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Intelligence files kept hidden for nearly 80 years have shown that the British government was bugging King Edward VIII's phones in the days leading up to his abdication. Journalist's telegram about Edward VIII's abdication Neil Forbes Grant's telegram confirming the King's abdication. Government officials were clearly …
Been around the world and when it comes to drunks its hard to beat both the UK (Irish, Scottish, Limey doesn't matter) and Russia in volume. In fact while I was in Europe whenever the cops showed up due to a disturbance in public the perpetrators were inevitably from one of the two areas.
Americans think they are all badass but inevitably whenever I would see someone passed out in public in the day or the shop keepers in Amsterdam having to give emergency sugar/soda to revive someone it was a fellow American. They don't understand what a big step up it is partying in the big leagues Europe when your prior experience is largely starting in your 20's or late teens drinking %3 alcohol beer in aluminum cans.
This particular American has never been under any illusion that he's much of a drinker. A few years back, I got to travel to England and attend my employer's UK office Christmas party. It was quite a do compared to the snooze-fests we have in the US. To quote Roy from IT:
"You people drink like you don't want to live!"
What are the chances of your favourite Churchill quote and my favorite Churchill quote being different, but from the same conversation? Assuming they weren't crossing paths at cocktail parties, pool halls, or sporting events every other weekend, anyway...
Lady Astor: "If you were my husband I'd give you poison."
Churchill: "If you were my wife, I'd drink it."
All this between shifts at his regular day job (saving the world). If that' isn't getting it f'ing done, I don't know what is.
Molotov cocktails are from Finland and they named them after Molotov because he said that it was bread, not bombs the beneficent Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was dropping on Finland. So the Finns said they were throwing Molotov cocktails at the Russian soldiers, not petrol bombs.
I have no information on Hitlers drinking habits, and no interest in finding out anything about it. And if he did not drink it did not make him less dodgy. However, in Germany people drink both beer and schnapps, often, at the same time. Sometimes using only one hand. I tried that once too and "destroyed" my trousers. Very embarrassing but to my relief and surprise that seemed to be just acceptable and not worth any attention.
Adding Hitler to this makes me anonymous, may hes teeth rot in Moscow and if he had a grave I would piss on it.
and everything to do with the fact that Edward VIII was under the security services microscope already. He had shown appalling lapses of judgement and protocol, and was widely regarded as a Nazi sympathiser. It would not be unreasonable to believe that he in some small way gave Hitler a feeling that Britain would welcome a Nazi invasion.
Now whether an heir apparent, should be in such a position (or indeed whether we should have an heir apparent) is an eminently debatable subject. Just not for here.
I for one, am pleased that even in the 1930s, we had a security service that was genuinely trying to protect us.
... it does. If you want people to accept responsibility for decisions and a well preserved historical record, people have to be able to make decisions without the public looking over their shoulder. Otherwise they will always favour the soft (popular) option and, if there is any serious discussion, not much will be recorded about it.
the issue is not whether this should have been kept secret for *some* time, but whether it should have kept secret for *this* amount of time. 80 years (i.e. long after anyone involved is dead) is, to my mind, unacceptable, and if it didn't involve the royal family then it would not have been. This stuff should have been released at least thirty years ago. Edward VIII was an interestingly incompetent heir to the throne with a liking for a bit of rough, and a tendency to be led into situations as a result and then refuse to be led out of them by people who saw things differently and more clearly.
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