Right-wing label bandied about

You reported Paul Pollard, head of Simon Langton Girls, as saying in respect of the antivaxxers demonstrating outside his school, that they were

“engaged in conspiracy theories, disinformation and various other propaganda much more in common with familiar right wing tropes” [‘Head’s anger as antivaxxers ‘spreading fear’ outside school’, Gazette, September 16].

I am bemused. I’ve always thought of myself as politically of the right, a Thatcherite Tory, but I’m unaware of any “right-wing” tropes! I believe in individual rights and responsibilities, freedom of the press and free expression, a generally marketbased, free market economy and a small state which interferes less with individuals. Now maybe those are “right-wing” tropes, but if so the anti-vaxxers do not fit into them.

Anti-vaxx protesting has much in common with the leftwing anarchists of Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain who feel that they live on a higher moral plane than the rest of us and therfore have a duty to impose their views on the rest of us - by force if necessary; this is straight out of the Marxist/ Communist playbook whereby anybody who disagrees is an enemy of the people and should be cancelled.

“Right-wing” is a left-wing expression used to smear anybody they disagree with. Having labelled Nazism as “rightwing” and got away with it, those of the left now label their opponents as “right-wing” to smear by association and sadly they have succeeded to the point

where even an educated and erudite headmaster can casually use the term “right wing tropes”; it would be useful if we could be told what they are. As I say, I know of none.

Bob Britnell

Orchard Close, Canterbury