Morning music
Tweets seen
Churchill’s actions triggered a war which destroyed not only the German Reich but also the British Empire, and the similar empires or overseas colonial arrangements of other European powers (French, Italian, Dutch, Belgian, Spanish), in the end. The net result has been war, civil war, terrorism, environmental degradation.
Hitchens is right. I have blogged, en passant, about this. In the UK, “Doctor” is reserved for a few (though Hitchens is too restrictive): medical practitioners (even if, in fact, not actually Doctors of Medicine), persons in holy orders who have a doctorate in theology or the like, and bona fide academics.
It weakens the rank or status to have stray persons calling themselves “doctor” just because they have a “doctorate” in some McSubject from a McUniversity. Examples that come to my mind are the tweeter and “antifa” cheerleader (she does little else, I think) “Dr.” Louise Raw, whose doctorate is in one 19thC industrial dispute, and “Dr.” Julian Lewis, an MP whose doctorate is in Strategic Studies; among others (eg “Dr.” Therese Coffey, the present DWP Secretary in the Cabinet).
Part of the problem in the UK is that huge numbers of people now go to institutions called universities, where all get “degrees”‘; not a few go on to get higher degrees, including doctorates.
On the mainland of Europe, especially Germany, the conventions are different. Use of “doctor” is ubiquitous and accepted. For example, Dr. Goebbels, whose doctorate was in History and Literature [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Goebbels#Early_life].
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If rewilding ever takes place on a planetary scale, I can think of some good sources of fertilizer, but I think that I shall not cite them here, not just yet…
Late tweets
Here (below) we see another holder of a Ph.D, but in his case an academic at a recognized university, tweeting incorrect rubbish about the law in England and Wales (and Scotland):
In fact, the Crown Court judge (H.H. Judge Hehir) in the Alison Chabloz appeal last year, and the district judge (magistrate) in her most recent case (heard in late March 2021) both made the point(s) that
- “antisemitism” is not a crime in this country; and that
- “holocaust” “denial” is not a crime in this country.
No doubt, were the matter to be considered and pronounced upon by the higher courts, the same conclusions would be reached.
Alison Chabloz was convicted because the tenor of what was posted was “grossly offensive” (and she is presently appealing that), not because posting historical revisionist or “antisemitic” views (including so-called “holocaust” “denial”) is grossly offensive per se.
What is “staggering” (see the “@DrDMiles” tweet above) is that someone who claims to be knowledgeable about the law can publish such a misunderstanding, and so vehemently.
The Miles character has made rather a fool of himself, in short.
In fact, the said Miles, apparently the author of a book on “constitutionalism”, is, so his Twitter profile says, a “University teacher” (at St. Andrews: https://st-andrews.academia.edu/DavidMiles). Law as such, however, is not his subject. He evidently misunderstands it as applied (misapplied in his case) to so-called “holocaust” “denial”.
Ah, I see now what the said Miles believes in: censorship…
Surprising that someone with such a limited and narrow mentality should be teaching at a university such as St. Andrew’s but that is Britain in 2021, I suppose.
I believe, subject to correction, that that person used to work at Lloyds TSB, selling financial products of some sort [https://uk.linkedin.com/in/mrdavidjmiles].
Here’s a crank singing the same song:
Another one who has simply misunderstood the law. Claims that she is an “ex-journalist/commentator“. Yeah, right…
Another couple of cranks:
17 million now?! Ha ha! But “who’s counting?”…
[Update, 14 May 2021: Another tweet by the same idiotic lecturer, “@DrDMiles”:
Simplistic and kneejerk; no real thought, no nuance, no real understanding of the issues or the real world in general. How does someone like that hold down even a minor academic teaching post?]
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Late music
Ian Robert Millard 
Any news on Alison Chabloz?
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Watcher:
Nothing of note, though my information is that she remains in good heart and has received many many cards and letters, and some books, as well as donations to her prison money account: https://www.gov.uk/send-prisoner-money
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https://twitter.com/i/status/1392804224140988420 Complaining about the universities “free speech” bill now and how it may enable so-called holocaust deniers!
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Watcher: we can but hope…
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https://secure.hopenothate.org.uk/page/82519/petition/1 Here is their petition lol!
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Watcher:
The “Hope not Hate” Jews are a joke.
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https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/stunning-designs-hulls-first-ever-5403152 It might look stunning – in India, in the UK however?
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Watcher:
To me, that design is not stunning wherever it might be located. Rather pedestrian, in fact.
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