Our Loose Canon...
with Canon Eric Woods DL
Forget and we’re condemned to repeat Never, in a million years, would I have imagined agreeing about any contentious issue with that doughty old Marxist, the actress Vanessa Redgrave. The former parliamentary candidate for the Workers’ Revolutionary Party holds – with passion and sincerity – so many views, values and opinions different from mine that it has come as a surprise to me to find myself agreeing with her latest comments – that statues put up to honour those who, despite their virtues, were participants in the slave trade, should not be pulled down. On the contrary, they must be retained. Redgrave’s view, which I share, is that if all the statues of those who had some connection, however tenuous, with slavery were to be pulled down, that
would erase the story of Britain’s part in the slave trade. Remove all visual reminders of that trade and participants in it, and the tragic story of our nation’s role in slavery will quickly be forgotten. Ironically, those who toppled the statue of Edward Colston (16361721) in Bristol last year were probably totally unaware that they were simply copying the reaction of tyrants and terrorists down the ages to images of those whose views and actions were unpalatable to them. I need to back that up with a few examples, don’t I? Well, how about the way that successive governments in Turkey have tried to erase all traces of Armenian history and culture ever since the ‘Armenian Genocide’ of 1915, when around one million ethnic Armenians
living in the east of Turkey were the victims of systematic mass murder and ethnic cleansing? Many of them were Christians. Many of their churches and other historic monuments have been bulldozed, and today there are fewer than 70,000 Armenians in Turkey, compared with the best part of two million prior to the genocide. Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, even Genghis Khan (c.1158 – 1227) spared the giant statues of the Buddha in the Bamyan province, which were built around 570 to 620 AD. His successors sometimes took pot shots at them, but it was the Taliban in 2001 who did the job properly. And if you think I am excusing Christians from this sorry story of destruction, what about the iconoclasts of the eighth century,
who smashed and destroyed Orthodox icons, or their Protestant successors in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries who tried to suppress the outward and visible signs of Catholic faith and belief? The simple truth is that any attempt to erase evidence of the past – and anyone or anything belonging to the past – can destroy our awareness both of what was evil and what was good. It can rob us of our ability to be alert to dangers which could easily return to haunt us, and to be inspired by great achievements which can encourage us into the future. The British Empire” was neither all bad nor all good. We need to be honest about the good and the bad alike – for the sake of future generations as well as our own.
376524. Atco cable electric rotary mower, model - Envoy 36, in good condition. Price £20 07523 515825. Stihl cable electric heavy duty strimmer, model FSE-60 £20. 07523 515825. Fitbike exercise bike, in good condition. £20 Fitbike exercise bike, in good condition £20. 07523 515825. Box trailer, 5ftx3ft fully enclosed. Lighting set and spare wheel, good condition £99. 07974 082293 / 01258 808313. Wardrobe, pine, good condition £35. 01258 808313. Exercise machine. Reebok GX50. Cross-trainer. Console gives heart rate and target rate. Very good condition £99. 01258 808313. Over the mantel gold mirror, Laura Ashley, £50. 01963 440146. Conservatory furniture. One chair, two-seater sofa and two tables, beige cushions, all excellent condition. £100. 01963 440146.
Ladies 17" Universal Mermaid leisure bicycle. pink & silver, wicker basket and Shimano gears. Lovely condition, £55 - Tel 07774 373007. Gentleman’s 21" Dawes Mojave leisure / touring bicycle. Green with Shimano gears and rear carrier. Lovely condition, £65 07774 373007. Heavy oak dining table, 4 matching chairs. Extends to 84 ins. Width 42". VGC £100 Buyer collects. 07747 784783. Portable therapist bed in carry case, rarely used £25 07749 536729. Tropical aquarium 135litres, 80cm wide, height 48cm, depth 40cm. £95ono. Moving house. 01963 210437. Small white chest of drawers 20” wide by 30” high. Free. 07858 232967. 3ft divan bed with mattress, excellent condition, £40. 07858 232967. Ladies’ Raleigh Chiltern Cycle with stand. In good condition £50. 07817 853224.
RFT TracTech motorbike allin-one leather race suit. Blue, white and black. UK size 44. Little used, £100. 01963 362561. Mig welder migatronic 140 mono, complete with gas cylinder. £80. 01935 435220. Adult mountain bike, Reebok aluminium frame, front suspension 21 gears Ex condition £80 07969 049654. Dresses long and short, skirts, tops, cardigans, shoes and boots size 6, some never worn size 12-ish. 07826 446485. Petrol hedge trimmer, Titan easy start, 24inch cutter bar, good condition £40 07969 049654. Brand new Esprit exercise bike, £50. 07826 446485. Telescopic ladder. T.B.Davies 3.8 metres proseries 2 xtend + climb. New unused. £100. 01747 840026. Vintage step ladders various sizes from £25 photos 01460 55105. NRS 3 wheeled Rollator walking aid with basket and
Items for Sale Segra Abu Garcia fishing rod. 7ft 9" 12lb £25 01258 840824. Large stainless steel push top bin. 80cm high 38cm diameter. £25 01258 840824. Red Giant Rock Bike shimano 21 gears. £40 01258 840824. Black Giant 6000 ALUXX bike shimano 16 gears rock shox front suspension. £40 01258 840824. 5ft headboard in Colefax & Fowler dark pink with contrasting C&F Hydrangea quilted bedspread. £45 for pair. Collect only 07831 376524. Bloom large silk flower display 50cmx50cm. Yellow tones £20. Collect only 07831 376524. Bush Record Player. VGC. £15. Collect only 07831 376524 Denon x 3 Component Unit: Audio Stereo Tuner, Amplifier & Tape Deck. £40. VCG. Collect only 07831 376524. Large F&M wicker hamper (67cm x 50cm x 45 cm). VCG. £15. Collect Only. 07831 30
