Saki’s 1913 When William Came is the best guide to a Britain transformed overnight. | Daniel Hardaker
How adrift we are to be wrestling with something which, especially in England, none of our forebearers has ever had to deal with. As there is absolutely no precedent for a medical-Stakhanovite England steaming into the horror of perma-biosecurity panopticon living, let me, then, suggest Saki’s 1913 When William Came. It is not perfectly suited – one has to compromise here –, but its tale of a Britain under the thumb of Imperial Germany has many remarkable parallels with the events of the last year.
The novel’s focus is the absurdity of a handful of Britons as they simultaneously attempt to adapt and to resist. I hope the tragicomic resemblance to our own behaviours and thought patterns offer at least a little release. It did for me.
Cumbrian coal mine scandal does not expose conservative environmental hypocrisy | Charlie Goulbourne
When activists speak of leaving behind “dirty jobs” of coal mining, they have never really proposed to eliminate these industries, but rather export them to poorer countries with weaker environmental regulations. Despite the cries of “environmental injustice” that are now compelled to accompany any discussion regarding climate change, many seem happy to continue to shift the burden of industrial emissions to developing nations, import their goods (releasing yet more emissions) and then proudly declare themselves carbon neutral …
I am afraid that there is a conflict between utopia and reality happening here. Whatever becomes of the Cumbria coal mine, it does not represent the choice between an enlightened green future and a regressive industrialism. If it does go ahead, it is due to a pragmatism that understands that mining coal in order to produce steel closer to the point of use, instead of shipping it halfway across the globe, is environmentally sensible, never mind that it will finally re-shore some industry to our ailing economy.
An American looks at the self-debasement of the British Establishment | William Franklin
British high society subconsciously seems to think that if they continue to degrade and debase themselves in public enough, eventually a New Man will emerge as if by magic. The ‘stuffy’ past will fade into the night and a new Cool Britannia will emerge in a flash of light. But that is not going to happen. The past has already happened. It cannot be destroyed. Therefore, the British elite will continue in this cycle from now until they reconnect with this past. Over and over again, the political operatives will instruct the leaders to dance like chimps and over an over again they will do it, thereby acting out this desperate attempt to purify themselves of their history and their character.
The life and legacy of the Duke of Edinburgh | Adam James Pollock
At his golden wedding anniversary celebrations, the Queen Elizabeth celebrated the importance he had played in supporting her role as monarch, noting that “he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know.”
Free speech as an antidote to error and falsity | Lili N. Zemplényi
We all come across error in the form of various kinds of extremism our lives. While the British education system is unable to prepare us specifically for the individual moments when we will face such comments or situations, during our education we are supposed to be given guidelines to be able to recognise the worst forms of radicalism when it materialises.
Farewell to crass comedy at the BBC | George Marsden
So, for this among many reasons, The Mash Report was quite simply incompetent comedy. And it’s this fact that makes the fears of Twitter brawlers like Jessica Simor QC and James O’Brien that its cancellation represents a totalitarian crackdown on satirists obviously absurd; the show was so unfunny that it’s impossible to believe Nish Kumar and Rachel Parris were “speaking truth to power”, or that they were even persistent furrowers of Tory brows.
Social distancing: how to prevent insurgence | Joseph Robertson
When we look at resistances to a Draconian form of government, either intellectual or violent, necessary or unjustified, we see a trend. From the Cristeros in Mexico, to the Bolsheviks in Russia, to the pacifist resistance against Lukashenko in Belarus, all those groups had or have one thing in common. They all formed in groups. They were physically in the room at the same time as each other - they thought together, fought together and where necessary died together. So in hindsight, not only is social distancing a commendable tactic for those wishing to hone in on ‘Covid separatists’ but imperative to prevent the ‘spread of misinformation’ (read anti-narrative thought).
Competency-based learning | Dan Mikhaylov
In sum, one of Britain’s foremost brands and selling points- our cherished system of education- has quietly been hijacked by the neoliberal misconception that people amount to little more than assets, whose value is contingent on how much one invests and which are constantly traded in the labour market.
Protecting women | OC Comment
Though we all wish women and children could walk the streets without fear, that is not the world we live in. Though progressives would have us believe utopia was around the corner, necessitating only a bit of social engineering here and radical ideology there, social conservatism requires a recognition of reality.