5/6th January. The season of the Lords of Misrule. Vote on the 2026 title. Trump, Farage….
Given how much the Tory Party and right-wing media go on about British history and culture their actual knowledge of it, particularly the significant areas that are potentially problematic, often appears limited.
One example is the Lord of Misrule. A character who is supposed to subvert and turn the world upside down who can be appointed at any time from Halloween on 31st October to at least Shrove Tuesday on 13th February.
On both Twelfth Night (5th January) and Epiphany (6th January) Lords of Misrule can be appointed.
There are a number of potential contenders for the Lord of Misrule Crown in January 2026:
Keir Starmer
Nigel Farage
Jeremy Clarkson
Donald Trump
In general the role of the Lord of Misrule is to appear to subvert the existing order, while in practice simply drawing off anger and discontent leaving matters much as they were.
A well-known example is Toby Belch in Twelfth Night who is given free rein to behave in an uproarious and outrageous manner. The real aim however is to give so much space to genuine revolt and no more, kept firmly in a space policed by authority.
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