Opinion of Winston Churchill

[Filuwaúrdjan]

One of the best. I don't understand how people can hate him.

Over a very, very long political career he did a lot of things that hurt a lot of people. Not always intentionally, of course: I doubt that he intended Gallipoli to be an unmitigated disaster, but that's not really the point. In the British coalfields he was he was a hate figure for a set of very solid reasons: he'd sent troops in to break a strike in the Rhondda as Home Secretary in 1910, his actions as Chancellor in the 1920s led pretty directly to economic devastation in pit villages and mining towns up and down the country, and the less said about his role in the General Strike the better. This is one example of many.

He spent most of his career as an intentionally controversial figure. Politicians of that ilk attract enemies. His role as National Ornament and Figurehead during the early 1940s was a strange exception to the usual pattern: even during the 1945 election he said some pretty weird things (c.f. arguing that Labour wanted to establish a gestapo of some kind). I can understand why people view him as a hero, but (as you can see) those of us who don't have perfectly logical reasons for our views.

[Supersonic]

One of the best. I don't understand how people can hate him.

Atlas Forum 'innit.

Read what I pointed out (i.e. he was mass murdering, authoritarian, imperialist warmonger)? Do you at least understand why the Irish or Indians might take issue with him?

I'm not Irish or Indian, so.

[windjammer]

One of the best. I don't understand how people can hate him.

Atlas Forum 'innit.

Read what I pointed out (i.e. he was mass murdering, authoritarian, imperialist warmonger)? Do you at least understand why the Irish or Indians might take issue with him?

I'm not Irish or Indian, so.

And states are cold monsters, if they start to have feelings, they will fall. Something you, Snowstalker, and the True Leftist/True Libertarian Brigade will never understand.

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Well, Sibboleth, thank you for your post, I recognize that "heroes" can have some secrets.

[Phony Moderate]

FF on war leadership, HP on everything else.

[Mordecai]

HP.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Surprisingly close.

[Mechaman]

One of the best. I don't understand how people can hate him.

Atlas Forum 'innit.

Read what I pointed out (i.e. he was mass murdering, authoritarian, imperialist warmonger)? Do you at least understand why the Irish or Indians might take issue with him?

I'm not Irish or Indian, so.

"I'm not a member of either of those cultures, so I needn't bother understanding their concerns!"

Great logic guys!  I wonder why Conservatism is such a hard thing to sell to people!?

[Mechaman]

One of the best. I don't understand how people can hate him.

Atlas Forum 'innit.

Read what I pointed out (i.e. he was mass murdering, authoritarian, imperialist warmonger)? Do you at least understand why the Irish or Indians might take issue with him?

I'm not Irish or Indian, so.

And states are cold monsters, if they start to have feelings, they will fall. Something you, Snowstalker, and the True Leftist/True Libertarian Brigade will never understand.

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Well, Sibboleth, thank you for your post, I recognize that "heroes" can have some secrets.

You do realize that Churchill was defending Old World Imperialism well into the mid 1900's, right?

If you don't understand how this is horrible even by many non-"true leftist" standards, there is counseling available.

[Gass3268]

Between neutral and a HP, so I went the HP route.

FDR was a much better leader.

[TTS1996]

The return to the Gold Standard in the 1920s (for which he was personally responsible) lead to a horrific economic depression hitting the coalfields years before the rest of the country. Never forgive.

Wouldn't it be fairer to say Churchill was against the return to the gold standard, but bounced into it by Treasury orthodoxy and took responsibility for it as the minister in charge, as is the way with collective responsibility in Westminster systems? Your interpretation seems grossly unfair.

[Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese]

A drunk, vile, imperialist. FF!

[politicallefty]

Solely due to his leadership during WWII, I have to vote FF.

[Princess Nyan Cat]

One of the greatest leaders in world history.

[politicus]

One of the greatest leaders in world history.

This.

Welcome to the forum nyancat! Perhaps we will be more than a handfull feminine posters one day!

[Horus]

FF on war leadership, HP on everything else.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Massive FF (sane).

[traininthedistance]

Solely due to his leadership during WWII, I have to vote FF.

Yeah, this.  The rest of his political career was really utterly horrible- but I think people are forgetting just how dark things were during the Battle of Britain. 

[Princess Nyan Cat]

Welcome to the forum nyancat! Perhaps we will be more than a handfull feminine posters one day!

Thank you! I've been told I'm a handful all by myself.

[All Along The Watchtower]

A good example of how even HPs can rise to the occasion in a time of grave crisis.

[Hifly]

A horrible piece of sh**t.
And the majority of his time in public service was a complete disaster.

[Хahar 🤔]

Solely due to his leadership during WWII, I have to vote FF.

Yeah, this.  The rest of his political career was really utterly horrible- but I think people are forgetting just how dark things were during the Battle of Britain. 

I was unaware that Winston Churchill was the military commander who won the Battle of Britain.

[Frodo]

FF -whatever sins he committed before the Battle of Britain is outweighed by his role as the resistance figure during those crucial years when Britain most needed a leader who could stand up to Hitler.  And that is what he is most (deservedly) remembered for by posterity.

[ElectionsGuy]

HP

[Vosem]

Overwhelmingly, overwhelmingly positive. We need more like him.

[Incipimus iterum]

FF