Whenever we wax sentimental for
the decline of Toryism at home,
we've always had the invigorat-
ing example of intransigence to
admire in Britain, whose class
system has been such a preser-
vative of the laziest impulses.
But now we have an entire gen-
eration raised under the exam-
ple of cut-throat Thatcherism,
to hold the line for restraint
in caning. This is not a solid
bet, it turns out. It seems we
must turn to New Zealand for a
model of modesty in public af-
fairs. Maybe we could buy them.
Lovely young men! I don't know what Mrs T has to do with caning though. She was a neo-liberal (hardly a "Tory" at all) and abolished caning in most British schools in 1986.
ReplyDeleteI think this was an exertion in irony, obviously, which went sideways. Yes, her reform was notable, especially given her genius for inflicting suffering so many other ways; but now, the example of those other ways offers such red meat to what's left of her Party, that it is hard to hold the line against caning's resumption.
ReplyDeleteBecause Boris is going to bring it back? I'll believe it when I see it.
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