It was good to read Adrian Smith`s article on the "deeply flawed film", Darkest Hour, as it unfortunately still appears to be the trend, despite its repercussions, seen most obviously in the Brexit vote, to mis-remember so much of our history (Playing fast and loose with the truth, 19th January, 2018). Even your Leader referred to the myth about Britain standing "alone against Hitler`s Germany", forgetting the small matter of the support of the empire (Leader,19th January, 2018). Such "colonial amnesia" is all too common when our so-called "glorious past" is evoked to remind us of our pre-EU days.
Churchill is the subject most frequently used in the triumphalism of our history, and results in some commentators` desire for "an equivalent figure today". Most voters would agree that a leader of principle is, indeed, needed, but where were Churchill`s principles when crossing the floor in Parliament - twice? A similar requirement exists for a prime minister with vision and humanity, but Churchill claimed the Beveridge plan to be unaffordable, and his version of "humanity" allowed him to make frequent racist comments, to refuse the export of food to prevent famine in Bengal in 1943, and to encourage the maintenance of chemical weapons in the Middle East.
The history of our country is still being manipulated, with 1.2m files locked away in Hanslope Park, and distorted versions of the past, like Johnson`s "The Churchill Factor", aptly described by Nicholas Shakespeare as "a book-length job application", making the best-selling charts (The Hinge of fate, 19th January, 2018). The mythologisation of our history needs to be acknowledged, and it should start with a more accurate evaluation of Churchill`s career.
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