Diary

6 June 2009

Andrew Roberts opens his diary

To Les Invalides in Paris for a two-hour high Mass to commemorate the Emperor Napoleon (I’m writing his biography). Despite being a republic, the French really know how to lay on splendour in their public spectacles. Epaulettes, swords, standards with gold eagles, 10-inch candles, incense, cardinals, breastplates, medals, sashes and decorations: the lot. There was even one chap wearing a bicorn hat like Napoleon’s. The vast church was packed to capacity, with standing room only at the sides and back. The Bonaparte and Walewska families were present en masse — the original Count Walewska was Napoleon’s illegitimate son — to listen to a sermon in which their ancestor was repeatedly likened to Jesus Christ. By the end I wondered whether 188 years after his death (i.e. in 2153) we Britons will be commemorating the life and achievements of Sir Winston Churchill in such a grandiloquent manner. I rather fear not.

At least admiration of Churchill is utterly undimmed in America, and many Americans were outraged when President Obama sent back the Oscar Nemon bust of him, a present which President Bush had placed in the Oval Office, to the British embassy in Washington. I suspect that Obama, whose grandfather claimed he was tortured by the British army during the Mau Mau Emergency, which took place during Churchill’s premiership, sees Churchill as an apologist for imperialism, which of course he was. I’d like to see those claims investigated thoroughly, as plenty of similar allegations about that period have been shown to have been invented — but perhaps that might do even more damage to the special relationship.

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David Short

June 4th, 2009 5:51pm Report this comment

'To Les Invalides in Paris for a two-hour high Mass to commemorate the Emperor Napoleon (I’m writing his biography)..Off to New York to try to plug my latest book, Masters and Commanders: How Roosevelt, Churchill, Marshall and Alanbrooke Won the War in the West....in the course of my plugging my new book, The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War, I bumped into John Whittingdale, Greg Barker, David Davis, Peter Luff and Patrick Mercer....The Storm of War is dedicated to the late Frank Johnson, the last-but-one editor of this magazine...'

How nice of The Spectator to let Andrew Roberts use his 'Diary' as a free advertisement for his books, and to suck up to the worst kind of right-wing corporate and political America in an unashamed way....But then again, Roberts' inherited money (he'll never need to fiddle expenses...) comes from his family having the UK Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise. Very tasteful.

Lydia P Troyer

June 5th, 2009 9:22pm Report this comment

For David, short of name and short of amity, whose letter is equally tasteful, the sour and bitter cud of resentment masquerading as righteous indignation - why the ad hominem? if you could have cited how some of the dropped names were paying this guy's bill, perhaps it would have been more useful, but apparently, he pays his own bills, so what, then?

Jimbo

June 6th, 2009 6:05am Report this comment

Bless! It's like reading the diary of Diana Mosley's poodle. What a pity darling Andrew was born too late to scribble "As always, the dear Fuhrer was absolutely charming at lunch!"

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