Douglas Murray Douglas Murray

Daniel Penny and the problem with have-a-go heroes

Protesters at a 'Justice for Jordan Neely' rally in New York (Credit: Getty images) 
issue 13 May 2023

I have always liked the phrase ‘have-a-go hero’. It sums up a certain type of person who can emerge from nowhere and coat their name with honour. One thinks, for instance, of John Smeaton, the baggage handler who was having a fag outside Glasgow airport in 2007 when two jihadis tried to blow the place up.

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