Writer, journalist, photographer, illustrator, international man of mystery. Highly trained epistemologist. Repped by Andrew Lownie Agency.
@edeaulx
.bsky.social
Support for the Monarchy is entirely optional, but anyone crowing over the death of a 99-year old decorated war veteran should be immediately expelled from any decent democratic political party.
Weird not to see Jeremy Corbyn marching against antisemitism yesterday, considering his opposition to 'all forms of racism' and his claim that his mum was at Cable Street. You'd think he'd want to continue the tradition. 1/
As someone with rather a lot of military experience who is also a published historian my hot take is that I really don’t know what’s happening in Ukraine. Not enough verifiable information.
🚨🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨🚨 We’ve just told Charles that he’s not our King at the Trooping the Colour parade. Together, despite attempts to block our protest, we rallied for an elected head of state.
#NotMyKing
#AbolishTheMonarchy
In a moving ceremony I was presented with this yesterday in recognition of my gallant service at the 4th battle of Jubilee. The person who presented it to me had just two words to say: “Sign here”
Just been sent this: my mother-in-law and her eldest brother in May 1944. He landed at Gold Beach with 5th Bn Coldstream Guards on 20 June '44.
#Overlord
There isn't a 'genocide' in Gaza. There is a state of armed conflict which was initiated by what passes for a government in Gaza, and this has tragically led to the deaths of a large number of Gazan civilians. Which is what happens in armed conflicts, as Hamas knows very well.
Days ago Kataeb Hezbollah killed 3 American soldiers in Jordan.
Today the flag of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Force flies high on the streets of London alongside the flag of their sponsor Iran.
Kataeb Hezbollah is an integral member of the PMF
@JewishNewsUK
@metpoliceuk
@CST_UK
It's increasingly implausible to argue that this 'protest movement' in the UK is about anything other than the promotion of antisemitism.
I've never been much of a Boris fan but I must admit I never thought it would turn into this much of a shitshow. I haven't spoken to a single Tory in the last few days who thinks the current situation is anything other than dire.
@DreyfusJames
It's an interesting point: OJ has had to resort to an outright falsehood to make his claim here. Quite clearly the
@ALLIANCELGB
does represent a substantial number of gay, lesbian and bisexual people.
@almurray
Funny story. Teacher I knew was doing a placement as a student and taking the register. Comes to the name 'Bough' but pronounces it 'Bow'. The kid pipes up 'Boff', and the teacher says 'Like the bloke from TV with the coke and the hookers?' Kid says: 'Yes, he's my dad'. 😬
One of the reasons that everything is falling apart in Afghanistan so quickly is that we never seriously addressed the elephant in the room with the ANDSF. Corruption. 1/
My luke-warm take on Lady Susan Hussey is that she said the kind of thing that might have been seen by both sides as harmless 50 years ago but which is now tone deaf at best. At age 83 I would suggest it should have been treated as a retiring matter, rather than a resigning one.
Tomorrow night I'm deploying again, for about five months and not, thankfully, to a conflict zone. For the second time in my life I've been given what I think will be the current 'best job in the army'. And it's a privilege.
This morning we encountered a woman who had removed the kidnapped posters from the bridge leading to Primrose Hill, London. When we confronted her, she replied that she was taking them down because she didn't believe that Hamas had actually kidnapped all these people.
Doing some research yesterday, I came across this individual: Hanns Höhnscheid. As you can see, he is highly decorated, with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, German Cross, tank destruction badge in gold (+ two silver), and Close Combat Clasp and wound badge in silver.
I would argue that the Iranian Embassy siege in 1980 and the Falklands War in ‘82 were key moments in the Cold War. They raised the morale of the major democracies and demonstrated that outright military victories were still possible, in an era of defeatist futilitarianism.
The British achievement in the Falklands in 1982 appears ever greater the more you learn how incredibly lame and defeatist most of the other free countries were at the time.
I'm pretty sure that the Argentine invasion of the Falklands in 1982 was an attempt to assert sovereignty over the islands, not 'reclaim' it as the BBC say here.
#FalklandIslands
If you didn't know: until about 25 years ago, milk was delivered to everybody's door - daily - in refillable glass bottles from electric milk floats. WTF!
I think this is the right decision: I can't agree with the idea that a native British citizen can be summarily stripped of her citizenship. She's our problem.
Arriving at Heathrow last week I was struck by the swathe of different passports holders (including all EU) that are entitled to use the automated machines in the UK. This just reminds me what a vengeful petty-minded organisation the EU can be.
Glum Brits waiting in static line at Oslo airport for an analogue stamp, while EU and Norwegian passengers sweep through the digital barriers. Embarrassing Brexit self-harm in one shot.
#brexit
Is everyone looking forward to ‘Operation Mincemeat’, the latest iteration of the posh-but-plucky-Brits-launch-secret-operation-which-had-marginal-to-no-influence-on-the-outcome-of-the-Second-World-War genre?
One horror of Hamas's grotesque barbarity is that the testimony of survivors is so similar to that of Holocaust survivors. Their homes were burned down; their families were murdered around them. Yet there are people in Europe expressing 'solidarity' with these cretins. 1/
Lest we forget, the coalition wasn't doing combat ops in Afghanistan. Some 'train, advise, assist', and some air support but mostly just hand-holding. And that was keeping the TB at bay and giving space for a settlement of sorts. Trump and Biden just kicked the ladder away.
As a veteran of Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, I don't think it's wrong to prosecute service personnel for crimes committed on operations. What is indefensible are endless attempts to repackage and repurpose evidence which was insufficient... 1/
If anyone's looking for a PhD subject, I suggest investigating the correlation between width of military cap and overall tinpot authoritarianism of the issuing nation. You're welcome.
I occasionally wonder whether a lot of WW1 and WW2 veterans didn't talk much about their wartime experiences because so many of their contemporaries had been through similar experiences and it would have just bored the tits off them.
Almost all 'Brits' who do this are dual nationals, and good for them, in my opinion. Terrorism is a vile scourge and the actions of Hamas on 7 October were entirely criminal.
It is a crime under British law for a British nationals to serve in a foreign army under the 'Foreign Enlistment Act 1870' making it a criminal offence.
@TerrorismPolice
@metpoliceuk
what are you doing to stop Britons fighting for
@IDF
Here's a quick thread on David Irving. Firstly, there seems to be something of a myth that he 'turned to the dark side' in the 1980s. This is not correct; he was always an admirer of Hitler. He got into trouble for this at Brentwood School and at Imperial College. 1/
Members of the SS-Special Regiment 'Dirlewanger' in the early days of the Warsaw uprising in 1944. 'Special' meant they were largely convicted criminals, offered redemption if they participated in murders and suicidal missions. In Warsaw they massacred civilians by the thousands.
Three photos from a short sequence by Waffen-SS photographer Schremmer showing members of the SS-Special Unit Dirlewanger in action in Warsaw during the August 1944
#WarsawUprising
. 1/
If Hamas wanted to create an ethical issue from this operation, they could have instructed their terrorists to behave with restraint towards Israeli civilians. Instead they've gone with the murderous orgy, which figures.
#BREAKING
Pro-palestine protesters DESTROY historic painting of Lord Balfour in Trinity College at the University of Cambridge, by spraying and then slashing it.
BREAKING — Zelensky refused to meets Russians in Minsk for negotiations.
“Warsaw, Istanbul, Baku - we have offered these cities to Russia for negotiations. And any other city from where missiles do not fly to Ukraine. But not Minsk.”
Here's a thought: the election itself has been no more nasty or depressing than usual, it's the social media response to it which has been awful. Discuss.
Much as I admire and respect our American colleagues, they do do some ridiculous shit. Get those sunglasses off you scruffy wankers! 'Tuck in your shirt', FFS. 🙄
Jeremy Corbyn's poor old mum must be turning in her grave if she was actually at Cable Street, now that her two boys are actually supporting the fascists.
THREAD Let's start a long thread about how Russian book market prepared Russians for a full-scale war against Ukraine, NATO, the West, and promoted stalinism and nazism, and how this was ignored by the West. Keep seat belts fasten, you will see a lot of nasty things here.
Repellent as Shamima Begum probably is, I don't believe that the UK government should have the power to deprive a native citizen of his or her citizenship. Try her for treason.
There's an endemic problem with British military history, in that there is a tendency to perpetuate myths in order not to upset veterans. I've just listened to a well-regarded podcast doing just that about a subject I know quite a lot about and it bothers me. 1/
Like these three: Sgts Smith, Walker and Lewis, who jumped into Arnhem and also managed to get away, together with their film. I guess 80% or more of the iconic images of the British Army in WW2 were taken by members of the AFPU. 3/
Hey history tweeps! I had a chat with
@guywalters
yesterday about *us* creating some interesting content to while away the long lockdown hours. But I also thought I might work up a series of talks about the Brits who fought for the Nazis in WW2. Thinking about early March...
Five events that will change every man's life
1) A friend betraying you.
2) The death of your father.
3) Winning a fight.
4) Losing a fight.
5) Finding out the woman you love had sex with someone else.
Forget the appointment of the new CGS. Top military news is that No 2 son will become adjutant of his battalion next year, following in the footsteps of his brother who is currently adjt of his battalion, but not - strangely - their father who was never adjutant of anything.
For what it's worth, I met the Duke of Edinburgh four or five times in his role as Colonel in Chief of the Intelligence Corps; the last time in 2017. He always struck me as a keenly interested, no-nonsense, perceptive man. He had a good innings but he'll be missed. RIP.
I'm in Baghdad; it's cold and pissing down outside; I'm watching a film whilst wearing a military fleece (with rank badge), t-shirt, boxers and socks; and drinking alcohol free lager. Don't let anyone tell you army life isn't glamorous.
#livingthedream