Behind the Bastards Christmas Non-Bastard The Tupamaros of Uruguay Parts 1 and 2 This program delves into the ‘baddies’ but as part of their Christmas Good Cheer, they nominate a non-bastard, and in December 2021, that was Jose Mujica and the Tupamaros. It’s presented by journalist Robert Evans, who has mainly worked on Bellingcat and specializes in extremism. He has read up on other people’s research for this episode, and I did learn some things that I didn’t already know. For example, the fact that there are many old cars in Uruguay because people believe in looking after things and not throwing them out (which fits in well with Jose Mujica’s ‘sobriety’); or the fact that during the 1950s a plebiscite with a very low turnout voted to abolish the position of president, which further cemented the two-party system already in operation. Or the fact that during the 1960s the first highly-educated population of Uruguayan students came of age. Or that during the mid 60s to 1980s, about 300 Tupamaros’ were killed, and they killed about 50 people.
But it was REALLY annoying to hear the way he mangled Mujica’s name, and where on earth is Monty-video (pronounced as if it’s a local video shop in Montmorency) instead of Montevideo?? Ye Gods.
The Rest is History Episode 577 1066: The Norman Conquest (Part 4) So Harald Hardrada is dead; Harold Godwinson is dead, and William of Normandy is now the Conquerer. Why was it game over? Mostly because there was no-one competent left to lead the resistance who had the legitimacy to act as King. The teenaged Edgar Atheling was elected King of England by the Witan in 1066, but it never proceeded any further and he was never crowned. William had behind him a formidable war machine, and when he was crowned using traditional rites as the King of the Anglo Saxons at Westminster Abbey, there was both continuity and rupture. But within 20 years, the fashions had changed, all the dynasties were gone, and the Thanes were destroyed as a social order. Ten Norman families held 1/4 of England, and many families fled to Constantinople. Was this part of William’s plan? Probably not: instead his plan of castle and cathedral building was a response to constant uprisings throughout the country. By the time all the landowners came to pledge allegiance to him at Salisbury in 1086, the Domesday book had worked out who owned what under Edward I and who owned what now. William’s reign saw an end to the rivalry for the throne which had convulsed the country earlier.
Witness History BBC. This BBC program only goes for nine minutes, and they draw from interviews in the BBC archive. As a result, the majority of subjects deal with the 1930s onwards, but in The Russian Revolutionaries nearly stranded in London, it goes back to the 1907 congress of Russian revolutionaries held in London because it was too dangerous in Russia. The congress was attended by Lenin, Stalin and Trotsky but they ran out of money. Journalist Henry Brailsford arranged for them to meet a benefactor, who provided the funds for them to return home, and Brailsford himself was interviewed about it in 1947. This must be the ‘oldest’ witness history in the program because there wouldn’t be many witnesses to 1907!
The Resident Judge of Port Phillip 