tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39452195037979949352011-11-27T16:02:51.954-08:00William Ewart Gladstone's commentary on the third Millennium.pfnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-83288318283211235122011-07-12T08:15:00.000-07:002011-07-12T08:15:42.116-07:00

When one is very elderly one slumbers a great deal.  Indeed a simple snooze can last for weeks. Sometimes I stir and have a sense that centuries have passed. Can it be a little more than a year since I hailed the prospect of a new Midlothian? I cannot condemn Mr Clegg for aligning himself, in defeat, with the forces of Toryism. Indeed much that is Liberal is being achieved. Indeed I am all too

pfnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-42011434437090715542010-04-18T18:55:00.000-07:002010-04-18T18:55:35.870-07:00

Am I excited? By gum, I am flying over the moon. Not since Midlothian, has a Liberal so captured the mood of the nation as has young Mr Clegg. In the space of just two, he has gained many years in wisdom and gained even more in public stature. I would say more but my scribe continues to inform me he is far too busy running around after Mr Clegg to spare time to jot down my ancient ramblings. I

pfnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-52419486098658061342009-12-30T03:51:00.000-08:002009-12-30T04:03:15.747-08:00

Councillor Gary Millar, of Liverpool City Council, declaims to the crowd assembled in front of my statue in St John's Garden, Liverpool;Councillor Hazel Williams, deputy Lord Mayor of Liverpool, prepares to lay a wreath;detail of wreath;display from bicentenary exhibition in St George's Hall, Liverpool;detail from the magnificent statue erected by the good people of Liverpool in my honour.

pfnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-12562506422163271432009-12-29T10:27:00.001-08:002009-12-29T12:31:21.401-08:00

The last time I spoke in public it was to a crowd of some 7,000 in my home city of Liverpool when I took the opportunity to denounce the massacres of the Armenians. Today a gathering a mere one per cent of this size gathered to join me in my 200th birthday celebrations in this great English city - but it was a large and warm enough crowd to cheer the heart of an elderly gentleman. I do

pfnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-69423420663100291202009-12-29T00:49:00.000-08:002009-12-29T00:58:46.367-08:00

The account of the sad,mad gentleman who has been deprived of life by the Chinese authorities for the carrying of substantial amounts of narcotic substances is distressing.Nevertheless it ill befits ministers of Her Majesty's government to treat the matter as of diplomatic importance or as an affront to British pride, or even to British values.For it is barely some 150 years since this nation,

pfnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-62954593362159012072009-12-29T00:01:00.000-08:002009-12-29T00:01:00.652-08:00

It is now 200 years since the date of my arrival in this world. It's my birthday! WEG

pfnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-314496210094658482009-09-17T12:56:00.000-07:002009-09-17T12:56:33.057-07:00

 Mr Nick Clegg continues to make his admirable argument that it is time for the great Liberal Party to be restored to its place in British politics. His new pamphlet is available here. As for me, I spent the summer months walking in the mist of the Welsh mountains, an entirely pleasant experience. However my scribe declined to accompany me and, indeed, continues to state that he has personal

pfnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-4672834922362177932009-08-09T05:24:00.000-07:002009-08-09T05:30:02.541-07:00

I am delighted to hear that the good people of Hawarden are participating in my birthday celebrations. Indeed the Hawarden Carnival would appear to be the merriest event of the year.Thanks and compliments are owed in abundance to Mr John Butler, who has produced the attached recording as part of John Butler's "Gladstone - 2009 bicentenary Film Archive Project".WEG

WEGnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-79734118856486380192009-07-18T13:38:00.000-07:002009-07-18T13:38:42.219-07:00

Young Mr Nick Clegg has delivered a most inspiring and hopeful speech on the occasion of an event that passed me by some 150 years ago.According to the historians, the parliamentary Liberal Party was formed on this occasion when Palmerston, Russell, Bright, Hartington and others met at Willis's Rooms, a little before today's date, for the meeting was on June 6th. I do not think I was present as I

pfnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-54702370351649853922009-06-21T05:15:00.000-07:002009-06-21T05:56:22.163-07:00

The Speaker of the House of Commons upholds the nation's liberties; the Speaker, it seems, is also now charged with upholding the honour of the honourable members of the Commons.Tomorrow Great Britain is promised a fresh start, a clean sweep, by those who would blame the departing Speaker, Mr Martin, for the crisis that has enveloped the House. This, to my aged eyes, does not seem a likely

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-7442863612383422422009-06-07T14:34:00.000-07:002009-06-07T14:42:12.044-07:00

Never in the wildest of my dreams did I envisage sitting with my friends and a jug of ale, receiving the declaration of elections to a Parliament of the whole of Europe. I am only dismayed that in this unimaginable future so many of the British people seem to wish not to participate in this great Parliament, either by the recourse of failing to cast a ballot or by indicating a preference for

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-28896511045412014202009-05-30T13:47:00.001-07:002009-05-30T14:25:07.837-07:00

You spy the swallow but it may not yet be summer. The appearance of the swallow offers me a pretext to lay out a grand narrative; even if it provides inadequate support for such a narrative.I have been wondering for some time if the British people will ever put right the mistakes made a century ago, when the great Liberal Party appeared consigned to oblivion. Tomorrow it seems an opinion poll of

WEGnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-23463862814878552952009-05-26T14:06:00.000-07:002009-05-26T14:25:42.331-07:00

I am suffering from a bout of what we came to call deja vu. So little changes in British politics.It is apparent that one party calls for reform - and the other calls for reform when it is convenient. It has been said that the only institution, which the Conservative Party truly wishes to conserve is the Conservative Party. There was a time when I felt otherwise and believed that the party had

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-62590582963434974082009-05-20T12:59:00.000-07:002009-05-20T12:59:51.457-07:00

I am astounded to learn there is a party contesting the current elections with the sole purpose of removing the United Kingdom from the concert of Europe. Indeed my current estimate is that this party may well collect as much as a two fifths or one half of the votes that are cast, such is the present mood of public anger at the political classes in Westminster. Indeed it appears that the main

WEGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-89035907819883837552009-05-09T10:00:00.000-07:002009-05-09T10:24:46.991-07:00

The Glory of the Land is laid low! The mother of democracy's purity is tarnished, like a Jezebel.For a while words failed me; I was stuck dumb, like the father of the Baptist, but not by the sight of an angel, no by the venality, the greed of those who now purport to represent the British people.Odysseus served his King for ten years with nothing but a sword and a shield by his side; Our Lord

WEGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-46798814180550437452009-04-30T11:28:00.000-07:002009-04-30T11:49:56.822-07:00

It seems to be that living in London is as costly and awkward now as it was some 150 years ago. In those days, young MPs from the provinces benefitted from the hospitality of generous benefactors. Indeed it was necessary to be a gentleman of independent means in order to sustain a career in parliament.On this occasion, as on others, it is necessary to note that times have changed. Not only are

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-83334940869531119682009-04-22T03:39:00.000-07:002009-04-22T03:39:42.283-07:00

A budget debate in the parliament of Great Britain is always a great occasion and, as I observed last year, it is flattering that my red box continues in use. If I were there today, I would rather be in the shoes of Mr Vince Cable than in those of Mr Alistair Darling, who has a task as unenviable as it is invidious. It is apparent there will be no answers and that the ship of state would be

pfnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-90542856713898806672009-04-17T07:15:00.000-07:002009-04-17T07:29:44.817-07:00

It is my recollection that even as a schoolboy in the privileged cloisters of Eton I was disturbed by news of the Peterloo massacre in Manchester; later in life I considered it a special honour to speak in the Free Trade Hall in remembrance of those much-maligned agitators for democracy.Indeed a poet coined these words:Shades, that soft Sedition woo,Around the haunts of Peterloo!That hover o'er

WEGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-61613036235022401302009-04-10T07:33:00.000-07:002009-04-10T07:53:42.124-07:00

A delightful English spring, best viewed from indoors in view of the light drizzle permeating the nation. I had planned a gentle Easter dozing in front of an English hearth, in the words of the poet, throwing another log on the fire, Thaliarchus, and pulling out a fine Sabine wine.Sadly I have been jolted awake by the headlines in the news bulletins issued by the state-funded broadcaster. I am

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-23351291392995695502009-04-05T05:48:00.000-07:002009-04-05T10:23:15.873-07:00

The Queen's ghillie would commit several thousand more troops to the troublesome Pathans. For what purpose?It is a sound principle of foreign policy that a nation should be reluctant to join itself to an ally that oppresses its own people. It was once the case within this century, I am told, that the conquest of Afghanistan could be claimed as a liberation, and a necessary liberation as the

pfnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-55819146098342629152009-04-03T15:21:00.000-07:002009-04-03T16:49:19.638-07:00

There are many things to be said about the present financial crisis; much has been altered in our knowledge of political economy since the writings of Mr Adam Smith.I note that Mr John Maynard Keynes was a great liberal and that his analysis of a great financial collapse some 80 years ago influenced much of the last century. Indeed I hear he continues to influence the present British Prime

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-39669483408650583982009-03-29T05:58:00.000-07:002009-03-29T07:07:16.957-07:00

During the latter weeks of the winter I have been perusing an account of myself written by a Mr Osbert Burdett and published quite recently, in 1927, by the publishers Constable.Mr Burdett, I presume, is a member of the Burdett family, which, it should be noted, moved in an opposite political trajectory to myself, moving from the cause of reform to that of reaction.Mr Burdett's proposition is

pfnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-21245948170162229692009-03-28T11:59:00.000-07:002009-03-28T12:03:15.192-07:00

My scribe has been grumbling that I ponder too long on these jottings, that I may be a little elderly to pass comment on a century removed so far from my own, that there is little time to scour an appopriate quotation from Horace, Homer or Virgil. I confess there is much to research and consider when deliberating the plight of the world's finances or the perils of Afghanistan; I will endeavour to

pfnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-11106856629515621232009-03-08T11:38:00.000-07:002009-03-08T12:38:06.632-07:00

Harrogate - I have been astonished over the course of the weekend to hear both Mr Vincent Cable and Mr Nick Clegg, the present leader of the Liberal Democrats - as the party is now known, advocate that the government should take over the banks, taking what I understand to be 100 per cent of the stock.These were astounding statements but Mr Clegg moved to reassure me that these are indeed

WEGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-33443071440185707452009-03-08T01:41:00.000-08:002009-03-08T01:53:39.401-08:00

As was intimated yesterday in the course of my jottings, it was my intention to spend a pleasant afternoon watching Liberals debating the management of schools. It was the choice of the Assembly in Harrogate to devote much of their time and energy to the question of church schools.To my mind this was regrettable; it was a matter we settled in principle in 1870. There appears to be a case for

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-39910841908261474442009-03-07T01:33:00.000-08:002009-03-07T02:38:11.080-08:00

Liberals are gathered in the delightful Yorkshire spa town of Harrogate today and it appears they are to discuss reforms to the education system.Reforming and improving education is the hallmark of a great Liberal administration and so today I must urge delegates to remember the principles we laid down when in 1870 my first administration created the United Kingdom's first public education

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-38312225665964382542009-03-05T16:16:00.000-08:002009-03-05T16:16:34.863-08:00

 The wonders of electrical communication have allowed me to pay a visit to my old castle at Hawarden. Here I see my library and here is my desk and here is a photograph of myself writing at my desk. I am not present in the flesh or even in spirit. I am merely viewing a British Broadcasting programme entitled Gladstone and Disreali. The programme states that I hated Disraeli, that I had a "feud"

pfnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-22502201289115018072009-02-26T15:43:00.000-08:002009-02-26T16:12:38.048-08:00

I note there is some consternation within the Government in respect of the number of young women who are becoming pregnant.As readers may know, I was concerned throughout my life by the impact of loose morals on the welfare of many young women. However, having studied the statistics released today, I am puzzled as to why it should be regarded as deleterious for a married woman aged 17 years to

WEGnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-43130654238023578122009-02-23T13:31:00.000-08:002009-02-23T14:17:22.065-08:00

The government-financed news service, the British Broadcasting Corporation, has intimated to me that the Queen's ghillie has put up a display on the "Web" relating his efforts to combat the deteriorations of the political economy. Furthermore it indicates it has been done in imitation of the excellent President Obama.There is a kind of competition that cheap magazines like to run, setting out two

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-50296899831249039932009-02-12T07:44:00.001-08:002009-02-12T08:24:06.962-08:00

Today marks the 200th anniversary of the births of two of the greatest men of my era. I refer on the one hand to the American president Mr Abraham Lincoln and on the second hand to the chronicler of animal life, Mr Charles Darwin. In extending my sincere and profuse congratulations to both gentlemen, I must proffer a confession that to some extent I erred in judgement of both at the time of

pfnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-38742234691756057552009-01-29T04:38:00.000-08:002009-01-29T05:00:12.502-08:00

 My youthful respect for the ennobled peers of the realm diminished in later years as it became apparent that their chief interest and predominant role was to serve the interests of few but themselves. I have been delighted to find that my successors took up this worthy cause and about 100 years ago clipped the wings of this noble beast, a task that my generation balked at. I have been equally

pfnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-47466316819610247272009-01-23T13:36:00.000-08:002009-01-23T14:21:16.002-08:00

I have been ruminating upon the installation of President Obama, which I trust will be the most interesting event to occur this year. Nevertheless the British as a nation look to the past, it appears, and it is gratifying that some attention is being paid to one's own up and coming birthday.Today a programme of events was announced and it would be churlish of me not to welcome such a memorial, to

pfnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-43803873481608181172009-01-20T09:26:00.000-08:002009-01-20T09:27:30.652-08:00

A most excellent oration!WEG

WEGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-33676051617582578452009-01-20T08:57:00.000-08:002009-01-20T09:06:31.270-08:00

I never in my life thought I would be able to attend the inauguration of an American president, to hear them utter the historic oath, declared in public in front of the masses in a way that the traditions of the United Kingdom have never permitted.Now today it is as if I am there, albeit still in the warmth of an English hearth. I am not jealous that the crowds milling in Washington DC and

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-87050472366885536082009-01-17T05:53:00.000-08:002009-01-17T07:02:15.144-08:00

There appears to be great excitement in intellectual circles about the century and a half that has passed since Mr Charles Darwin published his tome The Origin of the Species. Indeed it even appears to be casting a pall over my bicentenary as an event of note from the 19th century.I was among those who expressed concern at this publication and its reception within those circles who wished to use

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-56150981276284191592009-01-07T13:06:00.000-08:002009-01-07T13:34:42.802-08:00

I have had a great many thoughts about many things over the 12 days of Christmas but of late my scribe has complained that it has been too cold to manipulate a type-writing machine. As I have noted before, England has become less able to cope with the exigencies of winter in spite of the advancement of technology. Pen, ink, a roaring fire and thickly drawn curtains always made a delightful

WEGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-74815249095421567742008-12-28T16:53:00.000-08:002008-12-28T16:57:29.781-08:00

 My 199th birthday today. This date has always been a pleasant cause of celebration between the joys of Christmas and the arrival of the new year. WEG

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-77874065665914657892008-12-21T06:23:00.000-08:002008-12-21T09:32:01.195-08:00

O Lord, raise up (we pray thee) thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore let and hindered in running the race that is set before us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through the satisfaction of Thy Son our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be honour and glory, world without

WEGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-17011681378660148622008-12-13T14:28:00.000-08:002008-12-14T12:24:58.687-08:00

O LORD Jesus Christ who at thy first coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; Grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at thy Second Coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight, who livest and reigneth with

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-3190131761957788302008-12-07T05:20:00.000-08:002008-12-07T09:49:49.917-08:00

Today's collect:BLESSED Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.What this prayer has to do with

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-90766588031231337342008-11-30T10:35:00.000-08:002008-11-30T11:00:43.907-08:00

Young Mr Clegg need not take any advice from me on his current troubles; managing a cabinet or a cabinet in opposition is a hard thing for a political leader and I do not claim ever to have excelled in the task.Mr Nick Clegg, it seems, has been overheard by a scribe from the popular press, discussing his appointments and, it is claimed, uttering calumnies about his ablest ministers. I am sure

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-33463762568650847432008-11-30T10:17:00.000-08:002008-11-30T10:32:37.532-08:00

ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility ; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with

WEGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-37349368501087086862008-11-23T14:46:00.000-08:002008-11-23T15:15:06.399-08:00

Slowly but surely the Chancellor continues to pay heed to the excellent Mr Vincent Cable. I am not fully enamoured of the financial strategy that it appears will be announced tomorrow to an expectant nation; nevertheless, if today's reports are to be given credence, it will contain elements of fiscal sense, largely borrowed, as has often been Socialist practice, from the Liberal canon.Mr Darling

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-39048236426343464492008-11-19T17:53:00.000-08:002008-11-19T18:15:00.686-08:00

It was always my opinion that the Mohameddan world should be judged according to the same lights as nations and peoples who follow the Christian religion. The prophet Mohammed paid full respect to the teachings of Christ whilst rejecting his divinity; and in his lifetime this revered gentleman was no more violent than those kings, generals and even Popes who at the time professed allegiance to

WEGnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-34252230390221199982008-11-14T12:40:00.000-08:002008-11-14T14:02:21.810-08:00

Statesmen are anxious to place obstacles in the way of economic misfortune, to prevent the loss of work and manufacturing business. It is apparent to me that governments are more able to make an intervention now than 150 years ago, that electrical calculating machines and the development of political economy over many generations has made such actions more conceivable. Nevertheless, compared with

WEGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-60741256529188297662008-11-09T05:57:00.000-08:002008-11-09T06:09:11.816-08:00

It is but a year since I remarked on the ceremony with which the British people remember the dead of the great conflict that engulfed Europe nearly a full century ago.In visiting further such ceremonies today I continue to be deeply moved, and gratified, by this annual event. A priest today read the words of a young man, a member of the Sassoon family, who writes most movingly, from his heart, of

WEGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-80989283417167952542008-11-03T13:37:00.000-08:002008-11-03T13:41:57.635-08:00

I have availed myself of the opportunities afforded by modern electronic engines to allow readers of this journal to express on opinion on the state of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom.It is a modest matter compared with the great contest across the Atlantic; yet it is sobering to note that Mr Darling, the present incumbent of the great office once held by myself, has failed to gain a single

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-40352014799516622262008-11-03T13:01:00.000-08:002008-11-04T14:04:58.503-08:00

I am in a lather of anticipation as the states of North America prepare to make their great decision, as their citizens queue to mark their preference on the ballot. It is an unwarranted privilege to view a great democracy cast its vote, to see with my own eyes its statesmen traverse its territories at a speed faster than that afforded by the fastest railway; the telegram and the printed

WEGnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-1877250008610309052008-10-29T04:17:00.000-07:002008-10-29T04:40:43.146-07:00

A delightful return to comforts of the National Liberal Club last night to observe a lecture delivered in my name; it is intended I note to become an annual event and indeed the club continues to heap excessive flattery upon myself by displays of my portrait and bust.The lecturer was the member for Berwick, Mr Alan Beith, who piled unwarranted honour upon unmerited praise by making references to

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-24915538215364906442008-10-24T14:36:00.000-07:002008-10-24T15:05:00.449-07:00

A Mr Woolas, who has a junior role in the present government, has been quoted as wishing to "strip" the Church of its role in English society. There are many reasons to consider the role of the Church in English society; some are good reasons and some are poor.We removed its privileges in Ireland and Scotland because it was not the native church; it had no affinity with the common people.My party

WEGnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-86229919569483147372008-10-20T09:03:00.000-07:002008-10-20T14:05:55.810-07:00

I have been distressed to read accounts of a young football player, injured to such an extent that he felt compelled to take his own life. According to these accounts, he was transported by members of his family to a clinic in Switzerland and it was there that doctors put an end to his brief sojourn on this planet. It is a sad story and there have been those who have called for the prosecution

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-29889096987437280062008-10-19T12:36:00.000-07:002008-10-19T12:51:41.359-07:00

In one other respect I was surprised and, alas, disappointed by the performance of Mr McCain, a man whom in general terms I would hold in the highest esteem.The Senator turned his nation's attention to a certain "Joe the plumber", supposedly an industrious and ordinary tradesman, whose enterprise depended upon taxes being moderate. Subsequent reports and inquiries have suggested that this Joe is

WEGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-8057836938495937602008-10-19T06:31:00.000-07:002008-10-19T06:59:25.985-07:00

The wonders of electronic communication allowed me to view, almost as if I were in the same room, the debate that pitted Mr Barak Obama against Mr John McCain in the United States. It is indeed a moderate improvement on the marvel of the electronic telegraph which, it should be noted, allowed people even in my time to read the full text of events and discussions of such import in newspapers

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-64502709375710978652008-10-09T12:06:00.000-07:002008-10-09T16:13:55.237-07:00

It has been reported that a Conservative councillor in the county of Oxfordshire has purchased a portable artefact that was once in my possession. It is to be hoped that this gentleman wishes to imbube some of my wisdom and experience; and even more it is to be hoped that this would be absorbed by his party's leader, if there is any risk he might come into government.For my part it is a matter of

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-51343239494507440692008-10-05T14:08:00.000-07:002008-10-05T14:40:03.690-07:00

 The Congress of the United States deserves full praise for its resistance over the past week to the President's determination to secure funds for occasional and arbitrary intervention in the banking system. It was unclear from the behaviour of the markets whether the proposals were perceived by their prospective beneficiaries as effective; and indeed it remains unclear. Nevertheless the

WEGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-6711327409689814032008-09-27T12:54:00.000-07:002008-09-27T13:39:04.770-07:00

I am an elderly gentleman and, in my youth, life was simpler than it appears to be in the modern age. I am therefore bemused by the current crisis in the world of finance; indeed I am perplexed by the responses of politicians who, as is frequent, appear to have learnt nothing from the lessons of history.I once described the banking system as the stomach of commerce. It is a base comparison and

WEGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-15288082100022222902008-09-21T13:52:00.000-07:002008-10-04T11:19:43.545-07:00

Each one of us, whatever the extent of our greatness, must consider, when we hold the highest offices in the land, at what hour and what day our time has passed. Sometimes it is possible to depart on a point of principle; sometimes we must recognise that age, infirmity or incapacity requires us to muster whatever dignity remains to us.Mr Gordon Brown's political opponents may fervently wish him

WEGnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-88951723212298886932008-09-17T09:25:00.000-07:002008-09-17T15:02:00.048-07:00

I am alarmed to hear that a clergyman of liberal persuasion has been persuaded to resign his post at that most eminent and distinguished of institutions, the Royal Society. Her majesty herself would have intervened in such an unseemly dispute which may besmirch our national tradition of the liberal advancement of scientific endeavour; I wonder why her descendant does not take action to protect

WEGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-52135891933095881392008-09-17T05:12:00.000-07:002008-09-17T05:24:37.572-07:00

A rousing ovation for young Mr Nick Clegg this afternoon following his delivery of a speech of substantial quality and content.The party of labour is finished, Mr Clegg declared. We are the only party that can deliver social justice.Speaking as if he were an accomplished orator, his words tumbling from his brain through his mouth, the Liberal leader responded to today's concerns, declaring

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-12574838171557456662008-09-16T11:19:00.000-07:002008-09-16T11:38:56.687-07:00

I undertook a very pleasant and most inspiring trip to Richmond Hill on Sunday night to the Congregationalist chapel.I well remember the erection of this magnificent Non-Comformist temple when I made it my habit to visit the town in the latter part of Her Majesty's reign. Indeed at a time when many of the churches of Bournemouth appear to have been converted to be pleasure palaces, this building

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-35730306156418646122008-09-16T07:21:00.000-07:002008-09-16T09:38:57.968-07:00

I am most cheered to perceive a political party that has returned to the principles that I espoused through so many ministries. It was always a matter of regret, indeed of alarm, to me that the state should extend itself into too many areas of activity; it was necessary in many cases, although too often modern politicians appear to have perceived of the bureaucracy of Whitehall as the answer to

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-85862256788505781932008-09-13T16:54:00.000-07:002008-09-13T17:21:10.566-07:00

It was gratifying to see the leader of the party, young Mr Nick Clegg, in much restored health tonight; indeed it was also pleasing that he had heeded the advice I gave on his last visit to this fair town and now pays some attention to the preparation and presentation of his public appearances. He has travelled some distance since his last visit to Bournemouth and it is to be hoped that the

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-43286902792369253632008-09-13T09:37:00.001-07:002008-09-13T09:47:31.227-07:00

Travelled once again today to fair Dorset to Bournemouth, the home of the English sunshine, to join the gathering of members of the Liberal Democrat party. I have fond memories of this town, which is where I enjoyed my last partaking of the sacred Communion before an untimely and, if I may say so, premature departure from the affairs of men.I had the pleasure today of sitting in a pavilion

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-61229139738963917422008-09-11T04:15:00.000-07:002008-09-11T04:52:49.750-07:00

It is heart-warming that government has seen fit to pay heed to the advice of an elderly gentleman. The measures that are proposed today to help the poor and elderly are a little timid; nevertheless they represent investment and some recognition that the nation cannot for even continue to binge on the residues of prehistoric creatures.The energy trade I understand has agreed to contribute some

WEGnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-82357548080598383582008-09-07T10:47:00.000-07:002008-09-07T11:45:28.527-07:00

I have been all but dumb-struck for a number of days by the actions of my successor in the Exchequer. Mr Darling's candour is admirable in stating that the economy is the "worst it has been for 60 years". Yet I am struggling with the notion that governments can somehow govern the condition of the economy from year to year or that they can somehow defy the occasional hesitations that may cause

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-70765989285140167792008-09-05T16:15:00.000-07:002008-09-05T16:26:23.208-07:00

WEGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-70450655344997511652008-08-31T05:38:00.000-07:002008-08-31T06:13:23.654-07:00

The development of the crisis in the Caucasus cannot help but lead me to recall the time when a jingoistic mob stoned the windows of my home because I dared speak against Turkish massacres in the Balkans. The mob wanted war with Russia, not Turkey, and to reprise the disaster of Crimea.Sometimes in our relations with foreign countries we may feel in our hearts that there are no good people, no

WEGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-85959262130837747822008-08-14T14:37:00.001-07:002008-08-18T17:47:13.230-07:00

The Conservative leader's comments on the crisis in the Caucasus have attracted praise in some quarters. For myself I find them disturbing, both naive and ill-considered and symptomatic of an approach to foreign policy that would be dangerous if adopted in government.I would quote Mr David Cameron's direct words: "For a start it is about energy security". What kind of comment is this? "For a

WEGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-48225210529344550232008-08-12T15:11:00.000-07:002008-08-12T15:35:18.620-07:00

Sometime ago I warned of the return of Beaconsfield, a man whose reputation belies the evil he did to the world, a man whose silky tongue and undoubted personal achievement concealed an overweening ambition and a ruthless disdain for the peoples of this earth.In my recent historical researches I have been astounded that for a time he was held up as a beacon for the moderate wing of the

WEGnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-41249040110210677942008-08-11T14:47:00.000-07:002008-08-11T15:14:05.474-07:00

Unoubtedly the crisis in the Caucasus is now intensifying. Georgia is paying a heavy price for tugging the tail of the bear and such international diplomacy as has been possible may have failed.The Georgians in the end took the correct steps and withdrew from South Ossetia. But the bear continues to growl and lash and, according to news reports, now has troops on the ground within Georgia

WEGnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-27567492058128087772008-08-09T03:58:00.000-07:002008-08-09T04:37:12.128-07:00

It was alas premature to hope the spirit of the Olympics, of Delphi, would permeate the world and declare it at peace for this period. Such hopes are revealed as pagan superstition by the tragedy of the outbreak of violence in the Caucasus, where two mighty nations align great engines of war in face of each other.The experience of history is that Russia has to be regarded in much the same fashion

pfnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-2051372120276962122008-08-05T03:34:00.000-07:002008-08-05T04:16:15.535-07:00

I am among the greatest admirers of the Chinese people and of the Chinese nation; it is a matter to be celebrated that the Olympic sports are to be displayed in Peking over the next few days.There are those who call China an inscrutable nation. It is an ancient civilisation and the present hierarchy can be viewed as little different from the other dynasties that have ruled it over many centuries.

WEGnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-24744957855508518332008-07-29T07:31:00.000-07:002008-07-29T07:50:31.434-07:00

I am indebted to Mr Bagehot's excellent publication for drawing my attention to an interesting book by a Mr Kenneth Pollack. Mr Pollack was at some point on the National Security Council of the United States. His book is entitled A Path Out of the Desert but of equal interest is his description of the path into the desert.Mr Pollack is frank where others have dissimulated. I am aware of

WEGnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-86295366310703537842008-07-25T15:02:00.000-07:002008-07-25T15:25:54.841-07:00

They have made a nation.I reflect on these words that I uttered some 150 years ago in a somewhat premature and erroneous fashion; and I do not claim they apply to the current situation in Scotland.Nevertheless it is apposite that the Scottish now have a nationalist government and last night the people of Glasgow rejected a century of socialism to embrace their new nationalist future. I do not

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-30352440734034748912008-07-18T12:38:00.001-07:002008-07-24T16:29:59.183-07:00

There is no call for me to discuss matters in the Church while the people of this land, indeed of the world at large, are suffering. Hunger grows as the price of food rises while fuel costs also increase. Homes are in peril and businesses teeter on the brink of solvency.The world is in poor shape and so is Britain. It may be too late for one country to consider how to escape whatever may happen.

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-39422395480270445052008-07-10T18:08:00.001-07:002008-07-24T16:30:16.126-07:00

My attention has been drawn to a speech delivered this week by the excellent Mr Vincent Cable, who shadows the Chancellor of the Exchequer for the Liberal Democrat party.Sometime ago I noted that Mr Cable was unjustly dissuaded from aspiring to leadership of this great party in spite of the proven quality of his debating skills and his stature as an aspiring Chancellor.Recent experience may have

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-77286719446589541942008-07-03T14:42:00.000-07:002008-12-10T23:34:51.733-08:00

Drifted down to the coast today, to the admirable town of Bournemouth, and happened upon both young Mr David Cameron and young Mr Nick Clegg addressing municipal representatives.Mr Cameron has the charm and wit one would expect of an aspiring Disraeli and rather like Mr Disraeli, lacked substance when exposed to rigorous questioning. However he makes some useful points and offers some hope should

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-2104440112220859982008-06-20T15:21:00.000-07:002008-06-20T15:39:28.025-07:00

bonus dormitat Homerus as the great poet Horace stated in his poem addressed to Piso."Even the good Homer takes an occasional nap". You must therefore forgive an old man for dozing off on occasion. I have not been entirely unwakeful but there are many things to which I must accustom myself in this age.There is the appalling realisation that the good people of Cheshire have long embraced the

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-1840960765922752922008-05-19T18:07:00.000-07:002008-05-19T18:35:49.275-07:00

The British Broadcasting Corporation appears to have failed to perceive the significance of one of the votes that took place in the HofC last night.This second vote on an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill went as follows:"Amendment proposed: No. 10, in page 4, line 14, at end insert— ‘(4A) A licence cannot authorise the creation of an embryo using— (a) human gametes and

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-70765430223577816142008-05-18T14:08:00.000-07:002008-05-18T15:09:52.194-07:00

There is a growing confusion within the mind of the Queen's ghillie and it is evident in his every utterance.Yesterday the Prime Minister sought the support of the elders of his Church. From reports it seems he claimed to share its "vision" and this vision was for a "good society".I hear that Mr Brown's father was a minister of this Church whilst my father abandoned the same Church when he

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-88364045732128534342008-05-13T13:21:00.000-07:002008-05-13T13:35:06.071-07:00

I have castigated the former Chancellor, the Queen's ghillie, for his unwonted and ill-deserved reputation for competency within this high office.The time has now come to give credit to his successor for paying heed to the advice that I proffered a mere three weeks ago.Let us remember that Mr Brown declined to follow good advice and indeed revealed for all to see the hollowness of his

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-44487163524695216612008-05-11T12:46:00.000-07:002008-05-11T13:47:23.812-07:00

Peturbed as I am by the mismanagement of the exchequer by the Queen's ghillie I have spent some little time in examination of his history in office. I do so not out of any jealousy as to the title of longest-serving Chancellor, even though it appears that alongside his jiggery-pokery and knavery in office there are indeed spurious claims that the man held this office for longer than myself. I

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-71802441869295223242008-05-02T15:48:00.000-07:002008-05-02T15:59:38.283-07:00

I fear that the Queen's ghillie will continue to delay the calling of an election following the results of ballots for the municipal authorities yesterday.It is a severe humiliation for a progressive Minister that he should be rejected by the populace for not being progressive enough. Yet that is what has transpired - and it is a rejection of the socialist experiment rather than of progressive

WEGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-47572785653138117972008-04-23T14:42:00.000-07:002008-04-23T14:57:57.363-07:00

A Chancellor fails to defend his budget;A Prime Minister fails to defend his Chancellor;A Prime Minister fails to defend a budget that he himself proposed while Chancellor;A Prime Minister and a Chancellor succumb weakly to threats and alarums issued by their back-bench ranks.What is the appropriate and honourable course following the unwonted, unnecessary creation of a what is a major

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-53995842985132048942008-04-22T15:43:00.000-07:002008-04-22T16:09:55.074-07:00

What a pickle the Chancellor finds himself in when he has to promise his errant supporters unspecified fiscal changes. It seems that Mr Darling promises to put right the mistakes made by the Queen's ghillie in last year's budget; but this rectification will not take place yet.It is an absurd promise for a Chancellor to make; even more absurd that any member of parliament with a jot or tittle of

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-32321968442504624202008-04-19T12:52:00.000-07:002008-04-19T13:31:15.634-07:00

It is right that a Chancellor should defend his budget; and if he were to become Prime Minister, he should remain proud of his actions when he ruled the Treasury.It is no surprise, therefore, that the Queen's ghillie should return from visiting our American cousins, having, regrettably, played second fiddle to the Pope, intent on mounting such a defence. Yet he returns to rumblings of discontent,

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-32158370255263820692008-04-10T09:35:00.001-07:002008-04-19T13:35:13.483-07:00

I have been perusing the words of the former Prime Minister, Mr Blair, as they were delivered in a recent address at the Roman Catholic cathedral in Westminster.His words are hard to disagree with and, yet, I feel this is a person with whom I would not wish to be in agreement.I find myself in whole-hearted concordance with a statement such as this: I then go further and argue that religious faith

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-87045789521613997052008-04-04T13:19:00.000-07:002008-04-19T13:35:29.129-07:00

I am more than pleased to see I have not entirely lost my grip on budgetary matters and that the rather slow-witted members of the labouring party have at last awaken to the effect of the soporific Mr Darling's nullity of a budget on those poor working families who struggle to pay their taxes.Some two weeks ago I condemned the removal of the 10p tax rate as a partial reduction, a sleight of hand

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-47317910500444564772008-03-26T14:56:00.000-07:002008-03-26T15:22:51.264-07:00

My attention has been drawn to a marvellous television programme, which I understand is well-viewed by the public and which seeks to introduce the world of business to the common man.The notion of an apprentice is of course mediaeval and is strongly linked to the grip of craft guilds on commerce. In an age of mercantilism, an apprentice can spend half a life-time learning a craft whilst in the

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-7252115882011330682008-03-25T16:15:00.000-07:002008-03-25T16:40:24.652-07:00

A Prime Minister should gain authority from the force of his argument, from ability to dominate the House. He should not have to skulk in corridors, traducing and browbeating his followers into lending support.The party will gather round the Prime Minister as if attracted by magnet to the deep principles that hold it together. Some may drift away for reasons of personal gain or prejudice but they

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-71731043521569556572008-03-23T15:07:00.000-07:002008-03-23T15:40:25.481-07:00

Mr Bagehot's excellent journal has printed a most interesting article this week, reporting how science has taken the work of Mr Darwin and proposes to take it as far as the altar and the ministrations of the priest. It seems that scientists intend to study the workings of the human brain itself with a view to finding the habitation of God.Now I once had many harsh things to say about the eminent

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-27443875471718945282008-03-21T16:58:00.000-07:002008-03-21T17:31:45.763-07:00

This is a day when we remember an act of supreme righteousness. Christ himself stated "greater love hath no man" than to lay his life down for others. Over the generations there has been a surfeit of kings and generals willing to lay down the lives of others; the King of all laid down His own life.The ancient heroes foreshadowed such sacrifice. Achilles, Hector, Hercules thought nothing of their

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-14856640299559292622008-03-16T13:31:00.000-07:002008-03-16T13:55:57.337-07:00

Mr Darling's appropriation of my box seems to have invited a number of flattering comparisons within the popular press; indeed a newspaper called the Independent quoted from my first budget speech, delivered some 155 years ago.I fear however that standards of popular journalism have not improved. Indeed it seems that even political writers now no longer have even a passing knowledge of Latin and

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-41362551670700972582008-03-16T12:05:00.000-07:002008-12-10T23:34:52.189-08:00

It has been brought to my attention that the new Chancellor called my reputation to his aid last week in seeking to enhance the significance of his first Budget.It is heart-warming to see my old Budget Box restored to public gaze; but I would rather wish that Chancellor's adhered to my budgetary principles than to the symbol of my four periods in this office.Indeed in the course of those

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-74420559102739470322008-03-09T13:29:00.000-07:002008-03-09T14:42:19.632-07:00

Mr Clegg unveiled his intentions today; indeed he unveiled his ambitions to create a Liberal Party that is again fit to govern this land.Mr Clegg was splendid on the rebound as he addressed the membership in Liverpool, demonstrating the mettle that all hoped might be shown in one so young for the post of leadership. How fitting it would be if the moment when the party embarked again on the path

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-29853523722576524292008-03-05T15:39:00.000-08:002008-03-05T16:05:47.148-08:00

It has been my experience in the course of a somewhat extended parliamentary career that it is easy to become attached to a principle that seems significant within the Palace of Westminster but has little resonance to the people beyond. It took me a little time but I learnt in the course of my time that a leader in parliament must always consider the people of the country at large.Now leadership

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-26193575950083969252008-02-29T08:10:00.001-08:002008-02-29T08:32:36.730-08:00

I was awaken from a longish nap at Hawarden a couple of days ago by a gentle shake of the bedposts. It seems that England was shaken by an earth tremor and that the good people of Gainsborough even suffered the loss of chimney pots.So what are we to make of the news that a Royal Prince has been dispatched to Afghanistan to serve with the armed forces? It must be said that the more I learn of the

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-30631953206666598902008-02-13T05:01:00.000-08:002008-02-13T05:25:07.552-08:00

I see that Mr Straw has returned from the Peasants' Revolt and proposes that the United Kingdom should have a written constitution.I heartily agree inasmuch as the constitution of the United States is a most wonderful document, encapsulating the rights of citizens within the space of just seven articles.I fear however Mr Straw envisages something of rather more words; and, in my limited

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-90179000922189987412008-02-07T14:26:00.000-08:002008-02-07T14:37:34.858-08:00

How thrilling has the contest become between Mrs Clinton and Mr Obama! It is a rare pleasure to be able to step aside from partisanship in a political contest - and to lay aside musings of deeper and more difficult matters - to savour a closely run race between athletes of remarkable intellect and personal aura. I hear that Mrs Clinton now has 1,045 delegates whilst Mr Obama lays claim to 960 and

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3945219503797994935.post-16879340763567757392008-02-07T13:37:00.000-08:002008-02-07T14:26:24.432-08:00

Some time ago I concluded that our churches are, with inevitability, led by holy fools and indeed repented considerably of my early enthusiasm for the embedding of the Church within the State.The present Archbishop of Canterbury would seem to fall admirably within this category and it is not a matter of shame - for much of the church's wisdom is indeed foolishness to the ordinary person going

WEGnoreply@blogger.com0