What is this thing we call a nation?
September 23rd, 2017 by Roger Darlington
Recently, we have been commemorating the 70th anniversary of India achieving independence from Britain which, at the last moment, resulted in the creation of Pakistan as well as India and subsequently – following a civil war – to the creation of another nation state Bangladesh.
I have just returned from a short trip to Georgia. Except for a short period in 1918-1921 – the subject of a new book by Eric Lee – Georgia was effectively ruled by Tsarist Russia or the Soviet Union for two centuries, before obtaining its independence in 1991.
On Monday (25 September), there will be a referendum in the Kurdish part of Iraq seeking support for an independent Kurdistan. Then, on 1 October, there is due to be a referendum in Catalonia seeking support for independence from Spain.
I live in a country which is four nations – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – for the football World Cup but one in terms of membership of the EU and the UN.
All around the world, one can see complications about what constitutes a nation state and how peoples should decide on the boundaries of such nation states.
Some years ago, I wrote a short essay on the notion of statehood which I feel still poses many of the right questions and offers some useful suggestions for the right answers. You can read it here.
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Election. election, referendum, referendum
September 22nd, 2017 by Roger Darlington
There are a lot of interesting polls going on around the world just now.
Tomorrow (Saturday), there is a general election in New Zealand and the next day (Sunday) there is a federal election in Germany. In both cases, the incumbent party is a Right of Centre one: the National Party in NZ and the Christian Democrats in Germany. In both cases, a new leader for the Left of Centre party caused a jump in the party’s popularity which has now – more in Germany than NZ – subsided: Martin Schulz of the Social Democrats in Germany and Jacinda Ardern of the Labour Party in NZ.
Meanwhile on Monday (25 September), there will be a referendum in the Kurdish part of Iraq seeking support for an independent Kurdistan. Then, on 1 October, there is due to be a referendum in Catalonia seeking support for independence from Spain. In both cases, the national government and most of the international community are opposed to the very idea of a referendum, fearing that support for independence from parts of Iraq and Spain could lead to other parts of those nations and other countries wanting to break away.
Fascinating times.
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“Brexit: Implications for Digital Citizens and Consumers”
September 20th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
This paper, published today and written for the Carnegie Trust by William Perrin, a fellow Board member of the Good Things Foundation, considers both the potential risks and opportunities Brexit brings digital citizens and consumers in the UK.
Specifically, it explores: the regulation of the digital sector and telecommunications market; mobile roaming; data privacy and protection; digital innovation; state aid; the labour force; and consumption of digital products and services.
You can access it here.
As a consumer advocate, I was interested in the conclusion:
“There does not currently appear to be a strong citizen or consumer voice involved in helping to shape the UK’s approach to the digital sector post-Brexit and steps should be taken to address this gap as consumer input can provide valuable insight to key issues.”
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A review of “Reality Is Not What It Seems” by Carlo Rovelli
September 19th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
Italian theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli seems to have replaced British academic Stephen Hawking as the foremost exponent of the latest thinking on basic physics in terms which are generally accessible to a non-specialist readership. For those of us who access Rovelli’s work in English, his first popular work was “Seven Brief Lessons On Physics”, but in Italian “Reality Is Not What It Seems” was in fact published first and it is definitely a longer and harder read.
When Hawking wrote his best-selling “A Brief History Of Time”, he was warned by his publisher that every use of an equation would seriously diminish his sales and in the end he only used one (Einstein’s equation on relativity). Rovelli has no such qualms and quotes lots of equations, many of which are not explained but included in case the reader has the mathematics. There is one footnote which runs to a page and a half.
So “Reality” is not an easy read, but Rovelli writes with elegance and enthusiasm and the subject matter is intrinsically fascinating, so everyone will learn something by persisting with the exercise. The Italian scientist presents his work as an historical story, starting with Democritus of Miletus in the sixth century BC, moving on to Isaac Newton, covering Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell, taking in modern giants like Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr and Paul Dirac, and arriving at today’s thinkers such as Hawking and Rovelli himself.
Perhaps the most useful feature of “Reality” is a set of diagrams which summarise the changing orthodox answers to the fundamental question “What is the world made of?” Starting with Newton’s answer of space, time and particles, Rovelli finishes with the single concept of covariant quantum fields. These fields represent what is called quantum gravity which is the latest thinking about how we can synthesise general relativity (which explains the cosmos) and quantum mechanics (which explains the sub-atomic world).
Loop quantum gravity – a theory of which Rovelli is both a leading advocate and developer – has now replaced string theory – which Hawking used to propose – as the best contender for a Theory of Everything (a term used by Hawking and others but not Rovelli).
The Italian concludes: “The world, particles, light, energy, space and time – all of this is nothing but the manifestation of a single type of entity: covariant quantum fields” which are explained as “fields that live on themselves, without the need of a space-time to serve as a substratum, as a support, and which are capable by themselves of generating space time” – so, at the most fundamental level, space and time and infinity do not exist. Indeed the theory raises the possibility that there might have been another universe before the Big Bang and that therefore the Big Bang is actually a Big Bounce – big ideas.
But, as Rovelli concedes, “Am I sure about all this? I am not”.
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A short guide to comparative religions
September 18th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
| Taoism | Shit happens. |
| Confucianism | Confucius say, “Shit happens.” |
| Buddhism | If shit happens, it isn’t really shit. |
| Zen Buddhism | What is the sound of shit happening? |
| Hinduism | This shit happened before. |
| Mormonism | This shit is going to happen again. |
| Islam | If shit happens, it is the Will of Allah. |
| Stoicism | This shit is its own reward. |
| Protestantism | Let this shit happen to someone else. |
| Calvinism | Shit happens because you don’t work hard enough. |
| Pentecostalism | In Jesus’ name, heal this shit! |
| Catholicism | Shit happens because you deserve it. |
| Judaism | Why does this shit always happen to us? |
| Zoroastrianism | Shit happens half the time. |
| Marxism | This shit is going to hit the fan. |
| Atheism | No shit. |
| Seventh Day Adventist | No shit on Saturdays. |
| Existentialism | Absurd shit. |
| Agnosticism | What is this shit? |
| Nihilism | Who gives a shit? |
| Deconstruction | Shit happens in hegemonic meta-narratives. |
| Christian Science | Shit is in your mind. |
| Moonies | Only happy shit really happens. |
| Jehovah’s Witnesses | Knock, Knock, shit happens. |
| Scientology | Shit happens on page 152 of Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard |
| Hare Krishna | Shit happens, Rama Rama. |
| Hedonism | There’s nothing like a good shit happening. |
| Rastafarianism | Let’s smoke this shit. |
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
Visit to Georgia (5): Sighnaghi
September 16th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
Our third day in Georgia was full of more new experiences. Most of our group took a day trip east of Tbilisi out to the Kakheti region which is the wine-growing district of the country. It was another day of 33F/91F. Our guide was Lasha who had studied at King’s College in London and sported a beard and a long pony-tail.
First stop was a place called Badiauri where we saw how bread is made in traditional round, wood-fired ovens and tasted local bread, cheese and grapes. Next stop was Bodhe where we visited the Monastery of St Nino. This was originally constructed in the 4th century AD on the tomb of St Nino who introduced Christianity to Georgia. We were told a story about a Georgian Jew who was present at the crucifixion of Jesus and brought the Messiah’s shirt back to Georgia (but this might have been an example of “fake news”).
Most of our day was spent in Sighnaghi which is known as ‘The city of love’. Founded in the 17th century during the reign of King Heraclitus II of Georgia, the town has fully preserved fortress walls crowned with 28 watch towers presenting wonderful views of the Alazani valley. At this point, we were so close to Azerbaijan that my mobile phone company sent me a text welcoming me to that country.
The group made camp at a winery-cum-restaurant called “Okro”. Here we were given the opportunity to taste a variety of fine Georgian wines (apparently Georgia is known as one of the very first wine-making localities in world history). Four wines later, some of the group – I will spare their blushes by not naming them- burst into songs, while others fell into enthusiastic dancing (no, dear reader, I did not partake in either activity).
We were really in no state to go searching for a place to have lunch and anyway time had passed, so we remained at “Okro” for some traditional Georgian food and cold drinks. Suitably refreshed, we then walked the short distance to the town’s museum which features 15 paintings by Niko Pirosmanashvili (1862-1918) – known simply as Nikala – Georgia’s self-taught, primitivist painter.
We had left the hotel at 9 am and returned at 7.30 pm, so it was a long day but a very enjoyable one. At 8.30 pm, we were out again for dinner, but chose a place just five minutes walk from the hotel with great terrace views of the illuminated city. “Saamo” would not score highly for speed of service, but the food was good and more wine was consumed.
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Visit to Georgia (4): Gori
September 15th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
Another day in Georgia and another set of fascinating experiences.
Five of us – Silvia and I plus Jim, Leslie and David – hired a car to take us to Gori. This is about 80 km (50 miles) north-west of Tbilisi and around an hour’s drive if (as proved to be the case) your driver is crazy in terms of both speed and manoeuvrability. Gori is known for one thing: it was the birthplace in 1879 of one Josef Djugashvili, better known as Stalin (Man of Steel), and his 17 metre tall stature dominated the main square until as recently as 2010.
In 1957 (note: a year after Khrushchev’s denunciation of Stalin), a large museum was opened in Gori in his honour and, in spite of a minor update in 1979 and an attempt to close it in 1989, it remains open, essentially unchanged in its displays and messages. It must be unique in the world.
We spent an hour and half there, tagging on to first one, and then another, fast-talking English-speaking guide who acknowledged that the place needs a make-over to tell more of the reality of Stalin’s life and crimes – but nobody knows when this will happen.
Meanwhile the museum is a large Italianate building – plus his birth place and his wartime railway carriage – which, as well as being utterly selective in its messaging, is very selective in its slices of history, focussing especially on Stalin’s early years, wartime conferences, and 70th birthday. It is full of photographs, paintings, statues, busts and other iconography commemorating – indeed venerating – this brutal dictator and mass murderer, so visiting is a memorable, if surreal, experience.
Back in Tbilisi, we had a light lunch at a French cafe. All of us except David ordered from the menu but David wanted the lunch special. In an act that reminded us that this was recently a communist country, the waitress (who was too young to remember communism) told him that he was too late for the lunch special. David pointed out that it was a mere two minutes past the deadline and used all his Israeli charm to persuade her to change her mind.
For Jews, it was Shabbat and several of our party went to the Tbilisi Great Synagogue where the women had to go behind a screen. Silvia and I went along for the experience – and to cleanse ourselves from the stains of Stalinism – but we didn’t understand a thing. The evening meal with all the group involved a succession of toasts in the best Georgian tradition.
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Visit to Georgia (3): Tbilisi
September 14th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
Our first day in Georgia was very enjoyable indeed. We are all staying at the Mirabelle Hotel, a small place of just 14 rooms located very centrally on the north side of the river and very close to the imposing, new Sameba Cathedral (built 1995-2004). The group – all friends of Eric and Cindy – have travelled over from Britain, France, Spain, Switzerland, Israel and the United States with the common purpose of attending the launch of Eric’s latest book and seeing a little of this largely unknown country .
Most of us spent most of today looking around Tbilisi. The weather was glorious – clear blue skies and a temperature of 33C/91F. The capital of Georgia is located along the River Mtkvari and there are mountains on three sides. The name of the city comes from the Georgian word for ‘warm’, a reference to the 30 hot springs nearby. The population is 1.4 million – over a quarter of the country’s total populace.
The Old Town (the Kala) is located on crowded slopes and has been occupied at various times by Persians, Tartars, Jews and Armenians which presents an array of architectural styles.
Our main destination was the Georgian National Museum which reopened after refurbishment in 2011. The star attraction of the museum is the treasury of largely pre-Christian gold and silver, but we spent our time in the new Hall of the Soviet Occupation, a grim display explaining the suffering of the Georgian people during the the period 1921-1991.
In the afternoon, many of us took a cable car from the north bank to the south bank of the river and, from the hill, we had excellent views of the city and saw the huge stature of Mother Georgia.
The evening started with the launch of Eric’s book “The Experiment: Georgia’s Forgotten Revolution” which was hosted by Prospero Books. The event was introduced by co-owner of the book shop-cum-cafe Peter Nasmyth who declared that this is “a book whose time has come”. Eric’s mentor Dan Gallin, a former trade union leader now In his late 80s, highlighted some of the themes of the work and insisted “This is a very important book”.
The main speech came from Eric who told the crowded room that “We live in an age of fake history”. He declared that what happened in Georgia between 1918-1921 – a radical experiment in social democracy – was “nothing short of remarkable” and needed to be understood by Georgians and others today. You can read the full speech here.
Before and after the launch, he signed books and gave interviews.
Eric and Cindy’s group then repaired to a place called “Betsy’s Hotel” with great views of the city by night, delicious Georgian food, and splendid Georgian wine. We all toasted Eric’s success.
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Visit to Georgia (2): the journey out
September 13th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
The journey from London to Tblisi took all day, partly because there are almost no direct flights between the two capitals and partly because there is a three hour time difference between them. So we left home at 7.30 am London time and arrived at our hotel in Tbilisi at 1 am local time.
The journey involved a cab to the underground, a tube to the railway station, a train to Gatwick airport, a first flight from London to Istanbul, a second flight from Istanbul to Tblisi, and another car to the hotel. The first flight was almost an hour and three quarters late because of winds and the second flight was – thank goodness – an hour and a half late because of the late arrival of the first flight. But we made it.
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Visit to Georgia (1): the country
September 12th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
Top of my bucket list is the wish, so long as I have sufficient health and wealth, to have visited as many countries as my age. I am now 69 and I am about to experience my 71st country thanks to the invitation to attend the launch of a book by my good friend Eric Lee. I will be accompanied by my sister Silvia and there will be 16 of us in Eric’s group.
The book, entitled “The Experiment: Georgia’s Forgotten Revolution”, is about a short period of Georgian history (1918-1921) when the county was politically a social democracy before the Russians occupied the nation and imposed communism.
Present day Georgia obtained its independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991 but has lost control over two secessionists areas Abkhazia and South Ossetia. It is a little country, slightly smaller than Austria or Ireland, and less than half the size of the American state of Georgia. It is boarded by Russia to the north and by Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan to the south. Is Georgia in Europe or in Asia? It competes in the Eurovision Song Contest but it has an Asian telephone code.
The population is only 5 million. Three of its most famous sons are Josef Stalin and Lavrenti Beria, two of the most barbarous architects of the Soviet Union, and Eduard Shevardnadze, Soviet Foreign Minister and first President of independent Georgia. One of its most famous daughters is the singer Katie Melua.
It should be a fascinating, if short, trip.
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