Alexander George Thynne (he later dropped the ‘e’ from his surname) was born in London on 6th May 1932 but, as he put it, he “emigrated to Wessex within the next few weeks”. His mother was Cornish, a member of the Vivian family. His father was Henry Frederick Thynne, then styled Viscount Weymouth and laterContinueContinue reading “Lord Bath at 80”
Category Archives: Political Philosophy
Jubilee Hangover
Here.
Cradle of the Crown
“Whereas the liberties of England, its laws, statutes, system of justice and administration, had their beginnings in the Kingdom of Wessex;Whereas that Kingdom in its heyday was at once the cradle of the English language and culture, and the bastion of freedom against the marauding Danes and Norsemen;Whereas the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty is directlyContinueContinue reading “Cradle of the Crown”
Big in Russia
Our blog seems very popular in Russia just now. Last month there were more pageviews from there than from the UK, with the USA far behind in third place. A third of all pageviews from Russia since figures began occurred during May.What can we say to provide some context for readers in the world’s largestContinueContinue reading “Big in Russia”
The Mouse That The News Forgot
“I love small nations. I love small numbers. The world will be saved by the few.”The last words of André Gide (1869-1951)Fans of Peter Sellers remember with a smile his 1959 film The Mouse That Roared, in which the USA is accidentally defeated by the tiny army of a fictional European microstate, the Duchy ofContinueContinue reading “The Mouse That The News Forgot”
A Happier Wessex
What colour is Wessex Regionalism? Our campaign colours are yellow and green, reflecting our core concerns with personal/communal liberty and the ecological challenge, as well as our agrarian roots, the downs and the vales, the chalk and the cheese. Blue and red could have been equally appropriate, given our commitment both to heritage and traditionalContinueContinue reading “A Happier Wessex”
Review of 2011
Every year when we submit our accounts to the Electoral Commission we are also required to provide a ‘Review of Political Activities’ covering the year just gone.The 2011 Review has recently been forwarded to the Commission and here is what it says:“With no General Election in 2011, activity was less intense than last year butContinueContinue reading “Review of 2011”
Embracing All
A frequent objection to decentralisation is that small-scale jurisdictions are prone to takeover by well-organised, highly motivated bands of fanatics. History furnishes examples, from Savonarola in Florence to the Anabaptists in Münster and the Calvinists in Geneva.The threat is real but centralisation does not remove it. All that it does is magnify its consequences. ThereContinueContinue reading “Embracing All”
Needling Doubts
News reaches us that Occupy Bristol are finally departing from College Green, after weeks of treating PUBLIC open space as somewhere to set up their own Third World shanty town, having first failed to find anywhere more relevant to squat. Surprise, surprise, there are syringes all over the place. It seems that those who wantedContinueContinue reading “Needling Doubts”
Politics, Philosophy & Economics
Politics – featuring the unacknowledged death of localism.Philosophy – or the message behind the medium.Economics – coming soon to a petrol station near you.Because understanding what’s happening is the first step towards influencing it.
