Yet More Floods - and Worse to Come

This is a picture of Newbury Station - passed to me by a friend. Between the two platforms can be dimly seen the tracks of the mainline between London Paddington and the West Country. I lived in the Newbury area for much of the 1970s. I don't recall the station being flooded during my time there. There are some very strange features to the weather this year. At the moment its raining again in London and the surge in water around Oxford should be continuing down the Thames to reach London about midday on Wednesday. Should I be panic buying in Tesco's by now? I don't think I could cope with now mains electricity or water for a week or more - how they are coping in Cheltenham, Upton, Tewkesbury and Gloucester?

Hope it stops raining soon and the rivers go down as soon as possible. Meanwhile can we really blame the government for lack of preparedness, after all it has rained the equivalent of month in a few hours, and no flood barriers could have coped.

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The Letter - Somerset Maugham

Starring Jenny Seagrove and Anthony Andrews at Wyndham's Theatre in Leicester Square. Firstly I'll mention that the theatre was pleasant and intimate, good leg room (always important) although there are so many stairs!

Now, Somerset Maugham is another underated playwright, probably because he appears, superficially to be of his time and class - forever writing about colonial situations - and from the perspective of the 1980s and 90s appearing old fashioned and racist. However, now that we're in the twenty first century attitudes to him and his work have changed - I wrote a bit about this in my film review of 'The Painted Veil' another adaptation of a Somerset Maugham novel. (Go to my complete profile and look at the bottom for the films blog, and go through my archives). Here again we're in the Far East - this time in Malaya. It opens with a death - the Jenny Seagrove character (played by Bette Davis in the film version) has shot Geoff Hammond - six times. She explains that the man had tried to rape her and she shot him in her determination to protect herself. Her husband was away in Singapore for a few days. Anthony Andrews plays the lawyer brought in to defend her - although the British colonial view is that the man was a cad and a bounder and any right thinking white man would support the 'plucky girl' who used a gun to 'shoot the bounder like a dog'. This view is re-enforced when it is found that Geoff Hammond has been living with a Chinese girl - clearly he had broken every possible rule, and was possibly insane, with lust and passion. Naturally things are not quite as they seem - a letter is found which casts a totally different light on things, and Anthony Andrews decides to buy the note to prevent his client from going to the gallows, and to protect her husband from scandal.

Maugham is examining the relationship between the rulers and the ruled, attitudes to race and class. Maugham never portrays the native populations as unintelligent or quiescent. They behave with dignity, amusement and ridicule the foolishness of their colonial masters. The writer is also looking at the lack of comprehension in marriage - Jenny Seagrove's husband clearly knows nothing about his wife - her feelings and emotions. Anthony Andrews too underestimates his Chinese Clerk's cleverness. He is examining relationships and moods in a tightly knit isolated community where the superficial social norms hide depths of passions. Social convention is hideously stultifying.

The acting in this play was excleent - the minor characters were especially good - even the silent servants (the houseboys who overheard the conversations, and watched the behaviour of their masters with wonderful expressions). Jenny Seagrove was outstanding, as she wheedled her way through Anthony Andrews defences to save her own skin. Anthony Andrews' delivery was bizarre in places, and I almost became irritated as he barked out his lines, but overall a memorable performance. If you think you'll know this if you've seen the film - this play doesn't end in the same way.

I enjoyed this play and it deserves a rating of 8/10

Changes at the Top?

One interesting 'new' feature of the Brown government is that announcements of government policy appear to be now being made directly to Parliament. Why is this new? Well for many years the habit had developed that a new policy would be heavily trailed in the press on TV and radio. This would be followed by the 'speech' being released to the media. There would be inevitable appearance of the appropriate minister or spokesman on the 'Today' programme, GMTV, all channels for Breakfast news programmes, 'Woman's Hour', 'The World At One', The Jeremy Vine Programme, The Daily Politics, and then by the time everyone had gone through the entire thing it would be announced in the House of Commons to about three MPs. John Denham made a statement to MPs without this usual preliminary distribution, and now ministers are telling John Humphreys 'I can't discuss this before I make the announcement to Parliament'. Excellent stuff. Gordon Brown then made a summer statement outlining what may well go into the Queen's Speech to allow some discussion before the Bills are drawn up. Sounds like a step forward to me. I'm also pleased to hear that the idea of the Supercasino may well be dead. Good for you Gordon. He's not likely to be so chummy with George Bush either.

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Amir Khan's Victory

Now I'm not a great fan of boxing (nor of any sport really) but there is something interesting about young talented boxer Amir Khan.

I think most people were disappointed that he 'went professional' instead of going on with an amateur career that would have led to a British medal at the Beijing Olympics.

However, it was good to see him win his first major professional title last evening - and at a local arena as well (well local to me that is!)

I wonder if his popularity stems from his quiet confidence, but somewhat modest behaviour, and the fact that he somehow epitomises the belief that hard work, focus and politeness can still achieve greatness. Is it true that only the bad guys are winners? Amir Khan seems to disprove the assertion.

Passendale

Today there were ceremonies to mark the 90th Anniversary of the Battle of Passendale. The Queen went to the biggest of all the British Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemeteries, Tyne Cot (pictured above). Over twenty years ago I went to this battlefield and the memory of the seemingly endless rows of simple headstones is so moving. Looking at the ages of many of those commemorated - those who died in this terrible of battles is hard to bear. Worse still is the huge wall containing the names of those who died, but whose remains have never been found or identified. When a previous royal visit went to this cemetery 85 years ago he declared it to be one of the most compelling arguments against war - and in favour of peace.

BBC in trouble

So the BBC showed a film which seemed to show that the Queen 'stormed out' of a photo session with an American photographer as a result of being told that her outfit was 'too dressy' (mmm crown, garter robes, various regal orders - too dressy?) and had to change her dress two or three times. This wasn't quite the reality. Oh dear! BBC apologises again.

Great British Victory

For the first time in 20 years a British tennis player has won a Wimbledon Championship. At last we have a tennis victory to celebrate.

Lets not be too carping and say that Jamie Murray needed foreign assistance to achieve victory - lets just rejoice at the fact that a British player can be pictured holding up a trophy!

Perhaps it is all the more sweet because it was unexpected. I'm sure Mr Murray is a good player - but he isn't as well known as his brother - who this year failed to even make the first round. Well done Jamie!

Floods in Hull

Now there is something very strange about this summer's weather. Hull has been especially badly hit by floods, and it seems like it will take months for things to get back to almost normal. There is talk about schools being unable to open for six months or more. I find this very strange - there were terrible floods in Carlisle last year and they seemed to recover fairly quickly. I suspect there will be fundamental difficulties with repairs and construction work, lack of proper insurance cover, and costs of course. However, constant bleating over lack of government money isn't going to help anyone. What is required is a bit more organisation and leadership.

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The New Leadership

I have to say I'm immensely pleased that Harriet Harman is to be the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party - my votes obviously made the difference!

On the other hand it now seems very unlikely that she will be Deputy Prime Minister - a job made unique and filled uniquely by John Prescott, who will also stand down on Wednesday. I think Harriet will be the real link to the Labour Party and will help Gordon Brown to get the kind of support from activists that might just about win Labour another term of office. Harriet's campaign was interesting - supporting the achievements of Blair government but admitting the failures - especially over Iraq. She might just about have convinced the hardcore Labour membership that things will get even better over the next couple of years - and without these people to pound the streets to get the vote out then we will end up with a Conservative government.

Gordon Brown needs to do one or two dramatic things in the next month - rather like the liberation of the Bank of England, to quickly stamp his individual mark on the country's consciousness.

Royal Festival Hall

Maybe it isn't great architecture, but there is something wonderful about the Royal Festival Hall. Opened on 3rd June 1951 it is almost exactly my age, and I've been to see many events within these so typically 1950s walls.

It is has just re-opened after a £90 million refit - and so much of the original has been retained, I'm pleased to say. This is really quite a homey building for one so large - and now the neighbouring 1960s/1970s brutalist buildings that surround it almost blend in.

Set beside the Thames it boasts some of the loveliest views of London, and at this time of the year it is a view that rivals any in the world.

Big Brother

There really is something badly wrong with Channel 4 television. Not only do they continue with the appalling Big Brother for most of the day, they propose to show an unsavoury programme about the death of Princess Diana including insensitive pictures in the tunnel where she died. This is 'in the public interest' we're told - but not according to her sons.

How about boycotting this channel - and telling them that you've given up watching anything they produce?

The Rose Tattoo - Tennessee Williams

I went to see the play at the National Theatre. It has a vast cast but the star is Zoe Wanamaker. The cast numbers 35 and includes a chorus of women, a further chorus of children, and a goat (totally live) comes on twice! The set was excellent too - a revolving wooden cabin used to great effect.
The play is not the usual moody Tennessee Williams. It is a vehicle for a tour de force performance by Ms Wanamake. A story about a Scicilian woman in the deep south of the United States who believes she has the perfect husband and a perfect marriage. Naturally this is not true, as she discovers when her husband is killed in suspicious circumstances. She keeps his urn of ashes in front of a shrine to St Mary. A devout, if not fanatical Catholic she believes in miracles (including the appearance of a tattoo of a rose just like the one her husband used to sport at critical moments). After becoming a widow her grief drives her to bizarre behaviour and she cossets her daughter to prevent her falling into sin.
Really this is a stary of delusion - she refuses to accept her husband's infidelity, that her daughter has grown up, that the rose tattoo did not appear at the moment of her daughter's conception, etc.
Zoe is superb, her accent wonderful, and many of the supporting cast are excellent, but some have trouble with the accent - it veers from sub cockney to godfather Italian, New York Jewish to West Coast Hollywood - sometimes in the same sentence!
This was a theatrical occassion - and probably the performance of Zoe's life - she must be exhausted as she is on stage for almost all of the three hours.
My rating: 9/10

Gant's Hill Tube Station

I had reason to pass through Gant's Hill tube station - on the Central line. This is one of those

beautiful 1930s design London Underground Stations - this one by Charles Holden and the barrel vaulting illustrated here is supposed to be inspired by the Moscow Metro stations. (Although having seen the Moscow stations, this isn't nearly as luxurious). There is something tremendously satisfying about these structures. The architecture makes travelling more of an experience. This particular station has a special history. Begun in 1939 work was abandoned with the outbreak of war. However, when a nearby Ilford Aircraft and Munitions factory was damaged it was decided to use the existing tunnels linking Gant's Hill with neighbouring stations as not only an air raid shelter (like many others) but as a manufacturing centre. A railway was introduced and hundreds of people worked away throughout the bombing burrowed away underground. The line finally opened for passengers in 1953.

Signs of Aging

I was listening to 'Loose Ends' on Radio 4 this evening and I was shocked to hear that Marc Almond (famous for Tainted Love) is going to be 50 shortly. This really bothers me - I will always imagine he is just over 20 - but then I'm always surprised to find out that people are my age - I think I look vastly younger than them. Is this just distortion of thought?

Bank Charges

Now I realise that the banks do not have a good reputation and I'm sure some of the charges they are making to their customers appear both excessive and unfair. However, I do think that

there should be some way to ensure that a small number of customers do not totally ignore the agreement they made when they opened their account. Those who
REGULARLY go either overdrawn or flout their overdraft limit should be penalised. Perhaps a seven day

warning should be issued telling those errant customers what they will be charged if they continue above their limit. Equally if you go overdrawn one day and are unaware of the fact banks should not levy a daily charge making the situation worse. I would not be happy though if banks were unable to make any charges to these rogue customers who ignore limits - and then charging the rest of us 'good customers'.

The Bizarre World of Anthony Steen MP

The Totnes MP was in a hurry to catch a train recently and couldn't find a parking space, so he parked in a bay set aside for blue badge holders. He left his car there for THREE DAYS.

Mr Steen was fined for the illegal use of this facility. He is now complaining that the 'handicapped' are given far too many perks, and there shouldn't be so many spaces left for blue badge holders. As a blue badge holder I am really annoyed by the widespread misuse of the badges and the bays set aside for drivers with disabilities. I quite regularly turn up at a shopping centre or town centre car park to find most or all spaces taken - including the 'disabled' bays - and those occupying these bays often do not display a blue badge. I find walking very hard, and often I see people with wheelchairs unable to go to a blue badge bay because they are occupied by seemingly able bodied drivers without a blue badge. Mr Steen is really not setting a very good example - he clearly doesn't realise how hard it is to obtain a legitimate blue badge.

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