Kirjahaku

Fighter Ace Paddy Finucane became a legend in his own lifetime and widely publicized in the press. Joining the RAF in 1938, Finucane made a poor start to his flying career and was not operational until the Battle of Britain when every pilot was needed. Posted to 65 Squadron for the Battle of Britain, he went on to become a flight commander with 452 Squadron, the first Australian squadron in Britain. His leadership qualities quickly became apparent and it was with them that he scored his most spectacular successes in the circus sweeps on the French coast. Modest by nature he was upset by the constant references to himself as 'Bader's successor' but the spotlight never left him. In January 1942 he became squadron commander of the 602 Squadron and was promptly promoted to Wing Commander Flying, Hornchurch. Finucane established an outstanding reputation for tactics and flying skill having eventually destroyed 32 enemy aircraft before ditching in the Channel in July 1942 and disappearing. With the full co-operation of the Finucane family, the myth of a wild fighting Irishman can at last be eliminated to reveal a thoughtful, highly disciplined and respected individual, a man born to lead.

Following the killing of George Floyd in 2020, a moral panic gripped the US and UK. To atone for an alleged history of racism, statues were torn down and symbols of national identity attacked. Across universities, fringe theories became the new orthodoxy, with a cadre of activists backed by university technocrats adopting a binary worldview of moral certainty, sin and deconstructive redemption through Western self-erasure. This hard-hitting book surveys these developments for the first time. It unpacks and challenges the theories and arguments deployed by ‘decolonisers’ in a university system now characterised by garbled leadership and illiberal groupthink. The desire to question the West’s sense of itself, deconstruct its narratives and overthrow its institutional order is an impulse that, ironically, was underpinned by a more confident and assured Western hegemony, which is now waning and under great strain. If its light continues to dim, who or what will carry the torch for human freedom and progress?

Following the killing of George Floyd in 2020, a moral panic gripped the US and UK. To atone for an alleged history of racism, statues were torn down and symbols of national identity attacked. Across universities, fringe theories became the new orthodoxy, with a cadre of activists backed by university technocrats adopting a binary worldview of moral certainty, sin and deconstructive redemption through Western self-erasure. This hard-hitting book surveys these developments for the first time. It unpacks and challenges the theories and arguments deployed by ‘decolonisers’ in a university system now characterised by garbled leadership and illiberal groupthink. The desire to question the West’s sense of itself, deconstruct its narratives and overthrow its institutional order is an impulse that, ironically, was underpinned by a more confident and assured Western hegemony, which is now waning and under great strain. If its light continues to dim, who or what will carry the torch for human freedom and progress?