Why was Combo against the Falklands War?
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scottmc1971 — 14 years ago(February 22, 2012 12:56 AM)
The same thing occurred to me. The whole skin ethos as embodied by Combo in this movie was pride in being English and all that entails - including unquestioning loyalty to Queen and country. As the Falklands War was nothing if not an Imperial venture I'd have thought Combo would have been all for it.
"That, - Captain Bligh, - that is the thing; - I am in hell, sir - I am in hell." -
This_is_an_outrage — 13 years ago(November 14, 2012 02:20 AM)
What's interesting is that Combo seems to have vague, inconsistent ideas about the war. Remember how later on when he attacks the shop keeper, he says that Shaun's father died for his country before he accuses the shopkeeper of stealing jobs. I don't think Combo's the intellectual type who looks up articles in academic journals before formulating informed, reasoned opinions as to why he would be for or against a war.
Now in terms of opinions and ideas he may have heard about the war at a National Front rally or meeting, I think that while militarism and expansionism are often related to racism and xenophobia, isolationism may also be compatible with racism and xenophobia. While an anti-immigrant party could say that they don't want foreigners in their country, they could also say that they don't want dealings with foreign countries such as trade, aid, foreign investment and involvement in armed conflict all of which are argued to drain the country of its resources.
Furthermore, while far right political parties would certainly not be anti-authoritarian, they seem to have an anti-establishment streak that can ask people down at heel questions such as: why are you living in poverty and squalor while the government wastes money on a war that doesn't benefit you? The radical right (such as the National Front, Nazis, Fascists, you name them) seem to want to channel social discontent so they can use the atmosphere for plans such as the Munich Beer Hall Putsch or the March on Rome, whereas the conservative right (such as Thatcher's Conservatives) seem to want law and order as their agenda is served through parliamentary politics. -
ketmanscoop — 12 years ago(December 31, 2013 03:23 PM)
Maggie weakened the defences of the Falklands in the first place - think there was a naval taskforce moved, which signalled to the argentine junta that we weren't prepared to defend the Islands. A lot of people thought maggie went to war because she was going to lose the election the following year (she was massively behind in the polls) and that because there were only a few thousand people there and it is so far away that an alternative should have been found. That's why Combo was against the war.
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evanmang87 — 10 years ago(December 01, 2015 01:16 PM)
Not necessarily inconsistent. Although rank-and-file, mainstream conservative politicians are generally hawkish, the far-right fringe has often been less supportive of overseas wars. Here in the States, most Republicans are hawkish but guys like Pat Buchanan (independent right-wing politician), Tom Metzger (White Aryan Resistance), and David Duke (KKK and Stormfront) voiced opposition to the Iraq War and US government policies in the Middle East at a time when even a lot of Democrats, moderates, and liberals were supportive. I imagine it could be the same in the UK. The character Combo, like many right wing fascists here in the US, probably sees the war as a waste of lives of working-class white men and believes the real battle is at home against the hoards of immigrants, foreigners, minorities.