Fake News/Fake History?

We read a lot these days about ‘fake news’ and ‘disinformation,’ and even ‘conspiracy theories�’ These phrases are bandied about in the media, seeming to have the intention of damning an idea or opinion without discussing its merits, or failings in detail� The use of these epithets seems sufficient to damn a person and their opinions out of hand�

If it happens in our contemporary world, it also happens when considering the past� We might ask ourselves, what is ‘fake’ history and what is ‘real history?’ How do we know what we read is correct and reliable? Could we actually be receiving a lot of sham history from dubious sources? Indeed, we can! To prove the case, I am going to take one historian to task –myself!

Last year, when I was writing my book on Hilaire Belloc (Hilaire Belloc, The Politics of Living), I was very conscious that although I very much revere this man and his writings, many people do not, and it was my duty to give a voice to Belloc’s critics, as much as my partiality would allow�

Chris Hare

Without doubt, the most damning accusation against Belloc was that he was anti-Semitic, and a man who greatly disliked and feared Jews� In my book, I give the case for the prosecution as well as the defence on this matter� In my desire to neither whitewash nor excuse, I even included a quote from one of Belloc’s fellow Members of Parliament that appeared to be damning� The MP in question was Edward Turnour, Earl Winteron, one time MP for Horsham and Worthing (in the days when the two towns were part of the same constituency)� Here is part of the quote from Turnour as it appears in my book –“He [Belloc] made one or two good speeches and then committed a fatal error. The late Mr Harry Lawson (later Lord Burnham), a popular and much respected man, had just concluded a mild and unprovocative speech from our benches when Mr Belloc rose and, in his rather high pitched voice, began, “In extended observation of the AngloJudaic plutocracy….” He got no further� This obvious reference to Mr Lawson was received with angry cries from the Conservative benches of “order, withdraw cad!!”, whilst his Liberal colleagues sat in silent disapproval, which is always a sure sign that a member has made a grievous mistake.”

At this point, the reader of this article might well be feeling uneasy and wondering if this is even an article they should be reading at all� So, I should add immediately, that I was able to show instances of Belloc roundly condemning any a notion of a worldwide Jewish conspiracy and that he was an ardent and persistent opponent of Hitler and the Nazis, urging Britain to fight on in 1940 and 1941, when many others were calling for a deal to be struck with Hitler�

However, it also turns out that Edward Turnour’s allegation against Belloc was false� He never made the speech he was accused of making, and members did not shout out he was a cad while his colleagues sat in stony silence� How do I now know it is untrue? Because one reader of my book took the time to search through Hansard, the written record of every speech ever made in the House of Commons, trawling for this supposed speech by Belloc� He even put with the House of Commons and the party-political system� His appearances in the chamber became less frequent, and when the General Election was called later that year, Belloc decided not to stand for re-election� The following year, he gave a speech in Worthing in which he declared that he was “glad to quit the vilest and dirtiest company” it had ever been his misfortune to keep� In a letter to a former constituent who was sorry to see him go, he wrote, “one must be inside the House of Commons to see how utterly futile is any attempt at representative action�”

He [Belloc] made one or two good speeches and then committed a fatal error. The late Mr Harry Lawson (later Lord Burnham), a popular and much respected man, had just concluded a mild and unprovocative speech from our benches when Mr Belloc rose and, in his rather high pitched voice, began, “In extended observation of the AngloJudaic plutocracy….” He got no further. This obvious reference to Mr Lawson was received with angry cries from the Conservative benches of “order, withdraw cad!!”, whilst his Liberal colleagues sat in silent disapproval, which is always a sure sign that a member has made a grievous mistake.

In truth, all historians, at some time or another, allow questionable material to be included in their published works� Some through negligence, some through a deliberate attempt to add spice to their story, but probably most, for the simple reason that it would take more years than most historians have left to them to check every fact and trace every piece of evidence back to its original source� Fake history, like fake news, is an inevitable consequence of the human condition and it is always well to bear this in mind� the phrase “Anglo-Judaic plutocracy” into the online search facility� Indeed, a speech came up containing this phrase� It was not in the speech by Belloc, but by another MP, A�D� Steele-Maitland, member for Birmingham East�

In his speech, Steele-Maitland made reference to Jewish people in public life and asserted that Belloc would regard this as evidence of the ‘Anglo-Judaic plutocracy�’ But, these were SteeleMaitland’s words, not Belloc’s�

It is interesting, although not surprising, that Belloc did not object to the speech, nor comment on it, as by this time (1910) he was thoroughly disillusioned

Hilaire Belloc (1870 – 1953) was a controversial figure in his day: a man of many talents but also apparent contradictions too. In this timely assessment of Belloc’s career, Chris Hare examines Belloc’s attitude towards religion, politics, war, the natural environment, and old age and dying. He also looks into the claims that Belloc was anti-Semitic.

Here was a man, who, one hundred years ago, was suggesting that the West ignored religious belief (especially Islam) at its peril, that its politics risked becoming ‘a circus’ and that real power was transferring to the banks and financial institutions. Belloc was also a very humorous man, with a dry wit, famous for his comic verses that lampooned the rich and powerful. He speaks to us very powerfully today at a time when the future appears increasingly uncertain. We may not agree with all he said and believed, but we cannot fail to be impressed by his insights and foresight.

“It is always worth while, think, to hammer at truths which one knows to be important, even those which seem, to others, at their first statement mere nonsense. For though you may die under the imputation of being a man without a sense of proportion, or even a madman, yet reality will in time confirm your effort.”

Hilaire Belloc, writing in 1925.

So, it has to be admitted, that I was guilty of including fake history in my book� I took Edward Turnour at his word� On reflection, of course, I can see that I should have wondered how objective a Conservative MP would be about a former Liberal MP� Steele-Maitland was also a Conservative MP� I was rather naïve, wasn’t I? In my desire not to let Belloc off the hook, to show that I was including the views of all those who criticised him in his lifetime, I allowed fake history to be included in my study� On the other hand, let no one say I am a Belloc apologist, attempting to cover up his murky past� has his own heritage consultancy, History People UK, which he founded in 2009. Previous to that he was an adult education manager in the public sector. www.historypeople.co.uk

Chris Hare’s book, ‘Hilaire Belloc, The Politics of Living,’ is available directly from Chris via, www.historypeople.co.uk, also from Steyning Bookshop, Worthing Library, Arundel Museum, and Petworth Bookshop� For more information about Belloc in Sussex, go to www.belloc-broadwood.org.uk

If you know any football fans, you might have noticed a slight change in their behaviour over the last few weeks�

Since the end of May, there may have been a strange lethargy and moping about (particularly at weekends)� Partners and friends may welcome this period as it’s the only chance of getting major DIY activities completed or taking a holiday� For a committed fan, it is a desert to be survived: the close season for football� But fear not! The new football season is here and the excitement of the year stretches ahead of us� Every fan will have been waiting eagerly for the announcements, firstly for the Friendlies, then for the League itself, as the next 8 months is mapped out� Get your diaries out (or cut and paste in your phone), hoping there are no clashes with family weddings or big birthdays: “Of course we can get back time… as long as it doesn’t go to penalties…” It’s not just the home games to consider, as both our Men’s and Women’s teams are now in Leagues that require travelling to more distant locations: Truro, Weymouth and Weston-super-Mare being some of the destinations for the Men, and Norwich and Cambridge for the Women: “How about a nice weekend away in Bath, Love? Great architecture, some good restaurants���” “Are Worthing playing?”

So, the scene is set, and we are ready for the rollercoaster of emotions that can be crammed into each 90 minutes� But who will the players be? It’s a time of change, as some move on� Will your favourite players still be on the team? There will be new signings, reshuffling the pack and players moved to new positions�

At Worthing FC, we have a “Boys and Men’s Pathway,” so there is the potential for boys to start with the Under 14s team

Women’s Pathway” aiming to repeat this success and supply the Women’s team with excellent local players� So, there’s the intriguing prospect of seeing players followed through Youth Team games, progressing and speculating about who might get onto the bench�

It’s tempting to look back over the previous season to fuel theories about the outcomes of the next: the Youth teams performed well, the Men’s team reached the playoffs and won the County Cup, the Women’s team won the League Cup and gained promotion, and the First Division Blues of the Inclusive Teams walked away with the Disability League Cup�

The Managers have a challenge before them, however, there will have been promotions, with Clubs eager to hold their place in their new League, and relegations, where more experienced and in some cases full time players ‘coming down�’ This stirs the mix of Clubs, players and playing styles, all of which must be anticipated to repeat or improve on last year’s successes� Everyone’s an expert, of course: “I can’t believe he’s let them go!”, “What’s that going to do to our defence?”, “Where’s the midfield creativity going to come from?” Then there are the ‘friendlies’, giving rise to speculation about what the team’s ‘form’ might be like, with new mix of players, before launching into the Season� The Fans