Dear John,
This Sunday, British politicians gathered at the Cenotaph for the National Service of Remembrance to honour those who fought and died for their country. According to long-standing protocol, political party leaders with fewer than six MPs observe the proceedings from a distance.
Yet somehow, this routine procedural requirement has become the latest flashpoint in Britain's culture wars. Nigel Farage claims the "establishment" blocked him from laying a wreath, while Reform Deputy leader Richard Tice calls it a "shameful stitch-up." Both insinuate some shadowy plot to exclude Farage from the ceremony.
In a move reminiscent of Donald Trump's rhetoric, Farage claims he isn't complaining – but rather that "other people are." This deflection technique shifts responsibility away from the speaker while still conveying the underlying message: that someone, somewhere, is orchestrating events against them.
The media ecosystem rapidly amplified this narrative. The Telegraph, The Express, The Spectator, the Mail, and GB News hurried to present this decades-old protocol as a new controversy. A rule that received no attention just days ago suddenly became headline news.
This pattern reveals a broader strategy of populist politics: transforming routine procedures into evidence of institutional conspiracy. Every rule becomes a personal slight, and every protocol a calculated attack. More concerning is how readily certain media outlets embrace and amplify these narratives while social media algorithms ensure their rapid spread.
A day that should have been about the many selfless acts of millions of heroes ended up being about a single selfish act by one thin-skinned narcissist. Shame on him.
