What a sweet notion, presupposing they have one that isn’t permanently pointing towards whoever will give them the rampant, unregulated free market they all worship. Quaint old notions of morality, patriotism, a common good, even conservatism, are ruthlessly sawn into pieces if profit is threatened.

Unbelievably depressing read, and the Shakespearean tragedy of it is real. After the unutterable horrors of Brexit and the barrel scraping PMs the Tory hardcore gifted us, it was so good to feel that a decent person, more interested in others than himself, was in place. But there’s no one there.

I think we’re down to Lawrence Fox, perhaps the Princess of Wales (but only if she’s ‘tragically’ ill) and whoever these foaming fascistic dregs see in the mirror.

🥇

For William & Charles, this is now a very delicate & potentially dangerous game of jenga. How many (historically made-up) rules/conventions/traditions can they tear up or modify without us realising that none of it is a fact of life or immutable truth, & the whole ropey edifice comes tumbling down.

I can’t see the shelves for his top-secret box files. Maybe he’ll just stack them in the bath, in front of all that ‘historic’ marble.

I wonder if it would or will ever occur to him to study the post-scandal life of Profumo, who quietly forged a life of service to others, a concept that I imagine (since his military days at least) would be a revelatory journey into the unknown for Andrew MW.

Boring admin/technical questions; was it a long loan or an outright gift? And is it being returned to its original spot? Neither point denies your principle argument, but they would make his request slightly less baffling/high-handed.

The agonies they put themselves through not (quite) saying what they patently believe, that white people are ok & non-white people are not, puts circus contortionists to shame, but of course shame on this and many other issues left our politics around about the Johnson era, a mere ‘piccaninny’ ago.

He is, of course, a monstrous heap of filth, and his sophistry is repulsive, but it seems we in western democracies have not (yet?) lost our appetite for these putrid conmen who talk entirely in fiction but would govern in very real jackboots.

Facts are not his specialty. He is the first entirely fictional president, but as we know, fiction can pack a brutal punch when enough people believe what they read/hear. It is his terrible genius to be a brilliant weaver of stories for those who yearn for the simplicity (& cruelty) of fairy tales.

I believe J Hunt could have done the UK a huge service if, as Truss’s unsackable Chancellor, he’d said ‘I know the country voted narrowly for Brexit & so we will honour that decision & its implications, but I must tell you that it will be expensive, complex, slow, have losers & involve compromise.’

If there is a free & fair election, and if it’s won by a Democrat, I hope - once they’ve fumigated the place & stripped it of its gold - they throw open the orange man-baby’s revolting new ballroom to every marginalised group in the country, for events, discussion, showcases, displays & celebration.

Hunt could have done us all a huge service if, when Truss’s unsackable Chancellor, he had got up & said ‘I know the country narrowly voted for brexit, and we will honour that decision & its implications, but I must tell you that it will be expensive, complex, slow, have losers & involve compromise.’

Complete works here: www.lancaster.ac.uk/the-ruskin/t...

Ruskin at his absolute worst - yuk (which is sad, because a lot of what he said was I think wise, thoughtful and timeless in its relevance).