Owen Paterson and the Spectre of Enoch Powell

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He who pays the piper picks the tune, as the saying goes. Those with particularly sensitive political antennae may have picked up an echo of the rhetoric of Enoch Powell, author of the infamous rivers of blood speech, in the speeches of sacked environment secretary Owen Paterson.

Powell was a classical scholar and Health Minister in the 1960s under the Tory prime minister Edward Heath. He was forced to resign after claiming immigration in Britain would lead to social unrest and rivers ofย blood.

He was also among the first MPs to darken the door of the Institute of Economic Affairs, a hardline free market think tank, which calls for low taxation for corporations, deregulation and attacks on theย unions.

Enoch said in April 1968: โ€œWe must be mad, literally mad, as a nation to be permitting the annual inflow of some 50,000 dependants, who are for the most part the material of the future growth of the immigrant descended population. It is like watching a nation busily engaged in heaping up its own funeralย pyre.โ€

Paterson was, half a century later, promoted to Environment Secretary by David Cameron. But he was then sacked because his climate denial represented a serious electoral liability for the ‘detoxified’ย Tories.

Spittingย Blood

The bitter politician was โ€œspitting bloodโ€ after his unceremonious sacking. He responded by attacking the โ€œgreen blobโ€ of civic environment groups and began courting the Institute of Economic Affairs and other hardline free market think tanks in what can only be understood as a bid for the Tory leadership.

He said recently: โ€œUnderstandably, given the pressures that this tidal wave of newcomers has imposed on our public services, job opportunities and wage levels, the public is hopping mad about the collective failure of the political class to get a grip on ourย borders.โ€

And DeSmog UK can now reveal that Owen Paterson has long been funded by Lord Howard of Rising with donations from his Castle Rising Holdings Limited. Howard donated ยฃ20,000 directly to Paterson between 2004 andย 2007.

Thrice-married Howard inherited Castle, which has been in his family since it was built in 1138. The former shadow minister was raised to the House of Lords. He was also private secretary to Powell, and more recently author of the disgraced politician’sย hagiography.

Absolutelyย Furious

The Tory grandee authored Enoch at 100: A Re-evaluation of the Life, Politics and Philosophy of Enoch Powell. One reviewer noted, if this isn’t a hagiography, it’s hard to know what one might look like,โ€ adding: โ€œThe book shrieksย โ€˜tributeโ€™.โ€

Howard tried desperately to stop Cameron sacking Paterson last year. โ€œThere are 12m voters in the countryside and they will be absolutely furious if he is moved,โ€ he said at the time. โ€œHe is incredibly popular in the countryside. He is doing all those things that we in the countryside would like to seeย done.โ€

Howard has provided a parliamentary pass to Richard Ritchie, the retired director of government affairs for BP. โ€œAt no time has Richard Ritchie ever lobbied me on behalf of BP or sought any benefit whatsoever for BP,โ€ the peer told The Guardian.

Ritchie is also a lifelong collaborator with Powell and supporter of the Institute of Economicย Affairs.

Is Owen Paterson single handedly trying to retoxify the Toryย brand?

@brendanmontague

Photo: Creativeย Commons

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