Company Comments Fall 2020

The dragon and coat of

arms of the City of London at London Bridge

Company Comments

Newsletter of the Honourable Company of the Freemen of the City of London of North America

http://freemenlondon.org/

Fall 2020

In This Issue

The Master's Message Michele McCarthy 3

In Memoriam: George Raymond Gibson 4

What is London? Derwin Mak 5

The Honourable Company and the Freedom of the City

of London: What Are They?

Ishrani Jaikaran 7

Charitable Trust Report, June 2020 John Welch 10

New Members 11

Voices of the City 13

City of London Corporation YouTube Channel 13

My London: Martian Grasshoppers and Daleks Derwin Mak 14

In Memoriam: George Raymond Gibson, Founder of the Honourable Company of the

Freemen of the City of London of North America

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Company Comments – Fall 2020

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Contacting Us

Master [email protected]

Membership Chair [email protected]

Honourary Treasurer [email protected]

Events Chair [email protected]

Honourary Clerk [email protected]

Charitable Trust [email protected]

City and Guildhall Liaison [email protected]

Your Honourable Company's Newsletter Needs You!

The Spice Girls, formed in London, the best-selling girl group in music of all time (1994-2000)

We need articles and content for Company Comments. We want to read about your Livery

Company, your London, and anything else of interest to your fellow Company members.

Please send submissions to the Editor, Derwin Mak, at [email protected] (Submit by

email only, please. No handwritten or typewritten submissions by mail.)

Deadline for Submissions for the Winter 2021 Issue: December 1, 2020

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The Master's Message

by

Michèle McCarthy,

Master of the Honourable Company of the

Freemen of the City of London of North

America

July 2020

Dear Members,

I was honoured to be elected Master for 2020-21 at the recent Annual Meeting supported

by a solid roster of Wardens. Many of the Wardens will be known to you from years past. They

along with a number of new people will bring vitality to the Court. This will not be a normal year

where we can meet and enjoy the superb traditions of the Freemen of the City of London of North

America in the company of one another. The pandemic has up-ended our world and with it, many

of the things that we took for granted - like the ability to meet in person.

Acknowledging that COVID will be with us until a vaccine is found and until we all feel

safe going out of our “bubbles”, the Court is prepared to meet the challenge of orchestrating a

meaningful year for the membership. We will be creating a speaker series which you will be able

to join online. Please feel free to contribute ideas and the names of speakers that you might know

or that you might be interested in hearing.

As you may know, the Honourable Companies in the City of London are conducting all of

their events remotely holding freedom ceremonies, installations and even quizzes online. The

Court will be working to build links with those Honourable Companies and with the Lord Mayor’s

Office to ensure that you are made aware of open events. A spirit of cooperation among the

Honourable Companies is benefitting us all.

Our website is being updated with greater functionality and should be finished by

September 2020. The Website and the e-blasts will be used to keep you informed.

The Court in conjunction with the Charitable Trust has decided to split its current large

scholarship at George Brown College into smaller increments so that it can benefit more students.

The students’ need is greater this year due to the loss of opportunities to earn money for tuition

and books. The Honourable Company’s charitable objects remain strong.

In closing, my priorities for this year are to enhance the Honourable Company’s relevance

to you, our members, by holding interesting online events, by helping to build networks to assist

you in your career and by enhancing our connections to the City of London. This work was ably

begun by my predecessors, without whom we would not be such a strong Company. Our task is

to keep up that momentum in a world burdened by COVID.


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In Memoriam: George Raymond Gibson (1939-2020),

Founder of the Honorable Company of the Freemen of the City of London of

North America

The Master wishes to advise the Membership with great sadness that our Founder, Captain

Ray Gibson, passed away on Friday, August 14th, 2020, with his son Glenn by his side. We have

extended our sincerest condolences to his family.

Ray had a brilliant idea in 1975 to bring together the Liverymen of the City of London in

North America. His vision, leadership and hard work led to the creation of The Honourable

Company of Freemen of the City of London of North America in 1979. Ray also served as the

inaugural Master and repeated as Master in 2000.

Ray died suddenly on August 14, 2020 at his residence, surrounded by his family. Ray has

gone to join his beloved wife June of many years. Cherished father of son, Glenn Gibson and

daughter, Cheri Gibson. During his youth, Ray was a talented pilot and had worked on many

aerospace projects. Ray will be missed by his friends and colleagues in The Rotary Club of

Bramalea, The Society of Manufacturing Engineers and The Honorable Company of the Freemen

of the City of London of North America.

A Funeral Service will take place at the Scott Funeral Home – Brampton Chapel on

Wednesday, August 19, 2020. Private burial to follow.

Did you know Ray? Please send us your memories, anecdotes, or

comments about him. We will have a special issue in his memory

this Fall. Send submissions to the Editor at

[email protected] (deadline: September 30, 2020)

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What is London?

by

Derwin Mak, Freeman of the City of London

William Russell, Lord Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London

What is the capital of the United Kingdom: London or Westminster? Who is the Mayor of

London: William Russell or Sadiq Khan? Which is the police force in London: the City of London

Police or the Metropolitan Police? The answer to each of these questions is "both".

By outward appearances and in the popular imagination, London is one city, but it is not.

It is a collection of 33 local government districts (what North Americans would call a municipal

governments). Thirty-two of them are called "boroughs" and the one in the centre of the area is

called the City of London. It is the oldest area in London. The City of London is also nicknamed

the Square Mile because it measures 1.12 square miles. Its local government is called the City of

London Corporation.

The Square Mile (the City) began as a Roman city, called Londinium. Like many cities, it

had a wall around it. London survived the end of the Roman Empire and continued to thrive as a

commercial centre despite raids by Vikings. William the Conqueror, after his victory over King

Harold and the Anglo-Saxons at the Battle of Hastings, attempted to attack London, but he did not

get across London Bridge. However, the Anglo-Saxons surrendered, and London was spared from

an attack by the Conqueror. He did not entirely trust the people of London, though, so he built

three castles around the City, as much to defend himself against the Londoners as to defend London

against Vikings and other raiders. One of those castles, Windsor Castle, still exists.

Although William the Conqueror installed his fellow Normans to rule over England, he

granted a charter for a city to the people of London in 1075. Hence some of the native English

were able to retain some authority over their own affairs after the Norman Conquest. London was

also one of the cities that were not surveyed in the Domesday Book. This sense of semi-

independence has shaped the history and character of the City of London to this day.

It was not unusual for monarchs to feel threatened by their most wealthy subjects. As early

as the reign of Edward the Confessor (1042-1066), English kings built structures and settlements


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outside the City's walls, away from the influence of the wealthy Londoners. Edward the Confessor

built Westminster Abbey in an area called Westminster in 1065, and subsequent monarchs built

up Westminster into the capital city and rival to London. The Houses of Parliament (Palace of

Westminster), Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street, Whitehall, Horse Guard Parade,

Westminster Abbey, and other seats of secular, military, and religious power are in Westminster.

Westminster also has a high concentration of historic landmarks. Hence, many tourists who visit

"London" visit Westminster and don't actually set foot in the City of London.

But if Westminster became the capital, why is the area called London instead of

Westminster? While Westminster had the monarch, the government, and the Church, the City of

London had the trade and commerce. The Chancellor of the Exchequer may be in Westminster,

but the Governor of the Bank of England is in the City of London. With economic and population

growth, people built settlements outside the city boundaries, eventually encircling both London

and Westminster. These areas became the boroughs, each with its own local government.

Eventually, the whole area, including Westminster, became known as London despite

being separate cities. The boroughs and the City have long been highly connected, and

metropolitan-level governments have been created over time to manage common public services

and works, comparable to the county (regional) and municipal levels of government in North

America. Today, the regional authority is called the Greater London Authority, and Sadiq Khan

is Mayor of London (though perhaps the title should be Mayor of Greater London, to prevent

confusion with the Lord Mayor of London).

The City of London has its own mayor, the Lord Mayor of London, William Russell. The

City of London also has its own police force, the City of London Police; the Metropolitan Police

serves the rest of Greater London. The City of London has a coat of arms, though Greater London

does not; hence, souvenir producers often use the City of London's coat of arms on merchandise

sold all over Greater London, not just the Square Mile.

The City of London Corporation has two Council Bodies: the Court of Aldermen and the

Court of Common Council. The Court of Alderman, which is presided over by the Lord Mayor,

is the senior governing body of the Corporation. Over the centuries, many of its responsibilities

went to the Court of Common Council, which is now the senior decision-making body of the

Corporation. Both the Lord Mayor and the Aldermen are members of Livery Companies.

Interestingly, the City of London Corporation owns property outside of the City's

boundaries. These often have the City's coat of arms on them. Tower Bridge, with one end in

Southwark and the other end in Tower Hamlets, is one of the most famous of such properties.

Billingsgate Fish Market, which is in Canary Wharf, is also in Tower Hamlets. That the City coat

of arms appears on properties outside the City itself can cause visitors to confuse the City of

London with the Greater London Authority.

It is the City of London that grants the Freedom of the City of London, and the City of

London is where the livery companies are headquartered. As members of the Honourable

Company of the Freemen of the City of London in North America, our cultural and fraternal ties

are with the City of London and the institutions within it. But since the City of London and the

boroughs need each other to thrive, our support of the City of London benefits all of Greater

London and vice versa.


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The Honourable Company and the Freedom of the City of London:

What Are They?

by

Ishrani Jaikaran, Past Master, The Honourable Company of Freemen of the

City of London of North America and Freeman of the City of London

Is there a difference between being a Freeman of the City of London and being a member

of the Honourable Company of the Freedom of the City of London of North America (The

Honourable Company)? Yes, there is, though some people are both. Let's look at these two

institutions, how they are different, and how they are similar.

What is the Freedom of the City of London?

The Freedom of the City of London dates back to the 13th century, possibly to 1237. The

Freedom of the City was the privilege of entering the City to conduct trade, which was not an

automatic right for everyone living outside the City walls. The members of the Guilds and Livery

Companies also had the freedom to do business in the City.

From the 13th to the mid-19th century, the Freedom of the City of London was a practical

necessity for those who plied a trade or made their living in the City of London. Indeed, certain

groups of people were compelled, on pain of prosecution, to obtain the Freedom of the City. It

allowed members of the Guilds and Liveries of the City to carry out their trade or craft in the City

of London. Their members received a certificate on parchment and a small red pouch in which

the certificate could be folded and carried about like a modern driver’s licence. The persons

holding The Freedom of the City were required to adhere to standards of excellence and quality in

the goods produced an early form of trading standards or quality control. Hence, many holders of

the Freedom of the City of London are also members of Livery Companies.

The Adventurers for Virginia Tapestry: The coats of arms of the Livery Companies that

participated in the founding of Virginia, as at 1620, painted in 1991, at Guildhall. (Photo:

Derwin Mak)


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In 1835, eligibility for the Freedom was widened to incorporate not just members of Livery

Companies but also people living or working in the City or those with a strong London connection.

Today, the Freedom of the City is no longer necessary to conduct business in the City of

London, but the City still presents it to people as a symbol of medieval tradition. It remains a

proud living tradition of the City of London. It is a recognition awarded to people who have

achieved success, recognition or celebrity in their chosen field. The City still conducts the

medieval ceremony in the Chamberlain's Court in Guildhall, where the Chamberlain gives the new

Freeman a Freedom certificate, a small red envelope, and a red book called The Rules for the

Conduct of Life, which describes how a Freeman can live a moral and ethical life (Apparently,

London's pubs and other attractions tempted new Freemen to drunkenness and sin in the medieval

era).

At one time, the Freedom of the City was limited to citizens of Commonwealth nations,

but now, persons from outside the Commonwealth are eligible to receive the Freedom.

Whilst undoubtedly the Freedom is a privilege, strict instructions are given that the

Freedom of the City of London should not be presented to others as being an honour or award.

Indeed, today, the Chamberlain's Court advises new Freemen via a small note, tucked into The

Rules for the Conduct of Life, that the Freedom of the City is not an honour or an award.

The City of London's website has a page on the Freedom of the City of London:

https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-us/law-historic-governance/freedom-of-the-city

What is a Freeman of the City of London?

A Freeman of the City of London is a person who has received the Freedom of the City

of London. The term covers all genders (Women are termed Freemen, not Freewomen). Hence,

the late Princess Diana was a Freeman, as is Jodie Whittaker, the current star of Doctor Who.

What is the Honourable Company of Freemen of the City of London of North America?

The Honourable Company of Freemen of the City of London of North America traces its

origins to May 1979, when Capt. Ray Gibson (see p. 4) and some members of Livery Companies

held an inaugural banquet in Toronto, Canada. They sought to create an association for Livery

Company members. In 1980, the Lord Mayor of London sent his blessing for the enterprise and

approved the name. Its existence was reported to the Guild of Freemen of the City of London, and

the Company received permission to use the Coat of Arms of the City of London.

The Honourable Company's constitution sets out five objectives:

- To maintain a continuous link with the City of London;

- Where possible to strengthen the linkages – commercial, social and personal – between the

Company, the City and North America;

- To reflect the traditions of all Freemen of the City, including the code contained in the oath

of allegiance, the ceremonies and rituals to be found within the guilds and Livery

Companies, and in the history of the City itself;


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- To be committed to observing the highest code of personal and professional ethics that

occurs between Freemen;

- To support our charity and each other through meetings and social events and to foster

growth between ourselves and for the Company.

These objectives are in line with the objectives of the Livery Companies and The

Honourable Company has been granted permission to send applications for the Freedom of the

City of London on behalf of its members to the Chamberlain’s Office for consideration by the

Court of Common Council, the main governing body of the City of London.

In usual circumstances, applicants have to attend in person to make their submission for

consideration for being granted the Freedom of the City. Due to our privileged position, we are

allowed to apply on their behalf, so that an applicant does not have to make the trip to London for

that purpose.

In normal circumstances applicants DO HAVE to attend the ceremony at the Guildhall to

be presented with their Freedom. This is a very formal but enjoyable process. However, in the

present circumstances of COVID-19, applicants can be granted their Freedom virtually.

The application form for The Honourable Company can be found on the membership page

of our website, freemenlondon.org. Becoming a member of the Honourable Company of Freemen

of the City of London of North America is the first step towards applying for the Freedom of the

City of London.

If I join the Honourable Company, do I become a Freeman (receive the Freedom of the City)?

No, joining the Honourable Company does not make you a Freeman and does not grant

you the Freedom of the City of London. Members of the Honourable Company are termed

"Members", not "Freemen."

The name of the Honourable Company can confusingly imply that membership in the

Honourable Company alone grants the Freedom of the City. The name is derived from the

Company's origin as a meeting or get-together of Livery Company members and Freemen in

Toronto.

Can members of the Honourable Company who are not Freemen obtain the Freedom of the

City?

Yes, that is possible. As mentioned above, the Honourable Company has been granted

permission to send applications for the Freedom of the City of London on behalf of its members

to the Chamberlain’s Office for consideration by the Court of Common Council, the main

governing body of the City of London.

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Charitable Trust Report, June 2020

by

John Welch, Chair of the Charitable Trust

As highlighted in last year’s report the Charitable Trust continues with its commitment to

George Brown College to assist a qualified applicant to study at the University of the Arts London

in London England to pursue the continuation of their studies in arts and fashion. We made

available our second contribution of $5,000 in 2019 but no student applied for the opportunity. As

such we made the decision to defer our third and final payment of $5,000 until the contribution of

2019 has been utilized.

Our financials are strong as we have $12,600 available cash comprised of an RBC bank

balance of $2,700 and an RBC GIC of $8,159 (all figures rounded). Donations outstanding and yet

to be transferred is $1,713.00. As such we have sufficient funds to meet our obligation with George

Brown College. I On behalf of the Trustees I wish to thank those who generously donated to the

Charitable Trust.

However, circumstances are dynamic and we must evaluate them in light of changes.

Education and living costs in England continue to be expensive and will continue to rise with

inflation. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the operating and teaching methods of

universities and many will not be admitting students to the open classroom format. In addition,

travel has become limited and no doubt will become more expensive as international travel

reopens. It is therefore the intention of the Charitable Trust to convene an open discussion with

George Brown College and the University of the Arts London to find innovative ways in which

our mandate can be fulfilled and assist qualified students to enhance and further their educational

goals. Such a proposal would be to provide five $1,000 bursaries to qualifying students. Upon

acceptance the successful applicant will submit to the charitable Trust a brief biography, a

description of their course studies, future career aspirations, and their link with the United

Kingdom. We look forward to working with George Brown College on its successful

implementation.

I was recently in contact with our first George Brown scholar Hilary Roskey, who will be

graduating from the London College of Fashion (a part of the University of the Arts London) with

a degree of Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Fashion Buying and Merchandising. Post graduation, I will

be asking Hilary to write a summary of her experiences in London that can be posted on our web

site. In the interim on behalf of all Freemen we wish to congratulate Hilary on her outstanding

accomplishment.

Hilary Roskey received the $5,000 scholarship from the

Honourable Company last year.

See her profile on the UAL Graduate Showcase online at:

https://graduateshowcase.arts.ac.uk/projects/4352/cover

https://graduateshowcase.arts.ac.uk/projects/4352/cover


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New Members

Approved by the Court, June 2020

Edward Paul Badovinac

Edward Paul Badovinac holds the professional title of Certified Engineering Technologist

(CET). He worked on the Pinetree Line, the first U.S.-Canada coordinated early warning system

for Soviet bomber attacks on North America. He taught electronics and telecommunications for

two years at DeVry Technical Institute and thirty years at George Brown College. He holds the

professional title of Certified Engineering Technologist (CET). During his travels to England with

his wife Jocelyn, Ed has become acquainted with London in particular and Britain in general. He

is a member of the Churchillians Societies, a past Chairman of the Royal Commonwealth Society

– Toronto Branch, a past President of the Good Neighbours’ Club (now called Haven Toronto)

and a Director of the NATO Association of Canada. He served on a special advisory committee

with the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Elizabeth Dowdeswell. He was a Director of The Empire

Club of Canada for twenty years. He has received the Queen's Golden and Diamond Jubilee

Medals.

Jocelyn Kathleen Badovinac

Jocelyn Kathleen Badovinac (née Bull) is a retired teacher who worked in London, U.K.,

at Ontario House (1963–65) and in Verona, Italy (1965-66) teaching, as part of three and a half

years of post-graduate travels. She spent twenty-five years teaching problem learners in the Jane-

Finch corridor. She holds the degrees of BA (Hon.) in Archaeology, B.Ed., and M.Ed. She is a

United Empire Loyalist and member of the NATO Association of Canada, a past Board Member

of the Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy, and a member of

International Churchill Society. Jocelyn is also a Council Members of the Atlantic Charter

Organization. She has received the exceptional service pin from the Monarchist League of Canada

and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal. She married Edward Paul Badovinac in 1972. They

enjoy archaeology (they have gone digging in Jordan), hiking, gardening, learning, reading, and

travel.

Joseph Harold Blake

Joseph Blake, born in Toronto, is a retired member of the Canadian Armed Forces and

recently retired as a clerk of the Ontario Court of Justice after 21 years of service. He is also a

Kentucky Colonel and a member of the Order of Saint Joachim. His connection with the City of

London is a military one; he has played with the London Scottish Pipes and Drums. He and his

wife have been lucky enough to have traveled to London on several occasions and feel very much

at home there. He is honoured to have been made a member of this Honourable Company and

look forward to many years of association with its members.

Andrew John Anthony Hedges

Andy grew up in Somerset, South West England and moved to London when he was

twenty. Whilst in London, he worked in a range of industries including luxury hotels, marketing


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West End theatre, online gaming and finally in 2014, working for a City based currency

management company VFX Financial. Andy was sent to Toronto by VFX in 2018 to open the

North American office so the company can provide Canadian based corporations, charities and

individuals, access to efficient and cost-effective international currency solutions. Andy has been

married to Ivette since 2015 and together they have a daughter Penelope. Andy is looking forward

to working with his fellow Freemen on both a professional and personal level and to help forge

new alliances between The City and Canada.

Brett Wilson

Brett Wilson is Vice President of a third-generation family owned wholesale distribution

company based out of Oregon. This company has been in business for over 55 years and supplies

food and non-food items to large and small grocery operations throughout half of the U.S.A. as

well as importing and distributing various goods and is currently in the process of researching

export needs. He has been involved with various charity groups, such as the Make-a-Wish

Foundation, and church sponsored charities. He studied History on full scholarship at the Virginia

Military Institute and was studying Arabic in Morocco before he was summoned home to manage

the family business. His interests include heraldry, numismatics, collecting British military

medals, and charity work. Brett is married and has two wonderful children of whom he is very

proud. He looks forward to meeting other members of the Company and hopes to one day earn

the Freedom of the City of London as well as join a livery company in the near future.

James Martin Wilson

James Martin “Marty” Wilson is a second-generation Owner/President/Chairman of the

family owned wholesale distribution company that was started by his father in Oregon. He served

in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam conflict and was immediately selected to attend Drill

Sergeant School. Upon graduation, he was unofficially considered the youngest Drill Sergeant in

U.S. Army history at 18 years old. He attended Western Evangelical Seminary and did an

internship in pastoral care at a local church. He has been involved in much charity work over the

years, including being the Director of the company charity auction and golf tournament for 14

years to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, helping start the Oregon chapter of this charity,

helping homeless shelters, and supporting various religious charities. He holds a private pilot’s

license, is a fellow of the Linnean Society of London, a member of the United Empire Loyalists

Association of Canada, and is a Kentucky Colonel. He looks forward to meeting members of the

Company and attending its functions and hopes to one day earn the Freedom of the City of London

and to hopefully join a livery company.


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Voices of the City

Paul David Jagger produces Voices of the City, a podcast series of interviews about the City of

London and its Livery Companies. Listen to them at:

https://cityandlivery.podbean.com/

City of London Corporation YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/user/CityofLondonvideos

My London will hopefully be a series of articles by our Members on what London means to them.

Members are encouraged to contribute a "My London" article. Please send by email to the Editor,

Derwin Mak, at [email protected] .

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My London: Martian Grasshoppers and Daleks

by

Derwin Mak

I first became fascinated with London at age 8,

when I saw the movie Quatermass and the Pit

(a.k.a. Five Million Years to Earth). This 1967

movie, based on a 1958 BBC TV serial, was

about Londoners discovering an ancient Martian

spaceship during excavations to build a new Tube

station. Professor Bernard Quatermass, head of

the British Rocket Group, breaks into the ship

and finds several dead Martians, who

Quatermass and the Pit (1967)

resemble large grasshoppers. Of course, the Martians are not as dead as they seem. The movie

made a lasting impression on me. For a school assignment of writing a short story, I wrote about

Londoners discovering a long-dead alien beneath a bomb crater during the Blitz.

I consumed British science fiction voraciously as a teenager: J.G. Ballard, Arthur C.

Clarke, Brian Aldiss, Nigel Kneale, Dan Dare comics, Space: 1999, The Survivors, The Avengers

(John Steed and Emma Peel, not the Marvel superheroes), and especially Doctor Who. In that pre-

internet era, science fiction fans learned about new shows and books and communicated through

fanzines and newsletters, painstakingly typed, photocopied, and sent via mail. Like many others,

I frequently wrote to the BBC, ITC, Target Books, the British Film Institute, and other companies

and organizations for the latest news. Many of these organizations were in London, the centre of

British broadcasting, publishing, and pop culture. They all replied with photographs, brochures,

and news releases, all of which would wind up in fanzines or shown to other enthusiastic fans at

sci-fi club meetings and conventions. By my university years, I was treasurer of a Doctor Who

convention in Kitchener, Ontario.

My first trip to London was on vacation when I was 16 years old. My most prized souvenirs

of that trip were a toy Dalek, a toy Liberator (from the TV series Blake's 7), the TV Times issue

announcing the new series Sapphire and Steel, the novel The Omega Factor (based on a new sci-

fi horror series), a book of TV plays by Nigel Kneale, and a cassette of themes from BBC science

fiction series.

Go forward forty years, and as a much older adult, I visit London almost annually and am

not just a science fiction fan but also an author and editor, with several novels, anthologies, and

short stories published. My connections to the science fiction industry of London have grown. My

regular stops include the Forbidden Planet Megastore and Sci-Fi Collector on the Strand. In 2014,

I was a program participant (i.e., on panel discussions) at Loncon 3 (sci-fi fan speak for "London

Convention"), the 76th World Science Fiction Convention, held at ExCeL London. At my next

science fiction convention in Europe, the Dublin 2019 Worldcon, I wore the costume of Number

6 from the 1967 British TV series The Prisoner; the older British fans, including those from a


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Prisoner fan club in London, recognized the costume immediately and invited me to their meet-up

at the convention's pub.

The TARDIS at Earl's

Court Tube Station

(2018)

Our Loyal Societies in Canada tend to emphasize the monarchy,

family ancestry, military tradition, and Empire as the main reasons

for keeping our connections to Britain. That's all fine, but let's not

ignore the influence and value of British pop culture. Britain as a

military imperial power ended decades ago. But Britain is stronger

than ever in its use of soft power, using its cultural industries to

influence people around the world. If non-Britons love Britain, it's

due to the Beatles, Mary Quant, Vivienne Westwood, Queen, Pink

Floyd, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Harry Styles, and Grace Carter.

In 2018, creative industries added £111.7 billion to the British

economy, and £35.6 billion of that was exported to the world

(https://www.thecreativeindustries.co.uk/uk-creative-

overview/news-and-views/news-record-contribution-and-exports-

from-creative-industries).

Britain was the European Union country that had the highest percentage of cultural exports

as part of total exports in 2018: 3.3%. (https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-

explained/index.php/Culture_statistics_-

_international_trade_in_cultural_goods#:~:text=In%202018%2C%20the%20total%20value,coun

tries%20(see%20Figure%205). Note: this chart includes Turkey, which is not an E.U. member).

Our ties to the U.K. in general and London in particular should include the pop culture,

cultural, and creative industries. The British Invasion that began in the 1960's is still going on.

Company Comments Fall 2020

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