The End

Remembrance Sunday in Germany, a public holiday deemed as being of a specially important group, a "Still Day", like Good Friday.


For many, it will be no more than an “oh, yes” when they hear about it on the car radio, see a clip about the memorial service in the Parliament in Berlin on tonight's TV news or if out in the rural areas, hear the village brass band playing as they accompany the village priest and the memorial procession.  Perhaps some will reflect and then they will get on with life. Remembering the dreadful deeds of their forefathers is not something they will forget. I was very moved by Bliper Arachne’s entry on 11th November which reflects the thinking here.

 
The Germans have never been allowed to forget. Even the babies of today are destined to never be allowed to forget. At least as long as there is a British Nation or any other for that matter who has a gripe with “Europe”.
 
The Brits are the world leaders and by a long, long distance.
 
Arrogant and stubborn-headed, based on long-cultured, self-opinionated, isolationist pig-ignorance; Lazy, vile-mouthed, hypocritical, violent, bigoted, racist, stupid fools. The entire collective Nation.  So passionate about being dumb stupid that the Nation doesn’t look further than up its own backside and then look for someone else to blame for the haemorrhoids.

 
A nation that has a glorious past of this, going back at least to 55 B.C.. Soon, not even Wikipedia will be able to cope with listing them as the speed of events accelerates this century.

Just a day or two back, panic in the corridors of Whitehall and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, hung with portraits of their long line of Empire conquerors who saved the entire Indian Subcontinent by carving it up into predestined war zones. The bastard Islamist Muslims hounding the Christian Asia Bibi who at the very real risk of loss of life, the likes of which no British citizen will ever endure, asks for asylum in the UK and the government who have, or soon will be, exhorting the “special long links” with that Nation as they try to get a trade deal, are not prepared to give the nod and welcome the woman unequivocally. "No", Mrs May replies adding “the death penalty…”, still hanging over the woman, “.....should be abolished worldwide”. Oh and the UK fears a backlash within its own borders if they were to take her.
 
Has anyone read about the disgusting treatment of India & Pakistan by the Viceroy of India in 1947, the oh so noble Uncle Dickie who was our future King’s role model? Sorry, I forgot Mountbatten was filled with 95% German blood and arrived on the planet as His Serene Highness Prince Louis of Battenberg, so feel OK, he was a Kraut on this issue. He divided India up into Muslim and Hindu states against all the advice because he was afraid of the damage to the British reputation by waiting to find a workable solution. And anyway, he wanted to get back to the UK to continue his senior technical Navy courses. Wikipedia doesn't record whether he put personal self-interest before or after national self-interest and way before the interests of millions of Indians.

 
The Nation doesn’t know that the word “compromise” exists, at least until it hurts hard. Take the Honourable Company of Muirfield Golf Club who in May 2016 voted to maintain the ban on women members. When they were told their club could no longer hold the British Open Championship with all the money and prestige involved, they revisited the issue and surprise, surprise, over 90% voted to admit women.
 
And now in the Brexit affair we have an identical situation. Leaving aside the criminal negligence with how the referendum came about and the events leading up to the vote, we ALL now know what the consequences will be. What is so wrong with revisiting this incredibly important issue by holding a second referendum or public vote on the deal? It is blatantly obvious from TV interviews today that not even the Brexiteers have a common view of what the phrase on the referendum paper was. The MPs are just as clueless.

 
But no, the UK battles on its self-destruction course. I expect Mrs May will be back in Brussels to save her skin, asking that the EU27(-Eire), agree to change the side of the road they drive on and then she will pay the £39b which is anyway no more than the debts owed and not a “ransom” sum.

 
Raab today on the BBC blurting on about “Blackmail”, “Bullying” and “Bribery”. Brexiteers followers are blurting out about “Dunkirk Spirit”, taking back control of things they have always had control of. And the spineless cabinet dithering even more than the spineless Labour leadership. 

 
No Mr Raab – The UK voluntarily joined the EEC and the EC/EU.
It constantly sought and got special conditions and opt-outs on EU laws.
It constantly refused to take an active part in developing the EU.
And it voluntarily decided to quit the club.

The EU doesn’t owe the UK anything.
 
What a Nation of …… Blip will even delete the exclamation marks after the expletives.
                                                                                                                                                                             
It won’t end ever, unless the UK crashes out so heavily that it really hurts every UK citizen, including the majority of good decent people.
 
I don’t personally know any single UK citizen who fits the above description of the British nation (well actually one prominent one almost fits). And I certainly don't wish any harm on any citizen. I have family there and indeed I stand to lose financially from a No deal scenario. But there comes a point where one cannot accept any further nonsense.


And am I preaching that everything is better in the EU27? Of course not. Most EU27 countries have just as many problems as the UK but know in this modern day that a united Europe brings more benefit than cost. And further, I do personally know one German who exactly fits the bill of a Nazi, racist, bigot.
 
Continental Europe has lost any trust or respect it once had for the UK. Wonderfully described in this article today.
 
All the thankfulness generated by the liberating forces of 1945 and the decades of goodwill generated by the UK armed forces in Germany are gone.
 
All the reputation of the British as fair, decent gentleman has vanished. You don’t hear the standard expression in the German language “the fine English style” anymore, that once stood for doing the right thing. Gone is the daily expression “Mit Schirm, Charme und Melone” which was the German title of The Avengers TV series – “Umbrella, Charm and Bowler” where Steed depicted the impeccable manners, old-world sophistication of the traditional Englishman gentleman. (Germans first got to see the series in 1968, starting with the 1965 series when Emma Peel joined, although even as late as 2011, most of the initial 1961-1964 were broadcast for the 1st time).
 
No, the UK is finished as an influential trustworthy partner. It even beats the USA.

 
So bring back the Dambusters Swimming Pool TV ads, re-run the “Don’t mention the war” Fawlty Towers episode every Friday night before the 9 o’clock news, and get Capt. Mainwaring and Sgt. Wilson back on patrol.


The Germans actually like British humour and laugh as much as anyone about the above. My German Grandmother, who went through great hardship in the Nazi run-up to WWII, lost her 2nd husband in Russia, had to raise 3 children in the war years feeding them cooked sparrows, would not miss a single Dad’s Army episode when visiting us in the UK, even though she didn’t understand a word.


Today I finally had to face the reality that the unknown virus that had broken out in one of my beehives had completely wiped out all life. The last few night's frosts had finished them off. So as not to let the virus spread further, there was no alternative but to torch the entire contents and all the corpses on the ground. I held the exterior boxes in the flames to try and get as much of the surface flamed off and will do it properly with a gas blow torch. I hope that ends the matter but fear that the other three hives may have been affected. They look strong enough at the moment and hope their immune systems can withstand the winter.


As any beekeeper will tell you, it was a heartbreaking task with no tiny bit of consideration for the financial loss. Each and every individual bee was a vital, hardworking part of the team and yet, as a Group, they succumbed to the outside influences. But life must go on, one learns from one's mishaps and mistakes and hopes to be in a better position to ward off future problems.