British Celebrations of American Independence Day

This weekend it will not only be Americans celebrating the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Each year in the County of Northamptonshire celebrations are held at Sulgrave - the ancestral home of George Washington. While sadly, I won't be able to attend this year - due to the East Midlands Labour Party Conference, taking place in Nottingham - I know that each year many Brits turn up.

If you can make it - it's a really good day!




http://www.sulgravemanor.org.uk/visitorinfo/independence_day_2008.pdf

The Declaration of Independence

July 4th is the day for celebrating the declaration, and the independence of the USA. It is worth reflecting on the ideas which lie behind the declaration.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

May I wish all readers of Washminster an enjoyable 4th of July.

Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg was fought 145 years ago (July 1st-3rd 1863). There are various events planned on the battlefield itself - including ones hosted by Daughters of the Confederacy/Sons of Union Veterans. There will be re-enactments of the Battle and lectures at various locations around the site.

The National Parks website for the battlefield can be found at http://www.nps.gov/gett/

A very interesting website on the Battle can be found at http://www.army.mil/gettysburg/flash.html

US Elections, November 2008

The following website gives daily updates based on opinion polling data - I shall certainly be visiting it on a regular basis!

http://www.electoral-vote.com/

If these figures are right - the Republican Party could be facing meltdown. I'd be interested in any views on this, or other scenarios. Would such a result be a one-off? or could it mark an significant shift lasting perhaps for years? What would happen to the various strands within the Republican Party? What implications would such a result have for the democrats? There's much to ponder.

Nye Bevan

The architect of the NHS was Aneurin Bevan (known as Nye). He was born in November 1897 and began his working life as a Miner. He was a gifted orator and passionate for the interests of the working class which he came from. Michael Foot wrote a superb two volume biography, which greatly influenced me. [For my A-Level History Project I undertook research into the life of Nye Bevan].

He was elected to the House of Commons in 1929 and became one of the leading figures in the Labour Party. His crowning achievement was the creation of the NHS - which was bitterly resisted by the Tories and many Doctors. "At all its procedural stages in the House of Commons the NHS bill was opposed by Conservatives. Even before the third, final, reading of the bill, often a formality, Churchill mobilized his troops into opposition. Whatever words may be used to describe creation of the NHS, 'consensus' should not be among them. Bevan encountered 'dogged obstruction' and 'virilent opposition' from Conservative Members of Parliament' [Creating the National Health Service - Marvin Rintala (2003, Routledge).

The BBC website quotes a doctor "Doctors were a pretty conservative bunch, certainly the older ones, and many hated the NHS. "They saw it as the government interfering in the doctor and patient relationship, although some just opposed it outright on political grounds."

An appreciation of Bevan's life can be found at http://www.sochealth.co.uk/history/bevan.htm