Dr Sylvester Nyatsuro, a 45 year old black British GP practicing in Nottingham, has been given a white family’s farm in Zimbabwe by the Zimbabwean government. He has lived in the UK for at least fifteen years but is eligible on two counts: he is, supposedly, an indigenous black African and is a friend of President Mugabe’s wife, Grace. I wonder which carries the most weight?
In the same edition of The Times I read Matthew Parris’s lament for the loss of Ireland when a Free State was declared in 1921. Then the Irish government set up a Land Commission to redistribute agricultural land. There were two Bellew properties at that time; Jenkinstown in Co Kilkenny and Barmeath in Co Louth. Jenkinstown was appropriated and compensation given in Land Bonds – these were worthless depreciating bits of paper. Unfortunately nobody wanted to farm the land so it passed into the hands of the Forestry Commission and fir trees were planted up to the front door. Fortunately, Barmeath was spared as the neighbouring farms were much larger and had no claim to the Bellew, not-very-good, land.
The Free State existed until 1937 when a new constitution was introduced and the country re-named the Republic of Ireland.
What do you suppose will happen when Scotland becomes independent? I’d not want to be a big landowner there unless I was friendly with Salmond and Sturgeon. Meanwhile the rest of us in the UK have to wrestle with whether to leave the EU, of which more tomorrow.
I fear that more taxes will be imposed in a severely draconian manner should Scotland decide to go it alone; would oil and whisky revenues be enough?
Such a fascinating story about Jenkinstown and its demise as a family seat, so illustrative of Ireland’s social history.
Apparently this is where Thomas Moore composed “The Last Rose of Summer” while staying as a guest in 1805.
Thomas Moore certainly stayed at Jenkinstown. He was a close friend of George, “Punch”, Bryan – from whom I am descended. My brother thinks that he has a rose at Barmeath grown from a cutting of the Jenkinstown rose that inspired Moore.
Jenkinstown is now, appropriately, the home of singer and song-writer, Jimmy McArthy. He has a recording studio and gives concerts there.
I have a Scottish friend who has fled those fishy politicians, Salmond and Sturgeon, and crossed the Tweed to the English bank putting 25 yards of water between him and Scotland. A very sensible preemptive move I would think.