Churchill, Thatcher, Sidney Smith, and Wellington. All heroes that have rightly taken their place in the Great British pantheon. Each on has displayed courage and moral strength that we all must learn from, if we are to be good subjects of the Crown. We are often told that such people are slipping from public memory.Continue reading “On Little British Heroes.”
Author Archives: geoffreyhicking
Christmas Lecture: The future of the Royal Navy.
CHRISTMAS LECTURE: The Future of the Royal Navy. As we approach the New Year, the Western World must take stock of the post-COVID world. What challenges do we face? How can we meet them in a proportionate and effective way? One institution that is actively considering the challenges is the Royal Navy. Join the MaritimeContinue reading “Christmas Lecture: The future of the Royal Navy.”
On “Rule Britannia”.
Decolonising is all the rage. Rhodes has fallen, police are kneeling, and the woke are asleep. Now Rule Britannia is to be exorcised from the Last Night of the Proms. This blog has consistently tried to take an anti-imperial tone. While I can acknowledge the great things done by empire, I also seek to showContinue reading “On “Rule Britannia”.”
On Imperial Pride.
“If we’d done a deal with Hitler, we’d have kept the empire.” It is difficult to work out if those words were a parody of conservative imperial sentiments, or a genuine view of some fringe right-winger. What was indisputable was that they followed a long discussion on Conservativehome concerning Britain’s place in the European Union,Continue reading “On Imperial Pride.”
On Christianity.
Another rattling breath from the dying Church of England was issued this month, when the Dean of Sheffield Cathedral announced that the choir would be disbanded because it was too elitist and insufficiently diverse. It is difficult to work out the precise reasons why Sheffield Cathedral’s leadership decided to do this. The choir’s makeup isContinue reading “On Christianity.”
On Britain’s Future Defence Policy.
As has previously occurred, a debate is underway in Westminster as to the orientation of our future defence strategy. For some, our relative power is sufficiently stretched, that we can only hope to defend our nearest neighbours. The rise of Russia, and her extensive re-investment in naval forces and coastal missile batteries, has unnerved policyContinue reading “On Britain’s Future Defence Policy.”
On Brexit, and the American Revolution.
In 2017, I wrote this article examining the then-current state of affairs between Britain and the European Union post-Brexit. While I was unable to publish it at the time, I feel that it is thematically appropriate to publish it here to see if its views and predictions still hold water. Whether you be Brits rejoicingContinue reading “On Brexit, and the American Revolution.”
On Anti-Imperialism.
Anti-colonialism has a bad reputation in Britain. A small but influential minority has provoked widespread disgust at said elite’s craven shame for Britain’s past. An entire generation of young Brits have been raised on a diet of imperial atrocities and slave taking, secure in the mistaken impression that only Britain (or Europe) ever committed suchContinue reading “On Anti-Imperialism.”
On Remote Working.
In the span of a few months, remote-working has become the primary form of interaction between colleagues and businesses across the world. For those of us that were anticipating a gradual change to remote-working, this transformation has taken us unawares. It is now a fact of life for workers to engage in meetings that spanContinue reading “On Remote Working.”
On Modern Perceptions of the Past.
The prominent Bristollian and slave trader, Edward Colston, received a statue in the 1890s commemorating his philanthropy to the city of Bristol. That statue has now been toppled in a wave of BLM protests sweeping through the city. The history of the statue, and the controversy surrounding it, may be found here: https://unherd.com/2020/06/did-colston-deserve-his-watery-grave/ / https://www.conservativehome.com/localgovernment/2020/06/barry-lewis-our-cultural-heritage-can-be-uncomfortable-but-destruction-is-the-wrong-response.html One argumentContinue reading “On Modern Perceptions of the Past.”
On Maritime Decline.
“….it was as if the Royal Navy had never left its wooden walls. It still lingered in the shadow of the “Immortal Memory”, still hoping that Nelson, or someone like him, would magically appear at Portsmouth and lead the fleet to victory and glory. But he did not. Instead, the British navy would find itsContinue reading “On Maritime Decline.”
Computer Games and Western Civilisation.
Computer game. Video game. Those words are not the most respectable in Western Civilisation. Not by a long shot. For a long time, the average “gamer” was seen as an adolescent- or a physically mature manchild– in his parents’ cellar, shooting up exquisitely rendered simulacrums of downtown Los Angeles, or perhaps bashing orcs over theContinue reading “Computer Games and Western Civilisation.”
The Little Conservative 