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8.4.41 [George Orwell]

April 8, 2011 in Benghazi, Connolly, Francis Beeding, Fyvel, Germans, Greece, Hugh Slater, Italian empire, Libya, MOI, Madrid, News Chronicle, Piccadilly, Political, RAF, The Battle of Britain, Triploi, War-time, air battle by orwelldiaries

Have just read The Battle of Britain, the M.O.I.’s best-seller (there was so great a run on it that copies were unprocurable for some days). It is said to have been compiled by Francis Beeding, the writer of thrillers. I suppose it is not as bad as it might be, but seeing that it is being translated into many languages and will undoubtedly be read all over the world – it is the first historical account, at any rate in English, of the first great air battle in history – it is a pity that they did not have the sense to avoid the propagandist note altogether. The pamphlet is full of “heroic”, “glorious exploits”, etc., and the Germans are spoken of more or less slightingly. Why couldn’t they simply give a cold accurate account of the facts, which after all are favourable enough? For the sake of the bit of cheer-up that this pamphlet will accomplish in England, they throw away the chance of producing something that would be accepted all over the world as a standard authority and used to counteract German lies.

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9.8.40 [George Orwell]

August 9, 2010 in England, Government, Political, RAF, War-time, air battles, income tax, money, writing by orwelldiaries

The money situation is becoming completely unbearable. . . . Wrote a long letter to the Income Tax[1] people pointing out that the war had practically put an end to my livelihood while at the same time the government refused to give me any kind of a job. The fact which is really relevant to a writer’s position, the impossibility of writing books with this nightmare going on, would have no weight officially. . . . Towards the government I feel no scruples and would dodge paying the tax if I could. Yet I would give my life for England readily enough, if I thought it necessary. No one is patriotic about taxes.

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1.7.40 [George Orwell]

July 1, 2010 in Balbo, Durutti, Express, Fritsch, Mola, News Chronicle, Political, RAF, Spain, Spanish, Vidal, War-time, advertisements, newspapers, propaganda by orwelldiaries

Newspapers now reduced to 6 pages, i.e., 3 sheets[1]. Print reduced in size. Rough analysis of to-day’s News-Chronicle: 6 pages = 48 columns. Of these (excluding small adverts. besides headlines on front page) 15 columns or nearly one third are adverts. About 1½ columns of this are taken up in notices of situations vacant, etc., but the greater part of the ad.s are for more or less useless consumption goods. The financial columns also overlap with the advertisements, some of the reports of directors’ meetings, etc., probably being paid for by the companies themselves.

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20.6.40 [George Orwell]

June 20, 2010 in Bevan, Chamberlain, Churchill, Colonel Blimp, Compton Mackenzie, Dunkirk, George Strauss, German invasion, Glasgow, Hebrides, Hitler, India, Italy, LDV, Lloyd George, Namsos, Political, RAF, Rayner Heppenstall, Richar Crossman, Scotland Yard, Spain, War-time, air raid, arm the people, army, bomb, intellectuals, new statesman, retired colonels, revolutionary war, unblimping by orwelldiaries

Went to the office of the [New Statesman][1] to see what line they are taking about home defence. C.[2], who is now in reality the big noise there, was rather against the “arm the people” line and said that its dangers outweighed its possible advantages[3]. If a German invading force finds civilians armed it may commit such barbarities as will cow the people altogether and make everyone anxious to surrender. He said it was dangerous to count on ordinary people being courageous and instanced the case of some riot in Glasgow when a tank was driven round the town and everyone fled in the most cowardly way. The circumstances were different, however, because the people in that case were unarmed and, as always in internal strife, conscious of fighting with ropes round their necks… C. said that he thought Churchill, though a good man up to a point, was incapable of doing the necessary thing and turning this into a revolutionary war, and for that reason Chamberlain and Co. hesitated to bring the whole nation into the struggle. I don’t of course think Churchill sees it in quite the same colours as we do, but I don’t think he would jib at any step (e.g. equalisation of incomes, independence for India) which he thought necessary for winning the war. Of course it’s possible that today’s secret session may achieve enough to get Chamberlain and Co. out for good. I asked C. what hope he thought there was of this, and he said none at all. But I remember that the day the British began to evacuate Namsos[4] I asked Bevan and Strauss[5], who had just come from the House, what hope there was of this business unseating Chamberlain, and they also said none at all. Yet a week or so later the new government was formed[6].

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