THE PERILS OF INERTIA

We British are a cautious and slow-moving people, wanting to take time over momentous decisions, not least the looming one on staying or leaving the European Union. I will spare my readers yet another discussion of the merits or otherwise of that matter but prefer to muse on the contemporary national state of mind and the direction in which it is likely to move. For we are inveterate procrastinators, with favourite expressions like A Leap in the Dark, followed by If it ain’t broke, don’t mend it or more generally Leave well alone, not to mention immortal Mr Micawber’s Waiting for something to turn up.  Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3^rd Marquess of Salisbury and 3 times Prime Minister 1885-1902 encapsulated this resistance to change with his mordant comment: Whatever happens will be for the worse, and therefore it is in our interest that as little should happen as possible.

Victorian Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury

In common with most of the Western world, the British are unhappy about the performance of her so-called “political elite”. The Conservatives have hitherto been relatively unscathed but the sharp decline of the Labour Party and the Social Democrats countered by the rise of the SNP and UKIP reflects a major change. The Conservatives are poised for a fractious period, split by the EU Referendum; they may re-unite afterwards but there may be a more permanent rift – the historical analogy is that of the Canningite (who formed a sect within the Party) or the Peelite Tories, who departed in time to the Liberals.

David Cameron well understands this innate conservatism and will play to it in his Project Fear, designed to put the willies up the great British public. Thus we have some captains of industry (rather fewer than expected) expatiating upon the economic horrors of Brexit. Some of the loudest business Europhiles do not enjoy unalloyed public esteem viz Michael O’Leary of Ryanair, Guy Hands of Terra Firma and even mega-bank HSBC has unwisely thrown its pro-EU hat into the ring with a  forecast of a 20% drop in sterling. Shiver me timbers! Then a clutch of field-marshals and senior military men have said how much safer we are within the EU (shhh.. about Ukraine, Libya, Isil!). In retrospect some of the retired heroes complained about the pressure they felt they were put under and distinguished General Sir Michael Rose was included when he had explicitly declined to sign. This campaign will not be fought under the Geneva Convention.

The Leavers have naturally not been silent. Boris’ economic adviser Gerard Lyons evokes the public’s fear of drowning by likening the EU to The Titanic, advising a rapid exit as the only way to be safe as the EU rushes headlong towards its iceberg. Expect taunts that Cameron is a Nero fiddling while Rome burns (actually Nero could only twang his lyre as the fiddle was not invented until 1500 years later!).

Of course the fact is that in leadership you cannot be inert, you cannot sit on a comfortable fence, you need to get off your backside. Most Britons loved Appeasement, which meant a temporary peace, no upset and they accordingly swallowed whatever story Neville Chamberlain peddled. At last Leadership of an effective and vigorous sort was offered, thank goodness, by Winston. It had been our saviour when Wellington faced Napoleon on the field of Waterloo and Drake attacked the Armada of mighty Spain as it threatened England.

Britain could lapse into a catatonic trance mesmerised by the cloying embrace of Juncker, Tusk and Merkel made plausible by David Cameron. Boris Johnson could bumble and snort for England but he is not a purveyor of the effective and vigorous leadership the Leavers need. Which makes us turn to Michael Gove, a fine and clever fellow, with the added plus of being a Scotsman from Aberdeen.


Destiny calls upon you, Michael, to overcome our inertia and lead us to the sunlit uplands:


Screw your courage to the sticking-place and we’ll not fail!

Michael Gove, called to play a Churchillian role

SMD

27.02.2016

Text Copyright ©Sidney Donald 2016

BREXIT: THEY'RE OFF!

It is churlish not to give David Cameron full marks for trying, but he came back from his agonisingly tedious “renegotiation” with the EU with a sadly feeble “deal”. The conjuror did not pull a gleaming, attractive rabbit from his hat but rather a scrawny half-dead mouse, unable to quicken the blood of the doubters, instead a confirmation to the growing band of Leavers that the EU elite has no ability to modify its rigid mind-set or adapt to the modern world and the realities of an almost insurrectionary Europe. British political life anyhow will never be the same again.

Boris takes the wheels off Cameron's bike

The battle lines are becoming clearer. About half the Tory MPs, far more than expected, will campaign for Brexit including cabinet notables Michael Gove, Iain Duncan Smith and Chris Grayling, joined by charismatic but erratic Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, and many lesser ministers. Nigel Farage will try to reinvigorate his UKIP constituency and a small band of Labour members will advocate the Brexit cause. Those choosing to remain in are led by the Prime Minister, David Cameron, with his potent powers of patronage, his lieutenant George Osborne and half the Tory members. Once wobbling supporters Theresa May and Philip Hammond have been persuaded to tow the Cameron line. The Remainders are joined by most of Jeremy Corbyn’s chaotic Labour Party, by the much diminished Social Democratic group and by the vociferous SNP, still riding high in Scotland, but cordially despised elsewhere in the UK. There are many clever and many stupid people on both sides of this political divide. Let battle commence from now until 23 June 2016!

I hope the 120 days or so of the campaign will debate the broader issues and not get bogged down in the minutiae of Cameron’s “deal”. Whether or when EU immigrants get social security payments and child allowances is basically irrelevant. What matters is our legal Sovereignty, our economic health, our trade, our defence, our borders and the freedom and welfare of our people. The sniping has started – Cameron unwisely described sovereignty as “an illusion”, which it is within the EU but is a great prize outside; ask anyone from the US or even Iceland. William Hague of the Remainders worries about the position of Scotland; if Scotland votes to stay, can she stay within a UK which decides to leave? I do not accept that the SNP has any form of veto and will just have to accept the democratic decision. Scotland’s aspirations for independence have been made nonsensical anyway by the collapse of the North Sea oil industry. Expect plenty noises off from Nicola Sturgeon, but the SNP may be hard-pressed to maintain its dominance in Scotland. I thought Farage demonstrated his tin ear for public opinion by sharing a Brexit platform with George Galloway, the Leftist extremist, a sure-fire vote-loser. Boris can be an unguided missile too, if an amusing one, but I rely on cerebral Michael Gove to supply the required gravitas. Cameron and Osborne make a formidable team but may not enjoy sharing a forum with Labour and the SNP.

Boris the crowd-pleaser

Michael Gove, the deeper thinker

 

While there are great issues upon which reasonable people will have honestly held different views, I think it was the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg who admitted that in the final analysis the decision will be based upon “gut instinct”. The British are not xenophobic and can separate charming Europeans from those caught up in the European Project. Many feel the EU has overstepped the mark and it is a failing enterprise. It has been well said that Britain “does not want to be shackled to a corpse.” We are presented with a rare opportunity to recapture our birthright, run our nation in our own way and ally ourselves to real, tested friends.

SMD

22.02.16

Text Copyright © Sidney Donald 2016

THE BREXIT DILEMMA

David Cameron, our wannabe knight in shining armour, assured delegates at the Tory Party conference in  Manchester in October 2015 that he had "no sentimental attachment" to the European Union and was "only interested in two things: Britain's prosperity and Britain's influence." He committed himself to winning repatriation of legal powers, recognition of the multi-currency aspects of the EU, the end to “ever closer unity” for the UK, a curb on immigrants’ rights to welfare and a reduction in bureaucratic regulation. "That's why I'm going to fight hard in this renegotiation - so we can get a better deal and the best of both worlds." Well, he came, he saw and he was comprehensively conquered. The EU conceded nothing to the UK, apart from some footling adjustments on immigrant welfare, refused any treaty changes and avoided substantive discussion. Cameron has the usual politician’s brass neck to hail all this as a triumph and promises to campaign in favour of staying in the EU on these terms. Will the electorate be so easily hoodwinked?

David Cameron with Donald Tusk, President of the EU, February 2016

These terms, which Donald Tusk says may not even be deliverable by the fractious EU, are hopelessly deficient and an insult to the UK. There is no “deal” offered by the EU and the UK voters should simply vote “Leave” at the Referendum and find a new Prime Minister, with a modicum of spine, capable of managing a sensible exit from the fetid EU swamp.

We Brits are cautious and fair-minded people. David Cameron asks the voters to judge him on his merits. Brexit has its perils and we should weigh up the pros and cons as dispassionately as we can. I see the crucial issues as follows:

(1)    Sovereignty. Continued membership of a 28-member Union inevitably means a drip-drip erosion of our national sovereignty, overruling parliament and the UK courts, as policy decisions are increasingly taken by a majority of member nations or are dictated by the undemocratic Commission. Britain does not want to be absorbed by an ill-planned Union, values her own distinctive essence and is confident she can best protect her own interests.

(2)    Trade. After Germany, Britain is the second largest economy in Europe. She is happy to continue trading with her partners there and to grow that trade. She may well benefit from Europe’s weight in negotiations with other countries but I do not believe the EU would rationally seek to disrupt her trade. Their importance to us is mirrored in our importance to them. Sadly Europe is lagging behind in world growth terms and Britain would be free to negotiate her own trade pacts with the more dynamic economies in the Far East and in the Americas. Initially there is some risk that the UK will lose some inward investment. Over time, the UK can re-calibrate her economy back towards the Old Commonwealth and the US, the Anglophone Bloc.

(3)    Defence. Britain and France are the most significant military powers in Europe. They will continue to work in alliance with each other and with the much mightier US and with others under the NATO umbrella. This has worked well for 67 years. Other Europeans, Germany, Italy and Spain are reluctant to spend sufficient on defence and cherry-pick their involvements. The EU is a poor forum for military planning and leaving it would not weaken our shield one whit. A European Army is just a sick pipedream / nightmare.

Schaeuble and Merkel, the EU puppet-masters

(











4)    Economics. The continental European and UK economies are very different. Germany, France and Italy still have significant industrial entities. The UK is much more service- and finance-orientated. Agriculture employs 1.5% of the working population in the UK compared with the EU average of 4.5% and much higher levels in Greece (12%), Poland (16%) and Romania (31%). EU statistics are suspect – no audit has been signed off in the last 20 years, so prevalent is corruption and embezzlement. Germany forces through economic policies to suit itself with much rigidity – one size fits all – and sharp deflation has devastated the economies of Mediterranean Europe. Britain by contrast has been relatively prosperous, though over-borrowed, pursuing her own policies. EU hatred of the successful City of London is visceral and numerous attempts have been made by Brussels to tax, regulate and undermine it, so far stoutly resisted. A weak UK government might squander this very precious national asset.

(5)    Political Culture The EU has historically been dominated by the French and Germans and that alliance endures though Germany is much the stronger. The political culture is authoritarian, elitist and dedicated to the long term political, economic and fiscal Union of Europe. The main functioning democratic institution is the European Parliament, a talking-shop rubber-stamping the actions of the Commission, only rarely enlivened by the biting tirades of derision from candid Nigel Farage. When electorates get the chance, especially in referenda, they defy the EU but recently, over the Lisbon Treaty for example, the EU contrives a re-run of the referendum to get the “right” answer! The frantic defence of the Euro, the harsh treatment of Greece and the feeble response to the migrant crisis have all diminished respect for the EU.

The leaders Angela Merkel and her eminence gris Wolfgang Schaeuble, Juncker, Tusk, Dijsselbloem are wildly overrated. Northern Europe is increasingly arrogant, Eastern Europe has thin libertarian roots, Greece and the Balkans are political sewers while Spain and Italy are side-lined into irrelevance. If you judge a nation by the company it keeps, the UK should sup with Europe with a very long spoon, maintaining friendly but distant commercial relations.   

The British referendum is months away, but the EU leopard will not change its spots. My youthful enthusiasm for Europe has died, betrayed by the lack of candour from Heath, Jenkins and successive British governments mesmerised by the Great European Idea. Reality impels me to recommend we vote “Leave” and regain control of our own destiny.

SMD
13.02.16
Text Copyright Sidney Donald 2016

CINEMA IN GREECE

Greece is not a rich country and it would be surprising if it had much of a film industry. In fact it has enjoyed some periods of intense filmic activity and the Greeks, ever in the vanguard of the arts, have left a distinctive mark even if not much has attracted an international audience.

Open-air cinema in Athens

While Athens has her Multiplex screens for indoor viewings, the greater joy is the variety of summer outdoor cinemas. In the warm balmy evenings, one sits on comfortable plastic chairs drinking, smoking or nibbling at nuts with the sky to gaze at if the silver screen does not enchant. It is a special treat. I recall years ago watching a solid diet of Aliki Vougiouklaki’s films when an uncle of my lovely wife ran summer cinemas in the pleasant spa town of Aidipsos on the island of Euboea. Innocent pleasures indeed!

Mercouri and Fountas in Stella

With the post-war rebuilding of Greece and her lethal Civil War (1946-9) it was not until 1955 that a significant film emerged and this was the drama Stella, the debut of alluring Melina Mercouri. The film was a retelling of Carmen with Mercouri as a rebetika singer in love with Georgios Fountas as a footballer. Directed by Michael Cacoyannis, it was enlivened by a musical score by Manos Hadjidakis.

A more popular type of film was ushered in with The Aunt from Chicago in 1957, an evergreen comedy featuring hatchet-faced Georgia Vasileiodorou conspiring ingeniously to marry off her conservative nieces. Mercouri, with her ouzo-stained husky voice and great glamour captivated in Never on Sunday (1960) playing the feisty Piraeus prostitute. The film was directed by American Jules Dassin, later Mercouri’s husband, and had another great Hadjidakis musical soundtrack.

Mercouri smoulders in Never on Sunday

Mercouri went on to be a prominent Leftist politician, together with Dassin a doughty opponent of the military Junta in power from 1967 to 1974. She became Minister of Culture in the 1980s, arguing passionately for the return to Greece of the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum. By the time she died in 1994, she had become a cherished National Treasure.

1955-75 was the heyday of the Greek popular cinema when a group of players, much loved and instantly recognised by their Greek audience, produced a flood of escapist comedies and musicals to general delight. Typical artistes were ubiquitous scheming Lambros Konstantaras (80 films), Dinos Iliopoulos, Kostas Voutsas, Jenny Karezi and Maro Kontou. One of my favourites was beetle-browed Dionysos Papagiannopoulos, whose air of injured self-esteem at the effrontery of youth always makes me laugh.

Maro Kontou and Konstantaras

Papagiannopoulos

Another considerable star was Rena Vlahapoulou. She could sing and she could dance but most of all she delivered her comedienne’s lines with rasping aplomb. As the film industry went into decline, we would seek out Rena in the Athens theatre where she played revue to packed audiences.

Rena Vlahopoulou enchants

However the unchallenged Queen of the Greek cinema was Aliki Vougiouklaki (1934-96). Blessed with a warm singing voice, dark eyes and a bouncy personality, Aliki featured in family melodramas and light comedies always with a reassuring happy ending. The Greeks loved her unconditionally, her private life was a national obsession and her movies are endlessly repeated on current TV.

Matchless Aliki Vougiouklaki

There was to be sure a serious Greek cinema. Costa-Gavras directed the politically charged Z in 1968, starring Yves Montand, thinly disguising police bias and government corruption. Irene Papas brought distinction to her leading roles in the ancient classics Antigone and Electra. More recently the industry has produced worthy art-house films pleasing an intellectual minority..

A much more representative movie and a global hit was Zorba the Greek, starring Anthony Quinn and Alan Bates. It is an Anglo-Greek co-production of 1964, directed by Michael Cacoyannis with Quinn and Bates reinforced by Irene Papas and Lila Kedrova. The splendid musical score was composed by iconic Mikis Theodorakis, happily still with us. The film traces the adventures and misadventures, some comic some tragic, of feckless but irresistible Zorba (Quinn). As their latest scheme, a log bearing conveyor, collapses into the sea amid huge confusion the film ends with Quinn and Bates laughing uncontrollably as they dance the sirtaki together on the island beach.

Quinn and Bates in Zorba the Greek

The film celebrates the Greek spirit. The author of Zorba, Nikos Karantzakis, wrote: I felt once more how simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a feeble little brazier, the sound of the sea. Nothing else. This film epitomises the magnetic originality and the warm, turbulent emotions of the Greek people.

SMD

2.02.16

Text Copyright © Sidney Donald 2016