Renewed vigilance to save enlightened society
William Pitt the younger was one of Great Britain’s most competent Prime Ministers.
He accepted his appointment at the young age of twenty-four years from King George III. Three of his greatest challenges were during the period of the French Revolution (1790s), the Napoleonic Wars and his leftwing antagonist Charles Fox.
The French Revolution brought subversive elements (spies, agitators and terrorists) in a new way to the English shores.
The agitators tried to induce English society to use force to create change as followed by the French. Napoleon’s armies shortly thereafter rampaged across Europe.
Britain was under siege from all fronts.
Britain’s forces were weak because of the lack of attention from previous administrations.
Pitt was under extreme pressure to provide the security needed to protect his people. Fortunately he recognized the peril and took action only to be opposed on every move by Charles Fox.
The following is taken from one of his speeches in the House of Commons: “Mr Fox defies me to state, in one sentence, what is the object of war. I know not whether I can do it in one sentence, but in one word I can tell him that it is “security”, security against danger, the greatest that ever threatened the world. It is security against a danger which never existed in any past period of society”.
Pitt managed security forces to the highest levels and his work set the scene, six years after his death, for Napoleon’s defeat.
A similar danger exists today for our country and all other freedom loving countries.
Terrorism as in Pitt’s time presents a danger like no other. Fortunately for our country and other European countries we have leadership which has, like Pitt, recognized the danger and has set in motion programmes to eradicate the threat of social collapse.
PM Harper has asked all thinking and concerned Canadians to join in a renewed vigilance to save our enlightened society from attempts to take us back to the dark ages.
It is in the national interest and a very necessary venture for all of Canadians.