Yesterday in the chamber Alex Salmond, Iain Gray, Jeremy Purvis, Margaret Curran, Malcolm Chisholm, Ross Finnie, and Andy Kerr all made reference to the work of John Maynard Keynes. But every last one of them pronounced his last name wrong, to rhyme with Beans when it should sound like Canes.
How do I know this? One of our most determined activists is a relative of his, and she listened to the debate, getting more and more cross. His Wikipedia page also confirms it.
Why do the Liberals not know this, when they claim him as their own? Answers would be welcome in the comments. No tracts, please.
(the title is a random train of thought: perhaps Milton Keynes is named for Milton Friedman and Keynes, and perhaps the pronunciation of the town's name has caused this misunderstanding?)
I used to think that too, but it's actually the name of the old village which was nearest to the fields upon which the town was built and so is a quirky olde English thing, rather a rather cool naming system. They could always try it though - maybe call one of the Eco towns Lomberg-Monbiot?
One of my old economics lecturers said once that Keynes was frequently frustrated by the mispronunciation of his name. Apparently he would say, "Keynes rhymes with brains." Ever so modest.