The Anglosphere

THE ANGLOSPHERE
By Doug Farnill


“You know” said Madge, as she and Brian were walking down the street to their next meeting with the Gang, “young kids are really something these days”. “Yes” said Brian “I’ve got three grandchildren, and they are always up to something”. “Well,” said Madge,” our young Tommy, my daughter Lily’s son, is 16 and he says he should have the vote, because the future is all before him, and that old people – those over 60 – should have the vote taken away because the future doesn’t really matter to them”. “That’s right” agreed Brian “and some of my grandchildren are saying that Governments and electoral politics are pandering to the old people, buying their votes with expenses and social welfare things that are unfair burdens on the up-and-coming generations. Intergenerational transfer of wealth, they call it”.
“I try to keep up with things” nodded Madge. ”I listen to current affairs on the wireless so that I can hold my own in conversation with the young ones when they come to tea sometimes on Sundays. But something is puzzling me Brian, perhaps you could explain before I put my foot in it”. “Go on” encouraged Brian, as they reached the corner of the street. “Well, said Madge, I tuned in yesterday and they were talking about Brexit and the angling spear, and I didn’t have a clue about what they were on about”.
“The angling spear” queried Brian, “you don’t mean like a harpoon, or something that the scuba divers use when they go looking for fish in the reef?” “Was it something to do with the arguments about territorial fishing rights in the North Sea, about who could catch what and how much”. “It was something to do with Brexit” agreed Madge, “but I couldn’t make out that it was anything to do with fishing”. I’ve got it” said Brian “how are your hearing aids Madge?” “I’ve got to say that at the moment I’ve run out of batteries” answered Madge. “Well, that’s the answer, you silly old bugger” teased Brian. “It wasn’t angling spear they were talking about, it was probably the Anglosphere.” “What’s that” asked Madge? “It’s the idea that nowadays, with the tyranny of distance overcome by jet planes and computers, it is far easier for peoples who share language and culture to collaborate more effectively in trade and governance, despite their geographical distances, than attempts at a federation across a Europe with so many different languages and cultures”. “Thanks for that Brian”, not angling spear, but Anglosphere, I must get some new batteries soon if I’m to keep up with my grandchildren” said Madge smiling “a bit of ‘manspeak’ is helpful sometimes.