Symposium Britannicum Historiographorum Criminalium: British Crime Historians’ Symposium

Dies Veneris Saturnique Universitate Liverpoolense aderam quod Symposium Britannicum Historiographorum Criminalium eveniebat. Octoginta homines convenerunt causa amiciter disceptandi. Complures praesentationes exhibuerunt quae spectatores delectaverunt. De damnatis et carceribus et judiciis et lictoribus et puellis puerisque sceleratis et furibus et sicariis colloquebamur. Concessum adpellavi de arte qua lictores Cumbrienses ebrios adtractarent. Parlamentum ultimum maxime intererat quod omnes confabulantur de auctoribus televisonis qui historiographos arcessant ad cogitationes tradendos. Die Veneris vesperi in taberna Graeca dapsile cenavimus. Symposium valde est convivialis et sapiens et eruditum.

Orationes Arcessandae: the Call for Papers.

On Friday and Saturday I was at the University of Liverpool for the British Crime Historians’ Symposium. Eighty people met for friendly discussion. Several gave presentations which pleased the audience. We were conversing about convicts, prisons, courts, the police, child offenders, thieves and murderers. I addressed the meeting on the topic of how the police in Cumbria used to deal with drunks. The final round table session was very interesting because there was a general discussion about TV productions who call upon historians to share their expertise. On Friday evening we dined splendidly in a Greek restaurant. The Symposium certainly was convivial, intelligent and erudite.

Aedes Prospicientiae ubi conveniebamus.

The Forsesight Centre where we met.

Cives Caledoniae affati sunt. The Scottish people have spoken.

Hodie cognoscemus quid populus Caledoniae censent. ‘Non’ electo, in Regno Coniuncto manere volunt. Octaginta quinque per centum cives suffragia tulerunt, quinquaginta quinque per centum electores “non” dixerunt. Abhinc decem dies res sic anceps videbatur ut Minister Primus Cameron pavore afflictus promitteret potestatem majorem reipublicae Caledoniae traditam iri, si cives ‘non’ eligant. Feliciter Gordon Brown orationem suavissimam aptissimamque dixit in quo Regnum Coniunctum ferventer laudabant.

Sed hodie mane Alex Salmond ab spe destitutus populi affatus est: populum Caledoniae eligisse, nunc Cameroni esse promissa servanda.

Necesse est nobis, ut duces Angliae dicunt, Senatum Londinii reficere ut legati Caledonienses non res Anglias disceptare possint.

Today we know what the people of Scotland think. They voted ‘no’ and want to stay in the United Kingdom. Eighty five per cent of the electorate voted, fifty five per cent of the voters said ‘no’. Ten days ago the outcome seemed so doubtful that Prime Minister Cameron panicked and promised that more power would be handed to the Scottish Government if the voters chose ‘no’.

Fortunately Gordon Brown gave a brilliant and persuasive speech in which he powerfully endorsed the Union. But this morning a disappointed Alex Salmond addressed the people. He said that the Scottish peopl had chosen; now Cameron would have to keep his promises. The political leaders in England say that we need to reform the Westminster Parliament so that the Scottish MPs cannot influence English business.

Respublica Caledoniensibus eligenda. Scotland must decide.

Die quinto suffragatoribus Caledoniae respublica referetur. Populis cernendum erit sive in Regno Coniuncto manendum sive Calendoniae independenti favendum. Quid homines delectet? Menses complures consulti periti dicebant Caledonienses plerumque ‘non’ electuros esse, id est, Regni Coniuncti fauturos. Sed nuper numerus fautorium Caledoniae independentis crescet et disceptatio commota irataque fit. Fautores Regni Conjuncti adseverant Caledonia sine Anglia vectigalibus et negotationibus magnis et argentariis et ludis internationalibus carebunt, sed fautores Caledoniae independentis argumenta adnegant quod, ut dicunt, copiae petrolei eis sunt. Prima occasio erit in qua homines annos sedecim nati suffragium ferre poterint. Res sunt magni negotii, ferentes eventum ancipitem.

In four days’ time the voters of Scotland will vote on their government. The people will have to decide if they should stay in the United Kingdom, or if they want an independent Scotland. What will the people prefer? For many month the seasoned commentators have been saying that the Scots will mostly vote ‘no’, that is in favour of the United Kingdom. But recently the number of supporters of an independent Scotland had grown and the debate has become heated and angry. The supporters of the United Kingdom assert that Scotland without England will be short of tax income, of large businesses, of banks and of international sporting events, but the supporters of Scottish independence reject these claims because, they say, they have a large amount of oil. This will be the first chance for sixteen year olds to vote. It is a very important event with an uncertain outcome.

Farah Keitanyque superant in Cursu Magno Septentrionale: Farah and Keitany triumph in Great North Run

Hodie athleta Britannicus Mo Farah omnes in Cursu Magno Septentrionale per vias Novocastri superavit.

Cursus, primo anno MCMLXXXI certatus, crebrissimus est in toto orbe terrarum quoad hodie quinquaginta septem milia hominum intererant et decens centiens millensima athleta, Tracey Cramond nomine, cursum permensa est.

Farah adeo optime cucurrit ut celerrimus Britannicus nunc praestet, qui cursus tredecim milia passuum hora una exacta perficeret. Vir praeclarus fortisque est qui se saepe strenue sapienter exerceat ut omnes vincat. Femina prima, Maria Keitany, Kenyiensis, cursum sexaginta quinque minutis permensa est et nunc celerrima umquam in cursu praestat. Athleta Britannica celerrima erat Gemma Adamantea, quae secunda cursum perfecit. Eheu, adesse mihi placeret!

 

Today the British athlete Mo Farah triumphed on the streets of Newcastle in the Great North Run. The race, first held in 1981, is the most popular in the world, for today 57,000 took part and the millionth runner, Tracey Cramond, completed the course. Farah ran so quickly that he broke the record, completing the thirteen mile route in one hour exactly. He is an outstanding man and athlete, for he trains hard and intelligently every day in order to be the best. The first female athlete was Mary Keitany, a Kenyan, who completed the race in 65 minutes and is now the record holder for the course. The first British woman was Gemma Steel, who finished second. Oh, I would have loved to be there!