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How to pronounce irrational hostility in English?

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Incorporated additional support is
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[Music]
from Boston University welcome to firing
line
i'm michael kinsley of the New Republic
magazine picture of the scene it belongs
in the movies or perhaps on Masterpiece
Theater we are at the third or fourth
meeting between the new brash young
President of the United States John F
Kennedy and the elderly aristocratic
Prime Minister of Great Britain Harold
Macmillan the subject is supposed to be
nuclear arms but in the middle of the
discussion Kennedy suddenly turns to
Macmillan and says I wonder how it is
with you Harold
if I don't have a woman for three days I
got a terrible headache that anecdote
comes from the second and final volume
of Alastair horns Magisterial official
biography of Macmillan which has just
been published in the United States I
was living in England when the book came
out there last spring and some of the
local critics expressed skepticism about
that story which made headlines in the
British press mr. horn says the source
is an unrecorded conversation between
himself and Macmillan Americans
accustomed by now to this kind of
Kennedy anecdote ish anecdote excuse me
may find it a little less hard to
believe at any rate mr. Buckley has here
today both mr. Horne and Professor
Arthur Schlesinger jr. the chief keeper
of the Kennedy flame so we'll have the
truth or at least a good fight about
this shortly this is the second of two
shows about the special relationship
between America and Britain in general
and between Kennedy and Macmillan in
particular Alistair Horne is the author
of 14 books of history probably the
best-known until now is the savage war
of peace about the Algerian war of
independence from France Arthur
Schlesinger jr.
frequent firing line pugilist author of
books beyond number some of which are
not about the Kennedys is the Albert
Schweitzer professor of humanities at
the City University of New York and to
give the Kennedy side an unfair
advantage we also have professor John
Kenneth Galbraith of Harvard mr. Buckley
this anecdote takes up about seven lines
in a book of 700 not 39 pages but it has
got an awful lot of attention and I
suppose we ought to settle it once and
for all is it true and does it matter
well I think we should turn to a
historian to ask whether it's true I'm
sure that this is what Harold Macmillan
said to Alistair Horan because Alistair
Horan is first-class historian and
biographer an amount of utmost probity
whether John Kennedy ever said it to
Harold Macmillan is something I have
great skepticism about because Kennedy
among other things was a very man of
great courtesy a great respect for
macmillan great respect for older men in
general it seems to be quite unlikely
improbable out of character for him to
have said this to a British prime
minister man whom he hardly knew and a
man who was a generation older I think
muslimists remember about Harold
Macmillan that he was in a certain sense
Victorian rather than Edwardian and in
his own personal morals he had too deep
tragedy in his life which was to hearten
writes about with great tact and
sensitivity and that is the fact that
his own wife had been notoriously
unfaithful to him and I had a lover the
love affair was persisted during her
whole life and I think for various
reasons Macmillan had hang-ups of one
sort or another about this he remembered
something of this sort but I personally
am very skeptical I share the skepticism
expressed in the some of the British
comment the candidate ever said anything
like that to make no one but to touch on
just one point
mr. president makes a mr. mr. Horne or
wasn't it a surprise to mr. Macmillan
that in his first meeting with
on Kennedy he saw the kind of
spontaneity which he simply didn't
anticipate this isn't to document or to
challenge the question whether he didn't
say it merely that it would not have
been an unsalable thing for that
particular reason I don't think was on
sample first of all I'd like to get back
there I was quite surprised when the
British press took this up such lengths
and in England even more surprised that
Sutton August's body the the new New
Republic would be so interested and what
is really in the United States a
throwaway line but but moon was
apparently aware of these activities of
Kennedy at a very early stage and I
found a remark he made in his diary
actually before the election talking to
the ex American ambassador jock Whitney
who he says that in his diary Kennedy
must be a strange character obstinate
sensitive ruthless and highly sexed now
he said he was not unaware as though a
lot of us were unaware at the time but I
agree that I think the remark is very
[Music]
unlikely very strange of course it would
have been a great deal more unlikely if
for instance Harry Truman but I just
have to say and I'm I'm flattered by
mrs. Evans remark about my priority that
this I did record this in all fidelity
at one of moons well this has brought a
question which among other things gives
us the advantage of getting off that
particular theme you use you you work in
close quarters with Harold Macmillan
writing this book for nine years right
seven years during which you spent a
great deal of time well to what extent
was he capable of jocularity historical
significance of this order well very
much so in fact in with Kennedy context
I remember being very shocked I want on
one occasion he had talked at great
length what Canada meant him and very
movingly and talked about the last
and they met the helicopter taking off
from Birchgrove and the hope of the
young world departing and I was reduced
to tears almost the next day he made a
remark rather like this and I was quite
shaken I said I reprove him on this
point and he said dear boy you must
remember in public life as well as
political life must never be too sharp a
distinction between what is frivolous
and what is serious
and I think this is very much the
essence of women's whole attitude toward
politics and towards life yes but I
think that's a poetic point that for
instance a Shakespeare dramatizes the
perixx of loss but are we to read your
book on the understanding that some of
the quotations given to you I have to be
weighed as to the Apollo ability to get
back in this one specifically I did make
a mark afterwards there should be taken
in context and it did not represent
women settled view of Kennedy and the
only reason I mentioned it in this book
that's why I'm a little bit agreed to be
so play it up was because it was to
illustrate how very deep and are very
profound the attachment of Macmillan and
his respect for Kennedy was and that
that it despite this this kindest aspect
of Kennedy's life which of course he
wrote it disapproved that was really the
point I was trying to bring over in or
do you wanted examples of the kind of
thing that Macmillan was offended by in
order to demonstrate all the more
captivating leave the transcendence of
those weaknesses nicely precisely yes
the could you put that any better at mr.
Galbraith this is a episode on which I'm
delighted to say I have no position
whatever
in substantial measure I recommend that
ignorance to almost everybody else well
if we want to stick to matters on by
which your ignorance we talked about
economics III think it's are you playing
- applause I think it's very interesting
that mr. horn paid so much attention to
the utter trauma suffered by Macmillan
wendigo all finally said no you can't
join the EEC and it was raised at our
first session whether this special
relationship might have motivated the
goal so I I think it would be and here
you are analyzed whether the delay in
entering the EEC in fact hurt Britain
economically always it merely the
Socialist Prime Minister's well the
answer without the and ignores I usually
do the underlying implication of the
question something I recommend to a
larger audiences say that was bound to
be difficulty about the entry of Britain
into the AEC and there were questions on
the British side as to the wisdom at
that time because the post-war recovery
of Britain had required a very
substantial measure of state control
that was something that had to come from
London and a non-existent government in
Brussels so that this should be it
should have been a subject of debate in
Britain was not at all surprising
something that it there should have been
concerns on the part of Macmillan as
another part of many others is not
surprising and the British tradition of
economics the British tradition of ego
this British sense of economic
superiority
and nationalism and nationalism was
something that was bound to look
troublesome to Gaul and to France so
perhaps perhaps the surprising thing is
that the entry of Britain to the EEC
came as soon as it did well when when it
did done one other word I at that I was
never deeply involved with those matters
but I did know each other very well and
I think it's fair to say that Monet when
he envisaged the EEC was a at times
inclined to think of it as something
separate and different from an
organization and included Britain would
you possibly let me ask you this mr.
Galbraith when they did finally join
there was a great national debate it did
have the kind of discussion that you
referred to as absent from from make any
consideration at the time that Macmillan
was so nervous about it is it your
judgment that the opponents of England's
entry into the NDE sea have been
vindicated or not oh no I don't I would
have I would have said that in the
overall context which includes military
matters in which includes cultural
matters which goes far beyond economics
that the people who wanted to bring
Britain into the EC have been vindicated
have been justified think about I think
there was a question of timing I would
not have I had I had been active in
Britain at the time actors speaking
actively wanted to the scene that say as
early as the 1940s or the early 1950s
there was a time when working away from
the war with food shortages currency
shortages the terrible other terrible
problems of
or a readjustment when you needed those
strong influence of an effective
national government but I think we
certainly missed the boat I would like
to have seen Britain come into Europe in
1963 at the latest and I do criticize
macmillan strong in my book for having
been very dilatory over this but he had
some of the factors we still see in
Britain today and you'll talk about
nationalism it's very very strong and he
took him a long time to get the Tory
party and public opinion behind him to
go in and ball which course was as far
as to go was kind of concerned was last
time I think the other factor and this
rather appropriate now with the German
coming up but McMillan was wounded five
times in the First World War he went
through all four the second world wars
Churchill's adviser to Eisenhower and it
did leave him with a certain vestigial
suspicion about Germans at which he
could never quite get over and I think
they he on this score he was perhaps
influenced who to get Arden are quite
wrong and this is a mistake he's on and
I could have have played an essential
role in tipping to go towards British
entry can I ask you a question - one of
our one of my oldest and most admired
friends and I sure I'm free yeah
what what justification as a historian
and a brilliant historian do you have
for bringing your own personal
criticisms to bear on the subjects that
you were discussing well how should I
answer that I hope you wouldn't be able
to well I'm actually I always get a fire
one back at you if I'm a professor
Galbraith I read in the British press
last week that you had being caused to
comment on the events in Germany and who
said it wasn't a matter of economics it
was a matter of emotion but I've always
thought the East Germans were one of
your best clients I know I have no doubt
about that I can defend my position even
though you can overwhelming desire of
the East Germans well they certainly
wanted more consumers goods there was no
question about that but the overwhelming
motivation was the extraordinary number
of people in the mature industrial
society who want to speak out and be
heard they're just more of them than you
can keep quiet and that this is it was
to this I was referring to go back to
your question about position of a
biographer there do you not think that
about girl should be allowed caging it
too to be critical of his subject it's
never stopped mr. Schlesinger I would
say I would absolutely defend historians
right of assessment in fact what's the
point of writing things unless you try
to sit in some sort of judgment the
whole act of writing implies
interpretation interpretation requires
judgment implies assessment I think I'm
sorry
historian who doesn't look at the the
person or administration or whatever
he's writing about and say they seem
right here and wrong there isn't doing
fully doing his job he was talking about
personal criticism his interjecting his
personal views you were different you
never did that when you were writing
about Roosevelt he had only his personal
views but I act exactly as it is and I
don't not show my farm so I want to
follow you you have you don't find it
you don't find it so to speak
unfaithful as a historian to proceed
having written about a historical
episode to discuss aspects of it which
you didn't discuss in your book or to be
critical in a sense that you weren't in
your book you feel perfect if you do
that don't you I feel perfectly for you
to do it in the book sure sure but but
even if you didn't do in the book you
have no you have no problem about
extending that criticism later on well
put it this way did you did you think
that it was in some sense a bad-mannered
if I was to Horne to volunteer his
evaluation yeah and then German mark AB
now IRA Millington Jeremy certainly not
no I would think that would be perfectly
the kind of comment after all if a
historian immerses himself in a period
or in the life of a man knows more about
it than anyone else and how it comes out
of that with certain conclusions I think
he owes it to his readership to express
the conclusions not in the sense of
personal whim or prejudice that is
arising from the evidence here's
accumulator and Paul in the book
actually saying that I personally was in
favor of British entry into calm market
but I just mentioned this in the context
of our debate today I think it's
perfectly legitimate for Alice started
to say that Harold Macmillan's auntie
German prejudices understandable and a
German prejudices may have meant that he
did not use had no or as effective as
okay that's a question of fact what I
what I'm saying is that there should be
on the part of any historian a measure
of judicial detachment which pictures
the subject but doesn't enter down get
down in the arena and struggle with him
well most the British press accused him
not entering into the arena enough how
can you win well let me ask you this by
always agreeing with me
all right the the the the quest of point
you make is that to the extent that
there was slippage in the constituency
of Harold Macmillan it was widely
acknowledged that the reason for it was
his preoccupation with Foreign Affairs
yeah was such that he neglected domestic
I wish he'd collected more by the way
but but under those circumstances his
concern with the EC for instance might
have not not have gotten the kind of
attention that he would otherwise have
given it that that's correct isn't it
yes I'd like to go on from that now it's
professor Galbraith is I'm not a lot of
expressive view Oh what do you think do
you think it's true do you think it's
fair their criticism from the Thatcher
wing the Tory Party the Macmillan was
the villain of the piece who opened the
door to inflation all the the gremlins
we've suffered since do it gets fair oh
it's it's within the you know within
what we would call the privileges of the
First Amendment but under under their
privilege many many ridiculous things
are said and this would be a prime
example his problem was nobody had told
my voodoo economics wasn't everyone his
problem was nobody had introduced him to
voodoo economics this I'm delighted to
hear this from you bill
well you say you were just saying
earlier that you the first book you ever
reviewed was the middle way I was doing
it as a reviewer not as a as a historian
what did you think of the middle middle
way Carol Macmillan under this language
Tory aristocratic pose was in fact in
the terms of the conserve British
Conservative Party on the Left he came
from a district in constituency which
had a high degree of unemployment during
the Depression he was the first
Keynesian and the Conservative Party for
a time even the thought passed through
his mind that he might cross the aisles
and join the Socialist Party he wrote a
book called the middle way which in he
goes Alistair Horan describes he later
in his
to go this manner of self-sustained said
it was a probably was a very boring book
but it was quite interesting book and
you cannot say you reviewed that book
what did you say about it I reviewed it
it's 1938 or 9 1938 or none and I first
of all I was just there was the first
book I ever reviewed now was an ad in
straw that somebody would think that I
should review a book like melon so I
couldn't possibly in that context be
violently critical but the further fact
was that I thought it was just an
admirable exercise and pragmatism I had
already begun to saviola sorry
I'd already begun to feel it at that
time unlike you bill but it was
necessary to escape from confining
ideology and resort to thought and I and
I pictured this book but haven't you
given up trying to thinking after this
book is an example of that and
unapproved of it too mightily well just
put a little bit back on the tracks I
think we've a certain point the
hostility that he felt towards the goal
obviously had nothing to do with the
First World War but your your your
portraits as rendered by Macmillan of
the gone or as severe as anything I've
ever seen about any modern Statesman had
to do with the Second World War had
everyone sure that's absolutely correct
but well I think he had reason to said
he never listens for instance he's
totally autocratic yes that his most
recent reelection was so triumphant that
he treated everybody else and as minions
and that he was always more or less
hitting at how he despised the
anglo-american alliance it has to be
said of course the villain probably did
more than any single person in the
entourage the time to save the girls
bacon in North Africa during the war
again and again and again against
Churchill and Roosevelt so I spell
he could be could be understood
Macmillan did feel it was a bitter piece
of ingratitude of the girls part but he
never held it against him he always used
to say long after 96 to she was terrible
a buff that it was he always said that I
admired a girl for his his courage and
he never held it against him where he
certainly held against him what he
considered to be an irrational hostility
but I don't think he realized quite how
hostile to go was going to be until the
last minute this but it may have been
where McMillan's
pragmatism let him down well let me ask
her professor with this in terms of 1992
is the hesitation of mrs. Thatcher a
realistic or is it provincial well I
wouldn't describe it as either bill I
would say there are certain things that
will remain with the sovereign
government including the budget
including the welfare system
what including the particular attitudes
toward particular industrial policies
and of course many other the educational
system and that there there is a case
for this economic and cultural diversity
and that you can't entirely criticize
somebody who wants to defend it
the other thing not to make a long
lecture at this the other thing is that
1892 is exaggerated 1990 to 1992 I'm
sorry George Bush
1891 Pearl Harbor this is an enormous
topic of conversation and as so many
things having to do with international
trade and international affairs they
always look great in Prospect and they
always look less in retrospect we've
heard enormous number an enormous
comment in this last two or three years
about the Canadian free trade agreement
now it's come in the next few years
nobody will notice the difference this
is this means time is up so your
atheleisure ended perfectly mr. Buckley
left and right in Britain today don't
agree on very much but one thing they do
seem to agree on the fast rights and the
labor rights both is that the Macmillan
period was one of stultify patien and
lost opportunity of course they disagree
about what exactly that lost opportunity
was but it does seem to have been
undeniably at the beginning of the
period where everyone recognized that
Britain was in decline
now having read Alastair horns book and
in light of that consensus what is your
evaluation but Millan's legacy apart
from the fact that he was this colourful
old Edwardians well well held like no
one in the book is spoken of very
dramatically and with a great sense of
appreciation as a huge historical figure
for instance among other things the most
literate Prime Minister in the history
of Britain I tend to think that that
this book will make him remembered more
for that than for anything he was able
to affect as a prime minister and in
that same in that same appraisal it was
said that he tried to govern the
conserve as a conservative from left of
Sarah I think he failed
I regret his failure but it doesn't
diminish from his from the grandeur of
him as a human being
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irrational hostility::noun | Spocien Dictionary

irrational hostility

noun

extreme prejudice

Type	Words
Type of	bias, preconception, prejudice

Examples of irrational hostility

irrational hostility

What's with irrational hostility to this guy?

From the economist.com

How to pronounce irrational hostility in English?

irrational hostility::noun | Spocien Dictionary

abandonment

Related words

Examples of irrational hostility

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