Monthly Archives: June 2016

My Dislike For Spiked…

Posted on June 27, 2016 by bsixsmith

One can’t avoid Brendan O’Neill. I think, in all seriousness, that even if one moved to Chad to escape his endless articles in the British, American and Australian press he would crop up in the N’Djamena Gazette. This is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Libertarianism, Media | 1 Comment

Against Oikophobia…

Posted on June 26, 2016 by bsixsmith

Not all leftists hate England but far too many of them do. Does that sound like an ad hominem assertion? Am I demonising my rhetorical opponents? No. Oikophobia, the aversion to one’s home, is blatant in the writings of far … Continue reading →

Posted in Britain | 3 Comments

Conservativism and Fear…

Posted on June 25, 2016 by bsixsmith

Ideologies, I think, are based on positive and negative emotions. Marxism is based on optimism and anger: optimism for a bright egalitarian future and anger towards those who are held to stand against it. Conservatism is based on love and … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatism, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

On Compassion…

Posted on June 25, 2016 by bsixsmith

I recently enjoyed a holiday in the beautiful Polish city of Gdansk: known for the grim shipyards where Lech Wałęsa first led striking Polish workers in their opposition to the communist regime but also boasting grand old churches, elegant streets … Continue reading →

Posted in Behaviour, Personal, Poland | Leave a comment

Look Not For a Golden Age But For Gold In an Age…

Posted on June 25, 2016 by bsixsmith

Conservatives, reactionaries and even old-school socialists are often accused of Golden Ageism – that is, romanticising the past while lamenting the present. It can be a fair point. The past could be a brutal place. The present can be preferable. … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatism, History | 1 Comment

Against “Liberty”, “Democracy, “Independence” et cetera…

Posted on June 25, 2016 by bsixsmith

Among the worst vices of the modern left is a tendency to promote as sacred concepts that are of little or no essential worth. A hundred starving men are “equal” but this is no consolation. Votes for Hitler were “democratic” … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Politics | Leave a comment

The Tragical is the Political…

Posted on June 18, 2016 by bsixsmith

As reports of terrorism leak onto the Internet people await the identity of the perpetrator. If it turns out to have been a Muslim, Conservatives talk of the fearsome jihadist threat while progressives claim it was an isolated lunatic. If … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Abuse

Posted on June 16, 2016 by bsixsmith

According to Action on Elderly Abuse, between 500,000 and 800,000 older people in the UK experience abuse each year, with physical abuse and neglect the most common types of abuse reported. I long for sleep, I long for death As … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Leave a comment

Why Christopher Hitchens Was a Loser…

Posted on June 14, 2016 by bsixsmith

Christopher Hitchens will fade into history, for essays are ephemeral and talk shows and talk shows quadruply so. Still, we shall remember him – “we” being those one-time eager and impressionable young men and women who were inspired by his … Continue reading →

Posted in Appreciations, Ideology | 1 Comment

The Virtues of Staying Quiet…

Posted on June 12, 2016 by bsixsmith

“Whereof one cannot speak,” wrote Wittgenstein in Tractatus, “Thereof must one be silent.” The immediacy and excitement of social media and online journalism have encouraged people to ignore this and hold forth on everything. Mouthing off with insufficient knowledge of … Continue reading →

Posted in Rationalism, Rhetoric, Scepticism | Leave a comment