A Labour Party "nature minister" has claims that the classic, traditional view, of Britain, with cozy pubs, country walks, and black labs is a "far-right" fantasy that "never really existed." Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, The Daily Mail reports, claimed that this "fantasy" will be used by the far-right to seek power during an upcoming election. It keeps her "awake at night," she said during the Labour Party's conference in Liverpool on Monday.
Her concerns over the "weaponization" of the traditional view of England, she said "is one of the things" that keeps her up with worry. She said another "is that if we don't make the case for nature, for rural communities, and what we believe rural communities look like, I do believe that the next election is going to be fought on a battle line of nature and rural affairs. And there'll be the far-right deciding and determining what that looks like.
She went on to say, "It'll be a vision, a nostalgic vision of Britain, that never really existed. It'll be that warm ale, a black Labrador by your feet in a pub that doesn't exist, and with symbolism of fox hunting all around them, it'll be a very far-right nostalgic vision of Britain that we don't want to have, [and] never really existed," The Daily Mail recounted.
Conservative Party Chair Kevin Hollinrake took offense at her remarks, saying, "Labour thinks the countryside, the pub, the dog and the people who love them are far-right. Labour is taxing the pub out of existence, as part of a sustained attack on the countryside, with almost two closing every day. That is a far more pressing cause of insomnia."
There have also been protests by Muslims in the UK who complain that there are pubs next to mosques, even though the pubs are, in some cases, centuries old and the mosques are brand new.
"Conservatives will always stand up for Britain," Hollinrake said, "for the pub, the farm, the countryside, and most importantly, the people who keep them going. Andy Burnham should make his minister apologize to every one of them."
Her concerns over the "weaponization" of the traditional view of England, she said "is one of the things" that keeps her up with worry. She said another "is that if we don't make the case for nature, for rural communities, and what we believe rural communities look like, I do believe that the next election is going to be fought on a battle line of nature and rural affairs. And there'll be the far-right deciding and determining what that looks like.
She went on to say, "It'll be a vision, a nostalgic vision of Britain, that never really existed. It'll be that warm ale, a black Labrador by your feet in a pub that doesn't exist, and with symbolism of fox hunting all around them, it'll be a very far-right nostalgic vision of Britain that we don't want to have, [and] never really existed," The Daily Mail recounted.
Conservative Party Chair Kevin Hollinrake took offense at her remarks, saying, "Labour thinks the countryside, the pub, the dog and the people who love them are far-right. Labour is taxing the pub out of existence, as part of a sustained attack on the countryside, with almost two closing every day. That is a far more pressing cause of insomnia."
There have also been protests by Muslims in the UK who complain that there are pubs next to mosques, even though the pubs are, in some cases, centuries old and the mosques are brand new.
"Conservatives will always stand up for Britain," Hollinrake said, "for the pub, the farm, the countryside, and most importantly, the people who keep them going. Andy Burnham should make his minister apologize to every one of them."
