318. The Peasants Revolt 1381 v The Pathetic Peasants 2019

Why don’t the revolting peasants ever successfully revolt?

If you don’t read The Independent or The Guardian – both papers published my latest letter – it gives an indication of my thinking for this week’s post -

Dear Editor,

The most depressing element of the extracts from David Cameron’s almost apology for Brexit in his apology for a book, is that it clearly shows us that Westminster is being run like the 6^th form common room of an exclusive private school for exceptionally privileged, out of touch, spoiled boys.

Basically – the architect of the famously badly thought out referendum of 2016 – posh boy and pig-head poker (see last week’s blog) - David Cameron, has chosen now – the time of peak pain – to promote his memoirs. And – in case you haven’t rushed out and bought a copy – he is just whining on about how the other posh boys didn’t play the way he wanted them to. Hence my letter.

But my question – and it’s as old as the hills – is why WHY when the rich and powerful are shafting the ordinary folk do the arrogant, entitled elite often find they most avid support in those at the bottom of the pile? Why does divide and rule work as well now as it did in 1381. In case your history is hazy – in the summer of 1381 a certain Thomas Baker (well done Bakers everywhere) sparked a revolt against – among other things – serfdom and the poll tax. In just a matter of weeks, armies of peasants and artisans had marched on London and successfully demanded reform. Their leader Wat Tyler – who had – for an erstwhile roofer – a rather sophisticated understanding of politics of the time – ended up in a head to head with  the ruling elite and at the very last moment when push came to shove (literally) his crew failed spectacularly to support him. He was stabbed in the neck and the mob rounded up because at the moment of ultimate decision they chose to trust in the 14 yr. old king and not in the man who actually was one of them and had their interests at heart. Fast forward to Brexit and I see absolutely no difference. Many at the bottom of our current social pile and who will suffer most from the economic collapse due to Brexit are some of the most vociferous supporters of the posh boys who brought it all about. It makes NO SENSE.

In a contemporary Britain where honours aren’t worth having (ref Sir Philip Green) and lying and racism are not a bar to high office (Boris Johnson) and you can stay in high office even when, as Foreign Secretary, your response to murder on British soil was to tell the Ruskies to “shut up and go away” (Gormless Gavin Williamson) nothing makes sense. Plus if the former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab – who admitted that he didn’t understand the importance of the Dover to Calais trade route while he was in that office can be promoted again (education secretary) and if Westminster can tell an entire country (Scotland) that the only way they can stay in the EU is to vote to remain in the UK and then force them to leave the EU on the most damaging terms imaginable (Indy ref 2014 + Brexit 2019) and another country (Ireland) that voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU can have its security and economic stability thrown to the wolves by a government of half-baked lunatics (this one)  that neither cares or understands Ireland  - why don’t we just abolish Parliament (Oh Johnson already did that) and share out any money we find down the back of the speaker’s chair (when he’s finished bullying, sweating and pontificating in it) and all have a bag of chips before the ship goes down?

There are working class Brexit supporters in England right now who genuinely believe that an elitist git like Jacob Rees-Mogg has their interests at heart in all this.

It must be a matter of psychology. 

At the end of the day – the half-soaked, incompetent, delusional, venal, narcissists who now fill the top jobs are entirely convinced that they are entitled to be there and, just like the mediaeval kings, somehow, they managed to convince enough peasants to keep them there. Until that mind set can be altered we will always be at the mercy of posh, inadequate charlatans like Boris Johnson and well-meaning but useless, mentally insufficient also-rans like David Cameron.

As I said in a letter that has not (yet) been printed - 

If, tomorrow, Boris Johnson decided that his personal best interests and chance of remaining in the top job meant lighting a fart with the Magna Carta – he’d do it.

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If you bought my new comedy novel (see last week’s post) THANK YOU. And if you are in Edinburgh on October 9^th – you might like this especially as it’s NOTHING TO DO WITH BREXIT