Keep the unwashed at a safe distance

This small phrase from Anthony Barnett''s article at
http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/ourkingdom/what-do-we-do-now is
an ideal nutshell that exemplifies my thoughts about Britian and the
British.

He goes on: "Today a democracy in name, it is an anti-democracy in
spirit and always has been."

Nothing could put the case more succinctly! I think we are an unhappy
nation today because we are now no longer able to throw our weight
around in the world quite like we once did in the days of rape and
pillage in foreign parts. So we try to throw our weight around among
ourselves instead, and slowly ordinary people of Britain are coming to
realise how unforgiving, illogical and punitive we are, as if seeing
for the first time the reflection in the mirror that we are holding up
in front of ourselves. Once we were top dog, since our bite was
ruthless, and who's going to shed any tears over a few (million)
fuzzy-wuzzies? Now the only kinds of records we achieve are the ones
in the negative column. This failing as a nation must have a direct
correlation with the lack of accountable democracy over centuries.
Maybe if we stay in the EU for long enough, the EU will eventually
require us to adopt our own written constitution and bill of rights.
For if we rely on parliament to give us a written constitution we will
wait forever. It is in the Establishment's interest that the unwashed
be kept at a safe distance, but giving them proper democratic
accountability would be like giving them a bath. "Best not, eh,
chaps!"

How did it happen like this? Geography. It so happened that Britain
was turned into an island some 7,000 years ago. Doggerland was
inundated and we could no longer walk to the Continent. Given the mass
of water surrounding us it was inevitable that we should discover an
interest for boats. Having got the boats we wondered what lay over the
horizon, and the rest is, as they say, history. Where we plundered was
conveniently far enough away so that even if THEY got boats, too, it
was unlikely that they would be able to sail as far as Britain. So we
sailed the Spanish Main (and all other Mains), took our stuff,
scarpered back to Blighty with it, picked up a gong or two from
grudgingly appreciative monarchs (Raleigh brought back potatoes,
Golden Virginia, and the first bicycles), then built our mansions,
safe in the knowledge that we were safe, due to the water surrounding
us.

Then along came the Wright brothers and our watery moat was henceforth
pretty meaningless.

MM
.

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