Jack Havig's Pamphlet

In 1951, Jack Havig has a mimeographed pamphlet which is described on its first page as "Copyright 1970 by John F. Havig." On the face of it, futuristic fiction except that we, reading Poul Anderson's There Will Be Time, copyright 1973, recognize Havig's text as a satire of radical politics in the 1960s and 1970. Havig's "WITHIT'S COLLEGIATE DICTIONARY" comprises Chapter III of There Will Be Time (New York, 1973), pp. 27-32.

I have to accept that the "Dictionary" is satirical of some people in the US forty eight years ago. Thus, my present response comes from a different angle. Nevertheless, for what it is worth, Havig's satirical definition of "Fascist" is:

"A person who favors measures possibly conducive to the survival of the West." (p. 29)

I have to accept that the word "fascist" has been overused and misused. Thus, I had to point out in discussion or argument that Margaret Thatcher won three General Elections and did not ban all other political parties, arrest their leaders or burn down Parliament. Therefore, she was a Parliamentarian and a Conservative, not a fascist. "Fascist" cannot just mean anyone whom we dislike. However, it does apply to some current political organizations in Europe and Britain that are violently xenophobic and that include anti-democrats and Hitlerites. See the attached image of some Welsh Defence League members.

In Britain right now: on Friday, one such group marched in Leeds; on Tuesday, a mosque and a gurdwara were attacked in Leeds. Fascists are here and anti-fascists counter-demonstrate.