Conservatives threw dirt when they should have defended Starkey
The Starkey affair was an opportune ‘moment to assert themselves and defend something rare – a conservative public intellectual. By failing to raise a head above the parapet, and in adopting the tactics of the left, much good could easily have been undone.’
At a first glance, the quote ‘those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it’ presents itself as a tired platitude: one that is often repeated in its truncated form ‘history repeats itself.’ The idea that episodes from the past have an unfortunate tendency to resurface in the present has been clearly demonstrated in the response of some conservatives to the clumsy comments made by popular Tudor historian David Starkey, in a YouTube interview with commentator Darren Grimes.
The negative pile-on from several leading conservatives has mirrored the unjust treatment the late Sir Roger Scruton received from supposed conservative allies after his comments were misrepresented in a New Statesman interview.
Starkey and Scruton are both sensible intellectual heavyweights, and their political commentary often reflects what many cultural or social conservatives think and fail to articulate. Thus, it is important to explain from the outset that what Dr. Starkey said – understood in its proper context – was not racist.
Whilst the isolated phrase ‘damned blacks’ is obviously an inappropriate and lazy use of language, (and is perhaps typical of Dr. Starkey’s generation) the assertion that he made in discussing the Atlantic Slave Trade is a perfectly reasonable one. Black slaves were not systematically exterminated like the Jews, nor were they almost completely eradicated off the face of the earth. Thus, we can confidently conclude that any serious suggestion that black slavery was genocide is disingenuous and entirely incorrect.
Broadly speaking, such an argument is an obscure one: made in small academic circles. It is not a view commonly held by most people, comfortably in the mainstream. Had Dr. Starkey been given the opportunity to apologize, and clarify his point on air, he would have explained himself in a non-offensive manner with no further misunderstanding.
The harsh criticism directed towards Dr. Starkey is to be expected from our left-wing rivals; they are the usual suspects. This means we can be certain that the Twitter mob will be animated by faux outrage, and will provide a widely shared triggered hot take. But what is more uncomfortable, and particularly unsettling, is to watch heavy condemnation pour in from conservatives who are ordinarily on our side.
It is deeply shocking when leading conservative voices, who have been of one mind on issues such as Brexit and the Lockdown, withhold their public support (with a few notable exceptions, including Alistair Miller’s article in The Salisbury Review), instead choosing to stick the knife in.
One prime example came from conservative commentator Laura Perrins. It appears Perrins is on the wrong side of the culture war with her stinging judgment that, ‘The insult as wrong, the racism is appalling, and the logic stinks!’ Such an unexpected and hefty indictment from a fellow (social) conservative is frankly unbelievable and extremely unfortunate.
Perrins had already missed the mark completely in her suggestion that Starkey’s comments were ‘a bit like saying the famine in Ireland wasn’t that bad as there are still so many damn Irish.’ Perrins appears to have forgot the very important fact that, like slavery, the Irish famine was not a genocide.
The mud-throwing exercise was not limited to Perrins. It was repeated by others who really should have known better. It was particularly disappointing to see a senior figure within the Orthodox Conservatives fall into an Identity Politics trap, and scream racist – the battle cry of the left. The noticeable silence of such an organisation contrasted against the powerful attacks launched by an individual closely involved is a bitter tragedy.
The Starkey affair was an opportune moment to assert themselves and defend something rare – a conservative public intellectual. By failing to raise a head above the parapet, and in adopting the tactics of the left, much good could easily have been undone.
It is far easier to destroy beautiful things than it is create them. Indeed, it should not be within the arsenal of a conservative to cancel the views of individuals we do not like or employ loaded terms in a usually obvious attempt to close down debate and stifle free speech.
By resorting to these childish playground games, we do nothing to strengthen our own cause. Rather, we galvanize our detractors and provide them with ammunition against us when we should be fighting together as one.
This isn’t the first time conservatives have been quick to pass judgement and signal virtue. The calls for immediate cancellation and sacking came within hours for Roger Scruton – and those baying for his blood were completely disinterested in what he had actually said or its context, and were only concerned with what the Twitter mob had decided to be true.
As is happening now with Starkey, the quest for truth is non-existent in these circumstances. Even when truth prevails, and individuals like Scruton are vindicated, half apologies are issued and weak attempts to back-peddle and right wrongs are tried. Many of Dr. Starkey’s fiercest critics are those that do not know him; or those that do, and who are purposefully trying to throw him under the bus.
It should be surprising that so few conservatives are not doing more to defend him and call out the hypocrisy of Cambridge University. In one breath, this esteemed institution defends racially charged tweets from Dr Gopal as ‘lawful opinions’ and in the next, distances themselves from the ‘indefensible’ comments of Dr. Starkey.
Starkey has been characterised as a pantomime villain – somebody we love to hate – for some time; and Cambridge have sought get rid of him because he doesn’t dance to their tune, and is not a woke puppet who can be manipulated into being a mouthpiece for a liberal cause. Thus, Starkey isn’t somebody we have to listen to, particularly when he says something unfashionable or controversial.
How Dr Starkey bounces back from his recent cancellations will be interesting to watch. But it does not mean we should stop defending him or dissuade others from doing so.
In the war against culture, we have to pick your battles carefully and decide what we are going to fight for. Is this the hill to die on? Absolutely.
