Gen Zers have hankering for dictators (left, Kim Jong-un) (Image: Getty)
Skimming through the papers this morning an alarming headline caught my attention. ‘Half of want Britain to be ruled by a dictator’ it read. I nearly spat out my tea.
“Go on then,” I thought. “Off you pop to North Korea. You have been freed from your liberty, unshackled by all those pesky human rights dragging you down. While you’re there, send us a selfie (if you can) of your new state-sanctioned haircut. Enjoy comrade!”
According to the survey, more than half of 13 – 27-year olds would prefer it if Britain was led by a totalitarian overlord who doesn’t bother with trivialities such as parliamentary debates or general elections. The study also found a third reckon the UK would be better off run by the army.
Now, I know our current occupant of No. 10 isn’t exactly setting Britain’s youth alight with inspiration, and his predecessors were not much better. , , Liz Truss—none of them exactly brimming with charisma. But there’s a world of difference between wanting a strong leader who is unwaveringly forthright, and calling for the Fourth Reich.
Bed-wetting snowflakes they ain’t! While Millennials (myself included) were busy eating our avocados, complaining about house prices and tweeting #MeToo – this next lot were quietly laying the groundwork for a political revolution. I blame Minecraft – you know that weird game that all kids suddenly became completely addicted to that let them build their own world, block-by-block to their exact specification, and then smash it all up. It’s a working theory at least.
Another worrying trend – which goes some way to shed light on the growing interest in radical, dogmatic politics – showed that social media influencers are overtaking mainstream journalism as trusted sources of information.
One such ‘influencer’ is Andrew Tate, the kickboxing self-styled ‘King of Toxic Masculinity’ who (checks notes) is facing charges of human trafficking and money laundering in Romania, four rape allegations in the UK as well as a court order to cough up £2m in unpaid taxes. He denies all allegations—and revels in the controversy. In fact, it has fueled him to launch the hard-right BRUV Party (Britain Restoring Underlying Values) which seeks to “restore the virtues of masculinity”. I’d almost find it funny – a political panto villain in the vein of Count Binface – only his foothold in public opinion is solid.
Why is our younger generation so curious about the prospect of Britain under a radical authoritarian regime? Surely, they can’t have all bunked off during history.
The release of the survey’s findings coincided with the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation, and serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need to preserve the firsthand testimony of the last remaining Holocaust survivors. It is the responsibility of younger generations to ensure that the echo of their voices resounds long after they are gone.
As the philosopher George Santayana warned: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
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A trillion-tonne “” twice the size of London is on a collision course with a remote Antarctic island, home to millions of penguins. A grim reminder of the accelerating impact of climate change. I do my bit; take public transport, avoid fast fashion, carry around my reusable beaker, boil my dishcloths, reuse and recycle as much as I can. Does it make a dent in humanity’s relentless assault on the planet? Yes, albeit a nanoscopic one. Hey ho. Onwards and downwards people!
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wants to rename the English Channel the . (Or at least pretends he does to goad British politicians over the “Special Relationship”.) Why stop there? Why not go full throttle with the ‘Mericanisms.
Forget Hadrian – call it Hulk Hogan’s Wall. Rename the Thames ‘Mississippi 2’. And while we’re at it, slap a few stars on the Union Jack. Yee-haw!
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A fun fact I just recently discovered; the has already named all of the storms for this year in alphabetical order. After , we have Floris, Gerben and Hugo lined up.
I am particularly looking forward to hearing how weather presenters pronounce Storm Naoise. Can’t wait. It’s the little things in life.