The new, improved Tory party

Simon Schama on Michael Howard:

Then came the really worrying bit. The Somewhat Beloved Leader’s voice dropped, the eyes moistened, the smile widened. Acute observers could instantly recognise the onset of a Sincerity Attack. “I love my country.” Then he told us how he truly feels. About himself. About Britain. Proud. Immigrant roots. State school. Really proud. Work hard. Do well. What Britain’s all about. Not layabout.

But wait, there’s more:

This sort of thing is of course obligatory for American campaigns where the “story” of the candidate; a combination of autobiographical confession and patriotic profession, is the sine qua non of “making a connection with the voters”. But in Ashford, among the flowery frocks and jackets flecked with doghair, the narrative seemed wetly embarrassing. Then exit to reprise of Victory at Sea and sustained (if not exactly deafening) applause. The faithful were giddy with excitement. Well, almost all of them. One loyalist with a bottle-green flying-ducks tie, was still barking over the State of the Country. “Are you optimistic about Thursday?” I asked tentatively. “I TRY to be,” he conceded, “though I was going to desert the sinking ship.” “Where to?” “Montenegro.” “Montenegro?” “Yes, Montenegro. Not many people know this, but the wine is wonderful and -” (he whispered confidentially) “- they have the most beautiful women in the world. Though, of course they do tend to be a bit hairy.”

Lovely piece, reminding one that however grubby British elections may appear, they are a world apart from what passes for political campaigning in the US.

Night flight

“It was a dark night, with only occasional scattered lights glittering like stars on the plain. Each one, in that ocean of shadows, was a sign of the miracle of consciousness. In one home, people were reading, or thinking, or sharing confidences. In another, perhaps, they were searching through space, wearying themselves with the mathematics of the Andromeda nebula. In another they were making love. These small flames shone far apart in the landscape, demanding their fuel. Each one, in that ocean of shadows, was a sign of the miracle of consciousness … the flame of the poet, the teacher, or the carpenter. But among these living stars, how many closed windows, how many extinct stars, how many sleeping men …”

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, writing about his first night-flight over Argentina in the prologue to Wind, Sand and Stars.

Quote of the day

Jonathan Freedland, writing in today’s Guardian on the implications of the leaked document giving the Attorney-General’s advice about the legality of going to war against Iraq.

The result was a surreal circularity, whereby the attorney ruled that war would be legal if Downing Street was sure Saddam was not complying. Downing Street said it was sure and so the attorney was satisfied. The war was legal – because Tony Blair said it was legal.

Quote of the day

The first two television election broadcasts by the two main parties concentrate not on throwing mud at each other but on hosing the manure off their own reputations.

Mark Lawson, the Guardian, April 12 , 2005.

Quote of the day

I sometimes enjoy saying that anybody’s life can be encompassed in about 10 wonderful jokes. One of my favorites is about an American singer who makes his debut at La Scala. He sings his first aria to great applause. And the crowd calls ‘Ancora, vita, vita.’ He sings it a second time, and again they call for an encore. Then a third time and a fourth … Finally, panting and exhausted, he asks, ‘How many times must I sing this aria?’ Then someone tells him, ‘Until you get it right.’

That’s how it is with me – I always feel I haven’t gotten it quite right, and so I go on singing.”

Saul Bellow, in an interview with the NYT, 1981

Thanks to Gerard for the quote.

Quote of the day

No one knows which way the Supreme Court will go, but the tech industry fears disaster: If the creators of programs that enable sharing over the Internet are liable for what people do with the software, then the manufacturers of any devices that enable copying could also be at risk. So everyone on the trail that leads from you to a given digital file is in danger — the computer manufacturer, the CD-burner manufacturer, the audio-editing software writer, the Internet service provider and the telecom company.

Andrew Leonard, writing in Salon about MGM v. Grokster, now before the US Supreme Court.

Quote of the day

We are witnessing today a coupling of ideology and theology that threatens our ability to meet the growing ecological crisis. Theology asserts propositons that need not be proven true, while ideologues hold stoutly to a world view despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality. The combination can make it impossible for a democracy to fashion real-world solutions to otherwise intractable challenges.

Bill Moyers, “Welcome to Doomsday”, New York Review of Books, March 24, 2005.