From Prince Philip to a New Chapter in the History of the English-Speaking Peoples

Townhall.com ^ | April 22, 2021 | Emmett Tyrrell

[Kaslin]

Washington -- I could not reach my colleague Wlady Pleszczynski for most of the day on Saturday. He was mysteriously missing. On Saturdays, we talk for at least an hour on the telephone about the past week's events, but not this Saturday. His telephone rang and rang, all for naught. The same was true for two more of my weekend confidants. I had important news to convey to them, but no one was answering the telephone. At the end of the day, I finally roused Wlady. Where had he been? He had been engrossed in the British Broadcasting Corporation's coverage of Prince Philip's funereal rites. So had my other two friends. Actually, so had an astonishingly large number of Yanks. Did they not ever hear of our Revolutionary War?

I know that the left-wing brutes here in America have been defiling George Washington's monuments, but American conservatives still honor George as the father of our country, and I would have thought that they might restrain themselves when the queen's consort of 73 years passed away, but no. American conservatives were as eager as a Yorkshire coal miner to pay their respects to Philip and presumably the queen. It was not only that Wlady wanted to pay his respects to the prince, but he was also swept away by the splendor: the pageantry, the gold ceiling of Saint George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, the ornate dress of the participants, the gorgeous music and, behold, the queen in her mourning dress and solitary solemnity. Her companion of 73 years was gone.

So, what was the important news that I had to convey to my confidants? Alas, they already had it. The Brits really know how to put on a funeral show. I watched it for an hour or so before I had to take out the morning trash. But why were so many Americans taken up with the doings at Saint George's Chapel? Well, they were beautiful in themselves. That I know for a certitude, but there is something else. Unlike a rock concert or a street demonstration or a police shooting -- all being public entertainments on both sides of the Atlantic -- the prince's burial was traditional. I think that Americans long to participate in tradition, and we get so few instances of it in the modern hurly-burly of daily life.

The New York Times, in its coverage of Saturday's events, kept hinting that there were ominous clouds on the horizon for Britain. BBC received something like 100,000 complaints from viewers when it canceled television coverage of its scheduled programing in deference to the activities at Windsor and related events. Well, 100,000 malcontents missed a televised lecture on how to plant snapdragons or how to prepare pasta (we are talking about BBC on Saturday mornings, after all). That does not compare to millions of satisfied customers within the British Isles and millions more around the world last Saturday. I think many yearned to at least be television spectators at an event that featured timeless tradition, venerable institutions and a significant event -- to wit, the passing of a historic figure, Prince Philip, and eventually, Queen Elizabeth II. Then, a new generation will come to the fore. It was all on display Saturday.

Such things have been happening in Britain for centuries, and they happen here also. Over the weekend, history was being made in Britain, and Americans could watch. Many Americans recognize that their country grew out of British history. We have a shared past with our British cousins -- which brings up a related matter.

The British historian Andrew Roberts, the author of, among other works, "A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900," has been writing about it in recent years. He foresees a new alliance of the English-speaking peoples as a counterweight against the authoritarian nations of the globe. He notes that the English-speaking nations have the same values, many of the same institutions, similar traditions and the same language. He sees them composing the Anglosphere.

"The Anglosphere is the name given to all those countries in the world," he writes, "where the majority of people speak English as their first language, almost all of which have similar outlooks and shared values." He sees "a mounting case that some form of federation among" Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K. "would create a new global superpower and ally of the U.S., the great anchor of the Anglosphere."

So, maybe we were not watching only a historic pageant last weekend of British history. Maybe we were watching the glimmerings of an evolution of a new chapter in the history of the English-speaking peoples on their way to defending democracy against its enemies.

[fishtank]

Is India considered part of the Anglosphere?

[Rummyfan]

The British historian Andrew Roberts, the author of, among other works, "A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900," has been writing about it in recent years. He foresees a new alliance of the English-speaking peoples as a counterweight against the authoritarian nations of the globe. He notes that the English-speaking nations have the same values, many of the same institutions, similar traditions and the same language. He sees them composing the Anglosphere.

Not exactly a new idea, it's been floating around for quite some time and it would certainly serve our and the rest of the Anglospere's interests better than the useless vile venal UN. Of course we and all the other members would be denounced as racist chauvinistic neo-imperialist blah blah blahs..... Who cares?!

[LordOddsocks]

“BBC received something like 100,000 complaints from viewers when it canceled television coverage of its scheduled programing in deference to the activities at Windsor and related events”

I was one who complained. They cancelled all programming on all channels and replaced it with blanket coverage of the death. So all the principal channels simulcasting the same event.

[LordOddsocks]

Traditionally India is part of the Anglosphere, but this author makes speaking “English as their first language” a prerequisite - so not in this case.

[canuck_conservative]

some form of federation among Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K. [and the US]

Those are already the "Five Eyes" Nations, now they just need to expand beyond intelligence cooperation to full military alliance

[Albion Wilde]

a new alliance of the English-speaking peoples as a counterweight against the authoritarian nations of the globe. He notes that the English-speaking nations have the same values, many of the same institutions, similar traditions and the same language. He sees them composing the Anglosphere.

The values are not because of the language or skin color. The values are because the greatness and primacy of these nations were developed under Christianity.

Likewise, the present disorder is due to the suppression of Christianity.

[Albion Wilde]

I was one who complained. They cancelled all programming on all channels and replaced it with blanket coverage of the death.

Fine, but what was the basis of your complaint? What was the crucial content of the programme you were denied?

[Wallace T.]

Most of the Anglosphere nations have become authoritarian regimes, due to the governments’ reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic. To a lesser extent, so have the blue states and even the red states, though the latter are lifting the restrictions. The U.K. is particularly odious. Recently, the British government fined a pastor based in Nigeria 150,000 pounds for spreading “misinformation” on the pandemic. I thought Nigeria left the British Empire 60 years ago!

[LordOddsocks]

The Masterchef final (pre-recorded but result not known ahead of planned transmission) was not shown.

It’s worth pointing out to those who do not live in the UK that the way BBC channels are transmitted means that you can always receive all the core channels on all platforms (terrestrial, cable, satellite or IP). So everyone has access to the BBC’s 24/7 news channel, which carried the programming then sent to BBC1, BBC2, BBC4, all regional options and Nations. Only the channel for infant children had no break in programming.

(BBC3 is a non-linear channel so could not be interrupted)

Also remember that all TV viewers of live TV, whether they watch the BBC or not, must pay the $220.00 tax per annum for the privilege.

[LordOddsocks]

Unfortunately it looks like we only for four eyes since last weekend. The Guardian reported:

“New Zealand’s foreign minister, Nanaia Mahuta, says her country won’t provoke or engage with China through the Five Eyes alliance aside from on intelligence matters, in a major accommodation of Chinese concerns”

So basically NZ is fast moving to being in the pocket of China.

[fishtank]

Oceania
Eastasia
Eurasia

The trilateral powers.

Haha

/sarc

[fishtank]

interesting here......

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_English

[fishtank]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_number_of_native_speakers_in_India

[Winniesboy]

Recently, the British government fined a pastor based in Nigeria 150,000 pounds for spreading “misinformation” on the pandemic.

Source?

[Wallace T.]

First source: The Guardian

https://guardian.ng/news/u-k-media-regulator-fines-oyakhilomes-loveworld-tv-n65-6m-for-covid-19-conspiracies/

Second source: The Daily Post, from Nigeria:

https://dailypost.ng/2021/04/01/uk-fines-pastor-chris-oyakhilomes-loveworld-125000-for-covid-19-conspiracy-theories/

You may disagree with Pastor Oyakhilome's beliefs about COVID-19 being a deep state conspiracy. However, what he said has been posted frequently on FR and numerous alternative media platforms. Of course, Big Tech has censored these viewpoints, despite serving in effect as a common carrier. The U.S. is not as far gone as the rest of the Anglosphere respective to censorship. However, today two Democratic senators "requested" that the social media giants intensify their censorship of non-mainstream views on COVID-19.

[Albion Wilde]

It’s so sad what it has come to there. All of Europe lost its best and brightest in two wars, and has never fully recovered.

[Albion Wilde]

The Masterchef final (pre-recorded but result not known ahead of planned transmission) was not shown.

Do you think it will be rebroadcast? BBC surely received specific complaints about that.

[Winniesboy]

OK. First on the question of jurisdiction. The fine was imposed on Loveworld Limited, a British registered company, so the fact that Oyakhilomes is based in and broadcasting from Nigeria is irrelevant. It appears that most of his finance is raised in the UK via Loveworld.

Secondly, the fine was not imposed by 'the British Government'. The British government has no power to impose fines. It was imposed by OFCOM, the independent media standards regulator. OFCOM is not part of government. It has statutory duties derived from the Communications Act of 2003, and is accountable to Parliament, not government.

[Wallace T.]

In the United States, an independent agency of the Federal government, like the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), has the authority to impose fines on violators of banking regulations. The decisions of these agencies are subject to judicial review but if the decisions are upheld or the violator signs a consent order, the fines are enforceable by the courts and the agency has the authority to seize bank assets or individual assets, if the fine is imposed on a bank officer. The FDIC has basically the same enforcement powers as the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, a branch of the Treasury Department which charters and regulates Federally chartered financial institutions. The FDIC regulates those State chartered banks that are not members of the Federal Reserve System.

If OFCOM has the ability to enforce its fines through the courts, including the power to seize assets, then that agency would be analogous to the FDIC.