Colin Davis Recalled

Colin Davis recalled

Back in 1967 the forty year old Colin Davis replaced Sir Malcolm Sargent as principal conductor of the  Henry Wood Promenade Concerts and also became conductor of  BBC Symphony Orchestra. In those days the BCCSO and its conductor performed a significant percentage of the Prom concerts.

The contrast with Sargent was immediately apparent. Sargent would not have introduced us to Berlioz, epically the Te Deum. However coming to the BBC from the LSO where Colin had been abrasive with the orchestra was difficult for him. The first year was spent leaning to relate with musicians and motivating them. The people skills he learned at this stage in his career stayed with him for the rest of his life.

At first Promenaders were somewhat reticent of this new young firebrand. But he soon won an admiring following among this young audience eager to explore music that Sargent would not have countenanced at the Proms.

In those far off days performers and audience met in the same bar during intervals and would drink in the same pub afterwards. Colin became no stranger to the Queens Arms. When Promenaders Mike and Avril Eagleton were married in a church in South East London members of the BBCSO turned up with Colin to play for them, much to the happy couple's surprise. Sadly the rapport between audience and musicians has wained over the intervening years.

Outside the Proms season we would pack the seats at Studio 1 Maida Vale and even attend concerts Colin conducted with other orchestras. I recall one evening in St John's Smith Square. A group of Promenaders were eating the Crypt prior to an English Chamber Orchestra concert. Colin appeared slightly flustered. He had gone home after the rehearsal and had retuned sans baton. A pencil was produced with which he spent the evening conducting the most sublime Mozart concert.

Over the years I watched colin mature. His interpretations grew in depth and breath, but inevitability at the expense of losing some of the youthful enthusiasm that so suited both Mozart and Berlioz. His early recordings for WRC, Oiseau-Lyre and EMI retain some of that youthful exuberance which endeared him to young Promenaders. Many of the early recordings can be downloaded from Beulah 

Sir Colin Davis 1927 -2013

Two Prime Ministers

I grew up during the austerity years following World War II. The war left Britain on its knees. War is very expensive and sucked resources from the home economy. In 1945 Churchill and his Tories were shocked by the Labour landslide. Labour's Prime Minister Clement Attlee had prepared for the event well having commissioned the best brains to study various aspects of life in suggesting how it might be improved. After World War I  Attlee as an East London MP had seen the deprivation to which returning troops were treated.  In 1945 the memories of this period, motivated him to hit the deck running. He secured massive loan from the USA (Marshall plan, finally paid off by Prime Minister Gordon Brown). His government went on to build the post-war consensus, based upon the assumption that full employment would be maintained by Keynesian policies and that a greatly enlarged system of social services would be created. He undertook the nationalisation of public utilities and major industries, as well as the creation of the National Health Service. After initial Conservative opposition to Keynesian fiscal policy, this settlement was broadly accepted by all parties for over three decades until Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister in 1979.

Margaret  Thatcher, driven by monetarism, deconstructed much that Attlee had built. Easing credit, selling off capital assets and reliance upon North Sea oil and service industries to counter the decline in manufacturing led to a greed culture. Communities were wrecked in  the interests of  increasing personal wealth.  She led  us into  recession and record unemployment, something  Britain had avoided during the Keynesian years, although there were other economic consequences centred around inflation. Since Thatcher's dismissial from office by her friends her successors have broadly carried on with her economic policies.

It is hardly surprising  that when compared the two politicians,who actually shared personal characteristics, it is Clement Attlee who is considered to be Britain's greatest peacetime Prime Minister. 

So what relevance does any of this have for folks today? The most obvious effect of Thatcher is in housing.  The desperate shortage of housing that low income  households can afford to rent or buy  and the effect this has on employment patterns is holding Britain back from climbing out of  a recession brought about by Thatcherite policies. 

It is time for another change in  the direction  our political leaders take us , but with one exception there is no potential leader of the Attlee or Thatcher calibre around. The one exception, is a qualified exception.  Back in 2004  Vince Cable warned that  banks would foreclose if the country did not change course. Dr cable is an able economist and politician but he is never going to lead his party , nor  are the Liberal  Democrats going to be the majority party in any British government despite the possibility that they could always be the minority parter in future coalitions, which I suspect will become the rule rather than the exception it has been in the past.

Half Way for the Coalition

Half way through the life of the first post war coalition government and the prime minister reviews the crew of HMS Coalition aka Troutbridge.  His No.1 who actually steers the ship, George Osborne  (any resemblance to Sub Lt Philips steering is  illusionary) remains intact but is surrounded by new advisors Ken Clarke and David Laws who along with Vince Cable are economic big guns. Expect a change of course soon. Clarke, a minister without a job ( they call it without portfolio), and Laws a junior rating serving under CPO Gove at the Department of Private Education both sit at the cabinet table.  It suggests that Cameron and Clegg feel they need support from chaps with brains that can be applied to matters economic.

At the Transport department the three Tory ministers, who all pledged to oppose a third runway for Heathrow, have been thrown overboard with the trash. Only Norman Baker, who I seem to recall actually owns part of the land planned for use as the Heathrow  third runway, remains opposed. He stays in his post by virtue of being a Lib Dem. His new boss Patrick McLoughlin comes to the job after having been Cameron's Buffer (Chief Whip). He's a real bruiser who likes to rant even at the Speaker.
Watch this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11937671

McLoughlin once up a time held Norman Baker's job. That was back in the days of the Blessed Margaret. I don't recall the DfT being public transport friendly in those days. I seem to recall that Mrs T considered that anyone who used a bus must be a looser, but this was the Lady who pronounced that there was no such thing as society.

Mr Cameron has also appointed a climate change denier  in charge of Environment and a man with a passionate love of  large corporations at Health. Well the NHS is huge and certainly has much wastage, but dividing it up among UK and  US Health contractors is going to prove even more expensive and inefficient.

The London Guardian reported that Jeremy Hunt, the new health secretary, personally intervened to encourage the controversial takeover of NHS hospitals in his constituency by a private company, Virgin Care, raising fresh concerns last night over his appointment.

 Virgin Care is owned by that grumpy business tycoon Richard Branson who on losing his rail franchise for the line between London and Manchester promptly announced that his Virgin Atlantic Airline would operate between Heathrow and Manchester from March 2013 in direct competition with British Airways. Maybe this will prove Branson's undoing. Anyone who remembers Laker, Dan Air and British Caledonian will recall they all lost their fights with BA.

Here's a reminder of LGW in Laker, BCal Dan Air days 



What about the Coalitions junior ratings?  Sub Lt Clegg, a very nice guy, lacks the political experience to stand up to the Nasty Party especially now that the Tories have reverted to their old selves, interested  only in feathering their own nests.  Lib Dems have lost their way. They have no focus , no vision anymore. Joe Public tars them with the same brush as the Tories.  They will melt down in 2015. It will be back to the pre Orpington days when Joe Grimmond led a party of six. That may not be a "Bad Thing", in the words of  Sellars and Yeatman, as it will give a spell out of office to regroup, focus and come back stronger in 2020.

Housing London's Homeless

I have posted the following comment at London's Homeless forced to move to Hull on the Guardian web site:

Funny how history repeats itself. Towards the end the life of the London County Council (1889-1965) they sought authorities around England who were prepared to house Londoners. The LCC ( and from 1-4-65 the GLC) paid for the housing to be built. I live in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, 160 miles North of London. It was one of the towns that accepted the offer. The housing went up on the outskirts of this small historic town.. About half those who were moved here eventually returned to London. The other half settled for the quiet life.

The last Labour Government made similar offers to towns wanting to become "growth points" . This time the housing will be paid for by developers. Work starts on building 2,500 new homes here in September. The Tories support the idea as it will create a dormitory for Lincoln where the Tories have plans to double output the city's economy. Again this will depend on moving in labour as unemployment here is well below the national average, so we are awaiting another influx sent to us from London. with mixed results. as before. Last time the new population put severe strains of social services, police and health services. With Lincolnshire County Council making savage cuts in its services I think it could be worse than fifty years ago.

Borismaster should be the model for Leeds Trolleybus

The following has been published in the March 2012 edition of Buses

In London in the small hours of 9th May 1962 I cycled home under wires that I knew would no longer sing to the sound of quiet efficient and rapid transit provided by the world's largest trolleybus system. Even then we considered the Routemaster an inferior replacement. Less seats, a ride that gave the bus the soubriquet of "jerk master" and poor acceleration compared to trolleybuses, plus fumes. Need I say more?

Funny how history repeats itself for fifty years on we are to have the New Bus for London " Borismaster" with its electric propulsion described by TfL's Commissioner Peter Hendy as "smoothy and quiet as a trolleybus", a worthy successor, due enter service in February.

There is still the problem of the diesel generator. Battery technology, slow to develop until now, is moving forward and a Borismaster with batteries that would enable it to operate all day and be charged at night cannot be too far away. Some cities might find an all electric Borismaster which would run under wires in the busy central section and work on battery in the outer sections attractive.

In May transport minister, Norman Baker, is set to make an announcement on the long awaited Leeds trolleybus project. Deemed expensive at £254m ( £235.2m from the Department for Transport it has been scaled down to £250.6m ( £163.5 m from the DfT). The detailed costs of this bid have not been published. I am sure they would make interesting reading.

If trolleybuses are to return to Britain this scheme is too grand. An all electric Borismaster running on existing highways with rosettes supporting overhead where practicable, would be substantially cheaper and more attractive to other British cities than the system of articulated single deckers (requiring major highway alterations) in the Leeds bid.

Labour Councillor James Lewis (Buses last month) is playing politics when he claims the cost of the project will rise by £1 million per month of delay. I do not think he would be saying this if Ed Balls was Chancellor of the Exchequer. As readers of Buses are aware Norman Baker has proved himself the bus industry's best Transport Minister in over 40 years.

Barry Coward
Gainsborough

Voter Suppression in Pennsylvania

Following on from "The Year of the Bible" (see earlier post) the same legislators in PA now want to restrict the right to vote by requiring voters to produce State or Federal photo ID. For those who think that's OK as almost every one has a drivers licence I should point out that those who don't have a licence are the old , the poor, the disabled and ethnic minorities,All the folks Republican's don't want turning up to vote.

I signed a petition to The Pennsylvania State Senate: Oppose House Bill 934 because it is unnecessary, it is a waste of taxpayer funds, and it will deprive citizens of their right to vote.

I added the following on the petition: As an overseas write in voter for Pennsylvanian elections I am concerned that although I have a federal photo ID in the form of my USA Passport I am aware that for many fellow countrymen such a document is beyond their reach. This Bill takes us back to the times when even Tom Paine, the man who gave our country its name, was denied a vote by state officials on the grounds that he had French citizenship.

State-sponsored "Year of the Bible"

On January 24, 2012, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 535, a non-binding resolution declaring 2012 the "Year of the Bible."

The resolution states that we have a "national need to study and apply the holy scriptures," a position which clearly favors Christianity over other religions and violates the separation of church and state as protected by the Constitution of the United States. Our state government should strive to protect religious freedom, not seek to promote one religion over another.

A petition to the Pennsylvania State House on SignOn.org appeared at

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=270744&id=35525-14282517-071e1Zx&t=2

The petition says:

On January 24, 2012, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 535, a non-binding resolution declaring 2012 "The Year of the Bible." The resolution states that we have a "national need to study and apply the holy scriptures," a position which clearly favors Christianity over other religions and violates the separation of church and state as protected by the Constitution of the United States.

As a Pennsylvanian, I wish to make clear that I do NOT support the Bible as the preferred state religious text, and I oppose the passage of a state resolution that formally declares the Bible as the word of God and asserts that strengthening of our nation occurs by "renewing our knowledge of and faith in God through holy scripture."

H.R. 535 is not only unconstitutional, it ignores and devalues the great diversity of peoples and religions which actually constitute the state of Pennsylvania. This resolution, even though it is non-binding, sends a message to citizens that Christian beliefs are more legitimate in the eyes of the state than other belief systems. This message is especially dangerous in our current climate of anti-Islamic rhetoric and strengthened federal powers of detention.

H.R. 535 positions the state to take future action limiting freedom of religious expression and persecuting those who disagree with state-approved religion. I urge Pennsylvania's House of Representatives to repeal H.R. 535.

When I signed the petition I added the following comment "As a Pennsylvanian, at present resident in the UK, I am appalled that the state in which much of the creation of the USA and our constitution was formed proposes to favour one religion over all others and none. Like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, and not forgetting Tom Paine, I am a Deist and while I wish every facility to be made available for those who's belief in centred on organized religion to carry out their religion I do not subscribe to any attempt to connect any organised religion to affairs of the state."

In response to comments made by Facebook friends I have written:-
The rights of liberty and equality spoken of in the Declaration of Independence were opposite to the authoritarian outlook of the Church. Jawaharlal Nerhu wrote on 10 Feb 1933 in a letter entitled "The Advance of Democracy " the following "The early democrats naturally took to rationalism. Their demand for freedom of thought and speech could hardly be reconciled with dogmatic religion and theology. Thus democracy joined with science to weaken the hold of theological dogmas. People began to dare to examine the Bible, as if it were an ordinary book and not something that must be accepted blindly and without questioning." I fear America has forgotten this and are in danger of regression.