National Trust says embrace diversity and inclusion- or ELSE

One would think the lauded lands, halls and manors of our esteemed National Trust might be the one refuge for families, tourists, staycationers and caravanning crowds alike to enjoy, explore and learn of the rich and varied history of this great country (yes, roll your eyes  BACK to the forward position all ye Remainers), a ‘safe space’ (to borrow from the liberal lexicon) to frequent free of political posturing and moral grandstanding. Or maybe not. At Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk a handful of long standing volunteers had been shown the stage door exit for refusing to wear the LGBT ‘Prejudice and Pride’ campaign accessories. (Since news broke boycotting patrons voting with their wallets have prompted a whiplash-inducing U-turn by the powers-that-be at the National Trust. Funny that.) But to recap- dissenting volunteers’ gripe was not with the LGBT community, who let’s face it are probably pretty indifferent, but their discomfort of the shameless exploitation of the private life of Felbrigg’s last lord, Robert Wyndham Ketton-Cremer, recently outed as gay in a documentary aired last month. Mike Holmes, 72, who has volunteered at the hall for 13 years, puts it succinctly that it is not the trust’s place to “research its benefactors’ private lives to suit the needs of a marketing campaign”. Quite.

Now let’s examine this. First, these are volunteers, that’s UNPAID people, giving their time and consideration to the thousands of patrons visiting the Hall every year. Second, many are pensioners standing for hours on end, often in drafty halls and toe-numbing conditions that in some corners would constitute cruel and unusual work practices to make SportsDirect look cushy—nevertheless always with a warm smile eager impart their encyclopeadic knowledge to all interested parties regardless their race, religion or sexual orientation. (There’s no badge to prove this, you see? You’ll just have to take my word.) Having been to Felbrigg myself, my children and I were thoroughly amused and entertained by their stories and enthusiasm– stiff competition for erstwhile digital diversions. Third, call me crazy but the National Trust is no place to advertise one’s political affiliations. Above all is this, that for a generation who fiercely protects one’s right to privacy, parading one’s sexual orientation and bedroom practices for public consumption to suit a political agenda flies of the face of all that is decent and proper in society. Whilst the rest of us may clamour for attention and our fifteen minutes, offering a running commentary of our lives in search of some sort of validation, they see there’s little dignity in it. Imagine that?? For them, the badge is more than a political statement, but consent to that invasion.

Here’s the thing, as if Brexit and Trump weren’t consequence enough, here’s yet more proof the tone-deaf liberal establishment still DO NOT GET IT. This authoritarian brand of PC nonsense flies in the face of all the lefty elite purport to stand for. Those who dare not subscribe to their platform suffer the very bullying intolerance once suffered by those whom this campaign purports to champion. Embracing diversity and inclusion is not a narrow remit with terms and conditions, and hogging the moral high ground can be dangerous. They ought to be careful not to let the irony smack their smug, virtuous derrieres, ‘cause it’s a long way down.