My daughter Helen loves the Eighteenth Century. She is virtually word-perfect in Jane Austin, took us all on a (very) guided tour of Bath and, when she had to produce a presentation with pictures for her job application to the Nuclear Industry Graduates Programme, chose to do it on Eighteenth Century fashion. (Yes, yes, I know; nuclear power and fancy frocks don’t seem to have much in common, but the Grad scheme people were looking for depth of knowledge and presentation skills. Anyway, she got the job.) Last Christmas one of her “best” presents was a Georgian silver fruit knife and fork which I bought off ebay. That being the case, she’s been chuffed rotten this week when those old Eighteenth Century names, the Tories (aka Conservatives) and the Whigs (aka Liberal Democrats) have healed the differences of the last few centuries or so and come together in a love-in. David Cameron said it was “Time for change,” and, by jingo, he’s got it, even if it wasn’t quite the change he or anyone else had in mind.
A week, as we all know, is a long time in politics, but the speed at which the transition happened was amazing. John Stewart and his team on the Daily Show, the American political satirical show which we get a day late in Britain, had a procession of various news clips where the rapidity of the transfer was marvelled at. I loved John Oliver’s take on the transition. He quite correctly likened President Obama’s accession to power to a coronation which, with the vast crowds and adulation, it was. However, when we have a coronation it’s really a coronation with proper Queens and Kings and Crowns and choirs singing Zadok The Priest and so on, not a mere swapping-over of bureaucrats. So, minutes after Nick Clegg gave the thumbs-up to the alliance with David, it was David in the front door of Number 10, Gordon out the back, and by the way, have you cancelled the milk, turned the gas off and put the cat in its travelling basket?
The first time Britain had a collation government was in 1915. That was also a Liberal and Conservative partnership. The Liberal Asquith (nicknamed “Squiffy” for readily ascertainable reasons and who was afterwards replaced by Lloyd George) came together with the Conservatives.
In an odd echo of today, Britain became a much more international place. The Belgians had a whole colony in Richmond-on-Thames where an arsenal, staffed by Belgians, was built. Australian, Canadian and South African soldiers were a common sight, Brighton Pavilion was turned over to house recuperating Indian troops and Americans played baseball in Arsenal football stadium. Incidentally, Asquith and Lloyd George would have been a gift to a modern tabloid. Lloyd George was notorious for his roving eye and Asquith made a habit of writing all the day’s secrets to his mistress, Venetia Stanley every evening. And he put the letters in the ordinary post. And they were delivered about two hours later. Wow. Just imagine if he’d had email!
Despite everything (such as the biggest war yet staged, air-raids, industrial strife, Ireland on the boil etc., etc.,) the government did okay. With the new collation government only a few days into its term of office, I find that an oddly cheering thought.
Oh, I love Helen! I want to go to Bath with her. One of my special treats is my Jane Austen book club--a moment in my life not dedicated to running through monasteries being chased by murderers.
ReplyDeleteI also love "Zadok the Priest" usually cry when I hear it. Esp. they way it was used in "The Madness of George III" when he was tid to the mad chair.
Yes, the Economist is also chuffed by the coalition and that's enough for me. Although I hadn't realized it was tories and Whigs coming together--what a cool thing!!!
Donna