Stuka on Tue, 05 Apr 2005 13:36 | #

So that’s it then? We’re going to surrender our homes, from Melbourne to Madrid, London to Los Angeles, to the third world conquerors, just like that? The reconquest of our homelands, if that’s what we truly want, is going to require a lot more than just voting Tory.

Posted by Mark Richardson on Tue, 05 Apr 2005 13:55 | #

Agreed, Stuka. In fact, we need to extricate ourselves thoroughly from the Tory version of conservatism.

I don’t know how extricated the lads at Faute de Mieux actually are, but I find them well worth reading.

Posted by Stuka on Tue, 05 Apr 2005 14:40 | #

This kind of attitude really pisses me off. Left-wing commentators spew their triumphalist garbage about the so-called inevitability of multiculturalism and non-white immigration (it’s actually nothing of the sort!), as if the ongoing non-white invasion of the West is some kind of unstoppable force of nature, and conservatives react as if punched in the face, totally stunned into silence, or reduced to sentimental fantasies about what their beloved homeland used to be like in the good old days. So that’s it? That’s the extent of our response? I’m highly critical of the apparent impotence of supposedly pro-Western conservatives to do anyting about this menace.

Posted by Kubilai on Tue, 05 Apr 2005 18:13 | #

The “conservatives” in power, like our beloved Dubya, are nothing more than socialists in sheep’s clothing. Jeb has a Hispanic wife for God’s sake. Is it any wonder that Dubya has decided to try and grant amnesty to the 3rd world invasion from the south of the US? Conservatives, both in Britain and the US, have decided to sell the White majority down the river for money. It is as simple as that, I’m afraid. We no longer can simply vote down party lines and hope things will go our way. There has to be new political blood that is willing to make changes. The BNP is the only party worth believing when immigration and third world invasion is the topic. We have no such party in the US, aside maybe the Constitution Party which is only a weaker, milder version.

Posted by Mark Richardson on Tue, 05 Apr 2005 23:25 | #

Remember though, Stuka, that simply by speaking openly the truth that multiculturalism destroys our sense of home, the Faute de Mieux writer is helping to open up political debate.

Furthermore, he is doing so quite eloquently and reasonably, and is therefore likely to appeal to a wider audience of people.

Posted by Stuka on Wed, 06 Apr 2005 13:59 | #

Thanks Mark, Faute de Mieux does look good and I’ve added it to my list of favorites.