THE RULE OF LAW AND PROPAGANDA

Two military events I have noted, occurred on the 14^th October.

945 years ago today, on the 14^th October 1066, the Battle of Hastings took place between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy (troops ranging, apparently, between 3000 and 30000) and the English army led by King Harold II (estimated troops from 4000 to 30000) In effect a pretty even match.

William’s army was a coalition of Normans, Bretons, Flemings, French, Poitevins, Angevins and Manceaux. Effectively a collection of soldiers from across France and Belgium, north of a line running roughly from La Rochelle to Bruges. King Harold’s army was entirely English, whatever that meant at the time. The battle took place at Senlac Hill, northwest of Hastings, close to a town now known as Battle in East Sussex. It was a decisive Norman victory.

The ensuing cross fertilisation from that event and the subsequent history has left us with an extraordinary tapestry of languages, architecture and customs, which have somehow remained fluid even after maturing for 945 years. The substratum and the backbone of this long history, and, in my view, the reason for its success, is the continuing belief in and development of the ‘rule of law’. No matter how it has been attacked, vilified, abused, misused, distorted or defamed, it has managed to survive. It has even managed to export itself to the far corners of the globe, again, despite the contortions and mutilations imposed on it by its exporters seeking to subordinate and pillage foreign lands. In attempting to use it to impose their will and rule over the indigenous peoples in other parts of the world, it planted itself into the very fabric of those emerging countries and was used to get rid of the exploiters themselves. It is not perfect, but if the rootstocks of the rule of law are the only legacy of the Battle of Hastings, then well done William and Harold.

The second event, which took place on the 14^th October 1944, was the liberating of the city of Athens, Greece, when British Army troops entered thee city as the Wehrmacht pulled out. This cleared the way for the Greek Government in exile, led by George Papandreou Sr. to return to the capital. In 67 years it seems they’ve run out of money and they still want those marbles back.

Also, General Erwin Rommel committed suicide on the 14^th October 1944. A Nazi version of his funeral was preformed. He did not die on the battlefields of Normandy.