So, she’s gone. Or she will be in a week or two. I have to say it is hard not to have compassion for someone who has suffered in the press the way Mrs May has. Politically, it’s hard to not to be harsh.
Delivering Brexit was not an impossible task, but she made it infinitely more difficult for herself by running to the country for a mandate and finding only that she’d only replicated the marginal Brexit majority the Brexit referendum had delivered. Hindsight is a marvellous thing.
Fundamentally, the referendum forced her (and many other parliamentarians) to act against her own original better judgement.
This is one of the reasons that my good friend and former colleague Paul Evans argued with the ardency of a firm disbeliever back in 2010 here on Slugger that Referendum(b)s are a completely nuts way to consult the people.
Whoever takes over from her also takes on the same level of risk she’s been trying to juggle. Whoever it is (and Boris Johnson seems to be the favourite at the moment) cannot afford to play political games with it.
There are limits to the popularity game which gave rise to Brexit in the first place. Over time, as the far right in The Netherlands may find out on Sunday, populism can make you less popular than you think.
Writing before her resignation, Robert Shrimsley in the FT said…
The government has disintegrated, the Conservative party is fracturing, faith in the political process is ebbing away. Some new sense of direction is necessary, though many MPs believe that what comes next could make us nostalgic for the May era.
Her failures were legion and she contributed hugely to the sense of crisis but she did at least at the end, accept the realism of the situation and see a higher duty in trying to prevent the worst outcome. [Emphasis added]
So shall we hang on for the ride, or is Brexit just destined to be a state of mind rather than an actual state of being?
ANNUAL FUN CITY BOWL – FDNY VS NYPD FOOTBALL
On Saturday, June 1, 2019, beginning at 5:00 PM, the Annual Fun City Bowl will be played in Brooklyn at MCU Park in Coney Island. Come watch as the FDNY Bravest and NYPD Finest Football Teams battle it out in this annual classic. Please bring the family and enjoy the day in Coney Island. Tickets are available online at http://www.brooklyncyclones.com/ticketsmega/specialevents/football/.
MEMORIAL MASS
On Friday, May 31, 2019, at 1030 hours, a 20th Anniversary Memorial Mass will be held honoring the memory of Captain Vincent Fowler, L-7 and Firefighter Fred Soller, L-7. The Mass will be held in the quarters of E-16/L-7, located at 234 East 29 Street, New York, NY. All off duty members and their families are invited to attend. Members are requested to attend in dress uniform.
MEMORIAL MASS
On Saturday, June 1, 2019, at 1030 hours, E-309/L-159 will host a Memorial Mass honoring the memory of previously assigned deceased members. The Mass will be held at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1550 Hendrickson Street, Brooklyn, NY. All off-duty members and their families are invited to attend. Members are requested to attend in dress uniform. For additional information, email E309L159@yahoo.com.
MARTIN J. EGAN JR. 5K MEMORIAL RUN/WALK
On Sunday, June 2, 2019, at 10:00 AM, the 13th Annual Marty Egan 5K Memorial Run/Walk will be held in Midland Beach picnic area, Lincoln Avenue and Fr. Capadanno Blvd., Staten Island, NY. Pre-registration is $20, Race day registration is $25. Pre-registration, T-shirt and bib pickup on Thursday, May 30th, between 6:30-8:30 PM at Grant City Tavern, Fremont Ave. and South Railroad Ave., Staten Island, NY. Kids fun run (no fee, medals to all) and other activities for kids, food, beverages. Proceeds go to a scholarship fund in Marty’s name. Applications can be obtained online at www.sirunning.com. For more information call Mark Egan at 718-966-9493.
NYC BATTLE OF THE BADGES
WorkWell NYC, the City’s worksite wellness program, is partnering with WW (Weight Watchers® reimagined) for the NYC Battle of the Badges – a 12-week weight loss competition between DOC, DSNY, FDNY, & NYPD. The agency with the greatest percentage of teams achieving 6% weight loss will win a jackpot of up to $20,000. If FDNY wins, Weight Watchers will donate this money to the FDNY Foundation. Participation is completely voluntary and free. Weight Watchers will contribute $5 to the jackpot for every participant that joins and an additional $15 for each new or current WW member that participates. Teams can consist of 8 to 10 people, so help spread the word, team up to lose weight and help the FDNY win. Competition starts on 6/3/19, but you can register up to 6/13/19. To sign up or learn more, visit www.nyc.gov/ww.
I have read both the Widgery and the Saville reports into Bloody Sunday, and for reasons not well explained the responsibility of the army chain of command seems wholly absent.
In fairness to the army, most officers and soldiers, for most of the time, have performed commendably in very difficult circumstance between 1969 and 2007 – the formal end of British forces’ operations in Northern Ireland. Some have not. And in the event that a command ethos of brutality and murder takes over, we should not be all that surprised at the consequences. This to me is the essence of Bloody Sunday, where specific orders were ignored, an officer opened fire above Rossville Flats – contrary to law – and then the “Derry effect” of those gunshot echoes probably convinced other soldiers that they were indeed under fire. I am not blaming the then commanding officer, alone, for this insubordination .
The defence secretary, Penny Mordaunt, is attempting to strengthen legal protections for troops facing investigation over alleged historical offences – but veterans of Northern Ireland won’t be covered by this. General Lord Dannatt claims he is serving the interests of the army by challenging the plan in the House of Lords: he argues that Northern Ireland should also be exempt from the law because all theatres of war need to be treated the same. Surely the argument of a former chief of the general staff should be that all cases of serious crime committed by our soldiers be investigated and, if need be, prosecuted – without exception. Only on this basis can high morale and good discipline be ensured.
A comparison with supposed amnesties regarding terrorists is simply missing an obvious point: the armed forces are intended to represent the law in situations where law has been absent through usual means. The problem here is that a prevalent ethos of “regimental loyalty” can supersede all other considerations, and that exposing wrongdoing is thus disloyal – historical accounts of the British army during the Troubles have made this clear. This can only be countered by investing in an ethical education for all ranks of the armed forces. Defence humanists can only agree with this cause
