By Jimper
“England, you are the weakest link – Goodbye!”
England, what is happening to my England? Once a proud nation now rapidly becoming a third world power. No longer do we have our destiny in our hands – it is now controlled by other Countries. We have not got an English Government it is made up of Welsh and Scottish members they have control of their own destiny and representatives in our Parliament. Englishmen are not represented in theirs. We live on an island but are not allowed to catch our own fish unless the men in Brussels say so.
All the rain that has fallen on our heads recently does not belong to us it is sold to us later by a foreign firm, our gas and electricity is sold to us by a body of aliens to England, part of our railway is French controlled, even our rubbish is gathered up by a firm from over the water.
I saw an article the other day explaining that a London council had proposed to have Christmas celebrations toned down in their area because all the festivities might offend the non Christian ethnic groups. So now it seems that even new arrivals are influencing what we can and what we cannot do in England.
Come on England for heaven sake let us stand up for ourselves, let the English do as they have always done, do not dictate to us. The Local District Council dictates to us, Brussels dictates to us and now it seems others are influencing what we should do and how we should behave.
Ryers are a proud lot and mind their own business but when those from outside, whether from Bexhill, Brussels of further afield, interfere with our way of life and of doing things, we tend to get a bit upset. When Rye people look at the plans for our Heritage Centre and Community Centre they ask the question “Why should Rother decide what is best for us?” The very word Heritage means what it says – it is our heritage so lay off!
We have been pushed around by others for long enough it is time we stood up for ourselves again. Our past shows what a determined lot we can be, for don’t I seem to remember that Rye was the last place in England where the Riot Act was read and guns were actually fired! If it is not what we want let us complain.
All of our big companies seem to be taken over by foreign boys, then a few years later sold off in bits or shut down. I think there is a big plot by the EEC to get rid of merry England – they think we have gone soft.
All you read about these days is how poor little so and so has had a rough time – it is not his fault he has been deprived in his up bringing – mum has no husband and only one car – the state only pay her rent and rates – her allowance is only £100 a week that is why he went shop lifting and smashed windows and of course, the reason he carried a big knife. He had to in case someone upsets him!
Now in my day ‘mums’ seldom had a husband either as they were away somewhere in Europe fighting for a better world and we didn’t know if he was still alive let alone if he was coming home and every night some beggar from Europe would drop bombs on us – you think you are deprived? No one paid the rent and rates for our mum and as for a weekly allowance she was given a ration book. We did not steal and vandalise for if we had we would have got a good hiding.
Now try to clip your own kid around the legs and you are the one in the wrong, the kids know that. At seventeen and a half you received a brown envelope with a letter to be at a certain place on a set date at a specific time for a medical. On your 18th birthday you were gone, yes gone for 2 whole years away from your friends and mums to serve your Queen and Country, England. No good saying No! You went my lad and you did as you were told. In those days when this Country wanted to do something it did it. Now we have to ask a man in Brussels. Just look, we lost our currency of pennies and shillings, we lost our ounces and pounds, soon we will lose our mile, all this just to keep in with Europe. Try to tell the French what to do, they just roll out madame guillotine and slice the rules to suit themselves. It is time we started to sort things out – it is no good going for the jugular vain let us start at the bottom.
The bottom of our government is Rother so lets tell them we want Rye back. How much did they pay for Rye? I think we could have a whip round. I will take the bucket around the Town for that. The way things are going it will not be long before a man in Brussels says “England, you are the weakest link – Goodbye!”
“Rye’s Own” February 2001
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