There’s a Tracey Ullman comedy sketch about the extreme and ugly form of political correctness afflicting the youth. It’s set in a self-help group for ‘people who are so woke [i.e. attuned to left-wing grievance politics] they are finding it impossible to have any fun at all.’
A newcomer to the class tells his story: ‘It started with the little things — signing an online petition; going to a march. Well, before I knew it, I was writing to the Guardian about LBGT representation in the Harry Potter books…’ At this point, a prissy young woman interjects: ‘Which is shocking by the way.’ The therapist (played by Ullman) calls her to order: ‘Yes, all right, Libby. We’ve all read your blog.’
Last week, at Cambridge University, I had an encounter with a real-life Libby and the experience wasn’t funny one bit. It was discomfiting, it was embarrassing, but above all it was depressing, for it reminded me just how painfully in thrall some of our brightest and best are to the toxic, joyless, cry–bully creed of Social Justice Warrior grievance politics.
The occasion was a black tie dinner for the university’s Conservative Association (CUCA). I was the guest speaker. And the theme of my speech — ironically enough — was how we can win the war for real conservative values in an age when a shrill, angry, increasingly aggressive left is so determined to close us down at every turn.
I began by outlining how much things have changed since I was at university. In the 1980s, there were no campaigns to ‘decolonise the curriculum’ (i.e. purge it of dead white European males), no ‘safe spaces’ to protect us from scary new ideas, and certainly no awkward compulsory ‘consent classes’ in Freshers’ Week.
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