TestenGOLD- Free

Battle for the National Trust How 'anti-woke' culture warriors met their match

The Guardian|October 28, 2024
Corinne Fowler remembers sitting alongside her son in their garden shed during the first Covid lockdown, when the very start of an avalanche of hate mail popped up in her inbox.
- Ben Quinn
Battle for the National Trust How 'anti-woke' culture warriors met their match

"There was a barrage of emails, but the first one just said in the title: 'You're cooked.' And it went on from there," recalls the historian, who in 2020 had just published a landmark report into the colonial history behind some National Trust properties.

The email's author, she adds, seemingly shared the views of prominent Conservative MPs such as Jacob Rees-Mogg, who accused Fowler and the trust of "denigrating" British history by detailing the connections to slavery of 93 historic places in the charity's care. Looking back, Fowler believes "heated rhetoric" from politicians and others encouraged anger and even death threats against her and the trust's director general, Hilary McGrady.

An intervention by leading historical bodies took some of the heat out of the debate over perceived "wokeness" and headed off threats of interference by the Conservative government.

But the actions of the National Trust itself - alongside supporters including a slew of keyboard warriors - blunted the impact of the culture war the charity became caught up in. Four years on, the trust has largely defeated repeated attempts to elect opponents to its council, which appoints board members - though the latest is coming up this week.

Treasured institution Europe's biggest conservation charity, with more than 5 million members, the trust is considered by many to be a treasured institution.

Founded 129 years ago and later given statutory powers as foremost guardian of Britain's historic properties and countryside, faultlines have always run through the body - from tussles over how to respond to the postwar growth of mass recreation to the aftermath of the 2004 ban on foxhunting.

In recent years an insurgent group called Restore Trust, as well as media and Conservative figures, began to oppose some of its decisions - especially around efforts to address links to slavery and Britain's colonial past.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 28, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 9.500 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 28, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 9.500 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS THE GUARDIANAlle anzeigen
Mortgages 100% loans are back - will they work for you?
The Guardian

Mortgages 100% loans are back - will they work for you?

The controversial loan has returned with a crop of deals. Rupert Jones looks at each and explains why it is worth saving for even a 5% deposit

time-read
6 Minuten  |
June 07, 2025
The Guardian

Fallout Farage will find it harder to broaden appeal without Yusuf

At Reform UK's conference last September, Nigel Farage could not have been more clear: his party had to \"model ourselves on the Liberal Democrats\" and painstakingly build an election-winning machine.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
June 07, 2025
McCann mystery
The Guardian

McCann mystery

Search revives memories town wants to forget

time-read
5 Minuten  |
June 07, 2025
New Zealanders turn to home churning as butter prices soar
The Guardian

New Zealanders turn to home churning as butter prices soar

New Zealanders are driving for hours in pursuit of cheap butter, ordering it from Australia or even churning their own because of sky-high prices.

time-read
1 min  |
June 07, 2025
Russia is at war with US, warns defence adviser
The Guardian

Russia is at war with US, warns defence adviser

Russia is at war with Britain; the US is no longer a completely reliable ally, and the UK must respond by becoming more cohesive and resilient, according to one of the three authors of the strategic defence review.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
June 07, 2025
David Beckham tipped for knighthood in King Charles's birthday honours list
The Guardian

David Beckham tipped for knighthood in King Charles's birthday honours list

David Beckham will be awarded a knighthood next week as part of King Charles's birthday celebrations, according to reports.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
June 07, 2025
The Guardian

Trump v Musk: End of a marriage made in hell was predictable - the fallout will be less so

Sometimes you see two young children fighting like crazy,\" Donald Trump observed in the Oval Office on Thursday. \"They hate each other, and they're fighting in a park, and you try and pull them apart. They don't want to be pulled. Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart.\"

time-read
5 Minuten  |
June 07, 2025
Mortgage guarantee Scheme to end this month
The Guardian

Mortgage guarantee Scheme to end this month

A government scheme to encourage UK lenders to offer 95% mortgages is due to end this month, with no word yet on when its replacement will be launched.

time-read
1 min  |
June 07, 2025
'Absolute reliability' Why the UK is finally embracing the tram again
The Guardian

'Absolute reliability' Why the UK is finally embracing the tram again

In a side street in central Coventry, a possible vehicle of the future has been making its first public foray: a 60-seat, battery-powered miniature tram.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
June 07, 2025
Netanyahu admits arming anti-Hamas gangs in Gaza allegedly linked to jihadists
The Guardian

Netanyahu admits arming anti-Hamas gangs in Gaza allegedly linked to jihadists

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has admitted arming gangs in Gaza that he says are opposed to Hamas, after allegations that members of these criminal groups looted humanitarian aid and have ties to jihadist groups.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
June 07, 2025

Wir verwenden Cookies, um unsere Dienste bereitzustellen und zu verbessern. Durch die Nutzung unserer Website stimmen Sie zu, dass die Cookies gesetzt werden. Learn more