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7 hours ago, Edwardian said:

Every cloud has, however, a silver lining.

 

Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing how "a period of reflection" turns out. 

 

 

After a short interior armed struggle, I have completed my period of reflection.

 

I have reached the conclusion that I am glad to be a true-born Englishman:

 

1297518279_JohnBullandhisfriends.jpg.1b013332bdfdcc73b547924457afb59d.jpg

 

... and not Irish or Scottish; French, Spanish, Polish, etc. resident in my country; Muslim; renting; on income support; disabled; ill; over 65; under 35; a single parent; or a female MP.

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10 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

After a short interior armed struggle, I have completed my period of reflection.

 

I have reached the conclusion that I am glad to be a true-born Englishman:

 

1297518279_JohnBullandhisfriends.jpg.1b013332bdfdcc73b547924457afb59d.jpg

 

... and not Irish or Scottish; French, Spanish, Polish, etc. resident in my country; Muslim; renting; on income support; disabled; ill; over 65; under 35; a single parent; or a female MP.

 

 

 

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On 12/12/2019 at 13:21, Edwardian said:

 

Britannia (the buxom lady), seated in the "Vessel of the Constitution", is steered (as you say) by Pitt the Younger between Scylla "the rock of democracy", adorned with the French sans culotte 'cap of liberty', and the "whirlpool of arbitrary power", represented by a submerged crown.

 

Behind the ship are the "SHARKS: Dogs of Scylla", who are likely to be radical Whigs.  The centre figure is certainly Charles James Fox.  Conceivably the rear figure is fellow Tory Edmund Burke; Burke and Pitt formed a reforming ministry, but the French Revolution prompted them to abandon their plans for constitutional reform, but it could equally be leading Whig the Duke of Portland or someone else entirely. The front figure looks like the late actor Robert Morely!

 

As to the destination? Well, it would help if I could make out the flag, but I can't.

 

Hmm, a perilous journey to an unknown destination.  With that, I'm off to vote!

 

 

 

Have found some more detail of this splendid Gillray cartoon.

The Island Castle Banner reads ' The Haven of Public Happiness', (although it looks rather like a nasty lee shore to me!)

The pursuers are :-

Charles James Fox (for whom I've always had a sneaking liking)

Joseph Priestly

Richard Brinsley Sheridan.

 

It is now definitely a good day to retreat from contemporary politics, and retire to William Hague's rather good biography of Pitt the younger.

Defeated/retired politicians sometimes seem able to produce a nice line in political biography.

I do like Roy Chadwick on both Gladstone and Churchill, although I am suspicious of Roy Hattersley on Lloyd George.

 

One advantage of taking a history degree is that one's natural viewpoint of events is at least fifty, and preferably a hundred, years after they occurred.

 

I just hope that, even though I am unlikely to last long enough to achieve such a perspective on yesterday's election and what may follow it, I am able to live out my declining years in a country which shows some signs of improvement on that which I grew up in, and does not disintegrate into division, degradation and despair!

 

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47 minutes ago, nick_bastable said:

The only good news from today was Crayola announcing their first trade deal betwix USA and UK  for 653,000 coloured ( not colored) Crayons for the HoC and its new members

 

they have advised they are chlorinated and semi edible 

 

Nick

 

Made in Mexico by the U.S. company that took over the (British) Cosmic Crayon Co. formerly based at the wonderfully named Cosmic Avenue, Bedford.  I say nothing.

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3 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

How does the liberal dissenter Priestly end up in the company of those two Tories?

 

Joseph Priestly hosted a celebration dinner in Birmingham for the fall of the Bastille in 1791. This provoked several days of rioting.

 

I'm not sure I would count Charles James Fox as a Tory - not for the most famous part of his life anyway!

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13 hours ago, webbcompound said:

erm we have been there for nine years already.

 

 

I did say descend further, but you still have my sympathies even though Corbyn would have been a worse disaster, sort of a caricature of Stalin without his well known absurdist streak. :jester: 

 

At least the positive thing for you is that your PM, unlike ours, is not a self proclaimed bible thumper who still offers "thoughts and prayers" instead of action when asked to respond to serious issues.

 

Now bring on all the free trade agreements and goodies that we former members of the pink bits on the world map are expected to be part of ............ :whistle:

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18 hours ago, Edwardian said:

Every cloud has, however, a silver lining.

 

Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing how "a period of reflection" turns out. 

 

800.jpeg.fc8d79607384b48202a67e61fcb20152.jpeg

 

It is grand to see a photo of the 1st Castle Aching Volunteer Motorised Corps on winter manoeuvres. I note that the trooper at the upper far right appears to have a toothache and that some have wisely adopted fur caps to guard against the cold.   

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