Excuse some reflections on the death of Liam Payne. I want to say that he proves, alas, that death does not come in one direction.
Before the 19th century death was about the Nunc dimittis and submission to God’s will. In the 20th century it was glamourised in Hemingway’s Death in the Afternoon, satirised in Waugh’s The Loved One, analysed in Jessica Mitford’s American Way of Death, and depicted as raging against the dying of the light by Dylan Thomas. Now, in the 21st century, death seems to revolve around the modern Jonathan Dimbleby/Polly Toynbee question about whether we, in the United Kingdom, ought to have ‘dignified’ deaths. By this they mean that we should be helped to commit suicide, or that we should be murdered by doctors, especially if the state thinks the utilitarian calculus will be served by a bit of assistance-unto-death. (You know, knock off granny to save a bit of capital.)
Kim Leadbetter’s Assisted Dying Bill was formally introduced on October 16th and will be debated on November 29th. If they have their way, the "Dying in Dignity" campaigners will ensure that in future death comes in only one direction. In this dismaying situation, it is good of some of our contemporaries – and I have not only Liam Payne but also Yahya Sinwar in mind – to show us that death does not come in one direction.
Now, one hesitates to be satirical about the deaths of the recently dead, but what convinced me
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I used to tend towards supporting assisted dying in certain circumstances.
But that was before the Covid Tyranny, when an unknown/un-admitted number of sick/frail/elderly patients were “helped” to die via a cocktail of morphine and midazolam by the doctors in “our wonderful NHS.”
I don’t trust them one little bit. And if assisted dying is legalised, it won’t be long before euthanasia becomes official policy (although not admitted to).
“Well Mr/Mrs Elderly Patient, treatment is possible but is expensive and you will need permanent care. You’ve had a decent life, don’t you think it’s best to accept the inevitable now …. think of all the younger people we could help with the money we would be using to keep you alive a little bit longer. And think of your family …. all their inheritance could go in care fees. I’m sure you can see what the sensible route is ….. and you can trust me, it won’t hurt a bit.”
Friendly and unfriendly intelligence agancies around the world identify the inflated and irrational fear of death in Western countries as a major weakness. Obviously you need a healthy respect for death lest you engage in wreckless action. But there is something far more among the golden billion. Death is such a neurosis that the whole bent of the decadent culture is to deny that it ever happens. You see this in many manifestations. Youth worship in culture, the hiding away of the elderly in homes, the quest for life extension technologies, the adoption of new age philosophy to soften the blow. Under such circumstances can you even talk about the dignity of death? Even with our Christian past it would be uncomfortable to talk about martyrdom in a culture desperately clinging to secular materialism.
Great article James, thanks for writing it. Chris Hoy will be OK, he’s a wonderful person.
Here are the very sound words of Vernon Coleman on euthanasia: https://expose-news.com/2024/10/23/this-affects-you-and-everyone-you-love/:
On 29 November, the UK House of Commons will be debating euthanasia. If a euthanasia bill is passed, it will help the conspirators who are promoting net zero and the Great Reset.
“In countries where euthanasia has been introduced, it is not just the sick and the terminally ill who are being killed,” Dr. Coleman writes. “People are being legally killed because they are depressed, frail, poor or unemployed.”
“Euthanasia is not painless; it is not peaceful and it is not dignified.”
As for dying ‘with dignity’, very few have the choice of how they die. And throwing yourself from a great height, leaving others to clear up the mess, is not what I would describe as dignified behaviour. People thinking of suicide should seek help from others to cure them of such a dreadful thought.
Here’s another short clip of Peter Lynch doing the rounds. Here are his thoughts on Labour. I don’t think Peter had a ”dignified” death, stuck in prison, did he? The fact is that if he hadn’t been wrongfully banged up he’d be alive today, but he was very vocal about his opposition to MPs and government in general, therefore lo and behold he found himself inside merely for vocalizing that opposition. And I’m glad people are saying ”apparent” suicide, because, like hux says, we actually have no details, do we? How often do prisoners get visits? He had family, did they not detect something was up and that his mental health had taken a severe nosedive? Had he mentioned any bullying, threats or attacks he’d been the victim of? Is there a large portion of Muslims in that prison who might have gotten wind of who he was and why he was in there? They’re allowed to watch the news and have access to the internet, aren’t they? Too many questions still unanswered;
”This is the late Peter Lynch, a political prisoner of Keir Starmer
, who apparently committed suicide at HMP Moorland.
Here Peter believes UK Labour
have… Read more »
Thank you. I too noticed the absence of Peter Lynch from the list of recent deaths at the top of this article.
When I am approaching death I neither want to be hurried along nor unnecessarily delayed. Is that too much to ask? What I fear most would be losing my reason and being unable to think or express these thoughts.
I’m comforted by C. S. Lewis, whose greatest fear was losing his mind until some illness near the end of his life rendered him temporarily insane. Afterwards, he told people it wasn’t too bad being mad.
Sorry Mr Wokeman but Mr Starmer has decided yr care is too expensive so could you do the decent thing. Thin end of murderous wedge.
Some of us are looking forward to assisted dying.
Starmfurher and his incompetent nutters like Lammy are paving the way by making it all so very depressing that many of us will willingly give it all up to be done with it and past caring any longer.