Kmflett's Blog

 Dr Stephen Roberts, editor of the Commons 1640-60 section, discusses the Commons’ debates on Christmas day, 1656: still sitting, of course, and rather disappointed that the rest of the country seemed to have taken the day off…

On Christmas day 1656, the second parliament of Oliver Cromwell’s protectorate met as usual to transact business. Some years earlier, the legislation of the Long Parliament (1640-53) had outlawed the observance of the festival, but it had evidently failed. On 25 December 1656, the MPs began the parliamentary day by giving a second reading to an obscure bill for holding sheriff’s courts in Wiltshire, heard amendments to a bill for altering the forest laws relating to the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire; during the short debate, Luke Robinson spoke bravely against plans to re-forest the area, fearing for the rights of ordinary people: ‘We promised Englishmen freedom, equal freedom… Did we not make the people believe that we fought for their liberty? Let us not deceive them of their expectation.’ A government spokesman denied that the bill would restrain commoners’ rights, instead asserting that ‘it gives the people more liberty than they have had these hundred years’. The bill was passed, and then in what we might consider the true spirit of Christmas, a member was given leave to visit his sick child.

But the elephant in the chamber could be ignored no longer, and Colonel Joachim Matthews, Member for Maldon in Essex, noted how thin the attendance was, attributing it to Christmas observance, and produced ‘a short bill’ to reinforce the earlier legislation of abolition. Luke Robinson, the republican opponent of re-afforestation, complained that Christmas preparations outside his London lodgings had kept him awake all night, and made the inevitable link between Christmas festivity and Catholicism: ‘We are, I don’t doubt, returning to popery’. The bill produced a range of responses. Some said it was needed, as the people were keener on Christmas than on Sunday observance; others said that important parliamentary business should take priority over this measure, since it was too late to prevent this Christmas taking place, and so there was a year in hand to pass it. Yet others noted with regret the complete closure of businesses: ‘One may pass from the Tower to Westminster, and not a shop open, nor a creature stirring’. Lambarde Godfrey, MP for Kent, said that now the bill was being debated, everyone should support it, in case the public came to the conclusion that Parliament was in favour of superstitious festivals.

O’Connorville (Heronsgate) was a Chartist Land Settlement near Rickmansworth in North-West London.

Chartist small holdings were allocated by (not all that legal) ballot. Most of the original dwellings can still be seen, largely now luxury houses. The pub opposite the Settlement, The Land of Liberty, Peace and Plenty remains open. Chartist leader Feargus O’Connor banned Land Plan allottees from going there, how successfully is another matter.

Below is a report from the Chartist Northern Star newspaper (4th January 1851) of a Boxing Day Party. Boxing Day did not become a bank holiday until 1871/75 but was clearly a holiday for some well before that

CHRISTMAS AT O’CONNORVILLE. On Thursday, December 26th, the whole of the Allottees, with their wives and families, met together at the School-room, and partook of tea and other refreshments. After the repast Mr. Ratcliffe was called to the chair, and the following sentiments were spoken to by Messrs. T. M. Wheeler, G. Wheeler, Griffith, Sturgeon, and Paris:—” The People’s Charter;” ” F. O’Connor, Esq., the People’s Champion ;” •’ Kossuth, Mazzini, and the Democrats of all nations;” “the Northern Star and the Democratic Press generally;” ” the Land Plan” and “the Ladies.” …….At the conclusion of the meeting a vote of thanks was given to the Chairman, and a round of cheers or Mr. O’Connor. Dancing, singing and other Christmas amusements were then heartily indulged in until an early hour of the morning, when all retired to their homes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heronsgate

The black leader of London Chartism, Hobart & Ashes Tests

Jim Maxwell in conversation with Alex Hartley mentioned Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) in Test Match Special commentary on the first day of the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne.

Cricket in Tasmania goes back to the early nineteenth century when it was brought to the town by British military and missionary personnel. The inhabitants of the area at this point were twofold. Firstly the existing indigenous population and secondly convicts transported from Britain.

Both groups played cricket often against each other with the British governing class population (a small number)also participating.

One of the convicts in Hobart from 1850 to 1870 (when died aged 82) was the black leader of London Chartism William Cuffay. Cuffay, a tailor by trade had been sentenced to transportation for his alleged part in a putative central London Chartist rising at Seven Dials in August 1848.

As a political prisoner he was left to work and organise in Hobart and was in fact pardoned in 1857. Its not clear if he played or watched cricket. He was perhaps rather old to play. He had been known as a theatre performer in London and may well have continued this in Hobart so we do know that his interests extended beyond political organising.

Between 1846 and 1848 he was the auditor of the Chartist Land Scheme that built small agricultural villages in England and allowed Chartist supporters to opt out of factory work. The scheme ultimately failed, frustrated by Government refusal to make it legal. However villages were built including the first at O’Connorville which is at Rickmansworth (just off the M25). The houses-now dwellings for the better off still stand.

On 6^th August 1847 the Chartist Northern Star reported a cricket match that was played there to mark the election of Chartist leader Feargus O’Connor as the MP for Nottingham. Did Cuffay attend? We don’t know although when he was arrested in August 1848 a banner from the Westminster Chartist branch that had been used at O’Connorville was found in his rooms.

Research in progress

Source: The Times

Australia’s record in recent home Ashes series perhaps suggests that even if England lose 5-0 this would hardly be out of the ordinary.

The multi-faceted shambles that has surrounded the England Test team so far in the series is not something for statistics and can perhaps be understood in the context of a tough environment. Shambolic it remains though

The contradictions of England Test Cricket. ‘It’s good fun’ (but the results are not)

England haven’t won a cricket Test in Australia for 15 years and are currently 3-0 down in the 2025/6 Ashes series with two games to play.

The lack of success in general can hardly be surprise except for the point that under the current Head Coach Brendan McCullum with the approach the media have termed ‘Bazball’ it was meant to have changed. Initially when McCullum took over in 2022 it did and it needed to. More recently results have been less good.

There are specific issues with the current team and series, including a lack of preparation and the selection of players who fit in with the Bazball ethos whether or not they are really the best available.

McCullum’s approach suggests that he may have other priorities to the ones England cricket fans would hope to see. Indeed his words after the third Ashes Test defeat this week are shall we say, a little surprising. If one takes the analogy of football managers going through a poor set of results (a frequent occurrence) they will express regret to fans, provide explanations and suggests ways they hope to get improvements. Not it seems for McCullum

“It’s a pretty good gig. It’s good fun,” said McCullum. “You travel the world with the lads and try to play some exciting cricket and try to achieve some things

There are wider issues.

A piece in the Cricketer argues that when Rob Key and McCullum took charge of English and Welsh cricket in 2022 they were under pressure to create a more user friendly environment for players, with the threat that some might go to franchises.

This the Cricketer piece argues has led to less emphasis on training and fitness regimes with over time the results we can see. No doubt this view will be disputed.

But the wider point about franchise cricket, the Hundred domestically as seen the County game- the bedrock for Test players- moved to the start and the end of the season. However (see above) there clearly are current England players who at least should be seriously considered for the Test team but aren’t because they don’t fit the Bazball ethos.

Bazball now has the air of a management consultancy that suggests ways to improve which work for a bit until it becomes clear that underlying issues have not really been addressed. At that point the consultants normally move on to their next project

What’s so funny about peace, love and understanding was written by Nick Lowe and performed by his then band Brinsley Schwarz in 1974. It was recorded in 1978 by Elvis Costello with a harder and more urgent edge to it, and produced by Nick Lowe

I was 18 in 1974 and the words spoke to concerns that war and particularly nuclear war could threaten. The Elvis Costello version underlined the alternative to war, death and destruction and over 50 years on from the original the words and the urgency remain relevant, just a lot more so.

War is on the agenda of leaders across the world. As ever the wars are to be fought by those who don’t get a say in their starting

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/(What%27s_So_Funny_%27Bout)_Peace,_Love,_and_Understanding

The Culture War on Christmas Trees is back

In 2022 Michael Mosbacher writing in the Telegraph (where else aside from the Times or Mail) claimed that the ‘woke mob’ has declared war on Christmas trees.

Mr Mosbacher has visited some of the great cultural institutions of London such as the Tate and found that they either have some other form of seasonal display not involving a tree or nothing at all. Reassuringly he found a tree and lots of Christmas baubles at the Ritz.

His assumption is that a lack of Christmas Trees is due to wokery though he doesn’t seem to have checked. It may of course be down to environmental concerns or simply that trees make a lot of mess with dropped pine needles and then have to be disposed of.

Its become a seasonal obsession for the far right and in 2025 Christmas Tree expert Stephen Yaxley Lennon has whinged that the Trafalgar Square tree is not up to standard.

I’m not the greatest fan of LibDem leader Ed Davey but his Christmas message focused on the Trafalgar Square tree is mostly to the point. Its been gifted every year since 1947 from Oslo to mark the assistance that Britain gave in the fight against the Nazi occupation of the City and country. We can perhaps understand why Yaxley Lennon is not keen on a tree that symbolises the fight against fascism

Like so much else at Christmas the tree is an invented tradition. It came to Britain in the early 1840s which may explain why Scrooge got a giant turkey for the Cratchits but not a tree. Dickens published the Christmas Carol on 19^th December 1843.

It was Prince Albert who popularised the Christmas Tree with Royal celebrations in 1848 and a tradition reinvented in 1947

Source: The Times 22nd December 2025

Were it not for the current demise of the draw in Test cricket, Brendan McCullum’s record since 2022 would be broadly the same as the longer term English cricket coaches going back 25 years.

Each coach brings a distinctive method and style but eventually, as in other sports, runs out of road, as other teams work out the tactics and strategies used and new ways of playing develop

Nigel Farage played a rare visit to his Clacton Constituency for some pre-Christmas photo opportunities on 23rd December. Quite what the specific message the photo above is sending is, shall we say, not clear.

Farage is reportedly off to the Ashes Boxing Day Test in Melbourne which will mean he will miss another annual photo op, that of standing with a beer and cigarette at the start of a Boxing Day hunt.

However if reports of the drinking prowess of the England cricket team are accurate Farage should feel at home in Melbourne