Still alive

Sometimes, blogging has to take second place to other life experiences. But the world carries on regardless, it seems.

I see that Melanie Phillips, a woman for whom each day must start with the astonishing and not altogether welcome realisation that decadent Western society has still failed to implode under the weight of its own depravity, continues to be concerned at Europe's capitulation to Islamic values.

This is indeed a worrying trend. The authorities in the Czech republic, for example, have caved in to pressure from Prague's radical Muslim clerics and passed a bill legalising civil partnerships for same-sex couples. Even worse, the Netherlands, once a beacon for Western principles, has pretty much enshrined Sharia law into the national way of life - a DVD it produces for foreigners wishing to settle in the country now cites as part of essential Dutch values such fundamentalist Isalmist practices as topless bathing and gay couples snogging in fields. Compulsory burkha wearing must surely be the logical conclusion of this.

Elsewhere, I see that Rod Liddle, former Today editor, continues to defy the normal rules of biology by becoming more adolescent the older he gets. Now he's a fully paid-up member of the 'I'm a victim of the great left wing conspiracy' society. The poor lamb. Of course, sometimes, he has a point. He complains that it is impossible to get a 'right-of-centre novelist up for the Booker prize'. The dominance of subversive, transgressive and pseudo-trendy writing in British fiction is something that has long troubled me.

I've been reading a novel recently that just reeks of this kind of trend. The main character is, of course, a woman, and one of those feisty females so beloved of the left. The traditional values that have served previous generations so well count nothing for her - personal satisfaction is all. The characters in this novel that represent those tried-and-tested traditions are either grotesque - like the main character's ridiculous mother - or unfeeling harridans - the one member of the British aristocracy that is presented to the unwitting reader is so devoid of redeeming features as to be scarcely human. Were previous generations of writers this disrespectful to their elders and betters? I think not.

Worse is the outrageous caricature the novelist gives us of religious attitudes. The Church of England clergyman who embodies them is simply a comic buffoon whom we are clearly invited to ridicule and scorn. It is a sign of the moral slump in the Anglican church that I have not heard a single word from the mouth of the current Archbishop of Canterbury, or, indeed, of his predecessor, condemning this novel's outright slander. No wonder church attendance is down.

It goes without saying, of course, that the novel is a favourite of the terminally iconoclastic BBC who have used it repeatedly as a vehicle to denigrate the established British way of life.

Should you wish to complain to the publishers or to the BBC about this novel, which I heartily recommend that you do, its name is Pride and Prejudice and it is by some woman (of course!) called Jane Austen. Next on my reading list is yet another of these tedious women's rights tracts - something called Jane Eyre, written by another female. Is there any hope left for traditional British values?

Comments

[laban]

Welcome back ! We're still going, driven by our hate and prejudice, with lashings of extra moral panic.

"Western society has still failed to implode under the weight of its own depravity".

It may look like that to you, in your brownstone mansion. But on the sprawling monocultural estates of Cardiff and the Rhondda it's a different story.

[Toque]

Sorry to post off topic but I know you are interested in English Votes on English Matters so I thought that I would point you in the direction of this which is relevant to some of your articles on here and on the Sharpener.

http://canadianmonkeypirates.blogspot.com/2006/03/political-q.html

[dearieme]

Other Life Experiences? I hope you have twins.

[Shouting Thomas]

You know, you're right.

The spoiled brat women have been bitching for centuries. Nothing has changed.

What exactly is it about the "uppity women" that turns you on so?

We should wipe their spoiled fat asses with silk hankies?

[J. Mark English]

Hey this is a great website! I look forward to stopping by this blog often.
Hope all is well.

Take care,
Mark

www.americanlegends.blogspot.com

[Guy Leven-Torres]

Thanks for the publicity! Sold twenty books thanks to your site!
Keep it up excellent! Its boring to just have one opinion anyway. Good to debate! Well done!

[Guy Leven-Torres]

I wrote A Question of Balance to get people to think! Its dangerous when debate is stifled by either left or right dogma. Common Sense is far better and the right to agree to disagree. The Daily Mail for instance only prints bad news and sometimes it can be really silly.

What is needed is balance not extremism.

Have you heard of Gramsci the Italian Post Modernist? He is loved by Bill Clinton and company.There are better exponents of Post Modernism of course but he is worth a look even if people like myself disagree with him.

We live in interesting times...The Morning Star headlines often coincide with those of the Mail...Fascinating actually

[Guy Leven-Torres]

Will you please not use my name as an address to your website. You are infringing copywrite! My readers have lodged a formal complaint with Google!If you persist then I will take further action!"

[Guy Leven-Torres]

Why oh why do you join the losing side? I am more politically correct than you fear!!!My wife is black and I hate imperialism yet you sunscribe to lies!!! For God's sake we seek the truth and fairplay!!! Grow up man!!! or the idiots and captilalists will win!!
If we want to let the PEOPLe have their say we need to be free Man!!!! Of corse the whites are racist Man!!!! But we gotta be in charge.... Don't accept appearnaces... You've got more fiends than you know mate!!! Good site don' fight me...I'm on yer side Man......Yet you pillaged me mate....... I know more than you do... we is fitin de same war an' its called fair play mitte.......Its British trad' mate!!!!
The Brits alway sstood up fe da underclass but we donna need PC!!!

[Guy Leven-Torres]

Still going strong then?