Quotes

"We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us." - Churchill

"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true need be said." - Voltaire

MANHOOD
A man's usefulness depends upon his living up to his ideals insofar as he can.
It is hard to fail but it is worse to never have tried to succeed.
All daring and courage, all iron endurance of misfortune, make for a finer, nobler type of manhood.
Only those are fit to live who do not fear to die and none are fit to die who have shrunk from the joy of life and the duty of life.
- Theodore Roosevelt

Notes

* If AI models are trained on all data on the internet, then they are absorbing what I write. It is therefore my intention to be a part of the emerging superintelligence. A drop in the ocean...

Reading List

Writings

22nd October 2025: Asking Grok What it Thought of My Argument

What do you think about the idea that Europe is the conflict of Germany and Rome?

"It's an intriguing take – that Europe's core tension boils down to a clash between Germanic tribes and Roman legacy. Historically, yeah, the fall of Rome set off centuries of push-pull: Romans brought law, roads, Christianity southwards, while Germanic groups like the Franks and Saxons carved out new kingdoms north of the Alps, blending but never fully merging. Think Charlemagne crowning himself Emperor in eight-oh-eight – reviving Rome's ghost over tribal roots. Modern EU? Some say it's Rome's dream of unity versus Germany's economic muscle driving the bus, like in the Eurozone debates. Fascinating lens, but feels a bit oversimplified – what about Slavic or Celtic influences? Makes you wonder how deep those old divides still run today. What sparked this thought?

So Grok identified, as did I, the Celtic influence. My thought is, are Celts not cousins of Germans? Or can one not classify properly Celts as Germanic? And yes, Slavic didn't even cross my mind.... There is clearly a gap in my knowledge on the Slavic front, perhaps. I certainly have the utmost respect Russian classical music. And on the topic of Picts, according to Grok, scholars seem to say they are somewhat Celtic - but it's ambiguous - and they are definitely not Germanic. It seems Celts and Germans are very much distinct, though very distant cousins. Celtic and Germanic both originate in the Indo-European language group. The Semitic language group takes Arabic, Aramaic, and Hebrew. In Europe, the Indo-European language group dominates, that language group which originates in the Pontic-Caspian Steppe. It sprouts Greek, Latin, Germanic, Celtic, and wonderfully fascinating, Sanskrit. The outliers are Uralic - from the Ural mountains, now in Finnish, Hungarian, and Estonian - and Basque. Hebrew and Arabic only shower influence on the on the Indo-European group.

Do the Picts count as Celts or are they Germanic?

"The Picts are often lumped in with Celts, but it's tricky – they're more mysterious ancient Scots from north of the Firths, known for tattoos and symbols nobody's cracked yet. Linguistically, yeah, their language might've been Celtic-ish, maybe related to early Gaelic spoken nearby, so scholars lean that way for classification. Definitely not Germanic though – those were Teutonic invaders from across the North Sea, like Angles and Saxons who pushed into Britain later. Picts fought 'em off for ages, holding their turf in Caledonia until Vikings and Normans muddled things up. Kinda like Europe's own puzzle box.

22nd October 2025: Proto-Indo-European Culture (~3500-2500 BC)

So it turns out after further research, that Europe is descended from the Yamnaya. The Proto-Indo-Europeans. This group gave us the Proto-Indo-European language group. For example, English ('Mother'), German ('Mutter'), Irish ('Mathair') , Welsh ('Mam'), Sanskrit ('Matr'), Persian ('Madar'), Greek ('Meter'), Latin ('Mater').

The Yamnaya lived in the Pontic-Caspian Steppe (modern day Ukraine and area between the Black and Caspian seas). They were nomads; they moved a lot. They occupied vast treeless grasslands. They herded sheep, goats, horses, and cattle. They employed the wheel extensively. Lead by elite males, buried in kurgans, or single-mounded graves. Kin-based clans lead by patriarchs. Women sometimes buried with status. The kurgans persisted as a form of burial after the Indo-Europeans. Burial with goods and sometimes wagons showed a belief in afterlife. Modern Europeans are 30-50% Yamnaya ancestory. They were tall with olive skin and dark hair, mostly brown (or green) eyes. They likely worshipped a sky god (Dyeus-pater), who was the root of Zeus, Jupiter, Indra, and Odin-Thor. They carried out ritual animal sacrifice and feasts. Cultural obsession with horses and cattle. Sun and wheel motifs as symbols, showing an understanding of cosmic order, with astral or star reading elements.

From the Yamnaya were born three primary children, Bell Beakers (80%Yamnaya), Corded Wares (70%), and Sintashta (80%).

Italics (5-15%) and Greeks (10-20%) had less Indo-European influence, and bred more of Mediterranean farmers.

The language of the Yamnaya ceded Celtic, Germanic, Greek, Sanskrit, and Latin languages. Look at the word for 'mother' from Dublin to Delhi.

Corded Wares (~2900-2400 BC). These Yamnaya children migrated to modern Poland, Germany, Scandanavia, Balkans. They were less nomadic, settling in long woodhouses, and more territorial. Warrior-elites were buried in single kurgans. Their clans were smaller and less mobile. Their dead were dusted with red ochre. They were buried with battle axes. Their beakers were impressed by cords, often with herringbone patterns. These were not so ornate. Their northern migration boosted light-pigmentation genes - lighter skin, bluer eyes. Thus, despite Nazi propaganda, the Corded Wares descended from olive-skinned, brown-eyed Yamnaya. Bleached hair and eyes was simply to absorb more vitamin D in the North where days were short. They bred with hunter-gathers from Scandanavia and Baltics who had red hair, also a genetic mutation favoured for vitamin D absorption during short days. They were tall, 40% were blonde, 60% blue-grey eyes for adaption to UV absorption. Their sky god became Odin and Thor. They believed in an afterlife which was tied to status. They were less trade-focused, and more territorial. Proto-Germans and proto-Vikings and proto-Anglo-Saxon.

Bell Beakers (~2800-1800 BC). Bell-shaped pottery. Iberia, Netherlands, Britain, France. Proto-celtic. Less warlike than Corded Wares. Excelled in trade and cultural blending, from Portugal to Scotland. They thrived in diverse landscapes, mountains included. They had strong maritime trade, tin from Cornwall and amber from the Baltics. This made them more cosmpolitan than Corded Wares. Highly mobile, with boats and wagons. Less hierarchical, with trade-status over war-status. Male-lead, but less dominant than Corded Wares. Finely decorated beakers, gold ornamentation, wrist guards. Drinking of beer and mead in rituals. 50-70 % Yamnaya, so less than Corded Wares. 30% blue eye, mostly brown hazel. Proto-Irish, -Celtic, -Welsh, -Gallic, languages. Sun and river worship, and possibly early Druids. Ritual drinking rather than war-drinking. 40% steppe genes. Trade-savvy, maritime networkers, with more mixing and a cultural flair for art and exchange.

Sintashta (~2100-1800 BC). Naturally I know next to nothing about this aspect, from intuition or experience. But it is fascinating. These Yamnaya moved east and settled seat of Ural mountains. Invented the spoke-wheeled chariot (two-wheeled, not four like a wagon). Language of Vedic Sanskrit and Avestan in Zoroastrian Persia. They built fortified settlements unlike the others. They worshipped fire. Their rituals involved psychoactive drink. Rigveda hymns and chariot and fire cults. Proto-Indian-Iranian peoples. Multi-family dwellings. Metallurgical expertise. Kurgans, warrior-elite. Horses symbols of status. Animal sacrifice burials, and complex funeral rites. Fire altars and libation practices. Indo-Iranian language split into Indo-Aryan (Vedic) and Iranian (Avestan).

22nd October 2025: Summmary: The Bell Beakers and Corded Wares

The Proto-Indo-European language of the Steppe peoples, the Yamnaya, is the foundation of most European languages plus Sanskrit. The Yamnaya as nomadic herders lived off of milk and diary and were one of the earliest to develop lactose tolerance, with milk and butter consumption. They consumed fermented diary, with cheese and yoghurt in their diets. Fermented diary reduced lactose content and lasted longer, providing calories and protein in the harsh Steppe environment which fueled their expansion. The Indo-Europeans separated into two main cultures; the Bell Beakers (Proto-Celts) and the Corded Wares (Proto-Germans) the former went West and the latter went North. Later both of these cultures were affected by Christendom thanks to the reach of Rome. The Bell Beakers tended to have ornately decorated cups, whilst the Corded Wares had more prosaic herringbone patterns. One can speculate here that we already see the Highland-Catholic luxuriousness versus Protestant temperance. It does seem that Protestant culture took hold in those states which had a Germanic basis, beginning with Luther. I'd also like to suggest a connection between the religiosity of the Druids and that Christianity which was preserved by Scottish and Irish monks throughout the Dark Ages on remote isles like Iona. My primary point, then, is that Nietzsche came from a Corded Ware culture; what he missed was that England is a mixture of Bell Beaker and Corded Ware peoples. At the present time, however, we would do well to focus on our Corded Ware inheritance and listen to Nietzsche, as befits the moment.

22nd October 2025: Hyperreal: Art I like from Manchester Art Gallery

I like the unnatural fluorescence, the vibrant and vivid colours of these paintings from Manchester Art Gallery. Feels pagan. It's like being colour-blind, or rather colour-awake. Psychedelic. Supra-real - no, hyperreal. And the Christian imagery of the first one. The second looks like how a Hazelburn 10 tastes. Multi-coloured. And the first painting evokes a feeling of the cold and apocalypse... the Steppes.

23rd October 2025: Chetham Close

Up on Chetham Close, scorched yellow earth burns in vast expanses of moorland like Valhalla, whilst grey-eyed cloud pools and darkens and blackens overhead. Buds of pink gorse bubble up in bundels across the cracked ochre hills. Your entire field of vision is moorland and grey sky. Your nose is filled with the smell of mud.

The Celtic stone circle vandalised but powerful hides beneath the yellow grass. Wind rushes your ears and hums as if timeless. A patch of red berries and a bright white fern-like plant lie in a round patch of flattened grass. They have been torn from some other place and put there. Maybe it is the nest of some shrub-dwelling bird. But in my imagination the vivid red of the berries was like the blood of some ancient ritual.

You walk around the circle several times. You graze the surface of the stone with your hand, just as you grazed the stone of Manchester Cathedral. What horrors were committed here thousands of years ago in service of the sky god?

Walking down the hill, the stone circle behind you and the blackening clouds stirring at the back of your head, you see the metropolis of Manchester open up before you. '-chester', that is 'fort of the Romans'. If there is anywhere in Manchester that feels holy it is certainly the Castlefield area, the John Street gardens, within the shadow of the fort. You turn to the east, walking down the gently descending path, when the rigid silhouette of Peel tower appears in the far distance, the soloist in a ballet of turbines. Then you are struck by this still forest scene. A small copse alone in the midst of the moors, surrounded by a crumbling stone wall in a odd rectangular shape. It strikes you as tremendously still and serene. That is, compared to the rushing cruelty of the moorland. A stream of clear water trickles alongside the wall, bridged by a couple of stones. A showering of reds and flames and oranges patter like rainfall from the autumnal canopy. This must be one of the cloudiest and most wet parts of the country, without a doubt. It is interminably gloomy. Indeed, it was the moisture in the air that let the old cotton mills run so well. And lurking in the background of this delicate forest scene, dark and sinister, spines like old men jagger upwards, as if bitter about having to say hello. But the serenity of the forest was striking and still: with the sound of the gently running stream.

6th November 2025: Superior Cultures

Let me write clearly to establish my own position and to reaffirm my own sense of sanity in this world of lies.

Somehow, one feels uncomfortable even using the word superior. This is wrong. Superior.

The other day, I managed to make clear my own mind. I was able to reassure myself that I am not racist. The position I stand on solidly is this:

Racial superiority is morally and factually wrong. Cultural superiority exists and evolves...

My point is this. At certain points in our history, certain cultures have produced superior civilisations, regardless of race. I'm not a historian, but one could probably argue that the ancient Chinese, the Ottoman Empire, or the Greeks, amongst many others, were once superior cultures. In my personal opinion, based on certain facts and objective truths from history and the historical record, the United Kingdom was for a time the superior culture. It was also (emphasis on the past tense), in my opinion, the most superior culture in history; I will allow this can be speculated.

Firstly, my definition of culture is broader than the general use of the term today. I would add, importantly, the habits and customs of a people to that definition. For example, it is a strong custom in British culture to say 'thank you' when someone opens a door for you. It is a strong custom in American culture to tip people heavily. It is a strong Indian custom to share possessions and, somewhat, to shun talk of sex in the open. These sorts of things, as well as art, food, and sports, I include in the meaning of 'culture'.

To emphasise the point that cultural superiority exists and evolves, I would like to argue that certain aspects of Indian culture, as one example, have always been superior to British culture (interestingly, I'm not the first English person to state this). In the same breath, from my view, British culture is the most superior to have existed in history. Perhaps this is only challenged by the Romans. However, this is rapidly changing. For example, today Indians might be harder working and more driven on average. They form (or did form) stronger marital relationships. India has a stronger sense of community and family. And the food is, in my opinion, the best cuisine. Therefore I would happily accept an argument to say that Indian culture is now superior to British. (In a similar sense, I should say we are now being re-taught Christianity by Nigerians.) And I should say that in this analysis I am only using my intuition and observation. It is an opinion based on people I've met in the UK; yet these are probably some of the richer Indians no doubt. But they tend to be the most agreeable of people, and their culture in terms of art, music, food, and ambition is strong, and many end up very successful. Can the same be said of the contemporary English?

American culture is superior to British in certain ways. It is more innovative and extroverted. Bolder and more audacious, today and perhaps always.

Hence, cultural superiority evolves.

Racial superiority plays no part. Only culture. The idea of racial superiority, which it should be said was probably ubiquitous across cultures throughout history, regained ground in Western Civilisation with the arrival of Darwinism. Darwinism, which came from the Theory of Evolution, discovered in 1859 by Charles Darwin, said that essentially the strong survive and the weak die. This is what the record shows in evolutionary terms. The strong survive and the weak die was the norm throughout pre-history. Indeed throughout ancient and early history too. Indeed, this is what the Romans and Greeks thought, perhaps the Romans more so. The primary change for Western Civilisation came with the arrival of Christ. The idea that God, all-powerful, all-knowing, died. That God could appear weak. That was radical to the human psyche. And if you think you have not been affected by this event, recognise that, 'Christianity is the sea we swim in'. It challenged the Israelite perception of God. Suddenly the weak were the blessed. The Most-High was humiliated, spat on, tortured, betrayed by enemies and friends, paraded through the street naked, laughed at, and nailed to the cross naked. That is the radical premise of Christianity. This was a singularity in the history of humanity. It became the branch on which Western Civilisation stood.

Darwinism also proved that the Earth was way way older than we thought. This destabilised the Bible narrative, which claimed the earth was not that old. Darwinisim also proved that humans evolved from animals. They were not instantly by God created so to speak. Thus, Darwinism ushered in a new age of rationalism and atheism and realism. The angst that resulted in Europe is evident in the works of Dostoyevsky, Nietzsche, Tchaikovsky, and Mahler, for example. The result of the 'death of God' as Nietzsche saw was the horror of the 20th century. The state and/or the tyrant rose to fill the hole left by God. Hence, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin and Franco. Hence grand ideas like Communism. And Darwinism somewhat soured the British Empire I believe. I am not a historian proper, but this is what I gather from observation of peoples, art, literature, classical music, and from reading history.

With Darwinism came Eugenics. This said that some races were naturally superior by virtue of their race alone, physically and mentally. This is the philosophy that the Nazis adopted. This is my definition of racism. That's not to say it's impossible that it's true - it could well be true. For example, some black people clearly have genetic advantages in long-distance running or sprinting. That's a fact.

My personal perspective is that the mind is what matters. I believe, and deep down have always believed, that man is made in the image of God. He is, therefore, full of potential. With the right customs, institutions, education, and cultural environment, any man can flourish for this reason. It is dependent on the constitution of the mind, which is formed especially by education. I would disregard any physcial superiority in the analysis. This is important but the lesser part. A person is primarily the constitution, that is the organisation and arrangement of their mind. Certain cultures throughout history have had institutions which crafted the minds of their people in certain ways. Habits and customs were adopted by people which shaped their minds and environments. It is possible to have a superior constitution of mind to somebody else. This is independent of race, and largely a result of culture.

For example, I belive Christian theology and morality shaped the Western mind in so peculiar a way as to curate its success. As well as the precepts of Greek and Roman philosophy. And embedded in the Christian theology is a Jewish theology which likewise shaped the mind. Indeed, Nietzsche credited the Jews in Beyond Good and Evil for giving the West a certain existentialism.

Superior cultures (habits, customs, education, languages, art, food, sport, architecture) shape superior minds. British culture, in this sense described, is indeed today shakey. One can question the superiority of British culture today with more conviction than ever before. But throughout history, minds have been undoubtedly shaped by British institutions, customs, habits and theology, to become some of the best in history. That does not mean to say that the same will be true in the future. In my view this fact is independent of race. And one can use objective measures. In order to judge a superior culture, there are objective truths which can be referenced as evidence. Look at life expectancy, literacy levels, scientific and technological discovery, production of art, production of books and records, infant mortality, violence levels, the franchise, political stability, and quality of life. One can use factual metrics to judge a culture.

People who discriminate against different races today. They do so because race is an outward statistical indicator of inner constitution of mind. The 'working' classes may be less able to articulate this fact. And undoubtedly, some of it is indeed pure hatred and racism. New arrivals in the UK have not had opportunity to be shaped by British institutions. Race is a statistical indicator, not a guarantee, of the underlying culture which has shaped the person. Why is this so difficult?

For example, the Wind Rush generation had minds which were already somewhat shaped by British institutions. And you can encounter many British Empire immigrant families who have nothing but gratitude for what the Empire gave them. Suella Braverman, Ben Habib, Matthew Syed, and Trevor Phillips have said as much. And of course, we can have pride in the Empire as well as shame.

It is in fact normal and natural for people to feel tribal allegiance towards their own race; their race is in a sense an extension of kinship and family. Language can also bind strongly, as some kind of deep music. And it gives so much merit to the lofty heights Western Civilisation has reached, that different races are now able to live side by side. Historically, and elsewhere across the world to this day, this has been and remains impossible.

Let's keep saying superior until it's normal again. Superior, superior, superior.

And we would do well to remember the old English saying:

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

Campbeltown Whisky 14/11/2024

On the eastern flank of the loyal 'Kintyre Peninsula' in the United Kingdom, shaded from the gales of the Atlantic by a long strut of land, lies Campbeltown, the 'pirate's cove' of Scotland. Once home to over thirty whisky distilleries, Campbeltown is one of the great hidden nooks of these Sceptred Isles, and its heritage seems to hang in the briny air...
To reach Campbeltown, you travel by coach along the western side of the peninsula, following a winding road by the sea. Seemingly, you are on the edge of the known world. Depending on the weather, waves ripple and gently break against the rocks. As you look out across the empty sea, and against the prison wall of the cliffs to your left, one can easily imagine a young Scot of yore, looking out to the West, dreaming of his prospects in the 'New World'. An Andrew Carnegie, hoping for exodus from British rigidity and tyranny.
And on your left as the coach grumbles up and down, rocky outcrops jutt from rugged tufts of vivacious greens, which sprawl forth in richness. Sheep chew away in the sea-mist ridden air. The salt, it seems, enriches the soil. And a tidy mess of farms and cottages and crumbling stone walls climb over the hills. It's verdant land carries the character of Ireland (indeed we are near as close as one can possibly get to Ireland whilst on the mainland).
For whisky lovers, Campbeltown remains a treasure trove. Visit Springbank distillery, visit Cadenheads. Drink a Kilkerran 12 year old. You will taste the brine of the seaside town in the whisky, you'll taste the must of the old warehouses, you'll taste the distinctly Campbeltown peat, which is briny like seaweed. And you'll be immediately transported to the deck of some rugged fishing vessel of old. And when your distillery tour guide opens the washtun, you'll smell a pungent fruit like nothing you've smelt before, like rich and condensed apples; and the smell will never leave you. And everytime you taste the whisky from then onwards, you'll taste that salty sensation and the sweetness will remind you of the washtun.
Maybe you'll chat to a local barman who, tucked away in the middle of nowhere, holds his Scottish character unscathed. I heard it said that to become a local you must have lived in Campbeltown for at least three generations!!
And maybe the sun will emerge, and suddenly the place will have the character of some Caribbean island. Suddenly, one can vividly imagine the illegal whisky smuggling to the New World.
And if you walk along the sea front, you'll see it is adorned with Allied flags. You'll see, tucked away in this random town in the middle of nowhere, on the outermost edge of our island, memory remains pure and untainted as if it had been distilled. You'll see war memorials, alive and potent as if it were yesterday.
And along the main street, Union Jacks hang peacefully and naturally, and the rugged and rolling hills rise in the background!!