[SIZE="3"][COLOR="Navy"]With our country going back into recession do we need another Oliver Cromwell (1599 - 1658)
Oliver Cromwell rose from the middle ranks of English society to be Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland, the only non-royal ever to hold that position. He undertook the complete and somewhat brutal military conquest ever undertaken by the English over their neighbours; (but not brutal by the standards of the time) he championed a degree of religious freedom otherwise unknown in England, after all he allowed the Jewish people who had been kicked out of England by Edward I some 350 years before, to come back.
So does Britain need another Oliver Cromwell? [/COLOR][/SIZE]
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Well, since you mentioned Oliver Cromwell who is in fact a villain in the books of most people...
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Clamp down on immigration, cutting the rights of those who do enter the country and having them work for almost nothing compared to everyone else.
Higher taxes for the impoverished with cuts for the wealthy.
Loosely regulate corporations and embrace Capitalism to the fullest.
Borrow from other countries without a thought of how you'll ever pay them back. Keep on printing your own currency and flood the world with it, effectively sinking it's value until nobody will accept it.
Keep the populace from ever thinking about the consequences of cultural entropy with distracting issues and the 'blame game'.
???
PROFIT.
There. You have a brief layout of what makes the USA so fabulous.
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Oliver Cromwell's government was a military dictatorship, and his tolerance of religious minorities extended only so far as tolerance of protestants.
Also, Cromwell's role in the admittance of Jews is a bit complicated. First of all, Spanish Jews fleeing the inquisition had been tolerated passively by the Tudors and Stuarts in years prior, except in moments of heightened anti-Spanish sentiment. You actually find reflections of English interest in Jews during the Elizabethan period in plays like The Merchant of Venice, The Jew of Malta, and The Tragedy of Mariam. There were Jews in England for a while already, though not legally, and crackdowns occasionally occurred.
Cromwell's move was in part to help further develop the economic relationship with Amsterdam, and was, as most historians agree, politically motivated. The resettlement of the Jews wasn't exactly what we would call tolerance either, since they were not allowed to show any signs of religion in public. The real point was to allow Jewish merchants free passage, to make trade easier.
As to Cromwell's status today, it is tied up in a 19th century mythologizing of him. I'm not sure what exactly it is about Cromwell we should think would make a good leader today? His answer to political problems was to kill his enemies.
Edit: Though, I'm a bit biased as someone who studies 17th century literature, I've always had a soft spot for the Royalists, and the shut down of the theaters during the Commonwealth makes it a rather boring period for literature, unless you like Milton a lot.
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Absolutely not. The last thing we need is a political tyrant playing the religious zealot scything his way through the ranks of people who don't agree with him, dividing families, denying freedom of conscience and stifling any form of fun and creativity. Existing systems may be failing, and I would be quite happy to see the end of monarchy and the unelected members in the upper chamber, but a new dictatorship is not going to be the answer. Are you seriously advocating civil war? The very thought makes my skin crawl.
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I love the series. It's funny. It's almost as good as Drunk History.
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My gilhooly ancestors were a founding family of the fenian movement and the IRA. You bring Oliver Cromwell back I don't think the Good Friday agreements will last. There was a drop of blood spilled between the Irish and English over Mr. Oliver Cromwell.
Hey Almac please teoo me you are just pulling my leg.
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One of the lighter moments at my Dad's funeral was when my eldest grandson realised and became a bit star-struck.
