The last two words of David Lean’s magnificent film “The Bridge over the River Kwai” are spoken by the character Major Clipton, when he contemplates the chaos surrounding him, as he cries out “madness, madness”. I have the same reaction when I look at the insanity which is distorting our culture, as ‘woke’ imbeciles are allowed to run amok, forcing changes which no one but they, and their idiotic followers want.
We now see a man, Lia Thomas, who has ‘transited’ to a woman, becoming the first transgender woman to win an NCAA swimming title. Anyone whom dares to question whether such people should be allowed to compete in the women's division after transitioning, is subjected to abuse, and threats for doing so. One of our sporting heroines, Sharron Davies MBE, has revealed that she has been subjected to such threats over her views on transgender women competing in women's sport, when she stated that it was unfair for such women for to be competing against normal biological females. She wrote: "I’ve received several threats to myself and my work because I present evidence based facts on the unfairness of male inclusion in women’s sport. Which is biological sex based decriminalisation. I will not stop bringing these actual facts into the light or be bullied into silence. I’m used to it now. But I feel we are turning the corner and open debate to find science based solutions are not far away that will protect the integrity and rights of females in sport as well as offering up ways to be inclusive but not as the cost of another groups’ rights."
Thomas' victory came after a civil rights complaint was submitted against the University of Pennsylvania for permitting this person to compete on its swimming team, it being pointed out that Lia's ranking was 462nd when competing in the male ranks. One competitor, Reka Gyorgy, complained to the athletics association about its decision to let Lia race against "biological women". However Labour equalities minister MP Charlotte Nichols disgracefully congratulated Lia on the achievement, saying "As a former competitive swimmer myself, indeed, I know full well how much training is required for a title like this. Anyone trying to diminish Lia Thomas' achievement because of lazy transphobia should frankly pipe down. Huge congratulations to her." That this nonsense should emanate from someone tasked with achieving equality for women is unsurprising, as Labour spokesmen and women now seem unable to distinguish between the sexes, something most normal people have no problem doing. The giants of the Labour past must be spinning in their graves.
Another example of this lunacy is the situation which has arisen at the Putney Tennis Club where the membership form has classed the option for 'female' as 'no longer valid'. The club stated that this was glitch, but, as one of its members says, “someone had to type in “Female (no longer valid)” , while another said that they suspected that the club had been taken over by ‘woke’ loonies, and this confirmed it.
Nottingham university continues to prove that it no longer deserves the name “University”, as it cancelling the offer of an honorary degree to Dr Tony Sewell, because his report on race in the UK failed to reinforce the former’s prejudices against white people. A statement was issued saying that "The university has strict criteria governing the award of honorary degrees, because these are conferred at our public graduation ceremonies. The criteria were revised a number of years ago to preclude us from awarding them to figures who become the subject of political controversy, so that a day of celebration for our graduates does not attract such controversy.” This from an establishment that has no problem cosying up to the fascists of Communist China.
A similar example of our so called universities being in the hands of the woke is of course Jesus College, Cambridge, again an institution willing to make excuses for China, but determined to remove the plaque in their chapel dedicated to the philanthropist Tobias Rustat because of false claims about his connections to slavery. For once right prevailed, and the decision of he Consistory Court of the Diocese of Ely was that the plaque should remain, but of course the monomaniacs of woke are determined not to leave it at that, being prepared to spend even more on continuing to pursue this false claim. In a similar refusal to accept outcomes the idiots at Oriel College, Oxford, with their “Rhodes Must Fall” campaign, refuse to accept that they have lost.
On a different front the Mayor of Woke, Sadiq Khan, has warned commuters that “staring” can be a form of sexual harassment and has launched a series of Transport for London posters that feature the mayor and British Transport Police’s emblems. So now we have the situation where a chap might be sitting there, absentmindedly thinking about his dinner, and finding himself suddenly accused by some neurotic female opposite of staring. Of course this sort of vague offence relies on the usual woke principle of guilty unless proved innocent, and can only provoke conflict where there was absolutely no offence committed.
When attending a recent football match I looked around at the crowd, and it occurred to me that probably almost no one there cared one iota about woke, and most would not even know what it was. This whole social movement is the product of largely white, middle class, university educated, metropolitan liberals, and is in fact an attack on working class culture by a bunch of elitists, who, in the past, would have been dismissed with contempt as twerps. The true blame for its spread rests with the organisations, and businesses, who choose to take it seriously, and allow their HR departments to persecute decent people in its name. Ordinary, well meaning citizens should treat the whole thing as the madness it is, and, where possible, boycott any body which is revealed as having adopted it.
