Monday, July 22, 2013

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

From his childhood onward this boy will be surrounded by sycophants and flatterers by the score—[Cries of ‘Oh, oh!’]—and will be taught to believe himself as of a superior creation. [Cries of ‘Oh, oh!’] A line will be drawn between him and the people whom he is to be called upon some day to reign over. In due course, following the precedent which has already been set, he will be sent on a tour round the world, and probably rumours of a morganatic alliance will follow—[Loud cries of ‘Oh, oh!’ and ‘Order!’]—and the end of it all will be that the country will be called upon to pay the bill.

Keir Hardie, House of Commons speech (1894)

4 comments:

Azg said...

Very apposite! As true now as it was then. Sadly.

It is amusing that the child there mentioned turned out to be quite a disaster.

Poor old Keir Hardie - he was all in favour of Scottish independence and all in favour of socialism, and he must be turning in his grave at what the supposed "Labour Party" has become. Socialist, pacifist ... of course he would be thrown out of the current "Labour Party".

Thank you for posting that wonderful quotation. :)


J. R. Tomlin said...

True. He must be dizzy from turning in his grave at what Labour has turned into.

Christel said...

This is gorgeous!

J. R. Tomlin said...

Thanks! :)