Richard Wilde @[email protected]

I have lived on this planet for nearly 80 years and have been active in politics for over 30 of them, working in the European Parliament and for MPs in Westminster. I have also been a prolific blogger for 20 years, writing on political and defence issues, have written (and co-written) numerous books, dabbled in journalism and worked as Christopher Booker's researcher for his column in the Sunday Telegraph. Through all those long years, with a better insight of the political temperature of the nation than many, I have to say that I have never observed anything like the mood that we are experiencing at the moment, one of sullen resentment and mistrust of the political classes, allied with a collapse in respect for the government and the institution of parliament. This is currently manifest in the response to the "call to arms" from the CDS and the head of MI6 (amongst others), with a widespread rejection of what is seen as an establishment message. Although some pundits see this as a temporary phase, or one which could be overcome by careful message management and the right incentives, they may be failing to understand how deep-rooted this mood of resentment really is. If there is a parallel in history, in terms of anti-war sentiment, look to the United States from 1968 onwards, when the country was on the brink of civil war, united in its rejection of a continuation of the Vietnam War. Populations can and do reject their leaders' calls to war, and my perception is that if the government and the establishment push for a mobilisation for war against Russia, they will be met with the same wall of rejection that US governments faced with Vietnam. Such a push could well unite the nation and trigger active resistance which brings us closer to David Betz's civil war scenario. These are not normal times, and any pundit who expects the nation to settle down after a few grumbles, and comply with the directions of a uniquely unpopular government, may well be in for a sharp jolt to reality.