They’ll tell you it’s not racism, it’s patriotism. Not ignorance, just “common sense.” But the pattern’s as old as the 20th century – Blackshirts in London, MAGA hats in the States, and now Robinson’s mob on Whitehall. All fuelled by grievance, all dressed in flags, all promising to give people back a country that never really existed.
Here’s the irony. In the last century, millions were duped by grand ideologies that promised certainty. Some dressed themselves up as “equality,” others as “national pride.” In practice they delivered gulags, rubble and ruin. Why did they grip so many? Because they were simple. They gave people what they wanted to hear, not what they needed to know.
That’s the common thread – totalitarianism. It doesn’t matter what colour the flag is, the fuel is the same. A golden past supposedly stolen. An enemy to hate. A strong leader who claims to speak “truth” to power. It thrives where education is thinnest – where people are taught to chant slogans, not ask questions. In the 30s it was Jews. In the 50s it was “reds under the bed.” Today it’s Muslims in dinghies. Different century, same trick.
Education is the antidote. Not because a degree makes you virtuous, but because history shows you the pattern. Totalitarian movements prey on those desperate for easy answers. And that’s why the Robinson rally matters – it isn’t a one-off. It’s a warning of what happens when people stop thinking and let slogans do the work.
Hope built on truth is courage. Hope built on illusion is fantasy. And totalitarianism only ever deals in fantasy.
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