We Crossed over the Border the Hour before Dawn.

Part 2 of 3

Last week was the first in a trilogy of posts reporting on my visit to North Korea (aka the UK). You will have noted the apprehension in my writing, my first and most obvious concern being the simple question - would I get across the border? To cut to the chase, yes I did, and I’m writing part 2 today from the apparent calm of Ambleside. Though the crossing of the border actually took place in the early afternoon rather than before dawn - a little dramatic license and a nod to any Al Stewart fans.

The recent reference that Nigel Farage made to the UK now being North Korea, that I mentioned in Part 1 last week, was his response to the arrest of Graham Linehan at Heathrow Airport because of comments Mr Linehan had made about trans people, and the ominous implications for Freedom of Speech. Timothy Snyder posted only yesterday on ‘me speech versus free speech’, an excellent piece as usual. Mr Farage is of course an enthusiastic supporter of freedom of speech, providing you agree with him, whether it be on North Korea, or his regular comments about ‘tinderbox Britain’ and the anger that he claims is palpable across the UK. If Mr Farage is correct then one should not be fooled by what looks like the tranquility of Ambleside today - all those groups of fell walkers and hikers, with their heavy boots and backpacks (full of who knows what) could at any moment turn into a rioting mob.

Ambleside seething with anger

So whilst I’m here to see my sister (who I will refer to as ‘Jan’), I haven’t yet mentioned that the reason for visiting now is that she has an exhibition of her art not too far away in the town of Egremont. The focus of her work is Cumberland wrestling, an ancient tradition dating back at least as far as the 18th century. It is interesting is it not, that the UK’s leading broadcaster, the BBC, considers my sister’s exhibition to be a story perhaps even more newsworthy than questions around Mr Farage and his house purchasing/stamp duty in Clacton. I think you’ll agree, looking at this picture, that if freedom of speech is now outlawed in the UK, at least we still have freedom of expression.

One of Jan’s pictures, a modern interpretation of an ancient sport.

So congratulating myself for having made it to Ambleside is all very well, but the story doesn’t end here and the adventure is far from over. North Koreans are rarely if ever allowed to leave their country and need special permission to do so, so I’m taking nothing for granted when I attempt to get out of the UK next week. If the UK is now North Korea, then I need to be viewing France as South Korea, and imagine a welcoming bowl of Bibimbap rather than a warm baguette at my destination. To increase my chances I’m keeping the precise date and time quiet, but if my plans to defect go smoothly then I’ll be writing Part 3 back in Provence a week from now.

À bientôt