Posted by John Nichols on April 22, 2003 at 14:48:32 from 165.91.199.202 user Mcneacail.
In Reply to: Re: AR's Politics (was: Ransome on TV and Radio) posted by Adam Quinan on April 22, 2003 at 11:42:55:
Dear Duncan:
I do not think that AR was alone in his desire to a see a better life for the Russians after the years of Czarist rule. Absolute power etc.
But unfortunately we, I suppose for our own reasons, forget the tides of history and assume that good government will flourish (quickly) after centuries of dictatorship. Look how long it took the English and they had a better starting point than most. (At least they did not have to learn English to take advantage of the Internet. Sorry wrong discussion group)
The English had been fighting authority for a long time, just look at the battle between the English and Roman Churches that stretches back long before the old bugger of Henry VIII. (Funny I can tell you most the English monachy, but I will be blowed if I know half the Prime Minsters of Australia, let alone more than 3 governor generals. which shows the bias in my Australian Education and my use of this argument.)
The ideal can get lost in the reality of day to day life and our own expectations that someone will work to the benefit of humanity. There are several such issues in the world today I agree, and lots in the 20th century. This is not the place to discuss them nor do I want to.
At least AR had been and seen it, and as he said in the end - his politics was fishing. Not a bad politics, although I like sailing better. I think fishing is a good politics; and I well remember a story of a French intellectual who was exiled in England after the revolution. He sat beside the river day after day thinking on his philosophical work. (I can understand that except that I walk down to the Coke machine, although if Coke maintains its headquarters in Georgia without doing something about the battle over the flag, I might have to switch to Pepsi). The locals thought he was strange till he bought a fishing rod, and he sat beside the stream all day fishing. Then he was a fisherman, the British were happy because the French man could not catch fish, and I suppose he might have caught some fish if he had used anything for a hook except a bent pin with no bait. But he was fishing and the English were happy. Perhaps AR had heard the story. (I have no idea if it is true but I remember that story from early in my reading life.) But fishing will stump Scotland Yard everytime.
My future wife Anne has started to read SA. She got upto the part about the Pike, and she was upset at fish with teeth. She has some sort of dislike of a fish that is a yard long with teeth.
Finally, if you want to have the calculated drawings of Swallow they are available, most of the stuff I research is pretty bland, Swallow was good because I had only a short time to do it and it refreshed my AutoCAD skills. Most of my research will not be used for years, we can measure stuff in the lab a long time before we can use it in the field.
Would you believe I created a device to measure the stretch in bricks at 10 Hertz (seismic force vibration) and could do it in real time at 20 microns resolution. But then again I was taught patience, and only doing one thing at a time, and scientific theory by a set of experts. (Dick, Squashy Hat and CF of course.)
As far as Beckfoot goes that for a long time was a discussion between Ed and I via back channel communication - to use the old Army saying. I was surprised when Ed put it on the site, but then I got quite a few emails asking for copies of the plan so I drew it to answer the queries and it just grew. And the clues AR provided are so tantalizing they appeal to the Dick in me. Now I am upto tracking the moon.
I am looking at whether PM is set in 1932 not 1933. Check the dates in 1932 and you will see I am sure (I have not done the complete research) that the 13th for the GA's return lines up better with the end of School for the D's than 1933, but I could be wrong. But Easter was at the right time for the 1932 spring term. Still aways to go and I know Ed will point out my errors and I will probably be wrong but it is fun checking.
I have finally had to get my web site updated to take the plans. I have never webbed before so I have had fun learning that, so that
Swallow and Beckfoot have necessiated me repolishing my AutoCAD skills and learning how to look after a web site. I am learning Frontpage, and I have gotten a lot if use from PhotoShop elements to create the special effects photos of the other boats.
So thanks for the note, I am happy to discuss AR and his politics, I think he was much like his books, some of one of opinion who in the end learned that we all have to live togethor, and who probably would have been an Australian Democrat when that meant something. As I learnt the hard way that there is only som much you can change and you can not worry about everything.
Finally Swallow lead me to this site and finding other people who like Ransome. So you are all stuck with me.
And I also bought a SA to send to a friend in WY for her grandson.
And my copy of SW arrived this morning, because I want to take a good look the comments made by the Scout master in the last MM. I would like to prove him wrong.
So Duncan thanks for the chat and what is next,
Bye the way I believe that the D's would have won a race between Amazon and Scarab in CN if AR ahd finished that book.
John Nichols