We have been following the Henry Nowak case that his roiled Great Britain. It is only the latest of many instances of Britain’s two-tier justice system, but for whatever reason it seems to be the incident that has opened the floodgates.
Yesterday JD Vance weighed in on Twitter:
Vance’s comments were only incidentally about the particulars of the Nowak case, and only partly about the U.K. His point was broader–a defense of Western civilization and national sovereignty against “the mass invasion of migrants, many of whom despise the West and the people who love it.” That is, indeed, the issue, but Prime Minister “Two-Tier Keir” Starmer took offense:
The US vice-president is the most outspoken member of an administration evangelistic about encouraging Christian nationalism in the West and opposing an influx of people from other cultures, with a particular focus on the UK.
“Christian nationalism”? Where did that come from? For what it’s worth, Vance’s wife is a Hindu. On to Starmer:
His comments on the death of 18-year-old Henry Nowak brought a rebuke from the prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s office, which rejected “people trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets”.
Is that a fair complaint? I don’t think so. There is no election in progress in Britain, and Vance’s criticism wasn’t directed particularly toward Starmer’s government. Rather, he referred to “the last few generations of European elites.” Like President Trump, Vance wants to preserve British democracy, not undermine it. And if there is “division in the streets,” it is because there needs to be, on account of racially biased policing in British streets.
Vance’s comments seem well-timed in the context of this news story, also out of the U.K.: “Historical figures ‘too divisive’ for banknotes.”
Historical figures such as Winston Churchill, Alan Turing and Jane Austen were viewed by some members of the public as “elitist and divisive”, according to research commissioned by the Bank of England.
The research, conducted by market research firm Savanta in October 2025, was delivered months before the Bank announced that historical figures would be replaced by wildlife on the next set of banknotes.
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Notable British figures have featured alongside the monarch on banknotes for more than 50 years.
Having won the Second World War is now, apparently, “divisive”:
In one focus group, a member of the public described Turing, the Second World War codebreaker and mathematician, as imperialistic. The participant said: “It does kind of still feel a little bit imperialistic … Even Alan Turing, who was obviously a famous scientist, is within the context of winning the Second World War.
“It does feel like there is that kind of boomer, imperialistic, ‘we’re the ones who won the Second World War and saved the world’ feeling to the [bank]notes.”
So Brits won’t have to be reminded of past glories when they get out their wallets. Instead, they will see wildlife, with specific animals to be chosen later this summer. Meanwhile, I see no evidence of any commemoration of D-Day in the British press today.
Vance was right, but as far as Britain is concerned, his defense of Western civilization may be too late.
