11 thoughts on “Yes, yes, I know, self-advertising makes you go blind”
bloke in spain
there are those who will swear blind that Catholicism’s banning of cousin marriage was a hugely important part of the development of Europe. As long as you weren’t a Hapsburg you had to marry out of your clan – for some centuries, actually out of your tribe as “cousin” was defined to be within 7 degrees of removal – and this then led to the entire society not being clan – or tribe – based.
I doubt that. There’s not much evidence of it being enforced, for a start. I’d suggest the style of agriculture & people being wedded to particular pieces of land. It pays to get on with your neighbours because you don’t want to spend your nights guarding your turnips from them. So you mutually agree to leave each other’s stuff alone. That makes your neighbour’s neighbours your neighbours & again with theirs. So yes you out-marry because you’re all part of the same community. You get examples of this war time don’t you? They get a break in the fighting forced on them by their lords & masters & the poor bloody infantry find the opposing PBI are blokes just like them they can have a fag & beer with. The tribal thing is herding culture & the deep distrust of the other lot nicking your goats. So you end up with me & my brother against the family but me & my family against their families & our families against the tribe & our tribe against their tribe. The Middle-East an outstanding example.
Steve
May 4th 1982: As HMS Sheffield is abandoned and the fire spreads towards the Sea Dart ammunition. The remaining crew gather on the foredeck singing “Always look on the bright side of life”.
Utterly splendid.
I’m surprised we haven’t seen a film about the Falklands war yet.
Jim
“I’m surprised we haven’t seen a film about the Falklands war yet.”
Really? You think media/film types are going to make a film about heroic Brits killing the dusky(ish) natives on the other side of the world, all under the watchful eye of the dreaded Mrs T? The people who would be making such a film are the very people who would have wanted us to lose the Falklands War, and the last thing they want to do is be reminded of a victory that cemented Mrs T in power for another 8 years. I’ve been re-reading the Alan Clark diaries from that era, and its very clear from his vantage point in the HoC at the time that there was a significant chance Mrs T would either have been ousted by the Tory wets at some point, or lost the 83/84 election and then been ousted. The Falklands saved her. The Left are never going to forget that.
Steve
Jim – Yarp, but it’s a great subject for drama.
The Black Buck raids alone were the kind of daring adventures that, had they had happened in WW2, would already have been celebrated in a film probably starring Kenneth More and David Niven.
Bloke in North Dorset
bis,
AIUI, the ban on cousin marriages was aimed at trying to break the hold of a small number of families within the HRE and when it was introduced a few marriages were annulled.
They really didn’t care too much what the peasants got up to.
Boganboy
Well, I liked Mrs T.
Of course you might say ‘You lived on the other side of the world from her didn’t you.’
But then so did the Argies.
TD
Jim. I met a girl from the Falklands once. She was very nice and rather pretty. Can I take it from your comment that the Falklanders themselves are unpopular with the left for having been successfully saved from being governed by the Argentines and saving Thatcher to boot?
Chris Miller
I’m surprised we haven’t seen a film about the Falklands war yet.
I suppose there was Tumbledown (Colin Firth, 1988), but only the first half was about the fighting, with the second half about recovery from horrific injuries. But I have to agree with Jim, it would show Britain in a positive light, and that’s verboten in today’s media landscape.
Jim
“Can I take it from your comment that the Falklanders themselves are unpopular with the left for having been successfully saved from being governed by the Argentines and saving Thatcher to boot?”
Of course. They are white Europeans. As far as the Left is concerned their entire role in the affair should have been to be slaughtered by the invading dusky Argentinian hordes as part of a glorious decolonising purification.
As an OT aside, has anyone pointed out how cultural inappropriate it is for all these pro-Palestinian campus protestors to be wearing Arab scarves and headdresses? Or is it OK for white kids to dress up as Middle Eastern types now?
I suggest the Sheffield incident was a relic of British stiff upper lip attitude combined with the defensive humour as a mental survival technique when facing a severe crisis. In short jeering at a threat. Very noble IMHO. No doubt manglement, military and civilian are working hard to install a snivelling victim mentality in the dwindling forces. Tims view it shows the British are unusual is too limited. This attitude to threat shows in the British global dispersal. The Aussies in Tobruk took the German sneer about rats and used it as a badge of honour.
there are those who will swear blind that Catholicism’s banning of cousin marriage was a hugely important part of the development of Europe. As long as you weren’t a Hapsburg you had to marry out of your clan – for some centuries, actually out of your tribe as “cousin” was defined to be within 7 degrees of removal – and this then led to the entire society not being clan – or tribe – based.
I doubt that. There’s not much evidence of it being enforced, for a start. I’d suggest the style of agriculture & people being wedded to particular pieces of land. It pays to get on with your neighbours because you don’t want to spend your nights guarding your turnips from them. So you mutually agree to leave each other’s stuff alone. That makes your neighbour’s neighbours your neighbours & again with theirs. So yes you out-marry because you’re all part of the same community. You get examples of this war time don’t you? They get a break in the fighting forced on them by their lords & masters & the poor bloody infantry find the opposing PBI are blokes just like them they can have a fag & beer with. The tribal thing is herding culture & the deep distrust of the other lot nicking your goats. So you end up with me & my brother against the family but me & my family against their families & our families against the tribe & our tribe against their tribe. The Middle-East an outstanding example.
May 4th 1982: As HMS Sheffield is abandoned and the fire spreads towards the Sea Dart ammunition. The remaining crew gather on the foredeck singing “Always look on the bright side of life”.
Utterly splendid.
I’m surprised we haven’t seen a film about the Falklands war yet.
“I’m surprised we haven’t seen a film about the Falklands war yet.”
Really? You think media/film types are going to make a film about heroic Brits killing the dusky(ish) natives on the other side of the world, all under the watchful eye of the dreaded Mrs T? The people who would be making such a film are the very people who would have wanted us to lose the Falklands War, and the last thing they want to do is be reminded of a victory that cemented Mrs T in power for another 8 years. I’ve been re-reading the Alan Clark diaries from that era, and its very clear from his vantage point in the HoC at the time that there was a significant chance Mrs T would either have been ousted by the Tory wets at some point, or lost the 83/84 election and then been ousted. The Falklands saved her. The Left are never going to forget that.
Jim – Yarp, but it’s a great subject for drama.
The Black Buck raids alone were the kind of daring adventures that, had they had happened in WW2, would already have been celebrated in a film probably starring Kenneth More and David Niven.
bis,
AIUI, the ban on cousin marriages was aimed at trying to break the hold of a small number of families within the HRE and when it was introduced a few marriages were annulled.
They really didn’t care too much what the peasants got up to.
Well, I liked Mrs T.
Of course you might say ‘You lived on the other side of the world from her didn’t you.’
But then so did the Argies.
Jim. I met a girl from the Falklands once. She was very nice and rather pretty. Can I take it from your comment that the Falklanders themselves are unpopular with the left for having been successfully saved from being governed by the Argentines and saving Thatcher to boot?
I’m surprised we haven’t seen a film about the Falklands war yet.
I suppose there was Tumbledown (Colin Firth, 1988), but only the first half was about the fighting, with the second half about recovery from horrific injuries. But I have to agree with Jim, it would show Britain in a positive light, and that’s verboten in today’s media landscape.
“Can I take it from your comment that the Falklanders themselves are unpopular with the left for having been successfully saved from being governed by the Argentines and saving Thatcher to boot?”
Of course. They are white Europeans. As far as the Left is concerned their entire role in the affair should have been to be slaughtered by the invading dusky Argentinian hordes as part of a glorious decolonising purification.
As an OT aside, has anyone pointed out how cultural inappropriate it is for all these pro-Palestinian campus protestors to be wearing Arab scarves and headdresses? Or is it OK for white kids to dress up as Middle Eastern types now?
@Steve
This R4 Drama was good Operation Black Buck
I put torrent on TPB and RadioArchive
Full Description Here with links
This is good too The Missing Vulcan – Falklands 1982
I suggest the Sheffield incident was a relic of British stiff upper lip attitude combined with the defensive humour as a mental survival technique when facing a severe crisis. In short jeering at a threat. Very noble IMHO. No doubt manglement, military and civilian are working hard to install a snivelling victim mentality in the dwindling forces. Tims view it shows the British are unusual is too limited. This attitude to threat shows in the British global dispersal. The Aussies in Tobruk took the German sneer about rats and used it as a badge of honour.