Month: January 2020

The Glorious Revolution

“And whereas it hath been found by experience that it is inconsistent with the safety and welfare of this Protestant kingdom to […]

“And whereas it hath been found by experience that it is inconsistent with the safety and welfare of this Protestant kingdom to be governed by a popish prince, &c….” ~ Such had been the terrible wrangles between Protestants and Catholics that this “experience” eventually resulted in the Declaration of Rights of 1689 banning Catholics from ever ruling again. This was one result of the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89, which saw a Catholic king removed and Parliamentary power established.

The ‘glorious’ revolution involved no immediate battles. Indeed, seven noblemen sent an invitation to the prospective joint monarchs, Dutchman William of Orange (1650-1702), nephew of the deposed Catholic James II & VII (1633-1701), and William’s wife Mary (1662-94), who happened to beJames’s eldest daughter and heir until the dreaded birth of James’s Catholic son to his second wife in 1688. Amidst Protestant uproar James fled to France and his Catholic allies.

William III and Mary II willingly agreed to the Declaration which eliminated the possibility of any return of tyrannical rule by monarchy. Parliament now had the power of law-making, the raising of fair taxes, free elections and freedom of speech, and sadistic punishment of offenders was banned. It was the first step to our present constitutional monarchy.

(Image of William & Mary figurines in the V&A: Thomas Quine at Flickr.com / CC BY 2.0)

10/01/2020
3 min
5 years
221 words

Culture

Rose, thistle, flax and daffodil

The national flower of England is the rose ~ the Tudor rose ~ which derives from the Wars of the Roses in […]

The national flower of England is the rose ~ the Tudor rose ~ which derives from the Wars of the Roses in 1455-85, where both sides had a rose as their symbol.

The national flower of Scotland is the thistle, as its prickly presence on Scottish coastlines is said to have saved the Scots from night-time attacks by the Vikings! The heather is also considered to be a Scottish symbol as, like the thistle, it is perfectly suited to the wet, rugged landscape and grows very happily there.

The national flower of Northern Ireland is the flax, chosen to be a reminder of the part played by agricultural crops in its history. The logo for the Northern Ireland Assembly consists of six flax plants, one for each county. The shamrock is better known as an Irish symbol, but it is the national flower for Ireland, rather than Northern Ireland.

The national flower of Wales is the daffodil, or ‘cenhinen Pedr’ in Welsh, which literally translates to ‘leek of Peter’. This may explain why the daffodil took over from the leek, though both are still used. Indeed, on St. David’s Day the Welsh Regiment always eat raw leeks, wherever they are in the world.

(Image of rose: blairwang at Flickr.com / CC BY 2.0)

09/01/2020
3 min
5 years
211 words

Politics

The Conservative & Unionist Party

The Conservative Party is the oldest political party in existence today. Emerging in the late 1670s, it took a moderate line against […]

The Conservative Party is the oldest political party in existence today. Emerging in the late 1670s, it took a moderate line against the ruling Whig Party and initially came to power in the early 1700s. It suffered a setback during the reigns of Kings George I and II but reclaimed power in 1783 under King George III, though in 1801 he vehemently disagreed with them over the emancipation of Roman Catholics.

The Conservatives have been the majority party for over half of the time since 1802, including the World War years when they formed coalition governments. Their continued success is due to their policies chiming with enduring British values, far from radicalism. For example, they support the Church of England, the monarchy, the institutions of marriage and family, freedom of speech, the work ethic, a free market economy and entrepreneurship.

‘Conservative’ is an apt description of the party outlook and this name was adopted in 1830. ‘Tory’, initially a slur used by opponents, has remained as a nickname. As the party is pro-United Kingdom, the official name was changed to the ‘Conservative and Unionist Party‘ in 1909. It is closely associated with British patriotism and received a great deal of support throughout both World Wars.

(Image: BackBoris2012 Campaign Team’s photostream at Flickr.com / CC BY-ND 2.0)

08/01/2020
3 min
5 years
211 words

Basic principles / English language

“Sorry!”

Elton John sang ‘Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word’ (1976), but this is simply not applicable to the British! It is […]

Elton John sang ‘Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word’ (1976), but this is simply not applicable to the British! It is estimated that each of us says “sorry” up to twenty times a day, particularly women. This is due to the value we place on politeness and good manners. We even pre-empt other people’s civility when we automatically apologise first.

Today’s ubiquitous “sorry” may not be intended to convey sorrow at all. If it does, it usually has to be preceded by “I’m so very..” or “I’m truly..”. In most cases, it is used to show that we mean no harm, rudeness or bluntness. It softens a question, request or comment and avoids the horror of being direct or sounding bossy.

It is so versatile that “Sorry?”means either “Pardon?” or “How dare you!”, depending on the tone of voice. “Sorry but could I…?” acknowledges the desire for the other person’s co-operation in advance, while “Sorry but could you…?” acknowledges any inconvenience we may be causing the other person. It puts ourselves in their shoes and is a reflection of how we would wish to be treated in that situation.

(Image: Malcolm Garret at pexels.com)

06/01/2020
3 min
5 years
201 words

History

Amy Johnson, aviatrix

In the early days of aviation, Amy Johnson CBE (1903-41) was a typist working in London and aeroplanes were a passion in […]

In the early days of aviation, Amy Johnson CBE (1903-41) was a typist working in London and aeroplanes were a passion in her spare time. By 1929 she had earned a pilot’s licence and bought a secondhand De Havilland Gipsey Moth fixed wing, open cockpit, single engine biplane, registration G-AAAH, named Jason I.

Until 5th May 1930 her longest solo flight had been from London to her hometown of Hull, but on that day she took off from Croydon, with just 75 hours’ flying experience under her belt, and started south-eastwards in a straight line, ‘as the crow flies’, heading for Darwin, Australia. This feat had been achieved two years earlier by a man, but she was the first woman to attempt it. She flew for eight hours at a time, with no radio communication and only rudimentary maps.

*Image of Amy Johnson’s biplane on permanent exhibition in the Science Museum: Alan Wilson at Flickr.com / CC BY-SA 2.0*

The journey covered 11,000 miles and she reached her destination on 24th May, to the excitement of the waiting crowd. She was fêted as a superstar and toured Australian high-spots for the next six weeks. In 1932 she married a Scottish aviator and together they set more flying records. Tragically, she died in WW2 after parachuting into freezing water near the propellors of a Royal Navy ship.

(Top image: Wikimedia Commons / Public domain)

04/01/2020
3 min
5 years
229 words

Celebrations & Holidays

Leap Day

“Thirty days hath September, April, June and November. All the rest have thirty-one, Excepting February alone, And that hath twenty-eight days clear, […]

“Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November.
All the rest have thirty-one,
Excepting February alone,
And that hath twenty-eight days clear,
And twenty-nine in each Leap Year.”

This centuries-old aide memoire highlights the occurrence of Leap Day, or Leap Year Day, on 29th February. It arises when the year number, e.g. 2020, is exactly divisible by 4. Additionally, if it is also a multiple of 100, another condition is that it must be exactly divisible by 4². This adjustment deals with the fact that our planet takes 365.24219 days to make its elliptical solar orbit.

People born on Leap Day, sometimes called ‘leaplings’, are in an odd position in non-leap years, as they must plump for either 28th February or 1st March on which to celebrate their birthday, and some joke that they are only a quarter of the age of their contemporaries.

Traditionally, Leap Day was the one day on which a woman could propose marriage to a man. If he refused, there was some sort of forfeit to make up for the rejected woman’s embarrassment. It is said that St Bridget persuaded St Patrick to agree to this practice. In Scotland, the forfeit was £100, payable unless the lady was wearing scarlet!

(Image: Skitterphoto at pexels.com)

03/01/2020
3 min
5 years
206 words

Discoveries

“Doctor Livingstone, I presume?”

In the mid-1800s, central Africa held much mystery for Europeans, with most believing it to be desert like the north. Dr David […]

In the mid-1800s, central Africa held much mystery for Europeans, with most believing it to be desert like the north. Dr David Livingstone (1813-73) from Blantyre had travelled to southern Africa in 1841 as a Christian missionary and ten years later decided to venture forth to explore the unmapped African hinterland.

Slavery had been abolished in the British Empire in 1833 and Livingstone was appalled to see Arab Muslim slave traders marching hundreds of Africans yoked together. He determined to find a passage to the sea to allow trading ships to reform local commerce, thereby eliminating this evil. He mapped many lakes, rapids and rivers, including the Zambezi, and waterfalls, notably Victoria Falls which he named after the Queen, but came to realise there was no such navigable passage.

*Image of sketch of Victoria Falls, 1881: Frank Oates / Public domain*

He ended up at Lake Tanganyika searching for the source of the Nile. Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904), a journalist-adventurer from Denbigh, was sent by the New York Herald to find Livingstone, as he had not made contact for several years. On reaching Ujiji town in 1871, Stanley at last found the Doctor, who would become his close friend and father-figure, and the famous greeting was uttered. The now frail and poverty-stricken Livingstone replied with a thankful “Yes”.

(Image [cropped]: wellcomeimages.org / CC BY 4.0)

01/01/2020
3 min
5 years
220 words

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Quoting Neil Oliver...

I love Britain more than anywhere else in the world. With all my heart I declare that those of us born here, or who have made a home here by choice, are the luckiest, most blessed of all people. I am British. I will always be British.