...that the News International corporation should have stooped so low as to hack the mobile phones of murder victims, giving families false hopes that their young ones were still alive.
The surprise perhaps, is that it has taken this long for the rest of the media to rise up against Murdoch (although there are some dissenters who fear for the "freedom" of investigative reporting), after so much scandal, over knows goodness how many years. The Milly Dowler case is the straw that broke the camel's back.
I can't feel any huge amount of rage towards Rebekah Brooks, as she is very much one major cog in the wheel of an enormous, monstrous machine, which has encompassed governments (including the present one) as well as once respectable newspapers.
The only good of writing about this now, is that hopefully a thorough clean-up of the whole sleazy mess is made. It would be too much to hope for the end of tabloid journalism.
Monday, 11 July 2011
Sunday, 3 July 2011
You're as young as you feel
40 this year (coming soon - Manhattan Diary commemorating the event!), and yet as I stood waiting for a bus this afternoon, beside a steep wall along Mersea Road, I climbed up and sat on top of it, just like when I was a kid at school.
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
Despots
It's been a momentous weekend, just a day or two after the anniversary 
(April 29th) of the death of Adolf Hitler, now comes the world's other great bogeyman.
Many years ago, I was asked in R.E. class the hypothetical question if ever Colonel Gaddafi came on a school visit: would I shoot him if I had the opportunity? Given some due thought towards self-preservation and security, I honestly answered that yes, I would. With Gaddafi and his kind very much in the limelight once again, I feel the tiniest amount of pleasure, and the far greater sense of relief, to hear that Osama Bin Laden is reported to have been shot.
There are other dictators floating around (Robert Mugabe's controversial presence at the Vatican is a case in point), but in the case of Bin Laden, and I say this in all sincerity: God rest his soul. I fear also those dreaded reprisals, but they could surely not be so much as the awfulness of September 11th.
I also note that today - in the 2011 Christian calendar - is St. George's Day; in the grounds of the United Nations in New York is an allegorical sculpture of St. George - the figure of good - slaying evil, in the shape of a double headed nuclear missile dragon. The imagery is appropriate.
(April 29th) of the death of Adolf Hitler, now comes the world's other great bogeyman.Many years ago, I was asked in R.E. class the hypothetical question if ever Colonel Gaddafi came on a school visit: would I shoot him if I had the opportunity? Given some due thought towards self-preservation and security, I honestly answered that yes, I would. With Gaddafi and his kind very much in the limelight once again, I feel the tiniest amount of pleasure, and the far greater sense of relief, to hear that Osama Bin Laden is reported to have been shot.
There are other dictators floating around (Robert Mugabe's controversial presence at the Vatican is a case in point), but in the case of Bin Laden, and I say this in all sincerity: God rest his soul. I fear also those dreaded reprisals, but they could surely not be so much as the awfulness of September 11th.
I also note that today - in the 2011 Christian calendar - is St. George's Day; in the grounds of the United Nations in New York is an allegorical sculpture of St. George - the figure of good - slaying evil, in the shape of a double headed nuclear missile dragon. The imagery is appropriate.
Sunday, 1 May 2011
A World without Women
That was the sight that practically beheld me on Friday morning, the 29th of April (the same date as the wedding of Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun, by sinister coincidence), when I walked through Colchester - as indeed was probably the sight throughout most of Britain during the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton.
I'd seen the beginning of the ceremony, and their betrothal, and that was that.
May they remain in happiness and an all-round happier marriage than their seniors in the Monarchy who have trod the uneven path. Time, as ever, will tell.
I'd seen the beginning of the ceremony, and their betrothal, and that was that.
May they remain in happiness and an all-round happier marriage than their seniors in the Monarchy who have trod the uneven path. Time, as ever, will tell.
Thursday, 20 January 2011
Cultural Diary - January
As part of Radio 4's Film Season, The Film Programme asked listeners to provide their own film diaries for the month, so I thought I'd expand that to a general cultural appraisal of this month to kick-off the year.
The first, most noted aspect of this month has been the exclusive broadcasting of "The Genius of Mozart" on BBC Radio 3, something I feared would be a little monotonous but proved to be an unexpectedly sublime experience. Almost every time a tune was playing during the first 12 days of 2011, you could always guarantee that it would be bloody good. On Sunday 2nd I listened to the latest in the 53rd series of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, which has become enough of a comedy institution to have survived the loss of the irreplaceable Humphrey Lyttelton, and still remain funny, innovative, nonsensical and sometimes satirical, with Jack Dee fitting nicely into the host's chair now.
My sporting affiliations had me listening to Test Match Special's coverage of England's record innings victory over Australia at the Fifth Test in Sydney on January 7th; aside from England's splendid win, the commentary is much more entertaining and informative than the dour Sky TV coverage, and makes for an adequate consolation for the shameful lack of live terrestrial TV cricket.
For my friend Kevin Topple's 50th birthday party in Copford on January 8th, Kevin himself provided the entertainment with the help of Kerry King, Martin Rayner, and Guy Singleton's tribute to the great Jake Thackray. On the BBC I-Player on January 9th I caught up with the TV drama The Sinking of the Laconia, a fascinating true story of nobility during World War II, and much more interesting for its second half than the first, which follows a cliche-ridden variation of Titanic.
On the 11th I finally got to watch on DVD a film I'd been curious to see for some years, the Hollywood 1930's version of Alice in Wonderland, which was an interesting if rather disappointing experience. More disappointing was to see that Pointless has finished the last of the series on BBC 2, an ingenious quiz show where contestants are required to find the most obscure answers to public survey questions. There's no sign as to whether a new series is coming along.
On the 12th I filled in for Paul Reed at Colchester Theatre Group's rehearsal for The Canterbury Tales, which even at this early stage promises to be another innovative, entertaining and slightly naughty adaptation of Chaucer from Ian Amos, who seems ideally suited to the material.
The remarkable De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill was the venue on the 15th for Bexhill Amateur Theatrical Society's (BATS) production of Dad's Army, with a very capable collection of local actors bearing useful resemblance to the famous characters such as Mainwaring and Wilson (left), Frazer, Pike, Jones, etc. The actor playing Captain Mainwaring had trouble remembering his lines, and would occasionally stumble on his words waiting to be prompted - much like Arthur Lowe in fact!
Back at home on the 18th, I got round to watching The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, a clever and powerful true-life study of a magazine editor's struggle to communicate with the outside world; a French film with more than a hint of the help of Steven Spielberg with the project.
Over to the Headgate Theatre on the 20th, for one of their best recent pantomimes, Beauty and the Beast, capturing some of the spirit of the Disney cartoon version - and some of the darkness - whilst still remaining within the pantomime tradition - with two rather fetching dames!
The welcome return of the Ipswich Film Theatre allowed me on the 22nd to see Of Gods and Men, the profound and moving true story of Cistercian monks in Algeria, continuing to go about their daily practice despite (and because of) the terrorist threat around them. The following morning I listened to Betty (Coronation Street) Driver's choice of Desert Island Discs, and one touching insight she gave was during her wartime entertainer days, when soldiers returning from the war in the Far East in 1945 left them looking "dead" (from the effect of tetanus jabs and other vaccines), but how the show had helped them on the road to getting back home feeling alive again.
On the 27th I continued on the theme of 1930's cinema with Greta Garbo a
s Anna Karenina, then the day after contributed my own bit of culture this month with a cameo in the Orpen Players' pantomime Babes in the Wood, as the "Elfin Safety" man - no prizes for guessing what my spoilsport role in the production was.
Finishing off the month delving in the macabre, with The Watcher in the Woods on DVD, an odd mixture of creepiness and cutesiness from the Disney studio (with not one but three different endings), which though it never made a great deal of money at the time, must have been a experience for families at the time - especially those parents who thought Disney only produced harmless, wholesome entertainment.
And then on the 31st, I also saw Colchester Operatic Society's production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - ambitious, well performed and a good evening's entertainment for those who came in the mood for it; unfortunately all I could do was try and shut my eyes through the production because I had a brief bout of 'flu!
Finally, I'll cheat a little for this one-off month and shoehorn in The King's Speech on February 1st at the Odeon Colchester, with the plight of King George VI doing excellent prospects for Colin Firth's career. The film I think is one of the best examples of British triumph in adversity since Chariots of Fire made 30 years before.
The first, most noted aspect of this month has been the exclusive broadcasting of "The Genius of Mozart" on BBC Radio 3, something I feared would be a little monotonous but proved to be an unexpectedly sublime experience. Almost every time a tune was playing during the first 12 days of 2011, you could always guarantee that it would be bloody good. On Sunday 2nd I listened to the latest in the 53rd series of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, which has become enough of a comedy institution to have survived the loss of the irreplaceable Humphrey Lyttelton, and still remain funny, innovative, nonsensical and sometimes satirical, with Jack Dee fitting nicely into the host's chair now.
My sporting affiliations had me listening to Test Match Special's coverage of England's record innings victory over Australia at the Fifth Test in Sydney on January 7th; aside from England's splendid win, the commentary is much more entertaining and informative than the dour Sky TV coverage, and makes for an adequate consolation for the shameful lack of live terrestrial TV cricket.
For my friend Kevin Topple's 50th birthday party in Copford on January 8th, Kevin himself provided the entertainment with the help of Kerry King, Martin Rayner, and Guy Singleton's tribute to the great Jake Thackray. On the BBC I-Player on January 9th I caught up with the TV drama The Sinking of the Laconia, a fascinating true story of nobility during World War II, and much more interesting for its second half than the first, which follows a cliche-ridden variation of Titanic.
On the 11th I finally got to watch on DVD a film I'd been curious to see for some years, the Hollywood 1930's version of Alice in Wonderland, which was an interesting if rather disappointing experience. More disappointing was to see that Pointless has finished the last of the series on BBC 2, an ingenious quiz show where contestants are required to find the most obscure answers to public survey questions. There's no sign as to whether a new series is coming along.
On the 12th I filled in for Paul Reed at Colchester Theatre Group's rehearsal for The Canterbury Tales, which even at this early stage promises to be another innovative, entertaining and slightly naughty adaptation of Chaucer from Ian Amos, who seems ideally suited to the material.
The remarkable De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill was the venue on the 15th for Bexhill Amateur Theatrical Society's (BATS) production of Dad's Army, with a very capable collection of local actors bearing useful resemblance to the famous characters such as Mainwaring and Wilson (left), Frazer, Pike, Jones, etc. The actor playing Captain Mainwaring had trouble remembering his lines, and would occasionally stumble on his words waiting to be prompted - much like Arthur Lowe in fact!
Back at home on the 18th, I got round to watching The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, a clever and powerful true-life study of a magazine editor's struggle to communicate with the outside world; a French film with more than a hint of the help of Steven Spielberg with the project.
Over to the Headgate Theatre on the 20th, for one of their best recent pantomimes, Beauty and the Beast, capturing some of the spirit of the Disney cartoon version - and some of the darkness - whilst still remaining within the pantomime tradition - with two rather fetching dames!
The welcome return of the Ipswich Film Theatre allowed me on the 22nd to see Of Gods and Men, the profound and moving true story of Cistercian monks in Algeria, continuing to go about their daily practice despite (and because of) the terrorist threat around them. The following morning I listened to Betty (Coronation Street) Driver's choice of Desert Island Discs, and one touching insight she gave was during her wartime entertainer days, when soldiers returning from the war in the Far East in 1945 left them looking "dead" (from the effect of tetanus jabs and other vaccines), but how the show had helped them on the road to getting back home feeling alive again.
On the 27th I continued on the theme of 1930's cinema with Greta Garbo a
s Anna Karenina, then the day after contributed my own bit of culture this month with a cameo in the Orpen Players' pantomime Babes in the Wood, as the "Elfin Safety" man - no prizes for guessing what my spoilsport role in the production was.Finishing off the month delving in the macabre, with The Watcher in the Woods on DVD, an odd mixture of creepiness and cutesiness from the Disney studio (with not one but three different endings), which though it never made a great deal of money at the time, must have been a experience for families at the time - especially those parents who thought Disney only produced harmless, wholesome entertainment.
And then on the 31st, I also saw Colchester Operatic Society's production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - ambitious, well performed and a good evening's entertainment for those who came in the mood for it; unfortunately all I could do was try and shut my eyes through the production because I had a brief bout of 'flu!
Finally, I'll cheat a little for this one-off month and shoehorn in The King's Speech on February 1st at the Odeon Colchester, with the plight of King George VI doing excellent prospects for Colin Firth's career. The film I think is one of the best examples of British triumph in adversity since Chariots of Fire made 30 years before.
Thursday, 23 December 2010
Complacent Britain
Snow is a great leveller, a sanitiser of people's frantic everyday lives, especially in this globally technological 21st century.
Unfortunately, with the infrastructure that this country has, with most transport and communication services deregulated since the 1980's to allow for greater profit and ease of use, essential services are no longer a requisite, private car-based transport has become the norm, and we have become spoilt by mild winters. It seems that there are still certain things in this world where we are still at the mercy of the elements - yet there are those who feel this should not be so.
In previous wintry times it was difficult but we coped. I well remember once travelling on the school bus as the only passenger - but the schools stayed open. The braced, bruised, and I confess rather boring British have revealed themselves to be more Scrooge-like than they realised, if snow is meant to be a symbol of Christmas spirit. "Nice to look at, not nice to be in" is a phrase often rendered; another way of putting that is things are fine in principle but not in practice.
The only true downside to the snow is the hurt, the damage and sometimes death caused, particularly to the sick and the elderly, for which sorrow and sympathy are required. For the rest it's really just a case of putting up with it.
Happy White Christmas.
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
Liberal Democracy - the double-edged sword
The current coalition government is hardly a proper coalition. It is really, to most intents and purposes, a Conservative government by the back door, with extra Liberal Democrat flavouring thrown in. Those Lib Dem ministers who supported the fee rises have their cross to bear, but the rest are pretty much helpless. Unfortunately, the Lib Dems with their previously trenchant views on education, are taking the rap for what is basically a Conservative policy.
It is in many ways, the best of times and the worst of times for the Liberal Democrats.
It is in many ways, the best of times and the worst of times for the Liberal Democrats.
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