archives

May 2005

May 28th, 2005. Eternal

Were I more alert, I would have remembered the following quote several years ago when the war was about to start, rather than re-read it a few years later. It might still be true, but I feel like a lame duck pointing it out to everybody.

"What used to be described as a thoughtless act of aggression was now regarded as the courage one would expect to find in a party member; to think of the future and wait was merely another way of saying one was a coward; any idea of moderation was just an attempt to disguise one's unmanly character; ability to understand a question from all sides meant that one was totally unfitted for action. Fanatical enthusiasm was the mark of a real man, and to plot against an enemy behind his back was perfectly legitimate self-defence. Anyone who held violent opinions could always be trusted, and anyone who objected to them became a suspect."

It's worth still mentioning it, though, because it isn't a quote about the past five years, or the past fifteen. It's not about the Russian Revolution, the American Revolution, the French Revolution or the Glorious Revolution. In one sense it's unimportant when it was written, because it proves that some things never change when leaders get the scent of blood in their nostrils. It was actually written about a war much longer than any in living memory,* in around 400BC, between the Athenian and Spartan power-blocs** of ancient Greece, by the army officer and historian Thucydides.

* in two thousand years, if there are still historians around, they may well see our little four or five-year skirmishes as hot phases in long fights: the Franco-German Wars of 1871-1945, or the Russian Wars of 1945-2017. In which case, my statement there will be entirely wrong.

** The Athenian side was formally called the Delian League, but that essential meant the same as "the Allies" in the recent war: one dominant state, and some smaller ones it could push around.

20:52 Link Comments (1)

May 26th, 2005. Arafwch Nawr

And I'm back.

Yes, in case you hadn't guessed from the last post title, I was in Wales. I was tempted to write this post in Welsh, before remembering that the only words of Welsh I picked up whilst I was there are the phrases written on road signs.

I was staying in a tiny rural village which isn't famous for anything. It once appeared for two seconds in a pop video by Swedish band Ace Of Base, but I doubt that anyone apart from me has ever noticed that. It was near somewhere else, presumably fairly important, called Llwybr Cyhoeddus. I didn't actually find that town, but there seemed to be a lot of signs towards it.* The sun was hot, the sea cold, the sheep loud, and it was probably very healthy to get away from the office for a while.

* Note for Welsh speakers: that was a joke for you, before you jump in to correct me.

12:41 Link Comments (5)

May 8th, 2005. ... and dolphins!

At last, a proper excuse to not post anything: I'm going away on holiday!* Next week, I'm going on a camping trip. As it's almost ten years since I last went camping, I've stocked up on all the necessary equipment and made sure I've got everything. I've put the tent up to check that it works still, and keeps the rain off. And I've prepared my itinerary:

With a plan like that, there's no way the holiday can fail.

* I will try to make sure I get the written-but-unposted London entries online before I go, though.

22:17 Link Comments (4)

May 5th, 2005. Democracy

I'm going to break the silence, just to say: if you're in the UK, remember to go and vote. Even if you don't want to vote. Even if you hate politics, all the politicians, and think they're just as bad as each other - which, to be fair, they are - it's better to spoil your ballot paper instead of not voting at all.

12:43 Link Comments (1)

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