“We must not maintain that Churchill was infallible. It diminishes him TO TREAT HIM AS SUPERHUMAN. Churchill’s tragedies, like his triumphs, were on a very grand scale. But always remember: the triumphs outweighed the tragedies.” —RML
Tonypandy, Wales is in the news again with fuzzy purveyors of history. On 13 February the Guardian headlined, “Winston Churchill was a villain, says John McDonnell.” (Mr. Donnell is Labour’s shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in the House of Commons.)
“Villain — Tonypandy”
Mr. McDonnell’s swipe at Churchill was brief. Asked if he saw Churchill as a hero or villain, he replied: “Villain—Tonypandy.” The Guardian completed the drive-by assassination, not only by headlining the remark, but with an inaccurate rehash of the Tonypandy riots in 1910.
Sir Winston’s grandson, Sir Nicholas Soames, focused on McDonnell, calling him a “Poundland Lenin.” Maybe, but what about the Guardian? Ironically, at the time, the same newspaper defended Churchill for his moderation.…
On 11-13 May 1948, Winston Churchill was in Norway to accept an honorary degree from Oslo University. He gave five speeches—University, City Hall, Storting (Norwegian Parliament) and two dinners. All five can be found in Churchill’s speech volume Europe Unite, or Winston S. Churchill: His Complete Speeches 1897-1963. They offer six gems of Churchillian wisdom. I plan to add them to the upcoming new edition of Churchill by Himself, my book of quotations.
Oslo Variations
A reader reminds us of these obscure orations by sending one: Churchill’s dinner speech on May 12th.…
I’ve been slogging through the William Manchester Churchill trilogy, The Last Lion. How is Hillsdale’s eight volume Winston S. Churchill by Randolph Churchill and Martin Gilbert different? —M.A., Louisiana.
Answer:
If you are slogging through Manchester, you may find Gilbert a challenge. There is a vast difference, both writers have their advantages, but Gilbert is the source on which scholars rely.
Music by Churchill, Lyrics by Manchester
William Manchester was a stylist, a lyrical, beautiful writer.…
