By convention, the MP for Wycombe leads prayers in All Saints’ Church on Remembrance Day and I feel privileged to be allowed to continue the tradition. These are the prayers I used today: Let us give thanks for those who, in the day of decision, ventured their all for the liberty that we now enjoy. May we strive to maintain freedom in our nation, in Europe and in the world, and to safeguard the peace which was won at such cost. [...]
Tags: Peace, Remembrance Day, War
Today, the Commons will debate this motion brought forward by John Baron MP: That this House believes that the use of force against Iran would be wholly counter-productive and would serve only to encourage any development of nuclear weapons; and calls upon the Government to rule out the use of force against Iran and reduce tensions by redoubling diplomatic efforts. It is being met by the following proposed amendment: Line 1, leave out from ‘House’ to end and add ‘supports [...]
Tags: International relations, Iran, Nuclear Weapons, Parliament, Peace, War
Let us give thanks for those who, in the day of decision, ventured their all for the liberty that we now enjoy. May we strive to maintain freedom in our nation, in Europe and in the world, and to safeguard the peace which was won at such cost. Today, I will be joining the Mayor of High Wycombe, Cllr Chaudhary Allah Ditta, at the Remembrance Day parade and service at All Saints, where I will lead prayers. In the evening, I [...]
Tags: Peace, Remembrance Day, War, Wycombe
Via Libya and the War Powers Act – NYTimes.com, comment on Obama’s conflict with Congress over whether US participation is within his authority: It would be hugely costly — for this country’s credibility, for the future of NATO and for the people of Libya — if Congress were to force President Obama to abandon military operations over Libya. However, Mr. Obama cannot evade his responsibility, under the War Powers Act, to seek Congressional approval to continue the operation. … But the [...]
Tags: International relations, Libya, Sophistry, USA, War
From the Mises store: How Government in the Ancient World Tried to Deal with Modern Problems What a fantastic way to learn ancient history: via the parallels with modern times. H.J. Haskell was a journalist with a huge background in ancient history, and here he does what everyone has wanted done. He details the amazing catalog of government interventions in old Rome that eventually brought the empire down. He shows the spending, the inflating, the attempt to fix prices and [...]
Tags: Books, History, Inflation, Market Intervention, Rome, Social Justice, War
Via “1945-1998″ by Isao Hashimoto, a thought-provoking video which puts a particular context on nuclear detonations and radiation: This piece of work is a bird’s eye view of the history by scaling down a month length of time into one second. No letter is used for equal messaging to all viewers without language barrier. The blinking light, sound and the numbers on the world map show when, where and how many experiments each country have conducted. I created this work [...]
Tags: History, Nuclear Weapons, War
Via The Telegraph: Tony Blair sidelined the Cabinet over the decision to invade Iraq because he feared ministers would leak sensitive material to the press, the head of the civil service has said. For the moment, this speaks for itself and to the nature of the Blair government, but I’m looking forward to the eventual report of the Iraq Inquiry. In the meantime, you may wish to read the brief treaty which is the Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928. It provided for [...]
Tags: Government, New Labour, Peace, War
Ex-fighter pilots and relatives of war heroes joined commemorations as Sir Winston Churchill’s stirring ‘so much owed by so many to so few’ speech was read out, prompting tears in the crowd. The actor Robert Hardy began reading out the speech at 3.52pm, exactly 70 years after the wartime prime minister delivered it in Parliament. via War planes mark 70th anniversary of Winston Churchill’s Battle of Britain speech – Telegraph. You can find the text of the speech here.
Tags: Heroism, Liberty, RAF, War
I find most accounts of the Second World War unsatisfying. They usually focus on the events of the war and the actions and speeches of individuals. Rarely does an account consider the ideas which prompted particular courses of action. In a previous post, I excerpted sections of Omnipotent Government: The Rise of the Total State and Total War. Having now finished it, I can advise that it is a satisfying read for those interested in the ideas behind the actions [...]
Tags: Books, economics, History, Ideas, Mises, War
Today is the anniversary of one of the most extraordinary battles fought during the Cold War. The battle by the (Glorious) Gloucester Regiment against an entire Chinese army at the Imjin River was one of the most exceptional moments of the war against totalitarian socialism. So, please, if you are minded, do join me to remember what price people paid on all sides in the battle between freedom and state control. You can find a related video here. I will [...]
Tags: Armed Forces, Heroism, Imjin River, Liberty, Socialism, War
Steve Baker is MP for Wycombe. He was previously an RAF officer then a business software consultant. Find out more...
Steve holds regular surgeries in High Wycombe. If you would like an appointment, please call 01494 448408.
