Other Forces

Mosley.

Striking 1930's 'photo of Sir Oswald Mosley, anti-Semitic, pro-Nazi leader of the British Union of Fascists. Whether Mosley was actually a Fascist in his own mind is an interesting question. He started as an elected politician, and passed through the Conservative, Labour and Liberal parties in rapid order, before donning the Black Shirt. One is tempted to conclude that he was a complete egomaniac and narcissist, who lacked the patience to function within a democratic framework. In the event, he ended up as the leader of a Fascist movement that incorporated thicko Oxford/Cambridge toffs and London East End street brawlers. Not surprising, in England, that this did not work. He ended up, when war came, interned, and subsequently in exile. Some comment In Here regarding "current issues". As a trained historian, I am very cautious about drawing unhistorical parallels between past and present. However, Fascist, racist tendencies are still significant in many countries, not excluding Britain and the US. When Mosley died, the British "Not the Nine-O-Clock News" television satirists aired a "tribute" to Mosley, reflecting as much on the respectful response to his demise as on the man himself - "They didn't understand 'im/ some people called 'im mad/but any friend of 'Itler's/ can't have been all bad.". That was in the early 1970's. Looking at the current British political scene, it clearly remains relevant today. Best regards, JR.