References To Alf Garnett in Politics
The character's name has become a standard description of anyone ranting at the world in general, and has even found its way into politics, Oswald Mosley dismissing Enoch Powell after his Rivers of Blood speech as "a Middle Class Alf Garnett", former Prime Minister Harold Wilson also criticising Powell for making Alf Garnett 'politically articulate' and conferring upon him 'a degree of political respectability' Denis Healey accusing Margaret Thatcher of possessing "the diplomacy of Alf Garnett" and more recently has been used in criticism of politicians such as Ken Livingstone and John Reid. On 9 June 2010 during Prime Minister's questions David Cameron referred to Ed Balls as "the new Alf Garnett of British politics" following his comments on immigration.
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“Hardly a man in the world has an opinion upon morals, politics or religion which he got otherwise than through his associations and sympathies. Broadly speaking, there are none but corn-pone opinions. And broadly speaking, Corn-Pone stands for Self- Approval. Self-approval is acquired mainly from the approval of other people. The result is Conformity.”
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