End Of An Era

[choux]

Lord Carrington died today, aged 99 years.. The last last survivor of Churchill's Government. He was one of four of Mrs Thatcher's ministers who held the MC (along with Airey Neave, Francis Pym and Willie Whitelaw). R.I.P. A true gentleman.

[woofgang]

yes RIP

[Calibax]

RIP An honourable man who resigned immediately over the Falklands even though he had no personal blame. From the day when holding a high office of state meant serving your country and not personal gain.

[jno]

yes. A great Tory (not a phrase I use often!)

[david small]

Sigh....the days when integrity meant something.
Altruism RIP.

[waterboatman]

A good man. He did a good job.

[Peter Pedant]

erm sorry an MC shows he was good at killing Germans ( perhaps not a skill in demand 80 y later )
and not that he could run a Ministry

He couldnt -even he called the Argentine invasion of the Falklands a humiliating defeat ( and went )
It was also the end of having a minister of any importance at all in the House of Lords

[Peter Pedant]

// A good man. He did a good job.//

erm no sorry he did acompletely crap job ( but was not rewarded for failure like now)

he gave all sorts of signals to the Argentines - withdrawal of support of the Endurance which led them to think as he admitted later that if they marched in ( erm over the sea) he would not resist

[choux]

pp, "The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC is granted in recognition of "an act or acts of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy on land to all members, of any rank in Our Armed Forces…".

The award was created in 1914 for commissioned officers of the substantive rank of Captain or below and for Warrant Officers. In 1931 the award was extended to Majors and also to members of the Royal Air Force for actions on the ground."

https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/medals/military-cross

pp, "... killing germans...". Killing the enemy happens in war.
Blame Hitler why don't you?

[jno]

PP, surely it was John Nott, the defence secretary, who withdrew the Endurance? Carrington as foreign sec was agin it.

However, I see from Wikipedia that he was largely responsible for torturing detainees in Northern Ireland. I shall moderate my admiration accordingly.

[choux]

Quite so, jno.

"In a letter marked “secret”, he wrote to Nott in June 1981 (revealed in a cabinet document released under the 30-year rule at the end of 2011) that HMS Endurance played a vital role in both political and defence terms. “Although we continue to seek a solution to the dispute with Argentina, it cannot at present be said that a solution is in sight. HMG are committed to respecting the wishes of the Falkland Islanders, who do not find it easy to contemplate any degree of Argentine sovereignty, however nominal. Unless and until the dispute is settled, it will be important to maintain our normal presence in the area at the current level. Any reduction would be interpreted by both the Islanders and the Argentines as a reduction in our commitment to the Islands and in our willingness to defend them.” He also suggested that any change “might well be interpreted as provocative”."

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jul/10/peter-carrington-lord-carrington-obituary

[ichkeria]

Yes a good man Peter Carrington.
RIP indeed

[Peter Pedant]

Times obit
he was in favour of joint sovereignity....[ Brit / arg]

clearly keeping the British end up with that view !