Showing posts with label Winston Churchill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Winston Churchill. Show all posts

Friday 17 September 2021

Fake History

 
Otto English writes this book to expose what he considers to be an understanding of History that is incorrect.  He is also having a go at Boris and his fans, which is quite clear throughout.  In Otto's mind we are all believing historical facts that are not facts at all, his mission is to seek out the true situation behind such History.
Obviously some of us with an interest in History will have discovered the truth is never found at first sight, this is even more obvious where a war situation is concerned.  Propaganda, good and bad, is always to the fore during a war.  People's experience, and evidence on the ground added to an individuals knowledge of the war and the situation in which they find themselves concerned means people are not fooled as often as Otto appears to believe.
However, that said it is a book worth reading.
Churchill is naturally the first under review, Flat earth follows, Columbus and all that, War propaganda, the Royals, Curry and other foodstuffs, the Conquistadors and Abraham Lincoln are among the subjects interrogated.  Obviously Churchill is the starting point.  The target of this book other than Boris are the tabloid readers, and hacks, who perpetuate the idea of Winston as the 'Greatest Prime Minister.'  Various people have written about Churchill, including himself of course.  After the war he collected material from the conflict and produced his History of the 'Second World War,' in which he comes over as the great leader, the wise strategist, and the man who won the war.  Lord Alanbrooke of course, who had been Chief of the Imperial General Staff and the man who actually won the war, was not impressed to be mentioned only thrice!  Still, it made money and built Winston's fame, and thatw as what mattered.  Boris Johnson, the fantasist who is now Prime Minister because of the nations sin, also wrote a book about Churchill, poor at that by all accounts.  Roy Jenkins scribbled a fast moving one reviewed on these pages, and no doubt many more will appear.  
English makes every attempt to break into the tabloid fantasy of Churchill and offer the unwritten (in his mind) side of things.  From my memory the 'unwritten' did not require writing as most people during the war well understood Churchill, 'Warmonger' was the general impression I heard, but Otto is writing for the tabloid reader of today, few of whom have read much other than their 'Daily Express' over the last 70 years and are happy with an image that does not demand they think, nor lose their nationalistic fantasy.
Each chapter does swerve away from the main subject thereby allowing a wide variety of stories, usually relevant, to appear.  These are often humerous, always interesting, but not all are surprising to me.  Most people with a History interest will have glanced at such tales before, however, it is good to see so many put in one place.  I enjoyed a great many of them.
However, there are failures.
The writier, born and educated at an Essex public school and now living in gentrified south east London, reveals all the arrogance and self importance of such a background.  Otto, as seen on his Twitter account, does not like opposition, nor does he like to think he might be wrong.  Wrong however he is.  His lack of understanding of the Christian Church is obvious, he reflects the ignorance of the Guardian reader here.  His Essex knowledge of Scotland, one I am well aware off, is as limited as might be expected. To Otto nationalism is dangerous, full of terrors and to be avoided.  Such an attitude can only be found in an Englishman living in England.  His writing re Charles Stuart falls down here also, prevaded as it is with English imperialism throughout.  Charles of course is considered a joke by most Scots.  
Far too much time is taken up by his diatribe on Adolf Hitler not being an artist.  Pages are wasted on Otto's dislike of Adolf.  We have all seen his paintings, nice but not deep, and why so much is written here I fail to understand, a page or two only was required.  Abraham Lincoln also is offered as a man at variance with the public image, and we are left wondering if Otto really cares about this or if he is just attacking people because they are hero's to some?  Indeed a chapter is included concerning Ghenghis Khan as if he was the subject of much discussion in the world today!  When did you last discuss Khan and his empire?  No, not me either.  Much has been written about him but rarely is he mentioned outside of those studying that particular era.  
This is however, a good book, well worth a read.  The 'Daily Mail' reader, who will not read it, is the target of these pages.  And I suspect many of Otto's fans will enjoy this book as they too are ignorant of the tales enclosed.  History is not well taught in schools it appears, however, it is a wide ranging subject which causes many arguements (just ask in Europe 'Who started the Great War?' and see what I mean).  The EU has schools for the children of those working there, no History however, is taught unless by your own countrymen!   I bet Scots History was not taught there!  
It is worth reading, the stories entertain, the facts are usually good (but historians everywhere will pick fault as they do) and a good book for adolescent schoolkids as it is an easy read and I suspect will hold their attention.
Otto English, real name Andrew Scott, is a journalist who has written for many papers.  However, he is also one of those middle class Liberals who does not get out and about much, and is limited in his experiences by mixing with his own Ken.  Such men as you know fail to comprehend things those who have to work for a living have known for years.  Otto's views on life are repeated by his friends and upheld by his Twitter fans, yet they fail to see the world as it is all too often in my view.  I suggest for his next book he travels the nation.  Partly this is because I like such travel books, it is always interesting to see peoples views of what is actually there in the UK and not what they already believe, but also he will meet a wider range of views, some which will surprise him, some shock him, but he will produce another book worth reading.    
 

Saturday 14 May 2011

Brickies

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Ever since those 'Fred Dibnah' the Bolton Steeplejack were on telly I have become fascinated with brickwork. Not that I am found staring at brick walls because this reflects on the excitement of my life, but the patterns revealed, the skill required and atrophy of mind are all involved. As I pedal up the old railway I pass a couple of bridges carrying roads over the line. This one served a farm or two and runs at an angle to the line. When you consider the skill required to build such an arch, let alone ensure it remains in place for over a hundred and fifty years, an admiration for these artisans grows. Bricklayers were one of the many groups of artisans that made full use of the 19th centuries desire to 'better oneself.' Gathering in groups they would pay a few pence a week into a kitty and when sick or short of work could draw a few shillings from the common purse. One near here went on to develop a brick making factory in the gravel pits opposite the railway station. Many houses were built from his bricks and he himself made this edifice from his own bricks and must have been quite important by the late Victorian age. Wasted as office space for far too many years this house once must have appeared a marvel to those who studied 'Self Help' books at the time.


Of course it was just as easy to lose everything overnight in those days and many did. The John Brown who owned 'Hollywood' leaves little trace that I can find but he achieved some success for a while at least. One other famous bricklayer was of course Winston Churchill! One of his 'rest cures' was to build walls in his house at Chartwell. The combination of creativity and a chance to rest the mind in the sun and inhaling fresh air and mortar did him good. He actually became a paid up member of a bricklayers union, and not many Conservative Prime Ministers could say that!  Looking at the bridge I was interested at the manner in which the brick ends are forming such a delicate pattern. The skill shown in many bridges, walls, and especially expensive houses shows much taste. Today of course only multi millionaires could contemplate such brickwork, so we end up with plastic and concrete! Ah well, it could be worse I suppose.


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