4 ms·

Sark really is a world apart

32 points by bradstreet 8y ago

KineticLensman 8y ago
I visited Sark some years ago, while the Barclay brothers were still investing in the island. There was indeed incredible tension between the pro and anti-brother Islanders, as per the article. There was also tension between those who thought that Sark's horses should have Sunday off vs. continue to pull carts for the tourist incomers, or whether their day off should be Monday. Definitely a different world.
Amendeson530 8y ago
That wistful longing for the return of feudalism is not entirely out of step with chattering-class attitudes on the UK mainland.
rolleiflex 8y ago
‘...It was at this location where, in 1859, the islanders gathered to greet Queen Victoria, who was expected to stop off at Sark on her way to Jersey. They had prepared a lavish banquet, and the quay was decorated with flowers, flags and a red carpet. But the queen and her entourage simply sailed by. To make matters worse, by the time they got back to the Seigneurie the dining room where the banquet was to be held had been trashed by peacocks.’ Ouch, royal rejection is a whole another kind.
pjc50 8y ago
See also the FT coverage: https://ftalphaville.ft.com/2019/01/30/1548828002000/Alphaville-spent-36-hours-on-the-island-of-Sark--Here-s-how-it-went-/ https://ftalphaville.ft.com/2019/01/30/1548828002000/Alphavi... (While this article is non-political, I would caution readers against Spiked magazine; it is the inheritor of Living Marxism, and produces a lot of clickbait contrarianism.)
PaulAJ 8y ago
Having grown up on Guernsey and been to Sark several times, I have a slightly less romantic view of the island. The Sarkees regard tourists as another form of cattle, there to be milked. Everything costs, and by the time you have paid for seats on the toast rack, bike hire for the day, lunch, and of course the boat fare, its quite an expensive day out. The bit about the Barclay brothers is actually a bigger issue than this article really makes out. The Barclays are buying Sark property whenever it becomes available and then simply closing it. See for instance https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-guernsey-30035969 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-guernsey-30035969 and https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2017/01/barclay-brothers-to-close-sark-vineyard/ https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2017/01/barclay-brothers-t.... Given that the Barclays could buy the whole of Sark out of pocket change were it to become available, this is as clear an example of economic bullying as any I have ever seen. I'm surprised that a Marxist outlet like this didn't make more of it.
- biomene 8y ago
  Not sure you can still call Spiked a Marxist outlet these days. They have more in common with /pol than Marx.
  - pmyteh 8y ago
    Very much so - they've got a very weird position on the right, and have done for some time now. There's an interesting article at the LRB that explores the Spiked/IoE/related nexus: https://www.lrb.co.uk/v32/n13/jenny-turner/who-are-they https://www.lrb.co.uk/v32/n13/jenny-turner/who-are-they
- iron0013 8y ago
  Marxist!? Hasn't Spiked always been one of the many Capitalist-funded (more often than not it's the Kochs) "libertarian" publications?
AndyMcConachie 8y ago
Is this the Spiked magazine that's funded by the Koch brothers?

32 points by bradstreet 8y ago

I visited Sark some years ago, while the Barclay brothers were still investing in the island. There was indeed incredible tension between the pro and anti-brother Islanders, as per the article. There was also tension between those who thought that Sark's horses should have Sunday off vs. continue to pull carts for the tourist incomers, or whether their day off should be Monday. Definitely a different world.

Amendeson530 8y ago

That wistful longing for the return of feudalism is not entirely out of step with chattering-class attitudes on the UK mainland.

rolleiflex 8y ago

‘...It was at this location where, in 1859, the islanders gathered to greet Queen Victoria, who was expected to stop off at Sark on her way to Jersey. They had prepared a lavish banquet, and the quay was decorated with flowers, flags and a red carpet. But the queen and her entourage simply sailed by. To make matters worse, by the time they got back to the Seigneurie the dining room where the banquet was to be held had been trashed by peacocks.’ Ouch, royal rejection is a whole another kind.

pjc50 8y ago

See also the FT coverage: https://ftalphaville.ft.com/2019/01/30/1548828002000/Alphaville-spent-36-hours-on-the-island-of-Sark--Here-s-how-it-went-/ https://ftalphaville.ft.com/2019/01/30/1548828002000/Alphavi... (While this article is non-political, I would caution readers against Spiked magazine; it is the inheritor of Living Marxism, and produces a lot of clickbait contrarianism.)

PaulAJ 8y ago

Having grown up on Guernsey and been to Sark several times, I have a slightly less romantic view of the island. The Sarkees regard tourists as another form of cattle, there to be milked. Everything costs, and by the time you have paid for seats on the toast rack, bike hire for the day, lunch, and of course the boat fare, its quite an expensive day out. The bit about the Barclay brothers is actually a bigger issue than this article really makes out. The Barclays are buying Sark property whenever it becomes available and then simply closing it. See for instance https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-guernsey-30035969 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-guernsey-30035969 and https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2017/01/barclay-brothers-to-close-sark-vineyard/ https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2017/01/barclay-brothers-t.... Given that the Barclays could buy the whole of Sark out of pocket change were it to become available, this is as clear an example of economic bullying as any I have ever seen. I'm surprised that a Marxist outlet like this didn't make more of it.

biomene 8y ago
Not sure you can still call Spiked a Marxist outlet these days. They have more in common with /pol than Marx.
- pmyteh 8y ago
  Very much so - they've got a very weird position on the right, and have done for some time now. There's an interesting article at the LRB that explores the Spiked/IoE/related nexus: https://www.lrb.co.uk/v32/n13/jenny-turner/who-are-they https://www.lrb.co.uk/v32/n13/jenny-turner/who-are-they
iron0013 8y ago
Marxist!? Hasn't Spiked always been one of the many Capitalist-funded (more often than not it's the Kochs) "libertarian" publications?

AndyMcConachie 8y ago

Is this the Spiked magazine that's funded by the Koch brothers?