April 11. On this day, one hundred years ago, the brand new liner RMS Titanic arrived at Cork harbour, Ireland. 11:30am GMT in fact, so around about 12 hours from the time I’m currently writing this. Two hours after she dropped anchor, she weighed again and commenced her journey across the Atlantic for the very first, and as history records, last time.
2012, this centenary anniversary of the greatest maritime disaster ever recorded, seems to bring out all the analogists. Those who, for reasons of their own which very few others can ken, wish to draw parallels between 1912 Irish shipbuilding techniques, using 1912 British steel and 2012 socio-political functionalities. Personally, I think any such analogising is little more than a frivolous waste of time, effort and journalistic broadcasting space, as evidenced by this fatuous piece by IPA correspondent Chris Berg in The Drum.
I’ll give him 5 out of 10 for a mildly interesting regurgitation of readily available factoids regarding the century-old disaster, but sadly on the intent & purpose of the piece, I’d give him 2 or 3 out of 10 and a large “COULD DO BETTER” stamp. In fact, the comments thread which follows the piece is far more entertaining and enlightening than the piece itself. The comments conform for me yet again that readers of these sort of drum-beating wildlife frighteners are not spooked or phased, indeed, are quite able to see straight through both the writing and the author as they can the cleanest & clearest of glass. Berg’s intent is plain. Regulation=Bad. Free Market=Good. Caveat Emptor and shit happens. Move on, nothing to see here….or there, as it were. Revisionism on any scale is a convenience employed only by the lazy and dishonest in my view.