Mordechai Brown

An Australian Politician Fiddling whilst his country goes to the Dogs.

Keep the Aspidistra Flying
"Aspidistra"
Watercolour 1971
by Eric Malthouse

Mordechai Brown

Are the Proper Nouns

For a character that lives in my head.

Capricious by nature,

He sleeps all day

And wakes when I go to bed.

He talks to me of Shakespeare,

And lectures on Rabbinical Law

Then he discourses strongly

On the nature and cause of War.

He draws a sharp distinction

Between Virtue and Virtu

And prattles on about Plato

And Cartesian premises untrue.

In well-remembered jungles

In dialogue with Fonda, Giap and Ky;

And at a Transvaal court-martial

We discuss Rule .303.

He takes me to Snowdonia

And the Valley of the Dee,

And in a dark north German forest

We confront Nietzsche’s melancholy.

Checked through Check Point Charlie

We dine on DDR sausage and beer

And the dankness of that city

Smelled to me of fear.

Across the barricades of Belfast

To the Black Staff in the Falls

For a day of beer and parley

With the Martyrs on the walls.

But, at piccaninny dawn,

Mordechai yawns:

“Enough of dreams! Perchance to sleep”.

In synaptic stress

I rise to meet the day,

And fortified by coffee

Is my need for sleep allayed.

THE BELLHOP’S CHATTER

Watch this space!!

3. Jul, 2020:

A Welcome to John Coe

I take the opportunity to extend a warm welcome to my site to an old friend and colleague.

To say that I have known John Coe for a long time would be an understatement. Indeed, it would not be stretching the point to say that I owe him my existence – for without him I would be as dust underfoot and chaff in the wind.

We have over the years mulled many ideas, shared many a robust debate, divided our sorrows and enjoyed much humour and joy.

But throughout, the touchstone of our relationship has been our mutual dismay at the exponential decline of Western Civilisation. It is to this end that I have invited John to wield his pen on my site in defence of the unashamedly superior civilisation that is the product of two millennia of history. [I have appended John’s ‘Profile’ which may be found through the Menu.]

We have revised the site somewhat to reflect our new direction.

The Front Page will be kept uncluttered to contain short comment only on matters of immediate moment. Readers will be advised of and pointed to new articles and detailed comment through the Menu. We would welcome any comment on the improvement of the site.

If you share our concerns about the manifest decline in civic virtues; increasing political chicanery, corruption and incompetence; the politicisation of every branch of government; the displacement of free-thought and expression by social engineering and political correctness, and the deliberate eradication of those values that were once distinctly honest and decent, then we hope you will support us.

Please remember, if you say nothing, if you do nothing, then nothing will happen. Now is the time to say – Enough!

Let your friends know, let your elected representatives know, that you have had – Enough!

"Extra...Extra...Extra...Extra..Extra..."

"Hear all about the Second Voice!"

There is no place for race in the constitution of a liberal, democratic and representative polity. Not in the preamble, not anywhere else. Such a constitution provides for one vote per man. The so called ‘voice’ provides for another vote to a select group of people based purely on race. In effect, a Second Voice. These people already have electoral equality – what they want is equality plus ultra.

Put another way - Some Australians want some Australians to have an extra bite of the cherry.

A Second Voice - No Way!

For old Blogs, Critical Comment & other articles:

Please look at and click on the Menu button.

This website is currently undergoing a profound 'makeover'. For my sins I am learning new publication platform. What Joy!

So please bear with me.

Current Research

I am working on a major study of Christendom, its history, decline and its revivication. I have titled it

The Case for Christendom: Credenda for a Modern Believer. It will be a pentalogy of work and I am pleased to say that aside from serious editing and tweaking, volume one, On History, is completed.

Some previous essays published on this website have been included. Last year I wrote a number of essays direct into the manuscript, some polemical and others academic. We now intend to publish some of these on this site for general comment and further ideas.

To read some of these essays specifically set in the Australian contextplease click on theMenu>Politics>The Tome: EssaysI would be extremely pleased to receive your comments, critical or otherwise, on these offerings. You will be able to use the e.mail section on the foot note pages of this site when I set it up. I would be pleased to hear from you direct by e.mail or, for those that are able or thus inclined, over a few beers in the pub.

For all other postings please choose fromthe Menu.

Watch this space!!

A Lesson From Cromwell

The state of politics in the Western world is of concern to most of us.

The political paradigms have changed dramatically under our noses; our political classes have sorely failed us save in one respect, our expectation of their rapacity and arrogance; our belief in and respect for our democratic and judicial institutions is crumbling daily towards the abyss and we, the supposed font of political power, feel increasingly disenfranchised and alienated from the political system. No matter whom we vote for, we end up with a politician we are facing a crisis in our political culture.

For too long have we fiddle-faddled, content to let our elected representatives run loose in the farmyard. It is, I suggest, nigh-time that we, the people, took charge, round-up the chooks and cleanse the House of its filth.

Now is the time to say enough! Now is the time to declare war on the political establishment! In doing so I am strongly reminded of the words of Oliver Cromwell, as he dissolved the Rump Parliament in London on 20 April 1653:

"It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonoured by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice. Ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government. Ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money. In the name of God, go!”

Oliver Cromwell {1599-1658]

Lord Protector of England

A Tale of Two Cities

In 1937 Pablo Picasso executed his cubist/surreal masterpiece, Guernica. It was his emotional reaction to the brutal aerial bombing of the Basque town of Guernica On 26 April 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. The large (137.4 in × 305.5 in) greyscale artwork now hangs in Madrid’s Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Spain’s national museum dedicated to 20th-century art.

On the 11^th of September 2001, Islamic terrorists of the Al-Qaeda organisation attacked New York by flying hijacked airliners into the World Trade Centre, destroying the iconic Twin Towers, the largest buildings then in the world.

On the 19^th of March 2003 the United States and its allies opened their war on Iraq with an extended ‘shock and awe’ aerial bombing and missile attack on Baghdad, one of the oldest and culturally valuable cities in the world.

Two decades to the date have passed since the Bombing of Baghdad. In remembrance of this tragedy, I have reached into my collection of art.

The El Reina Sofía may have its Guernica but I have my Tale of Two Cities. Perhaps not as grand in scale or of provenance but, perhaps, equally challenging.

A Tale of Two Cities.

2003.

Artist: Yvonne Dols. Western Australia

Medium: Crayon; Watercolour.

Dimensions: 43.31in.

Coe Collection

Lest we Forget

Welcome

To My Domain

The question of engagement is fundamental to the healthy working of a democratic society. In such a society you have the right to remain an outsider, an observer or an apathetic cypher in the political and social processes. By choosing thus you accept what happens to you and you forfeit the right to complain about the consequences of social or political policy. Alternatively, you can choose to ‘engage’ with these processes and endeavour to exert some little influence over your life and the future life and health of your society.

I belong unashamedly in the latter camp. I am also a moral conservative and very much a political freethinker. I can see worthlessness equally in all political actors – indeed, if there is a leitmotif in my writing, it is a deeply held suspicion of politicians and their works. A short professional career in political party organisation imbued me with the idea that politics and social policy is too important to be left in the hands of self-serving politicians. Why a short career – a victory of principle over corruption.

Thus much, but not all, my writing is about politics and social policy. For those interested in my comments in this area, I invite you to turn to the Menu and click onto my “Blog” or browse through the list of items under “Politics”.As an historian and biographer in my real life I write about history and people. I will be increasing this content in the site in due course. I also intend to write reviews and other items which are of interest to me. I hope you might share some of these interests.

I shall also post below the title and location of some of my more recent offerings for your convenience.

Have fun, drop me a comment and Keep the Aspidistra Flying!

Mordechai

Welcome

To My Domain

Contact: coe@mordechaibrown.net