"We do not believe that our Highgate articles are 'libellous' at all, but we consider them to be fair comment backed up by evidence." - The Faustian Circle blog, 20 February 2015
The article posted by the person behind The Faustian Circle, which initiated a mass of responses, largely from David Farrant, Anthony Hogg and Redmond McWilliams (the last name posts his comments anonymously when not using an absurd, fake name such as "Tim Fogsock"), was gleaned exclusively from David Farrant and Farrant's collaborator Kevin Chesham who put his own spin on matters to garner favour with his Muswell Hill mentor. These people will be examined more closely on a later entry, but for now let's examine The Faustian Circle individual's own article.
Having repeated many false allegations that trace back verbatim, directly or indirectly, to Farrant, The Faustian Circle ends by stating something about me that is borderline accurate:
"He is critical of The Faustian Circle, Dr Kerry Bolton (former Secretary of the New Zealand Fascist Union, and former leader of The Thelemic Society and the Order of the Left Hand Path, who is now more interested in Catholicism, Third Positionist Nationalism and Social Credit), Kevin Chesham, David Farrant, John Pope and Anthony Hogg. For the record, some of our members are in contact with the author Dr Kerry Bolton of New Zealand, but Kevin Chesham, David Farrant, John Pope and Anthony Hogg are NOT members of the F.C., although some of our members have read their literature, and also incidentally the books of Sean Manchester."
The "membership" of The Faustian Circle is so vast that only one person ever clicks on "like" under each and every entry made by The Faustian Circle on Facebook. His name is Bob Fuller who has forty Facebook friends, among them Gary Raikes who in 2012 founded something called "The New British Union" which proclaims itself to be a revival of the pre-war British Union of Fascists and National Socialists, using identical regalia, flags, symbols and uniforms. The New British Union opts for the post-BUF military-style uniform rather than the black fencing-style tunic that preceded it. The military-style uniform was adopted when the British Union of Fascists amended their nomenclature to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists in 1936. According to the Birmingham Mail, 7 July 2013, "the NBU is a sinister organisation with many members claiming to be pagans or followers of satanic and wiccan cults." A far cry from the pre-war movement founded in 1932 whose leader, Sir Oswald Mosley, declared at the end of the Second World War that Fascism was dead and in later interviews accepted he had made a catastrophic error by adopting the military uniform of 1936. I was a professional photographer in the 1960s and met Sir Oswald and his wife, Lady Diana, on a number of occasions. Sir Oswald definitely eschewed pre-war Fascism, and now described himself as a European Socialist. If one was looking for a continuation of Mosley's movement today, however, one would not turn to the New British Union, which is more a parody of the original, but rather something resembling European Action whose editor, Robert Edwards, has this to say about Fascism:
"Fascism in Britain was a peculiar phenomenon of the 1930s. Even left-wing academics have acknowledged this fact and the term 'post-fascist' had entered the political lexicon long ago. However, the word has become a term of abuse, a generic term applied to anything of which left-wing political correctness does not approve. Anyone who adopts this term as a political label today, deserves a heavy dose of political enlightenment because such a posturing is not only inappropriate but it also displays an ignorance of the changing shape and nature of British politics since the Second World War. Sir Oswald Mosley always claimed that he had 'gone beyond fascism' as he emerged onto the political scene after internment, without charge or trial, during the last world war. His Union Movement was founded in 1948 with a very clear message acknowledging that the post-war era demanded some very definite re-thinking. This re-thinking was encapsulated in the new idea of Europe a Nation, the hope that Europeans would never fight each other again and would unite in brotherhood. He made it very clear that the fascism of the Thirties had its faults and weaknesses, specifically that it 'rode roughshod over individual liberties.' Its other weakness being that it was far too narrow in its nationalism which could lead to the adoption of a belligerent attitude towards other nations, likely leading to war. There are still people today who talk rather foolishly of reviving fascism, a position which always seems to manifest itself in a fetish for uniforms and related paraphernalia. This particular penchant leaves no room for reason and serious practical thought. In Britain, the public display of political uniforms has been banned since 1936 and there is neither a desire nor a need to adopt such outward appearances again when other more effective means of propaganda are now available to us in the form of the new methods of electronic communication. There is no law against groups of people dressing up in black uniforms behind closed curtains and locked doors, when it satisfies a deep-felt need. But it is not politics; so let us make that very clear. What is the point of wearing a political uniform if the wearing of such a uniform in public is illegal? A true political mind is flexible enough to recognise a more pragmatic and realistic way and therefore rejects that which neither works nor is acceptable in the long run. There is a current trend towards reviving a 'golden era,' not surprising when most of us live in an age of empty materialism and uncertainty. Pre-war fascism did hark back to another era for inspiration. With Mussolini it was Ancient Rome and with Mosley it was England’s Elizabethan era. Having said that, we must understand that every 'golden era' had something of an illusion about it and so we must resist the temptation of dwelling on a past that seemed to offer a better picture of things. We are realists, albeit guided by an idealism, but an idealism for the future and not for the past. Fascism ended in the dust and ashes of 1945. The promises that it held for so many were dashed for good. What emerged in its place was a transcendence, upwards and forward, that looked back only for the purpose of learning lessons. The greatest virtue of pre-war fascism was its deeply held patriotism expressed in the most noble terms. Now we extend that principle of patriotism to the concept of Europe a Nation, widening the scope and appeal for a greater love of nation, beyond fascism. In the Twenty First Century we require a new creed for the purpose of carrying forward that long fought-out struggle in the interests of all our peoples in Europe. It is a synthesis of the best from all that has preceded the present time which leaves all previous political ideas totally redundant - including those of fascism!"
While I recognise that European Action is a more faithful representation of Sir Oswald Mosley's post-war ideology than New British Union, for the purpose of clarity I again make clear that I hold no allegiance or sympathy for either. My own feeling is that politics has failed people and always will.
Returning to the person behind The Faustian Circle, it is superfluous for him to state that Anthony Hogg is not one of its members. Apart from the fact that Hogg is of mixed race and has not been within a thousand miles of the United Kingdom, or indeed Europe; with his overtly left-wing views Anthony Hogg is a natural supporter of Unite Against Fascism and any similar anti-Fascist group.
The same goes for Redmond McWilliams who has contributed numerous anonymous posts to the offending blog. McWilliams is also a homosexual; so obviously not a likely supporter of Fascism.
Having repeated many false allegations that trace back verbatim, directly or indirectly, to Farrant, The Faustian Circle ends by stating something about me that is borderline accurate:
"He is critical of The Faustian Circle, Dr Kerry Bolton (former Secretary of the New Zealand Fascist Union, and former leader of The Thelemic Society and the Order of the Left Hand Path, who is now more interested in Catholicism, Third Positionist Nationalism and Social Credit), Kevin Chesham, David Farrant, John Pope and Anthony Hogg. For the record, some of our members are in contact with the author Dr Kerry Bolton of New Zealand, but Kevin Chesham, David Farrant, John Pope and Anthony Hogg are NOT members of the F.C., although some of our members have read their literature, and also incidentally the books of Sean Manchester."
The "membership" of The Faustian Circle is so vast that only one person ever clicks on "like" under each and every entry made by The Faustian Circle on Facebook. His name is Bob Fuller who has forty Facebook friends, among them Gary Raikes who in 2012 founded something called "The New British Union" which proclaims itself to be a revival of the pre-war British Union of Fascists and National Socialists, using identical regalia, flags, symbols and uniforms. The New British Union opts for the post-BUF military-style uniform rather than the black fencing-style tunic that preceded it. The military-style uniform was adopted when the British Union of Fascists amended their nomenclature to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists in 1936. According to the Birmingham Mail, 7 July 2013, "the NBU is a sinister organisation with many members claiming to be pagans or followers of satanic and wiccan cults." A far cry from the pre-war movement founded in 1932 whose leader, Sir Oswald Mosley, declared at the end of the Second World War that Fascism was dead and in later interviews accepted he had made a catastrophic error by adopting the military uniform of 1936. I was a professional photographer in the 1960s and met Sir Oswald and his wife, Lady Diana, on a number of occasions. Sir Oswald definitely eschewed pre-war Fascism, and now described himself as a European Socialist. If one was looking for a continuation of Mosley's movement today, however, one would not turn to the New British Union, which is more a parody of the original, but rather something resembling European Action whose editor, Robert Edwards, has this to say about Fascism:
"Fascism in Britain was a peculiar phenomenon of the 1930s. Even left-wing academics have acknowledged this fact and the term 'post-fascist' had entered the political lexicon long ago. However, the word has become a term of abuse, a generic term applied to anything of which left-wing political correctness does not approve. Anyone who adopts this term as a political label today, deserves a heavy dose of political enlightenment because such a posturing is not only inappropriate but it also displays an ignorance of the changing shape and nature of British politics since the Second World War. Sir Oswald Mosley always claimed that he had 'gone beyond fascism' as he emerged onto the political scene after internment, without charge or trial, during the last world war. His Union Movement was founded in 1948 with a very clear message acknowledging that the post-war era demanded some very definite re-thinking. This re-thinking was encapsulated in the new idea of Europe a Nation, the hope that Europeans would never fight each other again and would unite in brotherhood. He made it very clear that the fascism of the Thirties had its faults and weaknesses, specifically that it 'rode roughshod over individual liberties.' Its other weakness being that it was far too narrow in its nationalism which could lead to the adoption of a belligerent attitude towards other nations, likely leading to war. There are still people today who talk rather foolishly of reviving fascism, a position which always seems to manifest itself in a fetish for uniforms and related paraphernalia. This particular penchant leaves no room for reason and serious practical thought. In Britain, the public display of political uniforms has been banned since 1936 and there is neither a desire nor a need to adopt such outward appearances again when other more effective means of propaganda are now available to us in the form of the new methods of electronic communication. There is no law against groups of people dressing up in black uniforms behind closed curtains and locked doors, when it satisfies a deep-felt need. But it is not politics; so let us make that very clear. What is the point of wearing a political uniform if the wearing of such a uniform in public is illegal? A true political mind is flexible enough to recognise a more pragmatic and realistic way and therefore rejects that which neither works nor is acceptable in the long run. There is a current trend towards reviving a 'golden era,' not surprising when most of us live in an age of empty materialism and uncertainty. Pre-war fascism did hark back to another era for inspiration. With Mussolini it was Ancient Rome and with Mosley it was England’s Elizabethan era. Having said that, we must understand that every 'golden era' had something of an illusion about it and so we must resist the temptation of dwelling on a past that seemed to offer a better picture of things. We are realists, albeit guided by an idealism, but an idealism for the future and not for the past. Fascism ended in the dust and ashes of 1945. The promises that it held for so many were dashed for good. What emerged in its place was a transcendence, upwards and forward, that looked back only for the purpose of learning lessons. The greatest virtue of pre-war fascism was its deeply held patriotism expressed in the most noble terms. Now we extend that principle of patriotism to the concept of Europe a Nation, widening the scope and appeal for a greater love of nation, beyond fascism. In the Twenty First Century we require a new creed for the purpose of carrying forward that long fought-out struggle in the interests of all our peoples in Europe. It is a synthesis of the best from all that has preceded the present time which leaves all previous political ideas totally redundant - including those of fascism!"
While I recognise that European Action is a more faithful representation of Sir Oswald Mosley's post-war ideology than New British Union, for the purpose of clarity I again make clear that I hold no allegiance or sympathy for either. My own feeling is that politics has failed people and always will.
Returning to the person behind The Faustian Circle, it is superfluous for him to state that Anthony Hogg is not one of its members. Apart from the fact that Hogg is of mixed race and has not been within a thousand miles of the United Kingdom, or indeed Europe; with his overtly left-wing views Anthony Hogg is a natural supporter of Unite Against Fascism and any similar anti-Fascist group.
The same goes for Redmond McWilliams who has contributed numerous anonymous posts to the offending blog. McWilliams is also a homosexual; so obviously not a likely supporter of Fascism.
Kevin Chesham, Redmond McWilliams and David Farrant.
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