There's a lesson to be learnt here

It is a time of political chaos, when the Government of Britain is wracked by internal divisions and factions. Cabinet meetings are characterised by open hostility and serial resignations, and the Prime Minister seems to stand back and watch the fighting so as not to alienate one faction or another. The issues being argued about are Britain’s place in the world and it’s trading relations with other countries – issues that are essentially economic but which have become lost beneath a jingoistic cloak of patriotism and colonialism. Leading politicians involved in the struggle change positions with alarming regularity, creating confusion amongst their supporters and a degree of dismay amongst the wider electorate. It will all eventually end in political tears for many of the people involved.

Sounds familiar? A synopsis of Mrs May's Tories? Wrong! It was, in fact, the Summer of 1903. Joseph Chamberlain – a champion of Liberal free trade who had recently become a convert to the idea of tariffs and Imperial Preference – had resigned from the Government. Whilst he was no longer a member of the cabinet, he was still a powerful political player and his son, Austen Chamberlain, remained in the cabinet to represent his cause. The Prime Minister, Arthur Balfour, content to stand back and try to gauge which way the wind was blowing, was rendered useless and went on to lose the General Election in 1906. Now, historians tend to look back on the events of 1903 and ask, “What on earth was it all about?” When the country should have been concentrating on modernising its industrial structure and improving the social conditions of its population, it wasted its time with a sterile argument between politicians who were championing their own fanciful ideas. Sounds familiar? 

I am not trying to suggest that current events are an exact repeat of the ridiculous arguments of 115 years ago. But surely there are lessons there to be learnt. Unfortunately, ego, vanity and incompetence prevent this from happening.

And the cartoon at the top? I'm not sure I can decipher all the code on Chamberlain's bedfellow's caps. I think I get the references to admiralty, monarchy, Irish, Indian, and High Street. But the ladies nightcap next to Joseph escapes me. I guess you had to be there and have knowledge of the events political to understand the meaning. And did both Chamberlains really wear monocles? Does anyone know?

Brexit, more Brexit and yet more Brexit

Way back in 2016, when the world seemed a much saner place – which is saying quite a lot because the world was pretty messed up in 2016 – the idea that the UK might leave the EU without any deal or with a deal that left us outside of the single market and the customs union was regarded with horror. Now here we are in 2018, facing the very real prospect of crashing out of the EU with no deal, and leaving the single market and customs union is now touted as the will of the people by our Westminster rulers. "That's what you all voted for", they cry.

It’s the worst of the worst nightmares of the Remainers in 2016. No, it's even worse, as we now know that the campaign was bought by dirty tricks and the flagrant breaking of electoral law by the Leave campaign. The vote was bought by dirty money and outright lies. There are allegations and suspicions of Russian meddling in the campaign. Then after the Leave campaign secured the result that it had longed for for so many decades, we discovered that, despite having a lifetime to prepare, not only did it not have a Plan B, it had no Plan A. It had not a clue. All it had was a hatred of the EU and all its works.

British politics ever since has been defined by the pursuit of the impossible by impotent imperialists. They think Brexit is the Viagra that will make Britain stand proud again, but it’s just a sop to a senile fantasy of an empire that shrunk away a long time ago. It’s the blue pill of blissful self-indulgence, the ignorance of illusion. All of our futures, all of our prospects, all of our possibilities are being held hostage to Boris Johnson’s ego and careerism, to the vanity of Liam Fox, to the insouciance of David Davies  to the self-serving backstabbing of Michael Gove, to the casual cruelties of Iain Duncan Smith and to the Rule Britannia wet dreams of Jacob Rees Mogg. Good grief, what a bunch of tossers. And don't get me started on the rest of them. OK, as you ask, I will....

This is possibly the worst, the most inept, the most malign and malicious British government in living memory. It flails about from crisis to crisis. It lurches towards self-destruction and it is taking us all down with it. Theresa May’s government may not survive much longer – but there is no answer to the question, “And then what?”

Another general election won’t solve the problem. At best it will replace a weak Conservative government which doesn’t have a clue how to tackle the Brexit its leadership is committed to with a weak Labour government which also doesn’t have a clue how to tackle the Brexit its leadership is committed to. Both the main parties are determined to take the UK out of the EU so it can strike trade deals of its own at the very time that the IMF is warning that the trade war sparked off by Donald Trump could cost the global economy $430 billion.

Theresa May and the Labour leadership both refuse to countenance a second EU referendum to decide the question of what sort of future best suits the peoples of the UK. There is a failure of politics in the UK, a failure of political leadership, and there is no apparent way out of the mess. However, perhaps only a popular referendum can provide the political clarity that British political leadership cannot. Let the people speak - again. The failure of Brexit is a failure of political leadership, a failure of the very concept of Britishness that is so beloved by Brexiteers. It’s a failure of the British state. Britishness is being destroyed by those who say that they love it. And don't forget, folks, that it's politicians that got us into this mess. Unfortunately, I'm not confident that they have the nonce to get us out of it. A plague on all their houses.

On this day in 1918, Leading Stoker Albert Colwill was lost at sea

Albert Colwill was born on 15th June 1889, the second son of William and Thurza Colwill. At the time of his birth, his father was a farm labourer and the family was living at Higher Wooladon Farm, which is between Lifton and Launceston. A couple of years later, in the 1891 census (5th April 1891), his father is listed as an agricultural labourer and the family was living in one of the Albert Cottages at Bradstone, which housed workers on the Duke of Bedfords’s estate. By the time Albert was 11, the family was living at Tencreek Cottages, just outside of Menheniot. His father is a general agricultural and it is probable that Albert helped out on the farm. By the 1911 census (2nd April 1911) Albert was living and working at Batten’s Farm, North Hill, as a servant and waggoner. His parents lived nearby in Batten’s Cottage: his father was a general labourer. By the time of his death in 1918, William and Thurza had moved yet again, this time to Higher Downgate in Stoke Climsland.

Albert enlisted into the Navy at Devonport for a 12 year term on 7th April 1913. His given date of birth, and one that appears on all subsequent records, is 15th June 1893 so, for some reason, he must have given a wrong age. At the time of his enlistment his occupation is given as farm servant. He is 5’ 5 ½”, with an expanded chest measurement of 35”. His eyes are brown, his complexion dark and his hair dark brown.

After a period of training as a Stoker 2nd Class attached to Vivid II (Vivid II was an ‘Accounting Base’ at Devonport) he was assigned to the destroyer HMS Ajax on 16th October 1913 where he remained until 31st January 1917. Over that period he progressed through the Stoker ranks, from Stoker 2nd Class to Stoker 1st Class, to Acting Leading Stoker and then to Leading Stoker. HMS Ajax was a new ship when Albert joined and it saw action at the Battle of Jutland on 31st May 1916. Upon leaving HMS Ajax, and after several months attached to Vivid II, Albert joined the mine-sweeper/Q ship HMS Anchusa on 30th May 1917. A Q-ship was essentially designed as a decoy vessel to deceive and lure submarines. Unfortunately it was torpedoed by the German submarine U-54 (54 (Hellmuth von Ruckteschell) off the north coast of Ireland on 16th July, 1918 the majority of the eighty officers, men and boys were killed. Albert’s body was not recovered for burial. The official report of the incident reads "Having sailed from Lough Swiley on 14 July, she screened a homeward-bound convoy off the Northern Ireland coast the following morning and was then ordered to return to Lough Swilly. On the way she was diverted to assist with a search or a submarine reported in the area, but without success, after which she resumed her passage to Lough Swilly. At 2:07am she was hit on the starboard side by two torpedoes fired from a submerged U 54 (von Ruckteschell). She broke up and sank rapidly, going under in just two minutes, the boilers exploding as she sank. Twelve survivors were picked up the following morning in position 55.37N, -7.35.W".

Albert is remembered on the Royal Naval Memorial in Plymouth (Panel 28) as well as those in Stoke Climsland and North Hill Parish. He is also included on the Roll of Honour in St Tourney's church in North Hill, which is just a few yards from where he was living in Batten's Farm.

The Roll of Honour at St Tourney's Church. Sadly, as it is a stitched work, it is suffering from the ingress of damp and will need some remedial attention if it is to survive.

Albert Colwill's citation from the above.

The sinking of the Anchusa was reported by Georg Haidt, the wireless operator of the U54. This gives a unique insight into the incident by the 'enemy'. A translation follows the German text.

Am 13. ging es mit großer Fahrt über Wasser nach Westen. Viele Tümmler spielten um uns herum. Das war für uns ein Zeichen eines bevorstehenden Witterungsumschlages. Gegen Abend überzog sich der Himmel, und der Seegang wurde stärker. War das Wetter schuld, daß sich in der weiten Runde kein Gegner blicken ließ? Erst am 15. mittags, nachdem wir vorher den defekten Kreiselkompaß umgebaut hatten, kamen die ersten feindlichen Bewacher in Sicht, die bis gegen Abend vergeblich hinter uns herjagten.

Nachts zwei Uhr dreißig näherte sich uns ein 13 000-Tonnen-Dampfer. Sofort wurde zum Angriff übergegangen. Das Schiff, es mag wohl wertvolle Ladung an Bord gehabt haben, lief mit solch hoher Fahrt, daß wir fast nicht Schritt zu halten vermochten.

Zwei Uhr fünfundfünfzig kam das Kommando: „Rohr eins und zwei los!“

Ein Doppelschuß auf 1000 Meter Entfernung!

Zwei mächtige Detonationen und – der Dampfer sinkt. Noch trotzt er, bäumt sich auf und ragt mit dem Bug senkrecht aus dem Wasser. Eigentümlich schwelende Flammen zucken aus dem Schiff.

Wir entfernen uns mit „äußerster Kraft“. Plötzlich speit dort mitten im Meer ein Vulkan. Unter unerhörtem Krachen fliegt der ganze Dampfer, in Atome zerrissen, in die Luft. Ein weißglühender Fleck, sonst nichts! Auf uns hagelt es ununterbrochen herunter. Eisenstücke in allen Größen schlagen rings um uns ein. Eine riesige Sprengwelle läuft auf und begräbt uns bis über den Kopf im Wasser. Wie aus Stein gemeißelt stehen wir da und starren das gewaltige, Verderben bringende Schauspiel an.

 

On the 13th travelled at high speed westward on the surface. Lots of porpoises were playing around us. For us, that was the sign of an approaching weather change. Towards evening the sky became overcast and the seaway became stronger. Was it because of the weather that we could see no opponents in the distance around us? Not until midday on the 15th, after we had rebuilt a defective gyrocompass, did the first enemy escort ships come in sight, which had been fruitlessly chasing after us till towards evening.

At 2.30 at night a 13000 ton (sic) steamer approached. Attack was started immediately. The ship must have had a valuable cargo on board – it was running at such high speed we could hardly keep pace with it.

At 2.55 came the command: “Tubes one and two fire!” A double shot at 1000 metres range! Two powerful explosions and – the steamer sinks. Nevertheless it rears up and pushes its bow vertically out of the water. Curious smouldering flames flicker from the ship.

We make away at “Utmost power”. Suddenly a volcano spews from the middle of the sea. Amid unheard-of noise the entire steamer, torn to atoms, flies into the air. A white-hot glowing spot, then nothing! It hails uninterruptedly down on us. Bits of iron of all sizes strike all around us. A huge shockwave runs up and buries us over our heads in water. We stand as if carved in stone and stare at the tremendous, destroying drama.

Donald trump's Visitation

Sometimes you have to feel really sorry for the people of England. There they were, depressed and hungover, out of the World Cup, home to what’s quite possibly the world’s most dysfunctional government, heading out of the EU despite voting heavily to remain and without even the prospect of an independence referendum to offer a modicum of hope. You wouldn’t think that it could possibly get any worse, and then Donald Trump comes to visit.

Football didn’t come home, but Donald Trump did, and incredibly the British government managed to find someone who hadn’t resigned to go and greet him. It was Liam Fox (or to give him his proper title, the Disgraced Former Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox) who turned up to greet The Donald when he came down to earth at Stansted airport.  Somehow, it was quite appropriate that the British Government met the world’s leading serial fantasist with a serial fantasist of its own.

The US Embassy has issued some ridiculous scaremongering advice to American citizens to hide away for the duration of The Donald's visit. But we all know the difference between Americans in general and Donald Trump in particular. Americans have nothing to fear in the UK. We welcome everyone to our country who isn’t an orange coloured bigot who gropes women, lies and separates children from their parents in order to score some cheap political points.

Some have questioned the point of protesting against Trump, because it’s not like seeing a protest in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, or anywhere else is likely to make him change his mind. However, changing Trump’s mind is not what these protests are about. Everyone attending knows that they have as much chance of changing Trump’s mind about his misogyny, his racism and his undermining of democracy, as they do of changing Mother Theresa’s mind by calling her a Maybot. The reason for protesting against Trump’s visit is because if you don’t protest, if you’re not vocal about your feelings, then those in power take your silence as consent. Silence is complicity.

Anyway, Trump’s mind might not be capable of being changed. Changing your mind means having the capacity to distinguish between fact and fiction and, as far as Trump is concerned, the truth is whatever was the most recent thing to come out of his mouth. When dealing with a narcissist like Trump, it’s impossible to engage with him using logic and reason because he is not motivated by logic or reason. The only thing that motivates Trump is his own extremely bigly and extremely thin skinned ego. He said ,just before arriving in the UK, that he thinks that people in Britain like him. That’s all the more reason to show him that we don't. We reject his politics of hatred and division.

There are also those who say that it’s hypocritical to protest against Trump, but not to show the same degree of anger against the likes of Erdogan of Turkey or other human rights violators who visit the UK. And ,to be fair, there are a lot of human rights violators who are invited to the UK by the British Government. The British Government’s idea of international diplomacy is to calculate how many weapons it can sell, and it’s not too fussed about those weapons being used against innocent people. However the difference is that Erdogan or some random Middle Eastern dictator doesn’t strut the world stage posing as the “leader of the Free World”. The reason that there are more protests against Trump is that higher standards are expected of a democracy and even higher standards are expected of the world’s most powerful democracy. If you claim to be the leader of the Free World then the Free World is going to hold you to account. In the Free World, if its leaders are not accountable, then the term Free World has no meaning at all. We protest against Trump precisely because the USA is the world’s most powerful democracy. If President of the USA trashes democratic values and undermines the social and political order in other democracies, as Trump does, then that poses a direct and immediate danger to the UK, and the rest of Europe that the likes of Erdogan doesn’t. Protesting against Trump isn’t about signalling our virtue. It's more than that: it’s self-interest and it’s self-defence.

Protesting against Trump’s visit is also a protest against a British government which is spitting in the face of the UK’s European partners in order to prostitute the UK to a racist buffoon who cages children and separates toddlers from their parents. We protest against Trump because we have a British government which likewise demonises migrants and separates families due to racist and unjust immigration laws. We protest against Trump because the British Government is taking the UK out of the EU in order to transform the UK into a cut-rate version of Trump’s America. We protest against Trump because we don’t want Trump’s America here.

As a nation, we may be divided on the constitutional question, divided on the political parties we support and the football teams we cheer for, but let’s show that we are united in our condemnation of the vile politics of Donald Trump. I salute those who are taking to the streets. I wish I could join you.