The thing which gives St Helena its
uniqueness is its small size and isolation. As I've discussed in the background
links below, that isolation is now threatened by the imminent opening of the
new airport, but even if my greatest dread is realized and the airport
transforms the island into a globalist ghetto, St Helena
is not the last untouched place on earth. There is another island which, to the
outsider's eye, looks even more like St Helena than St
Helena is. What's more, regular readers will already have heard
its name because it is part of the same British
Overseas Territory St Helena . Tristan da Cunha is
an archipelago of islands in the South Atlantic Ocean
some 1,200 miles south of St Helena . Believe it or not,
it is even more remote; in fact the nearest continental land is 1,500 miles
away on the coast of South Africa .
It is 2,260 miles from Ascension Island , almost the same
distance as London to Jerusalem ,
making the British Overseas Territory of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan
da Cunha one of the largest nations on earth; at least when it
comes to internal distances. It was discovered in 1506 by the Portuguese
explorer Tristao da Cunha, who named it after himself, and a permanent colony
was established there in 1810. The island played a crucial role during the exported
skirmishes of American wars; the one with Britain
in 1812 and the American Civil War in which Confederate warships carried out
strategic attacks against Union whalers in the vicinity. The islanders suffered
from famine and disease and several times the authorities offered to evacuate
them, in the same way St Kilda was, see: http://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/st-kilda-revisited.html,
yet most of the people, the Tristanians,
bravely chose to remain. Like St Kilda, the islanders of Tristan da
Cunha used no money for most of their history. A currency was
introduced during World War II when the place was used by the Royal Navy as an electronic
intelligence base. At the same time, the first formal government was also
established there in the form of an official "administrator". During
the mid-20th century the quality of life improved there, but several things
still happened to demonstrate that living on Tristan da Cunha
still had its dangers and hardships. In 1958 the Americans detonated a nuclear
bomb in space just a hundred miles away from Tristan da Cunha .
Both St Helena and Tristan are volcanic islands, except St
Helena 's volcano has not erupted for over ten million years.
Tristan's erupted in 1961 and this time the islanders had no choice. They
abandoned their homes and set sail in the community's fishing boats. Luckily
they were quickly picked up by a passing ship and taken to South
Africa . They then headed for the UK
and were given accommodation in Calshot, Hampshire. The houses built for them are
still there on a street named Tristan Close in their honour. It must have been
a huge culture shock for them suddenly arriving in a huge country with millions
of people after knowing only their small island and handful of fellow
colonists. In 1963 when the volcano calmed down most of them returned to their
home on Tristan da Cunha .
Most Tristanians live in the main settlement called Edinburgh
of the Seven Seas, named in honour of two visits by the Duke of Edinburgh. The
first in 1867 by Prince Alfred and the second in 1957 by the present one,
Prince Philip. The islanders farm potatoes on collectivized allotments in a
place called The Patches. They also catch fish and shellfish. There are some
livestock, but their population is strictly limited because of the small amount
of pastureland available. Everybody helps grow the potatoes, but also usually
has a second job supporting the island's community. They earn some money exporting
handicraft goods to collectors by mail order; also their exclusive postage
stamps. Tristan's currency at present is the UK
pound sterling. The economy of Tristan da Cunha is
remarkably similar to St Kilda's. Maybe small island communities naturally fall
into that kind of lifestyle out of necessity. The only way to reach Tristan
da Cunha is by sea. There is a regular service of fishing boats
from Cape Town, South Africa that call in every few weeks to deliver and pick
up goods, but the voyage takes eighteen days, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4ElF8awm90.
Occasionally a cruise ship will call there and the RMS St Helena has paid a few visits; but generally the islands are left
to their own devices. There are currently two hundred and seventy islanders and
the society has been modernized in recent years. There is limited internet access
at the moment, even though there is a fast development towards full access on St
Helena . Tristan had a trial run with it that didn't work; but no
doubt that will change soon and there is currently a working internet cafe in Edinburgh
of the Seven Seas. There is just one policeman. At the time of writing there
are no plans to build an airport on Tristan da Cunha . My
feelings about that are the same as they are for St Helena .
At the end of the day, it's up to the people who live there what they do with
their own island. However I myself have lived my whole life in the belly of
global cultural uniformity. From the outside it can look magical. The bright
lights of civilization are very alluring, as they were for the people of St
Kilda and the myriad of other indigenous cultures around the world that have
become extinct because the people couldn't resist the temptation of joining the
party. It's ironic, but many people in my homeland yearn for the kind of
lifestyle people enjoy on St Helena and Tristan
da Cunha . The grass always looks greener on the other side of the
fence, as they say. I know now why I was inspired to write my novel Rockall, see: http://hpanwo-bb.blogspot.co.uk/2009/02/rockall-chapter-1.html.
The objective of the planetary elite is to have the entire world's population...
all five hundred million of us, barely ten percent of people presently alive,
living in cities that are all the same in every way, from pole to pole, without
exception; with every aspect of our short lives controlled by a single dictatorial
state. They have succeeded with most of us. Gathering the remaining indigenous
peoples left into the concentration camp is just a mopping up exercise. However,
only when the last Saint and Tristanian has surrendered their uniqueness, has
gone to work in their Job Seekers Allowance "work experience" placement
at Starbucks, has bought their new I-phone, has settled down in front of the
telescreen to watch The World hasn't got
Talent, will the human species finally have accepted their rule... So the conquest isn't over yet.
See here for
background: http://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/tasers-on-st-helena.html.
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