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Monthly Archives: January 2021
Yesterday
I now think I was over-impressed by Trump’s ‘farewell’ speech. It has been outshone by Biden’s inauguration address, and by the rest of the celebration yesterday. I was surprised by how ‘right’ that all was, in present circumstances. ‘Sleepy Joe’ … Continue reading
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And on the Third Day…
Inauguration day. And still Trump dominates the conversation (in the media at least), in spite of his ousting from the Presidency, and his Twitter account being cut off. Two things sent me to bed last night deeply troubled about the … Continue reading
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The Centre Cannot Hold
That’s WB Yeats, of course: ‘Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold. Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.’ He was writing in 1919. But doesn’t this also seem to describe our situation today? The ‘anarchy’ of course is represented by … Continue reading
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Hen
The only practical repercussion that any of the present crises have had on me is the interruption of my mail from Britain. I’m still waiting for items that should have arrived here in Sweden before the end of last month. … Continue reading
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Trump the Tragedian
For those of us lucky enough not to live in the USA, the past week has been rather enjoyable. I know I’m atypical in being a bit of an American politics nerd: actually knowing about their Constitution and ‘impeachment’ and the 25thAmendment … Continue reading
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A Simple Explanation
I’ve always resisted simple answers to historical questions, and indeed specifically warned readers against them in my books. History is complicated, muddled. Imperialism – for example – was not only a matter of capitalist exploitation, or racist arrogance, or misplaced humanitarianism; or … Continue reading
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The Storming of the Capitol
In Victorian times the propertied classes in Britain and across Europe had an inordinate fear of ‘the mob’. That’s why they denied the vote to anyone who didn’t have a material ‘stake’ in their countries, and so could be marshalled … Continue reading
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The Stockholm Bloodbath
There’s a super documentary series on Swedish TV just now about ‘Stockholms Blodbad’, when 80-odd prominent Swedish nobles and bishops were beheaded and hanged in Stortorget, in the old town, in November 1520, on the orders of the Danish king … Continue reading
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Approaching Eighty
How can old people remain so cheerful, when they know that death will be upon them soon? I used to wonder that when I was young. Now I think I know. For most of us – even if, like me, … Continue reading
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Please Not Sweden Too!
Gott nytt år! – Or maybe not if you’re a Remainer. And perhaps if your eye caught this report in some of the British papers this morning: https://www.universalpersonality.com/eu-faces-swexit-threat-after-sweden-warned-if-brexit-happens-we-want-to-leave/. ‘Swexit’ would be a tragedy, I believe, for Sweden, Europe and the world. And … Continue reading
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