I’m writing this on the third anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. I still remember that day so distinctly since I was on breaking news watch for her certain passing. The death of such a long-reigning monarch was heartbreaking to the nation she led, but it was also a sad day for Anglophiles like me.
I’ve been an Anglophile as long as I can remember. It’s literally in my DNA; the vast majority of my heritage comes from the British Isles. But British culture, entertainment, and politics have fascinated me for decades (although I have to admit that I’m not as enamored with the royal family after Elizabeth’s passing as some people are).
British politics has gotten frustrating in recent years for true conservatives, and watching Britain slide into authoritarianism on free speech is something even a dyed-in-the-wool Anglophile like me can’t support. And I’m not alone.
Last week, Lee Cohen wrote a column in The Spectator that resonated deeply with me:
Today, for the first time, I find Britain indefensible. The affection and historical respect remains. The confidence is gone.
Britain now prosecutes her own citizens, not for violence or treason, but for words. Lucy Connolly was sentenced to 31 months in prison for a tweet in the wake of the Southport murders last year. Her crime was expression, harsh perhaps, but still speech. This week, Graham Linehan, the award‑winning creator of Father Ted, was arrested at Heathrow Airport by armed officers for online comments defending women’s spaces. Arrested, by police carrying weapons, for his opinions. This is the country that gave the world John Stuart Mill.
“Such cases expose what Britain has become: a two‑tier system of justice. Those branded far‑right, nationalist, or ‘Islamophobic’ are persecuted with zeal,” Cohen added. “Those spreading incendiary rhetoric from Islamist or minority factions are, all too often, met with indulgence.”
Related: In Secular Britain, Church Is the New Rebellion
Cohen cited not just the crackdown on social media users who express conservative views, but also local governments cracking down on patriotic Britons who fly the Union Jack or St. George’s Cross. The same nation that survived the Great Fire of London, the Blitz, and the Falklands War can’t handle patriotism in the face of unchecked Muslim immigration.
“Meanwhile, foreign flags fly freely across London without question,” he wrote. “The message is unmistakable: pride in your own country is suspect. Allegiance to any other is acceptable.”
He continued:
From abroad, the shift is impossible to ignore. Elon Musk has called Britain’s censorship Soviet‑style. JD Vance has condemned its crackdown on speech. The US State Department now lists Britain as a country presenting significant risks to free expression. I never imagined America would place Britain alongside nations that treat liberty as a nuisance. That day has come.
For those of us who have long defended Britain, it is heartbreaking. This is the country whose strong institutions enabled America’s own rise and whose commitment to liberty inspired ours. Yet under its current leadership, Britain has stumbled into repression, constraint, and fear, where ordinary citizens look over their shoulders before speaking.
Cohen appeared on The Spectator’s “Americano” podcast over the weekend, and he told host Freddy Gray that he’s never seen Americans as interested in British politics as they are right now. He mused whether Donald Trump’s Anglophilia and JD Vance’s earnest engagement with British politics might drive the two American leaders to urge the British government to stem the anti-free speech tide.
It's tempting to hope so, but it’s equally tempting to despair that Britain is too far gone. For someone who loves the British and their history and culture, I hope Britons can reverse course and return to shining as a beacon of freedom and hope to the world.
Britain — the land that gave us Magna Carta and inspired America’s liberty — is now arresting citizens for their words. If even Anglophiles like me can barely recognize Britain, you know free speech is under siege everywhere. At PJ Media, we don’t bow to censors. We tell the truth boldly, and you can be part of it.
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