Cornish Shenannagans

I've just enjoyed a lovely week off work. It's nice to take a break, and I decided to spend a few days down Cornwall in the week. Stopping in Bodmin with my girlfriend, we would use that as a good central base for visiting other areas.

As we passed into Cornwall I realised that this part of the UK has its own unique culture, and its people do not consider themselves English, preferring instead to consider themselves part of the 'Celtic Fringe'. In fact some groups campaign for more autonomy in Cornwall, some even campaign for an independent state!

'There were few outward signs of a terrorism alert in north Cornwall yesterday. Visitors milled around Padstow's busy harbour as usual while further down the coast at Newquay surfers lounged about on a warm, waveless day.

But behind the scenes at Cornwall's two most famous eateries, Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant in Padstow and Jamie Oliver's Fifteen in Newquay, security was being stepped up after Cornish extremists claimed they were planning to target two of the country's most famous chefs.

A group calling itself the Cornish National Liberation Army (CNLA) threatened to burn down one of Stein's businesses in Padstow and declared the cars of his customers legitimate targets.

The group said Fifteen - a restaurant set up by Oliver to help disadvantaged Cornish youngsters find a career in catering - was also in its sights, and branded the chef an "incomer" who was hurting local people by driving up house prices and living costs.

CNLA, which claimed to include members of the An Gof organisation - militants suspected of a series of attacks in the 1980s, including an explosion at a courthouse in St Austell, added it would target anyone who flew the flag of St George, which they called "imperialistic and tainted".

It claimed one of its activists had previously been involved in the burning of English people's holiday homes in Wales and said it had significant funding from other "Celtic nations" and the US.'

Blimey! And there was me sauntering around with 'Anglo Saxon' emblazoned across my T-shirt. Luckily I wasn't attacked in any restaurants, didn't end up inside a wicker man or wake up to find a sheep's head under my duvet! What I did find was a that Cornwall is a beautiful place and I had a smashing time.

Bodmin is a nice small town, not as much there as I expected but we were only using it as a base. I can whole heartily recommend the Weavers pub in the town centre. I enjoyed a delicious steak with chunky chips washed down with good pint of Guinness. The semi derelict jail is the main tourist attraction. It's an interesting insight into crime and punishment in ye olden days. People being hung for the most petty of crimes, transportation and filthy conditions in the jail. I know we need to take a harder line with crooks today but this was beyond the pale and I'm glad such barbarism is well and truly in the past.

We spent a day in Newquay. It's been 11 years since I visited there with a former girlfriend,. It's still pretty much the same, a few more bars as is the norm with most town centres anyway, and plenty of surf. The beach is gorgeous, as good as any you'd see in the med. Weather was unpredictable though, rain one minute then boiling hot Sun the next.

On the Thursday we went to visit the Eden Project near St Austell. A magnificent looking attraction with its distinct bio domes. We had a great time here before setting off towards the other side of Cornwall to visit Tintagel castle.
It doesn't look much as you take the fairly strenuous walk towards the coast, but when you walk across the wooden bridge onto the Island itself you start to feel the magic about the place. The views were spectacular and the sea looked magnificent with its distinct clear green colouring around the rocks. It was a shame we didn't have enough time to look around the village a bit more as it looked nice even with the commercialisation taking advantage of its King Arthur connections.

Before heading home we nipped across Bodmin Moor to visit the Jamaica Inn. We didn't get the chance to go around the museum but enjoyed a lovely meal before setting off home towards the midlands.

It's easy to get downbeat about Great Britain with the urban decay in our cities. But on our doorsteps are magnificent scenery and heritage that we should be very proud of. And it gives us hope that someday in the future, things could juts be better.

Book Review; Heart Of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Heart of Darkness is a Novella written by Joseph Conrad. Originally named Jozef Konrad Korzeniowski, he was a Pole born in the Ukraine. He attained British nationality after serving in the British Merchant Service. His writing is based mainly on his experience of serving at sea from the age of 16. Heart of Darkness relates to his experiences as the commander of a steamer on the Congo during the Belgian colonial control of that country.

I first became interested in reading this book after becoming a fan of the film Apocalypse Now. I learnt that story of that film was inspired by HOD and in particular the character Colonel Kurtz, played with a mesmerising performance by Marlon Brando. Add to that the recommendation of other nationalists I sought out the book from WH Smiths for £5.99!

I was wary of a book that was critical of colonialism. Imagining a lot of hang wringing and finger pointing. I'm glad to say that this was far from the case.

The story is presented as a kind of 'narration within a narration'. The main character Marlow recounting his story to his fellow passengers via another unknown narrator on board a ship leaving the City of London via the Thames river.

Marlow tells how he had obtained the command of a steamer, via a recommendation from a family member, on an unnamed river in an unnamed country in Africa. (Although we know already this is based on Conrad's experience in the Congo.)

Marlow witnesses the brutality of colonial rule in Africa but makes no apologies for it, believing it to be part of a 'great idea' that over rules the 'ugliness' of it all. He becomes fascinated with the idea of meeting an ivory trade agent name Kurtz, a man much talked about by the other traders along the river. A man said to be of 'great ideas' and intelligence, Marlow hopes very much to talk with Kurtz.

The story then goes into a kind of 'unknown' and perilous journey up river, all the time giving a feeling of being dragged towards something great or maybe terrible should they come across the infamous Kurtz.

Eventually the appearance of Kurtz in the story leads to something of an anti climax. I think this is intentional though. Leading up to this we are led to believe that Kurtz will reveal all the answers to the brutality and madness witnessed through out the journey so far, that he will offer philosophical insight and wisdom to Marlow(which does happen with the 'kurtz' character in Apocalypse Now) instead we are treated to a level scepticism and a possibility that there is no rational explanation at all.


The book is good. It deals with many aspects of human nature, in particular its darker side. The theme of an perilous journey into the unknown has always appealed to me so I found it very enjoyable indeed.

Olympic Logo

The 2012 London Olympics are proving to be difficult to sell to an increasingly sceptical British public. Many believe the billions due to be spent in East London would be better invested in improving public services around the country than on a fortnight long drug enhanced sports day.
My own opinion is that we have been handed the job of hosting the games and we should get on with it, we can't just decide to give it up and hand over to someone else, which would be highly embarrassing.

However it comes as no surprise that the whole event is turning into a political correct posturing exercise. Witness the unveiling of the official 2012 Olympic logo.

Dull, unimpressive and designed to cause minimum offense to anyone, it is, basically, rubbish. Expensive rubbish mind you. It has cost you, the taxpayer, £400,000 for this design. Not bad work if you can get it.

Olympic minister Tessa Jowell explained "This is an iconic brand that sums up what London 2012 is all about - an inclusive, welcoming and diverse Games that involves the whole country.”

Inclusive? Welcoming? Diverse? Mmmm. Liberal left New speak if I ever heard it.

Compare the 2007 logo to the 1948 London Olympics one. It makes no bones that this is a very British event. With the background of the clock tower of the houses of Parliament(Big Ben) and in the foreground a drawing of the the statue of the "Discobolus" (classical icon of the discus thrower from Ancient Greece), it gives off an imperial air(despite the era being the start of the dismantling of the British Empire) and a sense of the Hellenic spirit that drives forward both the Olympic games and our own British and Western Civilisation.

We see this time and time again with design of logos today. Remember the British airways 'Tribal' designs on the tails of the Aeroplanes? About as popular as Osama Bin Laden at a Manhattan wine bar. The Conservative Party's 'Blue Tree' design? All thought up by PC indoctrinated minions, out of touch with the British public and earning the kind of money that exasperates that particular problem even more.

It's all part of the ideology of the Liberal Left. The desire not to offend anybody, to be inclusive, to shun anything that gives off the impression of greatness and glory. It's a desire to bring everybody down to the same(low) level. These people are ashamed of Britain's past and traditions and wish to reconstruct society to alleviate their own sense of white guilt. This despite receiving no mandate from the vast majority of the British public to do so. This is why we must vote these kind of people out of public office when we can, and install people into positions of power who have Britain's best interests at heart.

Introduction

Hello, and welcome to the Blog of the Wolverhampton Patriot. I will be offering views, thoughts and opinions on a variety of topics but mainly my concerns will be political. In particular the British National Party, both nationwide and here in Wolverhampton.