My Life

My Life - Oswald Mosley"If," said Sir Oswald Mosley, "it is suggested that we indulge in military training, inthe sense of the use of arms, the suggestion is untrue. We are on a military basis to theextent alone that we are a disciplined movement."Have you got fascist machine-guns?—Certainly not.Have you got armoured cars?—No.Sir Oswald said that he only advocated the use of machine-guns in a situation inwhich it would be legitimate to use them—namely, to save the Crown and the Stateon the occasion of a communist uprising. That was a moment when any loyal citizenwould be justified in using force to protect the State from anarchy.Was the purpose of this speech to show that, when the moment comes, the fascistdoctrine will be imposed on the nation?—Nothing of the sort. That was not suggestedin any shape or form. I have never suggested that fascist doctrine will be imposed onthe nation. It will come in only one way—by the will of the people at a GeneralElection.Sir Oswald Mosley agreed that he described the old political parties as the Old Gang.The Lord Chief Justice—That is not altogether a new term. (Laughter.)Mr. Birkett (to the witness)—Is it your view that there is no organised party exceptfascism in this country which could deal with the present situation? —Certainly I do,otherwise I should not lead the very unpleasant life which I do live by advocatingfascism.Who are you to take machine-guns into the street and shoot people?—No more and noless than any other British citizen who sees the State in danger of being overthrownby an anarchist rising.You are organising to meet that?—Only to the extent to which we can do so legally ina time of peace. We do not possess machine-guns, because it is illegal to have them.Your expressed doctrines and the failure of the "Old Gang" would not allow you tocontemplate power being handed back to them after a revolution had been dealt with?It must be fascism?—After such a situation it would rest with his Majesty the King,and with him alone, to invite someone to form a Government, and fascism wouldloyally abide by the decision of his Majesty. I might hope that our party would beinvited to power, but, if we are not, we should await the next General Election and tryto obtain power then.Asked whether the fascists had aeroplanes, Sir Oswald Mosley said that they had none.The possession of armoured cars by the fascists was a myth which had been explodedby the Home Secretary in the House of Commons. "A few young fascists learned tofly," he added, "and the Press immediately said that we were forming a Fascist AirForce."He thought that Mussolini and Hitler had saved their countries, but he had no desire toemulate their methods in this country. He had never said that fascists would obtainpower by force. That was a different thing from saying that they would obtain powerafter force had had to be used. Fascists were ready to meet force used against the Stateby force, but not by force to obtain the reins of Government.It is new for a leader of a political party in this country to say: "I will be the judgewhen the guns are to shoot"?—Lord Carson said things far worse than that when hewas a leader at the Bar. (Laughter.)Sir Oswald Mosley agreed that one local branch of the fascist movement at one timeformed a flying club and held "air rallies".294 of 424