Diet

I don't know.

The Diet.

Diet.

Signed Diet.

Okay.

Has it been?

Likewise in Japan, you know, the fact that America, Trump was prepared to treat South Korea like that raised concerns in Japan, which concerns have been anyway.

You know, the new Prime Minister, Takeuchi, has had a very rocky start with Beijing because of a comment she made in the Diet very early on in her prime ministership where she said that a US-China war over Taiwan would be the kind of threat to Japan's interests that might require Japan to respond militarily.

The Chinese have been putting her through the ringer ever since and Trump has been notable in not coming to her support in doing that and that's been much recognized so you know at that sort of level I think what you could say is that whilst nothing really material has changed in in Ukraine in what you might call the European theater of the great sort of contest we're seeing at the moment in the Asian theatre, the disinclination of the United States to commit itself has been amplified.

And then, of course, in the Middle East, which in one way has been the big story because, you know, Trump followed up that one night's raid that we talked about last time with what's now turned into a six-month war.

Whatever he had done for Louis in establishing the Rhenish Confederation was ungratefully forgotten.

That he had prevented the election of Louis at the imperial election was charged against him as the worst of crimes, and at the command of Louis XIV, John Philip, the German imperial vice-chancellor, ordered his minister, Beunerberg, to be arrested at the sitting of the Diet at Regensburg, and to be cast into prison.

louis influence became still greater when he bribed the princes of the rhenish confederation with enormous sums of money annually and almost all the princes of west germany flocked hither in order to beg for large yes even small sums indeed at the court of the emperor minister lobkowitz who was absolute in power was bribed with french money the great electoral prince of brandenburg alone represented the honor and interests of germany and reproached the other princes for their treachery and their feebleness louis did not yet dare to attempt a direct attack upon the german empire in order to make any conquests in it lest he should terrify the princes of the rhenish confederation and again alienate them from him he still needed them in the second place it all depended upon being certain of both the flanks of germany namely switzerland and the netherlands if he succeeded in this and he hoped to accomplish it by the means of this very rhenish confederation, he could then, without further regard for the latter, fall at once upon the German empire.

switzerland he gained as he had the confederation by bribery an attack upon switzerland would have been dangerous and wholly superfluous the swiss offered themselves voluntarily to serve france and in all his wars louis had from twenty to thirty thousand swiss in his pay who were always the foremost and often alone decided a victory or prevented a defeat Swiss diplomacy also served the French.

The Overseas Club puts up its collective nose scornfully when it hears of the new and regenerate Japan sprung to life since the seventies.

It grins, with shame be it written, at an Imperial Diet modelled on the German plan and at a Code Napoleon a la Japonaise.

It is so far behind the new era as to doubt that an Oriental country ridden by etiquette of the sternest and social distinctions almost as hard as those of caste can be turned to Western gauge in the compass of a very young man's life.

And it must be prejudiced because it is daily and hourly in contact with the Japanese, except when it can do business with the Chinamen whom it prefers.

Was there ever so disgraceful a club? Just at present a crisis full-blown as a chrysanthemum has developed in the Imperial Diet.

Both houses accuse the government of improper interference.

This Japanese for plenty stake and some banknote at recent elections.

So far the wildest advocate of representative government could have desired nothing better.

Picture another man.

There is Martin Luther, standing up in the midst of the Diet of Worms.

There are the kings and the princes, and there are the bloodhounds of Rome with their tongues thirsting for his blood.

There is Martin, rising in the morning as comfortable as possible, and he goes to the Diet and delivers himself of the truth, solemnly declares that the things which he has spoken are the things which he believes.

And God helping him, He will stand by them till the last.

There is his life in his hands.