15 hrs ago·edited 13 hrs agoLiked by Peter Geoghegan
Thanks for this. Having been raised in London in the late 1960s/1970s as a ‘foreign’ stepchild of a well connected, once very wealthy ex high SOE Commander, I have to add that I witnessed and experienced unchecked corruption within London’s media and political circles. Looking back it becomes obvious that much of the behaviour was connected to a publicly unacknowledged governing class attack on anyone vaguely connected to any kind of socialism. Much of this took the form of financial or work related blacklisting and sexualised violence. The latter often deployed against the vulnerable children of targeted individuals. The latter would also be targeted to be hooked on drugs, both often led to their early (seemingly self inflicted) deaths. Of course, it is impossible for me to untangle just how much of this behaviour was informed by past events in the World War or related to the still ongoing Cold War. However, I remember despairing in the summer of 1978 as I thought about it all and how the fact that I could not talk about it without implicating family in this under the covers state connected criminality and did not know who I could trust for advice. Our class just knew The Met were the last people you ever went to for help, particularly as a young ecologically aware whistleblower girl. I do not think this has this changed much. Anyway, I could see exactly how this corrupt individual behaviour, if left to just be swept under the carpet as just a few bad apples and an unfortunate but unique experience for their targets to ‘get over’, would eventually fester, embed over a few generations and then lead to the collapse of the UK political state. Here we are. It is also why I studied anthropology as a mature student. It has helped me understand how so many seemingly decent individuals can become passively complicit in furthering the corruption as it happens in plain sight.
I found your substance piece highly relevant but I'd really like to know how we, as citizens, can help clear up this corruption detritus that I have seen in my adult life (I moved to London in 1989). There were scandals before, say, 1979 (the Profumo Affair, John Stonehouse's faked death, etc) but I don't think we've ever seen the likes of the son of a former KGB agent being made a peer of the realm before Johnson ennobled Evgeny Lebedev. It's shocking and upsetting to think we're being led by venal 'wannabes' but we also need to support those leaders across all parties who actually do care about this country and show them that it matters that they continue on their rightful path.
Thanks for this. Having been raised in London in the late 1960s/1970s as a ‘foreign’ stepchild of a well connected, once very wealthy ex high SOE Commander, I have to add that I witnessed and experienced unchecked corruption within London’s media and political circles. Looking back it becomes obvious that much of the behaviour was connected to a publicly unacknowledged governing class attack on anyone vaguely connected to any kind of socialism. Much of this took the form of financial or work related blacklisting and sexualised violence. The latter often deployed against the vulnerable children of targeted individuals. The latter would also be targeted to be hooked on drugs, both often led to their early (seemingly self inflicted) deaths. Of course, it is impossible for me to untangle just how much of this behaviour was informed by past events in the World War or related to the still ongoing Cold War. However, I remember despairing in the summer of 1978 as I thought about it all and how the fact that I could not talk about it without implicating family in this under the covers state connected criminality and did not know who I could trust for advice. Our class just knew The Met were the last people you ever went to for help, particularly as a young ecologically aware whistleblower girl. I do not think this has this changed much. Anyway, I could see exactly how this corrupt individual behaviour, if left to just be swept under the carpet as just a few bad apples and an unfortunate but unique experience for their targets to ‘get over’, would eventually fester, embed over a few generations and then lead to the collapse of the UK political state. Here we are. It is also why I studied anthropology as a mature student. It has helped me understand how so many seemingly decent individuals can become passively complicit in furthering the corruption as it happens in plain sight.
Enjoyed the article and liked the idea of the interview, keep digging.
I found your substance piece highly relevant but I'd really like to know how we, as citizens, can help clear up this corruption detritus that I have seen in my adult life (I moved to London in 1989). There were scandals before, say, 1979 (the Profumo Affair, John Stonehouse's faked death, etc) but I don't think we've ever seen the likes of the son of a former KGB agent being made a peer of the realm before Johnson ennobled Evgeny Lebedev. It's shocking and upsetting to think we're being led by venal 'wannabes' but we also need to support those leaders across all parties who actually do care about this country and show them that it matters that they continue on their rightful path.