Rejoining the Squadron

The broadband repair chap has done his job admirably and I am back afloat online :) So this seems like an appropriate point to share this gorgeous picture of the Bloody Indy which my clever partner found towards the end of last year.



This beautiful watercolour, HMS Indefatigable joining other ships of the squadron offshore, is the work of JT Serres who served as Admiralty artist with the Channel Fleet between 1799 and 1800. During this period Serres spent some time aboard the Indefatigable, though sadly after Pellew had been ordered to leave his beloved frigate, and "promoted" to the ship of the line Impetueux. Serres' name may be familiar as he has made several appearances in fic written by both nodbear and I.

Although Serres' oil paintings regularly sell for upwards of £30,000, this little watercolour, which measures just 6 x 9 inches, went for only £2,040 when it sold at auction by Christie's of London in 2005. I can't tell you how much I wish I had known about this at the time :}

My Dear

Title: My Dear
Author: Anteros
Characters: Hornblower / Maria, Hornblower / (Kennedy)
Rating: PG
Notes: Another weird book - tv series hybrid, incorporating bits of Retribution, Lieutenant Hornblower and Hornblower and the Hotspur. It's as cheerful as you might expect :/ DKU.

( Adored idol...dearest...darling beloved... )

Turing's Pardon Refused

Sorry, I know three posts in one day is a bit excessive, but this makes me so mad. The House of Lords has dismissed the possibility of pardoning Alan Turing for his 1952 conviction for gross indecency.

According to the Guardian:

...the justice minister Lord McNally used the precedent argument to discourage the notion in the House of Lords.

Asked by the Liberal Democrat Lord Sharkey whether a pardon would be considered, to mark this year's centenary of Turing's birth which is the subject of international scientific celebrations, he told peers:

"The question of granting a posthumous pardon to Mr Turing was considered by the previous Government in 2009.

As a result of the previous campaign, the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown issued an unequivocal posthumous apology to Mr Turing on behalf of the Government, describing his treatment as "horrifying" and "utterly unfair". Mr Brown said the country owed him a huge debt. This apology was also shown at the end of the Channel 4 documentary celebrating Mr Turing's life and achievements which was broadcast on 21 November 2011.

A posthumous pardon was not considered appropriate as Alan Turing was properly convicted of what at the time was a criminal offence. He would have known that his offence was against the law and that he would be prosecuted.
It is tragic that Alan Turing was convicted of an offence which now seems both cruel and absurd-particularly poignant given his outstanding contribution to the war effort. However, the law at the time required a prosecution and, as such, long-standing policy has been to accept that such convictions took place and, rather than trying to alter the historical context and to put right what cannot be put right, ensure instead that we never again return to those times."

I signed that petition that resulted in the paltry "apology" in 2009 and I'll continue signing petitions and blogging about the injustice of Turing's conviction until he receives the pardon he deserves. And if pardoning Turing set a "precedent" that results in pardoning all those who were convicted under these iniquitous laws, then so much the better. If you are from the UK and you haven't already signed the petition you can find it here.