Tomorrow will be 44 years since the investiture of Prince Charles as our current Prince of Wales. If he intends to break the record for years spent in the post, he has a bit to go though. Before his coronation in 1820, George IV had spent 57 years in the job. He also suffered the ignominy of being Prince Regent while his father spent a decade in various states of depression and dementia. Sadly for the king in waiting, his father still managed to live to the then ripe old age of 81 and even managed to outlive his son the Duke of Kent by a few days. It is reported that over the Christmas period of 1819, he spoke nonsense for 58 hours. Outside of the current House of Commons and last orders at your local pub, it is hard not to admire such an outstanding feat of jibberish.
Sadly for Prince Charles, it is not George IV who holds the current record. That belongs to the late Edward VII who spent a mind numbing 59 years as head of the Principality before Queen Victoria finally succumbed in1901. This means that our own Prince Charles would need to still be Prince of Wales in 2029. This would take him to age 81 - the same age as George III at the time of his passing. More pertinently, the present Queen would need to still be in her reign at the age of 103. Given that her own mother was still with us in her 100th year, it would be folly to bet against such an eventuality. The late Edward VII spent the best part of 60 years as king-in-waiting only to survive for nine years when he eventually got there. What chance history repeating itself?
Of course, the greatest irony in all of this is that of all the names to which I have alluded in this piece, they none of them have even the remotest connection to the Principality. In truth, it is over 600 years since that was last the case. The last true Welsh version was Owain Glyndwr and he was never heard of again after a bruising encounter with Henry IV. Of course, should he accede to the throne, the youngest of Prince Charles' sons would become the latest incarnation of Henry (the 9th to be precise). Perhaps it would be more fitting to either dispense with the title Prince of Wales or be controversial and give the job to a Welshman. Now that would go down well in the Principality..
Sunday, 30 June 2013
Build a new one..
Revelations by the erstwhile CIA agent Edward Snowden that the US government has been seemingly spying on just about everybody should come as no surprise to anyone. The power shift on the world stage over the past twenty years has been relentless with the Chinese in the ascendency while poor old Uncle Sam mopes in the economic doldrums. Spying is normally justified as being a strategic ploy to better understand the nature of threats to national security. The real reason is rather less subtle. Spying is invariably born of insecurity. Foreign invasion is another manifestation of insecurity. On this basis, it would be a tough job to cite a more insecure country than the US.
In itself, such insecurity is not unique and neither is the patent lack of accountability to everyone else for your actions. Accountability. As each week brings a fresh wave of revelations from various quarters of our national life, the theme of accountability gathers momentum apace. Just a fortnight ago, Sir David Nicholson decided he would take retirement next year. Retirement not resignation. There was a time in British public life when overseeing the biggest scandal in healthcare provision we have ever known would have been swiftly followed by the head of that organisation falling honourably on to his sword. It has been clear for about twenty years that such actions are a thing of the past. The approach of today is to cling on to your position for all you're worth just in case a more newsworthy story comes along and people begin to forget about your shortcomings. There are those who espouse the theory that those who get things wrong in the first place should be charged with then putting them right. Such arguments are flimsy mainly because it defies logic to stick with incompetence in order to return to competence. Sir David will reach ripe old age of 57 when he starts the process of drawing on his vast pension next year. Assuming average male life expectancy, he can reasonably expect to draw on that fund for about the next thirty years or so.
He joined the NHS as a graduate trainee in 1978 at the age of 21. He remained a member of the British Communist Party until the age of 26 in 1983. His first role was in the Mental Health sector in Yorkshire where he played a significant role in implementing the closure of the Asylums and the advent of care in the community. As a graduate of the old Bristol Polytechnic, he has done very well for himself. His second wife is twenty years his junior and was also an NHS graduate trainee. By coincidence, she is now the Chief Executive of the Birmingham Children's Hospital. On a salary of £155,000 per annum, she is also doing rather well.
In North Wales, the Chief Executive and Chairman of the local health board both resigned their posts last week. Aside from their mutual loathing which meant that they could scarcely abide to occupy the same room, they have overseen a culture in which cases of C. difficile have been under reported, operations have been postponed in order to avoid overspending and they have shown no clear plan to show how they propose to which services might be cut or reorganised. With a budget of just £1.2 billion per annum, they also introduced a recruitment policy whereby advertised jobs could only be filled by internal employees. Unsurprisingly, one in three advertised NHS jobs in North Wales remains unfilled. This carries several clear implications. Who is doing the work of the unfilled positions? Why did this policy remain unchallenged by the Welsh Assembly Government? Are their too many chiefs or is this merely the rhetoric of the right wing press? Whatever the answers to these questions, it seems extraordinary that £1.2 billion is insufficient to provide adequate healthcare for the 675,000 people to whom it is theoretically accountable.
On the latter point, the recent closure of the community hospital in Llangollen has now been followed by some rather surprising news. This hospital which served the local community so well for a shade over 137 years begins its slow descent in to dereliction. Should the unthinkable be considered and the key used to open the front door, they would find it as they left it - fit for purpose and dependable. Instead, the local council in their infinite wisdom have recently announced plans to, wait for it, build a new one. Quelle surprise! This has become the mantra of our times. If it's not broken, smash it up and build a new one because this will create jobs and be more aesthetically more pleasing to the eye. Well, the proposed new hospital will be cited about an eighth of a mile down the road with about the same number of jobs as the old one had. Arguably, the car park of the new building might just edge it but this comes under the chocolate tea pot arguments since most people in the town walk there anyway!
Our local council in Denbighshire also seems anxious to merge the two faith schools of St. Brigids in Denbigh and Blessed Edward Jones in Rhyl. I bet you can't guess what this cunning plan entails. Correct - vacate the two existing schools and, all together now, BUILD A NEW ONE. Despite these plans causing major inconvenience to parents and children alike, they will doubtless go ahead in due course for the simple reason of accountability. All the council has to do is put an idea out to consultation and just go ahead anyway. Heads they win, tails they win.
There is little doubt that the incumbent Coalition has done a great deal to cut borrowing during the last three years but their real challenge is still ahead of them. Cutting the amount of waste and inefficiency within our public spending will be the real test of their achievements. Assuming the existence of a moral compass, the culprits of such waste and mismanagement would be honest to themselves and go. Such assumptions though are frankly archaic in the modern world. If the man won't jump, the alternative is to give him a friendly shove in the right direction. It seems though that there is a collective reticence to apply the first shove.
As an aside to this argument, is it a coincidence that accountability has receded as voter turnouts have diminished in national and local elections. Just a thought. Maybe we can do something about all this after all?
I end this post by postulating that the land of the free might not seem a reality to Edward Snowden at present. It is now clear that the US government is far closer to Communism than any of us ever thought. As George Orwell observed in Animal Farm, "All men are equal except some men are more equal than others". If Ecuador do go to offer Snowden the asylum he deserves, they will truly become the darling of the international community. Perhaps, Sir David Nicholson would fit in well across the pond with his former communist sympathies. Like our US cousins, he seems answerable to nobody. How Solzhenitsyn would smile if he could see it all now. Communism and Capitalism? You pay your money and you take your choice!
In itself, such insecurity is not unique and neither is the patent lack of accountability to everyone else for your actions. Accountability. As each week brings a fresh wave of revelations from various quarters of our national life, the theme of accountability gathers momentum apace. Just a fortnight ago, Sir David Nicholson decided he would take retirement next year. Retirement not resignation. There was a time in British public life when overseeing the biggest scandal in healthcare provision we have ever known would have been swiftly followed by the head of that organisation falling honourably on to his sword. It has been clear for about twenty years that such actions are a thing of the past. The approach of today is to cling on to your position for all you're worth just in case a more newsworthy story comes along and people begin to forget about your shortcomings. There are those who espouse the theory that those who get things wrong in the first place should be charged with then putting them right. Such arguments are flimsy mainly because it defies logic to stick with incompetence in order to return to competence. Sir David will reach ripe old age of 57 when he starts the process of drawing on his vast pension next year. Assuming average male life expectancy, he can reasonably expect to draw on that fund for about the next thirty years or so.
He joined the NHS as a graduate trainee in 1978 at the age of 21. He remained a member of the British Communist Party until the age of 26 in 1983. His first role was in the Mental Health sector in Yorkshire where he played a significant role in implementing the closure of the Asylums and the advent of care in the community. As a graduate of the old Bristol Polytechnic, he has done very well for himself. His second wife is twenty years his junior and was also an NHS graduate trainee. By coincidence, she is now the Chief Executive of the Birmingham Children's Hospital. On a salary of £155,000 per annum, she is also doing rather well.
In North Wales, the Chief Executive and Chairman of the local health board both resigned their posts last week. Aside from their mutual loathing which meant that they could scarcely abide to occupy the same room, they have overseen a culture in which cases of C. difficile have been under reported, operations have been postponed in order to avoid overspending and they have shown no clear plan to show how they propose to which services might be cut or reorganised. With a budget of just £1.2 billion per annum, they also introduced a recruitment policy whereby advertised jobs could only be filled by internal employees. Unsurprisingly, one in three advertised NHS jobs in North Wales remains unfilled. This carries several clear implications. Who is doing the work of the unfilled positions? Why did this policy remain unchallenged by the Welsh Assembly Government? Are their too many chiefs or is this merely the rhetoric of the right wing press? Whatever the answers to these questions, it seems extraordinary that £1.2 billion is insufficient to provide adequate healthcare for the 675,000 people to whom it is theoretically accountable.
On the latter point, the recent closure of the community hospital in Llangollen has now been followed by some rather surprising news. This hospital which served the local community so well for a shade over 137 years begins its slow descent in to dereliction. Should the unthinkable be considered and the key used to open the front door, they would find it as they left it - fit for purpose and dependable. Instead, the local council in their infinite wisdom have recently announced plans to, wait for it, build a new one. Quelle surprise! This has become the mantra of our times. If it's not broken, smash it up and build a new one because this will create jobs and be more aesthetically more pleasing to the eye. Well, the proposed new hospital will be cited about an eighth of a mile down the road with about the same number of jobs as the old one had. Arguably, the car park of the new building might just edge it but this comes under the chocolate tea pot arguments since most people in the town walk there anyway!
Our local council in Denbighshire also seems anxious to merge the two faith schools of St. Brigids in Denbigh and Blessed Edward Jones in Rhyl. I bet you can't guess what this cunning plan entails. Correct - vacate the two existing schools and, all together now, BUILD A NEW ONE. Despite these plans causing major inconvenience to parents and children alike, they will doubtless go ahead in due course for the simple reason of accountability. All the council has to do is put an idea out to consultation and just go ahead anyway. Heads they win, tails they win.
There is little doubt that the incumbent Coalition has done a great deal to cut borrowing during the last three years but their real challenge is still ahead of them. Cutting the amount of waste and inefficiency within our public spending will be the real test of their achievements. Assuming the existence of a moral compass, the culprits of such waste and mismanagement would be honest to themselves and go. Such assumptions though are frankly archaic in the modern world. If the man won't jump, the alternative is to give him a friendly shove in the right direction. It seems though that there is a collective reticence to apply the first shove.
As an aside to this argument, is it a coincidence that accountability has receded as voter turnouts have diminished in national and local elections. Just a thought. Maybe we can do something about all this after all?
I end this post by postulating that the land of the free might not seem a reality to Edward Snowden at present. It is now clear that the US government is far closer to Communism than any of us ever thought. As George Orwell observed in Animal Farm, "All men are equal except some men are more equal than others". If Ecuador do go to offer Snowden the asylum he deserves, they will truly become the darling of the international community. Perhaps, Sir David Nicholson would fit in well across the pond with his former communist sympathies. Like our US cousins, he seems answerable to nobody. How Solzhenitsyn would smile if he could see it all now. Communism and Capitalism? You pay your money and you take your choice!
Saturday, 29 June 2013
Grape Expectations
In keeping with a growing trend, my wife and I resolved to abstain from alcohol for the New Year. Because of my impending final medical school examinations, I decided to put our committment to the test. Rather than maintain our abstinence until Easter as is our usual custom, this year we agreed to extend our target to June 28th, that being the day after my final examination.
As time went on, the extent to which alcohol dominates our national life became ever more apparent. In truth, there were only half a dozen occasions during the six months when either of us expressed a desire for alcohol. It occurred to me that our society revolves around and depends upon alcohol far more than I had ever previously considered. "It is such a great bond between men" pondered the Earl of Brideshead in the eponymous novel by Evelyn Waugh. I think this gets to the heart of the matter. Is it really a great bond between men or does drinking in the company of our peers lessen the need to feel guilty about the amount we are drinking? It seems as though the answer lies somewhere between the two. Sharing a meal is of course as old as the hills and having a drink goes hand in hand with that. I suppose the real question is to try and identify the point at which the wish for a drink is superceded by the need for a drink? I'm sure this doesn't apply to everyone but for many it does. During the course of the last six months, many of my friends who are also the wrong side of 40 have expressed strongly that going without alcohol for six months would be utterly unthinkable. For one thing, they've probably never tried but for another, they're probably right.
As the six months rumbled on with the final exam moving closer and closer and with the reward of a nice glass of claret becoming more real by the day, it is difficult to fully express my disappointment when I shared my first drink for nearly half a year. It was a lightly chilled Chablis and met my stomach not with a soothing caress but with a caustic attack which would have done justice to any half decent battery acid. The following evening we shared a glass of merlot-rich St. Emillion and the experience was marginally improved. One glass was definitely enough though. I awoke the next morning with my energy zapped and the distinct feeling that I had seriously underestimated the effect of abstinence on my levels of tolerance. Six months ago, the prospect of leaving the bottle half finished would have been fanciful in the extreme.
In Great Expectations, Dickens writes, "scattered wits take a long time in picking up". I can vouch that my wits have been sharpened beyond recognition during my time of abstinence. While I intend to carry on drinking alcohol henceforth, I shall resolve to do so in a more responsible manner because I genuinely feel better for drinking less.
During the last few months, we have given dinner parties in which we provided wine for our guests but they regrettably felt awkward drinking it because we weren't. That is a pity because the decision to do without shouldn't evoke such guilt. It ought to be accepted as just a normal decision. Unfortunately, our society dictates that it is better to join in to gain more acceptance. It is this bridge which needs to be crossed in order for us to re-address the way in which we view alcohol in our culture. Drinking alcohol is fine and I certainly haven't become a bore who brands all others as hopeless dipsomaniacs. I have learned a lot about alcohol this year but have undoubtedly learned even more about myself. I still harbour a great love for the grape but in a slightly different way.
The final examination after a nine year journey went well enough. That said, how I feel it went and how the examiners feel it went seldom concur so time will tell. The mark is of no relevance. Success or failure are separated only by whether your nose is one side of the line or not. Rather like the near miss lottery winner who was only one digit away from matching all six, he might as well have been thirty digits away. Life is often fickle and examinations provide evidence aplenty. Until the result is published, I will continue to hold grape expectations...
As time went on, the extent to which alcohol dominates our national life became ever more apparent. In truth, there were only half a dozen occasions during the six months when either of us expressed a desire for alcohol. It occurred to me that our society revolves around and depends upon alcohol far more than I had ever previously considered. "It is such a great bond between men" pondered the Earl of Brideshead in the eponymous novel by Evelyn Waugh. I think this gets to the heart of the matter. Is it really a great bond between men or does drinking in the company of our peers lessen the need to feel guilty about the amount we are drinking? It seems as though the answer lies somewhere between the two. Sharing a meal is of course as old as the hills and having a drink goes hand in hand with that. I suppose the real question is to try and identify the point at which the wish for a drink is superceded by the need for a drink? I'm sure this doesn't apply to everyone but for many it does. During the course of the last six months, many of my friends who are also the wrong side of 40 have expressed strongly that going without alcohol for six months would be utterly unthinkable. For one thing, they've probably never tried but for another, they're probably right.
As the six months rumbled on with the final exam moving closer and closer and with the reward of a nice glass of claret becoming more real by the day, it is difficult to fully express my disappointment when I shared my first drink for nearly half a year. It was a lightly chilled Chablis and met my stomach not with a soothing caress but with a caustic attack which would have done justice to any half decent battery acid. The following evening we shared a glass of merlot-rich St. Emillion and the experience was marginally improved. One glass was definitely enough though. I awoke the next morning with my energy zapped and the distinct feeling that I had seriously underestimated the effect of abstinence on my levels of tolerance. Six months ago, the prospect of leaving the bottle half finished would have been fanciful in the extreme.
In Great Expectations, Dickens writes, "scattered wits take a long time in picking up". I can vouch that my wits have been sharpened beyond recognition during my time of abstinence. While I intend to carry on drinking alcohol henceforth, I shall resolve to do so in a more responsible manner because I genuinely feel better for drinking less.
During the last few months, we have given dinner parties in which we provided wine for our guests but they regrettably felt awkward drinking it because we weren't. That is a pity because the decision to do without shouldn't evoke such guilt. It ought to be accepted as just a normal decision. Unfortunately, our society dictates that it is better to join in to gain more acceptance. It is this bridge which needs to be crossed in order for us to re-address the way in which we view alcohol in our culture. Drinking alcohol is fine and I certainly haven't become a bore who brands all others as hopeless dipsomaniacs. I have learned a lot about alcohol this year but have undoubtedly learned even more about myself. I still harbour a great love for the grape but in a slightly different way.
The final examination after a nine year journey went well enough. That said, how I feel it went and how the examiners feel it went seldom concur so time will tell. The mark is of no relevance. Success or failure are separated only by whether your nose is one side of the line or not. Rather like the near miss lottery winner who was only one digit away from matching all six, he might as well have been thirty digits away. Life is often fickle and examinations provide evidence aplenty. Until the result is published, I will continue to hold grape expectations...
Saturday, 15 June 2013
The Ashes - a retrospective
Twenty-five days hence, one of the oldest rivalries in sport resumes at Nottingham. Since 1882, the Ashes has continued to captivate successive generations with its twists and turns which see the famed urn alternating between English and Australian hands.
With England currently in the ascendency, I seek to revisit the series from 75 years ago, 50 years ago and 25 years ago to illustrate that domination changes with the years.
Of all the Ashes series, the 1938 competition was arguably one of the finest. It also began in Nottingham and witnessed the first of the 17 centuries of Dennis Charles Scott Compton. At just 20 years of age, he remains England's youngest century maker. By coincidence, his grandson Nick is in the frame to open the batting in Nottingham this year. Nottingham has always been regarded as a batting wicket and that match in 1938 did much to potentiate this view. For England, Hutton (100), Barnett (126) and Paynter (216 not out) contributed to a mammoth total of 658 for 8 declared. Despite what is generally considered to be one of the finest innings' ever played by Stan Macabe (232), Australia were invited to follow on and did so comfortably thanks to 133 by Bill Brown and, inevitably, 144 not out from Don Bradman. My late Godfather saw this match and the one at Headingley. He maintains that Bradman was a class apart from the rest and his ultimate batting average of 99.94 would appear to bear this out. The Lords test saw another draw this time centred around contributions from the two captains. For England, Hammond crucified the Aussies with 240 and along with an unbeaten 206 by Bill Brown, Bradman added another unbeaten 102 to his already burgeoning reputation. Not for the first time, the Old Trafford test fell victim to the rain but this time without a ball being bowled. Leeds hosted the fourth test and the Australians seized the initiative with a paltry 103 from Bradman (his previous scores there were 304 and 334!). Bill "Tiger" O'Reilly then took five wickets in each innings to put the Aussies one up with one to play. On to the Oval. England batted first and eventually declared on the unfeasible 903 for 7. Hutton wrote himself in to cricket folk-lore with 364 and was ably supported by fellow Yorkshireman Maurice Leyland with 187 and Joe Hardstaff with an unbeaten 169. As far as anecdotes go, my favourite concerns the Yorkshire wicketkeeper Arthur Wood. Coming out to bat at 770 for 6 he quipped to crowd "I'm just the man for a crisis!". With Bradman injured the Australians were bowled out twice to give England victory by the surely never to be equalled margin of an innings and 579 runs!
Forty-nine years ago began one of the least interesting Ashes series of modern times. That said, a young Yorkshire batsman was called up to open the innings for the first time. Geoffrey Boycott has scarcely been out of the news since. All five matches were drawn to enable Australia to retain the urn they had won in 1961.
Twenty-four years ago saw Australia come to England to win back the urn they had last won fourteen years previously in 1975. Captained by the gritty Alan Border, they fielded a good blend of seasoned professionals with some very promising younger players. In particular, a young leg spinner called Shane Warne caught everyone's attention with the maturity of his bowling. The twin batsmen Steve and Mark Waugh gave a nod to the future and it would be 2005 before England would get their hands on the urn again.
There used to be a saying that when Yorkshire are strong, England are strong. This bodes well for a successful English campaign. With Joe Root, Johnny Bairstow and Tim Bresnan all likely to play significant roles, I can confidently predict an England win. Judging by the disunity within the Australian ranks thus far, it shouldn't be too difficult and a 3-0 victory would be about right.
With England currently in the ascendency, I seek to revisit the series from 75 years ago, 50 years ago and 25 years ago to illustrate that domination changes with the years.
Of all the Ashes series, the 1938 competition was arguably one of the finest. It also began in Nottingham and witnessed the first of the 17 centuries of Dennis Charles Scott Compton. At just 20 years of age, he remains England's youngest century maker. By coincidence, his grandson Nick is in the frame to open the batting in Nottingham this year. Nottingham has always been regarded as a batting wicket and that match in 1938 did much to potentiate this view. For England, Hutton (100), Barnett (126) and Paynter (216 not out) contributed to a mammoth total of 658 for 8 declared. Despite what is generally considered to be one of the finest innings' ever played by Stan Macabe (232), Australia were invited to follow on and did so comfortably thanks to 133 by Bill Brown and, inevitably, 144 not out from Don Bradman. My late Godfather saw this match and the one at Headingley. He maintains that Bradman was a class apart from the rest and his ultimate batting average of 99.94 would appear to bear this out. The Lords test saw another draw this time centred around contributions from the two captains. For England, Hammond crucified the Aussies with 240 and along with an unbeaten 206 by Bill Brown, Bradman added another unbeaten 102 to his already burgeoning reputation. Not for the first time, the Old Trafford test fell victim to the rain but this time without a ball being bowled. Leeds hosted the fourth test and the Australians seized the initiative with a paltry 103 from Bradman (his previous scores there were 304 and 334!). Bill "Tiger" O'Reilly then took five wickets in each innings to put the Aussies one up with one to play. On to the Oval. England batted first and eventually declared on the unfeasible 903 for 7. Hutton wrote himself in to cricket folk-lore with 364 and was ably supported by fellow Yorkshireman Maurice Leyland with 187 and Joe Hardstaff with an unbeaten 169. As far as anecdotes go, my favourite concerns the Yorkshire wicketkeeper Arthur Wood. Coming out to bat at 770 for 6 he quipped to crowd "I'm just the man for a crisis!". With Bradman injured the Australians were bowled out twice to give England victory by the surely never to be equalled margin of an innings and 579 runs!
Forty-nine years ago began one of the least interesting Ashes series of modern times. That said, a young Yorkshire batsman was called up to open the innings for the first time. Geoffrey Boycott has scarcely been out of the news since. All five matches were drawn to enable Australia to retain the urn they had won in 1961.
Twenty-four years ago saw Australia come to England to win back the urn they had last won fourteen years previously in 1975. Captained by the gritty Alan Border, they fielded a good blend of seasoned professionals with some very promising younger players. In particular, a young leg spinner called Shane Warne caught everyone's attention with the maturity of his bowling. The twin batsmen Steve and Mark Waugh gave a nod to the future and it would be 2005 before England would get their hands on the urn again.
There used to be a saying that when Yorkshire are strong, England are strong. This bodes well for a successful English campaign. With Joe Root, Johnny Bairstow and Tim Bresnan all likely to play significant roles, I can confidently predict an England win. Judging by the disunity within the Australian ranks thus far, it shouldn't be too difficult and a 3-0 victory would be about right.
Saturday, 8 June 2013
The Certainty In Our Lives
In 1936, Margaret Mitchell won the Pullitzer Prize for her novel "Gone With The Wind". Released as a film on the eve of the Second World War, it tells the story of the unrequited love of Scarlett O'Hara set against the backdrop of the American Civil War. At a cost of 3.5 million dollars, it was a very expensive film for its time. That said, it returned receipts in excess of 390 million dollars at the box office. A sound investment. The principal roles of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara made huge stars of Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh. Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American to win an Oscar for best supporting actress. The film depicts the racial segregation then prevalent in the American South. As late as 1968, Martin Luther King was being shot for his efforts to address the blatant racism which so tarnished the United States. Given that the American Civil War didn't start until 1861, it is sobering to reflect how long it took to address the racial inequalities which had come to dominate American society.
It was in 1936 that an 18 year old embarked on his Secondary Education in Engcobo. This was the largest boarding school for black Africans in Thembuland, South Africa. As I write, the life of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandella appears to be nearing its conclusion. Like Martin Luther King in the United States, he was instrumental in addressing the injustice of a society which chose to promote a system of apartheid. I can recall speaking at Debating Society in 1984 about the prospect of apartheid being abolished in South Africa. The subject was as emotive then as it is today. Perhaps the success of Gone With The Wind is related to its subtext which depicts such an open social injustice.
In her novel, Margaret Mitchell uses a phrase which has been repeated often and seems to become more pertinent by the day."Death and taxes and childbirth. There's never a convenient time for any of them!". As the health of Nelson Mandela deteriorates, so too does that of Prince Philip. Born just three years apart, the lives of these two men could scarcely have been more different. That said, Prince Philip was hastily rushed out of his native Greece as a small child in an orange box because the lives of his family were in danger following a military coup. His has been a life of duty quietly standing in the background while the Queen remains the focus of attention. To have stuck to this role for so long is to his credit and he is perhaps entitled to the odd faux pas when letting off steam.
Birth, death and taxes continue to dominate national debate. This week, it was announced that by the year 2020, half of the population will receive a cancer diagnosis. This is attributed to the fact that we are all living longer. This is not in dispute. I wonder though whether other factors might also be playing a role? It was also proposed this week that we all need to reduce the amount of meat we are eating. It is difficult to ignore a link here. Although we hear constantly about austerity, all things are relative. The last time we had genuine austerity in this country was from 1939 until the mid 1950s. During the war, eating too much meat wasn't even optional. There is no doubt that we are all eating too much meat now and it is difficult to ignore this fact when set against the future predictions for cancer diagnoses. The Mediterranean diet about which I have written often is low in meat and high in fresh vegetables and fish. Unsurprisingly, people living in rural communities in the Mediterranean are well documented to live much longer. I don't doubt that living longer increases the risk of things going wrong with our bodies but do cast doubt on the reasons why.
On the subject of taxes, this week has seen the Labour Party hell bent on seeking another five years in opposition. So goes the old saying, "it is sometimes better to just stand there and look stupid rather than open your mouth and remove all doubt". If I was the Labour Party chairman, I would e mail a copy of this wisdom to all MPs. I would personally deliver a copy by hand to the two Eds. The Labour Party which for so long has stuck rigidly to the principle of universalism has this week sought to distance itself from such thinking. As such, they now intend to support the Coalition policy of removing the winter fuel tax benefit from those pensioners rich enough to not need it. Personally, I would have thought this common sense. The Labour Party which left us in such a mess though was quite happy to give benefits to anyone - hence the mess. They didn't seem to appreciate the basic economics of there only ever being a finite pot of money from which to allocate resources. Changing tack now is all well and good but people have longer memories than that and are all too aware of the roles played by the two Eds in the doomed Gordon Brown government.
Doubtless, Prince Philip would quote that famous line from Gone With The Wind -"Frankly my dear I don't give a damn".
It was in 1936 that an 18 year old embarked on his Secondary Education in Engcobo. This was the largest boarding school for black Africans in Thembuland, South Africa. As I write, the life of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandella appears to be nearing its conclusion. Like Martin Luther King in the United States, he was instrumental in addressing the injustice of a society which chose to promote a system of apartheid. I can recall speaking at Debating Society in 1984 about the prospect of apartheid being abolished in South Africa. The subject was as emotive then as it is today. Perhaps the success of Gone With The Wind is related to its subtext which depicts such an open social injustice.
In her novel, Margaret Mitchell uses a phrase which has been repeated often and seems to become more pertinent by the day."Death and taxes and childbirth. There's never a convenient time for any of them!". As the health of Nelson Mandela deteriorates, so too does that of Prince Philip. Born just three years apart, the lives of these two men could scarcely have been more different. That said, Prince Philip was hastily rushed out of his native Greece as a small child in an orange box because the lives of his family were in danger following a military coup. His has been a life of duty quietly standing in the background while the Queen remains the focus of attention. To have stuck to this role for so long is to his credit and he is perhaps entitled to the odd faux pas when letting off steam.
Birth, death and taxes continue to dominate national debate. This week, it was announced that by the year 2020, half of the population will receive a cancer diagnosis. This is attributed to the fact that we are all living longer. This is not in dispute. I wonder though whether other factors might also be playing a role? It was also proposed this week that we all need to reduce the amount of meat we are eating. It is difficult to ignore a link here. Although we hear constantly about austerity, all things are relative. The last time we had genuine austerity in this country was from 1939 until the mid 1950s. During the war, eating too much meat wasn't even optional. There is no doubt that we are all eating too much meat now and it is difficult to ignore this fact when set against the future predictions for cancer diagnoses. The Mediterranean diet about which I have written often is low in meat and high in fresh vegetables and fish. Unsurprisingly, people living in rural communities in the Mediterranean are well documented to live much longer. I don't doubt that living longer increases the risk of things going wrong with our bodies but do cast doubt on the reasons why.
On the subject of taxes, this week has seen the Labour Party hell bent on seeking another five years in opposition. So goes the old saying, "it is sometimes better to just stand there and look stupid rather than open your mouth and remove all doubt". If I was the Labour Party chairman, I would e mail a copy of this wisdom to all MPs. I would personally deliver a copy by hand to the two Eds. The Labour Party which for so long has stuck rigidly to the principle of universalism has this week sought to distance itself from such thinking. As such, they now intend to support the Coalition policy of removing the winter fuel tax benefit from those pensioners rich enough to not need it. Personally, I would have thought this common sense. The Labour Party which left us in such a mess though was quite happy to give benefits to anyone - hence the mess. They didn't seem to appreciate the basic economics of there only ever being a finite pot of money from which to allocate resources. Changing tack now is all well and good but people have longer memories than that and are all too aware of the roles played by the two Eds in the doomed Gordon Brown government.
Doubtless, Prince Philip would quote that famous line from Gone With The Wind -"Frankly my dear I don't give a damn".
Sunday, 2 June 2013
Happy and glorious!
It has become fashionable of late to point to the apparent dearth of women in public life. Too few women preside over our blue chip companies. Too few women occupy the benches of Parliament. Too few women of a certain age on our televisions. The list goes on. It certainly creates debate for our media to fill its pages but I somehow doubt if it is quite as bad as they would have us believe. Perhaps it is instructive to reflect on the past before we start bemoaning the present.
For a shade over 70% of the last 176 years, our monarchs have been women. Just the two of them though. In 1837, at the tender age of just 18, Queen Victoria reigned over the golden years of the British Empire until the birth of the next century. Fuelled by the advances of the industrial revolution, Britain became the dominant player in world affairs. Her early years benefited from the wisdom and guidance of her Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, who was a much older man. Her children would prove a great burden to her with her eldest son Prince Edward rarely out of the press reports for all the wrong reasons.
On this day in 1953, our present Queen began her reign which today assumes diamond status. Crowned at the age of 27, she had the 79 year old Winston Churchill as her first Prime Minister. The man who had seen the country through the Second World War was on hand to witness the beginning of the Elizabethan era in which we have now lived for sixty years. Churchill had first been elected as a Member of Parliament for Oldham in 1900. As such, he managed to straddle the reigns of the two women who have so utterly dominated British life for the past 176 years.
While the reign of Victoria encompassed the growth of the British Empire, it has been Elizabeth's job to witness its steady decline. Still passionate about the Commonwealth, she has witnessed unbelievable social change. While the remnant industries which drove the industrial revolution have slowly fallen away, new ones have replaced them. If Victoria's reign is synonymous with industry, Elizabeth's has been notable for technology. A couple of months before the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, Watson and Crick successfully elucidated the structure of DNA and medicine was changed forever. Sir Tim Berners-Lee created the first website in August 1991 and by this creation, I can now write to you - whoever you are! The technological advances during the reign of Elizabeth are truly mind blowing and I only wonder where they will all ultimately lead?
Elizabeth has also had to contend with the shortcomings of her children and has done so with enormous grace. Such is her influence, it is difficult to imagine our country without her reassuring presence. In an age of uncertainty and huge change, she remains a solid, indomitable force resistant to the countless pressures around her. She has served us well and stuck to her task like glue. An ambassador second to none, we will only truly appreciate her worth when she is gone. For now though, let's celebrate this wonderful lady. With age comes wisdom and with prudence comes health. She is mercifully blessed with both and long may it continue.
The decision earlier this year by Queen Beatrice of the Netherlands and Pope Benedict to relinquish their roles has prompted some to call for our Queen to do likewise. By making such calls, they demonstrate a profound lack of understanding. To our Queen, her reign is one of solemn duty and the oath she made on that day in 1953 holds as true today as it did then. People seem to forget that the only abdication in our recent history was that of Edward 8th. It would be naive and misguided to expect a repeat. As such, Prince Charles will, like Edward 7th before him, begin his reign as an old man.
We may not have as many women in public life as the proponents of equality would wish, but where it really matters we have been blessed with two giants who have bestrode us as Gulliver among the Lilliputians. Men may continue to occupy the key positions in public life, but only under the watchful eye of Queen Elizabeth II!
For a shade over 70% of the last 176 years, our monarchs have been women. Just the two of them though. In 1837, at the tender age of just 18, Queen Victoria reigned over the golden years of the British Empire until the birth of the next century. Fuelled by the advances of the industrial revolution, Britain became the dominant player in world affairs. Her early years benefited from the wisdom and guidance of her Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, who was a much older man. Her children would prove a great burden to her with her eldest son Prince Edward rarely out of the press reports for all the wrong reasons.
On this day in 1953, our present Queen began her reign which today assumes diamond status. Crowned at the age of 27, she had the 79 year old Winston Churchill as her first Prime Minister. The man who had seen the country through the Second World War was on hand to witness the beginning of the Elizabethan era in which we have now lived for sixty years. Churchill had first been elected as a Member of Parliament for Oldham in 1900. As such, he managed to straddle the reigns of the two women who have so utterly dominated British life for the past 176 years.
While the reign of Victoria encompassed the growth of the British Empire, it has been Elizabeth's job to witness its steady decline. Still passionate about the Commonwealth, she has witnessed unbelievable social change. While the remnant industries which drove the industrial revolution have slowly fallen away, new ones have replaced them. If Victoria's reign is synonymous with industry, Elizabeth's has been notable for technology. A couple of months before the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, Watson and Crick successfully elucidated the structure of DNA and medicine was changed forever. Sir Tim Berners-Lee created the first website in August 1991 and by this creation, I can now write to you - whoever you are! The technological advances during the reign of Elizabeth are truly mind blowing and I only wonder where they will all ultimately lead?
Elizabeth has also had to contend with the shortcomings of her children and has done so with enormous grace. Such is her influence, it is difficult to imagine our country without her reassuring presence. In an age of uncertainty and huge change, she remains a solid, indomitable force resistant to the countless pressures around her. She has served us well and stuck to her task like glue. An ambassador second to none, we will only truly appreciate her worth when she is gone. For now though, let's celebrate this wonderful lady. With age comes wisdom and with prudence comes health. She is mercifully blessed with both and long may it continue.
The decision earlier this year by Queen Beatrice of the Netherlands and Pope Benedict to relinquish their roles has prompted some to call for our Queen to do likewise. By making such calls, they demonstrate a profound lack of understanding. To our Queen, her reign is one of solemn duty and the oath she made on that day in 1953 holds as true today as it did then. People seem to forget that the only abdication in our recent history was that of Edward 8th. It would be naive and misguided to expect a repeat. As such, Prince Charles will, like Edward 7th before him, begin his reign as an old man.
We may not have as many women in public life as the proponents of equality would wish, but where it really matters we have been blessed with two giants who have bestrode us as Gulliver among the Lilliputians. Men may continue to occupy the key positions in public life, but only under the watchful eye of Queen Elizabeth II!
Saturday, 1 June 2013
Where East meets West
Of all the countries aspiring to become full members of the European Union, Turkey stands out as being the most politically important. With a proud history in the ancient world, Turkey links mainland Europe with the troubled Middle East countries of Iraq and Syria. Because of it not being in the Eurozone, it has become ever more popular as a holiday destination for many Europeans.
Since its modern history began in 1923, it has remained a secular country in spite of the fact that 99% of the population remain muslim. Although not unique, this secular aspiration sets Turkey apart from many of its immediate neighbours. It perhaps explains why the country has remained such a popular holiday destination for Europeans of a more atheist leaning. It has grown to become a symbol of where the East meets the West and so occupies a pivotal position in the modern world.
It is widely reported today that what began as a peaceful demonstration has now escalated in to riots in both Istanbul and Ankara. The cause? Protestors are unhappy with government plans to redevelop Guzi Park in Istanbul. In itself, this is not unusual but this park represents one of the few green areas left in the city. Arguably, this clash represents the wider battle being fought throughout Europe and beyond. At what point will governments begin to realise that new retail developments do not address the fundamental problems with which we are currently faced?
I wrote recently about the plight of Enid Jones in Mid Wales as she struggles to resist local plans for a retail development which will result in her having to vacate her own home. In Turkey, it seems, they are somewhat more passionate about the things which really matter to them. It would be difficult to imagine people in this country being sufficiently bothered to do anything about it. As Islam seeks to spread westward, it seems Western culture seeks to spread Eastwards.
The recent tornadoes in the American mid-west are due to warm, wet air from the Gulf of Mexico meeting the cold, dry air moving down from the Rocky mountains. As we have seen, the results are catastrophic. It seems as though a similar phenomenon is taking place in Turkey judging by the government decision to employ water cannons against its own people. History would suggest that it is normally wise to pay heed to the people. I hope the Turkish government can draw on the lessons of their more illustrious predecessors and do likewise. I hope for their sakes they manage to hold on to the values to which we seem ambivalent.
Since its modern history began in 1923, it has remained a secular country in spite of the fact that 99% of the population remain muslim. Although not unique, this secular aspiration sets Turkey apart from many of its immediate neighbours. It perhaps explains why the country has remained such a popular holiday destination for Europeans of a more atheist leaning. It has grown to become a symbol of where the East meets the West and so occupies a pivotal position in the modern world.
It is widely reported today that what began as a peaceful demonstration has now escalated in to riots in both Istanbul and Ankara. The cause? Protestors are unhappy with government plans to redevelop Guzi Park in Istanbul. In itself, this is not unusual but this park represents one of the few green areas left in the city. Arguably, this clash represents the wider battle being fought throughout Europe and beyond. At what point will governments begin to realise that new retail developments do not address the fundamental problems with which we are currently faced?
I wrote recently about the plight of Enid Jones in Mid Wales as she struggles to resist local plans for a retail development which will result in her having to vacate her own home. In Turkey, it seems, they are somewhat more passionate about the things which really matter to them. It would be difficult to imagine people in this country being sufficiently bothered to do anything about it. As Islam seeks to spread westward, it seems Western culture seeks to spread Eastwards.
The recent tornadoes in the American mid-west are due to warm, wet air from the Gulf of Mexico meeting the cold, dry air moving down from the Rocky mountains. As we have seen, the results are catastrophic. It seems as though a similar phenomenon is taking place in Turkey judging by the government decision to employ water cannons against its own people. History would suggest that it is normally wise to pay heed to the people. I hope the Turkish government can draw on the lessons of their more illustrious predecessors and do likewise. I hope for their sakes they manage to hold on to the values to which we seem ambivalent.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)