Thoughts on the performance of some of the minor parties in the UK's 2019 General Election.

I must admit to being surprised at the result of the GE.  The Conservatives' 80 seat majority was far larger than I thought it would be as I was expecting one of 20 seats or less.  I did not expect the Labour vote to drop 8 percentage points or the Liberal Democrats to do as well as they did, I had expected the Labour Party to squeeze their vote.

Be that as it may, the minor parties I have been following recently did not retain any of their deposits, and one did not stand at all.

Anne- Marie Waters’ For Britain Movement did not stand any candidates as far as I can see, although they have won a smattering of council seats during the year.  Perhaps the leadership of this fledgling party were wise not to risk their money until it has made further progress. 

William Clouston’s SDP stood a respectable 20 candidates, but they only managed, on average, around 160 votes each.  The Party is centre left and believes in Nationhood and an English Parliament, so it will be interesting to see if they can make a bigger impact as a result of Labour’s disinterest in patriotism.

Robin Tilbrook’s English Democrats stood in only 5 seats and received around 2,000 votes in total. An average of about 400 votes per candidate looks like its norm for General Elections over the past 10 years.  They seem to have plenty of money and more members as a result of the publicity garnered from pursuing Brexit through the courts.  Now Brexit appears certain to happen perhaps the Party should focus on campaigning for an English Parliament and promoting and protecting English culture, heritage and traditions.. 

The Yorkshire Party stood 28 candidates in the county from which it takes its name, and garnered around 30,000 votes.  I suspect it may do well in regional elections if the Conservatives decide to break up England into regions.

With the Conservatives’ massive majority it will be some considerable time before the next General Election.   In such circumstances it will be interesting to see if any of the minor parties flourish at sub-national level, or simply wither and die for lack of electoral opportunities and the publicity that gives them.

Beautiful wispy cirrostratus clouds over South Somerset on 14th Dec. A week of very wet and windy weather followed!

I am not sure whether the clouds I photographed, posted below, on December 14th are cirrus or cirrostratus.  Cirrus clouds are supposed to indicate fine weather while cirrostratus indicate changeable weather and approaching rain.

At first I thought they were cirrus as their wispiness looked a lot like "mares' tails".  However, as they were followed by a week of very wet and extremely windy weather I assume they are cirrostratus.

Private A. A. Trott of the 12th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry, at rest in a Gloucestershire village churchyard.

A couple of months ago, while holidaying in the West Country, our good friends L & C visited the churchyard of St. Peter and St. Paul in the Gloucestershire village of Westbury-on-Severn.


They came upon the Commonwealth War Grave of Private A. A. Trott of the 12th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry. Knowing my interest in the SLI they sent me a photo of the headstone.


Private Trott died on the 13th December 1918, aged 38, after World War One had ended.  Did he die of wounds received during the war or was he a victim of the Spanish Flu epidemic, perhaps a tragic accident befell him?  I have been unable to find answers to those questions.


The words on his gravestone read “A DEAR HUSBAND AND FATHER NEVER FORGOTTEN BY HIS LOVED ONES”.  Intriguingly the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records state that Private Trott was the “HUSBAND OF FLORENCE AMELIA ANN HALLETT (FORMERLY TROTT) OF YEOVIL SOMERSET”.  Make of that what you will! 


12th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry.
The 12th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry was formed from the West Somerset Yeomanry, a cavalry regiment, in February 1917 at Ismailia in Egypt.  After the dismounted cavalrymen had retrained as infantryman the Battalion joined the 229th Brigade, part of the newly formed 74th Division.  The Division campaigned in Palestine against the Turks until it was transferred to France in April 1918.

The Battalion’s first action in France was on the 18th August 1918 when it fought in Picardy before taking part in the Battles of the Hindenburg Line.  It took part in the Final Advance in Artois during October and November.

The Battalion suffered its last battle casualties on the 22nd October when 2 men were killed and 20 wounded.  Its total casualties during the War were 147 killed in action, 53 died of wounds, and 12 died.

Everard Wyrall chronicles the record of the 12th Battalion in its final months of service in his The Somerset Light Infantry 1914-1919 (Methuen & Co., 1927).  He concludes: “The 12th Somersets, who on the 11th November were on the road to Escalette when the Armistice was announced, marched on to Ollignies and took part in a peace celebration, the Burgomaster presenting the Battalion with a Belgian flag, which now rests in St. Mary’s Church Taunton.  It was not, however, until the middle of June 1919 that the Somerset Yeoman were reduced to cadre strength and returned to England.  The cadre reached Taunton on 21st June and received a great welcome from the townspeople as it marched through the streets behind the cadre of the 1st Battalion of the Regiment – a fitting close to a most wonderful period in the history of the Regiment.”

Sources:
Commonwealth War Grave Commission website.
Edward Wyrall, The Somerset Light Infantry 1914-1919 (Methuen & Co., 1927).

English is an “imperialist internationalist culture”? Not according to former Labour MP John Denham.

The favourite tactic of those who don’t like English nationhood or culture is to call into question the very existence of English identity and culture.  Professor John Denham gives his answer to an article in the New Statesman.  I came across his letter, reproduced below, in the edition of The Week published December 7.



Feeling English

To the New Statesman

Alex Niven tells Jason Crowley that the English “don’t exist as a national culture because we were an imperialist internationalist culture”.  Why is it such claims are made by people who don’t feel English, but not by those who do?

The Empire – which engaged the Scots and the Welsh as much as the English – was British.  Boris Johnson and his allies are Anglo-centric British nationalists who rarely talk about England.  Those who emphasise their English identity, by contrast, tend to be sceptical about the Union and want the interests of England itself protected.

England’s future story must reflect the nation as we are today, building on English and British identities as we now know them.  Condemning Englishness with inaccurate caricatures simply makes that harder.

Professor John Denham, Centre for English Identity and Politics, University of Southampton.


Incidentally, Professor Denham mentions the Scots and the Welsh as having a role in British empire-building.  He could also have mentioned the Irish who literally fought for it.  Some of the most famous regiments in the British Army were Irish.  One only has look at the battle honours awarded to Irish regiments to realise the vital role they played in establishing and maintaining the British Empire.

Picturesque cloudscape emerges as the skies clear over South Somerset.

There was a heavy downpour during a very breezy afternoon in South Somerset today.  As the wind rushed the dark clouds away to the east a pleasing cloudscape was revealed.

A pleasing cloudscape over South Somerset after a heavy downpour. 

Golden hedgerows in South Somerset.

In the late afternoon of December 1st, the first day of meteorological winter, I took a stroll with my camera around the fields east of Dillington Park Drive on the fringe of Ilminster in South Somerset.
As dusk approached I took some photos.  Looking west it did look as though winter was approaching as the hedgerows appeared bare of leaves.

 

Late afternoon sunshine in South Somerset on December 1st

However, looking east there were still enough Beech, Oak and Hawthorn leaves clinging to the branches to produce a wonderful copper coloured effect in the last of the day's sunshine.

Golden hedgerows in South Somerset on December 1st.

 

Consign "England" to the "waste bin of history" states a letter to The Guardian.

Writing to The Guardian - surprise, surprise - in letter published on 22 November one Jim Grozier, from Brighton, states the name “England” should be consigned to “the waste bin of history”, its “parts” replaced by “neutral” names.
Perhaps Mr. Grozier is one of those English intellectuals George Orwell described as being “ashamed of their own nationality”?  The letter was in response to an article on English national identity and is reproduced below.  Make up your own mind!

" I heartily agree with Alex Niven that “building up the English regions” is a much more practical solution to the current identity crisis of the UK than “the quest for an artificial, unitary Englishness”. Who can honestly say that they identify with a region stretching from Land’s End to Berwick, defined largely by geography, and encompassing such huge disparities in wealth and opportunity on the way? Perhaps it is time for someone to come up with new, “neutral” names for the various parts of England, independent of past affiliations and rivalries, as was done during the major upheaval in local government in the 1970s, and to consign the name “England” to the waste bin of history."
Jim Grozier
Brighton, East Sussex


This gentleman does not appear to have heard of nations, old and new, encompassing much bigger areas with greater regional variations than England, and whose populations are content with their belief in Nationhood.

Gilbert and Molly Lovell, victims of a stray Luftwaffe bomb in November 1940, commemorated at St. Katherine's Church, Felton, North Somerset.

Just past the entrance to Bristol Airport on the north-bound carriageway of the A38 is the Airport Tavern.  Take the next right turn and cross the cattle grid then turn right up the lane leading to Felton Common and St. Katherine’s Church.  Explore the churchyard and you will come across the grave and memorial headstone of Henry J. Sainsbury and his wife Laura May, the headstone also commemorates other members of the family.  You will read that  their daughter Molly and her husband Gilbert Lovell were "killed by enemy action" on this day in 1940. 

Note that the Airport Tavern was known as the New Inn until the 1970s and that Bristol Airport was formerly the World War Two RAF airfield of Lulsgate Bottom.  The following extract from Ian James’ The Story of RAF Lulsgate Bottom, (Redcliffe Press, 1989) details the tragic events of that day in 1940.

“The freezing winter of 1940/41 was the winter of the Blitz, and even country areas, especially those near large industrial centres such as Bristol did not escape. At around 0415 in the early hours of November 18, a bomb hit the New Inn at Lulsgate.  Hosts, Harry J. and Laura M. Sainsbury lost one of their two daughters, Molly Ellen (28) and her husband Gilbert Lovell (33).  The Lovell’s year old baby Patricia, and Aunt, Mrs Emma Wilkins, survived.”

RAF Lulsgate Bottom was not even under construction at that time, and there was no Luftwaffe raid on Bristol that night so it seems to have been a matter of sheer bad luck that the New Inn was hit.  A few more bombs were reported landing nearby without causing any other casualties.  Perhaps the ill-fated deaths of Molly and Gilbert Lovell were caused by a lone German bomber jettisoning its bomb-load after becoming lost.

The grave and headstone of Henry J. Sainsbury and his wife Laura May in the graveyard of St. Katherine's Church on Felton Common Hill, North Somerset.

Autumn afternoon skyscapes over South Somerset.

I had just finished shopping when I saw some picturesque clouds over the nearby hills.  I had my camera with me so I took some photos.

Early afternoon skyscape over South Somerset on 4th November 2019.

Picturesque skyscape over South Somerset on 4th November 2019. 

Then an RAF A400M Atlas approached from the south west heralded by the distinctive low hum of its engines - so I photographed that too!

An RAF A400M Atlas heading north-east over South Somerset on 4th November 2019.

Pilot Officer H.P.M. Edridge, one of the last of the RAF's casualties in the Battle of Britain, commemorated both in Bath, Somerset and in the village of Northiam in Sussex.

On this day, October 30th, in 1940, RAF Fighter Command suffered its last fatalities of the Battle of Britain when nine men lost their lives.  One of them was Pilot Officer Hilary Patrick Michael Edridge whose parents, Ray and Georgina, came from Bath in Somerset.

Edridge joined the RAF in January 1939 and by the end of May 1940 he was flying Spitfires with 222 Squadron based at Hornchurch. 

While covering the Dunkirk evacuation he probably destroyed a Me109 on June 1st.  On August 30th he baled out after a combat with Me109s and landed in Broome Park in Kent with burns to his face.

On the 15th of October he force landed in Essex after his aircraft’s engine failed.  On the 20th October he shared in the destruction of a Me110.

On the 30th October, the day before the official end of The Battle of Britain, Edridge was in combat with Me109s when his Spitfire was damaged and he was wounded in the head.  He attempted a crash landing near the village of Northiam in East Sussex, but his aircraft crashed and caught fire.  He was cut from the wreckage and taken to an emergency hospital at nearby Brickwall House, but died that day of his injuries.

Hilary Patrick Michael Edridge is buried in the Roman Catholic Cemetery at Widcombe, Bath, Somerset. He is also commemorated by a memorial plaque beside the village green in Northiam near the site where he crashed.

Lt.Col. J.C.Meiklejohn who won a DSO at the Second Battle of El Alamein is remembered in the churchyard at the village of Rowberrow, North Somerset.

Last year, while exploring the churchyard of St. Michael and All Angels in the village of Rowberrow in North Somerset, I came across a headstone commemorating Max John Christian Meiklejohn and his wife and their three children.  I was intrigued by the inscription for the only son which read: “Lt. Col. John Cusance Meiklejohn D.S.O., T.D.  Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders.  1904-1988.”

The village church of St. Michael and All Angels at Rowberrow on the Mendip Hills in Somerset.

I know T.D. stands for Territorial Decoration which was awarded to those who gave long service to the Territorial Army and its predecessor The Territorial Force, but I wondered how Lt. Col. Meiklejohn came to be awarded the D.S.O.  A little research brought forth the answer.

At the time of the Second Battle of El Alamein Meiklejon, then a Captain, was serving with the 7th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders: part of 154 Brigade in the 51st Highland Division.  He led his Company into action on 26 October 1942 when the battle was only days old.  I found the following citation for the Distinguished Service Order in the National Archives.

“On 26 October 1942, a night attack by three companies on a strongly held enemy position made under heavy machine gun and mortar fire and all officers except Capt. Meiklejohn, commanding “B” Company, and one other were wounded.  Capt. Meiklejohn led his company successfully onto his objective, but then found that the enemy had closed in again behind him and that he was surrounded.  He succeeded however in collecting the remnants of the other two companies and with them and his own men, a force of about two hundred strong, organised a position to hold the ground won.  This position he held until relief reached him nearly forty-eight hours later.  Shortly after the position was occupied the only other remaining officer became a casualty.  Capt. Meiklejohn was short of ammunition and had very little food and water, and all attempts to get supplies through to him failed.  During the remaining six hours of darkness on the first night after the attack he was constantly threatened by enemy counter-attacks, but he successfully held them off by intensive artillery fire which he himself directed round his position by wireless.  Throughout a very trying time he not only held tenaciously to an important objective but by his own unaided effort and example maintained the morale of his men, and gave an outstanding display of courage, leadership and ability”. 

I post this today on the anniversary of Lt. Col. Meiklejohn’s noteworthy participation in one of the key battles of the Second World War.

For a more detailed report on the role of 7th Battalion, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders at The Second Battle of El Alamein here is a link:
https://51hd.co.uk/accounts/el_alamein_battle

Remainers undermining the principle of democratic consent? A letter in The Week.

The letter below, published in The Week (October 19), suggests the Remain-backing establishment risks undermining the principle of democratic consent.  In my opinion they have already very seriously damaged the principle of democratic consent, and if the vote to leave the European Union is set aside they will have destroyed it.

Referendum Confusion

To The Daily Telegraph

I am yet to hear a single advocate of another EU referendum explain why anyone would trust Parliament to implement the result.  If the first referendum was advisory and the electorate did not understand the question, why would a second referendum be binding and clear?

Moreover, since the Remain side has already been defeated by the massive margin of 1.3 million votes, the only democratic choice available on a hypothetical ballot paper would be between the Withdrawal Agreement and leaving with without a deal. 

Britain’s Remain-backing establishment risks undermining the principle of democratic consent with its determination to overturn the result of the “once in a lifetime” referendum.

Philip Duly, Haslemere, Surrey

Mid-October afternoon cloudscapes over South Somerset.

I haven't been able to get out and about much recently as I am recovering from surgery, but here are a couple of cloudscapes over South Somerset. The pictures were taken one afternoon in mid-October.

An afternoon cloudscape over South Somerset in mid-October.

A mid-October afternoon skyscape over the Backdown Hills in South Somerset.

Frederick Forsyth and the true meaning of "no-deal" Brexit. A letter in The Week.

I came across this interesting letter from best-selling author Frederick Forsyth which focuses on the meaning of words, and not what people would like or think them to mean. The letter, reproduced below, was first published in The Daily Telegraph then published in the 12th October edition of The Week.

Another Brexit casualty

To The Daily Telegraph

Among the many casualties of the litany of incompetence befalling our country, we now count our national language and the meaning of words.  We are told that “no-deal” must be swept off the table.  But “no-deal” is not a presence, it is an absence and by definition you cannot abolish an absence.

The only deals realistically before us are “no-deal” or Michel Barnier’s deal, which he has told us many times is not for variation by so much as a comma.  And that deal requires the UK to live on its knees forever.

I never cease to be surprised at the number of mediocrities in high office who seek my vote (when I am allowed to have one) to support them in this grovel.

So please let us have our general election as soon as possible so that we may, with silent votes rather than placards, usher the appeasers back to that oblivion for which nature so amply equipped them.

Frederick Forsyth, Buckinghamshire.

The Social Democratic Party, seemingly a patriotic party with a social conscience believing in a nation-state independent of the EU.

I just came across the Social Democratic Party website and had a look at their policy pages.  Among the policies listed the call for an English Parliament caught my eye.  On the same “Constitution” page was advocated the abolition of the House of Lords, proportional representation and a statement saying “No public sector employee should be paid more than the Prime Minister”.  Any English patriot should be delighted with such policies!


Reading further I was delighted to find that on animal welfare the SDP calls for a ban on non-stun slaughter “as requested by the British Veterinary Association and the RSPCA”.


The SDP advocate a cap on net AND gross immigration while current arbitrary spending on Foreign Aid would be scrapped - a common sense approach to both issues.


On land the railways would be re-nationalised and funding for regional and rural bus travel would be increased.  Meanwhile at sea the Royal Navy’s aircraft carriers appear to have top priority with regard to defence spending.


The Social Democratic Party seem to me to be a patriotic community-centric party with a social conscience which believes not in nationalism, but nationhood with the nation state being independent of the European Union.


I will seriously consider voting for them if given the chance, and if I was not too old I might even be tempted to join them!

A pleasant stroll around the South Somerset village of Cricket Malherbie and its Church of St. Mary Magdalene.

On the minor road which takes you south out of the Somerset market town of Ilminster, between the hamlets of Sea and Dowlish Ford, is a signpost directing the traveller to Cricket Malherbie.  Follow the sign up the narrow gently climbing lane, keeping an eye open for tractors and other vehicles, especially on the sharp bends, and you will find the road widens as you approach Cricket Malherbie’s parish church of St. Mary Magdalene.  This charmingly named village is not much bigger than a hamlet.  Its cottages, some thatched, are dotted around the church and Cricket Court – the manor house.  There is ample room to park beside the church, and it is well worth stopping to have a wander round to enjoy the quiet and the scenery.


My wife and I wandered up past the gates to Cricket Court to the next crossroads before retracing our steps.  We caught a glimpse of the manor house and its drive from the road, but as it is private property we obviously made no attempt at a closer look.  Just past Beaverbrook Barn we stopped at a gate to enjoy the wonderful views toward the Blackdown Hills and the more distant Quantocks.  All in all, a very pleasant stroll!

The view from Cricket Malerhbie toward Ilminster and Beacon Hill.

The view from Cricket Malherbie toward Herne Hill south of Ilminster.

The view from the South Somerset village of Cricket Malherbie toward the Blackdown Hills,

A view from Cricket Malherbie in South Somerset with the Quantock Hills on the horizon.

Some history.

Kelly’s Directory of Somerset (1914) informs us that Cricket Malherbie: “is a parish and village 2 miles south of Ilminster and 3 miles north-east of Chard.  Cricket Court, a mansion of stone, is prettily situated, and surrounded by well-timbered grounds: it is the property of Major Thomas Morton Stanhope Pitt, who is lord of the manor and chief landowner.  The soil is flint and gravel; the subsoil clay.  The crops are wheat barley and oats, and there is some pasture.  The area is 461 acres, rateable value £536; population in 1911, 38.”


Cricket Court has links to both world wars.  In the First World War Thomas Morton Stanhope Pitt, with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and later Brigadier General, commanded the 5th (Yeomanry) Mounted Brigade and the 6th Mounted Brigade between 1 December 1915 and 28 September 1917.  He led them in the Sinai and Palestine Campaigns.


In the Second World War Cricket Court was owned by Lord Beaverbrook, one of Churchill’s ministers.  In 1944 Churchill and General Dwight D. Eisenhower met there, as guests of Beaverbrook, to discuss the D-Day landings.


Cricket Malherbie’s Church of St. Mary Magdalene was rebuilt in 1855 at a cost of about £4,500.  Arthur Mee in his The Kings England – Somerset (Hodder and Stoughton Ltd., 1968) writes of the church: “It is a handsome building with a little spire, fine gable crosses, and a beautiful pierced parapet of flowing design.”

 “Kelly’s Directory of Somerset (1914) tells us: “The living is a rectory, net yearly value £55, with residence and 25 acres of glebe, in the gift of Major T.M.S. Pitt.” 


Exploring the churchyard.

While exploring the churchyard we came across a charming railed memorial stone commemorating Geoffrey Fawsitt Taylor (1902 to 1982) who was born in Waverly, New South Wales, Australia.  The inscription reads: “INDIAN MEDICAL SERVICE ~ PROFFESSOR OF MEDICINE LAHORE UNIVERSITY ~ CONSULTANT PHYSICIAN 14th ARMY BURMA ~ ALL THAT COULD DIE OF HIM LIES HERE IN THE PLACE HE LIVED FOR 37 YEARS.

He stood in general elections, unsuccessfully, a number of times in the 1950s, 60s and 70s as candidate for the Liberal Party in the Yeovil Parliamentary Constituency.   


There is also the imposing grave of Captain Francis Philip Egerton RN. (b.23 September 1812  d.2.March 1893), an officer who served at sea in the early-Victorian era.    

He was aboard HMS VANGUARD (78guns) and HMS CALCUTTA (84 guns) in the Mediterranean before serving in the East Indies aboard HMS AGINCOURT (74guns).  After his time in HMS AGINCOURT he remained in the East Indies and was in command of HMS HAZARD, a 431 ton wooden sloop of 18 guns, between August 1844 and May 1847.

He retired from the Royal Navy on 1 July 1864.

The Church of St. Mary Magdalene in the South Somerset village of Cricket Malherbie.

The spire of St. Mary Magdalene in Cricket Malherbie, South Somerset.

Parliamentarians flummoxed by the possibility of a post-Brexit traffic jam at the Port of Dover.

I had a letter published in the Western Daily Press on September 19th.  The editor gave it a rather odd title, but otherwise it was un-edited.

Brexit needs help of our world war heroes.


After over two years of slaughter World War One had reached a stalemate when David Lloyd George became Prime Minister in December 1916.  With ministers of the calibre of Winston Churchill, Arthur Balfour, Andrew Bonar Law and Stanley Baldwin serving in his Coalition Government he refocused the nation’s efforts and set Britain on the road to a victory achieved less than two years later. 

Today, nearly three and a half years after the people voted for Brexit, with modern communications and other technologies Lloyd George and his Government could not have dreamed of, our politicians seem totally flummoxed by the possibility of having to deal with a post-Brexit traffic jam at the Port of Dover. 

Thank goodness none of our present crop of shallow parliamentarians was in office when this country was involved in a World War.

S.W.
Ilminster, Somerset.

The Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Taunton, Somerset. Described as having: "the noblest parish tower in England."

In Simon Jenkins’ England’s Thousand Best Churches (Penguin Books, 2000) the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Taunton, Somerset is described as having: “the noblest parish tower in England.” 

On a recent visit to the centre of Taunton I took some photos of St. Mary’s tower and south porch.  It was a fine day and I was pleased with the results.

The tower of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Taunton, Somerset.

The south porch of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Taunton, Somerset.

After 46 years in the European Union the United Kingdom is no longer a bastion of democracy.

My  letter in the Western Daily Press September 16th.

UK no longer a bastion of democracy.


What nation has a Parliament which refuses to uphold a referendum result, does not allow a General Election, passes a law which could see a Prime Minister sent to prison, and votes to intercept the private communications of political staff? 

Communist China or perhaps Putin’s Russia?  Maybe a failed Third World state or a despotic Middle Eastern regime?


No - the United Kingdom.  It is obviously no longer a shining example of democracy or a bastion of personal privacy.  Being a member of the European Union for 46 years has brought the nation to this.

S.W.
Ilminster. 

Update 29 September. 

Apparently this letter also appeared in the Bath Chronicle on September 19.

The EU Referendum, Brexit and the broken promises of Labour and Conservative politicians.

After some considerable time I have resumed writing letters to the press.  I had the one below published in the Western Daily Press today, September 12th.

Promise not worth paper it's written on.

It’s now over three years since people voted to leave the European Union, and over two years since a General Election in which both the Labour and Conservative parties pledged that they would uphold the 2016 referendum.  Events have proved that party manifestos and leaflets containing such promises were not worth the paper they were written on.
With the Battle of Britain Day approaching perhaps I might take the liberty of saying, in the style of Churchill: “Never in the field of democratic politics have so many been deceived by so few”.  

S.W. 
Ilminster, Somerset

Invading Martian war machines, or floodlights at the County Ground, Taunton, Somerset?

I recently had reason to visit the centre of Taunton in Somerset.  Having left the car in the Duke Street car park I walked toward North Street, as I did so I noticed the floodlights at The County Ground towering over the rooftops.  The thought struck me that these monstrosities looked like invading Martian war machines out of War of The Worlds.  It seemed as if they were surrounding their prey and about to let loose their death rays!


Be that as it may, what a blot on the Taunton skyline!

One of the floodlight arrays at The County Ground, Taunton, Somerset.

The British Political Establishment - not delivering what you voted for!

I came across an interesting article from Vernon Bogdanor in The Guardian this week.  He makes the interesting point that MPs could connive to block Brexit indefinitely.  This is what he had to say:

 “. . . were Parliament to pass legislation preventing Britain leaving the EU without a deal, Brexit could be delayed forever, since the Commons would then be free to reject every deal presented to it”.

He also writes:

“ Looking at the sorry performance of the House of Commons elected in 2017, it is difficult to avoid remembering Winston Churchill’s condemnation of the parliaments of the 1930s as being “ decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all-powerful to be impotent”.  Parliament has shown itself not to be the solution to Brexit but the problem.”

Here is a link to the article:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/aug/29/parliament-brexit-prorogue-mps-alternative-no-deal

Meanwhile, on a similar theme, this was my favourite letter of the month taken from the August 24 edition of The Week.  It was originally published in The Sunday Times.

Getting what you voted for.

To The Sunday Times

Michael Heseltine and Betty Boothroyd get into an awful lather about the “subversion” of Parliament as they attempt to stop us leaving the EU.

They overlook the facts that MPs voted in favour of holding a referendum; that the majority of MPs were elected on manifestos that pledged to honour the result of that referendum; that MPs voted to trigger Article 50 in the knowledge that it committed us to leaving; and that it was MPs who voted down the deal that was negotiated with the EU – on three occasions. 

If the result of all this is the UK leaving on 31 October with no deal, that is the result of decisions made by Parliament.  Where is the subversion?

Eileen Haxby, Harrogate.

An August visit to Seaton in the neighbouring county of Devonshire.

On August 23, the Friday before the Bank Holiday weekend, I had a pleasant drive in bright sunshine down the A358 to the seaside town of Seaton in Devonshire.  Having passed through Axmouth it became obvious that the fine weather had drawn people to the coast as most of the little laybys beside the B3172 overlooking the River Axe were occupied.  On the Esplanade around 80 percent of the car parking spaces were taken, but I found a space halfway along the seafront and put £2 in the meter to allow a couple of hours strolling.

The first thing I noticed was that the new ‘modern’ apartment block in the middle of the Esplanade appeared to be complete, and is just the monstrosity I expected it to be.  In my opinion it’s a blot on the coastline in general, and a blot on Seaton’s seafront in particular!

The Esplanade, Seaton, Devonshire in August 2019.

Walking west along the Esplanade the sea front was as crowded as I had ever seen it.  All the benches on the sea wall were taken, lots of people on the beach, queues for ice-creams, people in the sea, and the usual promenaders. 

I strolled up Castle Hill, occasionally stopping for a breather and taking the odd photo.  The benches between the cliff top and Cliff Field Gardens provided a convenient place to sit down and enjoy the view to the east.

A view of the beach and seafront at Seaton in Devonshire as seen from Castle Hill.

A view of Beer Head in Devonshire as seen from Seaton.

The steep path down to The Hideaway café gave me an opportunity to take some photos of Beer Head with the sea sparkling in the afternoon sun.  My return journey took me east back along the seafront where every other beach hut was occupied, and past the ice cream kiosk – still with its queues.

My two hours were up by the time I got back to the car, so it was off to a busy Seaton Tesco for some shopping, and then back home for tea.     

August cloudscapes over South Somerset.

The first ten days of August came with some stormy weather bringing gusty winds and heavy bouts of rain, but when the skies cleared a series of delightful cloudscapes appeared over South Somerset.

Some of the photos I took of them are posted below without comment.  The pictures cover an eleven day spell and speak for themselves. 

10th August 2019.

11th August 2019.

12th August 2019.

17th August 2019.

21st August 2019

Blackberries, or brambles as some call them, the wild fruit of August.

Lia Leendertz in her The Almanac.  A Seasonal Guide to 2018 (Unbound, 2017) chose blackberries, or brambles as she names them, as her kitchen ingredient of the month for August.  She wrote:

“Call them blackberries if you like, but there is something special about the word ‘bramble’, covering the as it does both the fruit itself and the act of gathering them.  To bramble is to ramble and search, to take on the thicket, sleeves resolutely rolled down, and to cover yourself in scratches . . .  You can buy blackberries or grow them in the garden, but it is not only the experience that will be missed: wild blackberries have a complexity of flavour that is completely lacking in the cultivated types, a wild, woodsy, homely taste, nostalgia in berry form.”

As a child I enjoyed picking blackberries from the hedgerows when spending holidays in the countryside with various relatives in the Lulsgate and Redhill areas of North Somerset.   You can also find blackberries in the city, although you have to be careful where you pick them due to possible pollution by exhaust fumes from road traffic.  One year, about twelve years ago when living in Bristol, I picked enough blackberries in the Malago Valley for my wife to make a couple of dozen jars of excellent home-made jam. 

Blackberries are an admirable source of vitamin-C and contain a good amount of minerals such as potassium, manganese, copper and magnesium.  So, when my wife and I enjoy a cup of tea and a jam sandwich it’s not only a tasty treat but a nutritious one as well! 

Blackberries in a South Somerset hedgerow.

B.E.McLaughlin a Portsmouth police officer who joined the RAF and served in Bomber Command is at rest in a Hampshire churchyard.

L. recently sent me a photo of a Commonwealth War Grave in the churchyard of St. Mary’s in Portchester, not too far from her home near The Solent.  The grave was that of Flight Lieutenant B. E. McLaughlin DFC RAFVR, an experienced pilot who was serving with No. 1667 Heavy Conversion Unit at RAF Sandtoft in Lincolnshire when he was killed.

Benjamin McLaughlin was the son of George Thomas McLaughlin and Ivy Love McLaughlin of Paulsgrove, Hampshire.  At the age of 21 he joined the Portsmouth Police Force and served with them until May of the following year when he went to Palestine to take up a position in the Palestine Police Force.  In December 1937 he returned to England and re-joined the Portsmouth Force.

In July 1941 McLaughlin joined the RAF and on August 5 1942 he was commissioned as a Pilot Officer.  He subsequently flew Lancasters from RAF Wickenby in Lincolnshire with 12 Squadron of RAF Bomber Command’s No.1 Group.

He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in December 1943 while serving with 12 Squadron and had reached the rank of Flight Lieutenant by that date.

On 21 of his sorties with 12 Squadron McLaughlin flew with Flying Officer Norman Watson as his Navigator.  By a remarkable coincidence they would both have a connection to the Police Force.  Watson survived the war to become Assistant Chief Constable of Liverpool and Bootle Constabulary.  McLaughlin was not so fortunate. 

On July 5 1944 he was instructor pilot in a Handley Page Halifax Mk.V, the Merlin engine version, which crashed while practicing flying on 3 engines at 200 feet.  The aircraft, which was operating from RAF Sandoft in Lincolnshire, came down at Alkborough on the south bank of the Humber.  Nine men were on board including a pilot and three flight engineers under training; there were only two survivors. Sadly, Flight Lieutenant Benjamin Edward McLaughlin, aged 30, was not one of them.

Although Benjamin McLaughlin has no connection with Somerset he served in Bomber Command at the same time as my late father-in-law, Douglas Eyles. He flew from RAF Fiskerton in Lincolnshire as a Flight Engineer with the Lancaster equipped 49 Squadron between November 1943 and May 1944.  

Stooks near Sea in South Somerset.

These days it is not often one sees stooks in the English countryside, but I took this photo near the hamlet of Sea in South Somerset on August 2nd.

Stooks near the hamlet of Sea in South Somerset.

Walter Bagehot, influential mid-Victorian political journalist, born and died in Langport, Somerset.

I recently came across a twitter spat between Tim Montgomerie, conservative political activist and journalist, and Sky News presenter Kay Burley.  Apparently Mr Montgomerie tweeted: “Throughout Sky News we have pundits posing as reporters.”  This brought a reply from Ms Burley which was, shall we say, uncomplimentary.  I think I side with Mr Montgomerie!

Be that as it may, the exchange reminded me of a visit to Langport where I came upon the grave of Walter Bagehot, the esteemed mid-Victorian political journalist, in the churchyard of All Saint’s Church on The Hill.

The west tower of All Saints' Church on The Hill in Langport, Somerset.  The church is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

Walter Bagehot was born in the ancient Somerset town of Langport in 1826.  In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Langport thrived as an inland port serving barge-hauled merchandise on the River Parrett.  

Walter was the son of Thomas Watson Bagehot, a leading Langport merchant, who had interests in banking and shipping.  He studied at University College, London, and in 1852 he returned to Langport to enter his father’s business. 

At the age of 31 he married Eliza, the daughter of James Wilson, founder and editor of The Economist.  When Wilson died in 1860 while in Calcutta advising the Indian government on its finances, Bagehot succeeded him as editor.  For the next 17 years, until he succumbed to pneumonia at the early age of 51, he wrote The Economist’s main article.

Writing on political, economic and social affairs, he was one of the most influential journalists of his day and had leading politicians among his friends, including William Gladstone, the first Liberal prime minister. 

It is said Bagehot did not persevere in a political career because he was not a good speaker and failed in his attempts at being elected to Parliament.  I wonder what he would have made of Twitter!

Walter Bagehot died in Langport on 24 March 1877.  He is buried in the churchyard of the town's All Saints' Church.  His headstone is on the right, to the left is that of his father and mother.