So a while ago I picked up a book called 'the lost diaries of albert smith'. I skimmed the blurb and picked it up. Middle aged character. Likes making lists, owns a grocers shop. Disapproves of his sons friends. Sounded like a middle aged Adrian Mole.
I finally got round to it and .. oh goodness it is not.
It may start off as a similarly clueless diary (the narrator cannot understand why his son is against him, or why his wife won't 'obey' him) but it goes into much darker territory.
From the start there are slurs against pretty much every non-white/christian group. But the main characters ideals seem otherwise understandable, if misguided. He likes to keep his shop running well, and his household in line. He idolises his father who served in WWI. He despises the 'degeneracy' of the younger generation who have no discipline. He especially judges the young couples who park their cars at 'the point', so much so that he occasionally visits just to check on the terrible things they get up to there.
The hypocrisy is a bit strong at times. Mr Smith disapproves of what the young people get up to, but enjoys hearing about it. And young 'troublemakers' getting into fights aren't the same as members of the 'youth front' parading around in uniform and cleaning up areas of 'undesirables'.
Yes this book quickly goes from 'patriotism' to 'racism' and far past it.
The most worrying bit for me, was that i have been told my whole life that we resisted Hitler because he was BAD. He persecuted and killed whole groups of people for no reason and that's why we fought him.
The view of Albert Smith is that we fought the nazis because they tried to take England but it's all ok if England does it to other people.
And he starts with what he sees as 'reasonable' arguments that they aren't racist. They just want to keep England English. They don't want to be violent against POC. They will just restrict where they can live. And shop. And work. And then round them up into 'instruction centres' when they don't go along with the new plan for 'the good of the country'.
Oh yes, this book goes fully into 'camps' complete with coloured patches for different types of 'instructees', forced labour, medical experiments, the works. All while sticking to the idea that the 'British spirit' that got us through WWII is still the ideal. Even when superiors are going against the ideals of 'the movement', they have to be followed because that's what 'the leader' said to do. Despite the rationing and shortage of supplies, during this 'great new era'.
The scary thing is, this guy believes right until the end. He sees everything falling apart around him, he himself becomes a prisoner. He sees friends and family die, and he still clings to this idea that it's all for the good of the country. For a higher cause.
This book was published in the 60's and maybe this seemed a possible future then, but right now it seems all so much likelier and so, although this was not an enjoyable read at all, i think it should be brought back into print or at least made available online.
