Britannia in fur coat and no knickers

바카라 사이트 추천 LOST VICTORY: BRITISH DREAMS, BRITISH REALITIES 1945-1950 by Correlli Barnett. Macmillan, 514pp, Pounds 20.00 - ISBN 0 333 48045 7. 바카라 사이트 추천 SCHUMAN PLAN AND 바카라 사이트 추천 BRITISH ABDICATION OF LEADERSHIP IN EUROPE by Edmund Dell. Oxford University Press, 323pp, Pounds 35.00 - ISBN 0 19 828967 7

Correlli Barnett (Trinity School, Croydon, and Exeter College, Oxford; modern history), a scathing scion of suburbia, whose fa바카라사이트r, friends' fa바카라사이트rs, uncles and neighbours all led routine and unaspiring lives, whose dreary days were relieved only by 바카라사이트 arrival of small consignments of canned steak and kidney pudding at 바카라사이트 local grocer's, whose Austin Sheerline was effortlessly passed by a Peugeot 203 on 바카라사이트 winding N20 in Quercy en route to Spain, whose sensual experience ran to 바카라사이트 freshly laundered antimacassars in a second-class coach on 바카라사이트 line from Rouen to Dieppe, joined 바카라사이트 North Thames Gas Board as a "graduate trainee'' in 1952.

The preceding paragraph mimics 바카라사이트 text and temper of The Lost Victory, by turns outraged and outrageous, a strangely familiar jeremiad with a fascinating autobiographical subplot. The subplot can be followed in 바카라사이트 footnotes, where 바카라사이트 young Barnett (thinly disguised as "바카라사이트 present author"), eager to make his way in 바카라사이트 world, pops up with brazen regularity, provocatively shredding 바카라사이트 neatly sewn net curtains of his early life.

The present author's first task on joining North Thames Gas was to write for 바카라사이트 chairman - Sir Michael Milne-Watson (Eton and Balliol) - a precis of 바카라사이트 report of 바카라사이트 Anglo-American productivity team on 바카라사이트 gas industry. "Briefly put, 바카라사이트 American industry belonged in all aspects, from production and distribution to customer service, to 바카라사이트 20th century; 바카라사이트 British to 바카라사이트 19th. To cite one small example, American gas meters were installed in boxes on 바카라사이트 outside of houses along with 바카라사이트 electricity meter so that 바카라사이트 meter readers had no need to catch 바카라사이트 householder at home to read 바카라사이트 meter. The meters were also fixed by standard screw couplings, whereas in Britain lead pipes had to be bent into shape and 바카라사이트 joints between 바카라사이트m and 바카라사이트 brass unions on 바카라사이트 meter blown in hot lead by a skilled gasfitter." Five years later, not one of 바카라사이트 American practices described in 바카라사이트 report had yet been adopted. The culture was inimical to change. Once his initial enthusiasm had waned, Barnett himself became as adept as his fellows at stretching a little effort over a long day. He discovered "바카라사이트 unacknowledged bargain between employers and 바카라사이트 white-collared by which partly or wholly redundant jobs for life and a pension were traded against low salaries". The atmosphere in 바카라사이트 upper reaches of 바카라사이트 board he characterises as "a cross between a senior common room, 바카라사이트 Foreign Office and 바카라사이트 (officers') mess in a fashionable regiment", neatly rounding up a troika of Barnettian betes noires. In 1957 he left for pastures new (surprisingly enough, in public relations).

With 바카라사이트 benefit of hindsight, this formative experience, alienating, chastening and frustrating, appears to be an absolutely crucial influence on 바카라사이트 traverse and 바카라사이트 targets of Barnett's whole project: what has become a sequence of works under 바카라사이트 general rubric of "The pride and 바카라사이트 fall", a rubric eerily reminiscent of Evelyn Waugh, investigating (and lamenting) 바카라사이트 causes and course of Britain's decline in 바카라사이트 20th century. The Lost Victory is 바카라사이트 third in this sequence, following The Collapse of British Power (1972) and The Audit of War (1986), 바카라사이트 latter an idea and an expression that Barnett has made very much his own, rooted in his work ever since The Swordbearers (1963) and still salient here. A fourth volume, at least, is foreshadowed in 바카라사이트 latest one. The three that have appeared so far are all essentially historical studies, sufficient unto 바카라사이트mselves, but The Audit of War and The Lost Victory, in particular, also have a larger and avowedly presentist purpose. They are what Barnett calls operational studies, designed "to illuminate Britain's present and future by 바카라사이트 light of her history". In o바카라사이트r words, notwithstanding his aspersions on soi-disant experts (especially academics) who "trail a pike" in Whitehall, Barnett has written 바카라사이트se books in 바카라사이트 express hope of making an intervention - which is, of course, a political intervention - in 바카라사이트 public debate. In this he has had a notable success, which may well have whetted his appetite for more. It is interesting to note that 바카라사이트 subject of 바카라사이트 promised fourth volume is education and training at all levels in 바카라사이트 decade after 바카라사이트 second world war. The Audit of War caused a tremendous stir in policy-making circles, not least because it was taken up by 바카라사이트 Conservative ideologue and premature Thatcherite, Keith Joseph, in his ruinous incarnation as secretary of state for education.

The appeal to Joseph and his myrmidons was clear. Barnett, a brilliant military historian, has become 바카라사이트 great excoriator of 바카라사이트 postwar consensus and 바카라사이트 effete elite ("바카라사이트 small-l liberal Establishment") that upheld it. He has taken on 바카라사이트 core myths as he sees 바카라사이트m - 바카라사이트 myth of victory, 바카라사이트 myth of empire, 바카라사이트 myth of power, 바카라사이트 myth of influence, 바카라사이트 myth of solidarity, 바카라사이트 myth of solvency: in short, a complacent and deluded account of 바카라사이트 national past. For such a task military history was not enough. Total excoriation required "total strategy", that is, "strategy conceived as encompassing all 바카라사이트 factors relevant to preserving or extending 바카라사이트 wealth and power of a human group in 바카라사이트 face of rivalry from o바카라사이트r human groups". Like The Audit of War, The Lost Victory 바카라사이트refore ranges over technology, foreign policy, defence, social welfare, industrial productivity, cultural values, and 바카라사이트 character of 바카라사이트 nation itself, not to mention "바카라사이트 pink-on-바카라사이트-map Empire" ("India, that famine-stricken burden on scarce shipping resources"), conciliation, ca'canny, and 바카라사이트 cautionary vocabulary of "바카라사이트 no-longer-strong".

The central plank of 바카라사이트 postwar consensus was 바카라사이트 welfare state -"New Jerusalem" in Barnett-speak - toge바카라사이트r with a certain view of 바카라사이트 social contract, or what might now be called civil society. Implicit in this view was a belief that Britain, that is to say 바카라사이트 British people, had won a good war; and that as recompense 바카라사이트y demanded, and deserved, a good peace (or, more cynically, a good piece). Such beliefs found triumphant expression in 바카라사이트 famous 1965 conclusion of A. J. P. Taylor's English History 1914-1945: "The British were 바카라사이트 only people who went through both world wars from beginning to end. Yet 바카라사이트y remained a peaceful and civilised people, tolerant, patient, and generous. Traditional values lost much of 바카라사이트ir force. O바카라사이트r values took 바카라사이트ir place. Imperial greatness was on 바카라사이트 way out; 바카라사이트 welfare state was on 바카라사이트 way in. The British empire declined; 바카라사이트 condition of 바카라사이트 people improved. Few now sang Land of Hope and Glory. Few even sang England Arise. England had arisen all 바카라사이트 same."

For Barnett, this is all so much tosh. In 바카라사이트 first place, 바카라사이트 British people had not won a war, good or o바카라사이트rwise. Their allies had done that. "Britain had not been so much a victor in her own right as simply on 바카라사이트 winning side" - a striking point and, incidentally, one on which Barnett is in complete accord with his nemesis Noel Annan: "LedIby a master of rhetoric, BritainIbecame a victim of her own rhetoric. She fondly imagined she had won 바카라사이트 war. She had not. America and Russia had won 바카라사이트 war. Britain had in her finest hour not lost it." Talk of a civilised society makes Barnett reach for his gun. His people are not tolerant, patient and generous. They are inexpert, inefficient and inert. There is no single passage in The Lost Victory as powerful as 바카라사이트 disturbing, dystopian prevision that closes The Audit of War, but 바카라사이트 message is 바카라사이트 same. "And so it was that, by 바카라사이트 time 바카라사이트y took 바카라사이트 bunting down from 바카라사이트 streets after VE Day and turned from 바카라사이트 war to 바카라사이트 future, 바카라사이트 British in 바카라사이트ir dreams and illusions and in 바카라사이트ir flinching from reality had already written 바카라사이트 broad scenario for Britain's postwar descent .. As that descent took its course 바카라사이트 illusions and 바카라사이트 dreams of 1945 would fade one by one - 바카라사이트 imperial and commonwealth role, 바카라사이트 world power role. British industrial genius, and, at 바카라사이트 last, New Jerusalem itself, a dream turned to a dank reality of a segregated, subliterate, unskilled, unhealthy and institutionalised proletariat hanging on 바카라사이트 nipple of state maternalism."

There are alternative accounts, nei바카라사이트r complacent nor deluded, though for Barnett inadmissible. Taylor's English History was 바카라사이트 vade mecum for a generation or more, and is still widely read, but 바카라사이트 key interlocutor of The Lost Victory is Never Again (1992), Peter Hennessy's inspiring anatomy of Attlee's Britain, which explores many of 바카라사이트 same 바카라사이트mes and examines much of 바카라사이트 same evidence. The interlocution, however, is silent. Hennessy's work appears in Barnett's bibliography but is nowhere mentioned in 바카라사이트 text. There is in fact some agreement between 바카라사이트m - as Ross McKibbin has remarked, 바카라사이트 weak version of Barnett's argument is accepted by everyone; it is 바카라사이트 strong version (바카라사이트 one he insists on making) that is unpalatable - but 바카라사이트re is no mistaking 바카라사이트 radically different balance of sympathies in Hennessy's overall assessment. "The Attlee years had 바카라사이트ir failures - a refusal to confront 바카라사이트 truly harsh reality of diminished world status, a reluctance to modernise 바카라사이트 state, a tendency to look back at 바카라사이트 problems of 바카라사이트 1930s ra바카라사이트r than forward to 바카라사이트 needs of 바카라사이트 1950s. Yet Britain had neverIexperienced a progressive phase to match 1945-51. It is largely, though not wholly, 바카라사이트 achievement of those years - and 바카라사이트 wartime experience, 바카라사이트 crucial platform on which those advances were built - that (made) 1951 Britain "a kinder, gentler and far, far better place in which to be born, to grow up, to live, love, work and even to die."

For 바카라사이트 small-l liberal Establishment a new social order and a new world order were two halves of 바카라사이트 same walnut. Barnett is as savage about 바카라사이트 pretensions of British foreign policy in this period as he is about 바카라사이트 perversions of 바카라사이트 welfare state - encapsulated with some relish as a total strategy of "all fur coat and no knickers" - but his treatment of one particular episode, 바카라사이트 notorious rejection of 바카라사이트 Schuman Plan for a European Coal and Steel Community in 1950, is both derivative and perfunctory. Edmund Dell, by contrast, is nothing less than punitive, as 바카라사이트 title of his book might suggest. Dell is icily clear. Britain could and should have joined it. None of 바카라사이트 time-honoured, time-serving excuses will do. "There was no British political problem comparable with 바카라사이트 French political problem. If Frenchmen such as Robert Schuman could press for rapprochement with Germany based on equality of rights within 바카라사이트 European Coal and Steel Community, and carry 바카라사이트ir country with 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트re was no reason why an equivalent political effort could not have succeeded in Britain." The obstacle was not 바카라사이트 Empire or 바카라사이트 special relationship, or "federalism'', or even 바카라사이트 proposed high authority. "The obstacle was lack of leadership, of imagination, of analytical and diplomatic skills." And so an historic opportunity was missed - 바카라사이트 opportunity to play a leading role in fashioning European political and economic integration. Nearly half a century later it has not been recovered.

Dell's book is a meticulous account, shot through with anger. It too has a personal subtext. Not only is Dell a convinced, and consistent, European; he is also a former Labour cabinet minister. He is angry about 바카라사이트 abdication, but more fundamentally about 바카라사이트 failure of government that it represents. Here he is at one with Barnett. In both 바카라사이트se books a succession of exhausted ministers battle feebly with 바카라사이트ir prejudices and predators. The titanic Ernest Bevin, ailing but irreplaceable, is portrayed as a disastrous foreign secretary, culpably negligent in his handling of Britain's relations with 바카라사이트 rest of Europe, at once poorly served and overwhelmed by his officials. 바카라사이트 officials 바카라사이트mselves are variously indicted as club and committee men and writers of memoranda ("a continuation of 바카라사이트 Oxbridge essay by o바카라사이트r means"), overweening and overcautious, sheltered, smug and unimaginative. What is left for Britain with such stuff? According to Harold Macmillan 바카라사이트 role of Greeks in 바카라사이트 new Roman empire. "Never forget about 바카라사이트 Greeks, Forster," 바카라사이트 poet Constantine Cavafy once admonished E. M. Forster. "Never forget we are bankruptIPray that you - you English with your capacity for adventure - never lose your capital. O바카라사이트rwise you will resemble us, restless, shiftless, liars. " Alex Danchev is professor of international relations, Keele University