MATTHEW Goodwin has a new book out, Values, Voice and Virtue: The New British Politics, in which he describes the growing divide between the ruling elite and everyone else.
Goodwin explained in the Sun, ‘Whereas that old elite had been defined by its extreme wealth, its inherited titles and its country estates, the members of Britain’s new ruling class are defined by very different things. They are often defined by their elite education at the most prestigious Oxbridge or Russell Group universities. They are defined by their postcodes in one of the big cities or university towns, where they not only hoover up the economic gains of globalisation but tend to marry and hang out with other members of the elite graduate class who share the same backgrounds.’ Critically, in my view, he states: ‘And, most of all, they are defined by their very liberal if not radical “woke” values which they are now imposing on the rest of the country through their tight control over the institutions.’
This is why institutions from Oxfam to the Girl Guides and the Brownies and even schools are imposing gender theory on their employees and innocent children. This is why ‘schools are routinely allowing children to switch gender and not telling their parents in a mass breach of safeguarding’, according to research reported by the Times.
I agree with Goodwin’s thesis. There has always been an elite, but usually that elite has more power and wealth than others and their customs may differ a little, but it was rare that their value system differed so drastically compared with those they boss about. Goodwin also believes that ‘unless we can close this growing divide between the people who rule over us and the people who have to live with the consequences of their decisions then I for one am expecting many more revolts in the years and decades ahead’.
The question I always ask myself when I hear the latest story of ‘world gone mad’ such as how elite private schools, once seen as bastions of small ‘c’ conservatism fall over themselves to go woke, such as St Paul’s Girls’ School renaming the role of head girl as it is seen as ‘too binary’, is who makes the final decision? Which adult made this change and why?
‘The head girl of St Paul’s Girls’ School, one of the country’s leading private schools, will be known as “head of school” after calls from pupils to make the role more inclusive.’ It seems completely lost on these girls that they attend one of the least inclusive schools in the entire country. You have to find £26,000 after tax even to consider sending your little woke darling to St Paul’s so that her noggin can be filled with even more woke nonsense. There are lots of other examples of the all-consuming woke madness engulfing most cultural institutions, every HR department and every school up and down the land. The question is, why is this happening? Ultimately there is an adult in charge of these institutions who must make the decision to Go Woke.
I offer the following explanations. First, the speed of these changes certainly could not happen without the internet. Only the existence of the internet can explain how gender ideology, which until recently was confined to some God-awful Wimmin’s or Gender department in some God-awful university in the United States has managed to cross the Atlantic and filter all the way down to Oxfam, the Girl Guides and St Paul’s Girls’ school.
But in terms of why do grown adults go along with this stuff, I suspect that many who should know better, who should be guardians of the cultural heritage and tradition, want to be part of the elite and believe to enter the elite and stay there, you must go woke. Further, if you want an easy life, it seems easier now just to go woke. Most people just want a quiet life so they go along with stating their pronouns. What’s to lose other than your dignity?
The third issue is how the media, totally corrupt and in some cases borderline Satanic, have campaigned hard to push cultural conservatism to the sidelines, by either mocking it as feeble on one hand or downright dangerous on the other. That’s why Kate Forbes, Christian of the SNP, was painted as a ‘dangerous extremist’ for having what once were majority views on sexual ethics. This destruction of cultural Christianity has created a vacuum which has been filled by the woke nonsense.
Another problem is that Goodwin is right in that the New Woke Elite totally dominate the culture. Those who would be naturally conservative unfortunately also like to make a lot of money, so they are in the City and banking, sometimes found wearing their rainbow lanyards, because you know it’s just easier to go with the flow and have a quiet life and I have a meeting at the club later on so please don’t bother me with all this culture war stuff.
These conservatives were always more ‘economically conservative/social liberal’ types anyway and can’t be bothered to get into any positions of power where they could stop the oncoming woke juggernaut. That kind of thing – participating in your local school or community – takes time and is often unpaid and interferes with skiing trips. This means those who do want to impose their woke world view on the rest of us assume positions of power and use their power to bring about changes they want to see.
Finally, very similar to the quiet life argument is cowardice. A lot of people are cowards. Even if they are part of ‘the silent majority’ they do not want to have any pushback or hassle from the noisy, bossy minority. And remember, it is only ever the activist minority who get things done. I don’t see any ‘revolt’ that Matthew Goodwin thinks is coming on the horizon. Someone might call you a nasty name on Twitter, so best to watch something on Netflix instead.
Unless people are willing to offer a counter value system to the woke culture (it used to be Christianity and still could be) and are willing to gain positions of power either locally or nationally (I think the local is far more important) the minority woke views will continue to be imposed from the top down. Without vocal pushback the future will be very bleak indeed.
