Oversimplification is the domain of simple-minded individuals

Oversimplification is the domain of simple-minded individuals

Simply by analysing the history of what we call Britain, we realize that oversimplification is the domain of simple-minded individuals and leads to all kinds of distortions and fallacies. Reading about Roman and Anglo Saxon Britain, I got the inspiration to start writing about real Britain and about real politics.

Ethnocentricity, seen as an ideal by many, is just one of a range of oversimplifications that many have adopted as the revealed truth. In the days when Blacks and Asians, Muslims and Jews were practically non-existing in Britain, Europeans were constantly competing with each other and fighting each other and periods of relative peace were much more of an exception than the norm.

Even if Britain were the most homogeneous of all countries, the myriad of problems and contradictions that affected Britain for many hundreds of years will still have to be confronted. Before the Industrial Revolution, during the Industrial Revolution and after the Industrial Revolution, long before the arrival en mass of non Europeans, Britain was not Heaven on Earth. As political individuals we need to tell apart political reality from political mythology.

Undoubtedly, the sudden arrival de huge contingents of newcomers has forever changed Britain and somehow exacerbated existing situations of injustice and social stress and this is more visible when we face social and financial uncertainties but when we talk about the ruling classes, about those who are really and truly pulling the strings, we see that they are mostly of European stock.

The tragedy for Britain is that rulers of European stock, oblivious to the dangers of massive demographic changes, have led a campaign of ethnic cleansing. 

Rather than idealising a past that never existed, we need to focus our energies building a present and a future that we really want and this is exactly what politics should be about.

When we look at present political processes, oversimplication is plainly visible. One such political processes is the campaign for Scottish Independence. Let us remember that Scotland during most of its history was not part of what we called today United Kingdom and that during much of its history Scotland was at war with England, very often siding with continental powers against England and that England itself is the outcome of centuries of infighting and conquest.

So lets not look for political justifications based on a very distant past. Let's look at Britain today and lets work together to improve what we have today. We remember the past to know where we come from but the future is right in front of us.