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Politics is just new history. History is just old politics. What Cromwell had to say about Johnson and Brexit

disidealist - 31 August 2019

Below is the text of the speech I gave as Isle of Wight Constituency Labour Party Chair to the rally in Newport today to protest against Johnson’s attacks on democracy.

As a rule, I dislike demos. Often cold, usually met with looks of confusion or – very English, this – acute embarrassment by passers-by. It’s hard to avoid the conclusion sometimes that you’re basically just talking to the same people you last talked to in the branch meeting. Except through a dodgy megaphone. And with no tea or biscuits.

So I generally attend demos from a sense of duty, not through any great personal desire to shout at strangers on a street. Which is probably a good thing. However, I do take the view that if you’re not wound up enough to get off your couch when a far-right government led by a pathological liar, whose chief of staff is a known psychopath, are attacking your democracy, then you probably deserve what you get when the 4am door-knock arrives... See more

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