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Matt Osborne's avatar

One of the reasons British colonization succeeded in North America was the surfeit of second and later sons who didn't stand to inherit under primogeniture. Rugby, a town in Tennessee that I visited some years ago, was founded as an intentional community for second sons from English aristocracy. To be clear, Rugby failed, as did a a fair proportion of second and later sons crossing over. The ones who succeeded either had starting capital or a willingness to labor below their previous station (by farming, for example). The ones who failed, like the founders of Rugby, were too attached to their class, too unwilling to sweat like mere peasants. You will note that aristocratic institutions failed utterly to transpalnt themselves to the US or Canada.

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Ed West's avatar

The Norman conquest not just of England but Italy and the Holy Land was for similar reasons as well. Younger sons with no land can be a menace.

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Keith's avatar

Harry's face on the cover of Spare looks like one of those reconstructions of Bronze Age Man: hairy, eyes too close together, expressionless; a face like a loaf of bread.

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John's avatar

A case could probably be made for Harry being an accidentally positive force in the sense of inoculating his brother and the King from wokeness, to which I strongly suspect they might have otherwise been tempted in the current climate

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Keith's avatar

I have revelled in seeing Harry make himself look ridiculous and petty. Yet today The Caine Mutiny flashed into my mind: What if he is genuinely unhinged? Where's the pleasure in watching an actual lunatic make a fool of themselves? In such a case all those smug do-gooders who say Harry's been through a lot and we should show more understanding would, annoyingly, be right. Still, until that happens I'll give my schadenfreude free rein.

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John's avatar

I promise not to make a habit of this in 2023, but another rattling read and on a topic that I didn’t initially much fancy

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Ed West's avatar

Thank you

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Thomas L. Hutcheson's avatar

My main source of insight into this is (was) Twitter (which I am giving up for 2023, not even waiting for Lent). It was full of non-stop anti-Harry/Megan hostility. I can't even tell what they are unhappy ABOUT. So I conclude anyone with enemies like that must be an OK guy. But mainly I just don't want to hear anymore about this.

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Ed West's avatar

that's a shame, because this is the start of a 37-part series on Harry and Meghan, including a daily in-depth review of each chapter.

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Thomas L. Hutcheson's avatar

I'll get Chat GPT to give me a 5 paragraph summary. :)

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Thomas Jones's avatar

I don't really know what they're unhappy ABOUT either, but they do go on about it!

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Ruairi's avatar

I did read your posts about Harry's life- Position in Afghanistan being given away. Harassment of Chelsea. I sympathize with him But if the British tabloids are muzzled. Surely it is the Guardian and the BBC- rubberstamping forever. UK doesn't have a first amendment- People are in jail for tweets. The Tabloids fierceness is an imperfect brake but a brake it is on power

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Ed West's avatar

that's the conundrum innit. any press restriction law will end up with more 'av you go yer transophobia loicense m8' calls from the police.

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Ruairi's avatar

I keep imagining a beautiful summers day by the straits. A middle aged, but strong man having finished his prayers Sits down to a lovely lunch of lamb. He had swapped a few peaches for a yearling. The Butcher had fallen out with his wife Bengu, and she loved peaches. He rubs the head of an obese content cat. Telling the lads to get stuck him. His repose is stopped by a sweating flunky. He stands up, and walks over. The stench of nerves and perfume spoils his appetite... The flunky whispers. and then runs away terrified.

Aslan, the Gardener spits. Leave the roses after lunch. I need the rope....

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Mike Greig's avatar

This is really interesting Ed. I would be interested in sharing it with my friends on Facebook as a way of suggesting subscription to your Substack. Is there a way of doing anything like that?

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Ed West's avatar

Thanks. Just click on the link at the top and they can read it. It’s free

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R.A. Watman (Anne)'s avatar

I don’t normally read about Harry, let alone Harry and Meghan, but by providing a historical background, you actually made this interesting. Thank you.

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Ed West's avatar

thanks!

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Toad Worrier's avatar

The Ottoman system is pretty woke too. The Mughals did it nature's way -- they find out which brother is strongest by seeing who won the inevitable war of succession.

If the Ottomans could designate a top-dog with enough power to kill his brothers without a civil war, then why did he need to kill them at all?

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Jan 10, 2023
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Keith's avatar

Is IQ 105 low? I would be quite happy with that.

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Aivlys's avatar

Same. I'm assuming my IQ is double digits.

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Jan 10, 2023
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Ed West's avatar

the master freedom

(I will finish that article one day, promise)

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