In the UK we have a fascination with pantomimes. These are stories for children reenacted each year by a cross-dressing cast, and updated with new jokes lampooning current celebrities of all types - it’s wonderful family entertainment. This year, Cinderella is one of the pantomimes showing in London, a tale of a beautiful stepdaughter abused by her step-sisters but triumphing nevertheless. There has been a sort of dark pantomime on the world stage for the whole of 2025, and dire predictions of our European ‘civilisational erasure’ coming from the United States. But as long as we can keep our pantomime confined to the theatre, our civilisation looks safe. (more…)