This Sceptred Isle

I really like this. Okay, it says nothing about the evils of empire, world plunder, the subjugation of the Celtic Fringe by the perfidious English or the challenges of twenty-first century multiculturalism, and it’s narrated by a fast-talking Yank. But as a five minute history lesson for the modern, short attention-span generation, it ain’t half bad. The message to my overseas friends is that England isn’t Britain.

Cheers to Angela in Turkey for this one, my ever helpful dolly-drop Bodrum Belle.

Jack Scott Imagine the absurdity of two openly gay, married, middle aged, middle class men escaping the liberal sanctuary of anonymous London to relocate to a Muslim country. I chronicled our exploits with the mad, the bad, the sad and the glad in a blog for the whole world to ignore. Then came the book which became a critically acclaimed best seller. Its success opened out a whole new career for me, firstly as an author, and now as a publisher. Who'd have thought it? Certainly not me. In June 2012, we ended our Anatolian affair and paddled back to Britain on the evening tide, washing up in Norwich, a surprising city in eastern England, then to the wilds of Norfolk as the only gays in the village. I’m sometimes nostalgic for our encounters with the hopeless, the hapless and, yes, the happy go lucky. They gave me an unexpected tale to tell and for this I thank them.

14 thoughts on “This Sceptred Isle”

Let's CUT the Crap! says:

25 October, 2013 at 22:16

Like you said, Jack, not half bad. This Yank talked so fast, I don’t think he stopped for breath thereby making ME light-headed. A lot of information. I felt I could catch more if I had a lasso.
This video was helpful as I had no idea about most of it. 😉

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1. Jack Scott says:
  
  25 October, 2013 at 22:34
  
  There’s a whole set of them on YouTube. The fast-talking Yank puts himself about 🙂
  
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  1. Let's CUT the Crap! says:
    
    25 October, 2013 at 22:50
    
    Will have to find some time…
    I learn something new every day. It’s a wonder my brain still functions on overload. 😉
    
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What's for tea tonight dear? says:

25 October, 2013 at 22:25

Simple! Don’t know what people get so confused about.

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1. Jack Scott says:
  
  25 October, 2013 at 22:33
  
  Me neither 😉
  
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angelajardine says:

26 October, 2013 at 10:17

Good grief, Penfold! I had no idea we were so complicated .. 😦

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1. Jack Scott says:
  
  27 October, 2013 at 19:54
  
  Easy when you know 🙂
  
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The Diesel-Electric Elephant Company says:

26 October, 2013 at 11:24

I prefer to think of it in terms of “Britain” not being England!

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1. Jack Scott says:
  
  27 October, 2013 at 20:13
  
  An interesting idea though not something this Anglo-Celt could support 🙂
  
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Yvonne Alpan says:

26 October, 2013 at 13:10

Watched this before and thought very well said, a little fast, I agree, yes, very simple but there are so many people who have no idea about all this and to an American totally baffling.

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1. Jack Scott says:
  
  27 October, 2013 at 20:16
  
  It must be irritating to the other occupants of our damp little island to have it all lumped together as England 🙂
  
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jamoroki says:

26 October, 2013 at 13:41

Did this guy have a train to catch? Informative – Yes. Enjoyable – No

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backtobodrum says:

26 October, 2013 at 20:08

Now I know!

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1. Jack Scott says:
  
  27 October, 2013 at 20:16
  
  Hopefully, now we all do 😉
  
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