Latest news with #EdmundBurke
Wall Street Journal
4 days ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
‘Friends Until the End' Review: Left, Right and the Revolution
The political use of the words 'left' and 'right' first emerged when the French Estates-General met in 1789. The clergy and nobility sat to the king's right, the 'third estate'—the commoners—to his left. The former sought to preserve the monarchy, the latter in effect to abolish it. Left and right took shape far more gradually in the Anglophone world, but there, too, the French Revolution precipitated the rift. Or so I reflected on reading 'Friends Until the End,' James Grant's account of the long-enduring political alliance and friendship between the British statesmen Edmund Burke (1729-97) and Charles James Fox (1749-1806). Burke is commonly thought of as the father of modern conservatism, though the term 'conservative' wasn't in currency in his day; whereas Fox is remembered as one of British history's great liberals, especially on account of his eloquent opposition to the slave trade and crucial role in abolishing it. In fact, both Burke and Fox can fairly be called liberals. They both advocated religious toleration and reform to the penal laws in Ireland. Both sought freer commerce between nations, a more humane criminal code and a conciliatory policy toward the American colonies. Both inveighed against the abuses of India's native population committed by the East India Co. And both, though royalists by conviction, believed the crown's furtive influence on Parliament—handing out preferments and sinecures and so on—was baleful. That their 22-year friendship shattered in 1791, publicly and irrevocably, grieved them both. But anyone who knew the two men's feelings about what was then happening in Paris—Burke made his thoughts known in his masterpiece, 'Reflections on the Revolution in France' (1790)—must have seen it coming. Fox, 20 years Burke's junior, more than once credited his friend with teaching him everything he knew about politics. But apart from their Whiggish leanings and wide learning, the two had little in common. Fox was born in London and came from wealth and political prestige. He matriculated at Hart Hall, Oxford, remaining only two years. But he read prodigiously in the ancients and in English poetry and drama. 'The plays in which he had acted, the poetry he had memorized, and the Latin and Greek he had translated,' writes Mr. Grant of Fox, 'made up the intellectual capital on which he would build his reputation as Burke's rival for the unconferred title of the greatest political talker of the age.'
New York Times
10-08-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
This Odd Couple Fought Tyranny, Until the French King Lost His Head
FRIENDS UNTIL THE END: Edmund Burke and Charles Fox in the Age of Revolution, by James Grant Edmund Burke, an 18th-century British traditionalist who respected the monarchy but nevertheless believed in progress and representative government, is still famous today, over two centuries after his death; Charles James Fox, an enemy of despotism whose sympathies came to lie with revolutionaries, is remembered mainly by historians. In their own time, however, as James Grant shows in his double biography, 'Friends Until the End,' they were a brilliant team in the House of Commons, an odd couple from what we might today call different ends of the political spectrum. Spellbinding speakers in an age of great oratory, Burke and Fox made an indelible mark on a country that was responding to a series of challenges — the loss of its American colonies, the exploitation of India for profit and the radicalism of the French Revolution. There was also the iniquity of slavery, which Burke and Fox eloquently denounced. Though they had very different ascents through the ranks of British society, Grant, the author of a biography of John Adams and of numerous books on finance, shows how they came together to form the conscience of their nation. Born in Dublin in 1729, Burke did not follow his father into the law. Instead, after a move to London in 1750, he turned to journalism and aesthetic theory, which won him the attention of literary giants like the essayist Samuel Johnson, who became his close friend. At the age of 36 in 1765, Burke leveraged his intellectual talents to win a seat in Parliament. His opponents sneered at him as an Irish upstart, and although he was a Protestant they persisted in calling him a secret Catholic. Caricaturists depicted him as a Jesuit. Two decades younger than Burke, Fox came from significant wealth; his father, a member of the peerage, helped procure Fox a seat in Parliament in 1768 when he was just 19. A playboy and risk taker, he gambled extravagantly and drank to excess. Caricaturists had fun with him too — he was fat and slovenly, with a perpetual five o'clock shadow. Still, he had an engaging personality and formed friendships wherever he went. Inseparable allies in Parliament, Burke and Fox were nearly always members of the opposition. 'In any body of men in England,' Burke said ruefully, 'I should have been in the minority; I have always been in the minority.' As spokesmen for a splinter group of the Whig Party, they came to power just once, in 1782, and Burke's criticism of slavery helped cost him his seat in Bristol, a center of the slave trade, forcing him to seek re-election elsewhere. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Spectator
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
Dinner party talk won't help Gaza
I'm one of the Silent People who sit on the sidelines of the great political events and debates of the present. We Silent People don't sign on-line petitions or go on protests to show solidarity with this group or that one. We don't tweet our outrage, or blog our bile. We prefer to keep what we think to ourselves. When a verbal punch-up erupts over Gaza or trans rights at a dinner party, I stay silent and wonder what's for pudding. The thing we Silent People are most silent about is our silence. It's easy to see why: these days the silent are suspect. After all, we live in an apocalyptic time where there's so much at stake – the future of the Middle East, the future of free speech, the future of democracy, the future of the planet, the future of the future – that silence is not an option. Nobody likes Silent People. Even centrist dads look down on us. The only thing the right and left agree on is that the silent are insufferable and should be ashamed of themselves. The left can't understand how we can be silent in the face of 'genocide' in Gaza; the right can't understand how we can be silent in the face of the existential threat posed by Islam and mass immigration. You can trace a neat line from 'the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing', often attributed to Edmund Burke, to the Guardian's Owen Jones who claims that: 'Many of the silent undoubtedly feel guilt, and they should. Through their cowardice, they have played a pivotal role in normalising some of the worst barbarism of the 21st century.' The vast majority of people in this country are silent in the sense that they are not engaged in some sort of political activism. Yes, if asked by pollsters what they think of this or that event in the news, they will happily give an opinion. But for the most part they are just busy getting on with their lives. And they're not bad people for doing so. If silence makes one complicit in evil or barbarism, does that mean most people in this country have blood on their hands? Of course not. Such an argument assumes that without silence, evil and barbarism wouldn't be able to flourish. In fact, it does very nicely with silence or in the face of mass protest. I'm not proud of being one of the Silent People. But I want to challenge the idea that our silence is – as our critics claim – rooted in cowardice, apathy or indifference to the pain of others. We do not lack empathy or understanding. We watch what is happening – in Gaza, Myanmar, Sudan, the Congo – with the same amount of horror as any activist. So why do we remain silent? Because so much protest in the age of social media is just noise, theatre and virtue-signalling. Digital activism is the fomo of politics. It's not about the rights and wrongs of issues and actually trying to resolve the great conflicts of our time, and everything to do with identity politics and tribal affiliations. In taking positions at dinner parties, we are presenting who we are. Our political discourse has become so adversarial there's no longer any point in exchanging opinions with the person sitting next to you. The days in which debates or conversations were conducted to inform and expand minds are over. I hate to break it to the eloquent champions of this cause or that – no one is interested in what you think, unless you think what they think. They want to know if the person they are talking to is 'one of us' – the right-thinking people on the right side of history. Are you defending the West or are you some sort of soppy centrist? So I refuse to talk about Gaza, because what's the point? Yes, I could strut my opinions across the social landscape and maybe score a point or two, but so what? Minds are never really changed and understanding on conflicts is never deepened. What about protests? Shouldn't I be out on the streets shouting this and that, waving placards of denunciation and flags signalling my solidarity? I understand why many do. By definition political activists need to be active. They need to exercise their moral muscle; their conscience demands a cardio workout. They protest because you have to do something, right? But because you do something, it doesn't follow that something gets done. Yes, you feel better for having done your bit, but the people on whose behalf you are protesting don't feel better. They're still caught up in the nightmare of history. If we all stopped being silent and took to the streets to protest, surely that would cause a change? I doubt it. Nothing illustrates the futility of demonstrations as that day in February 2003 when millions of people in cities around the world went out on to the streets to protest the impending war against Iraq. According to the Guinness Book of Records, it was the largest protest in human history and the largest in British history with an estimated 1.5 to two million people. And we all know what happened next. So far the record on protests over Gaza have been mixed. Online estimates suggest there have been as many as 15,000 individual pro-Palestinian protests worldwide since October 2023, spanning 90 countries. In Britain protests have caused a change in public opinion but have not changed the government's policy. So much for the power of the mass demonstrations. This is not a plea for everyone to stay at home and shut up about politics. That's undesirable and is never going to happen anyway. Instead of pointing the finger at the silent, pundits and protestors might want to consider the limits of their own position.
IOL News
24-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
As a nation, we need to choose partners over politics
Two-faced Eskom punishes solar users Eskom is so much part of our lives. Homes and industries are heavily reliant on it for their power and lights, but in recent years it has become inefficient, corrupt and plundered by the greedy, often leaving the country without power. Many businesses and homes have been forced to seek alternative sources of power. Most popular of these is solar power. Although the sun's energy is clean and free, harnessing it to power our homes and industries comes at a hefty initial outlay. But as more and more homes and businesses ditch Eskom and switch to solar power, Eskom has been getting worried because fewer customers means less revenue. To offset this, it wants to punish customers who have went solar. They must be registered with Eskom and pay a fee either upfront and/or a monthly basis. How nasty can Eskom be, to punish consumers who have opted for an alternative source of energy when this problem is of its own doing? What is even more alarming is its 'gift' to Hillside Aluminium in Richards Bay. The giant aluminium company enjoys a roughly R10-billion-a-year discount, amounting to R92bn over the 10-year deal. How could the power utility grant an industrial company a discount when it is struggling to stay afloat? It doesn't make sense to punish the solar user but give a R92bn discount to Hillside! Eskom is two-faced, just like the government. | Thyagaraj Markandan Kloof The world is on a very slippery slope When good men do nothing, evil flourishes, is a fairly common quote most commonly attributed to Edmund Burke, an 18th-century Irish statesman and philosopher (although it's more likely a paraphrase of some of his writings). This is exactly what we see unfolding in the world. The recent genocidal activities by brutal Islamic Jihadi groups in Syria paint a grim picture of the sheer ignorance, hypocrisy and depravity of those who only seem to care about 'Palestinians' or what is going on in Gaza! Dissturbing clips, which are not AI generated, show demonic radical Islamists gleefully displaying decapitated heads. I understand this is very graphic to even imagine, but it is happening right now, and the world remains silent. Druze communities, along with some Christians, are subjected to the most heinous acts, but the world only condemns Israel for its efforts to deal with terrorism, while also fighting a major PR war, funded by the likes of George Soros and the UN. The more we see mobs around the world displaying the Palestinian flag, yelling death to Jews and America while our people stay silent in the face of what's happening in Syria, the more I come to the conclusion that we are in deep trouble as a global community. The lack of coverage for Christians being martyred and slaughtered like animals by what can only be described as barbaric, bloodthirsty Jihadist psychopaths is disturbing. Why is Naledi Pandor, the eloquent, yet self-righteous, former minister of foreign affairs not condemning this? Well, it's easy to understand why: She simply doesn't care about being brainwashed and used as useful idiots for Iran and its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah!. Another very worrisome issue, is the issue of lack of consent when it comes to unelected organisations, such as the World Economic Forum and the World Health organisation, and vaccines or medical treatment. During the Covid-19 fiasco, we saw global leaders take the stage and demand that we all wear masks and be vaccinated, without allowing for any public debate, alternative medicinal ideas or without listening to extreme concerns from the public with regards to the impact of lock downs on mental health and the irreversible side effects of the vaccines they hurriedly produced. Again, why are we not speaking up about these scary issues? Are we too tired to care, or are we scared of being cancelled or publicly shamed by the pro-Palestine mobs or the vaxxers, who call us the anti-vaxxers, or conspiracy theorists? If we continue down this path of ignorance, sticking our heads in the sand like ostriches while the world falls apart, we won't have much to leave for our children and grand-children, It's all coming apart at the seams. Who will stand up and resist all this evil? | L Oosthuizen Durban ANC fails as it slides into political oblivion The unbelievable view expressed by Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa that electricity is becoming a luxury (IOL, July 22) should mark another milestone in the terminal descent of the ANC into political oblivion. Those milestones are in the ANC's much-revered Freedom Charter. But, one by one, the ANC has failed them. ■ 'There shall be work and security' Instead, joblessness has become the norm under the ANC. Rampant crime has made insecurity another norm as the police service has become impotent and corrupt. ■ 'There shall be houses and comfort; no one shall go hungry' Instead, homelessness, hunger, malnutrition and informal settlements are hallmarks of the ANC's tenure. Now with electricity at unaffordable prices – when it is available – cold comfort is the norm for millions.. ■ 'The people shall share in the country's wealth' Instead, unprecedented levels of impoverishment prevail, attested to by the dependence of 20 million on social grants. Instead, an elite enjoys obscene levels of affluence, while large tranches of our resources are now foreign owned. ■ 'All shall be equal before the law' Flouting the law does not apply to those in high office. Instead they are allowed to 'step aside' or be redeployed within the corrupt party which prioritises party loyalty above respect for the law and 'the will of the people". ■ 'The colour bar shall be abolished' Under B-BBEE and racial quotas the colour bar has been reinstated and reinforced in ways far more discriminatory than under apartheid .■ 'The government shall encourage national talent for the enhancement of life' Instead, education standards have plummeted and the best talents have emigrated. To cap it all, the ANC has totally reneged on and failed its own election slogan: 'A better life for all.' In a normal society there would be overwhelming public pressure for a government that has failed so profoundly to resign. But instead, the ANC seeks a diversion in the form of a 'national dialogue' in an attempt to keep itself in power. For how much longer and how much further will this fiasco be allowed to continue? | DR DUNCAN DU BOIS Bluff Choose partnership over politics It's rare to speak from the heart without backlash, but South Africa remains a troubled country. Crime, corruption, and unemployment prevails, while government leaders promote a R700-million National Dialogue, yet fail to act against the corrupt in their own ranks. Ordinary South Africans want renewal through peaceful evolution to a united, prosperous nation. But our political leadership chooses self-sabotage, jeopardising key relationships, such as our government's pursuit of an ICJ case against Israel, souring relations with a natural ally whose values and strengths mirror our own. Israel and South Africa are both beacons of democracy, rooted in Judeo-Christian values. South Africa's transition from apartheid and Israel's resilience offer beneficial lessons in reconciliation, innovation, and economic development. While Israel has emerged as a global leader in tech, water security, and food innovation, we remain stuck with dysfunctional government departments and poor service delivery. Israel reclaims 86% of wastewater, leads in desalination, and boasts low unemployment, even amid conflict. In contrast, South Africa's official unemployment rate sits at 32.9%. Why reject potential partnerships that could uplift our economy and society? Voters denied any party a majority in 2024, a clear sign they reject our country's current trajectory, yet the government pours more funds into the ICJ case, despite no genocide ruling. This isn't leadership. It's political ideology that undermines our future. We need pragmatic diplomacy that puts South Africans first. Israel is not our enemy. It can be our greatest ally. It's time to choose partnership over politics. | Daniel Jacobi Executive Director at the South African Friends of Israel Beat app fatigue and earn your space Every year, over 250 000 mobile apps are launched across Apple and Google's app stores. Yet average smartphone users interact with only nine apps per day. WhatsApp is almost always one of them, boasting over 2.8 billion users globally and a 93% penetration rate in South Africa. Despite this, companies continue to invest in standalone apps that most users simply avoid, or delete after a single use. This growing app fatigue demonstrates ineffective business strategies that are disconnected to the customer behavioural economy of today, and refuses to meet customers where its most convenient for them. Enter WhatsApp smartbots. These AI-powered chat interfaces are fundamentally reshaping how brands engage consumers by offering numerous services: Like buying tickets, applying for loans, or searching for properties, all within the familiar WhatsApp interface. No downloads, logins, or clunky interfaces. Beyond customer convenience, smartbots also enable real-time behavioural insight for South African businesses. Every click, pause, or query becomes golden data that local companies can leverage to improve services, build trust, and personalise the experience. For industries like financial services and real estate, this infrastructure results in faster processes and more insightful interactions with customers. Businesses need to stop contributing to app fatigue and start earning their space in our conversations. In a world oversaturated with apps, the path forward lies in simplicity, relevance, and meaningful engagement. | Jonathan Elcock Co-founder and CEO at DAILY NEWS
Wales Online
07-07-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
Bangor University staff threaten industrial action over possible job losses
Bangor University staff threaten industrial action over possible job losses Bangor University has luanched a £15m savings consultation and has warned it cannot rule out compulsory redundancy Bangor University (Image:) Bangor University staff are threatening industrial action, including a marking boycott, over possible compulsory redundancies. Last month the university, which has around 2,000 staff, announced a further 78 job losses on top of 200 already announced in February, saying it could not rule out compulsory redundancies as it tries to save £15m. Now the Bangor branch of the UCU union has won a consultative industrial action ballot of its members describing the management cuts consultation as "a shambles.' Around 55% of the union's membership voted in the ballot, of which 88% of the union branch's academic and professional services staff voted in favour of strike action to avoid compulsory redundancies in 2025. A consultative ballot, also known as an indicative ballot, is a pre-legal ballot conducted by a trade union to gauge member support for potential industrial action. Unlike a formal strike ballot, it's not legally required and does not mandate action. S i gn up for our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here. But the UCU warned: "This strong showing in this consultative ballot will now mean that the branch can move forwards with a legal ballot of members. If the same results are achieved then they will comfortably win a mandate for strike action and action short of a strike (up to, and including, a marking boycott)." Professor Edmund Burke, Vice Chancellor of Bangor University, which is running a £15m savings consultation, recently told a Commons committee that this action should mean the 140 year-old institution lasts another century and beyond. On the same day a Senedd committee was told by a union official that there was a real risk that a Welsh university "could collapse".. The university ended the last academic year £13m in deficit according to its recently published and delayed financial report. Article continues below Staff at the university have spoken of being "worried sick about the forced loss of their livelihood", with hundreds of jobs going and some employees facing compulsory redundancy as university management tries to balance the books. The university's financial report included warnings from Professor Burke of further financial problems ahead. Bangor University is not alone with a combined deficit of more than £70m expected to be reported by universities in Wales at the end of this academic year. One staff member from Bangor University's the School of Arts, Culture, and Language said: 'This consultation has been a shambles. All four "business cases" were riddled with inaccuracies, missing data, and were completely inaccessible. "Communication has been terrible, piling fear and stress on top of an already devastating time. While staff scramble for answers, fearing for their livelihoods, Vice Chancellor Edmund Burke enjoys a £273k salary after a recent pay rise. I voted YES in the UCU consultative ballot. We deserve better.' A spokesperson for Bangor University UCU said: 'From the start, we told management that the consultation must be paused, the errors fixed, and the documents republished for meaningful engagement to take place. We even provided a collated list of specific issues to help them do this. "Instead, we were just told that conversations had taken place and clarity had been provided to members at risk – a claim not reflected by our members' experiences. 'It appears that management seem intent on forging ahead with decisions that were made before consultation began. We have a decisive mandate to formally ballot for industrial action and the fact that we won this mandate during two weeks in late June is testament to the strength of anger amongst ordinary staff members. We are ready to defend our red line: no compulsory redundancies.' The UCU said students have also raised concerns about the impact of the cuts process on their education and wellbeing. Rose Pugh, Vice-President for Education (2024–25) at the students' union, Undeb Bangor, said: 'In our response to the consultation, we highlighted concerns about the timing and accessibility of the process. Holding it during the exam period meant that many students were unaware of the proposals or unable to engage meaningfully. "The lack of accessible information and the rushed timeline undermined students' ability to contribute to decisions that will shape their university experience and has had a severe impact on the university's most vulnerable and marginalised students.' Yakubu Jidda, President 2025–26 of Undeb Bangor, said:'Students deserve to be heard, especially when decisions are being made that could impact their future ... We're particularly concerned about the long-term effects on the quality of education, support services, and the Welsh language provision. "As we move forward, we urge the university to commit to an inclusive, and student-focused approach to any changes.' The UCU said If management refuse to rule out compulsory redundancies in 2025, Bangor UCU will decide next steps, which could include a formal industrial ballot and strike action. Unite and Unison branches at Bangor University have also indicated they will pursue ballots, if the university moves to compulsory redundancies, signalling the potential for further disruption. Gareth Lloyd, UCU Cymru Wales Official said: 'I am proud that Bangor branch managed to win its indicative ballot at a time when many staff will be going on leave. This should give management serious pause for thought. We urge the Vice Chancellor to drop all threats of compulsory redundancy." Bangor University has been asked to comment. Article continues below
