-
History, and the Memory of Forty-Seven
It is hard to imagine that a time will come when we look back, some people fondly, some of us with horror, and remember the days we are living now, when today, this week, this month and year become history. [...]
-
The Best Defense: Attack
We live in times when certain forces around us, seen and unseen, defend themselves by attacking their assailants, real or imagined, by any means possible, and often by those means which we might consider not only underhand, but illegal. Illegality is, of course, something discerned by those in power, and not necessarily by the law books, by custom or any other means, including the law courts. There are enough examples of actions taken which have not only been widely condemned in the mass media and by the public, but ruled illegal by courts at all levels, and still ignored. The interested spectator need only take a quick glance at the…
-
Misinformation: the Thin-Skinned and the Gullible
A close friend of mine received some unwelcome post recently: a letter from the local police force with an accusation of insulting behaviour. It referred to a comment she had posted on a certain social media web site – well-known for its own lack of legal responsibility, partisanship and the politics of its owner – where she drew, in no uncertain terms, the original poster’s attention to a piece of misinformation from a German politician, well known for a wealth of false claims over the years, and described the further distribution of such fact-free propaganda as more than just foolish. The poster felt that their honour and credibility had been…
-
A Man of Dishonour, Rewarded
I can well imagine that the thought has passed through many minds over the last few days, but the title is already taken, and by someone far more deserving of public attention and a lasting memory. Andrew Albert Christian Edward Mountbatten Windsor may well be a former Prince, as well as having been granted many other honorific titles, but he is now in a position of disgrace, albeit one which will hardly dent his ego, or his pocketbook. The man who used to be called Prince, Duke, Earl and Baron, as well as being a Vice Admiral in the Royal Navy, will be able to continue his former life with…
