SPRINGBOK CYBER NEWSLETTER
May 2018 edition
We of course gave our full support to Marine le Pen at last year’s French Presidential Election. Although the victorious Emmanuel Macron was clearly not as objectionable as the two extreme Socialist candidates and was very much of an “unknown quantity”, the fact that he had served in Hollande’s Socialist Government and had a “trendy liberal” image caused us grave concerns and made him very unattractive.
Almost as soon as he was elected, however, Macron showed signs that he was not as far to the Left as many had imagined. He quickly managed to alienate the more extreme Socialist elements in French society by amending labour laws and initiating economic reforms, which led to widescale protests and rioting. Such domestic matters are of no real concern to us of course, but more recently Macron has displayed two foreign policy moves which can only be viewed with great encouragement.
Firstly he was prepared to commit French military forces to the US-led Western air strikes against the dangerous Assad regime in Syria – France being the only European nation apart from Britain (soon to be departed from the EU of course!) to do so. Indeed the French contribution to this Western action was actually even greater than Britain’s, though as Syria is a former French colony and thereby still ideally a French sphere of influence, this is not something which should be criticised. Many will argue accurately of course that this military action was far too late in coming and far too limited in scope to have any real effect upon ending the Syrian civil war, but the fact remains that it was definitely a step in the right direction.
Secondly, shortly after this action President Macron undertook an official state visit to Washington where he was lavish in his displays of friendship towards President Trump and clearly demonstrated that he was eager to work in close co-operation with the current US Administration. As President Trunp is currently the No.1 hate figure in Leftist and Liberal circles around the world this has clearly been a confirmation by Macron that he is not one of them, and that he intends to change France’s position on the global stage radically.
Of course many of France’s most pressing problems haven’t even been touched by Macron so far, most notably dealing with the millions of threatening and unassimilatible third world migrants currently present in the country – and Frexit also seems to be as far away as ever. But Macron has hardly been in power for a year, and Rome wasn’t built in a day.
The most important overriding aspect of Macron’s first year in power seems to be that he has turned away from looking east towards Germany and the rest of the EU, and instead has started to look west towards the Anglocentric world and the open seas. In this regard his anticipated “charm offensive” towards Britain could prove very significant - he has after all promised to loan the Bayeux Tapestry to the UK as an act of bilateral friendship (actually we already have one at Reading, but the thought is nice even so!). More importantly however, by this change in alignment Macron is proving to be the first French President for decades who has not been prepared to be a German poodle.
Of course we will never know how Marine le Pen would have turned out in office. She may indeed have proved even better than Macron, or she may have been a big disappointment. One thing is for certain however, and that is that Macron has already proved to be a far more acceptable French President than we ever dared hope or expect when he was elected only last year.
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SPRINGBOK CLUB NEWS
The Springbok Club staged a most enjoyable trip to the annual Rochester Sweeps’ Festival earlier this month, where all present were able to witness and participate in this most enthralling traditional folk extravaganza.
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During the afternoon of Tuesday 19th June the Springbok Club will be holding an exciting informal meeting in central London where the guest speaker will be a visiting Australian supporter with strong Rhodesian and South African connections. More precise details will of course be circulated to all Springbok Club members and supporters as soon as arrangements have been finalised, and will also be included in next month’s SCN.
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The Springbok Club has again been asked to participate in the annual “Raising of the Flag” ceremony in Norfolk. This year this important and inspiring event has been scheduled for Sunday 16th September, and as this will be the first such ceremony since the sad death of Mr. Peter Sladden (who initiated the continuation of this annual ceremony which previously took place at Cecil Square, Salisbury, Rhodesia) it will be staged in special honour of his memory. We ask all supporters to diarise this date therefore, and to make every effort to attend this year’s event.
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PATRIOTIC FORUM NEWS
The Patriotic Forum will be holding a special meeting in order to celebrate Empire Day and Bermuda Day later this month, the details of which are as follows :-
Date : Tuesday 29th May 2018
Time : 19.00 hrs for 19.30 hrs
Venue : The Golden Fleece (the downstairs Cellar Bar), 8/9 Queen Street, London EC4N 1SP. (nearest tube stations: Bank, St.Paul’s and Mansion House)
Empire Day was always celebrated on 24th May each year from 1904 until 1958, when it was replaced by the far less inspiring Commonwealth Day. It is however the intention of the Patriotic Forum to revive this tradition, and we hope that this year’s event will mark a significant advance towards this aim. Although Britain now only has 14 colonies (Overseas Territories) remaining they still clearly constitute a Global Empire. One of the most vibrant of these colonies is Bermuda, and as Bermuda Day falls on the same date as Empire Day itself this gives even more reason to celebrate this date each year. This year’s Patriotic Forum celebration will be a friendly convivial occasion, and after a short introduction all present will have the opportunity to tell anecdotes about their own Imperial experiences and connections, and those of their families.
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In late June the Patriotic Forum will be holding a meeting to be addressed by a Serbian expert who will be talking about the true origins of WWI, and in early July will be staging a special event to commemorate Canada Day. Later during the year the Patriotic Forum will be holding a meeting where the guest speaker will be a leading Brexit campaigner with strong US political connections who lectured extensively in the US about the global significance of Britain’s leaving of the EU. Further details about all these events will of course be detailed in future editions of the SCN.
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THE IMPERIAL PATRIOT
The first edition of The Imperial Patriot, the successor publication to S.A.Patriot-in-Exile, has now been fully distributed to all current European as well as UK subscribers. This means that only distribution to South African, Australasian and North American subscribers remains to be completed, and as soon as the necessary funds have been obtained this will also be completed If you can help in any way with the raising of these necessary funds then please send any cheques (made payable to “Patriotic Press”) to: Patriotic Press, BM SAPAT, London WC1N 3XX, U.K. or e-mail: springbk@netcomuk.co.uk and we will inform you of the direct bank transfer payment details. As soon as distribution of this first edition has been completed then work will commence on publishing the second edition right away.
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TRAGIC NEWS FROM THE SANWILD WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
It was with extreme shock and sadness that we recently learnt of the death of Louise Joubert, the founder and driving force behind the SanWild Wildlife Sanctuary. At the moment we do not know the cause of her most untimely passing, but her daughter Lizel, whilst circulated news of her dear mother’s death, assured everyone that she and the rest of her family were determined to ensure that all the sterling work which her mother strove for and achieved by establishing SanWild - thereby rescuing and protecting scores of lions, rhinos and other precious wild animals - would continue. Our heartfelt sympathies are of course extended to Lizel, the rest of her family, and all involved with the running of SanWild, and our sincere hope is that the sanctuary will be able to continue and to flourish as a lasting memorial to Louise. We hope to be able to include a full obituary to Louise in next month’s SCN.
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2018 COMMONWEALTH GAMES
As could be expected, Australia organised and staged a most superlative Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast this year – even though, as with the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies left a lot to be desired. It was Australia’s aim not just to beat England in the medal table, but also the combined total of medals won by all UK teams, and this they managed to accomplish and so should be congratulated upon so doing. Australian sport seemed to have been in the doldrums for a number of years, so the fact that they have now re-established themselves as a global sporting super-power can only be welcomed by all sports fans throughout the Commonwealth and the English-speaking world in general.
The performance of the “new” South African team in 2018, winning 13 Gold Medals and a total of 37, was much the same as it had been in 2006, 2010 and 2014, when they won 12, 12 and 13 Golds and a total of 38, 33 and 40 respectively. All of these performances were however far lower in real terms than the true South African teams achieved at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games prior to the country’s immoral banning from the re-branded Commonwealth Games – the high-spot being at the 1954 BE&CG in Vancouver when the country won 16 Golds and a total of 35 medals, and this in an era when there were far less events on the schedule. It should also be remembered that two of the “new” South Africa’s Gold Medals won this year were won by Caster Semenya, a biological male who was allowed to compete in women’s events. There are those who argue that is would be cruel to Semenya (who has ambiguous sexuality) not to allow him/her to compete when his/her absence of external male sexual organs was not his/her fault. To this we would argue that it is cruel to all the unambiguously female athletes to have to compete against someone who has such an unfair advantage. This is surely a matter where the IAAF must act in order to ensure a level playing field – and act soon.
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THE REALITY OF SOUTH AFRICAN FARM MURDERS
A supporter has recently alerted us to a most revealing YouTube video which illustrates the reality of the quasi-genocide campaign currently being conducted against the South African farming community under the rule of the ANC regime. Produced by an American journalist named Lauren Southern, this is well worth viewing and re-circulating as widely as possible, and can be accessed at :-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCLJRVbaMyQ
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TAU (SA) MEDIA RELEASE
The Transvaal Agricultural Union (South Africa) has recently issued a most important media release which we believe is most important to read and comprehend as it explains fully the increased dangers which South Africans face as a result of Ramaphosa’s proposed Mugabe-style land-theft plans. It reads as follows :-
“TAU SA's Executive Committee considers the decision of the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to allow expropriation without compensation, as legitimising theft and the commencement of a process of nationalization of land and property.
“The government must take note that they should expect many farmers to regard it as a declaration of war. Nobody stole the land. It was bought and many mortgages have been or are still being paid for with heavy interest, and worked from sunrise to sunset be able to make payments and to make sure that there is food on every table. Nobody will just give away their land, regardless of the country's Constitution. Theft remains theft, even if it is authorized in a constitution.
“People who are currently in the process of buying property are already questioning why transfer duty should still be paid to the state? They are now taxed, just eventually to lose everything.
“Likewise there is a growing resistance among farmers to keep up with the payment of land tax to third-level governments.
“TAU SA will lay criminal charges against leaders who claim that the land was stolen. TAU SA has already offered a R100,000 reward to anyone who can prove that land was stolen and no-one came to light. References to land being stolen are however still being uttered. It has become time for those claiming that land was stolen to prove it.
“TAU SA, together with all the other role players who put South Africa's future first, will fight this policy, unlike political parties that assist with the implementation thereof for their own political survival.”
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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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ZIMBABWE’S STOLEN PROPERTY
Zimbabwe’s Stolen Property is a poignant novel by Cliff McIlwaine. This is a dark, painfully sombre book which will bring back dreadful memories to any one associated with Zimbabwe – Black or White – and its bitter past.
Further details are available on the Diadem Books web site which can be accessed at: 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@mweb.co.za 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.234 - Mr. GERRY ROCKEY of Durban.
Gerry Rockey (we are uncertain whether he spelt his Christian name “Gerry” or “Jerry”) was the franchise-holder for the Raylite Battery chain of outlets, the “Battery Centres”, in Durban. An astute and very successful businessman, Gerry Rockey was also a keen Golfer and a most friendly and decent man. Although never politically active he was clearly a “gut patriot”, as also was his young nephew who worked for him during his school holidays in the 1980s. It would ne very interesting to learn where they both are now.
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RECOMMENDED WEB-SITE OF THE MONTH
Ilana Mercer was born in South Africa, the daughter of liberal Jewish parents who subsequently moved to Israel and then to North America. Although she initially adopted her parents’ liberal outlook a trip back to South Africa shortly after the ANC regime was handed power awoke her to the realities of the world, and as a result she became a firm conservative. She became a journalist by profession and has written, inter alia, for the Ludwig von Mises Centre and the Quarterly Review magazine. Although we were in direct contact with her a few years ago we alas haven’t heard from her for a while – but a supporter has recently alerted us to an excellent book which she has written entitled “Into the Cannibal’s Pot: Lessons for America from post-apartheid South Africa” and her personal web-site where this book and other items which she has written are publicised. This excellent web-site can be accessed at :-
http://www.ilanamercer.com/
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
CASE FOR THE DEFENCE
Sir,
Anyone remotely knowledgeable about defence would agree that UK defence spending needs to be at 2% of GDP. I don’t know if Britain’s current defence spending is 2% of GDP, if it’s below then clearly it needs to rise. But is the present crisis one of adequacy/inadequacy of defence spending and not one of defence PROCUREMENT?! Do we need Trident? Spending precious resources on a state-of-the-art submarine-based nuclear deterrent seems a waste, when said resources could be better directed maintaining conventional forces. A deterrent, surely, is something you hope you’re never going to have to use. A perfectly adequate nuclear deterrent would be 4 Polaris submarines from the 1980s and a fleet of 1960s Vulcan bombers, armed with cruise missiles with a nuclear warhead! That way, you would have money to retain amphibious landing ships and battalions of Royal Marines.
Do we really need two new aircraft carriers (let alone ones without aircraft) when to command the sea lanes and protect our maritime heritage a post-Brexit Royal Navy is crying out for destroyers and frigates? Ideally ones that don’t break down in warm oceans! Last year we commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Midway, an engagement that teaches us that aircraft carriers need a lot of protection. When said protection (from screens of supporting surface vessels) is unavailable carriers become extremely vulnerable, negating their otherwise unique ability to convey national power across the globe. The Russians & Chinese have satellite-guided missiles now to snuff out carriers.
The decision to get rid of the Harrier is surely the most asinine in British naval aviation since WWII, and to invest in the Lockheed F35 as aircraft of choice for the two new RN carriers the second most asinine. 20 frigates, each with their own Harrier, and 20 more with their own rotary wing aircraft, would make the Royal Navy a considerably more potent naval fighting force. So, you see, for all the Henry Jackson Societies and other defence spending pressure groups (I belong to another as it happens called the UKNDA) pressure to increase defence spending is worthless without a fundamental reappraisal of priorities and a massive overhaul of defence procurement (especially naval procurement). Otherwise, you end up prepared to fight the Last War again and not the Next One.
Yours etc.,
C. Watts, London, U.K..
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BETTER OFF OUT
Sir,
The Anti-Brexit Battle Bus claims that Brexit will cost us £2,000 million per week. It also asks, “Is it worth it”. Whilst I do not for one moment believe their figure, they should know that Professor Tim Congdon calculated that for 2014, being in the EU cost our economy £185 billion/annum. This works out at £3,560 million/week. Hence, the answer to the question on the battle bus must be a resounding YES as, based on their figure; Brexit is obviously going to save us at least £1,560 million/week. Perhaps they should do everyone a favour and put the right answer to their question on their bus!
Yours etc.,
Jerry Wraith, Salisbury, Wiltshire, U.K.
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CHRISTOPHER LUKE IS DEAD
We have recently been informed that Christopher “Chris” Luke died last December aged 50. It is uncertain what the cause of his death was, but it is believed that it was due to an AIDS-related respiratory disease.
Long-standing readers will recall that Chris Luke was one of the three Swinton Circle members who were expelled from the organisation at an EGM held in January 2009 (the other two being Allan Robertson and Daniel Wilkinson) after an unsuccessful coup attempt was made to take over the organisation and to allow a group of neo-fascist extremists to join. Not everyone was in favour of bringing charges against Luke in this regard as the evidence against him was not as strong as that against Robertson and Wilkinson, but in the end the motion to expel him was carried. He was however given 30 days to appeal against this decision (as indeed were Robertson and Wilkinson), but just like the other two he did not avail himself of this opportunity, and the organisation heard nothing further from him and had no more dealings with him after this.
Although born in north-east England, Luke’s paternal grandfather was an Ulsterman, and as a result he took a lifelong and passionate interest in Ulster’s struggle to remain part of the UK. This of course endeared him to other members of the Swinton Circle, and his knowledge of the intricacies of Northern Ireland politics proved very useful for the organisation. He also published his own small magazine called The Unionist which, although the contents were usually very good, was frequently criticised for the small typeface used, the long paragraphs and the lack of pictures.
There was another side to Chris Luke however, and that was that he was an overt homosexual. To give credit where credit is due, he made no secret of his proclivities in this direction, and he didn’t usually make any unwelcome advances to those who did not share his abnormal sexual preferences. There was however one aspect of his homosexuality which many members found greatly disturbing, and that was that he made none-too-subtle suggestions that his friendship with Lord [James] Molyneaux (the then Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party) was of a strongly romantic nature. Lord Molyneaux, who died in 2015, was a lifelong bachelor, and was often the subject of “nudge-nudge, wink-wink” innuendos from political opponents. No-one who knew Lord Molyneaux personally – the self-styled “dull man of Ulster politics” – took these claims seriously however, and if Luke did ever make any improper suggestions to him he was probably too naïve to understand what Luke’s strange lifestyle indicated and entailed!
Luke was at one time a keen and dedicated member of all the Loyal Orders, but he was expelled from the Grand Orange Lodge of England circa. 2012, and it is believed his membership of the Apprentice Boys of Derry and the Royal Black Preceptory also ended at much the same time. The official reason for his expulsion from the Orange Order was that he published the home address of David Trimble (Lord Molyneaux’s successor as Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party) in an edition of The Unionist, but it is believed that this was only the final straw, and that the increasing publicity which he gave to political extremism had caused escalating unease. His close links with Allan Robertson (though we hasten to add that there is absolutely no suggestion than Robertson shared Luke’s sexual proclivities) and the neo-fascist elements which Robertson was by then himself associating with undoubtedly persuaded the leadership of the Grand Orange Lodge of England that he was causing them great embarrassment and potential damage, and so he therefore had to be expelled.
Whilst planning this article we discovered a further bombshell about Luke however. Evidently on the first anniversary of the death of Lord Molyneaux in 2016 Luke placed a memorial notice in the Belfast Telegraph in which he expressed his open love for Lord Molyneaux and implied that they enjoyed a fully romantic relationship with each other. This claim of course caused outrage both among Lord Molyneaux’s family and his political colleagues, all of whom denied the sickening suggestions which Luke had made. The resulting article which appeared in the Belfast Telegraph can be accessed at :-
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/jim-molyneaux-family-dismayed-at-close-relationship-claims-made-by-christopher-luke-34533381.html
There is one final anecdote which we must however relate concerning Christopher Luke. In 2007 (a year before the attempted coup attempt took place) the Swinton Circle staged a special meeting in order to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the first Act of Union. The idea was for four representatives from the four component parts of the UK to speak about the contributions which their own respective parts of the country had made to the Union and its advancement and achievements. The four speakers from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales all spoke extremely well about their respective contributions (the Welsh representative, Dave Williams, especially so as he had only been a very last-minute replacement), but when it was Chris Luke’s turn to speak as the representative for England he spoke completely “off message”, saying absolutely nothing about England or its contribution to the Union, but instead waffled on about his own personal thoughts regarding the current Northern Ireland political situation. Most members of the audience were totally bemused by this bizarre performance, and indeed it severely diminished the overall effect of the entire exercise. Surely therefore nothing better illustrated the totally confused and chaotic state of Christopher Luke’s mind than this incident!
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