During the 1950s and the Red Scare period in the States, the country began to turn in on itself and looked for conspiracies where none existed, fearing the rise of a Fifth Column it sought the Enemy Within. Into this dreadful paranoia rode the "Red Baiting" self-appointed saviour Senator Joe McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).
A film that beautifully portrays an aspect of that era, namely the blacklisting of writers, actors, and artists, is The Front, starring Woody Allen and Zero Mostel whose birthday it would have been today.
Zero Mostel was a fantastic actor who was in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Waiting for Godot, and of course The Producers.
The Front explores the important issue of what is best for the country versus individual freedom, which is pertinent given the recent case of Binyam Mohamed. The film has classic quotes like, "To be a spy on the side of freedom is an honour" and implies that true patriots are willing to spy on their friends.
It does have a "happy ending" though, and shows that even an amoral character can see through the vileness of groups like HUAC.
What it reminds us however, is that the awful noise of ignorance can sometimes be deafening.
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Saturday, 27 February 2010
Happy Birthday Paddy
As an executive member of Union of Liberal Students I went to Liberal Assembly in Margate hundreds of years ago.At a fringe meeting about something or other, I heard an extremely articulate young man who was the PPC for some West Country constituency, and thought he'll go far.
His slightly militaristic bearing was a tad anomalous given the peacenik mood of everyone else present, as was his dress sense, cords and brogues.
Well gentle reader, you won't be surprised to hear that that young (!) man was none other than Jeremy John Durham Ashdown aka Paddy, whose birthday it is today.
I think that he was the right leader to lead us after the disastrous "fling" with the SDP and helped steady the ship.
So thanks Paddy and many happy returns.
His slightly militaristic bearing was a tad anomalous given the peacenik mood of everyone else present, as was his dress sense, cords and brogues.
Well gentle reader, you won't be surprised to hear that that young (!) man was none other than Jeremy John Durham Ashdown aka Paddy, whose birthday it is today.
I think that he was the right leader to lead us after the disastrous "fling" with the SDP and helped steady the ship.
So thanks Paddy and many happy returns.
Thursday, 25 February 2010
John Arlott and The Little Master
Yesterday, Sachin Tendulkar became the first man to hit 200 in a One Day International yesterday, and it made me think of the great John Arlott whose birthday it would have been today.
The man's mellifulous tones were the sound of summer when I was growing up. He had a wonderfully poetic phraseology and had marvellous gift for evoking magical moments in cricket.
The pleasure of watching Test Match cricket, with the sound turned off and the radio on was inestimable.
In the 1940s, he went to South Africa and condemned the apartheid policy. When filling in an immigration form, which required him to declare his race, he wrote "human".
He was a humanitarian and great Liberal standing as a parliamentary candidate for Epping in 1955 and 1959.
The man's mellifulous tones were the sound of summer when I was growing up. He had a wonderfully poetic phraseology and had marvellous gift for evoking magical moments in cricket.
The pleasure of watching Test Match cricket, with the sound turned off and the radio on was inestimable.
In the 1940s, he went to South Africa and condemned the apartheid policy. When filling in an immigration form, which required him to declare his race, he wrote "human".
He was a humanitarian and great Liberal standing as a parliamentary candidate for Epping in 1955 and 1959.
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
23-F - El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido!
Thirty years ago today, I was glued to the TV watching the Nine O'clock News on the Beeb reporting the attempted coup in Spain.
Later, on Newsnight, Peter Snow described the earlier events when a group of armed Guardia Civil stormed the Cortes, their leader, Antonio Tejero, waving a pistol about and telling 350 MPs to sit down.
One of three MPs to openly defy the gun-wielding goons, Santiago Carrillo (leader of the Communists) just sat in his chair smoking a cigarette.
The whole event was over by dawn the following morning when the plotters realised they had no support, after King Juan Carlos had gone on air to denounce the coup and urging the maintenance of law and the continuance of the democratically elected government.
But it showed how fragile a bloom democracy was, and how with the help of other Western European countries (later, through the European Union) it could be nurtured and strengthened.
Oh and Tejero? He got 15 years.
El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido! The people united will never be defeated!
Later, on Newsnight, Peter Snow described the earlier events when a group of armed Guardia Civil stormed the Cortes, their leader, Antonio Tejero, waving a pistol about and telling 350 MPs to sit down.
One of three MPs to openly defy the gun-wielding goons, Santiago Carrillo (leader of the Communists) just sat in his chair smoking a cigarette.
The whole event was over by dawn the following morning when the plotters realised they had no support, after King Juan Carlos had gone on air to denounce the coup and urging the maintenance of law and the continuance of the democratically elected government.
But it showed how fragile a bloom democracy was, and how with the help of other Western European countries (later, through the European Union) it could be nurtured and strengthened.
Oh and Tejero? He got 15 years.
El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido! The people united will never be defeated!
Friday, 19 February 2010
The Government must not pander to homophobia and ignorance
The Government’s decision to allow faith schools to teach sex education "in a way that reflects the school’s religious character", is an unwelcome and undesirable turn of events.
Labour has already given an opt-out from sex and relationship education up to age 15. This move will further dilute the information that all young people should be entitled to, before they reach the age of consent.
State-funded schools must not put their own spin on sex and relationship education.
The Government must not pander to homophobia or to those who want young people kept in ignorance.
Labour has already given an opt-out from sex and relationship education up to age 15. This move will further dilute the information that all young people should be entitled to, before they reach the age of consent.
State-funded schools must not put their own spin on sex and relationship education.
The Government must not pander to homophobia or to those who want young people kept in ignorance.
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Dort wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man auch am Ende Menschen
Heliocentrism vs. Geocentrism
Nowadays, when we hear of religious intolerance, most folk tend to think of Islam, forgetting that Christianity and Judaism among others have not had a terribly glorious past (or present) in their acceptance of heterodoxy.
On this day in 1600, the astronomer Giordano Bruno, was burned at the stake by the Inquisition after being found guilty of heresy.
Inspired by Copernicus, he argued for an infinite universe, with our sun as merely one of an infinite number of independent heavenly bodies. Something that we now take for granted.
Science offers us as much awe and wonderment as any religion ever can, as the espousal of the heliocentric cosmology shows.
It is the lot of humankind to forever be seeking answers to “unknowable” questions, which is why immutable dogma and superstition will always lose out to science and enlightenment.
On this day in 1600, the astronomer Giordano Bruno, was burned at the stake by the Inquisition after being found guilty of heresy.
Inspired by Copernicus, he argued for an infinite universe, with our sun as merely one of an infinite number of independent heavenly bodies. Something that we now take for granted.
Science offers us as much awe and wonderment as any religion ever can, as the espousal of the heliocentric cosmology shows.
It is the lot of humankind to forever be seeking answers to “unknowable” questions, which is why immutable dogma and superstition will always lose out to science and enlightenment.
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