DUFF & NONSENSE!

Time to court-martial our Sec. of (non)Defence

Some time ago I indicated my impression that Mr. Gavin Williamson, our (alleged) Minister of Defence, was a total tit.  This impression is now confirmed as an absolute fact by the, er, 'total tit' himself!  Yesterday he declared war on China.  'Just like that', as the great comedian Tommy Cooper was wont to say.  This latter-day Nelson was intent on sailing our one and only aircraft carrier with its American aircraft up and down the South China Sea and dare those damned 'Chinks' to come out and fight!  When they have recovered from falling about helpless with laughter they might oblige and provide 'Admiral' Williamson with a lesson in reality, unlike the imaginary world he inhabits based on his childhood collection of Hornblower books!

Sometimes - well, no, actually, fairly often now! - I wonder where they find these colossal idiots to fill our once high offices of state?  Of course, a moment's thought tells me that there are several hundred of them in Parliament, so there are plenty to choose from.  If we rid ourselves of this juvenile prat there will be a host of others to take his place and maintain the abysmally low standards of Acting Petty Officer Williamson.  According to reports, he is intent on becoming leader of the Conservative party and should that unmitigated disaster occur I may have to seek refuge in the EU!

 

 

From the "courageous and shrewd" to the stupid and evil

The first part of my title refers to the young woman featured in the post below.  No sooner written than up pops another young woman of such immense stupidity and innate evil as to defy description.  I refer to Ms. Shamima Begum who was one of three south London schoolgirls who defected to Syria in order to join ISIS.  Needless to say, she was married off within ten days to an ISIS fighter who quickly helped her to produce two children, both of whom died fairly quickly.  Ms. Begum proudly tells us that she saw decapitated heads and that "they did not faze her".

Now she is pregnant again and her husband is missing so she has decided that she wants to return to the hated UK.  There is more than a hint of entitlement in her demand!  I can only urge the wretched woman not to hold her breath!  Of course, it is only a matter of time before some feminist 'Leftie' starts a campaign to assist her return.  However, were it to succeed, Ms. Begum could well face several years in the 'slammer' for her various misdeeds.

Yes, she was young but at the time she would have told you in no uncertain terms that she knew what she was doing, so let her now bear the consequences!

 

 

A couragious and shrewd 16-year old girl

So, as per usual, I slump here before my computer screen still in my jim-jams and dressing gown and 'crooze' through the 'nooze' which, of course, remains as tedious and repetitive as ever, when suddenly I strike gold!  Needless to say, I find it in the best magazine in the world, The Spectator!

It is an article written by a 16-year old Iranian girl who, luckily for her, has relocated to Britain from her previous home in Iran.  In it she rails against the dictatorship of the hijab and the nasty, bullying activities of the 'modesty' police who infest the streets of her home country.  Honesty compels me to admit that part of me yearns for a 'modesty' police force here in the UK to stop silly young women dressing like prostitutes as they stagger round our city centres dead drunk and inviting the attentions of any male rapist who is around.  However, that is a very small part of my thought processes and I would never insist on it as public policy.

Miss Soutiam Goodarzi, the author of the article, describes her life in Iran and the dictatorship of men under which she lived.  Also, she takes a shot at those 'sillies' who bend over backwards to forgive foreign cultures:

I have found my life in Britain to be a liberation, but it staggers me to see so much nonsense spoken about the hijab and the regime I escaped. There are brave women imprisoned in Iran for various infractions of the modesty code; there are women who have been treated appallingly for wearing a hijab that is too loose or transparent. More recently, there have been women punished for not wearing a hijab. And yet the hijab is now celebrated in the West. ‘It’s OK to be modest,’ say the hijab’s apologists. Well of course, but there is nothing modest about brushing over the suffering of the women and girls of Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Well said, Miss Goodazi, and keep saying it loud and clear!

 

 

In which I become even more boring and repetative!

Sorry and all that but when I become enthused there is no stopping me!  I have now finished the book I mentioned previously, The Spy and the Traitor by Ben MacIntyre.  It is enthralling, more exciting than any fictional spy story, not least because it is true.  Surely someone has to make a film of it, although I fear the worst if it is Hollywood who do it.  Actually, thinking about it, a TV series would be best because you could have, say, ten one-hour episodes to bring out the nuanced details of which there are many.

It tells the story of Oleg Gordievsky, the Soviet KGB man who rose to become the top KGB man in Britain.  Early in life he grew to detest the Soviet system which had seized his country and strangled the good out of it.  Secretly, he switched sides and began to work for the British.  So far, so well known, but I hadn't realised that he was finally 'shopped' by that A1 shit, Aldrich Ames, an officer in the CIA who is now, I'm delighted to say, serving life with no remission in a Federal jail!

This book, meticulously researched by Ben MacIntyre, is positively thrilling.  Do yourselves a favour and buy it!

 

 

Jolly well done, Sir Christopher!

I refer, of course, to the splendid Sir Christopher Chope MP.  In some people's eyes, usually those with only one eye, he is a very naughty boy because every time they try to sneak a Private Members Bill (PMB) through Parliament to support some cause they favour (and which will reflect what awfully decent people they are!), up stands Sir Christopher and shouts "Object!" which bring the whole thing crashing down.  Needless to say, the more worthy the cause, the greater the amount of 'brown stuff' that is poured on his head!

For example, just a few days ago, some MPs put forward a PMB to outlaw female genital mutilation (FGM) which Sir Christopher promptly torpedoed by shouting "Object!"  Now, as regular readers will know, I abhor the practice of FGM and would like to see it outlawed but even so I agree with Sir Christopher's action.  In today's Telegraph he explains his reasoning which rest mainly on the fact that PMBs are never subject to debate.  He maintains that no laws should be passed by Parliament without being subject to open debate and he is absolutely right.

 

 

The Sunday Rumble: 10.2.19

'As you were!':  Yes, at last, at long last, I am nearing the end - no, no, I'm not dying, er, well, of course I am but so are all of you! - but tomorrow is my last blast from the 'death rays'.  From Tuesday on, no more tedious trips to Taunton so this blog will resume its former flow - hang on, where are you going?  As I may have mentioned before, the one great advantage to my treatment was that the 'death rays' didn't hurt, I never felt a thing.  The main disadvantage is that they have totally wrecked my internal 'waste disposal system' such that I now appreciate that old American saying, "When you gotta go, you gotta go!"

 

In which I repeat myself:  And don't think I didn't hear that!  In the post below, I gave 'a rave review' for Ben Macintyre's book detailing the story of Oleg Gordievsky, the Soviet traitor (bless him!) and British spy who single-handedly wreaked havoc on the Soviet system during the '70s/80s.  This is the ultimate in spy books because it is all true.  Most of you, like me, lived through the Thatcher/Reagan years when, unbeknownst to us, the Soviets became aware that their system was being eaten away from the inside and in their panic were convinced the West was going to take advantage with a first strike and thus geared themselves up to do the same.  Gordievsky's intelligence reached the desks of both Thatcher and Reagan and exerted a powerful influence on events.  A book not to be missed!

 

I 'lurve' our 'dandruff-ridden, Fleet Street hacks':   Yes, yes, I know 'Fleet Street' is no longer the centre of our newspaper industry but the old traditions still live on, and nowhere more brilliantly than in the person of Mr. Tom Bower.   Today, in The Mail (where else?), there are extracts of his biography of 'Jezza' Corbyn.  I have only read the headlines and already my sides are splitting.  What a wretched little weasel Corbyn is!

 

'HOODATHUNKIT'?   44-8, the final score in the rugby international between England and France.  When I first saw it, I assumed it was the first innings cricket score from England against the West Indies!

 

The 'sensibles' ready to leave a sinking ship:   I refer to 'plucky little Italy' which, according to A E-P in The Telegraph, is already making moves to sign a one-on-one deal with Britain when Brexit occurs.  What's the Italian for 'Up yours, Junker'?

 

Meanwhile, in ze Fatherland:   The Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung Halle - did you like my accent? - a leading German 'think tank' - and remember the Germans are awfully good at 'tanks'! - has warned that a 100,000 jobs could be at risk with a 'no deal' Brexit.  Hello, Mutti, are you listening?

 

 

No more posts today

 

 

 

A true Russian hero

Perhaps my title should read 'A true human hero'.  I refer to Mr. Oleg Gordievsky, a former member of the Russian KGB who secretly defected to the British and worked for them for many years providing enormous amounts of secret information which proved to be invaluable.  The reason I introduce him is that I am reading Ben Macintyre's fascinating history of the operation, although I must confess that so far I am only part way though it.

Two things impress me enormously.  First, that Gordievsky was born and raised inside a KGB family.  His father was a life-long operator during the Stalin era and was up to his elbows in blood.  His elder brother also joined and was involved in many operations before he died early.  In his turn, Gordievsky joined the KGB but somehow he managed to retain his independence of thought.  As he grew older, he realised with increasing clarity that the Soviet Union was a ruthless, murderous racket.  He began to study western European literature and history and then experienced it first-hand when he was posted to Scandinavia.  Soon, he was determined to do whatever he could to bring down the regime.

The second thing that impressed me was the supreme professionalism of MI6 when they realised they had an asset of enormous potential.  The subtlety, intelligence and professionalism they displayed in their handling of Gordievsky was simply first-class.  Yes, they were duped by that A1 shit, Kim Philby, but they made up for it in the way they dealt with Gordievsky and the result was a treasure trove of Russian secrets which must have done the Soviets crippling harm.

I would urge you to read Macintyre's book if only to demonstrate that occasionally our government departments can get it right!  I will return to this subject again when I have finished the book.

The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War

 

 

The 'Heffalump' puts his boot in the arse of a disgusting historian

Needless to say, I know next to nothing about the late and utterly vile, Eric Hobsbawm, but I know a man who does - Mr. Simon Heffer!  He has written, in pure acid, a comprehensive review of a just published biography of Hobsbawm whose title I will not repeat because according to 'Hefferlump' it is "... tedious almost beyond endurance, stops short of hagiography but is clearly designed to boost the posthumous reputation of a man who cared nothing for the wreckage caused by the political system that he worshipped."

For the benefit of both my overseas readers and my younger readers (if I have any!) Hobsbawm was a so-called 'intellectual historian' who swallowed Communism at an early age, well, many of us do silly things when we are young, but who clung to it like a leech throughout his long life even as the monstrous piles of bodies mounted to such heights in the Soviet Union that it left Hitler looking like an amateur!  This disgusting creature went to Cambridge (natch!) and after the war, in which he served in the Army Education Corps (again natch!), he began to produce his communist agit-prop 'histories' which were, of course, beloved of newspapers like The Guardian and their disciples.

Let me confess immediately that I have never read a word he ever wrote.  It was sufficient for me, an ill-educated 'oik', to note as I grew up and began to take an interest in politics that anyone, absolutely anyone, who could write in praise of Stalin's Russia merely because it slaughtered people under the name of Communism, was a vile and twisted human being.  Needless to say, he attracted a vast flock of admirers, like the prat who wrote this bio, who sat at his feet and lapped up his rotten spew!

I wish I could direct you to Simon Heffer's review but, sorry, for some reason The Telegraph has not published it on the internet.  Life is very unfair because if anyone deserved ten years in one of Stalin's gulags it was that stupid, evil wretch, Eric Hobsbawm.

 

 

'The unkindest cut of all'

At last!  Like an aching tooth that gives you a painful jab every so often, I have been forced to grit my teeth and mutter my obscenities under my breath as yet another report pops up in the media - but rarely on the BBC! - telling of yet another suspected case of female genital mutilation (FGM) taking place in this country amongst the immigrant, and usually Muslim, community.  Needless to say, legal action is never, or virtually never, taken against the perps!

However, today both The Telegraph and The Mail report that finally a Police investigation has resulted in court action and a woman, the mother of the child concerned, has been found guilty and been warned that she faces a prison sentence.  It is widely believed that FGM is regularly practiced amongst African and Muslim communities in Britain but the 'authorities', ie, social services, the NHS and the police are reluctant to take action.  That must end!  The practice of FGM, apart from being vile, is against the law and anyone who knows or suspects that it is happening and does nothing is, in my view, an accomplice to the crime and should be charged.

It must be ended!

 

 

HOORAY! Another day off 'skool'!

Er, well, not 'skool' exactly but hospital.  As I told you earlier, Wednesday was a horror story when I awoke to see a whole half inch of snow covering everything which - natch! - resulted in the entire country grinding to a halt.  Thus, despite my valiant efforts to reach Taunton I only made it as far as Yeovil, normally only 20 minutes away, where I became stuck for an hour before returning home.  So, not really a day off but today I opened the curtains to see a whole inch and a half of that filthy white stuff, whilst the BBC warned me on my radio that the end of the world is nigh.  Good, I thought, and instantly returned to bed!  Fortunately, my 'death ray' treatment appears not to be too time critical and although I am supposed to be 'zapped' every day, Monday to Friday, it doesn't seem to matter if I miss the odd day.  So, on my 'day off', I was able to have a leisurely breakfast and read the Daily Mail which for once was quite interesting, especially the book reviews.

The first one to take my attention was a review of what The Mail calls its "Book of the Week", a history of The (Royal) National Theatre  - I always add in the word "Royal" to their title because that is its proper title even if all those left-wing 'luvvies' hate it and try to hide it.  Mind you, that never stops them racing to the Palace if they're up for a 'gong'!  Even so, if you are a RNT fan, as I am on a selective basis, then this is full of good gossip.  I was rather taken with the semi-comical/semi-tragical story of Daniel Day-Lewis playing Hamlet and walking off stage in Act I because he thought the 'ghost of Hamlet's father' was the actual ghost of his father, the poet Cecil Day-Lewis!  He never returned and his understudy, Ian Charleson, had to take over on the spot!  Alas, the tragedy continued because Charleson died of AIDS eight weeks after the run ended. Heh! Theatre, you couldn't make it up!

More uplifting, in all senses of the word, is a book on the subject of the Apollo moon missions.  I still remain convinced that those missions to the moon are the very greatest pinnacle of human enterprise.  To a lad brought up in the world of piston engine aircraft and growing into another world of jet engines and then into the space age, it was all quite incredible!  According to this review, however, the author does not forget to include the human, and humorous, element of this great adventure:

Gus Grissom […] was initially rejected by Nasa because he suffered from hayfever. He calmly pointed out that, as far as he was aware, there wasn’t any pollen in space. So they let him in.

Oh dear, another two books I must buy.  Does anyone know just how many books you can squeeze into a Kindle?

 

 

Sell Selmayr - no, just give him away!

Sorry, another of my incomprehensible titles, let me explain.  I have mentioned before the creepy, dangerous Euro fanatic known as Martin Selmayr, a Brussels apparatchik of the very worst kind who suddenly blew his cover by adroitly leaping up the bureaucratic ranks to become the man with his hand up the back of 'Junck the Drunk's' jacket!  Instantly we saw the true face of the European Union and it is exceedingly ugly and, even more, exceedingly stupid!

I am provoked to these comments by an article at The Coffeehouse by Pieter Cleppe who represents the independent think-tank 'Open Europe' in Brussels.  This provides the flavour of the man:

Until recently, Selmayr served as European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s chief of staff. His recent appointment to the top levels of the European Commission, bypassing seasoned eurocrats, ‘could be viewed as a coup-like action’, according to the European Parliament, and did ‘not follow EU law or the Commission’s own rules’ according to the European Ombudsman. The European Parliament has stopped short of questioning the appointment, perhaps fearing the troublesome ways its own top officials are appointed would be reassessed. [My emphasis]  More importantly, however, Jean-Claude Juncker had linked his own fate with that of Selmayr and quite aggressively forced his EU Commissioners to toe the line.

Well, that's the way they do things in the civic paradise of the European Cabal Union!  Mind you, whilst Selmayr might be ultra devious he is also, and now obviously, ultra stupid:

[H]e buys into the narrative that Brexit will push anti-establishment populists in mainland Europe away from exiting themselves, despite the fact that populists in Italy, France – where about half of the French electorate voted for a Eurosceptic candidate in 2017 – and Germany have actually been gaining ground since the Brexit vote.

[…]

For example, he obstructed attempts to move non-eurozone member states more closely to the EU’s core, suggesting they should either accept more EU federalism or miss out on cooperation. He also pushed hard for a mandatory quota for EU countries to welcome asylum seekers, something which ended up increasing Euroscepticism in Central and Eastern Europe, hurting decades of efforts to bring them back into the West.

Jolly good show, Martin, old boy, that should increase the popularity of the EU amongst those he undoubtedly thinks of as 'the deplorables'!  According to Pieter Cleppe's article, Selmayr's current ambition is to be appointed as the first EU Ambassador to the UK after we have finally cut ourselves adrift from that sinking, stinking wreck of a contraption.  I do hope he gets the job because I want to be the first 80+ year old to be arrested for throwing rotten eggs at his front door!

 

 

 

Disaster, I tell you, absolute disaster!

Oh the horror, the horror!  This morning I was up early ready to depart for Taunton at 08.00 but when I opened the curtains the whole land was covered in that ghastly, freezing white stuff!  Literally, and I am not exaggerating, there was at least half an inch of it - yes, truly, half an inch of the wretched stuff.  Now look here, my Yankee-doodle friends, I can hear y'all falling off your chairs and shrieking with laughter and crying out, "Half an inch!  A whole half inch!" but you must remember this 'do be zunny Zummerzet in the zouth west of this, our septic Isle'!  I know that parts of your country have just been turned into Antarctica but, dammit, you're all John Waynes over there and you're used to it.  Here in 'Zummerzet' we're all soppy southerners and half an inch of snow brings the entire county to a halt. 

Anyway, my trusty hospital driver rang to suggest that we leave half an hour earlier at 7.30 to give us extra time.  Good thinking!  So at the due time I fought my way bravely through the snow drifts from my back door to his car (I heard that cackle of laughter, JK, and any more of it will see you banned!) and we set off.  An hour later, by which time normally we would be in 'downtown Taunton', we were still stuck in an endless traffic jam in Yeovil.  Nothing moved and I began to fear my frozen body being dug out by a rescue team.  No, no, it wasn't still snowing, it was just all those other peasants on the road totally screwing up the traffic as they slithered about clogging up all the roads and junctions.  I thought of getting out of the car and telling them that they were holding up the progress of Lord Duff of Milborne Port but it was too damn cold!  Anyway, submitting to reality we agreed to call it a day - and then spent another hour trying to get home!

Why do they do these things so much better, not just 'over there' but just about every bloody where?!

Oh, yes by the way, that counts as your weekly funny!

 

 

Para bollocks or bullshit baffles brains!

I missed episode 2 of the TV series on the Parachute Regiment because my 'do-flicker-recording-thingie' - oh, do keep up with the latest techie-jargon! - broke down and needless to say I had no idea how to fix it.  However, I did watch the final episode - and it was monumentally depressing!

It concentrated on 3 Para, my old battalion, as it happens, and I have not heard so much childish, stupid, hot air since the last time I watched the Parliament programme!  From top to bottom and non-stop they sounded like the very worst sort of Ra-Ra-Ra-Ra' American football team.  In the earlier programme I winced at all the rampant boasting about the Paras being the best outfit in the British army but I understood, sort of, that they were trying to instil some spirit in the recruits who were trying to pass the selection course. 

That, however, was over and the programme now concentrated on a regular battalion where I expected a slightly more grown-up approach.  No chance!  The same endless stream of 'we're the best, we're the greatest, we're the toughest' gushed forth from the newest recruit through the NCOs and up to the Company commanders.  The battalion was sent on an airborne exercise as part of a joint Anglo-American exercise close up to the Russian border.  Several of the British Paras including senior NCOs and officers opined that their presence would make Putin think twice before attempting any moves into NATO territory - seriously!  They said it and they believed it! 

They honestly thought that a few hundred members of the Parachute Regiment plus, of course, a thousand or so American Paras, would make the Russian High Command tremble!  Do any of these dolts understand the sheer numbers and powers of a modern Russian army?  For every single NATO soldier there would probably be 20 Russian opponents if and when they invade.  Yes, of course, the Paras would fight bravely but they would also die bravely - in the finest traditions of the British army!  It is exactly that sort of thoughtless, stupid, 'can do', 'up and at 'em' attitude that has led the British army into total disasters time after time.  When will they ever learn?

Finally, the TV producers, who are very naughty boys, after giving us three hours of macho hot air with which the NCOs and Officers of the Parachute Regiment inflated their ridiculous balloon, produced a deadly sharp needle and popped it with a single line printed on the screen: 'It has been announced that from 1st January 2019, women will be permitted to attempt to join the Parachute Regiment.'

Need one say more?

 

 

OUCH! Don't mess with Melania, Mr. Evans!

Regular readers - yes, both of you! - will know that my newspaper of choice is The Telegraph.  It is sensibly Right of centre, covers a wide range of topics, is often very funny and, by and large, is accurate.  Alas, when it gets it wrong the resulting damage is, and I choose this word with care, 'yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge'!

In a pitiful mea culpa in todays edition, the editor, Mr. Chris Evans, has been forced to issue a grovelling apology and withdraw a previous article published in the magazine edition on the subject of the delightful, delicious, gorgeous (stop dribbling, Duff, and get on with it!) Mrs. Melania Trump.  The fact that they did this inside a week shows, first, how clear the dishonesty was and, second, what shrewd lawyers they have who must have, quite rightly, urged them to consider the costs if they took on 'The Donald' and his beautiful wife and strung the case out.  The mysterious Barclay brothers, the owners of the Telegraph, who will know all about high finance legal manoeuvres, no doubt let their opinions be known, hence, quick 'collapse of stout party'!

Ah well, we all make mistakes!

 

'Patience is a virtue' - or so they say!

Whatever, you lot have been incredibly patient and I am deeply grateful.  Another week of 'treats' is over and now only one and half weeks more to go.  So, enough of all that boring stuff.

I have, finally, finished Nicholas Shakespeare's truly excellent history "Six Minutes in May".  I cannot praise it highly enough.  Quite apart from the fact that it is a factual history (well, as factual as any history can ever be!) it is also a tale of three men and a nation and, I suppose, our globe.  Had any fictional writer attempted to compose a plot like this he would have rotten veg thrown at him!  The three men concerned were Austen Chamberlain, Lord Halifax and Winston Churchill.  I was about to attempt a brief summary of their characters but I have quickly changed my mind, they all defy such impertinence from an 'oik' like me.  Suffice to say that had the decision been mine as to who should become Prime Minister in May 1940, as the German army poured over the French and Belgian borders on their way to Dunkirk, I would either have exploded or melted - or more likely caught the first boat to America.  Whilst these cold, frosty days continue, do yourselves a favour and buy this book!

Happily, I cannot offer you much in the way of informed commentary on current affairs - waddya mean ya never expect any? - because I am even more ignorant than usual!  Mind you, my fatigue with all this dashing about is something of a blessing because it allows me to avoid most of the utterly shameful behaviour of our so-called leaders.  With some rare exceptions, most of them display equal parts malign cunning and stupidity.  Oddly enough, the (so-called) better educated are the worst malefactors.  Where it will end, I do not know.  Thank God I have my books to hide in!

More later over the weekend.

 

 

There's always an upside when you're on the downside!

Sorry for the lack of posts which is entirely due to my lack of energy!  Again - and sorry to be boring -  I am all too well aware of the real suffering many people go through as they combat various nasty illnesses and in fact all that I am suffering with is fatigue - and pissing!  Yes, it's now official, I am absolutely qualified to piss for Britain at the Olympics not least because I do so every hour on the hour throughout the night!  It's all the fault of the Quacks and their handmaidens, the nurses, who insist that I drink gallons of water everyday until it is almost pouring out of my ears!

But now to the upside - hoorah, I have missed virtually all national and international news!  From the odd snippet I have seen concerning that monkey-house in Parliament I consider myself a lucky man not to have to study it.  Mind you, I did pick up one little item that gave me a laugh.  Apparently, the Irish PM is gradually, very gradually, beginning to realise that that whilst it is reasonable for the EU to use a battering-ram against us Brits, it's not much fun if you and your country are on the business end of it!  It has finally dawned on him that the apparatchiks in Brussels are using Eire and their border with Ulster for their own ends, and if it results in poor old Paddy being ruined they will simply shrug and mutter, "Quelle dommage!"

Meanwhile, 'over there' the 'Ginger Ninja' continues to run - well, sort of - his three-ring circus aided and abetted by his so-called opposition, the silliest, funniest bunch of clowns that ever constituted the Democratic party!  Who invented Nancy Pelosi, the nearest thing to a female Donald Trump as you could wish for?  Even so, we must be grateful to the Dems for readying us all for 'The Show of Shows', or perhaps 'The Greatest Show On Earth', as they gather together a collection of old-age pensioners, eye-ball swivelling loonies, teen-agers and a collection of 'wimmin' guaranteed to put back the advance of female rights for 20 years, in order to fight for the Presidential nomination. 

Just sit back and enjoy the laughs!

 

 

What can one say?

I ask, with just the merest hint of desperation, because I had an early morning session at the hospital, came back in time for lunch, immediately retired for a decent 'kip', read skimmed a newspaper, watched about 2.7 nano-seconds of Sky News and then ascended to my eyrie to write yet another of my sharp, incisive posts which keep you all so well-informed on world affairs - er - well - dreadfully sorry and all that sort of thing but I can't think of a single useful thing to say!  Waddya mean, no change there!

Hardly world news but I was amused at that exceedingly grumpy builder who had not been paid for his work by a large hotel chain and who then drove a mechanical digger through the newly built doors and windows of their smart, new hotel which opens tomorrow.  Of course, he is a very naughty boy but it was impossible not to snigger as his 'tank' rumbled through the pristine foyer leaving a trail of wreckage in its wake.  Throughout my life I have heard these tales of working men failing to be paid by big corporations so it is slightly enjoyable to see a bit of revenge which hurt no-one except the greedy, useless twats that run the hotel chain.

Raising my sights somewhat from the microscopic to the 'YUUUUUUUGE', I also indulged in a smirk at a report at Zero Hedge informing us that 'Emperor Xi Pingaling', or whatever he is called, has issued a dire warning to all those lazy, blood-sucking parasites in the so-called 'Communist Party' who grow increasingly fatter and more powerful living, as they do, on the hard work of the Chinese population.  I hope he was looking in a mirror when he composed it!  The hard times I have been endlessly forecasting on this blog for years are finally coming to pass in China.  Perhaps that will deflate some of their ridiculous posturing on the world stage - but I doubt it!

Finally, here is another of my 'obits' from The Telegraph which reads like a spy novel because the brilliant man who has just died was, in fact, a spy - or to be precise, a master spy!  I refer to the late Tony Mendez of the CIA.  I will not attempt to paraphrase his incredible life story, just read the obit.  No doubt there are plenty of "dirty rats" inside the CIA but Mr. Mendez is definitely 'one of the good guys' and I salute his memory.

Tomorrow, I have a late afternoon appointment so provided the 'Memsahib' doesn't overload me with jobs I may be able to write some more tomorrow morning - who groaned?!

 

 

"Hence shall we see, If power change purpose, what our seemers be"

I know, I know, I have used that quote from 'Measure for Measure' many a time and oft - perhaps too oft!  Even so, Shakespeare's sceptical words are demonstrated over and over again in the world of politics.  Today's Parliament is a prime example.  In 2016 members of the House of Commons voted by 544 to 53 in favour of granting the people a referendum on whether or not to leave the EU.  The people (dread word!) voted 52% to 48% to leave.  'End of', you might suppose, but this is politics!  Whilst it is true that no parliament can be bound by its predecessors, in this case they are bound by the will of the people which, you might suppose, takes precedence over everything. 

Today, a majority of Parliamentarians are, in effect, undoing their flies (or lifting their skirts) and pissing on the people!  They despise us and believe we are ignorant serfs incapable of even getting close to, say, the intellectual heights of, say,  'Monsieur' Dominic Grieve MP (he's half French!), the arch-Remainer who has been plotting with the 'poison dwarf' who chairs the House to seize control of Government business.  It is an abhorrent business but what is truly worrying is that no-one knows how this will end, although the likelihood is it will be very bad and possibly (probably?) very, very dangerous. 

So far - but only so far! - these wretched politicians do not arrest us or shoot us but to quote a homily from a great American President, "Stick around, kid, you ain't seen nothin' yet!"

 

 

The Sunday Rumble: 13.1.19

Get fell in, you 'orrible lot!   I trust you all followed my orders and watched the first episode of the TV series that took you inside the, er, 'hallowed halls' of the Parachute Regiment.  Looking back some 60-odd years it struck me as a perfect example of 'everything changes, everything stays the same'.  Obviously the uniforms, the kit and the weaponry were different but the psychological approach to the recruits was the same.  I was worried that perhaps the 'softie, inclusive brigade' might have got to them but no, all the recruits were treated with equal amounts of total shit!  Excellent, so tune in to ITV next Thursday for episode 2.

 

And lo, I am happy today:  Sorry to harp on about my, er, condition which, actually, is perfectly OK especially when I hear about what other people are suffering but this morning I feel great!  Last night I slept like a baby for nearly seven hours instead of the usual getting up and going for a pee every two hours.  Dammit, those 'death rays' might have done the trick already!  I wonder if they will let me off the next four weeks?

 

The uber-PC mob strike again:  I hear that James Watson, one of the three men who discovered the DNA double helix which must have brought untold medical advances to Mankind, has been hounded by sundry self-appointed 'PC Commissars' for remarks he made a few years ago:

He had told a magazine in 2007 he was "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" as "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours - where all the testing says not really".

I have no idea whether that proposition is true or false not least because I do not know what the criteria is by which you define 'intelligence' and how you test it.  Nor do I much care because in my view people are people!

 

Mueller the mule, or the donkey:   And so it goes on and on and on!  As Ms. Clarice Feldman puts it at The American Thinker:

Despite spending millions of dollars, hiring 13 of the most vicious anti-Trump prosecutors available, and having allies in the DoJ and FBI continuing to delay congressional efforts to reveal the machinations of their anti-Trump colleagues, it is increasingly obvious that they have turned up no evidence of any Trump-Russia collaboration. (Something common sense would have indicated at the outset.)

One can only cry to heaven, or Washington, "How long, oh (Lord) Mueller, how long?"

 

A totally useless but fascinating fact:   I have mentioned before my peculiar habit in bed at night - not that one, behave! -  of sticking a radio ear-piece in my ear and listening to whatever is on.  Last night there was a science programme in which some swot informed us about the mysterious lives of viruses.  As the beastly little things can have a devastating effect on our lives I did my best to stay awake and listen.  What struck me enormously was when he told us the size of viruses.  Apparently, if you placed 50,000 of them in a line they would only just cross the diameter of a full stop - like this one.  Crikey!

 

So farewell then, Andy Murray:   A great deal of fuss has arisen over the fate of Mr. Murray, first that he is taking early retirement on medical grounds and second that he had a little cry at his press conference.  Most of it passed me by because first, I think 'plink-plonk' is a totally boring sport - and ladies' 'plink  (long pause) plonk' sends me to sleep!  Also, alas, Mr. Murray comes across to me as a man with whom I would not be over-joyed to share a pint one evening!  That is not to assert that my impression is true, obviously it is not, it is a mere impression.  Even so, crying in public because you can no longer play 'plink-plonk' is pathetic.  Man up, Murray!

 

I say, skipper, steady on!   According to The Mail on Sunday, the captain of a US navy submarine whilst on a break ordered not one, not two but TEN prostitutes to his hotel.  Gosh, those 'Yankee-doodle' sailors are real men!  Apparently, he was later relieved of command and stationed on shore.  Well, poor chap, he probably needed the rest.  I must await the expert opinion of our in-house US Navy correspondent, 'JK', to find out if this is normal behaviour!

 

On Tuesday Britain's 'brown stuff' will hit the fan:   I have avoided the subject of Brexit over recent days n0t just because it brings 'SoD' in here ranting and raving but because frankly I'm bored stiff with it all.  However, beneath my boredom there is an increasing amount of seething fury aimed not just at our useless government but even more so at the majority of hucksters, clowns and crooks who inhabit Parliament.  We didn't ask them to give us a referendum in order to make up what passes for their minds concerning in or out of the EU.  Even so, by a huge majority they did so and received an answer with a clear majority which told them that we wanted OUT!  With the assistance of that vile little toad who sits, or rather, perches on the Chair, they have now shaken British democracy to the foundations of Westminster.  Where it will end, I do not know but I think dangerous times are approaching!

 

No more tonight but I will try my best to tap out something next week as I enter my second dose of 'death ray' treatment!

 

 

 

And now I bring you good news - no charge!

This morning I indulged myself cruising through the Saturday Telegraph and there in the 'Books' section I came across an article by Christopher Howse bringing tidings of great joy.  Apparently, on January 24th a book will be released entitled: A Scribbler in Soho: A Celebration of Auberon Waugh.  He, as regular readers will have inferred over the years, was and still is my favourite commentator of all time.  His wit could almost be classified as 'a deadly weapon' and as Howse reminds us, many of Waugh's writings would not be published today.  Here is one example from way back:

Take the case of Nora Beloff who crops up in a new book, A Scribbler in Soho. This “celebration of Auberon Waugh” gives a version of his working life between extracts from his journalism in Private Eye and The Literary Review, which Waugh edited for 14 years under the proprietorship of Naim Attallah, whose idea the book was. In 1972 in Private Eye Waugh wrote that “Nora Ballsoff”, the veteran political correspondent of The Observer, whose age he gave as 78 (she was 53), “was frequently to be seen in bed with Harold Wilson and senior members of the previous administration, although it is thought that nothing improper occurred”.

Needless to say, she sued and won but, oddly enough, that was the only time he was ever sued.  Another of his targets was the late and unlamented Jeremy Thorpe:

The humour could go several steps beyond satire, as in his “hounding”, as he called it, of Jeremy Thorpe. Waugh stood against Thorpe in the 1979 election as a candidate for the Dog Lovers’ Party in order to draw attention to the bungled attempt to murder Norman Scott, whose Great Dane, Rinka, had been shot dead instead. Thorpe was defeated, though not by Waugh who got only 79 votes.

Again, as regular readers will know, I take every opportunity to remind people of his exceedingly wise words when he advised anyone who saw a politician on a soapbox to shout out, "Show us your willy!"  That still makes me giggle.  Anyway, buy the book when it comes out, there's plenty of Winter left and you may need the laughs!

 

A hero for our times

These days it is difficult to assign the title of 'Hero' to anyone because the poor little word has been gang-banged out of any meaning by constant repetition in the most ludicrous of multi-circumstances.  However, here and there an exception is to be found occupied by a true hero in the very best sense of the word.  Such an exception is Oleg Gordievsky, the Russian KGB officer who worked secretly for MI6 for years and who, thank heavens, managed to escape the gulag that is 'Mother Russia'.

I am prompted to these remarks by Alex Massie at the CAPX site who has just read Ben Macintyre’s The Spy and the Traitor which, within nano-seconds of me finishing this post, I will order up for my Kindle.  Gordievsky played his double game for years and no-one knew better than him the price he would pay if he was caught.  Also, I guess, the MI6 operators who, so to speak, 'nursed' him, played a long, dangerous game.  Our intelligence services are frequently sneered at for their general uselessness but, in the nature of the game, every so often they win a jackpot.  Thank you, gentlemen and thank you, Mr. Gordievsky and I hope you enjoy a long, albeit very secret, retirement in the Home Counties of England.

 

 

The Sunday Rumble: 6.1.19

The things I do in bed!   No, not that sort of thing - behave!  I mean my habit of listening to the radio via an ear-piece.  Mostly, I am tuned to the World Service of the BBC and much as I detest that bloated organisation the World Service remains pretty good.  Last night I heard Mr. Jim Grant aka Mr. Lee Child, the inventor of the implacable Jack Reacher, being questioned by an audience.  I still remember my surprise at learning that he was an Englishman because his knowledge of the backwaters of America seemed immense.  Of course, his books are total tosh but they are 'tosh' of the very highest standards and, oddly enough, the fact that he is, so to speak, a foreigner living in the USA, makes him an exceedingly sharp observer.  He came across as very intelligent and humorous, a man you would be glad to have at your dinner table.

 

With history, read widely, read often:   That is the general message from 'Mike Konrad' at The American Thinker.  He begins his article with a perceptive quote from George Orwell:  "Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past."  As someone who has over the last 79 years been forced to change my mind innumerable times as more and yet more history books are written I think Mr. 'Konrad' is exceedingly shrewd!

 

Right, get fell in, you 'orrible lot!  You will all report for duty on Thursday at 21.00 hrs. at ITV Channel 3 where, over the next three weeks they will be showing a year in the life of the Parachute Regiment.  I guess that much of it will be concentrated on the selection course and I do hope they still have the 'milling' and the 'log race'.  The first, as I have explained before, is where you are 'partnered' with another 'wannabe' Para roughly, very roughly, equal in height, weight and reach and put in a boxing ring with clapped out gloves where you stand toe to toe and proceed to bash shit out of each other.  The 'log race' is where a team of 6/7 men with ropes race against the clock to carry a 'yuuuuuuge' log (which seems to get even 'yuuuuuuger' as time goes on!) round a cross-country course.  Such fun!  I do hope nothing much has changed because then you will all understand that the Paras are a particularly fine selection of refined gentlemen!

 

"Oh for the gift that God would gie us", and all that sort of thing!  Well, Mr. George Will provides a view, although mostly centred on Germany and it is worth reading because sometimes the outsider sees best!

 

Christopher Booker makes a futile gesture to polish Chamberlain's reputation:   Any such effort from anyone is futile. Chamberlain was crafty and stupid and it is unbelievable that he persisted for so long in believing that a deal could be done with Hitler, especially after his shameful betrayal of Czechoslovakia.  Sorry, Mr. Booker, but that was a 'Big Fail'!

 

I have dipped into Prof. Hawkins' book:   God, I'm brave!  As far as I can make out, when it comes to the universe, first there was nothing, then there was a big bang, and lo, there was something.  The implication was that sooner or later there will be nothing again.  Really, really enlightening, no, really . . .

 

Oh, no, not our Wayne!   Apparently that clean-living, upright British gentleman, Mr. Wayne Rooney, has been nicked by the American equivalent of 'the old Bill' for "public swearing and intoxication".  I can't believe this of an honourable 'son of Liverpool' like 'our Wayne'.  Shurely shome mishtake, officer!

 

No more rumbles today

 

 

Dodgy Duff nicks another one!

Yes, I'm at it again but, dammit, I am a long-term subscriber to 'The Speccie' so it's my right, innit?  Anyway, this is the work of Mr. Ross Clark at The Coffee House in which he offers some truths on the subject of Britain's economy as we approach Brexit.  For God's sake don't anyone tell 'SoD', he'll throw a fit!

Britain is, of course, in a Brexit-driven recession of its own making, while other EU countries are powering on ahead without us. We know this because some Remainers keep telling us so. It’s obvious, isn’t it: we cut ourselves off from European markets and manufacturers will leave rustbelt Britain in droves to relocate their factories elsewhere in the EU.

There is just one problem with this analysis. While it appears to be confirmed every time the CBI, IMF and others publish their forecasts, it is becoming increasingly hard to square with the cold, hard economic data. This morning, IHS/Markit published its monthly Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for manufacturing – a measure of business activity which leads official government statistics on the economy. The survey takes data on economic activity directly from businesses and boils it down to a single score between 0 and 100, where anything over 50 denotes economic expansion and anything under 50 denotes contraction. The PMI for UK manufacturing in December rose to 54.2, up from 53.6 in November, beating the forecasts of most economic commentators. Meanwhile, the PMI for Eurozone manufacturing fell to 51.4 in December, from 51.8 in November. The survey indicated contraction in French (49.7) and Italian (49.2) manufacturing. The index for Germany stood at 51.5. Only Ireland (54.5) and the Netherlands (57.2) can claim faster-expanding manufacturing sectors than the UK.

Some of the unexpectedly good performance in the UK, suggests IHT Markit, is down to businesses stockpiling parts ahead of what they fear might be a messy Brexit. Maybe, but if they are stockpiling parts it does rather indicate that they are committed to continuing with manufacturing in the UK – if they were fleeing to the Eurozone, that would be showing up in the statistics. Stockpiling of parts is certainly not the whole of the story – manufacturing exports are up, too. And while some Remainers will inevitably scoff that our factories are only performing well thanks to the fall in the pound since 2016, that is the whole point of having a floating currency. The reason why the Italian economy, for example, is in the permafrost is because it is shackled by the euro, whose exchange rate is disproportionately influenced by economic conditions in Germany and which, as a result, cannot fall so as to make Italian products more competitive.

Actually, Britain’s industrial revival pre-dates the 2016 fall in the pound. With the exception of a small dip in the early months of 2016, UK manufacturing has now been expanding since 2013 – a run of success which has been unprecedented in the past 30 years. For years, manufacturing had been draining away to Asia and our economy was becoming ever-more dominated by services. In Britain, that trend now seems to have been arrested. That is good news for the UK as a whole but for the manufacturing regions in particular. Unfortunately, thanks to the rearguard Remain campaign and its need to talk down the UK economy, we can’t seem to see it as such.

Given all the "end of the world is nigh" hysteria - hoodathunkit?

 

 

I know it's not Sunday but . . .

It feels like it.  So instead of slaving over another of my highly intelligent and lucid posts (don't say it!) I am going to ramble about this, that or the other as and when they occur to me.  There will be a break at lunchtime because now that I am a fully qualified 'old geezer', instead of seeing in the New Year with glass in hand, I went to bed at 10.30 and today the 'Memsahib' and I, with some equally elderly friends will be lunching, sedately, at a local pub/restaurant.  Actually, this New Year started rather promisingly because this morning I woke up to a cloudless sky and bright sunshine!  Needless to say, that didn't last because by now - 10.30am - it has clouded over.  Oh well, it was ever thus!

However, one item caught my eye in the news today, Darlings, and that was the courageous behaviour of Mr. Jimmy Osmond who is playing 'Capt. Hook' at the Birmingham Hippodrome in their Xmas panto.  Mr. Osmond, you may recall (if you are old enough!), was 'the kid' in the Osmond Brothers singing group decades ago.  Anyway, midway through a performance he suffered a stroke but, bless his performer's soul, he insisted on carrying on to the end before being rushed off to hospital.  Well done, Jimmy, but I can't help wondering how many members of the audiences who watched my performances secretly prayed for me to have a stoke?!

Another headline that caught my eye was truly shocking, well, to me anyway, because it rather destroyed my constant sniping at Chicago as the murder capital of America.  In the last two years the murder rate has actually dropped!  Mind you, the 'windy city' still managed to 'off'' more people than LA and 'Noo Yawk' combined, both of whom have larger populations than Chicago.  'Still 'n' all', jolly good show, Chicago and keep up the good work!

Now I'm off to the Kings Arms in the neighbouring village of Charlton Horethorne where I intend to lunch 'not wisely but too well'!

Well, I managed that OK so I am all set for 40, or perhaps 400, winks in my recliner chair but before I do I must confess that I am a practicing masochist because, as I think I mentioned a few days ago, I have launched myself into Nicholas Shakespeare's terrific book "Six Days in May" which tells the utterly depressing story of the Norwegian 'campaign' (or farce, if you prefer) which took place under Churchill's command as First Lord in 1940.  It made Gallipoli look like a rather well-planned and executed triumph!  After this major military cock-up, within a few weeks they appointed Churchill as Prime Minister!  True, he was quite good at the politics but as a military commander he was another "Cpl. Jones"!  Anyway, time for another few pages of self-inflicted agony before I nod off.

And talking of matters military, did you notice that brief story in the 'meeja' which reported that Germany was seeking recruits for its armed services from neighbouring countries?  Well, good luck with that one, 'Mutti'!

I am going to sign off now and spend the next few hours desperately trying to find anything half-watchable on the 'telly' - yes, yes, I know, fat chance!

 

 

 

The Sunday Rumble: 30.12.18

Yes, yes, I know I'm a bit late and you're right, I did have a bit of a lay in this morning but now I have to go off and visit an elderly (ie: even older than me!) relative in her nursing home, so you will have to wait for 'the full Monty'.  However, here is an opening 'rumble':

Another total tit runs our armed forces:   Dammit, 'SoD' beat me to this one in a comment below but I will have my say.  The "total tit" concerned is Mr. Gavin Williamson MP, a young greaser with ambitions far beyond his capabilities who is, God help us, our shiny new Defence Secretary and who insists that he will put the 'Great' back into 'Great Britain' by opening bases round the world.  By golly, that will have 'Vlad' shaking in his snow boots, and it will certainly wipe that smug smile off the face of Comrade Xi Jinping-Pong, the 'Dear Leader' of China Inc.  Or not!

 

All this 'whizzy-do stuff' is doin' my 'ead in!   Mr. Jeremy Warner, always a shrewd observer, explains some of the impact of the electronic technology revolution which is upending our world as we once knew it.  Mind you, it has happened before.  I have just finished the chapter in my 'History of England from the Romans to Today' which covers the industrial revolution of the 19th century.  Now that really shook things up, not just here but all round the globe.  Time to fasten your seat belts!

 

I couldn't resist nicking this:

Image by Richard Terrell of Aftermath

My thanks to The American Thinker.

 

"Six Minutes in May":

Written by Nicholas Shakespeare tells the extra-ordinary circumstances in which Churchill became Prime Minister. It opens with 'Winnie' in the Admiralty facing the chances of a German invasion of Norway. The German plan was locked as tight as possible but even so various hints and surmises leaked out.

Made aware of these rumours, British Intelligence dismissed them. As late as 8 April, Military Intelligence issued a paper, 'The Possibilities of German Action against Scandinavia' which 'did not support any probability of a Scandinavian invasion'. At the Admiralty, Capt. Ralph Edwards, the new Deputy Director of Operations (Home) recorded in his diary that the German military chiefs would never allow such 'a mad expedition to sail'.

So no change there then! And yes, some of you may remember that I was once a proud member of British Intelligence despite only being a Corporal. Mind you, Hitler was only a Corporal, too!

 

I may have to murder Hercule Poirot:   I may have mentioned before that the 'Memsahib' is a great fan of TV murder mysteries and so far over the Xmas period Channel 10 has featured non-stop murders most of them investigated by that fat, short-arsed Belgian with the irritating accent.  I have watched so many of them, so many times, that I practically know the scripts off by heart!  Thus, it may be necessary for me to devise a cunning plan that would fool even Poirot himself and 'off him' once and for all!  Alternatively, of course, it may have to be the 'Memsahib' I see to but the problem there is that she is an excellent cook!  What's a fella to do?

 

 

No more rumbles 

 

 

More thieving but at least I pick goodies!

And anyway, I had a lousy night last night and I feel exceedingly 'knacked' today, so, alas darlings, I am not at my most creative - and I heard that!  This extract is from Mr. Michael Brendan Dougherty writing at my next best favourite magazine The National Review.  With a name like that you can guess that Mr. Dougherty's blood is well tinged with green!  Even so, he is an astute observer of politics 'over here' and 'over there' where he is based.  He has some warnings for the EU and because they are sensible and shrewd you can take it that they will be ignored!  This is a brief extract to give you the flavour and I urge you to read his article in full:

The European Union is a brilliant and insidious construction. Franco-German interests are obviously paramount. But it attracts the political class of smaller countries by removing difficult questions of governing from their parliaments and providing offices of authority without accountability that seem to have more shine than their national governments. Because Germans don’t want to be seen as utterly dominating the bloc, the political offices at the very top are doled out generously to second-tier members such as Belgium, Poland, Slovakia, and Portugal.

That lack of accountability is an important advantage. Theresa May has to answer a British public about the deal she negotiated with Brussels. Whom would hold Brussels accountable for bungling the other side of the negotiation? If Britain crashes out and pulls continental business interests down with it, all because European negotiators were too intransigent, who gets to fire those negotiators? Who holds them accountable? No one. They have nothing to fear. [My emphasis]

 

 

Oi, 'Postie', you got the wrong stamp!

It is always and forever a source of snorting, derisory humour when Big Business gets it wrong which, happily, they do on a regular basis.  Today, according to The Telegraph, it is the turn of Her Majesty's Royal Mail which has issued a set of stamps in remembrance of the D-Day landings.  Here is one of them:

'Ooops, belay that order to off-load here, this is not Normandy, this is Dutch New Guinea'!  With faces redder than their post boxes, the Royal Mail bosses have been forced to apologise and withdraw the stamp because not only was the photo taken 8,000-odd miles away from Normandy but those are not brave British 'Toms' but a bunch of equally brave 'Yankee-doodles' doing their duty!

Just wait 'til I next see my 'Postie', er, not that that is very likely, he gets up to do his job hours before me!

 

 

This says it all, elegantly and accurately from a man who knows!

Oh 'strewth, guv'nor, I been an' gone an' dunnit again!  Er, thieving, that is, but in my defence, I usually confine my activities to thieving from first class people with considerable expertise and who know very accurately where-of they write.  In this case, Mr. Anthony Browne, former Europe Editor of The Times.  At this point I throw myself on the mercy of Mr. Browne and The Spectator and plead the public's, well, my 15 readers anyway, right to be informed.  Defence rests, m'Lud!

A no deal Brexit would be the EU's fault

I stood next to Jean Claude-Juncker, then president of the European Council and prime minister of Luxembourg, when news flashed up on the TV screens of the astonishing rejection by French voters of the draft European Constitution in their 2005 referendum. He could have responded in so many ways, to try to understand why the voters in traditionally one of Europe’s most Europhile countries emphatically rejected further EU integration. But his immediate response, without drawing breath, was: “They will just have to vote again.” In fact, the French voters weren’t trusted to give the right answer second time around, and so the treaty was pushed through the French parliament instead. Dial forward 13 years, and Juncker is now president of the European Commission, and Britain’s government has been trying to agree a Brexit deal with him in the response to the UK’s own referendum.

It now seems increasingly likely that the UK and EU will not reach an agreement, and that the UK will leave in March 2019 with no deal. The Government has gone into full no-deal planning mode. Business groups are issuing dire warnings. Conservative MPs are already threatening to resign the Tory whip if we “crash out” of the EU.

The blame game has already started: if we do leave the EU without a deal, whose fault would it be? It is almost certain that many people on both sides of the Channel will point fingers at the UK government, and the PM in particular. The chaos and division on the Tory side has certainly given many reasons to do so. The British chattering classes love nothing better than to blame Britain – and even better, the Tories.

But it takes two sides to reach an agreement. And this comes back to the instinctive intransigence and unwillingness to compromise of the EU. There is plenty of fault on the EU side, for leaving the UK with a draft treaty so one-sided that it seems inevitable that Parliament will reject it. Even then the EU refused to compromise at all when Theresa May asked for some wiggle room. Many helped push the EU and Juncker in this direction. Some are already pointing fingers at Tony Blair, who has been abusing his position as former prime minister to actively lobby for a second referendum. To the extent he has had any effect, his efforts would have made a deal less likely. Irish diplomats have been quoted as being delighted in how they managed to get the EU and Juncker to weaponise the Northern Irish border. But the Irish government also fears that it may have overplayed its hand – that their great triumph could backfire and lead to a no-deal Brexit, of which the biggest victim would be Ireland.

Yet there is a problem deeper than this. In twenty years of being involved with EU politics, I have come to realise that, although the EU has many much-publicised flaws – and indeed many great strengths – there is a fundamental flaw that underlines them all which is rarely mentioned. It is at the root, not just of the troubled Brexit negotiations, but of the EU’s mounting problems with the European public. It is the fundamental reason why the UK is leaving in the first place, and why Switzerland and Norway could never join. It is why a prime minister with no democratic mandate was imposed on Italy, whose voters responded by electing populists. It is why Eastern European countries are electing leaders who rail against the EU. It is why the EU hates referendums, and works to overturn them if it gets the wrong answer. It is why the principle of subsidiarity – doing things at national level where possible, and only at EU level where necessary – is comprehensively ignored. It is why every country that joins the EU is forced by treaty to join the Euro whether or not they want to. It is why national leaders consistently fail to deliver the EU to their citizens, and so end up trying to deliver their citizens to the EU – just as David Cameron did after his pre-referendum negotiations, and Theresa May is valiantly trying to do now.

Until the EU accepts this flaw, it will fail to address it, and will continue its losing battle with European public opinion. The EU has at its core not a sense of fairness, but of coerciveness. There is a belief not in doing the fair and pragmatic thing, but that “building Europe” or “protecting Europe”, justifies forcing countries to do things they don’t want to do. I used to speak to British cabinet ministers before and after they went into European Council meetings, and frequently saw them defeated on the most reasonable measures – but they felt compelled to claim a completely fictitious victory in public. Every time the Commission forced a country to do something they didn’t want to do, officials would see it as a triumph. I remember the delighted face of an EU official who had outmanoeuvred the UK government and forced it to abandon its long held objection to adopting EU crimes. Flush with victory over a democratically elected government, he crowed to me: “it is a rules based system. They have to follow the rules.”

But rather than making the EU stronger with contented members and good friends as neighbours, this coercive attitude risks destroying the EU, and alienating natural allies such as the UK. Negotiations work best, and lead to more sustainable results, if each side has a sense of what is fair for the other side. That is the instinct of many EU member states and politicians that I have spoken to. But the EU as a whole does not operate like that. If the more powerful side of a negotiation tries to force the other side to agree unfair terms, the negotiations either break down or the result is unsustainable. When David Cameron got offered virtually nothing in his negotiations with the EU because they thought they could get away with it, the UK electorate ended up voting for Brexit. Theresa May now faces the same problem.

Leaked communications from the EU negotiators saw them boasting they retained all control. Their objective was not a fair deal between partners, but to use their leverage to get what they could. Fair enough you might say, but such an approach risks the outright collapse of the deal, and longer term bitterness.

Many on the other side realise that the EU’s intransigence risks causing a no-deal Brexit. Yanis Varoufakis, the celebrated former Greek finance minister who carries scars from his struggles with EU negotiators, warned recently that the EU had “declared war”on the UK, and that “You do not negotiate with the EU because the EU does not negotiate with you.” The Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki warned just before Christmas that the EU’s “harsh” behaviour would derail Brexit, and urged them to help May.
The present existential crisis for the EU is an opportunity for reform, to give up its coercive ways and become more flexible, to focus on serving member states rather than controlling them. To become a club confident enough that it can be generous rather than threatening when people want to leave, to have as its ambition deals with its neighbours that both sides see as fair. But there is little sign that the EU is learning those lessons, with leaders insisting the solution to the crisis is “more Europe”. Insanity, said Benjamin Franklin, is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If the EU carries on the same, the results won’t be different. It will be more crisis.

 

Anthony Browne is a former Europe Editor of the Times, and director of Policy Exchange

 

 

The Sunday Rumble: 23.12.18

I may have to give up blogging:   Nah!  Not really, so don't get your hopes up, but it is dispiriting for me to read people like Julie Burchill in the Telegraph who with apparently effortless ease says everything I want to say about the rotten BBC in superb prose summed up in this deadly stab to their decaying, corporate heart: "Oh, to have Orwell alive and back working at a BBC that appears to have taken 1984 as a How to Doublespeak manual!"  Honestly, I'd give my right arm to dream up a line like that!  Oh well, bit like my acting, I suppose, it shows the difference between the 'ams' and the 'pros'.

 

Alas, Paddy's pants are down for the last time!   My foreign readers will be perplexed by that intro line so I will explain.  I refer to the late 'Paddy' Ashdown who was, amongst many other things, the leader of the LibDem party and who, following a short illness, died unexpectedly yesterday at the relatively early age of 77.  During his distinguished career he had an extra-marital affair with a lady and the dandruff-ridden oiks of 'Fleet Street' instantly labelled him as 'Paddy Pantsdown'!  In his youth, he served in the Marine Commandos, or the 'Rock Apes' as we Paras always called them.  I never agreed with much of his politics but, in the general scheme of things, he was a good and honourable servant to the British state and I salute his memory.

 

An opinionated blogger can't make his mind up:   Er, that's me, in case you're wondering - waddya mean ya noo already!  Like everyone else in the world I am not at all sure what Donald Trump is up to but he seems to be determined to pull in American power from around the globe.  This raises the great question first posed by those two supreme historians, Sellar and Yeatman, who in their masterpiece, 1066 and All That, asked is this "a Good Thing or a Bad Thing"?  Certainly, post WWII history indicates that unleashing American power round the world has, shall we say, mixed results - for all concerned.  On the other hand, not having any American power anywhere might produce the nastiest of strategic conditions - a vacuum!  Answers on a post card please!

 

Sorry, Shakespeare - again!   I am in a schizophrenic rage/ecstasy on the subject of 'our Will'.  Last week I was spitting nails at the news that some total twat had produced a *version* of Richard II which lasted an hour and a half!  Unbelievably, one of Britain's greatest actors, Simon Russel Beale, had agreed to play the lead!  Apparently, the ruthlessly hacked text was delivered at ultra high speed - so good luck with that one, you muppets who actually bought tickets!  But then, this afternoon, by accident, I found a 1996 film version of Twelfth Night on my 'telly'.  I had never heard of it but it contained the very best of British acting talent.  The filming was superb and the acting impeccable.  Who the hell directed this masterpiece, I wondered?  Then I saw the credits and, of course, the name came up - Trevor Nunn!  He is, according to Wiki, 'a very naughty boy' when it comes to marriage but he is a genius at directing Shakespeare.  I have forgotten how many of his productions I have seen over the years and wished I had 1% of his talent and understanding.  This quotation from him says it all:

“Shakespeare has more wisdom and insight about our lives, about how to live and how not to live, how to forgive and how to understand our fellow creatures, than any religious tract. One hundred times more than the Bible. I’m sorry to say that. But over and over again in the plays there is an understanding of the human condition that doesn’t exist in religious books.”

 

More on the Trump, er, strategy:   As I indicated above, a mere ex-Corporal like me is hardly qualified to comment on strategy but I suspect that Mr. Victor Davis Hanson might be.  He writes at the National Review:

[On] matters of entering or leaving the Middle East, U.S. strategists in the cases of Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, and Iraq must develop a more coherent rationale to justify long-term occupations — to convince Americans that these increasingly numerous and optional interventions (whether six months or 18 years) enhance U.S. strategic advantages, and in cost/benefit analyses are worth the human and material costs of maintaining them. So far, we rarely receive any real information on what the actual ends are, and whether the means to obtain them are sufficient or justifiable, at a time of $21 trillion in national debt and a seeming absence of gratitude from those we seek to help.

 

No more rumbles 

 

 

Everywhere you look there are 'stupid women' and even more stupid men!

Honestly, they are everywhere, I tell you, everywhere!  For once in his miserable, cretinous life, 'Jezza' was spot on when he described Mrs. May as a "stupid woman" yesterday in the Commons.  Of course, when caught out by the cameras he did what all communist politicians do constantly and lied through his crooked teeth but nobody believes him except, of course, most of the monumentally stupid women in the Labour party.  (Pause for a round of applause to those few brave lady MPs on the Labour side who acknowledged what he had really said and criticised him for it!)  I would also ask you to pause and consider the cacophony of shrieks and screams from all the female Labour MPs if someone like 'Boris' had been caught saying something like that - "Oh, the horror, the horror!"  Incidentally, where is the British version of '#METOO' hiding?  

Moving from the generality of 'stupid women' to a specific, let us consider the case of Ms. Fiona Onasanya MP, the now less than Honourable Labour Member for Peterborough, a town in which, I suspect, the 'Peeps' all look suspiciously like each other given that they freely elected this particular lying liar!

She insists that she is a practicing Christian who faithfully follows the example of Jesus Christ (or Jeremy Corbyn depending on the circs!) despite lying through her over-large teeth in order to avoid a police charge of speeding in her car.  She was ratted out by her companion and even the hard-nosed Commissars of the Labour party have tossed her overboard and insisted that she resign from the Party and her seat.  She, needless to say, is suggesting that she might stay on as an 'independent' MP, well, handsome parliamentary pay and perks are not to be sneezed at!

At least now, us chaps can relax in the comforting(?) knowledge that when it comes to intelligence and honesty, women 'pols' are no better than the men!

 

 

God, the news these days is totally boring-snoring!

In a way, I'm not too upset at lacking the will and energy to knock out my usual stream of news commentary because the news these days is eye-stabbingly tedious!  I mean, who can say anything sensible or interesting concerning the current news cycle?  'Over here', it's non-stop Brexit which, thanks to the dim-witted woman in No. 10, is rapidly sinking to the depths of one of the old-time 'Goon Shows' but without the laughs!  'Over there' nothing much is happening as everyone waits with bated breath for 'Procurator-General' Mueller to drop his sack of indictments and handcuffs on the White House steps.

'Just over there', in the European empire, the Grand Pashas are all busy congratulating themselves for achieving what Louis XIV, Bonaparte, the Kaiser and Adolf Hitler failed to do which is to defeat those irritating Brits.  My message to them is, "Stick around, kids, you ain't seen nuttin' yet!"  None of them seem to have detected the non-British rumblings beneath their feet emanating from their "dear colleagues"!

Meanwhile, as the Russian serfs begin to realise what a crap country they inhabit compared to others, 'Vlad the Impaler' and all his gangster government will be wondering what flash trick they can pull from their Xmas stockings to make the people love them again.  Whatever it is, Russia's neighbours had better watch out!  In the meantime, Xi 'Smiley' Jinping will continue to keep smiling until . . .

Ah well, we shall see what we shall see!

 

 

Kill the Bill!

All of that kerfuffle over Mrs. May's vote of confidence was a complete and utter distraction because the truly crucial vote is yet to come when, finally, she plucks up the courage to bring her 'mess of pottage' to the House of Commons where it will be consigned to the nearest sewer.  Incidentally, I was rather taken with Wiki's definition of the phrase: 

'A mess of pottage is something immediately attractive but of little value taken foolishly and carelessly in exchange for something more distant and perhaps less tangible but immensely more valuable."

Everyone and his uncle, except Mrs. May' and her cabinet, knows that the 'Euros' will not give her the pickings of their noses to help sweeten this pile of manure and thus it is written in granite that the 'Micks' will not support her in the Commons and she will become dead woman tottering on her leopard-spot shoes!  Anyone who supports a so-called 'deal' that, in effect and reality, leaves us in the European Empire but strips us of even the minimal influence we have now, deserves everything that is heading their way.

Thank God I am an old man and if it happens I will not have to live through much of it! 

 

 

'The lady's up for burning'!

I can't say that I am very excited about 'St. Theresa of May' facing a vote of confidence tonight.  My guess is that she will win and the leopard-spot shoes will walk right on!  Apart from any other consideration, the only man I would like to see take over is the 'Moggman' but his chances are between zero and -0.1.  The rest of them, Davis, 'Boris', Gove, Javid and those various shouty 'wimmin' do not fill me with confidence.  We must just sit and wait for the Parliamentary vote on whatever (non)deal is finally presented to Parliament - that is the truly crucial vote.  If it is crushed then we can grit our teeth, and at long last galvanise the government into action to prepare for what was always likely to be the outcome - no deal, Brexit and trade under WTO rules. "Free again, happy, happy me, free again"!  Yes, there will be a few 'nose bleeds' but we will get over them and then we can set our own course for the future.

 

 

SHE MUST GO - NOW!

Hitherto, I have refrained from a full onslaught against Mrs. May.  She never impressed me as a politician but I sensed that beneath her awkward demeanour she was, in her own way, a decent and honourable woman.  No more!  With her postponement of the critical vote on her (non)Brexit deal she has displayed the worst elements of both stupidity and lust for power.

It's over, Mrs. May!  Whatever idea you had in the first place, assuming you had any idea at all, of this so-called Brexit negotiation, it hasn't worked.  It is one big FAIL!  You could have left office with some dignity tomorrow after you lost the vote but for you to now attempt to string out the inevitable indicates nothing but rank power-lust and blind stupidity.

FOR GOD'S SAKE, WOMAN, JUST GET THEE HENCE!

 

Now, about that proposed European army . . .

Courtesy of Zero Hedge (bless their little cotton socks!), this is a picture of one of the armoured vehicles deployed by 'mini-Macron' in defence of his capital city against those Parisian mobs.  How interesting that instead of operating under the French tricolour, it is bearing the EU symbol instead.

Perhaps the new European army which was proposed by 'mini-Macron' has already come into existence.  Anyone for Brexit?

 

The Sunday Rumble: 9.12.18

Sky News is degenerating!   I know, I know, I grumbled about this a few days ago but it is important to me that it maintains its former standards because the BBC News is vile!  Just one example, Sky are mounting an extra-ordinary campaign for them to be given the right to stage a debate between the leaders of the two main parties prior to any election.  Who, in their right mind, would waste even 0.1 seconds of their life listening to Corbyn and May lie to each other and to us?  Sky should spend more time getting a grip of their studio technicalities which are forever going wrong with either the wrong picture appearing or no pictures at all!  And finally, they should put a stop to the increasingly anti-Brexit tone oozing through their editorial department.

 

Trump should study FDR's history:   Further to my post yesterday on FDR's partial culpability for Pearl Harbour, President Trump should take note that it was FDR's somewhat careless application of trade sanctions against Japan that absolutely clinched the Japanese decision to attack.  As 'The Donald' tightens the screws on China he needs to do it slowly and with care!

 

What made Trudeau Jnr. man-up?   At the behest, one assumes, of the 'Ginger Ninjah' south of the border, the Canadian government arrested Ms. Meng Wanzhou, the lady president of the truly 'yuuuuuuuuge' Chinese conglomerate, Huawei.  She is the daughter of the founder of the company which is in fact simply a commercial department of the Chinese government.  The Chinese are now threating 'Boy' Trudeau with the equivalent of an attack by a thousand dragons unless he sets the lady free.  The USA want her to face trial for breaking sanctions against Iran.  So, the question is, which way will 'Boy' Trudeau bend?

 

Well done, Mr. President!   He certainly did one thing right, he fired that creepy James Comey as (so-called) head of the FBI.  This man who was praised to the heavens as a really 'smart guy' with a firm grip of his organisation has just faced some fierce questioning in Congress on his time as the boss.  One of the Representatives analysed his replies which consisted of:

‘I don’t know’ - 166 times
'I don’t remember' - 71 times
‘I don’t recall’ - 8 times

Would you give this man a job as a parking attendant?

Hat-tip to Mr. Thomas Lifson at The American Thinker

 

William Wilberforce, a truly great man:   Of course, I knew his name from long past as a leader of the movement to abolish slavery but reading my latest history book reminded me what a remarkable man he was, plus of course, the handful of supporters who urged him on.  Given the preceding 5,000-odd years of human history when slavery was 'a given', Wilberforce and his followers were truly remarkable and I am very proud that an British parliament passed it into law and enforced it round the world.

 

Traffic jams, such fun - NOT!   According to Zero Hedge, some outfit called "INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard" - no, me neither! - has measured traffic flows, or to be precise, traffic jams, and placed London as second worst in Europe after Moscow.  Why am I not surprised!

 

No more rumbles 

 

 

 

Now, about these 'interesting times'

Like most people in this country I am shaking my head in disbelief at the utter shambles taking place in Westminster.  However, we must remember that this is democracy in action which, beneath the Parliamentary politeness and tradition, is always red in tooth and claw!  Perhaps the most dangerous element is that the House of Commons is, with malice aforethought, determined to thwart the majority opinion of the very people they represent, as expressed in a free and fair referendum which they, the Parliamentarians, offered to us!  That, as the realisation sinks in, may well have a profound effect on people's belief in parliamentary democracy.  The politicians and the mandarins have demonstrated their uselessness and it will not be long before calls are made for 'a strong leader' with new powers which stand him above and beyond the pettifogging restraints of Parliamentary oversight.

We will have to wait for the history books to be written before we can find out the details of this mega-shambles - 'I should live so long my life already!' - but I am certain that many fingers will be pointed at Mrs. May's disastrous decision to have an early election which, in effect, she lost.  As for the future, sorry, I haven't a clue!  The 'ifs, buts and maybes' are myriad but, for sure, amongst them will be some highly dangerous elements.  I will add one small word of praise to, of all people, Mrs. May!  Yes, her errors have been egregious but watching her in the Commons today I could not help but admire her stamina and courage.  Of course, like most of those around her on both sides of the House, she is driven by personal ambition but even so, 'ya gotta say, the gal's got guts'!  What a pity it was better directed.

 

 

Mini-Macron melts

Oh, the exquisite torture that is politics!  Enter stage centre (or so he said!) 'Presidente mini-Macron' who was desperate to raise taxes in order, one supposes, to pay for all those 'bon-bons' he had promised 'les peeps' during his election.  As he was off to some international jamboree to do with global warming(!) what a super wheeze it must have seemed to raise taxes on carbon fuel which would provide 'beaucoup de dosh' and in time to take the plaudits and hugs and kisses from all those other crooks world leaders.

Alas, he forgot the one really important factor - 'les peeps'!  They can, on occasions - oh alright then, most of the time - be somewhat excitable.  This tax rise certainly injected a strong dose of garlic into the political ragout and the reaction has been instant and violent and potentially dangerous with Paris burning!  Of course, the next step was obvious - backwards!  Mini-Macron has quickly put the tax hike on hold for 6 months - or more likely forever!  His popularity has shrunk even smaller than he is!

Mind you, whilst I am never one to miss a chance of snorting in derision at the French (although, honestly, I really do like them and their country), the British equivalent of their 'Yellow Vest' mobs are poised to try their chances at street anarchy here at the slightest provocation.  With Parliament in melt-down, a stupid-beyond-belief Prime Minister and a cabinet which has just succeeded(!) in being the first to be held in contempt of Parliament, we are heading for those dreaded "interesting times".

Fasten you seat belts!

 

 

 

 

The Sunday Rumble: 2.12.18

I can't take much more!   I have grimly soldiered on through the shot and shell of Brexit which seems to be nearing some sort of decision but which 'as any fule do no' will only lead to Round 2 and then to Round 3 and so on ad infinitum!  However, at least we are about to see the premiere of yet another but very different 'story-without-end' - the Trump vs. Mueller contest.  I can hardly wait, er, to catch the boat to St. Helena, that is!

 

As usual, Dershowitz is spot on:   I have long been an admirer of Alan Dershowitz, a truly Liberal lawyer in the best sense of 'Liberal' as opposed to the fakers who label themselves 'liberal' despite their tyrannical leanings.  He summarises his thoughts on the Mueller 'investigation' and it is worth a read to help clear your mind before the mass hysteria erupts.  Courtesy of Zero Hedge:

His mandate was to uncover crimes committed by the Trump campaign with regard to Russia's attempts to influence the election. It was always an uphill struggle for Mueller, since collusion itself is not a crime. In other words, even if he could show that individuals in the Trump campaign had colluded with Russian agents to help elect Trump, that would be a serious political sin, but not a federal crime. Even if Mueller could prove that members of the Trump team had colluded with Julian Assange to use material that Assange had unlawfully obtained, that, too, would not be a crime. What would be a crime is something that no one claims happened: namely, that members of the Trump campaign told Assange to hack the Democratic National Committee before Assange did so. Merely using the product of an already committed theft of information is not a crime. If you don't believe me, ask the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian and other newspapers that used material illegally obtained by Assange with full knowledge that it was illegally obtained.[My emphasis]  Not only did they use information from Assange, but also from Chelsea Manning and from the stolen Pentagon Papers. The First Amendment protects publication by the media of stolen information. It also protects use of such information by a political campaign, since political campaigns are also covered by the First Amendment.

 

Vive La France!   No, really, I mean it.  Yes, of course, they are a constant irritant but, dammit, I do like their country and - on the whole - their people, too.  Thus, it is distressing to see what is beginning to look like a breakdown in their civic structure and reports that their army might have to be brought in to control the streets is worrying.  Also, of course, there is a warning for us because exactly the same sort of evil sub-strata exists in our society and is merely waiting its opportunity.  So go for it, France! 

 

So that Bill Shakespeare was really a 'left-footer'! 'HOONOO?'  So says Clare Asquith, the Countess of Oxford and Asquith and who am I to argue with her?  Actually, I have no wish to do so not least because, according to The Telegraph, she bases her opinion on a deep reading of his poem The Rape Of Lucretia which I have never read!  Also, to be honest, I would not be surprised if it was so because Shakespeare was born into a Catholic society until Henry VIII put his boot in and stopped it!  The poor old 'Peeps' were then in a dilemma particularly as the rules were chopped and changed as his various children took over until 'good ol' Lizzie' put her beautifully styled and be-jewelled shoe down and said that from now we are 'Proddies' - get used to it!  One thing is as certain as you can ever be about that mysterious man from Stratford, he was definitely a small 'c' conservative, so the possibility that he retained strong Catholic sympathies does not surprise me.

 

I'm still in love with 'The Little Dancer':   It was decades ago that I first saw her, 'in the flesh', so to speak in Paris  although it was probably bronze, but anyway, it was love at first sight, er, even though she was only '14 years old'!

That's the thing about art, we may try to justify our likes and dislikes intellectually after the event but mostly the reaction is visceral.  Thus it was for me and Miss Marie von Goethem who was the model for Edgar Degas.  Don't ask me to analyse why, it was just a sort of 'je ne sais pas' moment.  I even have a small tourist copy of her.  Anyway, all that soppiness is by way of telling you all that there is a very good article on her in The Telegraph.

 

No more rumbles today

 

 

In response to Mr. Warburton's letter

It seems to me that there is a confusion in the Tory party between national power and national trade.  If you forfeit power, either voluntarily or under force, you give up  ownership of the most precious entity any independent nation possesses.  By "power", I mean the ability to make and enforce your own national laws arrived at through your own traditional means of doing so.  In addition, power provides the means to refuse or ignore the law of other nations if we choose to do so.  Once your own power is surrendered, it is unbelievably hard to get it back - as the past two years have proven!

National trade is another matter.  That is a question of profit and/or loss.  A country may choose to abide by certain rules and regulations required by another nation in order to trade but there is a choice!  You can, if you wish, simply walk away from the deal.

Of course, there are international laws which, more or less, govern behaviour between national states but, like trade deals, they are voluntarily adhered to and that obeisance may be, and sometimes is, refuted by the duly elected government of any nation.  We have seen recent examples of President Trump refusing to adhere to rules and regulations laid down by the United Nations which is entirely proper for the leader of any 'free' country to do at any time.

In this Brexit imbroglio, the choice is stark.  Either we regain our independence and the freedom to run our own affairs - for good or ill - or we hand over parts of our freedom to foreigners in the sure and certain knowledge that not only will they never be returned but the pressure to acquire even more, and yet more, and still more, will increase.  Should you doubt me, then I will ask if anyone who took part in Ted Heath's referendum to join what was then harmlessly called 'the common market' thought that it would result in the birth of the Brussels monster?  (Er, well, actually, I did which is why I voted 'NO'!)

Finally, to anyone who responds with talk of economics and trade and all that, let me say that you are more short-sighted than 'Mr. Magoo'.  We have existed as an independent country for a thousand years.  There have been good times, bad times and disastrous times but eventually, despite our myriad faults, we have evolved into as good an approximation of a decent, liberal nation-state as you could wish for.  We now stand poised to chuck it all away as and when we donate our power to foreigners who have absolutely no interest in our history or culture and most of whom detest us.

If you bow the head to that you deserve everything which gradually but inexorably you will get!

 

 

I am blessed with a first-class Member of Parliament

His name is David Warburton and I can assure you that I am not one of those 'busy-bodies' who is in the habit of constantly writing to my MP, I save all that up for you lot here at D&N!  However, a few weeks back, incensed by Mrs. May's doings, I let him have my opinion.  I should add that I assured him that I realised he was an exceedingly busy man with better things to do than exchange views with old grumps like me but even so, he took the time - it's a long letter - and trouble to write back to me with a polite and thoughtful response which I reproduce below.  I think he is wrong but it speaks volumes for his courtesy and intelligence in reaching the stance he has.  I leave it here for you to read, if you are interested, and I will respond in due course.

 

Dear David

Many thanks for your email about Brexit and I am sorry to be long in responding. I’m grateful to you for sharing your thoughts with me and let me in turn share mine.

They say that time is the great healer. In the normal course of events, that may be true. But the past few years have not been normal.

The 2016 referendum was a seismically divisive event and, for many, the turbulence of the division around the issue of leaving the EU has only grown.

My postbag is split into three fairly equal parts. One: I must support the Prime Minister, back her plan and not let us plunge from the cliff or face another election and more uncertainty. Two: The Prime Minster is a traitor and must go; I must reject her plan, which is no proper form of Brexit, with the EU holding the levers of UK power for the foreseeable future. Three: I must accept that the referendum result was a fix, ill-informed, fed by lies, people’s views have changed and so we now need a second referendum - another crack at it.

I very much appreciate that there’s something to be said for each of these very different perspectives, and that’s exactly why the nation is so divided. People have become increasingly fortified in their positions, seizing upon any material evidence supporting them, while throwing rocks at the others.

And there’s no sign of this entrenchment diminishing. Time is not healing us. As we reach the final stages of agreement with the EU, the blow-by-blow diet of Brexit news fuels the flames of hysteria and ideology.

As you’ll have realised, it’s impossible for Members of Parliament to satisfy the appeals of all sides. Many people write to say that they will withhold their future votes, or will actively campaign for opponents, should their MP not acquiesce to their view. Many say that their MP has some kind of constitutional duty to represent their opinion. This though, thankfully, isn’t how a parliamentary democracy works.

In November 1774, Edmund Burke set out, with some eloquence, to the electors of Bristol how a representative system operates. And it’s his model that we’ve followed since. As he said, “Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.”

So what is my own judgement? These are politically precarious times, and now is not the time for ideology to override pragmatism, compromise and common sense: each qualities of British politics which have historically set us somewhat apart from the politics of the continent, and which, ironically, led those shouting loudest against the deal to wish to depart from the EU in the first place.

The consequences of the alternatives - further instability, ongoing and enhanced uncertainty and a possible Marxist government – are all too great a risk, and would put those aspects of the proposed deal which are not entirely as we would like to have chosen firmly in the shade.

In a negotiated settlement - where different sides have competing agendas and contrary aims - ground will be conceded in order to reach agreement. So some aspects of any agreement will be less than optimal, and some will be more favourable.

Therefore of course, the proposed Brexit deal – the Withdrawal Agreement and the Political Declaration which will form the basis of the future negotiated partnership – is not entirely perfect for the UK.

I look forward, for example, to more clarity over removing the EU’s backstop (our ‘backstop to the backstop’) to resolve the Northern Ireland border. Equally, we must ensure that there isn’t either an unlimited time period in which the UK is bound to the EU before a future partnership is enshrined, or an incentive on either side to seek such an unlimited period.

But I believe we must be pragmatic in how we implement the result of the referendum. This is a time for neither idealism nor intrepid imprudence with the future of our country.

Serving on the European Scrutiny Select Committee, I am deeply concerned about the consequences of leaving the EU with no deal. This would be extraordinarily difficult for UK businesses and for the whole country. It would send a tremulous shock through the City and its consequences would be far reaching and long lasting.

The clock ticks on until Article 50 is enacted and, on the 29th March next year, we leave the European Union. The deal as proposed by the Prime Minister is the only one on the table and it secures much that we want.

Voltaire rightly realised that “the best is the enemy of the good”. This deal means we will control our own borders and end free movement. It means visa-free travel in both directions for holidays and shorter term work. It means we will no longer send colossal sums of money to the EU from which we are allowed some in return. We will be able to decide ourselves how we wish to spend more on our priorities.

It means we will, at last, be able to strike free trade deals around the world, which will be good news for consumers, for jobs and for business.

It means, contrary to a torrent of misleading claims, that we will take back control of our laws, ending the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in the UK. And it means we will continue to work as closely as ever with other European countries to keep people safe from crime, terrorism and other threats.

It means the integrity of the UK remains as it should be. Most obviously, it means no tempestuous bumps ahead. And that itself means certainty for us all, for business, for the economy and therefore for jobs and the security of people’s livelihoods.

As ever, this situation is extremely fluid with every day bringing new twists and turns, but should the Withdrawal Agreement be defeated in the Commons, despite anything you may have read, no one knows what would happen next. Perhaps the PM can bring more concessions back from Brussels and perhaps Parliament can then have another go. But perhaps it’ll mean a change of leader, a restart of negotiations, a consequent no deal exit from the EU and a General Election. Perhaps again, such chaos will demand another, second referendum, where the man and woman on the Somerset omnibus must stand in judgement on the 585 page Withdrawal Agreement and subsequent Political Declaration on our future relationship with the EU: more division, misunderstandings, emotive slogans, utter confusion, with the British people being led down ill-considered paths by those with the loudest, most disturbing voices.

So, while we dance on the head of a pin about the possible likelihood of the backstop to the backstop, or the desirability of any prospective ECJ jurisdiction over aspects of cross-border trade with the EU, and while one or two of the usual suspects posture, puff and present themselves as possible future leaders, the wolves circle.

Nothing has changed since Bismarck pointed out that “politics is the art of the possible, the attainable — the art of the next best”.

In common with others, I have concerns about the proposed deal. But, I have to say, my concern is not at all in step with the delirious rage of some. This is no sell-out. It is not May crumbling before the EU. It is broadly what was asked for: an escape from most aspects of the EU and its movement of people, laws, single market, and customs union, while ensuring we continue to work and trade with our European neighbours as smoothly as possible.

For me, the original vote was about political accountability - no more MEPs, no council of ministers, no European Council, no decisions over which we have no control. For the most part, these principles have been maintained.

As I say, from my postbag, I’ll guess that around two-thirds of my constituency will disagree with me, and a third or so will agree. Yes, many in the country will accept nothing less than the total removal of any EU influence whatsoever in any form over our country. And others want us to remain in the EU at all costs and will never give up the fight for another referendum. But I hope many others want a pragmatic outcome. They are concerned about uncertainty, understand the difficulties of the position, just want to get it done and will not tolerate endless fighting.

There is little, in my view, to be gained by holding fast to one side or the other on the basis of ideology. We need to look to those who are hoping for a sensible, practical and successful outcome, and seek something which is, as far as possible, workable for us all.

As an MP, it is my responsibility to distrust ideological targets and aim for that which lends itself most readily to securing stability and cohesion by protecting jobs, investment and the economy on which we all depend. Then we can again focus properly on our domestic agenda while time begins its healing process.

Best wishes

Yours, David

David Warburton MP
Member of Parliament for Somerton and Frome
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Department for International Development
House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA

 

 

"Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!"

You see, I take my eyes off affairs for a day or two and the slithering slide towards the stinking European swampland gains ever greater momentum.  The fact is that no-one, absolutely no-one, has a definitive analysis of what will happen.  Most observers think that if Mrs. May loses her vote there will be an election.  On the other hand, 'The Moggman' in The Telegraph says, "Not true! What is most likely to lead to a general election is if the Government were to win."  I, like most of 'the peeps', haven't a clue how this will evolve but the truly depressing fact is that none of the so-called main actors have any idea either!

What so many of them fail to understand is that 'IN' and an 'OUT' are two diametrically different states.  Anything that pretends to be an 'OUT' but which contains a myriad of 'INs' is, in fact, an 'IN', and that, if may say modestly, is a perfect description of Mrs. May's concoction.  If, as some people are suggesting, it all reverts to yet another referendum (the third one on Europe!) then I must prepare my outdoor-wear ready to plod the highways and by-ways of Milborne Port dishing out my Brexit leaflets yet again - such fun!  But I will do it because it is critical for the state of my own country, as well as those in Europe, that we break completely and utterly free of the burgeoning monstrosity in Brussels.

 

 

The Sunday Rumble: 25.11.18

It's a mad world:   This morning I thought I would treat myself to a good, old-fashioned lie-in.  So, after dashing downstairs to serve all those bloody birds their morning rations in the garden - well, they make such a squabbling racket if there's no grub I wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway!  So, I dashed back upstairs and jumped into a still warm bed.  Instant oblivion!  But then the other 'bird' in my life nudged me and demanded breakfast.  Naturally, I obeyed orders but I was duly grateful for an extra couple of hours 'kip' and assumed that I would be bursting with energy for the rest of the day.  Nah!  I feel absolutely knackered now.  I think I may go back to bed!

 

So now we must depend on Parliament:   "Oh, the horror, the horror!"  All the fake deal-making is over and only the 'honourable' - who sniggered? - Members of Parliament stand between us and a slow but inexorable descent into the sludge and slime of the EU swamp.  Will they have the courage, the honour, the decency to follow the democratic decision of the people of Britain and tip this "mess of pottage" down the sewer swiftly followed by Mrs. May and 'Oily' Robbins?  Put simply, I do not know. 

 

Yes, that about sums it up:   The incorrigible owner of 'IHTM' sums it up in a sentence:  

"In France they riot over gas tax increases. In California the morons vote to keep it." 

What can I say except 'Vive la France!'

 

Now, about that Pacific problem . . .   A few days ago I mentioned that I might write about an interesting aspect of Pacific affairs - about which, of course, I know next to nothing!  Also, to add to my difficulties, I only heard it very vaguely through my bedside radio ear-piece which I have jammed in my ear during the night.  With all those warnings duly posted let me explain what I thought I heard.  "As any fule do no", the Chinese are pushing and shoving and corrupting their way into the governments of just about every nation in the Pacific as they seek to extend and solidify their influence.  However, in one instance, I think in Papua New Guinea (PNG), they went too far and upset the locals who became exceedingly stroppy.  Well, if the Chinese studied the history of the British empire, this is virtually a foregone conclusion,  Nobody did bullying and corrupting better than us!  Even so, I sense that Chinese arrogance is on a scale of its own.  If anyone has any info on this story, please let me know.  In the meantime, Australia, watch out!

 

Why I 'lurve' Victoria Beckham:   She never, ever smiles!  Night after night I slump in front of my TV and at every commercial break I am confronted by scores of 'lay-dees' and they do nothing but smile and smile and smile and then smile some more!  I loathe and detest them all but I love dearest Victoria who, when-ever and where-ever remains bravely po-faced.  Well done, Vicky, darling!

 

(Sir) Lewis ended the season with another win:   Quite right, fitting and proper!  However, next season will be interesting.  I cannot see Ferrari quietly accepting Mercedes dominance and Vettel will be 'spitting zee blood' to put (Sir) Lewis in his place.  Meanwhile, that ace boy-racer, Verstappen, will be driving the Red Bull team to produce a winning car.  Can't wait for next year!

 

No more rumbles today

 

 

The Editor of the Daily Mail must return to tea-making duties!

Yes, yes, I know, this was supposed to be about the Pacific region and I will get around to it eventually but another of those 'creepy coincidence-thingies' has cropped up and I need to get it of my chest, or at least, to expel it from my psyche because it's driving me nuts!  As you may know, or easily have guessed, my daily paper of choice is The Daily Mail, and yes, I know that says so much about me!  True, I only read about 15% of it but the 'Memsahib' reads most of the other 85% so from the family budget point of view it makes good sense.  Of course, courtesy of this 'internet-thingie' I read a whole lot of world-wide papers and mags but there's always something special about the 0.00000001% of the Brazilian rain forest you can peruse from the comfort of your own armchair.

First and foremost, the political slant is critical and whilst you may agree or disagree with some particulars the general direction must be roughly synonymous with your own.  In this regard, The Daily Mail has suited me excellently whilst the separate Mail on Sunday has not!  Thus, I was mildly irritated when I read that the excellent Paul Dacre had retired as editor and was to be replaced with Geordie Greig, hitherto the editor of The Mail on Sunday.  One reason for my lack of enthusiasm for the Sunday edition, apart from its enormous and eye-stabbingly tedious coverage of what I call 'the tits and tarts of showbusiness'.  However, more important to me was its soft and soppy line on Brexit.  Where Paul Dacre stood full square behind a Brexit 'red in tooth and claw', Mr. Greig, whilst lacking the courage to 'come out' as a 'Remainer', was obviously less than enthusiastic and has adopted a position of soppy centre-ism.  Or to put it another way, he worships at the leopard-skin slippers of Mrs. May!

Day by day, this has become ever more clear and has even been noticed by Mr. Charles Moore of The Spectator.  He suggests, in his country gentleman style, that hitherto it has been the NCOs who have 'run the show' at Associated Newspapers but with the advancement of Mr. Greig, the gentlemanly officer class is back in command.  It will not be difficult, then, for you to guess what this particular ex-Corporal thinks of it.  Of course, 'Chateau Duff' will continue to buy the Daily Mail because the 'Chatelaine' would not have it otherwise in order to ensure that she is right up to date with the latest fashions!  But will I still read it?  Probably my current 15% will drop to 5%! 

 

 

 

 

 

The Sunday Rumble: 18.11.18

"The Secret in their Eyes":  Some of you old-time regulars will recognise that film title because, crashing old bore that I am, it comes up for discussion as regularly as clockwork.  Last night, the 'Memsahib' went to bed early and in an idle moment I flicked through the recordings I have made over time on my TV 'do-flicker-recording-thingie'.  And there it was, so I watched it again for the 'umpteenth' time.  It truly is a great love and horror story and film which once seen can never be forgotten - quite literally, it haunts.  It covers a 25-year period and the action switches forward and back.  It is set in Argentina when their quasi-legal, police and justice system was subject to corrupt political influence.  However, that is merely the background but what strikes you to the heart is the story line.  Once seen, you can never forget these all too human - and inhuman - characters and their multiple tragedies.  If you try it, do not attempt to make sense of everything immediately, simply watch it, leave it and return to it again later.  Gradually, layer after layer of deeper meaning will be revealed.  I have never been so moved by a film.

 

'Who will rid me of this wretched woman?'  With all due acknowledgment to Henry II whose words I have not only 'nicked' but altered as well!  I am not suggesting that Mrs. May is a wicked woman but it is now clear that she is one of those unfortunate possessors of power whose very own 'virtues' - courage, tenacity, stubbornness - are bringing down the entire country.  She must go - and go quickly!

 

'Jonestown' - a name that haunts:   Every so often the name 'Jonestown' crops up, or to be precise, 'the Jonestown massacre' and every time it does, I wonder what it was all about.  As a slight excuse for my ignorant laziness, the sad fact is that there are so many 'massacres' in America that they tend to blend into each other.  Anyway, coming across the name today made me decide to look it up.  Now I wish I hadn't!  Nearly a thousand people, men, women and children, slaughtered, willingly or unwillingly, under the mesmeric leadership of a total 'nut job' called Jim Jones.  There are no words . . .

 

Dan Hodges lets me down:   As regular readers know, I have been something of a fan of Dan Hodges since I first discovered him writing in The Sunday Mail.  He is, I suspect, either 'a jolly decent chap' or 'an alright bloke', depending on your background, which probably explains his soppy commentary on Mrs. May and her predicament today.  According to Mr. Hodges, she is the epitome of decent, British virtue as she sticks bravely to her (non)Brexit policy.  Meanwhile, all those rats who grimly oppose her are cruel, malevolent rotters of the worst kind.  Possibly, Mr. Hodges, but with respect you do not know for sure.  It could be that she is a frightful, vainglorious and ruthless defender, not of this country, but of her own deeply-held and very personal ambitions.  And it may be that the 'rotters' are actually decent men and women desperately trying to stop a disaster hitting this country.  What is the truth of the matter?  I do not know and I will only find out, bit by bit, when those bloody "events, dear boy, events" play out and the history books begin to be written.  All I do know for sure, is that her solution to our Brexit problem is a stinker but that does not necessarily make her an evil woman - although she may be!

 

No more rumbles today

 

 

It's that 'ennui' thing

I'm not saying that I'm pleased for a chance to use the word 'ennui', although I am, but given an opportunity to do so, I cannot resist it.  And I am aided by the fact that, at the moment, I am suffering with galloping 'ennui'!  Mind you, it is one of those words of which I think I know the meaning but, even so, given my erudite readership, I thought it best to check it out.

Ennui: a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement.

"he succumbed to ennui and despair"

It also provided a list of synonyms:

boredom · tedium · listlessness · lethargy · lassitude · languor · restlessness · weariness · sluggishness · enervation · malaise · dissatisfaction · unhappiness · uneasiness 

Yes, yes, all of those and I could probably come up with loads more, er, except that I'm suffering with 'ennui' so I really can't be arsed!  You may be wondering, if you have nothing better to waste your time on, what has afflicted me with this debilitating condition?  I would tell you if only I had a spark of energy or interest but, alas, I am suffering with 'ennui', so I haven't!

I suspect, I can put it no more definitely, that the utterly shameful shambles at the top of my own country has much to do with it.  We all know - do we not? - that the vast majority of the Grand Panjandrums in Whitehall would have extreme difficulty in organising a piss-up in a brewery but so long as they just potter along doing the little things poorly the rest of us can just ignore it.  However, in the end all those little things mount up to form a really and truly 'Big Thing' and it is at that point that the 'brown stuff' hits the fan.

Of course, as a private subject to 'Her Maj', there is little I can do but even so I felt compelled to write to my Conservative MP in order to let him know what at least one of his voters was thinking.  Needless to say, I quoted a passage from that distinguished column, Duff & Nonsense, to re-enforce my point.  What effect will that have, you ask?  Somewhere between -0.1 and +0.1 is my estimate!

'Dear Mr. Warburton,
I try not to write to you too often because that would be exceedingly boring - for you as well as me! However, this is my latest blog-post which I send to you merely to provide you with one tiny example of how a natural Tory feels today. There is absolutely no need for you to reply, you have better things to do,
David Duff'

"I have kept quiet recently on the subject of Brexit - who cheered? - because I did not wish to believe what my suspicions were telling me. Now, the truth cannot be ignored. We, the majority of the British public, a majority established in an open and fair referendum, have been betrayed. Mrs. May in particular, the government in general and the higher ranks of the Civil Service have lied and lied and lied again as they combined secretly to sell us out to the European State. This is almost as rotten and foul as Chamberlain's cowardice and deceitfulness in 1938/9. The Tory party will crash and burn at the next election - and they deserve it!"

Right, I'm off to slump in my armchair and, er, 'stroke my ennui', so to speak.  Of course, I have issued strict instructions to the 'Memsahib' that under no circumstances is she to switch on TV news, I would rather watch the 'kiddie-winkie' programmes, they're more adult!  

 

 

 

Dear Diary, I have a list of targets for assassination ...

Last night I went to bed in Grump Mode Factor 10 and then this morning my Grump Mode measuring device blew up!  So I watched events in the Commons today and thought that perhaps paying a visit to one of those Swiss murderers, ooops, sorry, I mean those very discreet Swiss doctors who will 'off you' in the time it takes to drop a few grand in their hand, might not be such a bad idea after all.  But then, as the day wore on, I began to cheer up particularly as I watched it dawn on Mrs. May that that lumbering sound approaching her is not actually Boris but probably a scaffold!  Unfortunately, there were no pictures or interviews with Mr. 'Oily' Robbins, the fat-jowelled 'Sir Humphrey' who pulls Mrs. May's strings, however, I like to think of him, as he watched the sleek 'Moggman' sharpening his dagger, running his finger round his collar!

I have been mildly amused by the references to the late and utterly useless Neville Chamberlain who was forced to face a hostile Commons following the total cock-up of the Norway 'campaign' in 1940.  Of course, the really delicious irony of that contretemps was the undoubted fact that it should have been Winston Churchill in the hot seat, not Chamberlain, but instead, shortly there-after Churchill was swept into office and there-by into history as the great 'hero' of WWII.  Honestly, you couldn't make it up!

Anyway, yet again it has been made crystal clear that the vast majority of  the top of our political and civil service are totally unfit for the job, not because they are unduly corrupt but merely because they are dim, dumb and daft!  Meanwhile, 'just over there', Juncker, Selmayr and the rest of the European apparatchiks are all leaning on each other howling with laughter.  It was obvious from the start, and this blog forecast it, that the 'Euros' would give us absolutely nothing, in fact, that they would delight in our humiliation.  To which I can only say, he who laughs last, laughs longest!

 

 

Altogether now, gauche, droite, links, rechts and march on into disaster

So that well known pair of warriors, 'Mini' Macron and 'Mutti' Merkel, are urging Europe to form a unified army.  'Golly-gosh', we'll all sleep easier in our beds knowing that is protecting us, will we not?  Er, they will protect us, surely, I mean there's no chance they might set about each other to settle a few - well, quite a lot, actually! - old scores, will they?  No, no, no, of course not, I must stop being a grumpy, cynical, old Brit!  One must look on the bright side because the formation of a 'European army' will strike fear into the hearts of those meddling 'Rooskies' and , au naturel (or should that be natürlich?) it will put a stop to all that oafish 'Trumpery' when the news sinks in beneath his ginger hairline that the Europeans now have a unified army - sort of, nearly, well, almost.

In reality, of course, there is no way a European army could fight its way out of a paper-bag in order to take on a proper foe but one thing it might achieve fairly easily is to impose its will, or to be precise, the will of its European masters, on that irritating, ill-disciplined, independent-minded bunch of scallywags known as the European people!  Oh yes, no problem there, a quick whiff of grapeshot will soon sort that lot out and teach them who is in charge!

 

 

Why are Universities so 'stoopid'?

Time for a trip down the Time Tunnel, I'm afraid - and I am grimly aware that my own particular Time Tunnel is exceedingly long and getting longer!  Anyway, I will open my remarks with a single name which may, or may not, get the memory banks ticking away - Norman Geras!  I should, perhaps, put it this way - the late Norman Geras, 25 August 1943 – 18 October 2013, R.I.P.

He was an esteemed University teacher and a Professor Emeritus of Government at Manchester University.  He was also an out-and-out Marxist with, no doubt, the reddest of red underwear!  For years he ran a personal blog in which he put forward his Marxist ideas which I read and, of course, criticised fiercely - but never angrily because it was obvious that he was an exceptionally pleasant man and not one to allow his Marxist philosophy to stop him from lashing 'the usual suspects' on the extreme Left if they were more than usually 'stoopid'.  In other words he was an idealistic Marxist but one who never forgot his humanity.

I am reminded of all this by an article at The Coffee House written by Nick Cohen who has discovered that some moron at the 'University of Morons', aka: Reading University, have issued severe warnings to students and teachers that the words of Norman Geras must be treated with extreme caution under the 'anti-terrorist Prevent programme'!  The fact that Norman Geras spent his entire life in passionate opposition to any action likely to cause civilian casualties seems to have escaped these pen-pushing 'Pecksniffs'.  Read Cohen's article and be reminded, yet again, that the biggest dunces are usually found in Universities!

 

 

The last word on WWI

I meant to publish this yesterday but, disgracefully, I never quite got around to it.  It is a famous painting by one of my absolute favourite artists, the American John Singer Sargent.  It is entitled "Gassed".

Luckily, I once saw the original at the Imperial War Museum where, at some 2o feet long, it covered the entire end-wall of the gallery.  It deserves its place up there with the very greatest of war artistry such as the poems of Wilfred Owen.  Sargent was a superb painter as I learned when I went to view his work in a special exhibition in London a few years ago.