The Re-Defenestration of Roger Scruton

Roger Scruton has again found himself in a whirlwind of artificial controversy. This time, however, he has been sacked from his appointment as an advisor to the government regarding architectural design. It came about as a result of this interview in the New Statesman, in which George Eaton proves himself to be one of the sneakiest, most disingenuous journalists in the business. Take, for instance, this paragraph:

Scruton is unrepentant, however, about the remarks that earned him such opprobrium. “Anybody who doesn’t think that there’s a Soros empire in Hungary has not observed the facts,” he said, heedless of the anti-Semitic portrayal of the philanthropist George Soros as a Jewish puppet-master.

This is what Scruton actually has to say about the subject, unedited:

The Jewish minority (here in Hungary) that survived the Nazi occupation suffered further persecution under the communists, but nevertheless is active in making its presence known. Many of the Budapest intelligentsia are Jewish, and form part of the extensive networks around the Soros Empire. People in these networks include many who are rightly suspicious of nationalism, regard nationalism as the major cause of the tragedy of Central Europe in the 20th century, and do not distinguish nationalism from the kind of national loyalty that I have defended in this talk. Moreover, as the world knows, indigenous anti-Semitism still plays a part in Hungarian society and politics, and presents an obstacle to the emergence of a shared national loyalty among ethnic Hungarians and Jews.

(This is taken from Scruton's own article in the Spectator on the controversy. You should read the whole thing.)

It is hard to understand how a thoughtful, kindly man like Scruton, one who has shown great courage in his lifetime (look up his work with Soviet dissidents) and is respected by a great many across the political divide, is the subject of so much hatred. Of course, his enemies -- for they really are enemies, out for blood -- accuse him of 'hate'. But any fair-minded observer has to see the way Eaton manipulated Scruton's quotations, then gloated about his defenestration, and conclude that it is his enemies, rather, who have hate in their heart.

The treatment of Scruton is a matter that should concern anyone with even a slither of heterodox thought. If one of the greatest conservative philosophers of our time cannot even be a minor unpaid adviser on architecture in the nominally Conservative Party, what hope is there for the rest of us? The Stalinist glee with which George Eaton manipulated quotations and poured slime over Scruton's reputation will be an increasingly common sight. They are the actions of the weaselly state informant who will thrive in this brave new world of criminalised thought and left-wing orthodoxy. Increasingly one will have to be secretive about one's views, even those which might seem quite inoffensive, lest someone misconstrues them, deliberately or not. For it does not matter what you actually believe, they will attribute beliefs which they want you have, and everyone will believe them -- those in authority -- not you. And yet so many of these beliefs were normal only but a short time ago. It has been a revolution, with all the accompanying dangers of revolution.