Tuesday
"Churchill, who was prone to the black dog of depression, went to bed on the night of the 5th of June 1944 with a heavy heart. Gloomily he told his wife, Clementine, that by the time they awoke in the morning many tens of thousands of young men he had sent across the Channel might lie dead on the beaches of Normandy. In Alanbrooke’s diaries (he was the finest of the WWII diarists) it is clear how heavily he felt the weight of responsibility throughout his time as a commander in France in 1940, and subsequently as CIGS. Yet neither Alanbrooke nor Churchill felt the need to go in front of the cameras and explain how troubled they were by all the pressure. Even long afterwards it wouldn’t have occurred to either for a split second that this would be a good idea or remotely appropriate."
- Iain Martin, commenting on the recent performance of Mr Blair's former spinmeister on the TV. He makes a good point, I think.
Some hardening up is required.
NSFW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY3TfjOeuhM
Posted by boy on a bike at February 9, 2010 11:56 AM
I'm always finding reasons to send people that link, boy on a bike. It is safe for work if you've got headphones, I would say.
Posted by Rob Fisher at February 9, 2010 12:54 PM
The difference is that Churchill was a man, whereas his modern-day successors are little boys in men's clothing, trying to do a man's job.
Posted by Kim du Toit at February 9, 2010 02:45 PM
After The Rhine had been crossed and held a few months later there is a story that Churchill, Alanbrooke and Montgomery visited the part near Wesel that the Commando's had taken. Whilst on the banks they took the opportunity to relieve themselves. What a photo opportunity that would have been.
Posted by Demetrius at February 9, 2010 04:48 PM
I seem to remember hearing that Churchill wanted to be there as the first wave of landing craft went in on D Day, but was persuaded not to.
As you say Kim, a real man.
Posted by RAB at February 9, 2010 05:35 PM
Quite. My thoughts: "Well what the fuck do we pay you for?"
Posted by sconzey at February 9, 2010 06:26 PM
If Churchill had not been made Prime Minister, or if WW2 had not happened, what would we now think about Winny? Wouldn't he just be remembered as a failed Lord of the Admiralty, blamed for Gallipoli?
Posted by Nuke Gray at February 10, 2010 01:27 AM
Not to say anything nice about Mr. Blair or his men -- but I wonder what would have happened if the Brits had actually had the fortitude to deal with Hitler when he was still talking about lebensraum and nibbling little bits of Europe. If Chamberlain had dealt with Hitler swiftly in, say, 1937, would he still have been dealing with a whining British press and second guessing Commissions in 1945?
Just like there are tired old lefties in the US still living their glory days of Vietnam (despite knowing what happened to the Boat People), there seem to be tired old lefties in the UK who loved every moment of their opposition to doing anything about Saddam Hussein (despite knowing that he had already been responsible for a million deaths).
Maybe it was better when the lefties weren't so old, and still had energy to waste on sex & drugs & rock n'roll. Now they are just pathetic. Let us talk of them no more.
Posted by Alice at February 10, 2010 01:58 AM
The Rhineland 1936 - we should have backed up those elements in France who wished to stop the reoccupation of the Rhineland.
Germany was utterly unprepared for war the whole operation was based on bluster and bluff - indeed the German soldiers carried no ammunition (for fear that there would be an "incident" if they did) there were standing orders to pull back if the French moved in.
Without the Rhineland Hitler could not make Germany ready for total war - and if the operation to move into the Rhineland failed Hitler would have fallen from power.
Sadly London (and elements in Paris) did not fear that Hitler would have been replaced by Marxists (as the school textbooks have it) - the Reds were broken by 1936.
They feared that Hitler would replaced by a "reactionary" regime (unlike now - Hitler was understood to be a Progressive) which, indeed, he would have been.
As a reactionary myself I, of course, do not fear the idea of Hitler being overthrown and replaced by a reactionary regime.
Posted by Paul Marks at February 10, 2010 09:45 AM
