{A Dream: of Shifting Continents}[21st February 1976]

[Redbook2:82A][19760221:0000]{A Dream: of Shifting Continents}[21st February 1976]

19760221?

(Dr.) A time of impossibly rapid continental drift – the leader of an isolated community goes out to find out what is happening, and why.

[PostedBlogger30062014]

{Stone Me!}[15th February 1976]

[Redbook2:82][19760215:1325a]{Stone Me!}[15th February 1976]

19760215.1325

[continued]

Stonehenge:

A tightly-knit body of politically motivated menhirs?*

*(Harold Wilson [UK PM], I think it was, described the Seamen's strike as being led by 'a tightly-knit body of politically-motivated men') <870810>

[PostedBlogger29062014]

{Trackula}[15th February 1976]

[Redbook2:82][19760215:1325]{Trackula}[15th February 1976]

19760215.1325

 

Trackula: The Department of the Environment, sucking the blood of the railways?

[PostedBlogger28062014]

{The Dive [continued]}[6th February 1976]

[Redbook2:80-82][19760206:1235b]{The Dive [continued]}[6th February 1976]

19760206.1235

[continued]

– Which may be related to the distinction between art (including erotic art) and pornography; and which is why pornography is sterile. The artist thinks (or should think) of the girl his subject – his vision of her; the pornographer thinks only of his market, perhaps estimating its reactions by his own. There may be a lesson, here, too, for writers, who are being told always to think of the market.

[PostedBlogger27062014]

{The Dive}[6th February 1976]

[Redbook2:80-82][19760206:1235a]{The Dive}[6th February 1976]

19760206.1235

[continued]

I have been pre-occupied these last few days by the photograph accompanying an advertisement by the Electricity Council on page 7 of The Times of the 4^th of February, 1976.

It shows a young girl in a black bikini underwater, coming out of a deep dive: while her legs are still angled back and up, her shoulders are level, pointing forwards (across the picture): in which direction her face looks straight ahead.

I have been trying to analyse her powerful attraction. Cynics [...] might say that this is easily explained: a young girl [...] 'floating' in an elastic position within a scanty bikini (there is something odd about that not-very-pretty bikini: if such a thing were not so very unlikely, one might wonder if it had not been 'painted' on, and the photograph touched up accordingly. But wishful thinking should not be carried too far). However, close analysis of the photograph (which means close study of the girl) shows this to be a misleading suggestion: for she is not, in body, in classic terms, particularly sexy. Her feet and ankles are indelicate, her knees knobbly, her thighs thick, her bottom big, her waist not slender, her breasts small, her shoulders muscled, and her face uninviting. Uninviting? I mean that she does not consciously invite: and perhaps that is the clue to her attraction – which [...] is not sexual, although like many such it contains sexual and other elements. She is indifferent to you, to me: her whole body, and her face foremost, are concentrated in the dive, and in what follows from the dive. It is this total absorption which gives her her beauty: for she is beautiful, as shown; which all goes to prove the old point that it is not so much what a body is that makes it beautiful (although that may help), but what it does – what she (or he) does within it, and with it.

[continues]

[PostedBlogger26062014]

{Liberation}[6th February 1976]

[Redbook2:80][19760206:1235]{Liberation}[6th February 1976]

19760206.1235

It may be that we are the first (or one of the first) generations capable of making the distinctions necessary to enable us to survive the morals of liberation.

– Or it may be that those who fear such liberation are right: that we are not yet mature (or perceptive) enough to make those distinctions, and act on them. If that be the case, we shall (as a culture) either return violently to repression, or disintegrate.

I still feel that the risk is worth taking, for the happiness it could bring mankind.

[PostedBlogger25062014]

{[The Building] and the Analyst*}[5th February 1976]

[Redbook2:79B][19760205:0000]{[The Building] and the Analyst*}[5th February 1976]

19760205

The whole building (and its underground annexes) becomes part of the 'body' of the Analyst (or of a sub-division of the Analyst), to a far greater degree than is the rest of [...]land.

For example:

(1) The entire surface of the building – walls (inside and out), roofs and ceilings, floors and courtyards – becomes sensitive to actual physical pressure (and sound waves), and to the spectrum including visible light.

(2) The 'limbs' include mobile active electro-mechanical sub-units normally under the direct control of the Analyst (or of its sub-division mentioned above), with (for example)

(a) power from an electric grid (not harmful to humans) on every ceiling (return through floor?), and from batteries;

(b) control from a control grid under every floor and courtyard (and possibly in certain circumstances by radio) (similarly harmless!).

*[An 'intelligent' super-computer]

[PostedBlogger24062014]

{Knowledge}[5th February 1976]

[Redbook2:79A][19760205:0000]{Knowledge}[5th February 1976]

19760205

'First and second, know the World,

and the People around you;

Third, know yourself;

Ultimately, know Totality,

becoming aware of the One.'

[PostedBlogger23062014]

{“Injustice”}[5th February 1976]

[Redbook2:79][19760205:1415]{“Injustice”}[5th February 1976]

19760205.1415

'What is the most precious thing in the World? It seems to be the consciousness of not participating in injustice. Injustice is stronger than you are, it always was and always will be, but let it not be committed through you.'

Solzhenitsyn

The First Circle

Fontana Edn 1970, p.418

Translated by Michael Guybon.

Mind you, I don't necessarily agree with 'it always was and it always will be', but this provides a sufficient starting-point – and provides some of the real explanation for my decision to stop practising [law] at Christmas.

[PostedBlogger22062014]

[Scotland's Oil [continued]][2nd February 1976]

[Redbook2:78F-I][19760202.0000e][Scotland's Oil [continued]][2nd February 1976]

19760202c.

[continued]

Oppression is neither recognised nor avoided merely by counting heads: a minority can equally well oppress a majority, without even the virtue of being 'democratic'. One might ask why the inhabitants of the remainder of the United Kingdom should be deprived (by the inhabitants of Scotland) of that oil which they were led by some international treaty to regard as theirs – and without having any direct voice or vote in their own deprivation. There may well he some 'moral' case for Scottish independence, and there surely is for devolution; but there is none, now, for the Scottish Nationalists' claim to 'Scotland's Oil'. To their credit, many Scots are aware of this, and are ashamed of that claim.

[PostedBlogger21062014]

[Scotland's Oil [continued]][2nd February 1976]

[Redbook2:78F-I][19760202.0000d][Scotland's Oil [continued]][2nd February 1976]

19760202c.

[continued]

Military and economic security are two sides of the same coin— survival. Suppose now that Scotland had remained at peace; but that all the oil had been discovered, not off Scotland, but off the English and Welsh coasts. Suppose also (as a fantasy, I grant) that it occurred to the inhabitants of oil-rich England and Wales that without the inhabitants of unproductive Scotland there would be more oil to go round, and that in any case Scotland was a barren and uncivilized land, not worth having. Suppose finally that this (erroneous) consideration led nine-tenths of the inhabitants of England and Wales, in a sudden, upsurge of anti-Scottish nationalism, to vote with full democratic procedure that Scotland should be granted full independence, whether her inhabitants wished or not -- thus condemning those inhabitants to poverty. Would World Opinion -- that admittedly fluid property -- be prepared to countenance such a confiscation, by a majority, of the material rights or expectations of a minority within that majority (or overall) power's existing borders: such blatant oppression? Surely not.

[continues]

[PostedBlogger20062014]

[Scotland's Oil [continued]][2nd February 1976]

[Redbook2:78F-I][19760202.0000c][Scotland's Oil [continued]][2nd February 1976]

19760202c.

[continued]

Scotland is fortunate in not having recently suffered such troubles; and despite the fact that many of the ingredients of the Northern Irish situation are present, for example, in Western Central Scotland, it seems unlikely that she will. Nevertheless, suppose for a moment that she did; and suppose that for a time she was faced with the apparent Northern Irish choice – 'British' (or English and Welsh) troops, or civil war between the inhabitants of Scotland; and suppose that the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of Scotland wanted the 'British' troops to stay, at least for the time being, to preserve order. In that case, on the^: Northern Irish precedent, it would surely be considered the moral responsibility of the majority (or overall) power of 'Great Britain' to keep the 'British' power in the part of 'Great Britain' known as Scotland -- even though to do so might be directly against the interests of the inhabitants of the remainder of 'Great Britain'.

[continues]

[PostedBlogger19062014]

[Scotland's Oil [continued]][2nd February 1976]

[Redbook2:78F-I][19760202.0000b][Scotland's Oil [continued]][2nd February 1976]

19760202c.

[continued]

There remain the territory known as Northern Ireland, and the people inhabiting that territory. The policy of the Government of the present United Kingdom appears to be that the political re-unification of the territories known as Ireland under a single independent government is an acceptable long-term possibility, given the consent of the inhabitants of Northern Ireland; but that for the power of the United Kingdom to leave Northern Ireland now would be disastrous for the inhabitants of Northern Ireland. It is not suggested that the net effect of withdrawal on the inhabitants of Great Britain (ie the remainder of the 'United Kingdom') would be seriously harmful. So by implication the responsibility of the majority (or overall) power for a minority within its territory is accepted by the United Kingdom Government. Despite significant attempts to challenge it, this attitude of responsibility has clearly been accepted by the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of Great Britain-—including the inhabitants of that part of Great Britain known as Scotland.

[continues]

[PostedBlogger18062014]

[Scotland's Oil [continued]][2nd February 1976]

[Redbook2:78F-I][19760202.0000a][Scotland's Oil [continued]][2nd February 1976]

19760202c.

[continued]

Analogy helps. The United Kingdom proper consisted of the territory known as Great Britain and Ireland. The inhabitants of a large part of Ireland were removed from the power of the inhabitants of the United Kingdom, taking with them effective control over a large part of the territory of the United Kingdom, which they named 'Eire'. It was generally (and wrongly) felt within Great Britain that 'Eire' took with it little of value to the remainder of the United Kingdom, except prestige. But 'Eire' did, it appears, take the full existing and future rights of a sovereign state to offshore areas.

[continues]

[PostedBlogger17062014]

[Scotland's Oil][2nd February 1976]

[Redbook2:78F-I][19760202.0000][Scotland's Oil][2nd February 1976]

19760202c.

We should not be concerned with the moral aspect of the possible independence of the inhabitants of Scotland from the power of the inhabitants of the United Kingdom (even if we do have to be pedantic about our terms). That is a matter so fraught with complexities of sentiment and contradictions of logic that the most honest among us, after a few minutes' serious discussion or thought on the subject, tend to be reduced to a state of total speechlessness. But there is still the slippery question of 'Scotland's Oil' – and what England (and Wales, and Scotland, and the United Kingdom) expects, and ought to expect. That is a question of morals – of moral rights, or expectations – above all.

[coninues]

[PostedBlogger16062014]

{Opinion}][26th January 1976]

[Redbook2:78][19760126:0020]{Opinion}][26th January 1976]

19760126.0020c.

I suppose that the concept of theoretical legal education – except in the most basic sense – must be suspect, since the principle on which our Law operates makes it clear that no man can know his position in relation to it at any particular instant. Anything else must be an informed guess – an Opinion – which may explain why legal education is so bloody. It seems obvious now; but I do wish they had showed some sign of recognising it at the time.

[PostedBlogger15062014]

{A prophetic plot}][23rd January 1976]

[Redbook2:78C][19760124:0000]{A prophetic plot}][23rd January 1976]

19760124

Education system – designed to toughen. But those who 'fail' are identified and removed – (seen from the point of view of one of these?) to a parallel system for artists, intellectuals etc.. […] One ?surprises people by demanding to go back to the the ?'Action' stream, from the ?'Revelation' stream.

[PostedBlogger14062014]

{In Defence of Freedom of Speech}][23rd January 1976]

[Redbook2:78B][19760123:0000]{In Defence of Freedom of Speech}][23rd January 1976]

19760123

A Government is arresting people e.g. for speaking to passers-by at street-corners; the public are indifferent.

Each intending speaker finds two 'followers', each of whom undertakes (a):

(i) to find two more 'provisional followers', each of whom will repeat this undertaking (a)[(i)&(ii)] to him;

(ii) if the intending speaker is arrested, within a set period (e.g. one week) to embark upon the most public course of action which led to the arrest, arranging for as much publicity as possible.

[PostedBlogger13062014]

{Perfidious Albion}][23rd January 1976]

[Redbook2:78][19760123:2000]{Perfidious Albion}][23rd January 1976]

19760123.2000c

The people of the Isles look both ways, which should be one of their great strengths: when one face turns away, the other re-appears. This can, of course, also be a source of division.

[PostedBlogger12062014]

{“Tommy”}][17th January 1976]

[Redbook2:77B][19760117:0015]{“Tommy”}][17^th January 1976]

1976.01.17.0015c.

This evening (16^th) I saw the film 'Tommy'.

[PostedBlogger11062014]

[To the Analyst*{2}][11th January 1976]

[Redbook2:77B][19760111:0000][To the Analyst*{2}][11^th January 1976]

19760111

'The thing I find so disconcerting about you is that unlike Men, who even when they are neither speaking not acting reflect some of their thought in their faces, you, when you are not deliberately communicating, reveal nothing: you may be thinking, or whatever you call it, but you show nothing; you just sit.'

The Analyst did not answer....

*[An 'intelligent' super-computer]

[PostedBlogger10062014]

[To the Analyst*{1}][11th January 1976]

[Redbook2:77A][19760111:0000][To the Analyst*{1}][11^th January 1976]

19760111

'God creates Man, and Man re-creates God.

'Man creates you, and through you creates his image of God.'

*[An 'intelligent' super-computer]

[PostedBlogger09062014]

{The Coming-of-Age of America [continued]}[6th January 1976]

[Redbook2:76A-T][19760106:0000j]{The Coming-of-Age of America [continued]}[6^th January 1976]

19760106

[continued]

Think of that, and think how that is going to affect the trend towards close centralisation of Government and fragmentation of States. The close centralisation cannot survive; the fragmentation, in order not to ruin Mankind, must be incorporated within a large, loose structure recognising (and taking advantage of) the rules of territorial security in an atomic age, allowing fragmentation into identifiable territorial interest groups, and encouraging as much devolution of power and policy to (and beyond) those territorial interest groups as possible. That is what has just been described; and that is why the trends in America today – the full discovery of Watergate, the civilised contempt for Central Government, the reluctance to intervene militarily abroad – awkward though they may be in the short term, are signs of great hope: signs of a new awareness, a new maturity in one of the World's great powers, a first step to the World's survival.

[PostedBlogger08062014]

{The Coming-of-Age of America [continued]}[6th January 1976]

[Redbook2:76A-T][19760106:0000i]{The Coming-of-Age of America [continued]}[6^th January 1976]

19760106

[continued]

Would such a structure be possible? Yes. Is it likely? No. Why not? Ask Idi Amin*, Mr. Vorster*, Mrs. Ghandi*. The voluntary surrender of political power from a territory requires a maturity on both sides rarely seen within Europe and North America – and never, now, outside those two areas. But it's worth bearing in mind two great lessons which are at the moment making themselves clear to the people of a dizzy World. First: No Government possessing an atomic bomb – and that is likely to mean well over half the World's Governments by the end of this Century – need seriously fear permanent occupation of its territory by a neighbouring territory's Government. The present reluctance to use nuclear weapons is unlikely to survive proliferation. Second: One intelligent Man, and more effectively a small group of Men, may bring any urban society to the point of collapse, if he or they possess the will – particularly if that society is highly governed.

*[Leaders of Uganda, South Africa, and India, respectively]

[PostedBlogger07062014]

{The Coming-of-Age of America [continued]}[6th January 1976]

[Redbook2:76A-T][19760106:0000h]{The Coming-of-Age of America [continued]}[6^th January 1976]

19760106

[continued]

The major question remaining would be whether the constituent parts of each Member of the Group – the old Nations such as France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States of America – were the ideal institutions for that domestic self-government without which the survival of the World Structure would not be possible. Would they be better replaced by more local self-governing units based on racial, tribal or local-national identity, such as the Provinces of Canada, the States of the United States, the Kingdoms of Scotland and Wessex, Mashonaland – within each Member Bloc of the World Group? Could each of these send an elected member to an Upper Chamber of a World Legislature – and could Members of the Lower Chamber then be elected according to equally-weighted electoral constituencies?

[PostedBlogger06062014]

{The Coming-of-Age of America [continued]}[6th January 1976]

[Redbook2:76A-T][19760106:0000g]{The Coming-of-Age of America [continued]}[6^th January 1976]

19760106

[continued]

That wider grouping may consist solely of the Northern Hemisphere described above; but it could become, or become part of, a World Group consisting of a small number of large Blocs: Nations (such as the United States), Super-Nations (such as the European Community might become), and Confederations of similarly inclined (such as the African?) States. That structure, providing perhaps a small Executive World Cabinet of representatives from each such member Bloc of the World Group, might go a long way for a long time towards ensuring the security, and therefore the peace, (and therefore again the security,) of the World.

[PostedBlogger05062014]

{The Coming-of-Age of America [continued]}[6th January 1976]

[Redbook2:76A-J][19760106:0000f]{The Coming-of-Age of America [continued]}[6^th January 1976]

19760106

[continued]

Such a vision may seem unrealistic – but so, a century ago, might a European Union or Community, especially with Britain as a member. One thing that European politics today makes clear is that the present Community in Western Europe, and its planned development, are wholly without meaning except in the context of the Soviet Union and the United States of America, and would almost certainly not exist without those two powers. To many even now it seems that the European Community can only be justified as a step towards some wider grouping, in which it may itself (or may not) remain an integral and integrated part.

[continues]

[PostedBlogger04062014]

{The Coming-of-Age of America [continued]}[6th January 1976]

[Redbook2:76A-J][19760106:0000e]{The Coming-of-Age of America [continued]}[6^th January 1976]

19760106

[continued]

That time will come – tomorrow, or the day after, or later; and it may well come before the end of this terrifying Century. If the World comes through unscathed – if America lives up to these expectations, or if (against all likelihood) the Russian Government from the start shows a similar maturity and humanity in its dealings with its own subjects – then will be the time to talk of 'peace, the union and the change'. The greater part of Russia has much more in common with non-Soviet Europe and North America than with any other part of the World: these three areas are in many ways complementary, as is shown both by their history and by their geography. (See, for example, the distribution of their population on the World map.)

[continues]

[PostedBlogger03062014]

{The Coming-of-Age of America [continued]}[6th January 1976]

[Redbook2:76A-J][19760106:000d]{The Coming-of-Age of America [continued]}[6^th January 1976]

19760106

[continued]

And that is just as well – because the other of those two great powers is approaching a crisis in its internal evolution which, given its blindness and great strength, is likely to prove a crisis for the World. Russia's masters are slowly learning the lessons, obvious to us, that life is change – in particular, that material 'progress' means change – and that change cannot for long be encouraged on some fronts and prevented on others. When, for this reason released, the gradually escalating expectations for freedom of the various peoples of the Soviet Union come up against the solid block of its institutional structure, Russia in her own convulsions may lash out in all directions. The World's future will then depend on the maturity of the people and culture of America.

[continues]

[PostedBlogger02062014]

{The Coming-of-Age of America [continued]}[6th January 1976]

[Redbook2:76A-J][19760106:0000c]{The Coming-of-Age of America [continued]}[6^th January 1976]

19760106

[continued]

Of course, it is also true that the World as we see it may no longer exist: it may still become a collection of warring tribes roaming over the vast poisoned deserts created by their ancestors – us, or our children. But the events in America of the last few years show this possibility to be considerably less likely than it might have seemed, say, ten years ago – White House gangsterism notwithstanding. One of the two great powers responsible for choosing stability or destruction is now more than ever likely to choose stability: the whole tenor of her own culture, the meaning of her existence, is for peace.

[continues]

[PostedBlogger01062014]