Truth, it has been said, is the first casualty of war.   
A Culture War – begun by Trump - is now raging in our own Disunited Kingdom. The BBC’s harassment of Gary Lineker over a tweet demonstrates how divisive and dangerous that war has become. The tweet ran: There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?  
The first and final sentences are matters of opinion. The second is a statement of fact.   
Bear in mind these facts too: Richard Sharp of the BBC, donated £400,000 to the Tory Party and helped Johnson secure an £800,000 loan. Bear in mind also that Dominic Cummings - the brain behind Brexit and the crusade to convince us that Boris would lead us to a post-Brexit sun-lit upland – said of the BBC, ‘It’s the mortal enemy of the Tory Party.’  
Returning to that casualty – the Truth. Why isn’t the mass-media in hysterics over the lies Farage is now spouting unchallenged on his very own TV show? He accused Lineker of comparing Tory ‘policies’ rather their ‘language’ with that common in Germany in the 30s. Then added – Don’t forget the Nazis were National Socialists. They were Socialists.’  
Farage must know - as does every GCSE History student - that Hitler decided as an after-thought to add the word Socialist to his new ultra-Nationalist party precisely in order to deceive uneducated people. Farage is either ignorant or lying. I suspect the latter. That’s only my opinion and you may disagree with it, but I hope you would die for my right to express it.   
Remember – the Nazis were masters at closing down opinions critical of their policies. Reflecting on what’s happening to Lineker, that’s ironic. And alarming.
Anthony Hentschel
 Nailsworth