"Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold" - W.B. Yeats.
"We're doomed !" - Private Frazer.
"Like scrolling through a decade's worth of Daily Mail editorials in 20 minutes" - TheLoonyFromCatford
Dave Osler on the Labour candidacy for Tower Hamlets mayor (you remember, the one where the original (Bangla) candidate was deselected, and the guy (hideously white) who came second in the selection was passed over because "they could not go to the person who came second in the poll for the Labour Party candidate selection, John Biggs, without it looking like they were choosing a white British candidate in preference to a Bengali") :
"Even though I live in an adjoining borough, only two or three miles away from where all this has been happening, the world of Tower Hamlets Labour politics remains, as ever, impenetrable to outsiders."
Been meaning to post this for ages. IMHO it's one of the great neglected pieces of English classical music. I'm always impressed by the sheer confidence of the first movement - as if he's been turning out harpsichord concertos for ever - and the second movement is lovely.
This is a somewhat hissy, midfi recording from my battered 1970s copy with Neville Dilkes and the English Sinfonia. While the vinyl is not available on CD (it also featured Warlock, John Ireland, Butterworth and Moeran) the Dilkes Concertino and the John Ireland is on CD here.
Walter Leigh was killed at Tobruk in 1942 in a friendly fire incident. He's buried here. Quite apart from the loss to his family - he left three children and a delightful wife, think of all that music we never got to hear, and never will hear.
Name:LEIGH, WALTER Initials:W Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Trooper (he's L/Cpl in the Regimental Diary - LT) Regiment/Service: Royal Armoured Corps Unit Text: 4th Queen's Own Hussars Date of Death: 12/06/1942 Service No: 7931725 Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: 10. A. 23. Cemetery: KNIGHTSBRIDGE WAR CEMETERY, ACROMA
12/6/1942 RHQ, C and HQ Sqns left EL DUDA at 0630 hours for CAPUZZO area, arriving 1500 hours at BIR BEDER. A Sqn, 6 Stuarts, with 4 Stuarts, 3 Grants and 1 Crusader attached, remained at EL DUDA as rearguard to TDS. At EL DUDA the Sqn was machine gunned by one of our own fighters, resulting in the death of Sgt Shill, LCpl Duckering and LCpl Leigh. One OR was wounded. The deceased were buried at approx 428412. B Sqn. At 1430 hours, the Sqn (10 Grants) with 1 Crusader (3rd CLY) attached, was ordered to engage 8 Armd Cars and 9 M13’s at MADURET EL GHESCEUASC. Whilst engaging these, approx 12 Mk IIIs and 8 MK IVs, supported by 8 x 88mm and a number of 50mm guns, appeared from the direction of B.702 384402. From this action only 1 Tank succeeded in escaping. This was 2Lt Cartmell. Apart from this crew, only 2Lt RGH Walker and Cpl Murray have returned, both wounded. Nothing further is known about the rest of the Tank crews. A Echelon was attacked by high level bombers at 384416. Tpr Hyde and Tpr Hilliard were killed and were buried on the spot. No personal effects could be recovered. LCpl Chattaway, LCpl Vyse and Tpr Deacon were wounded. LCpl Chattaway died of wounds later the same day.
Leigh wrote a lot of film and incidental music. Everyone knows the famous Post Office film 'Night Mail', but the GPO commissioned many short films in the 1930s. Here's the composer's sister, actress Charlotte Leigh, explaining the new-fangled phone system (music by Walter and chorus of GPO switchboard girls). Love that enunciation :
Friday, October 01, 2010
I keep reading CiF threads in the Guardian where the right-on castigate the xenophobes and racists who've somehow turned up on the threads.
That's nowt to what you'll get when the Chinese People's Daily takes a pop at India. A lot of history gets dug up. Seem to be nearly all Indian commenters except for perhaps a few Pakistani nay-sayers. A fascinating cross-section of views.
"The Chinese are so drunk on their power and they are working hard to destroy our nation using every means possible, including arming the Maoists and giving nukes to Pakistan. This is only because they feel threatened by our rise and want absolute and uncontrolled domination over our people. But their children will pay, for if they fail to destroy us, the rest of our people will hate them for the next 1000 years for what their people are doing now."
It's not all jingoists though :
China should abandon its policy of being condescending towards neighbours who are smaller in size, population, etc.China should first learn the art of speaking to disgruntled elements within itw own territory as India has been doing. Without resolving the issue of tibet and the far western corners of xinchiang through methods that are peaceful, China cannot aspire to gain the confidence of the rest of the world, leave alone its neighbourhood.
