Archives: Persephone Post

After all the fury, incomprehension and deep sadness (because now we shall be excluded from the great European family) we have no choice but to tidy the house, wrap presents and look forward to Christmas. On the Post this week: women painters who have celebrated Christmas. First Clara Peeters (c. 1585-1655) Still Life with Shellfish and Eggs. It’s at Shipley Art Gallery.

Zuzana Caputova is Slovakia’s youngest-ever President. If only… But we try to keep cheerful. And of course this will be very much helped by the presence of Naska, the office dog, with us for a couple of days while his owner makes a last-minute canvassing push and then celebrates/drowns his sorrows. Come on, the good, kind, decent people of Britain – show the world that we aren’t all lying, dishonest, self-interested buffoons but that we Brits seriously, seriously want to make the world a better place!

Who wouldn’t love Elizabeth Warren and long and pray for her to be President? Obviously half of all Americans don’t love her, as half of all Brits don’t love the idea of ridding us of the Tory stranglehold. But we liberals can go on hoping and hoping for better times ahead. And if tomorrow brings another four years of right-wing values, we shall not give up.

In Britain we have two more days to fantasise that we could become a forward looking and kind country. But we are all very much prepared for the horrible reality of Friday morning – that yet again elderly, bigoted men will dominate our politics and women will be lucky to get a look in. Yes, we know that it’s only a hundred years since we were allowed the vote. But watching the disaster unfold here is deeply painful. Although, who knows, maybe the innate decency of the British people – we still believe in it – will pull us through… This is Finland’s new Prime Minister Sanna Marin, she is 34. Alas, alas this couldn’t happen in the UK.  Quick question: which are our five most political books? Answer: William – an Englishman, National Provincial, Despised and Rejected, The Call and Tory Heaven (there are fifteen in our Political books list here, this is exactly one ninth which seems a rather satisfactory proportion, not too many and not too few).

We promised you something political on the Post this week (and we promised not to rant). Thus the most positive and uplifting thing to post is surely pictures of women politicians we admire, indeed fervently admire, so if we were going to allow ourselves to rant it would be say – why oh why can’t the UK have someone of their calibre instead of the shabby, dishonest, incompetent crew we are lumbered with? Yes there are many , or perhaps several, exceptions. And btw one tends to glimpse the most brilliant people on the Parliament Channel during some run-of-the-mill debate when an MP of whom one had never heard before stands up and speaks with eloquence and intelligence. However, these are not qualities displayed by anyone in the cabinet. Hey ho. We are still faintly optimistic that the overall decency of the Brits will make itself felt on Thursday. But only faintly. For now, this week on the post,  the first woman politician we admire is Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand (which is having a horrible time at the moment). Here is an article about her from Foreign Policy which said: ‘In an era defined by the emergence of populist leaders who are often authoritarian, reactionary, and male, Ardern stands out as progressive, collaborative, and female. Her speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2018 fueled her growing reputation as the “anti-Trump”. She called for, among other things, kindness and collectivism as an alternative to isolationism, protectionism, and racism.’ Kindness should be the keyword for all politicians. We are wishing…

And finally Harry Bush’s Wet Roofs 1954. Merton again, by an unrecognised genius,

Harry Bush was 57 in 1940  – so too old to join up. But he painted this marvellous picture of a Barracks (No. 17 Anti-Aircraft Company) in North Queensferry in 1940. Here is some more information, including a list of all the paintings that Harry Bush exhibited at the Royal Academy.