I have written here on more than one occasion that the Brexit debacle in Britain is akin to a Slow Moving Suez Crisis.
In the aftermath of the ill-judged adventure in 1956, the British political class were put in their box by Uncle Sam.
After World War Two the buck stopped in the Oval Office and not at Westminster.
It was almost as if the chaps in London had not been paying attention when Churchill gave his famous speech in Fulton.
British people who were ten years old at the time of Operation Musketeer turned 70 in 2016.
I’m told that was the demographic in England that was most likely to vote Leave.
Perhaps, at some level, they craved Empire 2.0 when the voted in the referendum.
However, the comments of the Dutch Prime Minister are unassailably true.
After Suez Harold McMillan stated that the role of Britain could be as Greece to America’s Rome.
It could certainly be argued that Donald Trump resembles an American Nero.
However, I have no idea how the analogy accommodates Theresa May.
I have written here on several occasions that I find it amazing how historically illiterate the average Brit is on the past crimes of their empire.
An aunt of mine down the country was fond of the saying that “education is never wasted”.
Well, I was reminded of that when I journeyed into my long term memory to get a handle on the efficacy of the phonetics of Mr Jacob Rees Mogg.
For those of you interested, I commend the work of the academic Peter Trudgill on this subject.
His research in the 1970s found that people in England considered that anyone speaking with “Received Pronunciation” were automatically considered to be speaking with quiet evidential authority.
His findings discovered that an accent just south of Birmingham was considered to imbue the speaker with the least amount of authority and implied intelligence.
That’s tough on Benny from Crossroads.
Just sayin…
On BBC Question Time recently his explanation for the use of concentration camps by the British in the Boer War had as much basis in fact as a Keith Jackson exclusive on an Ibrox bound billionaire.
It was classic Tansplaining from the Etonian.
For the record, the British Empire interned thousands of women and children from the Boer community in South Africa at the start of the 20th century.
If their men folk were in a Kommando then these innocent civilians were systematically starved to force the guerrilla fighters to surrender.
The efficacy of this inhuman technique was not lost on the colonial Germans on the continent.
Consequently, they rather rapidly adopted the practice in South West Africa to a murderous effect on the Herero and Nama peoples.
I wonder how the Honourable Member for North East Somerset would characterise An Gorta Mór.
Perhaps he would say it was a little local difficulty in agricultural production.
Genocide is genocide even if someone like Mr Rees Mogg says it ain’t so…
History takes a long time and it is a crass error to think that major events will unfold within your own short lifetime.
Even so, events can speed up the process.
For example, it does seem a long time ago since last month when I wrote this.
The Brexit debacle IS historic, nomatter how it eventually plays out.
It is clear that some of the reputational damage on the global stage has already been done to the UK.
Here on this island, we are looking at the prospect of a hard border and the fragile Peace Process being undermined by the vandalism of Middle England.
Before the referendum, I wrote this for Bella Caledonia in February 2016.
No one was putting those potential consequences on the side of a bus in London, but I was worrying about a re-emerging border in the event of a leave vote.
Of course, the people in the Six Counties have an escape route from the chaos of the UK and into the stability of the European Union.
There are already interesting conversations are being had within the wider unionist community.
Indeed, perhaps in time, the population of Fair Caledonia will come to rue their collective decision in 2014 to remain British.
I was at the referendum count in Ingliston that night.
As the results came in I said to a colleague as Prime Minister Cameron gave his victory speech that it would prove to be a costly error by “Scotland the brave”.
Most people in history have been powerless onlookers as momentous events unfold and crash into their lives.
Here in Donegal as the Brexit clock ticks down, I know the feeling…
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Phil – I have absolutely no idea how the BBC selects it’s panellists for Question Time, but if you receive an invite, do not decline it. The programme becomes more of a watch whenever an “upstart” is secreted within the panel. Who can forget contributions from the likes of John Lydon, Will Self, etc? If you are on the panel, let’s hope some pompous tory arsehole is on that same panel. BoJo or Lord Snooty (Mogg) will do nicely! PMG v BoJo would make for an excellent, if rather one sided, game of wiff-waff!!
Absolutely. Customs EU checkpoints are inevitable
You lost the argument when you said ” the stability in the EU” that’s a good one, tell that to Greece, the Spanish, the Italians , and even the yellow jackets in France, AND I can’t understand why someone like your self who wants a free and United Ireland is happy to be ruled by numptys in Brussels who no one knows, so much for a independent Ireland, and just in case you did not notice the Brits had a democratic vote and the people voted to leave and become a independent country again, is that not what you are always saying Ireland should be? Methinks what you want Phil is a one world government, controlling every aspect of people’s lives much like the way it was in the Soviet union, a Godless society where democracy is only there for those who toe the line.
You still dont get it Phil – The British Empire has always been the continuation of the ROMAN Empire or in other words the VATICAN and they control most countries in this world including the US through the Central Banking System, Legal System and Political System etc with the ROTHSCHILDS being the Vaticans Bankers and the QUEEN being the Popes Arch-Treasurer. These corrupt “Elites” or in reality MAFIAS keep the masses fighting with each other while they carry on with trying to build their New World Order – One World Government DICTATORSHIP of which the EU and soon to be United States of Europe is going to be part of. Most of the people that are awake to what is going on blame the banks not realising that all of the banks and thus totally FAKE debt are controlled by these Elites who are robbing the people of this planet blind. Ireland is going to be the next Greek tragedy soon having no debt when it joined the EU and now heavily indebted to the EU and getting worst with rocketing debt, homelessness and poverty etc and people like you are gagging for even more EU. The French people are bringing France to a halt every single weekend via the yellow vests because they know the problem lies with the banks especially their Vatican/Rothschilds etc Central Bank and Trump in the US is going to be dealing with the Vatican/Rothschilds Federal Reserve soon as well and the Italian Government is going to shut down and deal with “their” Central Bank soon as well as per here :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM5ElW0OKHU&pbjreload=10
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
If the Vatican controls the World Banking System , does it favour Catholics when they apply for a loan ?
Just asking !!!
Phil I read a piece yesterday about the Miami Showband massacre, and a survivor from it thinks the troubles could creep back again. What’s your take?
I hope not.
However, I do know that the people of this island does not figure in the deliberations of the Westminster tribe.
I don’t claim to have any special insight into the social or political dynamics in that part of the world, but I would posit that the last 20 years since the Good Friday Agreement has been a turning point in the centuries long struggle between the Irish and the Brits generally, and the last 100 years in the North in particular. There is now an entire generation of youth who have lived their entire lives since the formal end of The Troubles. Their parents have lived most or all of their adult lives during this period as well but still carry scars and memories from childhood.
The conditions for sanity to prevail – on all sides – has never been better. I remain hopeful that most people on both sides will conclude that any peaceful resolution will be preferable to a return to arms and violence.
She’s the Greek tragedy Phil…