Native Virtue

Britishness is flourishing in Brazil, where the Boris Johnson of the southern hemisphere has capped a three-year assault on the rights of indigenous peoples by awarding himself the Medal of Indigenous Merit. Sharing in Bolsonaro's honour were a few favoured thugs, including the ministers for herd immunity and savannah enlargement; as well as the institutional security chief whose ideas about treason being synonymous with criticism of the government are worthy of the Home Office. The nation which pats itself on the back for abolishing slavery while revering the slavers' graven images, and which regards the battle of Stalingrad as a minor sideshow of the Dunkirk escapade, will undoubtedly consider Bolsonaro's gesture a fitting tribute to its renowned and historic values.