Boudicca curru filias prae se vehens, ut quamquenationem accesserat, solitum quidem Britannis femi-narum ductu bellare testabatur, sed tunc non ut tantismaioribus ortam regnum et opes, verum ut unam evulgo libertatem amissam, confectum verberibus corpus,contrectatam filiarum pudicitiam ulcisci. Eo provectasRomanorum cupidines, ut non corpora, ne senectamquidem aut virginitatem impollutam relinquant. Adessetamen deos iustae vindictae; cecidisse legionem, quae proelium ausa sit; ceteros castris occultari aut fugamcircumspicere. Ne strepitum quidem et clamorem totmilium, nedum impetus et manus perlaturos. Si co- pias armatorum, si causas belli secum expenderent,vincendum illa acie vel cadendum esse. Id mulieridestinatum: viverent viri et servirent.(Ann. 14.35.1–2)28Boudica, riding in a chariot with her daughters beforeher, as she approached each tribe, was saying that itwas customary for the Britons to wage war under theleadership of women; but then, she said, she was not avenging her kingdom and her power as a woman bornfrom noble ancestors, but rather her lost freedom, her body worn out by whips, and the defiled chastity of her daughters as one of the people. The rapaciousnessof the Romans had advanced so far, she said, that theydo not even leave bodies, old age, or maidenhoodunsoiled. Nevertheless, the gods of just revenge are present: a legion that dared battle has fallen; othershid in the camp or searched intently for an escape.She said that the Romans would not even be ableto endure the din and clamor of so many thousands,much less their fury and violence: if they consideredthe abundance of troops and the motives of the war,they would know that their battle line must either conquer or fall. That was the resolve of a woman:the men might live and be slaves.
https://www.academia.edu/302174/_Boudicas_Speeches_in_Tacitus_and_Dio_
(3.1) “You have found out how much freedom differsfrom slavery through real experiences, so that, even if earlier some of you, through ignorance of what wassuperior, were tricked by the tempting promises of theRomans, you now, having tried both, have learned howgreat a mistake you made in preferring an importedtyranny to your ancient way of life, and you knowhow much penury without a master surpasses wealthas a slave. (2) For what of the most shameful, themost distressing sort have we not experienced sincethese people have taken themselves to Britain? Havewe not been robbed entirely of most of our greatest possessions, and do we not pay taxes on the rest?(3) Besides pasturing and farming for them, do wenot pay yearly tribute for our own bodies? By howmuch would it have been better to be sold once andfor all, rather than to be held ransom each year withthe empty titles of freedom? By how much would ithave been better to be slain and die than to endurewhile subject to a head tax? And yet why did I saythis? (4) For, among them not even dying is scot-free, but you know how much we pay even for our dead; with other people, death frees even those whoare enslaved, but with the Romans alone the deadlive on for gain. (5) And why is it that, even thoughnone of us has money (for how would we get it, andfrom where?), we are sold and stripped like victimsof a homicide? And why should they be moderate inthe time to come, when they have treated us in thisfashion immediately, and when all men treat evennewly caught beasts well?(4.1) “To speak the truth, we are responsible for all these evils, as some of us entrusted them to setfoot on the island to begin with, and did not imme-diately drive them off, as we did under the famousJulius Caesar; and we did not, as we did with both
Augustus and Gaius Caligula, make an attempt at aformidable voyage. (2) Thus, though we inhabit solarge an island—rather a continent surrounded bywater—and though we have our own world and arecut off by the ocean from all other people to such anextent that we have been believed to inhabit another land and sky, and even some of the wisest men havenot previously known our name accurately, we have been disdained and trampled on by people who knownothing other than greed. (3) But although we havenot done the proper things beforehand, let us, mycountrymen and friends and kinsmen (for I consider you kinsmen, since you inhabit one island and arecalled by a common name), do them now, so that wemay leave behind to our children both the name andreality of freedom, while we still remember it. For if we utterly forget our natural state of happiness, whatwill our children do, nursed in slavery?(5.1) “I do not say these things so that you will hateyour present circumstances (for you have hated them),nor so that you will fear what is to come (for youhave feared it), but so that I may laud you, becauseyou have by yourselves chosen all the necessary steps,and thank you for readily working together with meand each other. Do not at all fear the Romans; (2)for they are neither more numerous than we nor more brave. And the proof is that they are covered withhelmets and breastplates and greaves and besides prepared with stockades and walls and trenches soas not to suffer from an attack of the enemy. For they are overpowered by fears, unlike us, who actoffhandedly. (3) We truly enjoy such an abundanceof bravery that we consider our tents more securethan their walls and our shields far more sufficientthan their full suits of armor. As such, overpower-ing them, we capture them, and overpowered, weflee, and if we decide to withdraw somewhere, weslink away and hide in such marshes and hills thatwe can’t be found or seized; (4) but the Romans, because of their heavy armor, are neither able tochase anyone nor to flee, and if they ever run away,they flee to appointed places, and are enclosed thereas if trapped. (5) And in these respects they are byfar inferior to us: they can also not endure hunger,thirst, cold, or heat as we can, but requiring shade,shelter, and bread, they need wine and oil, and if any of these things runs dry, they perish; for us, allgrasses and roots serve as bread, all liquids serve as
oil, all water serves as wine, and all trees serve as ahouse. (6) Verily, these lands are familiar to us andour allies, but are unknown and adverse to them; andwe swim the rivers naked, whereas they cannot getto the other side of them easily with boats. But letus go against them trusting in good fortune. Let usshow them that they are hares and foxes attemptingto rule over dogs and wolves.”(6.1) Having said these things, employing some kindof divination, she let a hare escape from a fold of her dress, and when it ran in an auspicious direction,the whole multitude shouted out with delight, andBoudica, lifting her hand toward the sky, said, (2)“I give thanks to you, Andraste, and I call upon youas a woman to a woman, as one who does not ruleover burden-bearing Egyptians as Nitocris, or over the tradesmen Assyrians as Semiramis (for even wehave already learned these things from the Romans),(3) or over the Romans themselves, as did Messalina,then Agrippina, and now Nero (for though he has thename of a man, he is in fact a woman, as one can tellfrom his singing, his lyre playing, and his grooming);rather, I rule over the Britons, who don’t know howto farm or practice a trade, but have learned how to be consummate fighters, and consider all things com-mon—including children and wives—and as a resultthe women have the same valor as men. (4) Rulingover such men and women, then, I both pray to youand ask for victory, safety, and freedom against in-solent, unjust, insatiate, and profane men—if, at anyrate, one should even call people men who bathe inwarm water, eat artificial dainties, imbibe unmixedwine, anoint themselves with myrrh, sleep on soft beds with boys—even ones past their prime—andare slaves to a bad lyre-player. (5) Truly may Ms.Domitia-Nero no longer rule over us, but let thatsinging girl be lord over the Romans, for surely theyare deserving of being slaves to such a woman, sincethey have already put up with her playing the tyrantfor so long; but, mistress [sc. Andraste], may youalways be our only leader.”
| There’s a fat old lady outside the saloon; laying out the credit she plays Fortune. The deck is uneven right from the start; all of their hands are playing apart. |
A TALE OF TWO CITIES
A STORY OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
BY CHARLES DICKENS
I. THE PERIOD
It was the best of times,
it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom,
it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief,
it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of Light,
it was the season of Darkness,
it was the spring of hope,
it was the winter of despair,
we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way— in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
RogerGLewis
@PMotels
5h5 hours ago
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Replying to @NRP_lib
regarding being better off in or out, I think it is a red herring. The discourse is really about political power and centralisation of it or Subsidiarity. The current trajectory for all but 1% is to be worse off In or out, Brexit or MAGA does not effect this Debt/Credit creation
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Ricky
@NRP_lib
4h4 hours ago
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Yes Roger, I agree, it’s about PROPER national sovereignty over politics, legal and economic decision making.
Whether or not we’d be much/slightly better/worse off immediately after Brexit or 10 years down the line is secondary.
https://longhairedmusings.wordpress.com/2019/02/26/brexitrebellion-ukspring-stop-the-brexit-miscue-end-the-treason/
Neoliberalism
Capitalism
THE_THEORY_AND_PRACTICE_OF_OLIGARCHICAL_COLLECTIVISM,
https://d.tube/#!/v/tonefreqhz/znusmmz2
Former EU President Herman van Rompuy:
“…with their backs against the wall, the abyss in front of their eyes and a knife on their throat. We are nearly there. If some time is needed after the end of March then that will not be a problem for the 27.”
https://www.euractiv.com/section/development-policy/interview/van-rompuy-eu-leaders-only-take-bold-decisions-when-they-have-a-knife-against-their-throats/
Gordie
February 26, 2019 at 5:25 pm
the beginning to the end of free speech started today with the banning of Tommy Robinson from Facebook a day after his “Panodrama” video was released exposing the fake news and blackmail of Panorama. This is the elites closing down avenues of criticism in the UK as John predicted some time ago . We now live in a fascist state where democracy is ignored and criticism of policy suppressed. I am totally disgusted.
Here Here.
If we want our Country Back we have to take it back.
I would only watch a video about Stephen Christopher Yaxley. ; )
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RogerGLewis
@PMotels
8h8 hours ago
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Lars Stephen Yaxley is Kipling’s Tommy he speaks for all those of us Tommys with Working Class roots who know where we came from and who to thank. Tommy’s/Stephens message is not left or right its Rich-poor and liberty , UKIP has the same dynamic. When we Tommy’s fight
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All boiled Down John and fellow sloggers the question is DO we Want our Country Back
I give you selling England By the Pound.
There’s a fat old lady outside the saloon;
laying out the credit she plays Fortune.
The deck is uneven right from the start;
all of their hands are playing apart.
Let’s make that fat lady sing
Not The Grub Street Journal 
4 thoughts on “Selling England By the Pound, The Fat Lady will sing her song.”