One Event, Two Narratives

The i Paper

Democrats rocked by despicable betrayal on eve of midterms vote

Democrat Congresswoman Haley Stevens of Michigan has stunned her party, two days before the midterm elections, by endorsing a Republican candidate in a seat critical to the fight for control of the Senate.

The Telegraph

'Despicable betrayal': Democrat endorses Republican rival

A Democrat congresswoman has caused dismay across the party by endorsing the Republican rival of Abdul El-Sayed, a hard-Left candidate, two days before the midterm elections.

The Duel

A duel as described in his posthumously published memoirs by Marcellin Marbot, a French cavalry officer and general who served during the Napoleonic Wars. The duel would have taken place before or shortly after he was born in 1782, possibly related to him when he was aide de camp to General Augereau, one of the duellists.


As a result of an absurd custom, there existed an inveterate hatred between some units, the cause for which was buried in the past and often hardly known, but which, handed down from age to age, resulted in duels every time the units met. In this way the Gendarmes of Luneville and the Carabiniers had been at war for half a century, though they had not seen one another in this long period of time.

At last, at the beginning of the reign of Louis XVI, they found themselves in the same camp at Compiegne; whereupon, to show themselves no less brave than their forefathers, the Carabiniers and the Gendarmes decided to fight, and their determination was such that the officers thought it wiser to look the other way. However, to avoid too much bloodshed, it was agreed that there would be only one duel; each unit would select a combatant who would represent them, and after that there would be a truce. The name of the combatant chosen by the Gendarmes would soon be known and after that it was merely a matter of arranging for the two adversaries to meet, when a simulated quarrel would serve as a motive for the encounter.

Augereau had a fearsome opponent, an excellent swordsman, a professional duelist, who as a warm-up, awaiting the contest, had killed two sergeants of the Guards, on the days previously. Augereau, without allowing himself to be intimidated by the reputation of this bravo, went to the cafe where he knew he was to appear, and while awaiting him sat down at a table. The Gendarme arrived, and when his opponent had been pointed out to him, he pulled aside his coat-tails, and sat down insolently on the table, his backside not a foot from Augereau's face.

Augereau was drinking a cup of very hot coffee at the time and he gently eased back the opening, called the ventouse, which existed then at the back of a cavalryman's leather breeches, and poured the steaming liquid onto the buttocks of the impudent Gendarme, who turned round in a fury! The quarrel having now been engaged upon, they went outside, followed by a crowd of Gendarmes and Carabiniers. As they went along, the ferocious Gendarme, to mock the man whom, he felt confident, would be his victim, asked Augereau, in a bantering tone, whether he would prefer to be buried in the town or in the country. "The country" replied Augereau, "I have always liked the open air." "Fine," said the gendarme, and, turning to his second, he said, "Put him with the other two I killed yesterday and the day before."

This was not very encouraging, and anyone but Augereau might have been put out, but determined to sell his life dearly, he defended himself with such skill that his adversary lost his temper and made a false move, which allowed Augereau, who had remained calm, to run him through, saying that it was he who would be buried in the country.

The Memoirs of General Baron de Marbot (1891)

No mighty oaks from these little acorns grow

UK government wants Acorn carbon capture and storage project success – minister

The UK Government wants to see the Acorn carbon capture and storage project succeed, a UK minister has said, after concerns were raised about the way it is being funded.

The project in Aberdeenshire was due to receive £200 million in grant funding from the UK Government, but Chancellor John Healey changed the commitment to mean the UK Government would offer the same amount in loans or receive an equity stake in the project.

Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney has said he was “deeply concerned” about changes to the funding mechanism.

Acorn, which could support about 15,000 jobs at its peak, proposes storing emissions from across Scotland under the seabed of the North Sea.


Hence, too, might be drawn a weighty lesson from the little-regarded truth, that the act of the passing generation is the germ which may and must produce good or evil fruit in a far-distant time; that, together with the seed of the merely temporary crop, which mortals term expediency, they inevitably sow the acorns of a more enduring growth, which may darkly overshadow their posterity.

Nathaniel Hawthorne - The House of the Seven Gables (1851)

'It wasn't me' says Reeves

Brexit has made Britain poorer and weaker, Reeves says

Rachel Reeves has said she believes Britain should rejoin the European Union as she warned Brexit has made the country “poorer, weaker and less secure”.

The former chancellor voiced her support for Andy Burnham’s move to open the door to negotiations with Brussels as she said she “welcomed” his decision.

Writing in the Sunday Times, Ms Reeves said she accepted there was a “debate to be had” about the UK’s future in the EU, but that she believes the country’s future ultimately lies within the bloc.


Ousted political actors who performed as poorly as Reeves and in such a prominent role might gather back some shreds of dignity by leaving the stage completely.

Not something Rachel from Accounts wants apparently.

Outer Hebrides Broadcasting Corporation

 

A world-first focus v New spending fights

A world-first focus on long-term outcomes could transform UK government – or create new spending fights

The idea in the broad sense is very simple. Any spending deemed to be “preventative” – that is, the initial outlay will be more than made up for by future savings – will from now on be ringfenced, meaning it cannot be raided for more immediate needs...

But now, starting from the upcoming spending review, which kicks off next year, projects that can be shown to bring down costs in the future will be protected via a new piece of jargon – a preventative departmental expenditure limit, or PDEL.

“It could end up being quite a major change in how the government runs spending reviews, and the entire spending framework,” said Stuart Hoddinott, at the Institute for Government thinktank, which had called for such a system to be implemented. Officials in the Treasury agree, with one calling it an “important reform”.

That is, however, about as straightforward as it gets. The budget document uses Andy Burnham’s new spending to prevent rough sleeping as an example of the sort of thing that would qualify. A few other areas would seem likely: for example, public health programmes to prevent future illness, and Sure Start-type early years schemes.

But beyond that, no one really knows what might or might not qualify for PDEL status. Departments say they are waiting for Treasury guidance, which has not yet been drawn up. “A lot depends on the definition,” Hoddinott said. “While it sounds simple, it becomes quite difficult when you think about how it will work in practice, as you could make any argument that almost all types of spending are preventative.”

It's the instantly obvious observation - "you could make any argument that almost all types of spending are preventative.” 

New spending fights would be my bet, but I wouldn't get worthwhile odds on it.

Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Live Here

 

Found on the doormat this morning, a depressing leaflet from that Burnham chap. 

Maybe it's a reminder that Guy Fawkes Night will be here soon.

It's certainly a reminder.