Seneca
The official British government website publishes transcripts of major political speeches. This afternoon our disastrous departing PM, Elizabeth Truss, stood outside 10, Downing Street and gave her arrogant and unapologetic farewell speech. A couple of hours later it appeared on the website.
In this extract with its pseudo-intellectual quotation, they ironed out her bumbling hesitation:-
As the Roman philosopher Seneca wrote: “It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare. It is because we do not dare that they are difficult.”
An accurate transcript of her delivery of this piece should have gone something like this:-
As the Roman philosopher Gurr (stumble) Seneg..(momentary pause) ca wrote: “It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare. It is because we do not dare that they are difficult.”
I wonder who wrote Ms Truss's last speech? Clearly she is not a student of Roman literature. It would have been advisable to rehearse it with a speech coach in attendance. Then she might have learnt to say Seneca properly, perhaps realising that there is no "g" in the middle.
I guess she wanted to associate herself with classical wisdom which in my view was terribly presumptuous. It would have been more appropriate to liken herself to The Kardashians and to pick one of their most famous quotations. Hence:-
As the American philosopher Kim Kardashian said, "I love the sun but don't have the time to get a good tan and keep it year - round, so I am a huge fan of tanning products."
OR
As the American philosopher Khloe Kardashian said, "I'm proud of myself. I could break and go get all this plastic surgery and get my nose fixed and get lipo or do whatever, but I haven't chosen to do that because I know I'm a great person. I'm pretty damn hot, if you ask me."
I wonder what Seneca himself might have made of Truss's use of his words. He might still be turning restlessly in his grave if he has one.
Seneca was born in present day Spain in 4BC and died in Rome in AD65. He was an influential writer and thinker, contributing significantly to Stoicism. He was also the Emperor Nero's personal tutor in his youth. He wrote numerous plays, letters and essays including my personal favourite "De Brevitate Vitae" which reflects on the nature of time and how we use it. It was probably written to his father-in-law Pompeius Paulinus in 49AD.
Perhaps one day important people will use wise quotes by Elizabeth Truss when they leave office:-
As the British prime-minister Truss said, "I have to admit I don't like pizza. I love it. And I am prepared to do literally anything to get my hands on a slice."
Not Seneca...with her husband and daughters looking on earlier today
He husband looks a bit like David Cameron. Is there a production line that churns out these posh and elite male specimens? In a decade you will receive quizzical looks when you mention former PM Truss.
ReplyDeleteNot at all! There are already plans afoot to make a cartoon series about her - along the lines of "Family Guy". There'll be T-shirts, jigsaws, souvenir mugs - everything.
DeleteHaving spent 44 days in office, Liz Truss is eligible for a pension of £115,000 a year for the rest of her useless life.
ReplyDeleteThis empty-headed and pathologically immature woman has so damaged the British economy that we have sunk lower than Greece.
Even the pox-ridden Daily Mail admitted that the NHS in Scotland is on life support because of Kwasi Kwarteng's mini-budget.
Truss and Kwarteng may have dealt the death blow to our National Health Service; they and their evil tribe hate socialised medicine, which was the 1945 Labour government's great legacy to our people, who had suffered so much during the Great Depression and the Second World War.
Labour will win the next election, but they will be unable to carry out the programme of social regeneration this broken country desperately needs.
Starmer's government will have to deal with the shit the Tories have left us with.
The name Liz Truss will be a curse word for British children growing up in an economic wilderness.
Damn you, Truss.
Truss off Haggerty! Ye trussing truss!
DeleteSome of these people are "out of their depth" and don't know it. It's been a very sad situation.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher, I knew I never wanted to be the headteacher of a large secondary school. I didn't have the skills or the character to do that job. Maybe Truss should have looked in the mirror too!
DeleteI didn't know she has daughers. What are they going through at school, I wonder.
ReplyDeleteAnd even if one (like me) has not studied Roman literature, one can know how to pronounce Seneca. It's not exactly rocket science, is it.
That's one thing Seneca knew nothing about - rocket science!
DeleteI got a little confused for a moment, thinking of Senna when I read Seneca, of course Senna is a laxative and thinking of Truss might have that effect on some people. I also looked up Senega, (Seneka, Senega Snakeroot) in ancient times (maybe 200 years ago), it is a plant which is very useful in reducing chronic congestion.
ReplyDeleteWhat - you mean chronic traffic congestion?
Delete!!!
DeleteI'm just glad she's gone. Unfortunately all the problems she's caused won't go so quickly.
ReplyDeleteShe has trussed this country good and proper and yet she'll get a salary of £115,000 pa for the rest of her life! I can't see her declining it.
DeleteJohnson had a penchant for Latin history as well. I feel sorry for Truss for not understanding the world that she lived in. It should never be forgotten in Roman history that they took a great tumble in history. In Britain 410 AD is the time given they disappeared into the pit of the 'Dark Ages'. So be it! Also think of her two daughters forever pictured with their mother in her resignation speech - what an inheritance.
ReplyDelete"Oh, I am so proud of my mummy! If they had only listened to her England would be ruling the planet once again! At least, that's what Mummy said at Pizza Express last night," said Liberty O'Leary.
DeleteI wonder how Mr/Mrs/Ms/? H votes!
ReplyDeleteWell I don't know who you are talking about Potty! You must be Potty!
DeleteHaggerty's comment that was full of bile. I was being sarcastic.
DeleteAH! Now I get it! Thanks!
DeleteTo Potty :
DeleteMy incandescent anger is for the young who will suffer for many years in our bleak post-Brexit Britain, and all because of the arrogance and hubris of a woman who was not fit to run a corner shop.
Truss was a kind of Manchurian Candidate (see George Monbiot on YouTube) put in place to please the dark money in London.
Roberto Saviano said London is the most corrupt economic capital in the world.
Our politicians let this happen.
Who is your health care provider, Potty?
Soon there may be no National Health Service owing to the disaster of Kwarteng's mini-budget which was condemned by former Tory chancellor Kenneth Clark and everyone else.
The neoliberal ultras do not believe in socialised medicine and want to strangle it like a baby in the cradle.
Haggerty is a man of 71 years, the son of an engineer, the grandson of a miner.
I have voted Labour or Liberal Democrat.
As from this week I have gone over to Scottish Independence, something I could never have imagined.
The Union is broken beyond repair.
Scotland cannot suffer another right-wing government in Westminster run by crypto-fascists like Truss, who will never have to worry about money again.
Double damn her.
I think you have answered Potty most comprehensively John. I entirely share your view of the Truss debacle. However, I am sorry to learn that you have switched your political allegiance to The SNP. Labour people in the north of England are very sorry that our Scottish brothers and sisters have made our task of defeating The Tories so much harder. After all, Unity is Strength.
DeleteOn the risk this is vanishing in cyberspace or your spamfolder again, and not to repeat was has been written so far:
DeleteGiven the current situation, I think Labour is lucky not to have any responsibility, but can watch what the ‘Indian son rising over the empire’ will not achieve.
Unity is strength, Neil. You are the wiser man.
DeleteAs my father used to quote : An injury to one is an injury to all.
I am reading Jurgen Schmidt's 2019 biography:
*August Bebel - Social Democracy and the Founding of the Labour Movement* which I recommend.
August Bebel (1840-1913) was one of the giants of late 19th Century European socialism.
Truss and her legacy may help revive active support for social democracy.
We have had enough of neoliberalism. It leads to poverty & despair.
Like you I want to stand behind Keir Starmer and the British labour movement.
But why do the English keep voting for nitwits ?
We need proportional representation as Shirley Williams said long ago.
Reading all that has gone on in British politics over the past few years, I dread to think what the future holds for the country.
ReplyDeleteSeneca would no doubt put his fingers in his ears and start humming loudly, once she started up!
How ever briefly, she wanted to appear wise and well-read. Needless to say, it did not work.
DeleteThis is why people said from the beginning that she was unqualified for PM!
ReplyDeleteWhen she was at school, I bet she never brought her library books back.
DeleteThat 115000 Pounds a year pension will pay for some very nice pizza.
ReplyDeleteAnd an A3 family group photo-canvas to place over the fireplace plus a nice holiday cottage on The Sheep's Head Peninsula.
DeleteAnd how does everyone feel about the incoming PM? Is he as daft or is there hope?
ReplyDeleteHe is a Conservative (akin to The Republicans) but a smoother and more capable operator. However, the people did not vote for him.
DeleteTrue wisdom is knowing the limits of your knowledge rather than pretending it is greater than it actually is.
ReplyDeleteDid Seneca also say that? He hit the nail on the head.
DeleteNo, it was my guitar teacher in Hull, named Tim Keech, except he put it far more eloquently: "it takes you ten years before you begin to realise how crap you are."
DeleteHow nice it must have been to have such an encouraging teacher. If he is still alive, he plays with "Mad Dog and the Sophisticats". I just looked it up.
Delete