No, no, I haven't given up on Richard Lamb's "The Drift to War" but, dammit, it is a long, depressing slog which leaves me feeling utterly ashamed of much of the government of Britain in the 1930s. Thank God there was one stentorian voice from the back-benches to provide us all with a tattered flag to hide our embarrassment. However, as he was not actually in the government he makes very few appearances. And so, for chapter after chapter Mr. Lamb records the confused, stupid and at times cowardly process of HMG! I have just finished the humiliating chapters dealing with the Italy/Abyssinia imbroglio. The fact that it kept reminding me of the current shambles with Mrs. May and her 'Dad's Army' collection of cabinet ministers stumble-bumming their way to the exit from the EU, did not add to my humour!
I haven't finished yet but I do need a break and so it was with a shout of glee that I read a review of Sir Roy Strong's single volume history of England from the Romans up to more or less now. God, I have been brave as I fought my way through all those bloody Romans and then through wave after wave of sundry blood-thirsty 'Scandies'. Dammit, didn't they know that all we wanted from them was their Danish au pair gals! It is a truly fascinating journey and doubly so because you can begin to discern the first outlines of the building blocks which would eventually form Britain as we know it today. A terrific read because it is written in a pellucidly clear writing style and if you have youngsters to educate then this is the book for them!
Alas, sooner or later I will have to return to the 1930s British governmental equivalent of Fred Karno's circus - but not just yet!
Liberal Democratic societies seem to relish in critical reflection and self analysis of past horrors they are involved in. Totalitarian and autocratic cultures don't seem to be bothered with it.
Posted by: Whitewall | Saturday, 04 August 2018 at 19:31