Alex Massie's Memories of the Lord

What an amusing anecdote Alex Massie recalls in his recent Spectator post.  Here is his memory of Lord George Foulkes, before he became a Lord and all that.

" .....This was an evening that culminated with the discovery of George Foulkes slumped unconscious in the cloakroom. In fact, the noble lord (as he is now) had made a kind of nest for himself, using punters' jackets to cushion his comfortably-sized frame and, once awoken, needed a pair of helpers to guide him back to his hotel. Mr Foulkes had been addressing the Dubin University Soccer Appreciation Society and refreshments had been served. Before retiring to the cloakroom he had been in fine voice, belting out the Hearts song while lurching across the dance floor to the bemusement and, it must be said, amusement of all present. Unlike some of the society's guests, however, Mr Foulkes did not sleep with any of the members."

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Farmer Brown

Just when I think I've heard it all the Daily Mail comes up with a labour party press release, supposedly written by Gordon Brown, entitled 'It Is great to be British."  It's a toe-curling effort to appeal to middle England and therefore the underlying theme is we must all be British, stick together, show our tolerance and the duty which underpins the most important British value of all: liberty.  "Back then, there were comfortable certainties and no conflicts and few would have questioned that Britain was our home, our inheritance and our ideal."  Mr Brown, if someone had told me when I was a child that Britain was my home I would have asked them where it was, perhaps thinking it was somewhere in Edinburgh or Glasgow. My home is Scotland.

Anyway, another quote just to make your Bank Holiday Monday begin with a bang.  

"When I was growing up in Kirkcaldy, the idea of needing to have a debate about Britishness would have struck me as peculiar.  I didn't think any more about my Britishness than I did about being Scottish, or supporting Raith Rovers, or coming from a long line of Fife farmers."

So he's given up being a son of the manse now and he's acknowledging farming as being part of his heritage.  In that case Mr Brown you'll understand what I mean when I say you're talking bullsh!t.

Update:   Alex Massie has written his analysis of the same Mail article in today's Spectator.

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