The Telegraph, 12 February 2024
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/02/12/suella-braverman-countryside-racist-holiday-camping/
The desperation to see identity politics in every aspect of our lives is creating a divided society
So maybe putting up a tent in gale force winds, each gust bringing another torrent of heavy rain, isn’t everyone’s idea of fun. Yes, the tent was wet on the inside. Yes, our sleeping bags were damp. But boy, did we cherish waking up to the twinkling sound of songbird and the sweet scent of petrichor to enjoy our Full English, made al fresco, in the warm Newquay sunshine.
Nor, perhaps, is it much of a laugh to lose your eight-year-old in a blizzard in the Cairngorms. A parent’s nightmare. An ordeal faced by my mum and dad, but thanks to the help of fellow hikers, they found me.
Yes, the countryside brings peculiar challenges. But racism? No way!
That’s why I was somewhat surprised to read last week that, according to the Wildlife and Countryside Link charity, the countryside is systemically racist and is an environment feared to be “dominated by white people”.
I can’t recall worrying about “colonial legacies framing nature as a white space” while riding horses in the Brecon Beacons. Nor were we fighting racism while hiking in the Lake District. We were more interested in finding the best pub lunch.
To claim that the countryside is racist is one of the most ridiculous examples of Left-wing identity politics. It’s a symptom of a deeper problem within our society – the urge to constantly view everything through the lens of race or gender, plead victimhood and point the finger at an oppressor. Whether it’s the patriarchy, or colonial masters, this desperation to divide society is ripping through our institutions, creating a culture of fear and self-censorship.
This is why it’s essential to challenge this ideology relentlessly, wherever we see it. The premise of the charity’s bonkers report is that, as a predominantly white environment, the countryside is not welcoming to ethnic minorities. Sadly, we’ve come to expect this kind of hokum from civil society and the public sector. There are several problems with this approach.
Firstly, just because there are more white people than non-white people somewhere does not make it racist. The UK is a majority-white country, so of course there will be many areas where there is very little, and sometimes no, ethnic minority participation. I do not see a problem.
People are different, they have different interests and inclinations. Ethnic minority people tend to live in urban areas. Does that make Wembley, (where I come from and which is now a majority non-white area), racist because there are fewer white people who live there? Of course not.
‘Not once did we experience hostility’
Secondly, my own experience tells a very different story. Since my childhood, my family and I have spent countless holidays camping, fruit-picking, hiking and getting lost in blizzards. My parents took up camping in the 1980s for practical reasons: money was tight and it was cheap, child-friendly and we could take the dog. Every summer we would pile the car boot full of sleeping bags and gas canisters and head outdoors.
It made such a refreshing change to London and we’d always come home with new friends and lots of stories. Not once in 30 years did we experience hostility. If anything, on the rare occasion that I’ve experienced racism – the crass street-level type – I’ve been in the city, never in the sticks.
Third, this is all based on a naive view of the countryside. One of Beatrix Potter and The Darling Buds of May. When poverty, vulnerability to flooding and storms and poor access to good schools and health services are some of the big issues facing rural communities. Ethnic minorities do not have a monopoly on deprivation.
Lastly, this is not just wrong but dangerous. We need to stop making white people feel guilty for being white. Critical race theory, white privilege and unconscious bias should be constantly debunked as Left-wing militancy. It’s wholly disempowering for ethnic minorities to be judged by skin colour rather than by character.
Why cast me as a victim and rob me of my agency? Why foster resentment? The truth is that so many people are terrified to challenge this groupthink which is taking over our country. They’re scared of being labelled racist and losing their job. Best just keep your head down, they think. But we cannot become self-censured identikit automatons who parrot the same Orwellian newspeak. It’s why a Labour government would be so dangerous and why we need to fight back.
The countryside is a jewel in the crown of Britain. I’m so grateful for all the lessons about nature, beauty, family and friendship it taught me. Let’s focus more on investing in our countryside so that everyone can enjoy it, regardless of skin colour or confected victimhood.
