From Yorkshire: Part 2

Now based at our hotel , The Traddock, in Austwick, which is a few miles from Settle.
Yesterday after getting up we walked to Hardcastle Crags near Hebden Bridge, About 5 miles up a river valley and then back along a ridge - with a break at Gibson's Mill. We had a rather delicious Eccles Cake beween us.

Then on to the hotel to arrive late - too late for dinner.

Today we were out and about. A drive over the hills to Hawes, a wander around and then a 5 miler based on Aysgarth. A good walk but we were both knackered at the end of it, not through the exertion but because of life. Off then to Castle Bolton, where Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned. A gem of a castle. I don't think we've seen a castle with the rooms quite so complete. The drive back to the hotel took us via Malham through some beautifully wild country.

A great place to spend time. And an excellent dinner to look forward to!

From Yorkshire: Part 1

It's 9.20am and we are still in bed! We are at Malcolm and Jan's for a couple of nights before heading a little further north for 4 nights. Yesterday was blighted by my having a bout of food poisoning which resulted in my staying in bed most of the day. Not very pleasant. Must remember to always wash grapes before I eat them!

Long time no blog!

It's been a long while since I put anything on this blog. I really ought to decide whether or not it is worth continuing with it. Is tonight the night that I will add something? 'Fraid not.

Time for a catch up #1

No blog for a couple of weeks so I thought it was time for a catch up. What's been occurring?
Well, the LibDemCon coalition is bedding in. All noise and not too much action at the moment but, I don't think anybody is in any doubt that there will be pain to come. Micheal Gove has announced the formation of school academies - doesn't sound like a particularly good idea to me but I don't know the details of what is planned. More to come.

Have been on a couple of good walks recently. The first was with Richard's Ramblers, a circular route from Bickleigh along the Plym Valley Trail down to Plym Bridge and then back along the river. Great weather and a great walk. The second walk was along the Tamar from New Bridge in Gunnislake down to Morwellham Quay and back. Much to my surprise, the tea shop at the Quay was open! A delightful walk and one well worth doing again.

Off to South Wales to drop Ellen off, quick birthday party and then back home to expect Laura and Barry for a few days. Busy, busy, busy.

A walk along the Dart Estuary

A good day today with a walk along the Dart Estuary. Started at Dartmouth, boat trip to Greenaway (home of Agatha Christie - not very interesting), a walk back to Kingsweir and then a boat back to Dartmouth. With John, Rosy and Lol. A good time was had by all. And Rosy bought us all an ice cream at Dartmouth when we finished!

Tears before bedtime?

The deal has been done and today was the first day of the new Conservative/Liberal Democratic Coalition government. At the moment all is sweetness and light, as it should be. The new policies they have negotiated have been announced and clearly show the compromises that both sides have had to make to reach agreement. The devil is in the detail and it will be interesting to see how words are translated into action. There are a few things that immediately struck me. The first was the scrapping of the ID Card proposal: hooray. The second was stopping the children of immigrants under investigation being detained in Yarlswood Prison: hooray. The third was the absence of any commitment to remove the ban on fox hunting: hooray. There seems to be some substance in the areas of civil liberties and the environment. Of course, the whole agreement is riddled with ambiguous and essentially meaningless statements. As I said earlier, the devil is in the detail. My opinion? I'll reserve my judgement and give them all a chance to show what they can do. But I can't help remembering what my grandmother used to say: "there'll be tears before bedtime".

Turning now to the losers, today the first candidate in the leadership contest threw his hat into the ring. David Milliband has said that he would stand. It will be interesting to see how he intends to take the Labour party forward. I have a feeling that he is not going to take the party in the direction I would like. Will someone more to the left of the party emerge as a runner? John Cruddas, for example? It's obvious that the coalition occupies the middle ground and Labour (is it still New Labour?) will have to think very carefully about where it positions itself. How about to the left? Now there's a novel thought for a so-called socialist party!

PS: Excellent leaving speech given by Gordon Brown yesterday. If only he had shown this side of his character more often.

And so it continues!

What a day! It started out with the deal between Tory Dave and Libbo Clegg looking as if it was going to go ahead and then Gordon announces two things. Firstly, that he was taking the early bath and, secondly, that Libbo Clegg had asked that formal talks between them started. Where will it all end? As I right both Labour and the Tories are increasing what they are prepared to offer the Lib Dems for their hand. A veritable bidding war. Perhaps Libbo Clegg is playing one side against the other. Perhaps he's not. As I read it at the moment, anything could happen. I find it hard to believe that Tory Dave would allow the glittering prize to slip from his grasp easily. Equally, I find it hard to believe that Laboutr will not go down fighting. Watching the news channels is quite amusing. It is clear that nobody knows what is going on and nobody knows how it will end. All descends to speculation and clutching at whatever straws of information are blowing in the wind. I don't think that this horse trading can last much longer or else it will become farcical. I think that by the end of tomorrow it will all be much clearer.

Bah, humbug - that'll larn me!

I've yet to make any comments about the aftermath of the General Election and do not intend devoting much time to it now. The deliberations/horse trading are still going on between the Tories and the Lib Dems. The way it looks now is that they will come to some sort of accommodation and I suppose the only surprise will lie in what the details are. Poor old Gordon looks on the way out. There's no chance that he'll end up negotiating with Clegg as I'm sure that he (Clegg) is too far on the hook with Posh Dave. I don't think Gordon will last until the end of the month before he resigns or is 'encouraged' to leave.
At one level, a very interesting time for those who like politics. And I'd count myself in this group but my over-riding emotion is one of disappointment. Disappointed that the one time I vote Lib Dem (to keep the Tories out), I find that I've probably helped to get the Tories in! Woe is me and that will teach me to vote with my head rather than my heart.

Yet more drivel!

Britain's Got Talent. More tosh but tosh with a cruel edge to it. Putting no hopers on TV really is the pits. Why I am watching it? 'Cos I'm at my mum's and she has the remote control!

Drivel drivel, drivel!

Have caught a few minutes of an awful programme - Over the Rainbow. What absolute tosh. No more on it from me.

We live in interesting times...........if you support the Lib Dems!

Both the TV news and the paper press are full of the way in which the fortunes of the Lib Dems have changed in the aftermath of the first debate. Nick Clegg is the new political pin-up boy, with poor old Gordon being relegated to third position. The polls are fairly variable but the trend is clear - Lib Dem gain at the expense of Labour. What will it mean for the rest of the campaigning? Clearly both Labour and the Tories will take the Lib Dem threat more seriously and will start shooting at them with whatever ammunition they will be able to trawl up. There's a long time to go to May 6th and if Nick Clegg performs less well in the remaining debates, all of this excitement might very well make no discernible difference when voters are in the booth. Which other party stands to lose the most from the Lib Dem 'bounce'? If I were David Cameron, I'd be concerned that the floating voters might see the Lib Dems as a reasonable home for their votes and cause me problems in the marginals. If I were Gordon Brown, I'd be thinking the same. There's no question that Labour are not popular, but then neither are the Tories. Perhaps those who would have put a peg on their nose Eand voted Tory will now feel that they can vote Lib Dem peg-free!

Election Debate #1

I managed to watch most of the first debate between the leaders of the three main parties last night. Political history was being made, or so we were told. Unfortunately, although it may have met this criterion, it was not a vehicle for incisive presentation of policies or for finding out anything really new. Upon reflection, that is a very personal view and probably does not apply to everyone who watched it. I regard myself as reasonably politically informed and, perhaps, the less informed would have learnt something about Nick Clegg. Given his normally low profile, it may have come as a surprise to many that he was quite sensible. The common wisdom seems to be that Clegg 'won' the debate. I agree with that and, although Gordon didn't do too badly, his seriousness is a definate handicap. It will be interesting to see how he performs in the rest of the series.

Amnesty AGM 2010

A very full and very interesting day at the Amnesty 2010 AGM. Wide ranging sessions with good debate - all conducted in a spirit of cooperation. It really is good to see so many young people, not just university students but also pupils from Years 10 -13. And they weren't just listening, they were taking a full part in all the activities. Too much detail to go into here and it's sufficient to say that the Amnesty candle is burning bright.

The day finished with an activity outdoors (and the weather was kind) protesting against Shell's activities in the Niger Delta. Accompanied by Nigerian drummers and a display of torches. I found it all rather poignant - 600 people in the middle of the UK united in solidarity trying to help fellow human beings in another continent.

Two posts on one day!

Another post on April 9th but this time from Warwick University. Typical student accommodation but not too bad. The AI conference really starts in ernest tomorrow. Today's events were really just for information rather than knowledge.
A different crowd to the Spring Harvest attendees at Minehead. The AI lot are, in the main, a lot more casual and there are no families around. Human Rights activism is definately an adult pastime. There is a very good spread of ages, with many students from school groups. It's great to see them getting involved. More on the AGM in later posts but now I'm going to read the formal papers for tomorrow's sessions.

Nothing to report.......

...............but trying to get back into the habit of posting to the blog more regularly. Still at Spring Harvest in Minehead but due to depart for the Amnesty AGM at Warwick University soon. Should be a 3 hour drive and I'll have my i-pod to keep me company on the way!
Electioneering is well underway and I really will have to mention this at some stage. But not today.
The sun is shining and I think we can safely assume that winter is behind us.

Who'd have thought it? Me at Spring Harvest!

Gosh, has it really been almost 6 weeks since I posted a blog? Double gosh, am I really sending this post from Butlin's at Minehead? Jan and I are attending Spring Harvest - me physically rather than spiritually. Jan both! It will be interesting to observe what happens.

Much ado about nothing

Another Sunday and another day pottering about. Dai and family with us and it's always good to have the grandchildren around. But that's not what I'm going to blog about today.

I thought I ought to mention, rather belatedly, the Gordon Brown/Piers Morgan programme. I watched it whilst we were on holiday. I'm not sure that this would have been the case if we'd been at home. I'm not a fan of Piers Morgan; neither am I are fan of his style of lightweight interviewing. Added to this is the fact that, with the General Election looming, any interview with a leading politician is going to an exercise in PR. So, against this background, what did I think of it? Piers Morgan was a prat who made sure that proceedings were kept at a superficial level. Gordon Brown was not asked any really probing questions and was given the opportunity to to show his 'human face'. Yes, he is a family man; yes, he had a personal tragedy in the loss of a daughter; yes, he has a temper; yes, his wife shed tears and looked lovingly in turns when in camera shot. So, nothing revealing really. What will be the result? Probably not a lot. I don't think that the Great British Public will be swayed by one programme like this and it still leaves Gordon Brown and New Labour with a hard task. Of course, I could be wrong. I hope so because I think a Conservative win is not going to be good for the poor of this country.

Back home again - hooray!

The last week's stay in the cottage near Exmoor scored points for being with our good friends but lost points because of the very poor condition of the cottage. Certainly not the cleanest or best equipped that we've had. We won't be going there again!

It snowed so much yesterday that we could not get out to where we intended to go in the morning. We managed it in the afternoon. This morning it was up, pack and away and, luckily, we managed to leave as the snow came down again. It is nice to be back home in somewhere warm and clean!

I'll try and remember to write about the Brown's Tears episode soon. Maybe also Tiger Wood's apology to the world. But not now.

From a pub car park!

We are away this week staying in a less-than-luxurious cottage on the edge of Exmoor. The weather is variable - at the moment a fair bit of sleet is coming down. Mobile 'phone reception in this part of the world is pretty bad and I'm entering this blog by hacking into the wireless network of the local pub. Such are the wonders of modern technology! I still find it amazing that I can be sitting in my car with a piece of plastic on my lap and communicate with the rest of the world.

This is neither the time nor the place for a lengthy entry as typing in such a limited space is somewhat awkward. I just wanted to enter something because I could and to indulge in marvelling about the fact that I could!

I'm not a slave to blogging.

And that's why there's nothing else from me today.

As I went down to the woods today....

A short walk in Excelsior Woods this afternoon. A crisp, clear day and a pleasure to be out and about, albeit for only an hour or so. And what did I see?

I saw my first frogspawn of the year.

I saw the tunnel of the old Excelsior Mine.

I saw the warning sign and did not go in - not because I obeyed orders but because I did not have my wellies and the water looked deeper than my boots could cope with!

I saw an old wheelpit, probably driven by water coming in at the top. In fact, an overshot waterwheel.
I saw a flooded mineshaft. How deep I could not guess.
I saw that my car was stuck in the mud and I had to wait for a sweet lady to help me out (she put the car in reverse and I pushed..........or was it vice versa?!)

And so ended a very pleasant afternoon.

Some words on reality television shows

Prurient, contrived, trivial, infantile, boring...............'nuff said?

Doesn't that take the biscuit?

In a previous post I wallowed in nostalgia and mentioned Newport County. Out of curiosity I looked at the position of the team in the Football League today. They are now in the Blue Square South League and, surprise, surprise, they are at the top with a lead of some 15 points. Heady stuff indeed. In my days, the team's nickname was 'The Ironsides'. Apparently this came from their association with a steel town. Nowadays, they are known as 'The Exiles', after the fact that they had to play at Moreton-in- the Marsh in Gloucestershire in the aftermath of their ejection from Division 4 back in the late '80s. It would give me no small pleasure to see them promoted and, who knows, work towards regaining full league status.

Whilst looking for the County's table, I noticed that the lowest league is called the Zamaretto League. My heart skipped a beat when I thought I'd stumbled across a new sponsoring strategy - naming leagues after biscuits. I was looking forward to the Garibaldi League or the Chocolate Bourbon League or the Chocolate Hobnob League. Then it occured to me that I was getting confused with the almond flavoured confectionary joy of Italy, amaretti. Zamaretto, or so their website informs the world, is a brand of multi-coloured drinks based on amaretto. Not quite as exciting as being named after a biscuit. I wonder what lead to the sponsors thinking that being linked with such a lowly league was a good commercial ploy?

What I saw from my window today (07/02/2010)

I seem to have spent more time than normal looking out of the window today. There was no particular reason for this as it was an ordinary sort of day: a damp and misty sort of day: a still and early Spring sort of day.
What was interesting about the view was the number of goldfinches and greenfinches I could see. Both birds are regular visitors to the feeders but it was unusual to see so many. There was a flock of about 20 goldfinches and perhaps 4 pairs of greenfinches. The colours of both are surprisingly bright when viewed through the binoculars. They were feeding on the niger seeds which have been there for several months without attracting them in these sorts of numbers. From the birds' point of view, what was different about today? Was the treasure trove a new discovery for them? Has their normal supply of food got scarcer? Did they just fancy a few black seeds for breakfast?

So that's the current rugby season finished

The current 6 Nations Rugby Championship got underway today with a resounding defeat of Wales by England. My interest in the season is now at an end. As long as I can remember, I've always held the view that as long as England gets beaten, the fate of Wales is almost immaterial. A win is great but a defeat can always be rationalised to acceptability. This was the view of everyone in 'my' part of South Wales and some 60 years on I still choose to hold to it.

I'm not a great sports fan and have little time for the professional sports celebrity. I think they are over-paid and over-indulged, particulalry footballers. Consider the antics of John Terry, or rather, let's not consider the antics of John Terry. Let's ignore him completely and pass on to the days when I did actually did enjoy professional football.

When did it all end? When the team I supported, Newport County, was relegated from thefourth division of the Football League. That would be around 1980. Until then, I'd visited Somerton Park on a regular basis and can remember getting vaguely excited at the prospect of watching a match there. A wonderfully basic ground, nestling 'twixt railway line and glue factory. Railway sleepers formed the terrace and the single grandstand was grand in name only. It seems so very old fashioned now. Old fashioned and very nostgalgic.

And this might be the only time I blog about sport!

What's occuring?

I see that I've had a week off from the wonderful world of the Blog. Why? No particular reason. Just ordinary life getting in the way.
So, what's been occuring? The Iraq enquiry rumbles on with Tony Blair and Claire Short both giving evidence. Blair's performance was a masterpiece of self-justification and a demonstration of why people voted for him so many times. A great pity, therefore, that very few people believed what he had to say! Claire Short, on the other hand, was rather shrill and her 'evidence' was equally self-serving. She has the advantage, however, of being very believable. I found myself wondering what Blair would have had to say to get people to believe him. Probably only a full confession along the lines of "I got it all wrong and lied, lied, lied" would have sufficed. There was no prospect of getting that or anything that approached contrition. Were we witness to his final performance at this level? Will his credibility in the UK ever recover?
The next phase of the Haitian disaster is in full swing. Rescue is over and we are now into recovery. It's still a big, big mess and on a scale that is totally beyond my comprehension. Sadly, it is now slipping down the news schedules and, I predict, this time next week it will be barely mentioned.P

Rearranging the deckchairs.

Two things on my mind today. Not true - lots of things on my mind today and not all of them about politics. But I'm only going to comment about my thoughts political.

An interesting editorial in The Guardian today made this observation about the way the parties are conducting themselves thus far in the false war before the General Election is officially called. According to The Guardian, yesterday's politicking could be summarised as "Everyone stuck to the script. Everyone was critical of everyone else. No-one said anything new. No wonder voters are unimpressed." A pretty depressing view at a particularly important time. We face a hugely important choice this spring. The size and role of the state may be about to change. The economy must be rebuilt. Voters know it but are they in the mood to do something about it?

The answer to the last question could be "no". Results of a national poll conducted by the National Centre for Social Research have been released today. What do they tell us? The survey suggests that the number of people who felt a pressing need to vote in general elections was declining. Some 56% of those questioned thought it was "everyone's duty to vote" - down from 68% in 1991. This fell to 41% among the under-35s. Meanwhile, 32% of people said they had "not much" or "no interest" in politics. The report's co-author, Sarah Butt, said: "Low turnout has been a feature of recent elections with just 61% of people turning out to vote in 2005. The decline in civic duty means it is possible that, regardless of whether the next election provides voters with a clear choice between parties or a more closely fought contest, we could again see large sections of the population remaining at home on election day."

My response to this is "no surprise there". And what are our politicians going to do about it all? Just rearrange the deckchairs on the Titanic!

A relaxed day

A nice relaxed day today. First, off to the Old School to have a cup of tea before the preparations for the Haiti Brunch start in ernest. The usual 'suspects' were already hard at it. Breakfasts will be served from 10-12 and then a light lunch from 12-2. I wonder how much money will be raised?
In the afternoon, we visited the aquarium in Plymouth with Ellen. I don't think she was really in the mood for it and we did not do the various exhibits justice. We'll have to go back on our own and spend more time.
In the evening I tackled my tax return on-line. After a false start which lead to a payment for £25000, I filled in the correct boxes and the completed form was successively submitted. It could be that I'll get a modest refund but we'll have to wait and see.
David and Emily are back from Brazil safely and we'll look forward to hearing all about their trip. Laura? Sounds like she had a good Ofsted inspection and has found a new rental property in Pembury.
All good with the family at the moment so let's leave it there.

A little light relief?

Today was the Amnesty International South West Regional Conference at the Goschen Centre in Plymouth. A very well attended conference with just under 100 delegates. What was heartening was the presence of so many young people, with The University of Plymouth, City College and Devonport High School for Girls being represented. A good programme and some interesting discussions.

There are some wonderful chat up lines at Amnesty conferences: "Hello, I'm into torture", "Is that so, I prefer the Death Penalty". It's great to see so much commitment from so many people. Long may it be so.

Retribution or restoration?

The violence of the attack by two brothers on two other young boys near Doncaster is comprehensible only within the context of the violence of their own family life. Not that this is an excuse for what they did but it does offer a partial explanation for their actions. Having been brought up in a dysfunctional ("toxic) environment, they are themselves completely dysfunctional. "A potential psychopath" was the way one of the boys was described by a psychologist. I really don't know what I would consider as an adequate sentence for these boys. Without diminishing the enormity of what they've done, common humanity dictates that society recognises that the boys are victims themselves. In the event, the judge sentenced them to indeterminate sentences, with them serving a minimum of 5 years. In practice, they will serve much longer sentences than this. Is this adequate or just? I don't know. What I do hope that the media will promote a sensible discussion on how such offenders should be treated and, perhaps, provide us with an insight into the treatment the boys would get. Fat chance of this as the news media are already moving on to something else.

What's more important? Who governs us or how we are governed?

The background political noise is increasing as the parties sharpen their claws for the General Election. The date for this is probably going to be May 6th but, as is the nature of the beast, events could affect this. For example, today an improvement in employment figures caused a frisson of excitement as an indicator of an upturn in the economy. This immediately lead to speculation that Gordon might go for an earlier date. Time, and events, will tell.

So far, the parties are all talking about what they will do and what their opponents aren't going to do. In short, the usual knockabout politics we would expect them to indulge in. What we are not getting is anyone raising questions about HOW we are governed. With the decline in participation in the democratic process by large numbers (not far short of a majority), no-one seems to be saying "is the way we are governed the best way for our times and the issues which face us?" I'm not convinced that it is. The first-past-the-post system has been around a long time and needs revising. Some sort of proportional representation would be a better way of electing those who govern us. What happened to all the recommendations made by Roy Jenkins many years ago? Who in the major parties is brave enough to put this on the serious political agenda? Who in the major parties is brave enough to suggest completing the process of reforming the House of Lords? In other words, working towards an elected second chamber. The answer to both these questions is 'no-one'. Too many vested interests in maintaining the status quo. I could very easily get depressed about all this but life's too short!

A list of things on my mind today

1. The crisis in Haiti and the harrowing tales still emerging. Given that people are still being found alive in the rubble, it seems that the operation is still at the rescue stage.
2. The heartening way in which our community is gearing its fund raising efforts up. We are lucky in Cornwall that we have a well respected local charity, Shelterbox, that has an excellent 'brand' with which the county recognises.
3. Getting the latest edition of the Old School News finished in time for the printer's deadline.
4. Thinking about preparations for the weekend (preparing a meal for friends on Friday, having Ellen for the first time, Amnesty International regional conference in Plymouth, baking bread for Sunday Haiti fund raiser at the Old School).
5. Jan's suffering with a sore throat and nascent head cold.

I think that's enough things on the list for one brain to tackle for the moment.

Comments on some comments on the Haitian crisis from the USA

I'll start with confessing that I love the USA, have visited there many times and have a lot of very good American friends. But I must say that there are occasions when the contrasts within the country bemuse me. No doubt the reverse is true. I'm prompted to write these comments by three responses to the Haitian crisis.

The first is a series of very thoughtful, and thought provoking, essays written by Father George Clifford and recorded on his blog 'Ethical Musings' Take a look at his entries on January 16th 2010.

Now compare Father George's analysis, if you will, with the views, widely reported in the UK, of two of his compatriots:

* From Pat Robertson (described by the Guardian as America's foremost evangelical radio broadcaster) suggesting that the deaths of the Haitians are a result of the country's deal with the devil 200 years ago in order to free themselves from French colonial rule.
* From Rush Limbaugh ('America's most popular talkshow host') saying that Americans should not give a penny to the Haitians. He thinks that Barack Obama is exploiting the disaster for political ends a nd using it to enhance the credibility of the black community in the USA.

Of course, crass remarks are not restricted to rightwing Americans but, sometimes, I do think they have cornered the market. Thank goodness, there are those like Father George to redress the balance and let what I think is the real USA shine through.

It goes without saying, of course, that as much as I dislike what they ((Robertson and Limbaugh) say, I'd support their right to say it. And the right of everyone else who takes them to task.

One person in a powdered wig = 12 citizens good and true?

Currently four people are undergoing trial in London for a bank robbery, the details of which escape me at the moment. There is no doubt that the four defendants are not very pleasant people and there is a long and well-documented history of witness intimidation from their associates. This sort of thing is not uncommon and must be something that the police and judiciary come across time and time again. There is nothing to suggest that the defendants are the most heinous ever to come before the courts. What is unique, in the true sense of the word, is the decision to try these men without a jury. A single judge will decide their guilt or innocence. I described this as unique and it is. It's the first time in some 300-400 years of our legal system that trial by jury has been suspended in this way. I'm not forgetting the Diplock Courts set up in Northern Ireland at the height of the sectarian troubles.

What concerns me is the fact that this can be seen, and I do see it this way, as yet another erosion of our civil liberties. In an earlier post, I mentioned the politisation of freedom of speech. I don't think for one moment that the two topics are in any way related under some grand anti-libertarian conspiracy but I am worried that we seem to accept these erosions so readily. Where is the justice in the opinion of just one person deciding the fate of defendants? Once the precedent is set, it becomes so much easier to do it a second time... and a third.....

And I have not forgotten the plight of those in Haiti. It gets worse and worse.

Communities at their best

The situation in Haiti goes from worse to worse as a fuller picture emerges of the devastation caused by the earthquake. Today's news concentrates on two aspects; the fact that the Haitian infrastructure, or lack of it, is hampering relief efforts and the great surge of aid donations from around the world. It's the latter aspect I'd like to comment upon.

Common wisdom says that the worst events bring out the best in people. Undoubtedly, there will be many individual acts of humanity between the Haitian people but I'm thinking about the wider community here. It is times like these that people really pull together and help each other out. We act as we should - we are all joined by our common humanity.

To a much lesser extent, we see the same thing happening in the UK when we have adverse weather conditions. Witness how people really came together and acted for the common good during our recent snows.

When we show our collective positive side, it gives me heart that it is possible for us to work together as a community - local in the case of the snow in the UK and internationally in the case of the Haitian earthquake. I wish I knew how this goodwill could be harnessed as our normal way of doing things. Whatever the answer, I'm convinced that the present free-market/consumerist philosophy is not it!

Devastation in Haiti

The news is rightly dominated by the terrible plight of the earthquake victims in Haiti, particulary the capital, Port au Prince. The current estimates of the number of dead are around 50,000. As in all such disasters, it is the poor that suffer the most. Again, as in all such disasters, the world will rally around and massive amounts of aid will flow into the country. At times like these, borders come down and the greater community shows what it can do.

Perhaps now is not the time to say that, if the world had been kinder to Haiti in the past, the impact of the earthquake might not have been so great? From what I read, the USA and other countries have consistently blocked UN requests to broaden its 'peace keeping' mandate in the country and get involved in humanitarian issues - basically to take part in 'nation building'. Over the years Haiti has suffered from colonial influences and brutal dictatorships. It has not had a chance to build any reasonable infrastructure; neither has the outside world fallen over themselves to assist in this process. It is a poor,unstable, violent country but its people deserve more. Let's hope that when this present disaster passes, effort will be made to take Haiti along the path of constructive development.

A couple of years ago we holidayed in the other half of the island - in the Dominican Republic. This was a very poor country and seemed to be falling apart but it was better than Haiti. Many Haitians worked in the tourist industry in the Dominican Republic and sent money back home to support their families. I have very fond recollections of a Haitian who took us fishing. A very gentle person. He and his family deserve our support.

Voltaire still gets my support

Voltaire's oft quoted maxim that "I hate what you say but I'll defend your right to say it" is easy to support when you agree with what is being said. It is much more difficult when you find what is being said morally repugnant. Such is the case now with the banning of the extreme Muslim organisation Islam4UK. Despite their views, I remain a Voltairian and cannot support the banning order. It is clear to me that this action has given them the opportunity to claim martyrdom and to say "see how much the UK dislikes Muslims". How much will this have boosted their recruitment? The issues are difficult, complex and highly emotive but I believe the better strategy would have been to let them run their course. Most Muslims in the UK are moderate and I just don't accept that this small group on the lunatic fringe would have any wider influence than, for example, the BNP on British politics. Sadly, I think this action is yet another example of our government going for the popular vote rather than adhering to the fundamental principle of freedom of speech.

Je ne regrettte rien

The ghost of Edith Piaf was alive and singing at the Iraq Inquiry yesterday as Alistair Campbell performed. Described widely as being 'typically robust and combative', Campbell claimed that he stood by everything that he had been involved in and every word written in all of the dossiers. Clearly, he believes it but nobody believes him. He probably did enough to leave his reputation unchanged. And he's acted as a good warm-up act for his master, Tony Blair, when he gives evidence in the next few weeks.

Turning to the weather, the thaw continues.

Not me guv!

Alistar Campbell is on the TV giving evidence to the Iraq Inquiry. Devious he may be but he is a professional communicator. I don't think we should expect him to make any startling revelations or give any ammunition to be used against Tony Blair when he comes up next week. Thus far, he seems to be keeping to the line of "I was a humble servant of the Prime Minister and everything we did, we did in good faith". The Inquiry seems very cold and clinical (could it be anything else?) and seems totally unrelated to the fact that countless men, women and children have been killed as a result of the decisions that Campbell was involved in. The whole spectacle is, in my opinion, a glaring example of the fact that being politically expeditious does not necessarily mean being morally or ethically correct. Was it ever thus? All of this supposedly in my name as a citizen of the UK? Not in my name, it isn't!

Meanwhile, in the real world, it's snowing but it does look rather wet. Perhaps it will not settle or perturb the general thawing that's going on.

Cold, cold, cold......still cold!

That just about sums it up. Snow still around and temperatures hovering around zero. More forecast tomorrow. Oh, what fun! Not a lot to report today.

David Cameron.................Grrrrrrr

We'll get what we deserve

It has been said (by whom?) that communities get the leaders they deserve. If this is the case, then out of the bunch presently vying for our votes, who will we deserve? The campaigning has started but precious few concrete details are available about policies. It is obvious that spending cuts are going to be necessary. Today we hear from David Cameron that the Tories will cut harder and faster than Labour. But with no details given of where the Tory axe will fall. No doubt we'll find out before the election, the most likely date for which seems to be May 6th.

Key issues for me today are:
* Regulating the financial sector so that their activities are more focussed on common interests.
* Removing tax havens so that companies and the rich pay their fair share of taxes. I think it's absolutely shameful that Britain has so many of these tax havens under it's control and does nothing about them.
* Using the Tobin Tax approach to tax financial transactions.
* Bringing 'public' utilities back under public control.
* Removing education fees.
* Maintaining NHS and school spending.
* Introducing financial incentives for those producing energy saving measures.

That's my list for today but it's not all-inclusive and I'll be adding more as time goes by.

Weatherwise? Still cold and snowy. A morning chopping logs and stocking up. Roads still iced up and we can't get out of our lane.

The Purple Mist hangs over Irish politics

I'm waiting for someone to come out with 'Knickergate' when describing the infidelities of Iris Robinson in Northern Ireland. Ooops, waitings over - I've used it. It would be a great shame if the Peace Process was harmed by Iris's loose knicker-elastic. Although quiet at the moment, no doubt the political vultures are circling to take advantage of the situation. Who knows what tomorrow will ring?

Back home from Coverack and the snow around here is a lot worse than it was further west. I managed to drive down our lane but it's highly unlikely that I'll be able to get out tomorrow. It will be Plan B to get Jan back: being dropped at the top road and using the sledge to haul her suitcase along the lane.

David Cameron - Grrr!

Of such things are dreams made...

I woke up this morning thinking "State socialism has failed. The Global Free Market has failed. Where do we go from here?" A rather depressing way to start the day and the issue must have been circulating in my subconscious throughout the night. Unfortunately, I did not wake up with some blinding insight which enabled me to answer the question. Where do we go from here? The politicians seem to think that the way to get us out of the present credit-crunch (what a benign way to describe it and a description that avoids apportioning any cause or blame) is to give us more of the same. Yep, that's going to work. It's rather like inviting the burglars back into your house to make sure that they didn't miss anything the first time around. The earth's resources are finite so let's encourage everyone to indulge in infinite consumerism. The mind boggles but the boggling mind still cannot come up with an answer. Where do we go from here?

Apart from ranting, a very pleasant last full day at Coverack. A day with low temperatures but brilliant blue skies and an undulating sea. A stroll along the coastal footpath into the village for a snack in The Wave cafe (highly recommended), returning a longer way on roads. Icy underfoot but wonderful to be out in it. Back to the apartment for some relaxation before heading back to The Wave this evening for a fish and chip supper! Fresh fish (haddock), hand cut chips and mushy peas - soul food.

Despite the rant in the first paragraph, it is really good to be alive!

Perhaps I'll close with a mini-rant: David Cameron.....Grrrr!

It's snowing on The Lizard

Serves me right for being so smug about our lack of snow yesterday. This morning it came down pretty thickly, making driving very hazardous. Being true Brits we decided to carry on with our planned walk but gave up when it became obvious that negotiating the coastal footpath in these conditions might prove to be a foolhardy venture. So, a spot of sight-seeing instead. Gunwalloe Cove (where it was unusual to see snow on the beach), Mullion Cove, St Melanus's church at Mullion (14th Century carved wooden pews and 11th Century door) and St ?'s church at St Keverne (mass grave to 98 people lost in shipwreck circa 1900 and helping a local who was having a bad hypoglycaemic episode), broken by lunch at the Old Inn in Mullion. Perhaps we'll be able to get our boots on again tomorrow?

Why Higher Downgate and elsewhere?

The blog had to have a title and 'musings from Higher Downgate and elsewhere' sums up what the blog will contain. I'm assuming that most of it will be written at home in Higher Downgate in Cornwall and some of it will be written elsewhere! For example, my posts this week are being written at Coverack, near the Lizard. We are renting an apartment on the headland down here and doing some walks on the Coastal Footpath. On the 5th we went due west and did a circular walk as far as Carrick Luz and yesterday, the 6th, we headed west as far as Lowland Point.

We are intending the complete the entire Cornish section of the South West Coastal Footpath and have plenty to do yet! The scenary is magnificent consistently and it's always a great pleasure to be out and about in the elements. This week we've had rain, hail, wind, ever-present mud, sunshine and very cold temperatures whilst most of the county and country have been experiencing the worst snow for some 20 years. It seems rather surreal to be watching snowstorms on the TV but seeing nothing like that when we look out of the window. The smattering we woke up to yesterday soon disappeared.

Day 1: the first of many?

January 6th 2010. The first day of my entry into the blogosphere. Why a blog? Certainly not because I think I've got anything particularly erudite to say. Certainly not because I want to inflict my views upon the rest of the world, although I will probably have a rant about certain things every now and again. Why? Simply because I've wanted to keep a journal for a while and keeping a blog seems to be as good a way as any of doing this. How often will I make an entry? As often as makes sense and with no commitment to make an entry-a-day.