Like many people, I was surprised today to learn of the decision of the pontiff to give up his ministry at the end of the month. Just after the announcement was made, I was drawn to a forom on the BBC news page which was being dominated by the views of an atheist mass intent on drawing people's attention to the child abuse which has so dogged the Catholic church in recent years. They also alluded to the fact that the incumbent pontiff had been a member of the Hitler youth in his younger years. Some people were at pains to draw attention to the repeated condemnation of condoms in Africa and pleaded with the church to recognise the health implications of such advice.
Considering their pronounced atheism, it was heartening to see so many people engaging in a faith based debate. As for Pope Benedict joining the Hitler youth in the 1930s, why wouldn't he? I'm obviously not condoning Hitler or his facist regime, but every young person at that time joined the Hitler youth just as many joned the Scouts or Guides in other countries. I think it is to the great credit of Pope Benedict that he has decided to recognise his fading limitations and make way for new blood. It is hard to imagine the difficulty in making such a monumental decision. To be the spiritual leader of any faith group brings enormous expectation and we may only guess at the sacrifices he has made. We will also never know the personal pain he has felt as each successive scandal has emerged to drag his beloved faith through the mire. Nobody can ever change the past but everyone can learn from it if they really want to. Only the strongest of men could face such an onslaught with the humility and dignity which he has shown. I am not Catholic but greatly admire the way in which he has handled the future of both himself and his church. They will do well to procure the services of someday with a fraction of his talents and I pray that the new Archbishop of Caterbury can seek to emulate such a shining example.
The passing of an era is never easy and this will take time. Just as when one of our loved ones passes away, the memories shine brightly for many years afterwards. Today of all days, my thoughts return to our daughter Thea who died so suddenly in 2006. Tomorrow would have been the occasion of her eighth birthday and she is still missed painfully by us all. Unlike the Catholic church, we had no warning of our loss and this arguably makes it less easy to come to terms with. The outgoing pontiff is now eighty-five years old and can look back on a life of fulfillment and great accomplishment. Thea was cut short on her journey at just fifteen months of age to meningococcal septicaemia. Every cloud has a silver lining and I was so happy this year to see that a vaccine for Meningitis B has now been approved. I hope and pray that it is made available without undue delay and look forward to seeing a reduction in cases of meningitis in infants and children of all ages. For all that though, it is still very hard to understand why she was taken from us in such cruel fashion and so we must comfort ourselves with memories and the good times.
If the church is once more to have its day as in years gone by, it needs to reach out to everyone. Only then will people come together as they once did. As I see it, community is sadly lacking in our society today. The press seem fixated at present with the story of horse meat in processed food and I can't help thinking how silly it all is. It is processed food which is affected. When people return to the joys of home cooking being shared by the whole family, the notion of processed food (and whatever the all-conquering supermarkets can get away with putting in it) will hopefully become a thing of the past. If communities re-appear from the doldrums, society will be all the richer in so many different ways.
As we approach Thea's eighth birthday, I am reminded of the song "Who knows where the time goes?". It will forever be synonymous with the matchless voice of the late Sandy Denny and I often think of this song when I think of Thea. We none of us know what tomorrow has in store so must cherish every day. Goodnight all and love the one you're with.
Monday, 11 February 2013
Friday, 8 February 2013
And another thing...
It was with no small degree of mirth that I read of the latest example of equine intrusion into our pampered western diets. I hasten to add that I respect the love of some people for the trusty steed and the revulsion they feel for the consumption thereof. That said, a number of things struck me about this case.
The horse meat had been identified in a processed meal the nutritional content of which is probably not too different to the packaging whence it came. I wonder how many of us could honestly hold our hand up to being able to differentiate with any reliability between horse and beef?
A few years ago, I was holidaying with my wife and we decided to sail over to Sardinia for a few weeks. I was rather surprised when I first encountered the meat counter in the butcher's shop because it was more difficult to find meat which wasn't horse. Hence, as stereotypical carnivores, we gorged on horse for a fortnight and jolly nice it was too if a trifle sweet in comparison to beef. I a lasagne though, I would defy anyone to spot the difference.
The late, great Sir Clement Freud who had the most extraordinary of lives, opened a restaurant after the second world war which prospered for a number of years. In the immediate aftermath of the war, things were tight to put it mildly and people made do with what they had. On one of the first nights, one of the diners complimented Clement on the meat and asked what it was. In his trademark laconic style, Clement informed him that the meat was horse. Because everybody always assumed that Clement was joking, the diners roared with laughter and continued with their meal. It was horse.
It was with no depth of fascination that I noted that a scientist has come up with the largest prime number hitherto known. This reminded me of the eternal quest to define pi during my school years in the late 70s and early 80s. It is strange to me that the concept of infinity proves so troublesome to some people. Isn't it nice to think that some things just go on and on with no end? Even though Keele Spine sometimes aspires to this on Friday afternoons, I am pleased that it remains finite albeit a little long...
The horse meat had been identified in a processed meal the nutritional content of which is probably not too different to the packaging whence it came. I wonder how many of us could honestly hold our hand up to being able to differentiate with any reliability between horse and beef?
A few years ago, I was holidaying with my wife and we decided to sail over to Sardinia for a few weeks. I was rather surprised when I first encountered the meat counter in the butcher's shop because it was more difficult to find meat which wasn't horse. Hence, as stereotypical carnivores, we gorged on horse for a fortnight and jolly nice it was too if a trifle sweet in comparison to beef. I a lasagne though, I would defy anyone to spot the difference.
The late, great Sir Clement Freud who had the most extraordinary of lives, opened a restaurant after the second world war which prospered for a number of years. In the immediate aftermath of the war, things were tight to put it mildly and people made do with what they had. On one of the first nights, one of the diners complimented Clement on the meat and asked what it was. In his trademark laconic style, Clement informed him that the meat was horse. Because everybody always assumed that Clement was joking, the diners roared with laughter and continued with their meal. It was horse.
It was with no depth of fascination that I noted that a scientist has come up with the largest prime number hitherto known. This reminded me of the eternal quest to define pi during my school years in the late 70s and early 80s. It is strange to me that the concept of infinity proves so troublesome to some people. Isn't it nice to think that some things just go on and on with no end? Even though Keele Spine sometimes aspires to this on Friday afternoons, I am pleased that it remains finite albeit a little long...
Wednesday, 6 February 2013
The seven deadly sins
Not for the first time, the attributes of wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony occupy centre stage in British public life. It was ever thus.
We have had the full rainbow this week if evidence were needed of the less savoury aspects of human nature.
Wrath in the guise of fury has this week brought about the demise of Chris Huhne. Until a few weeks ago, this career ex-Trotskyite Liberal politician was being touted as the successor to the ill-fated Clegg. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and Chris Huhne seriously underestimated how his estranged wife would react when he attempted to foist points for a speeding offence onto her. He carried on with his deception even though he held a senior cabinet position and even though his own children were against him. Although it could be argued that several deadly sins were played out here, there is no need to pursue them because they are all to be found elsewhere.
Greed is sadly ubiquitous in society but the prize this week surely belongs to a bank. No shock there. RBS which is 82% owned by the tax payer saw fit to try and manipulate the LIBOR (London inter-bank lending rate). It is 82% owned by the tax payer because it was so badly run in the first place. If testament were ever needed of the lengths to which banks will go to make a fast buck, RBS has once again provided it in spades. That said, if you let a child run amok in a sweet shop, what do you expect? It must be Christmas every day in banking.
Sloth contributed in no small part to the catalogue of neglect documented at Stafford Hospital. I have written previously on this subject so will refrain from adding to it here.
Lance Armstrong is seemingly bereft of pride because whatever sinew he had left has now withered and died along with his sham of a record. With an ounce of pride, he would have done the decent thing and issued an unreserved apology to the many millions he has knowingly deceived. Like Chris Huhne though, he wanted to keep the charade going for as long as he could knowing very well how silly he would look when the truth was finally revealed.
The lust of Rupert Murdoch for the yankee dollar remains undiminished and, in spite of proven phone hacking allegations last year, has just announced a doubling of the net income of News Corp in North America. It goes to show that all publicity is good publicity.
It is surely envy which motivated so many MPs to vote against the bill in favour of gay marriage. Envy that non heterosexual partnerships are being considered on a par with their heterosexual counterparts. Nobody ever remembers who came second in a contest though, so their envious misgivings will soon be long forgotten.
The last place at the table belongs to gluttony. It is gluttony which stands responsible for rising levels of obesity and its co-morbidities such as diabetes, heart failure, stroke and cancer. Gluttony though, can only ever prevail if there is sufficient food to do so. I don't recall reading too much about it during the times of Dickens and confidently predict its demise in the not too distant future. Food banks don't support gluttony. They support life through basic survival and their numbers grow by the week. Whether this is a good thing or an indictment of our society will be for our progeny to judge.
So good night then to all seven of our less savoury bed fellows and doubtless we shall all meet again on the morrow.
We have had the full rainbow this week if evidence were needed of the less savoury aspects of human nature.
Wrath in the guise of fury has this week brought about the demise of Chris Huhne. Until a few weeks ago, this career ex-Trotskyite Liberal politician was being touted as the successor to the ill-fated Clegg. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and Chris Huhne seriously underestimated how his estranged wife would react when he attempted to foist points for a speeding offence onto her. He carried on with his deception even though he held a senior cabinet position and even though his own children were against him. Although it could be argued that several deadly sins were played out here, there is no need to pursue them because they are all to be found elsewhere.
Greed is sadly ubiquitous in society but the prize this week surely belongs to a bank. No shock there. RBS which is 82% owned by the tax payer saw fit to try and manipulate the LIBOR (London inter-bank lending rate). It is 82% owned by the tax payer because it was so badly run in the first place. If testament were ever needed of the lengths to which banks will go to make a fast buck, RBS has once again provided it in spades. That said, if you let a child run amok in a sweet shop, what do you expect? It must be Christmas every day in banking.
Sloth contributed in no small part to the catalogue of neglect documented at Stafford Hospital. I have written previously on this subject so will refrain from adding to it here.
Lance Armstrong is seemingly bereft of pride because whatever sinew he had left has now withered and died along with his sham of a record. With an ounce of pride, he would have done the decent thing and issued an unreserved apology to the many millions he has knowingly deceived. Like Chris Huhne though, he wanted to keep the charade going for as long as he could knowing very well how silly he would look when the truth was finally revealed.
The lust of Rupert Murdoch for the yankee dollar remains undiminished and, in spite of proven phone hacking allegations last year, has just announced a doubling of the net income of News Corp in North America. It goes to show that all publicity is good publicity.
It is surely envy which motivated so many MPs to vote against the bill in favour of gay marriage. Envy that non heterosexual partnerships are being considered on a par with their heterosexual counterparts. Nobody ever remembers who came second in a contest though, so their envious misgivings will soon be long forgotten.
The last place at the table belongs to gluttony. It is gluttony which stands responsible for rising levels of obesity and its co-morbidities such as diabetes, heart failure, stroke and cancer. Gluttony though, can only ever prevail if there is sufficient food to do so. I don't recall reading too much about it during the times of Dickens and confidently predict its demise in the not too distant future. Food banks don't support gluttony. They support life through basic survival and their numbers grow by the week. Whether this is a good thing or an indictment of our society will be for our progeny to judge.
So good night then to all seven of our less savoury bed fellows and doubtless we shall all meet again on the morrow.
Tuesday, 5 February 2013
The true price of accountability
Kay Sheldon is a name which ought to be familiar to all of us but I doubt if it is. To her eternal credit, she is the lady who blew the whistle on the culture of denial at Stafford Hospital. In any walk of life, it takes great courage to question those in authority. The NHS is reputed to be second only to the Indian National Railway as the largest employer in the world. This gives a good perspective of the scale of her achievement. It is her claim that the risk of victimisation awaits those who challenge poor care in the NHS. It is amazing to consider that she felt that she was just trying to do her job properly by acting with integrity and honesty. I believe she should be held up as a role model for aspiring NHS employees be they doctors, nurses or any of the other associated professions.
Sadly, the reality is that she probably won't be reappointed to the ill fated Quality Care Comission after the results of the inquiry are made known. The fact is that in common with many bastions of the public sector in the UK today, empire builders find cosy little nests in which to roost safe in the knowledge that they are answerable and accountable to nobody. Sure, they can put on a show when the inspectors arrive but normal service resumes in due course. I researched life in a Victorian lunatic asylum two years ago, and, strangely enough, I found the same practices going on there. It is safe to assume little has changed then in the intervening century and a half. It makes me wonder who the real lunatics are.
For the public sector in this country to finally shake off their long held persona of empire builders and jobs worths, they will need to show transparency, accountability and integrity. Had they done so, baby P, Victoria Climbie and Stafford Hospital to name but a few, would never have happened. This lady ought to be promoted to a position of a real authority with the brief of weeding out the NIMBYs and empire builders because the life of just one innocent patient is too high a price to pay. Trust is earned and earned over long periods of time. During my sales career before my change of direction to medicine, I learned that you can get it right ninety-nine times and nobody will ever remember. But the one time you get it wrong, nobody forgets. When you get it wrong and the it costs a life, nobody will ever forget.
Well done Kay Sheldon. You are a brave lady going against the grain in a jaundiced culture of self preservation and for that, I salute you.
Sadly, the reality is that she probably won't be reappointed to the ill fated Quality Care Comission after the results of the inquiry are made known. The fact is that in common with many bastions of the public sector in the UK today, empire builders find cosy little nests in which to roost safe in the knowledge that they are answerable and accountable to nobody. Sure, they can put on a show when the inspectors arrive but normal service resumes in due course. I researched life in a Victorian lunatic asylum two years ago, and, strangely enough, I found the same practices going on there. It is safe to assume little has changed then in the intervening century and a half. It makes me wonder who the real lunatics are.
For the public sector in this country to finally shake off their long held persona of empire builders and jobs worths, they will need to show transparency, accountability and integrity. Had they done so, baby P, Victoria Climbie and Stafford Hospital to name but a few, would never have happened. This lady ought to be promoted to a position of a real authority with the brief of weeding out the NIMBYs and empire builders because the life of just one innocent patient is too high a price to pay. Trust is earned and earned over long periods of time. During my sales career before my change of direction to medicine, I learned that you can get it right ninety-nine times and nobody will ever remember. But the one time you get it wrong, nobody forgets. When you get it wrong and the it costs a life, nobody will ever forget.
Well done Kay Sheldon. You are a brave lady going against the grain in a jaundiced culture of self preservation and for that, I salute you.
Monday, 4 February 2013
The Need To Be Heard
I read with great interest today of a newly evolving movement where atheists congregate in a disused church to sing to popular music and listen to scientific teachings principally aimed at the the origins of life.
This grabbed my attention on several levels. The irony of atheists congregating in a disused church speaks for itself but the suitability of a church as a place of congregation is once more confirmed but this time by those who profess no faith. Several people who attend speak of the need to be with other people and the enjoyment they derive from that. They sing the songs of more contemporary groups whose music is known to the masses and listen thoughtfully and respectfully to a speaker who stands where the altar would have once stood.
As our society becomes progressively more insular with the old God being replaced by TV, alcohol and home entertainment, the basic human need to seek the company of our fellow man remains intact albeit simmering quietly beneath the veneer of domestic bliss. People coming together to sing is as old as the hills and easily predates Christianity and probably all the other major faiths as well. Likewise, the idea of congregating to listen to one speaker is not exactly a new concept.
The one aspect of this concept which most intrigued me is why a disused church was used. It may have just been a coincidence but I'm not convinced. The pursuit of faith is a strange process. I believe many people are seeking a faith without actually knowing it. I also believe and respect that many people are atheist and have no faith in the present. This, however, does not inform their future. For my part, I have always been quite comfortable with science and faith existing side by side. They are both hugely relevant although in rather distinct ways.
The question is this: Do these people want to be heard outside the walls of the disused church or do they merely want to come together as people and be with each other. Time will tell but I suspect that like all of us, they want to be heard. I hope so because the need to be heard is extremely important and I feel that all too often society stifles rather than encourages this. Perhaps this is because it is easier not to listen because we then feel no obligation to respond.
Do governments need to be heard? Of course they would love to be heard but first they need to listen. The tendency now is to divert things away from ourselves. It is actually far easier to address issues raised in our direction than to deflect them and dodge them.
Doctors too are often accused of not listening. The patient wants to be heard and the doctor gravitates to the facts which he or she considers important. It is easy to see where dissatisfaction sets in when you think about it. Granted, doctors are regrettably constrained by time but this is of little to consolation to the person sitting in front of them with their own ideas, concerns and expectations. Hopefully the medical schools charged with the education of tomorrow's doctors are becoming more adept at listening to the students under their tutelage. I hope that like the starchy attitudes of the Christian faith of my youth, the unfeeling paternalism of the medical fraternity is beginning to melt. Of course, it may be that the paternalism of medicine was originally driven by atheists immersed in scientific theory. Whatever the reason, I would love to be part of a society where we listen more to the person in front of us because there are few feelings more soul destroying than not being listened to. Just as Oscar Wilde rather cleverly pointed out in The Importance of Being Earnest, "The is only one thing worse than being talked about - not being talked about!", there is only one thing worse than being listened to - not being listened to.
This grabbed my attention on several levels. The irony of atheists congregating in a disused church speaks for itself but the suitability of a church as a place of congregation is once more confirmed but this time by those who profess no faith. Several people who attend speak of the need to be with other people and the enjoyment they derive from that. They sing the songs of more contemporary groups whose music is known to the masses and listen thoughtfully and respectfully to a speaker who stands where the altar would have once stood.
As our society becomes progressively more insular with the old God being replaced by TV, alcohol and home entertainment, the basic human need to seek the company of our fellow man remains intact albeit simmering quietly beneath the veneer of domestic bliss. People coming together to sing is as old as the hills and easily predates Christianity and probably all the other major faiths as well. Likewise, the idea of congregating to listen to one speaker is not exactly a new concept.
The one aspect of this concept which most intrigued me is why a disused church was used. It may have just been a coincidence but I'm not convinced. The pursuit of faith is a strange process. I believe many people are seeking a faith without actually knowing it. I also believe and respect that many people are atheist and have no faith in the present. This, however, does not inform their future. For my part, I have always been quite comfortable with science and faith existing side by side. They are both hugely relevant although in rather distinct ways.
The question is this: Do these people want to be heard outside the walls of the disused church or do they merely want to come together as people and be with each other. Time will tell but I suspect that like all of us, they want to be heard. I hope so because the need to be heard is extremely important and I feel that all too often society stifles rather than encourages this. Perhaps this is because it is easier not to listen because we then feel no obligation to respond.
Do governments need to be heard? Of course they would love to be heard but first they need to listen. The tendency now is to divert things away from ourselves. It is actually far easier to address issues raised in our direction than to deflect them and dodge them.
Doctors too are often accused of not listening. The patient wants to be heard and the doctor gravitates to the facts which he or she considers important. It is easy to see where dissatisfaction sets in when you think about it. Granted, doctors are regrettably constrained by time but this is of little to consolation to the person sitting in front of them with their own ideas, concerns and expectations. Hopefully the medical schools charged with the education of tomorrow's doctors are becoming more adept at listening to the students under their tutelage. I hope that like the starchy attitudes of the Christian faith of my youth, the unfeeling paternalism of the medical fraternity is beginning to melt. Of course, it may be that the paternalism of medicine was originally driven by atheists immersed in scientific theory. Whatever the reason, I would love to be part of a society where we listen more to the person in front of us because there are few feelings more soul destroying than not being listened to. Just as Oscar Wilde rather cleverly pointed out in The Importance of Being Earnest, "The is only one thing worse than being talked about - not being talked about!", there is only one thing worse than being listened to - not being listened to.
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Seizing the initiative
The current odds of a Conservative majority at the next General Election in 2015 are perhaps surprisingly set at about 13/8. Barring natural disasters and unforeseen events, I would say this looks excellent value and urge you to put a few quid in that direction - if you are one of the lucky ones who has a few quid to spare. Future events will decide the wisdom of my words but I think David Cameron has pulled off a real coup today. Promising a straightforward in or out vote on our membership of the European Union is bold, astute and very well timed.
The economy in the UK is embarking on its slow journey out of the doldrums. It was today announced that the jobless number had again fallen and only on Monday, a major player in the housing industry predicted house prices to return to their pre-crash levels eighteen months hence. A long series of decisions by the law makers in Brussels and Strasbourg have contributed to a rising tide of ill feeling towards the benefits of our continuing membership. It is only one example in an all too familiar pattern but Abu Qatada has shown what membership of the European Union is worth to us. On November 12 last year, he again escaped deportation once more courtesy of our overlords in the European Court of Human Rights. His actions speak for themselves but the cost to all of us of housing him is utterly inexcusable. We are prevented from sending him to face justice in his adopted country by the European Court. The European Working Time Directive now prevents honest hard working people from putting in more than 48 hours per week. The money which we pay to the European Union and the way in which it has been squandered is a national disgrace. The litany of waste and failure goes on and on.
I was just three years old when the British People were last granted a say on their destiny. This announcement has been long overdue. Thatcher, Major, Blair and the bigoted prudent Brown all dodged the issue with varying degrees of incompetence. David Cameron can't lose. If he successfully re-negotiates our membership of Europe, the yes vote will win and he will have used very clever leverage to secure the best deal for Britain. If the other members refuse to accede to his demands, a very passionate no vote will win the day thus strengthening his mandate. Most importantly, he has put distance between himself and all the other parties. The next General Election will thus become a very straightforward choice. Do you want to have a say or do you want to be denied by yet another Prime Minister who promises the world and delivers Milton Keynes? Ed Milliband reacted predictably today in the Commons. His sole strategy thus far as Labour leader has been to deride the decisions of his opposite number. Fair enough but he has been very thin on coming up with his own solutions to the problems we all face. Problems to which he contributed in no small part as economic adviser to Gordon Brown. Nick Clegg knows his best chance of power is within coalition so he can be discounted straight away. UKIP and Nigel Farrage are now as good as a spent force with any remaining arguments based on semantic quibbles. Cameron has stolen a march on Labour by declaring his intention. He has chosen to do so at a time when we are becoming stronger financially. He now has twenty-eight months to prepare for the election with everyone knowing exactly where they stand.
It was interesting to hear the carping from Alex Salmond today. He has to be a Europhile because in the unlikely event of the Scots voting for independence he knows he will need Europe a lot more than they need him. The irony is that it is predicted that the no vote will gain strength the further north you go. Why would you vote to stay in Europe when you've never had it so bad? Likewise the Welsh will err on the side of a yes vote for similar reasons. That said, if the Scots should vote for independence, I bet Mr. Salmond won't afford them the right of a referendum...
Meanwhile, a great many pundits and commentators seem to have forgotten today just how big a mess our European cousins are in financially. A no vote will have little impact on the strength of London as the major financial centre. They have to carry Spain, Greece, Portugal, Ireland et al for many years to come. The existing union is far too reliant on the success of Germany. It is an unsustainable relationship and brave would be the man who bets against the return of the Deutschmark in due course.
Needless to say, Labour will now spend the next two years asserting that Cameron has played his hand for no reason. Well, this will make a change from their spend, spend, spend answer to the biggest financial deficit in our history. Cameron has made a decision and a bold one at that. He can't have been more clear and Labour will need to produce a very large white rabbit out of the hat to trump him. You can only go on holding your cards close to your chest for so long but in the end you have to play them. Over to you Mr. Milliband. I'll not hold my breath! 13/8 return suddenly seems very attractive...
The economy in the UK is embarking on its slow journey out of the doldrums. It was today announced that the jobless number had again fallen and only on Monday, a major player in the housing industry predicted house prices to return to their pre-crash levels eighteen months hence. A long series of decisions by the law makers in Brussels and Strasbourg have contributed to a rising tide of ill feeling towards the benefits of our continuing membership. It is only one example in an all too familiar pattern but Abu Qatada has shown what membership of the European Union is worth to us. On November 12 last year, he again escaped deportation once more courtesy of our overlords in the European Court of Human Rights. His actions speak for themselves but the cost to all of us of housing him is utterly inexcusable. We are prevented from sending him to face justice in his adopted country by the European Court. The European Working Time Directive now prevents honest hard working people from putting in more than 48 hours per week. The money which we pay to the European Union and the way in which it has been squandered is a national disgrace. The litany of waste and failure goes on and on.
I was just three years old when the British People were last granted a say on their destiny. This announcement has been long overdue. Thatcher, Major, Blair and the bigoted prudent Brown all dodged the issue with varying degrees of incompetence. David Cameron can't lose. If he successfully re-negotiates our membership of Europe, the yes vote will win and he will have used very clever leverage to secure the best deal for Britain. If the other members refuse to accede to his demands, a very passionate no vote will win the day thus strengthening his mandate. Most importantly, he has put distance between himself and all the other parties. The next General Election will thus become a very straightforward choice. Do you want to have a say or do you want to be denied by yet another Prime Minister who promises the world and delivers Milton Keynes? Ed Milliband reacted predictably today in the Commons. His sole strategy thus far as Labour leader has been to deride the decisions of his opposite number. Fair enough but he has been very thin on coming up with his own solutions to the problems we all face. Problems to which he contributed in no small part as economic adviser to Gordon Brown. Nick Clegg knows his best chance of power is within coalition so he can be discounted straight away. UKIP and Nigel Farrage are now as good as a spent force with any remaining arguments based on semantic quibbles. Cameron has stolen a march on Labour by declaring his intention. He has chosen to do so at a time when we are becoming stronger financially. He now has twenty-eight months to prepare for the election with everyone knowing exactly where they stand.
It was interesting to hear the carping from Alex Salmond today. He has to be a Europhile because in the unlikely event of the Scots voting for independence he knows he will need Europe a lot more than they need him. The irony is that it is predicted that the no vote will gain strength the further north you go. Why would you vote to stay in Europe when you've never had it so bad? Likewise the Welsh will err on the side of a yes vote for similar reasons. That said, if the Scots should vote for independence, I bet Mr. Salmond won't afford them the right of a referendum...
Meanwhile, a great many pundits and commentators seem to have forgotten today just how big a mess our European cousins are in financially. A no vote will have little impact on the strength of London as the major financial centre. They have to carry Spain, Greece, Portugal, Ireland et al for many years to come. The existing union is far too reliant on the success of Germany. It is an unsustainable relationship and brave would be the man who bets against the return of the Deutschmark in due course.
Needless to say, Labour will now spend the next two years asserting that Cameron has played his hand for no reason. Well, this will make a change from their spend, spend, spend answer to the biggest financial deficit in our history. Cameron has made a decision and a bold one at that. He can't have been more clear and Labour will need to produce a very large white rabbit out of the hat to trump him. You can only go on holding your cards close to your chest for so long but in the end you have to play them. Over to you Mr. Milliband. I'll not hold my breath! 13/8 return suddenly seems very attractive...
Wednesday, 9 January 2013
Happenings ten years time ago
In October 1966, the British rhythm and blues band, The Yardbirds, released a new single. It was the first single to feature the name of a man who would soon become familiar to just about everyone connected to music. The single was entitled Happenings ten years time ago and featured Jeff Beck on lead guitar and the new boy, Jimmy Page, also playing lead guitar in a format hitherto not thought of.
Today is the 69th birthday of James Patrick Page and I would wager that his name is familiar to more people than that of the Duchess of Cambridge who also celebrates her birthday.
It is fitting for me to consider the title of this seminal song because in two days time, it will be ten years since the death from breast cancer of my first wife Kathryn. In accordance with her wishes, she died at home barely three years after having been diagnosed in January 2000. At just 33, she was very young and the experience of being her carer still lingers as one of my most challenging experiences. Her life had been fraught with sadness and it was a relief to her and me when she died. It was a relief because we were made well aware of her prognosis in the summer of 2001. Sudden death is very hard to understand but it is arguably easier when it is expected.
Looking back, I can scarcely believe what the ten years since have held for me. I sold our house almost immediately because I recognised the need to move on. I returned to my Sales career not for a challenge but for safety. I knew it would hold few fears for me and I could ease slowly back in to real life. I decided to relocate to be away from family and friends. I knew I needed that time and I'm so glad I did.
I have learned such separations seldom last for long and within six months I had met Mindy. It was Mindy who asked me what I wanted to do with my life recognising the extent of my boredom with sales. We were walking along a coastal path in Cornwall when she asked this and I replied that I would really like to study law. After five minutes I corrected myself and stated that what I really wanted to do was to practice medicine and attempt to learn from some of the appalling experiences which I had witnessed as Kathryn's carer.
I did not envisage my kidney failure in the New Year of 2005 and have since come to eye the New Year with suspicion. I still consider myself very lucky to have been offered my new kidney so quickly and remain grateful. As often happens, the happiness was soon to be tempered by profound sadness and our baby daughter Thea died from meningococcal septicemia aged just fifteen months in June 2006. Without question, this remains the most difficult time of my life and no day passes without thoughts and memories of her. Once more though, the pendulum swung back to give us our son Reuben who has blessed our lives beyond our wildest dreams.
Back to the medicine though. I can't believe I'm within touching distance of the end of this degree and would have laughed you out of the room ten years ago had I been sufficiently sober to do so. I never say never but feel reasonably confident that the next ten years will a little more relaxed.
Finally, happy birthday James Patrick Page the Grand Master of guitar riffs and orchestrator of the most dynamic sound yet. There were many who would have scoffed at the prospect of him graduating to old age during the hedonistic excesses of the 1970s. "C'est la vie" say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell - to quote Chuck Berry.
Today is the 69th birthday of James Patrick Page and I would wager that his name is familiar to more people than that of the Duchess of Cambridge who also celebrates her birthday.
It is fitting for me to consider the title of this seminal song because in two days time, it will be ten years since the death from breast cancer of my first wife Kathryn. In accordance with her wishes, she died at home barely three years after having been diagnosed in January 2000. At just 33, she was very young and the experience of being her carer still lingers as one of my most challenging experiences. Her life had been fraught with sadness and it was a relief to her and me when she died. It was a relief because we were made well aware of her prognosis in the summer of 2001. Sudden death is very hard to understand but it is arguably easier when it is expected.
Looking back, I can scarcely believe what the ten years since have held for me. I sold our house almost immediately because I recognised the need to move on. I returned to my Sales career not for a challenge but for safety. I knew it would hold few fears for me and I could ease slowly back in to real life. I decided to relocate to be away from family and friends. I knew I needed that time and I'm so glad I did.
I have learned such separations seldom last for long and within six months I had met Mindy. It was Mindy who asked me what I wanted to do with my life recognising the extent of my boredom with sales. We were walking along a coastal path in Cornwall when she asked this and I replied that I would really like to study law. After five minutes I corrected myself and stated that what I really wanted to do was to practice medicine and attempt to learn from some of the appalling experiences which I had witnessed as Kathryn's carer.
I did not envisage my kidney failure in the New Year of 2005 and have since come to eye the New Year with suspicion. I still consider myself very lucky to have been offered my new kidney so quickly and remain grateful. As often happens, the happiness was soon to be tempered by profound sadness and our baby daughter Thea died from meningococcal septicemia aged just fifteen months in June 2006. Without question, this remains the most difficult time of my life and no day passes without thoughts and memories of her. Once more though, the pendulum swung back to give us our son Reuben who has blessed our lives beyond our wildest dreams.
Back to the medicine though. I can't believe I'm within touching distance of the end of this degree and would have laughed you out of the room ten years ago had I been sufficiently sober to do so. I never say never but feel reasonably confident that the next ten years will a little more relaxed.
Finally, happy birthday James Patrick Page the Grand Master of guitar riffs and orchestrator of the most dynamic sound yet. There were many who would have scoffed at the prospect of him graduating to old age during the hedonistic excesses of the 1970s. "C'est la vie" say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell - to quote Chuck Berry.
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