Enid Blyton is the latest beloved children’s author to be censored by the wokies – although, the censorship may have been going on for some time. MailOnline has more.
Enid Blyton’s classic novels are beloved globally but some of her works have been rewritten to remove ‘outdated’ language.
And uncensored versions are being placed in “off-limit storage spaces” in libraries to prevent the public from “stumbling upon” the old wording.
Recently edited works are displayed publicly across Devon’s libraries but tales which have not yet been amended are not so easy to access.
If a reader requests an original version of titles like The Famous Five, they will be shown a verbal trigger warning, according to the Telegraph.
The original versions are catalogued online and if a reader chooses to access one, a warning system will remind them of the language used within the older editions.
The changes were revealed in Devon County Council documents.
It was explained that Library Unlimited – which runs the council’s library service – regularly audits books, replacing them with altered versions.
The documents say that where popular titles contain “increasingly outdated” language, libraries purchase new, edited versions.
The off-limits area of libraries also contains books that have been removed due to staff or customer complaints – such as the autobiography of previously-incarcerated Tommy Robinson, the founder of the far-right English Defence League.
Blyton composed more than 700 books, including beloved titles like The Famous Five series and Noddy, from the late 1930s until she died in 1968.
But publishing house Hodder confirmed in 2010 that Blyton’s works would be refreshed in order to make them ‘timeless’.
In January last year, Jacqueline Wilson gave The Magic Faraway Tree a rewrite to remove “sexist expectations” of female characters, with domestic chores for the girls replaced with a lesson on gender equality.
And in February, Blyton’s Famous Five and Malory Towers books saw words such as ‘brown’ with reference to tanned faces, ‘queer’ and ‘gay’ changed to bring them up to date.
A description of “a brown-faced fisher-boy” was changed to a “suntanned fisher-boy”, while “Where’s George? She wants spanking” became “She wants a good talking to”.
English Heritage released updated blue plaque information in 2021 saying Blyton’s booked had been linked to “racism and xenophobia”.
Examples of ‘racism’ within the books include 1966’s The Little Black Doll, in which the main character ‘Sambo’ is only accepted by his owner “once his ‘ugly black face’ is washed ‘clean’ by rain”, while in Noddy, ‘golliwogs’ were changed to ‘goblins’.
English Heritage also now cites that publisher Macmillan refused to publish The Mystery That Never Was over its “old-fashioned xenophobia” towards foreign characters.
Dr. Byrn Harris, legal counsel for the Free Speech Union told the Telegraph: “We are bemused by the decision to treat the author of Noddy as dangerous and subversive samizdat.”
Worth reading in full.
I wonder how long it will be before the trans lobby claims George in The Famous Five as the first trans character in children’s fiction and Blyton is rehabilitated?
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Brilliant article! Thank you. Very well said.
The Conservative Party’s two main problems are, as you have identified, ‘Blair’s Britain’ and the ‘extended civil service’ of rather dim, self satisfied, self gratifiers, neither of which the Conservatives have ever had the backbone to confront.
Consequently they have frittered away the goodwill of those who gave them a decent majority precisely to take on that egregious, nest feathering, pompous and self serving, fat and sweaty blob of bureaucratic functionaries.
The Reform Party is now the beckoning refuge for that, by now, incandescent vote.
It remains to be seen how big the Reform vote will be, and how diminutive that for the utterly hopeless bunch of incompetent buffoons who make up today’s ‘Blunt & Pincher’ party.
But The Netherlands has shown us the way……
My opinion is that the old chestnut about the Irish farmer being asked for directions, holds good: “If I were you, I wouldn’t be starting from here.” 650 MPs mean 450 gravy-trainers not fit for purpose. Civil Serice, NHS and MOD Procurement: bad jokes that no-one ever found funny. A root and branch clearout of the Augean stables is required, but I don’t see any Hercules figure on the horizon. (Notwithstanding N. Farage’s sterling efforts). Glad to be in the ‘departure lounge of life.’ What a pretty pass!
I very much share your dismay.
‘When he stopped there was a considerable silence.
I then asked: “Where is the strategic reserve?” and, breaking into French, which I used indifferently (in every sense): “Ou est la masse de manoeuvre?”
General Gamelin turned to me and, with a shake of the head and a shrug, said: “Aucune.”
There was another long pause.
Outside in the garden of the Quai d’Orsay clouds of smoke arose from long bonfires, and I saw from the window venerable officials pushing wheel-barrows of archives on to them.
Already therefore the evacuation of Paris was being prepared.’
Churchill
Alanbrooke, Monty and Alexander got the BEF out of the merde and, ultimately, Alanbrooke, backed by Churchill, got the entire country, and (Western) Europe, back to calm waters.
But it got worse after Dunkirk before it got better.
A Stygian darkness is now on the horizon.
It is to be hoped, in the next few years, that the darkest of the night to come presages some kind of new dawn, the warmth of its illuminating rays a long way off yet……
Beggar!
I reciprocate your sentiments Monro, The ‘Stygian darkness’ to which you refer, I sum up prosaically (in the words of Derek and Clive). “—and I turned to the manager, and with all the dignity I could muster, said; “Is this any way to run a fucking ballroom?””
Top
Deep State.
Unified across the G20.
They meet in various confabs including the crap called COP.
Rona messaging was the same across the G20 as were the policies and timings.
Just a cockup…..
“We are Governed by Process…” A major part of it being the first past the post system; the modern “Conservative” Party will be glad that it is.
We are governed by ppl bribed not to represent their constituents. Plus any possibility that someone can’t be paid off there are supra national treaties/bodies that prevent any real change in nation states.
“Shortly before the referendum of 2016, David Cameron and George Osborne drew up plans to purge the entire Right of the party, reconstituting it as a purely centrist force.”
——
And that, I think, is why Cameron’s been brought back now. I think Sunak was ordered by the Party Grandees to make him Foreign Sec, because there’s nothing whatsoever in it for Sunak himself …. with the useless little pipsqueak being continually upstaged by Call Me Dave.
The Party Grandees are anticipating the post-election split and want Cameron in place to lead what remains of the LibCON faction into unity with the LibDEMS. He did it once in 2009, to keep “the Right” under control and now they want to make it permanent.
That will leave any right-wing Conservatives who are left in Parliament with the choice of uniting with Reform or being completely ostracised.
Something else that is rarely mentioned is the control that has been wrested from local constituency selection committees. More and more I hear that some unknown bod (to the local members) has been imposed from on high by the Conservative & Unionist (just to remind ourselves of its history) Central Office (sorry, CCHQ as it pompously calls itself now).
Blair began the destruction of the power of Parliament. The Supreme Court and the Bill of Human Rights, were un-necessary. Parliament has always been the absolute court of hearing, and our Human Rights were enshrined in the common law. Then devolutions, then more power to Brussels, and the gradual shift from parliament to Quango’s which has continued apace ever since.
What does parliament decide? To rubber stamp legislation written by well funded activists, promoted by MP’s who, although there is no memo or meeting, they know what’s good for them, and their kind. No-one will upset the apple-cart while they’re filling their pockets.
Finally, the legislation is passed and passed on to another quango where it can take on a life of its own, driven by political activism, without adequate scrutiny, by unelected officials. The people who take our votes, fail utterly to act in the interests of the citizens. In fact they act against our interests, and they don’t care. They are our superiors, intellectually and morally and they don’t need our permission, or so it seems.
I agree with you, except to make explicit the implied ‘They think they are our superiors’
I have yet to meet, or even see on TV, an ordinary MP who is anywhere near being “intellectually superior”. Nigel Farage is, and that is why they hate him so much. Parliament nowadays reminds me of the entertainment committee of a working mens club, “are the jokes rude enough, and is the beer cheap enough?”, ok booked, next! The unfortunate part is that none of either front bench is anywhere near this low standard either, or at least isn’t prepared to let it show in actions. If they do they are immediately sacked! Oh, wait a moment, that is what happened to Boris, Liz, and hopefully Rishi soon, although I doubt he meets my first sentence either. I predict Cameron will be PM by the end of February, or possibly someone else. Cameron is trying to give away Gibralter at the moment, with no mandate or democratic vote by the BRITISH inhabitants either.
Has the Author ever heard of the World Economic Forum? Does he not have any awareness of their activities and influence on Global politics and politicians?
Aparently not, The plot: says it is all alive and well in Westminster, part of the Gove group, without actually mentioning it (probably for legal reasons)!