Wednesday 12 October 2016

Let`s stop the Churchill worshipping

Barely does a month go by without yet another book about Churchill, each one very particular about which evidence to be included, and each one perpetuating the myths leading to his heroic status (Review, Hero of the Empire: The Making of Winston Churchill,24/09/16). He believed in "Britain`s destiny to lead the world" in "moral improvement", but, sadly, this incorporated the use of wars and "brutal colonial conflicts"; these may well have included "fascinating thrills" for Churchill, but the victims of British concentration camps and military massacres probably held a different view.
       Even the reviewer, Kwasi Kwarteng, sees Churchill`s description of the Liberal party, "composed of prigs, prudes and faddists", as an example of his "quick wit", and fails to add that this view did not prevent Churchill soon crossing the floor to join them, albeit on a temporary basis.
       Isn`t it time for this hero-worshipping nonsense to stop, and for Churchill to get the same treatment, from historians prepared to utilise all available evidence, as other politicians?  

 

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