Created 24-08-2015, Changed; 03-03-2020, 29-12-2017
Old this webpage; http://ww1.andrew-lohmann.me.uk/perspective/The-best-and-finest/
Politicians of the highest integrity;
Up until 1980 it is perceived that Prime Minsters were of the highest integrity. Or perhaps they just had better manners - so they did not sound racist, down on the poor and disabled or jingoistic as some do now?
It is my opinion the highest integrity on offered after 1980 were; Michael Foot, Neal Kinnock, John Smith, John Major. but also Mrs Thatcher in a distorted sort of look after the bankers and machines of war, way. But now people vote for celebrity and shallow populist words. Neither the finest Michael Foot and also Winston Churchill were shallow but are reckoned to be the best orators of the 20th century. Winston Churchill and Tony Blair both spun words particularly well.
My meaning of Integrity;- true to there cause not that there cause was true or good. Mrs Thatcher was absolutely true to her cause and had it carried out to a very high degree of success. That despite a very high level of division - Miners strikes, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, NHS demonstrations and a lot of satire such as the prime ministers cabinet being called her vegetables by the TV series Spitting Image. Mrs Thatcher's power started to decline when she started saying "I" rather than "We" and hit people in the poll TAX pocket. By her earlier standards a failure by people who had previously supported her a mistake.
This discussion on Harold Wilson being a Prime Minster of high integrity is based on a discussion on Facebook. It was observed in that discussion that Prime Minster Wilson's Northern accent, was very rare in those days of received pronunciation. Significantly though Integrity is strongly associated with northern accent which is bound with northern hands on engineering and manufacture. Those being honest doing things as opposed to finance and trade associated with middlemen. Middlemen are associated fairly sometimes and unfairly other times with live off someone else effort.
Personally I thought both Ted Heath and Jim Callaghan were the most true and honest Prime Minister of the 1970's and any since. But the point in that Facebook discussion is good and a fair general acceptable point.
There is a considerably commonality between PM's; Churchill, Wilson, Thatcher and Blair. They were each in there time the most popular and successful Prime Minsters. This may also be true of US President Ronald Regan and Bill Clinton (but for other wrong reasons that is by showing Clinton to be a red blooded American using his position to advantage and having sex with his sectary).
They were all superb public orators or communicators and said what people wanted to hear clearly. (Mrs Thatcher was not a good speaker uniquely though)
Those Prime Minsters told lots of big white lies that most people wanted to believe and everyone knew were lies.
People wanted or needed those lies To;
Win a war when the chances were so against unless everyone pulled an exceptional effort for six years may win. They did and it worked. (war is still the worst possible outcome)
Harold Wilson may have said "The Labour Party is a Broad Church" (I think the quote is normally associated with him but is older) - As Prime Minister that is how he ran a Labour Government and that was necessary. So any lies once again could be said to be white lies.
Mrs Thatcher's first and most notable quote was "Where there is discord I may bring harmony ......." - I am approximately quoting the original not Mrs T's version that used modern language. It was the biggest lie told and exactly in tune with what everyone wanted to hear:- A lie to believe whilst - not doing any work and the banks create money for nothing and living off The North Sea oil bonanza. Destroyed the Coal miners, ended virtual full employment and the expectoration to be a working contributor to society lost as part of the collateral damage. The "Victorian Values" was a truer phrase that she used, the Victorians were spiteful an cruel - dropping pennies of charity on the destitute as they stepped over them on there way to fine and lavish event.
New Labour and Tony Blair - things can only get better. Whilst really little was possible (people did not know how it had been or too many had lost hope) but New Labour did more than should have been possible to make things better. (The dead people of Iraq were similarly collateral damage of American Wars that the UK parliament supported)
A big defeat in World War 2 was D-day spun into the little boats rescuing the allies. Was also important as it marked the end of the phoney war - that is war involved us it was not over there any more - as I said spun positive.
The public are mostly now persuaded not to vote for an honest prime minister. Prime Ministerial candidate Ed Milliband pressed on Radio 4 to say he would not keep promises made to the Scottish people for voting to stay in the Union was a quite distasteful aspect of the BBC's involvement in the last week or two of the 2015 General Election campaign. In other words to be electable that party leader was pressed to demonstrate lack of integrity and he was noticeably uncomfortable with that.
The two World Wars were a disaster in themselves because that is the nature of war. They set precedents for hatred and more war although people opposed those things. The formation of the military industrial complex which is now uncontrollable drain came out of the second world war. But also the formation of the state of Israel and the Zionist continual taking of Palestine and killing of the indigenous people who had previously all lived together and had been very settled.
-------------------------------------------------------------
The best in the world;
Scottish Whisky is the finest whisky in the world - this is a truth but may not be true.
2001 A Space Odyssey is the best film of the 20th century and that film's production quality of the best of 20th Century. This is the least controversial truth.
The film producer Stanley Kubrick had only made films his way and all of his films were equal to the one best of the best film of the best other film producers. Steve Spielberg's Dual is an early film of his and is probably his one best and the attention to atmospheric detail is very high. In Kubrick's film his screen play author, space and technology advisor is Author C Clark who is the best. Produced by the one of the best film studio's and these were in the UK then so they took time in making long exposure film shots of most plausible spaceships with fine detail. The only mistake in the film is that Dave breaths in rather than he should have breathed out before making the brief trip in the vacuum of space. Stanley Kurbrick worked with people the way that they worked I observe and he had deep hands-on technical knowledge of all aspects of film, production and narration. The actor who played space astronaut Dave is consulted and some scenes are done in that actor's suggested way. But other actors who worked another way would have lines written to do straight.
British Engineering is second to none. A truth that was generally very true and very widely understood beyond the countries boundaries but is not so now.
I worked as an electronics design engineer for an old British scientific instrument maker for thirty years. There was a strong culture of doing things efficiently and correctly which had been built up over many decades by the craftsmen and optical designers who worked at the company and fairly unqualified staff all worked the same way. The company's optical work regarded highly but within the company taken for granted and sometimes under valued. This company was so very typical of how British companies used to be and in turn companies used to employ people who could do the job regardless of paper qualifications.
This was true of many British companies up until the 1980. As the electronics design engineer I would often ask how accurately things were made in order assess by comparison with an electronic output. I the specialist show me, with pride, there normal way of working was of the very highest precision of work and practice but I also watched the same carried out by fairly "unqualified" people.
The last craftsman at the company was still there when I first came and he could do things and explain them precisely that no one else could do.
These truths are not unique but may seem to be at one level bet well know and understood at another level. They surely come about due to commercial interest not being the first thing but the last thing and that many of Stanley Kubrick's earliest films he financed himself proved himself and business does often have a good pragmatic attitude to making money that is if keeping out of the way largely works then do that.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The promotion of A Culture of community and kindness up until 1980
During the period up to till 1980 may films and TV cultivated community and worked on a complementary but another level. The World War two set film Sink The Bismarch is typical of that era of films portrays very well that the war was not enjoyable. That is across the board all and sides and the point is laid on thickly as well.
The German culture of fear and of losing face in - which in present times looks very much more like UK now.
The film has a lot of human comment such as when the news of the start of the end (sinking) of the Bismarch in the war room - "I thought I would be cheering but I can't" - and the reply - "I know it is always like that". And on the Bismarch - the letting down by the German air-force and the "tomorrow the world" letter. The Captain of the Bismarch is as human and as trapped in the situation as is everyone.
What the film does not portray is any one being really evil but at worst they are trapped by circumstance. In reality there are a few really bad people who bully and manipulate and break things.
----------------------------------------------------
TV changes and becomes shallow;
The last episode of BBCTV Dr Who story of 1966, "The Massacre" and marks the end of the real like him or hate him first Doctor Who era. An era where in TV going back to then acting portrayed real people, no sparkle and was historical, scientific accuracy as far is established known. The original Star Trek though more nice and tame similarly you could not like Captain Kirk and that captain would portray remorse over some of his actions such as towards women.
The era change associated with the second Doctor Who played by Patrick Troughton but as I say it started earlier. Some of the later Doctor Who's recapture it a bit. Other 1960s TV shows like Steptoe and Son, Till Death Do Us part. Blake's 7 of 1980 particularly has a strong human factor and so does the 5th Doctor of the early 1980s - he turns out is not to be wet or is very wet but means well. A real knight putting one of his lives down to save Peri, Adric's dies to save the earth is the best told tragedy in all classic Dr. Who - Earth Shock (1982). The titles go up in sciences leaving the shock with the viewers after the end of that story which is different to the ending of any other TV series story but like it is with real life.
All TV series have bad acting scripts or production - Patrick Troughton fills in with running about and clowning so the viewers may not decern if it is scripted or filled in. This TV show had became a lighter show no more Cave of Skulls that would frighten a child.
But as I say the last half of this episode shows William Hartnell as an actor of playing human and flawed at its best. Dodo turns up is hijacked by the Doctor undermining a long argument the Dr had had with Steve but then Steve is undermined when Dodo is quite please when she is told she has been hijacked and may not ever go home - she has no parents or friends anyway she says.
Developing this point on film and TV see: http://blog.andrew-lohmann.me.uk/2017/10/swan-song-of-quality-bbctv.html