Just Sitting and Thinking

Long time no post

2010-08-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

Neglected this a bit, haven't I?

Two years ago, I was walking both literally and figuratively speaking on eggshells, after Doreen had her mastectomy. She was in pain, exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally, and despite all the best efforts I could make to support her nothing I did seemed to be the right thing. It's taken me a long time to come to a realisation about those times, and that realisation is this.

I did some stupid things, and in trying to put my own fears and tiredness to one side I inadvertantly made things much worse. I'm sorry I did, but now the thing to do is to let go of any further resentments and anger about those things. Neither of us were coping very well, and we took it out on each other a bit. I need to ask forgiveness for that, and move on.

It's not been helped by a lot of uncertainty over my job over the last seven months, and a working relationship with a manager that could have been better. Both resolved now - again, time to move on

Things are getting better, but it is a long haul. We have other worries now of course - less than two weeks to Alastair's AS results, and Stuart starts secondary school in just four weeks. Hard to believe, as well, but it's one month to our Twentieth wedding anniversary - I need to sort out something special for that. Wonder what the best thing to do would be?

Bored

2010-04-28T04:19:00.000-07:00

Boring, boring, bloody boring. All the talk of a hung parliament has indeed made me disillusioned and not willing to post the same thing up every single day. Sorry about that.

mind you, it's just been reported that Gordie in an "open mic" moment called a voter who had just harranged him a "bigoted woman." Good move, my man - you just lost a whole new tranch of votes.

Conservative Claims

2010-04-16T02:26:00.000-07:00

A little late, but with thanks to the Daily Telegraph.

Economy

Key economic policies include:

• A one year public sector pay freeze in 2011 (excluding the one million lowest paid workers) Note no word as to what those lower paid workers may get as a rise...
• Bringing forward the date at which the state pension age starts to rise to 66, although it will not be sooner than 2016 for men and 2020 for women In other words, after the next election.
• Stopping tax credits to families with incomes over £50,000 Actually, I hate to say it, but that is fair – although I should point out I get no credits anyway.
• Cutting spending on Child Trust Funds for all but the poorest third of families and families with disabled children Not sure I agree with this one – but I can’t talk, as no way I will ever take advantage of this.
• Capping the biggest public sector pensions above £50,000 They get that much? I presume they mean per annum, not the pension pot.
• A five per cent pay cut for Ministers followed by a five-year freeze, and a 10 per cent reduction in the number of MPs Well – why not reform the whole package – maybe that will come later.
• Reduce welfare dependency The devil here is in the detail – and I need to study that carefully. I still remember the “shirker society” side of Thatcherism, and that was only partially true.

Health

Specific health policies include:

• Scrapping all politically-motivated targets Is there any other type – ALL health care targets have a political motivation , in that they are designed to make it look as if something is being done.
• Putting more detailed NHS performance data online No, no, no – that means more beaurocracy. More administrators, not less, and less money to health care.
• Improving cancer and stroke survival rates How – preemptive care, financing the new drugs, how?
• Enabling patients to rate hospitals and doctors They do that anyway – I’ve seen “performance satisfaction questionnaires” and I’ve seen better ones designed by “A”-level students!
• Giving anyone the power to choose any healthcare provider that meets NHS standards If they can get a bed – do this, and anyone can go anywhere. Besides, who decides if the standards are adequately policed?
• Putting patients in charge of their own health records Sounds nice – but we are not the experts in this.
• Opening up the NHS to new independent and voluntary sector providers In other words, privatization.
• Linking GPs' pay to the quality of results they deliver As opposed to the hours they are forced to put in in underesourced clinics?

Education

Specific education policies include:

• Raising the entry requirement for taxpayer-funded primary teacher training and requiring new graduates to have at least a 2:2 in their degree to get state-funded training I thought they had to have a 2.2 to get into a PGCE course anyway?
• Paying the student loan repayments for top maths and science graduates while they remain teachers Student loans are the worst possible thing any government has done – and they should all be scrapped. I favour a “graduate tax” to cover the costs.
• Giving teachers the strongest possible protection from false accusations As opposed to giving them the power to discipline?
• Strengthening home-school behaviour contracts They don’t work.
• Establishing a simple reading test at the age of six That is what the old KS1 tests were designed to do – and they were universally hated.
• Reforming the National Curriculum Hmm
• Overhauling Key Stage 2 tests and league tables How about scrapping them and trusting the teachers to assess their pupils?
• Allowing all state schools to offer high quality international examinations You mean fund the International Baccalaureate? That’s an expensive puppy – and involves much more than just exams.
• Giving parents the power to save schools threatened by closure By taking them over?
• Extra funding for children from disadvantaged backgrounds That might help – if it was matched by funding for the schools to provide after school facilities for those kids.
• Providing 10,000 university places this year, paid for by giving graduates incentives to pay back their loans early In the current climate, they can’t even get a job!

Tax

The Conservatives' tax plans include:

• Raising the Inheritance Tax threshold to £1 million Not gonna affect me...
• Raising the stamp duty threshold to £250,000 for first-time buyers That buys a one bedroom flat in the seedier parts of London – useless.
• Cutting corporation tax So they can invest in their employees? Some might, some won’t.
• Cutting employer National Insurance contributions for first ten employees of new businesses Hmmm
• Floor under landfill tax until 2020 Interesting choice of words – it implies a minimum, but not a maximum...
• Reform Air Passenger Duty Oh please do – this tax is hated.
• A word on the proposed £150 Married Couples Allowance – that’s £3 a week, barely enough to buy two coffees at Starbucks. Derisatory and insulting – as well as demeaning to strong couples who are not married.

Europe

Specific European Union policies include:

• A full opt-out from the Charter of Fundamental Rights
• Greater protection against EU encroachment
• Restoring national control over social and employment legislation

This goes against the way the European Union is going – so is this the first stage of an exit policy?

Defence

Specific defence policies include:

• Doubling the operational bonus for troops serving in Afghanistan That’s from £200 to £400, right?
• Ensuring that Forces' families and veterans are taken care of They should be anyway.
• Tracking and monitoring veterans' mental health after they leave the Armed Forces How about the third part – treating the problems?
• Launching a Strategic Defence Review A given for all governments
• Maximising efficiency in the Ministry of Defence Cuts?
• Streamlining the procurement process Cuts?

Foreign

The party's five major foreign policy themes are:

• Creating a National Security Council How does this relate to the Joint Chiefs of Staff?
• Committing to the transatlantic alliance We like Obama
• Deepening of alliances beyond Europe and North America We really like Obama
• Reforming older institutions such as the UN and making effective use of new ones such as G20 We kinda like the other guys too
• Upholding our own values abroad So long as they let us have our way

Transport

Key transport policies include:

• Building a high-speed rail link connecting London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds with the Continent They like the idea – it’s the route that’s the issue, specifically...
• Blocking moves for a third runway at Heathrow Airport And plan a major Rail Terminal with the high speed link instead
• Blocking plans for second runways at Stansted and Gatwick airports Gatwick cannot be done for another 10 years – which leaves Stansted.
• Improving Britain's railways After all, it was our party that ruined them with privatization.
• Cutting congestion and making Britain's roads safer How?
• Making local transport greener How?

Police

Voters will be able to elect police commissioners who will hold chief constables to account for the performance of their forces, the manifesto says. Commissioners would be responsible for “setting the budget and the strategy for local police forces”, while the police retain “operational independence”.

So we become like the States, with elected police chiefs and the police under them? Over there, that can make the police a political animal – as shown brilliantly in shows like Hill Street Blues. The police need to be above politics, not embroiled in them.

Immigration

The manifesto says immigration has “enriched our nation” and the economy needs “the brightest and the best”.
But it says immigration is too high and promises to reduce net migration to “tens of thousands” a year, without giving any more details.
The Conservatives promise an annual limit on immigration, new curbs on unskilled workers, and “transitional controls” on new European Union members.
But with other EU nationals guaranteed freedom of entry, a Tory government would have no way of restricting European workers.

There’s also a lot of opposition from former Commonwealth countries, who see this as an infringement of their rites. This will be a real hot potato in the coming weeks.

Verdict – still not convinced. Next.

Labour promises...

2010-04-12T07:06:00.000-07:00

One of the joys of a UK General Electino is when the main parties launch their manifesto - it gives ordinary plebs like me a chance to look at the salient points and speak our mind.

For example, today Labour launched their election document - with thanks to the BBC for doing the heavy work for me, let's look at the salient points...

ON THE ECONOMY

Secure the recovery by supporting the economy and halving the deficit by 2014 through growth, fair taxes and cuts to lower priority spending Have they changed their assumptions on projected growth? Because if not, there's an incredibly big risk their plans may go askew...

A commitment not to raise any of the rates of income tax and not to extend VAT to food, children's clothes, books, newspapers and public transport fares Big deal - they made the same promise on Income Tax in 2005, and we had a new higher band brought in last week. At any rate, that does not stop them (a) changing the bands of income at which the tax is paid, (b)Increasing the rate of VAT, and most crucially (c) says nothign about the National Insurance increase

National Minimum Wage to rise in line with average earnings by the end of the next Parliament Define average, and if this is a hugn parliament this could easily be ditched.

Government as an employer committed to offering a living wage to staff in all departments. This is currently set at £7.60 - higher than the minimum wage
Promise to keep business taxes "as low as possible" There's a wooly statement if ever there was one - andno mention of potential cuts in said public service staff.

Realise stakes in publicly-controlled banks, introduce a global levy and reform banking rules In other words, we want our money back - and if nobody can pay?

An option to turn Northern Rock into a mutual rather than privatising it as part of a wider commitment to building societies Hmm - is this a recognition they can never sell back this particular bank to return it to the way it was before they bought it?

ON SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

New rights for parents at schools in England to initiate change in school leadership, with under-performing schools taken over by more successful management teams Right - because parents knwo how to fix years of underinvestment and either demoralised, ill-equipped or downright bad staff?

Expansion of free nursery places for two-year-olds and 15 hours a week of flexible, free nursery education for three and four-year-olds Nice idea - but sometimes it's better to keep kids at home for some of the time. Where's the help fro stay-at-home parents?

One-to-one and small-group tuition for every primary school child falling behind, personal tutors and choice of "good" qualifications for secondary age children Oh, another wooly word - "good". If they said "Appropriate", and defined hwo that can be acheived, I may give them more credit. As it is, it sounds like No Child Left Behind - and my US friends can say how that was received.

Every young person guaranteed education or training until 18, with 75% going on to higher education or workplace training by the age of 30 Well, they;d already started the process of raisign the school leaving age to 18 anyway.

Commitment to raise living standards for the "squeezed middle" from 2012 with a "toddlers tax credit" equating to £4 a week extra for families with one and two-year-olds Generosity - that will buy two tins of follow-on milk or some fresh veggies.

Up to 70,000 advanced apprenticeships a year and Skills Accounts for workers to upgrade their skills See above re: education to 18

Paid paternity leave doubled to four weeks Again, a generous provision - not. The European standard is three months paid paternity leave

ON HEALTH

Patients in England guaranteed to get results of cancer tests within a week It should be 24 hours if truth be told - and that is possible if the beaurocracy was removed.

Maximum 18-week wait for treatment after initial GP consultation - or private treatment will be offered Err - isn't it a maximum 18 week now?

Routine health checks for those aged 40 to 74, aimed at preventing heart attacks and strokes Again, this is being introduced anyway

National Care Service to ensure free care in the home for those with the greatest needs and a cap on the costs of residential care OH, here we go - one of my personal bugbears is the fact we do nto pay for hoem support for long term sick and the elderly without the need for means testing - that's part of what they paid NI for, after all. Setting a cap is not enough - you need to promise free as needed.

Every hospital to become a foundation trust, with more freedom to run its own affairs No, no, no - with all the talk of consolidation and "efficiency savings", you do NOT make a pledge to do something that will need more administrators!!

ON CRIME, JUSTICE AND IMMIGRATION

Powers to sack chief constables if they fail to meet minimum standards within three years Who sets the standards - and hwo do you account for regional issues/difficulties?

As a "last resort", failing forces could be taken over by more successful constabularies The sound you hear is a lead balloon falling as the force eladers contemplate their workload doublign overnight...

Funding to maintain police and community support officer numbers, with them spending 80% of their time on the beat Not increase, maintain - and who will do the mountain of paperwork they have to fill in now?

Family intervention projects to tackle anti-social behaviour, with financial support for victims to pursue injunctions - with the costs being met by police forces or councils "who let them down" Here's an idea - and I can't believe I'm saying this - but give th epolice effective powers to crack down on the perpetrators of the anti-social behaviour, rather than directing money to failing schemes to tackle the source of the problem.

Harder English tests to be taken by all migrants before they arrive; in the public sector, all employees who have contact with public to have "appropriate" level of English Hmm - not sure where I stand on this one. Let's see what the others have to say.

The link between staying for a set period and being able to settle or gain citizenship will be broken - replaced by a points-based system Isn't that what they're doign now for non-EU residents? Just need calrification...

ON POLITICAL REFORM
Public right to recall MPs not disciplined in Parliament after being found guilty of gross financial misconduct Oh please - apply the same rules we have in business. If you're caught fiddlign the books, you're sacked and preosecuted.

Referendums on the alternative vote method of electing MPs and proportional representation in an elected House of Lords, before 2011 I support reform of oru electroal system, and of the House of Lords, but if this is a paper pushing exercise which cna be ignored, it has no staying power.

Fixed-term parliaments and free vote in the Commons on reducing the voting age to 16 In principle, fine - the ability to decide when to call an election should not be in the hands of one man. In practice...

MPs banned from working for lobbying companies and independent body to rule on applications from MPs to take second jobs Let's see the detail - the devil will be in that.

IN OTHER AREAS

No stamp duty for first-time buyers on all house purchases below £250,000 for two years, paid for by a 5% rate on homes worth more than £1m for those wondering, stamp duty is a tax on house purchase - 1% of the purchase price when it is over £200,000, rising as the price goes up. Personally, £250,000 is too small - that barely covers a flat in London.

A "People's Bank" to be created at the Post Office, helping to sustain the network, alongside legal rights to accounts in private banks and a clampdown on doorstep lenders Funny - we used to have a "People's Bank" at the Post Office called Girobank, before it was sold off...

Labour appear to have dropped their commitment to privatising Royal Mail This is a real politcal hot potato - they want to sell of the Post Office, but it's too complicated and costly to do so without upsetting a lot of people.

Job or training place for young people out of work for six months but benefits cut at 10 months if they refuse a place. Guarantee of work for anyone unemployed for more than two years. How is this going to be enforced - and what sort of work.

A right to request flexible working for older workers, ending default retirement at 65. The link between the state pension and earnings re-established from 2012 On the first one, there's a lot of legal red tape to untangle - and what about those of us who have retirement ages written into our contracts? On the second, the link should never have been broken in the first place!

Commitment to high-speed rail linking London, Birmingham, the East Midlands, Manchester, northern England and Scotland And yet no commitment rto help fund Crossrail in London? Interesting...

A goal that all young people contribute at least 50 hours to their communities by the age of 19 Now, this sounds so like the Conservative announcement on a National Citizen's Service commitment - is this a late addition? And, in addition, what if you don't believe this should be a cumpolsary thing?

Powers for supporters' trusts to be able to buy stakes in football clubs A la Barcelona? Why does this need special legislation anyway?

About 40% low-carbon electricity by 2020, and 400,000 new green jobs by 2015 The sums don't add up on this - but it needs to be compared to the other plans to be announced this week.

Legislation for "Pay as you Save" schemes allowing people to fund home energy improvements through subsequent savings on utility bills Need more detail

Biodegradable and recyclable materials banned from landfill This smacks of "ticking the green credentials" box. Also, is this the first step to forcing homwowners to sort their waste out into different boxes/bags/recepticles?

So, there's my first thoughts. Tomorrow - the Conservatives...

Is it just fantasy?

2010-04-08T03:38:00.000-07:00

Someone will need to remind me, but was it Bill Clinton who had on his desk at the White House a sign that read "It's the economy, stupid?"

You see, if there is one thing that is going to dominate this election it is the economy. To be blunt, Britain is in a real mess in terms of the public finances - everyone, and I mean everyone, knows that there have to be cuts in public spending, and tax rises. Who, however, are the one community that seem not to be able to acknowledge this one simple fact, and say what they intend to do in terms everyone can understand?

You guessed it - politicians.

Take, for example, National Insurance. This is a tax we pay on our wages, nominally to cover things like the National Health Service and pensions. The Labour party want to increase this from next year by 1% across the board - both for workers and the employers, who have to pay this out of their coffers as well.

Labour state this will cover the need for further tax increase, based on an assumption the the national economy will be growing by the time it comes in during 2011 by about 3.5%. Right now, it's barely staying at a level of 0.5%, so we have a fairly big assumtpion right there. They also say they will preserve funding for "front line" services - police, teachers and the NHS - but refuse to say where further cuts will lie. They also just brought in a new income tax level of 50% for earnings over £150,000 per annum.

The Conservatives say they will not impose the increase fro low earners. and freeze it for employers. The money that saves in the NHS, for example, will then be used for cancer drugs, while further savings will be found using "efficiency savings."

I love that term - it means they think cuts can be made in administrative and other areas. It always reminds me of an episode of Yes Minister where Sir Humphrey Appleby says they can make the cuts, but need to take on more staff to make them...

What both parties refuse ot say, at least up to this point ,is (a) where the cuts will land, and (b) what other tax rises may be needed. So, my first challenge to both Labour and Conservatives, as well as the other parties, is this. Tell me, in clear and unambiguous terms, what you will do to try and reduce the deficit and how it will affect me, and I may consider voting for you.

The key words are "clear and unambiguous". It's a challenge - one I hope you can rise to.

And they're off!

2010-04-06T01:30:00.000-07:00

Well, at long last it's official - Gordie is going to pop in and see Lizzie at her London pad today, and then the general melee can begin.

I'm going to use this as a sounding post for my thoughts on the campaign as it carries on - which may or may not turn otu to eb a good idea, but I need somewhere to organise how I feel about this one.

Opinion pols will play abig part in this - but remember, you can't trust these things as far as as you can metaphorically throw them as a rule. Here's the golden rule for this year - for the Tories to win outright, they need a swing of 16% in their favour. The most favourable poll currently has them at about 10% ahead - which is hung parliament territory.

So, let us cry havok and let loose the dogs of war - we have some fun ahead for the next 31 days...

Hush, listen, what's that sound?

2010-03-19T07:37:00.001-07:00

It's the sound of people getting ready to rumble, it's the sound of knives been sharpened - it's the sound of a general election in the UK. Here's a quick guide to the how, why and wherefore for my non-UK friends who read this, so that when I start using this to give my thoughts on the campaign you can see why certain things happen.

Why Now?

Under UK law, a parliament can only sit for a maximum of five years after the last Parliament first met. That was on 11th May 2005, after the elections held on 4th May. After that, there has to be a period of time to allow the electoral procedure to complete, of not less than 21 days. The tradition in the UK is to hold an election on a Thursday, so the latest possible date is 3 June 2010.

Running an election is a mammoth logistical exercise, however, and elections to the local councils in the UK take place in most places on 6th May - so that is the most likely date.

When will it be called?

That is entirely in the purview of the Prime Minister, who must inform the Queen before he announces the date. If it was 6th May, the most likely date for the announcement would be 15th April. Parliament is about to rise for the Easter recess, however, probably on 31st March after the Budget next week. There would be good money on putting the election being called then, or when they return on the 12th of April.

So who is being elected?

Contrary to what many people think, we do not vote in the UK for someone to be Prime Minister - we vote for a representative to the House of Commons for the constituency we live in to act as a Member of Parliament. There are 650 seats in the new parliament, and the leader of whichever party gets the most seats is likely to be invited The Queen to form a Government. At this time, we do not elect members of the other chamber of government, The House of Lords, but a key election issue this time may be reform of that system.

Having said that, the election always focuses on the leaders of the parties involved, so it looks like an election of the prime minister.

Who can stand for election?

Honestly - anyone who can get 10 people to sign a piece of paper and can find £500 for a deposit. If they get more than 5% of the total vote, they get the money back, otherwise it goes towards the costs of running the election.

Who wins?

We have a "First past the post" system in the UK - one vote for every eligible person on the Electoral Register who is over 18, and whoever gets the most votes wins. Voting is not compulsory either, unlike say Australia.

Who are the main contenders?

In recent years, the Labour Party (under Gordon Brown) and the Conservative Party (David Cameron) have been the largest groups, followed by the Liberal Democrats (Nick Clegg). Labour have been the party in charge for the last 13 years. In Scotland, the Scottish Nationalist Party have a substantial block, and in Wales Plaid Cymru. Northern Ireland has a slightly different structure.

What happens during the campaign?

Unlike the US, the moment an election is called something called the "Fair Airtime" rule kicks in, which means that all major parties have to have equal representation on television and radio news programmes and current affairs reports. Each party is also allocated a number of 5 or 10 minute election broadcast slots, dependant on how many seats they are standing for. If a party has candidates in fifty seats, say, they get one 5 minute free to air broadcast on all stations - and all the major terrestrial channels are obliged to show them as are Sky in the UK. The more seats, the more broadcasts.

This year, fro the first time, there will also be televised US style debates - one on the BBC, one on Independent Television and on on Sky.

The press are allowed to show support for one or other parties, and always do. In fact, half the fun of the campaign is seeing what they write about the candidates...

Individual candidates also have strict restrictions put on how much they are allowed to spend in terms of election materials, and must account for it all.

On the day?

Polling goes from 7 am to 10 pm. No party is allowed to actively campaign on the day - the most they can do is ask if you have voted. The second the clock hits 10, the polls close and, to put it mildly, all bets are off. Counting in most areas starts immediately - some rural areas and Northern Ireland start in the following morning - and the first constituency result is normally available by about 11.30. Most seats have announced by about 6 am.

Assuming one party gets 326 or more seats, they will call on The Queen in the early afternoon of the Friday to be invited to form a Government. The new Parliament meets the following week for the first time.

When was the last time no-one got a majority of seats?

1973 - February. The correct term for this is a hung parliament - and there is a very real chance that will happen this time. Expect fun if it does.

That oen lasted exactly 8 months...

Hopefully, that starts to set the scene. More as time progresses - the next big indicator is next week;s budget, when we see how much or little they want to do.

Sheesh!

2010-03-08T03:14:00.001-08:00

Oh, this could get me into trouble...

Apologies for the extended absence. If you watch the business news, you will know the industry I work in and the company I work for has had some unfortunate moves recently, and my focus has been solely on trying to work out if I’ll still have a job at the end of it. The good news is, I will. The bad news is, I don’t know where in the organisation yet. It feels awfully like what happened when I was made redundant from Boots a few years back – but not quite as bad.

Actually, a lot of things in the news recently have brought back memories of the past. Take, for example, the recent press reports about a young man named Jon Venables. To many, the name may mean nothing, but for those who were around in the early 80’s it means one thing – Jamie Bulger, a two year old boy who was taken from a shopping centre in Bootle in 1993 and killed by two ten years old, Robert Thomson and Jon Venables. The two boys were convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, but were released on licence in 2001 after various court rulings. Both boys were given new identities and strict limits were placed on where they could or could not go – including banning them from Liverpool.

The case caused much discussion at the time, particularly as the boys were so young and the fact they were tried in an adult court. As they were released on licence, it also meant if they were suspected of any sort of crime, or of any act that would present a danger to the public, they could be recalled to prison at any time without warning.

Last week, it was announced that Jon Venables had been recalled to prison for “serious offences.” Since that time, there has been much speculation as to the nature of those offences, and also the fact that no further details have been officially released.

Herein lies the quandary – if more details are released, then the identity this young man has been living under is blown, and that contravenes certain rulings at the time of their trial and release. It also virtually guarantees that there is no way he can get a fair trial if these offences lead to a new court case- the prejudice against him would be so strong it would be next to impossible to guarantee an unbiased jury.

On the other hand, if there is evidence he has committed a truly serious offence, then there has to be a trial to establish his guilt or innocence, and in the UK that is trial by jury. You see the dilemma? I hope so – and no, I don’t have an easy answer. I have a view on the subject, but that is a private affair.

For once.

You see, there is another person to consider in this as well – the other young man, Robert Thomson. If, as indeed may be the case, the name Venables had been living under becomes public knowledge, then there is a very real chance Thomson will be found and named. For all any of us know, he may be trying to rebuild his life and has genuinely atoned for his past crimes – would it be right and proper for him to be exposed and forced into hiding as well?

The people I feel most sorry for, however, and the parents of Jamie Bulger. They have had old wounds, which will never fully heal, opened afresh. They have made their views clear, and deserve to know what exactly is going on here. I hope someone has told them and asked them not to pass this on – vigilante justice is not the right way forward, but they have a right to know.

Is this all that’s brought my out of hiding? Nope – but they’re for another day. There’s also an election coming up here – with your permission, when it’s called I’ll use this to express my views on the events of the campaign as they arise. I’ll share some of my thoughts on what I call the “Phony Campaign” tomorrow.

Happy New Year

2010-01-05T03:30:00.000-08:00

Well, 2010 has to be better than 2009 in oh so many ways as far as I am concerned. TO say this last year has been tough is like saying one of my favourite things is to sit down with a good book and some nice music in the background - an understatement if ever there was one.

On a professional and personal level, I let a lot of things slip, and I am sorry that happened. I need to work now to ensure that I make up for my mistakes - and I guess this blog is going to play a part in that. So, if I post here and I sound depressed or down, it's because I am and I need to sound off somewhere. This is probably as good a place as any.

So, some random thoughts...

The incident in Detroit with the attempt to blow up a plane on Christmas Day should teach is an important lesson. Well, several actually, but here's the big one - no system, however watertight it seems, can cope with the human factor, and in particular our inborn ability to screw up big time.

When I first started working with computers back in the early Eighties (and how scary a thought it is that was nearly thirty years ago is not a factor here) one fact was drummed into my head. When it comes to computers, remember GIGO - Garbage In, Garbage Out. If a mistake is made and it is not caught, then don't blame the messenger when things go wrong. The other appropriate analogy here is from one of my favourite fictional characters, George Montgomery Scott - "The more complex the system, the easier it is to throw a spanner in the works."

It was human error that led to that bomber boarding the plane, and no matter how sophisticated the security screening errors will happen.

By the bye - Gordon Brown announced on the Radio here on Sunday full body X-ray scanners would be introduced at all UK airports. There's a report today that migth already be an issue with pornography laws in the UK - I'll let you read about that here.

Talking of Gordie - we are now officially in a protracted Phony War prior to the expected election. Under the parliamentary system in the UK, the latest that election can be held is technically June 7th (I think) but more likely Thursday June 3rd. Brown has already made it clear he will not call an early election, which suggests May as the best time. So we now have five months of Brown declaring the Conservatives are creating a two-tier society with their plans, and David Cameron declaring the Labour party have ruined the UK.

Oh Goodie.

Want to know why so many people in the UK despair of politics? It's simple - they're fed up with the name calling and arguments which ignore their needs. I won;t ignore the issues that arise, but I have to confess now neither party interest me - but under our system of "First past the Post" for each area and whoever gets most seats wins the election, we really have very little choice.

It's going to be long, occasionally boring, but potentially interesting.

It's cold here in London - but at least we don't have snow.

Yet.

What amazes me is, because such weather as we are having is "rare", nobody has the foresight to say "Spend some money now just in case". TO me, it's a no-brainer. But then, I'm not a politician.

Is that a good or a bad thing? You decide...

Thinking of the boys

2009-11-13T01:55:00.001-08:00

Let me share, without comment, some recent photos of my sons.

Youngest first

and then the older lad.

On the Eleventh hour....

2009-11-11T00:34:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, my late father was a veteran of World War II, going over to Normandy on D-Day+1 and making his way up through Germany - at one point as one of those who discovered a wooden stockade outside a town called Buchenwald.

I also have a brother who derved in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for all I know (we haven;t spoken for a while) is still out there.

For those sacrficied their lives and their youth, and for those who continue to do so today, to allow us the freedom fo thought and expression that places like this allow, remember them at 11 am today. Here's a song on the subject.

Money, money, money, money...

2009-11-02T05:18:00.000-08:00

If you're going to spend, spend wisely, or so they say. Maybe, but last Saturday we spent, or committed to spend, a lot more money than usual...

Item 1 - Doreen accidentally cracked our bath a while back, so we've decided to take the plunge and re-do the entire bathroom. Last Saturday we got and accepted the quote, so with luck by Christmas we'll have a new bathroom fitted and in use.

Item 2 - we've also decided to end our self-imposed technology exile, and ordered a new television. A modest little number, only 32 inches, but HD ready, and freeview built in. We also ordered a new multi-region DVD player - now I can order from Amazon with total confidence, especially those hard-to-find Venture Brothers and Harvey Birdman season sets....

Item 3 - about two weeks ago our computed died on us - no power, zip, bupkiss, nothing. Turned out the motherboard had shorted out, so £100 and three days later I collected it with a new mother board fitted, Vista re-installed and new accounts set up. I then spent most of Sunday afternoon re-installing MS Office, my internet driver, Ad-Aware, the printer, other stuff - and enjoying the fast new speed. The guy who did the work installed AVG at no charge - I never realized just how much Norton slowed things down...

On other news - Doreen started her new job today, as a teaching assistant in the local RC primary school. Apparently, the assembly today was around All Souls Day, so the talk was of Purgatory - one of my favourite debating points with the See of Rome. She enjoyed it - the job that is.

We also bought some new DVDs, and watched the second Veggie Tales movie, The Pirates Who Do Nothing. Good clean fun - really, it was funny, especially the version they do of a B-52's classic at the end. We also went to see Stomp int he West End, and enjoyed it immensely.

Now, back to work!

Heaven

2009-10-27T04:08:00.001-07:00

What is the greatest rock/pop concert movie of all time?

It is a question that is worthy of debate. To some, it is Gimme Shelter, where the Rolling Stones strut their stuff. To others, the performance at the end of A Hard Day’s Night takes the biscuit. Another possible contender has to be Tommy, so long as you can forget the image of Ann-Margaret rolling around in soap bubbles, baked beans and chocolate milk.

At least, I hope it was chocolate milk.

The strongest contender of recent years has to be This Is Spinal Tap, especially the Stonehenge number.

For me, however, the finest of all time starts with a man, a guitar and a tape player.

Add in a drummer and another guitarist or two…

Throw in the rest of the band

And you have the recipe for, in my opinion, the greatest concert film of all time. I saw this for the first time in a crowded pub opposite the Tyne Tees studio in Newcastle back in the early days of MTV, and now twenty years later I finally bought a copy of the special edition DVD.

Good times, they are a coming…

For those who may not have realised

2009-10-26T04:12:00.000-07:00

For some years now I've been one of the moderating team on the Captain Comics site, originally under the nom de plume of The Culture Vulture, but since we moved the site to a new server under my given name.

Yes, I read comic books, I discuss comic books and I have some historical knowledge of comics. It's not a childish thing - unless you consider, for example, sholarly discussion of the prints of Hogarth a childish thing. They started as comics as well...

Anyway, for those who have never seen this side of me, here are a few blog posst I've made on the sort of things I have read.

Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa

2009-10-26T02:31:00.000-07:00

If anyone does care, I apologise for my absence these last few weeks - a combination of work issues, re-discovering the joys of Monopoly and the radio in the mornings, and if I am being honest sheer laziness on one or two occasions.

So, what has been happening while I’ve been away - some random thoughts...

Last week I was speaking at a conference in nice. I've only visited that area once before - for a meeting in Cannes in the middle of December - but it's the South of France, so nice, dry and warm, and don't pack a brolly, right?

Naturally, it rained on the lat day, so I got soaked walking from the conference centre to the hotel both ways. Ah, the joy of warm rain....

While I was doing this, my work was moving my stuff across the city to a new location, and a slightly different work set-up - 100% total hot desking. Still getting used to it, and being in with a larger group as well.

Also last week, Alastair my oldest son was awarded a Maths prize from his old school, so up we troop to support him. It's a strange feeling, watching the lad you remember as a babe in arms standing taller than you on a stage - I suddenly realise how my own father must have felt when we won prizes.

If you have not seen it yet, see Up! It is easily the equal of The Incredibles in the Pixar collection, and Ed Asner is fantastic as the lead voice.

Stuart, my younger son, now plays for an under-11 football team, and his team have won all their league games so far. He definitely gets those genes from Doreen's side of the family - I am easily the world's worst footballer - but I am as proud of him as I am of Alastair.

A thought on the appearance on Nick Griffin last week on Question Time - if you really truly want to show someone for what they are, just let them talk.

Talking of television (I heard the repeat on Radio 5 of Question Time) this week marks the likely end of the Television exile, as we purchase a new HD-ready set and DVD player. I already know which DVD player we'll get - one that can be reset to all zones very easily - but the set? Jury is still out....

We now return you to your regularly scheduled nonsense - with luck, I'll get back into the habit of this now...

Welcome to my old world

2009-09-28T02:11:00.000-07:00

We,a s a family, are starting a little experiment today, born out of frustration, a fair modicum of anger and argument, but essentially an attempt to regain control of a few things.

We threw out our television and DVD player.

Both were getting old and clunky, and to be fair I'd been thinking of replacing them for a while, but for the next month we will do without any television programs, or the games consoles, and instead try reading, talking, listening to the radio and other family entertainments.

This could get.... interesting.

It was seventy years ago today

2009-09-03T05:15:00.001-07:00

From the BBC History website

Take a moment to remember the last time the world was fully engulfed in conflict - and pray ti never happens again, no matter how close we have come to it in recent years.

Shouting out the praises!!

2009-08-27T06:12:00.000-07:00

My oldest son, Alastair, got his exam results today. Please allow me to share them with you.....

IT - unknown. He is down as unclassified, but we need to see if that is because some stuff still needs to be marked.

History - D. Technically a fail, but he can still pursue this at A-level if he wishes to do so. Having seen past papers, this is a nasty little piece of work in the exam hall.

French, Art - C. Art he wishes to pursue, and he can with that grade. He took French on our reccomendation as both Doreen and I feel it is important.

English, English Literature, Citizenship, Physics, Chemistry and Biology - B. Excellent stuff, given the science teaching was not the best, but the surprise is Eng Lit - not his favourite subject.

Mathematics - A*. Top marks :)

He did his best, and I'm proud of him, as combined with last year that makes two A's, seven B's and two C's. His place in post-16 educatuio nis also secured - plus he found out today he gets an extra week's holiday.

Just enough time to complete the pre-course work then.

Justice tempered with Mercy

2009-08-26T01:59:00.001-07:00

Oh, this could get me into so much trouble, and I’m a week or so late writing this down, but what’s life or the blogosphere if you cannot say how you feel on the issues of the day.

So let’s have a brief history lesson. On Wednesday 21st December 1988 flight Pan Am 103 took off after a delay from London Heathrow on route to New York with 243 passengers and 16 crew on board. A short while after take off, a bomb exploded in the cargo hold of the plane, blowing the plane apart and killing all on board. Had the flight taken off on time, it would have been over the Atlantic. Instead the debris fell on the border town of Lockerbie, killing 11 people on the ground as it impacted.

Two hundred and seventy deaths – I still remember watching the news that night in my girlfriend’s house in Newcastle and almost being physically sick. It was the worst ever air disaster in British airspace, the biggest ever criminal investigation in Scottish legal history and led by the smallest police force in Scotland. After three years of joint investigation with the FBI, it was determined that Libyan agents were responsible and indictments issued against two people – Lamin Khalifah Fhimah and Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi. After years of sanctions and negotiations, both men were handed over on neutral ground, to face trial under Scottish law. In 2001, al-Megrahi was convicted of murder and sentenced to life to be served in a Scottish prison and Fhimah was acquitted. The convicted man has protested his innocence to this day, lodging several appeals, but last week was released on compassionate grounds after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He was immediately returned to Libya, to what appeared to be a hero’s welcome.

Those are the facts – but the decision to release him has caused worldwide revulsion and a call for Americans to boycott all things Scottish.

Let me deal with that one first – Freedom Liquor instead of Whisky? Besides, as another person posted last week, you do that and you boycott penicillin, rubber tyres, and television – all Scottish inventions.

However, let’s be serious for a moment and consider the position of Ken McConnell, the Scottish Justice Minister. Firstly, bear in mind Scottish law is different from the law in England and Wales, and the power to make these decisions was devolved to the Scottish Assembly – hence the reason people like Jack Straw and Gordon Brown (both Scots) can leave Mr McConnell to take the full flak.

Also, bear in mind that I have no real love for the Scottish National Party, of which Mr McConnell is a member. I grew up in Scotland, and actually went to school with Alex Salmond’s sister – my own older sister went to school with him. I do not agree with many of his politics or positions, but they are the people who made the decision.

Have you ever looked at the statue of Justice on the Old Bailey? She is blindfolded, because justice has to be seen to be impartial. She carries a sword to wield punishment, but also a set of scales, to signify that justice had to be balanced – and mercy has to play a part in that.

That’s the rub – Justice has to be tempered with mercy, because if it is not it’s no longer a sharp instrument but a blunt club that wounds all. Did you hear Mr McConnell’s statement when the release of al-Megrahi was announced? He was very clear that this was a decision based on Scottish law and procedures, despite the fact this was the man forever labelled as the “Lockerbie Bomber.” You have to put labels aside in these situations, and consider this fact – whatever his crime, this man was dying, and justice sometimes means that you allow him to die with dignity despite your own personal feelings about the crime he was convicted of.

Did he do the crime? We may never know – this last appeal was withdrawn (for reasons that seem dubiously linked to his release) – and there is plenty of evidence to suggest Libya were not responsible. Can he ever be forgiven? Not my call – and the reactions of the survivors of those who died show the polarity of that question. Was there political interference? Looks that way, but again we will not know for thirty years.

I also think it was wrong he was welcomed back the way he was, but that’s consistent with the way Libyans and in particular Colonel Gaddafi has worked in the past.

You may also have heard that the Great Train Robber, Ronnie Biggs, has been released to die after a long campaign. That was on the sign-off of the Justice Minister – one Jack Straw, who argued for years that could not happen. Hypocrisy? I’ll let you decide that.

As for Mr al-Megrahi? He will answer to a higher court soon for whatever he did. There is where true justice and retribution is paid, not here on Earth.

Ye gods!

2009-08-24T05:38:00.000-07:00

The beginning of July was my last update? Sorry folks - a few family matters got in the way, and then a holiday.

I'll catch up with some thoughts over the next few days, but here's a starter - when are exams not getting easier?

For those puzzled by that remark, last week 17 and 18 year olds in England and Wales got their exam results, and it was proudly announced that on average 25% of those who entered for A-levels got a A grade, the top available.

Now, do not think for one second that I bemoan the work down by these students, or downplay their achievement, but an A is meant to be given for outstanding work. It used to be the case that meant a mark of 90% or greater. So what is the mark for an A now - or despite all the claims, are the exams easier?

It's probably a combination of both, but the downside is that there is little way now to identify outstanding candidates. There are reports of students with 6 A passes being turned down by every university they apply to, because there are "better candidates" out there.

The answer? No simple one, but one needs to be found before these exam passes become about as useful as a Bazooka Joe comic.

Day 3

2009-07-02T06:58:00.000-07:00

The heat continues, the lack of sleep continues, and the temper is getting slightly irritable. Right now I'd do anything to eb sitting in my garden at home with a pticher full of ice water and cold bottles of Black Sheep Ale.

Not to be however, so let's have a suitable song which was number one on ym birthday in 1966.

Another nice number one from the week of July 16th would be the one for my fifth birthday in 1968

From a year later is another classic

More tomorrow - if the heat doesn't get to me first. No air conditionign in ym office and sealed windows "For your safety...."

We're having a heatwave

2009-07-01T07:23:00.001-07:00

a tropical heatwave.....

It's hot in London - the BBC website is showing the temperature now as 31 degrees Celsius (that's about 86 Farenheit for the reat of you)and it's not dropping much below 20 Celsius at nighttime. The end result - not a lot of sleep, tired and grumpy kids, and an hour's commuting hell each day on the wonder that is the London Underground.

Still, could be worse - I could work in the city....

For those who may be owndering, Doreen has been given the all clear from her last operation, and she now has one more day procedure to undergo later in the year. Fingers crossed from now on...

Alastair is nwo in that wonderful limbo state of having officially left school and not started yet at his post-16 centre. They had a leaving do last week for hsi eyar - and he was given a certificate naming him "Biggest Encylopaedia brain". Seems he has learnt something from me after all - now we wait for his results in August.

As for Stuart, he learnt who his year 6 teacher is goign to be - the same man who taught Alastair in year 4 some eigth years ago. I have a meetign with him tonight, where I will offer my sympathies....

As it's my birthday in a few weeks, let's finish off with some number one songs from my birthday down the years through the wonder of Youtube. I've a feeling I did this somewhere last year - may have been here, but I can't remember, and I like music. I'm going to try and get this blog back on a daily schedule, but let's see how it goes.

The earliest I can find is, believe it or not, the number one when I was born - I Like It!

Actually, if I'm being pedantic, I was born in the former West Germany, so the actual number one when and where I was born was this.

More tomorrow, hoepfully....

Laugh? I nearly had a hit!!

2009-06-17T03:04:00.000-07:00

There was a fascinating documentary on BBC 4 last night about the history of the comedy song in the charts - which prompted me to think of comedy songs I really, really liked. Proper songs with lyrics, tunes and melodies - excpet perhaps for this first one, by the men who inspired the Monty Python team...

We also have to acknowledge before going further the master of the satirical song in the fifties and sixties, Professor Tom Lehrer of Harvard fame. This is one of his later songs...

So, setting aside the Monty Python genre, what else can we look at? Well, in the seventies, there were two masters of the comedy song in the UK who regularly charted. The first were The Barron Knights, who did satiricial versions of popular songs of the time - like this one.

THE master of the comedy hit in the 70's however, came from the most unexpected of places - mister Bill Oddie, who with the Goodies has had more top twenty hits then many current bands. Here's a few of their better known numbers.

You can't go wrong with a bit of Goodie Goodie Yum Yum.

In the eighties we had Spitting Image - and while everyone loves The Chicken Song, this to me was their best adn funniest song, if a little dated these days... WARNING - This Song Was Designed To Offend Some People....

Talkign of Rowan Atkinson, the Not The Nine O'Clock New Team also had some fun comedy songs - here's a couple

Finally, let us acknowledge the master od the US parody song - Wierd Al Yankovic. For fun, let's see a couple of videos done with Lego...

Coming up to date

2009-06-15T04:33:00.000-07:00

Let us finish off our look at the Eurovision song contest, as we go to Stockholm in 2000 and their neighbours Denmark take the contest with The Olsen Brothers singing Fly On The Wings Of Love....

Now, a feature of the Eurovision contest has always been bloc voting - The Scandanavian countries vote for each other, Greece never voted for Turkey, and so on and so on. By the 2001 contest in Copenhagen the former Soviet Bloc countries were starting to take part, but bloc votign was not the reason Estonia won in 2001 - it's actually a good song....

The following year, however, things got a bit more... interesting, as the winner was the near neighbour Latvia with this number.

Why interesting? Because this was the best song that year by a country mile or ten...

2003, and we move to Latvia. By this point there were 26 countries taking part, with the votign taking half the program, and something had to change. It did the following year, but not before Turkey won with this Shakira-like number...

Istanbul - city of mystery, city of intrigue, and definitely not Constantinople, hosts the competition in 2004 and the title goes to a rousing number from the Ukraine. Was it the best song on the night, or was it the leather outfits? You decide...

By 2005, a semi-final was in place as up to 40 countries wanted to take part, but ALL countries could vote regardless of whether or not they made the final. As a result, the phenomena of block voting (or bloc voting) came into full play, but not just yet, as Greece pulled off a surprise win. Actually, given the song, not that surprising...

From then on, however, the contest started to look like a former Soviet bloc love-in. The contest in Athens in 2006 led to a win for the most unexpected country of all. To introduce this, remember that for some perverse reason Finland is the home of Death Metal, and they like a straneg type of music generally. Witness the glory of Hard Rock Hallelujah....

Yes, that won - so we go to Helsinki in 2007. Just across the Baltic Sea from Finland is, yes, you guessed it - Estonia and the other Soviet Bloc countries. Two semi-finals, and one contest later, the winner is not a former Soviet Bloc country!!

It's Serbia, only just allowed back into the contest with this song...

When in 2008 Russia wins, with what is a good entry, the bloc voting had got to the stage that Western countries were standing no chance. Only the UK, France, Spain, Germany and the host country are gauranteed entries, and many of the others were falling at the semi-final stage, with even Ireland not makign the final. Sir Terry Wogan, while commentating on the voting, essentially handed in his resignation, so disgusted was he with what was happening.

Thsi does not detract from the quality of the winner, however....

The 2009 voting system changed, with a combination of phone-in and jury votes, to try and reduce the bloc voting issue. As a result, the UK, which for the previosu few years had finished in the bottom of the table (and no points on one occassion) came fourth. The winner, however, was little Norway again with this fiddle and dance number.

A subtle return to Eurovision style of song, a catchy tune, and a deserving winner - maybe there is hope for the future of this contest after all....

The show that raided Ireland....

2009-06-08T04:32:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know, the contest was weeks ago, but work has go tin the way so much I never finished my look back, so today I'll look at Eurovision in the 1990's and then bring it up to date with the silliest decade of all.

So, 1990, and Yugoslavia having won the previous year host the competiton. Remember this was the year afetr the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall fell, so a song callign for the people of Europe to join together was an almost shoo-in to win - ask Toto Cotugno from Italy...

Such a pity that a few short years later Yugoslavia disintegrated into ethnic hatred...

So, to 1991 and Rome. For the secodn time in Eurovision history, there is a tie for the winning song - France and Sweden receivign the same number of points. Thsi time, however, rules are in place, and on countback this was the winning song.

So we go forward a year, and it's off to Malmo where a fine contest is held. In the end, however, it's a songstress from Ireland who wins called Linda Martin and a song called Why Me? Said song was written by one Johnny Logan....

And we start a tale of the dark side of Eurovision. The contest went back to Ireland, to Millstreet, with Sonia representing the UK - but the contest was won by the home entrant, Niamh Kavanagh...

So it's off to Dublin, and the show that unleashed misery on RTE, the Irish broadcasters. They decide to put two old song maestros up with a youtful reminisce of their music - Rock and Roll Kids - and wouldn't you know it it won again...

The real shock and surprise of this year, however, was the interval entertainment that took place while voting was considered. RTE had constructed a special stage in the harbour in Dublin, and asked a well known choreographer to come up with a short piece to celebrate Ireland. This was the result.

So Ireland digs deep, puts on the 1995 sontest, and hopes to the Almighty they don't win again. While it did give us the classic Eurovision episode of Father Ted, ridign to teh rescue of RTE comes one of the most beautiful winning songs of all time - Nocturne by Secret Garden from Norway.

So the Norwegians get to host the cotnest, but dammit - the Irish can;t stop winning this show!! Here's Eimear Quinn with The Voice.

So back to Ireland, and this time salvation comes from over the Irish Sea, as the UK takes a page from Switzerland's book and hire an American singer who had a massive hit ten years earlier with Walking on Sunshine. This is their last win to date - which says something...

Birmingham, 1998, and excitement is in the air. Something special is brewing - and it turns out that something special is a transsexual singer from Israel. This entry almost go tbanned by the Israeli government, and the Irish weren't too happy either as Dana International took the stage.

This was the sign that Eurovision was entering a new era, where anythign would and coudl go - but first we need to stop off in Israel for the 1999 contest, and a last gasp for the classic Eurovision style of song with Charlotte Neilsen and Take Me To Your Heaven...

Come back in a day or two for the final part - the Russians (and friends) are coming...

Eurovision: The Yuppie years

2009-05-13T03:03:00.000-07:00

So, where were we? Oh yeah, we had got to the end of the 1970's and Isreal had won twice. Wisely deciding the cost of hosting the competition twice in a row was too prohibitive, they asked the Dutch to host the 1980 contest, where after ten years Ireland scores another win with this ctachy little number...

So the Irish get to host the contest again, and the British decide to do a nice, quiet, contemplative little number that wins for the fourth time.

So back to Blighty, and they hold the contest in the cultural capital of the country - Harrogate. Now consider the world at this time - the attrition between the US and Russia was the worst it had been since Kennedy, and people wnated the tension to end. Who would have thought Germany would provide the winning song along those lines?

What should be obvious by now is that, unlike the seventies, the contest in the eighties was throwing up some very interesting surprises. So in 1983, the contest comes to pre-unification Hamburg. As this was the era of the power ballad in the charts, it was probably time for another one to win, and lo and behold Luxembourg provide one for us.

So off to the principality we go in 1984. Ten years previously Sweden had surprised everyone with Abba, and this eyar they surprised everyone again with a boy band singing about the joys of their golden pixie boots.

Honestly.

so we're back in the Nordic countries in 1985. A few years earlier, Norway had the ignomy to become the first country to score nil points in the voting, so how do you bounce back from that? You do it by winning is how...

Ah, that Eurovision beat, how we've missed it.

The following year Oslo put on a show, and another country that had never won before picks up the title with another first - the youngest ever entry at the time at 13 years old. this is Sandra Kim from Belgium.

By 1987, the show was still going strong, but the biggest surprise of all was when, for only the second time, a past winner came back to win the contest again for their country.

We will hear more from Mister Logan later....

So, back to Ireland in 1988, and another little surprise is waiting. The Eurovision has a fine tradition of bringing in singers from elsewhere to represent them, so when the Swiss asked a little known Canadian singer to sing a power ballad for them no-one batted an eyelid.

So, you know who to blame now, don't you?

Finally, in 1989, the winner came from a country in the Adriatic that, just a few short years later, would tear itself apart.

A sign of things to come with the contest? Not yet, but things were changing, and the Irish still had a part to play in that...

Singing the praises of the 70's

2009-05-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

The 1970's was the decade when Eurovision really took on the character it has today. Let's review..

1970 saw the first ever win by an act from Ireland - a foretaste of things to come, but who knew then that this sweet little convent girl would create a behemoth that might bankrupt a television company?

So Ireland hosts the contest the following year, and we start to see the developmetns of that particular 1970's style with the Uk entry from Clodagh Rogers.

The winners, however, were tiny Monaco with this little ditty.

So it's off to the principality in 1972, where the winner is someone we saw in an earlier post - Vicky Leandros, who wins with a recognisable song we know as "Come What May"

So on to 1973, and Luxembourg win with this little number.

Here's the song that came second...

1974 comes all too quickly, and we go to Brighton for some reason where a little known Swedish group make a surprise hit...

The following year the winner is the song, that rather than Abba, to me epitomises the essence of Eurovision in this period. Enjoy the deep meaningful lyrics sung by Teach-In...

So we're off to Holland in 1976, the wackiest stage set ever, and the second clear win for the UK. If you can, track down the Kernickie version of this number...

So it's back to Blighty in 1977. I had started studying French as an exam subject in this year, so this song was drummed into my head at the time.

Here's a trivia question - what was the first non-European country to win Eurovision? Here's a hint from 1978...

This, by the way, is one of the great misheard lyrics of all time. All together now, "I wanna be a polar bear...."

Finally, in 1979 Israel decided they liked hosting the contest they won again with this ditty to peace.

They would go on to win in future years, but there was a behemoth waiting in the wings - a behemoth that is known now as Mister Eurovision. More on him tomorrow, but in the meantime enjoy THE performance from 1979 - the German entry...

That was unexpected.....

2009-05-12T06:56:00.000-07:00

I hadn't planned to be away from the blogosphere for quite as long as that. My apologies if anyone was wodnering where I was?

You were wondering, right?

Doreen came through her operation just fine, although she's still a bit sore some five weeks later. She had to stay in overnight, and she had a little trouble with discomfort for a while, but she's getting there and hopes to go back to work next week.

I've also been in the US for two weeks, and while I did intend to blog from there I ended up doing 12 hour days every day for the two weeks, except for the Sunday if the middle weekend when I had brunch with a friend and slept. Well, I am only human, after all.

Sadly, I'm not going to be able to complete the Eurovision project before it takes place on Friday, but I'll do a second post today with winenrs from the 1970's to show how the show - evolved.....

As for my boys, Alastair has started to sit his GCSEs, thirty years after I did my equivalent, and I don't think the full panic has hit him yet.

Yet.

More later...

Trumpeting in the Distance

2009-04-07T02:12:00.000-07:00

Apologies for my absence again - the elephant has been blowing its trunk in the distance.

For those who are late comers - my wife had a mastectomy last year ofr a pre-cancerous growth. Today she went back into hospital for reconstructive surgery - replacing the temporaryimplant with the final one, doing soem work on the other side to "match up" and a little tattoing work.

The problem? We don't know how long she will be in. First it was a day case, then a three day stay, then she had to report to the day surgery unit, and then today we found out she's been sent to a ward after the surgery.

So we have a slight problem - I'll post later when I know what is happening.

Deep and meaningful lyrics

2009-04-01T07:33:00.001-07:00

So, the United Kingdom finally wins Eurovision, and it's off to the Royal ALbert Hall for the 1968 contest. The BBC decides to pull out all the stops, and hire the hot male singer in the UK to sing their entry that year - one Harry Webb, aka Cliff Richard.

Gotta love that Carnaby Street suit - but he didn't win. Oh no, this was not the most popular song of the night. Nor was it the Irish entry, one Pat McGeegan with Chance of A Lifetime.

Or even the lovely Kristina Hautula from Finland with Kun Hello Kay

No, my friends, this was the first year that the winning song started to follow the patented Eurovision winner style - bright, bouncy tune, lyrics that don't seem to mean a lot and a delivery of vigour and vim. This was the year of the wiining song called La La La - which, contrary to popular belief, were not the only lyrics. It was also recently revealed that Generalissimo Fransisco Franco himself took steps to ensure this was the winning song.

Here's Massiel from Spain with her winning performance.

Tomorrow - how do you decide the winner in a Eurovision Song Contest? Not this way....

Back to Eurovision

2009-03-31T03:06:00.000-07:00

Let's skip a few years - partly because of a lack of goos clips, and partly because I need cheering up - to 1967 and Vienna, Austria. After been the runner-up for most years up to that time, the United Kingdom finally get their first winner with the original Posh Spice and Essex Girl, Sandie Shaw with Puppet On A String!

So what others delights did the Barefoot Princess beat that year? Well.....

Here's the entry from little Monaco - Minouche Barelli with Boum-DabaBoum.

And meanwhile, here's Sean Dunphy of Ireland with If I Could Choose

From Holland, we have Thereze Steinmetz with Ringe Dinge

And finally,filling the "Famous Singer/Song you may have heard of elsewhere" slot, we have young Vicki representing Luxembourg with L'Amour Est Bleu. You might just recognise this song, as well as the singer - her surname is Leandros...

What we see here is the start of the Eurovision style of lyrics with an onomatopeotic quality - but it would be a few years before this ran riot. Join me tomorrow as we go into 1968, and the fresh faced UK Prince of Pop takes his first stab at the contest...

Belated Berlin Blogging finale

2009-03-30T01:55:00.000-07:00

The best laid plans o' mice and men may aft times gang aglay, as the poet Burns once said. I got back Wednesday night, and it;s taken me until now to wind down and sort myself out.

Part of that is the fun and frustration of Tegel airport. The airport is on a continental style - so that once you check in you have to make your way straight through to the gate. Fair enough, except (a) the check-in and bag drop does not open until an hour before the flight, and (b) there was only one person taking bags onto the carriers, so there was a back up at the bag drop and I had to wait about an hour.

To make things even more fun, the shopping is on one side of a large circle, and the only big cafe/restaurant is up an escalator hidden down a side passage, where a large party of Japanese students were queuing to get through customs.

Still, at least I avoided the news - which is just as well, as the recent passing of Jade Goody has upset me a bit. Not that I knew the woman - one of the great creations of Reality television in the UK, I was one of those who made fun of her some years ago, a fact I bitterly regret now. Nor do I blame her for wanting to ensure the financial security of the children she has. I just feel upset at the "In Remembrance and solemn mourning" stand of some of the magazines that have covered her story.

I lost my oldest niece to cervical cancer when she was about the same age as Ms Goody. So maybe I'm more sensitive than most, but it just makes me sick.

Hopefully more interesting stuff tomorrow.

Berlin Calling Part 2

2009-03-25T00:44:00.000-07:00

The problem with agreeing to blog from a trip is that you find yourself too busy to update as you intended to. So my apologies that this is part 2 of 3, rather than 3 of 4 - life is like that sometimes.

For those who wondered - jive dancing is jitterbugging, which is what they did a lot of in West Berlin in the fifties, and was the theme of the Conference Networking event in the restaurant next to the ICC in Berlin. This is part of what was the World´s Fair site, and is an imposing building. Having said that, while the dancing was excellent, the food was a little too fattening, so I made my excuses, left early and crashed out at the hotel.

Since then - non stop meetings and talks, but I have managed to see a little of this intriguing city. Sadly, not as much as when I last visited in 2001. In particular, I wasn´t able to visit the Wall or Checkpoint Charlie. These days, if you visit you will see from the West side a picture of a young man in American military uniform. If you view from the East, a young man in Russian uniform. It takes a few minutes for you to realise it´s the same young man - a poignant reminder of the troubled past of this city, twenty years after the fall of the Wall.

I´ve also spent some of the evenings wondering around the area near my hotel, which includes the main cathedral of Berlin. This was virtually flattened in the war, but a new cathedral of glass and metal was built up through and around the ruins. You also realise just how much influence the Americans had in the rebuilding of the city - advertising everywhere on buildings and walls.

There´s also reminders of the other side of the past of Berlin. Just down from the train station is the Museum of Erotica - exactly what you think it will be.

And so on to the final day, and the flight back. I´ll share my thoughts on airports, or rather Tegel, tomorrow.

Berlin Cailling Part 1

2009-03-22T13:48:00.001-07:00

Good evening from room 905 of the Pullman Hotel Schwiezerhof in beautiful downtown Berlin. As some of you know, in my day job I work as a medical statistician for a certain large pharmaceutical company known by a three letter acronym, and I'm here to attend a major European conference as well as give a presentation.

It's been eight years since I was last in Berlin, that time for a medical congress, but by a pure coincidence I have ended up in the same hotel, across the road from the Zoo here in what was once West Berlin. Having got in earlier this evening, I took a stroll down the street and not a lot has changed.

Many of the shops are the same, the street hasn't changed much, and the wonderful Berlin sewage system still leaves its delicate aroma in the street. Last time I was here it was June, warm and stinking. This time it's March, colder and not quite as bad - yet.

So, I sit here typing before retiring - a busy day ahead tomorrow. Forgive the brevity, but hopefully I can report back on jive dancing and German food tomorrow...

On trials and tribulations

2009-03-17T04:08:00.000-07:00

The trial is underway of Josef Frtizl, the Austrian accused of holding his own daughter captive for 25 years and fathering at least seven children by her. The following link has the most recent report.

The BBC Report

Here's the thought - the claim of the prosecution yesterday was that he raped his daughter 3000 times. Under Austrian Law, however, unless they can make the charges of slavery and murder against him - the only two he denies, incidentally - into a successful prosecution, he will get a maximum sentence of about ten years. The number of counts he admits is irrelevant - the sentences for each one run concurrently, unlike the US.

Now, I believe in forgiveness, but when a man admits to what eh has done that forgiveness has to come with him paying an appropriate price - and ten years just does not seem enough. He claims he was made this way by his upbringing, and he was trying to protect his daughter.

As Robin Williams once put it, Bovine Excrement.

Can they win the case for the other two charges? That's the thing - it may not happen. Justice may not be seen to be done here, and that saddens me.

ACH - we need a cheer up, so how about looking at the Eurovision Song Contest in the year I was born - 1963.

The winner that year was a Danish couple called Grethe and Jorgen Ingmann with a song called Dansevise. This may sound familiar to some of you.

The UK entrant was the same as the previous year - Ronnie Carroll, with Say Wonderful Things.

Finally, this year saw the first famous example of a singer being brought in to represent another country - Luxembourg in this case, with a singer from Greece now better known as one of their leading politicians - Nana Mouskouri

Eurobleech 1960 - 1962

2009-03-04T07:16:00.000-08:00

Ready to enter the chamber of song again? Trust me - they're not that bad this time....

The contest in 1960 was held in London, with the prize going to Jacqueline Boyer of France with Tom Pillibi....

While in second place for the UK was our singing Scotsman, Bryan Johnson, who seems to have lost someone. There's a Jeeves and Wooster story where a character belts out a hunting song - makes me think of this every time...

Onwards and upwards - and in 1961 tiny little Luxembourg win qith Jean Claude Pascal singing about his loves...

In second place again, the United Kingdom, this time represented by The Allisons with a typical Brit Pop sound from the pre-beatles days...

In 1962 - a singer from France won with a song about love. Is there a theme developing here....

And in second place - not the UK. Ronnie Carroll came fourth with this song about a girl that seems to ring his bell.

Remember this man - we will meet him again next time....

Comic Relief - the songs

2009-03-03T07:37:00.000-08:00

Friday 13th March is Comic Relief day in the UK. For our American cousins, this was the inspiration for American Idol Gives Back, but here it happens every two years - complete with obligatory singles. Let's look at some examples.

One of the first, and still one of the best, is Cliff Richards and The Young Ones.

More recenlty, boy bands such as Westlife have done songs, but one of the best is an original - this one by McFly.

More recently, it has been the comedy cover that has won through, starting with Mister Peter Kay's take on a Tony Christie classic in 2005.

He followed this up in 2007 with a cover alongside Matt Lucas, as two wheelchair bound men do a Proclaimers number with a little help from some friends.

Much, much better than the official single - a version of Run DMC and Aerosmith...

So what are the songs this year? Well, from the comedy front we have two characters from Barry Island mixing it up in Vegas...

While a girl band try and out-do Depeche Mode....

Who is best? You decide....

To unite Europe in Song.....

2009-02-26T07:13:00.001-08:00

It seems a long way away now, bu tin the middle of May the 54th Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Moscow. These days it's become nothign more than an excuse (allegedly) for the former Warsaw PAct and Russian states to show their firends they are still friends, but back in the day ti was legendary for the peculiarity of the voting, never mind the songs.

So, every so often 'twixt now and then we're going to take a look at the winners, and the UK entires if the two are not the same, for this unique cultural event. Hold on to yoru hats - this could get bumby.....

We start with the first contest in 1956, which was won by Lys Assia for Switzerland with Refrain - Lys?

There is a tradition now with this contest (the first was held in Italy) that the winner hosts the following year, but that wasn't the case then. The UK didn't take part in the first contest - the entry was late - so in 1957 they met again, where the UK entry was All, sung by Patricia Belden

They didn't win - that was the honour of Corrie Breckon from Holland, with a little ditty called Net als toen

We didn't take part again in 1958 - that contest was won by a man called Andre Claveau for France with Dans, Mon Amour.

Trivia note - the 1958 Italian entry was a little ditty called Volare, which Dean Martin later had a hit with.

Finally for the 50's, in 1959 the winner came from Holland again - Teddy Scholten singing N Beetje

The UK took part again that year, with the first of a strign of legendary Eurovision entries - Sing Little Birdie, sung by Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson.

At this stage, it still resembled a proper singing contest, but that would change. Join us again next time for singing scotsmen and more songsters in monochrome.....

Things that make me wonder (part 2)

2009-02-24T01:13:00.000-08:00

I have a picture to show you of a young lady.

Lovely looking girl, isn't she? Her name is Cerrie Burnell, and she is a presenter on CBeebies, a channel run by the BBC aimed at under 8's. By all accounts, she is good, polite and does an excellent job. So why are some parents callign for her to be taken off the air and claiming they are scaring her kids?

Let's have a look at Cerrie again, shall we.

As you can see, she was born with only half of her right arm, and it is this that some viewers claim is scaring their children. In this article, we have the following lovely quote.

"Is it just me, or does anyone else think the new woman presenter on Cbeebies (Cerrie Burnell) may scare the kids because of her disability?

"I didn't want to let my children watch the filler bits on the bedtime hour last night because I know it would have played on my eldest daughter's mind and possibly caused sleep problems... and yes, this is a serious post."

I love it when our prejudices show through. Firstly, this is not the girl's fault - she was born with this disability, and it hasn't stopped her making a career and a life for herself. Secondly, this smacks of the "different is bad" mindset - better our children are shown this in a way that encourages them to accept than to hide from it.

Thirdly, however, it shows we haven't learnt anything in forty eight years, since the Thalidomide babies were born. We should never, ever judge on appearance, but on what the person does and says - and for that reason alone, I think this is knuckle headed thinking at the worst level.

Where the hell was I?

2009-02-23T07:46:00.000-08:00

Locked in a padded room. Well, almost....

Sorry I haven't been around here recently, but things just got hectic for a while there. As some who read this know, I'm a moderator on the Captain Comics community, and I was doing a series of articles there on the favourite limited series for the members of that community. Towards th eend, that and a couple of other things were bringing me close to burn-out, so I took a break from blogging.

I've also been writing presentations and courses for a couple of trips I have coming up. So, be warned - in March I'll be blogging from Berlin for a few days, and in April from the USofA for two weeks. Who knows what I may find to say then.

For now, however, some random thoughts....

The Oscars? We called it a few weeks back at the British Academy Awards - except for Sean Penn instead of Mickey Rourke. Elsewhere, I also call Kate Winslet as this years "Butterfield 8" winner, named in honour of the Oscar Elisabeth Taylor got for that film the year after she SHOULD have got it for Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Kate Winslet should have got the award years ago, so good for her she finally got it.

On films - Watchmen gets an 18 certificate in the UK, so I cannot keep my promise to my older son to take him to see it. I understand why they've done it, but it's still a pity.

The papers report a twelve year old boy has fathered a child to a fifteen year old girl. If I remember the UK law correctly, if that boy had been over 18 he would have been charged with having sex with a minor - but as he's a minor himself, the parents get the blame. Wrong - we all have to take partial blame for having a society where this as an accepted, if unusual norm.

Years ago, when I frequented the IMDb boards, we made fun of Big Brother 3, and especially Jade Goody. I apologise now for all I said about her - she is showing true courage in the face of her own death, and I applaud her for that.

Enough for now - more tomorrow, and even in a coherent manner, I promise.

Well, I'll try anyway.

25 random facts about me

2009-02-05T03:40:00.000-08:00

It seems to eb doing the rounds at the moment - so here, after seeing it on other blogs, are my 25 random facts.

1. I was actually born in Weiberg, West Germany, but only lived there for about four months before my father was posted back to the UK. So, if you go by birthplace, I'm German, but I'm not.

2. In my first year at school, I played one of the seven dwarves in a school panto - and my older brother was one of the prince's attendants.

3. The first song I ever learned to sing was "Morningtown Ride" by The Seekers.

4. I also sang in school and church choirs, but when my voice borke it broke in spectacular style.

5. I have a fear o fdogs, mainly because when I was eight I was attacked by one when I was walking along a wall near my home. Broken Arm, mangled ear and lacerations - but I still made it to the shop where I was going to buy some things.

6. Since childhood, I have been able to eat almost anything - except shellfish and ox toungue.

7. I turned down the chance to be a steward on the route for the wedding of Charles and Diana.

8. I actually gained the Queen's Badge in the Boys' Brigade, and trained to be an officer in the organisation.

9. I and two friends won a business competition in our last year at school - despite none of us studying Economics or Accounting.

10. There have been two serious relationships in my life - and I married the second of those.

11. The most embarresing thing I did at University was to ask the DJ at a party I wa sat to play a song because I thought we all needed to chill out. The song was "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

12. As a child, I actually appeared in a couple of schools programs for BBC Scotland.

13. I applied to four universities to attend. One was Edinburgh, which rejected me without an interview - mainly because I put it below Stirling University in my order of preference.

14. My father was in the company that discovered Belsen.

15. I have cooked dinner for James Fox and his family - but it was twenty years ago when he was a worker at a Christian university group.

16. When I first submitted my Doctorate thesis and went through the examination, I failed - not because of the content of the work, but because the standard of the English was not good enough.

17. The first computer I ever used was a BBC Micro - with a 12" disk drive.

18. I have a ferret sticking up my nose.

19. My wife, Doreen, got better grades in mathematics at school than I did - and I'm the one working as a statistician!

20. I proposed to Doreen in the second carriage of a train from Newcastle to Kilmarnock, via Carlisle, in May 1989.

21. In a previous job, when redundancies were announced I went to my boss and offered to jump if my name was in the frame, which I knew it would be. He said not to do so and wit it out. My name was picked - and I ended up with an extra eight weeks redundancy money as a result.

22. My favourite books are "To Kill A Mockingbird", "Les Miserables", the complete stories of Jeeves and Wooster and the Complete Sherlock Holmes stories.

23. The stupidest thing I ever did for charity was a twelve hour sponsored bin sit - in the middle of winter. I was ill for two weeks afterwards.

24. I have run a half marathon in one hour fifty minutes, and some day I may do it in under two hours again.

25. I enjoy writing, even if I'm not very good at it.

Apologies

2009-01-30T05:43:00.001-08:00

Sorry I haven't been around for a while - if you read my first post of the month, you'll realise I've had a few things to work out. That, and feeling as if I'm back in 1979 all over again.

Economic woes, the country going to hell in a hand basket, strikes against perceived inequalities that threaten "jobs for Brits" - I swear if it wasn't for the receding and greying hairline, I'd feel as if it was 1979 all over again.

Mind you, it is also obvious some things are different. Take the closure of car plants and the loss of jobs - in the seventies we would have "Red Robbo", Ken Robinson barracking the assembled work force outside the Linwood car plant. Now we get people resigned to losing part of their income.

Ironically, some people are recruiting - Asda, Subway and other food providers. IT goes to show that when there is a recession - and yes this is one finally, as everyone has believed for the last year - people want to eat.

Why are we so resigned when this sor tof horror is happening? I lived in Newcastle in 1983 during the Miner's Strike - I remember the hardship then, but that seems to have been the one that broke the back of the unions.

I'm not sure what I'm trying to say here, but this might be it - people are hurting, so let's do what we can to help them. Apologies are only words - let's be practical as we can be.

Free at last

2009-01-15T01:21:00.000-08:00

It was sad to hear yesterday of the passing of Patrick McGoohan at the age of eighty. For almost everyone of my geenration, he will be remembered as Number 6, The Prisoner, although who and what was holding him as a prosioner was half the fun of the series. Before I begin, here's the opening credits.

McGoohan was known as a pef4ectionist, who only took parts he felt he could do something with. Take, for example, the earliest film I remember seeing him in - Hell Drivers. Here's a clip - and look out for for some guy called Connery in there too....

elevision, the precursor to The Prisoner was Danger Man/Secret Agent Man, depending on where in the world you are, and although he emphatically denied John Drake was Number 6 the question was always out there.

It was about this time he did a film for Disney that has been a cult favourite - Doctor Syn: The Scarecrow. About to eb released on DVD, here's a clip.

Even after The Prisoner, he picked his television roles with care - winning two Emmys for two of his four duels with Columbo, for example. In this clip, we see some of those series, includign a quirky series called Rafferty - a precursor of House.

Finally in this inadequate tribute, we have his last major film role - Edward Longshanks in Braveheart.

McGoohan was fiercly proud of his work, and protective in particular of The Prisoner, only allowing one sequel (a graphic novel issued by DC comics) and recently an update by ABC Television with Sir Ian McKellen as Number Two. Sadly, we'll never see his views on this series.

Requiscat in Pace, Patrick - Be Seeing You.

Mum and Dad

2009-01-12T13:36:00.000-08:00

This is a strange letter to write, because I know the chances of either of you seeing it are virtually nil. Actually, in your case Dad I know you won't see it - after all, you've been dead for over 5 years now. As for you, Mum - well, you may have a computer, but we haven't spoken since Dad died, so I really don't know if you'll see this. Nevertheless, there are things that need to be said, and this is the only place I have available to me to say them so that I know they have been said.

I know you both tried, in your own ways, to bring me up to be my own man, and that you did the best you could given the circumstances. Actually, let's not kid ourselves about the circumstances - with seven of us and associated partners in the house at various times, it was chaos given physical form. That's not what I want to talk about, however - I need to talk about the wound I've been carrying around with me all these years.

Yeah, that one. The one that started way, way back in about 1973, when Mum tried to find comfort outside the family home, and it all exploded when she returned from the holiday with the twins and the other man. I was ten years old, and I had to listen as the heart was ripped out of our family, never really to be fully replaced and healed.

I don't think either of you really ever understood what that did to me. After all, Dad, you were trying to provide for five of us with the work you were doing, as well as coping with the problems Brian was having, never mind Leslie and Barbara. So I tried to tough it out, I tried to be a man about it, but ever since then that wound has been festering away inside me, causing me so much grief and hurt that at times it's almost made me cry.

Even when Mum came back with Kerry in her arms, and the two of you tried to pretend we were a family again, the wound was still hurting. Dad, you were so occupied in feeding and clothing all of us that you never noticed how much I was crying out, and Mum - well, you had changed. Do either of you know about the temper attacks or the panic attacks I had at school, when I was being bullied or in later years when people tried to bully me, and wonder why I stayed so quiet about them? I'll tell you - I didn't know how to tell you because, and it pains me to admit this, I didn't know how either of you really felt about me.

Did it ever occur to you, Mum, that when I gave you money from the jobs I had in the evenings it was because I was trying to make things better, not because you wanted me to? Did you realise, Dad, that all the time I spent out of the house wasn't just because I enjoyed being in the Boys' Brigade, but because I wanted just to be out of the house?

Without realising it, you both hurt me, and I've carried that wound all this time. Even when I left home, found God and finally made good, real friends in Newcastle, the wound still made me painfully, hurtfully shy and retiring. That's one of the main reasons I've only had two girlfriends in my life - I was so afraid of being hurt I refused to let others close until I was able to do so.

Even when I met Doreen, and we married and the boys came along, the wound has flared up from time to time, and it's caused arguments and hurt and pain for both of us. In fact, this last year it's caused more pain than either of you could possibly imagine. In having to cope with Doreen's condition, I've let the wound take control again, and this time it's hurt so much it's almost hurt me and others irrevocably. I've been inconsiderate, rude, bad tempered and lashing out - all the things I swore I would never do, and it's the hurt from the wound that is causing it.

I can't let that happen again, but I've been reading a few books and I've come to a realisation that I think God's been leading me to for some time. It has to be God, as the wound has meant I've failed to make good, close friends these last few years - which hasn't helped matters either, as apart from Doreen I've had very few people to confide in, and I've had to carry my hurt myself.

You see, Mum and Dad, here's what I've realised - and you;d think after 18 years in the line of work I do I would know this. The only way a wound can fully heal, can truly be dealt with so that I can recover and move on, is to open it up and clean it out, then let the healing process bring new growth. To clean this wound out, there is something I have to say, and as neither of you are exactly in a position to hear me I have to say it here.

You both hurt me, and although I know you tried to heal that hurt it never has been, for none of us were fully prepared to acknowledge it. So, I acknowledge it, and I forgive you for it. The time has come to finally move on.

Now, here in this place, I ask the Saviour who has saved me before to come into that wound with me and help me to fully heal it. Help me, Lord, to find the man that you want me to be and not the person I think you want me to be. Carry me through the pain I know is to come, and show me the light at the end of this long dark tunnel.

The end of the road

2008-12-19T03:40:00.000-08:00

It's 2003. The followign year Band Aid 20 would have the number one spot, and from then on it would be the winner of the blecch-factor. There is still, however, one last glorious swing of the British sense of going for the absurd waiting in the wings.

Originally released by Tears for Fears in 2982, 21 years later it was the surprise Christmas Number One in a cover by Gary Jules - Mad World. Today, I present the original and rather unusual video.

Meanwhile, the US have a far livlier choice, heer from a live performance - Outkast and Hey Ya!

Wherever you are, and whatever you do, have a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. I'll see you again in 2009.

Let's all meet up in the year 2000

2008-12-18T04:13:00.000-08:00

Ah, the end of the millenium - and Britain faces a crisis in the pop charts. With one week to go to Christmas, the Christmas-Friendly "Never Had A Dream" by S Club 7 has been knocked off the nunber one spot by "Stan". Will we have a repeat of 1979 in the Christmas chart?

Nah - we have a repeat of 1993 instead, as Neil Morrisey essays his most remebered role in this timeless classic.

Acorss the pond, you show a distinct modicum of taste and discernment, as Destiny's Child are at number one with this film song.

Finally, as a special treat in this pneultimate entry, here's the song that I think SHOULD have been the Christmas number one this year. We present the winner of Britain’s Got the Pop Factor… and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly On Ice. Geraldine McQueen.

Earth, Wind and Mariah

2008-12-17T03:12:00.000-08:00

Don't worry - there's two more of these meanderign entries after this one. The pain, however, is not about to lessen.

1995 - I had been moved sideways (and effectively demoted, but that's a story for another day) in my job, and I was one angry man. So angry, in fact, I failed to pick up the now obvious signs of a pop star seriously starting to lose the plot. Of course, with hind sight, it can be seen in the song and the video, but at the time Michael Jackson and Earth Song was a huge hit - and the Christmas number one.

Just how blown up this song was became clear in early 1996, when he performed at the Brit awards, and one man took it upon himself to air his views on the show.

Meanwhile, in the US, Mariah Carey had been number one for almost three months with two songs - this was the second one.

Heroes

2008-12-16T05:24:00.000-08:00

Let's go forward now to 1993 - my oldest son Alastair had just turned one, and was enjoying his first proper Christmas. There were a lot of fine contenders to be the Christmas number one that year, the leading one being Take That.

However, remember what I said about never, ever underestimating the UK public taste for silly songs? You see, at number one on December 25 1993, was the first ever number one single by a non-human. Ladies and gentlemen, feast on the delight that is, Mister Blobby.

At least the US had a little more taste in their top single that week - even if it has recently being mutilated by the contestants on The X Factor. Here, with an unusual accompanying video, is Mariah Carey with Hero.

Now, as a special treat, here's the song that I can confidently predict will be the Christmas number one this year.

Compare and contrast

2008-12-15T04:42:00.000-08:00

1988 - and I had just started going out with my future wife, Doreen. Heady, happy days - and the number one that year was a favourite of both of us.

If anyone asks in a quiz "Who has had a top tne hit single in each of the last six decades", the answer is Cliff Richards - and this was the first of his two Christmas number one's as a solo artist.

Now, we compare and contrast. Remember in the past when it's been, shall we say, "strange" songs that were number one at Christmas, the US counterpart was mainstream? Well, here we have the most christmasy number one - and in the US it's heavy metal time.

The Power of Advertising

2008-12-12T07:15:00.000-08:00

1986 was the last Christmas I spent at home - not the best of times, either, but an interesting one for all the wrong reasons.

So, what joyous song was at number one? At this time, the fad for re-issuing old songs as singles after they were used in advertising was in full swing, particularly for jeans. Marvin Gaye's I Heard It Through The Grapevine had been a hit after appearing in a Levi;s commercial, so when they tried again with another sixties classic they hit Christmas paydirt. It only took Jackie Wilson 29 years to get to number one with this one - video by the guys at Aardmann!!

Some people ove rat Captain Comics have rightly pointed that, in the US, there wasn;t such a fuss over who was number one at Christmas there. Case in point - the number one on 25th December 1986 is actually a summer song - and one of my personal favourites. So, arm in front up, arm in front down, and do the Wilson, Kettle and Bettie....

Of strikes and talent

2008-12-11T02:14:00.000-08:00

Let's press on to 1983. By this time I had moved to Newcastle to study at university, and the Miner's Strike was in full swing. Given the North East of England was a hotbed of the National Union of Mineworkers, and the determination of Thatcher to break Arthur Scargill no matter the cost, I had the chance to see first hand the problems people had.

Why is this relevant to the Christmas number one, you say? Well, a group of actors got together to form a group that would hold concerts to support the miners, and they called themselves the Flying Pickets. To everyone's surprise, they got to number one for Christmas with this acappella cover of a hit for Yazoo - Only You.

Meanwhile, in the USA, a young man by the name of Michael Jackson was hitting the big time as a solo artist - only, when he was number one in December, it was a duet with an aging Liverpudlian.

... to the Ridiculous

2008-12-09T01:46:00.000-08:00

A quick note - a few of my US friends have commented to me how they had never heard of this idea of being number one at Christmas until they saw "Love Actually." Well, I guess we can thank Bill Nighy for that - and for the record, it was released as a single to see if it got to number one.

It didn't.

Yesterday we looked at 1979 - today let's go forward one year to 1980. At the beginning of December, John Lennon was shot dead. I still remember waking up to hear that on the news, followed by the DJ playing "Starting Over" and "Imagine". Given that, everyone expected that the late Lennon would be the Christmas number one that year in the UK.

Never, ever, EVER think the UK public acknowledge masters of music at Christmas time, not when there are grannies to buy presents for - and boy was there a ready made gift for them this year, which means this was the Christmas number one.

Mind you, we also need to look at what was topping the US chart at this time in 1980. Ladies and Gentlemen, mister Kenny Rogers.

From the sublime...

2008-12-08T02:46:00.000-08:00

First, an apology - the last post should have said the year was 1976, not 1975. 1975, Queen were number one with Bohemian Rhapsody, which I remember from watching them live in concert on New Year's Eve on BBC 2, havign sicovered a very nive bottle of pale white liquid in the fridge.

But I digress. Let's look at 1979 - Thatcher had been elected earlier in the year, the UK felt it was coming out of a storm, and you would think we would be ready for a party, yes? Instead, this was the nation's choice of the song to celebrate Christmas with.

Foreshadowing if ever there was some. Meanwhile, in the US the feelign was obviously that escapism was the thing to go for. After all, how else do you explain this being your number one?

A change in life

2008-12-06T13:47:00.000-08:00

By 1975, my life had been turned sixteen different ways inside out, an dI had retreated into a shell it took some years to fight my way out of - and I still am in some ways. That Christmas was a strange one for many reasons, as was the song to get to number one. I present for your listening pleasure mister Johnny Mathis.

As for the US - well, you were obviosuly ready to par-TAY in the immediate post-Watergate years, with KC and the Sunshine Band (special concert version!)

The Year it really began

2008-12-05T03:51:00.000-08:00

1973 - the year that the phenomenon of who would be number 1 at Christmas in the UK really started to take off. Glam Rock was the thing in the UK, and two bands with a fine tradition were locked in a neck and neck battle to sell most.

In the blue corner - Roy Wood, son of Birmingham, late of The Move, and his band Wizzard with a timeless ditty.

In the Red Corner, Noddy Holder, son of Walsall, and the boys of Slade with what he now calls his pension plan.

The Winner? Well, in the end, Noddy and the boys got to number one, and the song is as perennial a song at this time of year as White Christmas. As for Wizzard - they got to number four, but it's still a classic. For the record, at number two was a singer we cannot now mention for legal reasons with I love, You Love, Me Love, and at number 3 The New Seekers with I'll Never Find Another You.

Meanwhile, in the US.... Country was king, unlike the UK, so at number one was Charlie Rich with this song.

Novelty of Christmas

2008-12-04T02:34:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned when I started this series, one of the important features of the Christmas number one tends to be that the novelty song can win through. The first occasion when that could be said to have happened in my lifetime was 1971 - and indeed, over the next few days there's going to be several examples of this.

So, 1971 - and at number one on Christmas day, a comedy legend with what turned out to be his last and greatest hit. Like many other comedians, he had a few minor hits in the 1950's and 1960's, but for time immemorial Benny Hill will be remembered for his eulogy to Ernie.

And in the US - have you noticed a certain serendipity creeping into the songs that are popular in the UK and the US for Christmas? No? Well, at number one on December 25th 1971 was this little ditty.

Songs of peace

2008-12-03T04:27:00.001-08:00

Continuing our trek, we get to 1969 - and two very different, yet strangely similar songs.

In the UK, an Antipodean swimmer, artist and television personality revives a Civil War song and has the Christmas number one with it. In a recent program, he discovered the reason his family didn't like him singing it - it reminded them of his relatives who died in World War One. Here he sings it in a version that is being released for the Christmas number one this year.

Meanwhile, in the US, a trio of folk singers have their last number one hit with a John Denver song. Again, this is taken from a recent live show.

Christmas Day 2

2008-12-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

Continuing the Christmas Number Ones of years in my life...

1967 - my dad had left the Army, and we moved into the house I lived in until I was 18. At number one, this little ditty from four lads from Liverpool...

And over the pond, another bunch of four fresh faced young lads were at Number one, with a song that got to number 5 in the UK.

It's CHRISSSTTTT-MMAASSSSSS!!!

2008-12-01T05:51:00.000-08:00

Yes, that time of year has arisen again when thoughts of tasteful, subtle music cna go out of the window as we await the race for the Christmas number one in the UK.

Now, over the last efw years this has become a non-event, as the winner of the latest ITV/Cowell talent show barnstorms their way to the number one slot, but when I was but a wee lad this was something to look forward to. So, for December, let's look at what was the Christmas number one in years which were significant to me.

Starting with 1963 - the year I was born. 1963, living in the UK by that time - it has to be the Beatles with this quiet little number.

Number one in the US? That would be this one....

The Day Before

2008-11-24T04:50:00.000-08:00

Sixteen years ago today, on the 24th of November 1992, Doreen and I were at the City Hospital in Nottingham, attending her then daily appointments at the maternity unit. Our first child was a tad late - about ten days late at that point - and the doctors were telling us that if nothing happened that night they would induce Doreen the next morning. We went home, I went into work and had my annual appraisal, then arranged to take the next day off.

About 2 am the next morning, Doreen started to have the sort of pains that make you think it's time. So we went back to the unit, only for the pains to stop. Nevertheless, we stayed there and waited.

I finally got home about 11 pm that night, after our first born son was born by Cassaerian section at 8 pm that night. It's funny the details that stay with you - I went to the Chinese takeaway down the road to get some supper, made a few phone calls, and sat down to watch The Prisoner.

Next thing I knew, it was four am.

Sixteen years later, and tomorrow Alastair celebrates his birthday. Where on earth did all the years go - will someone please tell me? By an irony worthy of the Big Man upstairs, we can't even have a proper birthday party on the day, as he has been awarded the Maths prize for his year and the awards ceremony is that night. Continuing in a family tradition - I won a couple, and Doreen's sister did as well - but it makes me even more proud of him for doing that.

There's another anniversary this week - ten years ago, I missed Alastair's birthday as I was at a meeting in London, but I got back at eight that night, we had some tea, and then the next day we packed to move from Nottingham to London. Doreen was carrying Stuart at the time, and we had a few tears and rows on the day, but eventually we set off and moved to our current house.

I must be getting older to remember these things as good if incredibly stressful times.

Desert Island Discs

2008-11-20T03:31:00.000-08:00

I serve on a committee for a professional organisation, and sooner or later I need to provide my desert island discs to them for a magazime article. If I was to do it now, I would pick.....

Morning Town Ride - The Seekers

The first song I ever learned to sing, and i used it as a lullaby for both my boys.

Turn of a Friendly Card - The Alan Parsons Project

As a teenager - I listened to Radio 2 much more than Radio 1 (except for John Peel), and the Project always stuck with me, especially this song which came out at a hard time for me

Vienna - Ultravox

Possibly the best song never to get to number one, but for me it signifies the start of the eighties, and my awakening to so many things.

Fighter - Graham Kendrick

The title track fo rthe first Christian album I ever bought. I prefer the Graham Kendrick version, as it is a song that tipyfies my faith, but here is the better known version by Sheila Walsh.

As Tears Go By - Marianne Faithfull

Speaking of fighters - Faithfull's original version is an all time classic, but when she released Broken English, and this amazing new version was on it, I immediatly realised how much she was singing of her own life.

Innocent Man - Billy Joel

Another song from the early eighties, that spoke much of who I? was and what I wanted to be.

Eternal Flame - The Bangles

Our song - nuff said

One Day More - Les Miserables

The finale to the first act, speaks of hopes, fears, dreams, plans - a true masterpiece

Fro my luxury, I will take a wind-up transistor radio, and for my other book the complete Sherlock Holmes.

Thank you and good night.

Never forget

2008-11-09T16:59:00.000-08:00

I'm an army brat, so Remembrance Day or Veteran;s Day, be it on a Sunday or otherwise, is important to me on many levels. This video was shown at my church today, and I offer it to remind all who view this blog why we have the freedom to do what we do.

On the cusp of history

2008-11-05T07:27:00.001-08:00

We are, for obvious reasons, living in a time of great importance in the history of our world. I am old enough to remember the first time man walked on the moon, and the time Skylab came crashing back down again. I remember watching the Berlin Wall come down, and the horrors of Ethnic Cleansing in Bosnia. I remember Band Aid and Live Aid, and watching the Nelson Mandela birthday concert when news came through of his release. I'm barely old enough to remember hearing about Martin Luther King being assassinated, but today we saw at least part of his dream come to fruition.

As a detached observer, America in the last few days has looked very much like it did in Great Britain in 1979 and 1997 - people were just fed up, and ready for a change. It's at times like these that we see how democracy can truly work, when the people demand change through the ballot box as opposed to using guns and violence. Now they have that change - but the real question now becomes, what will that change be and how effective will it be?

In 1979, the UK got Margaret Thatcher, but the changes then brought misery to thousands as she sought what she felt was for the good of the country, regardless of the cost to individuals. We're seeing it again now in the UK, then years after New Labour came to power, and I do believe we'll see it the next time we have a general election in a year or two's time.

SO what next for America? I'm not sure, but Dubya is now facing the last 76 days in office, with the sure knowledge that nothing he does now (barring something stupendously brave or stupendously stupid, or maybe even both) will be noticed as much as how President-Elect Obama sets up his team.

Good luck and may your god go with you, as Dave Allen used to say.

We apologise for the lack of news

2008-10-22T07:23:00.000-07:00

It's been a tough week, at work and home - I came down with what is euphemistically called "Man Flu" on Friday and basically felt like crap most of the weekend. Fine in the morning, tired by the early evening and aching and shivering by bedtime. An ancient family sure (hot toddies and paracetamol an hour later) eventually did the trick, but I had so much to do this weekend there was no way I could do the sensible thing and retire to bed. Hey ho.

Doreen saw her consultant last Thursday, and is now on the waiting list for her last operation, to reduce her other breast, replace the temporary implant with a permanent one, and tattoo on a false nipple. Two days in hospital and rest after, but that should be it. That should be end of January, but before that she has the first of her now annual mammograms.

Work is a minefield of legal documents, course preparations and plain boredom at times. I know it will get better - it usually does - but it will take time.

Speaking of which, next week we're taking the holiday we should have had this summer but never got round to. Away for the weekend, then I'll take the boys places Tuesday and Wednesday. I have to go to a day-long meeting Thursday, so Firday is a family day out again. We all need this break, so I hope it's a relaxing one.

Songs we like to forget (part 3)

2008-10-15T05:33:00.002-07:00

Continuing songs that loomed large in my youth, and yet I look back and think "Why?"

Only, for this first example, I know why. This is the song that kept "Vienna" off the number one spot in the UK, and for that he will always be remembered as the one who proved UK music buyers are strange people. Ladies and gentlemen - Joe Dolci.

The Seventies were truly a strange time for music in the UK, and one prime example of that has to be the success of the Wombles in the charts. Here is one of the more acceptable examples - Minuetto Allagretto.

I don't want to give the impression, by the way, that all seventies silly songs were bad. The following is an example from the top selling song writer in the UK of 1975 - Funky Gibbon.

A big part of my youth was watching Top Of The Pops, and a big part of that was watching Pan's People, the in-house dance group. Here's two examples o fthem at their silliest - first, Leo Sayer's Get Down.

And now doin' The Hustle.

The Scaffold next, with Lily The Pink. The Scaffold went on to greater things. The man with the glasses is Roger McGough, former Children's Laureate and poet. In the middle is John Gorman, poet and comedian. The big man is Mike McGear, Paul McCartney's brother....

Finally for today, The Four Bucketeers with The Bucket of Water song.

I believe

2008-10-13T05:36:00.001-07:00

My friend Howard Bagby in his blog (In Purple I'm Stunning) challenge us to write down ten things we believe in. Here's my response.

1. I Believe in a creator God, in whose hands all things were created with the capacity to change and survive. That's why I don't have much time for the "Creationism vs Evolution" debate - to me, the answer is somewhere in the middle.

2. I Believe that he sent his only son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins and allow us to be reconciled with God through him. If that makes me sound like a loonie, so be it - but I know it's true.

3. I Believe that, just as there is a creator God, there is a spiritual being that we could call the Devil, who is at the heart and root of all that is wrong in this world. When people ask "Why does God allow bad things to happen", I tend to answer "I'm not sure, but he allows the Devil to walk amongst us."

4. I Believe that everyone has the right to live the life and have the belief system they chose, within the rules of society. Note that's society with a small "s" - I'm in no position to judge them, after all.

5. I Believe, having said that, that we should accept the consequences of our own actions, and seek to help those who need help. "Do unto others" is one way of looking at this - the other is "Let me get this plank out of my eye first."

6. I Believe that to make good chili, you should only use good quality steak and fresh chillies.

7. I Believe that one day, I will have to answer for my life and the decisions I made - and I'm ready to do that.

8. I Believe that it is my privilege and right to bring up my sons to be a better person than I am - and to try to help them if they want me to.

9. I Believe that everyone has some good in them, even the most nasty of us. If that is not true, then mankind is indeed doomed, but I need to look hard to see ti sometimes.

10. I Believe that the answer and the question are not mutually exclusive - although they may seem to be.

Songs we like to forget (part 2)

2008-10-10T05:03:00.000-07:00

I don't want to think about football, but bad songs always have a place in my heart. Today, I offer five samples of songs from my childhood that I look back at now and think "Why?"

First up - from 1971 it's Falkirk's finest, Middleof the Road, with "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep". The sort of osng that made you feel good, but now you think "What the?..."

Secondly, from 1972, Jimmy Osmond. Possibly the first example of that phenomenon of the Christmas Number One being a "novelty" record. Is this the one to blame?

1976, and the original UK boys band - Our Kid.

From 1978, IIRC, the St Winifrid's School Choir with Grandma - everyone go "Awhhh"....

And for the other side, Clive Dunn (Coporal Jones in Dads Army) with Granddad in 1971

Finally, the one group that could take these songs and make them work - the Barron Knights.

Songs we like to forget (part 1)

2008-10-08T03:20:00.000-07:00

This weekend sees the next round fo games in the 2010 World Cup qualifiyng, so for no apparent reason it brings to mind songs issued to support Scotland in their World Cup campaigns.

As it does - and now you can share in the pain...

From 1974 - Scotland, Scotland

On to 1978 - and the truly memorable Ally's Army....

1982, and the wonder that is I Have A Dream - soon to be re-recorded as a charity song...

Forward to 1998 - and the most prophetic (or is that pathetic) team song, Don't come home too soon.

Why I'm doing this I don't know - but if you're not careful I may find the English songs for tomorrow......

Keeping the faith

2008-10-06T06:15:00.000-07:00

I'm still reading the book, but a couple of things over the last few days took me into a few sidetracks.

Coming into work, I usually have the pleasure of taking one train to an interchange, then waiting for the connecting one to my station for my office. That connecting one also goes the way the first one does, but at that time in the morning it's quicker just to get on the first one and wait at the interchange. Sometimes I get the through train, sometimes not, but the station announcer always says to get the first train "and change as necessary."

As I looked out of the window, I noticed people who I KNOW get the second train I get just standing and waiting, and I started to wonder why they did that. Were they so ingrained in their habits that they always did the same thing, even if it took more time?

Then I thought, how true is that of other things in our life? We get into a routine, into a habit, and never break out of it, however much we try.

One of my habits, however, is taking slights personally, and that is doubly true of Doreen. This weekend, she was at a woman's retreat for our church when she was asked "Did you enjoy the Baby Shower last week?"

Our pastor's son and his wife live across the road from us, and it transpired they had had a baby shower for her a week past Saturday, to which the women of the church had been identified.

Everyone except Doreen.

What's worse is this is the second time this has happened this year. In the first case, she wasn't invited but we did hear about it, and she sent a gift. This time we didn't even hear about it - and with all that's happened that hurt. A lot.

It hurt me too - so much that I did something yesterday I haven't done for over twenty years - got up and left a service, because I felt I couldn't worship without getting this off my chest. The pastor, bless him, came out and had a word with me, and was shocked at what had happened, but it still hurts that people can be so casually cruel at times.

The funny thing is, they probably thought someone else had given her an invite, so that nobody did. And if you get that line, join me in screaming in exasperation.

Whistle down the wind

2008-09-30T04:38:00.000-07:00

I'm going to take chapters 2 and 3 together, because they both speak to the same issue - how do we express our faith when considering the politics of the country we live in.

In the second chapter of Wallis' book, he considers how we can change the political will of our leadership. He tells of how he leads people to identify politicans when in Washington - they're the ones with their fingers in the air trying to detect which way the wind is blowing. To influence them, it's no use trying to tell which way the wind is blowing, because they will move int hat direction. The real challenge is to change the way the wind is blowing.

He cites the example of Martin Luther King and his fight for the rights for Black Americans to vote to be enshrined in law. When Lyndon Johnson said it was impossible, he started marches in the south that got national press coverage - and the political attention to change the law.

In order to make the wind change, however, we need to be public in our belief, not private - which is the point of the third chapter of the book. He contends that American political parties have managed to convince people a faith in God is a private thing, and has no part to play in the moving of society generally.

Well, to misquote an old Chinese proverb, "it takes one rolling stone to start an avalanche." If we call ourselves Christian, then we say we are in a relationship with God that permeates and influences everything we do - public AND private. Be extension, therefore, we cannot begin to influence society unless we start to live our faith out - and that's a real challenge in our secular and "Rich Christian" world.

Fortunately, we have examples to consider - Luther King, Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Wilberforce, Wesley and others. Think that over today when you wonder how you can change the world.

Jesus the Politician

2008-09-29T02:21:00.000-07:00

Continuing our exploration of "God's Politics" by Jim Wallis, the first chapter is entitled "Take Back the Faith."

It's a short chapter, with a very simple message - the Christian faith is not a left- or right-wing faith, it's one that encompasses and challenges both sides of the argument. He starts with a simple statement - no-one can steal your faith from you. That's a personal matter between you and the Big Man upstairs. What has happened, rather, is that somehow one side of the political divide in America has listened "to the one that shouts the loudest" while the other has taken that as a sign they should not challenge there, but look for softer targets to hit on the other side.

Which means, regretfully, that they avoid the real issue - which is that as a Christian, we are not bound to what one person or another person says, but to look at what God says and match ourselves against that, with the security of knowing if we get it wrong and confess that, we can start again.

This quote sums up, for me, why things have gone wrong with religion in politics, both American and otherwise:-

I am always amazed by the debate over poverty, with one side citing the need for changes in social behaviour and the other for better social programs, as if the two are mutually exclusive. Obviously, both personal and social responsibility are necessary for overcoming poverty.

Let me put it another way. It's all very well telling people they need to work, but without the long term support and training, and the resource behind that, people won't be able to take the steps they need to get back to work. Equally, you can pour as much money as you want into social programs, but unless you convince others to help take that to the next step it's wasted money.

He then turns to "the Political Problem with Jesus", which can be very simply put - he doesn't do politics, he does people. Look in the Gospels at the way he treated the political power of his day - with respect, but without fear in pointing out where they were wrong. If he was around today, you wouldn't find him in the houses of power at Washington - you'd find him down at the soup kitchens and homeless shelters, meeting their needs.

In my previous post, a comment was made that the problem with Katrina was less government incompetence and more that people ignored the warnings and didn't get out. That was undoubtedly true for a lot of people there, but (and it's a big but) there were also people who were unable to get out without help with transport, and they were let down. Also, after the hurricane hit, the response by the government for the immediate needs just was not there.

So today, and I challenge myself to do this as well, think about how you can get past the politics and recognise the need.

The Bi-Partisan Creator

2008-09-25T00:46:00.000-07:00

When I was at school, we had to do a weekly class that was euphemistically called "Guidance." these days they call it "Social Awareness" or even "Citizenship", but the idea was to educate and get us thinking about issues in the our lives and the world. This class, for example, covered sex education - which consisted of the teacher regaling the all-male class of his exploits while serving in the Army in Egypt, and the importance of protection then.

I digress - one particular lesson has always stuck in my mind. The chairs in the room had been arranged in a circle, and the teacher invited a fellow student (known for his left-wing political views) to pick a seat. He then invited another student, a known Thatcherite, to take a seat opposite him.

Each of us were then asked to take a seat either to the left or to the right of one of these people, depending on how close your political views were to that person. If there wasn't room, everyone had to budge up one seat as required. I was the last person, but even then I wasn't left or right=wing, but more liberal. I took a seat in the middle, and everyone had to move one seat left or right.

As a result, the two students he had asked to sit first were now sat right next to each other. His point was clear - they were a lot closer than they thought.

Why has this come to mind? Over the summer, I picked up a book called "God's Politics" by Jim Wallis, published in 2005. Wallis is an American evangelical, and his book looks at the seeming role played by religion in American politics then, and even more so today. I'm going to read a chapter of this book each day, and like my good friend Mike Parnell recently did with a couple of books share my thoughts here.

In the introduction, he starts by making one truth very clear. "God is not a Republican. Or a Democrat". We in the UK are guilty of assuming that, because of people like Faldwell and the Moral Majority, all American Christians support Bush and are Republican. As Robin Williams would say "Horse Excrement".

Wallis postulates that the Right wing in America want to focus on certain "hot topics" - such as abortion and same-sex marriage - while ignoring the need for social support and helping those less well off. He also makes the point that, because of the apparent Christian focus on the Right, the Left seems to want to distance itself from addressing the very real role that Christians can play in social reform.

The book was written after the 2004 election, and Wallis makes this statement that Bush could both return to "social policies" rather than "faith-based decisions" and involve others in tackling injustice both at home in the US and abroad.

Consider - if that had happened, when Katrina struck New Orleans would things have been different? These last few weeks, when we've seen major financial institutions fail and a proposed multi-billion dollar bailout by the Federal Reserve, free social health-care is still a no-no for the Republican party?

Bear in mind I'm not an American, so you may feel I have no right to speak, but exactly the same questions could be asked about our British system as well.

Anyway, as I say, come back as I share my thoughts on each chapter as I read it. In six weeks, you elect your new President in the US. Take time to consider what you think, and don;t vote blindly.

High Five

2008-09-22T08:03:00.001-07:00

Taking a line from Jeff over at My Greatest Adventure, five questions to answer. Feel free to pass the idea on...

1.) Where was I 10 years ago?

Living in a hotel in Uxbridge, trying desperately to finalise the purchase of a house in the area Doreen and I had chosen to live in before our second child came along. I'd been working down here for two months, commuting to and from Nottingham at the weekends, and it was starting to get me down something chronic.

2.) What was on my to-do list today?

Sorting out some writing assignments for work, catching up on part of a course I missed last week because I had to go to a meeting which was cancelled while I was on the course, then some housework at home before a well earned sleep

3.) What would I do if I were a billionaire?

Cry - I don't do lotteries. Seriously - pay off my mortgage, buy a larger house in the country, put enough aside to ensure the boys would be comfortable, give a sizable donation to charities and churches, then invest the rest. After all that - I'd keep on working. I like my job!

4.) Five places I've lived

Linlithgow, West Lothian (look up top for a picture); Newcastle upon Tyne; Beeston, Nottingham; Arnold, Nottingham; London

5.) Bad Habits

I don't eat well or exercise enough

Don't Panic!! redux

2008-09-18T03:37:00.000-07:00

This appeared on the BBC News yesterday - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7619828.stm

The usual debate will now start about how someone should not pick up on Douglas Adams' work, and how this should be left untouched. Obviously they've never seen the film of Hitchhiker's....

Eoin is a good author - I happen to like the Artemis Fowl books, and besides there is no golden law that says these characters, where the story has not been completed (no-one should ever contemplate a sequel to To Kill A Mockingbird), are sacrosanct. My son, as well as the Artemis Fowl books, is reading the Young James Bond books by Charlie Higson, which are also good.

I'm also a big fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories, but one of the best of those is not a Conan Doyle one. The Doctor's Tale is by Stephen King, but you could almost believe Conan Doyle would have written it.

So rather than being like Arthur Dent and panicking at that news, let's wait and see what happens. After all, for a trilogy, five books so far is good going.

Now, who's for a game of Krikket?

Don't Panic!!

2008-09-17T05:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a rough week on the financial markets of the world, hasn't it?

I still remember the day known as Black Wednesday, 16 September 1992, when the financial markets in the UK last went into so severe a financial meltdown. Speculating on sterling, following the decision to enter the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM), led to a run on the pound and increases that led, by the end of the day, to Bank of England lending rate of 15.5% by the end of the day.

You can read the gory details at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Wednesday

It also led to a collapse in the housing market - just as we had spent a year in our new house. It took another seven years before, when we moved to our current home, we could even get back the modest price we paid for our house.

Over the last couple of weeks, we've seen a similar adjustment take place as a result of the "sub-prime" mortgage problems a year ago. This time the hit has been taken by the major banks - two going down and out, the big mortgage lenders in the US and a major insurance company bailed out by the Federal Reserve, and talks of bank mergers in the UK to weather the storm.

The temptation is going to be there to panic, but there is one thing I have learned of over the years when it comes to things like mortgages and savings - take only the risks you can afford
and watch what you are doing.

I know there are people who have gambled and lost all - I feel their pain, as I've been in insufferable debt myself with no apparent way out. Do not judge them, but help them if you can. As for those who allowed such a thing to even take place - be careful what you grow, because you always have to clear the refuse away afterwards.

Where's the kaboom?

2008-09-12T05:06:00.000-07:00

There was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom!

On Wednesday morning, at 8.30 am, the world did not come to an end by being sucked into a black hole. I'm glad of that, because at 8.30 on Wednesday morning I was driving round the Road to Hell to a meeting in Harlow, but that's beside the point.

Science is a wonderful tool for learning about and understanding our universe, but it does not have all the answers. Scientific proof is not the way to answer all the questions this crazy world throws at us.

Consider, for example, what yesterday (Thursday) was the anniversary of - 9/11. Science may have been the mechanism for causing the cataclysmic events of that day, but they were not the trigger. That was hate and fear - pure and simple. There is nothing scientific about such an emotional response to such things - it is just that. Emotional - and emotions are the most powerful thing we have to fight with.

So, while the particle beams get faster and faster, consider that they may answer some questions, but not all of them. You need to look elsewhere for some of those.

My choice of candidate

2008-09-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

I cannot vote in the US presidential election, but if I could this candidate would get my vote:-

September 8, 1990

2008-09-08T02:07:00.000-07:00

At 3 pm on Saturday, September 8 1990, at Winton Place Congeregational Church, Kilmarnock, Doreen Clark and Michael Kevin Williams celebrated their wedding.

We've had good times and hard times, made mistakes and had some blazing rows, but I still love her as much as when I saw her walking down the aisle that Saturday afternoon. The fact we're still together despite some of the problems we've had is testament to the fact that Marriage is somethign you work at, not leave alone.

Happy Anniversary, Doreen.

A short note for a new time

2008-09-05T06:38:00.000-07:00

In April 1979, I sat the first exams towards my school qualifications, and started down the road that led to the career I now have.

Next year, twenty years on, my oldest son will sit the majority of the equivalent for him, his GCSE exams. This year, however, he sat two in advance - Religious Education and Statistics. The former I never studied formally at school. The latter - well, I've made a career from that subject for over twenty years now.

Yesterday we discovered the awful truth.

He passed both with flying colours - a 'B' grade for Religiosu Education and, much to his surprise, a 'A' for statistics, given the teacher was not the best and he crammed for that one.

I'm so proud of him.

Respect

2008-09-04T03:21:00.000-07:00

Driving into work this morning, I was listening to the radio when a story caught me by surprise for a number of reasons.

A soldier, home on leave from Afghanistan for medical reasons, tried to check into a hotel by himself for a few days holiday. When he shows his warrant card, however, he is told that the hotel has a policy not to take serving forces personnel as guests, and he is asked to leave. You can read more about the story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7596798.stm

Now, to take the PoV of the hotel for a moment, they may have a good reason for this policy. It may be that they have had problems in the past with forces members, and a blanket ban was their way of dealing with it. Why, then, does the hotel just say that is the case an apologise for any embarrassment caused? Because, right now, they are saying nothing.

There is, I feel, a more fundamental problem here of respect. Yes, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are unpopular here in the UK, and yes we have the right to voice whatever views we have on that. Forces personnel, however, are volunteers doing a job, and they deserve some respect for that. I say that not just as an Army Brat (which I am) but also as a human being whose brother is serving in the Army.

There may be many things I don't like about America, but their forces personnel are treated with the utmost respect and courtesy, and they don't face these issues. Heck, they walk down the street proudly in their uniforms. Here? Forces members are told NOT to wear their uniforms in nearby towns because they have been attacked just for being proud of their units.

Is it too much to ask for a little respect for these people? Because if it is, we have crossed a very dangerous and sorry line.

On to the next level

2008-09-02T00:46:00.000-07:00

With luck, Doreen (my wonderful wife) will have the last dressing removed today for good. On Thursday we go to see her plastic surgeon to discuss the next stage.

Putting it bluntly, that means they start to inject saline into the temporary prosthesis they gave her at the time of the operation. Over a few weeks, this has the effect of stretching the skin and shaping the breast for the final prosthesis. It also means she should feel a lot more comfortable wearing a bra. Without going into details, any ladies reading this can imagine what ti is like with two different breast sizes.

She also faces another problem this week. She works as a School Meals Assistant, or dinner lady in my parlance, but she earns less than the minimum required to pay National Insurance, so sick pay is at the discretion of her employer. She won't be back to work for a few more weeks yet, so she needs to talk to her boss about what happens.

She wants to get a job as a Teaching Assistant, but until the reconstruction is over she feels that's not possible, as she has to go into a job knowing she'll need time off in the new year. On the other hand, she doesn't want to have to leave her current job for a reason that is not her fault.

As you see, a dilemma. Still, as they say, onwards and upwards!

I have a confession to make

2008-09-01T03:16:00.000-07:00

I have had an addiction for eight years now, but I finally managed to break it.

It started innocently enough back in 2000. I tried it a couple of times, but never really saw the point of it. Somehow or other, however, it sucked me in and before I realised what was happening I was hooked.

I would discuss it with other people, rearrange appointments to make sure I got my fix, even stay up until ridiculous hours to make sure I got the full experience.

Recently, however, I went cold turkey and, in a suprsingly painless manner, I have managed to wean myself off the addicition. It can be done with enough will power and motivation.

Yes, I have cured myself of the habit of watching Big Brother, and I praise God for it.

Time off and clearing up

2008-08-18T05:11:00.000-07:00

One thing about taking a week off at very short notice - you get the chance to relax and really enjoy things before the excrement hits the spinning object again.

For example, I watched a lot of the Olympics - and I'm glad that the UK did so well in the sports we are excelling in at the moment - sailing, rowing and cycling, as well as a medal in the gymnastics for the first time in 100 years and two golds in the swimming pool.

A word on Michael Phelps - yes, he probably is the finest swimmer of all time. But the finest Olympian - sorry, tell that to Sir Steve Redgrave, five times gold medallist in the cox less fours.

As for other things, I spent a couple of days in the heart of Wiltshire, visiting small towns and rinking tea with my wife. We also found a shop that sold sweets in quarter pounds - sorry, 113 gram portions. Ah, sweet taste of childhood.

As for the future - Doreen still needs to attend a dressing clinic weekly, and then they start inflating the temporary implant they gave her until they get the right size. After that, they replace ti with the final implant and do some "resizing" on the other side if necessary. Another operation, but less traumatic and a shorter stay in hospital. There's also mammograms on the other breast every year for the foreseeable future.

For those who care about such things - the final examination showed the plaques had spread even more than at first thought, but no signs of changes into the nasty (?) form. So we carry on with recovery until we get back to whatever normality will be in the near future.

And now, back to work...

Elephant Hunt - the result

2008-08-08T10:50:00.001-07:00

The Elephant is dead.

And there was much rejoicing.

It was 26 years ago today

2008-08-07T01:51:00.000-07:00

When I was a lad, I was very heavily involved in a youth organisation called the Boys' Brigade - like the Boy Scouts, but more firmly based in church and "discipline". Put it this way - Baden Powell's first camp was actually a group from a Boys' Brigade company.

Anyway, by the time I went to University I had been selected to go on their leadership training course, which consisted of two weeks a year apart. I attended the first week in 1981, then left home to go and study at Newcastle University.

The reasons for picking Newcastle were two-fold. Firstly, they offered me a place without needing to get certain grades in my last school exams, and the course was good. Secondly, and more subtly, I wanted to make a clean start. As a result of various things that had happened to me and my family, I was an incredibly shy and withdrawn teenager, and I thought the only way I was going to break that was to get as far away from home as practically possible.

Well, it was a good plan, but I had overlooked one small point. I had become so withdrawn and shy it was virtually impossible for me to make friends easily, so for the first few months at Uni I was a loner. Over the year, I eventually got to know some people very well, and make some friends. A number of those friends were exploring their own lives, and through a group called the Navigators had come to know Jesus as their saviour.

At the time, I called myself a christian, but I also realised they had found something else. Regretfully, my BB commitments meant I could not go to the meetings they were attending, but I attended a church with them from time to time and started to explore the issues myself. Without realising it at the time, I was slowly beginning to understand that there was something wrong, something in my life that was out of balance, but I had no idea what that was.

Until the second week of the training course in 1982.

The course was at a place called Carronvale House, an old manor house outside Larbert near Stirling. At the end of each day, there was an evening devotional, but on the Friday evening, 7th August 1982, the devotional took the form of a communion service.

The previous year, I had been lucky enough to attend an event in Denmark called Julsolejr, a massive camp held every five years for young men and women involved in organisations like the BB, and there I had attended a communion service in the open air. There had been a strange feeling that day, but I had no idea at the time what that feeling was - only that I felt happy afterwards.

On that night, 7th August 1982, I felt that feeling again. Complete, total peace, the feeling that no matter what may happen, someone was there waiting to help you, if you only asked them.

So, after the service was over, I went outside the house and looked up at the clear night sky, with the stars twinkling overhead, and I said something like the following.

"God, I've heard a lot about you, but until now I don't think I've ever really experienced your presence. But tonight, I really think you were there with me and telling em that your son died for me. I do believe you are real - so take me and help me to learn more about you. "

As a commitment prayer goes, it's probably not the most eloquent or theologically correct, but that was it. From that day on, I have called myself a Christian, and although I have made mistakes over the years and felt lots of pain, I have never regretted that decision once.

Kinda missing the point

2008-08-05T03:05:00.000-07:00

Look back in my archives, and you will see a post on "When Religion and Politics Mix." Go on - I'll wait until you come back.....

Back? Good. I made two points there. One was on the then upcoming vote in the Church of England on women bishops. I did a follow-up on that in "Fudge".

The other was on openly homosexual priests. An anonymous commenter made this reply.

Thanks for your interesting and candid comments. Wondering if you have ever happened upon a rather unusual article titled "God to Same-Sexers: Hurry Up." I found it while visiting Google. Mack

I'll save you the search - the relevant link is http://www.ucmpage.org/jedwards.html

It's an interesting article, I grant you that - and it is an argument I have heard of before. To me however, it misses the point in a fairly big way, which is this.

Who the hell are we to presume to know what God is thinking on this matter, in terms of when he may be coming back as opposed to the actual act?

I say "Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner." The writer of this article seems to be saying "Encourage the Sinner to Sin, so that the End Times can come more quickly."

Reality check, folks - We don't know when God is coming back. In fact, Jesus himself said in Matthew 25 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come..... You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

God wants us to repent of our sins, and some to him in that repentance, not to be encouraged to continue in their sin because we want to be in Glory with him that much more quickly.

And to those who might say "you are not seeking to advance God's kingdom", yes I am - in love for my fellow man, not in condemnation of them to a life without God. Jesus also said "Let him without Sin cast the first stone" when confronted by an angry mob wanting to stone an adulteress to death. Is what is written here really any different to that scenario? If not, then I can;t say I'm without sin - can you?

Tusk wounds

2008-07-30T03:48:00.000-07:00

Apologies for my absence for the last few days - the elephant that we thought had been killed had left a little present behind.

If there is anything that I like less than being around hospitals, it;s being around ER or A&E rooms, depending on where in the world you sit. So, when I came back from going with my son to football lessons on Saturday and was told I needed to take my wife to A&E, it was the start of a fun-packed few days.

Not.

She had developed a slight infection around some of the stitches she had had, and after calling a local dressing clinic was told to go back to the A&E department of the hospital where she had the op. After a wait of only (only?) three hours, she was admitted at 8.30 Saturday night to receive what was then called "a 24 hour course of IV antibiotics."

They stopped the IV yesterday. They also removed the stitches, which may have been aggravating the problem in the first place. She's still under observation to make sure the problem does not flare up again.

So I've spent a lot of time these last few days travelling to and from the hospital - hence my absence.

We also discovered the implant she was given was a temporary one - something she wasn't told at the time.

On the plus side, her recovery otherwise continues better than expected.

More later.

On days like these

2008-07-24T05:16:00.000-07:00

There are days when everything seems to go well, things flow smoothly and there are no problems. Those are days to be thankful for.

And then there are days when no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try to do the right thing, nothing goes right. You trip over your own feet, the work you tried so hard to do goes wrong, you cut the blue wire instead of the red one, that sort of thing.

Lately I've been having quite a few of those days. Mainly because, I suspect, with my wife home I'm trying to walk on eggshells in size 12 Doc Martens, but partly because she is feeling down as well, and needs someone to take out her frustration on.

When I was a younger man, I liked to think of myself as a teddy bear - able to soak up all the tears and tantrums of my friends, and still able to stand there when needed. As I get older, I sadly find that even teddy bears wear out over time, and need repair every so often.

Having said that, I have to realise as well that this is something that was going to happen, and if I'm being honest I have to accept that it's not my strength I need to rely on - it's Gods.

"Take my yoke upon you, for my work is easy and my burden is light." To understand that, you have to remember that a yoke at the time of the New Testament was designed to be worn by two cattle - sharing the burden and the workload. If I have a prayer for today, it is that I remember that when days like these occur.

B5 Review: The Gathering

2008-07-22T03:03:00.000-07:00

In which I start to make my way through the Babylon 5 box set and share my thoughts.....

In the set, The Gathering is a stand-alone movie, so it gives me a chance to view a few things and give a few thoughts. I need to preface this with the fact that this was NOT the first episode of B5 I saw - that was The Parliament of Dreams - and it was not until they started to repeat the series in the UK that I caught this one.

Plotwise, it set up the story and the concept of Babylon 5 fairly well, but like a lit of TV pilots it does tend to try and pull a little too much in. That's not the fault of the writer or director - it's the fault of the American television system where you have to try and sell the entire concept in one pilot program, and that can cause some problems as we will see later. As an example, if you ever see the pilot for Hill Street Blues, Hill and Renko (two of the more popular and complex characters) were shot and killed in the pilot - the first proper episode had to deal with that by finding them at the end near death.

The plot revolves essentially around an attempt to assassinate one of the alien ambassadors, Kosh of the Vorlon Empire, and also introduce the other major characters.

G'Kar of the Narn Regime and Mollari of the Centauri Empire are there in almost complete form, with their mutual enmity and hatred fully formed, but even in those early days the seeds are sown of the respect that will grow as the series develops.

Delenn of the Minbari is also present, but in a harsher and different from from the series character. I found both her look and voice a bit too grating, but this was one of the things that was addressed when the series proper began.

Also conspicuous by their absence in the pilot were the diplomatic aides - all of whom went on to be important characters in the series proper.

On the human side, Commander Sinclair and Chief of Security Garibaldi are also there, but we have a different head of MedLab (Doctor Kyle) and a different Second in Command (Lt Commander Takashima). There was also a different love interest for Sinclair, Carolyn Sykes. All were meant to be recurring characters - all were replaced fro various reasons. At least Dr Kyle and Carolyn were acknowledged later - I'm not sure yet if we ever found out what happened to Takashima, although some of the things planned for her did come around with another character later.

There was also Lyta Alexander, the assigned commercial telepath. She would come back in a major way in later stories.

As pilots and introductiosn go, it;s a good action film which sets up a number of mysteries picked up in the main series.

What the heck are the Vorlons?
Why are Sinclair and Delenn so friendly?
What is the "hole in your mind" that Sinclair hears about?
Just what did Lyta see?

I give it 4 out of 5 - now for the series proper....

Apologies - lost looking for elephants

2008-07-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

I did mean to come back and post every day, honestly and truly I did - but when it's an hour and a half each way from the home to hospital, twice a day, things kinda get drained away, such as energy and time to post.

After the operation on Tuesday, I saw Doreen lying there, pale and sweating, oxygen tube, morphine drip and fluids in place and four drains taking gung away from the incisions.

Today - she's up and walking around, there's only one drain in place still, and God willing she will be home on Monday.

The road ahead is still long - she may be bringing that tube home with her, and if so it need sot be checked every day - but she is recovering, and that is the main thing.

We also still do not know if the elephant is well and truly dead - the signs are it is no more, but until we hear from the specialist, it's still a remote possibility it will come back and try to trample us.

We both thank those reading this for the good thoughts and prayers you have all been saying - keep it up folks, it's working!

Elephant hunting

2008-07-15T15:18:00.001-07:00

Well, that's an ..... interesting couple of days.

I finally took Doreen into hospital at 6 pm last night - the letter said five, but at about 12 she got a call from the Bed Manager at the hospital.

"Mrs Williams, you haven't called us."

"Was I meant to?"

"It states in the covering letter that you should call us on the date of admittance."

"What covering letter?"

"The one sent with your appointment letter."

"We didn't get a covering letter, we got two appointment letters"

".................."

So they say they'll call back between 4 and 5 that night with the ward to go to.

You can see it coming - 5.15 and no call. The next ten to fifteen minutes are spent trying to get through, and finally.....

"Oh - come in to the ward on your letter."

Ugh.

She had the operation today, and so far all looks like it is going well. Nothing to report that is bad - we await biopsy results now.

Clearing out

2008-07-14T01:34:00.000-07:00

My wife and I - well, mostly me if truth be told - are inadvertent hoarders. Some unfortunate business with the taxman some years ago means that we have kept bank statements and books going back some twenty years - but we just ran out of room for them.

So over the last week or two we've been having a clean out, which has involved a lot of shredding of documents and disposal of same.

Sidebar - our local council will recycle waste paper, but not if it is shredded as it clogs the machinery up. So, rather than using all the old statements which we are told to shred for security reasons for recycling, I had to dump them all in the communal landfill site. Something not quite right there....

Where was I? Oh yes - the only problem is you can;t shred old chequebooks, and they have account details on so you can;t dump them. So guess what I've had to do for the last few nights?

Burn them - but they gave me a chance to read them and some memories came up. The first bike we bought Alastair. The cheque we wrote for the deposit on our current house. The pram we bought before Alastair arrived, that served well for both our boys. Memories that we carry for all our life, even if they have to go up in smoke.

I've also had to clear some things out of my personal life - all the anger and fear over the Elephant, things like that. Later today, I take Doreen to the hospital for her mastectomy. I'll let you know my feelings here over the next few days.

Fudge

2008-07-10T02:27:00.000-07:00

In a previous post, which you can find at http://justsittingandthinking.blogspot.com/2008/07/only-way-religion-and-politics-mix.html, I discussed the upcoming vote of the General Synod of the Church of England on women bishops.

Before I get to that, however, I want to talk about fudge. You know what fudge is - the soft toffee beloved of many children, that can be flavoured with many things, but at heart is basically the same in all its various forms. People like it, people hate it, I personally like a little but as I get older I can't eat as much as I may have been able to in the past.

Fudge has another meaning in the English language - to quote the Cambridge dictionary:-

fudge (AVOID) verb [T] MAINLY DISAPPROVING
to avoid making a decision or giving a clear answer about something:
The government continues to fudge the issue by refusing to give exact figures.

fudge noun [C usually singular]
She suspects that this compromise deal will be nothing more than a fudge.
It's a bit of a fudge but we could put the cost through on next year's budget.

The Synod, after an extremely long and by all accounts full-blooded debate, voted to allow the consecration of women bishops, but also to draw up guidelines for the way that they work that will, and I paraphrase, allow traditionalist priests who do not recognise women in positions of leadership to work with them.

In other words, a fudge.

It is sometimes a useful exercise, in situations like this, to think of that common phrase that kids wear on wristbands on their wrists "What would Jesus do?"

I think he would give a big sigh, stand up and remind them of a simple fact - it's not important who is in charge of your fellowship, so long as they are doing and teaching what he shared with us when he was here first time. He would remind us that there are people crying out to Him, and wanting our help as he helped us, but we're ignoring them to fight and argue over who is in charge. He'd then tell us to stop arguing and live the life He wants us to live, before turning and having a chat with the little old woman that no-one else sits with.

There is no argument - God is in charge. We're here to do his work, and if he says a woman should be in charge we chould not be arguing about it.

The Church today is like fudge - many flavours, but at heart it should be united in the same basis. More and more, I recognise that is not the case. Just as I can only tolerate so much of the sweet, so I get increasingly fed up with the continued arguments. I just want to shout "STOP!!" and point out the passage in I Corinthians 3

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each should be careful how he builds. For no-one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ

The other problem with fudge, by the way, is it satisfies for a little while, but doesn't stave off the real hunger for long. I think the General Synod, rather than solving a very real problem, has postponed their judgement day for a later date. The problem with that is the day is going to come far faster than they think.

A point of debate

2008-07-08T07:12:00.000-07:00

Trekkies. Love them or hate them, we can at least talk about them and their never-ending discussions.

In particular, what was the best Star Trek series of all time? Personally, I preferred Deep Space nine, but I have to say that there is one show that beat all of them into a hat and left the rest standing.

Babylon 5 - and I've just ordered the complete box set off Amazon.

That's everything - the five series, the six films, the Crusade collection AND the Lost Tales at 40% off. Forty two disks, and a whole summer of viewing.

I'll let you know how I get on over the weeks - once I work out again the correct viewing order for the films...

We now know how big it is

2008-07-08T07:10:00.001-07:00

The Elephant that is.

An Indian calf.

Excuse me while I go and say a few words of thanks and scream in mild delight....

Eight things I liked about Linlithgow

2008-07-07T03:48:00.000-07:00

I grew up in Linlithgow, and I probably don't think enough about what it was like growing up in that part of Scotland. So today, I offer my eight thoughts that come first into my head while thinking about what to me will always be the Royal Burgh of Linlithgow.

1) Linlithgow Palace

Birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots no less, and dating back to the 12th Century. When the Black Death was in Edinburgh, the Royal Family decamped to Linlithgow and lived there for a couple of years. Ruined by Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army, I used to play in the ruins and spent much of my youth in Linlithgow Peel, the park that surrounds the Palace. In addition, my father was the Royal Park Constable for many years (the Peelie in local slang) so there is a family connection as well.

2) St Michael's Church

To get to the Palace, you go up a narrow hilled street, and climbing that hill you see St Michael's Church on the right. The spire is unique, and well known across the country, but in itself it is a fine example of the type of church that was built in Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries. It's not that Church I went to as a kid, however - in fact, legend has it I single-handedly stopped my family going there, but that's another story.

3) St Ninian Craigmailen Church

That would be this one. I was in the Boys Brigade company here. I sang (before my voice didn't so much break as scatter into a million tiny pieces) in the choir. I my have some disagreements with the doctrines of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, but your first church always sticks with you.

4) Cockleroi

The highest point in West Lothian is Cockeroi, an extinct volcano about three miles north of Linlithgow. As a kid I sometimes took a day to walk up to the top, have a picnic lunch and look over my home town like this picture.

5) The Grand Union Canal

Another childhood haunt was to walk along this canal, which when I was a kid was disused and falling into disrepair. Now it's a burgeoning tourist attraction. If you're ever there, pay it a visit.

6) Merker Terrace

The street I grew up in, and across the road was my school, Linlithgow Academy. Whatever talent I posses was nurtured there, so if you're looking for someone or something to blame, there's your target. There are many things about my childhood I would never want to revisit ti, but it;s the street I grew up in and for that I am always grateful.

7) Linlithgow Rose

Also near where I lived was Linlithgow Rose's home ground - the team that beat the big boys in last year's Scottish FA cup. I'm not the world's greatest footie fan, but I used to sit on my veranda at home watching them over the stadium wall.

8) The Riding of The Marches

The first Tuesday after the Second Thursday of June is Marches day, an annual holiday when the town boundaries are marked by a procession, where much quaffing of ale and other liquid consumables is undertaken. I loved it as a kid, and wish I could go once more.

African or Indian?

2008-07-04T01:05:00.000-07:00

It's been a quiet week, but not a lazy one as we approach the date for my wife's operation.

Monday she had what is called a Sentinel Node Biopsy - essentially, they inject a radioactive isotope into her, followed later by a blue dye to identify which lymph nodes are closest to the breast she will have an operation on. These are then removed and taken analysis to confirm that the cancer hasn't turned nasty and started to spread. It's a relatively new technique, as in the past they'd have simply harvested the lymph nodes at the time of the mastectomy.

So, when we see the doctor on Wednesday, we'll find out if the elephant in the room is an African bull or an Indian calf. If it's the Indian, we have a tough few weeks ahead but we can get through it. If it's the African - well, a few words may appear here that I will regret but need to say.

If you follow my meaning.

Which you probably don't.

As a result, Doreen has been resting all week while her mum and dad and I (but mainly them for the latter part of the week) get my younger son off to school. The one saving grace has been the absence of Alastair, my oldest lad, who has been on a school trip to Paris for the week. The fun part of that was when they set off on Tuesday - early.

Very early - 5.15 in the morning, which meant a 4 AM start so that he had everything he needed with him. Having visited Montmatre, Sacre Couer and the Eiffel Tower, as well as (most importantly in his view) Disneyland Paris, he gets back tonight at about 11 - which may mean 10, but most likely means midnight. Given I will be spending the weekend shifting furniture and stripping wallpaper, I fully expect to be one of the walking dead come Sunday.

And so the day draws closer.

The only way religion and politics mix

2008-07-02T05:50:00.000-07:00

As I stated when I started this blog, I am a Christian and have been for nearly 26 years. When people hear this, their immediate reaction is to ask if I'm an Anglican or some other denomination.

Well, the short answer to that question is almost always "No". You see, I call myself an evangelical moderate Christian. Not an Anglican, or a Methodist, or a Calvinist - just a Christian. In my life, I have worshipped at a Presbyterian church, a Methodist Church, an Episcopalian Church of Scotland, an Anglican church, an Assembly of God, another Methodist Church, yet another Methodist church, and currently at a Baptist church. Each of these denominations have their own rules, regulations "do and don't" lists and approaches to even simple things like communion and who gets to take it when. If I had to believe in every single one of these rules and precepts - well, I'd be a bit like Sir Humphrey Appleby in Yes Minister.

I would have been for women priests and against women priests, for all receiving communion and for restricting communion to members only, kneeling for prayer and standing for prayer, sitting for singing and standing for singing, only recognising the King James Version and allowing all versions of the bible, vehemently against same-sex relationships and vehemently for them, condemning any form of trading or work on a Sunday or doing what needs to be done, etc etc etc.

Oh - and I'd be stark staring mad.

Better by far to go with what Jesus had to say on matters and worship where you feel (a) you are getting the teaching you need, (b) you feel welcome and part of the fellowship, and (c) you can test what the preacher is saying.

Why has this come to mind now? If you watch the news or read the newspaper, you may be aware of a schism which in truth has been in the Church of England for years threatening to blow wide open. It seems to be focused on a perceived "liberal bias" towards same sex relationships and homosexual church leaders, and the leadership of women as ordained priests.

I'm no expert on these matters, but I do have a view.

In the case of women priests, I challenge you to show me anywhere where Jesus says women are not allowed to be leaders. Yes, there are strictures in Mosaic law, and yes Paul did write in his letters of women misusing the role of leadership or speaking just to look important, but (a) Jesus came to fulfill and release us from Mosaic law, and (b) Paul was very supportive of women leaders who followed God's will (Priscilla and Aquilla, and Timothy's mother, come immediately to mind). It was women who misused that position of trust that were the issue. So I'm afraid I don't share their views on that one.

Homosexuality is a slightly more dodgy matter, and I hope I make this clear. I live by a simple doctrine - "Hate the sin, love the sinner". The Bible clearly teaches that this is a sinful practice - and I see no way of getting out of that one. But how can we condemn when there are things we do which are also sinful? Time and time again we are taught in the Gospels not to judge unless we are without sin - and believe me I do not fall into that category.

So while I try to accept all men as they are, I can see why the more conservative branches of the Church of England are upset. Is it enough for them to break off? I'm not sure, but then I'm not an Anglican - I'm a Christian, and Jesus accepted them as they weer while also challenging them. I hope and pray I have the openness to do the same.

Oh - and the only way religion and politics mix? There is no way unless it's in satire. Who was it who said "Christian Politics can be the most powerful force for good in the world, but a christian political party can be the most destructive?"

The Scottish Soupy Sales

2008-06-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

If you follow this link (http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tours/childrens/tourchildrens5.html) it will take you to a British Film Institute site that claims to show the 10 longest running children's programs in the UK. It's slightly out of date, but much as I hate to criticise such an august body as the BFI it has a big mistake in it.

You see, there was a program that ran from 1966 to 1992, a period of 26 years, that is not mentioned there. It can lay claim to having entertained children throughout that run, yet if you lived or grew up south of somewhere south of, say, Berwick or Carlisle the chances are you may never have heard of the show, or the person who hosted it.

North of there however, every kid knew who Glen Michael was - and I was one of them.

Glen Michael himself started out as a comedian/straight man to the likes of Ricki Fulton and Jack Milroy, and played one or two parts in films in the 40's and 50's. If you've ever seen The Blue Lamp, in the scene where George Dixon is shot he's the male half of the onlooking couple. For kids of my age, however, he was best known for Glen Michael's Cartoon Cavalcade, a Sunday afternoon television staple of our youth.

In the title, I call him the Scottish Soupy Sales, and again that's as obscure a reference as you can get. If you have a minute, go and peruse this site - http://www.povonline.com/cols/COL018.htm - then come back here. I'll wait.

All right? Cartoon Cavalcade was a simple idea - Glen linking a number of cartoons with characters such as Paladin, his talking oil lamp, Rusty and Rudy his dogs, and the occasional guest star. By all accounts it should not have worked - but it did and it held me fascinated.

Maybe it was the cartoons he showed - not the Warner Brothers classics (although they did crop up) nor was it the Hanna-Barbera or DePatie-Frelang classics. These were the ones that were then staples of Saturday Morning television in the US. Things like Space Ghost (sorry, SPPAAACE GHOOOSSTTTT!!), Atom Ant, Teen Titans, Aquaman, the Bakshi Spider-Man, even Jonny Quest. When people ask why I took the moniker of The Culture Vulture, one of the reasons I can cite is the fact that Glen opened my eyes to what was going on with animation at the time. Even if they were introduced by his disembodied head posing as the Space Guardian...

As I say, the show was an institution from the moment it started in 1966. Certainly my earliest memory of it would be 1967, watching in it my parent's house as they packed to move to our new home. Sunday afternoon on Scottish Television for many years would be a black and white film, ScotSport, Cartoon Cavalcade and The Golden Shot. The skits between the cartoons were probably nothing to write home about, but if your name was read out when it was your birthday it was a rare treat. During the 1980's he also took the show on the road to schools in Scotland - my younger sister appeared in one or two TV specials, as her primary school was the location for filming some of them.

The show was taken off the screen in 1992, and Glen Michael entered a kind of retirement where he occasionally appeared on screen. I remember seeing him in one Taggart story based around a theatrical agent, complete with Paladin in hand. He also did some radio shows, but I believe these days is mostly to be seen in his home town of Ayr just enjoying life.

Chances are he will never see this brief piece, but I just wanted to say thank you, Glen Michael, for the way you helped to shape my childhood.

The Elephant Looms Larger

2008-06-24T04:10:00.000-07:00

and the knot in the pit of the stomach gets bigger.

Doreen had a call today from her nurse - the date for her operation has been set for 15th July. Before that takes place, however, she needs to have a preliminary biopsy of her lymph nodes to ensure that the cancer had not become invasive.

This is our biggest fear - that because of the delays in getting tests done and co-ordinating calendars for consultants, the bloody thing has changed its character and began to spread out. If all is clear, then the operation proceeds as planned. If not, then we have the prospect of further treatment and possible delays to any reconstructive surgery.

Having that date fixed in my mind, however, has perversely removed one of my huge fears. For whatever reason, I am one of those people who work best with fixed deadlines and targets. Doreen isn't, but I am - one of those opposites attract things. Knowing when something is going to happen makes it easier to deal with than the big "How long is it going to be" and the unknown nature of such a statement.

A friend of mine put it best - Just take each day for now as it comes. Thank you for letting me share each of these days with you.