For some, this weekend is a time of quiet reflection on the past year. Hilary Mantel, a remarkable author, has died. Monday saw the greatest televised pageantry ever as HM Queen Elizabeth was finally laid to rest next to her beloved Philip, and a mourning nation now looks forward to the coronation of King Charles III next summer. The king must learn to modernise the monarchy, and our new PM faces a mammoth task on all fronts. Already, the chancellor has evoked controversy this week with his mini-budget. If ever there was a budget to infuriate left-wingers, it was this one, seemingly giving to the rich more than to the poor. For right-wingers, though, it was clear: bolster companies to create national growth, which would then trickle down to the rest of us. Trouble is, if we pander too much to socialism, you end up like the eastern bloc, where everyone’s poor except for the top tier of society. The answer, of course, is to keep to the middle ground. Like Mantel’s Cromwell, life is forever fraught, trying to keep the wolf from the door. For me, I’m sticking to our late queen’s wise words: keep calm and carry on.
18th September 2022
The lying in State for our late Queen has been historic and peaceful. A truth has become evident: countries with a monarchy are less likely to mount an unprovoked attack on another nation. The monarch is the Head of State, with the ultimate power to overrule the prime minister of the day, should it be necessary. So, if the public, in a fit of zeal, vote in as prime minister a person who lets this new power go to his/her head, beware. Not everyone can cope with the sudden rush of power and glory. In some people, this can create a feeling of self-importance and superiority. What a pity that Germany didn’t have a monarchy in 1933, when the people voted in a man (Hitler) to provide them with jobs for the masses. Little did they know he would soon become a megalomaniac, a crisis a monarchy could have stopped. And, in the US, a monarch would have stopped the attacks at the Capitol building. A monarchy is an essential extra layer against anarchy. In complete contrast, let’s remember the wonderful legacy of Elizabeth, who showed the world, by example, how to be humble.
10-11th September 2022
RIP Queen Elizabeth II.
4th September 2022
In 1969 an important event happened. No, not the moon landing, but the birth of our first child. And what a roller coaster it was. After months of all-day sickness whilst still working, often enduring bus rides home where I had to stand all the way, then walk home half a mile away, somehow I survived. And then the 18 hour labour without pain killers or anyone recommending a caesarian. But our new baby girl miraculously survived, a healthy and robust nine and a half pounds. Fast forward to 2022, where we’ve just spent a wonderful two weeks together in Maine. We had such a good time, swimming in the lake opposite her home, and, along with son Jonathan, eating out at so many restaurants. I recall our girlie visit to the beauty salon. Such a treat for Julie and I to do something together, just the two of us, whilst L went on a trip with George to Owl’s Head to look at a motor museum. And at work, she’s just been promoted to Vice-President at a big insurance company. Back in 1969, holding her in my arms, I could never have imagined she’d do so well. We are very proud of you, Julie. Over the moon. Happy birthday!
28th August 2022
I feel as if we’re living in a dystopian world, a society bereft of reason. More and more threats of doom from the media. When, two years ago, news of the virus broke, governments everywhere went crazy. National leaders, flanked by senior scientific officers, were pictured nightly on our screens, fingers pointed - Lord-Kitchener-like - at the gullible public: “You MUST stay home!”. But, how can you hide from an invisible virus? And surely the virus would still be there when we poked our quivering noses outside the door? Police everywhere were marshalled to arrest all who disobeyed. In France, everyone had to carry a document at all times, justifying why they’d had the temerity to venture out. We MUST get vaccinated every 3 months for ever more. OH has just received 6 sheets of hospital pre-op papers, five of which detail stringent rules about Covid; hardly anything about his actual op. And now a different mayhem. No-one, on pain of death, can use a hosepipe, despite the rain now falling unceasingly, and soon we’ll have no fuel at all! And workers are all on strike demanding more money - not for what they ‘do’ but for what they ‘need’. Come back George Orwell. All is forgiven.
21st August 2022
On Thursday, this year’s 18 year old UK students received their A-level and new T-level results. In the 1980s, following my own schooling in a grammar-technical school, I sent a letter to the then Minister for Education, Sir Keith Joseph. I knew, even then, that instead of having purely-academic qualifications it would be better to also offer high-level technical/apprenticeships’ training - each on an equal footing. Children, I wrote, should be allowed to choose at 11, with the possibility to switch at 14, which educational route they wanted. As expected, there was no reply. In the following years I found myself working in university admissions. My favourite job of all time was on A-level results day when I, personally, had the pleasure of giving good news over the phone to anxious students who often had just missed their required grades. I can still hear the excitement as they and their families could be heard, crying with joy that they’d been given a university place. However, these days, far too many students are pushed towards university, when clearly they’d have been better suited taking much-needed apprenticeships. As a result, A-level standards have dropped accordingly to accommodate them all. But now, with the new T-levels allied to industry, I see hope for the future.
14th August 2022
Big Brother has moved in. Paranoia is building. Last night, whilst I was nowhere near my iphone, it started talking to me “I’m sorry; I didn’t catch that…”. Also, whilst typing a text or on Whatsapp, suddenly an audio graph appears and my iphone - all on its own - starts to type my private conversations about the person I’m contacting!! TG I didn’t hit the Send arrow! How did it all start? I learned to touch type in 1963 on the very latest Imperial 70 typewriter. It was wonderful. But, then came the fax machine, followed by a mysterious concept called email. Everyone said it’d never catch on. An old secretary, just before retirement, was absolutely perplexed with the new AppleMac machine and was caught using her beloved Tippex on the screen! But, unlike her, I had to learn how to use it, then a BBC computer, which was essentially a monitor attached to a loud, electronic typewriter, complete with noise-reducing cover. Rather like the teleprinter on old TV sports programmes, it clanked along each row of the document. This then got surpassed by the PC. Fast forward to today. Everyone’s got a smart phone. The clock of technology brings yet more ‘innovations’. Tik tok I hear you say?
