intelligentsia

You are currently browsing the archive for the intelligentsia category.

16.7.40 [George Orwell]

July 16, 2010 in British, Burma road, China, Government, Hong Kong, Japan, Political, Popular Front, Tosco Fyvel, War-time, intelligentsia, left by orwelldiaries

No real news for some days, except the British government’s semi-surrender to Japan, i.e. the agreement to stop sending war supplies along the Burma road for a stated period. This however is not so definite that it could not be revoked by a subsequent government. F.[1] thinks it is the British government’s last effort (i.e. the last effort of those with investments in Hong Kong, etc.) to appease Japan, after which they will be driven into definitely supporting China. It may be so. But what a way to do things – never to perform a decent action until you are kicked into it and the rest of the world has ceased to believe that your motives can possibly be honest.

Read the rest of this entry »

28.6.40 [George Orwell]

June 28, 2010 in Bessarabia, Finland, Hitler, Political, Rumania, Russian, War-time, army, intelligentsia, invasion, medical board by orwelldiaries

Horribly depressed by the way things are turning out. Went this morning for my medical board and was turned down, my grade being C., in which they aren’t at present taking any men in any corps…. what is appalling is the unimaginativeness of a system which can find no use for a man who is below the average level of fitness but at least is not an invalid. An army needs an immense amount of clerical work, most of which is done by people who are perfectly healthy and only half-literate… One could forgive the government for failing to employ the intelligentsia, who on the whole are politically unreliable, if they were making any attempt to mobilise the manpower of the nation and change people from the luxury trades to productive work. This simply isn’t happening, as one can see by looking down any street.

Read the rest of this entry »