Dec 29 2007
Murder in the Cathedral - an old struggle to govern these islands
As dusk fell on 29th December 1170 the four knights came into Canterbury Cathedral from the cloister. The monks had barred the doors against them,but Becket had them unlocked, with the words
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John Redwood has been the Member of Parliament for Wokingham since 1987. First attending Kent College, Canterbury, he graduated from Magdalen College...
It is extraordinary that, having been a nation state for so long (were we the first?) we should now be throwing away our independence, apparently for no other reason than that we have lost confidence in ourselves, and for nothing - less than nothing - in return.
I personally believe that, despite the fact that Henry II was hyper active, a cuckold and an extremely strange, rather intemperate warrior king, he did not actually cause the murder which was done by the four knights who wanted to “work towards” his wishes. But I am grateful to your retelling of the excellent tale!
I could not agree more about the EU.
The gift of the Middle Ages was, surely the Common Law (including the jury and habeas corpus); the integrity of Parliament (both houses); and the fact that the King is under, not above, the law.
Unlike the Turks and, yes, even the Romans, we came to believe in the sacredness of property and life. Neither could be taken away by the government. We also had the right to vote for our taxes, not have them imposed.
Well, all this happened before even Mrs Thatcher, even before Adolf Hitler. So, according to the EU, and the Labour Intellectuals, it does not matter.
Well, it does to me.