One of the reasons the raid by police in the Commons is so sensitive is because of the regicide, to whom this quotation is ascribed, when he purged the parliament. However, it has become a more general purpose call to urge individuals to obey a moral imperative, it was used to Chamberlain, and appears to get routinely rolled out in US politics.
Hence, I'm not going to feel too bad about using it for England's cricketers, though I'm not calling for any of our players to be fired (at least not for non-cricketing reasons, any side under pressure would always be better for losing Ian Bell)
They need to go back to India, and they have to do it at as close to full strength as possible. Some of them will be worried, especially those with young children, and that's not helped by the inevitable exaggeration by distance and ignorance. Nonetheless, they all have duty to go. When violent loonies attack in otherwise safe areas, people shouldn't back out and they shouldn't back down. Partly because those places tend to get safer through the swarming number of troops, but mostly because that's yielding.
Now, private citizens can do as they please (though I think Indian flights must be supercheap now), but these young men get paid lot of money and given adulation for playing a game for their country. And that means they have to go. It's especially important because it's cricket, India's sport, and a game that has higher standards than others. Precautions can be taken (it's probably sensible to move the Mumbai test) but if we want to make any claim for our ties to India, we need to go and send the message that we don't run scared just because it's in a foreign country, with brown people in.
The Americans bottled coming here in 2001 for the Golf - they were wrong, and we pilloried them for it. But broadly we haven't been the victim of many cancellations despite years of IRA murders. And I'm grateful, but now it's our turn. Instead we are to be treated to over ten days of shilly-shallying while they decide - would that we had a modern Keith Miller to remind them of real pressure. He would have gone.
Cromwell's quote in full. The ECB and the England management should listen, whether here or in Abu Dhabi:
You have sat here too long for any good you have been doing. Depart I say and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!
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3 comments:
Mihir Bose, as eloquent as ever, is very good on this:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/mihirbose/2008/11/what_now_for_india_and_england.html
Yes, I agree an England Cricket team should return, and preferably not a watered-down XI with county ringers roped in (although this could be Gary Pratt's moment). Bose does, however, allow for players to retain an opt-out and I agree. As much as Harmison, Flintoff et al get paid/adored and as irrational as their fears might be, they (or perhaps their families) nevertheless do have concerns - otherwise they would simply go. James Anderson's wife is heavily pregnant - and could probably do without the worry. Harmison, in particular, is an enigmatically fragile character who doesn't travel well at the best of times, even to Australia and the Windies. While his demons may not be of Trescothick-esque proportions, in this day and age allowances should be made. The argument that they're paid enough money to go is irrelevant and probably hasn't entered a single player's mind. The team should go, but it should be a matter of conscience for each player, and though I take your Miller point, in this day and age, to expect our men to be men and ignore the fact that amidst all the macho posturing and dressing room banter some players could be genuinely troubled just isn't right.
Incidentally, I haven't yet read Tres' book, but I hear it's very worthwhile.
I hear Tres' book is good also. I'm still more hardline though - clearly, no-one can force them to go: free country, etc etc. But I think it is a function of the role, which is elite, representative and national.
And that means responsibility, no matter that at times is going to be a bit shit.
We should be careful with the Tresco issue here though. He was / is ill. If any of the current crop are ill, we should treat them and consider their workload generally as well as in this case. Otherwise, it's not relevant, pregnant wife or not.
The very good news is that a full strength team (inc. Anderson, Flintoff and Harmison) now appears to be going, with the captain insisting that no-one needed to be persuaded. Off the field, if not on it, we can be very proud of our team.
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