B01   1 <#FLOB:B01\><h_><p_>Pseudo-realism in Peking<p/><h/>
B01   2 <p_>THE Prime Minister's rating is up in the polls. This may owe 
B01   3 much to the alertness with which John Major has seized his 
B01   4 opportunity to visit Washington and Moscow and portray himself on 
B01   5 television and in the Press as a world statesman, hobnobbing on 
B01   6 equal terms with the mighty of the earth, though it is not clear 
B01   7 exactly what these lightning visits, which cannot have been 
B01   8 carefully prepared, will have achieved.<p/>
B01   9 <p_>Mr Major cannot be accused of opportunism in making his third 
B01  10 superpower visit to Peking. That was arranged long before the 
B01  11 hardline Communists in Moscow made their despairing bid to turn 
B01  12 back the tide of history. No doubt the Prime Minister would 
B01  13 privately be happier if he were not today shaking hands with the 
B01  14 Chinese leaders. These are the men who repressed the movement for 
B01  15 democracy in Tiananmen Square two years ago with just that 
B01  16 ruthlessness which the Soviet Communists, in their moment of trial, 
B01  17 could not summon. What will Mr Major feel as he inspects an honour 
B01  18 guard in that square, the symbol of the Chinese government's 
B01  19 indifference to the principles of human rights that he upholds in 
B01  20 the Soviet Union?<p/>
B01  21 <p_>The official justification is couched in terms of 
B01  22 <tf|>realpolitik. Like it or not, the briefers murmur, China is 
B01  23 there, and so are its rulers, and we must deal with them. And then 
B01  24 there is Hong Kong. In 1997 China takes over, and the transfer of 
B01  25 power will be even harder if Peking is not kept sweet. Douglas 
B01  26 Hurd, the Foreign Secretary, argued in <tf_>The Independent on 
B01  27 Sunday<tf/> that <quote_>"a visit by the Prime Minister does not 
B01  28 confer our seal of approval"<quote/>, and he was back at the old 
B01  29 stand on radio yesterday: Tiananmen Square was ghastly, but we must 
B01  30 not isolate China.<p/>
B01  31 <p_>Mr Worldly Wiseman's advice should always be closely examined; 
B01  32 there is such a thing as pseudo-realism. According to Western human 
B01  33 rights organisations, some 1,000 demonstrators were mowed down in 
B01  34 Tiananmen Square, and in spite of cosmetic releases it is plain 
B01  35 that thousands of members of the democracy movement are still in 
B01  36 prison, some of them in abominable conditions. Torture, according 
B01  37 to reliable reports, is widespread. At least 49 dissidents have 
B01  38 been executed; interestingly, it is the workers and the peasants 
B01  39 who have paid for protest with their lives, while the students and 
B01  40 the intellectuals have been less severely punished. Roman Catholic 
B01  41 and Protestant missionaries, those who have helped run an 
B01  42 'underground railway' to spirit dissidents out to Hong Kong, and 
B01  43 Tibetan and Muslim protesters have all suffered.<p/>
B01  44 <p_>In the world's eyes, Mr Major does himself little good by 
B01  45 hastening to shake hands with the authors of all this misery. Nor 
B01  46 will he do himself much good in their eyes. China's ageing despots 
B01  47 are hard men, hardened by decades of struggle and, yes, isolation. 
B01  48 They will interpret Mr Major's visit as evidence of Britain's 
B01  49 weakness, of British cynicism in denouncing human rights violations 
B01  50 but being more concerned about the contracts to build Hong Kong's 
B01  51 new airport and the survival of Hong Kong's capital markets. Nor is 
B01  52 it true that the alternative to endorsing these ruthless Communist 
B01  53 tyrannosaurs is to isolate them; in a world where Communist 
B01  54 dictatorship is retreat, it is they who would be isolating 
B01  55 themselves if Mr Major did not give them spurious 
B01  56 respectability.<p/>
B01  57 
B01  58 <h_><p_>What is the TUC there for?<p/><h/>
B01  59 <p_>IT IS a quarter of a century since the late Lord Woodcock, then 
B01  60 general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, asked his 
B01  61 colleagues: <quote_>"What are we here for?"<quote/> George 
B01  62 Woodcock, that rare creature, the genuine working class man who was 
B01  63 also an intellectual of the first rank, was rightly worried about 
B01  64 how the movement would respond, after a long period of Conservative 
B01  65 rule, to the demands of Harold Wilson's government. But, implicit 
B01  66 in his appeal was the widely held belief that the TUC could play a 
B01  67 powerful and constructive role in the nation's affairs.<p/>
B01  68 <p_>This belief is now open to question. Twenty-five years on, in 
B01  69 Glasgow this week, TUC delegates are once again preparing 
B01  70 themselves for a general election that they hope will result in the 
B01  71 return of a Labour government. The unspoken question facing them is 
B01  72 even more fundamental than that posed by Lord Woodcock. Does the 
B01  73 TUC - can the TUC - serve any further, useful function? Or should 
B01  74 the carthorse finally be put out to grass?<p/>
B01  75 <p_>The question is more urgent because of the failure of the 
B01  76 conference called by the TUC in May to seek to define a new purpose 
B01  77 for the federal body. The meeting had been rendered inevitable by 
B01  78 the publicly expressed anxieties of two of the biggest unions, the 
B01  79 Transport and General Workers and the General, Municipal and 
B01  80 Boilermakers. Their criticisms reflected a widespread belief among 
B01  81 affiliates that the TUC has not come to terms with the changes of 
B01  82 the past decade, or with its own diminished role on the political 
B01  83 and industrial stage. The most obvious of these changes has been 
B01  84 the discrediting of the corporatist approach to the national 
B01  85 governance. It was not only Margaret Thatcher who had grown 
B01  86 disenchanted with incomes policies, national economic plans and the 
B01  87 rest. So had the electorate. John Major shares the views of his 
B01  88 predecessor, as does Neil Kinnock, who goes out of his way to 
B01  89 signal his distance from the unions.<p/>
B01  90 <p_>Thatcherite reforms, which Mr Kinnock would not abandon, 
B01  91 however much the TUC old guard huffs and puffs this week, further 
B01  92 reduced the clout of politically motivated union barons. They did 
B01  93 so by making it easier for moderate, rank-and-file members to have 
B01  94 their say in an orderly, individual and secret manner about the 
B01  95 attitudes adopted by their leaders. In any case, there is little 
B01  96 point in the TUC lobbying a government that resolutely refuses to 
B01  97 be lobbied - and less point in calling political strikes (Days of 
B01  98 Action, as the TUC called them) if they are ignored by union 
B01  99 members and Cabinet ministers alike.<p/>
B01 100 <p_>Ultimately, however, the TUC's crisis of purpose is a function 
B01 101 of the changing nature of its affiliates. Mergers mean that the 
B01 102 overwhelming majority of trade unionists are already members of a 
B01 103 handful of large super<?_>-<?/>unions, well able to fight their 
B01 104 respective corners. This centralising tendency will continue. These 
B01 105 giant unions define their own political agendas, conduct their own 
B01 106 research, undertake their own publicity and lobbying in Brussels as 
B01 107 well as Westminster, and offer the services (cut-price insurance, 
B01 108 cheap holidays, bulk-purchased cars and the like) that the highly 
B01 109 competitive new unionism has to provide if it is to survive. If the 
B01 110 TUC is unable to define a role, necessarily modest, and compatible 
B01 111 with the new unionism, it will gradually wither away.<p/>
B01 112 
B01 113 <h_><p_>A Soviet menu for all tastes<p/><h/>
B01 114 <p_>TWO WEEKS ago the Soviet Union completed the task of breaking 
B01 115 with its past, which had occupied it for several painful years. Now 
B01 116 it is turning its attention to the future, where two extremes lie 
B01 117 in wait. On the one hand, its enormous human and material resources 
B01 118 give it the potential to become a wealthy and successful extension 
B01 119 of Europe. On the other, its unresolved ethnic tensions and 
B01 120 inexperience in democracy could drag it down into conflict and 
B01 121 misery.<p/>
B01 122 <p_>The auguries at the moment point tentatively in the more 
B01 123 hopeful direction. Yesterday's meeting of the Congress of People's 
B01 124 Deputies was skilfully handled, to avert the threatened revolt of 
B01 125 the old guard. The meeting was presented with a plan designed to be 
B01 126 all things to all people. The republics get their independence but 
B01 127 the union is preserved. Precise details to be worked out later. 
B01 128 This is independence <*_>a-grave<*/> la carte, with each republic 
B01 129 invited to select its own arrangements from the menu. In essence it 
B01 130 is a holding operation, but none the worse for that.<p/>
B01 131 <p_>For the Soviet people the plan offers reassurance that a single 
B01 132 economic space will be preserved, to minimise the inevitable 
B01 133 disruption and accelerate <quote_>"radical economic 
B01 134 reform"<quote/>. There is also an appeal to the republics to grant 
B01 135 equal rights to all their citizens and to protect the rights of 
B01 136 minorities. The future peace of the region will depend on the 
B01 137 extent to which such rights are observed.<p/>
B01 138 <p_>The outside world will be reassured by the plan to keep in 
B01 139 being a central authority responsible for defence and international 
B01 140 obligations, including treaties. The Congress is specifically asked 
B01 141 to confirm <quote_>"strict observations of all international 
B01 142 agreements and obligations of the Soviet Union, including the 
B01 143 question of arms cuts and control as well as foreign economic 
B01 144 obligations."<quote/><p/>
B01 145 <p_>Foreign governments will also be relieved that a role has been 
B01 146 preserved for Mikhail Gorbachev for the time being. While his 
B01 147 powers will be limited under the plan, he may be slightly more 
B01 148 secure in that he will probably be spared the need to face direct 
B01 149 election. The union authority will consist of councils nominated by 
B01 150 the republics, which will want to keep the choice of chairman in 
B01 151 their own hands. They may, of course, decide on someone other than 
B01 152 Mr Gorbachev, but presumably he will be given a chance to prove 
B01 153 himself in the important role of manager, co-ordinator and 
B01 154 conciliator.<p/>
B01 155 <p_>But the plan amounts, for the present, to no more than words. 
B01 156 It consists of proposals, appeals and principles that have yet to 
B01 157 be tested. At the moment it does not embrace republics that want 
B01 158 full independence, the number of which may yet increase - or even 
B01 159 diminish, if the new arrangements come to look attractive. There 
B01 160 are some apparent contradictions. For instance, the republics are 
B01 161 encouraged to seek membership of the United Nations, although the 
B01 162 union is to remain responsible for foreign relations. Uncertainty 
B01 163 also surrounds the armed forces, which are to be in some sense 
B01 164 under central control while also subject to the authority of the 
B01 165 republics in which they are stationed.<p/>
B01 166 <p_>Nevertheless, the plan offers a hopeful framework for the 
B01 167 future, and something to hold on to while working out the next 
B01 168 steps. It brings at least conceptual order to what had begun to 
B01 169 look like pure confusion. Good news has to be celebrated while it 
B01 170 lasts.<p/>
B01 171 
B01 172 <h_><p_>The influence of David Owen<p/><h/>
B01 173 <p_>DAVID OWEN'S planned departure from party politics has been 
B01 174 accompanied by harsh comments from many of his erstwhile 
B01 175 colleagues. Lord Jenkins wrote in his memoirs of the former's 
B01 176 <quote_>"sheer abrasiveness"<quote/>, adding: <quote_>"I have never 
B01 177 tried to work closely with anyone with whom it was so difficult to 
B01 178 talk things out."<quote/> Sir David Steel commented in <tf_>The 
B01 179 Times<tf/> yesterday: <quote_>"He [Dr Owen] could not accept that 
B01 180 there is more to politics than simply holding office."<quote/><p/>
B01 181 <p_>These judgements are at the same time perceptive, partial and 
B01 182 prejudiced. Dr Owen remains an attractive personality, both to 
B01 183 those who saw him on television or on public platforms - and to 
B01 184 many of those who come into casual contact with him on private 
B01 185 occasions. However, his abrasiveness, his arrogance, his short 
B01 186 tempers and his refusal to suffer fools gladly were real. They came 
B01 187 to serve him ill in his relationships with close colleagues.<p/>
B01 188 <p_>As the crisis of the Seventies and Eighties receded and the 
B01 189 two-party system reasserted itself, Dr Owen was pushed to the 
B01 190 margins. This process was all the more pronounced because he found 
B01 191 necessary and honourable compromise distasteful - particularly when 
B01 192 dealing with allies. Yet, paradoxically, Dr Owen could compromise, 
B01 193 in the limited sense that he was always prepared to greet his 
B01 194 opponents with outstretched arms if, in his opinion, they got 
B01 195 something right. To a public sickened by the mindless knockabout of 
B01 196 politics a decade ago, when it was unthinkable for the 
B01 197 representatives of one major party to do anything but speak ill of 
B01 198 their opposite numbers, Dr Owen's attitude seemed more like honesty 
B01 199 than opportunism.<p/>
B01 200 <p_>As for the accusation that the Social Democratic Party's leader 
B01 201 was preoccupied by his desire to hold high office, it simply does 
B01 202 not wash. With a little trimming of sails he could have played a 
B01 203 dominant role in the Labour Party or commanded a senior post in the 
B01 204 Cabinets of Margaret Thatcher or John Major. He chose not to trim. 
B01 205 Dr Owen may have demonstrated hubris.
B01 206 
B02   1 <#FLOB:B02\><h_><p_>Safe havens are only the start<p/><h/>
B02   2 <p_>FIRST THE GOOD news, or a promise of it, for the Kurdish 
B02   3 refugees in the most hopeful reading of Mr Bush's new plan. It is 
B02   4 of a tacit understanding, enforced by the symbolic presence if 
B02   5 Western troops, between the Baghdad regime and the allies to allow 
B02   6 those refugees to return home by stages. Having set up their tents, 
B02   7 communications, latrines and clean water, the US, British and 
B02   8 French troops will be more a hovering presence in the helicopters 
B02   9 that fly in aid than a thin line of battledress on the ground. The 
B02  10 plan is based on the assumption that, in the words of one Pentagon 
B02  11 official, the Iraqis will <quote_>"not be dumb enough to screw 
B02  12 around with us"<quote/>. It also assumes a fairly orderly 
B02  13 progression of refugees back from the Turkish border into what will 
B02  14 amount to five or six staging camps. Satisfied that life in Arbil 
B02  15 or Kirkuk will at least be tolerable, they will then move on. 
B02  16 Saddam Hussein's side of the deal is an affirmative response by the 
B02  17 UN to Iraq's request for the easing of sanctions. It has protested 
B02  18 against the Bush plan, but that could yet prove to be mere routine 
B02  19 denunciation of <quote_>"intervention in internal 
B02  20 affairs"<quote/>.<p/>
B02  21 <p_>The principle of non-intervention is still a substantial one, 
B02  22 and to breach it is always a contentious course of action. One of 
B02  23 the cases where it appeared most justified - Vietnam's overthrow of 
B02  24 Pol Pot - is still regarded as illegitimate by Britain and the US. 
B02  25 Another worrying question concerns the way that Resolution 688 is 
B02  26 being invoked as legal justification, although it does not actually 
B02  27 authorise anything except <quote_>"humanitarian relief"<quote/>. 
B02  28 Not for the first time, there is the prospect of a Security Council 
B02  29 resolution being regarded as a blank cheque for independent allied 
B02  30 initiatives. (Mr Bush himself indirectly conceded that a new 
B02  31 resolution might be necessary). Secretary General 
B02  32 P<*_>e-acute<*/>rez de Cu<*_>e-acute<*/>llar is not an easy man to 
B02  33 read, yet his reaction yesterday to the news was distinctly 
B02  34 hesitant. He can appreciate the danger of the UN having nominal 
B02  35 responsibility without power, just as he did during the actual war. 
B02  36 Against these worries it may be argued that there is no reason why 
B02  37 international as well as domestic law should remain immune to 
B02  38 changing public opinion and practice. This debate will remain 
B02  39 academic - though vital for the future of the UN - if Mr Bush's 
B02  40 plan works. On the assumption that the allied troops now being sent 
B02  41 to northern Iraq can be regarded in rather the same light as 
B02  42 soldiers being committed to famine or flood relief - and that they 
B02  43 do the job successfully - many people will put these questions of 
B02  44 international law very much in second place.<p/>
B02  45 <p_>But what if we face instead an alternative scenario of bad 
B02  46 news? Then we shall recall how senior US officials, just last 
B02  47 weekend, were arguing against the plan their President has now 
B02  48 adopted. There was National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft who 
B02  49 said that a safe haven for the Kurds could result in an instant 
B02  50 West Bank. There were others who feared that the sanctuaries could 
B02  51 not cope with the refugees, and that any US commitment would have 
B02  52 to be <quote|>"open-ended" in terms of time and manpower. (Both Mr 
B02  53 Bush and Mr Major, while hoping for a quick outcome, were careful 
B02  54 yesterday not to fix any time limit). We may also recall that a 
B02  55 separate agreement with Baghdad on establishing 
B02  56 <quote_>"humanitarian centres"<quote/> in northern Iraq was being 
B02  57 negotiated by Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan. And we may reflect rather 
B02  58 more on the irony that if all the Kurds had headed for Iran, and 
B02  59 not for Turkey, no Western leader would have dreamed of proposing a 
B02  60 safe haven or encampment of any description.<p/>
B02  61 <p_>In the meantime the refugees in the mountains are still dying, 
B02  62 in hundreds every night. The young and sick obliged to drink dirty 
B02  63 water all over Iraq are also dying. The Bush plan can only be part 
B02  64 of a much greater international effort which targets <tf|>all the 
B02  65 refugees, and <tf|>all the civilian victims of the war.<p/>
B02  66 
B02  67 <h_><p_>Inflation down the ages<p/><h/>
B02  68 <p_>DID YOU know that the price of homekilled lamb rose by 5.9 per 
B02  69 cent between March and April, 1977, or that potatoes went up by 
B02  70 7.27 per cent between February and March, 1958? Or that the general 
B02  71 level of prices went <tf|>down by 28 per cent in the year to 
B02  72 January, 1922? These and thousands of other facts are contained in 
B02  73 a wealth of statistics about the Retail Prices Index just published 
B02  74 by the Central Statistical Office as part of its 50th birthday 
B02  75 celebrations. They are in the best tradition of objective 
B02  76 government statistics untainted by political bias.<p/>
B02  77 <p_>Which is more than can be said about the retail prices index 
B02  78 today which has become a political football with different groups 
B02  79 constructing their own indices to suit their purposes. Last year 
B02  80 the Government favoured the 'underlying' rate excluding mortgage 
B02  81 interest payments which were then rising. If, as some others are 
B02  82 doing, the effects of the poll tax are taken out as well then it is 
B02  83 possible that by the Autumn the official index will be recording an 
B02  84 annual increase of less than 4 per cent while 'core' inflation (RPI 
B02  85 less poll tax and mortgage interest) will be over 8 per cent. This 
B02  86 week's figures for producer price inflation (which has crept up 
B02  87 from 5.8 per cent a year in September to 6.3 per cent in the latest 
B02  88 quarter) are a reminder that inflation in the real world looks much 
B02  89 more like the underlying rate than the official one. In other words 
B02  90 inflation in tradeable<&|>sic! goods (which affects our industrial 
B02  91 competitiveness and the balance of payments) is still on a 
B02  92 worryingly high upward trend. This is mainly because of wage 
B02  93 settlements no longer offset by productivity increases.<p/>
B02  94 <p_>This is not an invitation to ditch the official RPI. Far from 
B02  95 it. Nearly half of all households have a mortgage and when interest 
B02  96 rates go up and down they affect spending power in a real way just 
B02  97 as fluctuations in prices do. The RPI, for all its faults, offers a 
B02  98 fixed standard of comparison over the years (as yesterday's CSO 
B02  99 document confirms) which politicians will meddle with at their 
B02 100 peril. But like all economic statistics its constituent parts must 
B02 101 be analysed carefully. And the underlying message at the moment is 
B02 102 that while inflation for mortgage holders is coming down the 
B02 103 inflation of goods - which we have to export in a competitive world 
B02 104 - is still rising. Politicians will ignore that message at their 
B02 105 peril.<p/>
B02 106 
B02 107 <h_><p_>A leg up for the teachers<p/><h/>
B02 108 <p_>WHOSE pay has suffered the worst decline in the last 15 years: 
B02 109 nurses, doctors, dentists, senior civil servants, judges or 
B02 110 teachers? Correct, the biggest group of all, the 450,000 teachers. 
B02 111 And by a large margin. Teachers' pay has dropped from 37 per cent 
B02 112 above the white collar average to a mere five per cent in the 
B02 113 period. Which of the six groups named above does not have a review 
B02 114 body? Correct again, the teachers. Yesterday, the Education 
B02 115 Secretary agreed to set up a teachers' review body. Five out of the 
B02 116 six teaching unions are now sensibly ready to support this 
B02 117 solution.<p/>
B02 118 <p_>It is now four years since teachers' pay negotiating rights 
B02 119 were withdrawn by Kenneth Baker after two years of disruption in 
B02 120 the schools - plus even more years of inter-union disagreements on 
B02 121 the Burnham Committee. An Interim Advisory Committee was set up - 
B02 122 and advised on the last four pay rounds - before the Government 
B02 123 introduced its Bill in the current Parliament to restore limited 
B02 124 negotiating rights. That bill is now being dropped, and new 
B02 125 legislation introduced to set up a review body in time for the next 
B02 126 year's pay deal.<p/>
B02 127 <p_>Of course, at the crux, all review body recommendations can be 
B02 128 reduced, delayed or staged by governments facing economic problems. 
B02 129 But consider how empty national negotiations would be in the 
B02 130 current system: first, any agreement between local education 
B02 131 authorities and teaching unions could be undermined by Whitehall 
B02 132 refusing to fully fund it; second, opted out schools will be 
B02 133 allowed to negotiate their own pay deals; and third, the rivalry 
B02 134 between the six unions could once again reduce national 
B02 135 negotiations to a farce.<p/>
B02 136 <p_>In the words of the last Permanent Secretary at Education, Sir 
B02 137 David Hancock, <quote_>"by far the most serious problems in 
B02 138 education are restoring the morale and raising the status of 
B02 139 teachers"<quote/>. Pay is only part of the solution, but it remains 
B02 140 a crucial part. As the all party Commons Select Committee on 
B02 141 Education noted last year, the pay scale needs restructuring. 
B02 142 Career prospects must be improved. It takes a good honours student 
B02 143 just six years to reach the top of the present pay scale. A review 
B02 144 body is the ideal forum under which such reforms could be 
B02 145 achieved.<p/>
B02 146 
B02 147 <h_><p_>The doctor departs<p/><h/>
B02 148 <p_>THE LONG uncertainty is over. Dr David Owen, unwilling any 
B02 149 longer to hang about in politics in the increasingly meagre hope 
B02 150 that something worth his attention may one day turn up, is standing 
B02 151 down as MP for Plymouth Devonport at the next election. His eyes 
B02 152 are on other horizons: he has always, he tells us, looked on 
B02 153 politics as temporary, never as a permanent career.<p/>
B02 154 <p_>Dr Owen was sped on the way yesterday by two remarkable 
B02 155 tributes. <quote_>"I am sorry he is leaving the Commons. He is a 
B02 156 man of talent whose abilities I admire"<quote/>: John Major. 
B02 157 <quote_>"An unforgiving loser ... sheer abrasiveness ... something 
B02 158 of a nuclear fetishist ... I have never tried to work closely with 
B02 159 anyone with whom it was so difficult to talk things out... 
B02 160 "<quote/>: Roy Jenkins in his memoirs serialised in the Observer. 
B02 161 The curious thing is that both judgments<&|>sic! are true. Few who 
B02 162 have observed him would question Dr Owen's ability, his sweeping 
B02 163 and often original vision, his detailed, sometimes over-detailed, 
B02 164 grasp of all kinds of subjects where others were content with 
B02 165 surface impressions, from the nature of nuclear weapons to the 
B02 166 financing of housing or the NHS. Few would challenge his courage, 
B02 167 or deny him some at least of the essential qualities of 
B02 168 leadership.<p/>
B02 169 <p_>There is an echo here. Dr Owen's forthcoming memoirs, reported 
B02 170 in the Sunday Times, recount an occasion which sounds only too 
B02 171 authentic. At a Downing Street dinner in 1988, Mrs Thatcher took Dr 
B02 172 Owen's wife, Debbie, aside and lectured her in this fashion: 
B02 173 <quote_>"Your husband has a big choice to make and it can no longer 
B02 174 be avoided. There are only two serious parties in British politics 
B02 175 and we women understand these things. It is time he made up his 
B02 176 mind."<quote/> Debbie, he reports, <quote|>"bridled". No doubt. But 
B02 177 did David bridle too? David Owen and Margaret Thatcher had quite a 
B02 178 lot in common. That is not to endorse the familiar sneer which 
B02 179 dismisses him as always, deep down, a Tory. His commitment to an 
B02 180 NHS whose battering under the Conservatives he never 
B02 181 underestimated, stood in the way of that. But his famous assault on 
B02 182 <quote_>"fudge and mudge"<quote/>, his impatience with 
B02 183 reservations, his hatred of <quote|>"wetness", a word he deployed 
B02 184 with much of her snarl, marked him down, much like her, as a team 
B02 185 player only so long as he could be captain.<p/>
B02 186 <p_>Those outside politics often have most respect for those who 
B02 187 refuse to compromise. That was part of Mrs Thatcher's appeal, and 
B02 188 of Enoch Powell's, to a swathe of British electors right across 
B02 189 party barriers, though few were ever quite as besotted as Fleet 
B02 190 Street. The truth of the matter is that compromise, even dreadful 
B02 191 old fudge and mudge, are an absolutely inescapable part of 
B02 192 peace-time politics. All parties are coalitions built round a 
B02 193 common denominator. No leader can hold a party together 
B02 194 indefinitely around the tenet: I am right and you are wrong. The 
B02 195 Conservatives took it from Mrs Thatcher while she delivered: when 
B02 196 she ceased to do so, it finished her. David Owen at all times saw 
B02 197 himself, bravely and undissemblingly, as master of his fate and 
B02 198 captain of his soul.
B02 199 
B03   1 <#FLOB:B03\><h_><p_>END OF A DYNASTY<p/><h/>
B03   2 <p_>Rajiv Gandhi has paid the price of doing away with the security 
B03   3 with which he had surrounded himself since the murder of his mother 
B03   4 Indira Gandhi seven years ago. Only last week in Uttar Pradesh, he 
B03   5 protested that the masses were being kept away from him. 
B03   6 <quote_>"Let them come forward,"<quote/> he declared, driving in an 
B03   7 open jeep. Now he too has fallen victim to political assassination. 
B03   8 Will Indian democracy die with him?<p/>
B03   9 <p_>It was already clear before yesterday's tragedy in Tamil Nadu 
B03  10 that this election was marred by some of the worst violence, 
B03  11 corruption and thuggery in modern Indian politics. The rise of 
B03  12 Hindu extremism as a force has alarmed not only Indian Muslims but 
B03  13 also the many friends of Indian democracy abroad. There is a long 
B03  14 tradition of Indian secularism, which Rajiv Gandhi's grandfather, 
B03  15 Jawaharlal Nehru, sought to bind into the newly independent 
B03  16 country's political institutions. That tradition has been under 
B03  17 attack not only from the Hindu nationalists of the Bharatiya Janata 
B03  18 Party but also from fanatics playing on caste hatreds. Their 
B03  19 militancy has clearly blinded them to the overriding goal of 
B03  20 maintaining the unity of the state and the democratic guarantees it 
B03  21 offers - in theory at least - to all ethnic and religious 
B03  22 minorities.<p/>
B03  23 <p_>Rajiv Gandhi's critics would blame Mr Gandhi himself for much 
B03  24 of the instability and political turmoil which followed his last 
B03  25 administration. His defeat at that time was largely due to the 
B03  26 perception that his government was corrupt and too weak to deal 
B03  27 with the apparently intractable problems of caste, poverty, 
B03  28 inequality and, most immediately threatening, factional 
B03  29 Hindu-Muslim violence. Yet Mr Gandhi, for all his faults, remained 
B03  30 a politician of greater stature than those who came after him - and 
B03  31 not just for the family tradition that he had come to represent. 
B03  32 For the past 18 months India has been ruled by weak coalitions. 
B03  33 Chandra Shekhar, the prime minister, uttered the ultimate cynicism 
B03  34 of Indian politics, that his sole ambition was to hold his 
B03  35 particular office.<p/>
B03  36 <p_>Mr Gandhi was the product of a dynasty steeped in public 
B03  37 service. The 1985 election which followed his mother's 
B03  38 assassination gave him a landslide victory based on hopes that he 
B03  39 would modernise the Indian economy, bring 20th-century technology 
B03  40 to its industry and do away with the archaic ideological baggage 
B03  41 that had become an encumbrance to the Congress (I) Party. He lost 
B03  42 public confidence because he was aloof, because of the Bofors 
B03  43 corruption scandal and because, in the end, the tasks he confronted 
B03  44 simply overwhelmed him.<p/>
B03  45 <p_>Yet he proved in opposition that he was capable of humility, 
B03  46 coupled with an ability to listen to public discontent and learn 
B03  47 from his own past mistakes. His loss is a grievous blow to his 
B03  48 party as well as to his country. Congress (I) has proved in the 
B03  49 past to be a clumsy and imperfect instrument of government. But at 
B03  50 least it was a party of government, of strong centralised 
B03  51 authority.<p/>
B03  52 <p_>India needs a party opposed in principle to the extremes of 
B03  53 religious fanaticism. It also seemed to yearn again for a family 
B03  54 dynasty which, through its charisma and experience, could lead 
B03  55 India's huge population through at least a semblance of democratic 
B03  56 respectability. Three of that family's members have been killed. It 
B03  57 will take a mighty effort of collective political will for India's 
B03  58 leaders now to rise above the factional hatred which threatens the 
B03  59 country with chaos and bloodshed, just when it faces its greatest 
B03  60 trial.<p/>
B03  61 
B03  62 <h_><p_>GLORIES OF THE GARDEN<p/><h/>
B03  63 <p_>The sun, stubbornly absent for most of the spring, is shining 
B03  64 this week to welcome nearly 200,000 people to the Chelsea Flower 
B03  65 Show. The numbers have been limited to avoid a crush, and the show 
B03  66 is likely to sell out. An Englishman's home these days is his 
B03  67 garden - or somebody else's. The National Trust has declared 1991 
B03  68 the Year of the Garden, and expects visitors to its gardens to 
B03  69 exceed last year's 7.6 million.<p/>
B03  70 <p_>Gardening is one of the few pursuits at which Britons excel. 
B03  71 Blessed with a climate that generally furnishes enough rain to keep 
B03  72 plantlife lush, the British cultivate gardens that are the envy of 
B03  73 the world. Unlike continental Europeans, who are happy to live in 
B03  74 flats, and Americans, who dismiss their garden as a 'yard', the 
B03  75 British think no house is complete without a real garden. One of 
B03  76 the pleasures of the British countryside is not just the 
B03  77 architecture of its villages, but the flowers and lawns that 
B03  78 enliven them.<p/>
B03  79 <p_>The best British gardens eschew the geometry and formality of 
B03  80 the Italians and the French, in favour of a studied asymmetry. Just 
B03  81 as Capability Brown designed landscapes to look as perfect as they 
B03  82 might in nature, the British herbaceous border, though tended, has 
B03  83 to have a hint of wildness and overabundance in its arrangement.<p/>
B03  84 <p_>Gardening has become a boom industry in this country. About 85 
B03  85 per cent of British adults have a garden and last year they spent 
B03  86 around pounds2 billion on horticultural products, more than twice 
B03  87 as much in real terms as in 1980. Plants are now easier to buy: in 
B03  88 the past, keen gardeners used to have to write off the nurseries in 
B03  89 the autumn to buy seeds or plants for the following year by mail 
B03  90 order. Now, with the proliferation of garden centres and 
B03  91 do-it-yourself megastores people can buy ready-grown plants and 
B03  92 flowers whenever they like, even on a Sunday in most areas. Nearly 
B03  93 half of all garden-related shopping is done in these shops.<p/>
B03  94 <p_>But most important is the rise in home ownership. Garden 
B03  95 centres report a big increase over the past decade in the number of 
B03  96 young couples coming in for plants to prettify and thereby increase 
B03  97 the value of their new houses. Hanging baskets are taking off in 
B03  98 every sense. Meanwhile the pattern of gardening has changed away 
B03  99 from vegetable-growing and towards the more aesthetic cultivation 
B03 100 of flowers. With the constant availability of fresh vegetables in 
B03 101 supermarkets, there are now half as many allotment-holders as there 
B03 102 were in 1950. Many now have their own garden in which they can 
B03 103 plant lobelia instead of lettuce.<p/>
B03 104 <p_>Gardening is not quite immune to the recession; this year the 
B03 105 Horticultural Trades Association is expecting no real growth in the 
B03 106 market. But those who forgo the holiday in Spain for financial 
B03 107 reasons will no doubt potter round their gardens instead in true 
B03 108 British style. Why did it have to be a Frenchman, Voltaire, who 
B03 109 concluded that, in order to lead a better life, <foreign_>il faut 
B03 110 cultiver notre jardin?<foreign/><p/>
B03 111 
B03 112 <h_><p_>BAD TO WORSE IN LONDON<p/><h/>
B03 113 <p_>Does London need a new Greater London Council? Both the 
B03 114 Government and the Labour party reply no. For the government the 
B03 115 argument ends there; for Labour it does not. In a policy document 
B03 116 published yesterday, Labour declares that, while it is not for 
B03 117 recreating the GLC, it does need to create a Greater London 
B03 118 Authority. One thing should be understood from the start: Labour's 
B03 119 GLA is nothing but GLC reincarnated.<p/>
B03 120 <p_>The GLA would have 'strategic' powers covering virtually every 
B03 121 local government activity in the capital, including transport, 
B03 122 health, police, housing and planning. Indeed it has a vastly more 
B03 123 extensive remit than that originally proposed for the GLC by the 
B03 124 Herbert commission in 1960. That body was also meant to be 
B03 125 <quote_>"lean and hungry"<quote/> and established on 
B03 126 <quote_>"modern managerial principles with a small 
B03 127 highly-professional staff"<quote/>, in the words (referring to the 
B03 128 new body) of Labour's shadow environment secretary, Bryan Gould, 
B03 129 yesterday.<p/>
B03 130 <p_>The GLC had been specifically charged only to be strategic, 
B03 131 with the new London boroughs delivering local services. Within a 
B03 132 decade, it had become one of the most interventionist, extravagant, 
B03 133 wasteful and boastful bureaucracies in a capital 
B03 134 well<?_>-<?/>stocked with such beasts. But even so it did not run 
B03 135 the hospitals and the police, as is now proposed for the GLA. The 
B03 136 old GLC housing department, one of the County Hall's worst 
B03 137 scandals, is to be reborn with a complete <quote_>"land-use 
B03 138 planning framework"<quote/> and <quote_>"housing development 
B03 139 powers"<quote/>. The London boroughs should shudder at the thought: 
B03 140 even their new education functions are to be exposed to a six-month 
B03 141 enquiry into how they might be <quote|>"improved".<p/>
B03 142 <p_>Not a word in Labour's document, rife with platitudes, suggests 
B03 143 that the party has shed its old big-government-is-beautiful 
B03 144 obsession - except its hope (unconstrained by any statutory limit) 
B03 145 that it would never need more than a small staff. The hand of 
B03 146 grasping local government unions is heavy on the document. 
B03 147 Recreating not just a regional authority but a tier of government 
B03 148 with the widest possible powers, and one that previously proved 
B03 149 flawed, is no way to reform London government. Nor is it the way to 
B03 150 answer Michael Heseltine's failure to include London in his current 
B03 151 review of local government.<p/>
B03 152 <p_>So what should Labour, and Mr Heseltine, have proposed? The 
B03 153 answer is what Labour claims to want but is too in love with the 
B03 154 old GLC model to propose - a truly <quote|>"lean" body to stand at 
B03 155 the apex of the capital's government. Londoners have shown time and 
B03 156 again in polls that they do want some symbolic focus for city-wide 
B03 157 identity. Reformers should be able to evolve a body that can answer 
B03 158 this need. There are some functions appropriate to an elected 
B03 159 authority for the capital, some consultative, a few regulatory and 
B03 160 many ceremonial. Mr Heseltine should not leave Labour to make the 
B03 161 running.<p/>
B03 162 <p_>He should respond to Labour's challenge by proposing a 
B03 163 minimalist version of a London authority. It should be based on a 
B03 164 single elected mayor, plus a senate composed of borough 
B03 165 representatives. The mayor's office would be less potent than any 
B03 166 of its County Hall predecessors. Its functions would be 
B03 167 consultative and exhortatory, liaising between the boroughs, 
B03 168 central government and the London quangos, notably in matters of 
B03 169 transport and development planning.<p/>
B03 170 <p_>As with the London mayor's New York equivalent, elected status 
B03 171 would give the office considerable public clout. It might also 
B03 172 enjoy some of the regulatory functions proposed by Labour, for 
B03 173 instance in environmental, conservation and arts matters. While the 
B03 174 mayor would deliver no services, the office would have a small 
B03 175 budget, fixed as a percentage of the London<?_>-<?/>wide council 
B03 176 tax, to give exhortation some weight. There is a world of 
B03 177 difference between these modest, mostly symbolic aims, and the 
B03 178 hands-on management of major services that Labour is proposing for 
B03 179 its new GLA.<p/>
B03 180 <p_>Should Labour return to power, London will clearly have to 
B03 181 experience another round of costly empire-building by a 
B03 182 union-dominated County Hall. The Tories could best avert this 
B03 183 monster by stealing, not Labour's entire suit of clothes, but a few 
B03 184 modest undergarments, restyled<&|>sic!.<p/>
B03 185 
B03 186 <h_><p_>SOUNDING THE RETREAT<p/><h/>
B03 187 <p_>In his prayer for generosity, St Ignatius Loyola tells those 
B03 188 who carry out his spiritual exercises <quote_>"to toil and not to 
B03 189 seek for rest, to labour and not to ask for any reward save that of 
B03 190 knowing that we do Thy will"<quote/>. Such selfless devotion to a 
B03 191 cause without the promise of success in this life is nowadays not 
B03 192 merely rare - as it always was - but seemingly at odds with the 
B03 193 ethos of a secular society.<p/>
B03 194 <p_>Yet the words of St Ignatius, along with other Christian guides 
B03 195 to the inner life, still help many whose days are indeed spent in 
B03 196 toil, not for any divine purpose but to sustain their families and 
B03 197 realise their ambitions. An increasing number of these not 
B03 198 necessarily churchgoers nor even Christians, are nowadays finding 
B03 199 rejuvenation and meaning to their lives in the ancient custom of 
B03 200 retreat: a few days of quiet prayer and introspection in a 
B03 201 Christian community or retreat house.<p/>
B03 202 <p_>Many retreats are supervised by Anglican and Roman Catholic 
B03 203 monastic or conventual orders. Others are led by clergy or laymen 
B03 204 of various Christian denominations. Demand for places exceeds 
B03 205 supply. Some 160 houses offer retreats, and most are booked up in 
B03 206 advance throughout the year. For lay persons, the cost may vary 
B03 207 between pounds15 and pounds30 a day, but some are asked only for 
B03 208 donations according to means.<p/>
B03 209 <p_>Those who go might find themselves in eminent company - the 
B03 210 Archbishop of Canterbury is at present on retreat. There is no 
B03 211 social appeal: a normal retreat of eight days might involve little 
B03 212 conversation with anyone.<p/>
B03 213 
B04   1 <#FLOB:B04\><h_><p_>Why a tough inquiry is vital<p/><h/>
B04   2 <p_>NOW that the Government has done the right thing in the 
B04   3 incredible case of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, 
B04   4 one essential is clear: there must be no skimping over the inquiry 
B04   5 it is to set up.<p/>
B04   6 <p_>If half the tales of deceit, fraud, terrorist associations, 
B04   7 assorted skulduggery, bribery, embarrassed or compromised top 
B04   8 people and Government buck-passing are true, BCCI is a scandal of 
B04   9 gargantuan proportions.<p/>
B04  10 <p_>Consequently this must be the roughest, toughest inquiry ever 
B04  11 by a British Government.<p/>
B04  12 <p_>It must deliver its verdict in its own time, consistent with 
B04  13 meticulous and authoritative investigation.<p/>
B04  14 <p_>If it cannot get at the truth, it must be ruthless in 
B04  15 identifying those who have been obstructive.<p/>
B04  16 <p_>In the interest of public confidence, there are four questions 
B04  17 it should particularly address.<p/>
B04  18 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>What are the processes by which financial 
B04  19 institutions are permitted to operate in Britain as custodians of 
B04  20 our money; were they observed in the case of BCCI and, if not, who 
B04  21 is responsible? If the processes were observed, are they 
B04  22 adequate?<p/>
B04  23 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>When did the British authorities learn of doubts 
B04  24 about the operations of BCCI and when did they acquire 'court 
B04  25 quality' evidence which justified intervention? Was there anything 
B04  26 which might reasonably have been done which was not done in the 
B04  27 interim to warn investors?<p/>
B04  28 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Is all the whining now going on by those who 
B04  29 invested in BCCI in expectation of earning a fast buck (or two, or 
B04  30 three) justified?<p/>
B04  31 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>What has become of prudence and caution in 
B04  32 British local government which we once regarded as exemplary? Is 
B04  33 there not a case for a separate inquiry into financial control in 
B04  34 British local authorities.<p/>
B04  35 <p_>Finally, the inquiry might usefully address the effect on 
B04  36 Government in its widest sense of the propensity these days for 
B04  37 anyone and everyone to make allegations against anyone and everyone 
B04  38 in authority.<p/>
B04  39 <p_>Here the Commons, especially Labour MPs, has much to answer 
B04  40 for.<p/>
B04  41 <p_>In short, are investors in BCCI an unfortunate consequence of 
B04  42 the modern habit of crying <quote|>"wolf" at every opportunity?<p/>
B04  43 
B04  44 <h_><p_>Stick to education<p/><h/>
B04  45 <p_>TWO Oxford colleges - with four more expected to follow - are 
B04  46 apparently ready to ditch academic performance as evidenced by exam 
B04  47 results, for some undefined means of assessing the potential of 
B04  48 entrants.<p/>
B04  49 <p_>All this is presented as being in the interest of blacks and 
B04  50 deprived inner city kids, including (presumably) whites. This is 
B04  51 idiocy, however well meaning.<p/>
B04  52 <p_>First, academic institutions should not compromise their 
B04  53 standards.<p/>
B04  54 <p_>Secondly, they should not identify, if only by implication, 
B04  55 black students or those with the wrong accent as inferior 
B04  56 intelligences. Colour and accent are not a guide to brain power.<p/>
B04  57 <p_>Thirdly, the stupid academics should stop their social 
B04  58 engineering. Like cobblers, they should stick to their last.<p/>
B04  59 <p_>Their job is to educate. It is not to choose who to educate, 
B04  60 regardless of measured ability.<p/>
B04  61 
B04  62 <h_><p_>Time for some tough talking<p/><h/>
B04  63 <p_>HOW do you tell a geriatric about to foster your child that he 
B04  64 is a hoodlum with a diseased mind and it's time to change his 
B04  65 ways?<p/>
B04  66 <p_>That is the thorny question John Major must tackle when today 
B04  67 he becomes the first Western leader to bless Peking with a visit 
B04  68 since the stomach-churning massacre in Tiananmen Square two years 
B04  69 ago.<p/>
B04  70 <p_>Nobody should envy his high-wire task of coupling a firm 
B04  71 denunciation of the last bastion of discredited Communist rule with 
B04  72 the need to secure cast-iron guarantees for Hong Kong's nervous six 
B04  73 million citizens in the run-up to the handover in 1997.<p/>
B04  74 <p_>Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd was fair to insist - as he did 
B04  75 yesterday - that Britain should not prove its morality by 
B04  76 neglecting its responsibilities. But he and the Prime Minister must 
B04  77 remember that the two are not mutually exclusive.<p/>
B04  78 <p_>By warning that the world will not tolerate the brutal purge of 
B04  79 dissidents, he takes a further step towards guaranteeing democratic 
B04  80 rights for the colony in six years' time.<p/>
B04  81 <p_>By telling Peking that Marxist central command economies end in 
B04  82 tears, he is doing a little more to help protect Hong Kong's 
B04  83 thriving commercial markets from Chinese interference post-1997.<p/>
B04  84 <p_>Downing Street agreed the visit two months ago as a <tf_>quid 
B04  85 pro quo<tf/> for getting Chinese agreement for a vital new airport 
B04  86 deal for the colony.<p/>
B04  87 <p_>But in the light of recent events Mr Major now shares 
B04  88 chopsticks with the gerontocrats as a spokesman for the seven most 
B04  89 powerful nations in the Western world as well as Prime Minister of 
B04  90 Britain. He must not mince his words and he does not need to.<p/>
B04  91 <p_>Tough talking is not only in the best interests of the world. 
B04  92 It is in the best interests of Britain's colonial child, too.<p/>
B04  93 
B04  94 <h_><p_>Doctor was a tonic<p/><h/>
B04  95 <p_>SO the Good Doctor is finally packing up the political scalpel 
B04  96 he has wielded with such consummate skill for 25 years.<p/>
B04  97 <p_>Dr Owen's decision to stand down as MP for Plymouth Devonport 
B04  98 after a remarkable career is a sad loss to the body politic. He was 
B04  99 the youngest Foreign Secretary since Anthony Eden. And when he 
B04 100 helped set up the breakaway SDP, he broke the political mould and 
B04 101 did the Labour Party a lasting favour.<p/>
B04 102 <p_>Perhaps his greatest gift was his readiness to praise the 
B04 103 policy strengths of his opponents.<p/>
B04 104 <p_>It is a crying shame that a big man ended up leading such a 
B04 105 small party.<p/>
B04 106 
B04 107 <h_><p_>Ownership goal<p/><h/>
B04 108 <p_>DOES Neil Kinnock have a split personality or a conveniently 
B04 109 short memory? In this week's Director magazine, he claims that a 
B04 110 <quote_>"huge majority of the Labour Party"<quote/> never believed 
B04 111 in wholesale nationalisation.<p/>
B04 112 <p_>Yet in 1975 he said: <quote_>"We cannot remove the evils of 
B04 113 capitalism without taking its source of power - 
B04 114 ownership."<quote/><p/>
B04 115 <p_>And in 1983: <quote_>"It is inconceivable that we could 
B04 116 transform this society without a major extension of public 
B04 117 ownership and control."<quote/><p/>
B04 118 <p_>We are told that many of the fat cats at the Trade Union in 
B04 119 Congress meeting in Glasgow are despairing of his leadership.<p/>
B04 120 <p_>We suggest that next year, after three General Election 
B04 121 failures, any leader of the Labour party should have his memory 
B04 122 jogged ... with the sack.<p/>
B04 123 
B04 124 <h_><p_>How the TUC plays possum<p/><h/>
B04 125 <p_>TRADE Union leaders are being urged not to rock Labour's boat 
B04 126 at their annual congress in Glasgow this week in case they spoil 
B04 127 Neil Kinnock's chances of getting the keys to 10 Downing Street. 
B04 128 But the real message is: <tf_>Just be patient, and you'll be able 
B04 129 to rock the whole country.<tf/><p/>
B04 130 <p_>Tony Blair, the shadow employment spokesman, is eager to 
B04 131 promise us that the unions will get no special favours from a 
B04 132 Labour government.<p/>
B04 133 <p_>Which could be roughly translated as: <tf_>No more special than 
B04 134 usual. You own the party and we will do as we are told.<tf/><p/>
B04 135 <p_>Mr Blair is, of course, the moderate face of Labour. And he 
B04 136 tries to persuade us that there will be no return to the 1970s and 
B04 137 the days when the trade unions were a law to themselves.<p/>
B04 138 <p_>But already Mr Kinnock's men are promising a return of 
B04 139 secondary picketing against firms not directly involved in a 
B04 140 dispute, disguised as sympathy action. And for the first time they 
B04 141 promise to make it illegal for firms to sack strikers, even if the 
B04 142 alternative is bankruptcy.<p/>
B04 143 <p_>For the most part Labour is pussyfooting its way around the 
B04 144 embarrassing trade union question.<p/>
B04 145 <p_>While TUC delegates are on their best behaviour it is worth 
B04 146 recalling who provides the vast bulk of Labour Party funds: The 
B04 147 unions; who sponsors the biggest proportion of Labour MPs since 
B04 148 1935 and all 20 elected members of the Shadow Cabinet: The unions; 
B04 149 who casts almost 90 per cent of the votes at the Labour Party 
B04 150 conference: The unions; and who has a major role in picking 
B04 151 candidates as well as the leader himself: The unions.<p/>
B04 152 <p_>They may be playing possum now but if Britain were ever to 
B04 153 suffer the misfortune of a Neil Kinnock in Downing Street, guess 
B04 154 who would be waiting on the doorstep to collect their pay-off: The 
B04 155 unions.<p/>
B04 156 
B04 157 <h_><p_>Six million reasons to meet Old Guard<p/><h/>
B04 158 <p_>ONE day the evil geriatrics who rule China will pay for their 
B04 159 massacre of the democracy students in Tiananmen Square. In the 
B04 160 meantime there is no alternative but to deal with the Old Guard 
B04 161 Communists in Peking, even if it is through the gritted teeth 
B04 162 displayed by the Prime Minister yesterday.<p/>
B04 163 <p_>Those who whinge and whine about Mr Major's visit do so out of 
B04 164 political malice, ignorance, or the understandable feelings bred in 
B04 165 those whose families and friends have suffered.<p/>
B04 166 <p_>It should come as some comfort to this latter group that Mr 
B04 167 Major lost no time lecturing on the need for widespread reform in 
B04 168 China - a robust performance from a man increasingly making a name 
B04 169 for himself on the world stage.<p/>
B04 170 <p_>Some leaders might shy away from being the first from the West 
B04 171 to visit Peking. But the Prime Minister has six million reasons for 
B04 172 such a bold step.<p/>
B04 173 <p_>They are the people from the colony of Hong Kong which is due 
B04 174 to be handed over to China in 1997. Mr Major is determined to 
B04 175 protect them as far as possible by maintaining confidence in their 
B04 176 economy and political freedoms. Spurning the Chinese government 
B04 177 would only damage such hopes.<p/>
B04 178 <p_>The Prime Minister is right to keep the channels open and 
B04 179 bluntly remind China's isolated leaders that their days are surely 
B04 180 numbered if they continue to behave like brutes at home.<p/>
B04 181 
B04 182 <h_><p_>Paddy hasn't a dog's chance<p/><h/>
B04 183 <p_>PADDY Ashdown has proved himself to be both a charismatic and 
B04 184 popular leader of the Liberal Democrats against all predictions 
B04 185 when he took over that thankless job. As he kicks off the last 
B04 186 party conference season before the General Election he can be 
B04 187 satisfied with his achievement of knocking Neil Kinnock for six in 
B04 188 the battle to become the most effective opposition leader.<p/>
B04 189 <p_>This is mainly due to his firm and authoritative performance on 
B04 190 various foreign crises including the Gulf War.<p/>
B04 191 <p_>For this he has been rewarded with high personal ratings and, 
B04 192 even, more support for his party in latest opinion polls. But there 
B04 193 is still the smack of opportunism about the Liberal Democrats who 
B04 194 meet in Bournemouth this week.<p/>
B04 195 <p_>They have no real hope of power except as part of some shady 
B04 196 coalition if the two main parties fail to win an overall majority 
B04 197 in the next General Election.<p/>
B04 198 <p_>His claim, repeated yesterday, that the people will decide 
B04 199 whether they want a hung parliament, is a fraudulent interpretation 
B04 200 of any such result. The vast majority will have voted for either a 
B04 201 Tory or a Labour Government and not some fudged result leading to 
B04 202 deals concocted in smoke-filled rooms.<p/>
B04 203 <p_>Mr Ashdown has also made it clear that neither Mr Major nor Mr 
B04 204 Kinnock need pick up the phone unless they are prepared to grant a 
B04 205 change in the electoral system.<p/>
B04 206 <p_>Again, most voters will have supported parties which want no 
B04 207 such thing.<p/>
B04 208 <p_>Mr Ashdown says some sort of coalition government is not the 
B04 209 result he is seeking when John Major goes to the country. Voters 
B04 210 would have to be naive to fall for that one too.<p/>
B04 211 <p_>He knows an unstable Government with the Liberal Democrat tail 
B04 212 waving the dog is his only realistic hope of power come polling 
B04 213 day.<p/>
B04 214 
B04 215 <h_><p_>Motorists must dump litter habit<p/><h/>
B04 216 <p_>There is an almost mystical belief among millions of people in 
B04 217 Britain that drinks cans or cigarette packets thrown out of car 
B04 218 windows vanish into thin air. The great pity is these people cannot 
B04 219 be made to help clear the 260 tonnes of litter taken from motorways 
B04 220 verges each week and 7,000 bags of rubbish that have to be removed 
B04 221 from London's Underground stations.<p/>
B04 222 <p_>So Tidy Travel Week is a welcome attempt to rid our roads, 
B04 223 trains and buses of the garbage dumped by those who regard the 
B04 224 world as their litter bin - and British Rail as their ashtray.<p/>
B04 225 <p_>Teachers, police and all decent citizens should drive home the 
B04 226 message too.<p/>
B04 227 
B04 228 <h_><p_>Long live Jimbo<p/><h/>
B04 229 <p_>Jimmy Connors's latest star-spangled tennis performance gives 
B04 230 hope to all that life does not end at 39. While younger players 
B04 231 like John McEnroe, 32, Pat Cash, 26, and Boris Becker, 23, seem to 
B04 232 have lost their love of competitive tennis, Jimbo's enthusiasm is 
B04 233 unending.<p/>
B04 234 
B05   1 <#FLOB:B05\><h_><p_>Left feet trip T & G<p/><h/>
B05   2 <p_>I'VE long thought the Transport and General Workers' Union 
B05   3 should join the Magic Circle on account of its ability to score an 
B05   4 own goal while simultaneously shooting itself in the foot. Not even 
B05   5 Chelsea in its music hall prime ever managed that.<p/>
B05   6 <p_>There is no bad situation which the T & G cannot make worse. No 
B05   7 disaster which it cannot turn into catastrophe. No defeat which it 
B05   8 cannot snatch from the jaws of victory.<p/>
B05   9 <p_>Now it is pivoting on its two left feet to do it again.<p/>
B05  10 <p_>This week, ballot papers for the election of the union's deputy 
B05  11 general secretary have been posted to members (and, if the election 
B05  12 for the general secretary is anything to go by, to some people who 
B05  13 aren't members at all).<p/>
B05  14 <p_>The candidates who matter are 42-year-old Jack Dromey, the 
B05  15 husband of Harriet Harman who dresses almost as smartly as his 
B05  16 wife, and Jack Adams, 15 years older and one of the last members of 
B05  17 the British Communist party.<p/>
B05  18 <p_>Amazingly, at a time when a Communist couldn't even get elected 
B05  19 in Moscow, Adams is the likely winner - unless the union's 
B05  20 apathetic members stir themselves and vote heavily for Dromey.<p/>
B05  21 <p_>The result is due on October 18 - right in the middle of a 
B05  22 general election campaign should Major gather his nerve and go in 
B05  23 November.<p/>
B05  24 <p_>The Tories are praying their T & G supporters will vote for 
B05  25 Adams so that they can queue at every TV studio proclaiming Labour 
B05  26 is run by Reds.<p/>
B05  27 <p_>An Adams victory would make T & G even more ridiculous, which 
B05  28 doesn't bother me, and Neil Kinnock could respond by distancing 
B05  29 himself even farther from the T & G. However, Tory nonsense about 
B05  30 Labour's <quote|>"paymaster" might stick.<p/>
B05  31 <p_>That's why electing Adams as a deputy to a weak general 
B05  32 secretary, Bill Morris, whom the hard left of the union already 
B05  33 reckons it can control, would win the T & G the Own Goal of the 
B05  34 Year prize in any competition.<p/>
B05  35 <p_>Even if it did have to limp to the stage to collect it.<p/>
B05  36 
B05  37 <h_><p_>Matter of opinion<p/><h/>
B05  38 <p_>I SUPPOSE nothing will stem the tide of rubbish which is 
B05  39 written every time a new opinion poll comes out, but that doesn't 
B05  40 end the obligation to point out what garbage it is.<p/>
B05  41 <p_>The idea that there might be a November general election really 
B05  42 took off when <tf_>The Sunday Times<tf/> MORI poll showed that the 
B05  43 Tories had taken a two-point lead over Labour. When other polls 
B05  44 followed suit, <tf_>The Independent<tf/> declared that the 
B05  45 bandwagon for a November election was <quote|>"unstoppable".<p/>
B05  46 <p_>But the bandwagon came to a juddering halt when another 
B05  47 <tf_>Sunday Times<tf/> poll showed that Labour had gone back to a 
B05  48 four-point lead. Unless you believe about a million voters changed 
B05  49 their minds over a couple of weeks, it appears confusing.<p/>
B05  50 <p_>Not necessarily so. The two <tf_>Sunday Times<tf/> polls could 
B05  51 be compatible. Given the three-point margin of error within which 
B05  52 the polls work, it is mathematically possible that a two-point Tory 
B05  53 lead could actually be a four-point Labour lead. Equally, a 
B05  54 four-point Labour lead could be a two-point Tory lead.<p/>
B05  55 <p_>What the polls show is that the outcome of the election is 
B05  56 neither certain nor inevitable. No more.<p/>
B05  57 
B05  58 <h_><p_>Foreign affairs<p/><h/>
B05  59 <p_>WHY should three foreigners of incredible wealth, two of them 
B05  60 billionaires, the third a millionaire (currently on pounds3,500,000 
B05  61 bail facing charges of theft and false accounting), jointly give 
B05  62 nearly pounds4 million to the Tory party?<p/>
B05  63 <p_>What was in it for them?<p/>
B05  64 <p_>When a minor businessman in Neil Kinnock's constituency 
B05  65 absented himself from police making their inquiries, it was spread 
B05  66 over the front pages of <tf_>The Sun<tf/> and other Tory papers. 
B05  67 Though they proclaimed (no doubt on the advice of their lawyers) 
B05  68 that Kinnock was completely free of any suggestion of wrong-doing, 
B05  69 the underlying message was there.<p/>
B05  70 <p_>But wouldn't they have screamed for a public inquiry if Kinnock 
B05  71 had dined with Li Ka-shing, a Hong Kong businessman, and his party 
B05  72 then received a cheque for pounds100,000? Yet that's what John 
B05  73 Major did a few weeks ago.<p/>
B05  74 <p_>If Kinnock had invited a Turkish-Cypriot, Asil Nadir, to dine 
B05  75 and sent effusive letters of thanks for donations to the party 
B05  76 funds adding up to over pounds1,500,000 (much of them covering the 
B05  77 1987 election campaign), wouldn't the soap-boxes have been erected 
B05  78 between Fleet Street and Westminster for editors to cry 
B05  79 <quote|>"Scandal"? Yet that is what Lady Thatcher did.<p/>
B05  80 <p_>Wouldn't those same papers now be demanding that Nadir's money 
B05  81 should be contributed to the unfortunate shareholders who have seen 
B05  82 the value of their holdings melt away?<p/>
B05  83 <p_>If Kinnock had received pounds2 million from John Latsis, a 
B05  84 shipping magnate with unsavoury links with the former Greek 
B05  85 dictatorship, wouldn't there have been demands for his resignation? 
B05  86 Yet that happened, too, under Lady Thatcher.<p/>
B05  87 <p_>Not all the Tory papers concealed the truth. <tf_>The Sunday 
B05  88 Times<tf/> first revealed the Latsis connection and the <tf_>Daily 
B05  89 Mail<tf/> printed the Nadir news, even if only on page 19.<p/>
B05  90 <p_>But, as Edith Cavell said about patriotism, that is not 
B05  91 enough.<p/>
B05  92 <p_>Why do rich foreigners give so generously? Were these donations 
B05  93 - and God alone knows how many others there have been - 
B05  94 philanthropy or an investment?<p/>
B05  95 
B05  96 <h_><p_>Greens don't get my vote<p/><h/>
B05  97 <p_>WEDNESDAY, apparently, is National Vegetarian Day. I will not 
B05  98 be taking part. In fact, I'm due at a lunch where I know lamb is 
B05  99 being served. What's more, I had roast beef for lunch yesterday.<p/>
B05 100 <p_>I am not indifferent to the welfare of animals. I stopped 
B05 101 eating veal 30 years ago when I discovered the cruelty calves 
B05 102 suffer in their brief lives.<p/>
B05 103 <p_>But I hate the main components of vegetarian food.<p/>
B05 104 <p_>I abominate tomatoes, served with everything by bad 
B05 105 restaurants. I detest cheese, hard or soft, whether smelling only 
B05 106 slightly off or reeking to high Heaven.<p/>
B05 107 <p_>Lettuce is fine for rabbits, but not for me. Beetroot is awful. 
B05 108 Cucumbers are tasteless and so are their undeveloped sisters, 
B05 109 courgettes. Avocadoes<&|>sic! are grossly overrated, even when 
B05 110 filled with prawns. And radishes never pass my lips.<p/>
B05 111 <p_>I cannot be converted, because I'm not going to live on peas, 
B05 112 runner beans and apples for the rest of my life.<p/>
B05 113 
B05 114 <h_><p_>Lest we forget ...<p/><h/>
B05 115 <p_>IN A sane society, the idea that John Major could go to the 
B05 116 Soviet Union to give advice on how to run an economy would have the 
B05 117 unemployed, the repossessed, and bankrupt businessmen falling about 
B05 118 in hysterics.<p/>
B05 119 <p_>The notion that he could also bestride the world stage and 
B05 120 confer with President Bush, President Gorbachev and the collective 
B05 121 Chinese leadership all within the space of a week, would make those 
B05 122 who remember his embarrassingly awful few months as Foreign 
B05 123 Secretary collapse in a heap.<p/>
B05 124 <p_>But there he is, doing just those things. There might be hope 
B05 125 for David Owen yet.<p/>
B05 126 <p_>Ronald Reagan was known as the Teflon President, because no 
B05 127 matter how often his ignorance, incompetence and laziness were 
B05 128 exposed to the American voters, they refused to take any notice.<p/>
B05 129 <p_>There is a danger, now, that Major will become the Teflon Prime 
B05 130 Minister.<p/>
B05 131 <p_>I don't just mean his elevation to sainthood by the Tory press. 
B05 132 We expect that. If he were caught spending the nation's cash on a 
B05 133 French actress, the Daily Express would praise his concern for the 
B05 134 arts and the Daily Mail would see it as further proof of his 
B05 135 dedication to Europe.<p/>
B05 136 <p_>But there is more to his current success than sycophancy.<p/>
B05 137 <p_>The voters still blame Lady Thatcher for the sorry state of the 
B05 138 economy and excuse Major his leading part in it. They still blame 
B05 139 her for the Poll Tax and forget that he defended it.<p/>
B05 140 <p_>They forget his uncaring dismissal of the plight of the Kurds 
B05 141 and only remember that, eventually, he did something about it, even 
B05 142 if they don't remember what.<p/>
B05 143 <p_>But if they forget he is the leader of the Tory party, then 
B05 144 they will do so at their peril.<p/>
B05 145 
B05 146 <h_><p_>Smeared by a fantasy<p/><h/>
B05 147 <p_>LORD MACAULAY once described a book as being the best ever 
B05 148 written on the wrong side of the subject of which the author was 
B05 149 profoundly ignorant. I doubt if he would be as kind today to 
B05 150 <tf_>Smear! Wilson and the Secret State<tf/>, by Stephen Dorril and 
B05 151 Robin Ramsay (Fourth Estate, pounds20).<p/>
B05 152 <p_>This ragbag of spelling and factual errors (Brian Walden was 
B05 153 never a Minister, Judith Hart is not <quote_>"now Dame 
B05 154 Judith"<quote/> but Baroness Hart) purports to show how Harold 
B05 155 Wilson was smeared by the secret services through most of his 
B05 156 political life.<p/>
B05 157 <p_>Naturally, in order to refute the smears, it repeats them, so 
B05 158 that alleged affairs of Wilson and his wife and indiscretions 
B05 159 involving former Labour Ministers will get a wider audience than 
B05 160 they had when they were only gossiped about.<p/>
B05 161 <p_><tf|>Smear! is a regurgitation of the wilder fantasies of 
B05 162 <tf_>Private Eye<tf/>, Auberon Waugh, Spycatcher Peter Wright, 
B05 163 Collin Wallace and Tony Benn. 'Facts' are preceded by phrases like, 
B05 164 <quote_>"Although there is no evidence of this yet, it seems highly 
B05 165 probable ..."<quote/><p/>
B05 166 <p_>The most remarkable thing about this clumsy book is how little 
B05 167 the authors know of what really happened in the Wilson years, not 
B05 168 how much.<p/>
B05 169 
B05 170 <p_>THIS column, like Mr Gorbachev, was on holiday when the Soviet 
B05 171 coup took place, though I think Gorbachev's mistake was the 
B05 172 greater.<p/>
B05 173 <p_>We all know what he did. What did I do?<p/>
B05 174 <p_>Among other things I discovered Oxford has a painful practice 
B05 175 of projecting metal bus stop signs above the pavement at a height 
B05 176 of about 5ft.8in. As I'm 5ft.9in, I ended up with a cut head. I 
B05 177 thought there was a law against that, and, if there isn't, there 
B05 178 ought to be.<p/>
B05 179 <p_>It's no way to encourage tourists, except pygmies and 
B05 180 dwarfs.<p/>
B05 181 
B05 182 <h_><p_>Major decision<p/><h/>
B05 183 <p_>IF JOHN Major hasn't already decided when the General Election 
B05 184 is going to be, I'll be astonished. And if he has told anyone else, 
B05 185 I'll be equally astonished. A secret shared is a secret lost.<p/>
B05 186 <p_>Some forecasters of the date will, of course, eventually prove 
B05 187 to be right. But only because they made a good guess, not because 
B05 188 they were well-informed.<p/>
B05 189 <p_>Having been wrong about a June election, I'm not going to plump 
B05 190 for any other date. I've bet 10 quid against November 7, but that's 
B05 191 a hunch, not information.<p/>
B05 192 <p_>The trouble with the Soviet coup's Committee of Eight was that 
B05 193 there were seven too many in it. British Prime Ministers learned 
B05 194 that lesson a long time ago. Power shared is power lost.<p/>
B05 195 <p_>The art of politics is to take a decision and allow others to 
B05 196 believe they were part of it. It's known as Cabinet government.<p/>
B05 197 <p_>In all the election fever over the past few days, the awful 
B05 198 example of Harold Wilson rushing to a General Election in June 
B05 199 1970, after a few good opinion polls, has been held up by <tf_>The 
B05 200 Guardian, The Times, The Sunday Times<tf/> and ITN, among others, 
B05 201 as a reason why Major should be cautious.<p/>
B05 202 <p_>Even Roy Jenkins, in his elegantly-written autobiography <tf_>A 
B05 203 Life at the Centre<tf/> (Macmillan, pounds20), falls into the same 
B05 204 trap.<p/>
B05 205 <p_>They are all wrong.<p/>
B05 206 <p_>Wilson decided on a June election on April 13, the night before 
B05 207 Jenkins's<&|>sic! Budget, and I've got a note to prove it: The 
B05 208 first poll showing a slight Labour lead didn't come until eight 
B05 209 days later. Not until April 29 did Wilson consult his Inner Cabinet 
B05 210 for their opinions, which meant, in reality, manoeuvring their 
B05 211 agreement. Blame shared is blame lost.<p/>
B05 212 <p_>In the meantime, speculation increased and an 
B05 213 <quote|>"irresistible" bandwagon was created. The longer Major lets 
B05 214 the autumn bandwagon roll, the more likely it is to happen. If he 
B05 215 doesn't want it, the example to follow is Alec Douglas-Home's: he 
B05 216 announced in the spring of 1964 that the election would not be 
B05 217 until the autumn and the May bandwagon crashed.<p/>
B05 218 
B05 219 <h_><p_>They never listen ...<p/><h/>
B05 220 <p_>DEREK Jameson has got the boot, or at least the slipper, from 
B05 221 his BBC show, the afternoon <tf_>Woman's Hour<tf/> is being 
B05 222 switched to the morning, ball-by-ball Test Match commentary has 
B05 223 been scrapped and <tf_>Gardener's World<tf/> is cutting down on 
B05 224 some of its best-loved presenters.<p/>
B05 225 <p_>In addition, Sky Sport's habit of showing instant replays of 
B05 226 previous points in tennis means the start of the following point is 
B05 227 frequently missed, and the BBC's practice of covering motor racing 
B05 228 from the inside of one of the cars means viewers can't see what's 
B05 229 happening on the track.<p/>
B05 230 
B06   1 <#FLOB:B06\><h_><p_>Miles Kington<p/>
B06   2 <p_>Confusion rules the waves<p/><h/>
B06   3 <p_>TODAY - a thrilling tale of the sea!<p/>
B06   4 <p_><tf_>One Of Our Subs Is Independent<tf/><p/>
B06   5 <p_>Deep inside the USSR Navy submarine <tf_>Stalingrad<tf/>, 
B06   6 things were pretty quiet, except for the background humming noise. 
B06   7 In the captain's cabin, Captain Volkov was puzzling over a chess 
B06   8 problem, making vague musical noises to himself. That was the 
B06   9 background humming noise. There was also a knocking sound at the 
B06  10 door. There was only one way to stop that.<p/>
B06  11 <p_><quote_>"Come in!"<quote/><p/>
B06  12 <p_>The door opened and in came Chief Officer Lermontov, holding a 
B06  13 bit of paper in his hand. When he saw who it was, Volkov 
B06  14 automatically switched on the secret tape recorder he used to 
B06  15 preserve all conversations with subordinates. He noticed at the 
B06  16 same time that Lermontov was activating the small tape machine that 
B06  17 <tf_>he<tf/> kept secreted about his person. Whenever the two of 
B06  18 them spoke, they were both taping the talk.<p/>
B06  19 <p_><quote_>"Ah, Lermontov, it's you, testing, one, two three, 
B06  20 four, come in. How are things?"<quote/><p/>
B06  21 <p_><quote_>"Not bad, sir. The men were wondering where we were 
B06  22 exactly."<quote/><p/>
B06  23 <p_><quote_>"Somewhere off Norway."<quote/><p/>
B06  24 <p_><quote_>"Norway, eh?"<quote/><p/>
B06  25 <p_><quote_>"Yes. Or Sweden, possibly."<quote/><p/>
B06  26 <p_><quote_>"Sweden, eh?"<quote/><p/>
B06  27 <p_><quote_>"Yes. Or maybe even Germany or Spain ...Lermontov, you 
B06  28 know I can't possibly tell you where we are."<quote/><p/>
B06  29 <p_><quote_>"Yes, sir. Because you don't know. Because only HQ back 
B06  30 home knows, and they won't tell us."<quote/><p/>
B06  31 <p_><quote_>"Yes. Got a bit of paper there, have you?"<quote/><p/>
B06  32 <p_>This was for the benefit of the tape recordings, rather than a 
B06  33 straight inquiry.<p/>
B06  34 <p_><quote_>"Ah, yes, sir. I do have a piece of paper here. This is 
B06  35 the result of the on-board referendum about renaming the 
B06  36 <tf|>Stalingrad. If you remember, HQ has encouraged us to think of 
B06  37 a new name that does not refer to Uncle Joe."<quote/><p/>
B06  38 <p_><quote_>"I remember,"<quote/> said Volkov heavily. 
B06  39 <quote_>"There seems to be as much bureaucracy 
B06  40 post-<tf|><foreign|>glasnost as there was before."<quote/><p/>
B06  41 <p_>He bit his tongue. That wasn't the sort of thing you should say 
B06  42 to a tape recorder. He looked up to see Lermontov laughing wildly 
B06  43 but silently and gesturing as if to say <quote_>"one nil!"<quote/> 
B06  44 It was a sort of game he had with Lermontov, to see who could trick 
B06  45 the other into making the greater number of subversive statements. 
B06  46 At the moment the score was 1,916 to Lermontov, 1,777 to Volkov. It 
B06  47 was a high score, but Russian subs stay at sea for a long time, 
B06  48 especially when they aren't sure where they are.<p/>
B06  49 <p_><quote_>"Results of the poll are pretty inconclusive, I'm 
B06  50 afraid. We've had five votes for <tf_>Spirit of Yeltsin<tf/>, four 
B06  51 for <tf_>Don't Worry, Be Happy<tf/>, three for <tf_>Dear Old 
B06  52 Vodka<tf/>, two for <tf_>Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll<tf/> 
B06  53 ..."<quote/><p/>
B06  54 <p_><quote_>"In that case, we'll go for <tf_>Spirit of Yeltsin<tf/> 
B06  55 and thank our lucky stars that it wasn't worse. Thank you, 
B06  56 Lermontov."<quote/><p/>
B06  57 <p_><quote_>"Thank you, sir."<quote/><p/>
B06  58 <p_>They both switched off their machines. They both stayed in the 
B06  59 cabin. This was the point where the real conversation started.<p/>
B06  60 <p_><quote_>"Well, what was the result of the real referendum, the 
B06  61 one to decide whether the submarine should become an independent 
B06  62 republic or not?"<quote/><p/>
B06  63 <p_><quote_>"Fifty-six for, 13 against."<quote/><p/>
B06  64 <p_>Yes, the split-up of the Soviet Union had gone further than the 
B06  65 West suspected. At least one Russian sub had woken up to the fact 
B06  66 that it had its own nuclear strike force, its own micro-economy 
B06  67 amid its own stores of food and fuel. Why not its own independence? 
B06  68 It was already in far better shape than many real republics.<p/>
B06  69 <p_><quote_>"I have to say, Captain, that the men are worried about 
B06  70 the future. What happens when the food and fuel run 
B06  71 out?"<quote/><p/>
B06  72 <p_><quote_>"No problem. We point a nuclear warhead at the nearest 
B06  73 country and get it."<quote/><p/>
B06  74 <p_><quote_>"That's piracy."<quote/><p/>
B06  75 <p_><quote_>"Not if you call it getting aid from the West. Listen, 
B06  76 Lermontov, as soon as the West learns that a Soviet sub has gone 
B06  77 independent, they'll be falling over themselves to have us as 
B06  78 allies. We can't lose. The only thing is ..."<quote/><p/>
B06  79 <p_><quote_>"Yes?"<quote/><p/>
B06  80 <p_><quote_>"We still don't know our position. So I'm afraid we are 
B06  81 going to have to surface, make for land and just ask where we 
B06  82 are."<quote/><p/>
B06  83 <p_>(In the next episode, Captain Volkov's submarine, 'The Republic 
B06  84 of the Spirit of Yeltsin', emerges in New York harbour, where 
B06  85 Volkov establishes where he is and asks if it is too late to enter 
B06  86 another team for the World Cup. Don't miss it!).<p/>
B06  87 
B06  88 <h_><p_>Miles Kington<p/>
B06  89 <p_>Opinion polls for every occasion<p/><h/>
B06  90 <p_>EIGHTY-FIVE per cent of the electorate are sick and tired of 
B06  91 the next election, even though it hasn't been announced yet! That's 
B06  92 the shock finding of a new poll commissioned especially for the 
B06  93 first few paragraphs of this column. Other findings include a 17 
B06  94 per cent vote for David Owen as next PM, and a widespread feeling 
B06  95 that the Benetton poster of the new-born baby is an anti-Labour 
B06  96 smear campaign by the Tories.<p/>
B06  97 <p_>But here is the poll in full. Remember, it was taken 
B06  98 <tf|>before news of Hampshire's victory in the Natwest Trophy could 
B06  99 have affected it.<p/>
B06 100 <p_><quote_>"If there was an election tomorrow, what would you 
B06 101 do?"<quote/><p/>
B06 102 <p_><*_>square<*/>Vote (40 per cent)<p/>
B06 103 <p_><*_>square<*/>Say <quote_>"Thank God! An end at last to those 
B06 104 bloody opinion polls!"<quote/> (60 per cent)<p/>
B06 105 <p_>These findings will shock those who have come to treat opinion 
B06 106 polls as a useful tool, a good way of filling up the front page, or 
B06 107 simply as the nearest thing to democracy in Britain today. But if 
B06 108 opinion polls are so boring and unpopular, why do we have so many 
B06 109 of them? One specially commissioned for the next bit of this 
B06 110 article asked this very question (NB: This poll was taken after 
B06 111 John Major's historic trip to China, but before he next went to the 
B06 112 lavatory.)<p/>
B06 113 <p_><quote_>"Who do you think pays any attention to polls about the 
B06 114 next election?"<quote/><p/>
B06 115 <p_><*_>square<*/>God knows (33 per cent)<p/>
B06 116 <p_><*_>square<*/>Nervous MPs (27 per cent)<p/>
B06 117 <p_><*_>square<*/>People who make money out of running polls (23 
B06 118 per cent)<p/>
B06 119 <p_><*_>square<*/>Here, are you from that Esther Rantzen programme? 
B06 120 Well, if so, where are your cameras, then? Eh? (14 per cent)<p/>
B06 121 <p_><*_>square<*/>Dr David Owen (3 per cent)<p/>
B06 122 <p_>Another unexpected finding to emerge from recent polls is that 
B06 123 politicians' prime ministerial potential increases <tf|>after they 
B06 124 resign. David Steel, David Owen and Margaret Thatcher have high 
B06 125 profiles as future PMs. So does John Major. But this is because 
B06 126 many people are under the impression that Mr Major is already an 
B06 127 ex-prime minister. This emerged from a poll taken after this 
B06 128 article was started but <tf|>before it was completed. Here is the 
B06 129 vital question.<p/>
B06 130 <p_><quote_>"What do you think John Major has achieved in his 
B06 131 recent world tour?"<quote/><p/>
B06 132 <p_><*_>square<*/>He has considerably boosted the sales of his 
B06 133 books, CDs, tapes and T-shirts based on his tenure in office (37 
B06 134 per cent)<p/>
B06 135 <p_><*_>square<*/>He has shown the dictator of Burma is not the 
B06 136 only world leader with the guts to go to Peking and agree with the 
B06 137 Chinese leadership (25 per cent)<p/>
B06 138 <p_><*_>square<*/>He was trying to go round the world in eight days 
B06 139 or less, using <tf|>only official limousines and the Queen's 
B06 140 flight, and no public transport (14 per cent)<p/>
B06 141 <p_><*_>square<*/>He was trying to avoid having to read the opinion 
B06 142 polls (24 per cent)<p/>
B06 143 <p_><quote_>"We now think,"<quote/> writes the eminent social 
B06 144 psephologist Dr Ivor Tenure, <quote_>"that there are two main 
B06 145 reasons for the proliferation of polls before an election. One is 
B06 146 to provide employment. An enormous temporary army of pollsters, 
B06 147 researchers, TV workers and experts suddenly comes on to the 
B06 148 employment statistics, which cuts the jobless figures by thousands, 
B06 149 which makes it look as if the Government is doing a good job. It 
B06 150 is, therefore, more likely to get voted in. It's a self-fulfilling 
B06 151 process.<p/>
B06 152 <p_>"The other effect is that by picking a date for the election 
B06 153 the Government is, in effect, pledging an end to opinion polls for 
B06 154 a few years. Out of sheer gratitude, many, many people will vote 
B06 155 for it, simply for delivering them from the endless litany of Poll 
B06 156 Shock headlines."<quote/><p/>
B06 157 <p_>None of which explains Dr Owen's sudden surge in popularity. So 
B06 158 we commissioned a special poll to find out. Remember, this poll was 
B06 159 taken <tf|>before you read the results, but after we realised we'd 
B06 160 need another poll to pad out the column. The questions asked were: 
B06 161 How do you explain Dr Owen's sudden surge in popularity?<p/>
B06 162 <p_><*_>square<*/>Total mystery (25 per cent)<p/>
B06 163 <p_><*_>square<*/>Is he the one on telly in that hospital series 
B06 164 with the catchphrase <quote_>"Oops! Butterfingers!"<quote/> every 
B06 165 time a patient dies? I think he's smashing (25 per cent)<p/>
B06 166 <p_><*_>square<*/>Well, basically, everyone knows by now that 
B06 167 David's big flaw is that he can't work with any colleagues. Now, at 
B06 168 last, he has no colleagues. So we finally feel we can safely vote 
B06 169 for him (50 per cent)<p/>
B06 170 <p_>PS: Don't forget, on TV tonight, David Owen talks exclusively 
B06 171 to Jeremy Paxman and asks him: Now that your days as a bright and 
B06 172 cynical young man of TV reporting are virtually over, Jeremy, how 
B06 173 do you see you yourself having a future?<p/>
B06 174 
B06 175 <h_><p_>Miles Kington<p/>
B06 176 <p_>What I really meant to say was ...<p/><h/>
B06 177 <h|>Apology
B06 178 <p_>I WROTE recently in these columns the following statement: 
B06 179 <quote_>"Increasingly Mr John Major is acquiring a high profile as 
B06 180 a foreign statesman to whom more and more heads of state are 
B06 181 willing to turn, and whose voice is regularly listened to in 
B06 182 international councils."<quote/><p/>
B06 183 <p_>This should, of course, have read as follows: <quote_>"When a 
B06 184 man is making little headway on the domestic front, he 
B06 185 traditionally tries to make a role for himself on the international 
B06 186 stage, flying from capital to capital in an effort to look like a 
B06 187 big cheese. All that he actually achieves is a big airline bill and 
B06 188 a sense of foreboding among his colleagues at the prospect of 
B06 189 hearing his bland monotone again."<quote/><p/>
B06 190 <p_>I would like to apologise for any distress this may have 
B06 191 caused.<p/>
B06 192 <h|>Correction
B06 193 <p_>I wrote recently the following statement about Dr David Owen. 
B06 194 <quote_>"Dr David Owen will be leaving politics at the time of the 
B06 195 next general election."<quote/><p/>
B06 196 <p_>It has now been pointed out to me that this is incorrect, and I 
B06 197 have been asked to insert the following correction.<p/>
B06 198 <p_><quote_>"Dr David Owen left politics at the time of the last 
B06 199 general election, or possibly the one before that."<quote/><p/>
B06 200 <h|>Alteration
B06 201 <p_>It has been drawn to my attention that a recent apology in 
B06 202 which I talked about Mr Major's role on the international scene may 
B06 203 have given the wrong impression. I have been asked instead to print 
B06 204 the following statement.<p/>
B06 205 <p_><quote_>"'Save me from the old witch!' That was the urgent plea 
B06 206 that brought John Major scurrying out to Moscow last night, as 
B06 207 Mikhail Gorbachev tried everything he knew to avoid a meeting with 
B06 208 Mrs Thatcher. Ever since her fall from power nine months ago, Mrs 
B06 209 Thatcher has been flying from country to country looking for one 
B06 210 that will give her asylum, or preferably where she can take over as 
B06 211 leader, and now she seems to have targeted the USSR as her future 
B06 212 sphere of activity, plunging the country into the chaos with which 
B06 213 we are all too familiar."<quote/><p/>
B06 214 <p_>I am glad to comply with this request.<p/>
B06 215 <h|>Withdrawal
B06 216 <p_>I wrote recently the following: <quote_>"Mr Neil Kinnock is too 
B06 217 big a man to be bothered by the vicious talk behind the scenes. By 
B06 218 the canard that, as he was always yoked to Mrs Thatcher in 
B06 219 opposition, he should have left when she did. That he is nothing 
B06 220 like the commanding figure that John Smith is. That even other 
B06 221 Welshmen find him windy. That only an all-Scottish shadow Cabinet 
B06 222 can save Labour now. Above all this Mr Kinnock can rise 
B06 223 serenely."<quote/><p/>
B06 224 <p_>This was, of course, a misprint. It should have read: 
B06 225 <quote_>"Mr Neil Kinnock will be leaving politics at the time of 
B06 226 the next general election."<quote/><p/>
B06 227 <h|>Sorry
B06 228 <p_>Recently I reported on the World Games in Tokyo to the effect 
B06 229 that: <quote_>"We cannot but be inspired, in the midst of turmoil, 
B06 230 unrest and discontent, by the sight of men and women engaged in the 
B06 231 heroic, elemental battle against the frontiers of human 
B06 232 limitations. As man soars over 29ft, surely our spirits soar with 
B06 233 him?"<quote/><p/>
B06 234 <p_>Thousands of readers have written in to ask if I did not, 
B06 235 rather, mean to say: <quote_>"When, oh when, will these 
B06 236 monumentally dreary games be over?"<quote/><p/>
B06 237 
B07   1 <#FLOB:B07\><h_><p_>W.F. Deedes<p/>
B07   2 <p_>From dark fear to soft soap<p/><h/>
B07   3 <p_>TYRANNY overcome, at least for the time being, where will 
B07   4 Russian writers go now for their inspiration? I put the question to 
B07   5 a woman in Moscow. It was her beautiful hat, not her thoughtful 
B07   6 face, which drew me to her; but luckily she turned out to be a 
B07   7 professor of literature. <quote_>"They will help us to understand 
B07   8 democracy,"<quote/> she said. <quote_>"They will see the new 
B07   9 challenge, and help us to meet it."<quote/><p/>
B07  10 <p_>I tried politely to look impressed, but I was not. Great 
B07  11 writers who have been denouncing the vileness of Stalin's legacy, 
B07  12 and challenging its heirs to throw them in jail, will seek bigger 
B07  13 fish than 'democracy'. My guess is that for some of them at least a 
B07  14 new target will be our Western culture. Samantha Fox and Sylvester 
B07  15 Stallone stand high in the esteem of many of Moscow's young people 
B07  16 today. That surely gives Russia's satirists some sort of start.<p/>
B07  17 <p_>The big burger looms in Moscow. I am assured that McDonalds' 
B07  18 designs there are benign, that they genuinely seek to improve 
B07  19 catering for local people, not to pamper tourists. I accept that, 
B07  20 but there is much else in store. There is Disneyland; there is 
B07  21 Benetton, the Italian outfitter with its <tf_>avant garde<tf/> 
B07  22 advertising; there are exciting fashion designers like Jean Paul 
B07  23 Gaultier; and at a humbler level, there are East-Enders, Wogan, 
B07  24 Joan Collins, Madonna and Clive James, all of whom may soon be 
B07  25 reaching out to Russia. My recent days here have brought home what 
B07  26 a culture shock this will be.<p/>
B07  27 <p_>Out in the darkness there, people have been living almost 
B07  28 entirely by human association. Thinking and talking centre on 
B07  29 reality, on birth and death, sickness, hunger and fear. 
B07  30 <}_><-|>Nobody's<+|>Nobody<}/> discusses last night's soap opera. 
B07  31 There is a depth to Russian thinking and culture, even among the 
B07  32 poor, which we in the West have part-exchanged for more ephemeral 
B07  33 pleasures.<p/>
B07  34 
B07  35 <h_><p_>W.F. Deedes<p/>
B07  36 <p_>The last word goes to Marx ...<p/><h/>
B07  37 <p_>IT HAS rained in Moscow most of the last week. An oddly 
B07  38 appropriate consequence of this, I thought, was to be seen on 
B07  39 certain of the busts of modern Russian leaders which line the 
B07  40 Kremlin wall. When I inspected them, the rain trickled down their 
B07  41 cheeks like tears, as if they were crying. As well they might, you 
B07  42 could say.<p/>
B07  43 <p_>Lenin, whose embalmed body lies in the closely-guarded 
B07  44 mausoleum nearby, showed no signs of remorse. I glanced at the 
B07  45 pale, flood-lit face, rendered slightly incongruous by the neat 
B07  46 collar and black tie with white dots, and thought irreverently of 
B07  47 Evelyn Waugh's novel on embalmed corpses in Hollywood, called The 
B07  48 Loved One.<p/>
B07  49 <p_>On return to the pouring rain in Red Square, I asked some of my 
B07  50 fellow travellers why they had joined this damp pilgrimage. To 
B07  51 which most of them replied in effect <quote_>"before it gets shut 
B07  52 down"<quote/>. It is reported that Lenin's remains will be 
B07  53 transported to Leningrad (St Petersburg) to be buried in accordance 
B07  54 with his wishes alongside his mother there.<p/>
B07  55 <p_>A MORE awkward question is the future of the vast Lenin museum 
B07  56 below Red Square, where 20 halls of the red-brick former city 
B07  57 council building are crammed with memorabilia of the founder of the 
B07  58 Soviet state. This also is threatened with closure, but I cannot 
B07  59 conceive how such a mass of material will be disposed of. It is 
B07  60 surely the world's most extravagant example of the cult of 
B07  61 personality.<p/>
B07  62 <p_>One or two English entries raise the eyebrows. A copy of 
B07  63 Justice for December 1903 bestows its blessing on Lenin as his 
B07  64 party holds its second congress. There is a blue LCC plaque of the 
B07  65 <quote_>"Lenin stayed here"<quote/> variety which was 
B07  66 <quote_>"Presented to Moscow City Soviet by Desmond Plummer, leader 
B07  67 of the GLC, on behalf of the people of London, April 
B07  68 1971"<quote/>.<p/>
B07  69 <p_>Most striking of all is Lenin's splendid open Rolls Royce No 
B07  70 236 (1922-23) which has a niche to itself and appears to be in 
B07  71 pristine condition.<p/>
B07  72 <p_>I had been gazing at this when I was approached by a senior 
B07  73 museum official - there being virtually nobody else in the place, I 
B07  74 was a conspicuous figure. We chatted and I asked about the museum's 
B07  75 future. <quote_>"We do not know,"<quote/> he said sadly, at which 
B07  76 one or two of the old dears who guard the halls began to creep up 
B07  77 like anxious pussycats.<p/>
B07  78 <p_>Well, I said, wishing to be helpful, if you are to be sold up, 
B07  79 do not let that Rolls Royce go for less than pounds2 million. He 
B07  80 looked amazed. The question seemed to me whether this staggering 
B07  81 collection is to be rated as history or mere politics. I mentioned 
B07  82 this to my interpreting lady. <quote_>"History? 
B07  83 Fiddlesticks!"<quote/> she said. <quote_>"It is all 
B07  84 propaganda."<quote/> She admirably expresses the prevailing mood of 
B07  85 this city today.<p/>
B07  86 <p_>BEING old-fashioned, I thought the right way to approach Moscow 
B07  87 was by train from Finland. I recommend the sleeper which leaves 
B07  88 Helsinki just after 6 pm and pulls into Moscow via Leningrad in 
B07  89 time for a late breakfast.<p/>
B07  90 <p_>The cars are old but not uncomfortable. When I did the trip ten 
B07  91 years ago under Brezhnev, the night's ration was bread, sausage and 
B07  92 half a bottle of vodka. Under Gorbachev there is a Pullman car of 
B07  93 Edwardian splendour with velvet coverings <tf|>over the tablecloth, 
B07  94 delicious food and rapid service from ladies who look more WI than 
B07  95 Young Communist League.<p/>
B07  96 <p_>What drew me to the train, however, was not these delights, but 
B07  97 the thrilling impression of Russia which you get by rumbling 
B07  98 through it at night. It is hard to grasp the scale of this vast 
B07  99 land. A train journey conveys as the airplane cannot.<p/>
B07 100 <p_>They say the track gets bumpier after you cross the Finnish 
B07 101 border. And so it does, but that conditions the mind to what lies 
B07 102 ahead. So do the graveyards of broken trains and derelict carriages 
B07 103 which suddenly break the lonely forest line. Many traces of a 
B07 104 rotten, inefficient system which has dragged the Russian people 
B07 105 down almost all of my lifetime lie along this line.<p/>
B07 106 <p_>This was the route, my travelling companion assured me, which 
B07 107 Lenin took in the First World War when the Germans rushed him in to 
B07 108 ease their eastern front against the Tsar's army - as he did.<p/>
B07 109 <p_>SOME Muskovites still observed the courtesies during and after 
B07 110 the coup. Across a defiled statue of Marx run the words 
B07 111 <quote_>"very sorry"<quote/>.<p/>
B07 112 
B07 113 <h_><p_>Chaim Bermant<p/>
B07 114 <p_>Practising some lethal preachings<p/><h/>
B07 115 <p_>WHEN I first heard of them they were known as bum-boys. Then it 
B07 116 was nancy-boys and fancy-boys, and pansies and fairies, and fruits 
B07 117 and fags and faggots, and poofs and poofters and queers and 
B07 118 gays.<p/>
B07 119 <p_>Gays was the name they eventually chose. Now they are reverting 
B07 120 to queers, but given their disposition should they not be calling 
B07 121 themselves kamikazes? I ask the question in all seriousness, for 
B07 122 they not only seem to have a death-wish themselves, but an apparent 
B07 123 readiness to inflict death on others.<p/>
B07 124 <p_>A report in the Health Education Journal shows that a growing 
B07 125 number of gays are no longer taking precautions to protect 
B07 126 themselves or their partners, and that promiscuity among them is as 
B07 127 rife as ever.<p/>
B07 128 <p_>The nearest thing to a saint in the gay community is Derek 
B07 129 Jarman. As anyone familiar with his books and films will know, he 
B07 130 is very gifted. A recent interview with Lynn Barber also suggests 
B07 131 that he is extremely brave. He was diagnosed as HIV positive five 
B07 132 years ago and presumes he has Aids. He is in and out of hospital, 
B07 133 subsists on a diet of pills and has perhaps 12 months to live, but 
B07 134 accepts his afflictions with cheerful stoicism. He is 50 and it is 
B07 135 difficult not to be moved by his heroism. Yet he admits that he 
B07 136 still picks up young men without mentioning his condition.<p/>
B07 137 <p_><quote_>"I do make certain any encounter I have is 
B07 138 safe,"<quote/> he added. But, given the hazards, how safe is safe 
B07 139 sex? And, had his partners known of his condition, would they have 
B07 140 felt so nonchalant about it? One has to make allowances for Mr 
B07 141 Jarman not because he is dying, but because, as he says himself, he 
B07 142 is on so many drugs he is no longer quite sure who he is, what he 
B07 143 is, or what he is doing. But it seems to me that such encounters 
B07 144 are not far short of premeditated murder.<p/>
B07 145 <p_>It is always dangerous to draw conclusions from particular 
B07 146 cases, but Mr Jarman is more than a particular case. He is regarded 
B07 147 by many homosexuals as a role model. He is one of their most 
B07 148 articulate spokesmen, and he is devoting what is left of his life 
B07 149 to fighting Clause 28 of the 1988 Local Government Act.<p/>
B07 150 <p_>One might think from the fierce opposition it has provoked in 
B07 151 the gay community that the Clause is a threat to the rights and 
B07 152 liberties of homosexuals, whereas it was designed to limit their 
B07 153 presumption.<p/>
B07 154 <p_>Before the Wolfenden Report was published in 1957, homosexuals 
B07 155 suffered persecution and terror. The main proposals in the report 
B07 156 that public bodies should not legislate on private morality, and 
B07 157 that homosexual acts should be permitted between consenting adults, 
B07 158 were not readily accepted. They aroused great controversy, and were 
B07 159 only passed into law under the Sexual Offences Act (1967) after a 
B07 160 Labour Government was elected.<p/>
B07 161 <p_>The Act was intended to remove the stigma of illegality from 
B07 162 homosexual practices and to end the pariah of the homosexual. But, 
B07 163 if politicians could have foreseen what was to follow, the Act 
B07 164 would never have been passed - for instead of seeking integration 
B07 165 into the wider society, gays began to present themselves as an 
B07 166 alternative society. Where they had been retiring and discreet they 
B07 167 became strident, assertive, even aggressive.<p/>
B07 168 <p_>Then came Aids, and practices which people had felt to be 
B07 169 immoral were shown to be lethal. All the Government could do was 
B07 170 launch a campaign for the wider use of condoms.<p/>
B07 171 <p_>Gays insist Aids is not primarily a homosexual plague. Evidence 
B07 172 shows - in America and Europe, at least - that the victims are 
B07 173 overwhelmingly gay and, where heterosexuals are infected, it is 
B07 174 usually through contact with bisexuals.<p/>
B07 175 <p_>Drug addicts are also affected, but while no one suggested drug 
B07 176 addiction as an alternative life style, the gay community continued 
B07 177 to act as a sort of church militant. They obtained a greater say in 
B07 178 local government and tried to push their teachings in schools. 
B07 179 Hence Clause 28. If ever a measure were justified by circumstances, 
B07 180 this was it.<p/>
B07 181 <p_>We live in an age in which it is no longer acceptable even for 
B07 182 churchmen to talk in terms of right or wrong, but I think one can 
B07 183 be forgiven for suggesting that the homosexual way of life is less 
B07 184 than wholesome or, to put it more bluntly, it is, even without the 
B07 185 menace of Aids, a desperately sad one. Their gaiety, where it 
B07 186 exists, is at best ephemeral. There is little love in their lives 
B07 187 and their very promiscuity is an attempt to snatch a moment of 
B07 188 bliss in physical gratification. They are not preaching a way of 
B07 189 life, but a way of death. Not that every married couple is happy, 
B07 190 but the family offers scope for lasting relationships and 
B07 191 happiness. The life of the homosexual, possibly because of its 
B07 192 inherent sterility, does not.<p/>
B07 193 <p_>Their relationships are generally brief, and as they do not 
B07 194 care for the word promiscuity, they prefer to prove that they are 
B07 195 unhappy with the basic truths of their situation, and their efforts 
B07 196 at proselytisation arise not out of the belief that they have 
B07 197 something better to offer, but out of the comfort available in 
B07 198 numbers.<p/>
B07 199 <p_>It must be added that in spite of the Wolfenden reforms, 
B07 200 homosexuals still suffer from ostracism, discrimination and 
B07 201 harassment; the police tend to treat their complaints with 
B07 202 derision. But instead of protesting about genuine grievances they 
B07 203 protest about pseudo-grievances - like Clause 28.<p/>
B07 204 <p_>Gays are pushing their luck and seem to think that they can win 
B07 205 over public opinion by alienating it. They will not obtain the 
B07 206 repeal of Clause 28, but if they persist in their efforts, they 
B07 207 could lead to the repeal of the Wolfenden Act.<p/>
B07 208 
B08   1 <#FLOB:B08\><h_><p_>Why the waiting game looks a winner for 
B08   2 Major<p/>
B08   3 <p_>The longer Kinnock stays in opposition the weaker becomes his 
B08   4 election appeal<p/>
B08   5 <p_>by Paul Johnson<p/><h/>
B08   6 <p_>JOHN MAJOR can retain the option of a November election for 
B08   7 another month but, despite yesterday's Gallup poll, the chances are 
B08   8 that he will turn it down - and rightly.<p/>
B08   9 <p_>No Prime Minister likes to have to run the full course, though 
B08  10 the historical precedents are not so daunting as many pundits 
B08  11 think. The last Tory leader to do so, the little-fancied Alec Home, 
B08  12 very nearly pulled off a surprise victory in 1964, against a (then) 
B08  13 immensely impressive opponent, Harold Wilson. Had the campaign run 
B08  14 another fortnight, Home would have won.<p/>
B08  15 <p_>But the precedent most people have in mind is the calamitous 
B08  16 misjudgement of Jim Callaghan, who funked an autumn election in 
B08  17 1978, ran into the Winter of Discontent and handed Margaret 
B08  18 Thatcher a comfortable victory in 1979.<p/>
B08  19 <p_>Hence in the right conditions Major would be strongly tempted 
B08  20 to go in November. But the <quote_>"right conditions"<quote/> 
B08  21 consist, in practice, of four figures: inflation has to be at or 
B08  22 below 3 per cent, interest rates must be in single figures, 
B08  23 unemployment must have peaked and the Tories must have reached and 
B08  24 held a lead in the polls of not less than 7 per cent.<p/>
B08  25 <p_>None of these things is likely to happen in the next month; and 
B08  26 for all four to materialise would require something like a 
B08  27 miracle.<p/>
B08  28 <p_>The 1992 option has three powerful arguments behind it. The 
B08  29 first, which weighs particularly heavily with Major himself, is the 
B08  30 political impact of the key December negotiations with our European 
B08  31 Community partners on monetary union.<p/>
B08  32 <p_>Major believes that if, by some mischance, Labour were to win 
B08  33 in November, Neil Kinnock would make a hash of them and come back 
B08  34 with an agreement which would be disastrous for Britain.<p/>
B08  35 <p_>Believing he can get a deal which will reduce Tory malcontents 
B08  36 to a tiny minority, Major would prefer to have this under his belt 
B08  37 before embarking on a campaign in which an argument over Europe 
B08  38 would damage only his own party.<p/>
B08  39 <h|>Painful
B08  40 <p_>The second argument is more fundamental. Elections are nearly 
B08  41 always won or lost on the voter's sense of economic wellbeing. 
B08  42 There is virtual unanimity among the well-informed that the 
B08  43 recession has bottomed out and we shall be visibly pulling out of 
B08  44 it by late autumn.<p/>
B08  45 <p_>Nonetheless, it has been the deepest and most painful most 
B08  46 people can remember. The wounds are still open and raw and will 
B08  47 take time to heal.<p/>
B08  48 <p_>Many homebuyers have had their flats and houses repossessed or 
B08  49 have abandoned them in despair at paying their monthly mortgage 
B08  50 bills. The notion of a property-owning democracy, the great slogan 
B08  51 of the Thatcher years, has turned distinctly sour.<p/>
B08  52 <p_>Most of the people in these two categories voted Tory in 1983 
B08  53 and 1987. They may not now vote Labour. But some will turn to the 
B08  54 Liberal Democrats. Others will abstain. It is hard to see any 
B08  55 returning to the Tory fold this side of Christmas.<p/>
B08  56 <p_>A third and still expanding group of voters have lost their 
B08  57 jobs. They include many skilled workers, whom Mrs Thatcher won over 
B08  58 from Labour. Most are now back in the Labour camp and will remain 
B08  59 there until the jobless total begins to decline.<p/>
B08  60 <p_>The economic argument for 1992 is clinched by an important 
B08  61 tactical consideration. If Major picks November simply because 
B08  62 there is a pale glimmer of light on the horizon, he lays himself 
B08  63 open to the charge of blatant opportunism - and the far more 
B08  64 damaging smear that he is holding a snap election because the dawn 
B08  65 is a false one and he fears more bad news this winter.<p/>
B08  66 <h|>Emotional
B08  67 <p_>That is an accusation Labour can be expected to hammer home and 
B08  68 many will believe it.<p/>
B08  69 <p_>Third, there is the personal argument. We must not minimise the 
B08  70 forces working against the Government. A dozen years is a long time 
B08  71 to hold power. No modern government has won four consecutive 
B08  72 elections.<p/>
B08  73 <p_>Time for a change is a cumulative force of huge emotional 
B08  74 importance, not least among millions of young voters who have known 
B08  75 nothing but Tory rule since they became aware of politics.<p/>
B08  76 <p_>These negative factors apply, whichever date Major picks, 
B08  77 whereas the countervailing personal factor becomes stronger, the 
B08  78 more he delays.<p/>
B08  79 <p_>It can be expressed in a simple, five-word equation: Major 
B08  80 Versus Kinnock Means Major.<p/>
B08  81 <p_>Perhaps the most important factor is Kinnock's failure, in 
B08  82 eight years as a Leader of the Opposition, to make himself look 
B08  83 like a prime minister.<p/>
B08  84 <p_>The longer he goes on, the less impressive he seems. In the 
B08  85 last month alone he has lost much ground. It is surely significant 
B08  86 that, in a recent poll of trades union leaders - who ought to be 
B08  87 his strongest supporters - he was rated only seventh in the Shadow 
B08  88 Cabinet. How can the voters trust a man in whom even the party's 
B08  89 stalwarts are losing faith?<p/>
B08  90 <p_>By contrast, Major's stature and appeal have grown with every 
B08  91 month. He had a superb summer. He looks set for a triumphant party 
B08  92 conference. If he pulls off a negotiating triumph in December - and 
B08  93 he clearly believes he can - this will set the seal on his 
B08  94 emergence as a popular prime minister.<p/>
B08  95 <h|>Instinct
B08  96 <p_>Major has trumped Kinnock's two strong suits of youth and 
B08  97 ordinariness. He speaks to and for men and women in the street, 
B08  98 where Kinnock speaks only to and for party workers.<p/>
B08  99 <p_>Whereas Kinnock manages to look like a BA cabin steward, you 
B08 100 can imagine Major safely piloting the plane.<p/>
B08 101 <p_>He contrives to look and sound as unlike Margaret Thatcher as 
B08 102 possible, and this counteracts the time-for-a-change instinct.<p/>
B08 103 <p_>Best of all for the Tories is the feeling that there is plenty 
B08 104 more growth in their leader - that the more people see, the more 
B08 105 they like. That is a decisive argument for giving Major another 
B08 106 few, precious months.<p/>
B08 107 <p_>All the same, the choice is not easy and if he rules out 
B08 108 November, Major will pass an anxious winter. But how much more 
B08 109 nailbiting will it be for Kinnock, as he sees his chances slipping 
B08 110 away again - and how much stronger the probability that this 
B08 111 accident-prone man will trip himself up in the labyrinths of his 
B08 112 own verbiage!<p/>
B08 113 
B08 114 <h_><p_>Keith Waterhouse<p/>
B08 115 <p_>COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR<p/>
B08 116 <p_>Arnold on the lines<p/><h/>
B08 117 <p_>AND finally, the railway that's disappearing into its own 
B08 118 shunting shed. Following a loss of 23,000 passengers a day, British 
B08 119 Rail hopes to halt an expected pounds84 million shortfall with 
B08 120 wide-ranging cuts including the loss of up to 48 rush-hour commuter 
B08 121 trains a day. Here from our Bournemouth studio to discuss the 
B08 122 implications of that is British Rail's brother-in-law Arnold. 
B08 123 <quote_>"Good evening, Arnold."<quote/><p/>
B08 124 <p_><quote_>"Good evening Jeremy."<quote/><p/>
B08 125 <p_><quote_>"And the first thing concerned commuters will want me 
B08 126 to ask, Arnold, is how is your wife Moira?"<quote/><p/>
B08 127 <p_><quote_>"Still a martyr to indigestion, Jeremy, but my sister 
B08 128 Elaine - you know, the one who married British Rail - has put her 
B08 129 on to some blue pills that she has to take instead of meals, so 
B08 130 we're hoping they'll do the trick."<quote/><p/>
B08 131 <p_><quote_>"And the boys, Arnold?"<quote/><p/>
B08 132 <p_><quote_>"Kevin's waiting for his GCSE results and lucky little 
B08 133 Rory's gone to stay with his Aunt Noreen in Barbados, would you 
B08 134 believe? If you remember, Jeremy, she married one of the water 
B08 135 companies so they can well afford a time-share flat."<quote/><p/>
B08 136 <p_><quote_>"Now the next thing the disgruntled public is asking, 
B08 137 Arnold, is this. How does your brother-in-law justify charging more 
B08 138 and more for less and less?"<quote/><p/>
B08 139 <p_><quote_>"Well, Jeremy, you've got to remember he has an 
B08 140 enormous wages bill and it's rising all the time. Three hundred and 
B08 141 fifty per cent increase last year - and that's only his own 
B08 142 salary."<quote/><p/>
B08 143 <p_><quote_>"No, I didn't mean your brother-in-law the water 
B08 144 company, Arnold, I meant your other brother-in-law British 
B08 145 Rail."<quote/><p/>
B08 146 <p_><quote_>"Oh, I see, you mean Barry, the one who's married to 
B08 147 Elaine. He's very well, Jeremy, in fact we had a game of golf only 
B08 148 yesterday."<quote/><p/>
B08 149 <p_><quote_>"And what did he have to say about British Rail's 
B08 150 apparent strategy of trying to cut its losses by getting rid of its 
B08 151 passengers?"<quote/><p/>
B08 152 <p_><quote_>"Customers, Jeremy. Never say passengers, always say 
B08 153 customers. That's what I've drummed into my brother-in-law and he's 
B08 154 never looked back since. See, for passengers you've got to provide 
B08 155 trains, but for customers you've only got to sell tickets. I've 
B08 156 said the selfsame thing to my other brother-in-law, Lionel, I tell 
B08 157 him, otherwise they'll all be clamouring for water to put in their 
B08 158 hosepipes. Call them customers and all you have to worry about is 
B08 159 sending out the bill."<quote/><p/>
B08 160 <p_>BUT the question remains, Arnold - whenever British Rail is 
B08 161 faced with a huge revenue deficiency, it tries to balance its books 
B08 162 by putting up fares and reducing the service."<quote/><p/>
B08 163 <p_><quote_>"That's not a question, Jeremy, it's a statement. You'd 
B08 164 better be very careful - I have another sister, Beryl, who happens 
B08 165 to be married to the BBC."<quote/><p/>
B08 166 <p_><quote_>"Let me put it this way, then, Arnold. Can we expect 
B08 167 British Rail standards to get worse as more and more customers drop 
B08 168 away?"<quote/><p/>
B08 169 <p_><quote_>"No way, Jeremy. For one thing, fewer customers means 
B08 170 less crowded trains - that stands to reason, now doesn't it? And 
B08 171 fewer trains leaving the station means fewer trains arriving late - 
B08 172 that's another plus. Also, if the worst comes to the worst, Harry 
B08 173 can always revise the fares structure."<quote/><p/>
B08 174 <p_><quote_>"You mean put the fares up again?"<quote/><p/>
B08 175 <p_><quote_>"There you go, Jeremy, always looking on the black 
B08 176 side. Listen, I'll tell you in the strictest confidence what my 
B08 177 brother-in-law said over that game of golf yesterday- Arnold, he 
B08 178 said, we'll never get it 100 per cent right until we make such a 
B08 179 gigantic cock-up of the railways that the Government either has to 
B08 180 sell them off or come to the rescue."<quote/><p/>
B08 181 <p_><quote_>"So the rundown services are all part of a grand 
B08 182 long-term strategy?"<quote/><p/>
B08 183 <p_><quote_>"You've got it, Jeremy. But will the powers that be 
B08 184 listen. Of course, you know where the Government made its big 
B08 185 mistake, don't you?"<quote/><p/>
B08 186 <p_><quote_>"What was that, Arnold?"<quote/><p/>
B08 187 <p_><quote_>"It should have married my eldest sister Louise when it 
B08 188 had the chance."<quote/><p/>
B08 189 
B08 190 <h_><p_>Poorer Patels<p/><h/>
B08 191 <p_>JUDGING from yesterday's headlines there seem to be about 12 
B08 192 separate scandals rumbling away in the wake of the BCCI affair. 
B08 193 This one will run and run.<p/>
B08 194 <p_>There are also some intriguing questions to be answered, such 
B08 195 as why do bank paying-in books not carry a Government financial 
B08 196 health warning: <quote_>"Deposit protection in case of the bank 
B08 197 closing down due to fraud, incompetence or unwise investment is 
B08 198 limited to pounds15,000"<quote/> - and how on earth did the remote 
B08 199 Western Isles council get its fists on pounds23million in the first 
B08 200 place?<p/>
B08 201 
B08 202 <h_><p_>Keith Waterhouse<p/>
B08 203 <p_>Perfect peace<p/><h/>
B08 204 <p_>KARL MARX got it ever so slightly wrong when he prophesied the 
B08 205 withering away of the state. It is Marxism that has withered away - 
B08 206 and with it all manner of ideological sideshows.<p/>
B08 207 <p_>One that I shall be rather sad to see fading into the tapestry 
B08 208 of history is the dear old CND, the Campaign for Nuclear 
B08 209 Disarmament, which is now facing hard times and cannot be much 
B08 210 longer for this glasnost world.<p/>
B08 211 <p_>All those game old birds with gnarled sticks and pipes and 
B08 212 flowing manes, all those earnest young women with baby harnesses 
B08 213 bouncing off their bra-less bosoms, all those long-haired young men 
B08 214 addressing their girlfriends as <quote|>"Man", all those duffel 
B08 215 coats and jeans and badges and banners and open-toed sandals and 
B08 216 push-chairs and guitars and joints, and all those choruses of 
B08 217 <quote_>"We shall not be moved"<quote/>.<p/>
B08 218 <p_>The Easter march from Trafalgar Square to Aldermaston - more of 
B08 219 a pilgrimage really - became as much a national institution as 
B08 220 Derby Day.<p/>
B08 221 <p_>Although it had some pretty cranky spin-offs, notably the 
B08 222 Greenham Wimmin, the CND was probably the last protest movement not 
B08 223 to resort to violence. Scuffles and sit-downs there may have been, 
B08 224 but you did not ever see CND supporters heaving bricks at the 
B08 225 police.<p/>
B08 226 <p_>The Campaign's heart was in the right place even if its head 
B08 227 was in the wrong one. And at least - unlike the raucous 
B08 228 single-issue lobbies even now filling the void it will leave behind 
B08 229 - it could sing.<p/>
B08 230 
B09   1 <#FLOB:B09\><h_><p_>Freedom for the Kurds<p/><h/>
B09   2 <p_>NOT one of your 15 contributors (April 17) proposed that the 
B09   3 governments of the countries most concerned, Turkey, Iran and Iraq 
B09   4 are central to any discussion of how to save the Kurds. Neither 
B09   5 Turkey or Iran have met to discuss the political implications or to 
B09   6 seek a solution which would enable the Iraqi Kurds to return home. 
B09   7 There are sound reasons why Iraq could be brought into such 
B09   8 discussion, and the key to the early return of the Kurds to their 
B09   9 homes in Iraq is the Iraqi government itself.<p/>
B09  10 <p_>Some of your contributors suggested that one way to make 
B09  11 Northern Iraq safe for the Kurds would be to re-invade, capture 
B09  12 Baghdad and impose terms. But diplomacy is a better route, and the 
B09  13 conditions for Iraqi co-operation may now be emerging. They include 
B09  14 the current movement towards democracy in Iraq.<p/>
B09  15 <p_>Such moves indicate that we may soon be able to 'do business' 
B09  16 with the Iraq government. Two other factors make it more likely 
B09  17 that Iraq will co-operate in the relief and resettlement of the 
B09  18 Kurds in Northern Iraq. The Iraq government is bankrupt. It has 
B09  19 appealed to the UN for permission to sell oil. A UN agency has 
B09  20 asked for massive aid to Iraq whose crippled infrastructure is 
B09  21 producing more deaths and sickness.<p/>
B09  22 <p_>While the governments which conducted the war are right to send 
B09  23 immediate aid to limit the 'collateral' damage to the Kurds, it is 
B09  24 essential that the Kurdish homelands of Northern Iraq are made a 
B09  25 'safe haven'. The only sure way for such an early return is by 
B09  26 encouraging Turkey, Iran and Iraq to sink their differences, 
B09  27 consider their mutual problems and responsibilities and work for a 
B09  28 peaceful settlement. If that includes some element of 
B09  29 self-government in the Kurdish area of Northern Iraq the grant of 
B09  30 similar autonomy may also be necessary in other Kurdish enclaves 
B09  31 outside Iraq, but this need not result in changes of existing 
B09  32 borders. Renewed war could lead to drastic changes; the temptation 
B09  33 to take this course should be resisted.<p/>
B09  34 <p_>Jim Addington,<p/>
B09  35 <p_>Surbiton, Surrey<p/>
B09  36 
B09  37 <p_>SO DOES the fact of sending in Western Troops to northern Iraq 
B09  38 mean that the new world order works after all? I think not. In 
B09  39 seeking to deny it, President Bush has already underlined the 
B09  40 point. It is too little and too late. The oppression of the Kurds 
B09  41 does not date from the end of the Gulf war. It can be traced back 
B09  42 to the end of the First World War, when the West's carving the map 
B09  43 of the Middle East excluded an independent Kurdistan.<p/>
B09  44 <p_>The West's involvement now is a matter of political expediency. 
B09  45 A result of public and press pressure. The logic behind it is 
B09  46 another matter. Despite what Bush says it really is the logic of 
B09  47 the Vietnam War. The Gulf War had several aims. One was certainly 
B09  48 to keep control of oil for the West. Another was to clip the 
B09  49 territorial ambitions of Saddam Hussein. A third was to erase the 
B09  50 memory of America's defeat in Vietnam.<p/>
B09  51 <p_>But such things are not erased so easily. A war once started 
B09  52 throws up a whole number if uncomfortable questions. If not 
B09  53 democracy in either Kuwait or Iraq, then surely at least, freedom 
B09  54 for the Kurds?<p/>
B09  55 <p_>And what of the Palestinians? Bush's nightmare is not over. It 
B09  56 is just beginning.<p/>
B09  57 <p_>Keith Flett.<p/>
B09  58 <p_>London N11.<p/>
B09  59 
B09  60 <h_><p_>Dishing the dirt on nuclear power<p/><h/>
B09  61 <p_>I AM surprised that Geoffrey Taylor can be so vigorous an 
B09  62 apologist for the beleaguered nuclear industry, yet remains 
B09  63 seriously out of touch with the progress of the renewable energy 
B09  64 sector (Terms of Reference, April 15). Having heard a senior 
B09  65 Department of Energy official state that wind power, biomass, wave 
B09  66 energy etc. now figure prominently in government plans alongside so 
B09  67 called <quote|>"conventional" energy sources. I find it 
B09  68 exasperating to read yet again that future UK energy supply can 
B09  69 only be guaranteed by 'dirty' fossil fuels or 'clean' nuclear 
B09  70 power. No lobby is suggesting that wind power alone can fill the 
B09  71 technological gap left by the discredited nuclear industry - merely 
B09  72 that the combination of diverse renewable energy resources can make 
B09  73 a very substantial contribution in the near future.<p/>
B09  74 <p_>Most of California's pioneering wind turbines were built in a 
B09  75 hasty response to generous tax breaks, and therefore represent the 
B09  76 Model T Fords or Commodore PETs of the nascent wind industry - 
B09  77 early attempts at mass productions, already 
B09  78 <}_><-|>superceded<+|>superseded<}/> by much quieter and more 
B09  79 visually appealing machines. The focus of attention has shifted, 
B09  80 anyway, to the major wind power programmes under way in Denmark, 
B09  81 the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and even Spain. Britain is already 
B09  82 late in joining the band-wagon, and likely to miss out altogether, 
B09  83 if sensible planning policy guidelines and real windfarms do not 
B09  84 follow soon.<p/>
B09  85 <p_>Geoffrey Taylor may be correct in his assessment of Britain's 
B09  86 <quote|>"voodoo" treatment of its nuclear industry, but we are 
B09  87 verging on more Tragically Wasted Years if we do not strike the 
B09  88 right balance between assessment and deployment of renewable energy 
B09  89 technologies.<p/>
B09  90 <p_>(Dr) J M O Scurlocjk,<p/>
B09  91 <p_>Division of Biosphere Sciences,<p/>
B09  92 <p_>King's College London,<p/>
B09  93 <p_>University of London.<p/>
B09  94 
B09  95 <p_>GEOFFREY TAYLOR's opinion about the role of the electricity was 
B09  96 disappointingly ill-formed, particularly so since the author 
B09  97 declares himself a <quote_>"Card Carrying 
B09  98 environmentalist."<quote/><p/>
B09  99 <p_>The importance of wind energy has been recognised by several 
B09 100 governments and is being actively encouraged in Germany, the 
B09 101 Netherlands and Denmark, where it now generates 2 per cent of 
B09 102 electricity. Similar encouragement is now in place in the UK.<p/>
B09 103 <p_>The removal of nuclear power from the privatisation of the 
B09 104 electricity industry was based on 'disciplined thought' imposed by 
B09 105 the City. Under its rules it can be shown, very easily and 
B09 106 transparently, that wind energy is already cheaper than Mr Taylor's 
B09 107 nuclear panacea. Windmills are, by their very nature, visible. Some 
B09 108 think them beautiful. Their only impact upon the environment is 
B09 109 their visual appearance - surely preferable to invisible pollution 
B09 110 from other 'conventional sources'. Modern windmills are not noisy. 
B09 111 If Mr Taylor's only experience of the wind energy industry is the 
B09 112 early Californian wind farms, then he should reconsider his 
B09 113 position. Certainly many of those early machines were ugly and 
B09 114 noisy but he should take a look at the modern European farms in 
B09 115 Denmark and the Netherlands. Soon, I hope, he will have an 
B09 116 opportunity to judge them in Britain where we have a raw resource 
B09 117 which is the envy of the rest of Europe.<p/>
B09 118 <p_>(Dr) A D Garrad,<p/>
B09 119 <p_>British Wind Energy Association,<p/>
B09 120 <p_>London W1.<p/>
B09 121 
B09 122 <p_>GEOFFREY TAYLOR'S suggestion that opposition to nuclear power 
B09 123 is based on <quote|>"timidity" and that the industry should be 
B09 124 allowed to develop by trial and error shows scant regard for the 
B09 125 thousands who have died, are suffering or will suffer as a result 
B09 126 of the Chernobyl disaster.<p/>
B09 127 <p_>He is right to abhor the environmental damage of the 
B09 128 industrialised world's reliance on oil. However, most oil is used 
B09 129 for transport, not for power production as he implies: in the OECD 
B09 130 countries 48 per cent of their oil requirements is used for 
B09 131 transport, while electricity production uses 8.7 per cent.<p/>
B09 132 <p_>The route towards a 'greener' source of energy is not to 
B09 133 promote uneconomic and unsafe nuclear reactors, nor fossil fuels. A 
B09 134 comprehensive programme of energy efficiency is needed, together 
B09 135 with an increase in the use of renewables. Contrary to Taylor's 
B09 136 assertions, renewable forms of energy now provide for about 20 per 
B09 137 cent of the world's primary supply; not just from wind, but also 
B09 138 from bio-mass, hydro power and solar energy. This figure should be 
B09 139 compared with the longer-established nuclear industry's 
B09 140 contribution of only 12 per cent.<p/>
B09 141 <p_>Bridget Woodman.<p/>
B09 142 <p_>Greenpeace Nuclear Campaign,<p/>
B09 143 <p_>London N1<p/>
B09 144 
B09 145 <p_>Geoffrey TAYLOR is concerned that Britain's reluctance to 
B09 146 invest in nuclear power as widely as France will condemn us to 
B09 147 fossil fuelled future. His mind could perhaps be put at rest by a 
B09 148 1985 report to the Commission of the European community on wave 
B09 149 energy, by Dr Tony Lewis. This estimates that the European 
B09 150 potential (excluding Iberia) for offshore wave power is 92 GW, or 
B09 151 70 per cent of the present EC demand. This is about double the 
B09 152 present nuclear contribution.<p/>
B09 153 <p_>We could be delighted if he could investigate why this report 
B09 154 has been persistently ignored by the EX, and why the Department of 
B09 155 Energy went to such lengths to sabotage the UK programme in 1982. 
B09 156 We try hard not to be conspiracy theorists, but we wonder whether 
B09 157 it is because wave power is the only renewable option that could 
B09 158 provide serious quantities of base-load power. Thus (given but a 
B09 159 fraction of the nuclear research budget) it would compete with 
B09 160 nuclear power, into which UK in particular has sunk such quantities 
B09 161 of both prestige and cash, to such little effect.<p/>
B09 162 <p_>John Valentine.<p/>
B09 163 <p_>Energy spokesman,<p/>
B09 164 <p_>Green Party.<p/>
B09 165 
B09 166 <h_><p_>Pension less<p/><h/>
B09 167 <p_>I WRITE to draw attention to the continually worsening plight 
B09 168 of hundreds of thousand of pensioners in this country. Last week 
B09 169 they received the much-publicised 10.9 per cent increase on the 
B09 170 basic state pension, bringing it to pounds52 for a single person 
B09 171 and pounds83.25 for a couple. This increase was based on last 
B09 172 September's inflation figure and was thus six months in 
B09 173 arrear<&|>sic!.<p/>
B09 174 <p_>Rents were increased (in many cases a week earlier) by upwards 
B09 175 of 10 per cent including those in sheltered accommodation. VAT from 
B09 176 15 per cent to 17 1/2 per cent (a 16.6 per cent increase) fuel and 
B09 177 food prices are constantly rising. Television licences have gone up 
B09 178 by pounds5m water rates in this area by 15.2 per cent, electricity 
B09 179 by 11 per cent. To add insult to injury many pensioners have now 
B09 180 lost their entitlement to Income Support and are no longer eligible 
B09 181 for free eye tests, dental treatment etc..<p/>
B09 182 <p_>It is scandalous that our elderly should be thus treated. Where 
B09 183 pensioners have been able to save or have a second pension, they, 
B09 184 too, are watching their capital disappear in the effort to keep 
B09 185 abreast of payment for basic necessities and their extra income 
B09 186 becoming less and less adequate to meet their needs.<p/>
B09 187 <p_>Pensioners all over the country are flocking to associations 
B09 188 campaign for a decent standard of living. In the Anglian region, 
B09 189 over 14,000 have joined an association which started only some 
B09 190 eighteen months ago.<p/>
B09 191 <p_>Mary Davies.<p/>
B09 192 <p_>Norfolk and Norwich Pensioners' Association,<p/>
B09 193 <p_>Meadow View,<p/>
B09 194 <p_>Stacksford,<p/>
B09 195 <p_>Old Buckenham,<p/>
B09 196 <p_>Norfolk.<p/>
B09 197 
B09 198 <h_><p_>Baby Food for thought<p/><h/>
B09 199 <p_>YOU published a disturbing report of the low nutritional value 
B09 200 of manufactured babyfoods (Guardian, April 16). It reminded me that 
B09 201 last year when I visited the wing allocated to mothers and babies 
B09 202 in Holloway prison I was horrified to discover that these foods 
B09 203 were all the mothers were allowed to feed their children. Holloway 
B09 204 prison has no provision for allowing mothers to prepare fresh food 
B09 205 for their babies.<p/>
B09 206 <p_>If the analysis of the low protein content of commercial 
B09 207 babyfoods is accurate, then these babies are being malnourished. 
B09 208 Conditions for women and their babies in prison are far from 
B09 209 satisfactory, but the lack of fresh food at such a crucial stage in 
B09 210 the development of a young baby is scandalous. Mothers in prison 
B09 211 suffer terribly, whether they have their little babies with them 
B09 212 for a short time, or whether they are separated from their 
B09 213 children. The Howard league has been very involved in encouraging 
B09 214 improved contacts between imprisoned mothers and their children on 
B09 215 the outside. We applaud the considerable efforts being made by the 
B09 216 staff in women's prisons. But, these reforms are only hailed as 
B09 217 breakthrough because of the dreadful visiting arrangements that 
B09 218 went before.<p/>
B09 219 <p_>Far too many babies experience prison. In 1989 a total of 101 
B09 220 women served all or part of their sentence with their babies in the 
B09 221 prison mother and baby unites, and one third of these women had 
B09 222 been convicted of theft or fraud. More women experience prison with 
B09 223 their babies on remand.<p/>
B09 224 <p_>The poor quality food given by the prison to babies in their 
B09 225 care is just one more reason why we should not be imprisoning these 
B09 226 mothers and babies in the first place. It is not beyond the wit of 
B09 227 our criminal justice system to find ways of managing these women in 
B09 228 the community.<p/>
B09 229 <p_>Frances Crook, Director,<p/>
B09 230 <p_>The Howard League,<p/>
B09 231 <p_>London N19.<p/>
B09 232 
B10   1 <#FLOB:B10\><h_><p_>Insurance stance on Aids vindicated<p/>
B10   2 <p_>From Mr John Lockyer<p/><h/>
B10   3 <p_>Sir, Scheherazade Daneshkhu attributes particular criticism 
B10   4 (<quote_>"Life Insurance for Gays"<quote/>, August 3) of the life 
B10   5 insurance industry's lifestyle questionnaire to the Institute of 
B10   6 Actuaries working party on Aids. This misinterprets the working 
B10   7 party's views.<p/>
B10   8 <p_>Indeed, in its bulletin published in March, the working party 
B10   9 noted that the continued use of the lifestyle questionnaire appears 
B10  10 to be vindicated by the fact that two-thirds of newly-reported 
B10  11 cases of HIV infection are from among the homosexual community. The 
B10  12 recommendation of a switch of emphasis has to be set against the 
B10  13 context of a bulletin which discusses the possibility of more 
B10  14 widespread infection in the heterosexual community. If that event 
B10  15 comes to pass the insurance industry may well need to review its 
B10  16 procedures.<p/>
B10  17 <p_>As yet there is very little evidence, either in Europe or the 
B10  18 US, of an appreciable level of infection among sexual partners 
B10  19 where neither is a member of one of the recognised risk groups. The 
B10  20 working party is charged with looking to the uncertain future of 
B10  21 the epidemic; the insurance industry has the delicate task of 
B10  22 making commercial judgments in the light of today's realities as it 
B10  23 sees them. If life insurance underwriters believe there is 
B10  24 insufficient evidence to justify a change of direction we should 
B10  25 not criticise them.<p/>
B10  26 <p_>John Lockyer,<p/>
B10  27 <p_>chairman,<p/>
B10  28 <p_>Institute of Actuaries Aids Working Party,<p/>
B10  29 <p_>Leadenhall Street,<p/>
B10  30 <p_>London EC3A 2PQ<p/>
B10  31 
B10  32 <h_><p_>India's needs: less of the textbook and more aid<p/>
B10  33 <p_>From Parviz Dabir-Alai.<p/><h/>
B10  34 <p_>Sir, Your leader, <quote_>"Perestroika in India"<quote/>, is a 
B10  35 classic example of good analysis followed by an unworthy 
B10  36 <}_><-|>conclusions<+|>conclusion<}/>. You state that, given its 
B10  37 fragility, the Indian government should <quote_>"go further and ... 
B10  38 still faster"<quote/> in its attempts to liberalise the economy by 
B10  39 disbanding subsidies (such as those on fertilisers) and other 
B10  40 manifestations of control prevalent there. This textbook-like 
B10  41 conclusion, like many of its type, is a recipe for disaster as it 
B10  42 ignores the concerns of the myriad interest groups found across 
B10  43 rural and metropolitan India. To ignore the wishes of any 
B10  44 electorate in the pursuit of economic liberalisation alone is bound 
B10  45 to be politically dangerous as evidenced by Rajiv Gandhi's defeat 
B10  46 in the Haryana elections of May 1987.<p/>
B10  47 <p_>Your contempt for the decision partially to reinstate the 
B10  48 fertiliser subsidies is insensitive as their principal objective 
B10  49 has always been to underwrite incomes of marginal and lesser able 
B10  50 farmers. Removal of such subsidies will immediately jeopardise the 
B10  51 livelihood of millions. This is not to anyone's interest, least of 
B10  52 all to a government suffering from political fragility.<p/>
B10  53 <p_>Parviz Dabir-Alai,<p/>
B10  54 <p_>lecturer in economics,<p/>
B10  55 <p_>Division of Business Administration and the Social Sciences,<p/>
B10  56 <p_>Richmond College, London.<p/>
B10  57 
B10  58 <h_><p_>From Messrs John Toye and Michael Lipton.<p/><h/>
B10  59 <p_>Sir, Your leader of<&|>sic! is right both to congratulate the 
B10  60 minister of finance, Dr Mammohan Singh, on his courageous moves 
B10  61 towards stabilisation and liberalisation, and to warn that they may 
B10  62 not go far enough. Unfortunately, you recognise neither the past 
B10  63 achievements and improvements in Indian economic policy, flawed as 
B10  64 these have been, nor the complicity of the western world in the 
B10  65 flaws.<p/>
B10  66 <p_>From 1947 to the early 1970s, the Indian economy crawled 
B10  67 forward at just over 3 per cent per year - about 1 per cent per 
B10  68 person. The proportion of Indians below the national 'poverty line' 
B10  69 fluctuated around 50 per cent. Comparable figures now are about 5 
B10  70 per cent yearly, that is, almost 3 per cent per person, and those 
B10  71 below the poverty line are now less than one in three. Government 
B10  72 policies and programmes played a major part in these improvements. 
B10  73 They took place in an economically hostile world environment, and 
B10  74 largely in a fully democratic framework.<p/>
B10  75 <p_>However, India has also been experiencing a huge expansion of 
B10  76 public-sector deficits. This trend was stimulated by the policies 
B10  77 pressed upon India by western donors in the early 1980s.<p/>
B10  78 <p_>At that time, India was strongly encouraged to reduce its 
B10  79 borrowing from concessional sources, such as the International 
B10  80 Development Association, and instead to borrow heavily from banks 
B10  81 at commercial rates. Progressively, monetary and fiscal caution was 
B10  82 borne down in a flood of easy, but expensive commercial paper on 
B10  83 which debt service had to be raised through the public budget.<p/>
B10  84 <p_>India now needs greatly expanded flows of concessional aid, not 
B10  85 only as a reward for liberalisation, but also to support a reformed 
B10  86 and expanded role for the state in its appropriate functions of 
B10  87 providing infrastructure and social services for continued growth 
B10  88 and poverty reduction.<p/>
B10  89 <p_>John Toye and Michael Lipton,<p/>
B10  90 <p_>The Institute of Development Studies,<p/>
B10  91 <p_>University of Sussex,<p/>
B10  92 <p_>Brighton BN1 9RE<p/>
B10  93 
B10  94 <h_><p_>What has become of the EEC?<p/>
B10  95 <p_>From Mr Ian Macavoy.<p/><h/>
B10  96 <p_>Sir, In the argument on erosion of parliamentary control over 
B10  97 the UK, little comment has been made on the original premise upon 
B10  98 which our application for membership was made. That we were to join 
B10  99 the European Economic Community.<p/>
B10 100 <p_>Similarly, in the subsequent national referendum on continuing 
B10 101 membership, the promarketeers' main argument in favour was of 
B10 102 economic benefits accruing to the UK, and the cost of withdrawing. 
B10 103 No argument was made by them in favour of devolving parliamentary 
B10 104 power to the EEC.<p/>
B10 105 <p_>I am now ashamed to say that I voted in the referendum for 
B10 106 continuing membership of the European Economic Community. But in 
B10 107 recent years the title of that has been changed to the European 
B10 108 Community, a completely different animal for which I did not vote. 
B10 109 The 'manifesto' of Mr Heath and pro-marketeers effectively sold the 
B10 110 nation a pup.<p/>
B10 111 <p_>Ian Macavoy,<p/>
B10 112 <p_>Wantage Hall,<p/>
B10 113 <p_>Upper Redlands Road,<p/>
B10 114 <p_>Reading, Berkshire<p/>
B10 115 
B10 116 <h_><p_>Relate high pay to insecurity of tenure<p/>
B10 117 <p_>From Mr Derek H Broome.<p/><h/>
B10 118 <p_>Sir, Christopher Hood and Chris Tinder (Personal View, August 
B10 119 6) should consider the market principles of remuneration before 
B10 120 advising prime ministers or anybody else to raise their pay. The 
B10 121 only valid reasons for paying one person more than another are 
B10 122 relative scarcity of skills and qualifications. The Review Body has 
B10 123 the wrong terms of reference.<p/>
B10 124 <p_>Monopoly rents are of course earned where there is little 
B10 125 market and few performance measures - in boardrooms as well as the 
B10 126 public sector - and clearly there is little relationship between 
B10 127 performance and pay in such cases. Arguments based on comparisons, 
B10 128 or even incentives, can be shown to be largely fallacious; the 
B10 129 answer is to make high pay, wherever earned, subject to total 
B10 130 insecurity of tenure, dependent on performance, and with no golden 
B10 131 handshakes.<p/>
B10 132 <p_>It is improbable that the supply or performance of prime 
B10 133 ministers is much affected by pay, nor is it evident that the 
B10 134 country is better served now than when the office was held for 
B10 135 little or no direct remuneration. The comparison between Messrs. 
B10 136 Wilson and Heath and John Major was perhaps particularly 
B10 137 unfortunate. If the first two were paid relatively twice as much - 
B10 138 did they perform twice as well?<p/>
B10 139 <p_>Derek H Broome,<p/>
B10 140 <p_>Potter's End,<p/>
B10 141 <p_>Mears Ashby,<p/>
B10 142 <p_>Northampton<p/>
B10 143 
B10 144 <h_><p_>Future of the European Commission<p/>
B10 145 <p_>From Mr Dick Taverne.<p/><h/>
B10 146 <p_>Sir, In the Brussels discussions about the future of political 
B10 147 and monetary union, one important item has been left out: the 
B10 148 future and effectiveness of the European Commission.<p/>
B10 149 <p_>The Commission seems to have few friends in high political 
B10 150 places. It is therefore worth bearing in mind how vital an 
B10 151 effective Commission is to the Community's well-being.<p/>
B10 152 <p_>The Commission is the only European institution which 
B10 153 represents the interests of the Community as such, rather than 
B10 154 those of the nation states. There are times when all states benefit 
B10 155 from the assertion of this wider perspective.<p/>
B10 156 <p_>The Commission has played a crucial role in the remarkable 
B10 157 progress we have made towards a single market. Further, we would 
B10 158 not be as close as we are to agreement about monetary union if it 
B10 159 had not been for the Delors Report and the efforts of M<&|>sic! 
B10 160 Delors himself. Whatever the nature of the new constitution which 
B10 161 emerges from the inter-governmental conferences, the role of the 
B10 162 Commission is likely to be more important than ever. There will be 
B10 163 more majority voting in the Council, which enhances the 
B10 164 Commission's role; there will be new fields in which the Commission 
B10 165 will acquire the right to make proposals, a right which has been in 
B10 166 part of the basis of its influence.<p/>
B10 167 <p_>But if the Commission is to perform these enhanced duties 
B10 168 effectively, it must function better than it does now. The number 
B10 169 of commissioners is too large.<p/>
B10 170 <p_>I am told that on important issues a preliminary <foreign_>tour 
B10 171 de table<foreign/> takes two-and-a-half hours. And there are doubts 
B10 172 about the cohesion of the Commission as a body.<p/>
B10 173 <p_>In 1979 the Spierenburg Committee (of which I was the British 
B10 174 member) was set up to review the working of the Commission. Two of 
B10 175 its central recommendations were to reduce the number of 
B10 176 commissioners and to split the duties of the presidency.<p/>
B10 177 <p_>We recommended that there should only be one commissioner per 
B10 178 member state. There are now 17, two for each of the larger states. 
B10 179 If and when Austria, probably Sweden, and possibly others join, the 
B10 180 college will become unmanageable.<p/>
B10 181 <p_>We also recommended that, to relieve the burden on the 
B10 182 presidency, there should be a deputy president. The president would 
B10 183 be concerned with strategy and represent the Commission on 
B10 184 important matters inside and outside the Community; the deputy 
B10 185 president would be responsible for organising and co-ordinating the 
B10 186 Commission's internal work.<p/>
B10 187 <p_>These recommendations were as relevant as ever. They should be 
B10 188 revived as an important practical contribution to the future of the 
B10 189 Community.<p/>
B10 190 <p_>Dick Taverne,<p/>
B10 191 <p_>PRIMA Europe Ltd,<p/>
B10 192 <p_>14 Soho Square,<p/>
B10 193 <p_>London W1<p/>
B10 194 
B10 195 <h_><p_>Blind Spots on the Dark Ages<p/>
B10 196 <p_>From Mr Peter Clery.<p/><h/>
B10 197 <p_>Sir, David Richardson, a tenant himself, appears to have a 
B10 198 blind spot (<quote_>"Tenant farmers fear return to Dark 
B10 199 Ages"<quote/>, April 16). There is currently a massive subsidy in 
B10 200 value terms from landlord to tenant. This is beyond doubt as the 
B10 201 price of agricultural tenancy is generally half the value of the 
B10 202 same land with vacant possession.<p/>
B10 203 <p_>The minister of agriculture is proposing freedom of contract 
B10 204 (on new tenancies only). For would-be tenants to claim some further 
B10 205 rights over a landowner's freehold property is impertinent and 
B10 206 illogical.<p/>
B10 207 <p_>If the minister's proposals go through, it is likely that there 
B10 208 will be considerable opportunities for new lettings on a freely 
B10 209 agreed basis. One might even arrive at the position, as is the case 
B10 210 in commercial lettings, where a farm let to a good tenant is worth 
B10 211 as much as it would be if in hand.<p/>
B10 212 <p_>This point appears to have been missed by Mr Richardson and the 
B10 213 tenant farming lobby which seeks a degree of influence over 
B10 214 landowners' property completely unjustified by the 
B10 215 circumstances.<p/>
B10 216 <p_>Peter Clery,<p/>
B10 217 <p_>Managing Director,<p/>
B10 218 <p_>The Lands Improvement Group Limited,<p/>
B10 219 <p_>1 Buckingham Place, SW1<p/>
B10 220 
B10 221 <h_><p_>Chemical mix-up was no laughing matter<p/>
B10 222 <p_>From Dr A. Scotney.<p/><h/>
B10 223 <p_>Sir, I have no doubt that many of your chemically trained 
B10 224 readers experienced the same delicious <tf|>frisson as I when they 
B10 225 read Clive Cookson's item <quote_>"Nitrous Acid gets last 
B10 226 laugh"<quote/> (April 10).<p/>
B10 227 <p_>Suffice it to say that intractable confusion between nitrous 
B10 228 oxide (laughing gas) and nitrous acid (an entirely distinct 
B10 229 compound known only in an aqueous solution) rendered the entire 
B10 230 article largely meaningless.<p/>
B10 231 <p_>Nitrous and nitric acids are present as pollutants in 
B10 232 atmospheric water droplets largely as a result of emissions of two 
B10 233 other oxides of nitrogen (nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide) from 
B10 234 petrol combustion and other chemical processes.<p/>
B10 235 <p_>However, I was particularly entertained by the prospect of 
B10 236 dentists using nitrous acid in high concentration as an 
B10 237 anaesthetic.<p/>
B10 238 <p_>I would be unlikely to induce the last (or any other) laugh, 
B10 239 but I can confidently predict the last gasp, the last rites and the 
B10 240 last will and testament in that order.<p/>
B10 241 <p_>Dr A Scotney<p/>
B10 242 <p_>17 Hyndland Avenue,<p/>
B10 243 <p_>Glasgow<p/>
B10 244 <p_>G11<p/>
B10 245 
B10 246 <h_><p_>Quality and productivity in education<p/>
B10 247 <p_>From Mr John Farago<p/><h/>
B10 248 <p_>Sir, In the last 10 years industry and commerce (and readers of 
B10 249 the FT's Management features) have learned that dedication to 
B10 250 continuing improvements in quality of goods and services to meet 
B10 251 rising customer expectations, almost invariably brings added 
B10 252 benefits of less waste, lower costs, higher productivity and an 
B10 253 improved working environment.<p/>
B10 254 <p_>Those unwilling to change attitudes, methods and organisation 
B10 255 have not survived.<p/>
B10 256 <p_>Dedication to quality improvement techniques, better use of 
B10 257 time and other resources is just as likely to yield improved, more 
B10 258 cost-effective services and elimination of wastage in the 
B10 259 labour-intensive fields of research and education; better quality 
B10 260 and productivity need not mean less personal contact with students 
B10 261 or larger classes.<p/>
B10 262 
B11   1 <#FLOB:B11\><h_><p_>Gazza and the law<p/>
B11   2 <p_>From Mr John King<p/><h/>
B11   3 <p_>Sir, The <quote|>"Gazza" case (reports, May 20, 21) raises an 
B11   4 interesting point in the context of sport and the law. In certain 
B11   5 contact sports such as rugby the referee has a duty to protect 
B11   6 players from both others and themselves; a concussed player can be 
B11   7 'sent off' by the referee and substituted.<p/>
B11   8 <p_>In the play on Saturday it is arguably clear that Mr Gascoigne 
B11   9 was in a hyper-excited state as evidenced by his first tackle. Had 
B11  10 the referee shown the yellow card it is most likely that the player 
B11  11 would have modified his mood, especially given his world cup 
B11  12 experience. This is not to say that the Hotspurs board should now 
B11  13 sue the referee for their lost millions, but it is time to remind 
B11  14 all arbitrators that they have a duty to protect players from 
B11  15 damaging others and themselves.<p/>
B11  16 <p_>Yours faithfully,<p/>
B11  17 <p_>J.B. KING (Director),<p/>
B11  18 <p_>The Academic Department of Sports Medicine,<p/>
B11  19 <p_>The London Hospital Medical College,<p/>
B11  20 <p_>Turner Street, E1.<p/>
B11  21 <p_>May 21.<p/>
B11  22 
B11  23 <h_><p_>Soul contribution<p/>
B11  24 <p_>From the Reverend Canon<p/>
B11  25 <p_>A. C. Roberts<p/><h/>
B11  26 <p_>Sir, The report by Kerry Gill (May 15) concerning the request 
B11  27 of the crofters on the island of Foula for the reappointment of a 
B11  28 missionary by the Church of Scotland refers to the church seating 
B11  29 <quote_>"about 50 souls"<quote/>.<p/>
B11  30 <p_>In view of the stated fact that sometimes there were only two 
B11  31 islanders at Sunday worships it must be comfort to the pastor to 
B11  32 know that 50 souls were also present. Or did the two bodies leave 
B11  33 room only for an assembly of 48 souls?<p/>
B11  34 <p_>Yours sincerely,<p/>
B11  35 <p_>A.C. ROBERTS,<p/>
B11  36 <p_>Shotton Vicarage,<p/>
B11  37 <p_>Deeside, Clwyd.<p/>
B11  38 
B11  39 <h_><p_>From Mrs Valery Rees<p/><h/>
B11  40 <p_>Sir, I always thought it was bodies that required the seats, 
B11  41 not souls. Perhaps the islanders would be sending missionaries to 
B11  42 the church?<p/>
B11  43 <p_>Yours faithfully,<p/>
B11  44 <p_>VALERY REES,<p/>
B11  45 <p_>Conifers,<p/>
B11  46 <p_>12 Sandy Lodge Way,<p/>
B11  47 <p_>Northwood, Middlesex.<p/>
B11  48 
B11  49 <h_><p_>Aid for Bangladesh<p/>
B11  50 <p_>From Captain D.J. Ellin, RN (retd)<p/><h/>
B11  51 <p_>Sir, Because Bangladesh possesses 40 F6 aircraft, Dr David Le 
B11  52 Vay proposes (May 10) that Britain should withhold air to this 
B11  53 Commonwealth country suffering from a massive natural disaster.<p/>
B11  54 <p_>The values and fears of the Third World are not always the same 
B11  55 as those of the West. Recently achieved sovereignty is very 
B11  56 precious. Military power is universally regarded as its best 
B11  57 defence and its very yardstick. The crushing superiority of Western 
B11  58 arms and technology in the Gold crises have probably reinforced 
B11  59 these views.<p/>
B11  60 <p_>If viewed by Western standards, Bangladesh and the other least 
B11  61 developed countries lack the economic viability to be independent 
B11  62 sovereign states. Nevertheless, born in the spirit and by the will 
B11  63 of the bulk of the United Nations in the era of decolonisation, 
B11  64 that is what they are. As such they have the responsibility and 
B11  65 right to ensure the security of their territories and people.<p/>
B11  66 <p_>Dr Le Vay considers that <quote_>"there is no conceivable 
B11  67 use"<quote/> for the F6s. It is doubtful if anyone in authority in 
B11  68 Bangladesh would agree. Throughout its history the country has had 
B11  69 to contend with armed insurrection in its hill tracts. The fear, 
B11  70 distrust and hatred between Hindu and Muslim in the sub-continent, 
B11  71 may seem undesirable and irrational to outsiders but they certainly 
B11  72 exist.<p/>
B11  73 <p_>Although relations between Bangladesh and India are currently 
B11  74 quite good, a number of important mutual problems are still 
B11  75 unresolved and many Bangladeshis fear that India has expansionist 
B11  76 aims or that their country's freedom of action may be proscribed by 
B11  77 India's extensive military power and ambitions as the regional 
B11  78 power. The possession of some armed forces as a deterrent against 
B11  79 such contingencies is believed to be essential.<p/>
B11  80 <p_>The whole question of how impoverished countries can exist 
B11  81 economically as independent states is one for which the world has 
B11  82 yet to find an answer. The creation of a new world economic order 
B11  83 has long been a foremost Third World aspiration but nothing 
B11  84 approaching a practical suggestion as to what that order should be 
B11  85 has yet come forth. In its absence the need for economic aid from 
B11  86 the affluent nations will persist.<p/>
B11  87 <p_>Yours faithfully,<p/>
B11  88 <p_>DUNCAN ELLIN,<p/>
B11  89 <p_>Balnald House,<p/>
B11  90 <p_>Kirkmichael, Perthshire.<p/>
B11  91 <p_>May 16.<p/>
B11  92 
B11  93 <h_><p_>Language on air<p/>
B11  94 <p_>From the Managing Director,<p/>
B11  95 <p_>Network Television, BBC<p/><h/>
B11  96 <p_>Sir, Your thoughtful leader (May 16) about the broadcasting of 
B11  97 strong language makes many of the same points that underpin the 
B11  98 BBC's own guidelines in this area.<p/>
B11  99 <p_>We are alert to public sensitivity over the use of bad language 
B11 100 and in the case of feature films (the subject of a recent study by 
B11 101 Mrs Whitehouse's Viewers Association) there is a careful monitoring 
B11 102 procedure that often involves the editing out of bad language where 
B11 103 it is judged to be gratuitous.<p/>
B11 104 <p_>This is a rigorous process which also ensures that appropriate 
B11 105 decisions are taken about scheduling and the need for 
B11 106 pre-transmission announcements about the nature of particular 
B11 107 films. Many films are rejected as unsuitable for transmission on 
B11 108 BBC television in any form. Often these same films are available on 
B11 109 other television services and from video shops.<p/>
B11 110 <p_>Our 'watershed' policy is based on the belief that parents must 
B11 111 take some responsibility for what their children are allowed to 
B11 112 view after 9 o'clock. We have to bear in mind that more than two 
B11 113 thirds of the homes in Britain do not have children and that the 
B11 114 adult audience has a right to expect a full range of programmes on 
B11 115 BBC1 and BBC2.<p/>
B11 116 <p_>There are many films which must include strong language if they 
B11 117 are to deal with their subject matter realistically and honestly. 
B11 118 Each film has to be judged on its merits and decisions taken 
B11 119 accordingly.<p/>
B11 120 <p_>In the meantime, it is worth placing on record that only four 
B11 121 of the 44 BBC feature films listed by Mrs Whitehouse contained the 
B11 122 strongest elements of bad language. They were all placed after 9pm 
B11 123 and preceded by clear warnings. And only ten of the 44 prompted any 
B11 124 calls to the BBC about language.<p/>
B11 125 <p_>Yours faithfully,<p/>
B11 126 <p_>WILL WYATT, Managing Director,<p/>
B11 127 <p_>Network Television,<p/>
B11 128 <p_>British Broadcasting Corporation,<p/>
B11 129 <p_>Television Centre,<p/>
B11 130 <p_>Wood Lane, W 12.<p/>
B11 131 <p_>May 20.<p/>
B11 132 
B11 133 <h_><p_>From Mr R.N. Sainsbury<p/><h/>
B11 134 <p_>Sir, <quote_>"Theatregoers ... seem not to trouble themselves 
B11 135 overmuch about a few four-letter words"<quote/> you suggest in your 
B11 136 leading article. Is there any researched basis for this 
B11 137 statement?<p/>
B11 138 <p_>Is it not likely that the strong antipathy to crude language on 
B11 139 television extends also to the theatre?<p/>
B11 140 <p_>Please do not suggest that the buying of a ticket is proof of 
B11 141 satisfaction with the product, for one does not hear the language 
B11 142 until after entering the theatre - when it then becomes an all too 
B11 143 frequent cause of regret at having spent the money and committed an 
B11 144 evening.<p/>
B11 145 <p_>Yours faithfully,<p/>
B11 146 <p_>ROGER SAINSBURY,<p/>
B11 147 <p_>88 Dukes Avenue,<p/>
B11 148 <p_>Muswell Hill, N10.<p/>
B11 149 <p_>May 20.<p/>
B11 150 
B11 151 <h_><p_>Service In Punjab... <p/>
B11 152 <p_>From Sir John Lawrence<p/><h/>
B11 153 <p_>Sir, I write to correct an error in your interesting obituary 
B11 154 (May 10) of Brigadier Jimmy Green. That very distinguished corps, 
B11 155 the Piffers, were not the <quote_>"Punjab Infantry Frontier Force 
B11 156 Rifles"<quote/> but the 'Punjab <tf|>Irregular Frontier Force 
B11 157 Rifles.' I am an honorary Piffer, as the great grandson of Henry 
B11 158 Lawrence of Lucknow - as he is known to history, although his life 
B11 159 was much more bound up with the Punjab.<p/>
B11 160 <p_>In what sense were they 'irregular'? Only in the sense that 
B11 161 they were not bound by the too-stiff rules which applied to the 
B11 162 rest of the Indian army. In particular, this made it possible for 
B11 163 Indians to be given real responsibility as officers, instead of 
B11 164 becoming NCOs as the height of their ambitions, and to serve with 
B11 165 great distinction.<p/>
B11 166 <p_>The Piffers are now a <foreign_>corps 
B11 167 d'<*_>e-acute<*_>lite<foreign/> of the army of Pakistan. They have 
B11 168 preserved the traditions which they inherited from the British and 
B11 169 have improved them.<p/>
B11 170 <p_>I remain, Sir, your obedient servant,<p/>
B11 171 <p_>JOHN LAWRENCE,<p/>
B11 172 <p_>24 ST Leonard's Terrace, SW3.<p/>
B11 173 
B11 174 <h_><p_>Widening scope of HIV tests<p/>
B11 175 <p_>From Dr Robin Russell Jones<p/><h/>
B11 176 <p_>Sir, The realisation that HIV affects one in 500 women of 
B11 177 child-bearing age in inner London, and in some areas one in 200 
B11 178 (report, May 18) is a cause of considerable concern, and should 
B11 179 lead to a reappraisal of present medical practice.<p/>
B11 180 <p_>Current policy is for epidemiologists to establish incidence 
B11 181 figures rather than identifying infected individuals, which casts 
B11 182 them in the role of passive observers rather than active 
B11 183 participants. The medical profession would like to test patients 
B11 184 but cannot do so without informed consent. Counselling of patients 
B11 185 at risk consumes considerable time and manpower, resources which 
B11 186 are unlikely to become more available in the new-style NHS.<p/>
B11 187 <p_>It would, for example, make sense to test all women attending 
B11 188 antenatal clinics. Even the most ardent right-to-life campaigner 
B11 189 cannot be so heartless as to wish for HIV-infected children to be 
B11 190 brought into the world when the means to avoid such a calamity are 
B11 191 readily available.<p/>
B11 192 <p_>Patients admitted to hospital for major surgery should also be 
B11 193 tested, not only to protect medical staff, but because certain 
B11 194 elective procedures such as tonsillectomy might be contra-indicated 
B11 195 if a patient is found to be immuno-suppressed.<p/>
B11 196 <p_>As a society, we surely have a responsibility to identify 
B11 197 HIV-infected individuals, if only so that they and their partners 
B11 198 can be made aware of the appalling risks associated with 
B11 199 unprotected sexual intercourse, and so limit the spread of the 
B11 200 virus. At the present time both the government and medical 
B11 201 representatives such as the BMA seem intent on burying their heads 
B11 202 in the sand, rather than risk criticism from those well-motivated 
B11 203 but vociferous interest groups that have made Aids their special 
B11 204 preserve.<p/>
B11 205 <p_>Yours faithfully,<p/>
B11 206 <p_>ROBIN RUSSELL JONES,<p/>
B11 207 <p_>Cromwell Hospital,<p/>
B11 208 <p_>Cromwell Road, SW5.<p/>
B11 209 
B11 210 <h_><p_>A drain on the well of our charity<p/>
B11 211 <p_>From Mr Frank Kennedy<p/><h/>
B11 212 <p_>Sir, One of the most treasured and truthful posters in this 
B11 213 office, frequently requested by visitors, is that of Dom Helder 
B11 214 Camara, former archbishop of Olinda and Recife, remarking: 
B11 215 <quote_>"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I 
B11 216 ask why the poor have no food, they call me a 
B11 217 communist"<quote/>.<p/>
B11 218 <p_>It is clear that there will be no end to the colossal and 
B11 219 unnecessary wastage of human life in so much of the world until 
B11 220 that fundamental question has been addressed.<p/>
B11 221 <p_>Oxfam, Cafod (Catholic Fund for Overseas Development), 
B11 222 Christian Aid and several other agencies have increasingly been 
B11 223 attempting to do that. The recent report of the Charity 
B11 224 Commissioners on Oxfam (details and leading article, May 10) 
B11 225 appears to threaten this vital aspect of the work of these 
B11 226 organisations, the ultimate aim of which should, after all, be to 
B11 227 render most of their work unnecessary.<p/>
B11 228 <p_>While it is gallingly apparent that today, more than ever, dire 
B11 229 emergencies must be met with the 'Band Aid' response of huge relief 
B11 230 packages, the recipients' long-term future depends on the 
B11 231 achievement of 'sustainable development'. This means enabling poor 
B11 232 people of Third World countries to work for, and win, the basic 
B11 233 human rights and social conditions most of us here take for 
B11 234 granted.<p/>
B11 235 <p_>Any consequences of the Charity Commissions' report which 
B11 236 inhibit the independent aid agencies from being instrumental in 
B11 237 this must be challenged in forthright debate. The Christian 
B11 238 churches with their close formal or informal links with the 
B11 239 agencies, and their traditional emphasis on works of charity, have 
B11 240 a clear role to play.<p/>
B11 241 <p_>Yours faithfully,<p/>
B11 242 <p_>F. KENNEDY (Fieldworker),<p/>
B11 243 <p_>Archdiocese of Liverpool,<p/>
B11 244 <p_>Justice & Peace Commission,<p/>
B11 245 <p_>152 Brownlow Hill,<p/>
B11 246 <p_>Liverpool 3.<p/>
B11 247 <p_>May 14.<p/>
B11 248 
B11 249 <h_><p_>From Mr Clive Hollands<p/><h/>
B11 250 <p_>Sir, So-called <quote_>"compassion fatigue"<quote/> (letter, 
B11 251 May 6) may have other causes than the 
B11 252 <quote_>"expensively-produced"<quote/> appeals sent out by 
B11 253 charities. From my own experience of charities over more than 25 
B11 254 years, although I still find the unfailing generosity of the 
B11 255 British public almost beyond belief, I cannot imagine that there is 
B11 256 a response anywhere in the world that can match the enormous sums 
B11 257 raised by media-backed appeals such as Comic Relief, Children in 
B11 258 Need and the Telethon.<p/>
B11 259 <p_>However, I would suggest these appeals are perhaps one of the 
B11 260 main causes of a drop in income among some charities. The more the 
B11 261 public respond to their emotional impact and excitement, the less 
B11 262 there must be available for weekly, monthly or annual 
B11 263 contributions.<p/>
B11 264 <p_>Charities more and more have to rely upon legacies from the 
B11 265 dead rather than gifts from the living.<p/>
B11 266 <p_>Yours faithfully,<p/>
B11 267 <p_>CLIVE HOLLANDS (Secretary),<p/>
B11 268 <p_>St Andrew Animal Fund,<p/>
B11 269 <p_>Queensferry Chambers,<p/>
B11 270 <p_>10 Queensferry Street,<p/>
B11 271 <p_>Edinburgh 2.<p/>
B11 272 <p_>May 10.<p/>
B11 273 
B12   1 <#FLOB:B12\><h_><p_>Home truths for India<p/><h/>
B12   2 <p_>THERE are so many lessons to be learnt from sorrowing India, 
B12   3 and most are being muttered too politely. The over-huge federation 
B12   4 of almost 900m people spreads across too many languages, cultures, 
B12   5 religions and castes. It has three times as many often incompatible 
B12   6 and thus resentful people as the Soviet Union, which now faces the 
B12   7 same bloody strains and ignored solutions as India. It has twice as 
B12   8 many people as the federal West Europe that some misguided souls 
B12   9 want to create.<p/>
B12  10 <p_>At independence in 1947, left-wing enthusiasts trilled that 
B12  11 India's size would allow its industries access to a great single 
B12  12 market in which to attain huge economies of scale. Pity the poorer 
B12  13 and more war-ravaged tiddlers such as South Korea, Taiwan, 
B12  14 Singapore and Hong Kong, these collectivist minds said. Today 
B12  15 average recorded incomes in those four are 10 to 25 times higher 
B12  16 than in India. As with other socialist countries, with their 
B12  17 centralised planning, controls and ownership, much of India's 
B12  18 production is 1950s-style protected junk that nobody, given choice, 
B12  19 would buy.<p/>
B12  20 <p_>It is sometimes said by friends and apologists that Indian 
B12  21 politicians have had a more difficult population than other 
B12  22 countries to deal with. In economic terms, that is rubbish. Abroad, 
B12  23 Indians are marvellously entrepreneurial (think of all those 
B12  24 British millionaires called Patel), frighteningly hard-working, 
B12  25 thrifty and academically bright. Indian children in British schools 
B12  26 struggle through their sometimes foreign English language to better 
B12  27 exam results than most native-born Britons.<p/>
B12  28 <p_>At home, India's trouble has not been its people but the wrong 
B12  29 ideology and bad government, and both came from one main source: 
B12  30 for all but six of its 44 independent years, it has been ruled by a 
B12  31 charming, brave, English-educated, upperclass, utterly incompetent 
B12  32 (especially when it comes to economics), Fabian-socialist family 
B12  33 called the Nehrus and Gandhis.<p/>
B12  34 <p_>Jawaharlal Nehru, a darling of Britain's intellectual left who 
B12  35 included a viceroy's wife among his mistresses, had been told by 
B12  36 the Hampstead set that central planning had made Stalin's 
B12  37 famine-breeding Russia a dramatically rich and happy country 
B12  38 between 1917 and 1947. He thought similar planning would transform 
B12  39 India between 1947 and 1977.<p/>
B12  40 <p_>Because he was an anti-colonial socialist, Nehru also harboured 
B12  41 a protectionist obsession even more paranoically than does the 
B12  42 troubling new woman prime minister of France. He thought 
B12  43 progressive statesmen should keep out foreign imports and avoid 
B12  44 'exploitation' by foreign multinationals, through all manner of 
B12  45 controls.<p/>
B12  46 <p_>That paranoia impoverishes almost 900m Indians to this day. 
B12  47 Bans -not just the world's highest tariffs -are imposed on the 
B12  48 import of any goods some bureaucrat thinks Indian firms might 
B12  49 conceivably soon produce, no matter at what cost. Limits are set on 
B12  50 the fees Indian forms can pay for imported technology. Because the 
B12  51 government seeks to avoid 'wasteful capacity', anybody wanting to 
B12  52 create, expand or move a private firm (or sometimes even develop a 
B12  53 new product from it) has to ask a bureaucrat's permission. This is 
B12  54 refused if the bureaucrat rules that India has sufficient capacity 
B12  55 already.<p/>
B12  56 <p_>The licences to expand are often corruptly bought by existing 
B12  57 producers, not for use but to keep out competition. When a firm 
B12  58 (including India's unbelievable inefficient nationalised 
B12  59 industries) loses money, it may not sack workers without a 
B12  60 bureaucrat's permission. As a recent survey in The Economist (May 
B12  61 4) concludes: India's system virtually <quote_>"forbids successful 
B12  62 firms to grow, encourages them instead to become unsuccessful and, 
B12  63 when they fail, forbids them to close."<quote/><p/>
B12  64 <p_>This system is kept in being solely because it feeds the 
B12  65 world's biggest network of corruption. So many at each stage of 
B12  66 India's bureaucratic and political process (except at the very top) 
B12  67 profit from the graft, which is the only way such a system of 
B12  68 'socialist' controls can operate. State jobs are openly bought and 
B12  69 sold, with the price varying according to the graft that job makes 
B12  70 available. It is bright to buy the job of a hospital 
B12  71 superintendent, because you can then levy bribes from the sick who 
B12  72 are desperate for hospital beds, and you can sell drugs on the 
B12  73 black market. It is even better to buy the job of telling rich 
B12  74 industrialists what products you will not allow their competitors 
B12  75 to produce.<p/>
B12  76 <p_>At the very top, the Indian establishment prefers jobs to be 
B12  77 inherited within particular famous families, because they are rich 
B12  78 and public-spirited and well-bred enough not to seek to be bribed, 
B12  79 especially by the manipulators' rivals. When brave Indira Gandhi 
B12  80 inherited her father Nehru's job, she still bossily believed in 
B12  81 some of his Fabian socialism. When brave Rajiv Gandhi was virtually 
B12  82 conscripted into his murdered mother's job, he did attempt some 
B12  83 reforms, including cutting the top marginal tax rate from Nehru's 
B12  84 (negotiated) 98.7% to 50% (sometimes actually paid). He did not, 
B12  85 however, dare to attack most of the graft and licences. His heroic 
B12  86 but politically inexperienced Italian-born widow would be even 
B12  87 worse-placed to bring in reforms, which is why she has rightly 
B12  88 resisted being conscripted.<p/>
B12  89 <p_>After next month's delayed election, a prime minister should 
B12  90 emerge who is no longer under the influence of the Nehru family. 
B12  91 They new broom would be wisest to brush away all India's 
B12  92 'socialist' licensing restrictions with one sweep. If he does, he 
B12  93 may be murdered by the corrupt groups feeding on them. If he does 
B12  94 not, he and many more Indians will sadly be murdered by somebody 
B12  95 else.<p/>
B12  96 <p_>The political parties are now disintegrating into ethnic or 
B12  97 other groups that rightly demand they no longer be mulcted by graft 
B12  98 from the centre, but appallingly suggest they might murder members 
B12  99 of any other ethnic group that displeases them. The way forward for 
B12 100 India, as for the Soviet Union, will be to say a great prize can go 
B12 101 to any states and sub-states that maintain order without murders 
B12 102 and riots. They should be allowed to disregard Delhi's corrupt 
B12 103 licensing restrictions, run their own economic policies and bring 
B12 104 in as much foreign investment and as many free-market principles as 
B12 105 they like. Maybe India's richest course from the beginning would 
B12 106 have been to split into 100 Hong Kongs.<p/>
B12 107 
B12 108 <h_><p_>The blooding of Mr Major<p/><h/>
B12 109 <p_>JOHN MAJOR faced a puzzled world when he succeeded Margaret 
B12 110 Thatcher as prime minister and leader of the Conservative party 
B12 111 last November. Margaret Thatcher, the most celebrated British 
B12 112 leader since Winston Churchill, was deposed and British politics 
B12 113 was convulsed. In her place came a man about whom hardly anything 
B12 114 was known abroad and little more at home. He had presented one 
B12 115 budget as chancellor of the exchequer and briefly been foreign 
B12 116 secretary. Otherwise he had no experience of the commanding heights 
B12 117 of power. What <tf|>was known was not necessarily to his advantage. 
B12 118 He had been a loyal lieutenant to her and she a generous patron to 
B12 119 him. But he had not impressed himself upon the national 
B12 120 consciousness as other cabinet ministers had. Michael Heseltine was 
B12 121 much better known than the man who prevented him reaching 10 
B12 122 Downing Street. It was natural, therefore, that questions abounded 
B12 123 and judgment<&|>sic! was reserved. Opposition leaders could not 
B12 124 conceal their glee. They believed he would be no more than a pale 
B12 125 shadow of his benefactress, a derisory Son of Thatcher. All of that 
B12 126 seemed long ago last week, as Mr Major proved to the country and 
B12 127 the world that he has his own style, his own sense of Britain's 
B12 128 role in international affairs and his own quiet determination to 
B12 129 run the government in his own way.<p/>
B12 130 <p_>Swift reassessments of his capabilities came last week as the 
B12 131 result of his initiative at the European summit in Luxembourg in 
B12 132 presenting a four-point plan to save the Kurds from Saddam Hussein. 
B12 133 The plan, calling for a safe Kurdish haven inside Iraq and 
B12 134 continuing United Nations sanctions against Iraq while Saddam's 
B12 135 tyranny continues, provided conclusive evidence of the prime 
B12 136 minister's intention to make Britain an active player in the 
B12 137 European Community once again. After a decade in which Britain's 
B12 138 reputation for carping criticism had earned diminishing rewards, Mr 
B12 139 Major's message that Britain was back in the team was well 
B12 140 received. It capped his efforts to achieve better Anglo-German 
B12 141 relations. It also showed that Britain is capable of making a major 
B12 142 diplomatic move without prior American support.<p/>
B12 143 <p_>For a day or so it seemed Mr Major might pay a penalty for his 
B12 144 independence. Washington's reaction lacked enthusiasm. Some 
B12 145 observers wondered if the prime minister had blundered by not 
B12 146 consulting the White House before putting his plan to the EC. By 
B12 147 Wednesday, it was clear he had not. The American order to Saddam to 
B12 148 cease all air activity north of the 36th parallel opens the way to 
B12 149 helping the Kurds without hindrance across a large Kurdish area 
B12 150 north and east of Mosul. <quote_>"Europe is back on track,"<quote/> 
B12 151 said a German official. The possibilities of a closer political 
B12 152 dimension, long a pipedream, have finally taken concrete form 
B12 153 -thanks to British willingness to use the EC as a political forum 
B12 154 in the way it should be used.<p/>
B12 155 <p_>Mrs Thatcher, whose priorities were always Anglo-American, is 
B12 156 unlikely to have done that. But Mr Major need not worry on that 
B12 157 score. She urged action to help the Kurds and he, in his own way, 
B12 158 provided it. Mrs Thatcher had no choice but to disassociate herself 
B12 159 from the frenzied antics of the Bruges Group of her dispossessed 
B12 160 followers, whose paranoia against Germany is as absurd as their 
B12 161 pretensions to censure Mr Major's Kurdish policy are ridiculous. 
B12 162 With critics like them, Mr Major's credentials can only improve in 
B12 163 the eyes of people of good sense. Unwittingly, they may have done 
B12 164 him a favour. If there was any doubt about him being his own man, 
B12 165 there is none now.<p/>
B12 166 <p_>It is much to the government's advantage that this is so. Mr 
B12 167 Major has shown on other fronts that he is prepared to make his own 
B12 168 agenda and take the Tory party on to fresh ground from which to 
B12 169 mount its campaign for a fourth successive general election 
B12 170 victory. His decision to diminish the unpopularity of the poll tax 
B12 171 by increasing the yield of central government taxation from Vat was 
B12 172 a bold move, which Labour ignores but dare not repudiate. It is now 
B12 173 Labour policy too. So much for Mr Major's alleged dithering. 
B12 174 Replacing the poll tax altogether with a new, as yet undecided. 
B12 175 local tax calls for even greater skill. Our own preference, for the 
B12 176 abolition of local taxation altogether, remains undimmed. If there 
B12 177 is to be a replacement for the poll tax, however, it should be as 
B12 178 simple, as easy to collect and as low as possible. The imperative 
B12 179 now is to kick local government finance into touch as a contentious 
B12 180 issue and let local councils and government alike work together for 
B12 181 more efficient services and a return of civic pride. The 
B12 182 Major-Heseltine reforms now in the final making should signify a 
B12 183 new era in local government in which results count for more than 
B12 184 ructions.<p/>
B12 185 <p_>Mr Major's economic policy remains too constrained for our 
B12 186 liking, but the latest cut in interest rates is a welcome and 
B12 187 prudent move, its lack of risk underlined by sterling's 
B12 188 undiminished strength. Norman Lamont showed un-Thatcherite 
B12 189 tendencies in his first budget by tackling mortgage and company car 
B12 190 perks for the better-off and increasing child benefit. He should 
B12 191 now cut free from past errors by cutting interest rates again as 
B12 192 soon as possible. Monetary policy is still too tight, as Tim 
B12 193 Congdon, an eminent monetarist himself, points out. New mortgage 
B12 194 lending is down by some 30% on a year ago and the money supply, 
B12 195 allowing for inflation, stuck in the doldrums. Bringing inflation 
B12 196 under control is an urgent need; stifling the economy as part of 
B12 197 the cure is overkill.<p/>
B12 198 <p_>At least the trend, however slow, is in the right direction, 
B12 199 and Labour leaders are right to be worried. They recognise the 
B12 200 danger Mr Major poses as a man who has reunited the Tory party to a 
B12 201 much greater degree than small-fry agitation from the likes of the 
B12 202 Bruges Group and the Young Tories allow. Crucially for the 
B12 203 government, the Tories remain the most trusted to run the economy 
B12 204 in the latest opinion polls, a finding that points to a large but 
B12 205 temporary Tory infusion into the ranks of would-be Liberal 
B12 206 Democratic voters that will return whence it came as the election 
B12 207 draws near.<p/>
B12 208 
B13   1 <#FLOB:B13\><h_><p_>Sunday Express<p/>
B13   2 <p_>Opinion<p/>
B13   3 <p_>High Tory hopes for the holidays<p/><h/>
B13   4 <p_>FOR the first time since 1988, Tory MPs are setting off on 
B13   5 their holidays in better heart than their Labour counterparts.<p/>
B13   6 <p_>The party's optimism is justified. The recent rise in exports 
B13   7 suggests that British industry is still in good shape despite the 
B13   8 recession, while the increase in retail sales may well mark the 
B13   9 beginning of the recovery.<p/>
B13  10 <p_>Ministers are entitled to a great deal of credit for this - and 
B13  11 particularly the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr Norman Lamont. 
B13  12 Over the past few months, he has shown that he knows how to keep 
B13  13 his nerve under fire.<p/>
B13  14 <p_>He has displayed his determination to bring down inflation so 
B13  15 that the economy can return to the path of non-inflationary growth. 
B13  16 He is succeeding - and interest rates are falling.<p/>
B13  17 <p_>But above all, the credit is John Major's.<p/>
B13  18 <p_>Since arriving in Number 10, he has faced a succession of tests 
B13  19 at home and abroad. He has come through them all triumphantly.<p/>
B13  20 <p_>Mr Major has also been able to display his party's human face. 
B13  21 The Citizen's Charter may have been based on the new PM's own 
B13  22 experience of inner-city poverty and of the inadequacy of public 
B13  23 services. It was also a spectacular exercise in political 
B13  24 clothes-stealing.<p/>
B13  25 <p_>The Labour Party was undoubtedly planning its own version of 
B13  26 the Citizen's Charter as central plank in its next election 
B13  27 manifesto. Now it is reduced to carping from the side-lines.<p/>
B13  28 <p_>But despite recent improvements in the Government's standing, 
B13  29 despite Mr Major's triumph at the G7, there is no reason for 
B13  30 complacency.<p/>
B13  31 <p_>The recession is still hitting many households hard, 
B13  32 particularly in the South and the Midlands. The Government still 
B13  33 has to prove to some of its own supporters that it does care about 
B13  34 the human consequences of recession.<p/>
B13  35 <p_>It may be that inflation could not have been tackled without an 
B13  36 increase in unemployment. But the unemployed did not cause 
B13  37 inflation.<p/>
B13  38 <p_>Ministers now have to demonstrate that even if they cannot give 
B13  39 immediate help to the unemployed, they are determined to bring down 
B13  40 interest rates further to encourage a new surge of private sector 
B13  41 investment.<p/>
B13  42 <p_>Humanity dictates no less - so does politics. Over the next few 
B13  43 months, the Tories' main task is to develop the right economic 
B13  44 policies to re<?_>-<?/>establish their hold over their own natural 
B13  45 supporters. If they can do that, the next general election is won - 
B13  46 and won by a larger majority than seemed possible just a few months 
B13  47 ago.<p/>
B13  48 
B13  49 <h_><p_>Eighth time lucky?<p/><h/>
B13  50 <p_>WHO could suppress a smile at the news that Elizabeth Taylor is 
B13  51 to marry for the eighth time - and to a labourer 20 years her 
B13  52 junior?<p/>
B13  53 <p_>Dr Johnson said that a second marriage represented the triumph 
B13  54 of hope over experience. There is no telling what he would have 
B13  55 made of an eighth.<p/>
B13  56 <p_>Yet isn't it something much more than cynicism which makes us 
B13  57 smile?<p/>
B13  58 <p_>For almost half a century, Liz Taylor has inspired a huge 
B13  59 amount of love in millions of fans all over the world. With her 
B13  60 public glamour and her private vulnerability she has touched 
B13  61 something in all of us.<p/>
B13  62 <p_>When people smile at Liz Taylor's forthcoming marriage, it is 
B13  63 not only because experience suggests that it will fail. It is 
B13  64 because in matters of the heart no human being ever learns. And the 
B13  65 hope triumphs in all of us that this time, at last, she will find 
B13  66 happiness.<p/>
B13  67 
B13  68 <h_><p_>Sunday Express<p/>
B13  69 <p_>Opinion<p/>
B13  70 <p_>Time to be tough with the bullies<p/><h/>
B13  71 <p_>ON THE very borders of the European Community, in a country 
B13  72 best known as a venue for cheap summer holidays, a tragedy of world 
B13  73 proportions is unfolding while the rest of the world wrings its 
B13  74 hands.<p/>
B13  75 <p_>Only the most wide-eyed optimist can now believe that the 
B13  76 savagery engulfing Yugoslavia is capable of being ended without 
B13  77 external intervention. The hatred between Serbia and Croatia runs 
B13  78 too deep, the toll in the dead and maimed is too high.<p/>
B13  79 <p_>Serbia with the backing of the federal army is intent on 
B13  80 grabbing more territory by force of arms. Croatia insists on its 
B13  81 independence without lifting a finger to reassure its own Serbian 
B13  82 minority.<p/>
B13  83 <p_>The snarling-match between the two sides at yesterday's peace 
B13  84 conference in the Hague only serves to underline the dangers. 
B13  85 Yugoslavia is on the brink of a devastating civil war which could 
B13  86 claim tens of thousands of lives.<p/>
B13  87 <p_>We cannot ignore that risk. The continent after all is full of 
B13  88 countries which could fall apart if the Yugoslav example is 
B13  89 followed. Czechs and Slovaks, ethnic Germans in Poland, Muslims in 
B13  90 Bosnia and Albania, Austrians in Northern Italy.<p/>
B13  91 <p_>One principle is paramount. We dare not allow any European 
B13  92 border to be changed by military force. To do so would invite 
B13  93 disaster.<p/>
B13  94 <p_>The Serbian bullies must be told that the full force of 
B13  95 European economic and diplomatic sanctions will be brought against 
B13  96 them if they persist. The need for such a tough line could not be 
B13  97 more urgent.<p/>
B13  98 <p_>For unless Serbian expansionism is stopped now we may find in 
B13  99 weeks to come that the argument is not about the use of sanctions. 
B13 100 It will be about how many troops we need to send to prevent a mass 
B13 101 slaughter.<p/>
B13 102 
B13 103 <h_><p_>Hypocrisy of France<p/><h/>
B13 104 <p_>EVEN by the low standards of French politics, President 
B13 105 Francois Mitterrand - the man who was so slow to condemn the Soviet 
B13 106 coup attempt - has plumbed new depths by wrecking European attempts 
B13 107 to help the struggling peoples of Eastern Europe.<p/>
B13 108 <p_>All the other nations of the EC are ready to open their markets 
B13 109 to products from Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Not France.<p/>
B13 110 <p_>In an astonishing demonstration of hypocrisy and selfishness, 
B13 111 President Mitterrand has flatly refused to allow in a few hundred 
B13 112 tons of beef from Poland in case it upsets his farmers. By that one 
B13 113 act he has derailed hopes of a comprehensive aid and trade 
B13 114 package.<p/>
B13 115 <p_>French politicians such as M. Mitterrand and Jacques Delors are 
B13 116 always lecturing Britain on the need to promote the European ideal. 
B13 117 But their words are meaningless.<p/>
B13 118 <p_>Once again France stands exposed as a nation always ready to 
B13 119 preach co-operation and never willing to modify its own greed.<p/>
B13 120 
B13 121 <h_><p_>Farewell to a friend<p/><h/>
B13 122 <p_>ALWAYS ruthlessly honest and down-to-earth, always outspoken, 
B13 123 Daily Express columnist Jean Rook wrote exactly what she thought - 
B13 124 whether her readers liked it or not.<p/>
B13 125 <p_>For the most part, they adored it.<p/>
B13 126 <p_>Many tried to imitate the columnist they called the First Lady 
B13 127 of Fleet Street. None had a hope of succeeding. For she truly was a 
B13 128 one-off.<p/>
B13 129 <p_>Though she mixed with royalty and celebrities, she always 
B13 130 remained utterly true to herself and to her readers. And when she 
B13 131 died last week after her courageous battle against cancer, millions 
B13 132 lost an irreplaceable friend.<p/>
B13 133 
B13 134 <h_><p_>Sunday Express<p/>
B13 135 <p_>Opinion<p/>
B13 136 <p_>A vital role for Mr Gorbachev<p/><h/>
B13 137 <p_>TIRED, defeated, abandoned by most of his former colleagues, Mr 
B13 138 Mikhail Gorbachev seems finally to have accepted the ruin of all 
B13 139 his hopes. <quote_>"The main part of my life's work is probably 
B13 140 complete,"<quote/> he says.<p/>
B13 141 <p_>It can now be only a matter of time before he resigns. The new 
B13 142 Commonwealth of Soviet republics has found other stars to follow. 
B13 143 To them Gorbachev is an irrelevance.<p/>
B13 144 <p_>They are in danger of throwing away a priceless asset.<p/>
B13 145 <p_>After all those decades of Communist misrule the old USSR is on 
B13 146 the verge of economic collapse. There is a threat of famine this 
B13 147 winter. Inflation is rampant. There are whispers of another 
B13 148 military coup and fears of civil war.<p/>
B13 149 <p_>Such is the scale of the crisis that only a vast international 
B13 150 effort can now stave off calamity.<p/>
B13 151 <p_>The new Soviet Commonwealth desperately needs a figure capable 
B13 152 of summoning up that effort, a representative sufficiently trusted 
B13 153 and respected to inspire more aid and trade and money before it is 
B13 154 too late.<p/>
B13 155 <p_>Mikhail Gorbachev would fill that role with distinction.<p/>
B13 156 <p_>He could be a major asset to the UN. He could be a roving 
B13 157 ambassador for his country. Nobody would be more effective than he 
B13 158 on the American lecture circuit.<p/>
B13 159 <p_>It would be a tragedy to waste such outstanding ability. Mr 
B13 160 Gorbachev should think again. Whatever his present mood, his life's 
B13 161 work is far from finished yet.<p/>
B13 162 
B13 163 <h_><p_>Free for Christmas?<p/><h/>
B13 164 <p_>IT IS becoming increasingly clear that Judith Ward may have 
B13 165 been innocent of the M62 coach bombing for which she was sentenced 
B13 166 to life imprisonment in 1974.<p/>
B13 167 <p_>Ex-Home Secretary Mr Merlyn Rees yesterday condemned her 
B13 168 conviction as seriously flawed. And former police chief Mr John 
B13 169 Stalker says that hers was one of the most unsatisfactory cases he 
B13 170 had ever dealt with.<p/>
B13 171 <p_><quote_>"I don't know of any police officer involved in the 
B13 172 case who had the instinct and the feeling that we'd got the right 
B13 173 person,"<quote/> he said.<p/>
B13 174 <p_>Yet Ward remains in Holloway Prison while prosecution lawyers 
B13 175 drag their feet, delaying the appeal and her expected release.<p/>
B13 176 <p_>The case must be heard immediately.<p/>
B13 177 <p_>If Ward is indeed innocent, let British justice at least have 
B13 178 the decency and the mercy to allow her home for Christmas.<p/>
B13 179 
B13 180 <h_><p_>As dim as dolphins<p/><h/>
B13 181 <p_>FREDDIE the bottle-nosed dolphin does not have the slightest 
B13 182 idea that the size, shape and flexibility of his sexual organs were 
B13 183 at the centre of a court case in Newcastle last week.<p/>
B13 184 <p_>Nor does he know of the embarrassment suffered by his regular 
B13 185 swimming companion Mr Alan Cooper, who has just been cleared of 
B13 186 indecent behaviour with Freddie - largely because what may look 
B13 187 like naughty behaviour in a dolphin is in fact perfectly 
B13 188 innocent.<p/>
B13 189 <p_>The only achievement in this strangest of strange prosecutions, 
B13 190 which has cost the taxpayer over pounds33,000, is that the public 
B13 191 now knows more about what makes dolphins tick.<p/>
B13 192 <p_>One of the points which has emerged in the wake of that case is 
B13 193 that contrary to popular myth, dolphins are not particularly 
B13 194 intelligent.<p/>
B13 195 <p_>Indeed they seem to be not much brighter than the prosecuting 
B13 196 authorities of Newcastle.<p/>
B13 197 
B13 198 <h_><p_>Sunday Express<p/>
B13 199 <p_>Opinion<p/>
B13 200 <p_>Making it easy for terrorists<p/><h/>
B13 201 <p_>AT four of Britain's eight military hospitals last week there 
B13 202 was no defence at all against the threat of a terrorist attack.<p/>
B13 203 <p_>There was no security at the entrances, no check on the 
B13 204 identity of visitors, no attempt to search bags or parcels. At 
B13 205 Catterick, Aldershot, Portsmouth and in London they might as well 
B13 206 have laid out a welcome mat for the IRA.<p/>
B13 207 <p_>It beggars belief.<p/>
B13 208 <p_>According to a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence, military 
B13 209 hospitals on the mainland are considered in a different category 
B13 210 from those in Northern Ireland. It would be comforting to believe 
B13 211 that the bombers share that cosy assumption.<p/>
B13 212 <p_>But nobody in his senses can believe any such thing. What has 
B13 213 become evident in the latest round of atrocities is that the 
B13 214 terrorists are savagely indiscriminate in their assault.<p/>
B13 215 <p_>The people who planted that bomb at the Musgrave Park hospital 
B13 216 in Belfast or who destroyed a school and a Catholic church in 
B13 217 Craigavon are beyond the reach of conscience. The people who 
B13 218 planted those incendiary devices in the shops of Blackpool, 
B13 219 Manchester and London do not care who they maim or kill.<p/>
B13 220 <p_>Their only concern is to get away without being caught. And we 
B13 221 are making it easy for them.<p/>
B13 222 <p_>Perhaps those policemen who have so rightly warned the public 
B13 223 to be vigilant should concentrate their attentions now on those 
B13 224 bureaucrats in Whitehall who have failed to take the point.<p/>
B13 225 <p_>It may not be possible to guard every potential target. It is 
B13 226 certainly possible to be wary and to be alert. We had better learn 
B13 227 the lesson now before we are taught it the hard way. In another 
B13 228 preventable tragedy.<p/>
B13 229 
B13 230 <h_><p_>The real Christmas<p/><h/>
B13 231 <p_>ACCORDING to the Archbishop of Canterbury the real message of 
B13 232 Christmas is in danger of being buried beneath a torrent of toys 
B13 233 and tinsel.<p/>
B13 234 <p_><quote_>"There's a kind of Disneyland, Victorian Charles 
B13 235 Dickens Christmas which is being overlaid on the real one about the 
B13 236 manger, about the birth of Jesus Christ,"<quote/> Dr Carey 
B13 237 declared.<p/>
B13 238 <p_>The Archbishop's concern may be understandable. Yet need he 
B13 239 really worry?<p/>
B13 240 <p_>From time out of mind there have been complaints about the 
B13 241 commercialisation of Christmas, complaints about the frenzy of 
B13 242 giving and getting, complaints about greed and over-indulgence.<p/>
B13 243 
B14   1 <#FLOB:B14\><h_><p_>Woodrow Wyatt<p/>
B14   2 <p_>THE VOICE OF REASON<p/>
B14   3 <p_>Major's charter lets the customer take charge<p/><h/>
B14   4 <p_>JOHN Major calls his wheeze 'The Citizen's Charter'. A Pity.<p/>
B14   5 <p_>This is as though it were something to do with the 1789 French 
B14   6 revolution.<p/>
B14   7 <p_>I call Mr Major's brainchild 'The Customer's Charter'. That's 
B14   8 what it really is. It's first class.<p/>
B14   9 <p_>We're all customers. If we don't like a greengrocer, a store, a 
B14  10 pub, a car dealer, we have a remedy. We can shop around till we 
B14  11 find one we do like. But in an enormous part of our lives there's 
B14  12 no alternative supplier.<p/>
B14  13 <p_>We're stuck with the NHS, the Post Office, our local 
B14  14 electricity and gas providers, British Rail, the social security 
B14  15 offices, our local councils. Mostly we have no say in how they 
B14  16 treat us.<p/>
B14  17 <p_>Mr Major aims at customer power we haven't got now. Take the 
B14  18 NHS. There'll be guaranteed maximum waiting times for hospital 
B14  19 appointments and operations. If a hospital lets you down you'll be 
B14  20 found another.<p/>
B14  21 <h|>Mail
B14  22 <p_>That's merely one area in the NHS in which customer power will 
B14  23 advance. Properly kept appointment times will save hours of hanging 
B14  24 about in hospitals waiting to be summoned.<p/>
B14  25 <p_>The Post Office will cease to be the only carriers of cheap 
B14  26 mail. Rivals will be allowed.<p/>
B14  27 <p_>Next day deliveries will be a certainty, not a lottery. The 
B14  28 railways will be privatised.<p/>
B14  29 <p_>Before that and after, if trains don't run on time you'll get 
B14  30 compensation. London buses will be privatised.<p/>
B14  31 <p_>Then you can choose the cheapest and speediest bus to suit your 
B14  32 purpose. London Underground will have targets for faster and better 
B14  33 service.<p/>
B14  34 <p_>If they're not met the staff will have their pay docked. That 
B14  35 penalty will apply throughout the public services.<p/>
B14  36 <p_>Police will have targets for the time taken to answer calls for 
B14  37 help. Along with other public servants they'll have to publish 
B14  38 figures to prove their performance is up to standard.<p/>
B14  39 <p_>The average waiting time for driving tests is nearly eight 
B14  40 weeks. It's to come down fast.<p/>
B14  41 <p_>There'll be tests on summer evenings and Saturday afternoons. 
B14  42 It'll be compulsory to allow telephone bookings for test times 
B14  43 everywhere. Parents will have to be given more information about 
B14  44 the standards in their children's schools.<p/>
B14  45 <p_>If they're dissatisfied they'll be able to do much more about 
B14  46 it than they can now.<p/>
B14  47 <h|>Time
B14  48 <p_>Social security benefit payments will become quicker and easier 
B14  49 to collect. You can shop around for the best place to get them or 
B14  50 have them sent automatically. Making complaints against those who 
B14  51 provide public services will be simpler. They'll have to be dealt 
B14  52 with promptly or the officials will be penalised.<p/>
B14  53 <p_>In John Major's new world the customer will be king. Not 
B14  54 someone to be ordered about.<p/>
B14  55 <p_>That's true democracy. And it'll make life a good deal more 
B14  56 pleasant for millions.<p/>
B14  57 <p_>It'll take a bit of time. But Mr Major will arm himself with 
B14  58 the powers to make sure it happens much sooner than later.<p/>
B14  59 <p_>The guarantee he'll see it through rapidly is that he's banked 
B14  60 his political reputation on it.<p/>
B14  61 
B14  62 <h_><p_>A new shake-up for the unions<p/><h/>
B14  63 <p_>IN the 1970s we lost every year nearly 13 million working days 
B14  64 through strikes.<p/>
B14  65 <p_> Since the trade union reforms there's been dramatic change.<p/>
B14  66 <p_> In the last four years the average working days lost yearly 
B14  67 through strikes have been less than 3.4 million. That's why Britain 
B14  68 now has the highest share of American and Japanese investment in 
B14  69 Europe. But union reform isn't finished.<p/>
B14  70 <p_>The shenanigans over voting for the executive in the T & GWU 
B14  71 showed the rules against ballot rigging aren't strict enough. And 
B14  72 strike ballots at the workplace can be fiddled.<p/>
B14  73 <p_>Only secret postal ballots will ensure that a strike is 
B14  74 genuinely supported by the majority. And another thing.<p/>
B14  75 <p_>Members can't change to the other union. That's because of 
B14  76 inter-union agreement made by the seaside at Bridlington in 
B14  77 1939.<p/>
B14  78 <p_>You're stuck in the same union you first joined however 
B14  79 dissatisfied you may be with it. It's like being tied to the same 
B14  80 employer for life though you may hate him.<p/>
B14  81 <h|>Promise
B14  82 <p_>Mr Michael Howard is the able and energetic Secretary for 
B14  83 Employment. He intends to remedy these and other defects in the new 
B14  84 law. There'll be the usual rage from the union leaders and the 
B14  85 Labour party. Mr Kinnock isn't only against further modernisation 
B14  86 of the unions.<p/>
B14  87 <p_>He's promised to reverse reforms already made. But to compete 
B14  88 with the world we must adapt to the 21st century. Not the 19th.<p/>
B14  89 
B14  90 <h_><p_>WHY DO THE FRENCH HATE US SO MUCH?<p/><h/>
B14  91 <p_>A FRIEND had her car transported by train across France to 
B14  92 Nice. It was the takeoff point of the summer holiday.<p/>
B14  93 <p_>Twenty cars were vandalised. All with British number plates. 
B14  94 Nothing much was stolen. But one mother was distraught over the 
B14  95 loss of her child's birthday presents.<p/>
B14  96 <p_>On the way back 50 cars were vandalised. All with British 
B14  97 number plates. My friend and others had all their windows smashed, 
B14  98 with glass strewn everywhere.<p/>
B14  99 <p_>Vandalised car owners trying to clear up the mess safely enough 
B14 100 to carry children missed the ferry to England.<p/>
B14 101 <p_>Attacking British cars on French trains is a national sport. 
B14 102 That's how much they dislike us.<p/>
B14 103 <p_>Sounds jolly for future cooperation in the European 
B14 104 Community.<p/>
B14 105 <p_>The French can never forgive us for winning the war after 
B14 106 they'd surrendered to Hitler.<p/>
B14 107 
B14 108 <h_><p_>BT tangle the wires<p/><h/>
B14 109 <p_>BRITISH Telecom have made a terrible mess with their 071s and 
B14 110 081s for London telephone numbers.<p/>
B14 111 <p_>They were meant to produce enough London numbers for the next 
B14 112 30 years. They haven't.<p/>
B14 113 <p_>So in 1994 a 1 will be put after the 0.<p/>
B14 114 <p_>That's supposed to increase the London telephone numbers 
B14 115 available by ten times.<p/>
B14 116 <p_>In Paris and Tokyo they simply put a single different number in 
B14 117 front for each district exchange. None of that 071 and 081 
B14 118 stuff.<p/>
B14 119 <p_>The Office of Telecommunications calculates that BT's longer 
B14 120 dialling time for and to London will waste 16.7 million hours a 
B14 121 year.<p/>
B14 122 <p_>That's what BT's extra seconds for dialling eleven digits add 
B14 123 up to.<p/>
B14 124 
B14 125 <h_><p_>How you can be a genius<p/><h/>
B14 126 <p_>NAPOLEON knew how to be a genius. He said it was an infinite 
B14 127 capacity for taking pains.<p/>
B14 128 <p_>Last week, at the British Association gathering of scientists, 
B14 129 Michael Howe, a psychologist from Exeter University, spelled it 
B14 130 out. Mozart didn't produce masterpieces as a child.<p/>
B14 131 <p_>He had at least 12 years of intensive musical training before 
B14 132 they got anywhere.<p/>
B14 133 <p_>It didn't just come naturally. Don't be put off becoming a 
B14 134 genius in your chosen field.<p/>
B14 135 <p_>If you've any aptitude or flair, dogged work will do the trick, 
B14 136 or nearly.<p/>
B14 137 <p_>Bernard Shaw didn't learn to write a decent play till he was 
B14 138 nearly 40. Then, wow!<p/>
B14 139 
B14 140 <h_><p_>Major must wait for the darling buds of May<p/><h/>
B14 141 <p_>TORIES are cock-a-hoop. The Gallup Poll in Thursday's Daily 
B14 142 Telegraph showed them 4.5 per cent ahead of Labour.<p/>
B14 143 <p_>It followed the 2 per cent Tory lead in the Sunday Times Mori 
B14 144 Poll. Now Tories clamour for a November election while the going's 
B14 145 good. They must be cuckoo.<p/>
B14 146 <p_>Renewed belief in the Government is fragile. Only a month ago 
B14 147 Gallup gave Labour a 6 per cent lead.<p/>
B14 148 <p_>Always when Parliament's not sitting people feel better about 
B14 149 the Government. The media aren't full of Labour's criticisms of 
B14 150 Government boobs.<p/>
B14 151 <p_>Mr Major shines as a new world figure. The seven top industrial 
B14 152 nations met in London last July.<p/>
B14 153 <h|>Riches
B14 154 <p_>Mr Major went as their representative to talk to Yeltsin and 
B14 155 Gorbachev. He was the first Western leader in Moscow after the 
B14 156 failed coup.<p/>
B14 157 <p_>His handling of the visit won international applause. It gave 
B14 158 confidence to the new rulers.<p/>
B14 159 <p_>They now know that the Soviet Union will be saved from 
B14 160 starvation this winter. And aid will come for sensible plans to 
B14 161 unlock the country's great riches. They were frozen into 
B14 162 uselessness by Communism.<p/>
B14 163 <p_>Mr Major also had a triumph in Peking. He forced the Stalinist 
B14 164 Communists on the defensive over their vile treatment of 
B14 165 dissidents.<p/>
B14 166 <p_>If he hadn't gone to Peking Hong Kong's splendid new 
B14 167 international airport would have been blocked. Hong Kong's growing 
B14 168 prosperity after we go in 1997 would've been reduced.<p/>
B14 169 <p_>No one, not even in the Labour party, can imagine Mr Kinnock 
B14 170 having Mr Major's dignity, authority and skill at this high level. 
B14 171 So top marks to Mr Major for foreign travels.<p/>
B14 172 <p_>But at elections voters are more concerned with what goes on in 
B14 173 their pockets. Inflation for August will be well down on July's 5.5 
B14 174 per cent.<p/>
B14 175 <p_>Fine. Last week interest rates for mortgages and bank borrowers 
B14 176 fell another half per cent.<p/>
B14 177 <p_>Since last November interest rates have fallen from 15 per cent 
B14 178 to 10.5. All fine again.<p/>
B14 179 <p_>Now for flies in the ointment. There are signs of a recovery 
B14 180 from the recession.<p/>
B14 181 <p_>But they're too small and hesitant for voters to believe we're 
B14 182 on a steady upward turn by November. Unemployment will still be 
B14 183 rising.<p/>
B14 184 <p_>Voters won't be convinced that inflation's downward drift is 
B14 185 set to last. Nor that it won't start zooming again.<p/>
B14 186 <p_>They've been told the same story before. Labour will ensure 
B14 187 that those who've forgotten it will be reminded.<p/>
B14 188 <p_>Norman Lamont is a first class Chancellor. He has courage and 
B14 189 imagination.<p/>
B14 190 <p_>He toughly resisted the yells from commerce and the unions to 
B14 191 cut interest rates deeper and quicker. If he'd agreed we wouldn't 
B14 192 have our firm prospects of recovery.<p/>
B14 193 <p_>He ignored the call for devaluation of the pound. That's the 
B14 194 instant easy way to make our exports cheaper.<p/>
B14 195 <p_>And the fast route for mammoth quantities of new imports. As it 
B14 196 is, our exports have been rising remarkably.<p/>
B14 197 <p_>Our adverse overseas balance of trade is improving well. Mr 
B14 198 Lamont is on course for a cheerful Budget next spring.<p/>
B14 199 <h|>Proof
B14 200 <p_>It'll be based on six months' solid proof that the recession's 
B14 201 beaten. And there's no danger of its return.<p/>
B14 202 <p_>This will make a Tory victory with a healthy majority in May or 
B14 203 June a dead certainty.<p/>
B14 204 <p_>Voters at heart don't think much of Mr Kinnock and his pals. So 
B14 205 Mr Major could scrape by in November.<p/>
B14 206 <p_>It'd be with a much smaller majority than he'd get later. And 
B14 207 he just might not win at all.<p/>
B14 208 <p_>If Mr Major keeps the good judgment<&|>sic! he's evolving, 
B14 209 he'll wait for The Darling Buds of May.<p/>
B14 210 
B14 211 <h_><p_>OUR KNOW-HOW GOES TO RUSSIA<p/><h/>
B14 212 <p_>JOHN Gummer, Secretary for Agriculture, is a bright lad. He got 
B14 213 together a consortium of British distributors to supermarkets.<p/>
B14 214 <p_>They're sending a team to Moscow. There's plenty of food 
B14 215 produced in the Soviet Union.<p/>
B14 216 <p_>More than half rots in the fields or in railway sidings. The 
B14 217 appalling inefficiency of Communism prevents modern quick 
B14 218 distribution.<p/>
B14 219 <p_>British supermarkets are the best of their kind in the world. 
B14 220 Showing the Russians what to do to get their plentiful food 
B14 221 distributed will help enormously.<p/>
B14 222 <p_>Far better than pumping masses of money into Soviet industry 
B14 223 before they've learned how to make it profitable.<p/>
B14 224 <p_>With our technical aid we're leaders in teaching them that 
B14 225 too.<p/>
B14 226 <p_><*_> star <*/>A tip for Mr Kinnock if he wants a hope to win 
B14 227 the next election. Turn the Labour party into the equivalent of the 
B14 228 US democratic party.<p/>
B14 229 <p_>That wholeheartedly backs private enterprise. It never tries to 
B14 230 interfere with business by government regulation.<p/>
B14 231 <p_>In collecting taxes for the purpose of running state services 
B14 232 it doesn't unreasonably penalise top earners who create the 
B14 233 nation's wealth.<p/>
B14 234 <p_>Labour's promise of higher taxes all round plus an increase of 
B14 235 29 per cent on top taxpayers is an election killer.<p/>
B14 236 <p_>So is anything which even hints at Socialism. Or does Mr 
B14 237 Kinnock want us to share with China the honour of being the last 
B14 238 big country to continue with chunks of Socialism?<p/>
B14 239 <p_><*_> star <*/>The Government could easily save the London Zoo. 
B14 240 It'd only have to pay the annual cost of its important national and 
B14 241 international animal research.<p/>
B14 242 <p_>It does that and more for Kew Gardens. It swamps Covent Garden 
B14 243 with grants three times bigger than the Queen's Civil List.<p/>
B14 244 <p_>Mr Major is genuinely an ordinary person with ordinary likes. 
B14 245 It ought to occur to him that ordinary people will be dismayed if 
B14 246 he destroys the nation's traditional family outings to London 
B14 247 Zoo.<p/>
B14 248 
B15   1 <#FLOB:B15\><h_><p_>A canny excuse to delay the general election<p/>
B15   2 <p_>Julian Critchley<p/><h/>
B15   3 <p_><quote_>"WILL she not come back again?"<quote/> Bonnie Prince 
B15   4 Charlie ended his days in Rome somewhat the worse for wear: but Mrs 
B15   5 Thatcher has gone to the United States to be among friends. Her 
B15   6 voice can be heard talking of <quote|>"betrayal", and she has not 
B15   7 hesitated to give advice. Within a week of the <tf_>Daily 
B15   8 Mail's<tf/> abject apology to those among Tory MPs whom Mr Gordon 
B15   9 Greig called <quote_>"the dirty dozen"<quote/>, the Bruges Group, 
B15  10 of which Mrs Thatcher is president, has made a savage attack on the 
B15  11 foreign policies of her chosen successor. Had Mrs Thatcher been on 
B15  12 her throne - or so the argument runs - the Kurds would not have 
B15  13 risen (for the umpteenth time) against Saddam Hussein. They would 
B15  14 not have dared.<p/>
B15  15 <p_>How times have changed. It is not yet five months since the 
B15  16 'liberation', the Events of last November, when the earth moved, 
B15  17 the sky fell, and Mrs Thatcher was seen off from Loch-na-Nuagh 
B15  18 disguised as a man in the company of Sir Nicholas Fairbairn, an 
B15  19 unlikely Flora MacDonald. The right wing of the Conservative Party, 
B15  20 the <tf|><foreign|>arditi who had for so long sustained Mrs 
B15  21 Thatcher in office, had found itself in some difficulty: Michael 
B15  22 Heseltine had been the enemy within, and Douglas Hurd had gone to 
B15  23 Eton, thus they had no choice save to vote for John Major about 
B15  24 whom little was known. He was not rich and he certainly was not 
B15  25 grand: could he then be safely relied upon to carry the sacred 
B15  26 flame?<p/>
B15  27 <p_>Apparently not. John Major has, not unreasonably, striven to be 
B15  28 his own man, and the Government, which is run by the triumvirate 
B15  29 Major/Heseltine/Hurd, has distanced itself from several aspects of 
B15  30 Thatcherism. In matters of substance there is an pounds8 billion 
B15  31 Budget deficit, the poll tax is dead, if not buried, and child 
B15  32 benefit is to be indexed in line with inflation. The public 
B15  33 services are back in fashion, and the 'social market' has been 
B15  34 given the kiss of life. In matters of style, there is a world of 
B15  35 difference. Understatement is the order of the day, confrontation 
B15  36 for its own sake is no longer practised and the nation is not being 
B15  37 told to pull up its socks. We should be profoundly grateful, but 
B15  38 some of us who were once of us are not.<p/>
B15  39 <p_>The truth is that for as long as Mrs Thatcher keeps open the 
B15  40 possibility that she will fight the next election as the 
B15  41 Conservative candidate for Finchley, the dispossessed will continue 
B15  42 to make trouble. Glasses, filled to the brim with Mateus 
B15  43 Ros<*_>e-acute<*/> will be raised in dining clubs downstairs to the 
B15  44 Queen over the water, and groups such as Conservative Way Forward 
B15  45 will look back to what they see as a golden age, when Sir Alfred 
B15  46 Sherman was in his heaven and all was right with Lord Wyatt of 
B15  47 Weeford's world. Conservative Way Forward (by the '92' and out of 
B15  48 the No Turning Back group), held its inaugural meeting at the end 
B15  49 of last month. Mr Cecil Parkinson is in charge: his photograph, in 
B15  50 a group which included Lord Joseph (the John the Baptist of 
B15  51 Thatcherism) and a posse of large young men, many of whom were 
B15  52 sipping Tartan ale out of cans, appeared in all the national 
B15  53 newspapers. Can we sleep safely in our beds?<p/>
B15  54 <p_>Mrs Thatcher, Norman Tebbit and Bruce Anderson were swift to 
B15  55 dissociate themselves from the views of the Bruges Group. Anthony 
B15  56 Beaumont-Dark on the <tf_>World at One<tf/> said he was going home 
B15  57 to mother, while Neil Kinnock made what capital he could out of the 
B15  58 party's embarrassment. It was the kind of storm in a tea cup once 
B15  59 enjoyed by those Young Turks of the Bow Group - Mr Geoffrey Howe, 
B15  60 Mr Patrick Jenkin and Mr Leon Britan - in those far off days when 
B15  61 they were young and slim enough to run for buses and their pens 
B15  62 threatened to bring down the Macmillan Government. Howe's tongue 
B15  63 was later to succeed where his pen had failed.<p/>
B15  64 <p_>What will be the date of the next election? We will have to 
B15  65 wait, so say the pundits, until 3 May when the results of the local 
B15  66 government elections will have been fed into Professor Anthony 
B15  67 King's computer. There is an argument in favour of 10 October that 
B15  68 has not yet been deployed: a June election would not kill the Tory 
B15  69 Party's annual conference. Were John Major to be returned with a 
B15  70 reduced majority, however, the goings-on at Blackpool would be 
B15  71 properly muted, a fourth general election victory silencing 
B15  72 dissent. But were the party to go to the country in June and be 
B15  73 defeated, the Blackpool conference would become a battlefield, the 
B15  74 salty air of that insalubrious resort ringing with the cries of 
B15  75 <quote_>"I told you so"<quote/>, and Mrs Thatcher, smuggled onto 
B15  76 the platform in a barrel, would be elected Leader of the Party by 
B15  77 the acclamation of the mob.<p/>
B15  78 <p_>It really does not bear thinking about. A terrible revenge 
B15  79 would be taken. John Major would be obliged to leave the Winter 
B15  80 Gardens dressed in the uniform of a police constable, Michael 
B15  81 Heseltine would be cast adrift in a small boat in the company of 
B15  82 Edwina Currie, while parties of Rotarians would be dispatched to 
B15  83 Warwickshire with orders to bring back the Howes, dead or alive. Mr 
B15  84 Harvey Thomas would return from beyond the grave with orders to 
B15  85 re-decorate the platform for the leader's speech in colours that 
B15  86 would match Mrs Thatcher's eyes. A familiar slogan would be lifted 
B15  87 above her head: <quote_>"The Resolute Approach"<quote/>.<p/>
B15  88 <p_>Perhaps I am frightening my readers unnecessarily. The Tories 
B15  89 will win the next election, whenever it comes. The country is not 
B15  90 ready for Mr Bryan Gould. In the meantime I have been casting my 
B15  91 eye down the published list of those Tory MPs who will not be 
B15  92 standing at the next election. Of the 47 who have so far declared 
B15  93 their intention to retire, 24 are knights. The roll-call of their 
B15  94 names has all the resonance of the Camelot war memorial. The flight 
B15  95 of the knights into retirement must leave the Conservative Party 
B15  96 changed almost beyond recognition. Room 14, the home of the weekly 
B15  97 meeting of the 1922 Committee, will come to resemble a Midlands 
B15  98 sales conference of sanitary engineers. Musak will play 
B15  99 continuously in the Whips' office, and the newly-elected will 
B15 100 arrive at the Palace on the backs of their constituency agents' 
B15 101 motor bicycles.<p/>
B15 102 <p_>Among those without handles to their names, we must say 
B15 103 farewell to Norman Tebbit who is to go to the Lords where he will, 
B15 104 no doubt, sink his teeth into the silken calves of unsound bishops. 
B15 105 We shall not see his like again. Almost as much could be said for 
B15 106 Cecil Parkinson.<p/>
B15 107 <p_>The events of November have turned me into a loyal backbencher. 
B15 108 For the first time since 1974, I am 'sound'. I may even stand for 
B15 109 the executive of the 1922 Committee. I was lunching recently in St 
B15 110 James's where I noticed Frank Johnson, the political columnist who 
B15 111 has been writing regularly about <quote|>"niceness" in the 
B15 112 <tf_>Sunday Telegraph<tf/>, a newspaper that has doubts about the 
B15 113 new Right. I told Frank, diffidently enough, that he should come to 
B15 114 terms with the revolution. <quote_>"You never did"<quote/> was his 
B15 115 reply. He has a point. But time is on my side.<p/>
B15 116 
B15 117 <h_><p_>What keeps the monster in power<p/>
B15 118 <p_>Michael Ignatieff<p/><h/>
B15 119 <p_>IN THE last days of the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie, a 
B15 120 courtier was employed to carry one of the emperor's dogs about on a 
B15 121 small cushion and to wipe up whenever it raised its leg against the 
B15 122 shoes of the emperor's Ministers. Ceausescu reportedly made one of 
B15 123 his dogs a colonel in the army and gave him a full-time 
B15 124 chauffeur.<p/>
B15 125 <p_>I'm interested in the chauffeur. How does a person manage to 
B15 126 persuade himself to become a dog's chauffeur? Self-respect, I 
B15 127 guess, never stands in the way of survival. When a man is afraid, 
B15 128 he'll do almost anything. But still, I find it puzzling. How does 
B15 129 he tell his wife, how does he tell his friends, that he drives 
B15 130 around a colonel in the Romanian army who happens to be a dog?<p/>
B15 131 <p_>My colleague John Sweeney's fine study of the Ceausescu regime 
B15 132 and Ryzard Kapuscinski's <tf_>The Emperor<tf/> - his account of 
B15 133 Haile Selassie's last days - make it clear that tyranny is one big 
B15 134 laboratory for the study of human malleability. If you think there 
B15 135 are things you would never stoop to, you had better read these 
B15 136 books and reconsider.<p/>
B15 137 <p_>Lately, I've been reading another inquiry into what tyranny 
B15 138 does to people, Samil al-Khalil's <tf_>The Monument: Art, Vulgarity 
B15 139 and Responsibility in Iraq<tf/>. It is about Saddam's masterpiece 
B15 140 of authoritarian kitsch in downtown Baghdad, the vast victory arch 
B15 141 of crossed swords, held aloft by gigantic bronze casts of the 
B15 142 dictator's very own arms. But it also helps us understand how and 
B15 143 why a tyrant manages to pluck victory - his own survival - from the 
B15 144 jaws of military catastrophe.<p/>
B15 145 <p_>Fear is the simple answer, but it is not enough. All the 
B15 146 dictators in the modern bestiary - Ceausescu, Enver Hoxha, Saddam, 
B15 147 Pinochet - depended for their survival on terror, but they also 
B15 148 managed to enlist some degree of popular support. No imperial power 
B15 149 imposed Ba'ath rule on Iraq: it is an indigenous political 
B15 150 invention, and if it has survived two catastrophic wars, it must be 
B15 151 because it holds the place together.<p/>
B15 152 <p_>There is not reason to suppose that the ubiquitous posters of 
B15 153 the leader to be seen in every caf<*_>e-acute<*/>, in every sitting 
B15 154 room in Iraq, are there simply to keep the secret police happy. 
B15 155 Terror atomises a society: it destroys all loyalties, all forms of 
B15 156 trust and leaves a psychological vacuum which a tyrant fills with 
B15 157 love for his person. In Khalil's book there is a photograph of a 
B15 158 man who makes portraits of the dictator drawn in the man's own 
B15 159 blood. Crazy? Of course, but it is a kind of craziness where fear 
B15 160 and terror are transformed, horribly, into love.<p/>
B15 161 <p_>All tyrants depend for their survival on the layers of 
B15 162 masochism in all of us.<p/>
B15 163 <p_>There are more rational levels of a tyrant's appeal as well. As 
B15 164 Khalil's study shows, Saddam has exploited every iota of the Iraqi 
B15 165 national tradition to make himself the symbol of national unity. He 
B15 166 struts about claiming descent not only from Nebuchadnezzar, but 
B15 167 also from Sa'ad ibn-abi-Waqas, the commander of the Muslim army 
B15 168 that defeated the Persians in the battle of Qadissiyya in AD 
B15 169 637.<p/>
B15 170 <p_>All of this should help us to understand a particularly grim 
B15 171 aspect of the current massacre in the mountains: why a defeated and 
B15 172 discredited leader should have been able to marshal a shattered 
B15 173 army to carry out one more act of genocide. So successful has he 
B15 174 been, over two decades, in making himself the symbol of national 
B15 175 identity, that now, in his hour of need, Saddam has found little 
B15 176 difficulty persuading many Iraqis to give their approval for his 
B15 177 <quote_>"final solution to the Kurdish problem"<quote/>. Moreover, 
B15 178 many Iraqis of Sunni faith will support their leader's massacre of 
B15 179 the Shias in the south. In other words, a tyrant's capacity to play 
B15 180 off the tribal hatreds of his own society to his own advantage is 
B15 181 just as important to his survival as the secret police, the torture 
B15 182 chambers and the execution squads.<p/>
B15 183 <p_>Saddam himself knows only too well that a tyrant has to tap 
B15 184 reservoirs of admiration as well as fear. Khalil quotes a speech of 
B15 185 Saddam's in which he speaks of <quote_>"the need of the human being 
B15 186 to look beyond what lies between his hands or to the spirit of what 
B15 187 is visible, is a real human need. It explains why the human being 
B15 188 sometimes turns his stone idols into spirits."<quote/> The great 
B15 189 triumphal arch of swords was not just intended to terrify: it was 
B15 190 intended to expropriate lofty human longings as well.<p/>
B15 191 <p_>Revolutions can only begin when the symbolic hold of tyranny is 
B15 192 broken. That is why pulling down the statue in the public square, 
B15 193 be it Ceausescu's, Hoxha's, Lenin's, Stalin's or Mao's, is such a 
B15 194 critical moment in any revolution.<p/>
B15 195 
B16   1 <#FLOB:B16\><h_><p_>Breed out of hand?<p/><h/>
B16   2 <p_>I AM disturbed that the Government should allow itself to be 
B16   3 panicked by the tabloid press into sentencing to death without 
B16   4 trial 10,000 pit bull terriers plus other so<?_>-<?/>called 
B16   5 'fighting dogs'. Whatever happened to the British sense of justice 
B16   6 and fair play, and love of dogs? To condemn and slaughter thousands 
B16   7 of innocent dogs just because one or two of their breed get out of 
B16   8 hand suggests a killer lust in those who bay for the mass 
B16   9 extermination.<p/>
B16  10 <p_>I write this letter with stitches in my badly bruised face and 
B16  11 my right foot in plaster because of broken bones, which forces me 
B16  12 to use crutches. Why? A few days ago I was attacked from behind 
B16  13 outside my flat and beaten, not by a dog but a so<?_>-<?/>called 
B16  14 human mugger.<p/>
B16  15 <p_>Can someone tell me the difference between the elderly being 
B16  16 mugged and children attacked by dogs? If statistics can be produced 
B16  17 I am sure they will show far more unprovoked attacks by human 
B16  18 animals than our canine friends who never even asked to become 
B16  19 'humanised' in the first place.<p/>
B16  20 <p_>By using the Government's yardstick, all males between the ages 
B16  21 of, say, 15 and 25 should be put to death because they are of 
B16  22 potential mugging age. Better get rid of the lot than risk another 
B16  23 person being mugged.<p/>
B16  24 <p_>For my part, I am sure that had there been a faithful pit bull 
B16  25 terrier, rottweiler or German shepherd beside me, I would not have 
B16  26 been mugged.<p/>
B16  27 <p_>Reg Shay<p/>
B16  28 <p_>58 Kendal Tower,<p/>
B16  29 <p_>Malins Road,<p/>
B16  30 <p_>Harborne,<p/>
B16  31 <p_>Birmingham.<p/>
B16  32 
B16  33 <h_><p_>No reserved seats - even for the Welsh<p/><h/>
B16  34 <p_>COMPARISON of Wales with Kuwait (<quote_>"Too Late to Save 
B16  35 Wales"<quote/>, Letters, May 19) ignores one major difference 
B16  36 between the two countries. People choose to live and work in Kuwait 
B16  37 for financial gain. Of Wales, the converse is true.<p/>
B16  38 <p_>Alun Jenkins, of Stevenage, and others like him were no more 
B16  39 driven out of Wales than other expatriate workers were driven into 
B16  40 Kuwait. Having left the land of their ancestors for essentially 
B16  41 selfish motives, it might salve their consciences to claim 
B16  42 <foreign_>force majeure<foreign/>. But the fact is, they freely 
B16  43 chose to make a better living for themselves on someone else's 
B16  44 patch. And why not indeed? <foreign_>Sauve qui peut!<foreign/><p/>
B16  45 <p_>When an expatriate's financial goals are realised, he may 
B16  46 choose to return whence he came. On the other hand, he might not. 
B16  47 Population movement is a universal fact of life. And there are no 
B16  48 reserved seats.<p/>
B16  49 <p_>To believe that Wales is the victim of plots and has been 
B16  50 uniquely selected for persecution is to stray beyond laudable 
B16  51 nostalgia into the realms of paranoia, a most dangerous mental 
B16  52 condition.<p/>
B16  53 <p_>Colin W. Parsons<p/>
B16  54 <p_>Lower House, Woodstock,<p/>
B16  55 <p_>Haverfordwest, Dyfed.<p/>
B16  56 <p_>BY FAR the greatest of all British inventions is Britishness, 
B16  57 that unique combination of English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish, 
B16  58 which transcends any one single component. A federation more real 
B16  59 than the inferior unities of the USSR, Yugoslavia etc.<p/>
B16  60 <p_>I am English/Scottish. My wife is English/Welsh. We and 
B16  61 millions like us never claim to be English; we are British. 
B16  62 Southern Scotland, north Wales and eastern Ireland can never be 
B16  63 anything but a weird and successful mix of Angle, Saxon, Dane and 
B16  64 Norman: the mongrel is healthier than the pedigree.<p/>
B16  65 <p_>As such, the word <tf|>English becomes abusive shorthand for 
B16  66 London, the South, the rich, the middle classes. I propose we all 
B16  67 use British in future and forget the mere subdivisions.<p/>
B16  68 <p_>J.W. Saunders<p/>
B16  69 <p_>17 Benton Road,<p/>
B16  70 <p_>Middlesbrough,<p/>
B16  71 <p_>Cleveland.<p/>
B16  72 
B16  73 <h_><p_>Famine in Africa is a disgrace to the human race<p/><h/>
B16  74 <p_>THE UNITED Nations has to decide urgently whether or not it has 
B16  75 a mandate so save the Third World. Natural disasters like the 
B16  76 Bangladesh flooding cannot be prevented, but their consequences can 
B16  77 be alleviated by forward planning as well as aid afterwards. 
B16  78 Famine, on the other hand, is entirely preventable, and its 
B16  79 continuing ravages across Africa are a disgrace to the human 
B16  80 race.<p/>
B16  81 <p_>We all know the problems - inefficient local logistics, corrupt 
B16  82 governments, warring tribes, and sheer ignorance. There is only one 
B16  83 solution - efficient control of aid and establishment and 
B16  84 development of resources on the ground by the UN.<p/>
B16  85 <p_>There will be all sorts of reasons put up against this, 
B16  86 including that interfering in another country's business without 
B16  87 invitation smacks of fascism, but this does not alter the facts, 
B16  88 nor prevent misery and death.<p/>
B16  89 <p_>The United Nations should set up: 1, A standing army capable of 
B16  90 moving swiftly into disaster areas and stabilising them to allow 2, 
B16  91 A controlled relief programme conducted by experts, which not only 
B16  92 provides immediate amelioration of the human condition, but the 
B16  93 processing of long-term solutions providing resettlement areas with 
B16  94 a proper water supply, land conservation, planting of trees and 
B16  95 crops, grazing control, and medical services.<p/>
B16  96 <p_>In the end this may not cost more than we give at present in 
B16  97 charity with no guarantee of effectiveness. Charity is ultimately 
B16  98 demeaning. Why should these unfortunate people have to depend on 
B16  99 someone passing the hat round? If the rich countries have to raise 
B16 100 taxes to get rid of the misery, so be it. Who would object?<p/>
B16 101 <p_>P.C. Raine<p/>
B16 102 <p_>The Through,<p/>
B16 103 <p_>Forest Place,<p/>
B16 104 <p_>Waldron,<p/>
B16 105 <p_>Heathfield,<p/>
B16 106 <p_>East Sussex.<p/>
B16 107 
B16 108 <h_><p_>Dangers for NHS<p/><h/>
B16 109 <p_>THE BRITISH Medical Association and the Association of 
B16 110 Community Health Councils have listed many reasons for opposing the 
B16 111 NHS trusts and GP budget systems. The Nursing Association wishes to 
B16 112 see how the present trusts are helping the patient before approving 
B16 113 any expansion of the system, which seems reasonable.<p/>
B16 114 <p_>When the average GP refers a patient to hospital, his only 
B16 115 consideration is for the standard of care for that patient and, as 
B16 116 I would do, he tries to make an appointment with a surgeon by whom 
B16 117 he himself would like to be treated. It is not just a matter of 
B16 118 searching around for the cheapest and least waiting time for an 
B16 119 operation. Lord McColl, who is Professor of Surgery at the United 
B16 120 Medical Schools of Guy's and St. Thomas's hospitals and director of 
B16 121 Surgery at Guy's, appears to consider the situation in that very 
B16 122 impersonal and completely commercial way (<quote_>"Leading surgeon 
B16 123 backs NHS reform"<quote/>, May 19).<p/>
B16 124 <p_>Lord McColl gave a GP a date for an operation on a patient 
B16 125 which was far sooner than that of the local hospital. However, he 
B16 126 advised the doctor to tell the local hospital that he proposed to 
B16 127 send the patient to him and he would find that the date would be 
B16 128 automatically advanced, which is what happened. The inference is 
B16 129 that most local hospitals would react in this way, and so he is 
B16 130 accusing them of not doing a proper job within the National Health 
B16 131 Service and of course this must be corrected!<p/>
B16 132 <p_>May I make the following observation: after two years in a very 
B16 133 busy general hospital and 25 years in general practice, I came to 
B16 134 the conclusion that the more expert a surgeon was clinically, the 
B16 135 less time he was prepared to spend on administration, which he 
B16 136 preferred to leave to others.<p/>
B16 137 <p_>The poll tax was a disaster, and, similarly, the NH trusts and 
B16 138 GP budgets, which are being pushed ahead without adequate study and 
B16 139 discussion with all branches of the medical profession, may also 
B16 140 prove disastrous.<p/>
B16 141 <p_>W.I. McGregor, BSc, MB,<p/>
B16 142 <p_>ChB,<p/>
B16 143 <p_>55a Spa Road,<p/>
B16 144 <p_>Weymouth, Dorset.<p/>
B16 145 
B16 146 <h_><p_>Too much hype about a not very ladylike tomato<p/><h/>
B16 147 <p_>WHEN editors of stuffy newspapers start devoting their boring 
B16 148 columns to Madonna (Profile, May 19), it proves that her formidable 
B16 149 publicity machine is getting to more than little girls, irritated 
B16 150 feminists and writers of <quote_>"yours disgusted"<quote/> 
B16 151 letters.<p/>
B16 152 <p_>I suspect that underneath all that hype the lady is, among 
B16 153 other things, intelligent, shrewd and very tough. She plays it her 
B16 154 way and will probably achieve everything she aims for, including an 
B16 155 audience with the Pope and a hair dye which does not turn her roots 
B16 156 orange.<p/>
B16 157 <p_>As for any weedy little old man contemplating wrestling off her 
B16 158 cone-shaped bra, he would have to consider that he may end up being 
B16 159 gob<?_>-<?/>smacked by one of her steely little fists. The most he 
B16 160 can do is fantasise about whether a particular tomato tastes as 
B16 161 good as it looks whilst safely sticking to the sour grapes! Yours, 
B16 162 with amusement for once,<p/>
B16 163 <p_>J.M.H. Creagh<p/>
B16 164 <p_>The Old Rectory<p/>
B16 165 <p_>Market Weston,<p/>
B16 166 <p_>Diss, Norfolk<p/>
B16 167 <p_>I AM writing to comment on your article about Madonna. I must 
B16 168 first confess that I do own a copy of Madonna's latest album, 
B16 169 <tf_>The Immaculate Collection<tf/>, and while I like quite a lot 
B16 170 of her music, I don't like the woman herself.<p/>
B16 171 <p_>I feel that all the comments made in the article are fair as 
B16 172 Madonna seems to have no shame and is obviously prepared to do 
B16 173 anything to attract publicity for herself. It appears to be the 
B16 174 more outrageous, the better; the more she can appal people, the 
B16 175 happier she is.<p/>
B16 176 <p_>It would seem from your article that you don't think too highly 
B16 177 of her either. However, I think that giving up nearly half a page 
B16 178 of your paper to merely say that she isn't really worth writing 
B16 179 about is also drawing people's attention to her. That is exactly 
B16 180 what she thrives on.<p/>
B16 181 <p_>Surely it would be better not to bother with her at all, no 
B16 182 matter how much you criticise her in the article.<p/>
B16 183 <p_>After all, the worst form of publicity for a person of her sort 
B16 184 has to be no publicity at all.<p/>
B16 185 <p_>Heather Rawlin<p/>
B16 186 <p_>(aged 14),<p/>
B16 187 <p_>186 Tom Lane,<p/>
B16 188 <p_>Sheffield.<p/>
B16 189 
B16 190 <h_><p_>UK Scan safety record<p/><h/>
B16 191 <p_>I READ with interest the account <quote_>"Magnetic Peril of 
B16 192 Scanner"<quote/> (May 12) referring to some of the accidents that 
B16 193 have occurred, particularly in the United States, with the 
B16 194 operation of these important diagnostic instruments.<p/>
B16 195 <p_>I should stress that in the United Kingdom to date the safety 
B16 196 record has been very good, and that at our own centre we have very 
B16 197 strict and extensive safety measures in force, and have operated 
B16 198 for over five years with a high field system without any serious 
B16 199 incidents.<p/>
B16 200 <p_>New centres starting up do need to have staff in post who 
B16 201 appreciate and are regularly trained in the safety measures 
B16 202 required. It is also important that, when such installations are 
B16 203 designed, independent advice is taken to ensure proper safety 
B16 204 provision is made. It would be a shame if funding constraints or 
B16 205 the need to compete for business eroded the good safety record, and 
B16 206 thus the public's confidence, in this revolutionary diagnostic 
B16 207 work.<p/>
B16 208 <p_>(Dr) Martin Leach<p/>
B16 209 <p_>Co-Director, CRC Clinical<p/>
B16 210 <p_>Magnetic Resonance<p/>
B16 211 <p_>Research Group, Institute<p/>
B16 212 <p_>of Cancer Research,<p/>
B16 213 <p_>17a Onslow Gardens,<p/>
B16 214 <p_>London, SW 7.<p/>
B16 215 <p_>YOUR report may have raised unnecessary fears in many people's 
B16 216 minds. This is particularly unfortunate as we are in the middle of 
B16 217 a pounds2.5 million appeal to buy an MR Scanner for the Southampton 
B16 218 University Hospitals.<p/>
B16 219 <p_>A keen awareness of the safety aspects of every item of medical 
B16 220 equipment is obviously of prime importance at all times.<p/>
B16 221 <p_>I know of no cases in this country where a patient has 
B16 222 sustained burns during an examination. Patients with pacemakers or 
B16 223 other metal implants are never admitted to the MR environment until 
B16 224 it is known that the object is magnet safe.<p/>
B16 225 <p_>MR imaging gives us the opportunity of going straight to a full 
B16 226 diagnosis and dispensing with less effective, expensive or 
B16 227 unpleasant investigative techniques. Experience throughout the 
B16 228 world has shown that MR imaging is very acceptable to the patient 
B16 229 and cost-effective compared to other diagnostic techniques.<p/>
B16 230 <p_>(Prof) Michael Whitehouse<p/>
B16 231 <p_>Appeal Chairman,<p/>
B16 232 <p_>Southampton University Hospital,<p/>
B16 233 <p_>Southampton.<p/>
B16 234 
B16 235 <h_><p_>Telescope theory of Europe<p/><h/>
B16 236 <p_>WHEN Margaret Thatcher signed the Single European Act, she, and 
B16 237 probably the majority of the British people, failed to realise that 
B16 238 the steps to political integration are interlocking like the 
B16 239 sections of a telescope; pull one, and the rest follow.<p/>
B16 240 <p_>In securing an opt-out clause on single currency, and deletion 
B16 241 of the social chapter from the new treaty at the Maastricht summit, 
B16 242 John Major is simply looking through the wrong end of the telescope 
B16 243 in order to distance himself from the final show<?_>-<?/>down 
B16 244 between Britain and the rest of the Community. This act of self 
B16 245 deception will not save this country from those Europhiles who have 
B16 246 used an economic initiative to achieve political ends, namely 
B16 247 Eurofederalism.<p/>
B16 248 
B17   1 <#FLOB:B17\><h_><p_>The spirit of Gleneagles<p/><h/>
B17   2 <p_>THE Scottish Council is a broad church and does not take 
B17   3 collective decisions very easily. Since the value of its annual 
B17   4 forum lies in its unique ability to bring together Scottish public 
B17   5 life in all its aspects - unlike bodies such as the CBI which are 
B17   6 sectoral - that is not a point of criticism. Much of the interest 
B17   7 for those who have been attending this year's forum at Gleneagles 
B17   8 has lain, as it has always done, in trying to assess the mood 
B17   9 emerging from the informal and social events surrounding the 
B17  10 plenary sessions. Any attempt to do so must necessarily be 
B17  11 opinionated and subjective but in this column, at least, the 
B17  12 attempt can be made.<p/>
B17  13 <p_>The forum has been confronting the implications of European 
B17  14 political and monetary union. Despite the difficulties that 
B17  15 surround the treaties which it is hoped will be signed at the 
B17  16 Maastricht summit next month, the mood music at Gleneagles implied 
B17  17 that monetary union and a single currency were inevitable and even 
B17  18 desirable; political changes might take longer and be more 
B17  19 problematical but they could scarcely be avoided either. What 
B17  20 impact will the replacement of sterling by the ecu have on the 
B17  21 Scottish economy? It used to be argued that currency alignments 
B17  22 were a mechanism which allowed a country to adjust for inherent 
B17  23 competitive disadvantages, such as those imposed by distance from 
B17  24 the marketplace or by having a small economic mass. The mood at 
B17  25 Gleneagles was that such doctrines, in the context of a large, 
B17  26 powerful and unified market, were unhelpful and self-defeating. 
B17  27 Devaluation of a currency simply deferred to the evil day when 
B17  28 inefficiencies had to be tackled, or stoked inflation. Nor was 
B17  29 classical regional policy seen as any kind of answer. Rather the 
B17  30 preference was for full exposure to the rigorous of monetary 
B17  31 disciplines in the hope that these would produce a new 
B17  32 entrepreneurial impulse and a fresh dynamism even if at some cost 
B17  33 in the short term, most probably in the form of unemployment.<p/>
B17  34 <p_>This realism was welcome and refreshing, even if the social 
B17  35 dislocation which it implies will in fact demand a more 
B17  36 transitional approach. But it was accompanied by a wide 
B17  37 dissatisfaction about the way Scottish interests are being 
B17  38 represented in Brussels. Mr Lang's initiative, Scotland Europa, was 
B17  39 welcome as far as it went but few felt it went far enough. What was 
B17  40 really surprising, perhaps, was the extent of the feeling among 
B17  41 people in the financial and business communities that devolution 
B17  42 was now not only inevitable but even desirable. The neglect of 
B17  43 vital Scottish concerns, such as salmon fisheries or whisky, were 
B17  44 cited as recent examples where the Government, either through 
B17  45 ignorance or indifference had failed the Scottish interest. And it 
B17  46 was acknowledged that sovereignty was already seeping away from 
B17  47 Westminster: by tieing<&|>sic! their currencies to their companions 
B17  48 in the exchange rate mechanism of the European Monetary System, 
B17  49 participating countries, including Britain, had already ceded 
B17  50 authority to the Bundesbank, regulator of the lead economy. Indeed, 
B17  51 the creation of a European Central Bank was seen as a means of 
B17  52 regaining sovereignty that had already been lost de facto.<p/>
B17  53 <p_>Highly unfavourable comparisons were drawn between the impact 
B17  54 achieved by Scotland in Brussels and that made by countries like 
B17  55 Ireland. The German <foreign|>Lander, and even the Welsh Office, 
B17  56 were regarded as having been more successful than Scottish 
B17  57 Ministers working through the UK mechanisms in making themselves as 
B17  58 real in European minds as England (still used everywhere 
B17  59 synonymously for Britain). It has been hard, at Gleneagles this 
B17  60 week, to resist the conclusion that the Conservatives must put 
B17  61 devolution back on the agenda. Despite multifarious denials by Mr 
B17  62 Lang, reports persist (the latest again in the Economist last week) 
B17  63 that a group of Conservative Ministers are discussing it, 
B17  64 admittedly in no especial spirit of generosity. The thinking is 
B17  65 that the devolution of Scottish affairs will lead to a reduction in 
B17  66 the number of Scottish MPs at Westminster, thus preventing in any 
B17  67 realistic scenario the election of a Labour UK Government. We do 
B17  68 not think that is a proper spirit in which to reform something as 
B17  69 important as the Union, but the mood at Gleneagles this week 
B17  70 certainly has tended to cast Mr Lang in the role of King Canute. 
B17  71 Given his thespian gifts, a quick change should present no 
B17  72 problems. He should reconsider his opposition to parliamentary 
B17  73 devolution to accompany the administrative devolution which he 
B17  74 already supports. Despite the screeches of the diehards, power is 
B17  75 ebbing away from Westminster.<p/>
B17  76 
B17  77 <h_><p_>Shadow of the hustings<p/><h/>
B17  78 <p_>IF different calculations had been made, we would be listening 
B17  79 this week to campaign speeches, not debates on the Queen's Speech. 
B17  80 As it was, the next election cast its shadow over yesterday's 
B17  81 scenes in Parliament. The legislative programme announced by the 
B17  82 Queen was shorter than usual, tailored for a truncated session, and 
B17  83 the mood in the House fractious (not that this is uncommon on such 
B17  84 occasions). Not an inspiring start to the new session and not one 
B17  85 of British democracy's better days. It was not one of Mr Major's 
B17  86 better days either. This was his first Queen's Speech as Prime 
B17  87 Minister, but there was little sense of a new beginning. Admittedly 
B17  88 the legislative programme was not one that Mrs Thatcher would now 
B17  89 be announcing if she had remained in power. She would not have been 
B17  90 cheerfully giving the final push to the poll tax, conjuring up 
B17  91 citizen's charters, or talking about Britain's place in the 
B17  92 European mainstream. But the ambivalence of Mr Major's Government 
B17  93 was in evidence yesterday. Perhaps Mr Ashdown put his finger on it 
B17  94 when he said that the Queen's Speech was half an attempt to 
B17  95 mitigate the past, half an attempt to carry on as before (as with 
B17  96 the emphasis on railway privatisation). Fifty-fifty may not be the 
B17  97 accurate ratio but the ambiguity exists. The citizen's charter 
B17  98 idea, which might have come to the rescue, is falling rather 
B17  99 flat.<p/>
B17 100 <p_>The Government is certainly not dragging its feet over the new 
B17 101 local council tax - again the shadow of the hustings. The 
B17 102 legislation is likely to have a troubled passage, with the 
B17 103 Opposition fighting for improved rebates, with possible 
B17 104 administrative complications as the councils prepare for another 
B17 105 about-turn, and with public controversy about the banding system. 
B17 106 But it's the things that can't be legislated for that are likely to 
B17 107 cause the most noise in the run-up to the election - the economy 
B17 108 and Europe. Nor is there any legislation that can prevent Mr Major 
B17 109 being something of a lame duck leader, lacking total authority 
B17 110 within his own party, during a parliamentary session which is his 
B17 111 own choice.<p/>
B17 112 
B17 113 <h_><p_>Divisions of conflict<p/><h/>
B17 114 <p_>THE CBI and the Government are not on the cosy terms that would 
B17 115 normally be expected this close to a General Election. Far from 
B17 116 closing ranks they are drifting further apart not just over 
B17 117 domestic policy but on Europe, as was clear on the opening day of 
B17 118 the CBI conference in Bournemouth. The confederation blames the 
B17 119 Government for the recession and the consequent slump in 
B17 120 investment. It disagrees with the Government over the timing and 
B17 121 extent of economic recovery. It believes the Chancellor's Mansion 
B17 122 House speech was too bullish in its claim that business confidence 
B17 123 was at its highest level for 17 years. The confederation's chief 
B17 124 economic adviser, Professor Doug McWilliams, has scathingly 
B17 125 observed that <quote_>"seasonally adjusted confidence is difficult 
B17 126 to understand, let alone explain."<quote/> Since Mr Lamont's 
B17 127 optimism had been based on the CBI's own survey, which recorded 
B17 128 less gloom than there was at the previous count, this put-down 
B17 129 might seem unfair. But the Chancellor hyped the figures much more 
B17 130 than most economists, no doubt in an excess of anxiety to welcome 
B17 131 the long-forecasted end to the recession. From the CBI's 
B17 132 standpoint, though, there are still hard times ahead for many 
B17 133 businesses even if the recession is drawing to an end. In these 
B17 134 circumstances the approach of a General Election does not 
B17 135 automatically restore sweetness and light despite the energetic 
B17 136 efforts to paper over the cracks on the eve of the conference.<p/>
B17 137 <p_>Above all there is no hiding the fact that the CBI is 
B17 138 particularly unhappy with the performance of the Department of 
B17 139 Trade and Industry, which it feels is not doing half enough to 
B17 140 promote manufacturing industry. Mr Lilley, faced with the difficult 
B17 141 task of addressing the conference yesterday, did his best to defuse 
B17 142 the criticisms. His Government, he said, was banging the drum for 
B17 143 British industry and the DTI was banging the drum for the CBI at 
B17 144 every opportunity - in Cabinet, in the Commons, in Brussels. 
B17 145 Indeed, if you believe Mr Lilley, the department is now 
B17 146 <quote_>"very close"<quote/> to the confederation and the two are 
B17 147 really working together. That's not how things look from the CBI's 
B17 148 side of the fence and it was unsurprising that Mr Lilley's 
B17 149 emollient words failed to turn aside the wrath of some delegates. 
B17 150 According to one speaker the Trade and Industry Secretary has not 
B17 151 cared enough about manufacturing and worse still has not understood 
B17 152 it.<p/>
B17 153 <p_>Probably there was no way that Mr Lilley could have deflected 
B17 154 criticism, short of conceding one of the main recommendations in 
B17 155 the CBI's recent report on manufacturing industry - a strengthened 
B17 156 DTI taking a more active role in encouraging industry. Mr Lilley's 
B17 157 lack of sympathy with such ideas is a reminder that pockets of 
B17 158 Thatcherism remain in Mr Major's Government. Mr Lilley is very much 
B17 159 a non-interventionist Industry Secretary, taking the view that 
B17 160 structural changes would not solve any problems. The point is that 
B17 161 structural changes might accomplish much if accompanied by the 
B17 162 political will to be <quote_>"down on the pitch playing"<quote/> as 
B17 163 Mr Banham puts it. Mr Lilley clearly lacks the will; a better bet 
B17 164 would be Mr Heseltine, who addresses the conference today, whose 
B17 165 interventionist inclinations are stronger and who is sympathetic to 
B17 166 the idea of building up the DTI to the point where it can stand up 
B17 167 to the Treasury. This approach would appear to be more in keeping 
B17 168 not just with CBI thinking but with the general tenor of Mr Major's 
B17 169 leadership and with the national interest as the UK faces the 
B17 170 prospect of a sluggish and uncertain recovery.<p/>
B17 171 <p_>Even if the CBI and the Government were really as much of one 
B17 172 mind as Mr Lilley claimed, there would still be differences over 
B17 173 Europe. The CBI wants economic and monetary union to be placed at 
B17 174 the top of the agenda, though Mr Banham believes that if the price 
B17 175 is too high the Government should walk away. His remarkably savage 
B17 176 attack on the French was hardly calculated to promote 
B17 177 Euro-understanding, but then the CBI are cool on political union, 
B17 178 fearful that it may prove a distraction from the important business 
B17 179 of economic convergence. This must be true of the full-blown 
B17 180 federalist formula, from which the Dutch themselves have now 
B17 181 retreated; and there are flaws in even the Mark 2 version. But too 
B17 182 negative an approach to moderate proposals for political unity 
B17 183 might also obstruct the economic union for which the CBI longs.<p/>
B17 184 
B17 185 <h_><p_>How to make the headlines<p/><h/>
B17 186 <p_>FEW social skills are as elusive as the confident wearing of a 
B17 187 new hat. The secret, according to some experts, is to wear it first 
B17 188 in heavy rain, which not only makes it appear necessary, but causes 
B17 189 slight shrinkage, thus averting the indignity of a chase. To most 
B17 190 older men, of course, headgear is normal, having been worn at 
B17 191 school. Yesterday's polite boy not only raised his cap to his 
B17 192 parents, but to his sisters, a ceremony which today would doubtless 
B17 193 produce ribald feminist laughter. The school cap had a vital 
B17 194 function in sport, the peak keeping out the sun, and highly 
B17 195 coloured specimens were often awarded to the giants of the first 
B17 196 eleven.<p/>
B17 197 <p_>In later life hats were a signal of social class. The top hat 
B17 198 remains in use at the most exclusive English public schools, and 
B17 199 proceeds from there to the royal enclosure at Ascot. The bowler, by 
B17 200 contrast, may have derived from the eponymous hat-maker in London's 
B17 201 Nelson Square, but has had mixed fortunes ever since, a billycock 
B17 202 being worn variously by bookmakers, pre-war foremen, riders to 
B17 203 hounds, participants in Orange Walks, and, with umbrellas, by 
B17 204 ex-Army officers in <foreign|>mufti.<p/>
B17 205 
B18   1 <#FLOB:B18\><h_><p_>A glimmer of hope?<p/><h/>
B18   2 <p_>THE freedom of the brave and resilient John McCarthy could mark 
B18   3 the beginning of a new era in the tinderbox of the Middle East. 
B18   4 Sadly, the disappearance of a French relief worker in west Beirut 
B18   5 within hours of Mr McCarthy's release is a 
B18   6 <}_><-|>salutory<+|>salutary<}/> reminder of the complex nature of 
B18   7 life in the region.<p/>
B18   8 <p_>We hope there are indications that the kidnapping of Frenchman 
B18   9 Jerome Leyraud is removed from the central thrust of Middle Eastern 
B18  10 politics. Certainly, the news that Israel is prepared to hand over 
B18  11 its Lebanese prisoners in return for the release of seven Israeli 
B18  12 servicemen captured during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon is of equal 
B18  13 significance.<p/>
B18  14 <p_>As Foreign Office Minister Douglas Hogg so rightly says, it is 
B18  15 essential to capitalise on the momentum generated by the decision 
B18  16 to free John McCarthy. Mr Hogg recognises what a crucial player 
B18  17 Israel is in this dangerous game and he has stressed that Israel 
B18  18 will be urged to free its political prisoners as soon as 
B18  19 possible.<p/>
B18  20 <p_>If Israel is going to co-operate - and the signs are promising 
B18  21 - then there is a chance that the decision by Islamic Jihad to free 
B18  22 John McCarthy will herald a brighter future which would include the 
B18  23 release of the 11 other hostages languishing in the cellars of 
B18  24 Beirut.<p/>
B18  25 
B18  26 <h_><p_>Jewel role<p/><h/>
B18  27 <p_>THE tremendous news that the priceless Middleham Jewel is to 
B18  28 remain in York was overshadowed by the euphoria surrounding the 
B18  29 release of the hostage John McCarthy yesterday. Nevertheless, it is 
B18  30 significant and presents the Yorkshire Museum with an excellent 
B18  31 opportunity to broaden its appeal.<p/>
B18  32 <p_>We trust that the jewel, one of the finest late medieval pieces 
B18  33 of its kind, will be displayed boldly in the museum. That should 
B18  34 ensure the Yorkshire Museum can rival the higher profile Castle 
B18  35 Museum and Jorvik Viking Centre, especially if the jewel is 
B18  36 supported by quality exhibits.<p/>
B18  37 
B18  38 <h_><p_>Don't shrug off death<p/><h/>
B18  39 <p_>WE MAKE no apology for returning to the theme of our editorial 
B18  40 of July 27 in which we called for stricter driving tests for 
B18  41 everyone in the hope of curtailing the slaughter on Yorkshire's 
B18  42 roads.<p/>
B18  43 <p_>Since that editorial, dozens of readers have supported our 
B18  44 plea. North Yorkshire police, North Yorkshire County Council and a 
B18  45 number of advanced motoring organisations have also called for 
B18  46 tougher tests - to no avail.<p/>
B18  47 <p_>The council's idea of a probationary year for drivers once they 
B18  48 have passed their test is an attractive one which is already in 
B18  49 force on the Continent. It is both ludicrous and dangerous that a 
B18  50 teenager can be a learner driver one day and a motorway driver the 
B18  51 next.<p/>
B18  52 <p_>The Department of Transport, in rejecting calls for a second 
B18  53 test a year after the first, argues that it is not incompetence 
B18  54 which causes accidents but showing off.<p/>
B18  55 <p_>The real world, however, will recognise that better training in 
B18  56 any area of life is central to better ability and responsibility. 
B18  57 And if people fail that higher level of training through 
B18  58 incompetence, then a secondary test will have proved its worth.<p/>
B18  59 <p_>Admittedly, the driving test has been tightened up, but the 
B18  60 overall problem of poor driving remains. As a senior North 
B18  61 Yorkshire policeman points out, drivers are often not taught how to 
B18  62 drive as such, they are simply taught how to pass their test.<p/>
B18  63 <p_>There are too many deaths and there is too much misery for 
B18  64 Whitehall to take such a negative attitude to positive action.<p/>
B18  65 
B18  66 <h_><p_>Rights of the rambler<p/><h/>
B18  67 <p_>THE high-profile campaign by the Ramblers Association to make 
B18  68 every footpath in the country clear by the year 2000 deserves our 
B18  69 fullest support. Launched today, this campaign aims to prevent 
B18  70 self-seeking farmers and landowners from blocking public rights of 
B18  71 way in the countryside.<p/>
B18  72 <p_>A sample survey of these rights of way - carried out by the 
B18  73 Countryside Commission in 1988 - revealed that there was only a 
B18  74 one-in-three chance of not encountering a serious difficulty during 
B18  75 a two-mile walk in the countryside.<p/>
B18  76 <p_>The Rights Of Way Act, passed last year, aimed to bring 
B18  77 landowners into line and to allow ramblers to enjoy the unspoiled 
B18  78 beauty of our countryside. Yet enforcing this Act has proved 
B18  79 troublesome and it has had little effect. Now the Ramblers 
B18  80 Association is setting up its own legal department to prosecute 
B18  81 those who break the law.<p/>
B18  82 <p_>The blinkered attitude which has prompted this campaign is 
B18  83 ultimately self-defeating. Aggressive keep-out signs help no one 
B18  84 and do not encourage respect. The vast majority of ramblers love 
B18  85 the countryside and wish to preserve it; denying them the 
B18  86 fundamental right of walking where they wish on public rights of 
B18  87 way is not only illegal, it is also immoral.<p/>
B18  88 
B18  89 <h_><p_>Unsung heroes<p/><h/>
B18  90 <p_>IT IS appropriate today to pay tribute to Yorkshire's 
B18  91 coastguards who have just experienced the busiest of weekends. 
B18  92 These unsung heroes of the emergency services rescued no less than 
B18  93 100 people on Saturday and Sunday.<p/>
B18  94 <p_>It is easy to take our coastguards for granted. But their 
B18  95 bravery and commitment is an example to us all; last weekend was a 
B18  96 telling reminder of their worth.<p/>
B18  97 
B18  98 <h_><p_>Bearing fruit<p/><h/>
B18  99 <p_>ONCE again the Ryedale Festival has proved a tremendous 
B18 100 success, emphasising how fruitful and positive is the relationship 
B18 101 between the district council and the festival organisers. We hope 
B18 102 that the York Festival, looming ever closer, contains a similar 
B18 103 level of co-operation and commitment.<p/>
B18 104 
B18 105 <h_><p_>Cut out the confrontation<p/><h/>
B18 106 <p_>THE extension of York's park-and-ride service has always been 
B18 107 regarded, rightly, as one of the solutions to York's chronic 
B18 108 traffic problems.<p/>
B18 109 <p_>So the news that a second park-and-ride route could be being 
B18 110 introduced for a trial period at Clifton Moor north of the city 
B18 111 should be welcomed, especially as Christmas is approaching.<p/>
B18 112 <p_> However, this new scheme does not mean that peace has broken 
B18 113 out between York City Council and Ryedale District Council, who 
B18 114 have had well-publicised differences over park-and-ride in the 
B18 115 past.<p/>
B18 116 <p_>It transpires that while the city council is happy to use the 
B18 117 car park at Warner Brothers multiplex cinema as a temporary 
B18 118 park-and-ride site, the district council would prefer this site to 
B18 119 be permanent and believes it could solve the park-and-ride 
B18 120 impasse.<p/>
B18 121 <p_>The city council disagrees, arguing that this site is too far 
B18 122 away from the A19 and that commuters would be reluctant to go out 
B18 123 of their way to make use of the scheme. It is, the city council 
B18 124 argues, more than one mile from the A19.<p/>
B18 125 <p_>Whether the city council is right on this point will become 
B18 126 evident once the trial scheme goes ahead. Certainly, if the 
B18 127 multiplex cinema car park site proves a success, it would be both 
B18 128 naive and self-defeating not to make it York's second park-and-ride 
B18 129 base.<p/>
B18 130 <p_>If it does not prove popular, the York City Council will have 
B18 131 to look elsewhere, and try to find a site nearer the busy A19.<p/>
B18 132 <p_>Either way, we trust that York City Council and Ryedale 
B18 133 District Council will approach this important issue in a spirit of 
B18 134 co-operation and not of confrontation. The need for a second 
B18 135 park-and-ride site is paramount and it should not be blocked by 
B18 136 point-scoring from two neighbouring councils.<p/>
B18 137 
B18 138 <h_><p_>MPs with all to play for<p/><h/>
B18 139 <p_>THE MPs return to Westminster today knowing that politics will 
B18 140 be overshadowed by the coming general election. The Government will 
B18 141 try to produce a programme showing that it has still got business 
B18 142 to do. But the dreary prospect is of six months or more of 
B18 143 political wrangling.<p/>
B18 144 <p_>All the major parties now run their conferences with one eye on 
B18 145 television. The Liberal Democrat conference was, in contrast with 
B18 146 the free for all of the old Liberal party, a self-controlled 
B18 147 affair. After the trauma of Dr Owen's departure, Paddy Ashdown 
B18 148 showed that the party was back in business, offering a combination 
B18 149 of commitment to the federal ideal in Europe, far-reaching 
B18 150 constitutional reform, and a free market economy based on 
B18 151 competition.<p/>
B18 152 <p_>At Labour's conference the will to win was so palpable that no 
B18 153 one wanted to rock the boat. It seemed to have taken on the old 
B18 154 Tory style of a party rally. Neil Kinnock, in the best-crafted 
B18 155 speech of his career, showed his total command of the party and put 
B18 156 the case that it was time for a change of government.<p/>
B18 157 <p_>The Conservative conference was more <}_><-|>line<+|>like<}/> 
B18 158 an old-style Labour one in its undercurrents. They met knowing that 
B18 159 John Major had not dared risk holding the election he would like to 
B18 160 have won next month. The wild reception accorded to Mrs Thatcher, 
B18 161 deriving partly from guilt, showed that she would still have the 
B18 162 power to make trouble if John Major and Douglas Hurd were to reach 
B18 163 an agreement on closer political and economic union in the European 
B18 164 Community she was not prepared to accept.<p/>
B18 165 <p_>Breaking consciously with the Thatcher Style, John Major 
B18 166 projected himself as the extraordinary ordinary man in touch with 
B18 167 what people felt. His scornful refutation of Labour claims that the 
B18 168 health service would be privatised and his jokes at his own 
B18 169 expense, as over Labour borrowing his grey suits, were effective. 
B18 170 Trust Major will be the Tory election theme, who wants to give you 
B18 171 the right to own and the right to choose. But Mr Major in the next 
B18 172 six months is very much at the mercy of events in the European 
B18 173 Community and in the world economy. The election is still wide 
B18 174 open.<p/>
B18 175 
B18 176 <h_><p_>Policy off the rails<p/><h/>
B18 177 <p_>MOST people travel by car or coach and most goods are carried 
B18 178 by lorry. But the annual increases in rail fares are still 
B18 179 politically sensitive because of their impact on commuters in 
B18 180 marginal constituencies around London. The size of the increase 
B18 181 also matters because Ministers should be trying to persuade more 
B18 182 people to use the railways on environmental grounds.<p/>
B18 183 <p_>The Prime Minister, John Major, is credited with intervening to 
B18 184 press the principle, derived from his Citizens Charters, that fare 
B18 185 increases should be below average on commuter lines with a poor 
B18 186 service and higher on lines where there has recently been 
B18 187 substantial investment.<p/>
B18 188 <p_>The railways at present get the worst of both worlds. The 
B18 189 Government says it wants to run them as a commercial business and 
B18 190 privatise them. But it also realises it has to subsidise them as a 
B18 191 public service. Ministers therefore interfere with British Rail's 
B18 192 pricing and investment policies.<p/>
B18 193 <p_>The problem is compounded because of the Treasury's myopic 
B18 194 attitude to British Rail's borrowing for investment. The Treasury 
B18 195 lumps all British Rail borrowing in as part of the public sector 
B18 196 borrowing requirement which it says must be limited as part of its 
B18 197 efforts to control public spending and sustain confidence in the 
B18 198 pound. The crazy result is that the French Railways can raise money 
B18 199 for investment on the London stock market but British Rail 
B18 200 cannot.<p/>
B18 201 <p_>There is an urgent need to discriminate between public 
B18 202 borrowing for productive investment and public borrowing to finance 
B18 203 a budget deficit. There is a strong case for giving a boost during 
B18 204 the recession to the construction and engineering industries by 
B18 205 more properly targeted investment in the infrastructure.<p/>
B18 206 <p_>It is hard to see how a service which will always be partly 
B18 207 dependent on subsidies can be privatised. The Transport Secretary, 
B18 208 Malcolm Rifkind, proposes to end British Rail's monopoly and make 
B18 209 it easier for other operators to run trains over its tracks. But 
B18 210 the danger is that they may skim the cream.<p/>
B18 211 <p_>The Government should forget about privatisation and 
B18 212 concentrate on giving the railways more freedom to invest and 
B18 213 borrow as a State-owned business.<p/>
B18 214 
B18 215 <h_><p_>The lesson of Hemsworth<p/><h/>
B18 216 <p_>THE Labour Party's unceremonious dumping of Ken Capstick of 
B18 217 Selby, the National Union of Mineworkers' candidate for the 
B18 218 forthcoming Hemsworth by-election in South Yorkshire, is a telling 
B18 219 reminder of the party's remorseless pursuit of power. Mr Capstick's 
B18 220 'sin' was to be closely associated with the controversial figure of 
B18 221 Arthur Scargill, perceived as a bogeyman by Neil Kinnock and his 
B18 222 cohorts. Although Mr Capstick consistently claimed he was his own 
B18 223 man, the party could not - or would not - accept this.<p/>
B18 224 <p_>Indeed Mr Capstick's nomination for this safe Labour seat 
B18 225 prompted a high-powered team from the party's London headquarters 
B18 226 to descend on Yorkshire last night with the express intention of 
B18 227 ousting him.<p/>
B18 228 
B19   1 <#FLOB:B19\><h_><p_>Killer dogs<p/><h/>
B19   2 <p_>THE agony of the six-year-old Bradford girl who has had four 
B19   3 ribs broken and may be permanently scarred as a result of a 
B19   4 horrific savaging by a pit bull terrier should shake Ministers out 
B19   5 of their lethargy over dog control.<p/>
B19   6 <p_>The blame, of course, lies in the first place with the people 
B19   7 who want to keep these dogs as so-called pets. The truth is that 
B19   8 they are lethal weapons.<p/>
B19   9 <p_>But the Government is responsible for the fact that the law 
B19  10 over dog control is in a mess. Nicholas Ridley, when Secretary for 
B19  11 the Environment, abolished the dog licence because the fee had been 
B19  12 left unchanged for so long that it was costing more to collect than 
B19  13 it brought in.<p/>
B19  14 <p_>He and Mrs Thatcher opposed the alternative of modernising the 
B19  15 dog licence, backed by a national computer register of owners and 
B19  16 exemptions for special cases like guide dogs for the blind.<p/>
B19  17 <p_>The Home Secretary, Kenneth Baker, has produced a discussion 
B19  18 paper on the control of dangerous breeds, suggesting owners could 
B19  19 be forced to carry insurance, and magistrates should have more 
B19  20 power to order dogs to be muzzled. But his proposals are too 
B19  21 weak.<p/>
B19  22 <p_>The prospect of compensation is small consolation to someone 
B19  23 who has already been savaged.<p/>
B19  24 <p_>We need a national dog register, financed by a licence fee, and 
B19  25 tougher laws so that killer breeds are kept, if at all, under the 
B19  26 same rules as wild animals.<p/>
B19  27 
B19  28 <h|>Gazza
B19  29 <p_>SPURS star Paul Gascoigne was 77 minutes away from the 
B19  30 likelihood of becoming the richest footballer in Europe when he 
B19  31 made his ill-judged tackle in Saturday's FA Cup final.<p/>
B19  32 <p_>He should have been signing for the Italian club Lazio today. 
B19  33 Instead he is in a London Hospital reflecting the fact that he has 
B19  34 blown pounds8.5 million with one reckless lunge.<p/>
B19  35 <p_>The tackle, against a Nottingham Forest defender, has caused 
B19  36 more controversy than the match.<p/>
B19  37 <p_>There is no doubt that the tackle was late. But was it a 
B19  38 professional foul?<p/>
B19  39 <p_>The referee has rightly been criticised for not booking Gazza, 
B19  40 and the general opinion is that the Spurs star has only himself to 
B19  41 blame for his misfortune.<p/>
B19  42 <p_>No doubt he will tell all when he emerges. But whatever he says 
B19  43 he cannot expect a great deal of sympathy.<p/>
B19  44 
B19  45 <h_><p_>Fishing Policy<p/><h/>
B19  46 <p_>THE FACT that the European Community's court has overruled part 
B19  47 of an Act of Parliament for the first time should not come as any 
B19  48 surprise.<p/>
B19  49 <p_>The people to blame are not the court but the sloppy drafters 
B19  50 of the law intended to keep British fish quotas for British 
B19  51 fishermen.<p/>
B19  52 <p_>Those MPs expressing outrage at the loss of British sovereignty 
B19  53 as if it was something new are talking nonsense.<p/>
B19  54 <p_>Britain agreed to some pooling of sovereignty, particularly 
B19  55 over trade, when it joined the European Community nearly 20 years 
B19  56 ago. Britain has had to change policies before because of rulings 
B19  57 of the European court.<p/>
B19  58 <p_>Britain accepted this because it also expected to gain from the 
B19  59 development of a common market.<p/>
B19  60 <p_>The European court struck down our fishing law because it said 
B19  61 that three-quarters of the directors and shareholders in companies 
B19  62 operating fishing vessels in our waters must be British. This 
B19  63 contradicts the general right of a commercial established in one 
B19  64 European Community country to set up in another.<p/>
B19  65 <p_>An answer to the financial problems facing fishermen through 
B19  66 intense competition for depleted stocks cannot be found just by 
B19  67 national action.<p/>
B19  68 <p_>Difficult as it is, the European Community needs to develop a 
B19  69 more effective fisheries policy based on conservation or there will 
B19  70 be no fish left to catch.<p/>
B19  71 
B19  72 <h|>Advice
B19  73 <p_>THE advice to secondary and middle schools to shun publicity 
B19  74 while parents are making up their minds about the right school for 
B19  75 their child is nonsense.<p/>
B19  76 <p_>The advice comes from an Oxford association aptly named MUSH 
B19  77 just a few days after the Government began pushing through 
B19  78 legislation to give parents more information.<p/>
B19  79 <p_>MUSH, an association of Oxford middle and upper school heads, 
B19  80 says that any publicity could be construed as unfair 
B19  81 competition.<p/>
B19  82 <p_>But parents could construe the advice of the heads as that of 
B19  83 wanting to turn the schools into one glorious grey area, playing 
B19  84 down the achievements of the worst schools.<p/>
B19  85 <p_>Thankfully at least one school for girls, Milham Ford, is 
B19  86 ignoring the advice. Others should do the same.<p/>
B19  87 
B19  88 <h_><p_>Hard way<p/><h/>
B19  89 <p_>AN Oxford consultant surgeon decided to find out for himself 
B19  90 the pressure under which junior doctors have to work.<p/>
B19  91 <p_>Half-way through a seven-day stint, standing in for a junior 
B19  92 doctor at a hospital many miles from Oxford, he gave up, unable to 
B19  93 cope with the long hours and workload.<p/>
B19  94 <p_>Now he is likely to use his experience in the battle to cut 
B19  95 juniors' hours. The Government has announced a phased reduction in 
B19  96 hours for junior doctors but many people think the target of 72 
B19  97 hours by 1995 for the hardest pressed and by 1997 for the rest is 
B19  98 too far away.<p/>
B19  99 <p_>When the consultant surgeon puts his case, he will be speaking 
B19 100 from the heart.<p/>
B19 101 <p_>Health service managers and consultants are said to resist 
B19 102 shorter hours but to any of his colleagues who pour scorn on this 
B19 103 point-of-view, the Oxford consultant can reply: <quote_>"Why not 
B19 104 try it?"<quote/><p/>
B19 105 
B19 106 <h|>Spirit
B19 107 <p_>THE closure of the youth hostel at Charlbury is sad enough but 
B19 108 now we hear that the money will be ploughed back into upgrading 
B19 109 other hostels.<p/>
B19 110 <p_>No doubt the money can and should be spent improving other 
B19 111 hostels but what causes concern is that the policy of the Youth 
B19 112 Hostel Association is to provide 'high quality' hostels and to 
B19 113 scrap the dormitory accommodation.<p/>
B19 114 <p_>Youth hostels have provided cheap and cheerful holidays for the 
B19 115 young and young-at-heart for years. They have given teenagers the 
B19 116 chance to rough it without risk and many people on low incomes 
B19 117 their only chance of a holiday.<p/>
B19 118 <p_>Sprucing up the hostels is one thing, but if 'high quality' 
B19 119 means hostels become hotels with an accompanying jump in price then 
B19 120 the spirit of the Youth Hostel Association will be lost. And we 
B19 121 will be poorer for that.<p/>
B19 122 
B19 123 <h|>Great
B19 124 <p_>IT was all hands to the deck when a cancer ward at the 
B19 125 Churchill Hospital, Oxford, let it be known that they needed a new 
B19 126 piece of equipment.<p/>
B19 127 <p_>Staff, ex-patients, friends and firms lost no time in launching 
B19 128 money-raising events or making donations. They came up trumps.<p/>
B19 129 <p_>They passed the pounds2,250 target in just 2 1/2months and 
B19 130 produced an extra pounds250 which will buy other equipment. Which 
B19 131 just goes to show what a caring, generous lot the people of 
B19 132 Oxfordshire are.<p/>
B19 133 
B19 134 <h_><p_>Talking shop<p/><h/>
B19 135 <p_>OXFORD City Council has ended up with egg on its face through 
B19 136 lack of initiative.<p/>
B19 137 <p_>The council has been taken to task by the prospective Liberal 
B19 138 Democrat parliamentary candidate for letting a major car industry 
B19 139 development go ahead in the county rather than capturing it for 
B19 140 Oxford.<p/>
B19 141 <p_>The company set up in Stanford-in-the-Vale after turning down 
B19 142 an offer to locate in Swindon.<p/>
B19 143 <p_>But the Labour-led Oxford City Council, which produced a lot of 
B19 144 hot air when Rover began cutting down the workforce at Cowley, did 
B19 145 not even bother to approach the firm.<p/>
B19 146 <p_>The chairman of the city's employment and economic development 
B19 147 committee says the city council was not approached.<p/>
B19 148 <p_>But having spent public money supporting ineffective inquiries 
B19 149 into Rover's affairs, the city council would be better advised to 
B19 150 go and find alternative employment.<p/>
B19 151 <p_>Labour makes a great play about wanting to keep the car 
B19 152 industry on its feet in Oxford. But it does precious little about 
B19 153 it in real terms.<p/>
B19 154 
B19 155 <h|>Deaths
B19 156 <p_>THE county's health watchdog is right to call for action after 
B19 157 a series of deaths among mental patients.<p/>
B19 158 <p_>The demand to meet the doctor in charge of Oxford's psychiatric 
B19 159 hospital follows a series of deaths.<p/>
B19 160 <p_>The latest was revealed at an inquest this week, where it was 
B19 161 said that a man in the highest suicide risk area was allowed 
B19 162 maximum freedom, and was found hanged in his room.<p/>
B19 163 <p_>There were three other deaths of patients last year, all of 
B19 164 whom walked out of the hospital, and a woman was seriously injured 
B19 165 after she jumped off a bridge.<p/>
B19 166 <p_>The Community Health Council is dealing with complaints from 
B19 167 relatives about aspects of treatment in three of the cases.<p/>
B19 168 <p_>The rules keeping disturbed patients in hospital are 
B19 169 notoriously difficult. But the hospital authorities should make a 
B19 170 full statement and if necessary review their procedures.<p/>
B19 171 
B19 172 <h|>Praise
B19 173 <p_>THREE towns in Oxfordshire have become winners in the Britain 
B19 174 in Bloom competition.<p/>
B19 175 <p_>Oxford, Banbury and Woodstock scooped the prizes and deserve 
B19 176 praise in bringing a splash of colour into a dull year.<p/>
B19 177 
B19 178 <h_><p_>Hopeful signs<p/><h/>
B19 179 <p_>THE best outcome for the cruel cat and mouse game now being 
B19 180 played out over the remaining Western hostages would be a grand 
B19 181 deal embracing also the Arabs held captive by Israel and the fate 
B19 182 of the seven Israeli missing in Lebanon. But the obstacles are 
B19 183 still great.<p/>
B19 184 <p_>The euphoria surrounding the release of John McCarthy and 
B19 185 Edward Tracy underlines the mixture of hope and disappointment 
B19 186 facing the families of those still in captivity.<p/>
B19 187 <p_>The most difficult task now facing the negotiators is to 
B19 188 arrange the timings of any further releases on each side.<p/>
B19 189 <p_>The key for further progress are the Shiite prisoners held by 
B19 190 Israel and its allies in southern Lebanon, particularly Sheikh 
B19 191 Abdel Karim Obeid who was seized by Israeli paratroopers.<p/>
B19 192 <p_>It is wrong to compare these prisoners who have become in 
B19 193 effect hostages with the small number of terrorists still held in 
B19 194 European countries who have been convicted of crimes.<p/>
B19 195 <p_>But Israel is entitled to insist that in return it should be 
B19 196 given firm news of the seven missing Israelis. If possible the 
B19 197 bodies and effects of those who are dead should be returned and the 
B19 198 two or more believed to be alive must be released.<p/>
B19 199 <p_>If the hostage holders insist on the immediate release of all 
B19 200 Arabs held in prison in Europe for terrorist crimes, they are 
B19 201 demanding the impossible. But the prospects for writing an end to 
B19 202 this brutal chapter on reasonable terms are better than ever 
B19 203 before.<p/>
B19 204 
B19 205 <h|>Help
B19 206 <p_>IT is good news that a debt crisis helpline will be publicly 
B19 207 available next year.<p/>
B19 208 <p_>The Oxfordshire Money Advice Project, set up by the Citizens 
B19 209 Advice Bureau, has dealt up till now only with cases referred to it 
B19 210 by other help agencies.<p/>
B19 211 <p_>But so many people and small businesses are getting into 
B19 212 financial trouble that the Oxfordshire Debtline is to be set up. 
B19 213 Volunteers will answer calls in the evening.<p/>
B19 214 <p_>The plans are being made at a time when Oxford's Citizens 
B19 215 Advice Bureau has had to cut its hours. It is short of staff and 
B19 216 cannot cope with the workload.<p/>
B19 217 <p_>Let us hope both projects find the volunteers they need. Their 
B19 218 service is invaluable.<p/>
B19 219 
B19 220 <h_><p_>Looking ahead<p/><h/>
B19 221 <p_>THE first positive steps were taken last night to rid Blackbird 
B19 222 Lays of its tarnished image.<p/>
B19 223 <p_>It should be said that the reputation of the estate, which made 
B19 224 national headlines when the joyriding craze was at its peak, is not 
B19 225 altogether deserved.<p/>
B19 226 <p_>It is a hangover from the time the estate was first built as 
B19 227 council housing for low income families. Now the majority of homes 
B19 228 are owned by those living there.<p/>
B19 229 <p_>It is not one of Oxford's most affluent areas but it is also 
B19 230 not a deprived area. It is attractively laid out and has a 
B19 231 concentration of some of the best leisure facilities in the 
B19 232 city.<p/>
B19 233 <p_>But it still has a problem with some of the young people living 
B19 234 there - although no bigger problem than any other estate which has 
B19 235 a high proportion of teenagers. Even then the mindless vandalism is 
B19 236 caused by the minority.<p/>
B19 237 <p_>The community leaders who took the initiative to put a new face 
B19 238 on Blackbird Leys last night must have been disappointed to hear 
B19 239 that a police car was vandalised while they were meeting.<p/>
B19 240 <p_>It is a sign that the hooligan element is still alive. But the 
B19 241 hooligans will not win.<p/>
B19 242 <p_>A combination of a sympathetic community and a determined 
B19 243 approach by those who care about the place has every chance of 
B19 244 burying the past.<p/>
B19 245 
B20   1 <#FLOB:B20\><h_><p_>Wrong number causes a few red faces<p/>
B20   2 <p_>George Parker's WMN Political Diary<p/><h/>
B20   3 <p_>PADDY Ashdown normally has a very slick media operation, but on 
B20   4 one recent occasion a wheel came off the smooth moving PR machine 
B20   5 in truly embarrassing style.<p/>
B20   6 <p_>Highly efficient press officer, Olly Grender, set up a hotline 
B20   7 to Paddy on the night of the Kincardine and Deeside by-election, so 
B20   8 that journalists could get immediate reaction to the expected 
B20   9 Liberal Democrat victory.<p/>
B20  10 <p_>The telephone number was duly circulated to the ranks of the 
B20  11 Press Gallery, only for Olly to realise in a moment of sheer terror 
B20  12 that she had given out the wrong number.<p/>
B20  13 <p_>Fearing that nobody would be able to contact the party leader 
B20  14 on this historic night, Olly called the number she had given out, 
B20  15 to see if calls could be diverted to Paddy's office.<p/>
B20  16 <p_>The voice on the other end of the phone took the wrong-number 
B20  17 mix up very calmly, and assured Olly that he would arrange for the 
B20  18 late-night calls to be transferred.<p/>
B20  19 <p_>The relieved press officer was very grateful and asked out of 
B20  20 curiosity to whom she was speaking.<p/>
B20  21 <p_><quote_>"This is Ian Lang, Secretary of State for 
B20  22 Scotland,"<quote/> came the reply.<p/>
B20  23 
B20  24 <h_><p_>Anniversary celebrations<p/><h/>
B20  25 <p_>OVER the weekend, the South West's longest serving MP - Robin 
B20  26 Maxwell-Hyslop - celebrated the 31st anniversary of his victory in 
B20  27 the long-forgotten Tiverton by-election of 1960.<p/>
B20  28 <p_>It will be the last such anniversary the Tiverton MP will 
B20  29 celebrate at the House of Commons.<p/>
B20  30 <p_>He will be standing down at the next general election on 
B20  31 account of his worsening asthma condition, which he says is partly 
B20  32 triggered off by the heavy smoking of his Westminster 
B20  33 colleagues.<p/>
B20  34 
B20  35 <h_><p_>Strange idea of helping<p/><h/>
B20  36 <p_>RUPERT Allason, the espionage expert and MP for Torbay, tells 
B20  37 me of the time he was making his way in the world of politics, and 
B20  38 was chosen to fight the unpromising iron and steel seat of 
B20  39 Kettering.<p/>
B20  40 <p_>It was the 1979 general election, and Rupert was out on the 
B20  41 campaign trail in a particularly rough housing estate in the gritty 
B20  42 steel town of Corby.<p/>
B20  43 <p_>To help him on his way, Rupert's father kindly offered to bring 
B20  44 some of his friends to help campaign for him, although it was a 
B20  45 gesture that the aspiring MP came to regret.<p/>
B20  46 <p_>He overheard the following monologue on the doorstep: 
B20  47 <quote_>"Good evening sir, I'm sorry to trouble you while you're 
B20  48 dressing for dinner.<p/>
B20  49 <p_>"I'm the former Greek Ambassador to London, and I'm calling on 
B20  50 behalf of Rupert Allason who is standing at the election.<p/>
B20  51 <p_>"I can't say I know him frightfully well, but his father plays 
B20  52 a very decent game of bridge at White's Club most evenings, and if 
B20  53 he's anything like his father, Rupert would probably be worth 
B20  54 supporting."<quote/><p/>
B20  55 <p_>Rupert says he quickly intervened and found a slightly less 
B20  56 demanding role for his father's chums during the rest of the 
B20  57 campaign.<p/>
B20  58 <p_>He has passed on this little gem for inclusion in a new book, 
B20  59 'A Funny Thing Happened ...', a book of Conservative anecdotes 
B20  60 compiled by Sir John Cope MP and priced pounds10.<p/>
B20  61 
B20  62 <h_><p_>Feeling the chill<p/><h/>
B20  63 <p_>MATTHEW Taylor, Britain's youngest MP, is becoming strangely 
B20  64 absent minded for a man of his tender years.<p/>
B20  65 <p_>Readers may remember the time that he arrived in London on a 
B20  66 Monday morning carrying only a suit and a pair of beach shoes, and 
B20  67 had to walk to the nearest shoe shop to complete his parliamentary 
B20  68 outfit.<p/>
B20  69 <p_>Now he tells me that he went to the annual poppy day parade in 
B20  70 Truro on a bitterly cold November morning without an overcoat.<p/>
B20  71 <p_>The only option facing him, as he shivered on the freezing 
B20  72 streets, was to put on the anorak he was carrying with him.<p/>
B20  73 <p_>Fortunately, he resisted the temptation, remembering the furore 
B20  74 that surrounded Michael Foot's decision to wear a donkey jacket to 
B20  75 the Cenotaph, whilst leader of the Labour Party.<p/>
B20  76 
B20  77 <h_><p_>Police concerns mean we pay the penalty<p/>
B20  78 <p_>Richard Cowdery's WMN FA Cup Diary<p/><p/><h/>
B20  79 <p_>THE DIARY, impoverished as ever, wishes someone would give it a 
B20  80 pound for every time it hears or reads the phrase <quote_>"the 
B20  81 romance of the FA cup"<quote/> on this weekend of the tournament's 
B20  82 first round - the stage of the competition at which Fourth, Third 
B20  83 and this year, two Second Division clubs make their entrance.<p/>
B20  84 <p_>By any reckoning, there would be at least pounds12,50 in the 
B20  85 kitty come Monday morning, even despite the quintessential romantic 
B20  86 nature of the world's most envied domestic knock-out football 
B20  87 competition having been dissipated by the introduction of penalty 
B20  88 shoot-out.<p/>
B20  89 <p_>This year, ties that remain knotted after the conclusion of 
B20  90 extra-time in the first replay will be decided not in open play, 
B20  91 but from 12 yards: for the first time in the FA Cup's distinguished 
B20  92 (and romantic) history, a team will be able to claim th'owd tin pot 
B20  93 without winning a single game of football.<p/>
B20  94 <p_>The FA's arm has been twisted by the police who, after years of 
B20  95 managing quite adequately to cope with second, third or even fourth 
B20  96 replays at a few days' notice, have now decided they need at least 
B20  97 10 days to prepare themselves. This in an age of rapidly declining 
B20  98 hooliganism and decreasing crowds, too.<p/>
B20  99 <p_>While it might be unfair to raise the point that the police at 
B20 100 St James' Park on Saturday were impotent to prevent handfuls of 
B20 101 yobbos from twice encroaching the pitch to fling tea and no 
B20 102 sympathy in the direction of Alan Ball despite having had four 
B20 103 months to prepare themselves, the rule change does raise the 
B20 104 significant question of who runs the national winter game.<p/>
B20 105 <p_>Clubs are told by the local constabulary how many officers are 
B20 106 needed to patrol a game and how much it will cost them. If they do 
B20 107 not play ball, they will not play at all: the police will refuse 
B20 108 permission for the match to be staged. The notion that the police 
B20 109 exist to serve the public is a fast disappearing one.<p/>
B20 110 
B20 111 <h_><p_>Fans give ideas little support<p/><h/>
B20 112 <p_>THE paying football customer, who provides the sport with as 
B20 113 much annual income as all the sponsorship deals put together, gets 
B20 114 a pretty raw deal all round for his or her loyal support, financial 
B20 115 and otherwise.<p/>
B20 116 <p_>The Football Supporters' Association, an organisation with a 
B20 117 voice of reason that continually has to shout to make itself heard, 
B20 118 has published the results of a survey of fans which reveals that 
B20 119 the game's custodians are wildly at odds with the person on the 
B20 120 terrace.<p/>
B20 121 <p_>Nearly two-thirds of supporters want penalty shoot-outs banned, 
B20 122 period, with three-quarters of that number favouring a natural 
B20 123 finish to a tied tie - nearly half were in favour of a sudden-death 
B20 124 finish (playing until the next goal), a method which the Diary has 
B20 125 long advocated.<p/>
B20 126 <p_>There was also strong backing for making referees professional, 
B20 127 a suggestion which has already been vetoed by clubs involved in 
B20 128 next season's FA-run Premier League. Predictable, this, when you 
B20 129 remember 'Bunter' Kelly's infamous admission that he did not care 
B20 130 that a majority of supporters were against the formation of the 
B20 131 Premier League in the first place.<p/>
B20 132 <p_>Interestingly, there was also overwhelming support, however, 
B20 133 for the tougher stance against the professional foul - 80 per cent 
B20 134 backed the in-operation extension to include deliberate hand-ball - 
B20 135 while a staggering 91 per cent demanded the yellow card for players 
B20 136 who dive or feign injury.<p/>
B20 137 
B20 138 <h_><p_>Third time lucky for drawn sides<p/><h/>
B20 139 <p_>DESPITE the desire to limit FA Cup ties to a maximum of two 
B20 140 games, the Diary can reveal that at least one match in this year's 
B20 141 competition has already gone to a third - the third qualifying 
B20 142 round tie between Hampton and Tonbridge.<p/>
B20 143 <p_>Tonbridge, leaders of Winstonlead Kent League, were on the 
B20 144 verge of going out at home in the first game until two goals in the 
B20 145 last 10 minutes earned a replay which they eventually won 3-0, but 
B20 146 not before the first attempt to stage the second game ended in 
B20 147 fiasco.<p/>
B20 148 <p_>With 10 minutes to go, Hampton were 2-1 up when two floodlights 
B20 149 blew out, shrouding a corner of the pitch in darkness. After a 20 
B20 150 minute delay, the somewhat appropriately named referee Barry Knight 
B20 151 abandoned the game, at which point the lights flickered back into 
B20 152 action, too late for Mr Knight to go back on his decision.<p/>
B20 153 <p_>Had it not been for Hampton's subsequent demise, it was a 
B20 154 situation which might have appealed to the London side's biggest 
B20 155 fan and benefactor, comedy writer Alan Simpson of Galton and 
B20 156 Simpson fame.<p/>
B20 157 
B20 158 <h_><p_>Silent movie says it all in road row<p/>
B20 159 <p_>Robert Jobson's WMN Cornish Diary<p/><p/><h/>
B20 160 <p_>THOUSANDS of words were spoken and written during the great 
B20 161 hullabaloo over a pounds28 million road in Mid-Cornwall but for me 
B20 162 a silent movie said it all.<p/>
B20 163 <p_>The video of the intended nine mile route, rejected by county 
B20 164 councillors last week after six months of raging controversy, was 
B20 165 shot from a helicopter.<p/>
B20 166 <p_>It represented a first in the annals of Cornwall County Council 
B20 167 and, given a similar set of circumstances in the future, I trust it 
B20 168 will not be the last.<p/>
B20 169 <p_>Taken by Surrey-based European Air Charter, specialists in this 
B20 170 field, at the request of the council, it left no-one in any doubt 
B20 171 about what was being proposed, for better or for worse.<p/>
B20 172 <p_>Having been deluged with facts, figures and opinions at all 
B20 173 hours of the day and night by pressure groups, elected members were 
B20 174 able to focus on what was termed the corridor of interest.<p/>
B20 175 <p_>Presented with a bird's eye view from the helicopter, they were 
B20 176 able to follow the nine mile route from the A30 at Bodmin along the 
B20 177 A390 to St Austell and assess the scheme's potential impact, with 
B20 178 the aid of a superimposed road.<p/>
B20 179 <p_>It is debatable whether the video, costing several thousand 
B20 180 pounds, swayed minds at such late hour but at least the council 
B20 181 could not be accused of any cover-up.<p/>
B20 182 <p_>Indeed, in the event of further multi-million pound roads being 
B20 183 proposed for Cornwall, a helicopter video should again be 
B20 184 compulsory viewing for those involved in making the big 
B20 185 decision.<p/>
B20 186 <h_><p_>Too controversial for politicians<p/><h/>
B20 187 <p_>IT does not pay to pontificate on new roads and how many lives 
B20 188 they might save and how many jobs, if any, they might help to 
B20 189 generate.<p/>
B20 190 <p_>Note how many of Cornwall's politicians, mindful of an imminent 
B20 191 General Election, kept their heads well down on this one.<p/>
B20 192 <p_>The route affected three constituencies and therefore at least 
B20 193 nine candidates but most chose not to express any view on its 
B20 194 merits.<p/>
B20 195 <p_>Restormel Borough Council's Liberal Democrat development 
B20 196 chairman, Cedric Burdon of Roche, did not however hold back.<p/>
B20 197 <p_>On hearing of the County Council's rejection move, he described 
B20 198 it as a blatant disregard of the future needs of the St Austell 
B20 199 community.<p/>
B20 200 <p_>Now who has disregarded whom during the past six months? There 
B20 201 appears to be no shortage of candidates.<p/>
B20 202 <p_>One could say that the needs of those who endure the noise and 
B20 203 aggravation of living on the existing main road at St Blazey have 
B20 204 been disregarded by those fortunate people who do not.<p/>
B20 205 <p_>Most of Mid-Cornwall's parish councils opposed the preferred 
B20 206 route and so did a majority of Restormel's development committee. 
B20 207 They claim to have been disregarded by Restormel's leaders.<p/>
B20 208 <p_>And then we come to Truro County Hall where a majority of 
B20 209 elected members have decided to disregard the professional advice 
B20 210 of highly paid and qualified road engineers who have spent three 
B20 211 years finding and evaluating the best route.<p/>
B20 212 <p_>Instead an optimistic working party of councillors will be set 
B20 213 up to find alternative solutions in a matter of months.<p/>
B20 214 <p_>The engineers' lips remain politely sealed but their 
B20 215 white-faced, incredulous expressions leave one in no doubt about 
B20 216 how they feel. We await the working party's findings with 
B20 217 interest.<p/>
B20 218 
B20 219 <h_><p_>Forward action<p/><h/>
B20 220 <p_>COUNCILLORS were not the only ones to heave a huge sigh of 
B20 221 relief when the vote had finally been taken at Truro on the 
B20 222 pounds28 million proposal.<p/>
B20 223 <p_>For the local pressure groups involved, BRAG, LARD and FORWARD, 
B20 224 it was also the end (or was it?) of an emotionally exhausting 
B20 225 ordeal.<p/>
B20 226 <p_>BRAG, St Blazey Road Action Group, and LARD, Lanhydrock Against 
B20 227 Road Development, were naturally elated. FORWARD, Friends of 
B20 228 Residents, Work and Roads Development, deflated.<p/>
B20 229 
B21   1 <#FLOB:B21\><h_><p_>The week that was<p/>
B21   2 <p_>By Keith Newbery<p/>
B21   3 <p_>Don't pander to Sir Peter's imaginings<p/><h/>
B21   4 <p_>There is one television programme that no policeman of my 
B21   5 acquaintance likes to miss. Watching The Bill, they will tell you 
B21   6 privately, is like living with your ear to the incident room 
B21   7 door.<p/>
B21   8 <p_>Apparently, the series features characters with whom every 
B21   9 station can identify. The cockiness, the compassion, the bluffness, 
B21  10 the bravado, the devotion to duty and the humour are all there.<p/>
B21  11 <p_>All these qualities and emotions are amplified of course, 
B21  12 because that is the way television operates. But the essential 
B21  13 fabric of a police station and the people who inhabit<&|>sic! is 
B21  14 said to be well represented.<p/>
B21  15 <p_>That is not the case, however, if you listen to Metropolitan 
B21  16 Police Commissioner Sir Peter Imbert. This week he accused 
B21  17 programme-makers of habitually presenting a misleading and 
B21  18 potentially damaging image of the police.<p/>
B21  19 <p_>He felt that both fictional and documentary programmes 
B21  20 portrayed them as brutish, cynical, sceptical and insensitive, an 
B21  21 image which all forces had worked hard to dispel in the past ten 
B21  22 years.<p/>
B21  23 <p_>It annoyed him that in the fifties and sixties, when paragons 
B21  24 like Fabian and Gideon were pounding the television beat, standards 
B21  25 of behaviour within Scotland Yard often left something to be 
B21  26 desired.<p/>
B21  27 <p_>While Jack Warner was flexing his knees, blowing on his hands 
B21  28 and delivering a Saturday night homily, people were ill-advised to 
B21  29 shake hands with a senior police officer without counting their 
B21  30 fingers afterwards.<p/>
B21  31 <p_>Now that standards have improved, he is not impressed by the 
B21  32 fact that the public image has allegedly deteriorated.<p/>
B21  33 <p_>Sir Peter, it has to be said, appears to be an over-sensitive 
B21  34 soul and is talking the most consummate drivel.<p/>
B21  35 <p_>In 1982, the BBC showed an 11-part series called 
B21  36 <quote|>"Police." There was one notorious episode in which 
B21  37 Detective Brian Kirk and some other officers were shown bullying a 
B21  38 woman who claimed she'd been raped.<p/>
B21  39 <p_>It was a distressing reprehensible display. In the face of 
B21  40 continual intimidation and bluster, the woman was reduced to the 
B21  41 emotional equivalent of a dish-cloth. She was a sobbing, 
B21  42 inarticulate wreck, unable to remember what she had just said, let 
B21  43 alone what had happened 24 hours earlier. It was the ugliest 
B21  44 exhibition of rampant machismo it has ever been my misfortune to 
B21  45 witness.<p/>
B21  46 <p_>The outcry was so great that within 12 months the Home Office 
B21  47 had issued new guidelines to be used in such cases, stressing the 
B21  48 need for tact and diplomacy.<p/>
B21  49 <p_>It has also had the welcome effect of making both the police, 
B21  50 and those who make programmes about them, far more aware of their 
B21  51 responsibilities. A more sensitive approach has been adopted and 
B21  52 the police, if anything, have emerged with their reputation 
B21  53 enhanced.<p/>
B21  54 <p_>If Sir Peter Imbert doesn't accept this, then he must be 
B21  55 hinting at that unhealthy wonderland where television exists only 
B21  56 to serve as a publicity vehicle for the constabulary.<p/>
B21  57 <p_>That is not what the police or the public need or deserve. It 
B21  58 is to be hoped that sufficient mutual respect exists between them 
B21  59 for such an exercise to be entirely counter-productive.<p/>
B21  60 <p_>If Sir Peter really wants to know what it feels like to have 
B21  61 one's profession distorted by television, he should ask a 
B21  62 journalist. We have never been accurately portrayed.<p/>
B21  63 <p_>We are usually depicted as unprincipled, unshaven, ignorant 
B21  64 poltroons with a fondness for drink and a tendency to see the worst 
B21  65 in everyone.<p/>
B21  66 <p_>I can honestly say that after 25 years in the profession, I 
B21  67 have never met a journalist as nice as that.<p/>
B21  68 
B21  69 <h_><p_>The word still deserts me<p/><h/>
B21  70 <p_>There's never a clever-dick around when you want one! My plea 
B21  71 for help last week in finding the only word in the English language 
B21  72 (apart from hungry and angry) to end in GRY went unheeded.<p/>
B21  73 <p_>We spread the net far and wide. Conversation in the press box 
B21  74 at the Goldstone Ground in Brighton ended with the Times reporter 
B21  75 seeking the help of his editorial department in London.<p/>
B21  76 <p_>The combined brain-power of the BBC editorial staff in 
B21  77 Southampton was recruited on the basis that every little bit 
B21  78 helped. But all to no avail.<p/>
B21  79 <p_>The best offer I have so far is AGGRY, which is in the Oxford 
B21  80 Concise and is an African glass bead. But I'm sure there is a more 
B21  81 conventional word. There will be no rest until we find it.<p/>
B21  82 
B21  83 <h_><p_>Simon Toft<p/>
B21  84 <p_>Save our Political skins first<p/><h/>
B21  85 <p_>I've never been to Calshot Activities Centre, but it doesn't 
B21  86 stop me appreciating the invaluable role it has played in the 
B21  87 development of thousands of Hampshire children every year.<p/>
B21  88 <p_>Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the county councillors 
B21  89 who have voted to close and then sell off the waterfront site at 
B21  90 Fawley, near Southampton to save money.<p/>
B21  91 <p_>They claim it is too expensive to maintain and run, though 
B21  92 their figures conflict with much lower ones produced by campaigners 
B21  93 seeking to save the centre.<p/>
B21  94 <p_>Such balance sheet judgment<&|>sic! is flawed because it is 
B21  95 innately devoid of any considerations that cannot be easily 
B21  96 calculated.<p/>
B21  97 <p_>Councillors should hear the inspirational stories of boys and 
B21  98 girls, many from inner city environments in the Portsmouth area, 
B21  99 discovering themselves and the great outdoors.<p/>
B21 100 <p_>Of new opportunities, adventures and experiences away from 
B21 101 their everyday lives. Of young characters being formed and valuable 
B21 102 lessons in life being learned through the exciting challenges 
B21 103 undertaken.<p/>
B21 104 <p_>The decision to shut the residential centre has rightly caused 
B21 105 an outcry in sporting and school circles, where Calshot's 
B21 106 contribution is properly recognised. Teachers have joined forces 
B21 107 with Olympic athletes and soccer stars to call for its survival. 
B21 108 Saints manager Ian Branfoot described it as one of the country's 
B21 109 premier sports venues and spoke passionately of its role.<p/>
B21 110 <p_>Sadly, without any similar enthusiasm from powerful councillors 
B21 111 in meeting rooms at Winchester, the Save Calshot campaign has 
B21 112 always been doomed to failure. A crucial full council meeting a 
B21 113 week today is destined to rubber-stamp in the fate of the former 
B21 114 RAF hangar once and for all.<p/>
B21 115 <p_>A last-minute volte-face appears extremely unlikely. Tory 
B21 116 council leader Freddy Emery-Wallis announced new county spending 
B21 117 plans this week, pounds53m below Government limits. He admitted 
B21 118 that, as a result, the end for Calshot would come quickly. His is a 
B21 119 powerful voice.<p/>
B21 120 <p_>It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the centre has been 
B21 121 used as a pawn in the council's obsequious efforts to impress the 
B21 122 Government and therefore prevent its abolition in any local 
B21 123 government shake-up.<p/>
B21 124 <p_>Far from being viewed as a way to cut costs, the centre's 
B21 125 unique benefits should have been regarded as a valuable asset well 
B21 126 worth the cost of preservation.<p/>
B21 127 <p_>Ways of generating additional revenue to help pay for repairs 
B21 128 should have been fully explored. Instead nothing of its kind will 
B21 129 be available in this area again. Starting from scratch would be 
B21 130 prohibitively expensive.<p/>
B21 131 <p_>Campaigners claim the council has allowed the centre to fall 
B21 132 into disrepair by a policy of neglect, thereby facilitating a 
B21 133 plausible reason for closure. It is a serious allegation that 
B21 134 raises disturbing questions if it is true.<p/>
B21 135 <p_>The children who have derived so much from Calshot's excellent 
B21 136 facilities are our future. The centre has offered a scope for 
B21 137 personal development through a whole range of physical activities 
B21 138 that schools could never match. And it is the only one of its kind 
B21 139 in the county.<p/>
B21 140 <p_>Generations of local children to come should not be deprived of 
B21 141 the chance to come to Calshot. But they will be, because of a lack 
B21 142 of will and vision from people with one eye on saving their 
B21 143 political skin.<p/>
B21 144 <p_>No wonder so many voices have been raised in disbelief. The 
B21 145 centre deserved to be saved, not shut.<p/>
B21 146 
B21 147 <h_><p_>Joe Murphy<p/>
B21 148 <p_>ON POLITICS<p/>
B21 149 <p_>Ringmaster Nelson in for victory?<p/><h/>
B21 150 <p_>If John Major's high-wire act on Europe succeeds, it will be 
B21 151 partly thanks to Anthony Nelson, MP for Chichester.<p/>
B21 152 <p_>As ringmaster of 'Nelson's Column,' he has helped keep the 
B21 153 Premier's tightrope much steadier than could have been expected.<p/>
B21 154 <p_>This week, the anniversary of Mrs Thatcher's tumble, is 
B21 155 crucially important.<p/>
B21 156 <p_>It is Mr Major's last chance to cross the wire safely before 
B21 157 the circus transfers to Maastricht.<p/>
B21 158 <p_>Mr Nelson, 43, has been knocking around the European stage for 
B21 159 a good many years.<p/>
B21 160 <p_>He was a <quote_>"committed European"<quote/> throughout the 
B21 161 Thatcher years when this was as fashionable among ambitious Tories 
B21 162 as badger-digging.<p/>
B21 163 <p_>Way back in 1978 he put down a Commons motion urging Britain to 
B21 164 join the process towards a common European currency.<p/>
B21 165 <p_>It may be that Mr Nelson's passionate support for Europe stems 
B21 166 from his being born in Hamburg, the son of a British Service 
B21 167 family. It is also likely that his stance lay behind Mrs Thatcher's 
B21 168 otherwise unaccountable failure to promote him into government.<p/>
B21 169 <p_>Thirteen years on, Britain has taken only one concrete step 
B21 170 towards that goal, joining the exchange rate mechanism. Even at the 
B21 171 Maastricht summit next month, Mr Major is only likely to sign a 
B21 172 deal if it lets the others go ahead with Britain joining at a later 
B21 173 date.<p/>
B21 174 <p_>In July, Mr Nelson and a few colleagues realised further steps 
B21 175 would be impossible while the debate inside the party was dominated 
B21 176 by a handful of heavyweight fanatics.<p/>
B21 177 <p_>It was the time when Mrs Thatcher delivered her explosive 
B21 178 speeches in America against giving away sovereignty - prompting a 
B21 179 volcanic response from Ted Heath.<p/>
B21 180 <p_>In conditions of near-secrecy, they called a meeting of 
B21 181 like-minded MPs. Forty turned up.<p/>
B21 182 <p_>The group, dubbed Nelson's Column, arranged talks with 
B21 183 ministers from the Prime Minister downwards.<p/>
B21 184 <p_>The idea was not to take on the Europhobic big guns, but to 
B21 185 reassure Mr Major that he had a solid enough backing to follow his 
B21 186 instincts.<p/>
B21 187 <p_>It seems to have worked.<p/>
B21 188 <p_>True, the prospect of various heavyweights including Mrs 
B21 189 Thatcher, Sir Geoffrey Howe, Mr Heath, Nigel Lawson, and Nick 
B21 190 Ridley speaking in this week's debate is enough to send shudders 
B21 191 through the party. But thanks to the large number of MPs standing 
B21 192 publicly behind Mr Major, their capacity for damage is limited.<p/>
B21 193 <p_>When the history books are written, Mr Nelson's role in easing 
B21 194 Britain more deeply into Europe may merit only a few words. But 
B21 195 perhaps when Mr Major reshuffles his ministerial pack, he will give 
B21 196 the industry-wise MP the front bench recognition he should have had 
B21 197 a decade ago.<p/>
B21 198 
B21 199 <h_><p_>Alarm bells<p/><h/>
B21 200 <p_>MPs are having a spot of telephone trouble. A thief is at large 
B21 201 in Westminster pinching their expensive mobile phones.<p/>
B21 202 <p_>The latest victim was veteran scandal-hunter Dale 
B21 203 Campbell-Savours.<p/>
B21 204 <p_>Secondly, MPs are frothing about a British Telecom 'offer' to 
B21 205 have a division bell installed in their own home.<p/>
B21 206 <p_>This would ring whenever there was a vote so that speedy MPs 
B21 207 could jump out of bed and dash to the Commons in time.<p/>
B21 208 <p_>But BT want a hefty pounds531 connection fee (more in outer 
B21 209 London) plus pounds438 annual rental.<p/>
B21 210 <p_>No wonder BT chairman Sir Iain Vallance can afford his 
B21 211 pounds1,230 a week pay rise.<p/>
B21 212 
B21 213 <h_><p_>Moira Martingale<p/>
B21 214 <p_>Feeding a female parasite<p/><h/>
B21 215 <p_>There was a time when Martina Navratilova was perceived to be a 
B21 216 Centre Court tough guy, while her ex-lover Judy Nelson offered a 
B21 217 more fragile image.<p/>
B21 218 <p_>Now, having watched the pair of them volley in the 'galimoney' 
B21 219 case in a Texas court of another sort, a re-think is called for - 
B21 220 and, as with many heterosexual relationships - the 'masculine' 
B21 221 partner is seen to be the more emotionally weak.<p/>
B21 222 <p_>For as emotions have been laid bare, the floods of tears have 
B21 223 been Martina's and it is becoming apparent that Martina is the one 
B21 224 who is vulnerable, easily exploited and insecure.<p/>
B21 225 <p_>In contrast, the 'feminine' Judy Nelson seems to have granite 
B21 226 depths and is hanging on to her demand for half Martina's 
B21 227 fortune.<p/>
B21 228 <p_>She has turned down a reported offer of pounds1.5m, claiming to 
B21 229 be entitled to more because she gave up her own career hopes to 
B21 230 support Martina. This career was previously that of a doctor's 
B21 231 wife.<p/>
B21 232 <p_>She hasn't struck a bat since she met Martina, has ensured that 
B21 233 her relatives <}_><-|>benefitted<+|><}/>benefited fully from 
B21 234 Martina's cash - whether by the purchase of a Porsche for one of 
B21 235 her two sons, or by allowing them both to run up monthly 
B21 236 pounds1,000-plus credit card bills. It is Judy who continues to 
B21 237 live in Martina's pounds750,000 home, not Martina.<p/>
B21 238 
B22   1 <#FLOB:B22\><h_><p_>The Gossiper<p/>
B22   2 <p_>News, views and memories of Lincolnshire<p/>
B22   3 <p_>Sky's the limit for tourism<p/>
B22   4 <p_>By PETER BROWN<p/><h/>
B22   5 <p_>AT first glance, you might be forgiven for thinking that North 
B22   6 Kesteven doesn't have a lot to offer the potential holidaymaker or 
B22   7 tourist.<p/>
B22   8 <p_>You would look in vain for a sun-drenched beach. There aren't a 
B22   9 lot of snow-capped mountains to climb, and you would be 
B22  10 hard-pressed to discover an abundance of opera houses or concert 
B22  11 halls.<p/>
B22  12 <p_>But what it does have is a special charm all of its own; a host 
B22  13 of interesting and historic villages; sporting facilities that make 
B22  14 it the envy of many; some fascinating buildings ... and the RAF.<p/>
B22  15 <p_>With Cranwell College and the Elementary Flying Training 
B22  16 Squadron based at Swinderby, the chances are that most people who 
B22  17 serve in the service will visit North Kesteven at some time or 
B22  18 other in their career.<p/>
B22  19 <p_>There are also active and abandoned airfields in the area, and 
B22  20 North Kesteven District Council has been quick to realise that they 
B22  21 are all potential tourist destinations.<p/>
B22  22 <p_>Sometime ago the authority produced a booklet called Airfield 
B22  23 Trail which tourism officer Lorraine McGrath tells me has proved so 
B22  24 popular it is about to be updated and improved.<p/>
B22  25 <p_>But what the authority needs is for someone to help sponsor the 
B22  26 publication, says Lorraine.<p/>
B22  27 <p_>She can be contacted on 0529 414155 ext 480.<p/>
B22  28 
B22  29 <h_><p_>Unfortunate coincidence<p/><h/>
B22  30 <p_>IT'S not very often that a full meeting of Lincoln City Council 
B22  31 falls on Guy Fawkes Night.<p/>
B22  32 <p_>But that's what's going to happen next week for only the third 
B22  33 time for almost two decades.<p/>
B22  34 <p_>And I gather that just before he opens the meeting, the Mayor, 
B22  35 Coun Ralph Toofany, is going to remind members of a very 
B22  36 unfortunate coincidence which has followed the two previous 
B22  37 November 5 meetings.<p/>
B22  38 <p_>Back in 1973, the Bonfire Night meeting was chaired by Fred 
B22  39 Allen. The 1985 meeting was under the chairmanship of Ida 
B22  40 Campbell.<p/>
B22  41 <p_>Both well-remembered former mayors have since died.<p/>
B22  42 <p_>But Ralph says he is not superstitious about things like that 
B22  43 and will be chairing the meeting as usual.<p/>
B22  44 <p_>Whether or not the subjects for debate produce any fireworks 
B22  45 inside the Guildhall, remains to be seen.<p/>
B22  46 
B22  47 <h_><p_>On the box again<p/><h/>
B22  48 <p_>TELEVISION viewers throughout Britain will be getting an 
B22  49 insight into one of Lincolnshire's best-known country houses 
B22  50 tomorrow when BBC-2 screens, once again, the Heirs and Graces 
B22  51 programme about the Elizabethan house.<p/>
B22  52 <p_>The 30-minute programme, which starts at 1.45pm, is presented 
B22  53 by Lady Victoria Leatham, who knows all about county stately homes 
B22  54 - she lives at Burghley House near Stamford.<p/>
B22  55 
B22  56 <p_>MEMBERS of the County Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society are 
B22  57 turning back the clock to those roaring 20s for their next 
B22  58 production.<p/>
B22  59 <p_>They are reviving Sandy Wilson's musical The Boyfriend at 
B22  60 Lincoln Theatre Royal for two weeks from November 18.<p/>
B22  61 <p_>If you haven't seen the show before, the society tells me the 
B22  62 chances are that at least some of the music will be very familiar 
B22  63 to you.<p/>
B22  64 
B22  65 <h_><p_>Lincolnshire 10 years ago<p/><h/>
B22  66 <p_>MANY Lincolnshire people spent more money on dog food than they 
B22  67 gave to the Church, Lincoln Diocesan Synod was told. The Rev 
B22  68 Patrick Lacy, Rural Dean of Horncastle and Christian Stewardship 
B22  69 adviser, said: <quote_>"The giving in this diocese is miserably 
B22  70 low."<quote/><p/>
B22  71 <p_>The County Council was continuing to reduce its staff and at a 
B22  72 faster rate than most other authorities, according to the Manpower 
B22  73 Watch returns prepared for the Government.<p/>
B22  74 <p_>Plans for a pounds900,000 entertainment centre went on view at 
B22  75 Skegness. The octagonal hall would be capable of holding theatre 
B22  76 shows, conferences, cabaret, exhibitions, dances, wrestling and 
B22  77 other sport.<p/>
B22  78 
B22  79 <h_><p_>Lincolnshire 25 years ago<p/><h/>
B22  80 <p_>A motor cyclist, who skidded on a patch of ice and hit a lamp 
B22  81 standard, became the first person to have an accident on the new 
B22  82 road constructed between Market Street and the Southholme, 
B22  83 Gainsborough.<p/>
B22  84 <p_>The funeral took place of Mr Trevor Mays, maths master at 
B22  85 Lincoln School since 1957. Mr Mays (37) died after a long illness, 
B22  86 and headmaster Mr J.C. Faull said <quote_>"The school has lost a 
B22  87 loyal servant."<p/>
B22  88 <p_>A pounds5,850 traffic survey, designed to give all the 
B22  89 background knowledge necessary in planning Boston's road network 
B22  90 for the future, was all set to get under way.<p/>
B22  91 
B22  92 <h_><p_>The Gossiper<p/>
B22  93 <p_>News, views and memories of Lincolnshire<p/>
B22  94 <p_>The Lights o' Lincoln shine brightly again<p/><h/>
B22  95 <p_>FOR the first time for more than 40 years, the Lights o' 
B22  96 Lincoln shone brightly once again, as the wartime concert party got 
B22  97 back together again for what they expect to be one final 
B22  98 curtain-call.<p/>
B22  99 <p_>It was the idea of George Haywood, one of the few survivors of 
B22 100 the Lights o' Lincoln, who had long had an ambition to reunite his 
B22 101 old colleagues.<p/>
B22 102 <p_>And he tells me the event was a tremendous success - every bit 
B22 103 as good as he had hoped it would be.<p/>
B22 104 <p_>Joining George, who now lives just outside Nottingham, were Vic 
B22 105 Roberts and Marguerite Brindley-Auger from Lincoln; Hettie 
B22 106 Fooks-Paulson from Bicester and Eulalie O'Brian Power from 
B22 107 Twickenham.<p/>
B22 108 <p_>The day started at European Gas Turbines - the successor 
B22 109 company to the one which employed quite a number of the concert 
B22 110 party during the war years.<p/>
B22 111 <p_>After a tour of the factory, there was a civic reception at the 
B22 112 Guildhall by the Mayor, Coun Ralph Toofany, who was handed a copy 
B22 113 of a letter George had received from a private secretary to the 
B22 114 Queen Mother, explaining it was not possible for the Queen Mother 
B22 115 to send a message for the event but adding <quote_>"She was 
B22 116 interested to hear of the event for Her Majesty knows of the 
B22 117 wonderful contribution made by the Lights o' Lincoln concert party 
B22 118 during the war."<quote/><p/>
B22 119 <p_>Then there was a celebration dinner at the Marconi Sports 
B22 120 Centre in Newark Road, Lincoln, where the entertainers trod the 
B22 121 boards for one more time for a final chorus of songs.<p/>
B22 122 <p_>Delighted with the success of it all, George tells me he has 
B22 123 just one more ambition and that is to see a plaque at Ye Olde 
B22 124 Crowne in Clasketgate - the public house where members of the 
B22 125 concert party used to gather before going off on their hundreds of 
B22 126 performances during the Second World War.<p/>
B22 127 
B22 128 <h_><p_>And now there's only one left<p/><h/>
B22 129 <p_>THE death of Harold, Fourth Baron Tennyson, the other day - at 
B22 130 the age of 72 - means that now, for the first time for years, there 
B22 131 is only one surviving Freeman of the city.<p/>
B22 132 <p_>Former Mayor, Alderman and once the longest-serving member of 
B22 133 Lincoln City Council, Jock Campbell, is now the only living 
B22 134 honorary individual-Freeman of the city.<p/>
B22 135 <p_>The corporate honour was conferred on the Royal Lincolnshire 
B22 136 Regiment and RAF Wadington some years ago.<p/>
B22 137 <p_>Lord Tennyson was made a Freeman in 1964, and Jock in 1981.<p/>
B22 138 
B22 139 <h_><p_>Another Jason<p/><h/>
B22 140 <p_>JASONS seem to figure prominently in the showbusiness career of 
B22 141 former Neighbours star Kate Gorman.<p/>
B22 142 <p_>She first attracted the attention of television viewers in her 
B22 143 attempts to snare Jason Donovan in the days when he used to play 
B22 144 Scott in the top Australian soap.<p/>
B22 145 <p_>Now, halfway across the world and in a straight play, she is 
B22 146 opposite another Jason, this time Britain's Jason Pethers in the 
B22 147 Edgar Wallace thriller The Case of the Frightened Lady.<p/>
B22 148 <p_>The play can be seen at Lincoln Theatre Royal next week.<p/>
B22 149 
B22 150 <h_><p_>Lincolnshire 10 years ago<p/><h/>
B22 151 <p_>NEARLY 300 public houses in Lincolnshire and South Humberside 
B22 152 were closing because of a week-long pay dispute at Bass (North) 
B22 153 Limited. All staff at the brewery's managed houses, except the 
B22 154 managers and their wives, were being laid off as signs went up 
B22 155 outside pubs saying <quote_>"Sorry - no beer."<quote/><p/>
B22 156 <p_>Sqdn Ldr Joc L'Estrange (55) of Leasingham, completed his 
B22 157 10,000th flying hour while captaining a Vulcan of No 44 (R) 
B22 158 Squadron.<p/>
B22 159 <p_>Jacksons, the Lincoln dry cleaners, were taking over shops at 
B22 160 Newport, Lincoln, and at North Hykeham, from Clarks of Retford.<p/>
B22 161 <p_>Skegness from Funworld Limited put in a bid to take over the 
B22 162 council-owned pier pavilion at Cleethorpes.<p/>
B22 163 
B22 164 <h_><p_>Lincolnshire 25 years ago<p/><h/>
B22 165 <p_>LINCOLN UNITED best Ashby Institute 5-0 away to go fourth from 
B22 166 top of the Lincolnshire League, with 14 points from 10 matches.<p/>
B22 167 <p_>A 79-acre mixed farm at Mareham-on-the-Hill was sold for 
B22 168 pounds22,200 at an auction in Horncastle. The price represented a 
B22 169 figure of more than pounds280 an acre.<p/>
B22 170 <p_>Ald William Edward Young, a long-serving member of Kesteven 
B22 171 County Council and former chairman of North Kesteven Rural District 
B22 172 Council, died at the age of 82. He had represented Branston and 
B22 173 Mere on the district authority for more than 40 years.<p/>
B22 174 
B22 175 <h_><p_>Just a Thought<p/><h/>
B22 176 <p_>TO know how to grow old is the masterwork of wisdom.<p/>
B22 177 <p_>If you have Just a Thought write to the Gossiper, Peter 
B22 178 Brown.<p/>
B22 179 
B22 180 <h_><p_>The Gossiper<p/>
B22 181 <p_>News, views and memories of Lincolnshire<p/>
B22 182 <p_>Marching joy for disbanded ROC<p/><h/>
B22 183 <p_>DISBANDED or not disbanded, the Royal Observer Corps' 
B22 184 Fiskerton-based 15 Group goes marching on.<p/>
B22 185 <p_>And not only marching on, but marching to victory.<p/>
B22 186 <p_>Eight men and two women from the corps - a victim of the latest 
B22 187 Ministry of Defence cuts - proved you just can't keep a good squad 
B22 188 down when they set off for South Wales to defend the title Best 
B22 189 Military Team at the eighth international Black Mountain March.<p/>
B22 190 <p_>The march is a 25 kilometre gruelling slog through the Black 
B22 191 Mountain country in the Brecon Beacons.<p/>
B22 192 <p_>And they came back with the title Best Overall Team in the 
B22 193 competition.<p/>
B22 194 <p_>Chief Observer Dave Langlands, of Cherry Willingham, told me: 
B22 195 "The purpose is to march around the 25km route keeping together, in 
B22 196 step and maintaining a smart appearance all the time, irrespective 
B22 197 of the conditions and obstacles.<p/>
B22 198 <p_><quote_>"You never know where the 
B22 199 <}_><-|>marshalls<+|>marshals<}/> and observers are on the route - 
B22 200 some of them are mobile and some hidden.<p/>
B22 201 <p_>"Each team leader carries a check card which has to be handed 
B22 202 in and signed at each check point."<quote/><p/>
B22 203 <p_>More than 540 took part in the march, including teams and 
B22 204 individuals.<p/>
B22 205 <p_>Undeterred by a sudden ground-frost - a shock to the system 
B22 206 when they awoke from their slumbers while camping the previous 
B22 207 night - the ROC team started their walk from Ammanford in Dyfed at 
B22 208 10.05am and completed it at 3.25pm despite a break for lunch.<p/>
B22 209 
B22 210 <h|>Fascinating
B22 211 <p_>THE history of Hainton Hall is the fascinating topic chosen by 
B22 212 Lucy Bainbridge, a 17-year-old pupil at King Edward VI School, 
B22 213 Louth, for her A-level coursework.<p/>
B22 214 <p_>And Lucy's mum, Sally Bray, tells me that although her daughter 
B22 215 has collected much of the formal history of the hall, she's anxious 
B22 216 to contact people who worked there.<p/>
B22 217 <p_>Anyone able to help is asked to telephone 0507 313755.<p/>
B22 218 
B22 219 <h_><p_>A wartime reminder that was too painful<p/><h/>
B22 220 <p_>CAN you remember any warlike mementoes deposited around the 
B22 221 county following the First World War?<p/>
B22 222 <p_>That's the question posed by Terence Leach, who edits a notes 
B22 223 and queries page in the Society for Lincolnshire History and 
B22 224 Archaeology's quarterly Past and Present magazine.<p/>
B22 225 <p_>A recent edition carried an account of a German tank presented 
B22 226 to Grantham in 1919, and the latest tells of a large and very heavy 
B22 227 piece of German artillery deposited in the centre of Lumley Square, 
B22 228 Skegness.<p/>
B22 229 <p_>The story, related by Winston Kime, reveals that the object 
B22 230 caused protests from soldiers trying to forget the dreadful days in 
B22 231 Flanders and from the relatives of those who died in battle.<p/>
B22 232 <p_>In due course, the roads foreman mustered his men and horses 
B22 233 and the great German gun was hauled off.<p/>
B22 234 
B22 235 <h_><p_>Lincolnshire 10 years ago<p/><h/>
B22 236 <p_>MORE than 300 residents of Stanley Street, off Newark Road, 
B22 237 Lincoln, signed a petition opposing plans for travelling showmen to 
B22 238 set up winter quarters near their homes.<p/>
B22 239 <p_>Schools would be dirtier and less healthy to work in after the 
B22 240 County Council cut cleaners down to a four-day week, unions 
B22 241 claimed.<p/>
B22 242 <p_>County councillors ruled that the police must cut their budget 
B22 243 by pounds119,000 despite claims by Chief Constable, James Kerr, 
B22 244 that the standards of policing would fall.<p/>
B22 245 
B22 246 <h_><p_>Lincolnshire 25 years ago<p/><h/>
B22 247 <p_>LINCOLN City FC appointed Ron Grey (45) as manager. He was 
B22 248 considered a <quote_>"strict disciplinarian"<quote/>.<p/>
B22 249 <p_>Mayor of Lincoln, Coun Frank Eccleshare, launched a disaster 
B22 250 appeal following the Aberfan tragedy.<p/>
B22 251 <p_>Meanwhile, uproar broke out at the inquest on 34 of the victims 
B22 252 at Chapel Pentry when a man whose wife and two sons had been killed 
B22 253 demanded that the cause of death should be recorded as 
B22 254 <quote_>"buried alive by the National Coal Board"<quote/>.<p/>
B22 255 
B23   1 <#FLOB:B23\><h_><p_>Memorial service for Dame Eva<p/><h/>
B23   2 <p_>DAME Eva Turner was brought up in Hollins Road, Oldham, though 
B23   3 when she was eight her parents moved to Bristol. I lived in a house 
B23   4 opposite to hers and was always told of her phenomenal voice and 
B23   5 rock solid technique, of her Scala debut when English singers were 
B23   6 not sought after on the Continent, and of her glittering 
B23   7 international career.<p/>
B23   8 <p_>When I went to study in London I saw her at Covent Garden on my 
B23   9 first visit there in 1961. In one of the intervals in 'Aida' she 
B23  10 presented a plaque to the great Italian tenor, Giovanni Martinelli, 
B23  11 to celebrate his debut at Covent Garden 50 years earlier. In later 
B23  12 years I got to know her and saw her many times in the audience at 
B23  13 Covent Garden.<p/>
B23  14 <p_>When I become responsible for concerts a Gray's Inn I invited 
B23  15 her to give a talk. She could be heard in every corner of the 
B23  16 Elizabethan Hall. The Old Bailey judge who gave the vote of thanks 
B23  17 said that her voice production was a lesson to every barrister and 
B23  18 judge present. I went to the great birthday performance given for 
B23  19 her at Covent garden when she was 90.<p/>
B23  20 <p_>On Tuesday, February 5 this year, I was part of the huge 
B23  21 congregation for the service in her memory at Westminster Abbey. 
B23  22 What an uplifting occasion it was, celebrating a fulfilled and 
B23  23 happy life which gave pleasure to so many. The hymns were 'The 
B23  24 Lord's My Shepherd', 'Fight the good Fight' and 'Jerusalem'.<p/>
B23  25 <p_>Sir Geraint Evans read from Mozart's 1787 letter to his dying 
B23  26 father, and the Duke of Kent read the passage from Corinthians 
B23  27 beginning, <quote_>"Now is Christ risen"<quote/>.<p/>
B23  28 <p_>Royal Academy students played 'Chrysanthemums', by Puccini, and 
B23  29 the Royal Navy College Music wind ensemble played part of M 
B23  30 Serenade No.10. Elizabeth's greetings from 'Tannhauser' and the 
B23  31 Easter Hymn from 'Cavalleria Rusticana' were sung by Dame Gwyneth 
B23  32 Jones. Part of Verdi's requiem was sung by Dennis O'Neill and the 
B23  33 Covent garden chorus sang 'Va parsiero'.<p/>
B23  34 <p_>Sir John Tooley, General Director of the Royal Opera House, 
B23  35 1970-88, gave the address. He spoke of Dame Eva's pride in being a 
B23  36 Lancashire lass, and of her typically Lancashire qualities - 
B23  37 warmth, determination, thrift and patriotism, and above all her 
B23  38 probity. When auditioned by Toscanini and offered an instant 
B23  39 contract for La Scala, she said she could not go to Italy for some 
B23  40 months, as she had given her word to sing with the English Carl 
B23  41 Rosa Company. Nor would she change her name though she was told 
B23  42 English singers would do better if they adopted Italian names.<p/>
B23  43 <p_>Towards the end of the service we heard a recording of Dame Eva 
B23  44 talking in 1988 about her life, ending <quote_>"I am now in my 97th 
B23  45 year and I send you all my loving greetings. Bless you"<quote/>. 
B23  46 Then there rang out her rendering of the aria she made her own, 'In 
B23  47 questa, reggia' from 'Turandot'. The glorious voice filled the 
B23  48 beauty of the abbey.<p/>
B23  49 <p_>A hymn and a prayer later and the great congregation began to 
B23  50 file out into a cold grey London afternoon. Among them I noticed 
B23  51 the Earl and Countess of Harewood, the Lord Hoosen QC, Lord 
B23  52 Goodman, Jeremy Isaacs, Director of the Royal Opera House, Richard 
B23  53 Baker, Bernard Levin and Heather Harper.<p/>
B23  54 <p_>Eva Turner never forgot she came from Oldham and always spoke 
B23  55 warmly of it. Few Oldhamers can have brought such credit to the 
B23  56 town or have been so universally loved and admired.<p/>
B23  57 <p_>MARGARET CHADDERTON,<p/>
B23  58 <p_>Gray's Inn,<p/>
B23  59 <p_>Treasury Office,<p/>
B23  60 <p_>South Square,<p/>
B23  61 <p_>London.<p/>
B23  62 
B23  63 <h_><p_>Single-tax theory on rating system<p/><h/>
B23  64 <p_>THERE has been much discussion recently about equitable 
B23  65 alternatives to local rates. Some of your readers may be able to 
B23  66 correct me, if my memory going back 60 years has become clouded.<p/>
B23  67 <p_>About a hundred years ago, an American economist, Henry George, 
B23  68 founded a single-tax movement, based on the taxation of land 
B23  69 values. His book, 'Progress and Poverty' brought him a substantial 
B23  70 fortune, which he left to fund Schools of Economic Science to 
B23  71 propagate his views.<p/>
B23  72 <p_>His basic thesis was that the value of land increased without 
B23  73 any effort on the part of the owner, in the natural course of 
B23  74 increasing demand and the growth of society.<p/>
B23  75 <p_>He said that substantial landowners made a substantial unearned 
B23  76 increment thereby.<p/>
B23  77 <p_>He asserted that a single tax on this amount could cover all 
B23  78 government expenditure. I presume that, were he alive today, he 
B23  79 would have included council expenditure.<p/>
B23  80 <p_>He said that the identification of <quote_>"economic 
B23  81 rent"<quote/> would vary from the difficult to the impossible. One 
B23  82 of the problems he postulated was that the question of economic 
B23  83 rent could concern many matters other than land values.<p/>
B23  84 <p_>In this respect, money raised from the taxation of land values 
B23  85 would need to be supplemented by taxing transfer earnings - or 
B23  86 might have to be administered to avoid taxing such earnings.<p/>
B23  87 <p_>I remember well his much quoted example of opera singers.<p/>
B23  88 <p_>They are fixed supply, but faced by rising demand. As society 
B23  89 becomes more prosperous, the economic rent for opera singers rises, 
B23  90 and, in justice, their rising value (i.e. economic rent) should 
B23  91 also be taxed.<p/>
B23  92 <p_>It may well be that such devices <}_><-|>a<+|>as<}/> land 
B23  93 development and capital gains taxes, as well as graduate levels of 
B23  94 taxation may cope with the dilemma that governmental and council 
B23  95 spending have increased to the degree that economic rentals are not 
B23  96 longer a feasible basis for taxation. As late as the 1960s his 
B23  97 schools of economic science flourished in many countries, and 
B23  98 perhaps there are still some left in this country.<p/>
B23  99 <p_>There must be some of your readers who remember how popular 
B23 100 Henry George's work was before the war, as well as those better 
B23 101 able than I to comment upon them.<p/>
B23 102 <p_>As I recall it, George's book was a substantial one, and, 
B23 103 despite this, remains the best-selling economic text book ever 
B23 104 published.<p/>
B23 105 <p_>ALBERT M. HARRISON,<p/>
B23 106 <p_>St. Anne's Crescent,<p/>
B23 107 <p_>Grasscroft.<p/>
B23 108 
B23 109 <p_>THANK you to the anti-poll tax campaigners everywhere for their 
B23 110 sheer determined efforts and protests over the unfair tax imposed 
B23 111 on the people by a Government which would not have made any effort 
B23 112 whatsoever to change the tax except for the protesters bringing to 
B23 113 their notice that the tax was so unpopular.<p/>
B23 114 <p_>I also believe that any Labour councillors who supported the 
B23 115 campaigners should not be expelled for their beliefs but made 
B23 116 prospective leaders of their councils.<p/>
B23 117 <p_>A. VOTER<p/>
B23 118 
B23 119 <p_>I KNOW the poll tax is in turmoil at the moment, but reading 
B23 120 about it made my blood boil. Why should folks be charged an extra 
B23 121 pounds25 to cover for the non-payers? it is like a criminal going 
B23 122 to court, being fined and having a whip-round from the public 
B23 123 gallery to pay because he cannot afford it. It is not fair.<p/>
B23 124 <p_>Mrs. A.M. DAVIES,<p/>
B23 125 <p_>Onchan Avenue,<p/>
B23 126 <p_>Oldham.<p/>
B23 127 
B23 128 <p_>COULD I prevail upon the anti-poll tax leaders in Oldham to 
B23 129 tell us if they feel that they should make any contribution to 
B23 130 local government services, and if so how?<p/>
B23 131 <p_>WONDERING<p/>
B23 132 
B23 133 <p_>WHEN I retired in 1975, the rates and water rate of my small 
B23 134 domicile amounted to pounds82-odd and the pension for a single 
B23 135 person was pounds16 odd. About five weeks pension paid these 
B23 136 charges.<p/>
B23 137 <p_>This year they amount to pounds508, the pension is pounds52 - 
B23 138 about ten weeks' pension is needed. I calculate that if this trend 
B23 139 continues, by the time I reach 110 these charges will absorb 40 
B23 140 weeks' pension and I shall be left with 12 weeks pensions to pay 
B23 141 for 12 months' food, fuel, electricity, telephone, the odd bottle 
B23 142 of Southern Comfort and holidays on the Costa del Sol.<p/>
B23 143 <p_>W. HURST,<p/>
B23 144 <p_>Belgrave Road,<p/>
B23 145 <p_>Oldham.<p/>
B23 146 
B23 147 <h_><p_>Oldham splodgings<p/><h/>
B23 148 <p_>THE suggestion that Royton should be demolished for the delight 
B23 149 of the yuppie mugwumps of Oldham will alarm many Roytoners. Similar 
B23 150 notions have spread through the Civic Centre like the Black Death 
B23 151 spread through Bulgaria. Considering that Royton never gets more 
B23 152 than two day's notice of splodgings from Oldham, there could be 
B23 153 many fatalities.<p/>
B23 154 <p_>But Royton was here when Oldham was nobbut<&|>sic! two wigwams 
B23 155 and a saloon, and we, the true sons of Aethelfrith, whose kin goes 
B23 156 back to Cerdic, shall still be here when Oldham has shrivelled up 
B23 157 small enough to fit into one of its jackboots. All our people 
B23 158 forced to live in Oldham shall come home to a green, working-class 
B23 159 Royton again. We shall have a Tory council to repair our houses 
B23 160 after the first complaint. There will be a 50-year waiting-list for 
B23 161 outsiders wishing to move in.<p/>
B23 162 <p_>They told us the poll tax would restore local democracy. But 
B23 163 just because the poll tax is on its way out now does not mean we 
B23 164 will be lumbered with Oldham for ever. Yuppies are only slaves to 
B23 165 the wind. A people with roots can be sure there will come a time 
B23 166 when we can walk our dogs on the rubble of Oldham.<p/>
B23 167 <p_>ANGLO-SAXON<p/>
B23 168 
B23 169 <h_><p_>International hypocrisy<p/><h/>
B23 170 <p_>YOUR correspondent, Mr T. Carey (April 9), unable to dispute my 
B23 171 indictment of the United States and Britain of sheer hypocrisy as 
B23 172 the prime coalition leaders responsible for the mass civilian 
B23 173 slaughter in Iraq - accepting pounds135 million from a fascist 
B23 174 regime in South Korea, underpinned by 143,000 American Troops - 
B23 175 carps at my totally <quote_>"disparate facts"<quote/> to provide 
B23 176 the case.<p/>
B23 177 <p_>There are no disparate <tf|>essentially different (Oxford 
B23 178 English Dictionary) - facts in the context of international events 
B23 179 in which the Gulf apocalypse is but one - and long-predicted - 
B23 180 result of the capitalist West's espousal of fascist military 
B23 181 dictatorships (Turkey) and feudal dictatorships (all the Gulf 
B23 182 states, excluding Iran, since the American CIA-planted shah was 
B23 183 deposed in 1979, and Yemen, which voted with Cuba against 
B23 184 Resolution 678, which led to the Gulf slaughter.<p/>
B23 185 <p_>And then there was the destabilising of such anticapitalist 
B23 186 states as Chile, Cuba, Nicaragua, Vietnam, Cambodia, Afghanistan 
B23 187 etc., and replacement, as in El Salvador, Chile, Guatemala, and 
B23 188 Argentina under Galtieri and also Grenada, Panama, Dominica, Haiti, 
B23 189 and, elsewhere, Indonesia, by mainly United States military-fascist 
B23 190 surrogates.<p/>
B23 191 <p_>I am aware that not all the above targets have yet succumbed to 
B23 192 the economic, financial, diplomatic and military pressures exerted 
B23 193 by the United States, with Britain in the van of supporters, if now 
B23 194 less stridently than under Margaret Thatcher, but I trust I have 
B23 195 met Mr Carey's request to name only <quote_>"one of the scores of 
B23 196 regimes"<quote/> which I mentioned. Only my concern that a full 
B23 197 page of the Chronicle would be required to delve fully into a 
B23 198 subject requiring a mega-book rather than a letter to the editor, 
B23 199 prompts me to curtail even my own memory on the subject.<p/>
B23 200 <p_>That your correspondent is as uniformed on the widespread and 
B23 201 deeply rooted American racism as he is on the international issues 
B23 202 which led to the Gulf inferno, is shown by his presentation of a 
B23 203 single black man, Gen Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 
B23 204 staff, as negating the penultimate sentence of my letter.<p/>
B23 205 <p_>That is Western racism in general and the United States in 
B23 206 particular when the very individual Mr Carey has named has stated 
B23 207 bluntly: <quote_>"I never saw racism as a problem for blacks - it 
B23 208 was a white problem."<quote/><p/>
B23 209 <p_>At the risk of appearing immodest, I think that your 
B23 210 correspondent's own problem is similar to the critic encountered by 
B23 211 Hazlitt, who said that he could not understand a certain writer. 
B23 212 <quote_>"He strides so far in front of you that he disappears into 
B23 213 the distance."<quote/><p/>
B23 214 <p_>As for Mr Carey's third point, Saddam Hussein's initial 
B23 215 savagery in Kuwait is not in question; it is the much vaster 
B23 216 savagery inflicted on Iraqi civilians by the coalition forces in 
B23 217 allegedly avenging Hussein's victims which is the reality ignored 
B23 218 by Mr Carey.<p/>
B23 219 <p_>S.H. PIERCE,<p/>
B23 220 <p_>Roman Road,<p/>
B23 221 <p_>Royton<p/>
B23 222 
B23 223 <h_><p_>A soft touch<p/><h/>
B23 224 <p_>ARE the people of Oldham a soft touch? I have visited the new 
B23 225 Oldham indoor market on numerous occasions. At the main entrance 
B23 226 people are met by an able-bodied young-looking man sitting there 
B23 227 looking well fed, not nearing tattered clothes and definitely not 
B23 228 looking destitute.<p/>
B23 229 <p_>He holds a card which reads <quote_>"Homeless and hungry. 
B23 230 Please help"<quote/>.<p/>
B23 231 <p_>Looking in his collecting receptacle I saw quite a good sum of 
B23 232 money. I am told he sits there every day.<p/>
B23 233 
B24   1 <#FLOB:B24\><h|>Tivoli
B24   2 <p_>MADAM -  Like many others faced with the never-ending task of 
B24   3 keeping one of Cheltenham's aging Regency houses standing up, I was 
B24   4 delighted to hear that Tivoli Trading will continue in business 
B24   5 with the same staff under its new owners, Dunton Plc.<p/>
B24   6 <p_>Customers can expect excellent advice and service at 'Tivoli,' 
B24   7 as well as all those odds and ends that cannot be found elsewhere - 
B24   8 a very different experience to shopping in the DIY supermarkets.<p/>
B24   9 <p_>Tivoli Trading is a shop that Cheltenham cannot afford to 
B24  10 lose.<p/>
B24  11 <p_>Gina Briers,<p/>
B24  12 <p_>Brookway Road,<p/>
B24  13 <p_>Charlton Kings.<p/>
B24  14 
B24  15 <h_><p_>Cars also on the paths!<p/><h/>
B24  16 <p_>MADAM - In reply to Dr. Christine Haseler's letter, 
B24  17 <quote_>"Buses for roads, not pavements,"<quote/> why does she 
B24  18 single out buses?<p/>
B24  19 <p_>In Church Street, Charlton Kings, at any time of day or night, 
B24  20 one can observe cars, vans, and lorries regularly driving along the 
B24  21 pavements, some at excessive speeds, or parking on them.<p/>
B24  22 <p_>If anyone dares to walk on the pavement, they have to do battle 
B24  23 with anything from a mountain bike to a juggernaut.<p/>
B24  24 <p_>The main cause is the 'park anywhere brigade.' Their main 
B24  25 targets are bus stops, leaving the free car park almost empty.<p/>
B24  26 <p_>Such is life!<p/>
B24  27 <p_>Name supplied,<p/>
B24  28 <p_>Charlton Kings.<p/>
B24  29 
B24  30 <h_><p_>Looking forward to the next one!<p/><h/>
B24  31 <p_>MADAM - Three cheers for our councillors who stood firm and 
B24  32 refused to be pushed into banning the recent pop concert at Cox's 
B24  33 Meadow.<p/>
B24  34 <p_>As residents of Sandford Mill Road, we went to the concert and 
B24  35 took our daughter of 2-1/2. The afternoon was most enjoyable: the 
B24  36 groups in the main were good, the children's entertainers superb, 
B24  37 the crowd well-behaved, and the police good-humoured.<p/>
B24  38 <p_>The noise pollution was far less than we habitually suffer when 
B24  39 the funfair or donkey-derby is on the meadow. Our only moan is that 
B24  40 there was no re-admission once we left to put our daughter to bed 
B24  41 which meant we couldn't come back for the rest of the show. 
B24  42 Hopefully, this will be remedied next year when we look forward to 
B24  43 a bigger and even better event.<p/>
B24  44 <p_>As for the petition organisers, I hope they took the trouble to 
B24  45 attend the event as we did, and saw the enjoyment they were trying 
B24  46 to curtail for no valid reason.<p/>
B24  47 <p_>John and Julie Hughes,<p/>
B24  48 <p_>Sandford Mill Road,<p/>
B24  49 <p_>Cheltenham.<p/>
B24  50 
B24  51 <h_><p_>A better name for the '12th'<p/><h/>
B24  52 <p_>MADAM - Surely it is time that the 'Glorious 12th' was renamed 
B24  53 the 'disgraceful 12th,' for during the season 1/2-million grouse 
B24  54 will be killed, some falling injured, thrashing around until 
B24  55 dispatched, others flying away peppered with lead shot to die a 
B24  56 slow death.<p/>
B24  57 <p_>J. Mate (Mrs),<p/>
B24  58 <p_>Broadway Close,<p/>
B24  59 <p_>Cheltenham.<p/>
B24  60 
B24  61 <h_><p_>Plane facts still in doubt<p/><h/>
B24  62 <p_>MADAM - The identity of the aircraft on top of Westgate Motor 
B24  63 House has long been a source of speculation, particularly among 
B24  64 aviation enthusiasts who have only heard about the mysterious 
B24  65 pre-war machine. Now, at least we have a photo upon which we may 
B24  66 ponder.<p/>
B24  67 <p_>The aircraft depicted in the Echo of August 6 is undoubtedly a 
B24  68 Fairey Fox but, unfortunately, the actual mark number is not 
B24  69 certain as some of the identification features are either missing 
B24  70 or obscured. Also, it appears to be minus its undercarriage.<p/>
B24  71 <p_>There is a possibility that this may not have been the only 
B24  72 machine used by Westgate Motors over the years. Perhaps your 
B24  73 readers can supply other photographs showing either the reported 
B24  74 Avro 504 or Hawker Hart, or De Havilland Moth, all of which have 
B24  75 been quoted in recent correspondence.<p/>
B24  76 <p_>Bruce Stait,<p/>
B24  77 <p_>Mornington Drive,<p/>
B24  78 <p_>Cheltenham.<p/>
B24  79 
B24  80 <h_><p_>Blazing a Euro trail for county firms<p/><h/>
B24  81 <p_>MADAM - I read in the Echo that <quote_>"Firms in Cheltenham 
B24  82 are all talk when it comes to gearing up for the Single 
B24  83 Market"<quote/> but are they aware that there is now a centre that 
B24  84 can help translate that talk into action?<p/>
B24  85 <p_>The European Business Information Centre is helping many 
B24  86 Gloucestershire companies understand the implications of the Single 
B24  87 Market on their business and maximise the increased business 
B24  88 opportunities that are being created by a frontier-free Europe.<p/>
B24  89 <p_>The picture is not as black as might be suggested. We have more 
B24  90 than 100 members and are growing. Many local companies are finding 
B24  91 that doing business in Europe is very profitable.<p/>
B24  92 <p_>We can help local companies who are seeking agents and 
B24  93 distributors in Europe to find new business opportunities, help 
B24  94 with understanding Single Market directives, online business 
B24  95 information services, undertake translation - in short, anything to 
B24  96 do with Europe.<p/>
B24  97 <p_>Supported by the county councils of Gloucestershire and 
B24  98 Hereford and Worcester, as well as Gloucestershire and Worcester 
B24  99 chambers of commerce, we are only a telephone call away - 0242 
B24 100 261604.<p/>
B24 101 <p_>A.J. McKinna, Manager,<p/>
B24 102 <p_>European Business Information Centre,<p/>
B24 103 <p_>4 Royal Crescent,<p/>
B24 104 <p_>Cheltenham.<p/>
B24 105 
B24 106 <h_><p_>Call for diabetes charity helpers<p/><h/>
B24 107 <p_>MADAM - The Diabetes Foundation urgently needs volunteers in 
B24 108 the Cheltenham area to raise funds to find the cure for 
B24 109 diabetes.<p/>
B24 110 <p_>There are no management deductions or commission payments 
B24 111 whatsoever, neither do we employ fund-raisers. A pound raised or 
B24 112 donated means a pound spent exclusively on UK diabetic research 
B24 113 work.<p/>
B24 114 <p_>In recent months, huge advances have been made and the cure for 
B24 115 diabetes is not very far away, but we do need your help now more 
B24 116 than ever.<p/>
B24 117 <p_>To keep up-to-date on the latest progress in research, you can 
B24 118 join our fast-growing membership (pounds3.50 per annum).<p/>
B24 119 <p_>We work closely with the Diabetic Society to provide a full and 
B24 120 comprehensive service to our members and yet foundation 
B24 121 administration costs, as defined by the Charity Commission, are 
B24 122 less than five per cent of total income. We have no connection with 
B24 123 any other diabetic charity.<p/>
B24 124 <p_>We also provide a national help-line (081-656-5467) which is 
B24 125 available for advice on all aspects of diabetes.<p/>
B24 126 <p_>Diabetics and the parents of diabetic children can obtain a 
B24 127 complimentary copy of our members educational magazine 'Diabetic 
B24 128 Life' and details of the foundation by writing to me.<p/>
B24 129 <p_>Ms Emma Aldrich co-ordinator,<p/>
B24 130 <p_>Diabetes Foundation,<p/>
B24 131 <p_>177a Tennison Road,<p/>
B24 132 <p_>London SE25 5NF.<p/>
B24 133 
B24 134 <h_><p_>Hard to find hotels for coach parties<p/><h/>
B24 135 <p_>MADAM - I was most interested in your comment <quote_>"So 
B24 136 worthy of a visit"<quote/> in Friday's Echo and, having been 
B24 137 involved in tourism for the last 24 years, I should like to make my 
B24 138 own comments.<p/>
B24 139 <p_>From April to October, I run weekly package tours by mini-bus 
B24 140 of the Cotswolds. I started from scratch and my aim is to take 
B24 141 passengers to the lesser-known Cotswold lanes and villages. It was 
B24 142 not easy in the beginning but I now have a regular clientele, most 
B24 143 of whom are from Great Britain, although about five per cent of my 
B24 144 customers are from overseas. Many clients return year after 
B24 145 year.<p/>
B24 146 <p_>My biggest drawback has always been in finding a suitable hotel 
B24 147 for the guests. You would imagine that any hotel would welcome a 
B24 148 nice regular contract for seven people for about 24 weeks of the 
B24 149 year, but you would be surprised. I have from time to time found 
B24 150 such hotels, and the partnership has worked very well. But, alas, 
B24 151 hotels change hands, or the owners retire, and the new owners are 
B24 152 not interested in my business. Then I have the difficult task of 
B24 153 finding somewhere else and, believe me, it is difficult. On several 
B24 154 occasions I have gone from one hotel to another, only to be met 
B24 155 with <quote_>"thanks, but no thanks - we are doing very well 
B24 156 without you."<quote/> There have been times when I have seriously 
B24 157 considered packing it all in.<p/>
B24 158 <p_>I have on many occasions also found owners of cafes and 
B24 159 restaurants around the Cotswolds to be most unbusinesslike. Having 
B24 160 pre-arranged to bring my party to them I have turned up to find 
B24 161 that they have not reserved a table or the place was closed - no 
B24 162 apologies - no explanations. Very embarrassing for me. I must add 
B24 163 that not all establishments are like this.<p/>
B24 164 <p_>Anthony J Furber,<p/>
B24 165 <p_>Cotswold Tours,<p/>
B24 166 <p_>Christchurch Road,<p/>
B24 167 <p_>Cheltenham.<p/>
B24 168 
B24 169 <h_><p_>Splash out on the simple things<p/><h/>
B24 170 <p_>MADAM - According to a recent article in your newspaper, 
B24 171 Cheltenham Borough Council is concerned about falling tourism 
B24 172 figures. Perhaps a simple solution to this problem would be to 
B24 173 remedy some of the minor sticking points like ensuring that the 
B24 174 main pedestrian access to the Queen's Hotel is kept puddle-free.<p/>
B24 175 <p_>I witnessed two wealthy lady visitors attempting to negotiate 
B24 176 large puddles on the pavement in order gain access to the hotel 
B24 177 entrance.<p/>
B24 178 <p_>Unless the councillors of our town address the basic errors of 
B24 179 judgement demonstrated by previous regimes, visitors will be 
B24 180 further deterred and avoid Cheltenham like the plague.<p/>
B24 181 <p_>Forget the grandiose schemes; get the simple matters right 
B24 182 first and, if you cannot do that, go home and let somebody else do 
B24 183 the business.<p/>
B24 184 <p_>R.V. Ashman,<p/>
B24 185 <p_>London Road,<p/>
B24 186 <p_>Cheltenham.<p/>
B24 187 
B24 188 <h_><p_>Please go easy on the accelerator<p/><h/>
B24 189 <p_>MADAM - May I first say that I am not usually prone to airing 
B24 190 my views and angry feelings in public. However, I feel most 
B24 191 strongly about the subject of speeding.<p/>
B24 192 <p_>I try to drive at the legal speed limit. I am sure that there 
B24 193 are occasions when I may overstep the mark, like most people, but 
B24 194 especially in built-up areas, I keep my eye on the speedo, and on 
B24 195 the look out for any child that might leap out unexpectedly.<p/>
B24 196 <p_>I am sick and tired, to put it very mildly, of other drivers - 
B24 197 and, I must say, these are mostly men - obviously in a great hurry 
B24 198 to get to their very important destinations and overtaking in a 
B24 199 bad-tempered way, revving up and lights flashing usually, maybe 
B24 200 with a bit of verbal abuse as well.<p/>
B24 201 <p_>This is such a dangerous thing to do, but how can these people 
B24 202 be taught not to do so? Does it have to come to the extreme, where 
B24 203 an innocent child falls victim to their harsh impatience?<p/>
B24 204 <p_>Every child is someone's son or daughter, so please, drivers, 
B24 205 think before you push down on that accelerator and ruin many lives. 
B24 206 In that brief moment, you could maim or kill, and affect for ever 
B24 207 the lives of all those concerned with the victim - not to mention 
B24 208 that this dreadful act would, where any feeling person is 
B24 209 concerned, be etched upon the conscience for ever.<p/>
B24 210 <p_>I do realise that sometimes accidents happen, even though great 
B24 211 care has been taken, but why add a greater possibility of grief to 
B24 212 an already dangerous situation? We must also realise that these 
B24 213 people are breaking the law by overtaking at such speed.<p/>
B24 214 <p_>Lets<&|>sic! have a little thought and consideration; we all 
B24 215 want to be safe, and want our children to be safe, don't we?<p/>
B24 216 <p_>Karen Swan,<p/>
B24 217 <p_>Selkirk Gardens,<p/>
B24 218 <p_>Pittvill,<p/>
B24 219 <p_>Cheltenham.<p/>
B24 220 
B24 221 <h_><p_>Reunited, thanks to the Echo<p/><h/>
B24 222 <p_>MADAM - With reference to the letter <quote_>"Are you out 
B24 223 there, Anne?"<quote/> (October 30), the lady writer from Hampshire 
B24 224 was trying to contact me on behalf of a mutual friend in New 
B24 225 Zealand that lost touch with me years ago.<p/>
B24 226 <p_>I am pleased to say that I have already written to renew 
B24 227 contact with my long lost friend. Your correspondent, Mrs Enid 
B24 228 Smith, certainly did have a lot of information about me and my 
B24 229 family that was 'nearly correct' the only error being that I did 
B24 230 not, as suggested, leave my husband. I am pleased to say that I am 
B24 231 still married to Mr Ralph Coombs!<p/>
B24 232 <p_>I am most grateful to you and your paper for putting me back in 
B24 233 touch with a friend from over 40 years ago.<p/>
B24 234 <p_>A M Coombs (Mrs),<p/>
B24 235 <p_>Eldon Road,<p/>
B24 236 <p_>Cheltenham.<p/>
B24 237 
B24 238 <h_><p_>To build, or not to build<p/><h/>
B24 239 <p_>MADAM - Why is the Planning Committee in Cheltenham not 
B24 240 consistent in its decisions as to whether to grant planning 
B24 241 permission or not?<p/>
B24 242 <p_>Several years ago, the gentleman who lived opposite me applied 
B24 243 for permission to build a bungalow in the rear of his garden to 
B24 244 enable his elderly aunt to live near him. Permission was refused on 
B24 245 several grounds, but now, it seems, these reasons do not apply any 
B24 246 more as the gentleman in question has since sold the house which 
B24 247 has been bought by a builder who intends building a three-bedroom 
B24 248 house with double garage in the rear garden.<p/>
B24 249 <p_>Permission for this building has been granted although I and 
B24 250 other neighbours objected strongly to the application.<p/>
B24 251 <p_>To provide this intended house with a garden, a small piece of 
B24 252 land has to be leased from the council.<p/>
B24 253 
B25   1 <#FLOB:B25\><p_>IT HAS BEEN a long cold (Gulf) winter with many 
B25   2 problems at home and abroad still unresolved. But for a few 
B25   3 moments, let us talk of the joys of spring.<p/>
B25   4 <p_>This mild, sunny week the lanes of Kent and East Sussex have 
B25   5 been adorned by roadside primroses, starry yellow celandines and 
B25   6 pale mauve cuckoo flowers.<p/>
B25   7 <p_>Gardens, parks and roundabouts and verges have been decorated 
B25   8 by one of the loveliest shows of daffodils in years, thriving in 
B25   9 the cool westerly breezes that make them dance and bow their 
B25  10 heads.<p/>
B25  11 <p_>Tree buds are bursting into life, blossom is slowly but surely 
B25  12 coming out, and soon the heady scent of wallflowers will delight 
B25  13 all those with the time and inclination to pause and enjoy it.<p/>
B25  14 <p_>In evening fields owls have been hooting and screaming, 
B25  15 pheasants croaking, and badgers wandering. The nights draw out, and 
B25  16 it is possible to linger in the heavenly evening air, well past 
B25  17 eight-o-clock. Greenhouses have been tidied, flower beds weeded, 
B25  18 paths swept and spring cleaning started; the annual signs of 
B25  19 another coming summer (Surely not as good as last year! But there's 
B25  20 no harm in hoping ...)<p/>
B25  21 <p_>It does us all good to lay down our burdens occasionally, and 
B25  22 delight in the simple pleasures. And there is no better time to do 
B25  23 so than at winter's end.<p/>
B25  24 
B25  25 <p_>TONBRIDGE High Street used to be the main A21 route from London 
B25  26 to Hastings. It was choked with heavy traffic, light traffic, slow 
B25  27 traffic and every other sort of traffic.<p/>
B25  28 <p_>Twenty years ago the bypass was built, and suddenly the High 
B25  29 Street was a delight. You could actually hear yourself talk. 
B25  30 Driving from one side of town to the other was a simple matter. And 
B25  31 shopping was a pleasure again.<p/>
B25  32 <p_>But it didn't last! By the eighties, there seemed to be as much 
B25  33 traffic as ever. And now you would hardly know there is a bypass, 
B25  34 the High Street is so noisy and busy again for most of the day.<p/>
B25  35 <p_>So a borough council scheme to widen the pavements, and make 
B25  36 other improvements for pedestrians, must be welcome, even though it 
B25  37 has caused some consternation in the town. At any rate, the plan 
B25  38 must be fully and openly discussed, and every effort made to make 
B25  39 Tonbridge welcoming once more.<p/>
B25  40 <p_>Another idea (on today's letters page) is for a one way system. 
B25  41 We urge caution here, because some lovely old towns have been 
B25  42 ruined like that before. But we do agree that something MUST be 
B25  43 done.<p/>
B25  44 
B25  45 <p_>EDUCATION IS a political punch-bag, and everyone involved in 
B25  46 running schools, further education colleges, and universities must 
B25  47 by now be punch-drunk.<p/>
B25  48 <p_>A succession of education ministers have introduced a series of 
B25  49 fundamental reforms, many overturning those that came before. In 
B25  50 the past ten years, children have been the unwilling passengers on 
B25  51 an educational switchback, including teachers' strikes, shortages 
B25  52 of materials, appalling classroom conditions, and the introduction 
B25  53 of new tests and exam courses that have each, in turn, been called 
B25  54 into serious question.<p/>
B25  55 <p_>Now the Government seems set on the biggest change of all, 
B25  56 taking the cost - and therefore the control - of education entirely 
B25  57 out of the local arena. Meanwhile, it is pushing ahead with 
B25  58 sweeping reforms of the national curriculum, exam structure, and 
B25  59 the relationship between basic education and further training - 
B25  60 both academic and vocational - which is a hyper sensitive area, the 
B25  61 success of which will largely dictate the future prosperity of the 
B25  62 country.<p/>
B25  63 <p_>The strain on the system imposed by such high level Government 
B25  64 leadership or interference - depending on your viewpoint - is 
B25  65 becoming very clear. It led to an unparalleled attack on the 
B25  66 Government this week by the leader of the ultra-Conservative Kent 
B25  67 County Council, and a joint declaration by unions, teachers and 
B25  68 educationalists in East Sussex against the proposed Whitehall 
B25  69 takeover.<p/>
B25  70 <p_>Both topics are reported page 24. Readers who study these, and 
B25  71 similar, stories in the national Press, will quickly realise the 
B25  72 complexities of the issues at stake. It would be folly to rush into 
B25  73 major decisions without full consultation, and without a measure of 
B25  74 consensus among the people who will have to put any new policies 
B25  75 into effect.<p/>
B25  76 <p_>With a General Election, and possible change of Government, 
B25  77 looming, it seems to be a difficult time to say the least, for such 
B25  78 radical measures to be introduced.<p/>
B25  79 
B25  80 <p_>ON A LIGHTER Topic, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council is 
B25  81 disappointed about the lack of immediate response to its bid for 
B25  82 success in the Britain in Bloom contest.<p/>
B25  83 <p_>It sent out 4,000 leaflets to town centre property owners, 
B25  84 encouraging them to put on a flower power display and inviting them 
B25  85 to enter a local contest. Only 20 people replied, and even before 
B25  86 the judges visit Tunbridge Wells, town hall officials admit 
B25  87 <quote_>"We don't stand a chance."<quote/><p/>
B25  88 <p_>But as every gardener knows, new ideas take time to blossom. 
B25  89 Such a blooming good scheme must be nurtured and 'brought on' 
B25  90 slowly.<p/>
B25  91 
B25  92 <p_>IT WOULD be easy to cast Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in the 
B25  93 role of Villain in the case of a 77-year-old woman who was taken to 
B25  94 prison for refusing to pay last year's poll tax.<p/>
B25  95 <p_>But consider the factual, rather than the emotive side of the 
B25  96 issue before passing judgement.<p/>
B25  97 <p_>First and foremost among the facts, and one which many people 
B25  98 seem to have overlooked, was that it was not the council which 
B25  99 imposed the 14-day prison sentence - it was the magistrates, as was 
B25 100 their right.<p/>
B25 101 <p_>In the weeks that followed, with the deadline for the sentence 
B25 102 to take effect being reached and passed, the council, by letter, 
B25 103 telephone calls, personal calls and chats over a cuppa, tried 
B25 104 persistently but unsuccessfully to get her to change her mind. One 
B25 105 particular officer even offered to pay her poll tax himself, as did 
B25 106 members of her family.<p/>
B25 107 <p_>But money was not the issue - she had over pounds16,000 in hard 
B25 108 earned savings.<p/>
B25 109 <p_>The council could have arranged for bailiffs or a security firm 
B25 110 to take her to prison but decided that if the deed had to be done 
B25 111 it were better done in the comfort of a nice car with an officer 
B25 112 she had come to know and two of his colleagues.<p/>
B25 113 <p_>Outside Holloway that particular officer repeated his offer to 
B25 114 pay the community charge for her, hardly the action of a member of 
B25 115 what a national newspaper described as a <quote_>"snatch 
B25 116 squad"<quote/> taking part in a <quote|>"Gestapo-style" 
B25 117 operation.<p/>
B25 118 <p_>It was the same newspaper which paid the pounds327 tax bill to 
B25 119 bring to an end, after one night, her stay in prison, her much 
B25 120 admired and determined stand for a principle and her choice to 
B25 121 spend 14 days behind bars to defend it.<p/>
B25 122 <p_>She may still get another chance to prove her point - she says 
B25 123 she won't pay this year's tax either.<p/>
B25 124 
B25 125 <p_>OLD REGIMENTS, like old soldiers, never die, even when 
B25 126 amalgamated and the Queen's Regiment shows no signs of fading away 
B25 127 as it faces the threat of amalgamation with the Royal 
B25 128 Hampshires.<p/>
B25 129 <p_>With the motto <quote_>"Unconquered I serve"<quote/> it is 
B25 130 hardly surprising that the county regiment for East Sussex and Kent 
B25 131 refuses to give in and meekly accept the consequences of planned 
B25 132 army cuts. Now the battlecry <quote_>"demand justice"<quote/> has 
B25 133 been sounded and supporters of the six regiments which form the 
B25 134 Queen's are being urged to rally round the colours.<p/>
B25 135 <p_>With the pen preferred to the sword, the Colonel of the 
B25 136 Regiment, Major General Mike Reynolds, wants them to write to the 
B25 137 Prime Minister, Defence Secretary and their local MPs demanding 
B25 138 equality of treatment with its sister large regiments, which are 
B25 139 not being merged, and the preservation of its name and its 
B25 140 bands.<p/>
B25 141 <p_>There's a saying in Sussex - <quote_>"we won't be 
B25 142 druv."<quote/> Neither, if it can help it, will its county 
B25 143 regiment.<p/>
B25 144 
B25 145 <p_>BY APRIL 1993 many parts of the National Health Service are 
B25 146 expected to have become self governing trusts. And Tunbridge Wells 
B25 147 Health Unit has, as it coyly puts it, expressed an interest in 
B25 148 being one of them.<p/>
B25 149 <p_>If it does go down this road the Kent and Sussex and Pembury 
B25 150 Hospitals as well as local community hospitals and services will 
B25 151 opt out of Tunbridge Wells Health Authority control.<p/>
B25 152 <p_>Locally this will be tremendously important - affecting a staff 
B25 153 of 3,000, a budget of pounds45 million and almost the whole of the 
B25 154 Tunbridge Wells area's health service.<p/>
B25 155 <p_>The hospitals will become virtually an autonomous unit, 
B25 156 answerable only to the Secretary of State for Health. Managed by a 
B25 157 common board of directors, they will gain greater freedom to borrow 
B25 158 money, dispose of assets, set wage levels and choose which services 
B25 159 to provide.<p/>
B25 160 <p_>In fact, as intended by the government, Tunbridge Wells Health 
B25 161 Unit will take on many of the attributes of a private business. But 
B25 162 although still funded by tax payers money there is little provision 
B25 163 to ensure the public will have any influence on the way it is run. 
B25 164 Nor is there any guarantee that local residents will even be able 
B25 165 to learn what is being done with their health service and their 
B25 166 money.<p/>
B25 167 <p_>The present situation is already far from ideal. The public 
B25 168 part of Tunbridge Wells Health Authority's last quarterly meeting 
B25 169 took a mere 24 minutes. But if local hospitals do opt out of health 
B25 170 authority control they will only be obliged to meet in public once 
B25 171 a year for what is feared to be a very bland public relations 
B25 172 affair.<p/>
B25 173 <p_>As for the rest of the year, the Department of Health says it 
B25 174 will be up to <quote_>"each trust to determine whether it wishes to 
B25 175 open its routine meetings to the public or Community Health Council 
B25 176 representatives."<quote/><p/>
B25 177 <p_>In other words not even the statutory patients' watchdog will 
B25 178 have the right to know whether the local hospital is about to go 
B25 179 bust.<p/>
B25 180 <p_>Nor, with a new tendency towards restrictive contracts as well 
B25 181 as professional inclinations towards confidentiality, will the 
B25 182 press and public be able to rely on staff blowing the whistle when 
B25 183 things go wrong.<p/>
B25 184 <p_>It may well be that managers of any local self governing trust 
B25 185 welcome open dealings with the public and allow healthy relations 
B25 186 to flourish with the community.<p/>
B25 187 <p_>But at a time when the Prime Minister is promoting his Citizens 
B25 188 Charter, this potential for secrecy in what is Western Europe's 
B25 189 largest employer is unacceptable.<p/>
B25 190 
B25 191 <p_>PLANS FOR new supermarkets invariably raise the hackles of 
B25 192 anyone living close to the site. Objections also come from local 
B25 193 traders who fear the threat of additional competition, and from 
B25 194 some members of the wider community on traffic and environmental 
B25 195 grounds.<p/>
B25 196 <p_>For their part, the developers usually try to sweeten the pill 
B25 197 by offering to build leisure halls or sports facilities alongside 
B25 198 their new shops and huge car parks. But this suggestion is often 
B25 199 attacked as <quote|>"bribery" by the opposition.<p/>
B25 200 <p_>Following the recent opening of new stores recently in 
B25 201 Tunbridge Wells (Sainsbury) and Uckfield (Tesco) we now have plans 
B25 202 for another Tesco at Pembury, and a Co-Op at Southborough. In both 
B25 203 new cases, there is a concerted attack on the plans which may well 
B25 204 persuade the borough council to refuse planning permission. But if 
B25 205 this happens, appeals and public inquiries are likely to follow, 
B25 206 which could overturn the local decision in favour of the shopping 
B25 207 giants.<p/>
B25 208 <p_>In each and every case, there are arguments for and against, 
B25 209 and however many people object to a new supermarket, far more 
B25 210 people would use it once built. So it would be quite wrong for the 
B25 211 Courier to come out for or against any particular scheme; better 
B25 212 that we report fully on all the arguments and allow proper planning 
B25 213 procedures to decide the issues fairly and squarely. But a few 
B25 214 general comments are offered on the merits of such schemes, as food 
B25 215 for thought.<p/>
B25 216 <p_>Firstly, supermarkets are often criticised for killing off 
B25 217 smaller shops with more personal service. But whereas some small 
B25 218 shops are excellent and very friendly, others are tatty and 
B25 219 uninviting. Similarly, some supermarkets are unkempt with poor 
B25 220 stock control and long check-out queues, but others are clean, 
B25 221 well-stocked, and brimming with good service that makes shopping a 
B25 222 pleasure instead of a chore.<p/>
B25 223 <p_>Secondly, supermarkets are a boon for the one-stop shopper, 
B25 224 with a handy car-park outside making it easy to drive off with a 
B25 225 month's provisions.<p/>
B25 226 
B26   1 <#FLOB:B26\><h_><p_>Education for our sake<p/><h/>
B26   2 <p_>The country's education system has undergone so many changes 
B26   3 recently, it is not surprising that many are confused by its 
B26   4 various aspects, and others have lost confidence in its 
B26   5 effectiveness.<p/>
B26   6 <p_>No sooner had the old O-levels been replaced by the GCSE, the 
B26   7 national curriculum was introduced with its attainment targets and 
B26   8 tests, prompting at least some local primary school heads to take 
B26   9 early retirement.<p/>
B26  10 <p_><quote_>"Education is in a watershed of gigantic significance 
B26  11 towards mediocrity,"<quote/> claimed one, adding that the new 
B26  12 proposals would create a stratified society for the 21st 
B26  13 century.<p/>
B26  14 <p_>Not content with those changes, the Government implemented the 
B26  15 local management of schools, giving governing bodies more say over 
B26  16 their spending. Very commendable, you might say, but the move again 
B26  17 took teachers away from the classroom and into administration.<p/>
B26  18 <p_>And the dust had hardly settled, when, last week, it was 
B26  19 announced that the further education set-up was to be tackled in a 
B26  20 bid to narrow the divide between academic and vocational 
B26  21 qualifications.<p/>
B26  22 <p_>Not only that, there was talk that the Government was 
B26  23 considering replacing A-levels with yet another examination.<p/>
B26  24 <p_>Against that background, it is hardly surprising that the 
B26  25 headmaster of Giggleswick School, Mr. Peter Hobson, felt it 
B26  26 necessary to appeal for stability in education at the school's 
B26  27 annual speech day on Saturday.<p/>
B26  28 <p_>The constant moving of goalposts is not fair on teachers, and 
B26  29 it is certainly not fair on the pupils. Both should know where they 
B26  30 stand, and what they are expected to achieve.<p/>
B26  31 <p_>Playing with youngsters' lives cannot be justified. Their 
B26  32 achievements now will colour their future paths - and they have 
B26  33 every right to demand a good grounding; in fact, the very best the 
B26  34 country can offer.<p/>
B26  35 <p_>We are forever being told about increased competition from 
B26  36 overseas once the Single market comes into being next year, and we 
B26  37 must be in position to meet that challenge. We can only do that if 
B26  38 our education system is second to none.<p/>
B26  39 <p_>But, without clear goals, the United Kingdom will lag behind 
B26  40 producing tomorrow's workforce because teaching staff will be too 
B26  41 busy trying to unravel the paperwork to concentrate on the 
B26  42 essentials.<p/>
B26  43 <p_>So come on, let's stop this bickering over the rights and 
B26  44 wrongs and agree the way forward. Education is a service; not a 
B26  45 profit-making business. We must all pull together - for all our 
B26  46 sakes.<p/>
B26  47 
B26  48 <h_><p_>Don't trash the Dales<p/><h/>
B26  49 <p_>No-one can doubt the majestic beauty of the Craven Countryside 
B26  50 with its rolling hills, picturesque villages, and breathtaking 
B26  51 views.<p/>
B26  52 <p_>But its idyllic facade is misleading as it hides a very real, 
B26  53 and disturbing, threat. For, unless action is taken now to stem the 
B26  54 growing tide of erosion, many important features could disappear 
B26  55 altogether.<p/>
B26  56 <p_>As traditional farming methods are discarded stone barns and 
B26  57 walls are allowed to fall into disrepair, moorlands are being 
B26  58 over-grazed, and meadowlands are being sacrificed in favour of 
B26  59 fast-growing grasses.<p/>
B26  60 <p_>Not only that. Thieves are increasingly targeting isolated 
B26  61 barns for their stone slates, and some farmers seem to have taken 
B26  62 the view: <quote_>"If you can't beat them, join them."<quote/><p/>
B26  63 <p_>We are told that some are selling stone from traditional 
B26  64 buildings and walls to make ends meet. That trend has got to stop 
B26  65 before the damage becomes irreversible, and Craven loses part of 
B26  66 its identity.<p/>
B26  67 <p_>The National Trust has already announced it is launching 
B26  68 pounds750,000 appeal<&|>sic! to help preserve the distinctive 
B26  69 landscape of Yorkshire, and the Government is being asked to give 
B26  70 Environmentally Sensitive Area status to the Dales National 
B26  71 Park.<p/>
B26  72 <p_>That would mean that subsidies would be available for good 
B26  73 environmental practices, and the park authority could protect walls 
B26  74 and buildings.<p/>
B26  75 <p_>Of course these measures will help, and should be supported. 
B26  76 But the statutory authorities can only do so much. They have to 
B26  77 work within strict financial budgets, and it would be unfair to put 
B26  78 the whole burden on their shoulders.<p/>
B26  79 <p_>It is up to every single one of us - whether we live or work in 
B26  80 the area or just visit it - to ensure that it is preserved for 
B26  81 future generations.<p/>
B26  82 <p_>Bolton Abbey has shown that commercial success and conservation 
B26  83 can live side by side, with the estate taking the Yorkshire and 
B26  84 Humberside Tourist Board's tourism and environment award.<p/>
B26  85 <p_>So what can we do? It is true that we, too, are limited in our 
B26  86 efforts, but there are simple measures we can take to help keep the 
B26  87 countryside looking beautiful for both residents and visitors 
B26  88 alike.<p/>
B26  89 <p_>For a start, we can ensure that we leave the area as we found 
B26  90 it; in other words we take our litter home. It is amazing how 
B26  91 discarded cans and cigarette ends can be found even in the remotest 
B26  92 parts of Craven.<p/>
B26  93 <p_>Opinion polls show that litter is consistently quoted as a 
B26  94 major environmental problem in our everyday lives, and it is an 
B26  95 issue with which we can easily identify because if affects us all. 
B26  96 And we can do something about it.<p/>
B26  97 <p_>It is a frightening thought that over 85,000 drinks cans, 
B26  98 forming a column 3,000 feet higher than Mount Everest, were 
B26  99 collected from roadside verges last year on a litter-pick from 
B26 100 Land's End to John O'Groats.<p/>
B26 101 <p_>Next week is Tidy Travel Week, which is designed to make people 
B26 102 more aware of their own littering behaviour while travelling. Why 
B26 103 don't we make it a Tidy Craven Week?<p/>
B26 104 
B26 105 <h_><p_>Saving our history<p/><h/>
B26 106 <p_>It came as no surprise to us to learn this week that a planning 
B26 107 application had been lodged with Craven District Council for the 
B26 108 demolition of the Chimney at Belle Vue Mills, Skipton, now the home 
B26 109 of Kingsley Cards.<p/>
B26 110 <p_>For it was back in September that we first revealed that the 
B26 111 chimney - regarded by many as a landmark - was under threat.<p/>
B26 112 <p_>It is known that Kingsley Cards recently installed a new 
B26 113 heating system at what is perhaps best known as Dewhurst's Mill, in 
B26 114 Broughton Road, and now no warm air reaches the chimney. But the 
B26 115 structure is of such a design that it needs constant warm air to 
B26 116 stay in one piece.<p/>
B26 117 <p_>The chimney, it would appear, has deteriorated to such a point 
B26 118 where its owners feel it is unsafe - any other excuse for their 
B26 119 application would have to be put down to wanton vandalism.<p/>
B26 120 <p_>It will cost money to knock the chimney down safely, and 
B26 121 probably even more to maintain and preserve it. But it must be 
B26 122 done.<p/>
B26 123 <p_>The structure is a landmark - some may say not the prettiest 
B26 124 around maybe - but it does form a most important feature on the 
B26 125 town's skyline.<p/>
B26 126 <p_>Craven District Council has made much of central Skipton into 
B26 127 conservation areas, including many old mill cottages and terraces. 
B26 128 What would be the use of that if the mill chimney - a symbol of 
B26 129 what the houses were built for - were to go?<p/>
B26 130 <p_>Belle Vue Mills were built between 1830 and 1914 - perhaps the 
B26 131 greatest years of Britain's industrial past - and provide a rare 
B26 132 surviving example of how cotton mills evolved.<p/>
B26 133 <p_>In many other areas, people are realising that our industrial 
B26 134 heritage is just as important, if not more so, than our rural 
B26 135 heritage. Without industry, there would have been no wealth, no 
B26 136 real empire, little to be proud of in our past.<p/>
B26 137 <p_>The chimney, Skipton's most prominent icon of that great past, 
B26 138 must be preserved. But where will the money come from?<p/>
B26 139 <p_>Kingsley Cards, certainly, must bear some of the costs. The 
B26 140 building they occupy is a listed one, and they knew that when they 
B26 141 bought it. It is their responsibility, first and foremost.<p/>
B26 142 <p_>But others may be prepared to help in order not to lose such a 
B26 143 valuable asset. Craven District Council has shown its willingness 
B26 144 to preserve our heritage with its involvement with the Hoffman Kiln 
B26 145 at Langcliffe - not to mention all the effort and money it put into 
B26 146 the battle to save the Settle-Carlisle railway line and Ribblehead 
B26 147 Viaduct.<p/>
B26 148 <p_>Over in West Craven, Barnoldwick's Bancroft Mill is 
B26 149 privately-owned, but is grateful for the support of Pendle Council 
B26 150 and others. Indeed, work is currently being undertaken on its 
B26 151 chimney!<p/>
B26 152 <p_>National bodies too, such as English Heritage, the National 
B26 153 Trust, the Department of the Environment and the Victorian Society 
B26 154 must all be approached with a view to saving the chimney.<p/>
B26 155 <p_>Thankfully, we know that some local officials are opposed to 
B26 156 the demolition, if it is at all avoidable, and they have a good 
B26 157 track record in this area. When Skipton's Victoria Mill was being 
B26 158 redeveloped, they fought for the retention of its small, less 
B26 159 important chimney, despite the pleas of the developers that to 
B26 160 preserve it would be too expensive. The development went ahead, and 
B26 161 the chimney still stands.<p/>
B26 162 <p_>But it pales into insignificance alongside its big sister.<p/>
B26 163 <p_>Many members of Craven District's Planning and Development 
B26 164 Committee, we can rest assured, would also not want to see the 
B26 165 demolition of our history.<p/>
B26 166 <p_>As the chimney is part of a Grade II listed structure, 
B26 167 interested parties must be approached by the council for their 
B26 168 opinions on demolition.<p/>
B26 169 <p_>Let us hope they agree the chimney needs preserving. It is too 
B26 170 important to lose.<p/>
B26 171 
B26 172 <h_><p_>A Year of Destiny<p/><h/>
B26 173 <p_>By the end of 1992 we shall all be Europeans. The stretch of 
B26 174 water which has so long separated us from mainland Europe - and on 
B26 175 more occasions than one been our salvation when foes would have 
B26 176 invaded our shores - will shortly be bridged.<p/>
B26 177 <p_>Down will come the barriers, the customs posts which, to those 
B26 178 in our islands have been a curiosity. We can drive into Wales or 
B26 179 Scotland, and cross to Ireland, without let or hindrance. There are 
B26 180 no policemen, guns slung menacingly at their hips, demanding our 
B26 181 passports. Europeans will find themselves with the novel experience 
B26 182 before 1993 dawns.<p/>
B26 183 <p_>But shall we be Europeans? There are plenty of people in this 
B26 184 country who are unhappy about the closer links with our European 
B26 185 brothers and sisters. After all, one or two of them have done us 
B26 186 few favours over the years. Ought we to ignore history, or learn 
B26 187 from it?<p/>
B26 188 <p_>Perhaps we can give heart to those who don't approve of the 
B26 189 moves. Some of us, it will be recalled, were dragged kicking and 
B26 190 screaming into Lancashire by local government re-organisation in 
B26 191 1972. Has it made us Lancastrians? Not a bit of it. We are 
B26 192 Yorkshire to the core still. No artificial changes by faceless 
B26 193 boffins in Whitehall have changed our allegiance. We still wear the 
B26 194 white rose with pride.<p/>
B26 195 <p_>A new Europe will not change those of us who have pride in our 
B26 196 heritage. We shall still fly the Union flag and have our own 
B26 197 National Anthem. 'Land of Hope and Glory' at the last night of the 
B26 198 Proms will still bring a lump to the throat.<p/>
B26 199 <p_>So will those immortal words <quote_>"They grow not old, as we 
B26 200 that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years 
B26 201 condemn. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we shall 
B26 202 remember them."<quote/> We shall still remember that they gave 
B26 203 their lives to ensure that some of the Europeans whom we are now 
B26 204 joining by negotiation, did not conquer us by force.<p/>
B26 205 <p_>We shall find ourselves ever closer bound to our European 
B26 206 partners. If it avoids another 1914 and 1939, for that alone, it 
B26 207 will have all been worth while. But we must not allow our sturdy 
B26 208 individualism and love of true democracy to be submerged by Europe. 
B26 209 Often we have had to defend the right of peoples to be free. We 
B26 210 must remain free to make our own decisions about own destiny. That 
B26 211 is our birthright and we must still defend it.<p/>
B26 212 <p_>Let us make that a New Year Resolution as we move into an 
B26 213 historic 1993.<p/>
B26 214 <p_>At home, let us hope that the problems which have confronted 
B26 215 many businesses, and led to the collapse of some in 1991 are not 
B26 216 repeated in the year ahead. In fact, we hope that industry of all 
B26 217 descriptions will boom in 1992.<p/>
B26 218 <p_>We would hope and pray that the year might be free of tragedy, 
B26 219 whether personal or on a national or international scale; that 
B26 220 peace will come to troubled areas, and a start made on the task of 
B26 221 tackling world poverty and hunger.<p/>
B26 222 
B27   1 <#FLOB:B27\><h_><p_>Ignorance is widespread<p/><h/>
B27   2 <p_>OVER the past few weeks I have been reading all the articles 
B27   3 and letters in the Western Gazette about the future of the three 
B27   4 Sherborne schools - Fosters Grammar, Lord Digby's Grammar and St 
B27   5 Aldhelm's Secondary Modern School.<p/>
B27   6 <p_>I thought it was about time that someone who attends the 
B27   7 grammar school(s) which are due to close wrote in.<p/>
B27   8 <p_>Perhaps some people may think that we know more than people not 
B27   9 attending the schools in question, but we do not, that is the 
B27  10 reason that I am typing this letter.<p/>
B27  11 <p_>All Dorset County council can produce is a letter containing no 
B27  12 information about the new school at all apart from the date it is 
B27  13 due to open.<p/>
B27  14 <p_>Instead, they send to all the parents in the Sherborne area a 
B27  15 letter containing verbal garbage which I think is a terrible waste 
B27  16 of paper.<p/>
B27  17 <p_>We have been given no information about the school uniform, 
B27  18 which is another important issue the council hasn't bothered to 
B27  19 think about.<p/>
B27  20 <p_>What about the parents of First Year (Year 7) pupils who will 
B27  21 be coming to Foster's the year before the new school will be 
B27  22 opening?<p/>
B27  23 <p_>They will have just bought a whole new uniform - blazer, 
B27  24 jumper, shirt, tie, trousers, etc<&|>sic!, not to mention all the 
B27  25 PE kit which in the end amounts to over pounds112 for nothing.<p/>
B27  26 <p_>Closing Fosters and Lord Digby's School will end around 350 
B27  27 years of good education.<p/>
B27  28 <p_>All I can say is that when I am allowed to vote I will not vote 
B27  29 Conservative.<p/>
B27  30 <p_>Phillip Dawson,<p/>
B27  31 <p_>Pupil at Fosters School,<p/>
B27  32 <p_>20 Crossfields,<p/>
B27  33 <p_>Nether Compton,<p/>
B27  34 <p_>Sherborne.<p/>
B27  35 
B27  36 <h_><p_>New school is an exciting venture<p/><h/>
B27  37 <p_>I WOULD like to point out that there are many, many parents, 
B27  38 staff and all the governing bodies of all the feeder primary 
B27  39 schools who are delighted at the prospect of the new school and 
B27  40 look forward to its establishment with as much pleasure as the 
B27  41 town's parents must have greeted the establishment of Foster's, 
B27  42 Lord Digby's and St Aldhelm's schools when they were new.<p/>
B27  43 <p_>I very much hope that the new school will be seen as a forward 
B27  44 step and a great opportunity to offer splendid educational 
B27  45 opportunities to fit our children for life well into the next 
B27  46 century.<p/>
B27  47 <p_>It will be building on the sound foundations laid by our 
B27  48 primary schools, all of whom will be working to ensure the most 
B27  49 positive and optimistic support will be given to this exciting new 
B27  50 venture.<p/>
B27  51 <p_>I am sure Sherborne will be able to boast an exceptional and 
B27  52 excellent school in the very near future.<p/>
B27  53 <p_>Jane Turner,<p/>
B27  54 <p_>Fir Cottage,<p/>
B27  55 <p_>Coldharbour,<p/>
B27  56 <p_>Sherborne<p/>
B27  57 
B27  58 <h_><p_>Struck by Tower Hamlets disease<p/><h/>
B27  59 <p_>MRS Clark, leader of South Somerset District Council to whom I 
B27  60 am normally most courteous, in suggesting that I have stolen a good 
B27  61 idea in making progress in the dissemination of information via 
B27  62 post offices, is clearly suffering from that disease known as 
B27  63 <foreign_>'La infection des aldeas de la torre'<foreign/>, or, 
B27  64 being translated, Tower Hamlets disease.<p/>
B27  65 <p_>It manifests itself, in its advanced stage, as paranoia and 
B27  66 reading too much between the lines. I knew they shouldn't have gone 
B27  67 on that visit.<p/>
B27  68 <p_>Her letter unwittingly epitomises the differences between the 
B27  69 Liberal Democrat cabal and local Conservative minority.<p/>
B27  70 <p_>In November, 1990 the Liberal 'Democrats set up the working 
B27  71 party on dissemination of information, with a provisional budget of 
B27  72 some thousands of pounds. We groaned. The working party met on 11 
B27  73 April, 1991. Even before the November meeting had finished I had 
B27  74 worked out on the back of an envelope the solution to the 
B27  75 problem.<p/>
B27  76 <p_>On being elected as Chairman of Area East housing subcommittee 
B27  77 in May I spent just five minutes in each of two post offices and 
B27  78 convinced the postmasters that it would be in their interests to 
B27  79 hang the minutes of our meetings on a brass hook, to be supplied by 
B27  80 me; this would both inform the council tenants and probably provide 
B27  81 more business for the shops and post offices. Extra cost to council 
B27  82 - nil.<p/>
B27  83 <p_>I reported this to our subcommittee meeting on 17 July and you 
B27  84 reported it in your newspaper. In the meantime the Liberal 
B27  85 Democrats' working party goes about its business and will report in 
B27  86 the autumn of 1991.<p/>
B27  87 <p_>Get the message, electors? I did not say it was my bright idea 
B27  88 because the point is immaterial to me - I just couldn't wait for 
B27  89 the Liberal Democrats' ponderous think tank any longer.<p/>
B27  90 <p_>As the local Liberal Democrats cabal knows, their councillors 
B27  91 will more often than not vote down perfectly good local 
B27  92 Conservative proposals - cash limiting and compensating staff 
B27  93 reductions, for example - and then resurrect them without 
B27  94 attribution a year or so later.<p/>
B27  95 <p_>The Liberal Democrats seldom give credit where it is due, 
B27  96 although Mrs Clark has paid tribute to the contribution of 
B27  97 Brigadier Newth to the ongoing reorganisation (although not acting 
B27  98 on all his pertinent points), and Mr Temperley did pay an 
B27  99 appropriate tribute to Group Captain Deacon's contribution to the 
B27 100 planning system in South Somerset.<p/>
B27 101 <p_>David Aldrich,<p/>
B27 102 <p_>Deputy Leader,<p/>
B27 103 <p_>Conservative Minority,<p/>
B27 104 <p_>SSDC.<p/>
B27 105 
B27 106 <h_><p_>Proof of pudding leaves sour taste<p/><h/>
B27 107 <p_>ONE hundred and thirteen hospitals and ambulance units have 
B27 108 this week revealed their plans for NHS Trust status. If they are 
B27 109 approved a third of all our hospitals will then have 
B27 110 'opted-out'.<p/>
B27 111 <p_>What can we learn from those that were amongst the first wave 
B27 112 to be granted Trust status?<p/>
B27 113 <p_>The chairman of the newly formed West Dorset Community Health 
B27 114 Trust, Mr Willis, spoke to the Yeatman Hospital League of Friends 
B27 115 recently. On more than one occasion during his speech he urged the 
B27 116 Friends to compete with the Blandford Hospital league of 
B27 117 Friends.<p/>
B27 118 <p_>And what is to be the object of this friendly rivalry? 
B27 119 According to Mr Willis it should be to see who can raise the most 
B27 120 money to purchase medical equipment for use by visiting specialists 
B27 121 at those hospitals.<p/>
B27 122 <p_>The AGM also gave Mr Willis an opportunity, as guest speaker, 
B27 123 to launch a consultation document about plans for the future 
B27 124 development of the Yeatman Hospital.<p/>
B27 125 <p_>Welcome as these plans are, <}_><-|>these<+|>there<}/> are 
B27 126 differences between this consultation document and the prospectus 
B27 127 prepared last year by the health authority, as its submission to 
B27 128 the Department of Health for Trust status.<p/>
B27 129 <p_>First, a start on a new 20-bed unit for the elderly severely 
B27 130 mentally ill is to be delayed for a year.<p/>
B27 131 <p_>Secondly, land adjoining the proposed ESMI unit, always 
B27 132 considered to be part of the hospital site available for future 
B27 133 expansion, now seems to be eyed as ripe for disposal and 
B27 134 development when the market circumstances are right.<p/>
B27 135 <p_>Thirdly, the original prospectus stated that capital projects 
B27 136 would be allowed to proceed when long term commitments had been 
B27 137 given by the health authority to buy patient care at the hospital. 
B27 138 The consultation document discloses that a new qualification has 
B27 139 been added to that statement.<p/>
B27 140 <p_>The phrase used is, <quote_>"support to proceed from local 
B27 141 interest groups"<quote/>. In other words the League of Friends is 
B27 142 to come up with a sizeable amount of money for the project.<p/>
B27 143 <p_>Mr Willis also made it clear that the Trust would be seeking a 
B27 144 borrowing approval from the NHS Management Executive. I reminded 
B27 145 him that the District General Hospital Trust had sought a pounds5M 
B27 146 loan earlier in the year only to be told by the Government that, 
B27 147 far from getting the money, they would have to repay existing debts 
B27 148 totalling pounds1.9M.<p/>
B27 149 <p_>I asked him what expectation he had of obtaining such approval 
B27 150 and did not get a satisfactory answer.<p/>
B27 151 <p_>The only people who seem to have benefited so far from NHS 
B27 152 Trust status are a firm of management consultants brought in to 
B27 153 review the plans previously prepared by the health authority.<p/>
B27 154 <p_>When the Health Minister, Virginia Bottomley, came to West 
B27 155 Dorset she denounced as <quote|>"wreckers" the critics of NHS 
B27 156 Trusts.<p/>
B27 157 <p_>The proof of any pudding is, however, in the eating. If the 
B27 158 fare offered leaves a sour taste in the mouth then she would be 
B27 159 better employed sorting out the chef and not the customers.<p/>
B27 160 <p_>Robin Legg,<p/>
B27 161 <p_>90 Newland,<p/>
B27 162 <p_>Sherborne.<p/>
B27 163 
B27 164 <h_><p_>Sad days for dog lovers<p/><h/>
B27 165 <p_>IN her letter under the heading <quote_>"Wipe out this foul 
B27 166 problem"<quote/>, Mrs Broom says, <quote_>"Recently we have read in 
B27 167 the papers of a local boy who has gone partially blind due to dog 
B27 168 excrement."<quote/> But she doesn't say what evidence the paper had 
B27 169 for making that statement.<p/>
B27 170 <p_>Toxacara eggs are found in some dog faeces, but not if the 
B27 171 animal is regularly wormed. They are also found in fox and car 
B27 172 faeces, and there is no way of telling which is the source of 
B27 173 infection.<p/>
B27 174 <p_>It is pretty safe to say that the majority of today's dog 
B27 175 owners do worm their dogs regularly. The same cannot be said of the 
B27 176 majority of cat owners. And there are many feral cats with no 
B27 177 owners as well as foxes, which are never wormed.<p/>
B27 178 <p_>Thanks to the media many people are now genuinely afraid of 
B27 179 dogs both as potentially dangerous animals and as carriers of 
B27 180 disease. This is very sad, especially in a country which has always 
B27 181 been regarded as a nation of dog lovers.<p/>
B27 182 <p_>It is now accepted by many in the medical profession that 
B27 183 people who keep dogs are healthier and live longer lives than those 
B27 184 who do not.<p/>
B27 185 <p_>To many old people their dog is not only their only friend but 
B27 186 also their only incentive to take walks in the open air.<p/>
B27 187 <p_>In over 60 years of breeding and training dogs I have never 
B27 188 heard of a dog breeder's child being infected by toxacariasis or 
B27 189 any other dog related complaint. But I have known many kids develop 
B27 190 some pretty nasty infections as a result of contact with other 
B27 191 children.<p/>
B27 192 <p_>Of course anyone who exercises their dog in a public area 
B27 193 should 'pick up' after it; and the new legislation which is now 
B27 194 coming into force will make it an offence not to do so.<p/>
B27 195 <p_>The idea of areas specially for dog owners and their dogs is 
B27 196 excellent. I am sure the vast majority of dog owners would welcome 
B27 197 it - if only to avoid the risk of harassment by people like Mrs 
B27 198 Broom.<p/>
B27 199 <p_>John Holmes,<p/>
B27 200 <p_>Formakin Farm,<p/>
B27 201 <p_>Gotham,<p/>
B27 202 <p_>Cranborne,<p/>
B27 203 <p_>Wimborne.<p/>
B27 204 
B27 205 <h_><p_>Roadside storage helps maximise efficiency<p/><h/>
B27 206 <p_>I AM writing to answer the criticisms directed at British Gas 
B27 207 by Mr Ron Anstey.<p/>
B27 208 <p_>There are good reasons for the gas pipe to be stored by the 
B27 209 side of the Ringwood Road in Verwood. Contrary to Mr Anstey's 
B27 210 comments, those reasons highlight our commitment to maximize 
B27 211 efficiency.<p/>
B27 212 <p_>British Gas aims to keep storage and handling costs under tight 
B27 213 control. For this reason we order pipe from manufacturers and have 
B27 214 it delivered direct to the site where it is to be used.<p/>
B27 215 <p_>This arrangement minimises handling, transport costs and 
B27 216 storage space. It is normally timed to arrive shortly before the 
B27 217 job is due to begin.<p/>
B27 218 <p_>Unfortunately at Verwood the work was delayed and this is why 
B27 219 the pipework was left on site. Pilfering is most unlikely because 
B27 220 the bright yellow pipe has no other practical use.<p/>
B27 221 <p_>Most of the pipe has now been used to replace an old main in 
B27 222 Ringwood Road and there is very little work left to be done. We 
B27 223 will remove any pipe that is surplus to requirements as soon as 
B27 224 possible.<p/>
B27 225 <p_>I apologise for any inconvenience that has been caused. I would 
B27 226 add, however, that the work will ensure residents can rely on a gas 
B27 227 supply to service their future demands.<p/>
B27 228 <p_>M R Delahaye,<p/>
B27 229 <p_>General Manager,<p/>
B27 230 <p_>(Bournemouth District),<p/>
B27 231 <p_>British Gas Southern.<p/>
B27 232 
B27 233 <h_><p_>Riders aren't all hunters<p/><h/>
B27 234 <p_>WORKERS on the Arrow project (Access and Riding Rights of Way), 
B27 235 would like to clarify that bridleways and hunting are two totally 
B27 236 separate issues.<p/>
B27 237 <p_>Work being done on bridleways in West Dorset is nothing 
B27 238 whatsoever to do with local hunts.<p/>
B27 239 <p_>Hunting people rest their horses during summer months, and tend 
B27 240 to exercise them mostly on the roads to keep clean and fit during 
B27 241 the hunting season. They hunt across country where they are 
B27 242 welcome, at the invitation of landowners. They are, of course, 
B27 243 entitled to use bridleways if required.<p/>
B27 244 <p_>Many other riders, both locally and nationally, have absolutely 
B27 245 no connection with, or interest, in hunting.<p/>
B27 246 
