SPRINGBOK CYBER NEWSLETTER
October 2017 edition
This year’s hurricane season in the Caribbean hit the British Overseas Territories in the region hard, with Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat and the Turks and Caicos Islands being particularly badly affected.
Following the first of these natural disasters UKIP’s aid spokesperson, Cllr. Lisa Duffy, issued the following statement, which we can only applaud: “The UK continues to give £12.2 billion in foreign aid, supporting countries like the North Korean [DPRK] regime now threatening nuclear war and Argentina who still think they have a claim over the Falkland Islands. Britain has been giving money to Iran, China and would you believe it money has also been going to Mugabe’s Zimbabwe! It is appalling, there is no justification and it must stop. Money should instead be going to the Caribbean Islands hit by the Hurricane Irma. At least eight people have been killed and numerous injured as the Hurricane tears into all these Caribbean Islands, some of which are British Colonies. Buildings have been destroyed, residents left homeless, roads and telecommunications systems wrecked. Britain needs to be spending our foreign aid budget here, supplying fresh water, equipment and food instead of wasting our tax payer’s money on corrupt and dangerous regimes. Let’s be clear, we need to send aid not a blank cheque. Foreign Aid needs to be spent in the right places, we need to be sending money immediately to help the people and countries destroyed by Hurricane Irma. These Islands are being destroyed as the most powerful hurricane ever recorded batters the Caribbean. This Government is just not offering enough support to our British Overseas Territories and the Caribbean Islands caught in its wake.”
In the past our movement has often been critical of UKIP and its apparent “Little Englander” approach under its former leader, who seemed to think that Britain could totally isolate itself from the rest of the world. It is therefore most encouraging that their present aid spokesperson recognises that the world does not end at Land’s End, and that Britain still possesses a number of colonies (or “Overseas Territories” as we must alas call them in these “politically correct” days), small in number and size though they alas currently be, which we have a moral duty and responsibility to protect and defend. Britain is a great global power or else it is nothing, and surely UKIP with its forthright opposition to EU-entanglement should be saying this loud and clear? Although alas the former leadership of UKIP were totally lacking in this regard, Cllr. Duffy – and hopefully the entire new UKIP leadership team – give great cause for confidence in the future.
It is widely accepted that France and the Netherlands were quicker in responding to the needs of their own overseas territories in the Caribbean than the UK was – though once British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson became involved the situation rapidly improved. The citizens of the British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean therefore soon came to realise the advantages of enjoying the status of colonies of a great European nation-state, just as their French and Dutch neighbours had done right from the beginning of the natural disasters which befell them. This advantage evidently hasn’t been lost on those former British colonies in the area who foolishly opted for independence during he latter part of the last century. Dominica in particular seems now to be regretting the fact that they made such an unwise move.
We advocate therefore that post-Brexit Britain should be offering renewed colonial or protectorate status to all its former colonies who wish to take advantage of once again becoming part of a great Imperial power – and this applies not only to the Caribbean but globally. The once and future colonies will not only benefit themselves from renewed good governance and civilised first-world conditions, but so also will the British people themselves, as natural economic advantages and idyllic holiday destinations present themselves. Furthermore, the threat of terrorism will be considerably reduced once it is Western men and women who are once again in control rather than corrupt tyrants, and massive areas will be opened up for the repatriation of the unwanted immigrants who settled in the UK following the unfortunate de-colonialisation programme of the post-WWII era.
Re-colonisation will therefore be a win-win situation for all concerned. There are of course many visionless “little men” who dismiss Britain’s current 14 global colonies as anachronisms – but we are confident that out of small acorns mighty oaks can once again grow!
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SPRINGBOK CLUB NEWS
The Springbok Club again participated in the annual “Raising of the Flag” ceremony in Norfolk last month, which as always proved to be a most exhilarating and inspiring event – and it was particularly encouraging to see the increased number of Springbok Club members and supporters who made the journey to attend this year. In view of the threatening inclement weather (which in the end never materialized!) the ceremony was held indoors this year – in a spacious barn on the estate of Southrepps Hall. Although there were obvious disadvantages to the event not being held outdoors in the fresh air, these were however offset by a couple of advantages, for the music provided by The Cromer and Sheringham Brass Band seemed even more stirring and uplifting, and the explosions emitted by the miniature cannons during the 21-gun salute proved even more rousing! A temporary flagpole had been erected outside the main entrance to the barn, so everyone was therefore able to observe the actual raising of the Union Flag – which this year was performed by Mr. Andy Hope-Hall, a great-great- nephew of Lt.”Teddy” Tindale-Biscoe who actually raised the Union Flag at what was to become the City of Salisbury when the Pioneer Column founded Rhodesia on 13th September 1890! Mr. Hope-Hall also gave one of the two keynote speeches at the event this year, the other being given by Mr. Peter Jewell who performed such valiant work for the Rhodesian nation during the UDI years. Both spoke movingly and eloquently, and the whole ceremony proved once more to be a day to remember and inspire!
Great faith has been placed in The Springbok Club by Mr. Peter Sladden, the Lord of the Manor of Southrepps, to ensure that the “Raising of the Flag” ceremony is continued for posterity. This is a task which the organisation is determined to fulfil – though alas as The Springbok Club is not a wealthy organisation it will require meaningful and regular financial assistance in order to honour this faith which has been placed in it. We trust therefore that all concerned will be prepared and able to provide these resources which are needed.
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Alas The Springbok Club has recently learnt that the eminent South African guest speaker who was to have addressed the organization in October will not now be visiting the UK until early/mid 2018. Plans are now being attempted to organise an alternative event for October, though it is not certain whether anything will be able to be arranged before the month is out. Unfortunately also arrangements for the proposed Springbok Club event in Sussex during November have still not been finalised. Needless to say however, all members and supporters will be notified as soon as any arrangements have been completed
In December the organisation plans to join forces with another South African expat organisation in order to commemorate the Day of the Vow. More details about this event will be detailed in next month’s edition of the SCN.
The Springbok Club’s is planning a trip to the National Army Museum in February of next year, and a visit to the WWII battlegrounds at Arnhem in the Netherlands is still being planned for May 2018. Please let us know as early as possible if you are interested in participating in these events.
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PATRIOTIC FORUM NEWS
The Patriotic Forum celebrated Gibraltar Day last month by staging a trip to Canterbury in order to visit several sites associated with Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Rooke, who commanded the combined British and Dutch forces who captured Gibraltar in 1704. This proved to be a most happy and successful event, albeit that Canterbury Cathedral, where a memorial to Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Rooke stands in the Warrior’s Chapel, was closed to the public because of a special service at the start of the afternoon. Instead the Patriotic Forum party commenced their tour at The Cross Keys, a 17th Century Inn which stands just outside the Canterbury City walls on land which was owned by the Rooke family at the time when Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Rooke was alive, and which he and other members of his family therefore undoubtedly patronised. Here Mr. Gary Vincent gave an excellent and highly informative PowerPoint presentation about the great man and his association with Canterbury. From here the party journeyed on to St.Paul’s Church where members of the Rooke family are buried – albeit that the family vaults were unfortunately covered by a new organ during the 19th Century! Finally it was back to the Warrior’s Chapel in Canterbury Cathedral (where the special service had be then ended) in order to pay respects at the memorial to the great man who won Gibraltar.
A poem about the day’s events was subsequently written, which reads as follows :-
We met at the Buttercross at One,
Within half-an-hour our trip had begun
Nautical spirit ahead of us lay
Supporting Commonwealth’s Gibraltar Day.
A tourist tour round Canterbury’s delights
To see many great architectural sites.
We paid homage to local-born Admiral Sir George Rooke,
A Canterbury hero, we all took a good look.
We found St.Paul’s Church, the family vault there,
Today hidden by church organ, can’t see - that’s unfair!
Yet we visited Canterbury Cathedral to see
His fine cenotaph in Warrior’s Chapel, all agree.
So off to The Cross Keys Pub, lovely lunch on Old Dover Road,
For PowerPoint Presentation in Rooke’s old drinking abode!
Close to the home where he was born and he died
Long since demolished, St.Lawrence now doth hide,
Turned into meadow till 1847,
The site of Kent Cricket, the Spitfire Ground heaven!
So we learnt about Rooke, victor of Gibraltar’s great fame.
A great day in Rooke’s Canterbury, so more of the same!
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In October The Patriotic Forum aims to celebrate Trafalgar Day by staging a trip to Chatham Dockyard (where of course H.M.S. Victory was built) and in November will be holding a meeting to be addressed by an expert on the threat which the West is facing from expansionist Islam. For more details about these events please e-mail: swinton@netcomuk.co.uk In December the organization will be holding a meeting to be addressed by a leading official of a traditional British cultural body, and further information about this will of course be given in next month’s SCN.
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Plans are still afoot to launch a successor publication to S.A.Patriot-in-Exile which will support The Patriotic Forum and which will be called The Imperial Patriot. All donations to assist in this new venture should be made payable to “Patriotic Press” and sent to: Patriotic Press, BM SAPAT, London WC1N 3XX, U.K. (If however you would prefer to make a donation via direct bank transfer please e-mail: swinton@netcomuk.co.uk and we will inform you of the bank account details.)
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REPORT FROM THE SANWILD WILDLIFE TRUST
We recently received the following most uplifting report from The SanWild Wildlife Trust concerning their Cheetah Conservation Programme. It reads as follows :-
“The SanWild Wildlife Trust started its Cheetah Conservation Programme on the 2nd December 2010 when the South African National Parks donated three cheetah males to us. Initially the coalition of brothers were kept in a natural habitat release enclosure and were released on the 8th September 2011. On the 9th October 2011, they made their first successful kill – a young kudu.
”Just over a year later, on the 20th November 2012, one of the males was spotted with a severe eye injury and surgery was scheduled a week later. Unfortunately, although the surgery went well, the cheetah lost sight in this eye, but it did not seem to hinder its life as a wild cheetah.
”Two years later, with the help of our donors, we raised sufficient funding to purchase two female cheetahs from the Mount Camdeboo Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape. They arrived on the 8th December 2014 and were released on the 28th June 2015.
“To our absolute delight the bigger one of the two females gave birth to 5 cubs that were first spotted on the 5th May 2016 when they were estimated to be about 6 weeks old. Since then the mum lost one of her cubs, but she has successfully raised four of them into young adults that will soon be ready to be relocated to other game reserves to increase cheetah numbers in the wild.
”SanWild currently has the highest number of cheetahs in the wild in the Lowveld Meta-population group. The two young males are destined for the Lower Zambezi National Park to help establish a breeding population of cheetahs, as they currently do not have any.
”The two females will be relocated to a nearby private game reserve, but SanWild will retain ownership of the two females to ensure their long-term welfare and safety from any exploitation, hunting or commercial trade.
”Despite proving that our cheetahs can play a very valuable role in the conservation of their species we have unfortunately lacked the funding to buy the telemetry tracking equipment necessary to monitor the animals closely and we had to make do with borrowed equipment from time to time that has proved to be very unsatisfactory.
”We would now like to appeal for your help with donations of sponsorship in the amount of US$3000 to purchase this much-needed equipment.
”Please email louise@sanwild.org for the SanWild banking details or for any enquiries.”
We congratulate all at SanWild for their excellent efforts in ensuring that their Cheetah Conservation Programme has been such an outstanding success, and hope that our supporters will be able to help them further in their vital work.
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POPPY PROTEST VICTORY
In the December 2016 Edition of the SCN, in an article entitled “Time to disband FIFA”, we reported on the disgusting decision by FIFA officials to “ban” the wearing of emblazoned poppies upon the shirts of British Association Football sides in international matches - evidently because they were allegedly deemed to be “political”. This FIFA ruling caused outrage throughout the UK – indeed throughout the civilised world – and several petition campaigns (both on-line and in real-life) were launched to have this unbelievable “ban” revoked. Most praiseworthily all four British Football Associations defied this ridiculous “ban”, and moreover refused to pay the despicable “fines” which FIFA imposed as a result. Now comes news that FIFA has completely backed down on this issue as a result of the massive protests which ensued, and furthermore are now expected to waive their attempted fines. All four British teams will therefore be wearing their poppy emblems with pride and without hindrance in their forthcoming internationals. Our wholesome congratulations are therefore extended to all those involved in the various petition and protest campaigns, and we call for the immediate dismissal of all those FIFA officials who were involved with this outrageous “ban”!
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RHODESIANS WORLDWIDE TRIUMPH
The Kent Branch of the Rhodesians Worldwide organization was founded on 11th November 1991 (UDI Day!), and so this year, in order to celebrate the 26th anniversary of its birth, a special dinner is being planned. At the branch’s formation meeting in 1991 everyone present was reminded that although it had taken the Jewish people 1870 years to reclaim their homeland they had constantly remained determined, and each year at a religious festival had vowed “Next year in Jerusalem” - and then the defiant toast “Next year in Salisbury” was proposed. Although with the passing of 26 years many of the original stalwarts of the branch have died (heroes such as Bill and Eileen Andrews, Wentzel and Anita Coetzer, Chris Wepener, Adrienne Chapman, Gary McDougall and Gina Shaw among them) the branch has thrived – and most encouragingly a new younger generation of Rhodesian descendents have emerged to takeover the leadership of the branch – many of whom have never even set foot in the country. The determination and defiance of organisations such as Rhodesians Worldwide and those behind the annual “Raising of the Flag” ceremony in Norfolk which has keep the Rhodesian ideal alive is therefore an inspiration to all of us. Next year in Salisbury!
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REMEMBERING THE ENTEBBE RAID
A supporter from Australia has recently reminded us about the Entebbe Raid, when Israeli special forces made a daring and courageous raid on Entebbe Airport in Uganda in order to rescue the passengers of an aircraft which had been hijacked by Islamic terrorists – with the apparent co-operation of the demonic tyrant then running that excuse of a country. At this present time when the West is being threatened even more strongly by Islamic terrorism is it therefore worth looking back on the effectiveness and bravery of the Israeli Defence Forces in so ruthlessly opposing the evils of terrorism, and thereby defending us all. A short YouTube documentary about this raid can be viewed at :-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xCxzdU9dQo
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PETITION CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTING WHITE GENOCIDE
A most praiseworthy on-line petition campaign has recently been initiated calling on the U.K. Government to address the issue of White genocide in South Africa. We encourage all readers to support and add their names to this petition, which can be accessed at :-
https://www.change.org/p/vivienne-parker-government-to-address-issue-of-white-genocide-in-south-africa?recruiter=32811489&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=share_email_responsive
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SEARCH SERVICES FOR THOSE SEEKING LOST RELATIVES
Find any South African, even those who have emigrated. We also search Botswana, Namibia and ex-Rhodesia/Zimbabwe.
Please use the search request form at :-
http://www.bellemodel.biz/emails/emails.php?id=emails_from_SCN
Also check the list of South African expatriates/emigrants web-sites, which can be found at :-
http://www.bellemodel.biz/emails/expatriates/toplist_expatriates.php?id=toplist_expatriates_from_
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BILTONG AND BOEREWORS
Springers Biltong offers a marvellous range of biltong, boerewors and drywors – all of the very highest quality, reasonably priced, and fully registered and licensed with their local authority Their web-site can be accessed at :-
http://www.springersbiltong.com/index.html
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BOOK OFFERS
"LIEUTENANT COLONEL ALFRED JAMES TOMLINSON: MEMOIRS OF AN AFRICAN PIONEER AND BSAP OFFICER" is now available at Amazon.com, and can be shipped to anywhere in the world. This book contains excerpts from Lieut. Tomlinson's writings detailing his experiences as a member of the BSAP in Southern Rhodesia, where he rose from the rank of an ordinary trooper to retire as the commanding officer. It also includes the personal story of Majaqaba Ncube, a man who was enslaved by Lobengula when his entire village was massacred by the chief's soldiers. After he escaped, Lieut. Tomlinson saved him from certain death and gave him a job. They lost contact and were reunited after 45 years, when Majaqaba presented Lieut. Tomlinson with an earthenware jar.
Trish also writes romantic suspense and romantic comedy fiction. www.trishjaxon.com
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"BLUE WATCH" by Gwyn Fford-Osborne
Rhodesia, in 1975 and a bloody vicious civil war is at its height. A war between the White minority supported by the Black majority and the ZAPU and ZANU terrorist groups, supported by Zambia and Mozambique. Kensington, a small town in the farming belt has been the subject of several terrorist attacks but with only a small police force for defence, the local T.A. unit having been called up for service on the Zambia border the situation appears grim. Until Iffor Meredith turns up on a pilgrimage to meet up with his wife and son of his old army buddy, recently murdered by terrorists. A deadly ambush on the "Dix" family and his escape from a land mine attack makes Iffor determined to offer resistance of some form or other to the terrorists. His application to join the Rhodesian Army has been accepted and he sets about forming a small militia. With all the fit men already on call up, who can he recruit from. Then he's invited to a darts match at the Moth Club and meets up with the remnants of the town's Fire Brigade, the men considered too old for call up. Blue Watch.
Available from: www.diadembooks.com
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CREST PUBLISHING BOOKS
The latest book published by Crest Publishing is entitled: “BOWLS - QUIRKS, CHIRPS AND ANECDOTES". This is not an instruction manual but rather a cheerful, humourous and sometimes controversial chronicle about the game and its history worldwide. Written to celebrate 40 years in the sport by the author, Glenn MacAskill, it should be of interest to all bowlers and other sports enthusiasts.
For more information about all books published, or to make an order, please contact Crest Publishing at: P.O.Box, 4178, Honeydew, Johannesburg, 2040, South Africa, e-mail: glennallanmacaskill@gmail.com, or visit the Crest Publishing web-site at: www.crestpublishing.co.za. Special discounts are available to ex-servicemen, Rhodies and Springboks!
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"THE SAINTS" – a unique documentary in support of the book on the brief history of the RLI.
DVD available along with other premium titles of historical interest from Msasa Enterprises. Visit www.rhodesianvideos.co.za or write to msasasa@iafrica.com for more information. UK contact telephone: 07415 753 340.
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‘75 PROUD YEARS: PIONEERS AND PROGRESS OF RHODESIA’
With an introduction by Ian Smith, this book covers the history of Rhodesia from 1890 to 1965 in some detail and surveys the enormous progress made in agriculture, commerce, industry and social development of benefit to both White and Black Rhodesians.
With 124 pages, this A4-size soft-cover book is a facsimile copy of the original with contemporary advertisements and would be an invaluable addition to any collection of Rhodesiana .
The book costs £12.50 and p&p is £2.90 (with a 10% discount to former customers) .
To order a copy please contact John Ormowe at :flybuy416@googlemail.com .
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW ?
No.227 – Mrs. SHEILA ROSSOUW of Parow
Sheila Rossouw (no relation we believe to Pierre Rossouw – see June 2017 SCN) was an early supporter of S.A.Patriot magazine, and indeed regularly purchased a batch of 200 copies of each edition for distribution among her many friends and contacts – continuing to do so even after the magazine was forced to relocate as S.A.Patriot-in-Exile. She was a talented harpist by profession, and indeed played in the CAPAC orchestra – but for some bizarre reason she always wanted people who had never met her to believe that she was a man, and it took us many years to realise that she was actually a woman! She is believed to have been a Rhodesian, either by birth or by upbringing, but after moving to South Africa she became a keen supporter of the HNP and other patriotic organisations in the country. Alas the latest batch of copies of S.A.Patriot-in-Exile which we sent her has just been returned to us as she is evidently no longer known at her last known address in Parow, so we therefore fear for the worst. We would however be keen to learn what has actually happened to her.
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RECOMMENDED WEB-SITE OF THE MONTH
We’ve recently been informed of a very interesting TV report about a Yazidi Female Brigade fighting against ISIS/ISIL. This report takes a look at the "Sun Brigade," a unit composed of young Yazidi women determined to fight ISIS/ISIL after escaping captivity or witnessing the atrocities committed by them against their families. According to the report, which was aired on Alaan TV on October 9, 2016 the brigade consists of 140 female fighters, who want to join the Peshmerga forces in the fight against ISIS/ISIL. This report can be viewed at :-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKgEIWOmUc8
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
FACTS NOT YUCK
Sir,
Cecil Rhodes was one of the greatest men Britain ever produced. I only wish he'd lived a lot longer and that Prime Minister Rhodes and President Theodore Roosevelt had been able to work together. So Yucky Yasmin's [Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, who had written an earlier scurrilous article in the “I” newspaper] view of history makes me sick - Politically Correct, anti-White, anti-British, out to paint the fine men who built and ran the Empire in the worst possible light. Why must they always look under the rocks rather than at the stars? The good was just as true as the bad. To me, Martin Luther King was not so much a hero as soft on Communism and a believer in forced integration - no more acceptable than forced apartheid. Gandhi was a dangerous crank whose economic ideas would have left India permanently impoverished. The "resistance groups in Kenya" were Mau-Mau terrorists - and were we supposed to leave our boys in Palestine and India to provide various terrorists and thugs with target practice?
Yours etc.,
Mark Taylor, London, U.K.
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PARTY GAMES
Sir,
People inside the ANC are scared of breaking the party and losing the alliance it has with the COSATU and the SACP. Their fear is understandable. The ANC has been their “political home” for decades and loyalty to the party has been passed from generation to generation. The ANC used to drip with nostalgic liberation street cred’. But of late the party has been reeking from the symptoms of factionalism, corruption and client deployment (read cadre deployment). The rot has become so bad that even ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe, who has demonstrated a profound capacity for double-speak, is beginning to forgo his ailment denialism and admit that the party is in trouble.
Yours etc.,
Marius Oosthuizen, South Africa.
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FAKING IT
Sir,
There are many types of fake news. One is the news story that says "Outrage at ".....so-and-so's comments on such-and-such..., or so-and-so "slammed" for comments on such-and-such. The question is - who is expressing the outrage or doing the slamming, and how-much support do they have among the population, and how many people are actually on the other hand supporting the comments? If the "outraged" or the "slammers" are many times outnumbered by the supporters, then that is a fake news story, because the headline ""Outrage at " or "slammed" implies the outrage or the slamming is general and is a many-time majority view. If Pauline Hanson, for instance, calls for an end to Muslim immigration, that statement will have the support of about 60 per cent of the population, but the headline would be "Hanson slammed for her comments on Muslim immigration". the slammers being, obviously the 3 per cent of the population who are Muslims, and another 20 per cent of hard-line Labor and Greens supporters, who when combined are still only a minority. So watch out for this kind of fake news story!
Yours etc.,
Bob Vinnicombe, Sydney, N.S.W., Australia.
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OBITUARIES
SIR TEDDY TAYLOR
It was with great sadness that we learnt of the recent death of Sir Edward MacMillan “Teddy” Taylor. Sir Teddy Taylor was born in 1937 and educated at Glasgow High School and the University of Glasgow. After graduating he worked as a journalist with the Glasgow Herald before entering politics. He was elected Conservative and Unionist MP for Glasgow Cathcart in the 1964 General Election, a predominantly working-class but fiercely Loyalist part of the city.
Once in Parliament Sir Teddy quickly established a reputation for being a firm and resolute patriot and Unionist. He was a staunch supporter of Enoch Powell, although he disagreed with him by advocating a return of capital punishment. It was in his forthright opposition to Britain’s membership of the Common Market (later the EU) where he displayed his strongest views however. Although his undoubted intellect and abilities quickly propelled him into the government of Edward Heath in 1970 as a junior Scottish Office minister, he resigned as a matter of principle just a year later in opposition to Heath’s fanatical determination to force Britain into the Common Market.
In spite of his great love for and identification with Glasgow, he alas lost his seat at Glasgow Cathcart in the 1979 General Election, suffering as a result of a dramatic decline in support for the Conservative Party in Scotland following Heath’s disastrous term as leader. He wasn’t out of Parliament for long however, for the new Conservative leader Margaret Thatcher was able to spot talent when she saw it, and he re-entered Parliament as MP for Southend-on-Sea East (later Rochford and Southend East) at a by-election just a year later. Margaret Thatcher soon brought him back into government, albeit it only at junior ministerial level, but he clearly became a key advisor to Margaret Thatcher on a personal level, not only steeling her backbone to become more resolute in her opposition to the EU, but also encouraging her to take a firmer stance against international terrorism – he once openly stating that the South African terrorist leader “Nelson” Mandela should be shot. After Margaret Thatcher was deposed and John Major became PM and started to become more conciliatory towards the EU Sir Teddy Taylor became one of the leading “Maastricht rebels” – or “the bastards” as John Major termed them. Although never achieving any significant successes in Parliament, the “Maastricht rebels” managed to place EuroScepticism firmly onto the political agenda, and their impact outside Parliament was considerable.
Sir Teddy Taylor left Parliament at the 2005 General Election to spend his retirement years in his adopted home of Southend-on-Sea, which he grew to love equally as much as he loved his native Glasgow. He was an Association Football fanatic, and being a staunch Unionist supported all the British teams with equal passion – although when it came to the crunch he would always give his primary support to Scotland! It is believed that he was a keen Rangers supporter whilst still living in Glasgow, but thought it best not to voice his affiliation too loudly when MP for Cathcart so as not to alienate any taigs amongst his electorate! By the time he moved to Southend-on-Sea, however, his support for Southend United in the English context became clear and unambiguous, and he was regularly to be seen in the stands at Roots Hall.
During its heydays of the 1960s and 70s Sir Teddy was a staunch and active supporter of the Monday Club, but more latterly he became a firm supporter of New Britain (now of course part of the Patriotic Forum) and a close friend and admirer of the organisation’s founder and director Dennis Delderfield, often acting as chairman at meetings staged by the organisation. It was therefore a great surprise not to see Sir Teddy at Dennis Delderfield’s funeral last year, but in view his own subsequent death it is probable that he was already too unwell to attend.
Sir Teddy Taylor was a true patriot and a great Briton, and will always remain an inspiration to all who worked with him. It is of course a great encouragement and joy to realise that he lived long enough to see the victory of the Brexit cause at the 2016 Referendum, and thus to learn that his beloved country was about to leave the EU, thereby fulfilling his life’s main mission! Our sincerest condolences are extended to Sir Teddy’s widow Sheila and to his two sons and daughter.
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BRIAN “STACK” STEVENS
We were most saddened to learn of the recent death of Brian “Stack” Stevens. A farmer by profession, “Stack” Stevens was a proud Cornishman who played Rugby as loose-head prop for Penzance and Newlyn, Cornwall, England and the British Lions. He played a total of 83 times for Cornwall, being captain of the county from 1973 to 1973, and 25 times for England from 1969 to 1975. Although he was part of the 1971 British Lions Touring party to Australia and New Zealand he alas didn’t play in any Tests. He was part of the England team during the 1969/70 Springbok tour of the British Isles, and proved to be one of the most forthright players (along with the entire England front row!) in voicing opposition to the despicable would-be tour disrupters. By so doing he gained a lot of friends in South Africa and among supporters of freedom and civilised standards. He will thus always be fondly remembered not only as a player but also as a man of principle. Our sincerest sympathies are extended to his family and to the Cornish rugby community.
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