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THE WINTER'S COMIN' ON, MI LASS.
Lancashire Dialect .... George Hull reet gradely folkLANCASHIRE DAY 27th NOVEMBER 2008
On 27th November 1295 the first elected representatives from Lancashire were summoned by King Edward I to attend Parliament at Westminster, this was later to be know as the Model Parliament and was the beginning of democracy in Britain. On 27th November 1995, Peter Thurnham, the MP for Bolton NE, tabled an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons calling on all local authorities to signpost the boundaries of Lancashire and other historic counties. Because of its historic connections, this date has been adopted as Lancashire Day, and was proclaimed as such throughout the county on 27th November 1996.
As an act of unity, and no matter where they were in the world, Lancastrians were asked to raise their glasses at 9pm GMT and drink the Loyal Toast to "The Queen, Duke of Lancaster".
PROCLAMATION TO THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY AND COUNTY PALATINE OF LANCASTER
Know ye also, and rejoice, that by virtue of Her Majesty's County Palatine of Lancaster, the citizens of the Hundreds of Lonsdale, North and South of the Sands, Amounderness, Leyland, Blackburn, Salford and West Derby are forever entitled to style themselves Lancastrians. Throughout the County Palatine, from the Furness Fells to the River Mersey, from the Irish Sea to the Pennines, this day shall ever mark the peoples' pleasure in that excellent distinction - true Lancastrians, proud of the Red Rose and loyal to our Sovereign Duke.
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN, DUKE OF LANCASTER.
Many schoolchildren learn about the history of LANCASHIRE – everything from the War of the Roses to the cobbles and chimneys of the Industrial Revolution - but few know about Lancashire's earlier history. If you're one of them and would like to know more, Sit thi' deawn, put kettle on't th'ob an' let's 'ave a natter,There's nowt wrung wi gradely folk. Now read on. . . . . .
When people say "the old things are the best" they're obviously not thinking about Lancashire because it is one of the newest of all English counties – if you can handle something that's over eight centuries old being described as new! Lancashire wasn't formed when the Normans came over in 1066, whereas most of the other English counties were around by then. But by about 1180 our splendid shire had gained an identity of its own. Let's not jump the gun, though. The history of our lovely part of the world goes back way beyond then.The Romans were here in Lancashire (in the two or three centuries immediately after the birth of Christ!) We've got proof because of the remains archaeologists have found – everything from pottery to pickaxes. The Romans built towns too, some of which survived and developed into places that are still around today. Places you might just have heard of. Places like Lancaster and Manchester! Other Roman towns disappeared, or ended up as tiny villages, such as Burrow (in the Lune Valley near Lancaster). You can always tell a Roman town because its name often ends in caster or cester or chester.Roman towns also tend to have these rather straight roads arrowing across the landscape towards them. The Romans obviously wanted to get to places in a hurry – usually because some of the Ancient Britons (or Celts) were causing a spot of bother. They probably didn't appreciate the Romans coming all the way from Italy to take over their country. After a while though they did start to realise that the Romans had brought the odd benefit to this country. Things they had never had before. Things such as proper roads, proper drainage, well built housing, well organised farming, public baths, central heating, law and order, civilisation!
The Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain from the continent when they cleverly noticed that the Roman Empire was on its last legs. The Romans were packing up and leaving for Italy while the Ancient Britons were shaking in their boots wondering how they'd get on without the Roman army to protect them. They were right to worry because the Anglo-Saxons were total barbarians – good grief, they weren't even Christians! They were pagans who believed in strange gods like Thunor (or Thor) and Wotan (or Odin). They spoke a language called Old English (or Anglo-Saxon) which later developed into the modern English which we use. The only places they didn't take over were the bits that were furthest away from where they first landed (which was near London). So they didn't invade Cornwall, Wales and northern Scotland. That's why these places still have their own languages – Cornish, Welsh and Gaelic – which are what is left of the languages of the Ancient Britons. OK, so the Anglo-Saxons might have been clever in the way they invaded this country; but they didn't govern it half as well as the Romans had done. For a start off, they split their new land (which now had the new name England – meaning Angleland – instead of Britannia which the Romans knew it by) into seven different kingdoms. Seven! And to cap it all, they spent most of their time fighting one another. We in Lancashire were in the Kingdom of Northumbria. That is until the Kingdom of Mercia beat Northumbria in battle (642AD, at Makerfield) and snaffled the southern half of Lancashire. Confused? Really, you've got to feel sorry for the poor old Celts (as the Ancient Britons were often called). They'd just about got used to everyone speaking Old English instead of British or Latin, they'd more or less adapted to the different Anglo-Saxon kingdoms scrapping over Lancashire, when a worse disaster happened: the Vikings invaded.
The Vikings have got a bad reputation, I'm sure you'll agree. Their average day consisted of sailing up various English rivers in their Viking longboats, slaughtering the local population and making off with all the loot they could lay their hands on – or so we thought. Nowadays people realise that they weren't as bad as all that, and that they did as much trading as raiding. It all began in the 9th Century. Vikings from Dublin in Ireland (where they'd settled) came over the sea and started landing in places like the Fylde (near Blackpool) and the Lancashire Plain (near Liverpool). These were Norwegian Vikings originally. (The Vikings who settled in Yorkshire were Danish Vikings who'd sailed direct across the North Sea, and hadn't gone by the scenic route via Ireland!) After a while these Vikings (or Norsemen as they are sometimes called) were living peacefully in Lancashire. We sometimes find evidence of this. For instance at Cuerdale near Preston a massive hoard of Viking silver was found! For those of us not fortunate enough to stumble onto such an amazing treasure trove we have to rely on other evidence to prove that the Vikings were in Lancashire. Evidence such as place names anywhere that has a name beginning with grim-, or ending in –by, -ness, or -thwaite is Viking (or Norse). Similarly, anywhere that has a name ending in –ham, -ton, or ley is Anglo-Saxon in origin. Celtic (or Ancient British) names often start with pen-, wal-, or eccles and sometimes end in –keth. Have a look on the map and see which of the ancient Lancastrians lived near you!
In 1066 (as every intelligent schoolchild knows) William the Conqueror came over from Normandy and became King of England. Lancashire wasn't fully a recognised county at that stage but the hundreds which made it up were around. Lancashire is historically divided into six of these units: West Derby Hundred (around Liverpool), Salford Hundred (around Manchester), Leyland Hundred, Blackburn Hundred, Amounderness Hundred (Preston and Blackpool area) and Lonsdale Hundred (around Lancaster and including the area "north of the sands" where Lancashire lies in part of the Lake District).
Around 1070 William gave one of his most loyal supporters, Roger de Poitou, a massive area of land in the north-west and told him to keep the troublesome locals in check! This land stretched from the Lakeland Fells to the River Mersey. Little did the Conqueror know, but he had brought together for the first time the territories that would become our own dear Red Rose County! A document from 1181-2 is our earliest surviving evidence of Lancashire as a county in its own right. No longer to be fought over by Anglo-Saxon kingdoms such as Mercia and Northumbria, Lancashire was now a separate shire
At the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066 the County of Lancashire had not yet been defined, but its subsequent components already existed as administrative areas. Six or seven years after the conquest (1072/3) King William gave the land between the Ribble and the Mersey, together with Amounderness to Roger of Poitou. In the early 1090s King William II (William Rufus) added Lonsdale, Cartmel and Furness to Roger's estates, thereby giving him control of all the land between the river Mersey in the south and the river Duddon in the north. Roger chose Lancaster as the site for his castle which thereby became the centre of administration for the lands that he controlled. As the area of lands held by a lord were known as his 'honour', Roger's lands became known as the Honour of Roger of Poitou or the Honour of Lancaster. In 1102 Roger supported his brother Robert of Bellene in an unsuccessful rebellion against King Henry I and all his English estates were confiscated and given to Stephen of Blois the grandson of the Conqueror. In 1168 Lancashire was first termed 'the county of Lancashire' under King Henry II. 1267 Edmund Crouchback was created 1st Earl of Lancaster. In 1351 Henry, Earl of Lancaster, was made a Duke and was also granted Palatinate powers - the royal powers, or the powers belonging to the palace. These powers lapsed with Henry's Death, but were restored to the most famous Duke of Lancaster, John of Gaunt and were made hereditary. Palatinate status was granted to Lancashire because of its strategic position in defending England from the Scots and conferred legal recognition of the extraordinary powers of the Duke within Lancashire. The county developed its own chancery, could issue writs under its own seal and even had its own dating year running from 6th March 1351, the date of the establishment of the palatine. The Duke was able to appoint his own sheriff who was answerable to the Duke, not the King. Lancaster had its own justices and the king's writ did not run within the palatine county. The king did however still collect the taxes and reserved the right to correct 'errors of judgement' in the duke's courts.
A glorious future lay ahead for our county: in the War of the Roses the destiny of the English monarchy was shaped; in the Industrial Revolution our county led the way in a process that would change the world. Even now, Lancashire is famous for the robust and inventive character of its inhabitants and their amazing successes and achievements. Despite administrative changes, the TRUE County of Lancashire lives on. From the River Duddon high in the Lakeland fells to the River Mersey on the great Lancashire Plain on which Manchester stands, LANCASHIRE is the county of our birth. And yet its great story began so long ago, in the times of Romans, Ancient Britons, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans……
The Friends of Real Lancashire are concerned to promote the true identity of Lancashire which has been extremely confused in the minds of some people, especially those working in the broadcasting and newspaper industries, since the local government reorganisation of 1974.
The Pilgrims CameThe Pilgrims came across the sea,
And never thought of you and me; And yet it's very strange the way We think of them Thanksgiving Day. We tell their story old and true Of how they sailed across the blue, And found a new land to be free And built their homes quite near the sea. The people think that they were sad, And grave; I'm sure that they were glad - They made Thanksgiving Day - that's fun - We thank the Pilgrims every one! by Annette Wynne "..pretty bubbles in the sky. " !!I saw this comment in a blog about yesterday's emergency Budget: "Darling has increased or matched decreases with increases! " I sat here shaking my head in disbelief - Is nt that what a budget is? Balancing our expenditure against our income? Being the simple bloke I am I prefer to make my own mind up about the chaos around me and not resort to all the experts who like to have their 30 seconds of fame on the various TV channels.
Darling the politician, ( not the soldier charecter in 'Blackadder', although come to think they do bear the same trait:Little boys lost in a man's world, contriving not to face the enemy head on), has introduced his cure for the British economy. Her Majesty's opposition, who for the last 10 years oppose for the sake of it, yet again have no sound economic arguments as an alternative.
The current world crisis began in America when loans were given to people who had no possible chance of repaying them. The loan sharks,[Whoops], sorry, banks then sold these debts to other financial institutes who in turn conned the worlds spivs, errr brokers, to guarentee the original loans. In the last 12 months banks have realised what most sensible people learn from the moment they get there first $ or £ pocket money. You can only spend what you have in your hand. Loans to pay loans, dubious banking practises, economic recession. . . ring any bells ??
The South Sea Bubble of 1720, was an economic situation that occurred through speculation in the stock of The South Sea Company. [ I will relate here only the economic story ],The company had been granted a monopoly to trade with South America under a treaty with Spain while the company assumed the national debt of England. Shares in the company were "sold" to politicians at the current market price; however, rather than paying for the shares, these lucky recipients simply held on to what shares they had been offered, "sold" them back to the company when and as they chose, and received as ‘profit’ the increase in market price. This method, while winning over the heads of government, the King's mistress, etc., also had the advantage of binding their interests to the interests of the Company: in order to secure their own profits, they had to help drive up the stock. Meanwhile, by publicising the names of their elite stockholders, the Company managed to clothe itself in an aura of legitimacy, which attracted and kept other buyers.The price of the stock went up over the course of a single year from £100 a share to over £1000 per share. Its success caused a country-wide frenzy as all types of people – from peasants to lords – developed a feverish interest in investing; in South Seas primarily, but in stocks generally. The price finally reached £1,000 in early August and the level of selling was such that the price started to fall, dropping back to one hundred pounds per share before the year was out, triggering bankruptcies amongst those who had bought on credit, and increasing selling, even short selling - selling borrowed shares in the hope of buying them back at a profit if the price falls. In August 1720 the first of the installment payments of the first and second money subscriptions on new issues of South Sea stock were due. Earlier in the year Blunt had come up with an idea to prop up the share price — the company would lend people money to buy its shares. As a result, a lot of shareholders could not pay for their shares other than by selling them. Furthermore, the scramble for liquidity appeared internationally as "bubbles" were also ending in Europe. The collapse coincided with the fall of the Mississippi Scheme of John Law in France. As a result, the price of South Sea shares began to decline. By the end of September the stock had fallen to £150. The company failures now extended to banks and goldsmiths as they could not collect loans made on the stock, and thousands of individuals were ruined (including many members of the aristocracy). With investors outraged, Parliament was recalled in December and an investigation began. To restore public confidence under the guidance of the prime minister, Parliament attempted to deal with the financial crisis. The estates of the directors of the company were confiscated and used to relieve the suffering of the victims, and the stock of the South Sea Company was divided between the Bank of England and East India Company. [ie Nationalised].
The quagmire that is the world's capitalist system has for the past 10 - 15 years been floating on a plastic raft of credit. Furthur more when Washington begins to nationalise banks farms and its car industry I for one have got the message ! Back here what has our darling chancellor done to squeeze credit from the system? Why, he has borrowed £120 000,000,000 !!!! From Monday you will be pleased to know,that when you flash your credit card for every £100 you "borrow" the credit card company will only charge you £97.50! What of taxation? why people earning £150,000 + ie footballers and bankers may be taxed at 45p in the £ . . .in two years time! Which, dear reader, just happens to be after our next general election! You can have a grant to insulate your homes - not I suggest against the economic storm but against powercuts and an energy deficit. I see no sense in building more houses, schools and hospitals if we have no power stations to run the electrical equipment inside them. The good news for China and the other asian economies is that we will need lots of heavy duffle coats and blankets to keep out the winter cold!
A ReminiscenceYES, thou art gone ! and never more
Thy sunny smile shall gladden me ; But I may pass the old church door, And pace the floor that covers thee. May stand upon the cold, damp stone, And think that, frozen, lies below The lightest heart that I have known, The kindest I shall ever know. Yet, though I cannot see thee more, 'Tis still a comfort to have seen ; And though thy transient life is o'er, 'Tis sweet to think that thou hast been ; To think a soul so near divine, Within a form so angel fair, United to a heart like thine, Has gladdened once our humble sphere. Anne Bronte 1820-1849
AB 25.03.1905 - 23.11.1997 MESOTHELIOMA
- a type of cancer which can manifest itself 25 to 40 years after exposure to asbestos. A reminder to those flag waving, amnesty international protestors : China is not the only country where the human rights of its workers are ignored. "Asbestos-related cancer victims and their families have won an important test case over access to compensation. Six individual cases were brought against insurance firms which were disputing whether they were liable. The hearing has hinged on which policy was key - the one at the time of exposure or when a worker becomes ill. If the High Court had ruled the policy in place at the time of illness was the relevant one it could have made it harder to secure compensation. Unions described it as a "hugely important victory". Asbestos-related disease is the biggest cause of work-related deaths in the UK, mainly affecting former workers in heavy industries such as shipyards and the POWER INDUSTRY. The test case concerned a type of cancer called mesothelioma, which can follow exposure to asbestos by 25 to 40 years. About 2,000 people were diagnosed with the disease last year, but in the future it is expected to cost insurers millions of pounds as all the cases dating back to the 1970s come to light. Employers take out liability insurance to insure them against the cost of legal action by staff injured at work. But a group of insurance firms had questioned which policy should be enacted. They argued during the nine-week hearing over the summer that the policy in place at the time the cancer develops was the one that a compensation claim should be brought against rather than the policy that was in place when the worker was employed by the firm. They said this was common-sense as victims could have worked for several employers where they were exposed to asbestos. But solicitors representing the families involved in the case said this would make it harder to secure compensation. One of the key problems is that many modern-day insurance schemes have exemptions for asbestos. That then only leaves the employer for the victims to go after, but as the disease takes so long to develop many of the firms have ceased to exist. 'Disgusted' This was the case for the family of gas worker Charles O'Farrell, who died in 2003. His old employer folded in the 1980s and the insurer, Excess, has claimed the policy from the 1960s should not be valid. His daughter, Maureen Edwards, said: "My dad would have been proud that we have finally achieved justice for him. "But he would have been disgusted by the lengths the insurers went to to get out of paying." Ms Edwards was supported by the union Unite, which was acting on behalf of their members many of whom worked in industries where they were exposed to asbestos. Unite general secretary Derek Simpson said: "This is a hugely important victory for the victims of the deadly dust and for their families." He added: "Thousands of men and women across the UK have been negligently exposed to asbestos by their employers but insurers have tried and failed to use legal technicalities to escape their responsibility to pay compensation under the policies they sold to employers. "They sought to avoid their liabilities while pocketing the money." Anthony Hughes, president of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers, a lobby group representing some of the defendants, said: "We welcome this clarification of the law. "We hope this will now unlock the flow of damages to mesothelioma victims." " A TALE OF 2 COUNTRIES. . . .
1. "Factory farming has so damaged the environment that farming is becoming impossible in some areas. There are problems of soil fertility, soil erosion and chronic pollution." 2. "Soil is being washed and blown away not only in remote rural areas, but near mines, factories and even in cities, each year some 4.5 billion tonnes of soil are lost, threatening the country's ability to feed itself."
save our forests
Cocaine users in the UK are driving the destruction of the rainforests and helping to fund terror groups which use kidnapping and landmines in Colombia, the South American state's Vice President warned. Every gramme of cocaine snorted by a drug user causes the destruction of four square metres of valuable rainforest, said Francisco Santos Calderon, who appealed to Britons to consider the impact on the environment before indulging in the illicit narcotic. Mr Santos will address a drugs conference on Tuesday being held by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Belfast about the damage that cocaine use in Europe and the USA inflicts on his country. He said 300,000 hectares of rainforest are destroyed each year in Colombia to clear land for coca plant cultivation, which is largely controlled by illegal groups such as the left-wing guerilla organisation FARC. Landmines used to protect crops and processing labs are responsible for almost 900 civilian deaths in Colombia this year, and FARC and other narco-terror groups are also involved in the kidnapping of people like French politician Ingrid Betancourt, who was held for more than six years before her release earlier this year. Mr Santos himself was kidnapped and held by a cocaine gang for 18 months in the 1990s. He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "If you snort a gramme of cocaine, you are destroying four square metres of rainforest and that rainforest is not just Colombian - it belongs to all of us who live on this plant, so we should all be worried about it. "Not only that, the money that you use to buy the cocaine goes into the hands of FARC, of illegal groups that plant mines, that kidnap, that kill, that use terrorism to protect their business. "Right now, Colombia is the number one country for landmine victims in the world. This year we are approaching 900 victims of landmines, most of them planted around labs and areas where coca is being cultivated." Mr Santos accepted that drug addicts were unlikely to be persuaded to give up cocaine by concern about the environment or terrorism. JORVIK GRADUATIONI should nt be surprised at the contrast between today and yesterday. Today is Monday and it is a typical murky November morning in contrast to yesterday when during my drive down the A1/ M18/ M1 the low sun shone from a clear blue sky. Today is more like last Thursday when I drove up to Jorvik, raining cats and dogs aand with no concession to the driving conditions from the other motorists on the motorways. "Churchills Hotel" is on the A19 about 300 yards from the centre of York and I can recommend it as a convenient resting place for the weary traveller to the city. Breakfast and Evening meals are value for money - which is more than I can say about the bar prices! That evening I had a chinese takeaway at Nic nad Maries.
On Friday morning while Nic collected his gown I drove to Tesco's with Marie and Alex. Back at the hotel I changed into my new suit and with brolly in hand walked into the centre. A word of warning!! The immense size of the Minster generates its own gale force breeze, which in summer can be pleasant, this however was a gray november day! That should explain the windswept appearance on the above pictures! Nic joined the body of students while Marie, Alex and myself were joined by Nic's 3 guests and we joined the queue into the Minster itself. It had been several decades since, as a schoolboy tourist on a school trip, that I had been inside the magnificent Minster. What a breathtaking backdrop to a graduation ceremony. Fantastic is an understatement. We sat at right angles to the platform and saw each and every graduate receive their degree. What a pity no pictures were allowed - now you only have my word that as the dignatories made there way to the podium the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu stopped and spoke to Alex. What a picture that would have made for our family album. . . . .
Nic duly received his History degree - this proud Father clapped,and I admit, had a tear in my eyes.
With Nic and his guests we retired to a local hostelry and drank his health - the first of many toasts during the ensuing evening. Alex went home to bed under the watchful eye of a babysitter while we went to "Ate o' Clock" for our evening celebratory meal. On High Ousegate it is an excellent venue for that "Special Meal" The Proprieter/Chef has an excellent and varied menu. We had a leisurely meal and stopped for a final nightcap, and toast ,at one of York students' favourite watering places. I was back in the hotel by 11.45 and asleep by 11.50 !
 After an excellent breakfast of bacon, scrambled egg and a pot of coffee I walked into town with Nic and Alex who likes to walk through trhe Abbey museum park chasing pigeons and squirrels!! Once the shopping was finished we stopped for a drink before I returned to the hotel. Marie Nic and Alex joined me for a meal in the hotel in the evening which as I mentioneed was excellent. Alex as you can see enjoyed his jelly and ice cream !!
It is surprising how quickly the time passed. Certainly a weekend that Nic will always remember. This week he is putting the final touches to his novel - so if you have time to read this CONGRATULATIONS NIC ON ATTAINING YOUR DEGREE.
11.11.1918The 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month. Every year we see this rather odd ritual. Old men, in suits smelling of mothballs, wearing ribbons and medals on their chest, parading up and down our streets and squares. To most of the children who see them, it must seem strange. Each year and another war has begun. Children, why is this so? Well it is because we have failed in a promise. Failed to learn a lesson and failed to pass that lesson on to you, our children. What is all the fuss about? The air we breathe, is a result of the pain and suffering the "Old Contemptibles" endured. So my friends, let us go back through the mists of time and remember….. The date: July 1st 1916. The time 07.00 hours. The place: Somme, France. They came from towns and villages from Astbury to Zennor. Amiens to Z.... They came from the farms, offices, factories and public schools. Pals from Manchester. Scousers, Brummies, Scots,Geordies,Taffies & Frenchies. They came from towns and villages often so small no one has ever heard of them. They left behind, mothers, fathers, wives, sweethearts, siblings and children. They left behind their country. It wasn’t for adventure or glory that they came, though some hoped for it. They came because their way of life was threatened. This is not a place of budding poppies or neat white crosses..... There is nothing to inspire or evoke greatness, only acrid, oily smoke filling the air and stinging the eyes. The cachophony of heavy guns is so deafening it is impossible to think. You advance, the straps of your backpack, biting into your shoulderblades, step by step, rifle in hand, you advance, through a hail of machine gun fire, to Montauban, an impossible objective. Then silence. You crumble and fall. You are dead. Observe the glory of war, for the only glory here is in surviving it. Many of them are still in their teens, so young they are little more than children. Many do not understand why they are dying, because the pain has taken their reason. But we know why. They went because it was important to continue to have the freedoms we now enjoy. They went because the world was being threatened by tyranny and oppression. They went to defend a way of life. My children, at the end of "The War to end Wars", a promise was made. The nation promised that it would remember all they endured and honour them for it. Those that were left promised that they would learn and try to do better, so that no more of our people would die on our behalf. Let us remember that there is a cost for freedom and that these men paid the ultimate price, for our freedom. So please, always remember them. [ inspired by an original piece by D Mulligan.]
Anthem for doomed youth.
What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? Only the monstrous anger of the guns. Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle Can patter out their hasty orisons. No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells; Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs, –
The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires. What candles may be held to speed them all? Not in the hands of boys but in their eyes Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes. The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall; Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds, And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.
Wilfred Owen [18 March 1893 – 4 November 1918]
TALE OF TWO CITIES 3.
A team of Scottish heritage experts will fly out to India this weekend to help save a historic graveyard. The Scottish Cemetery of Kolkata, the last resting place of up to 1,600 people, has become overgrown and many of the graves have been damaged. Conservationists hope to restore the site, which lies in a densely-populated part of Calcutta. Economist James Wilson - who introduced income tax and paper currency to India - is said to be buried there in addition there are also hundreds of soldiers, jute traders, industrialists and missionaries at the burial site.
Earlier this week hundreds of Muslims - young and old - marched through the centre of Jerusalem towards the city's Mamilla cemetery. Police helicopters flew overhead and security was tight. The focus of the march, and of increasing Muslim anger, was the Israeli Supreme Court decision to sanction a controversial new building on part of the Muslim cemetery. The building? A Museum of Tolerance !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nothing is forever in history
One of Britain's best known historians believes the global financial crisis is the "end of an era" for capitalism and a long overdue return to government intervention.the past two decades of unfettered capitalism had been as damaging as Soviet economic totalitarianism. Q. How do you think the world will remember the economic events of 2008 in years to come?
A. The present crisis is certainly the end of the era in the development of the global capitalist economy which began around 1973. While globalisation continues in most aspects of life except politics, it was always an error to suppose that it inevitably took the extreme, indeed pathological, form indicated by the free market theologians. I expect its rate to slow down somewhat in the next few years. However, forecasting is not the business of historians. The way markets are regulated and economies structured has too many unpredictabilities. I imagine it will take many years before a new pattern of the world economy will fully emerge. When it does it will probably be relatively stable for several decades until the next crisis of the economy. Nothing is forever in history.
Eric Hobsbawm NOVEMBER
SHOULD EVER BE FORGOT . . . . .
YOU WILL ALL BE RELIEVED TO LEARN THAT A DASTARDLY PLOT BY TERRORISTS, HAS BEEN FOILED IN LONDON. FOLLOWING FAILED ATTEMPTS LAST YEAR TO UNSEAT THE GOVERNMENT, MINISTER'S INTRODUCED TIGHTER SECURITY MEASURES, INCLUDING THE CAPTURE AND INPRISONMENT OF RELIGIOUS ZELOTS WHO HAD INSIGHTED ADHERENTS TO CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE. THE GOVERNMENT DENIES THAT TORTURE TO OBTAIN CONFESSIONS WAS USED. THE LEADER OF THESE PREACHERS IS BELIEVED TO BE LIVING IN CAVES IN CENTRAL ITALY. YOU WILL RECALL HOW HE ENCOURAGED OTHERS TO JOIN IN COALITION TO OVERTHROW OUR DEAR DEPARTED MONARCH, ELIZABETH. HE ACTUALLY FINANCED THE ABORTED INVASION OF OUR ISLAND BY THE SPANIARDS. HIS STATED AIM WAS TO END OUR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND INSTALL HIS IDEOLOGY ON OUR MONARCH AND PEOPLE. AS EARLY AS MARCH OUR OPERATIVES IN ITALY INFORMED THE HEAD OF MI5 THAT YET ANOTHER JESUIT PLOT WAS IN THE MAKING. HENRY GARNETT,A HIGH RANKING OFFICIAL IN THAT ORGANISATION WAS PUT UNDER SURVIELLANCE. IT IS UNDERSTOOD THAT THE TERRORIST CELL WAS BASED IN THE MIDLANDS AND IT IS ALLEGED THAT THE DASTARDLY SCHEME WAS TO ASSASSINATE OUR KING,HIS FAMILY AND THE LORDS AND KNIGHTS OF THE REALM DURING THE STATE OPENING OF PARLIAMENT. THE 9 YEAR OLD PRINCESS ELIZABETH,[WHO WAS DEEMED TOO YOUNG TO ATTEND], WAS TO BE KIDNAPPED AND HELD BY THE CATHOLIC GENTRY OF THE MIDLANDS AS THEY MARCHED ON OUR CAPITAL TO USURP POWER. IT CAME TO THE ATTENTION OF OUR INTELLIGENCE SERVICE,THROUGH THE INTERCEPTION OF HIS MAIL THAT A LEADING CATHOLIC LANDOWNER,[LORD MONTEAGLE], WAS BEING STRONGLY ADVISED NOT THE ATTEND TODAY'S STATE OPENING. THIS IMMEDIATELY ROUSED SUSPICIONS AND LAST WEEK THE SECURITY LEVEL WAS RAISED TO RED. A GOVERNMENT STATEMENT WAS ISSUED EARLIER TODAY:
Yesterday evening, 4 November, royal officials, Sir Thomas Knyvett, and Edward Doubleday, discovered a cache of some 36 barrels of gunpowder beneath the Parliament buildings. Several suspects, including Guy Fawkes, were arrested at the scene and are now being questioned .
Warrants have been issued for the immediate arrest of Henry Garnett, Edward Oldcorne,John Gerrard and Oswald Tesimond, Thomas Winter, Ambrose Rookwood , Sir Everard Digby, Thomas Bates, Robert Keyes,Robert Winter and Earl of Northumberland.
Several terrorists escaped immediate capture. They refused to surrender to our collegues in the Midlands and in the ensueing exchange of fire, Robert Catesby, Thomas Percy, Christopher Wright and Jack Wright were killed.
Trials will be scheduled to take place early next year. THE COURT OF KING JAMES SAID THAT THE OPENING OF PARLIAMENT WILL NOW TAKE PLACE ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9TH. THE COUNTRIES SECURITY ALERT WILL REMAIN RED UNTIL AFTER THE CEREMONY. HISTORICAL NOTE : Elisabeth survived the plot and later became, through marriage, the Electress Palatine and Queen of Bohemia. Her direct descendants, the Hanoverians, succeeded to the British throne when George 1 was crowned in 1714. I was going to write a little about the background to the annual celebration of the foiling of the popish plot to eradicate the king of England and all the intelligensia of the day. Then I asked myself who would be interested? Some will tell you that good King Henry sacked the Abbey's and Monasteries in 1547 because the pope had refused him permission to divorce his first wife. Piffle. The church, that is the roman catholic church held almost as much land as the sovereign and was far richer - it wielded too much influence over the peasants. The renaisance was sweeping europe. In france, spain and holland a more tolerant belief was taking hold ,its adherents were labelled "Protestants" . During the 1500's tens of thousands of non conformists were slain on the orders of the pope. He even had a medal struck commorating one such massacre. [Paris - St Bartholemews Day, 1572]. French and dutch refugees flooded into England. [Hugenots]. The people were beginning to feel there collective muscle as indeed they would do 200 years into the future. The politicians of the day feared foreign involvement in the countries affairs and saw the wealth of the church as an added bonus to the nations exchequer. In 1547 Henry userped the power of rome and proclaimed himself head of the catholic church in England. It took 50 years for the opposition of this action to launch an assault on the establishment -November 5th 1605. 15 years later a group of non conformists left England on a ship named "Mayflower" . . . . .
Please to remember the fifth of November
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