Richard W Symonds
24 February, 2025
Opinion

Letter to the editor: Let history speak

Worthing county councillor Dawn Smith states [Reform councillor’s suggestion county gets rid of diversity staff ‘repulsive’, West Sussex County Times, Feb 20 2025]:

Reform councillor’s suggestion county gets rid of diversity staff ‘repulsive’ - West Sussex County Times - February 20 2025

“There is just no room for this politics of hate in this chamber…Not one of you was democratically elected on the seat that you’re sitting in”

I believe Reform UK is being led by undemocratic politicians with an undemocratic political agenda.

Let historians speak:

“It may simply be observed here that such iconoclastic activities are not unknown to historians of other, far darker, times and contexts” [Andrew Chandler - the last sentence in his 2016 book ‘George Bell, Bishop of Chichester - Church, State, and Resistance in the Age of Dictatorship’ p.199]

Let history speak:

In 1934, “Charles Bentinck Budd from Worthing was elected to West Sussex County Council as a fascist councillor. He always attended Council meetings in his Blackshirt uniform” [J.A. Booker - in his 1999 book ‘Blackshirts-on-Sea’ p.7]

If the likes of Reform UK’s Gary Markwell come anywhere near Ifield in Crawley, I will gladly stand against them as an Independent - unless, of course, such democratic elections are cancelled.

Richard W. Symonds

Ifield Street, Ifield Village Crawley