Читать книгу Enemies of the People - Sam Jordison, Sam Jordison - Страница 5

Not too long ago, there was a fashionable theory that history was determined by economic and geopolitical forces rather than by individuals. Before that, the big idea was that Great Men governed history: that it took men (always men) of destiny, foresight, intelligence and strategic mastery to change the world and build the future.

But recent years have proved both those notions abundantly wrong. From Nigel Farage to Donald Trump via (inevitably) Vladimir Putin, our lives generally have been governed, endangered and thrown into confusion by a pack of angry men. (Nearly always men. Nearly always white.) Men whose ambition is inversely proportional to their ability – and stability. When was the last time you saw a decent leader outside of Canada? And when was the last time anyone in power did anything useful for you?* The truth is that most of the people who have guided our destiny have been far from great – no matter how often they might enjoy using that word.

And here we are, in 2017, post-truth and mid-Brexit. Nationalism is on the rise. A reality TV star is in the Oval Office. The UK is leaving the European Union and looks set to split apart. We are on the precipice of an uncertain future – and the people in this book are the ones who have stuffed us on the bus and driven us there.

Several of those listed are monsters. Not all. I have an uncomfortable feeling that Chris Martin may actually be quite sweet. But that’s okay. Enemies of the People is not just intended as a roll-call of the evil, or even the unpleasant. Instead, the chapters are devoted to those who have helped us get to this dizzying and windswept cliff-edge, whether that be through malice, bad driving or accidentally taking a wrong turn.

So it is that there’s no Attila the Hun, no Vlad the Impaler, not even Stalin. That’s not to defend such ogres in any way – just to say that other people are currently at the wheel. If I were writing ten years ago, I would probably have included a very different set of names. In ten years’ time we’ll probably have a whole new bunch of worries.

But for now, Enemies of the People should be an interesting snapshot. True to our times, it was written quickly and in anger. I can’t pretend to be objective. In fact, I can’t pretend to be anything other than royally cheesed off. I’ve seen the world I love torn to shreds and I wish it hadn’t happened.

But I have also tried to be true and to use verifiable facts. Because facts are important and facts endure. Which brings me to another big theory about history. They say it is always written by the victors. But at the moment, many of those victors can’t seem to write more than 140 characters at a time. Which gives us a golden opportunity to set the record straight, to snatch back the narrative and to find a better road.

And if you want to win, the first thing you’ve got to do is to know your enemy.

Update for the paperback edition

This edition has been revised and updated to take into account the first year of the Trump administration and the UK government’s attempts to negotiate Brexit following on from the triggering of Article 50. It’s safe to say things haven’t become any less crazy …

* If you went to Eton with David Cameron, he probably did do plenty for you. But that doesn’t count.