Re: David Dimbleby

From a friend:   Did anyone else make the mistake last night of watching 'The Seven Ages of Britain' (BBC 1 9pm)? It started off, interestingly enough, with David Dimbleby rowing on a murky, pre-dawn Thames. From then on it was downhill.   When he started talking about great finds from the Thames I thought I knew what was coming (the Battersea shield), but I was wrong. The 'treasure' he was referring to was the head of a statue of a Roman emperor. The kind of street furniture that was knocked out by the thousand in Roman times. And this set the tone for the programme, it was about the Romans, who had come to bring order to the "barbarian chaos" that was Britain.   Then, about half way through, the setting suddenly switched to the Western Isles. This introduced Columba who, according to Dimblebore, "brought Christianity to Britain". Really! Columba came from Ireland. Christianity had been introduced to Ireland by the Briton (i.e. Welshman) Patrick. Therefore Britain was Christian before Ireland. (In fact, Columba came to convert the Picts of northern Scotland.)   How was Dimblebore allowed to make such an elementary mistake? Someone involved with the programme must have known the truth - were they afraid to correct the great man?   He then talked of invasions from many quarters upon Britain following the collapse of Rome. True. But Dimblebore made no mention of the Irish or the Picts; the only ones he was interested in was the Anglo-Saxons. Cue Sutton Hoo and panegyrics to these noble people. He even - shades of Michael Wood - had a go at speaking Anglo-Saxon.   At this point I switched off.   Here we have a programme about 'Britain' which is really the 19th century English imperialist interpretation of 'savage' British natives conquered and part-civilised by Rome and Britain then morphing into Anglo-Saxon England. No centuries of conflict between the invaders and the native Welsh, no Welsh Christianity. In fact, in Dimblebigot's narrative the Welsh are written out of it entirely.   I suspect that this bastard, like many English aware of the history of this island, has a problem with the Welsh. To acknowledge us is to admit that this island was once ours. So we must be denied. Which explains why 'Question Time' when it comes from Wales is stacked with an English panel and an English audience. (Though it begs the question: why is Dimblebigot allowed to get away with it by the Welsh production company that owns QT?)   Our Welsh Left tells us to focus on and fight the BNP or UKIP, but people like Dimblebigot are far more dangerous. They are the BBC, they are the Establishment, they have far more influence than the BNP and UKIP. And they probably hold us in greater contempt than either of those parties. Trouble is, no one would dare call Dimblebigot the racist he is.   I will. And I suggest that we all start realising who our enemies are. The BNP and UKIP are an annoyance but Dimblebigot and his ilk are real power and influence. They don't have to go knocking on the doors of sink estates in Essex and Lancashire to put their message across, they have the power to reach everyone's living room and have their interpretation unquestioningly accepted. That is real power!     Royston Jones, 7 Maes y Meillion, Abergynolwyn, Tywyn, Gwynedd LL36 9YF, Cymru / Wales.   01654 782644 / 07867995536 roystonjones@freeolamail.com