Thursday, July 14, 2016

The Idler, Monday, July 11, 2016

The Falklands factor

BEWARE the Falklands factor. Before long the Brits will have

either Theresa May or Andrea Leadsom as prime minister.

Come November and the Americans seem likely to have Hillary

Clinton. The ladies will join Angela Merkel in governing

heavyweight democracies.

The Falklands factor? Not all societies appreciate the

significance and worth of women put in command. They see it

as a sign of weakness, something to be exploited.

An American diplomat friend who was posted in Argentina in

the early eighties tells of his desperate attempts to persuade the

Junta against invading the Falklands as a diversion from internal

problems

"They only laughed at me. 'But the British have elected a

woman as prime minister. She will never do anything about it.

She's only a woman.'"

"I tried to explain to them that Margaret Thatcher had bigger

cojones than any of the men in her party. But they just wouldn't

buy it. And look what happened."

I wonder what Vladimir Putin thinks of women leaders. He

strikes me as a decidedly old-fashioned cove. Not to mention

certain quarters in the Middle East who could be inflamed by the

very idea of a woman considering herself an adversary.

I suppose it's liberating and all very good that women should be

able to get to the very top like this. But it could also be a little

destabilising. Let's never forget the Falklands factor.

Their interests

THERESA May's interests are listed as "cooking and walking."

Andrea Leadsom is more of a dark horse in this respect, though

she's said to be the conservative daughter of a vicar.

They must be having the absolute jitters in the Kremlin.

All gals

MEANWHILE, it seems that today Labour MP Angela Eagle

will challenge the party leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.

If she succeeds, it will mean Britain has a queen, a female prime

minister and a female leader of the opposition. If an election

should exchange parties in power, the gender disposition would

be the same.

This would not have pleased the 16 th century Scottish theologian

and political reformer, John Knox. As he put it:

"For who can denie but it repugneth to nature, that the blind shal

be appointed to leade and conduct such as do see? That the

weake, the sicke, and impotent persones shall norishe and kepe

the hole and strong, and finallie, that the foolishe, madde and

phrenetike shal gouerne the discrete, and giue counsel to such as

be sober of mind? And such be al women, compared vnto man

in bearing of authoritie. For their sight in ciuile regiment, is but

blindnes: their strength, weaknes: their counsel, foolishenes: and

judgement, phrenesie, if it be rightlie considered."

This was part of a pamphlet he published, titled: "The First Blast

of the Trumpet Against the Monstruous Regiment of Women."

Knox was campaigning against the presence on the throne of

various European queens, including his own Mary Queen of

Scots.

But he got nowhere. Mary's cousin became Elizabeth I of

England and was so infuriated by Knox's male chauvinism that

she cut him adrift, withdrawing the support he had expected

from her as a fellow-Protestant.

I think we can safely say that John Knox would not have

approved of the course of events in Britain today – "foolish,

madde and phrenetike". But that was way back in 1595. The

times have changed.

Sharks win

OH BOY, a game of two halves – except we were drilling Free

State for the first 10 minutes. It was only when Beast got

carded for giving a flattie to that guy who was giving him gyp

that we lost the plot.

But then recovery. Great driving, a solid scrum. Fierce tackling.

That interception by Stefan Ungerer. Awkwardly squirted ball

on the tryline could have brought two more tries.

Thanks fellers, we'll bank the points. There's much to build on

as we target the quarters. Great ball clearance, great handling,

superb tackling. We're getting better with every game.

Tailpiece

THE captain of the Titanic calls a meeting of his officers.

"I've got good news and bad news."

"Give us the good news."

"We'll get 11 Oscars."

Last word

It is a far, far better thing to have a firm anchor in nonsense

than to put out on the troubled sea of thought.

John Kenneth Galbraith

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