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Quote of the Day: Churchill had the latitude to be honest
“If there are any would-be profiteers of disaster who feel able to paint the picture in darker colors they are certainly at liberty to do so.” — Winston Churchill
I’m re-reading Victor Hansen’s The Second World Wars. It’s the type of book that you need to pass through more than once. His book divides the Second World War not into its theaters but into its experiences. He correctly points out that the war a member of the 8th Air Force experienced over France and Germany was radically different from the war that a Marine experienced in the South Pacific, which was also different from the war that a submariner experienced in the Sea of Japan. So his book is broken into air war, sea war, artillery and armor, infantry and sieges, among others.
Sieges were particularly interesting. During a siege, not only do we have the effect of army-on-army but we also have army-on-civilians more so than any of the other sections in his book. The section on Sieges deals with the Big two, Stalingrad and Leningrad, as well as the less appreciated sieges of Singapore and Corregidor.
But it’s the forgotten Siege of Tobruk that captured my attention.
The Brits and the Germans spent an ungodly amount of time, resources, and men pushing each other back and forth along the North African Coast. The city of Tobruk was taken and retaken by both sides multiple times. For the second siege of Tobruk, we have the setting as such: The Brits needed the port at Tobruk to supply their army, they occupied it, Rommel needed the port to supply his army and set siege to the city. The city and port of Tobruk ignominiously fell to the Axis powers on June 21, 1942.
It was, by siege standards of the Second World War, a rather rapid descent. It caught the Brits by surprise and there was much public outrage at the time. Churchill was in Washington doing war and strategy planning with his new partner Roosevelt. He immediately returned home and easily defeated a censure motion. It was in Commons where he leveled with the nation:
We are at this moment in the presence of a recession of our hopes and prospects in the Middle East and in the Mediterranean unequalled since the fall of France. If there are any would-be profiteers of disaster who feel able to paint the picture in darker colors they are certainly at liberty to do so.
It struck me that here was Churchill openly inviting his competition to paint a picture worse than the one he had just painted. It occurred to me that we would never be able to expect that level of candor from the political class today.
I believe I understand why as well. Andrew Breitbart is famous for saying that politics is downstream of culture. (Okay, admit it: you didn’t see me jumping from Tobruk to Rommel to Churchill to Breitbart did you?)
World War 2 was specifically a war of cultures: democracy versus totalitarianism (I refuse to use the word fascism because, like racism, it’s lost its meaning). And in this culture war, the Brits were united. The adversary was from outside the British culture and not within. If, as Breitbart had said, our politics today are downstream of culture then until further notice, we should never expect to see candor, openness, and (regrettably) honesty from the political class because they are locked in a culture war upstream from politics.
And that is why, when we watch Amy Coney Barrett get grilled on Capitol Hill, we should expect to see her pressed on her view of things cultural (e.g., same-sex marriage and abortion) and not of things judicial (Freedom of Speech, the right to bear arms, illegal seizure).
In my life, I don’t expect to see this change.
Published in General
I usually just lump them all under cronyism. Socialism, communism, fascism, it doesn’t matter what one calls them, they all devolve into the same sort of corruption with the family members and cronies of the leader getting the spoils of the system. (*Cough* Hunter Biden *Cough*)
I also think that Trump has been honest. It’s why he is so reviled by so many. He says the things we aren’t supposed to say.
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I can’t wear short sleeved shirts any more?
Not after Labor Day.
The pandemic is being painted in the darkest colors by those who hope to profit by it. One gets the feeling they are rooting for the second surge – hopefully before election day. Like those who sought to topple Churchill, the modern doom and gloom people are trying to pin every casualty on Trump. ACB’s nomination is just another opportunity for them to bring mayhem into the political arena.
Or white shoes. When was the last time you saw a man wearing white shoes (not sneakers)?
Well said, Mountie. And so very true!
Not according to Tim Tate’s 2019 book, Hitler’s Secret Army. There were a lot of anti-Semitic Nazi sympathizers and traitors in Great Britain. A lot of them were in the aristocracy, and those were hard for the government to deal with.
I’m reading this one slowly, a few paragraphs at a time. I have a book in every room of the house, as well as a Kindle queue, so I’m never caught without something to read. This one has an honored place in the throne room.
Only if you’re with a bear.
I’ve heard about the “no white shoes” rule, but I never heard about the “no short sleeved shirts after Labor Day” rule. I generally wear short sleeved shirts all year round.
Long sleeves just get caught inside of whatever equipment I’m rummaging around in.
No keyboard has ever entrapped me, and, since I wear short sleeved shirts, none ever will.
As do I. We all have the constitutional right to bare arms. (I just won’t go fully sleeveless.)
Wow. That takes me back.
Is that Bowser?
Yes.
I’m reading Erik Larson’s “The Splendid and the Vile” about the first year of the war. He has done some deep research using Mary Churchill and Jock Colville’s diaries. Very interesting. I have read maybe 100 books on WWII. Lately I’ve been reading more about WWI. I read VDH’s a while ago. Maybe time for a second round.
The Splendid and the Vile is a terrific read, isn’t it? Larson allowed me to feel, for the first time, just how long England stood alone. I kept thinking “okay, this must be where the U.S. began helping…” and the pages keep turning, and America is still out…
Now in my Audible queue.
I’ll look that one up. If you want to get some insight into the power struggle that brought Churchill into the Prime Minister position you should read Troublesome Young Men. It’s about how McMillian, Eton and Boothby worked behind the scene to make Churchill Prime Minister.
Try it. You’ll be surprised at what you glossed over the first read. I was.
What’s VDH’s WWI book?
To the best of my knowledge I don’t think he has on on WWI. I don’t even think he gave it a big treatment in his hallmark Carnage and Culture.