Clarification/Follow-up by tomder55 on 09/26/04 3:29 am:
All that I have read on the subject indicates that the events at Roarke's Drift have been portrayed accurately and indeed heroic.Typical cynicism would belittle their defensive achievment. Yes there is a comparison to make however ;At Roarkes Drift both sides had some sense of honor. The enemy has today has none.

Clarification/Follow-up by SanchoPanza on 09/26/04 3:43 am:
Accurately indeed? The defence of Roarke's drift was inspired by a Sergeant Dalton who convinced the two officers that to run would be futile and would result in the ignominious deaths of all the mobile men who abandoned the immovable sick. Yet it was a year before Dalton received any recognition despite Victoria Crosses being handed out to the officers, who also left the organisation of the defence to their subordinate, showing that much of the publicity after the event was politically motivated. Lord Chelmsford produced such a smokescreen over his command that it resulted in the public completely misunderstanding the motives of Disraeli's government in the war, as Disraeli tried to defend the expedition and the appointment of Chelmsford.
No doubt discipline and courage saved the detachment from slaughter but like at Dunkirk and at Corunna a total defeat was glossed over by celebrating a desperate rearguard action. There was little honour in the aftermath either, when the British Empire took its revenge and eventually swallowed up Zululand.

Clarification/Follow-up by tomder55 on 09/28/04 6:54 am:
Brown came out in support of Blair yesterday . Was that just posturing ? Does the Labour Party backing nationalizing the rail system a 'rebellion' against Blair ? Will the fox hunt protests be more of factoer than Iraq?

Clarification/Follow-up by SanchoPanza on 09/28/04 1:30 pm:
No member of the government will attack the Prime Minister. To do so he would have to resign first like Foriegn Secretary Ron Cook did over Iraq.
Brown praised his own handling of the economy and is playing the party game in public, waiting for his turn. Should there be a challenge to Blair it will come from a "stalking horse" an unlikely contender who will be the public challenger so that nobody has to reveal their disloyalty. Should the PM fare badly against a straw man of a candidate he would resign and the real contenders would come forward. This is exactly what happened with Thatcher. John Major would never have challened Thatcherbut once she was gone he was the closest thing the Conservatives had to replace her.
Most of the foxhunting supporters are Conservatives anyway.
Labour are likely to lose votes to the Liberal Democrats in affluent areas and to the breakaway Respect party led by George Galloway who was expelled from Labour for being too much of a socialist!
What we may end up with is a minority Gonvernmet of either Labour or Conservative forming a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. If that happens I think the price will be to introduce proportional representation which will envairiably mean more seats for minority parties in the future.

Clarification/Follow-up by tomder55 on 09/29/04 3:42 am:
Galloway? I thought he was discreditied over the Iraqi oil bribes and that is why he was kicked out .The al-Mada list clearly implicates him.

Clarification/Follow-up by SanchoPanza on 09/29/04 6:50 am:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3205889.stm