The Persecution of Lord Black

Since Friday the 13th, press coverage in Britain and Canada has been saturated with the shakespearean tragedy of Lord Black, who has fallen victim to the somewhat thuggish ways of the American prosecutorial state. Most of it has been shadenfreude nonsense of course, many of the reporters gleefully re-playing sensational talk of parties, trips and corporate perks, even when they knew after the jury's verdict that it was completely irrelevant to the case at hand. But few things are juicier to the "swarming, grunting masses of jackals", as Black famously called them, than engaging in class warfare, and revelling in the fall of a man who had the temerity to rise in life above their station.

Yes, even today with Black as a convicted felon on a minority of the counts (according to law, but not according to justice), I naturally support the Anglophilic and feudalist Lord, the world's last traditional press baron, who so ingloriously lost his newspaper empire by needlessly pissing off shareholders and inviting the vigilantes of American justice. A proprietor at heart, he should never have been involved in the running of a public company in the first place, far more did he care about print over profits, the debate and ideas of national politics, the splendid writing of biographical history, than any zest for the corporate boardroom or concern for shareholder wealth. Even though he made them billions (and they stupidly pissed it all away launching corporate-busting lawsuits), in terms of his business dealings he was far more suited as Lord of his own fiefdom, and not suited one bit to the corporate constraints as controlling minority owner of a public company.

What I find surprising is how so very few understand the man, or appreciate the things that motivate him. Although he is a strong proponent of the capitalist creed, he is not so particularly engrossed by it. He had no religion on making a buck like they do in corporate America; he was in it more for the international prestige. To understand Lord Black is to understand that he is an old fashioned elitist, enamoured not by power and wealth, but by greatness - great men, great battles and great nations. Corporate greed was the stuff of his self-serving and backstabbing partner, the skulking liar of a rat, David Radler, who would ration the pencils of his reporters to save himself money. Black with his intellectual pursuits and baroque vocabulary is not such a man. Not by a longshot.

The fact that Conrad Black was forced to give up his Canadian citizenship to become a British Lord reflects badly not on him but on us. Why do we single out and persecute the man in this way - why would we want to disown such an exceptional Canadian? Because he attacked our mediocrity, because he dared to criticize the Liberal and liberal media establishment? Because we were envious or ashamed of his success and worldly stature? Yes, there has been a great deal of fawning over Lord Black by the media, but that is because they find his pomposity and medievalism profoundly amusing and know it makes good press (see above Lord and Lady Black attending dinner party as Cardinal Richilieu and Marie Antoinette). But although they offer mitigated praise for the man's talents, they are mostly salacious in their condemnation of the man's faults. In their fixation they celebrate the titan's fall from grace. They would no doubt celebrate more if this tragedy ever produces its Lady MacBeth.

Elsewhere: David Warren shares my thoughts perfectly.