2022-08-11
As the summer heatwave drags on and we contemplate the fate of the nation and of the world, a little diversion down the memory lane of English History serves to put our current travails into perspective.
If like me you never achieved more than 25% in History classes, this short summary serves the triple purposes of reminding us of the far more trying circumstances of our ancestors, the insignificance of the incidental historical dates with which we were force-fed at school, and the enduring use of convenient narratives, pushed by the various protagonists for their own profit and convenience rather than for the good of the population.
Yes, we live in interesting times today, but perhaps not half as directly interesting as those of our forebears (although perhaps slightly more global in reach).
(50 minutes)
Disclaimers: In view of my 25% performance at school I'm not vouching for the accuracy of any of this!
Nor do I support or decry the tlio.org.uk site, which seems to me to be continuing our long tradition of political dissent and activity in England - and seemingly doing it in a refreshing reasonable English and level-headed manner.
