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The Duke of Norfolk suffered a \u2018Marie Antoinette Moment\u2019 on 8th November, 1845, when, amidst the Irish Potato Famine, the Whig MP proposed a questionable solution to feed Ireland\u2019s starving workers: curry powder soup.\nThe Duke was met with derision, but the moment highlighted how woefully out-of-touch the English aristocracy were regarding what was about to befall the Irish people. Far worse was the attitude of Charles Trevelyan, whom Prime Minister Robert Peel had tasked with addressing the crisis, who callously attributed the calamity to a divine lesson from God.\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly revisit the British government\u2019s underwhelming response to the famine, from \u2018Soyer\u2019s Soup\u2019 to \u2018Peel's Brimstone\u2019; consider the structural anti-Irishness in the ruling class; and revisit the UK government\u2019s eventual apology\u2026 from 1997\u2026\xa0\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 \u2018British History in depth: The Irish Famine\u2019 (BBC, 2011): https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/famine_01.shtml\n\u2022 \u2018Why was the potato so important?\u2019 (RT\xc9, 2020): https://www.rte.ie/history/the-great-irish-famine/2020/0715/1153525-why-was-the-potato-so-important/\n\u2022 \u2018The Great Famine\u2019 (BBC, 1995): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfFdlGcl6o4\nWe'll be back on Monday - unless you join \U0001f334CLUB RETROSPECTORS\U0001f334, where we give you ad-free listening AND a full-length Sunday episode every week!\nPlus, weekly bonus content, unlock over 70 bonus bits, and support our independent podcast.\nJoin now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks!\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2023.\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices