“Britain is Dead”
A short, but passionate and angry article at National Review Online by John Derbyshire. He writes:
I am at the point with this business about the British hostages where I really can’t trust myself to post any more, I’m so mad. Toby Harnden indeed says much of what needs saying, but I think he is too kind to the enlisted men. They are saps and worms, insults to the Queen’s uniform. I’d better change track right here—see what I mean?
[...]
I’ve told this story before, so I hope I’ll be forgiven for telling it again. My Mum, Esther Alice Knowles (1912-98), eleventh child of a pick’n'shovel coal miner, in one of the last conversations I had with her, said: “I know I’m dying, but I don’t mind. At least I knew England when she was England.”It’s all gone now, “dead as mutton,” as English people used to say. Now there is nothing there but a flock of whimpering Eloi, giggling over their gadgets, whining for their handouts, crying for their Mummies, playing at soldiering for reasons they can no longer understand, from lingering habit. Lower the corpse down slowly, shovel in the earth. England is dead.
I am less pessimistic.
I think that Britain can still get her soul back.
The sad reality is that Britain serves as an example of Europe as a whole right now: it is not just Britain that has lost her soul, it is Western Europe as a whole. We, Europeans, have become, I would not call it “appeasers”, but apathetic. We do not care about our respective countries any longer, nor about morality. We care about, living peaceful, easy, relaxed lives. “Don’t disturb” is a sign that should hang on every door of every home in Europe. “Whatever happens, don’t disturb. If Iran develops nukes – terrible, but please don’t disturb us too much.”
When something terrible happens, we shrug our shoulders and move on, the only thing that is able to get us ‘warm’ again, instead of our constant state of being lukewarm, is America, and then in a bad way. When something goes wrong in the world, it is America’s fault (but hey, nothing we can do about it) to begin with. And if it is not America’s fault, well, it is probably our fault and we should apologize for whatever it is our ancestors might have done wrong once. A long time ago, who cares, it is still our fault.
The irony is that it is our fault in a way, just not the way most people think: it is our fault in so far that we do not stand up for ourselves anymore, that we do not care about our past anymore, that we despise using the words ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ because, well, there’s no such thing as ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, it’s all a matter of perspective and so on.
H/t Shaun Mullen for e-mailing me the link to the article at NRO.
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34 Responses to ““Britain is Dead””
I don’t think the spirit of our nations is dead, I think it’s asleep. It’s a sad fact, but people will not move on their own, not without leaders, be they politicians or the media.
The fact is Europeans one by one DON’T think they are lesser. In fact, I’ll bet on the whole they think that Europe is superior. Europe is certainly preferable to the US, in most EU citizens’ minds, and outside say Japan and Canada (who nobody ever remembers as existing anyway) there’s no one in the same league even to compete. No, the problem is not an inferiority complex; the problem is a “blame us first” complex. It’s the US’s fault, and if not, it’s our fault, you can’t ever blame the people in the countries concerned, because we think so little of them that we consider them like children, unable to take responsibility for themselves. The condescension is breathtaking.
And I think Europeans would want to fight for themselves, if they had good leaders and felt threatened. Leaders are necessary because though people will feel that things aren’t as they should be, they will usually not rally and organize against it without some visible leader. Take immigration, an issue that worries Europeans across the board. We take no action, we don’t march in the streets, we don’t demand tougher rules, actual deportation, tighter borders. In Spain, immigration routinely ranks 1st to 3rd as the thing that most worries us, but we do nothing, because people are waiting for the political leaders to say something, for the media to say something, and they don’t. When people don’t feel they have a “flag to rally to� they worry about being alone in the fight, so they stay silent. That doesn’t mean they don’t have the will, it only means they don’t have the will to do it without leadership.
What I will say is that Europe is war-shy, too much so. There are good historical reasons, Europe knows much better than the US what war feels like, on your own shores. Also, believe it or not, I think most people simply don’t feel there is much of a threat. Oh sure, terrorism worries us, but the number of Europeans worried about a nuke landing on Paris is probably much, much smaller than the number of Americans who worry about it falling on New York. Again, there is not rhetoric on the TV about it, so people don’t worry about it. Also, there is the assumption that if the shit hits the fan, it’ll hit the US and Israel first, before it hits us. Does that make Europeans selfish? Yes, but no more and no less than anybody else. I’m fairly certain that if Americans weren’t told every day to be afraid, and didn’t know they were first in line to be killed, they wouldn’t worry much about it.
Oh, for frak’s sake. Let’s all live up to the manliness of John Derbyshire.
Yeah and in German speaking countries I have heard old people talk about “the good Old Days” under Hitler.
Yes, nationalism. The drug of choice. We are not alive unless we are high on blood and slaughter and the uncertainty of battle.
Oh, but I’m a good person who’s done a bad thing……I was just obeying orders…..you cannot make an omelet unless you break a few eggs……
Why would we beat our swords into plowshares when we are having so much fun?
24 million dead WWI
Leading too…
54 million dead WWII
All because Kaiser Franz Joseph was technically right.
In Britian right after the plot was uncovered to blow up the airliners they did a survey amonst the Muslims there. Overwhelmingly they considered themselves Muslims first and foremost and Brits second.
That is more frightening to me then any Terrorist or any war in Iraq.
The Republicans understand this, the rest of the world does not. In a footnote of history when your grandchildren ask why you didnt do something your response will be.
“Well Gay rights and Abortion was more important then saving the world.”
“Oh right Granddaddy I see your point.” As another gay is led to the gallows while you watch on tv.
FOLKS this is not a bash on your left agenda. This is a bash on how you have prioritized your agenda. I suggest you got the wrong item at the top. For what good will Gay and Abortion rights be if we are all living under the thumbs of totalitarin Fundamentalist Muslim rulers?
Will it happen in YOUR lifetime. Probably not. But what about your childrens lifetime? My guess is yes.
Do I believe this. Yes.
You people are afraid of religion and well you should be. You are just afraid of the wrong one.
From a Lefty we have Godwin, from the Righty we hear about the dirty, smelly Muslims, well what about a debate about the hostages families. I wonder if these uberhawks and chickenhawks would sacrifice their loved ones for the GWOT or a more testosterone filled England. Maybe Max Boot will call them sissies for drinking tea in comfort in Basra. Nobosy – there is no such thing as the “liquid bombs” of the British airlines plot. The components are liquid precussors of a solid bomb, the Gator Aid bottles made for scarrrryyyy sound bites. The Steve Emersons wants us to wet our knickers.
Nobody, are you kidding me w/ the gay rights and abortion bit? Conservatives make those two discussions front and center. When constitutional amendments barring gay marriage are more important than caring for and providing for our soldiers, as they were under the Republicans, we have certainly stopped paying attention to what is important. I don’t recall any R’s standing up screaming about providing our troops the supplies they needed, but I do recall a corrupt congressman bringing up flag burning.
How important is overturning Roe v. Wade in the gwot? Seems pretty important to most Republicans these days.
Compare that with how important it is to provide outgoing soldiers w/ adequate training, adequate protection, and armor/vehicles required to do their jobs. Add to that any necessary medical care when they return.
Now compare it w/ our energy policy and how it affects our safety, including where we get our energy supplies from, the safety/security of our infrastructure and power plants.
Throw in port security or the lack of, just for good measure.
Then, please tell me about how Republicans have done better by Americans, our soldiers, and our lands in respect to these. Please point out to me how in the past 6 years our priorities as provided by our leadership from the executive through the legislative, have been prioritized correctly.
When my grandchildren ask me why the world is the way it is, I’ll point to the years 2000-2008 and tell them, our leadership failed us, worse than any leadership ever has. They couldn’t adapt, couldn’t admit and learn from mistakes, and could not take the worlds lone superpower status and use it with vision, clarity, and humility.
Sounds like we need to export that attitude to every corner of the globe.
Just to add to what I said above. Make no mistake, I think Europe is in trouble. When immigrants religious beliefs trump laws, as w/ abuse to women, they have certainly lost their direction.
Additionally, I read a discussion recently about the 15 brits and what Tony Blair should have done. And I agree with it.
To paraphrase: Tony Blair should have gone on national TV, once the soldiers were safe, and declared the Royal Navy rules of engagement in the region were going to change. The Royal Navy was furthermore ordered to engage the Iranian Navy and sink any and all ships threatening them or crossing into Iraqi waters. Furthermore any attacks against the RN would be met with reprisals up to the point of completely destroying the Iranian Navy and their ports within 1 week.
> Yes, nationalism. The drug of choice.
> We are not alive unless we are high
> on blood and slaughter and the
> uncertainty of battle.
Nationalism is politically incorrect except when used as a political weapon against Israel.
Jim, I was sooo with you the first comment, but against you on your second. You don’t get you soul back by starting wars. You get your soul back by being smart and powerful, by living in today, not 1941.
Today we have international media which can send pictures of devastation and suffering around the globe in 20 seconds. Today, the world probably overreacts to such suffering, equating suffering with the moral high ground. And most importantly, today, no country is big enough to change those rules of the game.
So Britain and the West have to play that game. In this current situation, Britain played it just about right from their end after the sailors were taken. Their only real mistake was in putting troops in harms way that didn’t have the proper training. After they were already taken, the British government only had 15 real players on the field who were poorly equipped.
Not for publication
Thanks very much for the link re the iran fiasco.
I’ve posted further onthe subject:
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/foreign/tobyharnden/april07/disgracefiasco.htm
DLS – The post was about the British and their being “spineless”. What does the reference to Israel have to do with the UK. By the way, the Israel captives are still being held, I guess an pre-emptive war and bluster works for the US and Israel. What happened to the Iraqis-American soldier/translator?
JimB yours is the classic example Of I hate the Right, Bush and anything standing in the way of my agenda.
History will prove me correct. You are staring down the face of history once again and you refuse to reposition your agendas in order of priority. There is no doubt this is the ME ME ME generation.
With all due respect, that’s a bunch of warmongering garbage, Nobody.
Nazi Germany was far more powerful than today’s Muslim terrorists, and yet were never in any danger of being taken over and being forced to speak German.
The Soviet Union was far more powerful than today’s Muslim terrorists, and yet we were never in any danger of being taken over and being forced to speak Russian.
And today, as fanatical as the Muslim terrorists are, there is absolutely no chance that they will take over this country. And if you honest believe the alarmist rhetoric that you are peddling–that the United States of America, the most powerful nation in the history of the world, a country spanning more than 3.7 million square miles and populated with more than 300 million people–then you have left the realm of reality.
In the realm of debate, there’s a name for the type of logical fallacy you just commited. It called the appeal to bull$#!%.
I knew I should not have edited my post to make it shorter.
Societys all over Europe are being assimilated by Muslims. They are breeding like rabbits and teaching their children from day one that they are Muslims first and then Brits, or Germans or whatever.
The war will be lost without firing a shot. The point I was trying to make before I gutted my above post was that they will win this war without firing a shot. Much as America is slowly becoming Hispanic due to the massive influx of Mexicans along with the breeding habits of the catholic Mexicans who do not believe in Birth control
If you think this is just a scare tactic your wrong. It is the Truth. The Muslims are marching peacefully into every country on earth, reproducing and brainwashing their children with the Muslim first mentality.
One day we will all wake up and suddenly realize that instead of 1 billion Muslims there will be 3 billion. Not in my lifetime but perhaps in our childrens.
There will be nary a shot fired. The war on terrorism is that the radicals. The fundamentalists must not be allowed to rule the Muslim faith. Therefore its a war that must be fought. Or else we do to them what we just did to Iran.
Back down and pretend it does not exist.
I repeat there is nothing wrong with your agenda you just dont have the most important item at the top of your list. Because what good will gay rights be in a world dominated by Muslim Fundamentalists who believe that Gays should be elimianted.
Nazi Germany was far more powerful than today’s Muslim terrorists, and yet were never in any danger of being taken over and being forced to speak German.
The Soviet Union was far more powerful than today’s Muslim terrorists, and yet we were never in any danger of being taken over and being forced to speak Russian.
Your right of course. We only fought a war where 50 million people died cause we felt like it was fun to do and then spent 100 gazillion dollars defending against the USSR who of course was no threat to anyone. Ask Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Poland, etc. etc. They will be the first to tell you that the USSR was no threat.
I want what your smoking nic.
Your evading my point, Nobody.
I said that that the United States was never in any danger of being taken over by Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union.
I didn’t say anything about Yugoslavia.
I didn’t anything about Bulgaria.
I didn’t say anything about Poland.
You’re bringing these countries up as a straw man argument in order to evade my argument.
You wrote:
I response, I wrote that the Muslim Terrorists who wish us harm are not nearly as strong as Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union and that we were never in any danger of being taken over by either of those two countries?
Do you honestly believe that we’re in danger of being taken over and forced to live all “under the thumbs of totalitarin Fundamentalist Muslim rulers” as you put it?
Nobody,
I just happen to be Hispanic, Nobody, and I tell you that I don’t “breed.”
What little credibility you had, you lost with that comment.
NicR – Maybe the mindless fearmongers should breed more if they aren’t willing to fight the GWOT. We have “chickenhawks” for the fighting keyboardists, what should we call those who won’t breed to maintain the WASP control of the West?
Rudi,
These last six years, Republicans in Congress have been trying to ban gay marriage and flag burning while Republicans in the Justice Department have been going after people who grow medical marijuana in states where its legal, sell bongs over the internet, and distribute pornography across state lines…
yet it’s those of us who oppose the war who have our priorities screwed up.
Astounding.
I just happen to be Hispanic, Nobody, and I tell you that I don’t “breed.�
Sorry to hear that Nic. Its what nature intended for all species to do. Mr. Politically correct Nic. We all Procreate. We all Breed. We are what we are. Sexual Beings.
I response, I wrote that the Muslim Terrorists who wish us harm are not nearly as strong as Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union and that we were never in any danger of being taken over by either of those two countries?
And I still want what your smoking if you believed this ludicrous statement. Its about the dumbest thing I’ve heard someone say in a long time. Yeah we should have just stayed at home and figured out how to grow more marijuana and hang out with the homies while the world burnt cause of course we were in no danger. Silly me what was I and about 3 billion other people thinking.
These last six years, Republicans in Congress have been trying to ban gay marriage and flag burning while Republicans in the Justice Department have been going after people who grow medical marijuana in states where its legal, sell bongs over the internet, and distribute pornography across state lines…
Like I said you just have your priorties in the wrong order. Youd rather look at porn, buy bongs, do drugs, burn the flag and not breed then fight terrorism. And your challenging my credibility?
> What does the reference to Israel have to do with the UK.
(nationalism)
> Nazi Germany was far more powerful
> than today’s Muslim terrorists, and yet
> were never in any danger of being
> taken over and being forced to speak
> German.
Nazi Germany swallowed continental Europe and was advancing to the Urals, in case you forgot basic history. Had it seized Middle East oil rather than gamble on Russia, it could have won the great chess match in the Old World like a python instead of a tiger.
> what should we call those who won’t breed
> to maintain the WASP control of the West?
Or at least to provide enough future taxpayers to help assuage the coming welfare-state disasters in Europe that will outdo ours in the States?
http://www.cesifo-group.de/portal/page?_pageid=36,105333&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&item_link=ifostimme-GoetheInstitut-01-06.htm
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1934571,00.html
http://www.ces.fas.harvard.edu/conferences/bismarck/docs/pdf/hinrichs.pdf
http://www.mosnews.com/feature/2006/09/18/childlesstax.shtml
> I said that that the United States
> was never in any danger of being
> taken over by Nazi Germany
It was attacked by Nazi Germany (such as shipping off the East Coast).
> or the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union had the ability to destroy the USA and was paranoid.
NicR – Maybe the mindless fearmongers should breed more if they aren’t willing to fight the GWOT. We have “chickenhawksâ€? for the fighting keyboardists, what should we call those who won’t breed to maintain the WASP control of the West?
Well its cute and funny and all but really you should read up on the cultural events taking place in Western Europe before you start branding something you are totally unfamiliar with as the joke of the day.
The breeding habits of western Europeans are being questioned and in fact the governments are trying to figure out ways to encourage more BREEDING, because the socialism that you want here in America has depressed the hell out of their citizens to the point they don’t want to have children.
You might find this amazing but Conservatives read books too. I can hear the collective gasp amonst the liberals here, but its true. We do read. Why just last week I finished my first Jack N Jill Book but was disappointed because it was written by the new liberal politically correct book burners.
Nobody,
You have it exactly backwards. It was the Republicans who brought these issues up during the last six years. Not Democrats. Not Greens. Not Libertarians. Republicans.
Are you willing to concede that it was Republicans in Congress and Republican-led Judicial Department that brought these issues up?
nicrivera you don’t get it, which is understandable, since it’s ridiculous. Yes it was Republicans that brought those issues up, so if liberals fight against such initiatives they are concentrating on the wrong issues, and therefore THEY have their priorities wrong. If they just let such legislation pass without a fight it’d all be cool.
The logic is highly twisted, but it’s in there somewhere. It’s sort of like if someone starts hitting you on the street and eventually you hit back, then when the fight ends the attacker accuses you of being violent.
Nobody, I suggest you do not speak of that which you do not understand. Europe has low birth rates yes, but it has nothing to do with us being “depressed” and it certainly has nothing to do with the fact we can send our children to the doctor for free (yes it’s clear how that would discourage forming families isn’t it?). The reasons are varied and complex, and have a lot to do with raised expectations of parents. Parents would rather raise one child that goes to college and becomes a doctor than 4 that, being harder to raise, will have a more difficult future. It’s a difficult issue, and immigration makes it tougher, but we are:
a- Nowhere near a Muslim takeover of Europe. They have influence disproportional to their numbers because of PC, which IS a threat.
b-Plenty of immigrants are not Muslims and create some of the same issues. Spain for instance has a huge latino population that “breeds”, as you put it, at alarming rates.
Nic. Nice deflection of your silly points. But Ill will allow you to deflect the argument and go with your next set of baseless arguments.
Those things are against the law. They violate laws and mores of the United States of America. They are in fact Illegal.
The Justice department going after these things is what they are SUPPOSED to do. The Justice department does not make laws. It enforces them.
Gawd. You and your agenda of Legalizing drugs, porn and every other silly Illegal activity because somehow in your Libertarian view that America is violating your constitutional law is at least providing comic relief to a nation embittered by a war that has to be fought.
But Gee I don’t know Nic we all then know that these fundamentalist whacko Islamic terrorists surely support your version of society. I suggest they do not. That was the entire point of my post.
All I tried to say is that Im sorry but like it or not its the lefts social agenda and not the rights that has the bad guys pissed off. I understand there is more to it then social agendas but this debate has been about social agendas.
Deal with it. Its the facts. Now you can try to convince me that Germany was no threat to America if you want had we not ENGAGED in the fight, but if you seriously believe that then I repeat, I do want what your smoking.
Lynx
And Lynx while I understand your words, to me it seems that you support the depression theory that we can only raise one child because times are so difficult. I point to the social fabric of Europe as enforcing this depression upon Europeans. This is a subtle argument because it implies Europeans are inferior and that is not at all true or the case I am making.
I simply point to the exercise in socialism as having brought upon Europeans harder times in low productivity, high unemployment, lower wages, higher taxes and social digression. With these things in combination choosing to have fewer kids is in fact support for the depression theory. Depression instills a bad connotation so let me change that to defeatism. Europeans say whats the point of having 2 kids or 3. Lets just have 1. That is defeatism. Its hard therefore dont try or dont do it. Again it is the social, moral and financial climate in Europe that is instilling in Europeans this “whats the point attitude.”
But my post was not meant to imply that the take over by Muslims will occur in our lifetimes but perhaps in our childrens. Can you argue that if left unchecked the continual migration of Muslims into Europe along with disproportionate birthrates (IE Europeans only having one child as opposed to Muslim birth rates in Europe that is 3.1) will not impose a very dire social crisis in the next 50 to 70 years?
Me and many like me are claiming it will and it is.
More are on the way. Today, the Muslim birth rate in Europe is three times higher than the non-Muslim one. If current trends continue, the Muslim population of Europe will nearly double by 2015, while the non-Muslim population will shrink by 3.5 percent.
From the Brookings Institute. A center LEFT think tank.
Taken from the International Herald Tribune/Europe
Birthrates have reached a historic and prolonged low in European countries, from Italy and Germany to Poland and the Czech Republic, straining pension plans and depleting the work force across the Continent.
The number of elderly already exceeds the number of young people in many countries, and the European Union’s executive arm, alarmed by the trend, estimates that the bloc will have a shortfall of 20 million workers by 2030 if the low birthrates persist.
“Having children here is expensive, and there is no structure: no services, no baby-sitting,” said Heitmankova, who is on maternity leave. “It would be nice if there were still nurseries, like when I was a child,” she said, referring to free Communist-era day care centers.
sounds like a depressing scenario to me….LOL.
Lynx my apologies for not editing my post. I said western Europeans. Now I can see how you might be upset. I meant all of Europe including all of the former USSR countries now struggling with their survival.
Sorry I meant Europe, not Western Europe even though Western Europe is included in my thesis.
Nobody,
Show me the passage in the Constitution that grants the federal government the power to ban drugs, bongs, or pornography.
You’re not going to find it, because such a passage doesn’t exist.
You seem to think that because we’re at war, defending the Constitution isn’t a priority. But war or no war, the president and every member of congress has sworn to uphold and protect the Constitution. Our civil liberties don’t suddenly become expendable just because we’re at war.
Now you’re just distorting my argument. I never argued that Germany was threat to America. What I argued was:
Germany had neither the manpower nor the resources to take over the United States. At no point did the German come close to occupying even a single American town, much less the entire country.