The Woke-en

For the last year or so, the work woke has been used by mainly the right as a term of abuse.

It seems the term is used to cover a number of activities from Black Lived Matter to correcting the historical record.

When applied to people, it seems that "woke" is another term for being empathic, or seeing a subject from another's point of view. In other words, turning a virtue into a vice.

In this view, the actions of the Good Samaritan by that Marxist leader, Jesus Christ, would be woke.

THe Spectator called the England team something like "woke puppets" at the beginning of the Euros for kneeling in support of equality, though for the anti-woke brigade it was a Marxist plot, like millionaire footballers would want to begin every game with a demand to overthrow the capatalist system.

It was always bollocks.

In Bristol, one of that city's most famous sons, John Colston, was a slave trader, and although used the money gained for many philanthropic acts, the facts remains that his money, party, largely, came from slave trading. Te Colston hall changed its name, as did a local school, and after the museum of slavery opened documenting the part slave money played in the city's history, many wanted the statue to Colston taken down.

After years of official routes being denied, a crowd pulled it down and threw it in the harbour.

The reaction by the Government was to pass laws that punished acts against statues more than acts against people.

See, the history of Britain and the Empire, the way it is remembered now is some golden age where it, the Empire, was a force for good, rather than one of occupation and of exploitation. Mutanies were ut down brutally, and in many cases the offical records of the deadly reaction was destroyed, making denials decades later, much easier. This continued well into the 20th century, with the Mau Mau uprising being one of the last examples, and the survivors fought for justice until very recently.

The Government wants an "offical" view of history, one which was much easier before the internet, but wants that taught in schools and universities, and anything that challenges that, like actual documented evidence has to be challenged or supressed.

The England team taking the kneww was challenged by the Home Secretary, although she has since deleted those tweets, her interviews where she called such acts as "gesture politics" are still on the BBC website.

In response to tweets and messages that the three players who missed penalties at the end of the final, Patel tweeted: "I am disgusted that @England players who have given so much for our country this summer have been subject to vile racist abuse on social media.

It has no place in our country and I back the police to hold those responsible accountable." England defender, Tyrone Mings, responded: "You don’t get to stoke the fire at the beginning of the tournament by labelling our anti-racism message as ‘Gesture Politics’ & then pretend to be disgusted when the very thing we’re campaigning against, happens." As DAG says: "Patel and others in the cabinet should remember that those who start culture wars can also lose them."