F01   1 <#FLOB:F01\><h_><p_>New Departures<p/><h/>
F01   2 <p_>Changes in lifestyles, living standards, opportunities and 
F01   3 patterns of cultural behaviour are apparent in all the Western 
F01   4 societies between the late 1950s and late 1960s. A major feature, 
F01   5 indeed, is a greater cultural interchange than ever before, along 
F01   6 with a marked reversal of the one-way movement from America: 
F01   7 Italian espresso machines and Italian fashion; French discos; 
F01   8 British pubs, British pop music, and British pop design; European 
F01   9 film directors and a medley of European film actors and actresses. 
F01  10 Many of the developments to be discussed in this chapter, then, are 
F01  11 international; some, in origins at least, are specifically 
F01  12 British.<p/>
F01  13 <p_>The phrase 'cultural revolution', which I have used on a number 
F01  14 of occasions, may or may not be an apt one. It is certainly 
F01  15 contentious. From the left it is contended that no fundamental 
F01  16 shifts in the structure of power, no serious attacks on the 
F01  17 deprivations suffered by substantial minorities, took place, and 
F01  18 that those features of sixties culture which hit the headlines were 
F01  19 shallow, commercial and sexist. From the right, it is argued that 
F01  20 the steady abandonment since the war of older disciplines and older 
F01  21 values escalated into an orgy of self<?_>-<?/>indulgence supported 
F01  22 on income which had not been earned. Mrs Thatcher's comment of 
F01  23 March 1982 is well known:<quote_>"We are reaping what was sown in 
F01  24 the Sixties ... fashionable theories and permissive claptrap set 
F01  25 the scene for a society in which the old virtues of discipline and 
F01  26 restraint were denigrated."<quote/> Certainly, what happened 
F01  27 between the late fifties and the early seventies was not a 
F01  28 political revolution, not a revolution in economic thought and 
F01  29 practice; but it was, I believe, a transformation in the 
F01  30 opportunities and freedoms available both to the majority as a 
F01  31 whole and to distinctive individuals and groups within that 
F01  32 majority. These transformations were not imposed from above, nor 
F01  33 were they the achievement of a coherent group of 'revolutionaries'. 
F01  34 They helped to make possible the events of 1968, but their 
F01  35 significance had nothing to do with the success or failure of these 
F01  36 events, on which too much attention has been lavished. More 
F01  37 critically, the real changes in ordinary lives have been obscured 
F01  38 by the attention lavished on the minority practices of 'underground 
F01  39 culture' whose long-term influence was minimal.<p/>
F01  40 <p_>Fundamental was the marked economic recovery of Western Europe 
F01  41 from the early to mid-fifties, creating new kinds of consumer 
F01  42 demand both internal, and as already been<&|>sic! suggested, 
F01  43 international. The principal new markets can be defined as youth, 
F01  44 the working class, the provinces, racial minorities and, in lesser 
F01  45 degree, women. The new consumers were in a position to reject the 
F01  46 canons laid down by established authority, metro<?_>-<?/>politan, 
F01  47 upper-class and old. America was escaping from the insular 
F01  48 parochialism which had gripped it during the Cold War period: even 
F01  49 in the Mid West outlets appeared for foreign cultural products, 
F01  50 including British ones. Hollywood had ossified, so had Tin Pan 
F01  51 Alley: therein lay the opportunity. But the challenges to 
F01  52 established authority were particularly striking in Britain, partly 
F01  53 because Britain had long been such a conservative and homogeneous 
F01  54 society, but partly also because Britain had generally been such a 
F01  55 sensible society, characterized, as I have expressed it elsewhere, 
F01  56 by 'Secular Anglicanism'. The codes of behaviour which had grown 
F01  57 up, generally enforced with discretion, were not absurd given their 
F01  58 historical context (the economic dependence of women on men, for 
F01  59 instance, and of youth on age). Now a country which lacked the 
F01  60 antediluvian bigotries of the American Bible Belt, the clerical and 
F01  61 anti<?_>-<?/>clerical factionalism of France and Italy, or the 
F01  62 reviving bourgeois stolidity of Christian Democratic Germany, 
F01  63 showed itself specially responsive to the new pressures.<p/>
F01  64 <p_>British developments can be summed up under six overlapping 
F01  65 headings. The first is defined by the two clich<*_>e-acute<*/>s 
F01  66 <tf|>'affluence' and <tf|>'consumerism'. Average weekly earnings 
F01  67 for industrial workers rose 34 per cent between 1955 and 1960 and 
F01  68 130 per cent between 1955 and 1969; average earnings of 
F01  69 middle-class salaried employees rose 127 per cent between 1955 and 
F01  70 1969. While prices of food and other necessities were steadily 
F01  71 rising (retail prices rose by 63 per cent between 1955 and 1969), 
F01  72 the prices of small cars, in relation to earning power, were 
F01  73 falling, and many products of new technology such as television 
F01  74 sets and washing machines were, despite inflation, actually costing 
F01  75 less. Still a rarity in the early 1950s, TV sets were to be found 
F01  76 in 75 per cent of homes by 1961, and 91 per cent of homes by 
F01  77 1971.<p/>
F01  78 <p_>Second, though the basic <tf|>class structure remained 
F01  79 unaltered, there were significant changes in detail and attitudes. 
F01  80 The working class became visible and assertive as it had never been 
F01  81 before. Some of its most talented escapees held the limelight and 
F01  82 while doing so retained, with bravado, working-class accent and 
F01  83 manner. The vogue for 'classlessness' was somewhat spurious, but 
F01  84 the very advocacy of the notion altered the old indicators of 
F01  85 status: 'posh cockney' replaced the plummy Oxford accent. Third, 
F01  86 there was the power of, and preoccupation with, <tf|>youth. Both 
F01  87 rock-based pop music and pop fashion were products of, and even 
F01  88 when fully commercialized remained products for, youth. Fourth, is 
F01  89 the transformation in <tf_>sexual attitudes<tf/> and 
F01  90 <tf|>behaviour. The survey material is copious: perhaps the single 
F01  91 most significant statistic is that, while in 1951 only 51 per cent 
F01  92 of women interviewed had declared sex to be very important in 
F01  93 marriage, in 1969 the percentage was 67.<p/>
F01  94 <p_>'Permissiveness' was the word brought into use to describe the 
F01  95 whole complex of developments within the sexual arena. Yet in 
F01  96 characterizing the social legislation of the period a better 
F01  97 heading might be that of <tf_>fairness towards<tf/>, and 
F01  98 <tf_>freedom for<tf/>, each individual. To the fifth heading, I 
F01  99 would add a sixth, pervading all aspects of private and communal 
F01 100 life, <tf|>frankness and <tf|>openness to the extent of (another 
F01 101 word of the time) <tf|>'explicitness', these together being part of 
F01 102 the general reaction against the emollient fibbing of the older 
F01 103 generation (including the fashionable clothing, male and female, 
F01 104 that concealed the imperfections of form and figure).<p/>
F01 105 <p_>In the voting preferences of the British people there were, as 
F01 106 ever, no great swings. At the beginning of the sixties the 
F01 107 Conservatives were in power, led by the one-nation, patrician Tory, 
F01 108 Harold Macmillan. In 1964 Labour scraped into office under Harold 
F01 109 Wilson, also very much a consensus politician, going on to win a 
F01 110 substantial majority in 1966. In 1970, to the surprise of many, the 
F01 111 Conservatives, led by Edward Heath, certainly no fanatic of the 
F01 112 radical right, returned to office. Unsuccessful confrontation with 
F01 113 the miners pushed Heath into another election early in 1974. 
F01 114 Although the Conservatives polled 37.9 per cent of the popular 
F01 115 vote, Labour with 37.1 per cent had four more seats and formed a 
F01 116 minority government till October when Labour polled 39.2 per cent 
F01 117 to 35.9 for the Conservatives. The government of first Wilson, then 
F01 118 James Callaghan (yet another middle-of-the-road figure), in effect 
F01 119 depended on the support of the Liberals. Continuity is clearly seen 
F01 120 in arts policy, as Arts Council funding and local authority 
F01 121 initiatives increased. Indeed the entire period could be 
F01 122 characterized as marking a culmination of the idea enunciated 
F01 123 towards the end of the war of culture as a form of social welfare. 
F01 124 The major stages were the transference in 1964 of the source of 
F01 125 Arts Council funding from the Treasury to the Department of 
F01 126 Education, the appointment of Jennie Lee as Minister for the Arts, 
F01 127 and the publication in 1965 of Jennie Lee's government paper <tf_>A 
F01 128 Policy for the Arts<tf/>. In education, too, the sixties marked a 
F01 129 climax in post-war developments, with the expansion in higher 
F01 130 education providing part of the basis for enhanced interest in 
F01 131 artistic and intellectual practices - from opera to feminism.<p/>
F01 132 <p_>Outside of consensus politics there were, indeed, mighty 
F01 133 political issues, principally hostility to American military policy 
F01 134 in general and, above all, to American activities in Viet Nam in 
F01 135 particular, revulsion against the commercialism of contemporary 
F01 136 society and the power of multi-national corporations, and protests 
F01 137 over nuclear weaponry. These matters of concern often appeared in 
F01 138 'alternative' or 'underground' culture. Yet that very culture also 
F01 139 benefited from Arts Council and local authority patronage.<p/>
F01 140 <p_>The key Acts of the period were not part of some political 
F01 141 blueprint for transforming society, but resulted from pressures 
F01 142 generated from within society: 1960, the Betting and Gaming Act 
F01 143 (recognizing working-class vices as well as more aristocratic 
F01 144 ones); 1967, the Abortion Act, the National Health Service (the 
F01 145 Family Planning) Act and the Sexual Offences Act (legalizing 
F01 146 homosexual acts between two consenting adults in private); 1968, 
F01 147 the Theatres Act (abolishing censorship); 1969 the Representation 
F01 148 of the People Act (reducing the voting age to eighteen) and the 
F01 149 Divorce Reform Act; 1970 the Matrimonial Property Act (establishing 
F01 150 that a wife's work, whether as a housewife within the home or as a 
F01 151 money-earner outside it, should be considered as an equal 
F01 152 contribution towards creating the family home if, as a result of 
F01 153 divorce, that had to be divided), the Equal Pay Act (imperfect, 
F01 154 certainly, and not intended to become fully effective for another 
F01 155 five years) and the Chronic Sick and Disabled Persons Act (which 
F01 156 symbolized and ratified the new openness towards the problems of 
F01 157 the disabled). Acts of Parliament must never be mistaken for the 
F01 158 reality of social change; but in fact the reality of change was 
F01 159 palpable in the archaeology of everyday life, in attitudes, 
F01 160 behaviour and artefacts. Of course, there were many sources of 
F01 161 tension and deprivation - race relations and high-rise housing for 
F01 162 instance. This era was not a golden age, simply a time of release 
F01 163 and change.<p/>
F01 164 <p_>Mrs Thatcher, indeed, was right, if for the phrase<quote_>"the 
F01 165 old virtues of discipline and restraint were denigrated"<quote/> we 
F01 166 substitute 'the social controls established by the Victorians were 
F01 167 overthrown'. This was a revolution which could not easily be 
F01 168 reversed since, in fact, it had little to do with the state and 
F01 169 everything to do with society. It was not a revolution towards 
F01 170 socialism, but if it had its too-evident male chauvinist aspects it 
F01 171 also contributed to the launching, partly in response to the 
F01 172 manifestations of decontrolled male sexuality, of activist 
F01 173 feminism. The culture of the day was influenced by these 
F01 174 developments, contributed greatly to them, and indeed was an 
F01 175 integral part of Britain's striking new departures.<p/>
F01 176 <h_><p_>'The Snobbery that Used to Exist ...'<p/>
F01 177 <p_>The central role of cinema<p/><h/>
F01 178 <p_>Rick Wakeman was one of a number of musicians who moved from a 
F01 179 strictly classical training into the world of pop music. He 
F01 180 explained to Michael Cable, chronicler of the pop industry, 
F01 181 that:<p/>
F01 182 <p_>the whole attitude to serious pop music is changing in the 
F01 183 colleges and academies ... Even members of the staff, the tutors 
F01 184 and the professors, are beginning to accept that at the top end of 
F01 185 the scale rock is musically valued. The snobbery that used to exist 
F01 186 is gradually disappearing ...<p/>
F01 187 <p_>How far, and in what ways, were barriers between different 
F01 188 'levels' of culture flattened?<p/>
F01 189 <p_>Here I want to begin by looking at the conversion of Braine's 
F01 190 novel <tf_>Room at the Top<tf/> into a popular film carried out by 
F01 191 Romulus Films (a company with a profitable specialization in 
F01 192 'problem' films for minority audiences). Romulus employed three 
F01 193 competent professionals, Jack Clayton to direct, Neil Paterson to 
F01 194 write the screenplay, and Mario Nascimbene to produce the musical 
F01 195 score, and one very distinguished one, cameraman Freddie Francis. 
F01 196 As was the custom, the film was planned throughout 
F01 197 <}_><-|>it<+|>in<}/> consultation with the British Board of Film 
F01 198 Censors. What becomes utterly clear from the censorship 
F01 199 correspondence is that, influenced by wider trends in British 
F01 200 society, the censorship was itself changing its views as to what 
F01 201 was now acceptable to British audiences. Where it did put up a 
F01 202 fight (usually over words like 'bitch' and 'lust'), it nearly 
F01 203 always gave way in the end. By concentrating, altering and 
F01 204 frequently developing material in the novel, the film presents two 
F01 205 major preoccupations (or 'meanings'): class power, class rigidities 
F01 206 and the possibility of social mobility; and sex, frankly presented 
F01 207 and still more frankly discussed. As visual medium, the film gives 
F01 208 very strong representations of the physical differences in social 
F01 209 environments. While Joe Lampton in the novel was fastidious and 
F01 210 self-questioning, Joe Lampton in the film is straightforwardly 
F01 211 predatory, a figure much more likely to impact strongly on mass 
F01 212 audiences.
F01 213 
F02   1 <#FLOB:F02\><h_><p_>Is there still a Ruling Class?<p/><h/>
F02   2 <p_>Britain does still have a capitalist business class, rooted in 
F02   3 industrial, commercial and landed property and occupying a position 
F02   4 of high status. The privileges of this class are legitimated 
F02   5 through a frame<?_>-<?/>work of 'traditional' norms and values, and 
F02   6 the practices and processes of this status system are central to 
F02   7 the mechanisms of class reproduction. But is the capitalist class 
F02   8 still a ruling class? The concept of a ruling class, I have argued, 
F02   9 is far from straightforward. In Chapter 2 I introduced a number of 
F02  10 ideas which can help to evaluate the meaning and relevance of this 
F02  11 concept. Before it is possible to answer the question 'Is there 
F02  12 still a ruling class?', those ideas must be reviewed and 
F02  13 elaborated.<p/>
F02  14 <h_><p_>Power Elites and the Ruling Class<p/><h/>
F02  15 <p_>The state elite comprises the positions of authority at the 
F02  16 head of the leading institutions of the state. From this 
F02  17 standpoint, all societies with a state have, by definition, a state 
F02  18 elite and a political elite. It is for this reason that, for many 
F02  19 commentators, the claims of classical elite theory have been seen 
F02  20 as trivial. To claim that all societies have a political elite is 
F02  21 not to claim very much at all. But there is far more to be learned 
F02  22 from the elite theorists than this. While all societies with a 
F02  23 state do, indeed, have a political elite, not all societies will 
F02  24 have a <tf_>power elite<tf/>. The assertion that a particular 
F02  25 society has a power elite is far from trivial, as it involves 
F02  26 definite and contestable claims about the actual exercise of power. 
F02  27 The occupants of positions of authority within the state elite 
F02  28 comprise a power elite only where they are recruited from a power 
F02  29 bloc. A power bloc, it will be recalled, is an alignment of social 
F02  30 groups having some similarity in social background and experience 
F02  31 and which is able to monopolize positions of authority within the 
F02  32 state elite over a sustained period.<p/>
F02  33 <p_>But to demonstrate the existence of a power elite is still only 
F02  34 half the task, as power elites vary according to the cohesion and 
F02  35 the class basis of the power bloc <}_><-|>whith<+|>which<}/> 
F02  36 dominates the state elite. In figure 6.1 is a typology of power 
F02  37 elites, defined by the dimensions in terms of which they may vary. 
F02  38 The first dimension in this typology measures the degree of 
F02  39 cohesion and integration which the power bloc is able to achieve. 
F02  40 This may vary from the situation where all sectors of the state 
F02  41 elite are filled by those from a similar background to that where 
F02  42 distinct clusters of positions are recruited from particular 
F02  43 sections of the power bloc. The second dimension measures the class 
F02  44 basis of the power bloc, and this may vary from the extreme of a 
F02  45 highly restricted bloc, in which one particular class is dominant, 
F02  46 to those situations involving more extended recruitment and where 
F02  47 there is a broader balance of classes.<p/>
F02  48 <p_>The social character and class base of the power elite varies 
F02  49 in each of the situations defined in the typology. Rule by an 
F02  50 <tf_>exclusive power elite<tf/> exists where the power bloc is 
F02  51 drawn from a restricted and highly uniform social background and so 
F02  52 is able to achieve a high level of solidarity. Rule by an 
F02  53 <tf_>inclusive power elite<tf/>, on the other hand, exists where a 
F02  54 solidaristic power bloc is not dominated by any particular class. 
F02  55 While both cases involve the identification of a power elite with a 
F02  56 high degree of solidarity and self-consciousness, they differ in 
F02  57 terms of the restrictions which exist on membership of the power 
F02  58 elite.<p/>
F02  59 <p_>Rule by <tf_>segmented power elite<tf/> exists where the power 
F02  60 bloc is divided into a number of separate and distinct fractions 
F02  61 and has a relatively low level of overall cohesion, despite the 
F02  62 fact that all fractions are drawn from the same restricted pool. In 
F02  63 such a situation, competition between elements within the power 
F02  64 elite will be strong. Rule by a <tf_>fragmentary power elite<tf/>, 
F02  65 on the other hand, occurs where the power bloc has very little 
F02  66 solidarity and cohesion, and where the basis of recruitment is 
F02  67 somewhat wider. The relatively broad base of recruitment means that 
F02  68 the various sections within the power elite constitute a 
F02  69 pluralistic diversity of competing groups. In this situation, the 
F02  70 concept of power elite becomes an almost abstract category to 
F02  71 describe the competing, countervailing groups that participate in 
F02  72 the exercise of power.<p/>
F02  73 <p_>To describe a society as having a power elite, therefore, leads 
F02  74 to the further stage of describing the particular form which is 
F02  75 taken by this power elite. While each of these forms may be 
F02  76 compatible with the existence of a ruling class, the nature of 
F02  77 class rule and the extent to which the state may be expected to 
F02  78 operate in the interests of the capitalist class will differ from 
F02  79 case to case.<p/>
F02  80 <p_>The classical Marxian view of the ruling class assumed the 
F02  81 existence of a highly exclusive power elite: the state machinery 
F02  82 was supposed to be dominated by a single class with a high level of 
F02  83 class consciousness and solidarity. Pluralistic critics of this 
F02  84 view, however, have rejected both aspects of this view. They have 
F02  85 argued that the basis of recruitment to the political elite is far 
F02  86 wider than the Marxists assume, and that its cohesion is also far 
F02  87 less. Miliband, I have shown, adopts an unorthodox Marxist position 
F02  88 mid-way between these two extremes. While recognizing that 
F02  89 positions within the state elite are not monopolized exclusively by 
F02  90 the capitalist class and that there are certain important lines of 
F02  91 division and conflict contained within the political elite, 
F02  92 Miliband argues that these differences are contained within an 
F02  93 overall similarity of outlook and background.<p/>
F02  94 <p_>Underlying the dimension of the restricted or extended class 
F02  95 basis of recruitment are the strategies of <tf|>closure and 
F02  96 <tf|>incorporation through which the power bloc defines itself. 
F02  97 Closure is a process though which a social group is able to secure 
F02  98 the backing of the state and of the overall framework of law to 
F02  99 establish certain privileges from which others are excluded and 
F02 100 through which they are able to ensure that the enjoyment of these 
F02 101 privileges is closed to outsiders.<p/>
F02 102 <p_>Parkin has argued that the formal criteria of access and entry 
F02 103 to positions of privilege which are adopted in various societies - 
F02 104 criteria such as the 'rights' and 'obligations' attached to 
F02 105 lineage, property, or education - involve powerful processes of 
F02 106 collective exclusion. Whole groups are excluded from such positions 
F02 107 because their members are held to possess or to lack particular 
F02 108 attributes. Positions within the state elite, for example, may be 
F02 109 restricted to those who were born into recognized aristocratic 
F02 110 families. Collective exclusion can also occur when positions are 
F02 111 formally 'open' to all through competitive entry, examinations, and 
F02 112 educational credentials. This is the case, for example, where the 
F02 113 members of a particular class monopolize the 'cultural capital' 
F02 114 which enables them to be more successful than others in the 
F02 115 educational race. Through their families of birth, they acquire the 
F02 116 cultural qualities, attributes and skills - for example, those of 
F02 117 language, literacy, and aesthetic enjoyment - which are embodied in 
F02 118 and reinforced by the educational system. Classes which lack these 
F02 119 inherited cultural assets are disadvantaged in the educational 
F02 120 system, and so a formal system of competitive entry to elite 
F02 121 positions will actually result in the exclusion of these classes in 
F02 122 favour of the other. As I have shown in the previous chapter, the 
F02 123 public school system has, for a long time, operated in just such a 
F02 124 way to privilege the classes of the power bloc.<p/>
F02 125 <p_>A successful monopoly of power may also depend upon the 
F02 126 continuing efforts of the members of the power bloc to maintain a 
F02 127 degree of closure while adopting a strategy of incorporation. In 
F02 128 these circumstances, the power bloc or its dominant group seeks to 
F02 129 maintain its dominance by enlarging the power bloc through the 
F02 130 co<?_>-<?/>optation of the leading elements of a rival group. In 
F02 131 this way, it is hoped that the opposition of the incorporated group 
F02 132 will be defused. Incorporation of wider social groups need not 
F02 133 undermine the monopoly of the dominant class if those who are 
F02 134 incorporated can be relied upon to acquiesce in or to actively 
F02 135 support the dominance of those who have co-opted them. Indeed, a 
F02 136 strategy of incorporation will generally be followed because the 
F02 137 dangers from continuing to exclude a group are greater than those 
F02 138 which would arise from their incorporation in the existing power 
F02 139 bloc.<p/>
F02 140 <p_>It is in this context that a distinction between a power bloc 
F02 141 and an electoral bloc must be made. While the power bloc consists 
F02 142 of an alignment of social groups which actively participate in the 
F02 143 exercise of state power, an electoral bloc comprises the wider 
F02 144 alignment of social groups which supports and sustains the power 
F02 145 bloc in electoral competition. An electoral bloc gives continued 
F02 146 long<?_>-<?/>term support to the political party or parties of the 
F02 147 power bloc in parliamentary and local elections, though its members 
F02 148 are themselves outside the power bloc. Thus, challenging groups can 
F02 149 be incorporated into either the power bloc or the electoral bloc. 
F02 150 Leading elements within the power bloc may, for example, seek to 
F02 151 incorporate potentially threatening social groups into an electoral 
F02 152 bloc, while continuing to exclude them from real participation in 
F02 153 state power. Of particular importance in building an electoral bloc 
F02 154 are the values and ideas which can be encouraged among those within 
F02 155 the electoral bloc. Deferential attitudes among the working class, 
F02 156 for example, allow a stable electoral bloc to be built by members 
F02 157 of the dominant classes without there being any danger that those 
F02 158 who are incorporated will seek to gain entry to the power bloc.<p/>
F02 159 <p_>Practices of closure and incorporation maximize the cohesion of 
F02 160 the power bloc itself by emphasizing its separation from 
F02 161 subordinate groups outside the bloc. But this is not to say that 
F02 162 relations within the power bloc are egalitarian. I have emphasized 
F02 163 that a power bloc is an alignment of groups with differing life 
F02 164 chances and conflicting interests. These groups stand in relations 
F02 165 of dominance and subordination to one another and, except in those 
F02 166 rather unusual situations where it is recruited exclusively from a 
F02 167 single social group, a power bloc will be organized around the 
F02 168 balance of power and interests among its constituent forces.<p/>
F02 169 <p_>If a power bloc is to persist for any time, it must attain what 
F02 170 has sometimes been described as the three C's of consciousness, 
F02 171 coherence, and 'conspiracy'. <}_><-|>that<+|>That<}/> is to say, 
F02 172 the power bloc must evolve some awareness of common interests and 
F02 173 concerns, it must achieve some degree of solidarity and cohesion, 
F02 174 and its leading members must be capable of pursuing some kind of 
F02 175 coordinated policy of action to further these interests. Those who 
F02 176 are the occupants of similarly structured positions will, indeed, 
F02 177 share certain interests, but the achievement of a degree of 
F02 178 coordination in their actions in pursuit of these interests depends 
F02 179 upon their becoming conscious of these interests. It is only on 
F02 180 this basis that the members of the power bloc can achieve any 
F02 181 consensus over policy goals and, thereby, seek to influence 
F02 182 successfully the direction of policy-making in their interests.<p/>
F02 183 <p_>Insights into the processes involved in this area can be gained 
F02 184 from the work of C. Wright Mills on the power elite in the 
F02 185 contemporary United States. This power elite, he argued, was 
F02 186 recruited from the 'higher circles' of American society - it came 
F02 187 from the privileged upper circles of those who <quote_>"know one 
F02 188 another, see one another socially and at business, and so, in 
F02 189 making decisions, take one another into account"<quote/>. They are, 
F02 190 Mills argued, <quote_>"involved in a set of overlapping 'crowds' 
F02 191 and intricately connected 'cliques'"<quote/>. Their shared 
F02 192 background and community of interaction among the upper circles is 
F02 193 the basis of their shared understandings and their recognition of 
F02 194 common interests, and it is the basis on which they are able to 
F02 195 formulate a self-conscious awareness of what they have in common 
F02 196 with one another:<p/>
F02 197 <p_><quote_>In so far as the power elite is composed of men 
F02 198 [<tf|>sic] of similar origin and education, in so far as their 
F02 199 careers and their styles of life are similar, there are 
F02 200 psychological and social bases for their unity, resting upon the 
F02 201 fact that they are of similar social type and leading to the fact 
F02 202 of their easy intermingling.<quote/><p/>
F02 203 
F02 204 
F03   1 <#FLOB:F03\><h_><p_>Writing Your Speech<p/><h/>
F03   2 <p_>Now you are ready to put pen to paper, or finger to 
F03   3 wordprocessor. Most people, including some of the most experienced 
F03   4 raconteurs, write their speeches down, even if they then transfer 
F03   5 the words to cue cards or speak extempore.<p/>
F03   6 <p_>Writing your speech out in full is a useful exercise, even for 
F03   7 experienced speakers, for two reasons. Firstly, it helps to 
F03   8 organise all your thoughts. Secondly, if you are still stuck for 
F03   9 ideas, the actual process of writing will help your creative buds 
F03  10 to produce inspiration.<p/>
F03  11 <h_><p_>Drafting a speech step by step<p/><h/>
F03  12 <p_>The recommended steps are:<p/>
F03  13 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>first, write a rough draft;<p/>
F03  14 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>second, refine your draft, adding illustrations 
F03  15 and changing words;<p/>
F03  16 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>third, rewrite it into <tf|>spoken English, 
F03  17 shortening sentences and changing words;<p/>
F03  18 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>fourth, rehearse the speech aloud, timing it; 
F03  19 and<p/>
F03  20 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>fifth, make alterations in order to fit the time 
F03  21 slot.<p/>
F03  22 <p_>We are going to look now at how to use language to communicate 
F03  23 effectively in speech, how to make an impact at the beginning and 
F03  24 bring the presentation to a suitable close. Finally, once you have 
F03  25 written your speech you will then learn how to transfer this to cue 
F03  26 cards or other prompt devices.<p/>
F03  27 <p_>Learn how to <quote_>"write like a good talker"<quote/> and 
F03  28 <quote_>"think like a listener"<quote/>. (David Bernstein, <tf_>Put 
F03  29 it together, put it across<tf/>.)<p/>
F03  30 <h_><p_>THE USE OF LANGUAGE IN SPEECH<p/><h/>
F03  31 <p_>Language is simply a code which conveys meaning. Like morse 
F03  32 code or semaphore it works because the sender and receiver of the 
F03  33 communication understand similar meanings for the same words - or 
F03  34 at least they should do.<p/>
F03  35 <p_>Your choice of language is crucial if you are to make contact 
F03  36 with your audience. If you use too much jargon to a 'lay' audience 
F03  37 you will lose them. If you use formal language with a group of 
F03  38 teenagers you will send them off to sleep. If you speak English in 
F03  39 a pompous, written style then people will switch off. Language is 
F03  40 the main tool by which you communicate your ideas and facts to the 
F03  41 audience. However, the response of the audience will depend very 
F03  42 much upon how you use that language. Simply <tf|>telling people 
F03  43 facts will fail because it won't affect their <tf|>emotions or meet 
F03  44 their <tf|>needs. Facts need to be dressed up for the audience to 
F03  45 remain interested and to remember what you have said.<p/>
F03  46 <p_>The main errors of language that speechwriters make are:<p/>
F03  47 <p_>1. Writing an essay and then reading it without translating it 
F03  48 into spoken English.<p/>
F03  49 <p_>2. Being too long-winded and using long sentences.<p/>
F03  50 <p_>3. Not understanding how to use repetition and rhythm.<p/>
F03  51 <p_>4. Failing to give the audience frequent signposts to tell them 
F03  52 where the speaker is heading.<p/>
F03  53 <p_>5. Failing to use rhetorical questions and the word YOU.<p/>
F03  54 <p_>6: Failing to harness the emotive power of words.<p/>
F03  55 <p_>7. Overuse of clich<*_>e-acute<*/>s and redundant language.<p/>
F03  56 <p_>8. Using jargon and abbreviations that people don't 
F03  57 understand.<p/>
F03  58 <p_>9. Failing to use anecdotes, quotations and illustrations to 
F03  59 add colour.<p/>
F03  60 <p_>10. Overusing dry facts and statistics without making analogies 
F03  61 and using colourful illustrations.<p/>
F03  62 <p_>11. Failing to consider the limits of memory of the 
F03  63 audience.<p/>
F03  64 <p_>So what should you bear in mind when writing a speech?<p/>
F03  65 <h_><p_>ELEVEN GOLDEN RULES<p/>
F03  66 <p_>1: Use spoken rather than written English<p/><h/>
F03  67 <p_><tf_>What is oral style and why should you use it?<tf/><p/>
F03  68 <p_>The commonest error of the inexperienced speechmaker is to 
F03  69 write down their speech and then read it with their head buried in 
F03  70 the paper. The audience immediately feels that the speaker is not 
F03  71 talking <tf|>to them but <tf|>at them. Experienced speakers, 
F03  72 politicians included, often <tf|>do read speeches, but they still 
F03  73 manage to make them sound as it they are just speaking from notes. 
F03  74 Newscasters have to be able to read from an autocue whilst making 
F03  75 it appear that they are talking directly to the viewers. (At the 
F03  76 end of this chapter are examples of radio and television scripts 
F03  77 for you to read as an exercise.) Don't write your notes in long 
F03  78 sentences; they be too difficult to get your tongue around.<p/>
F03  79 <p_>Look at the way advertisements are written. They break most of 
F03  80 the rules of grammar, starting sentences with 'And' for instance 
F03  81 and they use a very chatty style. Take a look at this extract from 
F03  82 an advertisement of Ovaltine:<p/>
F03  83 <p_><quote_>Yes, Ovaltine can be drunk for breakfast.<p/>
F03  84 <p_>And why not? It's made, is it not, from barley, malt extract 
F03  85 and eggs. What better for setting you up for the day? ... In fact, 
F03  86 a mug of Ovaltine provides most of the nutrients required by the 
F03  87 body.<p/>
F03  88 <p_>And Ovaltine contains no added sugar, no artificial flavour, 
F03  89 colour or preservatives.<p/>
F03  90 <p_>Formidable! Eh? Mind you, if Ovaltine is such a good source of 
F03  91 energy how come we Brits drink it before bed?<quote/><p/>
F03  92 <p_>This is English written to be <tf_>read out loud<tf/> - and it 
F03  93 is an example of the kind of style you should use when writing your 
F03  94 speech.<p/>
F03  95 <p_>To show you how stilted written English can sound when spoken 
F03  96 aloud, try reading aloud this passage from <tf_>The Student 
F03  97 Book<tf/> (Macmillan) on studying Chemistry:<p/>
F03  98 <p_><quote_>"Chemistry is an area of study which touches human life 
F03  99 at innumerable points. It is the science which forms a bridge 
F03 100 between physics and biology as well as between earth sciences and 
F03 101 life and medical sciences. It is therefore a <tf_>central 
F03 102 science<tf/> which holds the key to an appreciation and 
F03 103 understanding of life-cycles on the one hand through to man-made 
F03 104 processes on the other.<p/>
F03 105 <p_>The development of chemistry as a science has taken 
F03 106 <}_><-|>pace<+|>place<}/> at an increasingly rapid rate over the 
F03 107 last two centuries, and has depended upon <tf|>quantitative 
F03 108 reasoning. Chemists of the nineteenth century could not have 
F03 109 anticipated the contribution which their research would make to the 
F03 110 applications of chemistry today - applications which range from 
F03 111 micro-circuits and developments in solid state devices to the use 
F03 112 of hormones as a new generation of pesticides, and which even give 
F03 113 a glimmering of understanding of the chemical basis of life itself. 
F03 114 In many cases this rapid progress in the application of chemistry 
F03 115 has itself created new crises for man (eg: some forms of pollution; 
F03 116 the effect of some pesticides on the environment, or the side 
F03 117 effects of some pharmaceuticals), but chemists have immediately led 
F03 118 the search for an answer to the resulting problems so that the 
F03 119 advances could be controlled or harnessed to the benefit of man.<p/>
F03 120 <p_>Superficially it is fairly easy to visualise the earth in terms 
F03 121 of basic chemical concepts - it is an apparent equilibrium between 
F03 122 solid, liquid and vapour phases surrounded by space and supplied 
F03 123 with energy from the sun. However, the apparent position of the 
F03 124 equilibrium is continually moving and small changes have profound 
F03 125 effects on the processes of life ..."<quote/><p/>
F03 126 <p_>So why doesn't it work as a piece of English to be spoken 
F03 127 aloud?<p/>
F03 128 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>The sentences are too long. Take the one which 
F03 129 starts: <quote_>"Superficially it is fairly easy to visualise 
F03 130 ..."<quote/><p/>
F03 131 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Some of the language is too complicated. It can't 
F03 132 all be taken in at once (solid state devices, micro-circuits, 
F03 133 etc).<p/>
F03 134 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>There are no pointers or linking words like 
F03 135 'however'<}_><-|>.<+|>,<}/> 'firstly' and 'although'. It would need 
F03 136 phrases to coax the audience into the next points, like: 'Let's 
F03 137 look at some of the practical uses of chemistry ... Firstly 
F03 138 ...'.<p/>
F03 139 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>There is no reference to the needs of the 
F03 140 audience, or the word YOU.<p/>
F03 141 <p_>When you <tf|>read such a passage, you can take it at your own 
F03 142 pace, go back and read bits again. When it is <tf_>spoken, you lose 
F03 143 most of it once it's been said.<p/>
F03 144 <p_>Try reading a piece from a newspaper and see how it sounds. Try 
F03 145 re-writing the piece for a radio news bulletin (example on page 
F03 146 98).<p/>
F03 147 <p_>Here are the main points to bear in mind when writing English 
F03 148 to be spoken aloud.<p/>
F03 149 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Use 'You've' instead of 'You have' and other such 
F03 150 abbreviations. See how clumsy this sounds: 'I have come here today 
F03 151 to tell you why you are making the wrong decision and why you 
F03 152 cannot pursue this course of action.' Use 'I've', 'you're' and 
F03 153 'can't'.<p/>
F03 154 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Use positive sentences. Don't say: 'I am not here 
F03 155 today to persuade you to choose accountancy as a career, nor will I 
F03 156 try and tell you that it isn't boring, sometimes.'<p/>
F03 157 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Use active not passive sentences. Don't say: 'The 
F03 158 rules of the common room have been changed by the school 
F03 159 governors.' Say 'The school governors changed the common room 
F03 160 rules.'<p/>
F03 161 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Use direct speech. Avoid the use of the pronoun 
F03 162 'One'. Hear how stilted it sounds: 'When one goes to the races one 
F03 163 often makes a bet, doesn't one?' Use the word <tf|>you - it makes 
F03 164 direct contact with your audience. Incidentally, try and avoid too 
F03 165 much reference to yourself and limit the use of the word 'I'.<p/>
F03 166 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Don't write numbers (ie figures) into your 
F03 167 speech. Write them out in full. For example, 1,797,021 is much 
F03 168 easier to say if you write one million, seven hundred and 
F03 169 ninety-seven thousand and twenty-one. (There will be more on using 
F03 170 facts and statistics in point 10.<p/>
F03 171 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Keep sentences short. They have more impact. They 
F03 172 are more forceful. People cannot (can't) remember long 
F03 173 sentences.<p/>
F03 174 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>If in doubt, write as if for a reader of <tf_>The 
F03 175 Sun<tf/> not <tf_>The Times<tf/>.<p/>
F03 176 <p_>This brings us onto point number two - the question of sentence 
F03 177 construction.<p/>
F03 178 <h_><p_>2. Use short sentences and vary the structure<p/><h/>
F03 179 <p_>A sentence consists of a number of words strung together with a 
F03 180 subject and a verb. Generally, sentences do one of the following: 
F03 181 make a statement, make a wish, ask a question, instruct or command, 
F03 182 or make some kind of exclamation. How you <tf|>arrange the words is 
F03 183 called <tf|>syntax - and the order can completely change the 
F03 184 meaning.<p/>
F03 185 <p_>What should we consider when writing sentences for speech?<p/>
F03 186 <p_><*_>bullet<*/><tf_>Sentences should normally be short.<tf/><p/>
F03 187 <p_>Forget about sub-clauses and long sentences. Where you would 
F03 188 normally write one long sentence, speak it in three short ones. For 
F03 189 example, here is a perfectly constructed sentence with a 
F03 190 subordinate clause:<p/>
F03 191 <p_>'The cat, which had just licked its saucer of milk clean of 
F03 192 every final scrap, curled up into a fluffy ball of ginger fur, 
F03 193 licked its lips and fell asleep on the mat.'<p/>
F03 194 <p_>Translated into <tf|>spoken English, this would read: 'The cat 
F03 195 licked its saucer clean of milk. It curled up into a ginger fluffy 
F03 196 ball. And finally, it licked its lips and fell asleep on the 
F03 197 mat.'<p/>
F03 198 <p_>Go back to the extract on Chemistry. This will be easier to 
F03 199 read if rewritten as:<p/>
F03 200 <p_>'Superficially it is fairly easy to imagine the earth in terms 
F03 201 of basic chemical concepts. The earth is an apparent equilibrium 
F03 202 between three phases. These are - solid, liquid and vapour. The 
F03 203 three phases are surrounded by space and supplied with energy from 
F03 204 the sun.'<p/>
F03 205 <p_><*_>bullet<*/><tf_>Sentences should vary in length<tf/><p/>
F03 206 <p_>Try and keep your sentences to between 5 and 15 words as a 
F03 207 general rule. Longer sentences <tf|>can work but only if they run 
F03 208 before or after short sentences.<p/>
F03 209 <p_>Consider this example from a speech by Victor Hugo on the 
F03 210 centenary of the death of Voltaire:<p/>
F03 211 <p_><quote_>"A hundred years ago today a man died. He died 
F03 212 immortal. He departed laden with years, laden with the most 
F03 213 illustrious and fearful of responsibilities, the responsibility of 
F03 214 the human conscience informed and rectified ..."<quote/><p/>
F03 215 <p_><*_>bullet<*/><tf_>Put the key words at the end of a 
F03 216 sentence<tf/><p/>
F03 217 <p_>This will make the audience anticipate your key word or point. 
F03 218 Take these two sentences:<p/>
F03 219 <p_>'The National Westminster Bank in the City of London is the 
F03 220 tallest building in Britain.'<p/>
F03 221 <p_>This would have more impact if rephrased as: 'The tallest 
F03 222 building in Britain is ... the National Westminster Bank in the 
F03 223 City of London.'<p/>
F03 224 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Make use of parallelism, antithesis, inversions 
F03 225 and balanced construction, where appropriate<p/>
F03 226 <p_>Constructing a sentence with two distinct halves can make an 
F03 227 impact. Here are some examples:<p/>
F03 228 <p_><quote_>"It is nothing to die; it is frightful not to 
F03 229 live."<quote/> Victor Hugo).<p/>
F03 230 <p_><quote_>"Life is rather like a tin of sardines - we're all of 
F03 231 us looking for the key."<quote/> (Alan Bennett in <tf_>Beyond the 
F03 232 Fringe<tf/>).<p/>
F03 233 <p_><quote_>"Life is a tragedy when seen close-up, but a comedy in 
F03 234 long shot."<quote/> (Charlie Chaplin).<p/>
F03 235 <p_><quote_>"Ask not what your country can do for you.
F03 236 
F03 237 
F04   1 <#FLOB:F04\><h_><p_>NEW ANGLICAN CHURCHES IN NINETEENTH CENTURY 
F04   2 BRISTOL<p/><h/>
F04   3 <p_>Much has been written on the history and architectural merits 
F04   4 of the many churches built in Bristol in the nineteenth century, 
F04   5 but the question of how these forty-seven churches came to be 
F04   6 built, their origin and funding, has generally been ignored. It has 
F04   7 to be admitted, however, that the evidence for it has not been easy 
F04   8 to handle. Because of the interest and neglect of the subject we 
F04   9 wish to tackle it in this pamphlet.<p/>
F04  10 <p_>By the early nineteenth century the population of Bristol had 
F04  11 spread far beyond the ancient city, and its medieval parishes of St 
F04  12 Augustine, St James, St Michael and St Philip & Jacob had greatly 
F04  13 increased. As a result of the development of Hotwells, Clifton was 
F04  14 becoming a large and fashionable suburb; in contrast there was 
F04  15 rather a denser growth in the Bedminster area and east Bristol, 
F04  16 where a number of streets had sprung up to house the working 
F04  17 classes.<p/>
F04  18 <p_>In 1801 the first census ever attempted in England gave the 
F04  19 population of Bristol as 40,800, and twenty years later it had 
F04  20 increased to 59,070. This figure did not include the residents of 
F04  21 the parishes of Clifton (8,811), St Philip & Jacob Without (11,824) 
F04  22 and Bedminster (7,979), which were outside the jurisdiction of the 
F04  23 City and County of Bristol, in whose shadow they had developed. 
F04  24 However, in 1835, the boundaries of the city were extended to 
F04  25 include these parishes as well as St James and parts of 
F04  26 Westbury-on-Trym. The boundaries remained unchanged until almost 
F04  27 the end of the nineteenth century, while the population of Bristol 
F04  28 increased rapidly. The census figures of 1861 with a population of 
F04  29 154,093 show that Bristol was the sixth largest provincial city in 
F04  30 the country. The needs of this expanding population could only be 
F04  31 met by suburban development and so the city sprawled outwards, 
F04  32 particularly in the east part of Bristol. By the end of the 
F04  33 nineteenth century the population had increased to 328,800, that 
F04  34 is, eight times greater than it was at the beginning of the 
F04  35 century. Therefore, it is not surprising that during this period, 
F04  36 from the 1820's to the close of the century, forty-seven new 
F04  37 Anglican churches were built, to say nothing of the many 
F04  38 non-conformist churches built in the same period.<p/>
F04  39 <p_>The eighteenth century had been a period of apathy during which 
F04  40 there was little building or rebuilding of churches, and this was 
F04  41 so in Bristol, although at the time the city was rich and 
F04  42 prosperous. Christ Church (City), St Michael, St Nicholas and St 
F04  43 Thomas, having become ruinous, were rebuilt during the last two 
F04  44 decades of the eighteenth century. All were paid for either by a 
F04  45 church rate, the vestries or by patrons. Many of the city churches 
F04  46 had closed vestries which were responsible for properties belonging 
F04  47 to the parish, as in the case of St Thomas. When the church was 
F04  48 rebuilt in 1790, the cost of rebuilding was met by the Church 
F04  49 Vestry appropriating pounds1,470 from parish funds, borrowing 
F04  50 pounds700 on security of property and raising pounds 3,500 by a 
F04  51 special rate. Christ Church (City) was rebuilt in 1786 at a cost of 
F04  52 pounds4,200 of which about one half was raised by church rates. The 
F04  53 Bristol Corporation gave pounds2,000 towards the Endowment.<p/>
F04  54 <p_>Building new churches and providing them with parishes of their 
F04  55 own was much more difficult because it interfered with the legal 
F04  56 and financial rights of the incumbent clergy and the patrons of the 
F04  57 parishes. A substantial part of the incumbent's income came from 
F04  58 fees for weddings and funerals. A reduction in the number of their 
F04  59 parishioners meant that there were fewer fees. An Act of Parliament 
F04  60 was required to divide a parish, and that involved considerable 
F04  61 expense. When it was recognised that the parishes of St Philip & 
F04  62 Jacob and of St James had become so populous that they needed more 
F04  63 churches, the patrons, who were the Corporation of Bristol, took 
F04  64 the initiative. In the case of St Philip & Jacob, having obtained 
F04  65 the Act they appointed a number of Commissioners who met at the 
F04  66 Lamb Inn, Lawford's Gate to consider and approve the plans. Each 
F04  67 Commissioner agreed to pay pounds50 and later every subscriber was 
F04  68 expected to contribute pounds50 or upwards. In addition to paying 
F04  69 pounds300, the cost of obtaining an Act of Parliament, the 
F04  70 Corporation contributed pounds250 towards the building of St 
F04  71 George. The City Chamberlain kept the accounts, which show that the 
F04  72 church and vicarage cost pounds2,854. When in 1784 St Paul, 
F04  73 Portland Square was built in the parish of St James, the Bristol 
F04  74 Corporation undertook to pay for the Act of Parliament, to grant 
F04  75 pounds1,000 towards the building fund and to provide pounds400 
F04  76 towards the endowment of the stipend. To raise the rest of the 
F04  77 money required, the parish was burdened with a rate of 1s.8d in the 
F04  78 pound for the next twenty years.<p/>
F04  79 <p_>The Corporation of Bristol supported the Anglican Church and 
F04  80 gave generously to any appeal from the city churches. It held the 
F04  81 patronage of twelve advowsons, which gave it the right to nominate 
F04  82 the incumbents to twelve livings. The right then carried with it 
F04  83 financial responsibilities. When in 1835 the Municipal Corporations 
F04  84 Act was passed the Corporation was compelled to sell the advowsons 
F04  85 and was statutorily forbidden to spend corporate funds on the 
F04  86 church.<p/>
F04  87 <p_>Until the nineteenth century the building of new churches and 
F04  88 the rebuilding of old ones was financed largely or in part by a 
F04  89 compulsory church rate, a sort of local tax, but church rates were 
F04  90 becoming increasingly unpopular, especially amongst the 
F04  91 non<?_>-<?/>conformists, and their enforcement more difficult. 
F04  92 There was a protracted struggle to get Parliament to abolish church 
F04  93 rates, which went on until 1868, but long before then fewer and 
F04  94 fewer churchwardens felt it was worth the trouble and effort to 
F04  95 attempt to levy one. The last time a Dissenter was taken to court 
F04  96 in Bristol for refusing to pay was in 1837. There was a public 
F04  97 meeting in Bristol in 1861 to support a Parliamentary Bill for the 
F04  98 abolition of church rates at which it was revealed that only three 
F04  99 parishes in Bristol continued to raise them St Augustine, St 
F04 100 George, Brandon Hill and St Andrew, Clifton. The only new church in 
F04 101 Bristol which was built in part by a church rate seems to be Christ 
F04 102 Church, Clifton. In 1844 St Andrew's the mother church levied a 
F04 103 church rate.<p/>
F04 104 <p_>In the eighteenth century many churches were maintained to some 
F04 105 degree by renting out some of the pews, and when proprietory 
F04 106 chapels were built by speculators to supplement the number of 
F04 107 parish churches, or to cater for the religious tastes of 
F04 108 dissatisfied parishioners, pew rents were charged to repay the 
F04 109 capital and provide an income for the owners. Surprising as it may 
F04 110 seem, collections were not normally taken in churches except for 
F04 111 special causes. Weekly collections were introduced in the course of 
F04 112 the nineteenth century. Renting out pews was an obvious way to 
F04 113 maintain new churches and to provide an income when there was 
F04 114 little or no endowment, and most of the churches in Bristol 
F04 115 resorted to this practice, although it was increasingly questioned 
F04 116 and was believed to deter the poor from church attendance. The 
F04 117 offer of a pew in return for a contribution of a certain size was 
F04 118 also an obvious inducement to attract subscribers to a new building 
F04 119 project. It was a method used with some success in Cheltenham for 
F04 120 example. It had its danger, however, as the case of St Andrew, 
F04 121 Clifton illustrates. The ancient parish church of Clifton had been 
F04 122 rebuilt at the time of the Commonwealth but at the end of the 
F04 123 Napoleonic wars it was decided that it needed to be replaced again. 
F04 124 Much difficulty was experienced in raising the necessary funds, so 
F04 125 an Act of Parliament was obtained which provided for the granting 
F04 126 of pews in perpetuity to those who contributed a certain sum and 
F04 127 the raising of a parish rate of one shilling in the pound, by which 
F04 128 pounds2,000 was raised. The majority of pews in the best positions 
F04 129 were allocated in this way. The trouble was that their owners 
F04 130 treated them as a freehold property and when they left the parish 
F04 131 they put them up for auction. A good family pew fetched anything 
F04 132 form pounds100 to pounds150, whilst others were let at large rents. 
F04 133 in 1863 more money was needed for the upkeep of the church and a 
F04 134 rate was discussed, but about eighty of the pew owners refused to 
F04 135 pay, including one who owned thirteen pews. Later in the century 
F04 136 when it was proposed to re-seat the church, many pew owners opposed 
F04 137 the plan. The only solution was to buy them out and about 
F04 138 pounds3,000 had to be raised to do so. In 1940, when the church was 
F04 139 destroyed by enemy action, there was still one proprietory pew 
F04 140 left.<p/>
F04 141 <p_>To provide churches adequate for the wants of the inhabitants 
F04 142 was felt to be beyond the ability of private or parochial 
F04 143 contributors - Parliament alone could do it. Through the enthusiasm 
F04 144 and energy of John Bowdler and a few of his friends, in 1814 
F04 145 petitions were presented to the Bishop of London and the Prime 
F04 146 Minister, Lord Liverpool, calling on Parliament to provide the 
F04 147 necessary funds. At the time Parliament, although sympathetic, felt 
F04 148 compelled to postpone the matter, and so in 1818 there was 
F04 149 established a voluntary body, the Church Building Society, which in 
F04 150 1828 became the Incorporated Church Building Society. At the same 
F04 151 time the Prime Minister, prompted by Joshua Watson, secured the 
F04 152 passing of the Church Building Act of 1818 by which Parliament 
F04 153 granted pounds1,000,000 and a further pounds500,000 in 1824. A 
F04 154 Board of Ecclesiastical Commissioners was appointed, of which 
F04 155 Joshua Watson was one. The Commissioners administered the Fund and 
F04 156 laid down certain rules: Commissioners' churches were not to cost 
F04 157 more than pounds20,000 each; contributions were to be sought from 
F04 158 the parishes; an agreed number of seats were to be free and 
F04 159 ministers were to be paid by pew rents.<p/>
F04 160 <p_>The first church in Bristol to receive a grant was St George, 
F04 161 Brandon Hill. The site cost pounds2,400, which was paid for by a 
F04 162 church rate, and the Parliamentary Commissioners eventually agreed 
F04 163 to pay the entire cost of the building, which was pounds10,042.<p/>
F04 164 <p_>By 1855 the Commissioners had contributed over pounds25,000 
F04 165 towards the building of eight churches in Bristol, all of which 
F04 166 were on the east side of the city with the exception of St George, 
F04 167 Brandon Hill. In 1857 the Commissioners' powers were transferred to 
F04 168 the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.<p/>
F04 169 <p_>As has already been noted the Incorporated Church Building 
F04 170 Society was established in 1818 <quote_>"for promoting public 
F04 171 worship and by obtaining additional churches for the middle and 
F04 172 lower classes"<quote/>. While the Board of Ecclesiastical 
F04 173 Commissioners was building churches, the Society avoided 
F04 174 overlapping by devoting its energies mainly to enlarging existing 
F04 175 churches, but when the Exchequer grant began to run dry the Society 
F04 176 increased its grants and gave advice to those who built new 
F04 177 churches. In Bristol the Society made grants to twenty-four new 
F04 178 churches, amounting to pounds6,440. While the Society made 
F04 179 contributions to almost all the new churches in Bristol, it 
F04 180 indirectly stimulated a strong feeling in the minds of individual 
F04 181 churchmen to build independently of financial assistance from the 
F04 182 Society. Local initiative was taken in many dioceses by the 
F04 183 establishment of Diocesan Associations, which worked in 
F04 184 co-operation with the Incorporated Church Building Society. Such an 
F04 185 Association was founded in Bristol through the enthusiastic work of 
F04 186 Bishop Gray.<p/>
F04 187 <p_>The Bristol Diocesan Association was formed in 1827 when a 
F04 188 meeting was held in Bristol Cathedral to aid the Incorporated 
F04 189 Church Building Society. In the Spring<&|>sic! of 1827 a public 
F04 190 appeal was made to the people of Bedminster to build a new church 
F04 191 (St Paul). The Parliamentary Commissioners had promised 
F04 192 two<?_>-<?/>thirds towards the cost, which was estimated as 
F04 193 pounds9,796, and the sum of pounds1,104 was received from private 
F04 194 subscriptions.<p/>
F04 195 <p_>Encouraged by this generous response, the Bishop of Bristol 
F04 196 convened a further meeting. It was decided that the Diocesan 
F04 197 Association for Promoting <}_><-|>Christain<+|>Christian<}/> 
F04 198 Knowledge should collect the annual subscriptions, which should not 
F04 199 be less than ten shillings and sixpence, and that until local wants 
F04 200 had been supplied only one quarter of the annual sum collected 
F04 201 should be transferred to the parent body.
F04 202 
F05   1 <#FLOB:F05\><h_><p_>Children in Sport<p/>
F05   2 <p_>Misia Gervis<p/><h/>
F05   3 <p_>As parents become more conscious of health-related fitness, 
F05   4 there is more reason to get their children off the sofa and into 
F05   5 the gym. This has resulted in a change in the image of sport and 
F05   6 also in the expectations of parents. The question that needs to be 
F05   7 addressed is how can we ensure that children experience a positive 
F05   8 and pleasurable involvement in sport which will continue past their 
F05   9 teens and into adult life?<p/>
F05  10 <p_>The aims of this chapter are threefold. First, to explore sport 
F05  11 from the child's perspective, to understand the potential sport has 
F05  12 for the constructive development of young people, and to highlight 
F05  13 the possible pitfalls that participation in sport can create. 
F05  14 Second, to evaluate sport from the parental perspective. Why should 
F05  15 parents encourage their children to be active in sport? What is the 
F05  16 role of the coach in encouraging parents to be supportive? And 
F05  17 third, we will be looking at the part a coach plays in the creation 
F05  18 of a good atmosphere during training, and the relationship that the 
F05  19 coach has with parents of young athletes. Clearly, the relationship 
F05  20 between the young athlete, parents and coach is crucial. 
F05  21 Consequently, we shall explore the integration of these roles.<p/>
F05  22 <h_><p_>Sport from the Child's Point of View<p/><h/>
F05  23 <p_>Ideally a child taking part in organized sport will be able to 
F05  24 develop skills and abilities which will be of use in adult life. 
F05  25 Such skills are often referred to as 'character builders' but the 
F05  26 way in which they are acquired is now being questioned. It is no 
F05  27 longer acceptable to expect children's sport to mirror in every 
F05  28 detail adult sport. Children are qualitatively different from 
F05  29 adults, and thus their expectations and needs from sport will 
F05  30 differ considerably. Also all children should have the right to 
F05  31 participate in sport at a level that is commensurate with their age 
F05  32 and ability. This is the first crucial element that should be 
F05  33 considered when viewing sport from the child's perspective.<p/>
F05  34 <p_>The majority of sport that people are exposed to is through the 
F05  35 media, where the athletes are generally professionals, and 
F05  36 consequently their behaviour will reflect this. Too often adults 
F05  37 involved in children's sports, whether they be coaches, parents or 
F05  38 officials, expect children's behaviour to mirror that of adult 
F05  39 sport. Clearly this is inappropriate as it does not allow the 
F05  40 children personal growth, but rather forces them to be adults too 
F05  41 soon.<p/>
F05  42 <p_>In professional sport there is the element of the entertainer - 
F05  43 athletes have a job to do that often extends beyond the football 
F05  44 pitch or track. It is all too easy for adults to expect children to 
F05  45 behave in a similar way, but young athletes must be allowed to play 
F05  46 as children for their pleasure, not for the entertainment of 
F05  47 adults.<p/>
F05  48 <p_>The majority of the young people who take part in sport will 
F05  49 not become champions, even if their parents and coaches want this 
F05  50 to happen. Most children have a wide variety of motives for taking 
F05  51 part in sport, most of which are not related to winning but sheer 
F05  52 enjoyment.<p/>
F05  53 <p_>The way in which children feel about themselves is referred to 
F05  54 as self-esteem. High self-esteem describes children who feel able 
F05  55 to cope with the pressures around them. Low self-esteem is often 
F05  56 associated with under-achievement and a poor self-image. This can 
F05  57 develop if the coach is unaware that everyone in their training 
F05  58 session needs to feel successful, and modifies sessions towards 
F05  59 this end. Remember that children enjoy being able to master skills, 
F05  60 and feel competent. They also enjoy doing new and exciting skills. 
F05  61 Sport provides ample opportunity to do both.<p/>
F05  62 <p_>Children also become involved in sport for social reasons. 
F05  63 Their friends might invite them to a sports club, and they may 
F05  64 enjoy participating in team games. Consequently sport provides the 
F05  65 forum for the development of leadership skills and relationships, 
F05  66 involving team mates and coaches.<p/>
F05  67 <p_>All are valuable skills to learn as they are necessary for 
F05  68 success in adult life. However, these qualities can only be 
F05  69 nurtured within the right sporting context. It is therefore 
F05  70 important that we understand how sport can be used constructively 
F05  71 to aid children. Obviously the key person in ensuring that there is 
F05  72 a positive, healthy atmosphere is the coach. The coach is often 
F05  73 instrumental in determining continued participation by young 
F05  74 athletes. Consequently, the coach needs to be aware of factors 
F05  75 which can make physical activity enjoyable.<p/>
F05  76 <h_><p_>Helping Children Take Part<p/><h/>
F05  77 <p_>As we have already pointed out, children must be treated 
F05  78 differently to adults. There are a number of ways in which coaches 
F05  79 can make it easier for children to participate. For example, 
F05  80 modification of rules and equipment might ensure that there is a 
F05  81 greater playing time, and reduced frustration. For example, by 
F05  82 lowering the height of a basketball hoop, small children will be 
F05  83 more likely to score a basket, or by reducing the playing area in a 
F05  84 game of football, children will not get so tired, and therefore 
F05  85 will be able to concentrate more on their skills. In both these 
F05  86 situations, they will gain more satisfaction. Most governing bodies 
F05  87 of sport have now become alerted to this fact and are developing 
F05  88 mini versions of their sport, which are well worth 
F05  89 investigating.<p/>
F05  90 <p_>Types of training and the length of a session can also be 
F05  91 modified to children's needs. So, for example, with the very young, 
F05  92 practice sessions need to be short but full of variety. As the 
F05  93 children become older and more experienced, they can be longer and 
F05  94 can focus on specific elements of performance. There are many 
F05  95 simple practical things that coaches can do with a little 
F05  96 creativity, which will increase the activity time for children. 
F05  97 After all, children like to be active, and if they are not doing 
F05  98 something, they can easily become bored and often drop out of sport 
F05  99 altogether. By re-evaluating the sessions, coaches can develop very 
F05 100 happy and skilled young athletes.<p/>
F05 101 <h_><p_>Children and Competition<p/><h/>
F05 102 <p_>There has been a lot of concern recently that there is too much 
F05 103 emphasis on competition in children's sports to the detriment of 
F05 104 the participants. Critics maintain that we should completely 
F05 105 eliminate competitive sports because of the stress placed on 
F05 106 participants. They would rather see co-operative sports where there 
F05 107 are no winners or losers.<p/>
F05 108 <p_>The underlying belief here is that competition leads to 
F05 109 hostility and frustration, whereas co-operation encourages and 
F05 110 develops trust and friendships. However, the situation is more 
F05 111 complex than this and it is the way competition is used within the 
F05 112 context of children's sport that is important.<p/>
F05 113 <p_>In its simplest form competition merely provides us with a 
F05 114 means of assessing and comparing our own abilities against others, 
F05 115 something which occurs constantly in everyday life. However, the 
F05 116 emphasis is on how we compete. The problems often emerge when there 
F05 117 is an overwhelming emphasis on the outcome or winning in sport. 
F05 118 This is a limited view of competition which alienates many people. 
F05 119 The real pleasure in competition is the striving for success.<p/>
F05 120 <p_>Without wanting to win people would probably not participate in 
F05 121 competition. Should we therefore embrace the ideal that winning is 
F05 122 not the only thing, but that striving to win is very important? 
F05 123 Another important factor is that the achievement of goals in 
F05 124 training and practice are often more fulfilling than the 
F05 125 competition itself. That is why you find young ice skaters on the 
F05 126 ice at 5am, and runners putting in hundreds of miles in 
F05 127 training.<p/>
F05 128 <p_>Clearly, success must be forthcoming through these gruelling 
F05 129 training times. But we must remember that success is not the same 
F05 130 as winning. This is the message that must come across clearly from 
F05 131 sports educators and parents. Evidently, this goes against what 
F05 132 children experience about winning from watching television and 
F05 133 often from ill-informed coaches and parents.<p/>
F05 134 <p_>Another idea that needs to be rejected is the belief that you 
F05 135 can only be a success at someone else's expense. The fact 
F05 136 <}_><-|>that that<+|>that<}/> there are very few winners but an 
F05 137 awful lot of losers, does not mean that most children cannot be 
F05 138 successes. Being a success means achieving more than you did last 
F05 139 time, or attaining personal goals rather than simply focusing on 
F05 140 the outcome. In simple, practical terms this can mean swimming a 
F05 141 lap one second faster than last month; sticking that vault in 
F05 142 competition in the same way as in training; or making sure that you 
F05 143 talk to your teammates on the pitch. If a young athlete has 
F05 144 achieved a personal goal, then they will feel successful, which is 
F05 145 the primary objective. A gold medal is not the one and only 
F05 146 objective.<p/>
F05 147 <p_>It is important that this distinction is recognized and fully 
F05 148 appreciated by the adults who work with children in competitive 
F05 149 sports. As we have already mentioned, children feel good about 
F05 150 themselves when they have a positive self-image, and sport can 
F05 151 provide this if the competitive element is handled well.<p/>
F05 152 <p_>Let us now examine some of the potential problems associated 
F05 153 with children, and how many of them can be minimized.<p/>
F05 154 <h_><p_>Competitive Stress<p/><h/>
F05 155 <p_>The following are the factors that make competition potentially 
F05 156 stressful for young athletes.<p/>
F05 157 <h|>Environment
F05 158 <p_>These are factors that relate to the situation or environment 
F05 159 of the competition, for example:<p/>
F05 160 <p_>1. The number of people watching the competition; large crowds 
F05 161 are perceived as being more threatening than small crowds.<p/>
F05 162 <p_>2. Playing at home compared with playing away. This problem can 
F05 163 be magnified if the competition is taking place in a foreign 
F05 164 country.<p/>
F05 165 <p_>3. Playing in freezing cold conditions, or alternatively, 
F05 166 playing in very hot weather.<p/>
F05 167 <p_>These are all factors which might contribute to an athlete's 
F05 168 fears and worries about the forthcoming competition.<p/>
F05 169 <h|>People
F05 170 <p_>These are factors that are related to the people who are 
F05 171 involved with the athlete either before, during, or after the 
F05 172 competition has taken place. Often the attitude of these people 
F05 173 towards the athlete and the competition can have a big influence on 
F05 174 stress. The people concerned are: the coach, teammates, friends, 
F05 175 other competitors, and PARENTS. So, for example, a coach stressing 
F05 176 the importance of victory at all costs might very well add to 
F05 177 feelings of stress.<p/>
F05 178 <h|>Athletes
F05 179 <p_>These are the factors which relate to the athletes themselves. 
F05 180 Such factors are internal and include the level of self-esteem, the 
F05 181 level of importance they place on the competition, 
F05 182 pre<?_>-<?/>disposition to anxiety (in level of trait anxiety), and 
F05 183 their own expectations of success.<p/>
F05 184 <p_>All these different factors contribute to the perception of 
F05 185 competitive stress, and can be summarized in the following way:<p/>
F05 186 <O_>chart<O/>
F05 187 <p_>It is clear that every athlete will view each and every 
F05 188 competition differently. Consequently what is potentially stressful 
F05 189 for one child will not be a problem for another. Nevertheless, 
F05 190 there are similarities felt by all participants. The question is 
F05 191 how can competitive stress be reduced?<p/>
F05 192 <p_>One of the key factors in reducing stress is to shift the 
F05 193 emphasis away from the outcome of the competition towards the 
F05 194 performance. Children need constant recognition of their own 
F05 195 abilities, and they should not be left to compare themselves to 
F05 196 other athletes. By giving the athlete feedback about the positive 
F05 197 element of their performance, and eliminating negative thoughts, 
F05 198 the athlete will feel more confident.<p/>
F05 199 <p_>Confident athletes feel in control of themselves, and therefore 
F05 200 less stressed. Fear and self-doubt are often the fuels for 
F05 201 competitive stress. Coaches can work on this approach to their 
F05 202 sport in training and in competition. Another important factor that 
F05 203 coaches can work on to reduce stress, involves ensuring that both 
F05 204 they and their athletes have realistic expectations. If young 
F05 205 athletes are not realistic about their own ability, it can lead to 
F05 206 disappointment.<p/>
F05 207 <p_>Children often get false ideas of their potential from adults. 
F05 208 Sometimes the parents have inflated expectations, and sometimes the 
F05 209 coaches. Either way it can be a potential source of stress for the 
F05 210 child if they can't live up to these expectations.<p/>
F05 211 <p_>And finally, the fun element must be constantly emphasized. 
F05 212 Children must enjoy competing in sport to ensure their continued 
F05 213 participation.<p/>
F05 214 
F05 215 <h_><p_>Exercise 26<p/><h/>
F05 216 <p_>Consider the following examples and try to predict how the 
F05 217 parents' values might be reflected in the young athlete's attitude 
F05 218 towards their sport:<p/>
F05 219 
F06   1 <#FLOB:F06\><h_><p_>'A Good Man Is Hard to Find'<p/><h/>
F06   2 <p_>How true this is! However, before we go any further, we had 
F06   3 better say what we mean by 'a good man'. There are several aspects 
F06   4 to the word 'good'. First, it doesn't stand by itself. Whenever we 
F06   5 see the word 'good', a question arises in our minds: 'good' for 
F06   6 whom? Or 'good' for what? If something is good, it must be good 
F06   7 <tf|>for some person or some purpose. It follows that, from your 
F06   8 point of view, a 'good' man is a man who is 'good for me'; not one 
F06   9 who your mother, or father or girlfriend thinks is good for you, 
F06  10 but one who you decide is good for <tf|>you - someone you feel you 
F06  11 can trust; someone you feel comfortable with; someone who shares 
F06  12 your deepest values; someone who treats you the way you want to be 
F06  13 treated. Later on in this book we'll offer you some suggestions 
F06  14 about the qualities of mind and character you might like to 
F06  15 consider if you are looking for a long-term relationship with a 
F06  16 member of the opposite sex. Not that you have to have a 
F06  17 relationship with a man! Some women prefer their own company; 
F06  18 they're quite happy to live without a man in their lives. Or you 
F06  19 might love domestic animals and want nothing more than to spend 
F06  20 your life looking after them. Others again may prefer the company 
F06  21 of other women and may enjoy, and intend to maintain, an ongoing 
F06  22 intimate relationship with some similarly inclined partner of the 
F06  23 same sex. If that is your particular cup of tea, fine. It is not 
F06  24 part of our brief to try to change your preferences. It seems, 
F06  25 however, that the majority of women prefer to have a man in their 
F06  26 lives, and while we obviously write with their interests in mind, 
F06  27 this by no means excludes those of you who hold different ideas. 
F06  28 Almost anybody can experience emotional difficulties in their 
F06  29 personal relationships, regardless of their sexual orientation or 
F06  30 lifestyle. Whether or not you have a man in your life and whether 
F06  31 or not you want one, you may find that what we have to say in this 
F06  32 book can help you, perhaps in unexpected ways, to get on better 
F06  33 with those people or partners you do choose to live with on an 
F06  34 intimate basis.<p/>
F06  35 <p_>Now, let's return to this question of what is 'a good man'. If 
F06  36 you return to Chapter 1 and reread what we said about rating 
F06  37 yourself, you will see that our remarks about giving oneself a 
F06  38 global rating are relevant to what we are discussing here. While 
F06  39 you may legitimately rate your acts as good or bad, you cannot 
F06  40 logically rate your entire self as good or bad; indeed, you cannot 
F06  41 measure it in any way. In other words, when you act well, that 
F06  42 doesn't make you a good person, because a 'good person' is someone 
F06  43 who is wholly good and cannot be anything else but good. Similarly, 
F06  44 if you rate yourself as a bad person on the basis of having 
F06  45 committed misdeeds, or having acted badly or unethically, you are 
F06  46 making the same mistake: evaluating your entire self or being on 
F06  47 the basis of your actions. The point is, very simply, that <tf|>you 
F06  48 are not the same thing as <tf_>your traits or behaviour<tf/>. Can 
F06  49 you see now that describing someone as a good person, or as a bad 
F06  50 person, really amounts to giving that person a global rating?<p/>
F06  51 <p_>Which brings us back to what we pointed out at the beginning of 
F06  52 this chapter: a good man means 'good for me'. So, what might you be 
F06  53 looking for if you are in the market for a man with whom you could 
F06  54 seriously contemplate having a close, long-term relationship? Let 
F06  55 us now take a look at some important considerations involved in 
F06  56 finding a suitable partner, and also at some of the pitfalls to be 
F06  57 avoided.<p/>
F06  58 <h_><p_>Obstacles to finding a 'good' man<p/><h/>
F06  59 <p_>There are two main categories of obstacle confronting you, at 
F06  60 least potentially. You are unlikely to meet them all although you 
F06  61 could be unlucky and find yourself faced with them at some time or 
F06  62 other.<p/>
F06  63 <h_><p_>Category 1: Social or societal obstacles<p/><h/>
F06  64 <p_>The first category consists of obstacles created by the 
F06  65 particular society you were born and reared in. These comprise:<p/>
F06  66 <h_><p_>Geographical obstacles<p/><h/>
F06  67 <p_>If you live in a small village remote from larger centres of 
F06  68 population, and your mobility is restricted, you may find that the 
F06  69 number of potential partners for you is too limited, thus placing 
F06  70 too tight a restriction on your choice.<p/>
F06  71 <h_><p_>Social obstacles<p/><h/>
F06  72 <p_>Every society has its rules and customs governing what you 
F06  73 should and shouldn't do. Not all of them are necessarily enforced 
F06  74 by law, but even those that are not legally binding still exercise 
F06  75 a considerable influence upon individuals to 'toe the line' as far 
F06  76 as conduct with the opposite sex is concerned. You may think that 
F06  77 some of these social mores are outdated, a legacy perhaps of the 
F06  78 male-dominated past when women had far less freedom and equality of 
F06  79 opportunity than they have today, but they can still prove irksome, 
F06  80 even in today's partially improved climate, to modern, 
F06  81 independent-minded women who know what they want and have scant 
F06  82 regard for the cobwebbed rules of behaviour their mothers and 
F06  83 grandmothers lived by and took for granted.<p/>
F06  84 <h_><p_>Cultural obstacles<p/><h/>
F06  85 <p_>You may find yourself faced with restrictions imposed by your 
F06  86 culture. One of these is 'you mustn't marry outside the faith'. 
F06  87 This restriction is not necessarily a foolish one. You might easily 
F06  88 be attracted to someone with a different religion or with no 
F06  89 religion at all, but a clash of values is then possible, especially 
F06  90 if you marry and decide to bring up children. Having said that, we 
F06  91 are aware that happy marriages have taken place between individuals 
F06  92 of different faiths or religious backgrounds. In general, however, 
F06  93 we would not recommend forming an intimate partnership with someone 
F06  94 with <tf|>fundamentally different religious convictions to your 
F06  95 own, <tf|>if you both take your religion seriously. Having a common 
F06  96 religion doesn't necessarily lead to a harmonious relationship, of 
F06  97 course, but two different religions with conflicting values have 
F06  98 plenty of potential for causing problems in any relationship.<p/>
F06  99 <h_><p_>Category 2: Emotional problems<p/><h/>
F06 100 <p_>Unlike the first category of obstacles, many of which were in 
F06 101 existence before you were born and are relatively resistant to 
F06 102 change, the obstacles in this category are mainly the self-created 
F06 103 emotional disturbances we met in Chapter 1. In the next section we 
F06 104 will take a closer look at one of them - anxiety.<p/>
F06 105 <h|>Anxiety
F06 106 <p_>As we discussed in Chapter 1, anxiety is really 
F06 107 <tf|>over-concern about some possible future happening or outcome. 
F06 108 How does anxiety prevent you from going after what you want or make 
F06 109 you less effective in achieving your goal than you would be without 
F06 110 the anxiety? It can manifest itself in one of two ways, which will 
F06 111 cause you either to try too hard or not to try at all.<p/>
F06 112 <p_>There is a world of difference between <tf|>preferring a man in 
F06 113 your life and <tf|>needing one. Some women are unsuccessful in 
F06 114 finding the kind of man they want because they try too hard. Here 
F06 115 is why desperately looking for a man won't help you find a suitable 
F06 116 one.<p/>
F06 117 <p_>As soon as you convince yourself that you absolutely <tf|>must 
F06 118 have something - such as the love or esteem of some man you've met, 
F06 119 and that you couldn't possibly be happy without him, you will tend 
F06 120 to do all the wrong things to achieve your objective. Why? Because 
F06 121 you will feel so anxious, so over-concerned about the possibility 
F06 122 of <tf|>not getting what you so desperately think you <tf|>must 
F06 123 have, that you will tend to act in foolish and exaggerated ways 
F06 124 instead of calmly using whatever social skills and natural charm 
F06 125 you may have to attract the attention of the individual whose 
F06 126 attributes you admire so much. You will be so anxious about making 
F06 127 a good impression upon this individual that your spontaneity and 
F06 128 ease of manner with him will be inhibited by your fear of saying 
F06 129 the wrong thing or giving him the impression that you are not too 
F06 130 bright, or even appearing a little naive. You saw in Chapter 1 how 
F06 131 Susan's anxiety over losing her fianc<*_>e-acute<*/>e to another 
F06 132 woman led her into an emotional turmoil which not only caused her 
F06 133 pain and unhappiness, but nearly precipitated the break-up or her 
F06 134 engagement.<p/>
F06 135 <p_>But anxiety can also cause you not to take any action at all to 
F06 136 win the esteem or interest of some man who really appeals to you. 
F06 137 This may happen if you have already lost out with some man you very 
F06 138 much wanted to get close to because of some mistakes you made in 
F06 139 the early stages of your relationship. The thought that you might 
F06 140 fail again with this new man, and how awful that would be, freezes 
F06 141 you into immobility. <quote_>"How awful it would be if I screwed up 
F06 142 this chance! I couldn't go through that period of misery 
F06 143 again."<quote/> This is what you tell yourself, and rather than 
F06 144 risk yet another failure, you do nothing, and let the chance of 
F06 145 winning this man pass you by. Perhaps you eventually settle for 
F06 146 some ordinary fellow who doesn't exactly inspire you but whom you 
F06 147 know you can easily attract, telling yourself that half a loaf is 
F06 148 better than no bread. That may be true in some areas of life, but 
F06 149 sadly, it doesn't apply in the game of love. <quote_>"Alright, it 
F06 150 would be very nice if I could meet some attractive guy and feel at 
F06 151 ease while we got to know each other, but how do I avoid feeling a 
F06 152 bit anxious when I meet some really outstanding man?"<quote/> you 
F06 153 might ask. Well, for a start, you need to become aware of how 
F06 154 anxiety is created.<p/>
F06 155 <h_><p_>How we talk ourselves into feeling anxious<p/><h/>
F06 156 <p_>If you really decide to go for what you really want in an 
F06 157 intimate long<?_>-<?/>term relationship with a man, how can you 
F06 158 overcome your anxiety, or, better still, not feel anxious at all? 
F06 159 The answer is to tackle your underlying insecurity. You will find 
F06 160 it helpful to use the A-B-C model of emotional disturbance which we 
F06 161 described in Chapter 1. This provides you with a framework with 
F06 162 which you can visualize how your anxiety (or any other disturbing 
F06 163 emotion) is created and what you can do to eliminate it. Before we 
F06 164 go into detail, let's set the scene by looking at a typical problem 
F06 165 experienced by some women.<p/>
F06 166 <p_>Linda, an attractive 30-year-old advertising executive, met 
F06 167 Geoff at a party. Of all the men present at that party, Geoff was 
F06 168 the one who attracted her the most. He was good-looking, charming, 
F06 169 amusing and considerate. She and Geoff got on together just great. 
F06 170 Linda was over the moon when, as the party drew to a close, Geoff 
F06 171 asked her for a date one evening the following week. For several 
F06 172 days before the date of their meeting, Linda was looking forward to 
F06 173 the event with eager anticipation. Perhaps he would turn out to be 
F06 174 the man she had been looking for over the past few years but had 
F06 175 yet to find! True, Linda had had a few boyfriends and had high 
F06 176 hopes of at least two of them resulting in the kind of close, 
F06 177 loving, long-term relationship she really wanted, but somehow it 
F06 178 didn't happen. After a short spell of dating, Linda's hopes would 
F06 179 be dashed as the men lost interest and drifted away. And to make 
F06 180 matters worse, Linda's mother was dropping remarks more often to 
F06 181 the effect that it was time her daughter was thinking of settling 
F06 182 down like so many other of Linda's friends had done by the time 
F06 183 they had reached Linda's age. <quote_>"It was all too 
F06 184 much!"<quote/> thought Linda. <quote_>"Here I am trying my hardest 
F06 185 to find the right guy, while my mother carries on abut how I'm 
F06 186 wasting the best years of my life just playing around! Well, this 
F06 187 time I'll show her!"<p/>
F06 188 <p_>As the big day drew near, Linda's feelings of eager 
F06 189 anticipation changed to feelings of increasing anxiety.
F06 190 
F06 191 
F07   1 <#FLOB:F07\><h_><p_>1<p/>
F07   2 <p_>Difficulties in Relationships<p/><h/>
F07   3 <p_>Any relationship will at some stage go through a rough patch. 
F07   4 This is part and parcel of being close to another person. Provided 
F07   5 the foundation is solid and there is good communication between the 
F07   6 partners, difficulties can usually be resolved, and as a 
F07   7 consequence, the relationship grows stronger and closer.<p/>
F07   8 <p_>In the following chapters you will find descriptions of some of 
F07   9 the most common difficulties that can occur in relationships and 
F07  10 which can (but don't have to) lead to a rift that is severe enough 
F07  11 to bring about a split-up.<p/>
F07  12 <p_>As you are reading through the various examples, you may find 
F07  13 parallels to problems you are experiencing or have experienced in 
F07  14 your own relationship with your partner. Please remember that you 
F07  15 will still have to decide for yourself what you want to do about 
F07  16 these problems. If you feel the relationship is worth saving, then 
F07  17 the following chapters will help you become more aware of the 
F07  18 different facets of the problem, and this in turn will enable you 
F07  19 to tackle them more constructively. If, however, you feel the 
F07  20 relationship is past repair, you will have to make a move to 
F07  21 disengage yourself from your partner.<p/>
F07  22 <h|>Incompatibility
F07  23 <p_>Opposites attract - or do they? There are various reasons why 
F07  24 people with opposing personalities and conflicting views will get 
F07  25 together, and the following are some examples for each case to 
F07  26 illustrate the point.<p/>
F07  27 <p_><h_><tf_>'I adore you'<tf/><h/><p/>
F07  28 <p_>Peter had fallen in love with Sharon - madly in love. She 
F07  29 seemed the most wonderful creature in the world to him. He told all 
F07  30 his friends about her and finally plucked up enough courage to ask 
F07  31 her out. He was overjoyed when she accepted. They started going out 
F07  32 and Peter was in seventh heaven; he finally had the woman of his 
F07  33 dreams! She did not seem to have a lot of time for him and could 
F07  34 only see him once a week, but Peter didn't mind. She also made 
F07  35 derogatory remarks about his friends and Peter himself, but he took 
F07  36 this as being her particular sense of humour; surely she didn't 
F07  37 mean it. He began to think seriously about marriage, and even when 
F07  38 friends told him that they had seen Sharon with another man, Peter 
F07  39 ignored the warnings. He decided it would be an insult to Sharon to 
F07  40 even ask her to comment on these rumours. To Peter, it was 
F07  41 impossible to contemplate that Sharon could have any faults or 
F07  42 shortcomings.<p/>
F07  43 <p_>Two months later she left him for another man. Peter was 
F07  44 heartbroken and unable to understand why she had broken off their 
F07  45 relationship all of a sudden ...<p/>
F07  46 <p_>Peter's case may be an extreme example, but it is by no means 
F07  47 an uncommon one. For some people, being in love has the disturbing 
F07  48 side-effect of anaesthetizing the rational mind to an extent where 
F07  49 the person floats through life on autopilot, hypnotized by the 
F07  50 object of their desire. They do not really see the other person, 
F07  51 they only see what they want to see; they are in love with a 
F07  52 figment of their imagination. They will neither see nor admit that 
F07  53 their love is one-sided because they automatically ignore any 
F07  54 signals that do not fit into their concept of adoration. Even when 
F07  55 incompatibilities are pointed out to them, they will sweep them 
F07  56 under the carpet or reinterpret them into an acceptable version, 
F07  57 finding all sorts of excuses to explain unpleasant behaviour with 
F07  58 which their partner confronts them. This is a bit like doing a 
F07  59 jigsaw puzzle and cutting the pieces with a pair of scissors to 
F07  60 make them fit - you will never get the true picture.<p/>
F07  61 <p_><h_><tf_>'Marriage will change everything'<tf/><h/><p/>
F07  62 <p_>You may be quite aware of some major differences between you 
F07  63 and your partner but still think that you can bring about a change 
F07  64 through the power of your feelings for the other person. This is an 
F07  65 idea that often precedes the wish to get married. Even though there 
F07  66 are things between you that don't work out you think that by 
F07  67 getting married you will feel better, your love will get stronger 
F07  68 and therefore your partner will change or you will be able to adapt 
F07  69 better to the things you could not cope with in the past. Let me 
F07  70 give you an example.<p/>
F07  71 <p_>Veronica had been married to John for two years and she was 
F07  72 beginning to be very unhappy with certain aspects of their 
F07  73 relationship. John's job involved a great deal of socializing in 
F07  74 the evenings, and Veronica was asked to come along to most of the 
F07  75 events, which she did. Veronica found it easy to talk to other 
F07  76 people and enjoyed going to these functions; the only thing that 
F07  77 marred her pleasure was the way John behaved when in company. 
F07  78 Usually he was a friendly and retiring man, but as soon as they 
F07  79 were at a party or an official function, he became noisy and always 
F07  80 tried to be the centre of attention, oblivious of the fact that he 
F07  81 often interrupted others or intruded on private conversations. He 
F07  82 appeared self-opinionated and always had to have the last word.<p/>
F07  83 <p_>This was, however, not a new thing. John had been like that 
F07  84 ever since Veronica had known him, and it had always bothered her. 
F07  85 She had attempted to point it out to John, without success. He 
F07  86 dismissed the issue, insisting that Veronica was overreacting and 
F07  87 that he certainly had not had any complaints from anyone else. 
F07  88 There had been frequent rows about this issue before their 
F07  89 marriage, but Veronica had been hoping that their new status as 
F07  90 husband and wife would alleviate tensions and either make John a 
F07  91 calmer and more considerate person or give her the poise she needed 
F07  92 to put up with his behaviour in a more gracious manner.<p/>
F07  93 <p_>None of this happened. John continued to be noisy at social 
F07  94 gatherings and Veronica grew more and more disgruntled. She felt 
F07  95 embarrassed whenever she had to go out with her husband and started 
F07  96 avoiding it. In the end, this rift proved to be irreparable.<p/>
F07  97 <p_>Why is it we think that marriage will work a sudden miracle on 
F07  98 our shortcomings? We still seem to hold this curious image of 
F07  99 marriage as a magical cure-all, the answer to all our interpersonal 
F07 100 problems, when really this is quite an unrealistic view when we 
F07 101 look at it in a detached manner.<p/>
F07 102 <p_>Marriage puts stress on a relationship because it is a 
F07 103 commitment, and if you are serious about your marriage vows, it is 
F07 104 a commitment for life. Even though outwardly nothing may change 
F07 105 (you may have lived together before anyway), saying 'I will' 
F07 106 changes things emotionally for you. Who can honestly say that they 
F07 107 were entirely untroubled by thoughts like, <quote_>'What if this is 
F07 108 all a big mistake'?<quote/> during the time leading up to the 
F07 109 wedding?<p/>
F07 110 <p_>Emotional stress can be caused by negative events but also by 
F07 111 positive ones, and whatever category you will want to put 
F07 112 'marriage' under, the fact remains that it puts you under pressure. 
F07 113 Everything that was a problem before marriage is therefore likely 
F07 114 to become a <tf_>more serious<tf/> problem after marriage because 
F07 115 when you are under emotional stress you find it more difficult to 
F07 116 cope with problems. If things are seriously wrong during the 
F07 117 courting period while both partners are still on their best 
F07 118 behaviour, it is highly unlikely that the problems will vanish 
F07 119 after marriage.<p/>
F07 120 <p_><h_><tf_>'I need you'<tf/><h/><p/>
F07 121 <p_>Opposite personalities will also be attracted to each other 
F07 122 when the partners complement one another in their weaknesses. You 
F07 123 can, for example, have a constellation where one person is timid 
F07 124 and helpless and the other person has a tendency to tell others 
F07 125 what to do. When two personalities like that get together, they 
F07 126 often form a strong initial attachment because each of them gets 
F07 127 what they need: the timid person gets relief from anxiety because 
F07 128 they finally have someone who makes all their decisions for them, 
F07 129 and the domineering person can dominate and feel needed.<p/>
F07 130 <p_>Another combination of opposing personalities is the lazy 
F07 131 person and the workaholic, where the workaholic cannot stop busying 
F07 132 themselves with all sorts of chores and tasks, feeling needed and 
F07 133 important in the process, and the lazy person pursuing their 
F07 134 favourite pastime, namely doing nothing.<p/>
F07 135 <p_>On first sight, these 'odd' couples seem to be ideally matched, 
F07 136 but as time goes by, circumstances change and people change, and 
F07 137 one of the partners may overcome their weakness and outgrow their 
F07 138 partner, and all of a sudden, the other person is no longer 
F07 139 needed.<p/>
F07 140 <p_>Sonja had never been very happy at home. Her father was strict, 
F07 141 her mother overprotective. Sonja had been longing to leave home for 
F07 142 a long time, and the great day finally came after a year at 
F07 143 university. She managed to convince her parents that commuting to 
F07 144 and from university took up too much time, and her parents finally 
F07 145 agreed to let her rent a bedsit near the campus.<p/>
F07 146 <p_>Sonja finally had what she wanted, but after the first euphoria 
F07 147 had worn off she began to realize that she was now faced with 
F07 148 another difficulty: she did not know how to live in the outside 
F07 149 world. She had never learned how to handle money, how to make 
F07 150 decisions for herself and how to deal with being by herself. She 
F07 151 was frightened and getting more and more nervous which made her 
F07 152 even less capable of dealing with all the new challenges that came 
F07 153 her way, until, much to her relief, David appeared on the scene. He 
F07 154 was kind and understanding and told her not to worry, he was going 
F07 155 to look after her. He took troublesome decisions off her hands, 
F07 156 redecorated her little bedsit for her and filled her evenings.<p/>
F07 157 <p_>Sonja was blissfully happy; everything seemed to be going her 
F07 158 way, and the relationship became a steady one. She finally moved in 
F07 159 with David. With his help, she became more competent and gradually 
F07 160 lost her fear of problematic situations. As she grew more 
F07 161 confident, she needed David less and less. She had started 
F07 162 developing away from David, and he could not adapt to the new 
F07 163 status quo. He still wanted to tell her how to do things, but now 
F07 164 Sonja did not want to follow his advice any more. She felt she had 
F07 165 become a person in her own right and wanted to make her own 
F07 166 decisions. After three years, the relationship broke off.<p/>
F07 167 <p_><h_><tf_>'Look at me - I'm interesting'<tf/><h/><p/>
F07 168 <p_>This is something that happens often at the beginning of a 
F07 169 relationship where one or both of the partners transform into 
F07 170 miracles of wit, sagacity and eloquence. They confess to loving the 
F07 171 theatre, opera, ballet, cinema, art galleries and so on; in other 
F07 172 words, they are culture vultures <tf_>par excellence<tf/>. They 
F07 173 might even end up taking you to the cinema once or twice, until the 
F07 174 first euphoria has worn off and the true person comes out from 
F07 175 behind the glamour veneer. It's a bit like Superman, only the other 
F07 176 way around: you see him in his blue and red hero outfit <tf|>first 
F07 177 and then he goes into a phonebox and turns around three times, 
F07 178 sparks flying, and you are left with a meek and 
F07 179 un<?_>-<?/>adventurous little man who likes to spend his Sunday 
F07 180 afternoons in front of the television watching cricket.<p/>
F07 181 <p_>This initial display of initiative and vivacity may even be 
F07 182 quite genuine and is not necessarily meant to purposely deceive the 
F07 183 other person. It is simply born out of a feeling of happy 
F07 184 excitement at going into a new and promising relationship. The only 
F07 185 problem with this is that it is only temporary, and if you have 
F07 186 picked your partner because you saw him as being compatible with 
F07 187 you, sharing your love for going out and doing things that do not 
F07 188 involve the television set, then it can be a major disappointment 
F07 189 when you find that your prince has turned into a frog after you 
F07 190 have kissed him a few times. You are then left with the options of 
F07 191 either continuing to make your own entertainment by going out with 
F07 192 friends or going out by yourself, but it is still frustrating if 
F07 193 you would have preferred to go out with your partner.<p/>
F07 194 
F07 195 
F07 196 
F07 197 
F08   1 <#FLOB:F08\><h_><p_>Chartering a vehicle for election success?<p/>
F08   2 <p_>Diana Sutton looks back on this year's Parliamentary session 
F08   3 and assesses the effects which the government's Citizen's Charter 
F08   4 will have on community care. She believes that John Major has 
F08   5 missed an opportunity<p/><h/>
F08   6 <p_>No one could describe this year in Parliament as dull. The 
F08   7 historic resignation of the Prime Minster; the abandoning of a 
F08   8 fundamental pillar of Government policy -the community charge; a 
F08   9 rumoured November election; and a glossy Citizen's Charter have 
F08  10 certainly livened up recent months at Westminster. On the 
F08  11 legislative front, Parliament has seen the Disability Bill, the 
F08  12 Child Support Bill and the Criminal Justice Bill.<p/>
F08  13 <p_>For the disability lobby, the disability living allowance is a 
F08  14 far cry from a <}_><-|>comprehsensive<+|>comprehensive<}/> 
F08  15 disability income scheme, failing to address the fundamental fault 
F08  16 with the system - that people with identical disabilities and costs 
F08  17 receive largely differing benefits depending on age, cause of 
F08  18 disability, sex, race and national insurance contributions.<p/>
F08  19 <p_>One significant victory came from an embarrassing defeat in the 
F08  20 Lords and resulted in a U-turn on the Independent Living Fund, 
F08  21 guaranteeing payments at least for existing claimants. However, 
F08  22 those who become disabled after 1993 will have to take what their 
F08  23 local authority will provide - thus introducing a two tier 
F08  24 system.<p/>
F08  25 <p_>The Child Support Bill makes long overdue reforms in the system 
F08  26 of child maintenance by setting up the Child Support Agency to 
F08  27 pursue absent fathers for maintenance. Public debate has centred on 
F08  28 whether the woman should have to name the father of her child.<p/>
F08  29 <p_>The most significant victory has been the widening of the 
F08  30 exemption from the obligation to co-operate, to include situations 
F08  31 where the woman or her children would fear undue harm or distress 
F08  32 by naming. However, coupled with this has been the introduction of 
F08  33 one of the most punitive sanctions in the benefit system - a 
F08  34 deduction from income support for 18 months (20 per cent in the 
F08  35 first six months, followed by 10 per cent in the last twelve).<p/>
F08  36 <p_>This session has also seen John Major's Citizen's Charter. Its 
F08  37 section on social services is simply a restatement of the 
F08  38 government's community care reforms.<p/>
F08  39 <p_>The performance indicators suggested for the Social Security 
F08  40 Benefits Agency include standard times for callers to be seen. For 
F08  41 hospitals, guaranteed maximum waiting times for in-patient or day 
F08  42 care treatment are suggested. However no indicators are suggested 
F08  43 for community care, nor is there any concrete indication of exactly 
F08  44 how an individual's views will be central in assessment or of 
F08  45 rights to assessment or to services. It is a missed opportunity to 
F08  46 put performance standards for assessment and service delivery in 
F08  47 place and to ensure greater accountability to disabled people.<p/>
F08  48 <p_>Currently, the duty to assess and provide disabled people with 
F08  49 services under Section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled 
F08  50 Persons Act 1970 is supposed to provide a watertight guarantee of 
F08  51 assessment. In practice, many disabled people find themselves put 
F08  52 on a waiting list either for assessment or for services, with some 
F08  53 being told that it will be 18 months before an assessment can be 
F08  54 made or a year before services become available.<p/>
F08  55 <p_>Attempts to enforce the 1970 Act revealed that in some local 
F08  56 authorities services were only provided as resources become 
F08  57 available, for example when another disabled person no longer 
F08  58 needed them. There was no real redress for the citizen, except by 
F08  59 using the Secretary of State's default powers, pointing out that a 
F08  60 local authority was in default of its statutory duties.<p/>
F08  61 <p_>This was done by one organisation on behalf of several disabled 
F08  62 people and two authorities waived their waiting list for telephones 
F08  63 for disabled people almost overnight. Although the new complaints 
F08  64 procedures will hopefully improve this, it must be coupled with 
F08  65 acceptable times for assessment and service delivery.<p/>
F08  66 <p_>Although the Citizen's Charter states that individuals have 
F08  67 rights to advocacy where necessary, this sits uneasily with the 
F08  68 Government's recent decision not to implement sections 1 and 2 of 
F08  69 the Disabled Persons Act 1986.<p/>
F08  70 <p_>Similarly Labour's charter although mentioning the Act merely 
F08  71 commits Labour to discussing it with the local authority 
F08  72 associations, despite the fact that its full implementation is 
F08  73 Labour Party Policy.<p/>
F08  74 <p_>A charter for community care also needs to include performance 
F08  75 indicators to show levels of user control and satisfaction with 
F08  76 services. Labour's charter states that everyone depending on 
F08  77 community care will be covered by a service contract tailored to 
F08  78 meet their particular situation, giving both the users and carers 
F08  79 clearly defined rights as to the quality of help they can rely 
F08  80 on.<p/>
F08  81 <p_>As a statement of principle, this is not dissimilar to the 
F08  82 Government's <quote_>"individual care plan reflecting the 
F08  83 individuals<&|>sic! wishes as far as possible saying what services 
F08  84 will be available"<quote/>.<p/>
F08  85 <p_>However, neither charter shows a commitment to empower 
F08  86 community care users to control service delivery. Nothing, for 
F08  87 instance, is said about whether direct payments could be made to 
F08  88 enable disabled people to buy in their own community care services, 
F08  89 so that they are not dependent on services when and how the local 
F08  90 authority chooses to provide them, a system which could ensure real 
F08  91 user choice.<p/>
F08  92 <p_>Similarly, neither charter deals with the situation where the 
F08  93 carer's and the disabled person's needs and rights are in conflict. 
F08  94 For instance where a carer wants the disabled person to go into 
F08  95 residential care but the disabled person wants to remain in their 
F08  96 own home; or where the carer is no longer able, or does not want to 
F08  97 be, the main provider of care, but the local authority cannot 
F08  98 afford to provide support services.<p/>
F08  99 <p_>It goes without saying that a charter for community care would 
F08 100 need to be fully resourced and policed, the latter function could 
F08 101 be carried out by a committee of service users.<p/>
F08 102 <p_>Until some performance standards are introduced, the Citizen's 
F08 103 Charter philosophy of instant redress will seem an anathema to many 
F08 104 disabled people who are reluctant to criticise the service they get 
F08 105 in case it is withdrawn altogether.<p/>
F08 106 
F08 107 <h_><p_>Compulsory or by consent?<p/>
F08 108 <p_>Controversy over the use of sedatives to control the behaviour 
F08 109 of young people in psychiatric care is gathering pace. Mark Ivory 
F08 110 reports<p/><h/>
F08 111 <p_>Pin-down caused a furore because young people were put in 
F08 112 solitary confinement for long periods in what was described by 
F08 113 Allan Levy, who helped investigate the regime, as a 
F08 114 <quote_>"fundamental abuse of human rights"<quote/>.<p/>
F08 115 <p_>Since then, other young people have alleged similar treatment, 
F08 116 mostly in psychiatric rather than local authority care.<p/>
F08 117 <p_>In addition to 'exclusion', or solitary confinement, psychiatry 
F08 118 has an even more powerful method at its disposal - sedation.<p/>
F08 119 <p_>Hill End adolescent psychiatric unit in St Albans, 
F08 120 Hertfordshire, has recently been accused of excessive use of 
F08 121 sedatives, following similar allegations against Langton House, a 
F08 122 mental nursing home for children in Dorset, and St Charles Youth 
F08 123 Treatment Centre in Essex (News, 13, 27 June and 25 July).<p/>
F08 124 <p_>All of these institutions took referrals from local authorities 
F08 125 unable to look after the young people in council care homes because 
F08 126 they were too disturbed or too troublesome. Some were suicidal, 
F08 127 others violent.<p/>
F08 128 <p_>According to Mary Moss, spokeswoman for the National 
F08 129 Association of Young People in Care, the care system has failed 
F08 130 these young people. Psychiatric care has, she says, become the 
F08 131 <quote_>"dumping ground"<quote/> for society's most abused 
F08 132 children.<p/>
F08 133 <p_>She claims that four-fifths of adolescents sent to psychiatric 
F08 134 units would be better off in local authority children's homes, if 
F08 135 only they were properly resourced and supported by trained 
F08 136 staff.<p/>
F08 137 <p_><quote_>"The way sedatives are used in 
F08 138 <}_><-|>pychiatric<+|>psychiatric<}/> units is completely out of 
F08 139 order,"<quote/> Moss says. <quote_>"They literally dose up young 
F08 140 people to keep them under control."<quote/><p/>
F08 141 <p_>Langton House was earmarked for closure soon after 
F08 142 <tf_>Community Care<tf/> revealed the allegations and St Charles 
F08 143 YTC is being shaken up by the DoH, but Moss says the use of 
F08 144 sedatives as a means of restraint remains widespread.<p/>
F08 145 <p_>Elaine Murphy, vice-chairwoman of the Mental Health Act 
F08 146 Commission, believes the use of drugs like Largactil and 
F08 147 Haloperidol - both anti-psychotic drugs with a sedative effect - to 
F08 148 control behaviour in non-psychotic patients is an 
F08 149 <quote_>"extremely dubious"<quote/> practice.<p/>
F08 150 <p_><quote_>"I can't imagine prescribing something of that potency 
F08 151 to control impulsive behaviour,"<quote/> said Murphy, who is a 
F08 152 consultant psychiatrist at Guy's Hospital in London.<p/>
F08 153 <p_>The crucial question arises over how often these drugs are 
F08 154 administered without consent. No consent is needed if the young 
F08 155 person has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act. But many of 
F08 156 those referred by local authorities are in psychiatric care 
F08 157 voluntarily and consent is normally required.<p/>
F08 158 <p_>There are two principal exceptions to this rule: when the life 
F08 159 of the patient or a member of staff is in danger and when the 
F08 160 patient is deemed mentally incompetent to give consent. Concern is 
F08 161 growing that some consultant psychiatrists may be using these 
F08 162 escape clauses too readily.<p/>
F08 163 <p_>Bill McIntyre, priority services manager in charge of Hill End, 
F08 164 says there are strict procedures for the use of sedation and 
F08 165 exclusion. <quote_>"The unit makes it very clear to the parents and 
F08 166 the referring local authority that exclusion or sedation can be 
F08 167 used if that's the only way the situation can be managed,"<quote/> 
F08 168 McIntyre says. <quote_>"Sedation is used for behaviour control if 
F08 169 it's required as a last resort."<quote/><p/>
F08 170 <p_>McIntyre, who describes Hill End as a <quote_>"breath of fresh 
F08 171 air"<quote/> in psychiatric care, says the unit seeks verbal 
F08 172 consent for these measures before the young person arrives.<p/>
F08 173 <p_><quote_>"When a child goes crazy and kicks a nurse, doctors 
F08 174 can't ask them permission to give a sedative injection,"<quote/> he 
F08 175 says. However, the alleged over-use of sedatives to control 
F08 176 behaviour, rather than as part of a structured treatment programme, 
F08 177 has led the father of a 15-year-old boy to contemplate legal action 
F08 178 against Hill End and Bedfordshire SSD, the referring authority.<p/>
F08 179 <p_>The boy's allegations, which included prolonged exclusion, are 
F08 180 being investigated by the Health Advisory Service.<p/>
F08 181 <p_>Bedfordshire social services director Tim Hulbert is concerned 
F08 182 about allegations that sedatives are used for restraint. 
F08 183 <quote_>"It might be legitimate in some circumstances but our 
F08 184 anxiety is what safeguards there are,"<quote/> he says.<p/>
F08 185 <p_>Hulbert denied that Hill End had given him full information 
F08 186 about administration of sedatives, saying that he had agreed to 
F08 187 their use for treatment and not restraint.<p/>
F08 188 <p_>Both Hulbert and Murphy say there should be a clearer framework 
F08 189 of regulations and inspection to govern psychiatric units which 
F08 190 look after children.<p/>
F08 191 <p_>There are indications that some establishments, and even the 
F08 192 courts, are giving short shrift to the Mental Health Act code of 
F08 193 practice.<p/>
F08 194 <p_>The code spells out the rules governing consent but the ready 
F08 195 use of escape clauses by some psychiatric units appeared to win 
F08 196 support from a decision last month by the Court of Appeal.<p/>
F08 197 <p_>Subject to dramatic mood swings, a 15-year-old girl in an 
F08 198 adolescent unit had refused sedative drugs during one of her lucid 
F08 199 and rational periods.<p/>
F08 200 <p_>Despite the code's unequivocal assertion that an individual's 
F08 201 capacity to give consent can vary over time, the Appeal Court 
F08 202 clearly took a different view.<p/>
F08 203 <p_>It would be dangerous, said Lord Justice Farquharson, for the 
F08 204 court to refuse to authorise medication on the basis that a patient 
F08 205 was lucid on a particular day.<p/>
F08 206 <p_>Mental health charity MIND accused the judges of moving the 
F08 207 goalposts.<p/>
F08 208 <p_>MIND solicitor Adina Halpern said: <quote_>"It now appears that 
F08 209 even though a young person is capable of giving consent, it's still 
F08 210 possible that a court can decide against his or her wishes to order 
F08 211 treatment."<quote/><p/>
F08 212 <p_>As the judges appear to back the view of some psychiatrists, 
F08 213 young people look increasingly beleaguered. Their only hope may be 
F08 214 regulations with sharper teeth than a mere code of practice.<p/>
F08 215 
F08 216 <h_><p_>New family training pack aims to disperse power<p/>
F08 217 <p_>BY CATRIONA MARCHANT<p/><h/>
F08 218 <p_><tf_>New training materials to help social workers follow 
F08 219 Children Act principles of working in partnership with families has 
F08 220 been launched by the Family Rights Group.<tf/><p/>
F08 221 <p_>Jo Tunnard, FRG's director, said the pack, which has been 
F08 222 commissioned by the DoH, was the first of its kind.<p/>
F08 223 <p_>She said the training programme's case studies and 
F08 224 problem-solving tasks would help social workers to recognise the 
F08 225 experience of families.<p/>
F08 226 <p_><quote_>"The knowledge and expertise of families is not the 
F08 227 same as professionals but it is terribly important to complete the 
F08 228 jigsaw of getting the best outcome for the child,"<quote/> she 
F08 229 said.<p/>
F08 230 
F09   1 <#FLOB:F09\><h_><p_>REBECCA GETHIN<p/>
F09   2 <p_>Dartmoor diary<p/>
F09   3 <p_>... but where has all the water <tf|>gone?<p/>
F09   4 <p_>Most of us have been thankful for the rains of the winter now 
F09   5 dying, but some more than others. As the heavens poured down in the 
F09   6 weeks before Christmas, Rebecca Gethin wrote from the smallholding 
F09   7 where she lives on the edge of Dartmoor.<p/><h/>
F09   8 <p_>NOW WE CAN HEAR the River Dart thundering through the valley 
F09   9 more than a mile away. But the bed of our own little stream here is 
F09  10 still dry. It is a mosaic of leaves and rocks which stand out like 
F09  11 old bones. Even now there are people who are unable to have baths 
F09  12 or make use of water in the same way as the rest of us usually do 
F09  13 by simply turning on a tap. We have become so accustomed to the 
F09  14 convenience of tap water that we take it for granted, like 
F09  15 breathing. But people in some rural areas still rely on springs for 
F09  16 their water supply.<p/>
F09  17 <p_>Some streams, of course, never dried up at all and ran, less 
F09  18 torrentially, but still miraculously, throughout the summer of last 
F09  19 year. Many of the older farms or settlements were sited at points 
F09  20 where the slope of the hill changes from concave to convex. Here 
F09  21 the stream's flow is slowed and conserved. Such homes have not lost 
F09  22 water for farm or house. Others were not so lucky.<p/>
F09  23 <p_>The rivers, so sluggish during the summer, seem now to be 
F09  24 flowing with their customary exuberance. Our River Dart is 
F09  25 cheerfully turbulent once more, snaking its way from Dartmoor to 
F09  26 Dartmouth, but it is a very sensitive river: a few days without 
F09  27 rain and its pace noticeably subsides. R. J. Chorley, in his book, 
F09  28 <tf_>Water, Earth and Man<tf/>, points out that <quote_>"the 
F09  29 sustained flow of rivers is truly remarkable, considering that 
F09  30 precipitation is an unusual event in most areas of the earth. 
F09  31 Localisation of precipitation in space or time is striking. Few 
F09  32 storms last more than a few hours, so that even storm days are 
F09  33 mainly rainless. Yet rivers flow throughout the year. The 
F09  34 sustaining source of rivers is effluent ground water ... The amount 
F09  35 of soil water is about 15 times the amount in channel storage 
F09  36 rivers."<quote/><p/>
F09  37 <p_>If a spring is a true, deep, ground-water emission, the water 
F09  38 may go on flowing even in a drought. If it dries up it will take a 
F09  39 long time to return, for the relevant soil layer has to be 
F09  40 resaturated. If the water is from a shallow source, it will dry up 
F09  41 much more quickly, but will return as soon as the rain falls 
F09  42 heavily.<p/>
F09  43 <p_>During the last two summers our spring dried up and it took 
F09  44 several weeks of fairly heavy rainfall for it to be replenished. 
F09  45 The stream runs along the back of the cottages on the edge of the 
F09  46 moor and then tumbles through our garden. It is a useful 
F09  47 watering-place for wild cattle and ponies: the nearest alternative 
F09  48 source of water is a long way away. In summer the mossy banks are 
F09  49 often crowded with bees loading themselves up with water to take 
F09  50 back to their hives. But here we are well into winter and the 
F09  51 spring, usually a continuous, gurgling bubble, still shows no sign 
F09  52 of life. The bed of the stream has been dry since August: the banks 
F09  53 are beginning to smooth out and the vegetation is changing.<p/>
F09  54 <p_>We humans are all right for, after the last drought about ten 
F09  55 years ago, the cottages were provided with mains water. A tank 
F09  56 below ground stores a fairly large amount and then pipes it to an 
F09  57 outside tap at the back of the houses. There has to be considerable 
F09  58 pressure in the system to enable this to happen. When I remember I 
F09  59 fill the kettle from the outside tap. Our children drink from this 
F09  60 tap, often preferring this water to juice or squash. Our goats 
F09  61 clearly prefer it to tap-water! It is absolutely delicious, and is 
F09  62 full of minerals and free of any polluting chemicals, for it is way 
F09  63 beyond the height of cultivable land. Admittedly, the odd small 
F09  64 spider or beetle appears but we are not complaining.<p/>
F09  65 <p_>The spring itself is a magical place of reeds and trees which 
F09  66 also provide shelter in the winter for moorland stock. In the 
F09  67 autumn the sound of flocks of birds feeding on the berries and 
F09  68 seeds by the spring is almost deafening. In old records the source 
F09  69 of the stream is noted, too.<p/>
F09  70 <p_>The National Rivers Authority has been notified of many such 
F09  71 springs and it is keeping records. They may well be useful in times 
F09  72 to come. There must be many others that are not heard about. The 
F09  73 NRA does not wish to speculate on the reasons for keeping these 
F09  74 records or on their implications for the future, but clearly it is 
F09  75 a response to two years of drought. There have never been two 
F09  76 consecutive summers of such dryness and such heat since records 
F09  77 began. Long-term figures show that usually this country's rainfall 
F09  78 is fairly evenly spread through the seasons.<p/>
F09  79 <p_>Our rivers are made up of many different streams and small 
F09  80 tributaries. If some of these are not feeding into the rivers then 
F09  81 the flow of water in the rivers will be less despite times of 
F09  82 rainfall and flood. The ecology of those small streams will be 
F09  83 changing already to cope with the erratic flow.<p/>
F09  84 <p_>We may all need to become more aware of how we use water, to 
F09  85 learn ways of managing and conserving supplies. Water-butts placed 
F09  86 so as to catch the run-off from roofs are a useful way of watering 
F09  87 lawns and gardens, replenishing garden ponds, even washing the car. 
F09  88 Ingenious folk might like to think of ways of providing 
F09  89 drip-irrigation for fruit-trees or for thirsty plants in the 
F09  90 greenhouse. Mulching ornamental plants and vegetables can save 
F09  91 labour as well as crops. Mulch can be anything from compost to 
F09  92 straw (not hay for it contains seeds), from shredded bark to old 
F09  93 newspapers. Mulches conserve moisture and moderate soil 
F09  94 temperatures very effectively and so you can slap on as much as you 
F09  95 like. Remember not to cover the ground when it is already bone-dry 
F09  96 for by then it is already too late! You could also build a garden 
F09  97 pond, fill it with oxygenating plants to keep the water fresher and 
F09  98 let the wildlife take over. Planting trees, even small ones in a 
F09  99 small garden, is also useful, for trees are a sort of biological 
F09 100 storage of water.<p/>
F09 101 <p_>To the bulk of the population our water supplies seem back to 
F09 102 normal: the panic is over. The grass is growing in the meadows and 
F09 103 the weeds are having a field day late in the year. But, a week 
F09 104 before Christmas, Burrator reservoir, on Dartmoor near Princetown, 
F09 105 was holding barely two-thirds of its capacity. So think twice 
F09 106 before you curse that hose-pipe ban that lingers even when the rain 
F09 107 is pouring down and the river is in spate.<p/>
F09 108 
F09 109 <h_><p_>LINDSAY CAMPBELL<p/>
F09 110 <p_>Duncan, the kenner<p/><h/>
F09 111 <p_>DUNCAN IS FAMED in the Highlands for being a man of even fewer 
F09 112 words than most men of few words: if he says <quote|>"Mhm", you 
F09 113 have caught him on a chatty day. But after all, you don't have to 
F09 114 say more than that to a sheep, or to a wise sheepdog who knows the 
F09 115 work as well as his master.<p/>
F09 116 <p_>Duncan is a hill shepherd, which by itself means he belongs to 
F09 117 a remarkable breed. But he is more than that; he is one of the 
F09 118 specially gifted shepherds known as kenners.<p/>
F09 119 <p_>Shepherds all learn to recognise certain individuals in their 
F09 120 flocks; the best sheep and the worst, the bottle-fed pets who stay 
F09 121 friendly all their lives, and the ones with unusual markings. Most 
F09 122 of all, like schoolteachers, they get to know the mischief-makers, 
F09 123 sheep who will stand and swear at them or run in any direction but 
F09 124 the right one.<p/>
F09 125 <p_>Every shepherd remembers sheep like these, but a kenner knows 
F09 126 every sheep in his flock of hundreds, and recognises her through 
F09 127 all the changing seasons of her life. It is a skill that can never 
F09 128 be taught in an agricultural college, and is worth more than any 
F09 129 that are.<p/>
F09 130 <p_>In a farming system where no written records are kept of 
F09 131 individual animals, a kenner will know the mother and have a shrewd 
F09 132 idea of the father of every sheep, so he will have a good 
F09 133 understanding of their potential. He will know who is likely to 
F09 134 have twins and benefit from extra feeding during the winter. He 
F09 135 will know who is liable to have difficulty lambing and need special 
F09 136 attention, and he will know who is proving a poor breeder and not 
F09 137 worth her keep.<p/>
F09 138 <p_>But Duncan is exceptional even among kenners. Sometimes it 
F09 139 seems he knows every Blackface sheep in Scotland. Nobody sells 
F09 140 another man's sheep if Duncan is in the market. Not that this is 
F09 141 often tried deliberately, because even in these corrupt days most 
F09 142 Highland sheep<?_>-<?/>men are scrupulously honest. But sometimes 
F09 143 one is in a hurry to sort out a bunch of fat lambs before the next 
F09 144 downpour, and sometimes the previous night went on a dram too long, 
F09 145 and it's easy to miss the notch in an ear, tucked behind a horn, 
F09 146 that means one plump wedder [wether] is a stray.<p/>
F09 147 <p_>Duncan never misses it though, even from the other side of the 
F09 148 market. The offending shepherd is led over to check his marks, and 
F09 149 dismissed with <quote_>"Hm! Doesn't even look like your 
F09 150 sheep!"<quote/><p/>
F09 151 <p_>The highlight of the shepherds' year is the tup sales in the 
F09 152 autumn, when they go to buy young males for the breeding season. 
F09 153 This is how they hope to improve the quality of their flocks, and 
F09 154 competition is fierce for the best tup lambs. These are big fluffy 
F09 155 balls of white wool - or possibly yellow or orange, as many 
F09 156 breeders favour bathing them in coloured dip for the occasion. 
F09 157 Their black-and-white faces are glossy, their eyes big and shining, 
F09 158 and their elegant curving horns have been smoothed and polished.<p/>
F09 159 <p_>A few years later, when too many of their daughters are running 
F09 160 with the flock, many of them will be back in the market again. By 
F09 161 then, they will be great grizzled, battle-scarred warriors that 
F09 162 look like rocks walking. Their horns are big gnarled spirals and 
F09 163 the roots of them have met in a bony ridge across their brows. 
F09 164 Little blood<?_>-<?/>shot eyes glower out of lumpy, dusty, wrinkled 
F09 165 faces battered by years of hurling themselves at well-armed rivals. 
F09 166 Many will go to the butcher, but the best can still be a good 
F09 167 bargain for a farmer who can use them for another year or so.<p/>
F09 168 <p_>Some years ago a farmer in the area bought two tup lambs with 
F09 169 almost identical markings, but he paid pounds500 for one and only 
F09 170 pounds100 for the other. Four years later, the good tup was back in 
F09 171 the local market.<p/>
F09 172 <p_><quote_>"This is the tup that Mr McDonald bought in Stirling 
F09 173 for pounds500..."<quote/> began the auctioneer, hoping for one of 
F09 174 the better sales of the day.<p/>
F09 175 <p_><quote_>"No, it isnae,"<quote/> said Duncan from the ringside. 
F09 176 The auctioneer was shocked, the seller furious, and the 
F09 177 ring<?_>-<?/>side crowd very, very interested.<p/>
F09 178 <p_><quote_>"It is so! I've the old sale-ticket here in my 
F09 179 pocket,"<quote/> McDonald protested.<p/>
F09 180 <p_><quote_>"Better check the number,"<quote/> Duncan grunted, and 
F09 181 retired from the dispute, exhausted from saying so many words in 
F09 182 one day.<p/>
F09 183 <p_>There was a concerted rush at the bewildered sheep while the 
F09 184 market men deciphered the original sale number burnt into the 
F09 185 cracked and flaking horn.<p/>
F09 186 <p_>It was the pounds100 tup.<p/>
F09 187 <p_>The farmer had got the two tup lambs mixed up on his way home 
F09 188 from Stirling. For years he had been selecting his best ewes to put 
F09 189 to the inferior tup, to improve his flock. Duncan, who had seen it 
F09 190 only once and fleetingly as a lamb, recognised it instantly.<p/>
F09 191 <p_>So far, perhaps, Duncan's achievements could be put down to a 
F09 192 phenomenal visual memory; but I see no way to explain away this 
F09 193 next example of his ability.<p/>
F09 194 
F09 195 
F10   1 <#FLOB:F10\><h_><p_>The Citizen's Charter: improving the quality of 
F10   2 the public services or furthering market values?<p/>
F10   3 <p_>David Farnham<p/>
F10   4 <p_>Portsmouth Polytechnic<p/><h/>
F10   5 <p_>The Government's White Paper, <tf_>The Citizen's Charter<tf/>, 
F10   6 presented to Parliament by the Prime Minister in July, is the first 
F10   7 in a series of governmental initiatives which are aimed, it is 
F10   8 claimed, at making the public services more responsive to the needs 
F10   9 of their users and raising their quality of service overall. 
F10  10 Superficially, the White Paper is a glossy, colourful, user 
F10  11 friendly document, which is strong on presentation and layout, and 
F10  12 contains some sensible and pertinent proposals for producing higher 
F10  13 quality public services. An alternative view is that <tf_>The 
F10  14 Charter<tf/>, which is a complex and detailed document, is a subtle 
F10  15 marketing device, concealing a covert agenda aimed at furthering 
F10  16 market values in the public services. It clearly contains a mixture 
F10  17 of concrete proposals, political assertions and New Right ideology, 
F10  18 in varying proportions. But these raise more questions about the 
F10  19 intentions and implications of the Government's plans for the 
F10  20 public services than they seem to answer.<p/>
F10  21 <p_><tf_>The Charter<tf/> applies to all public services such as 
F10  22 government departments, 'Next Steps' agencies, the nationalized 
F10  23 industries, the National Health Service (NHS), the courts, police 
F10  24 and emergency services and the local authorities, as well as to the 
F10  25 'privatized' public utilities. The purpose of this article is to 
F10  26 summarize the main provisions of <tf_>The Charter<tf/> and provide 
F10  27 an initial assessment of its provisions.<p/>
F10  28 <h_><p_>AIMS, PRINCIPLES AND MEANS<p/><h/>
F10  29 <p_>The stated aims of <tf_>The Charter<tf/> are: to raise the 
F10  30 quality of provision of the public services; to increase 'consumer' 
F10  31 choice for those using them; to increase competition within them; 
F10  32 to raise standards of public service performance; and to give 
F10  33 <quote_>"value for money within a tax bill the nation can 
F10  34 afford"<quote/>. The Government argues that it wants to continue 
F10  35 upholding the central principle that essential public services must 
F10  36 be available to all, irrespective of individual means, adding that 
F10  37 <quote_>"its consistent aim has been to increase choice, extend 
F10  38 competition and thereby improve quality in all services"<quote/>. 
F10  39 With many of Britain's key industries having been privatized during 
F10  40 the 1980s, the Government states that it is determined to drive its 
F10  41 <quote_>"reforms further into the core of the public 
F10  42 services"<quote/>, by <quote_>"extending the benefits of choice, 
F10  43 competition, and commitment to service more widely"<quote/>. As 
F10  44 such, it sees <tf_>The Charter<tf/> <quote_>"at the heart of 
F10  45 government policy in the 1990s"<quote/>.<p/>
F10  46 <p_>Four main themes are stressed in the White Paper: quality, 
F10  47 choice, standards and value. The White Paper puts forward a 
F10  48 detailed programme for improving the quality of the public 
F10  49 services, with choice between competing providers being seen as the 
F10  50 best spur to quality. 'The Citizen', it is asserted, must be told 
F10  51 what public service standards are and be able to take action where 
F10  52 that service is unacceptable. Since the citizen is also a taxpayer, 
F10  53 it is stressed that the public services must give value for 
F10  54 money.<p/>
F10  55 <p_>As consumers of the public services, every citizen is entitled 
F10  56 to expect, it is argued, 'standards', 'openness', 'information', 
F10  57 'choice', 'non<?_>-<?/>discrimination', 'accessibility', and 
F10  58 redress 'if things go wrong'. Standards should be explicit, 
F10  59 published and displayed at points of delivery, with the presumption 
F10  60 that they will be <quote_>"progressively improved as services 
F10  61 become more efficient"<quote/>. There should be no secrecy about 
F10  62 how public services are run, how much they cost, who is in charge, 
F10  63 and whether or not they are meeting their standards. Full and 
F10  64 accurate information, written in plain language, should be 
F10  65 available about what services are being provided. The public 
F10  66 services should provide choice wherever practicable, they should be 
F10  67 available <quote_>"regardless of race or sex"<quote/> and they 
F10  68 should be run <quote_>"to suit the convenience of customers, not 
F10  69 staff"<quote/>. There should be well publicised complaints 
F10  70 procedures and serious problems should be resolved where they 
F10  71 arise.<p/>
F10  72 <p_>The means by which <tf_>The Charter<tf/> it to be implemented 
F10  73 include: more privatization; wider competition; further contracting 
F10  74 out; more performance related pay; local and national published 
F10  75 performance targets; comprehensive publication of information on 
F10  76 standards achieved; more effective complaints procedures; tougher 
F10  77 and more independent inspectorates; and better redress for the 
F10  78 citizen <quote_>"when services go badly wrong"<quote/>. It is the 
F10  79 Government's intention to publish a new standard for the delivery 
F10  80 of quality in the public services. This is to be called the Charter 
F10  81 Standard, with a Chartermark, and will incorporate a number of 
F10  82 principles. These will include: publication of the standards of 
F10  83 service and of performance against those standards; evidence that 
F10  84 the views of those using the public services have been taken into 
F10  85 account in setting standards; clear information about the range of 
F10  86 service provided; courteous and efficient 'customer service'; well 
F10  87 signposted avenues for complaint where 'customers' are unsatisfied; 
F10  88 and independent validation of performance against standards. 
F10  89 <quote_>"Only those who meet the Charter Standard will be able to 
F10  90 use the Chartermark"<quote/>.<p/>
F10  91 <p_>The White Paper states that <tf_>The Charter<tf/> will be 
F10  92 implemented locally and specifically. This is based on the 
F10  93 assumption that services <quote_>"work best where those responsible 
F10  94 for providing them can respond directly to the needs of their 
F10  95 clients"<quote/>. This will be followed up by a programme of action 
F10  96 across all public services and by detailed charters for patients, 
F10  97 parents, passengers, taxpayers and others. The Prime Minister will 
F10  98 also appoint a panel of advisors on the Charter initiative. The 
F10  99 Government <quote_>"will be taking immediate steps to encourage all 
F10 100 public services to adopt Charter principles and to apply them to 
F10 101 their own operations"<quote/>.<p/>
F10 102 <h_><p_>SETTING STANDARDS OF PUBLIC SERVICE<p/><h/>
F10 103 <p_>Separate charters are proposed for different areas of the 
F10 104 public sectors. There will be charters for patients, parents, 
F10 105 tenants and jobseekers. Measures are also to be introduced for 
F10 106 setting standards in transport, the Social Security Benefits 
F10 107 Agency, the Post Office, revenue departments, the police, and 
F10 108 criminal justice and the courts.<p/>
F10 109 <h|>Health
F10 110 <p_>The White Paper claims that <quote_>"the aims of the Citizen's 
F10 111 Charter lie at the heart of the NHS reforms"<quote/>. The 
F10 112 Government states that it <quote_>"will build on the NHS 
F10 113 reforms"<quote/>, by publishing later this year patients charters 
F10 114 in England, Scotland and Wales. These national charters will set 
F10 115 out patients' rights to the following: good quality care; 
F10 116 information about the options available for their care and 
F10 117 treatment; involvement in their care and treatment; choice of GP; a 
F10 118 right to give or withhold consent to medical treatment; freedom to 
F10 119 participate or not in medical research and student training; 
F10 120 respect for privacy, religious and cultural beliefs; consideration 
F10 121 for people visiting patients; ability to comment on treatment 
F10 122 received; access to information held about them; and satisfaction 
F10 123 if these standards are not achieved.<p/>
F10 124 <p_>It is intended that local health authorities will produce 
F10 125 charters specific to their own services. Health authorities, for 
F10 126 example, will set standards for service in their contracts with 
F10 127 hospitals. <quote_>"They will publish targets for how long their 
F10 128 residents will have to wait for admission for treatment"<quote/>. 
F10 129 The Government will also require standards to be set and published 
F10 130 for hospital outpatient appointments. It is intended that the 
F10 131 practice of calling large number<&|>sic! of patients for 
F10 132 appointments at the same time will cease. The NHS Management 
F10 133 Executive will set out the main areas in which local standards of 
F10 134 service will be set, monitored and published so that there is 
F10 135 consistency throughout the Country.<p/>
F10 136 <p_>In primary health care, it is intended to ensure that GPs give 
F10 137 good service to all patients. The Government wants the public to be 
F10 138 given clear information about the precise services offered by each 
F10 139 general practice to help people choose an appropriate GP. The 
F10 140 patients of dentists are to be entitled to clear information 
F10 141 too.<p/>
F10 142 <h|>Education
F10 143 <p_><tf_>The Charter<tf/> will also reinforce the Government's 
F10 144 recent reforms in the schools sector, by carrying them further. It 
F10 145 will provide for: school reports on the progress of all pupils, at 
F10 146 least annually; publication of the results achieved in schools; 
F10 147 comparison of results among schools; independent inspection of 
F10 148 schools; and <quote_>"more information to parents to help them 
F10 149 exercise the choice that the education reforms have given 
F10 150 them"<quote/>. A parents' charter has already been published, 
F10 151 setting out parental rights in schools, the choices they can 
F10 152 exercise and information about schools, the choices they can 
F10 153 exercise and information about school performance. The Audit 
F10 154 Commission will be empowered to publish comparative tables, schools 
F10 155 and colleges will be required to publish their public examination 
F10 156 results in a common format and schools will be required to publish 
F10 157 truancy rates. Comparative information will be required to be 
F10 158 collected and published locally. All parents will receive a school 
F10 159 report on their child's progress, with all reports having to be up 
F10 160 to a minimum standard within 1991-92. The Government will lay a 
F10 161 duty on local education authorities to disseminate and publish 
F10 162 results in a standard format.<p/>
F10 163 <h|>Housing
F10 164 <p_>For tenants, the Charter will mean: an improved tenants' 
F10 165 charter for local authority tenants; opportunities for tenants to 
F10 166 transfer out of local authority control; a stronger tenants' 
F10 167 guarantee for housing association tenants; and the extension of 
F10 168 competitive tendering into housing management. Strengthening 
F10 169 tenants rights will improve the rights of council tenants to the 
F10 170 repair of their homes, ensure that all tenants receive information 
F10 171 about the standards and performance of their local authority in 
F10 172 housing management and encourage tenants to exercise their right to 
F10 173 transfer to a new landlord. The tenants charter will also encourage 
F10 174 local authorities to introduce refurbishment contracts and to 
F10 175 delegate management to tenant bodies.<p/>
F10 176 <p_><tf_>The Charter<tf/> states that <quote_>"housing associations 
F10 177 will be the principal providers of new subsidized housing for the 
F10 178 1990s"<quote/>. As part of this, the Housing Corporation will issue 
F10 179 a stronger tenants' guarantee. It will add three new principles of 
F10 180 accountability. These are: performance information to be produced 
F10 181 and made directly available to tenants; regular consultation to be 
F10 182 provided through satisfaction surveys; and more active involvement 
F10 183 of tenant representative organizations to be promoted.<p/>
F10 184 <h_><p_>The Employment Services<p_><h/>
F10 185 <p_><tf_>The Charter<tf/> will reinforce the Employment Service's 
F10 186 aim of giving the unemployed the personal service they need, with 
F10 187 the Service publishing its own charter for jobseekers later this 
F10 188 year. The proposals include providing details of all services 
F10 189 offered in local offices and establishing national targets for 
F10 190 service delivery. Local targets will include: waiting times; how 
F10 191 quickly telephones are answered; standards for promptness and 
F10 192 accuracy; and information relevant to the local labour market on 
F10 193 performance against targets. Where possible, people coming to 
F10 194 Jobcentres for advisory interviews will see the same person on each 
F10 195 occasion. All full time Jobcentres are to open for a minimum of 36 
F10 196 hours a week. National customer surveys will continue to be 
F10 197 undertaken annually, supplemented by customer surveys at local 
F10 198 level. <quote_>"All offices will have easy to use complaints 
F10 199 arrangements"<quote/>.<p/>
F10 200 <h|>Transport
F10 201 <p_>For transport, <tf_>The Charter<tf/> states that improving the 
F10 202 performance of British Rail (BR) <quote_>"can only be achieved if 
F10 203 the way is opened to innovation, private investment, and 
F10 204 competition"<quote/>. That is <quote_>"why progress towards the 
F10 205 privatisation of the railways is integral to the Citizen's 
F10 206 Charter"<quote/>. The 'passenger's charter' for people using BR 
F10 207 will set out clear commitments and rights. These will include 
F10 208 targets for performance, what to do if things go wrong, and what 
F10 209 compensation is available. BR already contracts out some catering 
F10 210 and cleaning services and intends to extend this to other 
F10 211 activities. Further, with pay increases for some BR staff directly 
F10 212 related to performance, <quote_>"BR is discussing with the unions 
F10 213 further restructuring of packages for drivers, station platform 
F10 214 staff and other key groups"<quote/>.<p/>
F10 215 <p_>In London Underground (LU), the Government will be setting and 
F10 216 publishing tough new quality of service targets. Those using LU 
F10 217 will be able to expect quality of service including cleanliness of 
F10 218 trains, courtesy of staff and the quality passenger information. It 
F10 219 will encourage LU to accelerate its contracting out programme, 
F10 220 <quote_>"to improve quality and value for money"<quote/>, and will 
F10 221 link a larger proportion of Board members' pay to the achievement 
F10 222 of these objectives. The Government wants <quote_>"to see 
F10 223 performance-related pay extended to drivers, guards, signalling 
F10 224 staff and other grades"<quote/>.<p/>
F10 225 <h_><p_> Social Security<p/><h/>
F10 226 <p_>The Social Security Benefits Agency (SSBA), established in 
F10 227 April, will publish its own customer charter. It will incorporate: 
F10 228 published national targets for benefit services; published targets 
F10 229 of each district; a published annual report; clear procedures for 
F10 230 handling customer inquiries and difficulties; a programme to 
F10 231 improve service by telephone; clean office environments; more 
F10 232 flexible opening hours; and customers being dealt with by staff who 
F10 233 can be identified by name.
F10 234 
F11   1 <#FLOB:F11\><h_><p_>MAASTRICHT BLUES<p/>
F11   2 <p_>As the Euro state leader's summit concludes <tf_>CHRIS 
F11   3 MYANT<tf/> looks at the issues surrounding the deliberations<p/><h/>
F11   4 <p_>The European Community faces a particular and peculiar problem: 
F11   5 it is dominated by politics. Its whole future is wrapped up with 
F11   6 the development of this political character, an inescapable fate 
F11   7 which is the direct consequence of the way it was created. But it 
F11   8 is a problem because the general world trend is to depoliticise 
F11   9 social life. This contradiction in the momentum of the European 
F11  10 Community has tripped up the right and left in British politics<p/>
F11  11 <p_>The contest over the issues at the Maastricht summit is just a 
F11  12 foretaste, not a conclusion. At the time of writing, we do not know 
F11  13 the final outlines of the agenda, let alone the results of the 
F11  14 arguments. But we know the context within which it is all being 
F11  15 fought out. And at the heart of it all are the twin issues of 
F11  16 democracy and the social responsibility of government.<p/>
F11  17 <p_>Stripping politics (and consequently whatever structures of 
F11  18 democratic accountability may exist) from social existence is a 
F11  19 deeply retrograde process, one that is in the interest of few 
F11  20 outside the upper echelons of private business power. Coping with 
F11  21 this process is complicated by the way in which key elements of 
F11  22 capital, the economy and society are now operating at a global and 
F11  23 European level. The further development of democracy cannot mean 
F11  24 simply restoring those elements of accountability or involvement 
F11  25 shed by Thatcherism in the 1980s. New structures must be built and 
F11  26 many of them need to operate at a European level.<p/>
F11  27 <p_>But who will provide the popular motive force and vision that 
F11  28 must lie behind any movement to achieve this? The left has so far 
F11  29 been divided or downright ignorant on Europe. Even though a 
F11  30 majority on the left no longer condemns European democratic 
F11  31 developments as a betrayal of the British people, it still needs to 
F11  32 make a meaningful examination of what must be done. Meanwhile the 
F11  33 flip media terminology that characterises the Euro debate does not 
F11  34 help. They talk about 'deepening' or 'widening' the Community: 
F11  35 'pro-' or 'anti' Europe, but this does not get to the heart of the 
F11  36 political problem.<p/>
F11  37 <p_>For what is happening in Europe is very different from that 
F11  38 taking place elsewhere in the world. Attempts to develop 
F11  39 supranational structures have either failed (as in Africa and the 
F11  40 Middle East) and left such a bad taste behind them that a retry is 
F11  41 not likely for a long while. In the case of the two huge 
F11  42 multinational state inheritors of empire, India and the Soviet 
F11  43 Union, disintegration, rather than re-integration on a new basis, 
F11  44 appears to be the rule.<p/>
F11  45 <p_>The contrast with Europe is most stark compared to the tensions 
F11  46 between Mexico, Canada and the US as they move toward their free 
F11  47 market. While European governments are worrying about what to build 
F11  48 across the Atlantic the question is how much to tear down.<p/>
F11  49 <p_>Washington has no intention of allowing Mexico's people 
F11  50 (nearing half the size of the US population, but growing at a much 
F11  51 faster rate) to acquire any potential levers over US policy whether 
F11  52 it might involve measures to significantly redirect wealth south of 
F11  53 the Rio Grande, or over foreign and military policy. Such a 
F11  54 possibility is unimaginable.<p/>
F11  55 <p_>Europe of the EC will be an embarrassing example to such 
F11  56 trading alliances for this is just the direction it is following, 
F11  57 and this is why there is such a struggle over it. And why the right 
F11  58 in Britain seeks to play on the history of popular anti-European 
F11  59 prejudice and left anti-EC attitudes to prevent any serious public 
F11  60 debate around the issues involved.<p/>
F11  61 <p_>And there are plenty of parallels between the situation of the 
F11  62 EC in regard to, say, Turkey and the former colonies in Africa, and 
F11  63 Washington's attitude to Mexico. The EC also recently extended its 
F11  64 customs union to include EFTA states into a European Economic Area. 
F11  65 However everyone understands that for all the EFTA states this is 
F11  66 only a way-station toward full Community membership.<p/>
F11  67 <p_>In addition, the development of Community-wide structures on 
F11  68 the environment or foreign policy does not necessarily mean those 
F11  69 arguing for them accept the need for proper popularly accountable 
F11  70 control. They do, however, entail the further development of new 
F11  71 structures of public authority which must inevitably engender 
F11  72 questions of public accountability and democracy. Part of this 
F11  73 contradiction shows in the British government's continuing attitude 
F11  74 of opposition to the development of EC structures on anything that 
F11  75 smacks of more politics or more social provision in contrast to its 
F11  76 eagerness for any of the apolitical measures of deregulation 
F11  77 involved in the post-1992 single market.<p/>
F11  78 <p_>As this new Community is being built from nation states, 
F11  79 support continues in most EC capitals for the further elaboration 
F11  80 of this Community structure. It may be that Germany, the most 
F11  81 sensitive European society to the lessons of World War 2, does not 
F11  82 want to see wage costs in its industrial base undercut; it may be 
F11  83 that Ireland, Portugal and Greece are determined to see a 
F11  84 redistribution of EC wealth in their direction; or that others see 
F11  85 the urgency of an EC-wide coordination of transport.<p/>
F11  86 <p_>The reason is less important than the result. For it is this 
F11  87 which impels further development along the path chosen by the 
F11  88 founders of the EC. It leads not just to a trading bloc but to a 
F11  89 new community, not to the end of control over the economy and 
F11  90 society by existing political structures, but to their merging, 
F11  91 reformulation, and even replacement.<p/>
F11  92 <p_>There are some jokers in this pack and growing racism is one. 
F11  93 It may erect some massive barriers in the way of democratic, 
F11  94 unifying political action. The grip the Common Agricultural Policy 
F11  95 has is another. It promises to mire whole populations in the trap 
F11  96 of backward farming policies, draining ever larger sums from 
F11  97 Brussels' public purse. Another joker will be the growing number of 
F11  98 member states. This will butt up against the burden of complexity 
F11  99 caused by so many official languages and different social 
F11 100 structures unless there is a radical shift in the methods of 
F11 101 exercising and distributing EC power.<p/>
F11 102 <p_>For such a shift there are essentially three choices. Europe 
F11 103 could try to reverse its post-1945 history and follow the road 
F11 104 Washington is mapping out for North America, which is 
F11 105 <}_><-|>prefered<+|>preferred<}/> choice<&|>sic! of the present 
F11 106 Tory leadership. Because of the especial needs of merging the 
F11 107 economies of these highly developed societies, and because of the 
F11 108 initial political impulsion given to the Community in the cold war 
F11 109 context of the Treaty of Rome, it is a choice only the most 
F11 110 committed Thatcherites are prepared to entertain.<p/>
F11 111 <p_>For the Community's other 11 governments this means being 
F11 112 prepared to muddle their way through keeping some politics, but 
F11 113 keeping them to a minimum. New EC power structures are going to 
F11 114 develop whatever London does. There will be a public structure of 
F11 115 decision taking supervising the evolution of a new European society 
F11 116 out of the existing national structures.<p/>
F11 117 <p_>And this raises the third choice, the spectre that is haunting 
F11 118 the Thatcherite vision of the European future. For the left it is 
F11 119 the crucial question. Can there be a decisive leap into democracy, 
F11 120 finding open accountable, political structures at EC, national, 
F11 121 regional and local levels; or appropriate to different EC-wide 
F11 122 sectors such as transport, energy, and the environment? Have we the 
F11 123 political capacity to elaborate structures which avoid complexity 
F11 124 and achieve efficiency but are also genuinely democratic?<p/>
F11 125 <p_>Given who is attending, Maastricht will once again, thankfully, 
F11 126 register plenty of opposition to the first choice, but it will 
F11 127 prefer to perpetuate the present muddle rather than take the 
F11 128 third.<p/>
F11 129 <p_>The EC will continue to grow and it will continue to deepen. 
F11 130 And the tension will continue to increase between the reality of a 
F11 131 growing Community and the way this politicises every action it 
F11 132 takes on the one hand, and the lack of democracy on the other. If 
F11 133 the British left finally sheds all its anti-European and anti-EC 
F11 134 prejudices this tension could offer a fruitful source of ideas, 
F11 135 allies and mobilisation. Judging by the very limited ideas for 
F11 136 democratising Europe offered this autumn by Labour and other we 
F11 137 still have an awful long way to go.<p/>
F11 138 
F11 139 <h_><p_>TRADES UNIONS AND THE EUROPEAN CHALLENGE<p/>
F11 140 <p_>After Maastricht <tf_>Cyril Claydon<tf/> takes a long look at 
F11 141 the issues involved in European legislation for working 
F11 142 people.<p/><h/>
F11 143 <p_>By the end of 1992 the 12 countries of the European Community 
F11 144 are due to become a single economic unit. Nearly all artificial 
F11 145 barriers to the 'free movement' of capital, labour, goods and 
F11 146 services between the 12 will have been abolished, although passport 
F11 147 controls on individuals may take longer to go.<p/>
F11 148 <p_>A major reason for the Single European Act which initiated the 
F11 149 legal process of economic unification and which was agreed by the 
F11 150 12 governments in 1986 was to enable European industry to compete 
F11 151 successfully with the two most powerful economies, the United 
F11 152 States and Japan. With larger markets, greater economies of scale, 
F11 153 tougher competition and bigger incentives to innovate and 
F11 154 modernise, it is hoped to stimulate economic growth, and reduce 
F11 155 production costs and prices.<p/>
F11 156 <p_>The Cecchini report 'The Economics of 1992', named after the 
F11 157 chair of an EC working party, claims that the single market may 
F11 158 result in about six years in a 7% growth in community output, a 45% 
F11 159 cut in prices and the creation of 5 million jobs, cutting 
F11 160 unemployment in the community by about one third. But the report 
F11 161 admits that in the first two years there is likely to be an 
F11 162 increase in unemployment, which means 525,000 job losses in the 
F11 163 first year.<p/>
F11 164 <p_>But there are big problems connected with the Europeanisation 
F11 165 of industry a process which started before 1986 but is being 
F11 166 speeded up by the implementation of the Single European Act. The 
F11 167 massive restructuring of industry required to meet the needs of the 
F11 168 larger, more competitive market is likely to result in many 
F11 169 closures and job losses. For example, in reference to the 
F11 170 pharmaceutical industry, the Cecchini report says the effect will 
F11 171 be <quote_>"to make the strong stronger and the weak 
F11 172 weaker."<quote/> It speaks of the <quote_>"elimination of marginal 
F11 173 companies."<quote/><p/>
F11 174 <p_>Will 'making the strong stronger, and weak weaker' apply to 
F11 175 many other sectors of industry? It remains to be seen. The giant 
F11 176 firms, already with well-established branches in several countries, 
F11 177 with the biggest capacity for new investment and Euro-wide 
F11 178 marketing and the ability to benefit from economies of scale are 
F11 179 well placed to gain from the single market. Yet of the top 25 
F11 180 manufacturing companies operating in Europe only two are British; 
F11 181 and one, Unilever, part-British. Many smaller and less efficient 
F11 182 firms may go to the wall. Sir John Harvey-Jones, former chair of 
F11 183 ICI, forecast that within 10 years half of Europe's factories would 
F11 184 close and half its companies would disappear or be taken over.<p/>
F11 185 <p_>On the other hand, the EC's competition and 
F11 186 anti<?_>-<?/>monopoly policy may be used to prevent mergers and 
F11 187 takeovers, and to diminish the concentration of economic power in 
F11 188 the hands of giant firms like Philips and GCE, which have done very 
F11 189 well on government contracts. Public awareness of the problem and 
F11 190 pressure on EC institutions may have some effect on the way the 
F11 191 anti-monopoly policy is used.<p/>
F11 192 <p_>The TUC warns that there will be a tendency for industrial 
F11 193 development to be concentrated in the central area, around major 
F11 194 continental cities, while peripheral areas such as Northern 
F11 195 England, Scotland and Southern Italy will lose out. But alongside 
F11 196 this, labour-intensive industries not requiring high technology 
F11 197 could move to cheap labour areas such as Portugal and Spain. Both 
F11 198 these tendencies would be bad for Britain.<p/>
F11 199 <p_>Taking a wider view, the concentration on economic growth, 
F11 200 unless carefully controlled and accompanied by a responsible 
F11 201 attitude to world problems, can only heighten economic rivalry, add 
F11 202 to the pollution of the planet and worsen the disparity between the 
F11 203 advanced countries and the Third World.<p/>
F11 204 <p_>It is widely recognised in the European community, though not 
F11 205 by the British Government that the single market on its own, 
F11 206 unaccompanied by social measures, will benefit capital much more 
F11 207 than working people, who may suffer unemployment and insecurity, 
F11 208 and that the effect of the single market may well increase 
F11 209 inequality between countries and regions.
F11 210 
F12   1 <#FLOB:F12\><h_><p_>Supermarkets Squeeze the Long-Suffering 
F12   2 Shopper!<p/>
F12   3 <p_>by Steve Brady<p/><h/>
F12   4 <p_><tf_>FEWER AND FEWER, bigger and bigger supermarket chains are 
F12   5 squeezing more and more out of the British shopper. While the giant 
F12   6 store combines are among the most profitable in the World, British 
F12   7 shoppers pay up to twice as much for basic necessities as their 
F12   8 counterparts in other Western countries.<tf/><p/>
F12   9 <p_><tf_>A recent study found that the real prices of basic 
F12  10 foodstuffs, allowing for differences in purchasing power between 
F12  11 countries, were almost twice as high in leading British supermarket 
F12  12 Tesco's as in equivalent stores in Germany and America. The cost of 
F12  13 British food has risen by one third since 1985, compared with rises 
F12  14 of 18% in France, 10% in Germany and 9% in Belgium, according to 
F12  15 figures supplied by the Common Market Commission in 
F12  16 Brussels.<tf/><p/>
F12  17 <p_><tf_>These massively higher British food prices are the result 
F12  18 of massively higher British supermarket profits. British 
F12  19 supermarkets' profit margins are four times the European average 
F12  20 and eight times that in the USA.<p/>
F12  21 <p_>These profits are squeezed out of the housewife's purse by 
F12  22 staggering mark-ups extorted on food by the supermarkets.<p/>
F12  23 <p_><*_>star<*/><tf_>On tomatoes, for example, British supermarkets 
F12  24 charge an average of 66% more than they paid for them. American 
F12  25 ones charge half that mark-up, 32% and Germans a twentieth, 
F12  26 3%.<tf/><p/>
F12  27 <p_><*_>star<*/><tf_>Bananas here are marked up 97% - you pay 
F12  28 nearly twice what they cost the supermarket! - compared with 47% in 
F12  29 the USA and 22% in Germany.<tf/><p/>
F12  30 <p_><*_>star<*/>Rump steak is marked up 73% here, but 61% in 
F12  31 Germany and 26% in the US.<p/>
F12  32 <p_><*_>star<*/><tf_>Frozen chips cost you 82% more than they cost 
F12  33 the supermarket selling them, while a German pays 18% and an 
F12  34 American just 9% more.<tf/><p/>
F12  35 <p_><*_>star<*/><tf_>Pork chops are marked up an incredible 156% by 
F12  36 British supermarkets. German ones sell them at a 6% loss to attract 
F12  37 custom.<tf/><p/>
F12  38 <p_>Over a basket of ten basic items, mainly fresh meat, fruit and 
F12  39 vegetables, the average mark-up in British supermarkets was 61%, 
F12  40 compared with 42% in America and 22% in Germany.<p/>
F12  41 <h|>RIP-OFF
F12  42 <p_>Under the Capitalist 'free market' theory, now being foisted on 
F12  43 the Russians, this sort of rip-off isn't supposed to happen, 
F12  44 because 'consumers' simply shop around for lower prices. But under 
F12  45 Capitalist reality they can't. They have less and less choice to 
F12  46 shop around between. The Big Five supermarkets - Sainsbury, Tesco, 
F12  47 Safeway, Asda and Gateway - now control 60% of sales by value in 
F12  48 the pounds40 billion a year grocery market. That enables them to 
F12  49 spend pounds20 million just to open one new store, buying up all 
F12  50 the best sites and selling at a loss until they have bankrupted 
F12  51 surrounding competition.<p/>
F12  52 <p_>Small family grocers are now closing at the rate of 30 a week! 
F12  53 Leaving the housewife a 'choice' of five huge conglomerates, all 
F12  54 extorting huge profits. The old family grocers, giving good quality 
F12  55 at value-for-money process, are being systematically exterminated 
F12  56 commercially by the Big Five.<p/>
F12  57 <p_>Then, as even Tory MP Ann Winterton admitted on August 17th, 
F12  58 <tf_><quote_>"My fear is they will get bigger and bigger, then 
F12  59 amalgamate, and there will be less choice for the 
F12  60 customer"<quote/><tf/>. Consumers' Association policy director 
F12  61 Stephen Locke, pointing out that <tf_><quote_>"Food accounts for 
F12  62 20% of the average family budget"<quote/><tf/>, demanded Government 
F12  63 action.<p/>
F12  64 <p_>But Tories, Liberals and now even Labour are reluctant to 
F12  65 <quote_>"interfere with the market"<quote/>. Especially when some 
F12  66 of its biggest profiteers, like Lord Sainsbury, bankroll their 
F12  67 parties.<p/>
F12  68 <h|>SQUEEZED
F12  69 <p_>But <quote_>"the market"<quote/> means that British shoppers, 
F12  70 including the unemployed and poor with children to feed, have 
F12  71 extortionate profits squeezed out of them for the food they and 
F12  72 their children need to live, whilst extortioners and legalised 
F12  73 thieves wax fat on bread stolen from British babies' mouths.<p/>
F12  74 <p_>The Sainsbury clan alone have squeezed the fourth biggest 
F12  75 fortune in Britain out of their rip<?_>-<?/>off profits and 
F12  76 supermarket monopoly. They are worth at least pounds1.8 billion. 
F12  77 Some of which they have used to fund Liberal politicians. (No 
F12  78 wonder the Liberal Democrats have just announced their conversion 
F12  79 to the 'free market'!)<p/>
F12  80 <p_>Monopoly, the ruin of traditional family grocers and the 
F12  81 extortion of vastly higher food prices from the many to make 
F12  82 immense fortunes for the few may be the establishment parties' idea 
F12  83 of a 'free market'. But they aren't ours. We would break up the big 
F12  84 supermarket chains, encourage small British family grocers and give 
F12  85 our housewives and shoppers real choice and real value at a decent 
F12  86 price.<p/>
F12  87 
F12  88 <h_><p_>Tories<&|>sic! Dream Becomes a Nightmare<p/>
F12  89 <p_>Home Owners Were Really Home Loaners!<p/><h/>
F12  90 <p_><tf_>HOME REPOSSESSIONS HAVE soared to record heights as slump, 
F12  91 redundancy and extortionate interest rates combine to make a 
F12  92 mockery of the Tory illusion of Britain becoming a 'home-owning 
F12  93 democracy'.<tf/><p/>
F12  94 <p_><tf_>Moneylenders - banks and building societies - repossessed 
F12  95 a record 36,610 homes in the first half of this year, twice as many 
F12  96 as last year, itself three times worse than 1989. 280 families are 
F12  97 driven from their homes by repossession orders ever working day. By 
F12  98 the end of June, 53,000 repossessed homes were waiting to be 
F12  99 sold.<tf/><p/>
F12 100 <p_>There is worse to come, according to Mark Boleat, Director 
F12 101 General of the Council of Mortgage Lenders. By the end of June, 
F12 102 there were 162,210 mortgages behind in payments by between six 
F12 103 months and a year, up 84% on last year. Despite the fact that many 
F12 104 loans more than a year in arrears tend to be repossessed those that 
F12 105 have not yet been were up 176% on June 1990. More and more 
F12 106 'homeowners' are getting into trouble with their mortgages. 
F12 107 Research commissioned by the Bank of England revealed that in March 
F12 108 this year 269,780 loans were two months in arrears and 305,500 
F12 109 three months. A total of 784,000 families were behind with mortgage 
F12 110 repayments - 8.3% of the total who have mortgages.<p/>
F12 111 <p_>The debt disaster is hitting hardest at the part of Britain 
F12 112 least equipped by experience to bear it - the traditionally 
F12 113 prosperous South-East. Annual repossession court orders have more 
F12 114 than doubled in the South-East during the last five years, while 
F12 115 the national total has only gone up by a third. The South-East now 
F12 116 accounts for 42% of court orders. This is not surprising. The 
F12 117 region has suffered an 82% rise in unemployment since 1989. More 
F12 118 than five times the rise in the North. While houses<&|>sic! prices 
F12 119 have fallen by 15% in the South-East, compared with a 19% increase 
F12 120 in the North.<p/>
F12 121 <p_>The fall in house prices means families who fall into mortgage 
F12 122 arrears can't simply sell up to cover the arrears and move 
F12 123 somewhere cheaper, as in the past. It take<&|>sic! months to find a 
F12 124 buyer, while they sink deeper into debt. By then they are so far 
F12 125 down the gullet of the loan sharks the price they get can't cover 
F12 126 the outstanding debt, so they get repossessed anyway. The more so 
F12 127 as the bank and building society sharks, unlike their victims can 
F12 128 recoup any losses due to depressed house prices because their loans 
F12 129 are insured. That often leads to them not giving their victims a 
F12 130 chance to sell. They just slam in a repossession order to get them 
F12 131 out. Then they sell cheap and quick and put in a loan insurance 
F12 132 claim. In the process driving house prices further down, making 
F12 133 things worse.<p/>
F12 134 <p_>No wonder Sheila McKechnie, director of the homeless charity 
F12 135 Shelter warned recently <quote_><tf_>"It is clear the worst is yet 
F12 136 to come. The first half of this year sees more people in mortgage 
F12 137 arrears than during the whole of last year. Unless action is taken 
F12 138 now, 1991 looks set to be the year of unprecedented misery for home 
F12 139 owners."<tf/><quote/><p/>
F12 140 <p_>At the height of the Thatcherite Fools' Paradise we warned that 
F12 141 it was all an illusion. The vast number of new 'home owners' were 
F12 142 actually 'home loaners'. They didn't own their own homes. The 
F12 143 moneylenders - banks and building societies - did.<p/>
F12 144 <p_>All they owned was a big debt. A debt, moreover, whose interest 
F12 145 rate was not agreed at the time of borrowing but could be hiked by 
F12 146 the loan shark institution whenever it felt like it. An arrangement 
F12 147 which rightly has been illegal throughout most of our country's 
F12 148 history, and ought to be illegal now. An arrangement which meant 
F12 149 that millions of families were hit when the Government deliberately 
F12 150 raised interest rates through the roof.<p/>
F12 151 <p_>They did it to curb imports when what they should have done was 
F12 152 bring in import controls; and to lower inflation by raising 
F12 153 unemployment, the rusty see-saw on which the British economy has 
F12 154 been swinging from crisis to crisis for fifty years and more.<p/>
F12 155 <p_>Economic nationalism would cure balance of payments and 
F12 156 inflation problems without throwing thousands of British families 
F12 157 onto the streets. Fixed rate, low interest loans, with interest 
F12 158 accrual and repayments suspended while the breadwinner was 
F12 159 unemployed or unfit for work, possibly provided by a State Bank, 
F12 160 would give British families a secure roof over their heads.<p/>
F12 161 
F12 162 
F12 163 <h_><p_>FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO ENCOURAGE FAMILY LIFE!<p/><h_>
F12 164 <p_>By Steve Brady<p/>
F12 165 <p_><tf_>ALL OVER EUROPE, the native White people are having fewer 
F12 166 and fewer babies. The number of young people is going down. The 
F12 167 number of elderly pensioners they must support is going up. The 
F12 168 population is going down. Our nations, our race, is dying out. We 
F12 169 Europeans are a dying breed.<tf/><p/>
F12 170 <p_><tf_>A death speeded by those liberals and multi-racialists who 
F12 171 use the falling native birth-rate to call for even more Coloured 
F12 172 Immigration <quote_>"to keep up the numbers of the 
F12 173 work-force"<quote/>.<p/>
F12 174 <p_>Let's look at the situation across out White European homeland. 
F12 175 Remembering one vital statistic: each woman must, on average, have 
F12 176 2.1 children in her lifetime to keep the population constant. Any 
F12 177 less, and the numbers will fall. Until, if nothing is done, the 
F12 178 nation dies and the race becomes extinct, like the dodo or the 
F12 179 dinosaur.<tf/><p/>
F12 180 <h|>BRITAIN:
F12 181 <p_>Average birth rate: 1.8 children per woman. In 1960 it was 2.8. 
F12 182 The number of third<?_>-<?/>born children has nearly halved, from 
F12 183 278,500 in 1960 to 140,400 in 1988. Meanwhile Bengali immigrants 
F12 184 have an average of 8.0 children per couple. By the mid-2060's 
F12 185 Britons will be outnumbered by Coloureds in their own country. On 
F12 186 30th July the <tf_>London Independent<tf/> called for more 
F12 187 Immigrants to be <quote|>"attracted" to Britain to make up the 
F12 188 falling native numbers.<p/>
F12 189 <h|>FRANCE:
F12 190 <p_>Average birth rate: 1.81 children per woman. In 1980 it was 
F12 191 1.95. In 1970 2.48. Millions of North African Immigrants have a 
F12 192 burgeoning birth rate. On July 29th, the French State statistics 
F12 193 and economic office, INSEE, revealing the latest fall in native 
F12 194 birth rate, recommended that the workforce be kept up by 142,000 
F12 195 Immigrants a year between 2000 and 2009, 148,000 a year in the 
F12 196 following decade and 180,000 immigrants a year between 2020 and 
F12 197 2029. That was on current French birth rates. But INSEE went on to 
F12 198 point out that on current trends the birth rate would fall to 1.5 
F12 199 children per Frenchwoman, so it called for 315.000 Immigrants a 
F12 200 year if so.<p/>
F12 201 <h|>GERMANY:
F12 202 <p_>Average birth rate: 1.4 children per woman. <tf_><quote_>"It is 
F12 203 a daunting prospect"<quote/><tf/> said Hans-Peter Bosse of the 
F12 204 national statistics office in Wiesbaden, <tf_><quote_>"as a nation 
F12 205 we are simply failing to reproduce ourselves."<quote/><tf/> 
F12 206 According to Ulrich Mammey of the Federal Institute for Population 
F12 207 Research, Coloured Immigrants in Germany, notably Turks, have 
F12 208 bigger families. Currently 6.25% of the population, they will have 
F12 209 almost doubled to 10% in the next nine years. 
F12 210 <quote_><tf_>"Obviouosly that is going to cause some 
F12 211 concern"<quote/><tf/> warned Herr Mammey. <tf_><quote_>"But if 
F12 212 Germans themselves are not reproducing in sufficient numbers we 
F12 213 will have to get more people from somewhere. Perhaps we will even 
F12 214 need an active Immigration policy"<quote/><tf/>.<p/>
F12 215 <h|>ITALY:
F12 216 <p_>Average birth rate: 1.29 children per woman. The lowest in 
F12 217 Europe. Large numbers of North African Immigrants with a high 
F12 218 birthrate in the Country.<p/>
F12 219 <h|>SPAIN:
F12 220 <p_>Average birth rate: 1.3 children per woman.<p/>
F12 221 <h|>PORTUGAL:
F12 222 <p_>Average birth rate: 1.5 children per woman.<p/>
F12 223 <h|>GREECE:
F12 224 <p_>Average birth rate: 1.5 children per woman.<p/>
F12 225 <h|>IRISH REPUBLIC:
F12 226 <p_>Average birth rate: 2.1 children per woman. Population 
F12 227 therefore holding its own, but the birthrate is steadily falling. 
F12 228 Coloured Immigrants beginning to move into Dublin and other large 
F12 229 cities.<p/>
F12 230 <h|>RUSSIA:
F12 231 <p_>Birth rate of Whites falling. Birth rate of Muslims in Central 
F12 232 Asian republics of the former Soviet Union is five time that of the 
F12 233 Russians. If the Soviet Union had survived, Russians would have 
F12 234 been an ethnic minority in it in nine years time.<p/>
F12 235 
F12 236 
F12 237 
F13   1 <#FLOB:F13\><h_><p_>WOMEN AT WESTMINSTER<p/><h/>
F13   2 <p_>A trip to the House of Commons may be a good way to stimulate 
F13   3 youthful political interest, but it might not encourage a young 
F13   4 woman with ambitions of becoming the next Margaret Thatcher or 
F13   5 Shirley Williams. Most of the women she would see inside the Palace 
F13   6 of Westminster would be serving food to male, besuited Members of 
F13   7 Parliament or typing their letters.<p/>
F13   8 <p_>It would be far better for a budding female politician to meet 
F13   9 some of Britain's women MPs. They want more women to swell their 
F13  10 ranks. They believe that more young women from all backgrounds 
F13  11 could and should consider entering politics -and bring to the work 
F13  12 of the House all the understanding and insight that their 
F13  13 experience as women will have given them. More women MPs, they say, 
F13  14 would mean that the women <tf|>and the men of Britain would be 
F13  15 better served by their government.<p/>
F13  16 <p_>But the women who have fought their way into Parliament do not 
F13  17 underestimate the difficulties facing those who would like to join 
F13  18 them. Such hopefuls will have to fight for time away from work and 
F13  19 home responsibilities; sit through fearsome constituency selection 
F13  20 committees; withstand sexist and trivialising media comments and, 
F13  21 if they get into the House, deal with some chauvinist colleagues, 
F13  22 and a work environment which largely caters for men. But those that 
F13  23 succeed agree that it <tf|>is worth all the effort.<p/>
F13  24 <p_>'The most exclusive gentlemen's club in the country' still has 
F13  25 only 43 women members. <tf_>Amanda Seller<tf/> asks six women MPs 
F13  26 how to get a seat in the House of Commons.<tf/><p/>
F13  27 <h_><p_>EMMA NICHOLSON<p/>
F13  28 <p_>Conservative MP for Torridge and West Devon since 1987.<p/><h/>
F13  29 <p_>EMMA NICHOLSON'S history belies claims that having the right 
F13  30 connections helps a political career. Her family has had members in 
F13  31 both the House of Lords and the Commons for many years - including 
F13  32 her MP father - but she was still rejected by 27 selection 
F13  33 committees before standing for one seat and then winning at 
F13  34 Torridge.<p/>
F13  35 <p_>But she believes the effort was worth it: <quote_>"Being an MP 
F13  36 is very rewarding - although it's not easy in any respect. People 
F13  37 come to you as a last resort about terrible things that are 
F13  38 happening to them and very often you don't have the power to help - 
F13  39 you just try. You need imagination, resourcefulness and the belief 
F13  40 that what you are doing matters. Sometimes you make a difference to 
F13  41 someone, and then it's absolutely wonderful."<quote/><p/>
F13  42 <p_>It is on the grounds of improving the quality of decision 
F13  43 making that she would like to see more women MPs: <quote_>"Women 
F13  44 are the main consumers in society; they go to the shops, the 
F13  45 schools, the child clinics. They can say what's wrong with their 
F13  46 services and say how they could be made better. More women in 
F13  47 Parliament would mean better representation not only of women, but 
F13  48 of everybody. A mixed team with a variety of skills and life 
F13  49 experience makes the best team - and that's what we just haven't 
F13  50 got at the moment."<quote/><p/>
F13  51 <p_>She does not think, however, that Parliament is so much 
F13  52 anti-woman as anti-family: <quote_>"The hours are dreadful. My 
F13  53 father was an MP and I missed him terribly when I was a child. 
F13  54 There's a very high divorce rate in the House of Commons - so you 
F13  55 see the men suffer too but in a different way."<quote/><p/>
F13  56 <p_>The issue, predictably, that women MPs disagree most about is 
F13  57 the effect on women of Margaret Thatcher's leadership. Emma 
F13  58 Nicholson is very enthusiastic: <quote_>"Of course Margaret 
F13  59 Thatcher has made a huge difference. She has completely turned 
F13  60 around the perception of whether women can perform politically at 
F13  61 the highest level. Even women who don't concur with her politics 
F13  62 should recognise that."<quote/><p/>
F13  63 <p_>Emma Nicholson wants young women to start thinking in political 
F13  64 terms at a very early stage: <quote_>"Get involved and keep at it. 
F13  65 And always always <&|>sic! be honest about why you're interested in 
F13  66 this way of life. If you want to feed your ego or be famous then 
F13  67 that's OK, but admit it to yourself, because in politics you can't 
F13  68 conceal your true personality or motives. Your soul gets stripped 
F13  69 bare - remember that.'<quote/><p/>
F13  70 <h_><p_>JO RICHARDSON<p/>
F13  71 <p_>Labour MP for Barking, Essex since 1974.<p/><h/>
F13  72 <p_><quote_>"THERE ARE too few women in the Commons for the same 
F13  73 reasons that are too few women in all position of power. Things are 
F13  74 changing, but it's very slow."<quote/><p/>
F13  75 <p_>Like other women MPs, Jo Richardson believes that women have to 
F13  76 find the time to do the hard local political work: 
F13  77 <quote_>"Politics is particularly problematic as a career because 
F13  78 women often have to support themselves by working, meet their home 
F13  79 responsibilities and <tf|>then have this third life which is about 
F13  80 proving your political credentials. It's unpaid, it's demanding and 
F13  81 it's often thankless, but you have to do the dull, hard work. You 
F13  82 can't just waltz into a selection committee and say 'Here I 
F13  83 am'."<quote/><p/>
F13  84 <p_>She would like to see the Commons become more woman-friendly, 
F13  85 but she thinks that women already there are achieving a great deal 
F13  86 despite the difficulties: <quote_>"Most men have some sort of 
F13  87 support at home which makes a political career possible. Women 
F13  88 often don't have that. And of course politics can be very 
F13  89 expensive. Getting nominations, travelling a lot, canvassing. It 
F13  90 would be untrue to say that anyone could afford it."<quote/><p/>
F13  91 <p_>Jo Richardson advises interested and motivated young women to 
F13  92 join a local party: <quote_>"Join a women's section, work hard, be 
F13  93 yourself, but above all do it because you want to change things for 
F13  94 the better, not because you want to be an MP. Women have to be 
F13  95 involved to represent women, to present the feminist perspective. 
F13  96 Then the country's women will be properly served by government. It 
F13  97 may take a long while but we'll get there."<quote/><p/>
F13  98 <h_><p_>MARION ROE<p/>
F13  99 <p_>Conservative MP for Broxbourne, Herts since 1983.<p/><h/>
F13 100 <p_>MARION ROE is a rare kind of politician. While some women MPs 
F13 101 have reluctantly foregone having children in order to enter 
F13 102 politics, Marion Roe took the opposite approach. She stayed at home 
F13 103 with her children until they were teenagers and then began - at the 
F13 104 age of 39 and with no experience - her political career.<p/>
F13 105 <p_><quote_>"I'm not a feminist, but I do think you need to hear a 
F13 106 balanced view of matters. Very often women in politics are without 
F13 107 families and I wanted to represent all those ordinary women who 
F13 108 have children like me. My friends thought I was raving mad when I 
F13 109 told them what I wanted to do, but when I finally stood as an MP at 
F13 110 Broxbourne I got one of the highest Conservative majorities in the 
F13 111 country."<quote/><p/>
F13 112 <p_>This was after she had spent several years learning about 
F13 113 politics as a councillor on the GLC: <quote_>"It's important to get 
F13 114 experience at that level as well, I think - and it's very important 
F13 115 work."<quote/> She waves at Ken Livingstone as he passes us in the 
F13 116 lobby. <quote_>"I had some awful rows with Ken at the GLC - real 
F13 117 cat and dog. But when I got here he was one of the first to shake 
F13 118 my hand and say hello. That's one of the really good things about 
F13 119 politics that people outside don't often understand. We can tear 
F13 120 each other apart in debates, but we all support the way the system 
F13 121 works - we're comrades."<quote/><p/>
F13 122 <p_>Marion Roe feels that any sort of woman can achieve in politics 
F13 123 if she is determined enough: <quote_>"Just get in there and don't 
F13 124 get put down. If a selection committee turns you down and you think 
F13 125 it's because you are a woman then just get back in there and try 
F13 126 again. I actually think <}_><-|>woman<+|>women<}/> are ideal as MPs 
F13 127 - we're good listeners. Of course, this place has been male 
F13 128 dominated for a long time - and it does feel very male clubby, but 
F13 129 as more women come in it will change, gradually."<quote/><p/>
F13 130 <p_>Marion Roe prides herself on her 1985 Private Member's Bill 
F13 131 which outlawed female circumcision: <quote_>"Even if that's the 
F13 132 only thing I ever achieve in Parliament I'd think all the battles 
F13 133 and hard work were worth it."<quote/><p/>
F13 134 <h_><p_>CLARE SHORT<p/>
F13 135 <p_>Labour MP for Ladywood, Birmingham since 1983.<p/><h/>
F13 136 <p_>NO-ONE seems angrier than Clare Short about the male domination 
F13 137 of the Commons, but she doesn't let it stop her doing her job: 
F13 138 <quote_>"There's so many silly things about the Commons. Of course 
F13 139 there are rude men and rotten toilets, but you'll find silly rude 
F13 140 men anywhere you go. Women deal with them and get on with their 
F13 141 lives. It's like that here."<quote/><p/>
F13 142 <p_>Like many women MPs she wants to point out the things that are 
F13 143 wrong with the system, but she doesn't want women to be put off 
F13 144 politics: <quote_>"It's a winner's situation now. The more women 
F13 145 who join, the more human and attractive the place will become. And 
F13 146 hopefully some of those silly traditions like the 'Honourable 
F13 147 Gentlemens'<&_>sic!<&/> will disappear. Not that they get in the 
F13 148 way of getting things done. You get the hang of them in a couple of 
F13 149 weeks like starting any new job."<quote/><p/>
F13 150 <p_>Clare Short firmly believes that women should not see politics 
F13 151 as a career like any other: <quote_>"It's a bad thing to be eaten 
F13 152 up by ambition in politics. You have to get involved because you 
F13 153 care - because you want to change things. I certainly didn't start 
F13 154 out to be an MP, I just ended up here."<quote/><p/>
F13 155 <p_>She believes that <quote_>"the so-called womanly qualities - 
F13 156 like listening and supporting - make for ideal MP's. Those are 
F13 157 qualities that she feels Margaret Thatcher lacks: <quote_>"I think 
F13 158 it's an absolute tragedy that she was the first woman Prime 
F13 159 Minister. She's done nothing for women and is so unwomanly, so 
F13 160 uncaring. She's a role model for politics that young women 
F13 161 <tf|>shouldn't follow.'<quote/><p/>
F13 162 <p_>Clare Scott is very optimistic about today's generation of 
F13 163 young women: <quote_>"When I go round schools now the 14 and 15 
F13 164 year old girls are so advanced, so articulate. I think many of them 
F13 165 could be joining us in 20 or even 10 years time."<quote/><p/>
F13 166 <h_><p_>ANN WIDDICOMBE<p/>
F13 167 <p_>Conservative MP for Maidstone, Kent since 1985.<p/><h/>
F13 168 <p_>ANN WIDDICOMBE thinks that women MPs who whinge about the 
F13 169 behaviour of their male colleagues are doing themselves a grave 
F13 170 disservice: <quote_>"We should concentrate on being good MPs rather 
F13 171 than just women MPs. We are here to represent all our 
F13 172 constituents."<quote/><p/>
F13 173 <p_>This does not mean, however, that she thinks women are not 
F13 174 discriminated against: <quote_>"They have to go through the 
F13 175 'selectorate' -those awful committees that won't say 'We don't want 
F13 176 a woman', but will say 'This is an industrial area and you wouldn't 
F13 177 understand the issues'."<quote/><p/>
F13 178 <p_>She argues that women are in fact an asset to any constituency 
F13 179 during an election: <quote_>"The media love women candidates - 
F13 180 we're newsworthy - and research has shown that we <tf|>never lose 
F13 181 votes - and sometimes win a few more."<quote/><p/>
F13 182 <p_>She would like to see more women applicants for seats: 
F13 183 <quote_>"If you want to get into politics then get a track record. 
F13 184 Join a political party, join in and fight some lousy seats. Then 
F13 185 perhaps by the time your kids are grown or you've established a 
F13 186 career you'll be ready to fight a safe seat - <tf|>and you'll be an 
F13 187 experienced and skilled member of society."<quote/><p/>
F13 188 <p_>Ann Widdicombe believes that one of the main reasons women 
F13 189 don't put themselves forward for politics is lack of confidence: 
F13 190 <quote_>"MPs are ordinary people. I know women who could do this 
F13 191 job extremely well but it would never occur to them. I'd like every 
F13 192 woman to consider politics as an option."<quote/><p/>
F13 193 <h_><p_>ANN CLWYD<p/>
F13 194 <p_>Labour MP for Cynon Valley, Wales since 1987.<p/><h/>
F13 195 <p_>ANN CLWYD spent ten years trying to get selected for a seat: 
F13 196 <quote_>"The key is persistence. Get your foot in the door, get 
F13 197 known. You have to believe in yourself, despite the difficulties. 
F13 198 And it will be difficult."<quote/><p/>
F13 199 <p_>Ann Clwyd is one of the women MPs who think that Parliament has 
F13 200 to change to meet women's requirements. She wants childcare 
F13 201 provision for women who work at the Commons, and she wants the 
F13 202 hours of work changed from the current 2.00pm through to 2.00am: 
F13 203 <quote_>"I was a Euro MP before I came here and God, what a 
F13 204 difference!
F13 205 
F13 206 
F14   1 <#FLOB:F14\><h_><p_>The Health of Our Hospitals<p/>
F14   2 <p_>By Virginia Bottomley MP<p/>
F14   3 <p_>Minister of Health<p/><h/>
F14   4 <p_>The title raises an interesting question. How do you measure 
F14   5 the health of a hospital? By numbers of patients treated? By 
F14   6 numbers of staff? By its balance sheet? The NHS reforms give us a 
F14   7 radical new definition. In future, the health of hospitals will be 
F14   8 tied directly to their contribution to better health for all. 
F14   9 Remarkably, this has never before been the case.<p/>
F14  10 <p_>This transformation stems from the division of responsibilities 
F14  11 in the NHS between the providers of services - including hospitals 
F14  12 - and those who plan and purchase health care - health authorities 
F14  13 and, for a range of non-urgent treatment, GP fundholders. Hospitals 
F14  14 are now paid for the services they provide through contracts made 
F14  15 by health authorities and GP fundholders on behalf of local 
F14  16 people.<p/>
F14  17 <p_>'Money following the patient' has rightly become a familiar 
F14  18 phrase in the healthcare lexicon. Its impact is fundamental. For 
F14  19 the first time, hospitals have an incentive to adapt the services 
F14  20 they offer to what health authorities and GP fundholders want to 
F14  21 secure. In the past, the hospital 'cash-limit' provided no such 
F14  22 incentive. Priorities for funding were often determined by the 
F14  23 pecking-order among different clinical specialities, with little 
F14  24 reference to what services were actually needed locally. Lord 
F14  25 McColl, the Director of Surgery at the Guy's and Lewisham NHS 
F14  26 Trust, described what the new system means for his hospital, as it 
F14  27 does for all others:<p/>
F14  28 <p_><quote_>"The Guy's and Lewisham Trust is ... reviewing every 
F14  29 service and asking fundamental questions such as: 'Is this service 
F14  30 of high quality? Is it relevant to the needs of our local 
F14  31 population? How cost-effective is it? Are there some people who 
F14  32 could do the job a bit better?' ... We shall be driven by the 
F14  33 vision of producing for our local community the most relevant 
F14  34 hospital and community services to match needs and expectations for 
F14  35 the next 10 to 20 years and at a cost that is affordable by the 
F14  36 taxpayer."<quote/><p/>
F14  37 <p_>At last, hospitals are focusing on patients' needs first and 
F14  38 foremost. Inevitably, this brings more challenges than under the 
F14  39 old provider-dominated system. Far easier to go around with eyes 
F14  40 and ears closed. For easier to continue providing the same old 
F14  41 services. Hospitals now face the challenge of ensuring that 
F14  42 resources are targeted as efficiently and effectively as possible. 
F14  43 They are now having to address issues some have avoided in the 
F14  44 past. Has overmanning prevented resources from being channelled 
F14  45 towards essential maintenance work? Have staff been deployed in the 
F14  46 most effective way?<p/>
F14  47 <p_>The result, already, is a range of innovative approaches to 
F14  48 providing patient care. The Kingston Hospital NHS Trust is planning 
F14  49 to build a 'patient hotel', where NHS patients who do not require 
F14  50 medical care, but who are not well enough to go home, can be looked 
F14  51 after. Patients will benefit from a comfortable and relaxing 
F14  52 environment; the hospital will be able to make better use of 
F14  53 existing beds for those in need of more intensive care.<p/>
F14  54 <p_>In a number of hospitals, local managers and clinicians have 
F14  55 decided that fewer, more highly qualified and better paid staff are 
F14  56 an essential element in an overall package of improved service 
F14  57 provision. But others, particularly in areas of growing population, 
F14  58 are planning to recruit more skilled clinicians to improve quality 
F14  59 of service. It is naive to believe that service provision will 
F14  60 remain static now that users of services have a greater say. What 
F14  61 is important is that patient care should be the guiding criterion 
F14  62 behind change.<p/>
F14  63 <p_>Even more striking - and surely more relevant - is the evidence 
F14  64 of a drive to improve quality of care and responsiveness to 
F14  65 patients.<p/>
F14  66 <p_>Through NHS contracts, hospitals are committing themselves to 
F14  67 consistently high standards of care. For example, some have 
F14  68 undertaken to give a minimum of seven days' notice of in-patient 
F14  69 admissions in order to give people time to prepare for treatment. 
F14  70 At the East Somerset Trust, a consumer council is being set up to 
F14  71 allow patients to have their say about the service they receive. 
F14  72 The Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust has an Equity Committee, to ensure 
F14  73 that the local community's views are heard in decisions over 
F14  74 services.<p/>
F14  75 <p_>Of course, such initiatives build on existing best practice in 
F14  76 the NHS. What <tf|>is new is that sensitivity to patients' needs is 
F14  77 now a prerequisite of success.<p/>
F14  78 <p_>The common factor linking these initiatives is a determination 
F14  79 to make the most of opportunities presented by the new NHS. 
F14  80 Devolution of responsibility for running hospitals under our 
F14  81 reforms has given local managers and staff the means to act.<p/>
F14  82 <p_>Managers are facing up to challenges which have been thrust 
F14  83 under the carpet for too long. Encouragingly, they are involving 
F14  84 hospital staff in decision-making. It is increasingly clinicians 
F14  85 who are taking the key decisions on how to run hospital 
F14  86 departments. Many ward sisters now have substantial ward budgets 
F14  87 which they deploy to get the best standards of service. The new 
F14  88 freedoms go furthest in NHS Trusts and it is there that we are 
F14  89 seeing some of the greatest progress. But all hospitals are now 
F14  90 enjoying more local control of resources and decision-making.<p/>
F14  91 <p_>I see NHS Trust status as the model of choice for our 
F14  92 hospitals. Stronger links with local communities, involvement of 
F14  93 staff, the power to take decisions locally are the way forward. It 
F14  94 is encouraging that over 100 hospitals and other units have now 
F14  95 published applications to join the 57 existing NHS Trusts. It is a 
F14  96 vote of confidence in our hospitals and in the opportunities 
F14  97 offered them by the reforms.<p/>
F14  98 <p_>The Opposition's criticisms of our reforms are revealing. Some 
F14  99 are misguided, some plain mischievous. Claims of NHS Trusts leaving 
F14 100 the NHS have been repudiated, forecasts of massive redundancies 
F14 101 have turned out to be greatly exaggerated. Sadly, the Opposition's 
F14 102 obsession with the status and manning of hospitals reveals an 
F14 103 inability to move away from a view of the NHS that measures its 
F14 104 effectiveness by the number of hospitals and numbers of staff. That 
F14 105 might have been relevant in 1948. The reforms make sure that the 
F14 106 NHS focuses its attention more firmly on improving people's health, 
F14 107 and links the health of hospitals to this. Satisfying people's 
F14 108 needs will always be demanding. But it is surely the best measure 
F14 109 of a successful and healthy hospital.<p/>
F14 110 
F14 111 <h_><p_>No To A Two Tier System<p/>
F14 112 <p_>By Harriet Harman MP<p/>
F14 113 <p_>Shadow Minister of Health<p/><h/>
F14 114 <p_>The Government should listen to the mounting public concern 
F14 115 about the NHS and the lack of confidence in the Government's health 
F14 116 policies. So far, the Government has said it is determined to press 
F14 117 on with its reforms in the teeth of opposition from doctors, nurses 
F14 118 and other health workers and opposition clearly expressed in 
F14 119 successive public opinion polls.<p/>
F14 120 <p_>The Government say that people will learn to accept the NHS 
F14 121 changes and get used to them. But that is what they said about the 
F14 122 poll tax.<p/>
F14 123 <p_>The Government must recognise that it's not that the public 
F14 124 don't understand what the reforms are about. The public <tf|>do 
F14 125 understand the reforms and they don't want them.<p/>
F14 126 <p_>Under the internal market, hospitals no longer get their income 
F14 127 directly from the Government (via the district health authority). 
F14 128 Instead they have to earn it by winning contracts to treat 
F14 129 patients. The contracts are placed by district health authorities 
F14 130 on behalf of people who live in their district, or by fund-holding 
F14 131 GPs who place contracts for the care of the patients on their 
F14 132 list.<p/>
F14 133 <p_>This is already causing problems for patients, through lack of 
F14 134 choice and freedom to refer, and inequalities in a two tier 
F14 135 system.<p/>
F14 136 <p_>For example, women will no longer have the choice of which 
F14 137 hospital to have their baby in. This decision will now be taken by 
F14 138 the district health authority manager who will place a contract for 
F14 139 maternity services.<p/>
F14 140 <p_>Health Authorities are required to keep a contingency fund to 
F14 141 pay for the treatment of residents who choose to go to a hospital 
F14 142 different from the one chosen by the health authority managers. 
F14 143 However, the amounts set aside are tiny and patient choice is set 
F14 144 to become another casualty case in the new NHS.<p/>
F14 145 <p_>The internal market is leading to a two tier system where 
F14 146 patients with non<?_>-<?/>budget holding GPs take second place to 
F14 147 patients with budget holding GPs.<p/>
F14 148 <p_>In Welwyn Garden City, the Queen Elizabeth II hospital is 
F14 149 offering fast track admission for cataract operations to patients 
F14 150 of GP budget holders. Meanwhile a local resident whose GP is not a 
F14 151 budget holder has been told she will have to wait two years - until 
F14 152 she is 75 years old - before she can get the operation.<p/>
F14 153 <p_>Competition in the internal market will be on cost rather than 
F14 154 quality.<p/>
F14 155 <p_>Opt out hospitals are to be the leading edge of the internal 
F14 156 market. They are to be the market leaders - in salesmen's 
F14 157 jargon.<p/>
F14 158 <p_>Where opinion has been tested the majority of people are 
F14 159 overwhelmingly against opt outs. The Government pressed on however 
F14 160 and made 56 hospitals into trusts. We have already seen the effects 
F14 161 of this in hospitals like Guy's which announced nearly 400 job 
F14 162 losses and is <}_><-|>taking<+|>talking<}/> about inevitable 
F14 163 reductions in direct patient care services.<p/>
F14 164 <p_>Over 100 hospitals have now been targeted for opt out in the 
F14 165 second wave. At the very least the Government should put on hold 
F14 166 the second wave of opt outs until they have sorted out the problems 
F14 167 of the first wave.<p/>
F14 168 <p_>Trusts are fragmenting the National Health Service. They are 
F14 169 not accountable to the local community - the first directors 
F14 170 appointed to the opted out hospitals are nearly all businessmen. 
F14 171 The primary focus of trusts will be to focus on the financial 
F14 172 survival of the institution rather than the services needed by 
F14 173 local people.<p/>
F14 174 <p_>That is why Labour will bring back opted out hospitals into the 
F14 175 local health service. We want our hospitals to work together for 
F14 176 patient care not competing for trade.<p/>
F14 177 <p_>The Government's review of the NHS was born out of national 
F14 178 concern about the underfunding of the service. These problems have 
F14 179 not gone away. The recent Health Select committee report on waiting 
F14 180 lists said that the human misery and financial cost of long waiting 
F14 181 lists are impossible to quantify. The National Audit Office has 
F14 182 reported on the appalling backlog of maintenance in the Health 
F14 183 Service. Hundreds of thousands of operations are cancelled each 
F14 184 year. Community health services are overstretched as people are 
F14 185 discharged more rapidly after operations.<p/>
F14 186 <p_>The present financial crisis in the Health Service developed 
F14 187 over many years and will take time to put right. To redress fully 
F14 188 the neglect of the past decade may well take at least the lifetime 
F14 189 of a parliament. Labour is determined to tackle this legacy of 
F14 190 neglect. The increasing number of very elderly people calls for 
F14 191 extra resources, as does the development of medical technology and 
F14 192 knowledge. Labour will invest in the modernisation of our hospitals 
F14 193 and tackle the backlog in maintenance and repairs although we 
F14 194 cannot expect to be able to put right overnight the neglect of 
F14 195 years. Labour will not cheat health authorities by agreeing pay 
F14 196 awards and then fail to fund them.<p/>
F14 197 <p_>What is needed is not the internal market to squeeze cost out - 
F14 198 but sensible investment matched by commitment to improve services. 
F14 199 Regions should allocate funds to districts on the basis of 
F14 200 Performance Agreements negotiated between regional and district 
F14 201 authorities. These performance agreements will reflect our strategy 
F14 202 to shift greater priority into health promotion and community based 
F14 203 service and will provide a statement of targets, priorities and 
F14 204 quality for the acute sector. We will empower patients with new 
F14 205 rights and have published a Charter of Patients' Rights. We will 
F14 206 establish a Quality Commission.<p/>
F14 207 <p_>Labour's 'Better Way to a Healthy Britain' sets out 30 
F14 208 practical steps in an action plan for better health. In contrast, 
F14 209 the Government's recent Green Paper, The Health of the Nation, 
F14 210 contains no new proposals for Government action and includes 
F14 211 targets which are nothing more than pessimistic predictions of 
F14 212 current trends.<p/>
F14 213 <p_>On community care we will enable each individual to achieve as 
F14 214 full a participation as possible within the community. Spending on 
F14 215 community care should be clearly identified and ringfenced.
F14 216 
F15   1 <#FLOB:F15\><h_><p_>Military counsellors flooded by rising tide of 
F15   2 resistance<p/>
F15   3 <p_>SHELLEY ANDERSON<p/><h/>
F15   4 <p_><tf_><quote_>"Mr Bush has delivered 452,000 US hostages to 
F15   5 Saddam Hussein. Now he wants them to fight their way out."<quote/> 
F15   6 So read an advertisement placed by SANE/Freeze in the <tf_>New York 
F15   7 Times<tf/>, 26 December.<tf/><p/>
F15   8 <p_>During the Vietnam war there were hundreds of underground 
F15   9 newspapers and coffeehouses outside US military bases that 
F15  10 encouraged military personnel to oppose the war, many of them 
F15  11 organised jointly by peace activists and soldiers. Churches and 
F15  12 synagogues offered sanctuary to AWOL (absent without leave) 
F15  13 soldiers, and peace groups employed military counsellors to advise 
F15  14 soldiers about possible rights to discharge.<p/>
F15  15 <p_>The level of peace movement organisation is not now as high as 
F15  16 at the height of the Vietnam war, but already the number of US 
F15  17 military personnel applying for discharge as conscientious 
F15  18 objectors nearly matches its Vietnam peak, according to Michael 
F15  19 Marsh, who coordinates military counselling for the War Resisters 
F15  20 League.<p/>
F15  21 <p_>Military counsellors in the US and Germany are being flooded 
F15  22 with requests for help from US reservists and active duty personnel 
F15  23 who see no reason to fight in the Gulf. The Central Committee for 
F15  24 Conscientious Objection (CCCO), founded in 1948, is receiving over 
F15  25 100 telephone requests per day. The handful of counsellors 
F15  26 associated with the Military Counseling Network (MCN) in Germany 
F15  27 are receiving almost as many - by early December, MCN counsellors 
F15  28 had helped prepare 75 claims, many of them based on conscientious 
F15  29 objection. As of early December, over 2,000 applications for CO had 
F15  30 been filed in the US.<p/>
F15  31 <p_>The Military Counseling Network is a small group of US and 
F15  32 German peace activists who provide free legal aid to US GIs 
F15  33 (soldiers). Until the Gulf crisis, MCN had counselled a few dozen 
F15  34 people in its four year history. All that changed with the 
F15  35 announcement in November that 100,000 of the 250,000 US troops 
F15  36 stationed in Germany were being sent to Saudi Arabia. To handle the 
F15  37 increased demand, MCN arranged for five counsellors to fly over 
F15  38 from the US before Christmas.<p/>
F15  39 <p_>US applicants for CO status face a long and involved process. 
F15  40 They have to answer in writing a series of questions before having 
F15  41 interviews with a military chaplain, a psychiatrist and a 'hearing 
F15  42 board' (tribunal). This board then forwards the application within 
F15  43 90 days to a higher board in Washington DC, which makes the final 
F15  44 judgement. The whole process usually takes at least six months. One 
F15  45 application recently rejected was that of Erik Larsen (see November 
F15  46 <tf_>Peace News<tf/>), a marine reservist. Erik has yet to be 
F15  47 called out but has announced that he will refuse.<p/>
F15  48 <h_><p_>US CO GIs go AWOL<p/><h/>
F15  49 <p_>In sharp contrast to its usual policy, since 25 October, the US 
F15  50 Army is now refusing to accept CO application until the soldier is 
F15  51 actually in Saudi Arabia. <quote_>"How will they process CO claims 
F15  52 in the middle of the Saudi desert?"<quote/> asks Louis P Font, a 
F15  53 lawyer who works with Citizen Soldier, a group providing help to 
F15  54 military personnel. <quote_>"Are they planning a battalion of COs 
F15  55 out there waiting to see what will happen with their 
F15  56 claims?"<quote/><p/>
F15  57 <p_>Out in the Gulf, soldiers will, of course, have a hard time 
F15  58 finding out about their rights and no support in making their 
F15  59 claims. One US commanding officer in Germany recently threatened to 
F15  60 court<?_>-<?/>martial a GI if he filed for CO status: the soldier 
F15  61 didn't know this threat was illegal.<p/>
F15  62 <p_>In mid-October, the US Congress also passed the STOP-LOSS Act, 
F15  63 which indefinitely freezes all discharges from the US military and 
F15  64 cuts off most legal ways a GI can leave the military. Consequently 
F15  65 the number of AWOLs is likely to rise. A member of DFG-VK 
F15  66 N<*_>u-umlaut<*/>rnberg (one of the German WRI sections), reports 
F15  67 that some 15 US soldiers have gone AWOL in the last few weeks (of 
F15  68 the 20,000 US troops stationed in the area, 12,000 have been 
F15  69 reassigned to Saudi Arabia).<p/>
F15  70 <p_>AWOLs face a harder time now than in the Vietnam war. NATO 
F15  71 countries have legislation obliging national police to hand US 
F15  72 AWOLs over to the US military and, unlike in the 1960s and 70s, 
F15  73 Sweden will not be a haven for AWOLs. The Swedish government has 
F15  74 revised its asylum policies anticipating a massive influx of Soviet 
F15  75 refugees. (Baltic draft resisters will, however, be given asylum in 
F15  76 Sweden following the sending of Soviet paratroops into 
F15  77 Lithuania.)<p/>
F15  78 <p_>Some WRI sections and other anti<?_>-<?/>militarist groups, 
F15  79 however, have already declared their intention of harbouring any 
F15  80 AWOLs or draft resisters who seek their help. A Swiss 
F15  81 anti-militarist group has declared Geneva a 'protection zone', 
F15  82 while IRG - the French-speaking Belgian section of WRI - plans to 
F15  83 set up a network of safe houses.<p/>
F15  84 <p_>Leonard Skversky, a Jewish conscientious objector stationed in 
F15  85 Germany, went AWOL in December after the army refused to consider 
F15  86 his claim until he was in Saudi<&|>sic!. A musician, he had been 
F15  87 doing off-duty volunteer work in a Jewish old people's home near 
F15  88 N<*_>u-umlaut<*/>rnberg. There he met survivors of the Holocaust. 
F15  89 <quote_>"I had the opportunity to see the inhumane reality of what 
F15  90 blind patriotism to one's country can do to a race of 
F15  91 people"<quote/>, he wrote in his CO application.<p/>
F15  92 <p_>Another soldier, who went AWOL when he was denied CO status, 
F15  93 returned to base after he was promised he would not be sent to 
F15  94 Saudi Arabia. He was promptly handcuffed and placed on a plane to 
F15  95 Saudi Arabia.<p/>
F15  96 <p_>Many GIs in Germany first come into contact with the Military 
F15  97 Counseling Network through their German wives or girlfriends. 
F15  98 N<*_>u-umlaut<*/>rnberg DFG-VK has organised a support group for 
F15  99 these women which meets twice a week and a similar group is being 
F15 100 organised in Frankfurt. The women have leafleted and conducted 
F15 101 anti-war vigils outside military bases, placed ads in local 
F15 102 newspapers, and spoken out at demonstrations. At least one wife has 
F15 103 been harassed by Army officials because of such work.<p/>
F15 104 <p_>Also in the N<*_>u-umlaut<*/>rnberg area, a GI underground 
F15 105 antiwar newspaper has appeared.<p/>
F15 106 <p_>The first reports of resistance within the British Army also 
F15 107 came from Germany, and once again At Ease, the British independent 
F15 108 military counselling group, has a representative in Germany. The 
F15 109 main source of resistance in Britain came just after Christmas. The 
F15 110 UK Ministry of Defence appealed for reservists to volunteer for the 
F15 111 Gulf. When too few reservists came forward, it began to call up 
F15 112 reservists - all of whom were former professional servicepeople.<p/>
F15 113 <p_>At Ease was set up in 1974 in response to discontent in the 
F15 114 British Army in Northern Ireland. For the past 17 years, it has had 
F15 115 one session a week. Currently it consists of a rota of five 
F15 116 counsellors in London and five in other parts of Britain. Suddenly, 
F15 117 it faced an unprecedented demand, as did other peace organisations 
F15 118 (including WRI). MP Tam Dalyell made a rather misleading claim that 
F15 119 reservists could not be sent overseas, but he was referring to 
F15 120 obsolete legislation.<p/>
F15 121 <p_>The UK Ministry of Defence won't release figures for reservists 
F15 122 exempted from going to Saudi<&|>sic!: At Ease estimates there were 
F15 123 some 30 COs but some of these were exempted on other grounds 
F15 124 (medical, compassionate or career).<p/>
F15 125 <h_><p_>Fears of conscription<p/><h/>
F15 126 <p_>In both the US and the UK - countries without conscription but 
F15 127 with a heavy commitment in the Gulf - and now in Australia, fears 
F15 128 are growing of the reintroduction of conscription.<p/>
F15 129 <p_>Michael Marsh at War Resisters League's New York office says 
F15 130 most of the calls he gets about conscription are from mothers. He 
F15 131 points out that the US military is authorised to call up a further 
F15 132 million reservists but he doubts that anything like that number 
F15 133 could be incorporated into the military structures. In Britain and 
F15 134 now in Australia, anti<?_>-<?/>war parliamentarians and others have 
F15 135 reported that conscription papers are already being printed. In 
F15 136 view of the British establishment's pride in its professional army, 
F15 137 reintroduction of conscription is far less likely than the resort 
F15 138 to nuclear weapons - indeed some peace activists suggest the 
F15 139 rumours are being used to soften up public opinion for the use of 
F15 140 nuclear weapons.<p/>
F15 141 <p_>And what of Iraqi soldiers? An estimated 100 soldiers left Iraq 
F15 142 for Turkey during mid-November, when one Iraqi officer said that 
F15 143 perhaps half the army would desert if war was declared. By January, 
F15 144 the number in Turkey had reportedly risen to 500 - a bitter irony 
F15 145 considering the thousands of Turkish war resisters in exile. (In 
F15 146 Turkey the theoretical maximum penalty for draft resistance is 
F15 147 death.)<p/>
F15 148 <p_>The much-publicised defection of six Iraqi pilots complete with 
F15 149 their helicopters seems to have been an invention. Odd, then that 
F15 150 some 'newspapers' referred to them as 'top pilots', while others 
F15 151 had them confirming the reports of the execution of Iraqi officers 
F15 152 following the invasion of Kuwait.<p/>
F15 153 
F15 154 <h_><p_>Surviving the war at home<p/>
F15 155 <p_>KEN SIMONS<p/><h/>
F15 156 <p_><tf_>How to respond to a war we didn't want? Coping with life 
F15 157 on the home front is a difficult challenge, both for people active 
F15 158 in the anti-war movement and for those who are merely trying to 
F15 159 come to terms with the enormity of what has happened.<tf/><p/>
F15 160 <p_>Following are some of the areas where a critical attitude can 
F15 161 be of major advantage in understanding and dealing with this 
F15 162 war.<p/>
F15 163 <p_><tf_>Lies and disinformation, and press censorship.<tf/> We 
F15 164 were told a wagon-load of great big dirty whopping lies on the 
F15 165 first day of hostilities. A sample (I paraphrase from BBC news 
F15 166 reports): <quote_>"The <*_>e-acute<*/>lite Iraqi republican guard 
F15 167 has been wiped out"<quote/>, <quote_>"The entire Iraqi air force 
F15 168 was destroyed on the ground"<quote/>, <quote_>"All their missile 
F15 169 launchers have been destroyed"<quote/>, <quote_>"None of our planes 
F15 170 were lost"<quote/>, and <quote_>"We only bombed military 
F15 171 targets"<quote/>.<p/>
F15 172 <p_>But the disinformation and censorship industry did not begin on 
F15 173 17 January. There had already been frequent calls - from the media 
F15 174 themselves - for self<?_>-<?/>censorship in order to 'protect our 
F15 175 boys'. This went far beyond merely keeping operational details 
F15 176 secret, encompassing also the suppression of bad news so as not to 
F15 177 give comfort to the enemy.<p/>
F15 178 <p_>During the phoney-war phase of 2 August - 16 January, this was 
F15 179 expressed as 'not sending Saddam the wrong message', was regularly 
F15 180 invoked against opposition politicians' statements on the military 
F15 181 buildup, and was even brought in as an argument against the 
F15 182 replacement of Margaret Thatcher as leader of the British 
F15 183 Conservative Party.<p/>
F15 184 <p_><tf_>Anti-Arab racism<tf/>, including such official acts as the 
F15 185 imprisonment or deportation of Iraqi nationals, then Palestinians, 
F15 186 and next - who knows? Anyone from the Middle East? Any Muslim? 
F15 187 Already fears have been expressed that some of those now detained 
F15 188 could in fact be genuine refugees from Saddam's regime.<p/>
F15 189 <p_>On the more everyday level, schools have already been dealing 
F15 190 with cases of victimisation of Arab children, people in Middle 
F15 191 Eastern and Muslim dress have been harassed and assaulted, and 
F15 192 there have been bomb threats; in Britain, a Gulf-related firebomb 
F15 193 attack left a Bradford mosque damaged.<p/>
F15 194 <p_>Within the antiwar movement - which, in Britain as elsewhere, 
F15 195 includes many vehemently anti-Zionist groups - there was an 
F15 196 anti-Israeli and sometimes anti-Jewish flavour to some of the 
F15 197 slogans and positions taken, even before the involvement of Israel 
F15 198 in the conflict. We must counter this as vigorously as we counter 
F15 199 anti-Arab and anti-Muslim attitudes and acts.<p/>
F15 200 <p_><tf_>Children and war imagery.<tf/> George Gerbner comments: 
F15 201 <quote_>"The Persian Gulf story is not the contained and happy 
F15 202 violence to which we are accustomed... The pattern of screen 
F15 203 violence and victimisation presents a mean world which arouses 
F15 204 anxiety but also contains it..."<quote/> But the Gulf war 
F15 205 <quote_>"does not stop at the final commercial. It interrupts and 
F15 206 even preempts favourite programmes - clear sign of dire emergency. 
F15 207 Win or lose... there is no clearly predictable happy 
F15 208 ending."<quote/><p/>
F15 209 <p_>Gerbner goes on to recommend that war imagery should not be 
F15 210 placed out of bounds to children - to do so would serve only to 
F15 211 heighten the sense of things having gone out of control - but that 
F15 212 parents should view and discuss such material with their children, 
F15 213 so alleviating some of the most harmful consequences.<p/>
F15 214 <p_><tf|>Conscription. Not likely in Britain at present, we are 
F15 215 assured from a variety of sources. However, if it is a long war, 
F15 216 this issue will come up again. People concerned about this 
F15 217 possibility can contact Box CO, Peace News, 55 Dawes St, London 
F15 218 SE17 1EL; a project is under discussion to register objectors 
F15 219 regardless of whether or not conscription is introduced, and all 
F15 220 ideas are welcome.<p/>
F15 221 
F15 222 
F15 223 
F15 224 
F16   1 <#FLOB:F16\><h_>Thought for the 'Silly Season'<p/>
F16   2 <p_>DON'T TRUST THE 'EXPERTS'<p/><h/>
F16   3 <p_>One feels that in the affluent capitalist world of the G7 the 
F16   4 only growing industry is that of experts. As fewer and fewer people 
F16   5 dirty their hands producing the food we eat more and more experts 
F16   6 and consultants (employed by the ICIs and Fisons, the machine 
F16   7 manufacturers and the landowners' agents) descend on the remaining 
F16   8 farmers 'advising'/'instructing' them what to grow and how, to the 
F16   9 very last detail. And of course the advice/orders are influenced by 
F16  10 vested interests of those giving the advice or their masters. This 
F16  11 approach applies to all sections of industry and now even with the 
F16  12 public services.<p/>
F16  13 <p_>Let's face up to it, with some honourable exceptions, all this 
F16  14 growing industry of expertise is a racket! Unfortunately the media 
F16  15 are the worst offenders and have succeeded in brainwashing the 
F16  16 public with their own experts and 'authoritative' polls, into 
F16  17 accepting that a monopoly of the 'true facts' are held by an elite 
F16  18 who also know all the answers.<p/>
F16  19 <p_>In our so-called democracy we only have a capitalist national 
F16  20 press just as in the USSR they only had a Community Party press. We 
F16  21 call ours a <tf|>free press and that of the USSR <tf|>unfree. For 
F16  22 socialists and anarchists they are both unfree.<p/>
F16  23 <p_>If we overlook our mass circulation tabloids (which also have 
F16  24 their 'experts' but on sex problems rather than economies) the 
F16  25 so-called serious broadsheets all have their economics 
F16  26 correspondent/editor, their political commentators, their 
F16  27 industrial editors and of course the arts have their pontificators. 
F16  28 They are all presented to us, the serious reading public, as 
F16  29 <tf|>experts.<p/>
F16  30 <p_>And last, but not least, we have the experts <tf_>par 
F16  31 excellence<tf/>, our politicians. They are modest experts in that 
F16  32 they surround themselves with the permanent experts in the civil 
F16  33 service, and a few freelance economists, journalists, business 
F16  34 tycoons, speech writers, make-up experts, speech therapists, 
F16  35 fashion experts (after all, politicians' main public exposure 
F16  36 nowadays is on television and your hair-do, dress, etc., are 
F16  37 essential PR attributes). Remember Michael Foot's image in anorak 
F16  38 and flowing white mane at the Cenotaph, of all places, lost him 
F16  39 thousands of votes say the 'experts'. All brainwashing balderdash 
F16  40 for which the media are responsible.<p/>
F16  41 <p_>Let us start with government ministers (and the shadow 
F16  42 opposition). Nowadays most of them are either lawyers or economists 
F16  43 which it might be argued is an excellent training for twisting the 
F16  44 facts.<p/>
F16  45 <p_>We have had in the past three weeks perhaps the perfect example 
F16  46 of the art in twisting the facts both from the politicians and the 
F16  47 experts in the media.<p/>
F16  48 <p_>The official figures for the June balance of payments showed a 
F16  49 swing by over pounds500 million compared with May to a slight 
F16  50 surplus of pounds23 million - the first since February 1987. The 
F16  51 right wing <tf|>Independent (23rd July) whose economic 
F16  52 correspondent we quote refers to:<p/>
F16  53 <p_><quote_>Reflecting factors like weak home demand and a long 
F16  54 term improvement in exports of Japanese cars made in Britain, 
F16  55 manufacturing recorded a pounds117 million surplus - the first 
F16  56 since February 1984.<p/>
F16  57 <p_>The figures also disclosed that for the second time this year 
F16  58 Britain chalked up a small surplus in trade with the European 
F16  59 Community.<quote/><p/>
F16  60 <p_>And on another Business & City page of <tf_>The 
F16  61 Independent<tf/> the same author, Hamish McRae, makes sure in his 
F16  62 opening paragraph (rather like the pollsters and the weather 
F16  63 experts) that one cannot be sure of one month's figures - it can be 
F16  64 <quote_>"a deeply misleading pointer to the underlying 
F16  65 trend".<quote/><p/>
F16  66 <p_>But then the poor man sticks out his neck and declares:<p/>
F16  67 <p_><quote_>But even allowing for the background noise in the 
F16  68 numbers, on the face of it the current account figures seem to 
F16  69 signal that the balance of payments problem is over, while the 
F16  70 retail sales figures signal that the recession is over. The first 
F16  71 conclusion is probably right and the second conclusion is probably 
F16  72 wrong.<quote/><p/>
F16  73 <p_>All the other experts on the serious press reported this 
F16  74 surplus in the balance of payments without question, though with 
F16  75 some surprise <tf_>The Financial Times<tf/> thought it 
F16  76 <quote_>"remarkable and unexpected"<quote/>. It was a 
F16  77 <quote|>"surprise" for <tf_>The Daily Telegraph<tf/> and 
F16  78 <quote_>"far better than expected"<quote/> for <tf_>The Times<tf/> 
F16  79 and <tf_>The Guardian<tf/>. But it was left to the editorial writer 
F16  80 of <tf_>The New Statesman & Society<tf/> (26th July) to drop a bomb 
F16  81 on the complacent economic hacks (experts) on the dailies. To 
F16  82 quote:<p/>
F16  83 <p_><quote_>What none of the quality financial commentators 
F16  84 cottoned on to was the fact that the trade figures would still be 
F16  85 in substantial deficit were it not for Britain's mercenaries' 
F16  86 endeavours during the Gulf war.<quote/><p/>
F16  87 <p_>In other words, the current quarter's 'invisible' earnings 
F16  88 include pounds1,200 million in contributions from Germany, Japan 
F16  89 and the Gulf States for Britain's mercenary forces' activities. And 
F16  90 as <tf_>The New Statesman & Society<tf/> puts it:<p/>
F16  91 <p_><quote_>For June, that adds up to a hidden pounds400 million 
F16  92 contribution to the trade balance - or the difference between 
F16  93 pounds23 million surplus and a pounds377 million deficit. War has 
F16  94 been good for the balance of payments.<quote/><p/>
F16  95 <p_>But for <tf_>The New Statesman & Society<tf/> looking at the 
F16  96 small print the expert economic hacks would have got away with it. 
F16  97 <tf_>The Guardian<tf/>'s Victor Keegan in his 'Notebook' 
F16  98 acknowledges <tf_>The New Statesman & Society<tf/>'s researchers 
F16  99 (not as generously as he should have) but otherwise no correction 
F16 100 has been made by the dailies or Sundays. So much for the integrity 
F16 101 of these experts.<p/>
F16 102 <p_>Another characteristic of the experts is that they are all so 
F16 103 well informed that they can leak the news. <tf_>The Independent on 
F16 104 Sunday<tf/> (28th July) now produced by the same staff as the daily 
F16 105 (for reasons of economy) splashed over its business supplement:<p/>
F16 106 <p_><O_>picture<O/><p/>
F16 107 <p_>Unfortunately for <tf_>The Independent on Sunday<tf/> the CBI's 
F16 108 quarterly survey of industrial trends according to <tf_>The 
F16 109 Guardian<tf/> the next day (29th July) was all doom and gloom.<p/>
F16 110 <p_>Meanwhile <tf_>The Sunday Telegraph<tf/> (28th July) in its 
F16 111 City & Business supplement has as its main headline: <quote_>"UK on 
F16 112 the Up-Turn - Official"<quote/><p/>
F16 113 <p_>But who takes seriously the utterances of the politicians - in 
F16 114 particular government ministers? A <quote_>"great 
F16 115 improvement"<quote/> in the economy in the second half of the year 
F16 116 was predicted by the Prime Minister (<tf_>The Guardian<tf/>, 20th 
F16 117 July). A week or so later the Chancellor Norman Lamont claimed 
F16 118 <quote_>"dramatic progress"<quote/> in cutting inflation but 
F16 119 further dampened hopes of a sudden end to the economic recession 
F16 120 (<tf_>The Guardian<tf/>, 29th July).<p/>
F16 121 <p_>Then we had more 'sensational' news. The car industry had 
F16 122 exported a 'record' number in June (45% more than a year ago, said 
F16 123 <tf_>The Independent on Sunday<tf/>, 28th July). By Monday it was 
F16 124 being pointed out that this was just an exceptional month, that the 
F16 125 Germans were having trouble with their market and this was a 
F16 126 one-off. And to add to the gloom was the forecast by the Society of 
F16 127 Motor Manufacturers and Traders that it was expected that another 
F16 128 30,000 jobs would go in the next twelve months bringing the total 
F16 129 for the two year period ending next summer to 70,000.<p/>
F16 130 <p_>What is especially alarming for the white-collar employees and 
F16 131 professionals is that unemployment is now hitting them hardest:<p/>
F16 132 <p_><quote_>The human cost of recession in Britain's wealthiest 
F16 133 region was revealed today as the Employment Department announced 
F16 134 that 300,000 people in London and the South East have lost their 
F16 135 jobs in the last 15 months...<p/>
F16 136 <p_>But nowhere has been harder hit than London and the commuter 
F16 137 belt where unemployment had leapt by a record 88% since March 1990. 
F16 138 There are now 639,000 people out of work in the South-East - up 
F16 139 more than 25,000 on the May figure. Of the 299,600 who have joined 
F16 140 the dole queues since the figures started to rise, almost 137,000 
F16 141 were in London. (<tf_>The Evening Standard<tf/>, 18th 
F16 142 July)<quote/><p/>
F16 143 <p_>And unlike the unemployed manual worker who can always make a 
F16 144 few pounds as a <foreign|>bricoleur (see <tf_>The Employment 
F16 145 Question<tf/> by Denis Pym, Freedom Press, pounds2), what can 
F16 146 unemployed bank or insurance company employees from managers 
F16 147 downwards, or shop assistants hope to find to tide them over until 
F16 148 their skills are again in demand? As all white collar jobs are 
F16 149 being mechanised and computerised (even management is being taken 
F16 150 over by computers) unemployment in this sector, in our opinion, 
F16 151 will continue to increase. Only last month IBM, the world's largest 
F16 152 computer company, announced that it was shedding 17,000 jobs, 
F16 153 presumably many of the jobs being taken over by more sophisticated 
F16 154 computers?<p/>
F16 155 <p_>In our modest opinion (since we do not presume to be experts in 
F16 156 capitalist economics - our only interest being to abolish the 
F16 157 system) the recession will not 'bottom out' in the near future for 
F16 158 one simple reason: that the existing industrial productive capacity 
F16 159 exceeds demand. Since 'demand' in a capitalist world depends on 
F16 160 means, and most of the world's people haven't the means to buy all 
F16 161 the 'goodies' that the consumerist society produces (and that the 
F16 162 third world is producing more and more of but not being able to 
F16 163 afford) the only salvation for capitalism is to make some gestures 
F16 164 for re-distribution of wealth towards the have-nots. Up to now 
F16 165 every government, Tory or Labour, has managed willy-nilly to ensure 
F16 166 that the rich have got richer and the rest poorer. The present 
F16 167 government in its twelve years has beaten all records for the 
F16 168 number of homeless, unemployed and social security claimants, not 
F16 169 to mention record 'crimes' against property - a sure indication of 
F16 170 real poverty (in spite of treating the forces of law and order most 
F16 171 generously).<p/>
F16 172 <p_>A future Labour government promises a minimum wage for the low 
F16 173 paid and to make the rich pay an extra 10% on their ill-gotten 
F16 174 gains as well as raising the limit on National Insurance. These are 
F16 175 peanuts and they know it.<p/>
F16 176 <p_>The politicians - all of them - are out for votes and power at 
F16 177 any price. The bosses - the CBI - are concerned with profits. Their 
F16 178 gloomy quarterly forecast ends with the expected demand for at 
F16 179 least a 1% reduction in interest rates. As <tf|>Freedom has pointed 
F16 180 out time and time again, all this will do is increase their 
F16 181 profits. It will not influence investment in industry, nor in more 
F16 182 jobs. To give an example: ICI have announced higher than 
F16 183 anticipated profits, of pounds507 million. In the same breath they 
F16 184 are proposing to axe another for to five thousand jobs in addition 
F16 185 to the ten thousand already axed in the past twelve months. 
F16 186 Needless to say the top executives get their salary increases above 
F16 187 the inflation rate as well as bonuses even on trading results which 
F16 188 might have been worse!<p/>
F16 189 <p_>As anarchists we have no illusions that capitalism will stop 
F16 190 seeing profit as its guiding star. Neither do we have illusions 
F16 191 that starry-eyed socialists (most of them with large incomes) will 
F16 192 somehow tame the beast, or that the rich will willingly give up 
F16 193 their privileges and wealth for the common good. Alas, if we do 
F16 194 want to change society we must be prepared for struggle and 
F16 195 sacrifice. The underprivileged third world is setting the example 
F16 196 without much help from us in the West.<p/>
F16 197 <p_>We seem to have lost the power to protest in depth. 100,000 
F16 198 people braved the rain in Hyde Park to hear (over loudspeakers) and 
F16 199 see (on video screens) the tenor Pavarotti, yet with three million 
F16 200 unemployed there has not yet been one mass demonstration against 
F16 201 the iniquities of capitalism. When will we wake up?<p/>
F16 202 
F16 203 <h_><p_>BIG DEAL<p/><h/>
F16 204 <p_>The Government's Citizen's Charter (costing pounds8 million and 
F16 205 paid for by the taxpayer) is a pathetic propaganda exercise for the 
F16 206 Tories, and the critics could well ask how it is that it has taken 
F16 207 twelve years to produce, just in time for the next elections!<p/>
F16 208 <p_>It might be said that Major is not Thatcher. But the Charter is 
F16 209 so typically a <tf|>consumerist document and Mrs Thatcher 
F16 210 epitomised the consumerist, confrontational society. Mr Major is 
F16 211 also committed to the privatisation of all the public services. 
F16 212 Various ministers have reiterated that railways, postal services 
F16 213 and the mines will be privatised at the earliest possible moment, 
F16 214 thereby clearly indicating that the Charter is a purely political 
F16 215 document quite unconcerned with the practical consequences of such 
F16 216 actions.<p/>
F16 217 <p_>Anarchists do not see nationalisation as a panacea or as the 
F16 218 only alternative to privatisation.
F16 219 
F16 220 
F17   1 <#FLOB:F17\><h_><p_>Socialism and sovereignty<p/>
F17   2 <p_>Giles Radice<p/><h/>
F17   3 <p_>How sovereign should the nation state be? Recent events have 
F17   4 underlined the continuing erosion of the principle of 
F17   5 non-intervention in internal affairs of sovereign states, which has 
F17   6 been the bedrock of international relations for most of the 
F17   7 twentieth century.<p/>
F17   8 <p_>Iraq has its nuclear facilities forcibly exposed by UN 
F17   9 inspectors. US Secretary of State James Baker pledges that genocide 
F17  10 such as occurred under Pol Pot will never again be allowed to 
F17  11 happen. The World Bank announces that its loans will henceforth be 
F17  12 conditional not only on economic policies, but also on social and 
F17  13 environmental policies and respect for human rights. As Frank Judd 
F17  14 and John Clark put it below, <quote_>"old ideas of national 
F17  15 sovereignty must be tempered by agreed minimum standards of 
F17  16 governance and shared responsibility"<quote/>.<p/>
F17  17 <p_>To the internationalist Left, this emphasis on global community 
F17  18 must be welcome. Respect for the rights and dignity of the 
F17  19 individual should be upheld, whatever political entity that 
F17  20 individual lives under. Cultural relativism can have no appeal to 
F17  21 those who believe in fundamental freedoms. Yet there are dangers. 
F17  22 Nicholas Wheeler and Justin Morris point out that unless a 
F17  23 North-South consensus develops over what minimum standards should 
F17  24 be, the New World Order will be seen by the South not as 
F17  25 humanitarian enlightenment but as a new chapter in the history of 
F17  26 Western colonialism. Helping create this consensus is perhaps the 
F17  27 greatest challenge for the foreign policy of the next Labour 
F17  28 government.<p/>
F17  29 <p_>There are dangers too in underestimating the continuing appeal 
F17  30 of nationalism, as shown by the breakup of Yugoslavia and the 
F17  31 Soviet Union. While Western Europe forges ahead with integration, 
F17  32 centrifugal tendencies in the eastern and south eastern part of the 
F17  33 continent, as well as pressure from parts of the Community itself 
F17  34 to create a Europe of the regions, demonstrate that the principle 
F17  35 of self determination is as potent and problematical today as when 
F17  36 President Wilson enunciated it in 1918. Yet - Bruges group please 
F17  37 note - even those parts of the former Soviet or Yugoslav empires 
F17  38 pressing for independence are keen to pool their newly-won 
F17  39 sovereignty within the EC. They understand, as Calum Mcdonald puts 
F17  40 it, that <quote_>"it is possible to be at the same time an ardent 
F17  41 devolutionist and a committed unionist; that is, to desire the 
F17  42 greatest possible degree of government decentralisation within the 
F17  43 widest possible political community. The question is where to draw 
F17  44 the line"<quote/>.<p/>
F17  45 <p_>With little over a month to go to the Maastricht Summit, where 
F17  46 to draw the line between the EC and the member states is the most 
F17  47 pressing issue facing Britain. The Conservative approach to the 
F17  48 question of sovereignty is, like so many of their policies at the 
F17  49 moment, incoherent. One day John Major is to be seen leading the 
F17  50 Commonwealth towards an interventionist approach to human rights. 
F17  51 The next day he is heard squealing with indignation at the 
F17  52 'interference' of the European Community in what passes for the 
F17  53 British government's environmental policy. Overriding Zambian 
F17  54 sovereignty, it seems, is fine, but overriding British sovereignty 
F17  55 is not.<p/>
F17  56 <p_>There are hard choices to be taken at Maastricht. How far 
F17  57 should the competence of the European Community be extended? It is 
F17  58 common ground (outside the British Conservatives) that currency 
F17  59 speculators, multinational companies and acid rain clouds are no 
F17  60 respecters of national boundaries - this is the rationale behind 
F17  61 the Labour Party's commitment to closer economic and monetary union 
F17  62 and a supranational approach to social and environmental policy. 
F17  63 Even within these broad policy areas, what should be the nature of 
F17  64 EC action? Should EC standards be set high, to drag up conditions 
F17  65 in Greece, Portugal and the other poorer states, or act simply as a 
F17  66 floor to prevent competitive down-bidding under the Single Market? 
F17  67 If they are high, how will this effect eastern European states 
F17  68 wishing to join? In other words, can we deepen as well as widen?<p/>
F17  69 <p_>Equally complex is the issue of the political arrangements 
F17  70 needed to govern the evolving Community. Can we accept a Community 
F17  71 in which the executive functions are carried out by appointees 
F17  72 rather than elected representatives? What role do we wish to assign 
F17  73 to the necessarily independent and unaccountable Court? Or to an 
F17  74 independent European Bank?<p/>
F17  75 <p_>Against this, as a Party committed to intervention where 
F17  76 necessary, we must seek to ensure that the Community's 
F17  77 institutional structure is coherent and effective, so that we can 
F17  78 regulate the free market and mitigate its effects in a way we no 
F17  79 longer can at national level. A Single European market requires 
F17  80 political action at a European level if it is to be more than 
F17  81 Thatcherism writ large <*_>black-square<*/><p/>
F17  82 
F17  83 <h_><p_>Federation or union?<p/>
F17  84 <p_>Ben Cosin<p/>
F17  85 <p_>There seems to have been disproportionate sensitivity during 
F17  86 recent debates on Europe over a single piece of terminology, the 
F17  87 'F-word'. What should be the true socialist response to the 
F17  88 federalist approach to Europe?<p/><h/>
F17  89 <p_>The current controversy is not just about whether federal 
F17  90 (English) is different from federal (German). It is also about 
F17  91 centralisation, bureaucracy, the relation between state and 
F17  92 society.<p/>
F17  93 <p_>In this, as so often, Mrs Thatcher has put her finger on the 
F17  94 issue, though as usual in a wrong-headed way. At the worst, 
F17  95 Brussels/Strasbourg will not be like the Soviet Union, but like a 
F17  96 more jaded version of the US. Strong judicial and administrative 
F17  97 organs, the French <foreign_>conseil d'etat<foreign/> writ large, 
F17  98 will make decision-making cumbersome, impeding the parliament and 
F17  99 the executive. The largest capitalist companies will not be too 
F17 100 bothered, they have the money, power and specialized agencies to 
F17 101 deal with any political set-up. All other groups will be put at an 
F17 102 administrative and political permanent disadvantage - to top up the 
F17 103 economic superiority already enjoyed by the monopoly 
F17 104 capitalists.<p/>
F17 105 <p_>The Brussels bureaucracy is cumbersome not in its size, 
F17 106 habitually exaggerated by its Poujadist opponents in the 
F17 107 'safeguards' movement and elsewhere, but in its scope and 
F17 108 potential. As it ingests more and more aspects of the life of more 
F17 109 and more nations, it will become tremendously complex and rigid. 
F17 110 Its wealth of regulations, tending to a wealth of regulatory 
F17 111 powers, are already evidence of this.<p/>
F17 112 <p_>Can countervailing forces come into play? Those forces cannot 
F17 113 be the independent power of the constituent nations; their 
F17 114 capitalists have already surrendered their 'independent' economic 
F17 115 power in the interest of greater, multinational power and profit. 
F17 116 It should not be the free play of market forces <tf_>a la<tf/> 
F17 117 1992, even within the loose framework of the Social Charter - what 
F17 118 is socialist or democratic about that?<p/>
F17 119 <p_>Eventually the supranational state will require a unitary 
F17 120 executive with some unfettered powers in reserve to deal with 
F17 121 emergencies; a state whose executive lacks such a reserve is not a 
F17 122 state at all. But at present, EC action is less in danger from such 
F17 123 a development than from an inability to concert action.<p/>
F17 124 <p_>All that is left with any serious chance of responsible and 
F17 125 progressive governmental development is the unity of the 
F17 126 legislature and the executive - the democratic and the sovereign 
F17 127 power. Such a unity is flexible enough to adjust to social 
F17 128 development so as to influence it, while permitting its independent 
F17 129 development. In the UK it is known as the Crown in Parliament. Its 
F17 130 peculiarity is that the legislature, important as the passage of 
F17 131 laws may be, is more important as the permanent electoral college 
F17 132 and constituent assembly which monitors the aptness of the 
F17 133 government to social life. Only if the active (not merely the 
F17 134 reserve) powers of the state are dependent on the legislature can 
F17 135 this flexible combination be achieved.<p/>
F17 136 <p_>But there are other conditions for its development - 
F17 137 constitutional as well as social. Here I focus on the 
F17 138 constitutional issue thrown up by the issue of federalism.<p/>
F17 139 <p_>Federalism centralises executive power more than do 
F17 140 confederation or alliance. But it also centralizes judicial and to 
F17 141 a lesser extent bureaucratic power more than any other system. For 
F17 142 by definition it divides governmental power permanently, on 
F17 143 principle and as of right, into at least two segments - that of the 
F17 144 central and that of the provincial governments (they may be called, 
F17 145 regional, national, Land, 'state' or whatever). That division and 
F17 146 its distinctions must be permanently policed. And the power that 
F17 147 polices them must be a power greater than any that can attempt to 
F17 148 blur them. Furthermore, it cannot be elected; otherwise the 
F17 149 distinctions it polices would not be principled and of right 
F17 150 (legal-judicial and constitutional). Federalism therefore puts a 
F17 151 supreme court above the government - and therefore above the people 
F17 152 that elect the government.<p/>
F17 153 <p_>That is not the sort of government that socialists can 
F17 154 tolerate, nor can consistent democrats. Liberals of all sorts, from 
F17 155 American federalists to advocates of Charter 88 can tolerate it 
F17 156 quite well. Democrats and socialists must oppose federalism for 
F17 157 this if for no other reason. They cannot do so in the interests of 
F17 158 'national independence'. They must do so in the interests of good 
F17 159 and progressive government on an EC scale. A unitary, not a 
F17 160 federal, EC supranational state, governed by an EC executive 
F17 161 responsible to the European Parliament, is the way forward for the 
F17 162 socialists in the EC.<p/>
F17 163 <p_>The Tories are tearing themselves apart on the issue of Europe. 
F17 164 It is time for us as socialists to say what our European beliefs 
F17 165 are. Thatcher has yet again put her finger on the crucial issue - 
F17 166 for or against Washington's dominance of the world. The answer is 
F17 167 obvious; the EC must be strengthened to provide the world with a 
F17 168 counter-weight to the USA. The Party Conference to be held in 1992 
F17 169 on the EC will need to consider the balance of federation and 
F17 170 integration at the level of our parties and at the level of the 
F17 171 developing European State.<p/>
F17 172 
F17 173 <h_><p_>Postcard from the edge (of Brighton)<p/>
F17 174 <p_>Deborah Stoate<p/><h/>
F17 175 <p_>You may be forgiven for having missed the Fabian Society stall 
F17 176 at Labour Party Conference this year, hidden as we were behind the 
F17 177 monolithic grey British Rail edifice complete with hi-tech and 
F17 178 sharp suits, and sandwiched between ten other socialist societies 
F17 179 as diverse as Poale Zion and the Christian Socialist Movement. It 
F17 180 took determination, a good map and sharp eyesight to find, however 
F17 181 many did and renewed old acquaintances, bought literature and 
F17 182 joined up.<p/>
F17 183 <p_><tf_>Fabian Conference News<tf/> was - and this is said 
F17 184 impartially of course - a triumph organisation, production and 
F17 185 distribution. As one of that grim band of single-minded zealots, 
F17 186 who thrust their literature at passing delegates, I can say that 
F17 187 <tf|>FCN was received with enthusiasm and sometimes even requested. 
F17 188 Despite mutterings about Amazon rainforests and the hilarity with 
F17 189 which <quote_>"Getting excited"<quote/>, the first headline, was 
F17 190 greeted by a line of hard<?_>-<?/>bitten hacks, <tf|>FCN kept the 
F17 191 Society's profile high amongst much-increased competition.<p/>
F17 192 <p_>I attended the first Fabian fringe meeting - Frank Field and 
F17 193 Janey Buchan (Bryan Gould was indisposed) discussing their kinds of 
F17 194 socialism, ruled either by head or by heart and vividly contrasted 
F17 195 in the style and content of their speeches - a contrast running 
F17 196 through Conference as we struggled to define or even distinguish 
F17 197 the Labour Party's kind of socialism.<p/>
F17 198 <p_>As PJ Barnum once remarked, and I paraphrase, it's impossible 
F17 199 to please all the people all of the time. This Conference 
F17 200 triumphed, in that respect, <tf|>appearing at least to please most 
F17 201 of the people - constituency delegates, unions and even voters - 
F17 202 most of the time. For that compromise - or 'pragmatism' as it is 
F17 203 now known - may indeed win us the next election. It became 
F17 204 increasingly apparent that there was to be no big idea, merely the 
F17 205 rehearsal of (at most) rejigged policies, but this time stated with 
F17 206 passion. It was a Conference of sound bites, photo opportunities 
F17 207 and new model PPCs, but it is the old-fashioned rhetoric and 
F17 208 restatement of why we are socialists that I shall remember.<p/>
F17 209 <p_>For the first time in 15 years Labour felt like a party on the 
F17 210 offensive. We pretended we could win in 1987 but this felt 
F17 211 different. As they say in Alaska, 'If you ain't the lead dog the 
F17 212 scenery never changes'; now it would seem that, at last, we have an 
F17 213 unrestricted view of the horizon ahead.<p/>
F17 214 
F17 215 <h_><p_>Taking account of ethics<p/>
F17 216 <p_>There is a myth that corporate reports are only for 
F17 217 shareholders.
F17 218 
F18   1 <#FLOB:F18\><h_><p_>The irresistible rise of Jean-Marie Le Pen?<p/>
F18   2 <p_>Nick Robins reports from Paris on the ever-increasing 
F18   3 popularity and influence of the French neo-fascist leader.<p/><h/>
F18   4 <p_>The visit to London earlier this month of Jean-Marie Le Pen, 
F18   5 president of the Front National (FN) is the latest chapter in a 
F18   6 political career of provocation and outrage that started with his 
F18   7 opposition to Algerian independence in the fifties. In France 
F18   8 itself, tension has grown in recent weeks with the publication of 
F18   9 the FN's '50 Propositions' to deal with the 'problem' of 
F18  10 immigration.
F18  11 Drawn up by Bruno Megret, Le Pen's dapper number two, aptly known 
F18  12 as 'the Goebbels of the FN', the propositions include forced 
F18  13 repatriation, explicit discrimination in favour of French workers, 
F18  14 quotas for immigrants in the classroom, the repeal of laws banning 
F18  15 racist incitement and replacing residence with blood as the basis 
F18  16 of French nationality. The combined effect , according to Harlem 
F18  17 Desir, president of SOS Racisme, the country's largest anti-racist 
F18  18 movement, would be <quote_>"to install apartheid in 
F18  19 France".<quote/><p/>
F18  20 <p_>Not surprisingly, the document has led to a wave of protests. 
F18  21 However, the rhetoric of <}-><-|>anti-facism<+|>anti-fascism<}/> 
F18  22 and anti-racism cannot hide the impotence and disorientation on the 
F18  23 Left as well as on the Right in the face of a political movement 
F18  24 that has climbed from 0.3 per cent of the vote in 1981 to 15 per 
F18  25 cent in current opinion polls. On the issue of immigration itself, 
F18  26 a recent poll suggested that 38 per cent of the French agree with 
F18  27 the FN's policies.<p/>
F18  28 <p_>While Le Pen draws on a deep well of racist and 
F18  29 ultra-nationalist ideology in France, his current success is linked 
F18  30 to the collapse of the two compass-points of post-war French 
F18  31 politics, Gaullism on the Right and Communism on the Left. In their 
F18  32 place has emerged a woolly consensus between President Francois 
F18  33 Mitterrand's Socialist Party (PS), Giscard d'Estaing's Centrists 
F18  34 and the pseudo-Gaullist Rassemblement Pour la Republique (RPR) on 
F18  35 the merits of rapid European integration, a hard franc and liberal 
F18  36 economics.<p/>
F18  37 <p_>Into this political vacuum has stepped Le Pen with his 
F18  38 insidious message linking all problems to a single issue, 
F18  39 immigration. At just over 6 per cent, the current percentage of 
F18  40 immigrants in the French population is the same as it was in the 
F18  41 thirties. The difference is that, whereas the immigrants of the 
F18  42 pre-war period were Italians and Poles, post-war immigration has 
F18  43 come increasingly from France's old colonies in Africa, in 
F18  44 particular from the Maghreb.<p/>
F18  45 <p_>Long a secondary concern, immigration surged to the 
F18  46 centre-stage of French politics in 1983 on the back of rising 
F18  47 unemployment and urban distress caused in part by the Socialist 
F18  48 Government's decision to adopt hard-line monetarist policies to 
F18  49 bring inflation in line with Germany.<p/>
F18  50 <p_>Since then, unemployment has never fallen below 8 per cent (it 
F18  51 is currently hovering at 10 per cent), social spending has been cut 
F18  52 back and income disparities have widened. The consequences for the 
F18  53 children of immigrants in the high-rise ghettos around Paris, Lyon 
F18  54 and Marseille have been particularly tough. High rates of crime and 
F18  55 recurrent rioting have followed.<p/>
F18  56 <p_>In April at Satrouville, hundreds protested against the 
F18  57 shooting of an 18-year-old boy by a supermarket security guard. As 
F18  58 one of his friends said after the killing, <quote_>"If you're 
F18  59 called Mohammed you don't get a job. If you're called Robert you 
F18  60 do."<quote/><p/>
F18  61 <p_>But it is not just a question of jobs. France's republican 
F18  62 traditions based upon an almost mystical belief in the nation's 
F18  63 historical mission have been challenged by the growth of a large 
F18  64 non-white, non-Christian population. The furore in 1989 over 
F18  65 whether Muslim girls should be allowed to wear head<?_>-<?/>dress 
F18  66 at school highlighted the limits of the French policy of secular 
F18  67 integration.<p/>
F18  68 <p_>Many on the Left are still opposed to multi-culturalism, which 
F18  69 they fear threatens national identity and would lead to social 
F18  70 fragmentation on the American model.<p/>
F18  71 <p_>It is also important to recognise that support for the Front 
F18  72 National does not rely solely on its hard-line policies on race and 
F18  73 immigration. Le Pen has fed on the growing public distaste with a 
F18  74 political elite tarnished by scandals and rising concern about the 
F18  75 implications of a barrier-free Europe.<p/>
F18  76 <p_>As the French daily, <tf|>Liberation, recently noted, French 
F18  77 politics is no longer divided horizontally between the Right and 
F18  78 the Left, but vertically between the 'insiders' and the 'outsiders' 
F18  79 - a term that Le Pen has taken as his own.<p/>
F18  80 <p_>In the face of this malaise, Le Pen's greatest political 
F18  81 victory has been to make immigration an increasingly accepted 
F18  82 scapegoat for unemployment and crime and to make race the prism 
F18  83 through which these problems are viewed.<p/>
F18  84 <p_>This year has seen Jacques Chirac, RPR leader, sympathising 
F18  85 with Parisians about the unpleasantness of 'smells' coming from 
F18  86 immigrant areas, the former President, Giscard d'Estaing, 
F18  87 describing immigration as an 'invasion', and the Socialist Prime 
F18  88 Minister, Edith Cresson, proposing to charter jets to expel illegal 
F18  89 immigrants <tf_>en masse<tf/>.<p/>
F18  90 <p_>The issue is no longer whether Le Pen will get into a position 
F18  91 of power to implement his policies, but to what extent his policies 
F18  92 will be carried out by others. Marie-Claude Mendes-France, the 
F18  93 widow of Pierre Mendes-France who was Socialist Prime Minister 
F18  94 during the fifties, has made a chilling comparison with the Vichy 
F18  95 regime: <quote_>"The law against Jews was introduced on October 
F18  96 1940, before the Germans had imposed anything."<quote/><p/>
F18  97 <p_>To date, the official response from the Socialist Government to 
F18  98 Le Pen has been a combination of increasingly stringent checks and 
F18  99 high-sounding condemnation. But behind this lies a mixture of 
F18 100 powerlessness and cynicism<p/>
F18 101 <p_>Although the government has taken a number of useful 
F18 102 initiatives to tackle urban problems, it is constrained by the 
F18 103 continuing weakness of the French economy and its commitment to 
F18 104 monetary stability to restrain much-needed public spending on 
F18 105 education and training. By splitting the Right-wing vote, Le Pen is 
F18 106 a godsend for the Socialists, which they have not been slow to 
F18 107 exploit.<p/>
F18 108 <p_>Mitterrand has not forgotten the advantage he gained in the 
F18 109 1988 Presidential elections when Le Pen refused to advise his 
F18 110 supporters to vote for the Right's candidate, Jacques Chirac, in 
F18 111 the second round. The President is hoping to exploit these splits 
F18 112 further in the March regional elections and the parliamentary 
F18 113 elections in 1993.<p/>
F18 114 <p_>For the latter, Mitterrand is pressing hard for the 
F18 115 reintroduction of some form of proportional representation, which 
F18 116 would allow him to construct a coalition government with the 
F18 117 Centrists for the closing years of his second term. The presence of 
F18 118 at least 50 FN deputies in parliament would also give him a 
F18 119 constant focus for illuminating what he sees as the true face of 
F18 120 the Right.<p/>
F18 121 <p_>Outside government, there are increasing initiatives to 
F18 122 challenge the FN's ascendancy. Following its deep divisions during 
F18 123 the Gulf war, SOS Racisme is moving on to the offensive with a huge 
F18 124 rally planned for next month. Its posters for the event are 
F18 125 refreshingly to the point, with one showing in black and white a 
F18 126 couple of skinheads doing a Nazi salute, counterposed with a 
F18 127 multi-colour picture of youth from all races.<p/>
F18 128 <p_>In addition, a number of Socialist Deputies have launched a 
F18 129 'Manifesto Against the Front National', which has collected more 
F18 130 than 60,000 signatures to date.<p/>
F18 131 <p_>There is certainly no lack of innovative local projects, 
F18 132 ranging from anti-racist 'tupperware' parties to community business 
F18 133 schemes. What is missing is a strategy to create the appropriate 
F18 134 economic conditions and the political mood to help universalise 
F18 135 these good ideas across the country.<p/>
F18 136 <p_>Little can now be expected from Mitterrand, who has lost his 
F18 137 touch and looks increasingly like a lame<?_>-<?/>duck President. 
F18 138 Talk of forming a cross-party Republican Front against the FN only 
F18 139 risks fuelling support for Le Pen as the 'outsider'. Instead, hard 
F18 140 questions need to be asked about Government's record since 1981, 
F18 141 and the Socialist Party leadership's current lack of direction.<p/>
F18 142 <p_>A few parliamentarians, such as Julian Dray, a child of an 
F18 143 immigrant himself, are willing to speak of policy failures, nailing 
F18 144 poverty rather than race as the chief cause of France's problems 
F18 145 and welcoming the diversity that immigration has brought to 
F18 146 France.<p/>
F18 147 <p_>With only six points now separating the Socialist Party and the 
F18 148 Front National in the opinion polls, the Left urgently needs to go 
F18 149 back to basics and design a strategy that tackles the underlying 
F18 150 causes for the rise of Le Pen.<p/>
F18 151 <p_>Whether the Socialist's new party platform - agreed on December 
F18 152 14 at a special party congress - is up to the job will be put to 
F18 153 the test in the March regional elections. All eyes will be on the 
F18 154 south, where Le Pen is hoping to take control of the regional 
F18 155 council of Provence-Cote d'Azur. The Socialists have fielded a 
F18 156 non-party heart surgeon to head the defence. The fight is certain 
F18 157 to be close.<p/>
F18 158 <p_>Victory in Provence would further strengthen Le Pen's 
F18 159 legitimacy ( he is already a member of the European Parliament) and 
F18 160 give him a powerbase for the parliamentary elections the following 
F18 161 year.<p/>
F18 162 <p_>As the London visit showed, defeating Le Pen is not just a 
F18 163 national matter for the French. He has become the most influential 
F18 164 representative of Europe's new extreme Right. Mitterrand has a 
F18 165 responsibility to ensure that he does not go down in history as the 
F18 166 man who presided over the second outbreak of French fascism this 
F18 167 century.<p/>
F18 168 <p_>As one of his advisers said after his 1988 Presidential 
F18 169 victory, <quote_>"The Verdict of the new term will be the score of 
F18 170 Le Pen: if he gets 6 per cent, Mitterrand will have won. If he gets 
F18 171 18 per cent, he will have lost."<quote/> Sadly, the latter 
F18 172 currently looks the most likely outcome.<p/>
F18 173 
F18 174 <h_><p_>A boardroom farce.<p/>
F18 175 <p_>Labour's trade and industry spokesman, GORDON BROWN, attacks 
F18 176 the Government's stance on top director's pay.<p/><h/>
F18 177 <p_>One of the central consequences of the Tories' privatisation 
F18 178 programme has been the extraordinary salary hikes granted to 
F18 179 chairmen, chief executives and directors of the newly privatised 
F18 180 companies. I have conducted a new survey of salaries, bonus 
F18 181 payments and share options awarded to the privatised boardroom 
F18 182 directors which reveals that this year's pay rises are at least 
F18 183 keeping pace with last year's excessive increases.<p/>
F18 184 <p_>This year the average top director's rise in the gas industry 
F18 185 is pounds57500; in electricity generation it is pounds73000; in the 
F18 186 water industry it is pounds16000 and the chairman of British 
F18 187 Telecom received a rise of at least pounds64000.<p/>
F18 188 <p_>Despite overwhelming public disquiet about this matter, 
F18 189 boardroom directors have continued to accept ever larger cash and 
F18 190 share option packages.<p/>
F18 191 <p_>The chairman of British Telecom had a pounds64000 rise in basic 
F18 192 pay to pounds450000 with provision for up to pounds175000 in 
F18 193 bonuses and share options which could now be cashed in for a total 
F18 194 of pounds700000.<p/>
F18 195 <p_>The chairman of British Gas had a pounds60000 rise in basic pay 
F18 196 to pounds340000 with share options now worth pounds99000.<p/>
F18 197 <p_>The chief executive of national power had a pounds164000 rise 
F18 198 to pounds240000 (a 217 per cent increase from the pre-privatisation 
F18 199 salary of pounds76000).<p/>
F18 200 <p_>The chief executives of both Northumbria and North West Water 
F18 201 had a 37 per cent rise to salaries of pounds82000 and pounds150000 
F18 202 respectively.<p/>
F18 203 <p_>The chief executive of Scottish Power had a rise of pounds97000 
F18 204 to pounds160000 (a 153 per cent rise since privatisation).<p/>
F18 205 <p_>These are startling figures and the Government's unwillingness 
F18 206 to do anything about them contrasts with its willingness to attack 
F18 207 the proposal for a minimum wage of pounds3.40 an hour for people on 
F18 208 poverty pay. Michael Howard in particular might reflect on the fact 
F18 209 that many of those benefiting from this boardroom excess will earn 
F18 210 more in a single day than some low-paid workers will earn in a 
F18 211 year.<p/>
F18 212 <p_>Of course, those in the top-paid jobs don't just count their 
F18 213 pay packets and share certificates. They can also tot up the perks 
F18 214 that quietly embellish the lifestyles of Britain's corporate 
F18 215 elite.<p/>
F18 216 <p_>In the newly privatised industries there has been no shortage 
F18 217 of generosity in this department. But the prize has to go to the 
F18 218 chairman of British Gas, Robert Evans. The refurbishment of his 
F18 219 rent-free London home included the installation of gold taps in the 
F18 220 bathroom, pounds25000 worth of gas fitting ranging from a tumble 
F18 221 dryer to an Aga cooker, all linked to the grid by a mile-long 
F18 222 private pipeline and, most lavish of all, the gas supply for his 
F18 223 garden amenities.<p/>
F18 224 
F19   1 <#FLOB:F19\><h_><p_>The A.B.C. of Politics<p/>
F19   2 <p_>THE GRADUALISM OF THE REVOLUTION<p/>
F19   3 <p_>by Rosine de Bounevialle<p/><h/>
F19   4 <p_>AS with Ian Smith, the verbal opposition of Mrs Thatcher to the 
F19   5 prevailing 'winds of change' in their respective countries has 
F19   6 conferred heroic status in the annals of Right-wingism everywhere. 
F19   7 They are both worshipped as political martyrs who did their best 
F19   8 against impossible odds. Anyone holding a contrary view is 
F19   9 dismissed as a prejudiced crank or, more gently, as one overdoing 
F19  10 the conspiracy theory of history through misplaced zeal. The 
F19  11 present writer figures in both categories, but remains of the same 
F19  12 opinion still!<p/>
F19  13 <p_><quote_>"It is all of a piece,"<quote/> as the cook said in 
F19  14 some forgotten thriller. The mysterious Power that purports to 
F19  15 establish universal hegemony in defiance of the Creator's <tf|>Word 
F19  16 and will for fallen humanity's salvation and celestial destiny has 
F19  17 pursued that aim by much the same method since our first parents' 
F19  18 expulsion from Eden. Always the ultimate attainment has been 
F19  19 periodically frustrated, not by contemporaneous society but by the 
F19  20 wrath of God. So gradual and devious have been the recurring 
F19  21 campaigns of successive pawns of the Devil in pursuit of his 
F19  22 aspiration to world domination that nearly always <quote_>"the 
F19  23 little victims play,"<quote/> ignoring the evidence of approaching 
F19  24 doom and disregarding any divinely inspired prophets sent to warn 
F19  25 them.<p/>
F19  26 <h_><p_>Emerging Pattern<p/><h/>
F19  27 <p_>In 1529 England was still a Catholic kingdom, despite Luther, 
F19  28 Calvin or whoever else set up as the latest light of the world. 
F19  29 Then the pattern began once more to emerge. The ambitions of a 
F19  30 lustful, profligate king and a cold-hearted wanton opened Pandora's 
F19  31 box.<p/>
F19  32 <p_>In pursuit of his desires, Henry VIII forgot that he, like 
F19  33 Pilate, would have no power if it <quote_>"was not given him from 
F19  34 above."<quote/> With his abrogation of the power given to the Vicar 
F19  35 of Christ on earth, he made the monarchy subservient, in the first 
F19  36 instance, to the receivers of the wealth stolen from the Church, 
F19  37 and subsequently to the bankers of those same receivers. He 
F19  38 murdered, more or less legally, the only two far-sighted enough to 
F19  39 visualise the end result of his abrogation: John Fisher, Bishop of 
F19  40 Rochester, and Thomas More, erstwhile Chancellor of England. The 
F19  41 unity of Christendom was shattered into myriad sects. Faith and 
F19  42 charity were in eclipse and even hope died at last.<p/>
F19  43 <p_>If all the bishops had seen what the dire result their 
F19  44 'patriotic' obedience (if that is what it was) would have, would 
F19  45 they have taken that first step on the long shuffle to the new 
F19  46 paganism? Alas, they saw no harm in accepting their king as head of 
F19  47 the Church in England. When in due time the Church in England 
F19  48 became the Church <tf|>of England, it was too late. The lay 
F19  49 Catholics of England and the 'hedge' priests died for their faith 
F19  50 in their hundreds: the landed gentry were either martyred or fined 
F19  51 into exile or apostasy. The 'new rich' clung to their ill-gotten 
F19  52 gains through restorations and regicide, evolving into the die-soft 
F19  53 Tory 'opposition' of today. Usurers returned and by the end of the 
F19  54 seventeenth century had annexed the royal monopoly of the issue of 
F19  55 credit. The Money Power ruled again.<p/>
F19  56 <p_>It took four hundred years to turn Christendom into the 
F19  57 multi-religious and multi-racial stew that is Europe today. It took 
F19  58 rather less time to destroy the intervening imperial substitutes, 
F19  59 for the labourers in the colonial vineyards were quite as gullible 
F19  60 as their predecessors. If they survived the Money Power's tactical 
F19  61 wars, they were too bemused with phantom victories to do anything 
F19  62 other than bow before the 'winds of change' despite all the latter 
F19  63 day Fishers and Mores who told them to beware of the hurricane 
F19  64 behind the zephyr.<p/>
F19  65 <h_><p_>The Message Of Fatima<p/><h/>
F19  66 <p_>The last warning was given to three young shepherds in Portugal 
F19  67 more than seventy years ago. With the miracle of the sun to help 
F19  68 them, they did their best to persuade their fellow-countrymen to 
F19  69 obey the exhortation to <quote_>"pray for the conversion of 
F19  70 Russia"<quote/> and to believe the warning of the chaos that would 
F19  71 follow a failure so to do. Though one of the shepherds is still 
F19  72 living, the warning and the message have been shrouded in official 
F19  73 silence. Far from praying for the conversion of anyone, let alone 
F19  74 Russia, both pastors and people for the most part are busy acting 
F19  75 on the palpably false assumption that Man is doing very well for 
F19  76 himself, thank you. The unfortunate disorders today are merely 
F19  77 temporary hiccups on the progression to universal justice and peace 
F19  78 in the New World Order.<p/>
F19  79 <p_>So now we are on the last lap. Are professing Christians really 
F19  80 going to continue <quote_>"doing their own (sectional) 
F19  81 thing"<quote/> until they find themselves so helplessly corrupt as 
F19  82 to be fit for nothing but the slave quarters in this life and the 
F19  83 fires of Hell in the next?<p/>
F19  84 <p_>Surely not. There is still time. Remember: <quote_>"the days 
F19  85 will be cut short for the sake of the elect."<quote/><p/>
F19  86 
F19  87 <h_><p_>THE RIGHT TO PROPERTY<p/>
F19  88 <p_>by Paul Matthews<p/><h/>
F19  89 <p_>ONE hundred years ago, Pope Leo XIII issued an encyclical 
F19  90 letter called <tf_>Rerum Novarum<tf/>. It condemned the social 
F19  91 system under which <quote_>"working men have been surrendered, 
F19  92 isolated and helpless, to the hard-heartedness of employers and the 
F19  93 greed of unchecked competition."<quote/> In standing out against 
F19  94 the unbridled individualism favoured by Capitalism, he argued that 
F19  95 property should be widely diffused and the monetary system so 
F19  96 arranged as to facilitate the production, distribution and exchange 
F19  97 of goods and services. A return by the Church to this type of 
F19  98 traditional social teaching would provide precisely the kind of 
F19  99 effective spiritual lead that is missing from its pronouncements 
F19 100 today. In this article, the writer explores <tf_>Rerum Novarum<tf/> 
F19 101 and another social encyclical, <tf_>Quadragesimo Anno<tf/>.<p/>
F19 102 <p_>There is an argument put forward from time to time - by some 
F19 103 who know little, and others who ought to know better - that there 
F19 104 is a fundamental incompatibility between contemporary British 
F19 105 nationalism and Christianity. It is at once both more and less than 
F19 106 an argument: it is an <tf|>assertion; and like all too many 
F19 107 assertions is really a mere <tf|>assumption.<p/>
F19 108 <p_>It is an assumption that in the hands of the uninformed and 
F19 109 misinformed becomes a dogma held all the more dogmatically on 
F19 110 account of its shallowness.<p/>
F19 111 <p_>Mercifully, the subject is too vast to be dealt with in a 
F19 112 single article; but two facts emerge from and dominate it. The 
F19 113 first is that present-day radical British nationalism and 
F19 114 Christianity are not incompatible. The second fact is that in 
F19 115 certain areas - most clearly in economics and in opposition to 
F19 116 abortion - such nationalism is the only political option that is 
F19 117 truly compatible with Christianity. It is the aim of this article 
F19 118 to examine this compatibility in relation to aspects of 
F19 119 economics.<p/>
F19 120 <p_>Now before such a discussion can be set underway it is 
F19 121 necessary to clear away the possibilities of confusion by making 
F19 122 clear the route of advance; for this much must be accepted at the 
F19 123 outset: that there is as little unity in economics as in theology 
F19 124 amongst the many Christian sects, some of which indeed - most 
F19 125 notably those of Calvinist derivation - are strongly supportive of 
F19 126 capitalism, and even creative of it.<p/>
F19 127 <p_>This article will make no attempt to weave a way through such a 
F19 128 diversity, but instead takes to itself the liberty solely to pursue 
F19 129 the thread of Catholic teaching. It will take this course for two 
F19 130 reasons: firstly, because the writer, as a Catholic, knows a little 
F19 131 more about this than about Protestant teachings; and secondly 
F19 132 because whilst there is no one Protestant scheme of economics (but 
F19 133 a great deal of divergence amongst the many Protestant 
F19 134 denominations) there is a clear and consistent set of principles 
F19 135 advanced by the Catholic Church, which principles are succinctly 
F19 136 and powerfully set out in the two great Papal encyclicals 
F19 137 <tf_>Rerum Novarum<tf/> and <tf_>Quadragesimo Anno<tf/>. There is a 
F19 138 third reason: that a consideration solely of these two documents 
F19 139 makes possible an article short enough to make sense.<p/>
F19 140 <h_><p_>THE WORKERS CHARTER<p/><h/>
F19 141 <p_>It was in response to the growth of industrial capitalism and 
F19 142 Marxian socialism that Pope Leo XIII in 1891 addressed to the 
F19 143 Church his letter <tf_>Rerum Novarum<tf/> ('The Workers' Charter'). 
F19 144 In it he stated the problem in this way:<p/>
F19 145 <p_><quote_>"<tf_>... The ancient working-men's guilds were 
F19 146 abolished in the last century, and no other protective organisation 
F19 147 took their place ... Hence by degrees it has come to pass that 
F19 148 working-men have been surrendered, isolated and helpless, to the 
F19 149 hard-heartedness of employers and the greed of unchecked 
F19 150 competition. The mischief has been increased by rapacious usury 
F19 151 ...<tf/>"<quote/><p/>
F19 152 <p_>Having thus set the scene, the Pope went on to consider the 
F19 153 socialist remedy for this situation; and, after demonstrating its 
F19 154 necessary failure, proceeded to outline the remedy proposed by the 
F19 155 Church.<p/>
F19 156 <p_>The essence of the Pope's rejection of Marxism as a remedy or 
F19 157 the evils of capitalism lies in this: that it in no way benefits 
F19 158 ordinary working <}_><-|>poeple<+|>people<}/>; but, on the 
F19 159 contrary, enslaves them just as surely as does capitalism. Under 
F19 160 capitalism Big Business controls the State; under socialism the 
F19 161 State controls Big Business; they are just two different 
F19 162 perspectives of the same situation, expressed by the fact that 
F19 163 Marxian socialism is merely State Capitalism.<p/>
F19 164 <p_><tf_>Rerum Novarum<tf/> thus isolates the following points in 
F19 165 condemnation of Marxism:<p/>
F19 166 <p_>(i) That Marxism does not improve the lot of the worker, since 
F19 167 it is in reality a more total form of capitalism;<p/>
F19 168 <p_>(ii) That it denies private property, such denial being 
F19 169 contrary to natural law: <quote_>"For",<quote/> the Pope says, 
F19 170 <quote_>"every man has by nature the right to possess property as 
F19 171 his own:"<quote/><p/>
F19 172 <p_>(iii) That Marxism is destructive of the family; since it is, 
F19 173 by natural law, for parents - and not the State - to provide for 
F19 174 the needs and the future of their children; and<p/>
F19 175 <p_>(iv) That Marxism makes the State all<?_>-<?/>powerful, which 
F19 176 is a moral evil; since by natural law society - the small society 
F19 177 of a man's family, and the wider society of the national community 
F19 178 - take precedence over the State, for it precedes the State.<p/>
F19 179 <p_>Disposing thus of Marxism, <tf_>Rerum Novarum<tf/> proceeds to 
F19 180 the true alternative to capitalism:<p/>
F19 181 <p_><quote_>"The first and most fundamental principle ... must be 
F19 182 the inviolability of private property".<quote/><p/>
F19 183 <p_><tf_>Now private property is a thing entirely different from 
F19 184 capitalism, which may rather be called private <tf|>enterprise: it 
F19 185 is different from capitalism, and in a death-struggle with 
F19 186 capitalism. Private property means possession: capitalism means 
F19 187 <tf|>dispossesion. Private property means well-distributed property 
F19 188 privately held by the general public: capitalism means the public's 
F19 189 property being privately <tf|>withheld, by millionaires if not by 
F19 190 generals.<tf/><p/>
F19 191 <p_>This championship of private property by the Church was no new 
F19 192 departure: on the contrary, it has been Her traditional teaching 
F19 193 (the great philosopher-theologian St. Thomas Aquinas wrote in the 
F19 194 13th century: <quote_>"It is lawful for a man to hold private 
F19 195 property; and it is also necessary for human existence."<quote/>); 
F19 196 and is supported by Holy Scripture. Its especial value is 
F19 197 threefold:<p/>
F19 198 <p_>1. It is the most efficient means by which the abundance of 
F19 199 nature can be made available for man; <p/>
F19 200 <p_>2. It is a necessary support to family life; and<p/>
F19 201 <p_>3. It is essential for man's liberty and independence from the 
F19 202 State.<p/>
F19 203 <p_>From this discussion on private property the Pope goes on to 
F19 204 consider the relationship between employer and employed, and 
F19 205 dismisses as perverse the Marxist doctrine of class-war:<p/>
F19 206 <p_><quote_>"The great mistake is to take up with the notion that 
F19 207 class is naturally hostile to class ... the direct contrary is the 
F19 208 truth ... in a State it is ordained by nature that these two 
F19 209 classes should dwell in harmony and agreement, so as to maintain 
F19 210 the balance of the body politic."<quote/><p/>
F19 211 <p_>The employee thus has a duty to <}_><-|>perfrom<+|>perform<}/> 
F19 212 his work with honesty and diligence; whilst the employer has a duty 
F19 213 to accord his workers respect and dignity in terms of wages and the 
F19 214 nature of the work to be done. It is from this section, largely 
F19 215 inspired by the great champion of British working folk, Cardinal 
F19 216 Manning, that the encyclical takes its English name: <tf_>'The 
F19 217 Workers' Charter'<tf/>; yet although it is the response of the 
F19 218 Church to the growth of industrial capitalism in the last century 
F19 219 it is nevertheless an expression of the traditional teaching of the 
F19 220 Church, based on St. Thomas who 600 years earlier had taught that a 
F19 221 degree of material well<?_>-<?/>being is necessary for a person to 
F19 222 live a virtuous life.<p/>
F19 223 
F19 224 
F19 225 
F20   1 <#FLOB:F20\><h_><p_>Turn Left from Dove Cottage<p/>
F20   2 <p_>Percy Jacobs visits How Top Farm<p/><h/>
F20   3 <p_>OF the many thousands of visitors who make their obligatory 
F20   4 pilgrimage to Dove Cottage in Grasmere, only a few will turn left 
F20   5 when they leave the Wordsworth shrine, and walk further up the 
F20   6 narrow lane. Those who do will find, just at the top beyond the 
F20   7 duckpond, a charmingly situated, typical Lakeland farmstead.<p/>
F20   8 <p_>This is How Top Farm, where David Thompson and his wife Judy 
F20   9 have lived and worked for the past 25 years, after some years of 
F20  10 working for other farmers in the neighbourhood.<p/>
F20  11 <p_>A quick check in the Cumbria telephone directory showed 
F20  12 Thompson as the third most frequent entry - only Wilsons and Smiths 
F20  13 having a greater number.<p/>
F20  14 <p_><quote_>"Aye, there's plenty of us about,"<quote/> David agreed 
F20  15 and told me that his grandfather had farmed at Town Head, at the 
F20  16 other end of Grasmere, for many years. However, it seems unlikely 
F20  17 that the family tradition of farming will be passed on - Philip, 
F20  18 their son, is now a Senior Process Engineer with British Sugar plc, 
F20  19 whilst their daughter Alison has trained in hotel catering. David 
F20  20 is a true Grasmerian, having been born at Winterseeds Cottage in 
F20  21 the village.<p/>
F20  22 <p_>How Top Farm, built of large 'beck cobbles' dates from at least 
F20  23 as far back as the start of the Parish Register in 1612; like many 
F20  24 Lakeland farmhouses, it has walls three feet thick, low ceilings, 
F20  25 and a diversity of oak beams and partitions and old oak 
F20  26 cupboards.<p/>
F20  27 <p_>Across the yard from the house is an equally old 'bank barn' - 
F20  28 so called because the lower floor serving as a shippon (cow byre) 
F20  29 and stable have been built into the sloping bank of the fellside. 
F20  30 Later, the construction of the 'Wishing Gate' road has concealed 
F20  31 this pattern of building from the eye of the casual passer-by; 
F20  32 however the barn is still in use much as it was over three hundred 
F20  33 years ago.<p/>
F20  34 <p_>Currently, David stores hay for winter feed on the upper floor, 
F20  35 whilst eight of his herd of 19 cows are housed below. A 'hay hole' 
F20  36 in the floor allows food to be dropped through to directly feed the 
F20  37 animals. It seems that farmers in the old days were quite prepared 
F20  38 to develop labour-saving methods.<p/>
F20  39 <p_>Threshing also took place within the barn, when small doors 
F20  40 would be opened to allow a through draught to carry the dust and 
F20  41 chaff outside. The small out<?_>-<?/>building on the left of the 
F20  42 barn frontage is the original pig sty.<p/>
F20  43 <p_>The duck-pond opposite was originally the 'watering-place' for 
F20  44 the cattle, who would have to be let out to drink twice a day; a 
F20  45 time-consuming job and today they would be at risk from the 
F20  46 traffic. Traffic and labour costs are two of the reasons why the 
F20  47 farm has changed from keeping dairy cows to beef cattle the daily 
F20  48 movement of cattle along the roads for milking would be too 
F20  49 hazardous.<p/>
F20  50 <p_>David has grazing rights on Grasmere Common as far as the 
F20  51 skyline, and the farm lands include 200 acres of fields and intake 
F20  52 land for his flock of around 500 sheep both pure-bred Herdwicks and 
F20  53 Herdwick-Swaledale crosses. He has three working sheepdogs which 
F20  54 are becoming increasingly difficult to find. <quote_>"A good dog 
F20  55 mustn't be afraid to bark at the sheep if necessary. You hear about 
F20  56 a dog 'having a good eye' but the old sheep have learned all about 
F20  57 that and tend to ignore the dog unless he (or more usually she) 
F20  58 makes a bit of noise. So you first have to find a pup with the 
F20  59 likely potential and then spend a lot of time training 
F20  60 her."<quote/><p/>
F20  61 <p_>I was talking to David having tracked him down on a lonely 
F20  62 piece of fellside. He was repairing a collapsed dry-stone wall - 
F20  63 <quote_>"Totally unproductive work - all it's doing is keeping the 
F20  64 sheep in this field from going into that one, and vice-versa but it 
F20  65 has to be done."<quote/><p/>
F20  66 <p_>I asked if they had much trouble with visitors causing damage 
F20  67 or disturbance? <quote_>"Not a lot - there's the odd crowd from the 
F20  68 cities - usually old enough to know better - who'll climb a wall 
F20  69 and pull the top loose, but it could be a lot worse. And of course 
F20  70 being near Dove Cottage we do sometimes get cars parked where they 
F20  71 shouldn't be."<quote/> I remarked that as he was catching up on 
F20  72 wall repairs it must be a brief pause between the essential round 
F20  73 of farming jobs.<p/>
F20  74 <p_><quote_>"That's right - from January to March we try to 
F20  75 complete all the repairs and maintenance work that's built up - 
F20  76 then in April the season really begins when we fetch the sheep down 
F20  77 from the high fells, ready for lambing - which should begin about 
F20  78 April 18th.<p/>
F20  79 <p_>"In May we're dipping against flies and ticks and marking the 
F20  80 new lambs on the ears and with our red 'smit' mark before they're 
F20  81 returned to the fell. July is, of course, haymaking for winter 
F20  82 feed; and the clipping (shearing, to the uninitiated) which is the 
F20  83 only time we have some help."<quote/><p/>
F20  84 <p_>I'd been wondering how on earth two people, no matter how 
F20  85 experienced, could manage to run a farm such as this on their own. 
F20  86 <quote_>"You get used to it - plenty of fell farms are run just by 
F20  87 the farmer and his wife, with one or two extra hands at clipping 
F20  88 and at haytime."<quote/> I wasn't surprised to learn that David and 
F20  89 Judy haven't time to take in visitors for 'B&B' as is the case on 
F20  90 some farms.<p/>
F20  91 <p_>I asked David what changes, if any, had there been in the 
F20  92 pattern of fell farming since he began to run his own farm. 
F20  93 <quote_>"Not a lot,"<quote/> he admitted. <quote_>"Of course, we 
F20  94 didn't use helicopters in the old days, and the dipping and dosing 
F20  95 treatments have improved. Also we have the opportunity to produce 
F20  96 big bale silage, if the weather's too bad for haymaking - and, 
F20  97 overall, there are more sheep on the fells these days.<p/>
F20  98 <p_>There are too many changes in the village,"<quote/> he added. 
F20  99 <quote_>"Everywhere you look there are new buildings, or extensions 
F20 100 to old ones. The shops are all directed towards the visitors - many 
F20 101 of whom have only an hour or so before their coach takes them away 
F20 102 again. Just time to look at the Wordsworth graves, go in one of the 
F20 103 numerous 'jumper' shops, drink a cup of coffee and go. That's no 
F20 104 way to appreciate a place like Grasmere."<quote/><p/>
F20 105 <p_>What was the outlook for the fell farmer in the future? David 
F20 106 thought for a moment <quote_>"You see all those tall trees on the 
F20 107 hillside there?"<quote/> He pointed to the heavily wooded slopes 
F20 108 above the duckpond. <quote_>"When I came here you could sit on the 
F20 109 seats up there and see right over the lake. Now some of those trees 
F20 110 are thirty feet high and the views are gone. That's what the whole 
F20 111 of the Lake District would become in a few years if the fell 
F20 112 farming ceased and there weren't any sheep to keep the undergrowth 
F20 113 and young trees under control.<p/>
F20 114 <p_>"We're necessary for more than just keeping up the supply of 
F20 115 tender young lamb for your dinner - the Lake District would be a 
F20 116 sorry place without the fell farmers."<quote/><p/>
F20 117 <h_><p_>Photographer on the Skyline<p/>
F20 118 <p_>W.R. Mitchell<p/><h/>
F20 119 <p_><tf_>I meet Derry Brabb, who provided the colour photographs 
F20 120 for a series of books written by Wainwright. He tells me that he 
F20 121 took up mountain photography almost by accident. He is <quote_>"not 
F20 122 too good"<quote/> on heights, <quote_>"which is bad news for 
F20 123 someone who is supposed to hang off the edges of cliffs by his 
F20 124 finger-tips."<quote/><tf/><p/>
F20 125 <p_>DERRY BRABB'S introduction to the Lake District was 'courtesy 
F20 126 of A.W.'. These, of course, are the initials of Alfred Wainwright, 
F20 127 guide-book writer extraordinary, whose death in January was widely 
F20 128 mourned. Derry, detecting a look of disbelief on my face at the 
F20 129 brevity of his own mountaineering career, added: <quote_>"Really 
F20 130 and truly, until I got teamed up with A.W. I had not done any 
F20 131 serious walking. So it is entirely due to him that I have been 
F20 132 punished this way ..."<quote/><p/>
F20 133 <p_>I had first met Derry in Leeds at the launch of <tf_>James 
F20 134 Herriot's Yorkshire<tf/>, over 10 years before. Derry, a 
F20 135 Yorkshireman (born in Sheffield, 1947) had provided the many 
F20 136 stunning colour photographs of fell and moor, dale and sea cliff 
F20 137 for a best-selling book.<p/>
F20 138 <p_>His collaboration with A.W. began with <tf_>Fellwalking with 
F20 139 Wainwright<tf/>, published in 1984. Derry illustrated 18 of the 
F20 140 author's favourite walks in Lakeland. I asked him about the A.W. 
F20 141 Connection. After Herriot came illustrative work for two companion 
F20 142 books, relating to Wales (Wynford Vaughan Thomas) and the West 
F20 143 Country (Angela Rippon). There was also a book on the Thames.<p/>
F20 144 <p_><quote_>"I then wrote to Michael Joseph, the publisher, saying 
F20 145 that no one had done a decent book on the Pennine Way, and that as 
F20 146 it was coming up to the 20th anniversary of the official opening of 
F20 147 this long distance footpath crossing some of the most glorious 
F20 148 scenery in England, it seemed a shame that no work illustrated in 
F20 149 colour existed."<quote/><p/>
F20 150 <p_>Derry added the only books available were little pocket guides, 
F20 151 such as the one devised by Wainwright.<p/>
F20 152 <p_><tf_>Approach to Wainwright.<tf/> Victor Morrison, managing 
F20 153 director of Michael Joseph, was a keen walker. He knew of 
F20 154 Wainwright's work and recommended to his senior editor, Jennie 
F20 155 Dereham, that he should be invited to write a book. And A.W. 
F20 156 agreed. <quote_>"We met for afternoon tea at the Buxton hotel which 
F20 157 he was using as a holiday base,"<quote/> Derry recalls.<p/>
F20 158 <p_>After <tf|>Fellwalking came <tf_>Pennine Way<tf/> and 
F20 159 <tf_>Coast to Coast Walk<tf/>, both photographed in good 
F20 160 conditions, though <quote_>"I made the traditional error on Kinder 
F20 161 Scout, getting lost among the peat bogs. I think everyone has done 
F20 162 that. The most exciting part of the Pennine Way was the traverse of 
F20 163 the Cheviots, most of which are not easily accessible by 
F20 164 car."<quote/> Of <tf_>Coast to Coast Walk<tf/>, Derry remarked: 
F20 165 <quote_>"It epitomises all the English scenery in the North 
F20 166 Country."<quote/><p/>
F20 167 <p_>As a child, Derry often had a box Brownie camera in his hand. 
F20 168 His entry into landscape photography came after studying 
F20 169 photography for three years at Leicester Art College; he then did 
F20 170 commercial work, including advertising, in London. He moved back to 
F20 171 Yorkshire in 1973.<p/>
F20 172 <p_>The commission to provide the illustrations for the Herriot 
F20 173 book kept him busy for over a year. As Herriot wrote the 
F20 174 manuscript, Derry went out and illustrated it. He got on well with 
F20 175 Herriot. The same might also be said of his association with 
F20 176 Wainwright. <quote_>"Once he knew that I could do what I was 
F20 177 supposed to do, and I was doing what he wanted, then the 
F20 178 relationship bonded."<quote/><p/>
F20 179 <p_>A.W. was in the habit of doing his own page layouts, typing out 
F20 180 the manuscripts and leaving spaces for photographs. <quote_>"It has 
F20 181 made life very easy."<quote/> The difficult bit has been securing 
F20 182 photographs of sufficiently high quality in a region where the 
F20 183 mountains do not always have sunlight upon them.<p/>
F20 184 <p_><quote_>"Light is the be all and end all. Look at any stone 
F20 185 wall or rock that has a piece of sunlight on it, and then look at 
F20 186 one that has no sunlight on it, and you will see that one piece of 
F20 187 rock is alive and the other is dead.<p/>
F20 188 <p_>"It is the same with the mountains. If you photograph in 
F20 189 sunshine, it means that the rocks give out their true colours and 
F20 190 textures, and all the cracks and crevices are well defined. If you 
F20 191 are photographing without sunshine on a relatively dull day, then 
F20 192 all those details are lost."<quote/><p/>
F20 193 <p_>Success also relates to being in the right place at the right 
F20 194 time - <quote_>"knowing, for instance, that if you want to 
F20 195 photograph Bowfell Buttress it has got to be done in the morning 
F20 196 because that is the only time it will have strong light on 
F20 197 it."<quote/> This is not easy for Derry; he lives at the village of 
F20 198 Nidd, near Harrogate, some 75 miles from the heart of Lakeland.<p/>
F20 199 <p_><tf_>The Smaller Format.<tf/> All Derry's photography is done 
F20 200 on 35mm film. He is sparing in the use of colour filters but does 
F20 201 like to fit a graduated grey filter to his camera to bring the sky 
F20 202 into parity with the foreground.
F20 203 
F20 204 
F20 205 
F21   1 <#FLOB:F21\><h_><p_>Chancellor would be a fine thing<p/>
F21   2 <p_>How Lamont used all his energy to stage a Norman conquest<p/>
F21   3 <p_>Julia Langdon<p/><h/>
F21   4 <p_>There was a time when Norman Lamont used to complain that he 
F21   5 was doing time in the Siberian salt-mines of the British 
F21   6 Government. It was in the first years of the Thatcher Government, 
F21   7 when he was one of the two Under Secretaries of State at the 
F21   8 Department of Energy and it was clear that his talents were 
F21   9 somewhat under used. Perhaps such a low-key job might seem 
F21  10 preferable now.<p/>
F21  11 <p_>That is only because so much to do with the Government's 
F21  12 fortunes and its future is now pinned on the Chancellor of the 
F21  13 Exchequer. It means that he faces a truly awesome personal 
F21  14 responsibility. Myself, I think I'd choose the salt-mines. But then 
F21  15 there are few people who have ambition comparable to that of Mr 
F21  16 Lamont.<p/>
F21  17 <p_>Although he denies it, he used to be just a little bit jealous 
F21  18 of his former fellow Under Secretary in the salt-mines, a Mr John 
F21  19 Moore. Lamont was moved on and upwards first, in 1981, and Moore 
F21  20 was left to languish for a further two years at Energy. But then, 
F21  21 before you could say 'Yes Margaret; No Margaret; Three Bags Full 
F21  22 Margaret' it was Moore who was in the Cabinet and being fingered 
F21  23 for the succession.<p/>
F21  24 <p_>John Moore was, of course, similarly ambitious - although he, 
F21  25 too, denies this now. Indeed, he not only denies ambition, he does 
F21  26 not accept that he was ignominiously sacked when Mrs Thatcher 
F21  27 rather latterly discovered that he perhaps didn't have what it 
F21  28 takes.<p/>
F21  29 <p_>He now tells people that it is not true that he was sacked; on 
F21  30 the contrary, he had told Mrs Thatcher some two months previously 
F21  31 that he wished to leave the Government at a time suitable to her. I 
F21  32 mention this merely as a matter of historical curiosity - not least 
F21  33 because the Moore version does not exactly correspond with the 
F21  34 recollection of those involved at the time (like civil servants in 
F21  35 the Department of Social Security) - and we have not yet, I 
F21  36 believe, been blessed with the official Moore memoirs.<p/>
F21  37 <p_>There was something therefore of the tortoise and the hare 
F21  38 about these two ambitious young politicians, and the fable has 
F21  39 certainly paid off in career terms for Lamont. Yet even he must be 
F21  40 surprised at finding himself just where he is in the Government now 
F21  41 - compared, say, to a year ago when he was Chief Secretary, a 
F21  42 relative Cabinet new boy and considered one of the few remaining 
F21  43 Thatcherite loyalists.<p/>
F21  44 <p_>The question that is being asked about the Chancellor, as well 
F21  45 as of him, is if he can be believed when he speaks of this promised 
F21  46 economic upturn. It's probably a question he asks himself, too. But 
F21  47 I will enter a note in his defence: he has been saying privately 
F21  48 for at least a year that the state of the economy would not permit 
F21  49 a general election in 1991 and that if the Tories were to have any 
F21  50 hope of holding onto power they would have to wait at least until 
F21  51 the Spring of 1992.<p/>
F21  52 <p_>In the meantime the Tories have to do their best to persuade 
F21  53 the public that life will be that much worse under the Labour 
F21  54 alternative. This is all right in principle but difficult in 
F21  55 practice. It is all very well for the Treasury to work out various 
F21  56 horror scenarios of the cost of Labour's spending plans - such as 
F21  57 they have been admitted - but it is difficult to alarm the Great 
F21  58 British Public about the prospects if their current economic sense 
F21  59 of well-being is still in question.<p/>
F21  60 <p_>There is a view around, however, that the reason that Labour's 
F21  61 lead in the opinion polls has fallen back in the last few weeks is 
F21  62 because of a recognition of the very real possibility of a Labour 
F21  63 Government. The Tories were actually doing so badly that the 
F21  64 electorate got quite scared. This has given 
F21  65 <}_><-|>risen<+|>rise<}/> to an adaptation of the motto of the SAS 
F21  66 ...'Who Scares Wins.'<p/>
F21  67 <p_>It is a matter of wonder what on earth President Gorbachev must 
F21  68 think of the British Parliament - not to mention the effective 
F21  69 workings of democracy - as a result of his visit to the terrace of 
F21  70 the House of Commons. In all politeness it has to be admitted that 
F21  71 the three Labour MPs he met - Dennis Skinner, Dennis Canavan and 
F21  72 Ron Brown - while all possessing, no doubt, distinctive personal 
F21  73 attributes, could never be described as representative of the 
F21  74 parliamentary Labour Party.<p/>
F21  75 <p_>Mr Gorbachev is likely to have been rather puzzled by the 
F21  76 warning from Mr Skinner that many of the people to whom he was 
F21  77 talking had been trying to bomb him to bits for the last forty 
F21  78 years and by the assurance from Mr Brown that there were still a 
F21  79 few socialists around in Britain. Was Mr Brown trying to get at Mr 
F21  80 Kinnock, for example? Or at Mr Gorbachev himself? The Soviet 
F21  81 President is, after all, trying to persuade his people to forsake 
F21  82 Marxism in favour of free enterprise at this very time.<p/>
F21  83 <p_>And then there were the Tories. Although Mr Gorbachev's visit 
F21  84 to the Commons had been arranged at the last minute and in top 
F21  85 secret, it caused little surprise that as he made his way down the 
F21  86 Terrace, two of the most unctuous Tory MPs, Sir Peter Emery and Mr 
F21  87 Patrick Cormack, were on the spot to smile and bow and shake the 
F21  88 famous hand.<p/>
F21  89 <p_>It had already been anticipated that Mr Anthony Beaumont-Dark, 
F21  90 who is no slacker in the self-promotion department, might have got 
F21  91 wind of the event - in which case it had been placed to divert him 
F21  92 with a cruelly false message that a television crew was anxiously 
F21  93 awaiting an interview with him outside the front of the Palace of 
F21  94 Westminster.<p/>
F21  95 <p_>The main concern of Commons' officials, however, was how to get 
F21  96 six huge Soviet Zils in and out of Speaker's Court without causing 
F21  97 a chaotic political traffic jam which might prevent Mr Gorbachev 
F21  98 either reaching his destination or, later, getting out again. The 
F21  99 Sovs insisted that he couldn't travel in less than six cars and 
F21 100 they got their way. The drivers just about had enough time to get 
F21 101 the cars turned round before the motorcade set off again.<p/>
F21 102 
F21 103 <h_><p_>On bended Japanese<p/>
F21 104 <p_>Now our most fierce competitor is laid so low it's time for 
F21 105 some serious <tf|>schadenfreude<p/>
F21 106 <p_>Oofy Prosser<p/><h/>
F21 107 <p_>Nobody could possibly accuse Oofy of xenophobia. Heavens, no. 
F21 108 I'm a businessman and in the modern world there is no room for that 
F21 109 sort of prejudice. I am just as keen to fleece foreigners as I am 
F21 110 my own countrymen.<p/>
F21 111 <p_>But I confess to a slight frisson at seeing how the financial 
F21 112 crisis is widening in Japan. Surely every UK businessman who has to 
F21 113 compete with the fiendish Japs will secretly be punching the air 
F21 114 with joy as he reads, over his cornflakes, of the mess in which the 
F21 115 financial community is now mired. There have not only been more 
F21 116 resignations at Nomura, one of the big four at the top of the can 
F21 117 of worms when it was opened but also reports about a score of 
F21 118 smaller securities houses having to reimburse clients for losses 
F21 119 made on trading. Let's face it, the whole system of theirs is, by 
F21 120 our standards - even by my standards - completely corrupt.<p/>
F21 121 <p_>With the Japanese now being given staggeringly generous 
F21 122 financial incentives by our own bloody Government to set up over 
F21 123 here and attack us directly in our home market, things are looking 
F21 124 pretty bleak on the Nip front at the moment.<p/>
F21 125 <p_>But I have good news. It is well known that the only way the 
F21 126 Japs can persuade any executive to move overseas is to site the 
F21 127 plant near a golf course. But the financial crisis has had its 
F21 128 effect on Japan's golf clubs. In under a year and a half, the index 
F21 129 of golf club membership fees (yes, they actually have an index) has 
F21 130 fallen by a third and shows no sign of levelling out, while one of 
F21 131 the biggest dealers in club memberships has just gone bust (can you 
F21 132 believe that it's the fourth biggest company failure ever 
F21 133 there?).<p/>
F21 134 <p_>With prices <}_><-|>plumetting<+|>plummeting<}/>, even quite 
F21 135 lowly Japanese management will now be able to afford to play golf 
F21 136 at home. They will no longer desire to take foreign postings and, 
F21 137 without management to run their overseas plants, the Japs will have 
F21 138 to shut up shop and go home.<p/>
F21 139 <p_>British industry's problems are solved. Indeed, if things carry 
F21 140 on the way they are, we should be able to set up over there before 
F21 141 too long, making sure that we join their golf clubs, wear silly 
F21 142 clothes and take all day over one round. How sweet is revenge!<p/>
F21 143 <p_>John-Boy has got it all wrong with his Citizens' Charter. He no 
F21 144 doubt thinks that it's an election winner, what with promising no 
F21 145 more than a two-year wait to have a leg off, name badges for public 
F21 146 sector employees, money back from British Rail when you buy your 
F21 147 ticket, league tables for exam results and all the rest.<p/>
F21 148 <p_>But all John-Boy has done is fashion a rod for his own back. 
F21 149 (Not having been to public school, that probably wasn't his 
F21 150 intention.) But let's look at what might happen. The chances are 
F21 151 that the whole thing will be a flop, like everything else the 
F21 152 Government tries to do to improve the lot of Joe Citizen. All it 
F21 153 will do is provide ammunition for the opposition to flay the Tories 
F21 154 at the election.<p/>
F21 155 <p_>Let us suppose, just for one far-fetched minute, that the crazy 
F21 156 thing works, that the trains begin running on time and that you can 
F21 157 have your hernia seen to next week. Do you suppose that British 
F21 158 people will be grateful? Not a bit of it. What on earth will there 
F21 159 be to grumble about if everything works properly. Complaining is 
F21 160 getting difficult for (and this has to be said) BT and British Gas 
F21 161 are not the crass utilities they once were. It's only the public 
F21 162 sector that offers any scope for complaint these days and, if that 
F21 163 is taken away, the British people will have lost their main sense 
F21 164 of purpose in life. Grumbling is the only thing we do really 
F21 165 well.<p/>
F21 166 <p_>Fortunately, the Charter looks like being a bit of a damp 
F21 167 squib. When my PA rang up for my copy, the phone was answered 
F21 168 straight away. Even for the dullest of privatisation issues, she 
F21 169 had to contend with days of engaged signals.<p/>
F21 170 <p_>You mark my words. People don't want everything to work 
F21 171 properly. The writing's on the wall for John-Boy and it'll be best 
F21 172 for him if the council wait a while before sending somebody round 
F21 173 to clean it off.<p/>
F21 174 <p_>Few private investors in this country seem aware that share 
F21 175 certificates may soon be a thing of the past. Despite assurances 
F21 176 from the DTI that investors will still be able to hold onto them 
F21 177 under Taurus, at least for a while there can be few of us who will 
F21 178 any longer give much credence to any statement from that particular 
F21 179 Government department.<p/>
F21 180 <p_>Sad to say, it isn't only in the UK that paper proof of 
F21 181 investments is disappearing. Merrill Lynch has just told its 
F21 182 clients that from September it will demand $15 a time from 
F21 183 investors who want certificates to go with their stocks or 
F21 184 bonds.<p/>
F21 185 <p_>I was worried enough about the effects of Taurus on private 
F21 186 investors. But after hearing recent tales of woe from some American 
F21 187 investors, I am concerned that one difficulty investors will face 
F21 188 in the future is in changing stockbrokers. Without certificates to 
F21 189 prove ownership, brokers might be able, as in the States, to drag 
F21 190 their heels with the paperwork. I am probably worrying 
F21 191 unnecessarily and being unduly cynical. Everyone in the financial 
F21 192 sector is honourable and believes the customer comes first, and 
F21 193 goes first. It must be my imagination that the banks are 
F21 194 occasionally less than helpful when a client wants to transfer his 
F21 195 business to a competitor.<p/>
F21 196 
F21 197 
F22   1 <#FLOB:F22\><h_><p_>A tragic period<p/><h/>
F22   2 <p_>April 1991 turned out to be a disastrous month for the maritime 
F22   3 industry in Europe. In the early hours of 10 April there was a 
F22   4 collision in the English Channel between the Portsmouth-based 
F22   5 fishing vessel <tf|>Wilhelmina J and the 8714gt Cypriot flag 
F22   6 cargoship <tf|>Zulfikar. The fishing vessel sank and an extensive 
F22   7 air and sea search revealed only two empty liferafts, two 
F22   8 life-rings, an Epirb and some wreckage. There was no sign of the 
F22   9 six-man crew of <tf|>Wilhelmina J.<p/>
F22  10 <p_>It is reported that the <tf|>Zulfikar, which suffered no 
F22  11 damage, and did not stop after the collision, reported the incident 
F22  12 to Dover Coastguard almost two hours later when a radio aerial from 
F22  13 the stricken fishing vessel was found on her fo'c'sle. It is 
F22  14 thought that <tf|>Zulfikar, which was carrying 13 000 tons of 
F22  15 sugar, was unaware that it had been in a collision until the 
F22  16 discovery of the aerial. It is understood that the Cyprus 
F22  17 Government is holding a full inquiry into the incident and is 
F22  18 co-operating fully with the UK's Marine Accident Investigation 
F22  19 Branch of the Department of Transport.<p/>
F22  20 <p_>About 24 hours later, an even greater tragedy took place off 
F22  21 Leghorn, Italy, when the ro-ro ferry <tf_>Moby Prince<tf/>, sailing 
F22  22 from Leghorn to Sardinia, collided in thick fog with the 186 500 
F22  23 dwt tanker <tf_>Agip Abruzzo<tf/> which was at anchor. In this 
F22  24 collision, one of the <tf_>Agip Abruzzo's<tf/> cargo tanks was 
F22  25 breached and the cargo spilling from this tank ignited, surrounding 
F22  26 the ferry in flames. Of the 142 passengers on board <tf_>Moby 
F22  27 Prince<tf/>, there was only one survivor, a cabin attendant, 
F22  28 although all 28 crew of the tanker were able to escape in 
F22  29 lifeboats. One of the problems of this tragedy is that, because all 
F22  30 <tf_>Moby Prince's<tf/> officers lost their lives, it will never be 
F22  31 positively know how or why the collision occurred, although there 
F22  32 has been much speculation.<p/>
F22  33 <p_>The Ligurian Sea was the scene of another accident about 12 
F22  34 hours after the <tf_>Moby Prince/Agip Abruzzo<tf/> disaster. This 
F22  35 time only one vessel was involved, the 232 163 dwt tanker 
F22  36 <tf|>Haven, which suffered an explosion followed by a fire. This 
F22  37 raged for a few days before the vessel finally sank. Two bodies 
F22  38 were recovered, including that of her Master, while three crew 
F22  39 members are missing. A fleet of vessels of various types was 
F22  40 involved in fighting the fire and in anti-pollution measures to 
F22  41 contain the ensuing oil slick.<p/>
F22  42 <p_>On the night of Monday, 15 April, a fire broke out in the 
F22  43 engineroom of the Greek ro-ro/passenger ferry <tf|>Rodos. 
F22  44 Fortunately, all 641 passengers and some of her crew were safely 
F22  45 evacuated to another vessel. The majority of the <tf|>Rodos's crew 
F22  46 remained on board and successfully extinguished the fire.<p/>
F22  47 <p_>These events tended to overshadow the fact that another bulk 
F22  48 carrier has gone missing. This vessel, the 141 028 dwt <tf_>Mineral 
F22  49 Diamond<tf/>, sent out a brief message on 17 April to the effect 
F22  50 that she was having to reduce speed because she was experiencing 
F22  51 severe gale force winds. <tf_>Mineral Diamond<tf/> sailed from 
F22  52 Dampier, Australia, on 11 April, bound for ljmuiden with a full 
F22  53 cargo of iron ore. She had a crew of 27 and it is understood that 
F22  54 there have been no reports of any distress messages heard. On 22 
F22  55 April, the tug <tf_>Patricia B McAllister<tf/> sank in the Gulf of 
F22  56 St Lawrence with the loss of five of her six crew. Apparently, she 
F22  57 was on passage to Pictou Industries Ltd's shipyard for an annual 
F22  58 survey and, when she failed to arrive, a search was initiated. Two 
F22  59 liferafts were found and there was one person rescued from one of 
F22  60 them; the other was empty. Four bodies were later recovered and a 
F22  61 fifth is missing. The one survivor had spent 36 hours in his raft 
F22  62 and was suffering from hypothermia.<p/>
F22  63 
F22  64 <h_><p_>Welin Lambie - ninety years old and still going 
F22  65 strong<p/><h/>
F22  66 <p_>This year, Welin Lambie of Brierley Hill celebrates 90 years of 
F22  67 service and achievement in the field of marine safety.<p/>
F22  68 <p_>By any reckoning it is a remarkable record. Throughout an era 
F22  69 that has witnessed all the great technical advances in 
F22  70 shipbuilding, the company has remained steadfastly to the fore of 
F22  71 design development, establishing in the process a name that is 
F22  72 indelibly and synonymously linked today with state-of-the-art 
F22  73 marine equipment.<p/>
F22  74 <p_>The Welin company was founded in 1901 by an Anglo-Swede, the 
F22  75 late Axel Welin, CBE. A brilliant mechanical engineer who studied 
F22  76 at Kings College, the young Welin was to develop several 
F22  77 outstanding innovations in his field, among them a loading 
F22  78 mechanism for naval guns that is still employed today.<p/>
F22  79 <p_>It was at the request of his brother, a sea captain, that Welin 
F22  80 turned his attention to safety at sea. Subsequent study and 
F22  81 experiment resulted in his producing a unique design of davit that 
F22  82 was to overcome the heavy manual effort required to launch a 
F22  83 lifeboat in emergency conditions. The success of this new, safer 
F22  84 mechanical davit was sufficient to spawn a viable company in the UK 
F22  85 and, as a more direct consequence of Welin's enormous personal 
F22  86 energy, a network of agencies was set up worldwide, the particular 
F22  87 emphasis being on the European and American continents.<p/>
F22  88 <p_>It was a start in the right direction. The Welin enterprise was 
F22  89 to prosper still further with the company's expansion into lifeboat 
F22  90 construction, in its ensuing development of a range of automatic 
F22  91 handling systems for accommodation ladders and, subsequent to the 
F22  92 Second World War, in the production of inflatable liferaft 
F22  93 launching systems for ships of high freeboard.<p/>
F22  94 <p_>The bequest of these earlier activities is evident in Welin 
F22  95 Lambie's recently patented Carousel Liferaft Launching System. A 
F22  96 space-saving development, ideally designed for 'high density' 
F22  97 passenger ferries and cruise ships, it is already recognised 
F22  98 internationally as a significant contribution to the ongoing quest 
F22  99 for survival provisions. Indeed, in the system's stringent test 
F22 100 conditions, four 35-man liferafts were embarked in only 21 
F22 101 minutes.<p/>
F22 102 <p_>It is a sad fact, however, that despite the good work 
F22 103 undertaken by maritime administrations - IMO in particular - it 
F22 104 takes great disasters at sea to focus attention on the need for 
F22 105 continuous vigilance.<p/>
F22 106 <p_>It was only <tf|>after the <tf|>Titanic disaster and the 
F22 107 subsequent 'boats for all' demand, (albeit for sound commercial 
F22 108 reasons), that Axel Welin's work was internationally recognised. 
F22 109 During world lecture tours, he received no fewer than seven gold 
F22 110 medal awards from naval architect and academic institutions in 
F22 111 Europe, America and Japan.<p/>
F22 112 <p_>Significantly, the Welin launching equipment fitted to the 
F22 113 <tf|>Titanic was given full credit at the Official Enquiry for its 
F22 114 speedy and efficient embarking of the lifeboats, making possible 
F22 115 the rescue of 815 of the vessel's passengers and 688 of its crew. 
F22 116 As it transpired, Welin's design allowed for twice the number of 
F22 117 lifeboats deployed and, had more been carried on the 
F22 118 <tf_>Titanic<tf/>'s fateful voyage, more lives would undoubtedly 
F22 119 have been saved.<p/>
F22 120 <p_>Despite the vicissitude of the shipbuilding industry, the 
F22 121 company has, in its 90 years, remained true to Axel Welin's 
F22 122 original aims for safety of life at sea.<p/>
F22 123 <p_>Scottish links were formed when Welin joined forces with naval 
F22 124 architect, Colin McLachlan who, after 12 years' service with the 
F22 125 Singapore Harbour Board, returned to his native land to develop the 
F22 126 now widely used inclined trackway gravity davit. Accepted by the UK 
F22 127 Board of Trade in 1923, the equipment was fitted in the same year 
F22 128 to the original Orient Line vessels <tf|>Oriana and <tf|>Oronsay. 
F22 129 For the romantically minded, this style of davit will best be 
F22 130 remembered for the almost unobstructed promenading space it 
F22 131 provided on the boat deck, a fact much used by film-makers. From a 
F22 132 more practical viewpoint, it heralded the formation of the 
F22 133 Welin-McLachlan partnership. Literally thousands of ships, merchant 
F22 134 and naval, were outfitted by the company in the great days of 
F22 135 British shipbuilding, when over 200 ships were on order in the UK 
F22 136 alone in one trading year.<p/>
F22 137 <p_>Mr McLachlan died and was buried at sea on 2 April 1954, being 
F22 138 succeeded by his son Donald. Axel Welin had by that time retired, 
F22 139 and died in his native Sweden in 1951, exactly half a century after 
F22 140 his founding of the Welin company.<p/>
F22 141 <p_>Midlands-based Welin had, in the early 1970s, established a 
F22 142 foothold in the UK lifeboat building market with the acquisition of 
F22 143 the Scottish boatbuilders, Hugh McLean Limited of Renfrew, a well 
F22 144 established supplier of lifeboats for many of the more famous 
F22 145 liners, including Cunard Queens. The yard also specialised in the 
F22 146 production of fire-fighting tenders, police launches, steel 
F22 147 trawlers and other species of small ship.<p/>
F22 148 <p_>An unexpected decline in fishing boat production, coupled with 
F22 149 high costs in the change-over to totally enclosed lifeboats for 
F22 150 tankers and offshore structures, brought about the closure of Hugh 
F22 151 McLean. Links were formed with other established boatbuilders who 
F22 152 were better geared to meet the development charges. (It should be 
F22 153 remembered that all research and development in the supply industry 
F22 154 was, and still is, undertaken from profits, unlike the financial 
F22 155 aid occasionally donated to a shipbuilding yard for social 
F22 156 considerations).<p/>
F22 157 <p_>On 2 May 1986, the Welin company joined with the 
F22 158 long-established lifeboat builders, Messrs Lambie Lifeboats, and 
F22 159 the company name was changed to Welin Lambie Limited.<p/>
F22 160 <p_>Over its lifespan, Welin Lambie has formed a number of 
F22 161 far-sighted and customer-beneficial associations with lifeboat and 
F22 162 liferaft manufacturers. Typical is the company's working 
F22 163 relationship with the Norwegian company, Harding A/S of Rosendal - 
F22 164 for many years world-leaders in the production of several types of 
F22 165 boat, including high-class cruise ship passenger launches and the 
F22 166 rapidly emerging 'freefall' lifeboats. It is interesting to note 
F22 167 that the Scottish partner of the original company, Colin McLachlan, 
F22 168 had visualised a 'freefall' type installation in the early 1920s 
F22 169 after seeing Portuguese fishermen lash a small dinghy to two 
F22 170 inclined planks which ran from the wheelhouse to the gunwale of 
F22 171 their boat. In an emergency, the lashings were severed by a blow 
F22 172 from an axe, safely releasing the small crew of three. Thus do the 
F22 173 'spirits of great events stride on before them'. Unfortunately for 
F22 174 Colin McLachlan, his commercial application was several decades 
F22 175 ahead of its time.<p/>
F22 176 <p_>Equally important is the present relationship that exists 
F22 177 between Welin Lambie and the French safety-equipment manufacturers, 
F22 178 ACEBI of Ancenis near Nantes, where a modern test rig facility 
F22 179 enables a wide range of jointly-designed equipment to undergo 
F22 180 research testing on site.<p/>
F22 181 <p_>Close links with France existed in Axel Welin's time and, 
F22 182 immediately after the Second World War, these connections were 
F22 183 revived to mutual benefit, since at one time a section of Welin's 
F22 184 London office designed exclusively for the French shipbuilding 
F22 185 market, with all design factors and drawing titles to suit.<p/>
F22 186 <p_>Today, thank goodness, the importance of safety at sea is 
F22 187 recognised far and wide by both the various international 
F22 188 authorities and shipbuilding industries alike.<p/>
F22 189 <p_>Having just completed 18 months of consolidation, since the 
F22 190 management buy-out in 1989, Welin Lambie is poised, ready to tackle 
F22 191 the future once again with initiative and enterprise.<p/>
F22 192 <p_>In a statement concerning Welin Lambie's 90 years, managing 
F22 193 director Norman Rose, announced: <quote_>"Recent orders of davit 
F22 194 equipment for the British Antarctic Survey Vessel RRS 
F22 195 <tf|>Bransfield, HMS <tf|>Herald, Balmoral Glassfibre, and Viking 
F22 196 A/S Nordisk Gummib<*_>a-circlet<*/>dsfabrik of 
F22 197 <}_><-|>Esjberg<+|>Esbjerg<}/>, have raised our order book by more 
F22 198 than half a million pounds sterling. Now, with a century just 
F22 199 around the corner, we are looking for even better 
F22 200 results."<quote/><p/>
F22 201 
F22 202 <h_><p_>Scandinavian marine safety equipment<p/><h/>
F22 203 <p_>The long seafaring traditions of the Scandinavian countries are 
F22 204 renowned throughout the world, and a look at the atlas will show 
F22 205 why. The rugged long coastline of Norway, the islands that make up 
F22 206 a major part of Denmark, and the combination of both these features 
F22 207 in Sweden, clearly illustrate the importance of maritime transport 
F22 208 to these nations.<p/>
F22 209 <p_>However, such voyages were not confined to their own waters and 
F22 210 the tales of the Vikings are legion. Examples of the marine 
F22 211 exploits and developments over the centuries are clearly seen at 
F22 212 the various maritime museums such as those in the Oslo area, Bergen 
F22 213 and at Esbjerg. All this has not been without cost in human life as 
F22 214 one can see, for example, at the fisherman's memorial at Esbjerg 
F22 215 where the names of the vessels from that port, and their crews, 
F22 216 which have been lost at sea are poignantly recorded.<p/>
F22 217 
F23   1 <#FLOB:F23\><h_><p_>THE NEWEST NATIONS - MUSLIMS; MONTENEGRINS AND 
F23   2 MACEDONIANS<p/>
F23   3 <p_>The Muslims<p/><h/>
F23   4 <p_>The term 'Muslim' in Yugoslavia is used to describe descendants 
F23   5 of Slavs who converted to Islam under the period of Ottoman rule. 
F23   6 Since 1971, they have been officially recognized as a distinct 
F23   7 'Yugoslav Nation' who make up about 9% of the population, mostly in 
F23   8 Bosnia-Hercegovina where they are the largest single group 
F23   9 constituting 39% of the population. They also constitute some 13.4% 
F23  10 of Montenegro's small population.<p/>
F23  11 <p_>Although the overwhelming majority of Muslims speak Serbo-Croat 
F23  12 there are some 40,000 or so Macedonian-speaking Muslims, often 
F23  13 called Pomaks. These are descendants of Macedonians, as opposed to 
F23  14 Serbs or Croats, who converted during the Ottoman period. Their 
F23  15 inclusion in the term is something of an anomaly and they have been 
F23  16 treated separately (see section on Muslim Macedonians). It should 
F23  17 be stressed that the term 'Muslim' does not refer to the Albanian, 
F23  18 largely Muslim, or Turkish, wholly Muslim, minorities.<p/>
F23  19 <p_>After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Muslim Slavs, 
F23  20 faced by pressure from both Serbs and Croats, organized themselves 
F23  21 into a political force, the National Muslim Organization, which 
F23  22 sought to protect both the religious and cultural life of the 
F23  23 community as well as the interests of the Bosnian elite which had 
F23  24 been islamicized in the 15th and 16th Centuries<&|>sic! and which 
F23  25 were the driving force behind the organization. It was not 
F23  26 persecuted by the <}_><-|>Hapsburg<+|>Habsburg<}/> authorities who 
F23  27 controlled Bosnia-Hercegovina but fell after 1878.<p/>
F23  28 <p_>After the creation of the new state in 1918, it tended to side 
F23  29 with those who would help defend its rights, and avoided outright 
F23  30 opposition to the authorities. Increasingly, it looked to the 
F23  31 Croats. After World War II and the communist victory, there was 
F23  32 considerable emigration of Muslim Slavs from Bosnia and especially 
F23  33 from the Sandzak region of southern Serbia which lasted until 1966. 
F23  34 This was in no small part due to the initially hostile attitude of 
F23  35 the new authorities.<p/>
F23  36 <p_>The Islamic community in Yugoslavia is divided into four 
F23  37 administrative regions: the Sarajevo region, which ministers to the 
F23  38 Muslims of Bosnia-Hercegovina and the small numbers of Muslims in 
F23  39 Croatia and Slovenia; the Pristina Region; the Skopje Region; and 
F23  40 the Titograd Region. The head of the Islamic community in 
F23  41 Yugoslavia, the Reis-ul<?_>-<?/>ulema, is based in Sarajevo. 
F23  42 Immediately after Tito's death, there were in the Sarajevo region 
F23  43 over 1000 mosques, over 550 <foreign|>mesdzids (smaller places of 
F23  44 worship), some 400 places of religious instruction, and two 
F23  45 <foreign|>madressahs (religious schools). The numbers<&|>sic! of 
F23  46 mosques has since grown considerably due to the large scale 
F23  47 building programme undertaken by the Islamic community. There are a 
F23  48 number of Islamic publications of which the most important is 
F23  49 <tf|>Preporod, a fortnightly newspaper published in Sarajevo in 
F23  50 Serbo-Croat. However, unlike its Orthodox and Roman Catholic 
F23  51 counterparts, <tf|>Pravoslavlje and <tf_>Glas Koncila<tf/>, 
F23  52 <tf|>Preporod has avoided controversial social or political 
F23  53 comment. The Muslims are overwhelmingly Sunni, although the Dervish 
F23  54 order was introduced in Yugoslavia in 1974 and by 1986 numbered 
F23  55 50,000 followers. This order has so far proved to be more 
F23  56 attractive to Muslim Albanians than Muslim Slavs with, in 1986, 53 
F23  57 of the 70 'monasteries' being in Kosovo, 10 in Macedonia and only 
F23  58 seven in Bosnia.<p/>
F23  59 <p_>The area of Bosnia-Hercegovina was the scene of many of the 
F23  60 worst atrocities committed during the civil war in World War II, 
F23  61 and the ethnic mix of Orthodox Serbs, Catholic Croats and Muslim 
F23  62 Slavs has historically been an explosive one with both Serbia and 
F23  63 Croatia claiming the territory for their own. In addition, 
F23  64 immediately after the war, an organization called 'Young Muslims' 
F23  65 was set up, ostensibly to protect Muslims in Bosnia from alleged 
F23  66 ill-treatment by the communist partisans. The Yugoslav authorities 
F23  67 outlawed this group which they described as a terrorist one.<p/>
F23  68 <p_>The republic of Bosnia-Hercegovina, which was created 
F23  69 specifically to find some form of modus vivendi for the three main 
F23  70 groups, well portrays the ethnic tangle in Yugoslavia as it is here 
F23  71 that the three main religions meet head on. In the Balkans, 
F23  72 religion has historically been one of the main differentiators 
F23  73 between different peoples. In the light of this, and the tendency 
F23  74 for both Serbs and Croats to claim the Muslim Slavs of Bosnia as 
F23  75 their own, the separate 'Muslim' category was introduced. The 
F23  76 ethnic tangle and competing rivalries resulted, until recently, in 
F23  77 Bosnia being somewhat notorious in the matter of human rights, with 
F23  78 individuals from all three ethnic groups persecuted for any 
F23  79 manifestation of nationalism not sanctioned by the ruling Communist 
F23  80 Party.<p/>
F23  81 <p_>Despite religious freedom guaranteed under the constitution, 
F23  82 religious practice, with its close correlation with a particular 
F23  83 national standpoint, has often been viewed with official distrust 
F23  84 (especially Roman Catholicism due to its centre of authority being 
F23  85 outside the country). This has especially been so in 
F23  86 Bosnia-Hercegovina and in Croatia. Also, any form of Islamic 
F23  87 fundamentalism has, until the great changes in 1989-90, been 
F23  88 severely treated as being a party to a conspiracy to make 
F23  89 Bosnia-Hercegovina an 'ethnically pure Islamic Republic'.<p/>
F23  90 <h_><p_>The trial of 'the Sarajevo Muslims'<p/><h/>
F23  91 <p_>The most important example of this attitude by the communist 
F23  92 authorities was the trial in mid-1983 of 13 Muslims accused of 
F23  93 <quote_>"hostile and counterrevolutionary acts derived from Muslim 
F23  94 nationalism"<quote/>. The main defendant was Dr. Alija Izetbegovic, 
F23  95 a lawyer and retired director of a building company, then aged 59. 
F23  96 He was found guilty by the Sarajevo district court and sentenced to 
F23  97 14 years' imprisonment, reduced on appeal to 11 years. Four of the 
F23  98 13 on trial, Dr. Izetbegovic, Omer and Salih Behmen, and Ismet 
F23  99 Kasumagic, had been convicted in the late 1940s for membership of 
F23 100 the 'Young Muslims'. In the indictment Dr. Izetbegovic was accused 
F23 101 of claiming that Muslims had suffered considerably at the hands of 
F23 102 communists when the partisans entered their villages at the end of 
F23 103 World War II and that the Young Muslims and other similar 
F23 104 organizations were set up to counter this.<p/>
F23 105 <p_>The main charge centred on a 50-page treatise written by Dr. 
F23 106 Izetbegovic in 1970 entitled 'The Islamic Declaration.' Parts of 
F23 107 this treatise had been legally published in Yugoslavia some 10 
F23 108 years previously. The prosecution maintained that it indicated a 
F23 109 desire to create an ethnically pure Muslim state out of 
F23 110 Bosnia-Hercegovina, Kosovo and other Muslim areas, and was 
F23 111 <quote_>"the modernized platform of the former terrorist 
F23 112 organization, the Young Muslims"<quote/>. Dr. Izetbegovic and Omer 
F23 113 Behmen, however, stressed that the Islamic Declaration was 
F23 114 concerned with the general emancipation of Muslims, not with 
F23 115 Yugoslavia and Bosnia in particular, and that it was meant to apply 
F23 116 to countries where the overwhelming majority of the population was 
F23 117 Muslim. He also maintained that he had never uttered the phrase 
F23 118 <quote_>"Islamic republic, ethnically pure 
F23 119 Bosnia-Hercegovina"<quote/> and pointed out that it did not feature 
F23 120 in the declaration. He stated that he had given the declaration to 
F23 121 Omer Behmen and some Arab students in order to get their opinion of 
F23 122 it and that he had it translated because he felt that <quote_>"the 
F23 123 Muslim world was turning into a third world power ... the 
F23 124 declaration offers the vision of a democratic and humanistic social 
F23 125 order"<quote/>. He denied that there was any link between the 
F23 126 declaration and the programme of the Young Muslims. Dr. Izetbegovic 
F23 127 and Omer Behmen were accused also of having written articles which, 
F23 128 according to the prosecution, contained falsehoods about the 
F23 129 position of Muslims in Yugoslavia including the following:<p/>
F23 130 <p_><tf_><quote_>"In the circumstances of the Second World War the 
F23 131 partisans emerged. They were in effect armed detachments of the 
F23 132 Yugoslav Communist Party which was imposing communist order in 
F23 133 Yugoslavia step by step. While the physical survival of the Muslims 
F23 134 was no longer in question, spiritual survival was now threatened. 
F23 135 The Islamic Religious Community was placed under the control of the 
F23 136 authorities. Supporters of the Communist Party and often even 
F23 137 members of the Communist Party were appointed leaders of the 
F23 138 community. The most severe losses were inflicted at the time by the 
F23 139 Communists on the Muslims when military units entered villages. All 
F23 140 potential opponents, mainly people of higher social standing and 
F23 141 intellectuals known to be [Muslim] believers, were simply put to 
F23 142 death without any judicial proceedings or 
F23 143 investigation."<quote/><tf/><p/>
F23 144 <p_>Members of the group were also accused of having links with 
F23 145 Iran, and one defendant, Melika Salihbegovic, was accused of having 
F23 146 written a letter to Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran which included the 
F23 147 following statement:<p/>
F23 148 <p_><tf_><quote_>"For 37 years I have been living in a Christian 
F23 149 milieu and in atheist Europe, where a handful of scared Muslims 
F23 150 live in an atmosphere of falsehood and hypocrisy. It is no wonder 
F23 151 therefore that my youth and that of thousands of my young 
F23 152 compatriots was spent straying along paths of ignorance; it is no 
F23 153 wonder that we are returning to Allah. If we are submissive, it is 
F23 154 our despair ..."<quote/><tf/><p/>
F23 155 <p_>Although the percentage of religious believers in 
F23 156 Bosnia-Hercegovina was not particularly high - at 17% it was lower 
F23 157 than Kosovo's 44%, Croatia's 33%, Slovenia's 26% and Macedonia's 
F23 158 19% - in an opinion poll in 1985, the attitudes expressed by the 
F23 159 'Sarajevo Muslims' for which they were so heavily penalized, 
F23 160 appears to have elicited strong support from the Muslim population 
F23 161 in <}_><-|> Bosnia-Herzegovina <+|> Bosnia-Hercegovina <}/>.<p/>
F23 162 <p_>Alija Izetbegovic was released early in November 1988 and when 
F23 163 the relaxation came to Bosnia-Hercegovina, as it came to other 
F23 164 republics, he founded in May 1990 the Party of Democratic Action 
F23 165 (SDA). Despite a split in the leadership of the SDA between 
F23 166 Izetbegovic and Adil Zulfikarpasic (a former leading figure of the 
F23 167 emigre Muslim community who returned to Yugoslavia but who fell out 
F23 168 with Izetbegovic over what he saw as the latter's <quote_>"too 
F23 169 rigid Islamic approach"<quote/> and instead founded a rival party, 
F23 170 the Muslim Bosniak Organization on 21 September 1990), the SDA 
F23 171 triumphed in the elections held December 1990 and became the 
F23 172 largest party with 86 of the 240 seats in both chambers of the 
F23 173 assembly. The voting was along national lines with 72 seats for the 
F23 174 Serbian Democratic Party and 44 for the Croatian Democratic 
F23 175 Community. In all there were 99 Muslims, 85 Serbs, 49 Croats and 
F23 176 seven declaring themselves as 'Yugoslavs' in the new assembly. 
F23 177 Alija Izetbegovic, similarly to Franjo Tudjman in Croatia, had 
F23 178 progressed from being a political prisoner under the old regime to 
F23 179 being president of the republic.<p/>
F23 180 <p_>This republic, however, is still a long way from becoming 'an 
F23 181 Islamic Republic', even if that is what Izetbegovic wants (which is 
F23 182 debatable). Despite much paranoia among some politicians and 
F23 183 members of other religious groups in Yugoslavia about the growth of 
F23 184 Islam in the country, a leading sociologist specializing in the 
F23 185 sociology of religion claims that statistical data disproves this 
F23 186 common fear, and that in fact, in relation to the country's 
F23 187 population, the percentage of Muslim believers in Yugoslavia is the 
F23 188 same as it was in 1921. The difference is in the growing 
F23 189 politicization of Muslims, not only in Bosnia-Hercegovina but also 
F23 190 in the Sandzak where they are in a majority and where there are 
F23 191 growing demands for autonomy. Sulejman Ugljanin, President of the 
F23 192 SDA for the Sandzak, in February 1991 accused the Serb and 
F23 193 Montenegrin authorities of denying rights to Muslims and tension 
F23 194 appears to be growing.<p/>
F23 195 <p_>The potential break-up of Yugoslavia poses great problems for 
F23 196 Bosnia-Hercegovina, and the old question of 'who are the Bosnian 
F23 197 Muslims?' appears to be as alive as ever. In 1989, a small Zagreb 
F23 198 publishing house brought out a 'Bibliography of Croatian Writers of 
F23 199 Bosnia-Hercegovina between the Two Wars' which included a number of 
F23 200 Muslims as 'Croatian writers'. The Muslims were outraged and 
F23 201 <tf|>Preporod denounced the apparent Croatization of 38 Muslim 
F23 202 writers.<p/>
F23 203 <p_>In addition there is the age-old habit of Islam at times 
F23 204 transcending national divisions. Slav Muslims in Montenegro joined 
F23 205 in an electoral party with Albanians in the 1990 elections there 
F23 206 and the SDA appears sympathetic to the aspirations of fellow Muslim 
F23 207 Albanians in Kosovo. Similarly, in February 1990, Muslim 
F23 208 nationalist leaflets supporting Kosovo's secession and attacking 
F23 209 the Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic appeared in Novi Pazar in the 
F23 210 Sandzak. Further hostility between Slav Muslims and Serbs was 
F23 211 evident at a rally held by Vuk Draskovic's Serbian Renewal Movement 
F23 212 (SPO) in September 1990 in Novi Pazar, in the Sandjak<&|>sic!, 
F23 213 Serbia, when Muslims and SPO supporters had to be separated by 
F23 214 militia with armoured cars, tear gas and shots after Draskovic 
F23 215 accused Muslims of being closer to Tehran than to their Serb 
F23 216 neighbours.
F23 217 
F23 218 
F24   1 <#FLOB:F24\><h_><p_>Chapter 2<p/>
F24   2 <p_>The Second World War<p/>
F24   3 <p_>A People's War<p/><h/>
F24   4 <p_>All modern wars are People's Wars, in the sense that wars are 
F24   5 no longer fought between professional armies meeting each other in 
F24   6 pitched battles, the names of which are later enshrined in the 
F24   7 textbooks - one thinks, for example, of the great 
F24   8 eighteenth<?_>-<?/>century battles such as Marlborough's Blenheim, 
F24   9 Ramillies, Oudenarde and Malplaquet. Today's wars involve conscript 
F24  10 armies and all those unfortunate civilians who get in the way of 
F24  11 the fighting, or have their houses and possessions destroyed by one 
F24  12 side or the other, whether it is in, say, Vietnam or Afghanistan. 
F24  13 Yet some eminent historians, and in particular A.J.P. Taylor, have 
F24  14 described the British participation in the Second World War as a 
F24  15 <quote_>"People's War"<quote/>. The term seems to have been used 
F24  16 first in left-wing periodicals in the dark days of 1940, but after 
F24  17 the war was widely used by historians writing about this period. If 
F24  18 this is an appropriate description, then it must be assumed that 
F24  19 the war had special characteristics which distinguish it from other 
F24  20 wars; and indeed the Second World War does form a very important 
F24  21 episode in the history of the working classes. It is not simply a 
F24  22 matter of the extent of casualties - they were far fewer in the 
F24  23 second war than in the first war, and in fact were extremely 
F24  24 limited for the first three years. In what ways then can the use of 
F24  25 the term 'People's War' be justified?<p/>
F24  26 <p_>The answer lies in a number of unique features of the Second 
F24  27 World War. In the first place, conscription for men applied from 
F24  28 the very beginning - conscription had actually been imposed some 
F24  29 months before war was declared in September 1939. Women were also 
F24  30 conscripted from 1941 onwards - single women between nineteen and 
F24  31 twenty-four, and later, from eighteen and a half to fifty - though 
F24  32 they were given the choice between serving in the women's services, 
F24  33 in civil defence, or in essential civilian jobs. By the end of the 
F24  34 war, nearly half a million women were serving in the women's forces 
F24  35 (the ATS, WAAF and WRNS), while five million men were in the men's 
F24  36 forces. So, for the first time in the country's history, both men 
F24  37 and women were called up for military service. Secondly, after the 
F24  38 disaster of Dunkirk (which the nation contrived to treat almost as 
F24  39 a victory, perhaps because the army was extricated almost intact, 
F24  40 and the casualties were relatively light), national unity increased 
F24  41 with the realisation that only the British remained to fight 
F24  42 Germany. An extraordinary mood, almost of elation, seemed to grip 
F24  43 the nation. Thirdly, this mood was intensified after the Battle of 
F24  44 Britain and the bombing of London and other cities, when it became 
F24  45 apparent that the German daylight attack had been beaten off, and 
F24  46 that the night bombing raids were also failing to force the nation 
F24  47 into submission. In the phraseology of the time, London could take 
F24  48 it, and so could the provincial cities. When Hitler prophesied that 
F24  49 he would wring Britain's neck like the neck of a chicken, Churchill 
F24  50 remarked, <quote_>"Some neck, some chicken ..."<quote/> For these 
F24  51 reasons alone, the war seemed to involve everyone, and the mood of 
F24  52 national unity and comradeship was strengthened as a result. As for 
F24  53 actual opposition to the war, it was very limited. Over six years, 
F24  54 2,900 conscientious objectors were given complete exemption, and 
F24  55 40,000 conditional exemption. By summer 1940, only 0.5 per cent of 
F24  56 those registering for services were COs. Some prosecutions were 
F24  57 also undertaken for spreading alarm and despondency, but these were 
F24  58 very few and far between.<p/>
F24  59 <p_>In contrast to what happened during the first war, there was 
F24  60 none of the feeling that fighting was going on in appalling 
F24  61 conditions overseas, while those at home in England went on 
F24  62 relatively comfortably with their lives, some of them actually 
F24  63 making fat profits from munitions. In fact, in the Second World War 
F24  64 there was more action on the home front after Dunkirk than abroad 
F24  65 for at least a year; in the first three years of war, more women 
F24  66 and children were killed than soldiers. The civilian population was 
F24  67 really in the front line at this time, and were to suffer further 
F24  68 attacks from the air even after D-Day on 6 June 1944. It should 
F24  69 also be said that from 1942 onwards following the publication of 
F24  70 the Beveridge Report, there was continual discussion of what 
F24  71 reforms were necessary after the war. This discussion was 
F24  72 positively encouraged by the Army Bureau of Current Affairs, which 
F24  73 issued valuable newsheets relating both to military developments 
F24  74 and to reform proposals such as the Beveridge Report itself; there 
F24  75 were even compulsory weekly discussions among the troops. Forces 
F24  76 newspapers were published in the different theatres of war, for 
F24  77 example, <tf|>SEAC, for the South-East Asia Command. Towards the 
F24  78 end of the war, Brains Trusts and Forces Parliaments kept 
F24  79 discussion going on post-war reforms (the Cairo Forces Parliament 
F24  80 is a famous example). In all these ways, ordinary people were made 
F24  81 to feel that they were not being ignored, and that the winning of 
F24  82 the war would not mean a return to the dole queue, but to a better 
F24  83 life all round. This belief was also encouraged by the presence of 
F24  84 leading Labour politicians in the wartime coalition government - 
F24  85 Clement Attlee was deputy Prime Minister, Ernest Bevin was Minister 
F24  86 of Labour and Herbert Morrison was Home Secretary, all of whom 
F24  87 acquired valuable experience of office, and enhanced their image in 
F24  88 the public eye.<p/>
F24  89 <p_>For all these reasons, the idea that the Second World War was a 
F24  90 People's War has substance. Of course, class distinctions did not 
F24  91 vanish overnight, especially in the services, where it was deeply 
F24  92 entrenched in the hierarchy of ranks. Most officers spoke with 
F24  93 recognisably middle-class accents; George Orwell, the Old Etonian, 
F24  94 wrote defensively before the war about his own accent, and of the 
F24  95 need for the middle classes to join forces with the working 
F24  96 classes: <quote_>"and probably when we get there it will not be so 
F24  97 dreadful as we feared, for after all, we have nothing to lose but 
F24  98 our aitches"<quote/>. A very different kind of writer, Evelyn 
F24  99 Waugh, was also well aware of differences in speech between the 
F24 100 classes. He antagonised his men on parade by mocking their accents 
F24 101 and their inarticulacy (he was a brave but very poor officer). His 
F24 102 post-war trilogy of novels about the war made it clear that the 
F24 103 life of an officer in a traditional regiment was still worlds apart 
F24 104 from the lives of the rank and file. Nevertheless, at home in 
F24 105 Britain the universal belief in the need to defeat the Nazis formed 
F24 106 a strong unifying bond, together with the comradeship forged during 
F24 107 the air raids and at work, and the equality of sacrifice enforced 
F24 108 by rationing and restrictions and shortages of all kinds. This 
F24 109 applied especially in the critical period 1940-1, the 
F24 110 <quote_>"Finest Hour"<quote/>, as Taylor has called it. 
F24 111 Mysteriously and unexpectedly, for a time the British of all 
F24 112 classes talked to each other and became a united people; and so it 
F24 113 was indeed a 'People's War'.<p/>
F24 114 <h_><p_>Military Service<p/><h/>
F24 115 <p_>Military service in the Second World War was different from 
F24 116 service in the previous war, which was so heavily concentrated on 
F24 117 trench warfare in France. At first, there was very little fighting. 
F24 118 The great defensive fortifications of the Maginot and Siegfried 
F24 119 Lines seemed to rule out any major advance by either side, in spite 
F24 120 of the cheery optimism of the popular song of the time:<p/>
F24 121 <p_><quote_>We're going to hang out the washing on the Siegfried 
F24 122 Line<p/>
F24 123 <p_>Have you any dirty washing, mother dear?<quote/><p/>
F24 124 <p_>When the Germans attacked through Holland and Belgium in May 
F24 125 1940, it was soon over with the French and British armies. The 
F24 126 British Expeditionary Force was evacuated from Dunkirk, having 
F24 127 suffered casualties during May and June of 68,111 - a serious loss, 
F24 128 but not much more than the total casualties of the first day of the 
F24 129 Battle of the Somme in 1916. Thereafter British troops were not to 
F24 130 enter France again in force until D-Day in 1944. Meanwhile they 
F24 131 were in action from 1941 onwards in North Africa against the 
F24 132 Italians and then the Germans, and then again against the Japanese 
F24 133 in Burma. There was also continuous fighting at sea to keep open 
F24 134 lines of communication and supply, especially across the Atlantic 
F24 135 (the Battle of the Atlantic); and after the Battle of Britain in 
F24 136 September 1940 there was an ever increasing bomber offensive 
F24 137 against Germany. This was in remarkable contrast to the policy 
F24 138 adopted before the fall of France, when the RAF dropped propaganda 
F24 139 leaflets on Germany, not bombs. Taylor has it that the Secretary 
F24 140 for Air, Sir Kingsley Wood, was horrified by the suggestion that 
F24 141 German forests should be set on fire: <quote_>"Are you aware that 
F24 142 it is private property? Why, you will be asking me to bomb Essen 
F24 143 next."<quote/> In the course of time, Essen was duly bombed, many 
F24 144 times. The war experience of the working classes in the services 
F24 145 was gained therefore in a number of different theatres of war, and 
F24 146 thus was intensely varied, with the RAF playing a far greater part 
F24 147 than in the First World War.<p/>
F24 148 <p_>It would be impossible, of course, to sum up those experiences 
F24 149 in a few sentences. In the army, there was of necessity much 
F24 150 training and bullshit (<quote_>"If it moves, salute it; if it 
F24 151 doesn't, paint it"<quote/>) before fighting began again in Africa, 
F24 152 Italy and Burma. In Africa, the predominant memory of many is of 
F24 153 heat, flies, sand and tank battles of unprecedented dimensions. In 
F24 154 Burma, there was again the heat, the jungle and a peculiarly 
F24 155 ferocious and cruel enemy. At sea, the war meant the constant 
F24 156 danger of attack from the air or from German U-boats, especially on 
F24 157 the notorious convoys to Murmansk. War in the air brought its own 
F24 158 hazards of destruction by enemy aircraft or anti-aircraft fire, or 
F24 159 of limping home sometimes mortally wounded. The casualty rate of 
F24 160 bomber aircrew was extra<?_>-<?/>ordinarily high, at least as high 
F24 161 as that of officers in the trenches in the Great War, when life 
F24 162 expectation was limited to a few weeks. For those on active service 
F24 163 in all branches of the forces, ways of getting killed were 
F24 164 infinitely various: one could be shot, blown up, drowned, roasted 
F24 165 alive in tankor aircraft, or starved or beaten to death as a 
F24 166 prisoner of war of the Japanese (those imprisoned by the Germans 
F24 167 stood a rather better chance of survival). These horrors are still 
F24 168 vivid memories of ex-servicemen alive today. Yet, even in the 
F24 169 services, many were lucky enough to escape actual combat, and may 
F24 170 even be said to have had 'a good war': office workers and 
F24 171 administrative staff, technicians and skilled workers, even ground 
F24 172 crew on air force stations in this country (understandably, 
F24 173 aircrews sometimes tended to regard ground staff as mere 
F24 174 civilians). In these many different ways, experiences in the six 
F24 175 years of the Second World War form an imperishable part of the 
F24 176 social history of the working classes. The names of those who were 
F24 177 killed are to be found on war memorials up and down the country, 
F24 178 and on the gravestones of the war cemeteries in France and further 
F24 179 afield. About 300,000 were killed in the armed forces, together 
F24 180 with 35,000 in the merchant navy.<p/>
F24 181 <h_><p_>Air Raids and the Blitz<p/><h/>
F24 182 <p_>Before 1939 it was anticipated that in any future war the 
F24 183 casualties resulting from air raids would be very heavy. The 
F24 184 general public was aware of the destruction wrought by bombing in 
F24 185 the Spanish Civil War, especially at Guernica, and the air-raid 
F24 186 scenes in the film version of H.G. Wells' <tf_>Shape of Things to 
F24 187 Come<tf/> contributed to the fear of aerial attack. The government 
F24 188 itself grossly overestimated the number of hospital beds necessary 
F24 189 to accommodate air-raid victims - the official figure was from one 
F24 190 million to three million beds, with 600,000 dead and 1.2 million 
F24 191 injured in the first sixty days - and this helps to explain why a 
F24 192 massive evacuation scheme was prepared well before the war. As a 
F24 193 consequence, about a million and a half children, together with 
F24 194 mothers under five, were moved principally from the cities to safer 
F24 195 areas, usually in the countryside.
F24 196 
F24 197 
F25   1 <#FLOB:F25\><h_><p_>Introduction:<p/>
F25   2 <p_>Tiananmen Square<p/><h/>
F25   3 <p_>Tiananmen Square, the heart of Beijing. The shimmering yellow 
F25   4 eaves of the imperial palaces fade gracefully north<?_>-<?/>wards 
F25   5 into the depths of the Forbidden City, where swallows swoop among 
F25   6 the trees. South, the Memorial to the People's Heroes stands dead 
F25   7 centre in a waste of concrete and paving-stones, bordered by the 
F25   8 giant, neo-Stalinist Great Hall of the People and the Historical 
F25   9 Museum. Imperial China and Maoist China meet in stark synthesis.<p/>
F25  10 <p_>In the spring of 1976 I was a junior diplomat stationed in 
F25  11 Beijing. The upper echelons of the Communist Party were locked in 
F25  12 silent struggle between the followers of the hard-left, the 
F25  13 notorious Gang of Four, and those sympathetic to the oft-purged 
F25  14 moderate, Deng Xiaoping. The death of Premier Zhou Enlai that 
F25  15 January had seen an unprecedented outpouring of popular grief for 
F25  16 the man who had sought to blunt the fanatical extremism of the Red 
F25  17 Guards during the Cultural Revolution. In early April 1976 citizens 
F25  18 from all walks of life marched into Tiananmen Square with paper 
F25  19 wreaths to honour their deceased Premier - and breathe defiance 
F25  20 against the leftists.<p/>
F25  21 <p_>On Sunday, 4 April I attended church in the small upper room in 
F25  22 Dongdan Street - the only Protestant church open in the whole 
F25  23 country. Three elderly Chinese pastors went through the motions of 
F25  24 public worship for the tiny congregation of resident diplomats, and 
F25  25 the odd visiting businessman. (In those days there were no 
F25  26 tourists.) No preaching was permitted, and at Easter and Christmas 
F25  27 plain-clothes policemen were stationed on the corner of the street 
F25  28 opposite the drab, unmarked building to deter any ordinary Chinese 
F25  29 foolish enough to enter the building. For twenty years the Chinese 
F25  30 church had been submerged by the tide of Maoism and many pastors 
F25  31 and priests were in labour camps. Beijing was full of derelict 
F25  32 church buildings. South of Tiananmen Square in the old diplomatic 
F25  33 quarter a former Catholic church was used as a primary school. A 
F25  34 cross hung lop-sided from the spire - one of the few the Red Guards 
F25  35 had left standing, presumably because it was too dangerous to 
F25  36 remove. That cross symbolised for me the situation of the church in 
F25  37 China. Sometimes, cycling through the narrow back-streets of 
F25  38 Beijing and coming across yet another church building used as a 
F25  39 school, a factory or simply left to decay, I would pray for Chinese 
F25  40 Christians. But was there actually still a Chinese church in 
F25  41 existence? With every street corner plastered with red and white 
F25  42 Maoist texts, and every Chinese one met obediently parroting the 
F25  43 Party line, it was hard to say.<p/>
F25  44 <p_>After church I wandered down to the square. The People's 
F25  45 Monument was surrounded by a sea of wreaths. Everything was 
F25  46 peaceful, with families with their children strolling in the spring 
F25  47 sunlight.<p/>
F25  48 <p_>But that night the authorities removed all the wreaths and 
F25  49 sealed off the monument with armed guards. The people reacted with 
F25  50 fury. The following day a vast crowd gathered in the square. 
F25  51 Vehicles were burnt, as was the Public Security building on the 
F25  52 south side of the square. For the first time since the Communist 
F25  53 victory in 1949 a popular demonstration had openly defied the 
F25  54 ruling Party in the centre of power.<p/>
F25  55 <p_>Such rebellion could not be tolerated. On the evening of 5 
F25  56 April thousands of Workers' Militia armed with heavy staves cleared 
F25  57 the square, which was covered in blood. At least a hundred people 
F25  58 were killed. The Gang of Four were triumphant; Deng Xiaoping was 
F25  59 stripped of his posts and purged yet again. A heavy pall of fear 
F25  60 spread across the country.<p/>
F25  61 <p_>A little later, tens of thousands of workers and citizens were 
F25  62 dragooned into a demonstration of support for the Party's demotion 
F25  63 of the 'Capitalist roader', Deng. They trudged wearily towards 
F25  64 Tiananmen Square waving small paper flags - red, pink, yellow - 
F25  65 scrawled with suitable Party slogans. There was a distinct lack of 
F25  66 enthusiasm, and one man positively scowled when I took a 
F25  67 photograph. The masses were not amused.<p/>
F25  68 <p_>Then events followed each other at a dizzying pace. The great 
F25  69 Tangshan earthquake rocked North China, and was widely regarded by 
F25  70 the peasants as a portent of the fall of the dynasty - in this 
F25  71 case, of Mao's imminent death. The old man was rumoured to be 
F25  72 seriously ill with Parkinson's disease and virtually a puppet of 
F25  73 the Gang of Four, including his wife, Jiang Qing.<p/>
F25  74 <p_>Finally Mao died. I was visiting a factory in Shanghai at the 
F25  75 time of the announcement, on the afternoon of 9 September 1976. The 
F25  76 visit was hurriedly cut short and we were returned to our hotel. 
F25  77 That evening all the flags across Shanghai and the entire country 
F25  78 were lowered. The Gang of Four, fearing trouble, hastily despatched 
F25  79 Workers' Militia to guard all the main bridges. The country was 
F25  80 tense and fearful.<p/>
F25  81 <p_>One month later, on 6 October, the Gang of Four were suddenly 
F25  82 arrested in a lightning 'palace coup'. Two weeks later the streets 
F25  83 of Beijing erupted into a joyous celebration of their downfall, and 
F25  84 the hope of better times. People danced, young men beat gongs and 
F25  85 cymbals vigorously and fireworks exploded over Tiananmen Square. 
F25  86 For once the current 'Party line' coincided exactly with the 
F25  87 feelings of ordinary people.<p/>
F25  88 <p_>The following year the people hung small bottles in the trees 
F25  89 to express their support for Deng Xiaoping, China's hope for 
F25  90 reform, and an end to the nightmare of the Cultural Revolution. The 
F25  91 Chinese love puns, and in Chinese '<tf|>xiaoping' can also mean 
F25  92 'little bottle'. Sure enough, Deng returned to power, and the same 
F25  93 crowds who had been forced to denounce him the previous year now 
F25  94 poured dutifully, but more happily, out on the streets and marched 
F25  95 into Tiananmen Square to <quote_>"celebrate the Party's glorious 
F25  96 decision to restore Comrade Deng Xiaoping to all his 
F25  97 posts"<quote/>. Reform was in the air, and high hopes of political 
F25  98 and economic change.<p/>
F25  99 <p_>In the spring of 1979 I returned to Beijing. China was now 
F25 100 opening to the outside world. All the hard-line policies of Mao 
F25 101 were rapidly being undone by Deng whose favourite saying was that 
F25 102 <quote_>"it does not matter whether the cat is black or white, so 
F25 103 long as it catches the mouse"<quote/> - in other words practical 
F25 104 economics should take priority over ideological niceties. As part 
F25 105 of the new 'open door' policy the Communist Party had decided to 
F25 106 allow a limited degree of religious toleration. With Party 
F25 107 permission, all over China churches, temples and mosques were being 
F25 108 re<?_>-<?/>opened after thirteen years of fierce persecution 
F25 109 (1966-79) when all religious expression was outlawed.<p/>
F25 110 <p_>I attended the church in Dongdan Street for three successive 
F25 111 Sundays shortly after Easter 1979, when ordinary Chinese were 
F25 112 allowed again to worship publicly. Each Sunday the congregation 
F25 113 grew a little bit larger. The atmosphere was electric. Elderly 
F25 114 believers who had suffered humiliation for years now quietly 
F25 115 whispered <quote_>"Praise the Lord!"<quote/> and 
F25 116 <quote|>"Hallelujah!" to punctuate the prayers. During the 
F25 117 Communion service, many wept silently as they received the bread 
F25 118 and wine. For the first time I experienced the deep reverence and 
F25 119 seriousness with which Chinese Christians worship their Lord. I was 
F25 120 deeply moved.<p/>
F25 121 <p_>More than ten years have passed since these events. During that 
F25 122 decade the Chinese church has sprung up and blossomed. It has been 
F25 123 my privilege to travel to twenty different provinces, and visit 
F25 124 Christians and churches across a wide spectrum - pastors, elders, 
F25 125 evangelists, house<?_>-<?/>church leaders and believers. For 
F25 126 several years I did not return to Beijing. But then, almost 
F25 127 accidentally, while passing through to another province, I found 
F25 128 myself in Beijing, and in Tiananmen Square once again, at the 
F25 129 height of the student movement in May 1989.<p/>
F25 130 <p_>Tiananmen Square was filled with hundreds of thousands of 
F25 131 people. Students, workers and ordinary Beijing citizens processed 
F25 132 around the square denouncing corruption and calling for political 
F25 133 reforms. All was orderly. Many families had brought their children, 
F25 134 and the atmosphere was joyful, almost holiday-like. On 17 and 18 
F25 135 May perhaps two million people came out into the streets. The 
F25 136 students I spoke to were serious and responsible, and hopeful that 
F25 137 the government would negotiate with them to initiate political 
F25 138 reform. Playful cartoons and slogans denounced the hard-line 
F25 139 Premier Li Peng, and called on Deng Xiaoping to resign, but all was 
F25 140 good-humoured. The wheel had turned full circle. Deng, the hope of 
F25 141 China for reform in the seventies, was now, at the end of the 
F25 142 eighties, seen as too old and too conservative to implement 
F25 143 political change. Here was the contradiction - and soon, the 
F25 144 tragedy - of China under Deng. Great strides had been made in 
F25 145 economic reform, but Deng was not prepared to give up one-Party 
F25 146 rule.<p/>
F25 147 <p_>But on that day in May the students and citizens of Beijing 
F25 148 were carried forward on a tidal wave of expectancy. The democracy 
F25 149 movement had spread across China to at least eighty other cities. 
F25 150 Workers from the factories came to the square by the lorry-load and 
F25 151 were cheered loudly. I even saw a few lorries filled with army 
F25 152 cadets openly demonstrating for the students.<p/>
F25 153 <p_>The scene was noisy with chanted slogans punctuated by the 
F25 154 harsh blaring of ambulance horns, come to administer first aid to 
F25 155 the many students on hunger strike who had collapsed from 
F25 156 exhaustion or heat-stroke. But then I heard a new note: the sound 
F25 157 of hymn-singing. Amidst the sea of banners coming into view in 
F25 158 front of the Great Hall of the People, the sign of the cross was 
F25 159 lifted high. The white banner with a large red cross proclaimed in 
F25 160 Chinese characters <quote_>"God so loved the world"<quote/>. I 
F25 161 pushed through the crowd to investigate. About twenty students, all 
F25 162 Christians, were clustered round the banner. Their leader held high 
F25 163 a small wooden cross. They sang heartily, <quote_>"I am a true 
F25 164 soldier of Christ"<quote/>. Then, with dozens of curious spectators 
F25 165 holding up tape recorders to catch this unique event, they launched 
F25 166 into 'Rock of Ages'. I joined in. For the first time in forty years 
F25 167 Chinese Christians were able to hold an open-air witness in the 
F25 168 heart of the capital in Tiananmen Square.<p/>
F25 169 <p_>A day later martial law was declared. I was able to get out of 
F25 170 Beijing as the tanks surrounded the city, and ordinary citizens 
F25 171 began to build barricades. Two weeks later the People's Liberation 
F25 172 Army crushed the people's hopes. Tiananmen Square and the 
F25 173 surrounding streets were red with the blood of 2000 to 3000 
F25 174 students and citizens, according to reliable estimates.<p/>
F25 175 <p_>For the moment all hopes of needed political reform in China 
F25 176 have been cruelly dashed to the ground. The hard-line leftists in 
F25 177 the Party have steadily consolidated their control. It is against 
F25 178 the harsh backdrop of political repression and ideological 
F25 179 indoctrination that the Chinese church continues its witness.<p/>
F25 180 <p_>Now, across China, and overseas among the hundred thousand or 
F25 181 more Chinese scholars living in exile (few wish to return to their 
F25 182 homeland under the present regime), the future of China is being 
F25 183 hotly debated. The Christian faith is more and more being regarded 
F25 184 as a serious option. In China and overseas, thousands of students 
F25 185 and intellectuals are turning to Christ. Faith in the Communist 
F25 186 Party has been shattered. At a deeper level, traditional Chinese 
F25 187 belief in the intrinsic goodness of human nature has been severely 
F25 188 shaken by the Beijing massacre. The Christian message of sin and 
F25 189 redemption has new relevance and freshness to a people emerging 
F25 190 from the rubble of Marxism, desperate for true freedom and meaning 
F25 191 in life.<p/>
F25 192 <p_>The colossal growth of the Christian church in the Chinese 
F25 193 countryside, and now among students and young people, has seriously 
F25 194 alarmed the elderly Party ideologues. China stands at a spiritual 
F25 195 crossroads. The next decade will be crucial.<p/>
F25 196 <p_>This book looks in detail at the development of the Christian 
F25 197 church in China since the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). First we 
F25 198 examine the Cultural Revolution period itself, which witnessed both 
F25 199 extreme persecution and the embryonic growth of vigorous spiritual 
F25 200 life (chs 2-3). Secondly the new religious policy of the Chinese 
F25 201 Communist Party is analysed in depth from the original sources, 
F25 202 both at the national and local levels (chs 4-5).
F25 203 
F25 204 
F26   1 <#FLOB:F26\><h_><p_>ANCIENT SPIRITS OF THE BLUE HOLES<p/>
F26   2 <p_>When Columbus first set foot in the New World, on the tiny 
F26   3 outlying Bahamian island of what is now San Salvador, he 
F26   4 encountered the Lucayan tribe, a branch of the ancient Taino 
F26   5 people. Twenty years later, this tribe had disappeared - apparently 
F26   6 without trace. Rob Palmer went to the Bahamas to find out where 
F26   7 they had gone.<p/><h/>
F26   8 <p_>Five hundred years ago, Christopher Columbus was in the final 
F26   9 throes of planning his epic voyage across the Atlantic, in search 
F26  10 of what he hoped would be a short cut to the East Indies. 
F26  11 Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean, the ancient culture of 
F26  12 the Taino was unwittingly entering its final phase.<p/>
F26  13 <p_>The Taino comprised a group of Arawak-speaking tribes whose 
F26  14 most northerly outposts were spread throughout the Bahama Islands. 
F26  15 Here, a tribe known as the Lukku-cairi (Arawak for 'island people') 
F26  16 - and more recently as Lucayan - had settled from the 7th century. 
F26  17 Their culture had strong similarities to Polynesian culture: it was 
F26  18 ocean-going, relied on inter-island trading, and existed in 
F26  19 relative harmony with its environment.<p/>
F26  20 <p_>Arawak-speaking peoples had spread northwards from the 
F26  21 northeastern coast of South America from about 500 BC. They 
F26  22 island-hopped up through the Antilles, colonising Cuba and 
F26  23 Hispaniola, and eventually arrived in the Bahamas. Their culture 
F26  24 was effectively stone age, but they made pottery, wove cloth and 
F26  25 rope, and constructed large canoes which they navigated across the 
F26  26 oceans. By 1450, they had colonised every large Bahamian island.<p/>
F26  27 <p_>Trade routes grew up with colonisation, and the northern tribes 
F26  28 were soon exchanging goods with the southern Taino in Cuba and 
F26  29 Hispaniola, which had become the main Arawak-speaking areas. There 
F26  30 were more than one million Tainos in Hispaniola, and around 40,000 
F26  31 spread throughout the Bahamian archipelago. Artifacts found on 
F26  32 Lucayan sites suggest that trade links may have reached as far as 
F26  33 the North American mainland, making contact with Siboney and Calusa 
F26  34 Indians who had moved east instead of south during the great 
F26  35 migrations from Asia several thousand years previously. It is 
F26  36 possible that these tribes may even have settled in the 
F26  37 northwestern Bahamas before the Lucayans arrived there.<p/>
F26  38 <p_>The Lucayans lived in tribal communities ruled by a 
F26  39 <foreign|>caique (chieftain). Their thatched wooden huts they built 
F26  40 beside inland creeks, where they fished. They also hunted giant 
F26  41 iguana and <}_><-|>huita<+|>hutia<}/> - a large rodent the size of 
F26  42 a small dog that is now virtually extinct in the Bahamas. Some 
F26  43 crops were planted, including manioc, from which they made flour, 
F26  44 and tobacco - or <foreign|>cohiba. The word 'tobacco' comes from 
F26  45 the Arawak word, <foreign|>tobaco, for the pipe with which they 
F26  46 smoked it. Lucayans probably practised shifting cultivation similar 
F26  47 to that used in outlying Bahamian islands today. Areas of forest 
F26  48 are burned, and the resultant ash added to soils that lie in 
F26  49 pockets in the limestone ground. Crops are then planted. Once 
F26  50 exhausted, the land is left to regenerate and a new area is 
F26  51 cleared.<p/>
F26  52 <p_>The Lucayans were animist, believing that <}_><-|> 
F26  53 naturally-occuring <+|> naturally-occurring <}/> things had a 
F26  54 spirit, or <foreign|>zemi. Images of objects were made from wood, 
F26  55 cloth or shells, possibly in an attempt to control their spirits. 
F26  56 Some ceremonial <foreign|>zemi images have survived in the form of 
F26  57 <foreign|>duhos - carved wooden stools which often feature animal 
F26  58 forms.<p/>
F26  59 <p_>Caves featured prominently in Taino religion, both as 
F26  60 ceremonial sites and for burial. Lucayan chiefs would gather in 
F26  61 caves to make offerings to their gods and ancestral spirits. The 
F26  62 Lucayan believed that man first emerged from caves, and, from the 
F26  63 evidence of the many burial sites found in caves in the Bahamas, 
F26  64 they returned their dead there. A few burial sites have also been 
F26  65 discovered in underwater caves - or 'blue holes', as they are 
F26  66 called in the Bahamas - but their significance is unknown.<p/>
F26  67 <p_>Blue holes are deep openings into the limestone aquifers of the 
F26  68 Bahamian islands. Today, these holes are used for swimming and 
F26  69 washing. The Lucayans probably used them for similar activities, 
F26  70 but also, evidently, to bury their dead. In nearby 
F26  71 Yucat<*_>a-acute<*/>n, similar cenotes served a ceremonial, 
F26  72 sacrificial function, and the same may have been true for the 
F26  73 Bahamian blue holes. The Lucayans may have believed that the holes 
F26  74 were entrances to the underworld, to which the souls of the dead 
F26  75 must be returned. On a more practical level, they may have been for 
F26  76 the disposal of bodies of criminals or the diseased.<p/>
F26  77 <p_>In October 1492, Columbus and his ships arrived on the shores 
F26  78 of the New World, at the Lucayan island of Guanahani. Columbus 
F26  79 noted of the people: <quote_>".. they go about naked ... the hair 
F26  80 of some was thick and long like the tail of a horse, in some it was 
F26  81 short and brought forward over the eyebrows, some wearing it long 
F26  82 and never cutting it. Some are painted, and the hue of their skin 
F26  83 ... is neither black nor white."<quote/> He also noted that 
F26  84 <quote_>".. in all the forehead is broad, more so than in other 
F26  85 people I have hereto seen".<quote/> A broad forehead was 
F26  86 characteristic for Lucayans who, at birth, had a piece of board 
F26  87 bound gently to their foreheads as a means of beautification.<p/>
F26  88 <p_>Guanahani was probably what is now San Salvador, in the 
F26  89 southeastern Bahamas - although other islands lay less likely 
F26  90 claims to what, as the quincentennial of the landing of Columbus in 
F26  91 the Americas approaches, has become an occasionally acrimonious and 
F26  92 financially significant controversy.<p/>
F26  93 <p_>Columbus visited several Lucayan villages on his zig-zag route 
F26  94 through the southern Bahamas to Cuba, including what was the 
F26  95 Lucayan capital of Samaot, on what is now Crooked Island. This was 
F26  96 excavated in 1983 by the archaeologist Bill Keegan, and was found 
F26  97 to be six times larger than any other known Lucayan site of the 
F26  98 period.<p/>
F26  99 <p_>Over the next 20 years, the Spanish grip on the Caribbean 
F26 100 tightened and exploiters followed explorers. The Lucayans were 
F26 101 shipped in their thousands as slaves to the mines of Cuba and 
F26 102 Hispaniola, and to the pearl beds of Cubagua, off Venezuela. By the 
F26 103 time the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon sailed through the Bahamas 
F26 104 in 1513 on his search for the fabled fountain of eternal youth, he 
F26 105 found only one old Lucayan woman on a small islet north of Grand 
F26 106 Bahama. However diligently subsequent slaving expeditions searched, 
F26 107 they could find no more of the Lucayan. Within two decades, 
F26 108 disease, slavery and suicide had apparently brought to an end the 
F26 109 island culture of the Lukku-cairi.<p/>
F26 110 <p_>But where did the last of the Lucayans go? Despite the 
F26 111 discovery of over 600 habitation and burial sites, very little 
F26 112 evidence of Lucayan civilisation has survived intact. Much 
F26 113 archaeological material was removed or destroyed in the 18th and 
F26 114 19th centuries, when plantation owners dug matter from cave floors 
F26 115 - largely composed of guano deposits - with which to fertilise 
F26 116 their land. Most Lucayan utensils were organic - woven nets, 
F26 117 baskets and cloth, or wooden tools - and decomposed over the years. 
F26 118  Only clay pottery and a few wooden or stone implements have 
F26 119 survived. Of the pottery remains, Palmetto ware, made from a clay 
F26 120 of rich red soil mixed with fine shell fragments, is found 
F26 121 throughout the Bahamas. On other sites, pottery originating in 
F26 122 Hispaniola dates from immediately before the Spanish arrival. The 
F26 123 only other clues about the early Bahamians are found in the diaries 
F26 124 of Columbus and other contemporary Spanish explorers. But in April, 
F26 125 a team of divers and archaeologists, headed by Neil Sealey of the 
F26 126 Bahamas Archaeological Team, went to the southern chunk of the 
F26 127 island of Andros to excavate Sanctuary blue hole, in the heart of 
F26 128 the jungle. Though the largest of the Bahamian islands, Andros had 
F26 129 been regarded as a Lucayan backwater since not many Indians remains 
F26 130 had been discovered there.<p/>
F26 131 <p_>From this hole were brought 13 human skulls, as well as many 
F26 132 other human bones - most well preserved. Tannic elements in the 
F26 133 cave water from organic matter which had fallen into the hole had 
F26 134 helped in preservation, while the lack of oxygen in the still water 
F26 135 had meant few agents of decomposition had been able to survive in 
F26 136 it. The bones lay in between 20 and 40 metres of water - probably 
F26 137 too deep to have been deliberately placed, despite the excellent 
F26 138 swimming skills of the Lucayans. Many had become dislodged since 
F26 139 burial, and were scattered on the slope below the cave mouth, 
F26 140 possibly as a result of dispersal during decomposition, or during 
F26 141 rock falls from the walls and roof of the cave.<p/>
F26 142 <p_>Bones of several animals were also present on the debris slope. 
F26 143 Some of these animals were probably co-existent with the Lucayans, 
F26 144 including small dogs, hutia, and wild boar - introduced to the 
F26 145 islands by the Spaniards and later settlers as a food source and 
F26 146 for hunting.<p/>
F26 147 <p_>The human remains, carefully recovered from the cave, have been 
F26 148 sent to the University of North Florida for dating and analysis. 
F26 149 They should provide much information on the Lucayans and their way 
F26 150 of life. Their condition may also shed light on whether such sites 
F26 151 were used as common burial grounds, or for ceremonial purposes. 
F26 152 After analysis, it is intended that the bones are returned to the 
F26 153 cave, as a mark of respect to the original Lucayans. Perhaps time 
F26 154 can make up a little for the ignominy the original Bahamians 
F26 155 suffered at the hands of the first Europeans on their shores.<p/>
F26 156 <h_><p_>THE SCUBA OF THE FUTURE<p/><h/>
F26 157 <p_>The diving gear used by the Andros blue holes excavation team 
F26 158 represents the greatest advance in self-contained underwater 
F26 159 breathing systems since the development of the aqualung by 
F26 160 Cousteau, Gagnan and others earlier this century.<p/>
F26 161 <p_>Computerised, close-circuit breathing systems, each carrying 
F26 162 only six litres of gas, enabled the team to remain at depths of up 
F26 163 to 40 m for up to eight hours, without the need for long 
F26 164 decompressions.<p/>
F26 165 <p_>The systems, known as 'rebreathers', recycle the gas that is 
F26 166 being breathed, and tailor the breathing mixture to provide the 
F26 167 most suitable blend of gases for use at whatever depth the diver is 
F26 168 at. They do this by altering the amount of oxygen in the gas to 
F26 169 maintain a constant partial pressure that does not vary with depth 
F26 170 as it would in a normal SCUBA set. Carbon dioxide is scrubbed from 
F26 171 the exhaled gas by passing it through a container of sodium or 
F26 172 lithium hydroxide, and three or more oxygen sensors constantly 
F26 173 check the level of oxygen present. Helium usually replaces nitrogen 
F26 174 in the breathing mixture to avoid the problems of nitrogen 
F26 175 narcosis, known as the 'raptures of the deep', which seriously 
F26 176 affects the functioning of the brain at depths of over 30 m, and 
F26 177 also eliminates the risk of a number of other nitrogen-related 
F26 178 problems. High partial pressures of oxygen in the mixture can both 
F26 179 reduce decompression times and extend the no-decompression limits. 
F26 180 For example, more than five hours can be spent at a depth of 20 m 
F26 181 without the need for decompression, whereas the limit on normal air 
F26 182 SCUBA would be one hour.<p/>
F26 183 <p_>The use of rebreathers in underwater caves was pioneered on the 
F26 184 Andros Project, a Royal Geographical Society-supported research 
F26 185 expedition to the Andros blue holes in 1987 led by Rob Palmer, who 
F26 186 was also responsible for the recent underwater recovery of the 
F26 187 bones.<p/>
F26 188 <p_>The latest rebreathers, from Carmellan Research, have 
F26 189 computer<?_>-<?/>controlled monitoring systems which not only 
F26 190 monitor the status of the rebreather and the progress of the dive - 
F26 191 acting as depth gauge, contents gauge, watch, and thermometer - but 
F26 192 which also store up to 4000 dive logs and download them to an 
F26 193 appropriate personal computer when required. Full decompression 
F26 194 information appropriate to the partial pressure in use can be 
F26 195 downloaded into the rebreather's computer, allowing a degree of 
F26 196 independence hitherto unavailable in remote location 
F26 197 deep-diving.<p/>
F26 198 <p_>With this technology, dives of up to 120 metres can safely be 
F26 199 made, even in remote locations, without the need for prohibitively 
F26 200 expensive back-up facilities at the surface. Divers can also extend 
F26 201 their stay at shallow stops with a degree of safety previously 
F26 202 unavailable. An added advantage is that rebreathers shed no 
F26 203 bubbles, except during ascent. During the Sanctuary excavations, 
F26 204 this meant delicate sediments on the walls and roof of the cave 
F26 205 were not disturbed. It also means that silent observation of 
F26 206 underwater wildlife is now possible.
F26 207 
F26 208 
F26 209 
F27   1 <#FLOB:F27\><h_><p_>JUDICIAL CORRUPTION IN EARLY MODERN ENGLAND<p/>
F27   2 <p_>I<p/><h/>
F27   3 <p_>Great Britain's ambassador to Constantinople from 1746 to 1762 
F27   4 believed that the <quote_>"chief evil in Turkey"<quote/> was the 
F27   5 <quote_>"iniquitous administration of their laws, which are an 
F27   6 impending sword in the hand of corruption, ever ready to cut away 
F27   7 their lives and properties"<quote/>. <quote_>"They tell 
F27   8 us",<quote/> wrote Sir James Porter, <quote_>"of some rare examples 
F27   9 in Turkey, of uncorrupt judges; I have heard of one, but none have 
F27  10 come to my certain knowledge".<quote/><p/>
F27  11 <p_>These were hardly original observations. Some 150 years 
F27  12 earlier, the traveller Fynes Morison had noted that the Turkish law 
F27  13 courts were <quote_>"so corrupted with bribery, as the best cause 
F27  14 is in danger to be lost, if money be wanting, and where that is, an 
F27  15 ill cause may pass and the worst be excused".<quote/>. But for 
F27  16 Porter and his contemporaries judicial probity was also a 
F27  17 significant hallmark of civic enlightenment. In the East, according 
F27  18 to the jurist Sir William Blackstone, litigants customarily 
F27  19 presented judges with gifts: <quote_>"This is calculated for the 
F27  20 genius of despotic countries, where the true principles of 
F27  21 government are never understood, and it is imagined that there is 
F27  22 no obligation from the superior to the inferior".<quote/> In 
F27  23 England, however, such conduct was proscribed as bribery, 
F27  24 <quote_>"which is when a judge, or other person concerned in the 
F27  25 administration of justice, takes any undue reward to influence his 
F27  26 behaviour in his office".<quote/> While severely punished among 
F27  27 'inferior officers':<p/>
F27  28 <p_><quote_>in judges, especially the superior ones, it hath been 
F27  29 always looked upon as so heinous an offence, that the Chief Justice 
F27  30 Thorpe was hanged for it, in the reign of Edward III ... And some 
F27  31 notable examples have been made in parliament, of persons in the 
F27  32 highest stations, and otherwise very eminent and able, but 
F27  33 contaminated with this sordid vice.<quote/><p/>
F27  34 <p_>Blackstone's implication is clear: unlike the benighted Turk, 
F27  35 eighteenth-century Englishmen were blessed with a judiciary of the 
F27  36 utmost moral integrity. This sentiment was widely shared. 
F27  37 <quote_>"Our judges"<quote/>, wrote the Rev. Martin Madan, 
F27  38 <quote_>"are not only respectable with regard to their office ... 
F27  39 but are so incorrupt as magistrates, that they are, what Caesar 
F27  40 said his wife ought to be - Not only chaste - but 
F27  41 unsuspected"<quote/>.<p/>
F27  42 <p_>Such claims may be regarded as part of a legitimizing rhetoric 
F27  43 common to both Court and Country in Hanoverian England. But was the 
F27  44 potent image of the stern-faced yet incorruptible judge (for George 
F27  45 Orwell <quote_>"one of the symbolic figures of England"<quote/>) 
F27  46 successfully diffused and accepted through that society? The 
F27  47 ideology of the rule of law, which historians have credited with 
F27  48 both maintaining social stability and facilitating economic growth 
F27  49 during the century after 1688, certainly required that all legal 
F27  50 proceedings take place before a <quote_>"bench that was both 
F27  51 learned and honest"<quote/>. Yet eighteenth-century England is also 
F27  52 often portrayed as a society shot through with corruption and 
F27  53 venality. How then did the judges avoid suspicions which must 
F27  54 surely have undercut their participation in the great symbolic 
F27  55 drama enacted on the assize circuits and at Westminster Hall?<p/>
F27  56 <p_>This question becomes more pressing when we reflect upon the 
F27  57 dubious public image of the later Stuart judiciary:<p/>
F27  58 <p_><quote_>The ambidextrous judges, bribed, rebrib'd<p/>
F27  59 <p_>And lesser gifts to greater still subscribed.<quote/><p/>
F27  60 <p_>Such unflattering portrayals continued well beyond the 
F27  61 Exclusion Crisis and the Glorious Revolution; in 1692 we read 
F27  62 of:<p/>
F27  63 <p_><quote_>Votes of scarlet judges bought and sold,<p/>
F27  64 <p_>If purchased by the mighty power of gold.<quote/><p/>
F27  65 <p_>All the evils of the legal system, wrote Richard Collins in 
F27  66 1698, occur <quote_>"principally through the remissness, or rather, 
F27  67 gross corruption of the judges"<quote/>. If such assertions were 
F27  68 current at the end of the seventeenth century, how long afterwards 
F27  69 did they persist?<p/>
F27  70 <p_>And whatever the image, what were the realities of judicial 
F27  71 behaviour in early modern England? Needless to say, any attempt to 
F27  72 reconstruct the facts of corruption - crudely, who took what from 
F27  73 whom and to what effect - encounters formidable difficulties of 
F27  74 fact and interpretation. Given the nature of the subject, hard 
F27  75 evidence is inevitably scanty and its evaluation problematic. 
F27  76 Besides the need to distinguish past from present ethical 
F27  77 standards, it is not always obvious what the relevant norms were, 
F27  78 and are.<p/>
F27  79 <p_>Evidential and methodological problems notwithstanding, 
F27  80 perceptions of, and reactions to, allegedly corrupt judicial 
F27  81 behaviour can hardly be understood without reference to judicial 
F27  82 practice, and vice versa. So this article considers not only the 
F27  83 reputation, but also the actions of English judges, from the later 
F27  84 Middle Ages to the mid-eighteenth century. It focuses primarily on 
F27  85 the improper acceptance of gifts and other inducements ('undue 
F27  86 rewards') offered by and on behalf of litigants to judges sitting 
F27  87 in the superior courts of Westminster Hall (as distinct from civil 
F27  88 lawyers presiding in ecclesiastical and other jurisdictions, or 
F27  89 J.P.s and lesser magistrates).<p/>
F27  90 <p_>Of course 'bribery' and 'corruption' were elastic terms. Their 
F27  91 use could and did extend to the illicit sale of legal office 
F27  92 (because buyers might be tempted to recoup the purchase price in 
F27  93 bribes) and the subordination of the strict dictates of justice to 
F27  94 the interests of the government of the day, or those of a dominant 
F27  95 <*_>e-acute<*/>lite - indeed virtually any distortion of the public 
F27  96 good for private ends. How and why the sphere of what was held to 
F27  97 be judicial impropriety widened, as expectations of judicial 
F27  98 conduct became more stringent, is a major theme of the following 
F27  99 pages. They proceed in broadly chronological fashion: after 
F27 100 outlining what was formally required of medieval judges, and how 
F27 101 far those requirements affected their behaviour, I shall examine 
F27 102 the nature and causes of the rising concern about judicial 
F27 103 corruption apparent from the later sixteenth century, the 
F27 104 significance of mid-seventeenth-century reforms, and the extent to 
F27 105 which the eighteenth<?_>-<?/>century judiciary succeeded in 
F27 106 establishing an image of impartial incorruptibility.<p/>
F27 107 <h|>II
F27 108 <p_>The spectre of judicial corruption haunted the West from 
F27 109 classical times onwards. Its immediate occasions, which Cicero 
F27 110 specified as <foreign|>gratia (favour), <foreign|>potentia (power, 
F27 111 coercion) and <foreign|>pecunia (cash, bribes), appear to have 
F27 112 changed little over the centuries. Following the short-lived 
F27 113 Provisions of Oxford (1258), which sought to ensure that the chief 
F27 114 justiciar <quote_>"take nothing unless it be presents of bread and 
F27 115 wine, and such things, to wit food and drink, as have been used to 
F27 116 be brought to the tables of great men",<quote/> the first 
F27 117 legislative expression of these anxieties in an English common-law 
F27 118 context was the oath admimstered from 1344 onwards to newly 
F27 119 appointed justices of the courts of King's Bench, Exchequer and 
F27 120 Common Pleas. By the statutes 18 Edw. III c. 4 and 20 Edw. III c. 
F27 121 1, all judges swore to <quote_>"do equal law and execution of right 
F27 122 to all ... rich or poor",<quote/> and not <quote_>"take fee nor 
F27 123 robe of any man ... and ... no gift or reward by themselves, nor by 
F27 124 other ... of any man that hath to do before them by any way, except 
F27 125 meat and drink, and that of small value".<quote/> Embodying 
F27 126 principles found in Roman law, although specifically intended to 
F27 127 hinder nobles from retaining royal justices as clients or 
F27 128 followers, this oath did not prevent judges receiving gifts of any 
F27 129 kind, even from parties to suits before them. <tf|>Pace Blackstone, 
F27 130 foodstuffs and wine seem to have been routinely offered by 
F27 131 litigants, and accepted by judges, throughout the Middle Ages and 
F27 132 well into the early modern period.<p/>
F27 133 <p_>According to Sir John Fortescue, chief justice of King's Bench 
F27 134 from 1442 to 1461, in his celebrated eulogy of the laws of England, 
F27 135 the oath was rigorously observed. After describing the ceremonial 
F27 136 creation of a judge, Fortescue stated that <quote_>"it hath never 
F27 137 been known that any of them hath been corrupt with gifts or 
F27 138 bribes"<quote/>(<foreign_>aliquem donis aut muneribus fuisse 
F27 139 corruptum<foreign/>).<p/>
F27 140 <p_>This forthright assertion of perennial judicial probity is not, 
F27 141 apparently, a denial that judges took presents, but rather that 
F27 142 they allowed themselves to be influenced by such gifts. It is 
F27 143 therefore not necessarily inconsistent with the recent discovery, 
F27 144 in the accounts of an inveterate knightly litigant, of a 
F27 145 substantial disbursement on a robe of cloth of gold and crimson 
F27 146 velvet, intended for Sir John Fortescue C.J.K.B. Such a present was 
F27 147 plainly prohibited by both the letter and spirit of the judges' 
F27 148 oath. Yet even despite such seemingly damning testimony, successful 
F27 149 attempts to pervert the course of late fifteenth- and early 
F27 150 sixteenth-century justice may well have been far from common.<p/>
F27 151 <p_>Legal historians, perhaps not surprisingly, seem uncomfortable 
F27 152 with any harsher verdict. Half a century ago, Sir William 
F27 153 Holdsworth emphasized that the many accusations of judicial 
F27 154 partiality made in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries were 
F27 155 usually incapable of proof, since <quote_>"trustworthy evidence is 
F27 156 scanty"<quote/>, although he conceded that Fortescue's claims on 
F27 157 behalf of his judicial colleagues past and present were <quote_>"no 
F27 158 doubt unduly optimistic"<quote/>. More recently John Baker has 
F27 159 asked whether, when early Tudor judges declared the law, they were 
F27 160 indeed <quote_>"wholly independent and uncorrupt?"<quote/>. On the 
F27 161 whole, he concludes, they were. The crown and the rich did not 
F27 162 always prevail, as they would have done if political pressure and 
F27 163 bribery had dominated the workings of the courts; nor is there any 
F27 164 <quote_>"plain example of undue influence upon the judiciary 
F27 165 affecting a decision in a private matter"<quote/>, and further 
F27 166 <quote_>"no serious allegations of corruption were made by 
F27 167 contemporaries"<quote/>.<p/>
F27 168 <p_>Although these pleas in mitigation may seem slightly strained, 
F27 169 the legal historians are right to caution us against granting 
F27 170 automatic credence to generalized accusations and complaints, often 
F27 171 made by demonstrably ill-informed or self-interested witnesses. Nor 
F27 172 is their reluctance to indict past generations of judges except on 
F27 173 the basis of evidence not merely that bribes were offered, but that 
F27 174 they were accepted and resulted in a plain miscarriage of justice, 
F27 175 necessarily misplaced. If for no better reason than fear of the 
F27 176 consequences, both in this life and the next, medieval judges 
F27 177 cannot usually have behaved in ways which directly contravened the 
F27 178 letter of their oath; there is no evidence that Fortescue actually 
F27 179 accepted the costly robe intended for him.<p/>
F27 180 <p_>Yet that oath did not altogether debar gifts from potential or 
F27 181 former litigants. Nor did it specify precisely the quantity or 
F27 182 quality of food and drink which judges might legitimately accept 
F27 183 from parties to suits in process before them. As Baker himself 
F27 184 points out, a whole barrel of sturgeon was thought an appropriate 
F27 185 present for the chief justice of Common Pleas in 1534, while the 
F27 186 fact that Lord Chancellor Sir Thomas More and Chief Justice Sir 
F27 187 John Fitzjames were both reputed to have refused all gifts from 
F27 188 litigants suggests <quote_>"that such scruples were unusually 
F27 189 fine"<quote/>. The crucial question is whether the presents 
F27 190 routinely taken by their less scrupulous colleagues constituted the 
F27 191 kind of 'undue rewards' which were liable to pervert the course of 
F27 192 justice.<p/>
F27 193 <p_>It is impossible to believe that they never did, especially in 
F27 194 the light of the markedly more pessimistic assessments of late 
F27 195 medieval judicial probity presented by historians primarily 
F27 196 concerned with the use which the landed classes made of the law, 
F27 197 rather than the law's internal workings. In addition to legal 
F27 198 records, such historians employ a broad range of evidence, 
F27 199 including family papers and literary sources, and have no 
F27 200 disciplinary predilection for defending the reputation of the 
F27 201 courts or judiciary. At the same time, their distinctly harsher 
F27 202 verdicts are not wholly irreconcilable with the more defensive 
F27 203 judgements of Baker and Holdsworth, who do not deny the existence 
F27 204 of judicial corruption in late medieval England, but seek rather to 
F27 205 discount its influence on the everyday workings of the courts. If 
F27 206 both sides to a dispute customarily gave gifts and mobilized 
F27 207 whatever influence they might command with judges, jury and court 
F27 208 officials, such practices may often have had little net impact on 
F27 209 the eventual legal outcome, although whether this consideration 
F27 210 placated the losing party is another matter.<p/>
F27 211 <p_>Differences in cultural norms must also be taken into account. 
F27 212 In the Middle Ages gift-giving routinely accompanied many social 
F27 213 transactions, while abstract concepts of justice and injustice 
F27 214 arguably <quote_>"coexisted with the different expectations of the 
F27 215 participants themselves about how disputes ought to turn out, 
F27 216 expectations that often had more to do with local, private patterns 
F27 217 of power than with our crude conceptions of right and 
F27 218 wrong".<quote/> Yet having allowed the medieval judiciary every 
F27 219 benefit of the evidential and relativistic doubt, what are we to 
F27 220 make of the profusion of comment disparaging corrupt and venal 
F27 221 judges from contemporary moralists, poets and preachers?
F27 222 
F27 223 
F28   1 <#FLOB:F28\><p_>In their different ways, then, Freud and Marx both 
F28   2 believed that religion was a provocation of insight, a stimulus to 
F28   3 research. This provocative power lay in the enigmatic or deceptive 
F28   4 character of religion, as a mystification or a self-deceiving 
F28   5 transposition from an area of truth to an area of illusion. They 
F28   6 both believed that in certain respects religion held the key to 
F28   7 culture, it was the test case for the interpretation of industrial 
F28   8 and cultural phenomena.<p/>
F28   9 <p_>Although Marx and Freud believed in and practised the study of 
F28  10 religion they were contemptuous of religious education. This fact 
F28  11 need not surprise us. The religious education which they knew was 
F28  12 little more than a tame, domesticating activity of the religious 
F28  13 communities, a mere transmission of religious doctrine often in the 
F28  14 context of repetition and compulsion. It had few of the marks of 
F28  15 intellectual penetration and criticism which Marx and Freud 
F28  16 themselves brought to religion, and was, indeed, the very epitome 
F28  17 of the mystification and obsessiveness which they deplored.<p/>
F28  18 <p_>Nevertheless, there are some respects in which we may think of 
F28  19 both these great founders of the social sciences as being religious 
F28  20 educators. Freud, for example, liked to think of himself as being 
F28  21 similar to Moses, leading the Israel of an emancipated humanity 
F28  22 forward to the promised land free of inhibitions guided by the laws 
F28  23 of psycho-analysis (Meissner, 1984). He was undoubtedly a great 
F28  24 teacher, and took some of the models for his teaching activity from 
F28  25 his own Jewish background. In the case of Marx, we can at least see 
F28  26 how he drew much of his illustrative material from religion. 
F28  27 Several times in <tf|>Capital we find the dry humour of these 
F28  28 analogies being used with considerable effect (Marx, 1957, pp. 41, 
F28  29 53, 75, 233, 355, 737, 779).<p/>
F28  30 <p_>Religious educators have often been urged to model themselves 
F28  31 on Jesus (Hubery, 1965; Jeffreys, 1969). The literature extolling 
F28  32 the virtues of Marx and Freud as models for the profession is 
F28  33 rather less extensive but perhaps its hour is come (Preiswerk, 
F28  34 1987). For the fact is that while Marx and Freud despised religious 
F28  35 education, they at the same time laid the foundations upon which it 
F28  36 may be reformulated. The influence of the two masters of suspicion 
F28  37 upon the social sciences lies first in their creation of this 
F28  38 particular kind of critical approach. Jurgen Habermas divides the 
F28  39 sciences into three groups: the sciences of measurement such as the 
F28  40 physical sciences, those of interpretation such as the humanities, 
F28  41 history and sociology, and finally the sciences of emancipation. 
F28  42 The first group seek for explanation, the second group for 
F28  43 understanding and the third group for liberation. In the third 
F28  44 group Habermas places Marxist economics and Freudian 
F28  45 psycho<?_>-<?/>analysis (Habermas, 1971). It is in this third group 
F28  46 I would like to place a reformulated religious education. The place 
F28  47 of religious education amongst the disciplines lies within the 
F28  48 social sciences, and here it is one of the disciplines of 
F28  49 emancipation.<p/>
F28  50 <p_>Freud and Marx, of course, believed that religion was that from 
F28  51 which one needed to be emancipated. They did not see religion as 
F28  52 being in itself an emancipatory discipline, although as we have 
F28  53 seen the ground work they laid for the critical study of religion 
F28  54 has prepared for this insight. It is religious education which must 
F28  55 take up this ambiguity and must proclaim itself as both subject and 
F28  56 object of the emancipatory process; it looks upon religion as both 
F28  57 disease and antidote, both bane and blessing.<p/>
F28  58 <p_>But before developing this in a little more detail, I must 
F28  59 pause to consider the mission of religious education. It is time to 
F28  60 reclaim the word mission, taken in the first place from the 
F28  61 homeland of religion, and made to sit down beside the alien waters 
F28  62 of Babylon and sing strange songs in the world of enterprise 
F28  63 culture. The mission of religious education is first to communicate 
F28  64 an understanding of religion to those who are not religious, 
F28  65 secondly, to communicate an understanding of themselves to those 
F28  66 who are religious, and finally, to communicate to all its students, 
F28  67 both adults and children, the benefits or the gifts of religious 
F28  68 studies. In all of these three tasks, which together comprise its 
F28  69 mission, religious education can be informed by the disciplines of 
F28  70 suspicion. In communicating an understanding of religion, it must 
F28  71 point out the ambiguity, the double-edged nature of religion. In 
F28  72 communicating a self-understanding to those who are religious, it 
F28  73 must cope with the way in which religion both deceives and 
F28  74 infantalises, together with the way in which religion may empower 
F28  75 and recreate. In communicating the gifts of the study of religion 
F28  76 to everyone, religious education will pass on a wide range of 
F28  77 skills and benefits, not all of which need necessarily be in 
F28  78 themselves religious (Grimmit <tf_>et al.<tf/>, 1991).<p/>
F28  79 <p_>Let us see how the social sciences may create the foundations 
F28  80 of such a religious education within the context of modernity. The 
F28  81 work of Karl Marx in understanding the significance of religion for 
F28  82 society was brilliant but limited in its scope. Although he 
F28  83 described religion as the <quote_>"general theory of the 
F28  84 world"<quote/> that is, the world of human relations, the social 
F28  85 world, and as its <quote_>"encyclopaedic compendium, its logic in 
F28  86 popular form"<quote/> (Marx, 1963, p. 43) religion and the study of 
F28  87 religion continued to occupy but a marginal place in his work. This 
F28  88 must be attributed to the impact upon his systematic thought of the 
F28  89 mystification theory of religion which he adopted from eighteenth 
F28  90 century enlightenment rationalism (Larrain, 1979). He remained 
F28  91 influenced by the 'psychology of interest' view of religion which 
F28  92 suggested that religion was a cloak serving the interests of a 
F28  93 section of society. He never thus advanced to a full-scale 
F28  94 sociological understanding of religion, important though his work 
F28  95 is as a bridge between the psychology and the sociology of 
F28  96 religion. The purpose of religion, in the view of Marx, was 
F28  97 precisely to mystify, to numb the consciousness, to veil reality, 
F28  98 to offer a consoling hope, a comforting illusion to oppressed 
F28  99 people. That oppressed people should need to find such comfort, 
F28 100 should look for consolation from such a source, was in the view of 
F28 101 Marx highly significant, indeed symptomatic of a whole structure of 
F28 102 injustice. Nevertheless, religion itself possessed no particular 
F28 103 function in society as a whole. Its role was limited to being a 
F28 104 worn blanket which the weary body of suffering humanity could pull 
F28 105 up over itself. That religion could be much more than this, that it 
F28 106 could become the very foundation for an entire society, that it 
F28 107 could be the content for a total ideology of society did not seem 
F28 108 to occur to Marx, and this is why it remains somewhat marginal in 
F28 109 his thought. It remains a part of his contribution to the 
F28 110 psychology of politics, and particularly to the psychology of 
F28 111 domination.<p/>
F28 112 <p_>We must go on to Emile Durkheim to find a conception of 
F28 113 religion which views it as sufficiently powerful to carry the 
F28 114 entire weight of a society. Religion consists of <quote_>"beliefs 
F28 115 and practices which unite into one single moral community all those 
F28 116 who adhere to them. Religion is thus an eminently collective 
F28 117 thing"<quote/> (Durkheim, 1915, p. 47). Durkheim illustrated this 
F28 118 by studies of the structure of pre-European Australian society. By 
F28 119 studying the nature of religion in primal society we gain an 
F28 120 insight into its whole character. The concept of society and that 
F28 121 of divinity are different forms of the concept of totality. 
F28 122 Religion is thus based upon and expressive of the total nature of 
F28 123 our lives in society.<p/>
F28 124 <p_>Karl Marx was interested in the structure of industrial society 
F28 125 and in understanding the causes which had led to it, whereas 
F28 126 Durkheim in the work we have been considering was interested in 
F28 127 pre-European if not prehistorical society. Marx studied a society 
F28 128 which was deeply divided and saw in religion a factor or an aspect 
F28 129 of that division; Durkheim studied societies which were 
F28 130 totalitarian in their religiosity, societies based upon cult and 
F28 131 myth rather than upon economic and occupational distinctions. In 
F28 132 these primal societies, religion does not play a role on this side 
F28 133 or that because there are no sides, only many complex social 
F28 134 institutions all based upon the fundamental distinction between the 
F28 135 sacred and the profane. In modern societies religion has lost this 
F28 136 integrating force, and the occupational group has taken its place. 
F28 137 It would be possible for religion to come down out of the heavens 
F28 138 and from the world beyond death so as to occupy again its primal 
F28 139 place but that would require criticism of religion, and religion 
F28 140 itself would prevent such criticism (Durkheim, 1951, pp. 374 
F28 141 ff.).<p/>
F28 142 <p_>In the earlier work of Durkheim we find religion as a sort of 
F28 143 tribal collectivity in which there is no access to alternative 
F28 144 world views. Human beings are social. There is no alternative to 
F28 145 society and thus no alternative to that religion which is the fibre 
F28 146 of society. This is the truth of religion and in this sense every 
F28 147 fundamental religion is true (Durkheim, 1915, p. 3). At the same 
F28 148 time, such societies are bound together in a sort of collective 
F28 149 falsehood, a false consciousness in which believers mistake the 
F28 150 essence of their religion (which is society) for something else, 
F28 151 something other than society. We may describe this united 
F28 152 social/religious world view as being 'non<?_>-<?/>dialectical', as 
F28 153 possessing no quality which permits a dialectic to take place. Thus 
F28 154 the primal religious society as described by Durkheim is the very 
F28 155 opposite of the plural societies which characterise modernity.<p/>
F28 156 <p_>For Marx, religion is a hindrance to the unification of a just 
F28 157 society; it is not only part of the antagonistic structure of 
F28 158 society but acts so as to conceal from those who suffer most from 
F28 159 the divisions of society the very nature of that antagonism. 
F28 160 Religion is thus a manifestation of social division which functions 
F28 161 in a way so as to stupefy people. This element of making people 
F28 162 slightly mad is also found in Durkheim's description, but the 
F28 163 madness does not matter because it is not antagonistic. Everyone is 
F28 164 equally slightly mad. No-one notices, there is no-one outside the 
F28 165 group who can take notice. In Marx, on the other hand, the 
F28 166 stupefying effect of religious belief upon the masses is all too 
F28 167 visible to the discerning critic. It thus becomes an abomination, 
F28 168 an outrage.<p/>
F28 169 <p_>We have now seen that Marx, Freud and Durkheim regard religion 
F28 170 as having an intrinsic connection with madness, but in different 
F28 171 ways. For Marx religion is a collective mystification, in Durkheim 
F28 172 a collective effervescence and in Freud a collective neurosis. 
F28 173 These contrasts take on particular relevance when we try to put 
F28 174 them together so as to create a theory for an emancipative 
F28 175 religious education. The techniques used for the study of religion 
F28 176 are often the same but the results are different.<p/>
F28 177 <p_>Some of the techniques which Marx used in his study of 
F28 178 ideologies are similar to those used by Freud (Freud, 1950). Like 
F28 179 ideologies, dreams invert reality, so that what we ourselves have 
F28 180 created appears to come to us as a given, from the outside. The 
F28 181 creative, constructive factors change places with the super-human, 
F28 182 transcendent factors so that although people believe they have been 
F28 183 made by the Gods the truth is that their Gods have been made by 
F28 184 them. Interpretative techniques such as condensation and 
F28 185 displacement are used by Marx in his analysis of the mystery of the 
F28 186 commodity and by Freud in his dream analysis. Freud's 
F28 187 interpretation of dreams, however, is unlike Marx's interpretation 
F28 188 of social ideologies in this respect: Freud seems to have little or 
F28 189 no interest in how these distortions and fantasies function against 
F28 190 the interests of the poor whereas this was the major interest of 
F28 191 Karl Marx. So it is that Freud speaks of <quote|>"repression" where 
F28 192 Marx speaks of <quote|>"alienation"; Freud diagnoses the sickness 
F28 193 of the individual whereas Marx diagnoses the function of the 
F28 194 illusions held by the poor; Freud deals with the place of religion 
F28 195 in the divided life of the guilty individual whereas Marx deals 
F28 196 with the place of religion in the divided structure of an 
F28 197 oppressive society. Durkheim, on the other hand, deals with 
F28 198 religion in a unified society, a society unified by a religion 
F28 199 which is false, yet innocent in its falsehood.<p/>
F28 200 
F28 201 
F29   1 <#FLOB:F29\><h_><p_>MARKET FORCES<p/>
F29   2 <p_>Carl MacDougall looks back on 1990 - a year which saved its 
F29   3 biggest sting of all for delivery in the calendar's tail.<p/><h/>
F29   4 <p_>It is one of life's more interesting ironies that maxims which 
F29   5 trip easily off the tongue have a habit of taking on 
F29   6 hard<?_>-<?/>edged coinage - and simply trip up.<p/>
F29   7 <p_>So it was that Mrs Thatcher's insistent advocacy on behalf of 
F29   8 market forces saw that particular sword end eleven-and-a-half years 
F29   9 of her occupancy of Number Ten.<p/>
F29  10 <p_>Just two remarkable weeks in British political life witnessed 
F29  11 the inexorable, if clumsy and distasteful, removal from office of a 
F29  12 Prime Minister.<p/>
F29  13 <p_>The British public - honed to new horizons of employment 
F29  14 realism in the Thatcher era of privatisation and market forces - 
F29  15 seemed perplexed by the swiftness of it all. The miners, the 
F29  16 Scottish steel workers and the redundancy victims of takeovers, 
F29  17 company insolvencies and the short-term mechanics of the City 
F29  18 understood the process only too well.<p/>
F29  19 <p_>Not your average redundancy, though. Still, market forces had 
F29  20 prevailed - and turned a government on its head.<p/>
F29  21 <p_>Britain has a new Prime Minister in John Major, a new Cabinet, 
F29  22 a new set of promises to go with it - and a new respect for dead 
F29  23 sheep.<p/>
F29  24 <p_>This time last year The Wall was coming down and now the 
F29  25 Germans have been reunited with reports of anti-Semitism returning 
F29  26 and the crime rate rising. What we called Eastern Europe is now no 
F29  27 more and it looks as if the Soviet Union itself is disintegrating 
F29  28 into food shortages, riots and nationalist uprisings. President 
F29  29 Gorbachev has been given the Nobel Peace Prize for his 
F29  30 international achievements; commentators weekly predict his demise 
F29  31 because of failures on the home front.<p/>
F29  32 <p_>This time last year it took the Rumanians ten days to rid 
F29  33 themselves of their president.<p/>
F29  34 <p_>War in the Gulf is expected, indeed seems inevitable; only the 
F29  35 timing is in doubt. The deposed Kuwaiti ruler is without doubts. He 
F29  36 has been quoted as saying he would like his kingdom back now, not 
F29  37 tomorrow. At the time of writing, we live with the hope that his 
F29  38 wishes will not be the only considerations, though both sides are 
F29  39 digging in.<p/>
F29  40 <p_>This time last year some things were very evident and these, 
F29  41 indeed, have come to pass. The Poll Tax, or Community Charge, was 
F29  42 unpopular in Scotland. It is now unpopular throughout the United 
F29  43 Kingdom.<p/>
F29  44 <p_>And the fate of the present administration may rest with the 
F29  45 solutions mooted by the man who almost talked himself on to this 
F29  46 particular bed of nails - Michael Heseltine.<p/>
F29  47 <p_>Some things, however, do not change. The senseless killing and 
F29  48 maiming in Northern Ireland still goes on. Twenty-one years of 
F29  49 guerilla warfare in one part of the United Kingdom seems to have 
F29  50 been accepted as an inevitable fact of life. Public opinion has 
F29  51 become inured to the monstrous circumstances which prevail in 
F29  52 Ulster. Twenty-one years of bigotry transcribed into violence. 
F29  53 Twenty-one years - and no prospect of peace in the foreseeable 
F29  54 future. Nor Saddam Hussein to blame.<p/>
F29  55 <p_>The environment continued to deteriorate. The Government 
F29  56 produced a set of promises which impressed few and it was left to 
F29  57 primary schoolchildren, their sense of fairness and love of 
F29  58 animals, to shame us into sharing their concern. They also provided 
F29  59 an interesting role model, where media output was motivated by 
F29  60 consumer concern, rather than forming opinion.<p/>
F29  61 <p_>A book written by the editorial team of <tf_>The 
F29  62 Ecologist<tf/>, reasonably argued there were 5,000 days left to 
F29  63 save the planet from certain destruction. Their warning was largely 
F29  64 unnoticed.<p/>
F29  65 <p_>The four Guinness affair defendants were found guilty of 
F29  66 commercial criminality and sent to prison - but not banished from 
F29  67 boardrooms in the future. And British Rail still couldn't get the 
F29  68 Glasgow to Edinburgh service to run on time.<p/>
F29  69 <p_>Scotland lost Norman Buchan. Britain lost the <tf_>Sunday 
F29  70 Correspondent<tf/>. The world lost Leonard Bernstein - but not his 
F29  71 wonderful music.<p/>
F29  72 <p_>And the Clyde became a time machine, in a way, when the QE2 
F29  73 made her memorable visit to Greenock during last summer.<p/>
F29  74 <p_>The SNP elected a new leader - with, it seems, a remarkable 
F29  75 absence of fuss.<p/>
F29  76 <p_>The Forth Bridge celebrated its centenary in a style some 
F29  77 Glaswegians may have envied. Their year as Europe's citizens of 
F29  78 culture gave the word a new interpretation. I should, in fairness, 
F29  79 declare a minimal interest in these events and break silence long 
F29  80 enough to say I have no intention of commenting.<p/>
F29  81 <h_><p_>Scotland & Sport<p/><h/>
F29  82 <p_>This time last year it was evident that the Scottish football 
F29  83 team would get gubbed in the World Cup, having qualified and been 
F29  84 gubbed in the first round of the finals many times before. Where is 
F29  85 history's place for the Costa Rican president who, commenting on 
F29  86 his country's defeat of Scotland in the first game, said, 
F29  87 <quote_>"This is extraordinary. It is driving us crazy with 
F29  88 satisfaction."<quote/><p/>
F29  89 <p_>The national team's performance was equalled only by the new 
F29  90 level of football reporting on the Scottish television networks, 
F29  91 where we were made aware of how badly it was being done, because it 
F29  92 used to be done moderately well. The BBC brought tabloid standards 
F29  93 to the fray where more meant worse.<p/>
F29  94 <p_>Not that radio commentators had much to be complacent about. 
F29  95 Derek Johnstone was heard to comment on <quote_>"Maurice Johnston 
F29  96 and his namesake Ally McCoist."<quote/> This is symptomatic of the 
F29  97 ailment. We have people who cannot communicate telling us what is 
F29  98 going on - or speculating about what is likely to go on.<p/>
F29  99 <p_>Can normal viewing or listening be resumed as soon as possible? 
F29 100 Football enthusiasts across the country promise to forget it ever 
F29 101 happened.<p/>
F29 102 <p_>Here, it is worth remembering, most Scots do not go to football 
F29 103 matches; in fact, more people go to the theatre every year than 
F29 104 stand on the terraces.<p/>
F29 105 <p_>Scotland's Grand Slam victory was more than a compensation for 
F29 106 our Italian outing, certainly in terms of book sales. Publishers 
F29 107 whose <tf_>Italia 90<tf/> books were remaindered could redress the 
F29 108 balance with pictures of the lads in the shower and of the Princess 
F29 109 Royal singing <tf_>Flower of Scotland<tf/>. Roy Williamson, the 
F29 110 anthem's composer, died last year.<p/>
F29 111 <p_>Interestingly enough, as we struggle to survive another year 
F29 112 where bacteria left the laboratory and entered the food chain, 
F29 113 where even the humble cling film which protects our food from 
F29 114 diseases is itself a cancer-bearing threat, the morality of food 
F29 115 production remained a debate.<p/>
F29 116 <p_>Pausing to reflect upon the voice of the pundits, who tell us 
F29 117 we are on the brink of a second Ice Age, a possible nuclear war and 
F29 118 ecological disaster, religious fundamentalism is also on the 
F29 119 increase.<p/>
F29 120 <p_><foreign_>C'est la vie.<foreign/><p/>
F29 121 <p_>Or, to paraphrase a political aside, it's been a particularly 
F29 122 <tf|>unfunny old world in 1990 - hasn't it?<p/>
F29 123 
F29 124 <h_><p_>DUNDEE 800<p/>
F29 125 <p_>As Dundee reaches her 800th birthday, Rob Adams, a Dundonian 
F29 126 now living in Edinburgh, offers an objective - and occasionally 
F29 127 subjective - assessment of Scotland's 'largest village': the City 
F29 128 of Discovery.<p/><h/>
F29 129 <p_>City of Discovery, Geneva of the North, The Radical Toun, The 
F29 130 Largest Village in Scotland; during the past 800 years Dundee has 
F29 131 had almost as many appellations as there are theories on the 
F29 132 derivation of the name Dundee itself.<p/>
F29 133 <p_>Among these, the pragmatic Don Daig, meaning 'hill of fire' 
F29 134 (the city nestles round a long-dormant volcano), suggests that a 
F29 135 settlement existed here long before the town became Donumdei, the 
F29 136 'gift of God' which saved from shipwreck the returning Crusader, 
F29 137 David, Earl of Huntingdon.<p/>
F29 138 <p_>Romantic though this latter notion may seem in the cold light 
F29 139 of the late 20th century, it was in gratitude for his brother's 
F29 140 rescue that King William the Lion conferred royal burgh status on 
F29 141 Dundee in 1191.<p/>
F29 142 <p_>Dundee craftsmen were quick to take advantage of the trading 
F29 143 rights of a royal burgh; woodcarvers and silversmiths and, later, 
F29 144 pistol makers and shipbuilders, all thrived, their far-flung 
F29 145 markets apparently contradictory to the received impression of 
F29 146 Dundonians as insular.<p/>
F29 147 <p_>Coincidental to Dundee's importance as a port came whaling 
F29 148 which peaked in the 1890s, leaving a legacy of street names (for 
F29 149 example, Baffin Street) and folk songs by the score, as well as the 
F29 150 enormous Dundee Whale skeleton in the local museum which, as a 
F29 151 small boy familiar with the fate of Jonah, used to give me the 
F29 152 willies.<p/>
F29 153 <h_><p_>The Three Js<p/><h/>
F29 154 <p_>At school we learned about jute, jam and journalism, an 
F29 155 industrial triumvirate which flourished into the 1960s. While 
F29 156 Keillor's marmalade factory (established 1797) had helped spread 
F29 157 Dundee's name and produce worldwide, it was jute which came to form 
F29 158 the backbone of the city's economy.<p/>
F29 159 <p_>Ironically the product of another shipwreck, which brought 
F29 160 Belgian flax spinners to the town, the clack-clacking, 
F29 161 musty-smelling jutemills provided sufficient wealth to give Dundee 
F29 162 more millionaires per square mile than Hollywood, and bought the 
F29 163 jute barons a major stake in ranches across America's Wild West. 
F29 164 But as more and more man-made fibres emerged jute fell into a slow 
F29 165 decline. Jam followed suit. Journalism, in the shape of the D. C. 
F29 166 Thomson empire, remains buoyant.<p/>
F29 167 <p_>The company which gave the world <tf_>The Dandy<tf/> and 
F29 168 <tf_>The Beano<tf/> is an enigma - respected within the industry 
F29 169 for its high training standards yet mocked from all sides for the 
F29 170 parochial, and ultimately dispiriting, nature of its reporting.<p/>
F29 171 <p_>The Thomson influence on Dundee is immeasurable. Not only is 
F29 172 the company the city's largest employer; it also holds a vice-like 
F29 173 grip on the citizen's reading habits. Over the years there have 
F29 174 been several attempts to establish an alternative editorial voice. 
F29 175 All have failed, the most recent amid allegations that, should they 
F29 176 stock the newcomer, newsagents faced forfeiting supplies of the 
F29 177 ubiquitous dailies, <tf_>The Dundee Courier<tf/> and <tf_>The 
F29 178 Evening Telegraph<tf/>.<p/>
F29 179 <p_>Thomson's long-running wrangle with the local council is one of 
F29 180 their more interesting campaigns. However, the city fathers' 
F29 181 reputation for graft and corruption, brought startlingly to 
F29 182 prominence in the late 70s, goes back even further than <tf_>The 
F29 183 Courier<tf/>, most notably to the tyrannical Provost Riddoch of the 
F29 184 late 17th century.<p/>
F29 185 <p_>Historically, Dundee's role has been that of a punchbag, having 
F29 186 been sacked and laid siege by everyone from William Wallace to 
F29 187 Oliver Cromwell. Small wonder, then, that Dundonians' attitudes to 
F29 188 national heroes has fluctuated greatly. The scene of Robert the 
F29 189 Bruce's proclamation as King in 1309 became the site of Winston 
F29 190 Churchill's nadir six centuries later as he lost heavily to an 
F29 191 opponent running on a temperance ticket - a bit cheeky from a town 
F29 192 which has consistently topped the licensed-premises-per-capita 
F29 193 league.<p/>
F29 194 <p_>But the damage done by Cromwell <tf_>et al<tf/> was as<&|>sic! 
F29 195 nothing compared to the civic vandalism which deprived Dundee of 
F29 196 its essential character in the 1960s. Wholesale demolition and an 
F29 197 implausibly prodigious car park programme robbed Dundee of such 
F29 198 gems as the old Overgate, a thoroughfare, easily comparable to 
F29 199 Edinburgh's Royal Mile, which gave way to a dreary - and not very 
F29 200 popular - shopping precinct.<p/>
F29 201 <p_>Vast chunks of tenement housing also were pulled down, and the 
F29 202 dispossessed shunted further and further out of town to housing 
F29 203 schemes which make concentration camps look attractive. In more 
F29 204 recent years the process has been arrested, but the results of this 
F29 205 programme of renovation only underline the original loss of quality 
F29 206 property.<p/>
F29 207 <p_>The 'largest village' tag is a double<?_>-<?/>edged sword. It 
F29 208 suggests that Dundee is cliquish, which it can be. Or friendly, 
F29 209 which it definitely is. It was President Ulysses S. Grant, an 
F29 210 apparently difficult man to impress, who, on crossing the 
F29 211 newly<?_>-<?/>completed railway bridge over the River Tay, 
F29 212 remarked: <quote_>"That's a mighty big bridge for a mighty small 
F29 213 town."<quote/> A year later, during a freak storm on 29th December 
F29 214 1879, Thomas Bouch's rather spindly<?_>-<?/>looking construction 
F29 215 tumbled into the seething waters, taking with it a train and 75 
F29 216 passengers.<p/>
F29 217 <p_>One man who wasn't surprised by this tragedy was William Topaz 
F29 218 McGonagall. An Edinburgh man by birth but a Dundonian by 
F29 219 conviction, McGonagall was the living embodiment of the 'never a 
F29 220 prophet (or indeed profit) in your home town' adage. During his 
F29 221 lifetime, his poetry was publicly ridiculed and he was physically 
F29 222 assaulted in the streets. Nowadays, of course, he is accepted as a 
F29 223 genuine Dundee worthy.<p/>
F29 224 <p_>The two bridges which carry you across the Tay today afford a 
F29 225 view looking north which, despite the internal spoliation, still 
F29 226 lives up impressively to the name, Bonnie Dundee.
F29 227 
F29 228 
F29 229 
F30   1 <#FLOB:F30\><h_><p_>Thomas Paine's <tf_>Rights of Man<tf/> 
F30   2 1791-92<p/>
F30   3 <p_>A bi-centenary assessment<p/>
F30   4 <p_>H.T. Dickinson<p/><h/>
F30   5 <p_>Born in 1736, the son of a poor Quaker corset or stay-maker, 
F30   6 Thomas Paine rose by his own efforts to become the most famous 
F30   7 political propagandist of the late eighteenth century and an active 
F30   8 participant in the American Revolution, the French Revolution and 
F30   9 the campaign for radical reform in Britain (<tf|>1). In America he 
F30  10 wrote <tf_>Common Sense<tf/> (1776), the most famous and 
F30  11 widely-read tract on the crisis in British-American relations. In 
F30  12 France, soon after emerging from an alarming spell in a Parisian 
F30  13 goal, expecting execution at any time, he wrote <tf_>The Age of 
F30  14 Reason<tf/> (1794-95), the most notorious Deist onslaught on the 
F30  15 Christian churches and on the Bible as the revealed word of God. 
F30  16 For most Britons, however, both in his own day and ever since, his 
F30  17 best and most famous work was the <tf_>Rights of Man<tf/> 
F30  18 (1791-92), which remains as fresh and almost as widely read today, 
F30  19 200 years after its publication (<tf|>2). With its bi-centenary 
F30  20 upon us, it deserves to be celebrated, but first its value needs to 
F30  21 be properly assessed.<p/>
F30  22 <p_>The outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 found Paine back 
F30  23 in Britain after a dozen years active political service in America. 
F30  24 He welcomed the spread of revolution to France and the signs of a 
F30  25 radical revival within Britain. Shocked by Edmund Burke's violent 
F30  26 speech against the French Revolution, delivered to the House of 
F30  27 Commons on 9 February 1790, and aware that Burke was preparing a 
F30  28 substantial treatise on the subject, Paine set about preparing a 
F30  29 tract to defend the political principles which he believed 
F30  30 underpinned and justified the developments in France. Burke's 
F30  31 <tf_>Reflections on the Revolution in France<tf/> appeared in 
F30  32 November 1790. Working at some speed Paine completed his response 
F30  33 before he left for Paris early in 1791. He left the manuscript of 
F30  34 the first part of <tf_>Rights of Man<tf/> with a small group of 
F30  35 radical friends, including William Godwin, Thomas Holcroft and 
F30  36 Thomas Brand Hollis. The first publisher they approached produced a 
F30  37 small print-run in February 1791, but appears to have been too 
F30  38 timid to continue with the assignment. On 13 March another 
F30  39 publisher, J. S. Jordan, brought out a larger edition. <tf_>The 
F30  40 Rights of Man<tf/> was an immediate success and was widely regarded 
F30  41 by reformers as an effective riposte to Burke's <tf|>Reflections. 
F30  42 Thomas Cooper promptly recommended it to James Watt:<p/>
F30  43 <p_><quote_>I regard it as the 'very jewel of a book: the finest 
F30  44 book in all the world that ever was or ever will be' - Burke is 
F30  45 done up for ever and ever by it - but Paine attacking Burke is 
F30  46 dashing out the brains of a butterfly with the club of 
F30  47 Hercules.<quote/><p/>
F30  48 <p_>The Society for Constitutional Information praised the 
F30  49 <tf_>Rights of Man<tf/> in their correspondence and helped to 
F30  50 distribute it to reform societies across Britain. It was rapidly 
F30  51 reprinted in London, and editions of it soon appeared in Ireland 
F30  52 and the USA.<p/>
F30  53 <p_>On his return to England in July 1791 Paine found himself the 
F30  54 hero of the reformers and the target for such conservative tracts 
F30  55 as Burke's <tf_>An Appeal from the New to the Old Whigs<tf/> 
F30  56 (1791). He set about producing Part Two of <tf_>Rights of Man<tf/> 
F30  57 and this duly appeared on 16 February 1792. This was even more 
F30  58 radical than the first part and a translation of it soon appeared 
F30  59 in France. It revealed a greater concern with the plight of the 
F30  60 poor and it advocated a primitive form of what today we would call 
F30  61 a welfare state. The Sheffield radicals declared:<p/>
F30  62 <p_><quote_>We have derived more true knowledge from the two works 
F30  63 of Mr Thomas Paine, entitled <tf_>Rights of Man<tf/>, Part the 
F30  64 First and Second, than from any other author or subject....resolved 
F30  65 unanimously, That the Thanks of this Society be given to Mr Paine 
F30  66 for the affectionate concern he has shewn in his Second Work in 
F30  67 behalf of the poor, the infant, and the aged.<quote/><p/>
F30  68 <p_>Edmund Burke, on the other hand, condemned it in the House of 
F30  69 Commons on 30 April 1792 as an 'infamous libel upon the 
F30  70 constitution'. Alarmed by the contents of Part Two and by the fact 
F30  71 that thousands of copies of cheap editions of the tract were 
F30  72 distributed among the lower orders by various radical groups in the 
F30  73 country, the government took action. Jordan, the publisher, was 
F30  74 threatened with prosecution in May 1792. He pleaded guilty to the 
F30  75 charge, but was never punished. On 21 May Paine himself was 
F30  76 summoned to appear at the Court of King's Bench on 8 June, charged 
F30  77 with being:<p/>
F30  78 <p_><quote_>"a wicked, malicious, seditious and ill-disposed 
F30  79 person, and being greatly disaffected to our said Sovereign Lord 
F30  80 the now King, and to the happy constitution of this 
F30  81 kingdom."<quote/><p/>
F30  82 <p_>On the same day, 21 May, a royal proclamation against seditious 
F30  83 writings and publications was issued. It called upon all loyal 
F30  84 subjects to resist attempts to subvert regular government and it 
F30  85 urged magistrates to make diligent enquiries to discover the 
F30  86 authors, printers and disseminators of seditious writings.<p/>
F30  87 <p_>At first the government's reaction did little to stem the 
F30  88 spread of Paine's ideas. Radicals throughout the country sought out 
F30  89 copies and it was the most discussed tract of the day. The London 
F30  90 Corresponding Society raised a subscription for Paine's legal 
F30  91 defence. When Paine appeared in court on 8 June 1792 his trial was 
F30  92 postponed until December. He was never in fact to stand trial in 
F30  93 person. After being elected to the French National Assembly in 
F30  94 September 1792 and after being warned by his British friends of the 
F30  95 danger he faced in England, he fled the country. He only narrowly 
F30  96 escaped capture by the authorities. He left behind him a printed 
F30  97 proof copy of his <tf_>Letter Addressed to the Addressers on the 
F30  98 Late Proclamation<tf/> (1792), in which he rejected the 
F30  99 constitutional policy of appealing to parliament to carry out 
F30 100 political reforms. Instead, he advised the radicals to call a 
F30 101 national convention and to draft a new constitution and to create a 
F30 102 republican form of government. He also defiantly declared that if 
F30 103 his arguments were libellous, then:<p/>
F30 104 <p_><quote_>let me live the life of a libeller, and let the name of 
F30 105 LIBELLER be engraven on my tomb!<quote/><p/>
F30 106 <p_>In his absence a special jury at the Court of King's Bench 
F30 107 condemned the <tf_>Rights of Man<tf/> as seditious libel on 18 
F30 108 December 1792. In the same month a second royal proclamation was 
F30 109 issued in an effort to stem the dissemination of seditious writings 
F30 110 and the spread of radical societies. This elicited hundreds of 
F30 111 loyal addresses, many of them signed by hundreds, even thousands, 
F30 112 of ordinary citizens. Within a few months hundreds of loyalist 
F30 113 associations were established throughout the country. For many of 
F30 114 the associations, alarmed by the violence of the French Revolution 
F30 115 and by the rapid spread of radical societies in Britain, Paine came 
F30 116 to represent their deepest fears. His effigy, often clutching a 
F30 117 copy of the <tf_>Rights of Man<tf/> in one hand and corsets in the 
F30 118 other, was burned amidst great festivity in dozens of towns and 
F30 119 villages across Britain. In 1793 a government clerk, George 
F30 120 Chalmers, using the pseudonym 'Francis Oldys', produced a libellous 
F30 121 biography of Paine, while his principles were condemned in numerous 
F30 122 newspapers, pamphlets, sermons, poems and caricatures.<p/>
F30 123 <p_>The two parts of <tf_>Rights of Man<tf/> are reputed to have 
F30 124 sold 200,000 copies by the end of 1793. While this figure has been 
F30 125 repeated by many scholars, it has never been verified and it is 
F30 126 probably an exaggeration. None the less, since many copies might 
F30 127 have been read by more than one person and the work was abridged, 
F30 128 excerpted, reviewed and discussed in many newspapers and magazines, 
F30 129 there can be little doubt that the <tf_>Rights of Man<tf/> was the 
F30 130 single most influential work produced by the radical movement in 
F30 131 Britain in the late eighteenth century. It was at the very centre 
F30 132 of one of the most intense and profound ideological debates in 
F30 133 British history. It is also a work that has been constantly in 
F30 134 print this century and it discusses political principles that have 
F30 135 remained relevant throughout the last two centuries. Why has it 
F30 136 merited such attention?<p/>
F30 137 <p_>Perhaps the most significant aspect of Part One of the 
F30 138 <tf_>Rights of Man<tf/> was Paine's attempt to shift decisively the 
F30 139 British campaign for political reform from its appeal to history, 
F30 140 the ancient constitution and the traditional rights of Englishmen 
F30 141 to the more radical appeal to the natural, universal, and 
F30 142 inalienable rights of man. Previously, the majority of British 
F30 143 reformers had sought out historical evidence, much of it insecurely 
F30 144 based, to justify their demands for political reform. Paine had no 
F30 145 confidence in this approach. He rightly concluded that the 
F30 146 historical record did not justify the democratic rights of all 
F30 147 citizens, but he went on vigorously to deny that the authority of 
F30 148 the past could be used to define and restrict the political rights 
F30 149 of succeeding generations:<p/>
F30 150 <p_><quote_>there never can exist a parliament, or an description 
F30 151 of men, or any generation of men, in any country, possessed of the 
F30 152 right or the power of binding and controlling posterity to 
F30 153 '<tf_>the end of time<tf/>'.<quote/><p/>
F30 154 <p_>It was necessary therefore to escape from the dead hand of 
F30 155 history and from the tyranny of the past. Each age must be free to 
F30 156 reject the wisdom and decisions of the past. It was the living not 
F30 157 the dead who must exercise power and their actions should be guided 
F30 158 by universal principles and not restricted by previous 
F30 159 decisions:<p/>
F30 160 <p_><quote_>Every age and generation must be free to act for 
F30 161 itself, in all cases, as the ages and generations which preceded 
F30 162 it. The vanity and presumption of governing beyond the grave, is 
F30 163 the most ridiculous and insolent of all tyrannies.<quote/><p/>
F30 164 <p_>Instead of appealing to history, Paine based his claims to 
F30 165 liberty on the natural rights of all men. He was not, of course, 
F30 166 the first political propagandist to insist that all men were 
F30 167 naturally equal in the sight of God and that their maker had 
F30 168 endowed them all with the natural and inalienable rights to life, 
F30 169 liberty, and property. John Locke had made similar claims in his 
F30 170 <tf_>Second Treatise<tf/>, a century before, but Locke was not as 
F30 171 explicit as Paine in concluding that all men had the positive right 
F30 172 to vote and to play an active role in the political process. For 
F30 173 Locke, the people were sovereign only when the made or un-made 
F30 174 civil governments. While a civil government subsisted, it was the 
F30 175 legislature that exercised sovereign authority. It is possible, as 
F30 176 Richard Ashcraft has claimed, that Locke implied that all men had 
F30 177 the right to choose their legislators, but, unlike Paine, Locke 
F30 178 never made this claim clear and explicit. Richard Price and Joseph 
F30 179 Priestley also used natural rights arguments in the later 
F30 180 eighteenth century, but they too failed to take their assumptions 
F30 181 to their logical conclusion. Unlike Paine, they never condemned 
F30 182 monarchy and aristocracy, and they did not explicitly support 
F30 183 universal manhood suffrage.<p/>
F30 184 <p_>Paine was, in fact, the first political theorist to draw 
F30 185 genuinely democratic conclusions from his belief in universal and 
F30 186 inalienable natural rights. He rejected hereditary monarchy, 
F30 187 aristocracy or the mixed form of government Britain enjoyed in the 
F30 188 eighteenth century. Instead, he favoured a representative democracy 
F30 189 and a republican form of government. He insisted that the whole 
F30 190 people were the sovereign authority and it was their will which 
F30 191 created, sustained and, if necessary, brought down, civil 
F30 192 government. He regarded civil government as a necessary evil that 
F30 193 men accepted as the means of protecting their natural rights to 
F30 194 life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness. These natural 
F30 195 rights were not surrendered on the creation of civil society. On 
F30 196 the contrary, in order to preserve these natural rights, all men 
F30 197 consented to an original contract that created a written 
F30 198 constitution which converted these natural rights into civil 
F30 199 liberties and which established the necessary machinery of 
F30 200 government to protect these civil liberties.<p/>
F30 201 <p_>Paine assumed that popular sovereignty required universal 
F30 202 manhood suffrage so that all men would have the right actively to 
F30 203 participate in the affairs of civil society (<tf|>3). In his view, 
F30 204 no man could claim a political role based on hereditary right.
F30 205 
F31   1 <#FLOB:F31\><h_><p_>APPENDIX 1<p/>
F31   2 <p_>Medical Explanations<p/><h/>
F31   3 <p_>In the UK at present, 5 babies in every thousand are stillborn, 
F31   4 and 5 more die within the first four weeks of life. So, 10 in every 
F31   5 thousand babies, or one in every hundred, are stillborn or die 
F31   6 shortly after birth. This figure does not include babies who are 
F31   7 born dead or miscarry before twenty-eight weeks gestation, as these 
F31   8 babies are not registered and do not enter the statistics.<p/>
F31   9 <p_>Every time a baby dies perhaps the most urgent immediate 
F31  10 question is why? What could have caused the death? Could it have 
F31  11 been prevented? Sometimes a clear cause is found, but often parents 
F31  12 find that there is no satisfactory medical explanation, because 
F31  13 there is still so much that is not understood about pregnancy and 
F31  14 about the different things that can affect the development of a 
F31  15 baby. At the present time, no clear cause can be found even after a 
F31  16 detailed post-mortem for about half of all stillbirths. And even 
F31  17 when it is possible to say why a baby died during pregnancy or 
F31  18 labour, it is often not possible to explain what started the chain 
F31  19 of events that led to that death. In the case of a premature baby 
F31  20 who has died after birth, the final cause of death is more often 
F31  21 understood. But although doctors understand why some premature 
F31  22 babies die, they still do not always understand why some labours 
F31  23 begin too early. So, for a large number of parents, a full 
F31  24 explanation of their baby's death is simply not possible at present 
F31  25 and may never be.<p/>
F31  26 <p_>But all parents want and need to understand why, in medical 
F31  27 terms, their baby died, or at least they want to know as much as it 
F31  28 is possible to know. We hope that this chapter will confirm and 
F31  29 clarify for many parents what they have already been told by the 
F31  30 professionals caring for them and their baby. Other parents may 
F31  31 wish to go back to their doctors or other professionals to ask 
F31  32 further questions. We hope that this chapter will help them to do 
F31  33 this.<p/>
F31  34 <h_><p_>Medical knowledge and professional judgement<p/><h/>
F31  35 <p_>We have outlined what is known about why babies die before or 
F31  36 shortly after birth under the headings listed below. In some cases 
F31  37 the explanations are quite clear. In others they may seem 
F31  38 frustratingly unclear. This is because, despite extensive and 
F31  39 continuing research, there is still much that is not understood or 
F31  40 is uncertain about how a baby develops in the womb and what affects 
F31  41 this process.<p/>
F31  42 <p_>In these areas of uncertainty, doctors and midwives often have 
F31  43 to rely on their own professional judgement and experience when 
F31  44 caring for pregnant women and their babies. For this reason, there 
F31  45 can be major differences between the approach of one consultant and 
F31  46 another, even within the same hospital. There may also be 
F31  47 differences in hospital practice because of variations in 
F31  48 resources. Some hospitals are equipped with the latest high-tech 
F31  49 equipment for diagnosis and treatment; others are not. We have 
F31  50 tried to give the current views and practices of the majority of 
F31  51 obstetricians and paediatricians, but there will be some 
F31  52 professionals who disagree, both with our understanding of the 
F31  53 problem, and with our description of the treatments and preventive 
F31  54 measures that may be used.<p/>
F31  55 <p_>Doctors and midwives sometimes find it very difficult to say 
F31  56 when they are uncertain or simply do not know why something is 
F31  57 going or has gone wrong, especially in the highly-charged 
F31  58 situations of pregnancy, labour and neonatal care. Very often they 
F31  59 feel they should know.<p/>
F31  60 <p_>For parents too, until they have experienced the loss of a 
F31  61 baby, it can seem that medicine and science now have an answer to 
F31  62 all obstetric problems and can control pregnancy and its outcome. 
F31  63 More is heard about the successes of obstetric and neonatal 
F31  64 medicine than about the failures and continuing uncertainties. Many 
F31  65 tests can now be carried out during pregnancy to detect problems, 
F31  66 but parents may not have realised that often, once a problem has 
F31  67 been detected, little or nothing can be done to put it right. The 
F31  68 message often put across in antenatal clinics is that if parents 
F31  69 are obedient and careful they will be rewarded with a perfectly 
F31  70 healthy baby. All parents naturally want and expect certainty, 
F31  71 knowledge and a successful outcome, and it may be difficult to 
F31  72 accept doubt and uncertainty in the professionals they encounter. 
F31  73 But for bereaved parents, part of understanding the cause of their 
F31  74 baby's death, may be understanding what is not known or what is 
F31  75 uncertain or contentious.<p/>
F31  76 <h_><p_>Medical Language<p/><h/>
F31  77 <p_>In this chapter, we have included some of the technical terms 
F31  78 doctors and other professionals commonly use for their own 
F31  79 convenience and for precision when discussing symptoms, causes and 
F31  80 conditions. People who are not familiar with these terms can easily 
F31  81 be put off and may even come to feel, wrongly, that they are not 
F31  82 capable of understanding what is going on. This makes it difficult 
F31  83 for parents to believe that they are the key participants in the 
F31  84 situation, and that they are entitled to ask questions and to 
F31  85 clarify confusions.<p/>
F31  86 <p_>However, in most cases there is nothing particularly mysterious 
F31  87 or difficult about what is being described in medical terms. 
F31  88 Medical language is just a set of alternative words describing 
F31  89 ideas which we are usually familiar with and can understand quite 
F31  90 well. For example, <tf|>pyrexia simply means a raised temperature, 
F31  91 <tf|>pulmonary means to do with the lungs, <tf|>hypoplasia means 
F31  92 underdeveloped and <tf|>haemorrhage means bleeding. In most cases 
F31  93 it is not difficult for professionals to translate their message 
F31  94 into plain English and to fill in any gaps in our understanding of 
F31  95 the human body, but often doctors and others are no longer aware of 
F31  96 what is and is not easy for a non-medical person to understand.<p/>
F31  97 <p_>Parents have every right to ask for an explanation in language 
F31  98 they can understand. We hope that the medical terms we have used in 
F31  99 this chapter will help increase their confidence and encourage them 
F31 100 to ask - and to keep on asking - as many questions as they wish 
F31 101 until they feel they understand.<p/>
F31 102 <h_><p_>The problems of simplification<p/><h/>
F31 103 <p_>The human body consists of an extraordinarily complicated 
F31 104 combination of systems which all affect and are affected by each 
F31 105 other. In trying to outline different causes and effects, we have 
F31 106 focused on what we understand to be the most important and direct 
F31 107 chains of events and have left out many things that are going on at 
F31 108 the same time. This has enabled us to be fairly brief and, we hope, 
F31 109 clear. At the same time, it has inevitably involved judgements 
F31 110 about what is and is not significant, and has meant omitting a lot 
F31 111 of detail. Readers who would like to find out more about a 
F31 112 particular subject may like to speak to their own GP or consultant, 
F31 113 or to look at some of the books listed on page 243.<p/>
F31 114 <p_>They may also like to contact one of the many voluntary groups 
F31 115 offering information, advice and support for parents whose baby had 
F31 116 died and/or who are considering another pregnancy after a 
F31 117 bereavement. Some of these (for example, the Miscarriage 
F31 118 Association, the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society [SANDS] and 
F31 119 Blisslink/Nippers Bereavement Support Group) exist to provide 
F31 120 general support for parents whose baby has died. Others (such as 
F31 121 the Sickle Cell Society and the Association for Spina Bifida and 
F31 122 Hydrocephalus [ASBAH]) provide support and information about 
F31 123 specific conditions. Relevant voluntary organisations in the UK are 
F31 124 referred to in the text and are listed on pages 245-51.<p/>
F31 125 <p_><O_>list<O/><p/>
F31 126 <h_><p_>Problems to do with the placenta<p/><h/>
F31 127 <p_>The placenta, also called the afterbirth, connects the baby to 
F31 128 the mother's body. It grows with the baby and is implanted in the 
F31 129 lining of the mother's womb. The placenta acts as the baby's lungs, 
F31 130 kidneys and bowel while the baby is in the womb. It allows oxygen, 
F31 131 nutrients and antibodies (which protect the baby from certain 
F31 132 infections) to pass from the mother to the baby, and the baby's 
F31 133 waste products to pass back to the mother for disposal. The 
F31 134 placenta also produces hormones which are needed to maintain the 
F31 135 pregnancy.<p/>
F31 136 <p_>The baby has its own separate blood circulation system. Blood 
F31 137 passes round the baby's body, along the umbilical cord to the 
F31 138 placenta, and back again to the baby's body. The baby's circulation 
F31 139 system is quite separate from the mother's. This is essential to 
F31 140 ensure that the mother's immune system does not reject the baby in 
F31 141 the same way as a kidney patient's immune system sometimes rejects 
F31 142 a transplanted kidney. Although the mother's and the baby's 
F31 143 circulation systems are quite separate, they run very closely 
F31 144 alongside each other in the placenta, so that the baby's blood 
F31 145 vessels are surrounded in the placenta by the mother's blood. This 
F31 146 enables essential oxygen, nutrients and waste products to pass 
F31 147 between the two circulation systems through the very thin walls of 
F31 148 the blood vessels.<p/>
F31 149 <p_>The placenta is vital to the baby throughout pregnancy and 
F31 150 during labour, up to the time when the baby is delivered and can 
F31 151 begin to breathe for itself. Once the baby is born, the placenta 
F31 152 comes away from the wall of the womb, and is delivered through the 
F31 153 vagina.<p/>
F31 154 <h_><p_>PLACENTAL INSUFFICIENCY AND PLACENTAL FAILURE<p/><h/>
F31 155 <p_>Placental insufficiency is sometimes called placental 
F31 156 dysfunction. It occurs when the placenta is not working 
F31 157 efficiently, has not developed properly, or does not keep growing 
F31 158 with the baby. Placental insufficiency can also happen if the 
F31 159 mother's circulatory system is not working properly because of high 
F31 160 blood pressure or other chronic disease. As a result, the baby does 
F31 161 not get enough oxygen or nourishment, becomes weak and does not 
F31 162 grow properly.<p/>
F31 163 <p_>In severe cases the placenta is unable to provide the baby with 
F31 164 enough oxygen and the baby dies in the womb. This is often known as 
F31 165 placental failure. Placental failure is most likely to occur from 
F31 166 twenty-eight weeks gestation onwards when the baby's growth usually 
F31 167 accelerates rapidly. There may be little or no warning, and there 
F31 168 may be no history of placental insufficiency. The baby may simply 
F31 169 slow down and then stop moving. (See also Placental failure, page 
F31 170 220.)<p/>
F31 171 <p_>The causes of placental insufficiency and placental failure are 
F31 172 not yet fully understood. Known causes include maternal blood 
F31 173 pressure that remains high for some time (see High blood pressure, 
F31 174 page 197, and Pregnancy-induced hypertension, page 188) and 
F31 175 infections or blockages (infarctions) which affect the mother's 
F31 176 blood supply to the placenta.<p/>
F31 177 <p_>It is not always possible to diagnose placental insufficiency 
F31 178 but it may be suspected if the baby becomes less active or is not 
F31 179 growing as expected (also known as small for dates or intra-uterine 
F31 180 growth retardation - that is, delayed growth within the womb). If 
F31 181 placental insufficiency is suspected, the baby's growth may be 
F31 182 checked regularly by ultrasound scan. Wherever possible, the causes 
F31 183 of placental insufficiency are treated so that the baby's growth 
F31 184 improves, but often there is little or nothing that can be done to 
F31 185 help the baby grow, even after placental insufficiency is 
F31 186 confirmed.<p/>
F31 187 <p_>Babies who are born small for dates are at increased risk of 
F31 188 infection and other problems such as low sugar or calcium levels. 
F31 189 These risks increase further if a baby is also premature.<p/>
F31 190 <p_><tf|>Incidence: Placental insufficiency and placental failure 
F31 191 linked with pregnancy-induced hypertension (see page 188) are most 
F31 192 common in first pregnancies. They are less likely to recur in 
F31 193 further pregnancies with the same partner.<p/>
F31 194 <p_><tf_>Another pregnancy:<tf/> If placental insufficiency is 
F31 195 suspected doctors will usually carry out regular ultrasound scans 
F31 196 to check the baby's growth rate. They may also carry out other 
F31 197 checks on the baby's health such as heart rate traces or Doppler 
F31 198 blood flow studies, which use reflected sound waves to examine the 
F31 199 blood flow through the umbilical cord and the placenta and check 
F31 200 how much oxygen is getting through. However, as mentioned above, it 
F31 201 is not always possible to do anything to increase a baby's rate of 
F31 202 growth.<p/>
F31 203 <h_><p_>PLACENTAL DEGENERATION<p/><h/>
F31 204 <p_>The placenta usually reaches its peak of efficiency near the 
F31 205 end of pregnancy. In some cases it begins to deteriorate too early 
F31 206 or too fast causing placental insufficiency or placental failure 
F31 207 (see above).
F31 208 
F32   1 <#FLOB:F32\><h_><p_>Extinction: bad genes or bad luck?<p/>
F32   2 <p_>Many more species have become extinct over the time than 
F32   3 survive today. Scientists have only just begun to ask why<p/>
F32   4 <p_>David Raup<p/><h/>
F32   5 <p_>COUNTLESS species of plants and animals have existed in the 
F32   6 history of life on Earth. Estimates of the total progeny of 
F32   7 evolution range from 5 to 50 billion species. Yet, only an 
F32   8 estimated 5 to 50 million species are alive today - a rather poor 
F32   9 survival record. With, at the most, only one in every thousand 
F32  10 species surviving, what happened to the others?<p/>
F32  11 <p_>Even though approximately the same number of species have 
F32  12 become extinct as have originated during the progress of evolution, 
F32  13 scientists have given their attention almost exclusively to 
F32  14 origination. Why? It seems as silly as a demographer ignoring 
F32  15 mortality rates or a physiographer ignoring erosion. But whatever 
F32  16 the reason, we still know woefully little about the death of 
F32  17 species.<p/>
F32  18 <p_>A species can die outright when all its members die without 
F32  19 issue. This is called true extinction, and is typified by the 
F32  20 disappearance of dinosaurs in the late Cretaceous - whether that 
F32  21 extinction was completed in an afternoon or covered several million 
F32  22 years. But species can also disappear by evolving into something 
F32  23 different. The ancestral species becomes extinct only in the sense 
F32  24 of having been transformed out of existence. This is called 
F32  25 pseudo-extinction, and is of less concern here.<p/>
F32  26 <p_>The proportions of true and pseudo-extinction in the history of 
F32  27 life are not known. We can be sure, however, that true extinction 
F32  28 has been the fate of large numbers of species. Minimum estimates 
F32  29 came from groups of organisms that were once highly diverse but 
F32  30 died out completely. For example, the ammonites (swimming molluscs 
F32  31 of the Mesozoic) had thousands of co-existing species at the height 
F32  32 of their reign. Each species constituted a separate lineage - a 
F32  33 genome - and the ammonites left no descendants. So, regardless of 
F32  34 how many transformations and pseudo-extinctions occurred among 
F32  35 ammonites, the number of true extinctions cannot be less than the 
F32  36 number of separate species living at the time of the ammonites' 
F32  37 peak diversity. The same reasoning can be applied to the trilobites 
F32  38 of the Palaeozoic and to many other large groups documented trough 
F32  39 fossils. The inescapable conclusion is that true extinction of 
F32  40 species has been common in the history of life.<p/>
F32  41 <p_>Yet very little is known about the process. Standard 
F32  42 text<?_>-<?/>books on evolutionary biology and palaeobiology hardly 
F32  43 mention extinction. Much is said about the origin of species and 
F32  44 the evolution of species once they are formed, but discussions of 
F32  45 extinction are generally limited to casual references to the enigma 
F32  46 of the great mass extinctions. On causes of extinction, we are apt 
F32  47 to read vacuous statements like <quote_>"Species become extinct 
F32  48 when population sizes drop to zero"<quote/> or <quote_>"Species die 
F32  49 out if they are unable to adapt to changing conditions"<quote/>. 
F32  50 The 1987 edition of the <tf_>Encyclopaedia Britannica<tf/> says: 
F32  51 <quote_>"Extinction occurs when a species can no longer reproduce 
F32  52 at replacement levels."<quote/> These statements are true, of 
F32  53 course, but are virtually devoid of content.<p/>
F32  54 <p_>Will Cuppy, in his volume of essays entitled <tf_>How to Become 
F32  55 Extinct<tf/>, wrote: <quote_>"The Age of Reptiles ended because it 
F32  56 had gone on long enough and it was all a mistake in the first 
F32  57 place."<quote/> He followed this by noting: <quote_>"Bats are going 
F32  58 to flop, too, and everybody knows it except the bats 
F32  59 themselves."<quote/> It seems impossible to escape the implication 
F32  60 that extinction is a mark of failure - failure to compete with 
F32  61 better qualified species for resources or failure to adapt to 
F32  62 changing physical conditions.<p/>
F32  63 <p_>Extinction-as-failure is deeply embedded in Darwin's writings 
F32  64 and in neo-Darwinian theory. Although the central argument of 
F32  65 Darwin's <tf_>On the Origin of Species<tf/> was that of gradual 
F32  66 evolution within species by natural selection, he made frequent 
F32  67 reference to the importance of extinction and its constructive role 
F32  68 in evolution. At one point in <tf_>On the Origins of Species<tf/>, 
F32  69 he wrote: <quote_>"The inhabitants of each successive period in the 
F32  70 world's history have beaten their predecessors in the race for 
F32  71 life, and are, insofar, higher in the scale of nature."<quote/><p/>
F32  72 <p_>Some observers even include selective extinction of species 
F32  73 (and higher groups) as part of the natural selection process - 
F32  74 although the purist restricts natural selection to changes within 
F32  75 species at the level of the breeding population.<p/>
F32  76 
F32  77 <h_><p_>Did the dinosaurs deserve to die?<p/><h/>
F32  78 <p_>The proposition that extinction results from the failure of a 
F32  79 species is appealing and highly reasonable, perhaps so reasonable 
F32  80 that testing is not required. What could extinction be if not 
F32  81 failure? But we still must ask whether the victims of extinction 
F32  82 were, in fact, less well adapted than the survivors. Could we 
F32  83 predict victims and survivors?<p/>
F32  84 <p_>A case in point is that the extinction of dinosaurs and the 
F32  85 survival of mammals at the end of the Cretaceous. The two groups 
F32  86 had coexisted for something like 140 million years, yet all 
F32  87 dinosaur species died out, while enough meal species survived to 
F32  88 spawn the great diversification of mammals that led to the 4000 
F32  89 mammal species living today, including <tf_>Homo sapiens<tf/>. Did 
F32  90 the dinosaurs deserve to die? Were they too large, too stupid, or 
F32  91 unable to control their body temperatures efficiently enough? There 
F32  92 are so many differences between reptiles and mammals that almost 
F32  93 any difference can be identified (and has been) as the cause of the 
F32  94 survival of one but not the other. But the sad truth is that there 
F32  95 is no hard evidence, other than the fact of the extinctions, for 
F32  96 the inferiority of the victims. Thus, although 
F32  97 extinction-as-failure remains highly plausible, we have no 
F32  98 independent confirmation and we are justified in exploring other 
F32  99 ways of becoming extinct.<p/>
F32 100 <p_>In these days of heightened concern about endangered species 
F32 101 and habitat destruction by humans, the fact that species become 
F32 102 extinct may seem unsurprising. Extinction, it seems, is 'easy'. And 
F32 103 if one subscribes to the view that a community of species depends 
F32 104 on an intricate and delicately balanced set of interdependencies, 
F32 105 then it follows that even minor disturbances will threaten members 
F32 106 of the community with extinction. The causes of extinction should 
F32 107 be as many and varied as there are things that can go wrong in a 
F32 108 community, ranging from the purely biological - the invasion of a 
F32 109 predatory species from elsewhere, for example - to the purely 
F32 110 physical - such as a severe frost or forest fire.<p/>
F32 111 <p_>This general line of thinking has led to the conventional view 
F32 112 that the causes of extinction are so complex and so varied that the 
F32 113 phenomenon defies scientific inquiry. Also, if extinction in the 
F32 114 natural world is so common (and 'easy'), why study it? There must 
F32 115 be more challenging research topics.<p/>
F32 116 <p_>The conventional view certainly applies in local areas where 
F32 117 species have tiny geographic ranges. In fact, the classic research 
F32 118 on islands by Robert MacArthur of Princeton University and E.O. 
F32 119 Wilson of Harvard University (published in their 1967 book 
F32 120 <tf_>Island Biogeography<tf/>) has shown how common extinction is 
F32 121 in small island communities. Wilson's student Daniel Simberloff 
F32 122 <}_><-|>folowed<+|>followed<}/> this up by monitoring changing 
F32 123 species on mangrove islands in Florida and found local extinction 
F32 124 to be a normal event. Few attempts have been made to find out why 
F32 125 or how particular species become extinct on small islands, simply 
F32 126 because the candidate causes are many and varied.<p/>
F32 127 <p_>But can this view of extinction be applied to the ammonites, 
F32 128 dinosaurs, trilobites and other organisms that flourished in the 
F32 129 past? I think not.<p/>
F32 130 <p_>About 250 000 fossil species have been found, described, and 
F32 131 named, but this is no more than one in every 20 000 species that 
F32 132 have lived (using the low estimate of 5 billion for total progeny). 
F32 133 So, the likelihood of any one particular species being preserved in 
F32 134 fossil form is negligible. It follows that the fossil record must 
F32 135 be strongly biased in favour of species that were abundant and 
F32 136 geographically widespread. They are not the tiny, localised species 
F32 137 that go extinct regularly on small islands.<p/>
F32 138 <p_>The average duration of fossil species is about four million 
F32 139 years. This is undoubtedly much longer than the average existence 
F32 140 of all species in the history of life. In ecological terms, four 
F32 141 million years is an incredibly long time, and suggests that these 
F32 142 species were well able to survive the normal vicissitudes of their 
F32 143 natural environments. Forest fires, unusual frosts or viral 
F32 144 epidemics might have killed off some breeding populations, but left 
F32 145 enough elsewhere for the species to survive. Survival for such a 
F32 146 long time suggests either that most successful species are adapted 
F32 147 to normal stresses or that they are protected from these stresses 
F32 148 by having wide and complex geographical distributions. In fact, 
F32 149 David Jablonski of the University of Chicago has shown that a large 
F32 150 geographic range correlates with the ability to survive for a long 
F32 151 time in marine molluscs of the Cretaceous prior to the mass 
F32 152 extinction.<p/>
F32 153 <p_>Another important aspect of the record of extinction is that it 
F32 154 is highly episodic. That is, extinctions are far more clustered in 
F32 155 time than would be predicted if each extinction were independent of 
F32 156 the others. The several large mass extinctions are obvious examples 
F32 157 - with two-thirds, or more, of species becoming extinct in a 
F32 158 geologically short time - but even the smaller pulses of extinction 
F32 159 are more than the chance coincidence of independent events. 
F32 160 Computer simulations that maintain a constant probability of 
F32 161 extinction through time do not yield the concentrated pulses of 
F32 162 extinction observed in the fossil record. The episodic nature of 
F32 163 extinctions divides the geological record into well-defined 
F32 164 'packages' bounded by short intervals when there was a rapid 
F32 165 turnover of species. It is probably this feature of the record that 
F32 166 made it possible for the geologists of the early 19th century to 
F32 167 define, in just a few decades, a fossil-based chronology that is 
F32 168 recognisable around the world.<p/>
F32 169 <p_>Pulses of extinction typically cut across ecological lines and 
F32 170 cover wide geographic areas. The mass extinction of the Cretaceous, 
F32 171 for example, devastated land vertebrates (all dinosaurs and a 
F32 172 substantial fraction of mammals), marine reef communities, pelagic 
F32 173 marine animals (ammonites and swimming reptiles), as well as 
F32 174 important species of marine plankton. Although some groups of 
F32 175 organisms survived on both land and sea, the main point is that the 
F32 176 extinction pulses recorded by fossils took place across a vastly 
F32 177 wider range of habitats than the localised extinctions that have 
F32 178 been studied in modern communities such as islands.<p/>
F32 179 
F32 180 <p_><h_>Stresses that are outside normal experience<h/><p/>
F32 181 This suggests several things about the extinctions we see in the 
F32 182 fossil record. First, killing a successful species is not 'easy', 
F32 183 even though it is common on geological time scales. Secondly, the 
F32 184 stresses causing extinction must be outside the normal experience 
F32 185 of the species - the stresses must be so rare as to be beyond the 
F32 186 reach of the adaptive power of natural selection. And lastly, at 
F32 187 least some of the stresses causing extinction must simultaneously 
F32 188 affect many habits and modes of life.<p/>
F32 189 <p_>All this makes extinction of the type seen in the geological 
F32 190 past very difficult for the biologist to study. The 
F32 191 present-is-the-key-to-the-past approach that has worked so well for 
F32 192 geologists may not apply here - and may possibly be misleading. We 
F32 193 have been observing nature for a few thousand years, yet complex, 
F32 194 multicellular life goes back millions of years. It may be that, by 
F32 195 pure chance and good fortune, we have not observed the conditions 
F32 196 most responsible for the extinction of species. In fact, it is 
F32 197 rather arrogant for us to assume that our tiny slice of the Earth's 
F32 198 history includes a representative sample of that history.<p/>
F32 199 <p_>In colonial America, the heath hen (<tf_>Tympanuchus cupido 
F32 200 cupido<tf/>) was extremely common, with a range that extended from 
F32 201 Maine to Virginia. It was edible and easy to kill, leading to 
F32 202 extensive hunting by the expanding human population. The species 
F32 203 was so devastated by hunting that by 1870, the sole survivors were 
F32 204 on the small island of Martha's Vineyard, off Cape Cod. In 1908, a 
F32 205 1600-acre refuge was established there as a sanctuary for the 
F32 206 remaining fifty birds. Protection was successful to the extent that 
F32 207 by 1915, the heath hens occupied the entire island and numbered 
F32 208 about two thousand. Then, in 1916, the population suffered the 
F32 209 coincidence of several disasters: there was a fire spread by strong 
F32 210 winds that eliminated much of the breeding ground, an especially 
F32 211 hard winter immediately following the fire, an influx of predatory 
F32 212 goshawks and, finally, a poultry disease introduced from domestic 
F32 213 turkeys.
F32 214 
F32 215 
F33   1 <#FLOB:F33\><h_><p_>Pride of the Clyde? - the debate goes on<p/>
F33   2 <p_>A pounds180m private 'medical complex' is to go ahead at 
F33   3 Clydebank, but the arguments about its effect on surrounding NHS 
F33   4 services continue. Barbara Millar listens to both sides.<p/><h/>
F33   5 <p_>AFTER AN inordinately long gestation period - nine years 
F33   6 according to some observers - plans to build a private pounds180m 
F33   7 'international medical complex' at Clydebank near Glasgow are about 
F33   8 to come to fruition.<p/>
F33   9 <p_>Work on the complex, which will include a 260-bed intensive 
F33  10 care hospital plus a 150-bed residential annexe for patients and 
F33  11 their relatives, will start in September on a 47-acre site in the 
F33  12 Clydebank Enterprise Zone. According to the project's founding 
F33  13 directors, American physicians Dr Ray Levey and Dr Angelo Eraklis 
F33  14 of Health Care International (HCI), it will provide 1,800 jobs and 
F33  15 a further 2,200 spin-off job opportunities.<p/>
F33  16 <p_>The row over the Clydebank hospital reached a climax four years 
F33  17 ago when Labour MPs, the Scottish TUC, local health councils, the 
F33  18 Greater Glasgow health board, the Scottish National Blood 
F33  19 Transfusion Service, healthcare professionals and even other 
F33  20 private hospitals argued vociferously against the plans when they 
F33  21 were unveiled.<p/>
F33  22 <p_>Although many believe their original objections are still 
F33  23 valid, others have begun to adopt a more conciliatory tone.<p/>
F33  24 <p_>Back in 1987, the Greater Glasgow health board was concerned 
F33  25 that HCI's plan to recruit 80 consultants, 34 registrars and 590 
F33  26 nurses would have a detrimental impact on the NHS.<p/>
F33  27 <p_><quote_>"We know there will be fewer nurses around in the 1990s 
F33  28 and we will both be competing in the marketplace for them,"<quote/> 
F33  29 said a board spokesperson at the time.<p/>
F33  30 <p_>Now, the same spokesperson insists: <quote_>"We have been given 
F33  31 assurances by HCI that they will not pay their staff above the 
F33  32 going rate and that they will reimburse the NHS for any staff 
F33  33 training."<quote/><p/>
F33  34 <p_>Isabel Duncan, the RCN's chief officer in Scotland, agrees. 
F33  35 <quote_>"In the past couple of years new hospitals have opened in 
F33  36 Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Argyll, resulting in a reduced patient 
F33  37 population served by Greater Glasgow,"<quote/> she says. 
F33  38 <quote_>"In particular, acute services have been cut back, and now 
F33  39 there are more nurses than jobs."<quote/><p/>
F33  40 <p_>But Miss Duncan still fears that, with HCI's plans to 
F33  41 specialise in major organ transplantation and cardiac, vascular and 
F33  42 thoracic surgical procedures, it will be trying to attract theatre 
F33  43 and intensive care nurses with highly specialised skills, already 
F33  44 in short supply in the NHS.<p/>
F33  45 <p_><quote_>"If they drain these nurses away from the NHS, the 
F33  46 service will not be able to staff operating theatres properly and 
F33  47 this will have a knock-on effect on waiting lists,"<quote/> she 
F33  48 warns.<p/>
F33  49 <p_>The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, another early 
F33  50 opponent to HCI's proposals, has also tempered its objections.<p/>
F33  51 <p_>Initially, its then medical director John Cash claimed the new 
F33  52 hospital's demands for blood would <quote_>"destabilise the 
F33  53 service"<quote/>. But now its general manager David McIntosh does 
F33  54 not believe this to be the case.<p/>
F33  55 <p_><quote_>"The HCI project will have a major impact on the supply 
F33  56 of red cells to the private sector in Scotland. HCI's requirement 
F33  57 alone will greatly exceed all the current private hospital demands 
F33  58 put together,"<quote/> he points out.<p/>
F33  59 <p_><quote_>"However, given that the private sector only takes off 
F33  60 less than one half of one per cent of our volume, and this in blood 
F33  61 components - mostly red cells - that are not in short supply, the 
F33  62 overall effect on blood transfusion services in Scotland will be 
F33  63 minimal.<p/>
F33  64 <p_><quote_>"The Scottish blood transfusion service is required by 
F33  65 law to supply the private sector, without detriment to the NHS. We 
F33  66 are confident that we can continue to fulfil this obligation in 
F33  67 respect of HCI."<quote/><p/>
F33  68 <p_>HCI liaison officer David Macauley adds that as 80 per cent of 
F33  69 the procedures at the hospital will be for elective surgery, much 
F33  70 of the blood needed will be pre-donated.<p/>
F33  71 <p_>The hospital's publicity material makes some formidable 
F33  72 claims.<p/>
F33  73 <p_><quote_>"The state of the art HCI medical centre will attract 
F33  74 patients and consultants from all over the world and will 
F33  75 incorporate the most advanced features of US teaching hospitals 
F33  76 with a patient referral system throughout Europe, the Middle East 
F33  77 and North Africa,"<quote/> it says.<p/>
F33  78 <p_><quote_>"We will specialise in complex high-tech surgical 
F33  79 procedures supported by an international faculty of eminent 
F33  80 physicians and surgeons from North America and Europe. We are 
F33  81 committed to clinical research and plan to collaborate with 
F33  82 Scottish universities, medical schools and research 
F33  83 institutes."<quote/><p/>
F33  84 <p_>According to Andrew Gordon, HCI's finance and public affairs 
F33  85 director, the first links have already been forged with Glasgow 
F33  86 University. Yet Mike Brown, the university's information officer, 
F33  87 rejects this as <quote_>"an empty claim"<quote/>.<p/>
F33  88 <p_><quote_>"No agreement of any kind exists between the university 
F33  89 and HCI,"<quote/> he says, adding: <quote_>"I don't believe there 
F33  90 will be any stampede down the road from Glasgow to 
F33  91 Clydebank."<quote/><p/>
F33  92 <p_>The Independent Health Care Association also believes HCI's 
F33  93 plans to attract patients from overseas could run into difficulties 
F33  94 because the numbers of such patients are decreasing as their 
F33  95 indigenous healthcare systems improve.<p/>
F33  96 <p_>David Macauley remains confident. <quote_>"An analysis of the 
F33  97 market suggests we will be able to fill these beds easily."<quote/> 
F33  98 He also points to the financial backing HCI is receiving from many 
F33  99 banks including Cr<*_>e-acute<*/>dit Lyonnais, the Midland and the 
F33 100 Royal Bank of Scotland.<p/>
F33 101 <p_><quote_>"Banks are some of the most conservative institutions 
F33 102 known to man,"<quote/> he says, <quote_>"and they have confidence 
F33 103 in HCI's plans."<quote/><p/>
F33 104 <p_>But the Scottish TUC is quick to draw attention to the 
F33 105 withdrawal of financial backing by a Japanese bank last year.<p/>
F33 106 <p_>Public money was pumped in to save the project from failure at 
F33 107 that stage, believes the STUC's assistant national officer Grahame 
F33 108 Smith.<p/>
F33 109 <p_>He and others, including the Clydebank and Milngavie NHS 
F33 110 Defence Campaign and the Greater Glasgow local health council, are 
F33 111 keen to find out just how much taxpayers' money has been put in to 
F33 112 keep the scheme afloat.<p/>
F33 113 <p_><quote_>"We believe several million pounds have been 
F33 114 spent,"<quote/> says Danny McCafferty of the NHS Defence Campaign. 
F33 115 <quote_>"HCI has never had the capital to carry out these plans 
F33 116 itself and right up until the last minute it was hunting around for 
F33 117 money."<quote/><p/>
F33 118 <p_>HCI's Andrew Gordon acknowledges that the Scottish Office bore 
F33 119 the cost - believed to be pounds8m - of clearing asbestos from the 
F33 120 site where the hospital will be built.<p/>
F33 121 <p_>But Mr McCafferty says: <quote_>"This asbestos had been buried 
F33 122 on the site for over eight years with no suggestion by the Scottish 
F33 123 Office that it was a public hazard."<quote/><p/>
F33 124 <p_>Mr McCafferty points out that HCI has also benefited from cash 
F33 125 ploughed in by the former Scottish Development Agency, now Scottish 
F33 126 Enterprise, and believes the company has been allowed to buy the 
F33 127 land it will occupy at a knock-down price.<p/>
F33 128 <p_>Andrew Gordon denies this, saying the company bought the land 
F33 129 at the going rate.<p/>
F33 130 <p_>David Macauley adds that any financial help given to HCI 
F33 131 through the Scottish Office's regional selective assistance and 
F33 132 enterprise zone benefits <quote_>"is the same as it would have 
F33 133 received in any other part of the UK"<quote/>.<p/>
F33 134 <p_><quote_>"People are looking for the bogyman in this but the 
F33 135 company has not been offered anything more than what the 
F33 136 regulations state,"<quote/> he says.<p/>
F33 137 <p_><quote_>"Scottish Enterprise has not been given discretionary 
F33 138 powers to chip in millions of pounds of taxpayers' money simply 
F33 139 because they believe this project is a good 
F33 140 idea."<quote/><*_>square<*/><p/>
F33 141 
F33 142 <h_><p_>Sticking a plaster on the housing disaster<p/>
F33 143 <p_>The government is bending over backwards to solve the housing 
F33 144 crisis. But, says Julian Dobson, its new initiatives for people 
F33 145 with a mental illness are creating more problems.<p/><h/>
F33 146 <p_>FIND SOME homeless people, and almost immediately it seems 
F33 147 there's a government initiative to get them off the streets before 
F33 148 a cabinet minister trips over them on his way from the opera.<p/>
F33 149 <p_>To judge from the multiple launches of schemes for homeless 
F33 150 people during the past 18 months, the government is now bending 
F33 151 over backwards to tackle the crisis whose existence has been denied 
F33 152 for so long.<p/>
F33 153 <p_>Confronted the other week with demands for more money to help 
F33 154 homeless people with mental illness, junior health minister Stephen 
F33 155 Dorrell did not duck the challenge.<p/>
F33 156 <p_>He promised Shelter director Sheila McKechnie a meeting to 
F33 157 discuss the problem and held out the hope of more resources if 
F33 158 research proved they were needed.<p/>
F33 159 <p_>For the last year the Department of Health has had its own 
F33 160 pounds7.8m homelessness initiative. It's not as big as the one 
F33 161 launched at the Department of the Environment by former housing 
F33 162 minister Michael Spicer, and now expanded by Sir George Young, but 
F33 163 it is well aimed.<p/>
F33 164 <p_>Its target is homeless people in central London with mental 
F33 165 health problems - an estimated 34 per cent of people sleeping 
F33 166 rough.<p/>
F33 167 <p_>Health and housing agencies are excited by the potential for 
F33 168 helping people whose needs have been by<?_>-<?/>passed for 
F33 169 years.<p/>
F33 170 <p_>Look Ahead housing association opened the first DoH-funded 
F33 171 hostel for mentally ill homeless people in April.<p/>
F33 172 <p_>Association director Vicky Stark says: <quote_>"We have seen 
F33 173 amazing things already this year with the homelessness initiative. 
F33 174 I have been working in homelessness for 10 years and have never 
F33 175 seen so much happening."<quote/><p/>
F33 176 <p_>The DoH initiative concentrates on seven London boroughs, 
F33 177 covered by eight health authorities: Parkside, Riverside, 
F33 178 Bloomsbury and Islington, City and Hackney, Tower Hamlets, West 
F33 179 Lambeth, Lewisham and North Southwark, and Camberwell.<p/>
F33 180 <p_>Community psychiatric teams, jointly organised by social 
F33 181 services and health authorities, operate in north west, east and 
F33 182 south east London. Experienced housing associations provide hostel 
F33 183 places for people contacted by the teams.<p/>
F33 184 <p_>After six months or so residents then move on, freeing hostel 
F33 185 places for newcomers. The Housing Corporation, the quango which 
F33 186 funds housing associations, has promised to make 450 homes 
F33 187 available when they fall vacant.<p/>
F33 188 <p_>First indications are that the community psychiatric teams have 
F33 189 been remarkably successful in making contact with a particularly 
F33 190 challenging client group.<p/>
F33 191 <p_>Sue Lipscombe, project leader with the Joint Homelessness Team 
F33 192 in north west London, says her team has made 190 'contacts' in six 
F33 193 months, and 53 per cent of those are suffering from 
F33 194 schizophrenia.<p/>
F33 195 <p_>Medical Campaign Project mental health worker Sarah Gorton says 
F33 196 meetings are now taking place with mental health unit managers to 
F33 197 tackle the 'revolving door' syndrome which leaves homeless people 
F33 198 to fend for themselves on the streets when discharged from acute 
F33 199 psychiatric care - exacerbating their distress and increasing the 
F33 200 likelihood of readmission.<p/>
F33 201 <p_>So far, so good. But such initiatives tend to discover new 
F33 202 needs, generating their own demands for extra resources.<p/>
F33 203 <p_>Among the problems identified already is the inaccessibility of 
F33 204 health services to homeless people.<p/>
F33 205 <p_>Liz Sayce, policy director for mental health charity MIND, says 
F33 206 the role of the GP as 'gatekeeper' to NHS services can place 
F33 207 obstacles in the way of homeless people - particularly when a GP 
F33 208 refuses to register them at all.<p/>
F33 209 <p_>The NHS reforms have also brought the problem of how to account 
F33 210 for homeless people who have no obvious 'district of residence'. Ms 
F33 211 Sayce fears there will be an increasing number of boundary disputes 
F33 212 over who pays for care.<p/>
F33 213 <p_>Another difficulty is ensuring people leaving acute psychiatric 
F33 214 care have somewhere to go. Only 11 of the 70 beds planned under the 
F33 215 DoH initiative are open. One hostel, in Westminster, has been held 
F33 216 up because of objections from local residents.<p/>
F33 217 <p_>But where the DoH initiative could really come unstuck is when 
F33 218 the planned hostels are full. Agencies involved in the scheme, 
F33 219 which have banded together to form the Joint Forum on Mental Health 
F33 220 and Homelessness, say another pounds87m is needed urgently to 
F33 221 prevent it <quote_>"silting up"<quote/>.<p/>
F33 222 <p_>The figure is based on calculations by David Pashley of North 
F33 223 West Thames regional health authority's community care unit, who 
F33 224 argues that DoH estimates of the number of homeless mentally ill 
F33 225 people in central London are far too low.<p/>
F33 226 <p_>Mr Pashley says money is needed to house around 1,100 people in 
F33 227 central London alone - without taking into account the estimated 
F33 228 15,000 people in similar circumstances throughout the country.<p/>
F33 229 <p_>The joint forum says the DoH has also ignored the need for 
F33 230 continuing psychiatric care when people leave emergency hostels.<p/>
F33 231 <p_>The forum says this cannot be achieved simply by re-letting 
F33 232 housing association flats. <quote_>"If after six months clients 
F33 233 were able to go into unsupported housing association tenancies, I 
F33 234 don't think we would be housing the right people,"<quote/> says Ms 
F33 235 Stark.<p/>
F33 236 
F34   1 <#FLOB:F34\><h_><p_>A YEAR OF TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS<p/><h/>
F34   2 <p_>At first sight the everyday life of Scotland seems to have 
F34   3 swept aside the customs of the past. But look closer and these old 
F34   4 traditions can still be seen, sometimes as minor events, at other 
F34   5 times in various parts of the nation as a major diversion for a day 
F34   6 or so. Climbing to the high tops of the mountains at midsummer, 
F34   7 burning Viking longships, guisers round the door, fire festivals 
F34   8 and the special baking of rich cakes all play their part in a way 
F34   9 of life which echoes and acknowledges the old ways.<p/>
F34  10 <h_><p_>Yuletide and Hogmanay<p/><h/>
F34  11 <p_><quote_>Rise up, auld wifie, and shak your feathers,<p/>
F34  12 <p_>Dinna think that we are beggars;<p/>
F34  13 <p_>For we are bairns come out to play,<p/>
F34  14 <p_>Rise up and gie us our Hogmanay.<quote/><p/>
F34  15 <p_>The best-known festival, and one that is celebrated 
F34  16 nation-wide, is Hogmanay, the 31st December. The name is thought to 
F34  17 relate to the north French dialect word <foreign|>hoginane, meaning 
F34  18 'a gift at the New Year'. However, it has also been suggested that 
F34  19 it is French dialect <foreign_>au gui menez<foreign/>, meaning 'to 
F34  20 the mistletoe go' formerly cried by mummers; or, equally plausibly, 
F34  21 <foreign_>au geux menez<foreign/>, meaning 'bring to the beggars', 
F34  22 a reminder of the giving of gifts associated with this time of 
F34  23 year.<p/>
F34  24 <p_>Until very recently Hogmanay was probably the most important 
F34  25 celebration in the Scottish calendar, and for some Scots it still 
F34  26 is. At one time it all but eclipsed Christmas for many in Scotland. 
F34  27 Now, because of the mostly English-based broadcasting media as well 
F34  28 as high street stores UK-wide, Christmas is probably celebrated as 
F34  29 much north of the border as in the south, though the Scots tend to 
F34  30 hold a bit of their festive spirit back for Hogmanay.<p/>
F34  31 <p_>It is thought that the Scots' preoccupation with Hogmanay came 
F34  32 about because of the efforts of the Presbyterian church, after the 
F34  33 Reformation, to extinguish all Catholic holy days of which the 
F34  34 Feast of the Nativity - that is Christmas - was the principal. The 
F34  35 Hogmanay celebration of the passing beyond midwinter to a time of 
F34  36 lengthening daylight is surely grafted on to very early traditions. 
F34  37 The ancient Druid priests are said to have initiated the festival 
F34  38 of Yuletide, which in Scotland became 'the hallowed days of Yule' 
F34  39 of the balladeers, covering Hogmanay and the first week of January. 
F34  40 The Norse also had their own midwinter season of Jul, which 
F34  41 actually continued for 24 days and included the winter solstice. In 
F34  42 rural areas especially, up to the 1950s, possibly even more 
F34  43 recently, many factories and other work places stayed open on 
F34  44 Christmas Day, although all closed for the New Year. Children, 
F34  45 particularly in the east coast fishing communities, hung up their 
F34  46 stockings at Hogmanay, secure in the knowledge that Santa Claus 
F34  47 (never Father Christmas) would work a late shift especially for 
F34  48 their benefit.<p/>
F34  49 <h_><p_>Hogmanay rituals<p/><h/>
F34  50 <p_>Habits change with each succeeding generation. The stroke of 
F34  51 midnight on the 31st December once carried with it a great weight 
F34  52 of ritual which varied from place to place, and survives to varying 
F34  53 degrees. The household fire, the very symbol of life and warmth in 
F34  54 the long bleak nights of a northern winter, had to be tended so 
F34  55 that it was blazing brightly at midnight. This ensured sufficient 
F34  56 prosperity in the household to keep the fire lit for the next 12 
F34  57 months. In some places the door of the household was opened to let 
F34  58 out the old year, then closed as the chimes of midnight died away. 
F34  59 In others, it was flung open to welcome in the New Year. Ships in 
F34  60 dock still sound their sirens as in former times, while in the days 
F34  61 of steam locomotives, any in steam at the depot at midnight were 
F34  62 likewise given a blast of the whistle.<p/>
F34  63 <p_>Other time-honoured practices included acknowledging New Year 
F34  64 by wearing something new and cleaning the house thoroughly to make 
F34  65 it look like new and so ready for the New Year. The custom of 
F34  66 'first footing' still survives. Ideally, the first visitor over the 
F34  67 threshold after midnight should be a dark and handsome male 
F34  68 stranger bearing gifts, particularly those connected with food or 
F34  69 the hearth. The dark complexion of the first foot is considered 
F34  70 important. Redheads are not considered a good omen, and women are 
F34  71 also thought unlucky. Sometimes the household resorts to pushing 
F34  72 out into the cold night any half-presentable male who happens to be 
F34  73 in the house just before midnight, re-admitting him with his 
F34  74 symbols of light and warmth. Peat (particularly in the Highlands) 
F34  75 and coal were commonly used as symbols of household comfort and 
F34  76 warmth; and some Scots keep the tradition alive today by solemnly 
F34  77 entering a household with a small, perhaps carefully washed, piece 
F34  78 of smokeless fuel.<p/>
F34  79 <p_>As for other symbolic gifts which first foots might bring, in 
F34  80 the east coast fishing communities this might well have been a 
F34  81 herring. This custom somehow transplanted itself to Dundee in 
F34  82 particular, where the fishy token might even be dressed up with 
F34  83 ribbons and lace and tied to the door of the visited house if the 
F34  84 occupants were out. Symbolically attired or otherwise, this humble 
F34  85 fish carried with it the token of prosperity.<p/>
F34  86 <h_><p_>Cakes and Cake Day<p/><h/>
F34  87 <p_>Food at New Year was also special and not just for its symbolic 
F34  88 content. The tradition of rich fare, of shortbread and especially 
F34  89 black bun (a rich fruit cake in a pastry crust), continues. Perhaps 
F34  90 it has always had an incidental function: to soak up the quantities 
F34  91 of liquid hospitality which have for so long been a part of the 
F34  92 Scottish Hogmanay. Even so, the best of ingredients would be 
F34  93 reserved for this most important occasion.<p/>
F34  94 <p_>Walkers of Aberlour bake black bun, shortbread and Dundee Cake 
F34  95 and thus remain in the mainstream of tradition, their quality fare 
F34  96 an important part of the Scottish way of celebrating Hogmanay. 
F34  97 However, some of the regional treats have been lost. In earlier 
F34  98 times, special cakes were baked in St Andrews in Fife for its own 
F34  99 version of Hogmanay called Cake Day. These cakes were given out to 
F34 100 children by local shops, a practice certainly not confined to St 
F34 101 Andrews. In fact, Scottish children would once have gone around the 
F34 102 neighbourhood 'asking for their Hogmanay' from households and 
F34 103 shops. In some places they dressed themselves in flowing sheets 
F34 104 (perhaps echoing the Druids), which were then folded to form a 
F34 105 large pocket or apron. As they went round the community they 
F34 106 chanted Yuletide rhymes, such as the one on page 116, or:<p/>
F34 107 <p_><quote_>Ma feet's cauld, ma sheen's din, <tf_>shoes worn 
F34 108 out<tf/><p/>
F34 109 <p_>gie's ma cakes and let's rin. <tf|>run<quote/><p/>
F34 110 <p_>When the pocket on each apron was full the children went home, 
F34 111 where the cakes proved a welcome bonus in many a poor household.<p/>
F34 112 <p_>Often cakes were (and still are) baked at home as well. In the 
F34 113 west of Scotland, for instance, an oat bannock was baked for each 
F34 114 child in the family. These particular cakes were given a patterned 
F34 115 edge and had a hole in the middle. They were also flavoured with 
F34 116 caraway seeds. If any broke during the baking this was considered 
F34 117 an ill omen for the child for whom it was intended. It is an 
F34 118 interesting footnote to this now-extinct custom that the cake's 
F34 119 wavy or patterned edge is also characteristic of shortbread rounds. 
F34 120 Some say this is a symbol of the sun and is perhaps a curious echo 
F34 121 of festive cakes baked for ceremonies or rituals connected with the 
F34 122 sun worship of the Druids. Modified and handed down over so many 
F34 123 generations, it can be difficult to interpret the original meanings 
F34 124 - particularly as although the Druids held their rites in public 
F34 125 their doctrines were secret and never written down.<p/>
F34 126 <h_><p_>Fire festivals<p/><h/>
F34 127 <p_>What can be made of the age-old tradition in Stonehaven, and 
F34 128 elsewhere, of swinging fireballs in the streets at New Year? When 
F34 129 midnight strikes, the fireballs are lit and swung round and round 
F34 130 by means of attached wires. Burghead, further along the coast from 
F34 131 Stonehaven and facing the Moray Firth, varies the theme by holding 
F34 132 its fire festival on 11th January - the old Hogmanay before the 
F34 133 calendar was changed in 1600. The event is known as 'Burning of the 
F34 134 Clavie' (the origin of this word is lost in obscurity). The Clavie 
F34 135 King and his men carry a flaming half-barrel mounted on a pole 
F34 136 along the streets of Burghead, following a traditional route. 
F34 137 Finally the flaming barrel is taken to nearby Doorie Hill. (In 
F34 138 former times each individual boat in the harbour was also visited 
F34 139 by the Clavie. In 1875 it is recorded that a new vessel was named 
F34 140 Doorie in a ceremony with the burning Clavie, which also involved 
F34 141 the sprinkling of grain on her decks.) After the Clavie is fixed to 
F34 142 the hilltop more fuel is added to the blaze, eventually leaving the 
F34 143 dying embers which become sought after good luck charms, credited 
F34 144 with bringing protection to the household for a year.<p/>
F34 145 <p_>In Comrie, in Perthshire, another fire ceremony survives. Here 
F34 146 the New Year is ushered in by the lighting of giant torches on 
F34 147 large birch poles, which are then carried in procession about the 
F34 148 town. The young men of Falkland in Fife still climb the East Lomond 
F34 149 Hill with their torches. Flames of one sort or another were, and 
F34 150 remain, a common feature of the Scots Hogmanay or New Year in many 
F34 151 parts of the country. In spite of the Church trying to stamp out 
F34 152 such pagan practices over the centuries, many hilltops used to be 
F34 153 lit with bonfires to welcome in the New Year.<p/>
F34 154 <h_><p_>Handsel Monday<p/><h/>
F34 155 <p_>Today, though some traditions have gone, the spirit of a new 
F34 156 start with renewed friendship and contact with neighbours is still 
F34 157 strong in Scotland. Gifts, especially of food, play an important 
F34 158 part. Another aspect of the week-long yuletide festivities survived 
F34 159 until quite recently: the celebration of Handsel Monday. This was 
F34 160 the equivalent of England's Boxing Day, but took place on the first 
F34 161 Monday of the New Year. Tradition demanded that presents should be 
F34 162 given as tokens of goodwill, especially to servants or to anyone 
F34 163 performing a service to the householder. This would even extend to 
F34 164 giving extra feed to working animals. A curious variation on 
F34 165 Handsel Monday which grew up in certain rural areas was that, 
F34 166 although gift giving was duly observed, it was considered unlucky 
F34 167 to handle money on Handsel Monday - which may have helped create 
F34 168 the national stereotype of the thrifty Scot.<p/>
F34 169 <p_>Although virtually forgotten now, Handsel Monday was another 
F34 170 highlight in the otherwise 'dreich' (dull and miserable) days of 
F34 171 January. How fortunate that Robert Burns was born on the 25th of 
F34 172 the month, thereby giving the Scots cause for another celebration 
F34 173 to keep them cheerful in the long nights. (Burns Suppers and the 
F34 174 poet himself have already been described in Chapter Six.)<p/>
F34 175 <h|>Up-Helly-Aa
F34 176 <p_>It may not be a coincidence that Shetland, the most northerly 
F34 177 part of Scotland, and where the nights are longest, squeezes in an 
F34 178 extra deep-winter celebration. This is called Up-Helly-Aa and takes 
F34 179 place on 29th January.<p/>
F34 180 <p_>Up-Helly-Aa can be roughly taken to mean the end of the 
F34 181 holidays - a reference to the end of the 24-day period in the old 
F34 182 Viking festival of Jul. In common with other winter festivals, fire 
F34 183 played an important part in this season. Until the 1870s, the men 
F34 184 of Lerwick (the chief town of the islands) pulled burning tar 
F34 185 barrels through the narrow streets of the town on primitive sleighs 
F34 186 or stretchers at the end of this festival period. When the 
F34 187 authorities became nervous about damage to property and outlawed 
F34 188 the tar barrel, a torchlight procession was instigated. Then local 
F34 189 pride in the islands' Norse past resulted in the introduction of a 
F34 190 specially-made Viking galley in 1889. This made a spectacular show 
F34 191 when burned and the 'tradition' has continued ever since.<p/>
F34 192 <p_>The day of Up-Helly-Aa (which most Shetlanders consider the 
F34 193 most important in the festive calendar) starts with the Jarl Squad, 
F34 194 an elite group permitted to wear Viking costume, unveiling their 
F34 195 hand-built galley. Separately, at the market cross in Lerwick (the 
F34 196 islands' capital), a lengthy written discourse, known as 'the Bill' 
F34 197 is displayed.
F34 198 
F34 199 
F35   1 <#FLOB:F35\><p_>August was always the month of harvesting, first 
F35   2 the barley and oats, then the wheat. The workers were in the 
F35   3 cornfields from first light until nightfall when the weather was 
F35   4 dry, cutting, stooking, carrying, and making the cornricks. Now, as 
F35   5 soon as the percentage of water in the grain falls sufficiently the 
F35   6 combine harvesters are brought in, and the corn is cut and threshed 
F35   7 out of the straw in one noisy, diesel-fumed operation by huge, 
F35   8 florid machines, which cost as much as a house! Where is the 
F35   9 singing over that racket, the communal effort, the slaving in the 
F35  10 baking fields with only a cup of warm cider and a lump of bread and 
F35  11 cheese to sustain a fifteen-hour day? Neither method has the rural 
F35  12 charm that eighteenth century pictures of reapers in the field 
F35  13 evoke, the leisured cutting with rhythmically swinging sickles to 
F35  14 rustic tunes under a warm sky, with maids in low cut gowns 
F35  15 nurturing the heated workers with sweet pastries and cool ale. 
F35  16 However the corn is cut, European grain mountains notwithstanding, 
F35  17 it is hard work, and as the culmination of many a farmer's year, a 
F35  18 time of anxiety and concern.<p/>
F35  19 <h_><p_>Crop Circles<p/><h/>
F35  20 <p_>These days the golden fields are enriched by mysterious 'Crop 
F35  21 Circles' and flattened patterns in the standing crops. These are 
F35  22 proving a new and lucrative harvest for some people. All kinds of 
F35  23 explanations, from freak weather conditions, mating and playful 
F35  24 animals, helicopters and mysterious forces from under the Earth or 
F35  25 out of the sky have been suggested. Certainly reckless young 
F35  26 farmers may account for the appearance of some of these 
F35  27 increasingly strange designs, but in general their symmetry, and 
F35  28 the way in which something in the chemical structure of the crops 
F35  29 has been affected, cannot be explained. They are seen primarily in 
F35  30 the South of England, but a variety of similar strange formations 
F35  31 have been seen in Japan, America and Australia, where the open land 
F35  32 presents a similar surface.<p/>
F35  33 <p_>Although it was in the 1980s that these strange happenings 
F35  34 became more widely publicised, reports of areas of mysteriously 
F35  35 flattened plants were recorded back as far as the 1940s with rare 
F35  36 sightings possibly going back many hundreds of years. Tests on the 
F35  37 actual stems of the wheat seem to indicate that though they are 
F35  38 bent over, and laid flat on the ground in neat vortices, they are 
F35  39 still growing, but that some sort of change has been made to the 
F35  40 structure at the point of the bend. At present no one has seen a 
F35  41 circle being formed, except the fake ones, obviously, when those 
F35  42 involved must have seen their handiwork. There have been reports of 
F35  43 orange lights in the sky, and technicians investigating the 
F35  44 phenomenon have measured strange readings on their equipment, or 
F35  45 heard and recorded unusual noises.<p/>
F35  46 <p_>There are many places where such events have been seen, but one 
F35  47 of the factors which links these areas is that many of them have 
F35  48 ancient earthworks, tracks or mounds and barrows near them. Quite a 
F35  49 few of the fields near Silbury Hill and the Avebury complex have 
F35  50 had elaborate patterns made in them in the latter part of the 
F35  51 1980s, and one theory about these circles is that they are forming 
F35  52 over ancient ritual sites. Some of these might have been the 
F35  53 footings of circular dwelling huts, or dancing grounds, of 
F35  54 stockades, perhaps made with thorn bushes rather than with posts 
F35  55 knocked into the ground, as used to be common, but as yet no 
F35  56 archaeological investigations have confirmed this possible link. 
F35  57 There may indeed be some mysterious energy, which is sufficient to 
F35  58 bend over growing crops, manifesting from places which were once 
F35  59 sacred, as open air Temples to the Sky Gods, or gathering places of 
F35  60 the tribes. At present we don't know, but it is clear that the 
F35  61 patterns revealed are getting more complicated, and so even more 
F35  62 mysterious.<p/>
F35  63 <h_><p_>Harvest Time Traditions<p/><h/>
F35  64 <p_>To the Anglo-Saxons the start of August was known as 
F35  65 <tf|>Hlafmas of Loaf-mass or, in Scotland, 'Lughnasad', the Feast 
F35  66 of the Celtic Sun God, Lugh, who was seen as a God of Light whose 
F35  67 spirit was the life of the growing corn. The Lammas feast was both 
F35  68 a celebration and a kind of remembrance of this energy which was 
F35  69 changed from a living force in the corn to a static one in the cut 
F35  70 sheaves. In Britain, during August, there used to be a public 
F35  71 holiday called 'Wakes Week' during which as many people as possible 
F35  72 were brought from their ordinary occupations to help with the 
F35  73 harvesting. Today, mechanisation has taken care of much of the work 
F35  74 but the holiday has survived as Bank Holiday Monday at the end of 
F35  75 the month.<p/>
F35  76 <p_>In the old days everyone was expected to help with the cutting, 
F35  77 binding into sheaves, stooking or carting, or by providing food and 
F35  78 drink for the workers, or perhaps joining in the rabbit hunts by 
F35  79 surrounding the area of uncut corn and catching as many of these 
F35  80 animals as possible as they were driven out of the standing grain, 
F35  81 on which they had no doubt been feeding. Rabbit Pie and Stew was a 
F35  82 valuable addition to the table of the hard<?_>-<?/>working reapers, 
F35  83 and there are lots of old recipes involving cooking rabbits with 
F35  84 cider or beer. This was not really a form of ritual sacrifice but a 
F35  85 way of getting rid of a pest. Sadly, today, many of the great 
F35  86 combine harvesters wipe out fieldmice in their intricate nests 
F35  87 woven in among the corn stalks, as well as rabbits, birds and all 
F35  88 kinds of wild creatures too slow, or too confused by these great 
F35  89 grinding machines, to escape.<p/>
F35  90 <p_>There is a tradition, which still survives as a local custom in 
F35  91 parts of Cornwall, called the ceremony of 'Crying the Neck', which 
F35  92 is a kind of sacrificial act, not performed on any animal, but on 
F35  93 the corn itself. Traditionally it was supposed to be unlucky to cut 
F35  94 the last sheaf of wheat, or to be the last farmer in the area to 
F35  95 complete the harvesting, so a kind of game was developed whereby 
F35  96 all the harvesters would gather round the last upright tuft of 
F35  97 corn, and standing back, take their small sickles and hurl them at 
F35  98 the base of the corn, so no one knew for certain who had cut down 
F35  99 the last stem, and so symbolically slain the Corn Spirit. From this 
F35 100 last sheaf the best ears of corn would be taken and woven into a 
F35 101 Corn Dolly. This would be placed in a special display, often over 
F35 102 the hearth, which in British homes acts as a king of altar, decked 
F35 103 with pictures of the family and loved ones, or favourite ornaments, 
F35 104 candlesticks and the like. Here it should stay, being admired all 
F35 105 the winter, until the spring sowing, when the corn would be shaken 
F35 106 out of the ears and added to the rest of the seed corn before 
F35 107 sowing, as this ensured that the magical fertility saved from the 
F35 108 last strands of the previous harvest was shared among the new 
F35 109 crop.<p/>
F35 110 <p_>The 'Crying the Neck' ceremony is blessed by church men in some 
F35 111 Cornish parishes, but prayers and charms are still spoken in 
F35 112 Cornish. There is a cry of <quote_>"Yma genef! Yma genef!"<quote/> 
F35 113 answered by <quote_>"Pandr'us genes? Pandr'us genes?"<quote/> again 
F35 114 answered with <quote_>"Pen Yar! Pen Yar!"<quote/> This means 
F35 115 roughly 'I have got it!' requiring the question, <quote_>"What have 
F35 116 you got?"<quote/> to which the answer is <quote_>"Pen Year"<quote/> 
F35 117 - literally a hen's head, rather than a 'neck' of corn. Maybe this 
F35 118 was some kind of bird offering: after all, the Glorious Twelfth, 
F35 119 when shooting game birds begins, is only days away. There may be 
F35 120 another sacred act here, though, for many of the forms of Corn 
F35 121 Dolly that are woven are in the form of the Earth Mother, the Corn 
F35 122 Queen, or the feminine Horn of Plenty. It is she who is fertile it 
F35 123 is her body, the Earth, which brings forth the grain in due season, 
F35 124 or she whose fertility that fails. Just as eggs appear as gifts of 
F35 125 the Sacred Hare at the Spring or Sowing Festival, may not the one 
F35 126 who laid those magical eggs be considered here as the Hen who is 
F35 127 cut down so that her bounty may be shared by the people along with 
F35 128 their new flour?<p/>
F35 129 <p_>The other colour especially associated with harvest is red. 
F35 130 Many of the different local variations of the Corn Dolly are tied 
F35 131 with scarlet ribbons. The horses once used on farms nearly always 
F35 132 had their manes plaited and bound up with red ribbons, and 
F35 133 sometimes garlands of field poppies and the blue corn flowers were 
F35 134 hung about the harvest, or set into the loads of sheaves as they 
F35 135 were carted from the fields to the barns or stackyards. in magic, 
F35 136 red has always been associated with the Life Force itself, because 
F35 137 blood is red. Red flowers are incorporated into bouquets presented 
F35 138 to some of the ladies who have a ceremonial part to play in these 
F35 139 seasonable gatherings. The representative of the Earth Mother, as 
F35 140 Lady of the Feast, as Maiden, or Harvest Queen, is offered floral 
F35 141 tributes in which the life-blood colour usually features. Red is 
F35 142 fire, energy, the heat of the Sun, and the few flowers in England 
F35 143 which are naturally bright red (the poppies and that poor man's 
F35 144 weathervane, the scarlet pimpernel being the most common) are 
F35 145 always thought special.<p/>
F35 146 <p_>This season was, by everyone's consideration, the most critical 
F35 147 in the entire year. To a certain extent it still is, although 
F35 148 modern growing methods tend to end up with a surplus of grain in 
F35 149 the world in the North, which is set aside and saved for years of 
F35 150 hardship, to trade with other nations less well endowed, or 
F35 151 exchange through world food markets for other commodities. The 
F35 152 all-important factor over which the farmers and growers have no 
F35 153 control is the weather. It could have been an excellent growing 
F35 154 season with ripening grain and other foodstuffs in every field, yet 
F35 155 a heavy rainstorm or hail stones can flatten, soak and ruin any 
F35 156 crop, making it impossible to harvest, or rain can make the fields 
F35 157 so wet that no heavy machinery can even go upon them for fear of 
F35 158 sinking in. High winds from uncommon directions can lay corn flat, 
F35 159 or affect parts of fields so that they will not stand and ripen 
F35 160 evenly, which is a far more critical problem with the use of 
F35 161 combine harvesters than it was in the old days. A combine must have 
F35 162 dry grain which can be knocked out of the husks within the machine, 
F35 163 whereas when corn was stooked until dry, as each area was ready it 
F35 164 could be carted for threshing by steam driven machinery.<p/>
F35 165 <p_>Some of the changes in the weather in recent years, brought on 
F35 166 by pollution and thinning of the ozone layer, are leading to more 
F35 167 periods of drought, the raised possibility of hurricane force 
F35 168 winds, which naturally occur about once in seventy-years, and 
F35 169 greater heat of longer periods of dryness. None of these will help 
F35 170 our kinds of plants and trees, nurtured in the traditional sorts of 
F35 171 wind or weather. We may have to start growing olives and expanding 
F35 172 our vineyards, and exchange our corn harvest for gathering maize. 
F35 173 Instead of specially brewed harvest ales we would have to try a 
F35 174 sort of Octoberfest which they have in Germany, in September, to 
F35 175 dance and sing as the grapes are picked. These things may come, if 
F35 176 the strange weather we have had for the last few years persists.<p/>
F35 177 <h_><p_>Walking Week<p/><h/>
F35 178 <p_>One of the older traditions around mid-August was not only 
F35 179 Wakes Week, but Walking Week, when those employed in factories and 
F35 180 mills took time off to walk in the countryside, or enjoy sea air, 
F35 181 long before package trips to the Costa Brava were dreamed of, or 
F35 182 the ubiquitous flight to the sun after an entertaining few hours or 
F35 183 days at the local airport! Some of these Walks had a religious 
F35 184 facet, in that they were a king of small pilgrimage.
F35 185 
F35 186 
F35 187 
F35 188 
F36   1 <#FLOB:F36\><h_><p_>The Sweet Scent of Roses<p/>
F36   2 <p_>Clay Jones on the rose-breeders' quest for perfection<p/><h/>
F36   3 <p_>THIS MONTH, in practically every garden in Britain, the air is 
F36   4 heavy with the sweet scent of roses and as their buds unfurl, great 
F36   5 sweeps of colour fill the landscape and we know that summer is 
F36   6 really here.<p/>
F36   7 <p_>Without question, the rose is beloved above all other plants 
F36   8 for its flowers and fragrance. So cherished and admired is this 
F36   9 doyen of the garden and so numerous are its species and varieties, 
F36  10 that we tend to forget that the modern rose sprang from humble 
F36  11 beginnings.<p/>
F36  12 <p_>Its present day excellence and prominence is due almost 
F36  13 entirely to the work and dedication of a comparatively small band 
F36  14 of rose breeders and growers who, over many years, have striven to 
F36  15 produce bigger blooms, better colours and stronger scents. They 
F36  16 have succeeded and still they continue their quest for perfection, 
F36  17 all of which is to our advantage.<p/>
F36  18 <p_>In any breeding programme the initial requirements are 
F36  19 attractive and different blooms and vigour coupled with good, 
F36  20 disease-resistant foliage. Finding these desirable assets is a 
F36  21 protracted exercise, demanding great patience and an even greater 
F36  22 degree of skill. The breeders produced thousands of seedlings and 
F36  23 consider themselves lucky if they find two or three of a 
F36  24 sufficiently high standard to merit a place in our rose beds. Very 
F36  25 occasionally a real winner appears by a combination of good luck 
F36  26 and even better planning.<p/>
F36  27 <p_>So it was in 1939, when Francis Meilland in France set eyes on 
F36  28 a seedling that appeared to be of exceptionally high quality. With 
F36  29 the intervention of the war years, it was 1945 before his great 
F36  30 discovery, we now know as the rose 'Peace', crossed over the 
F36  31 channel and became our best loved rose.<p/>
F36  32 <p_>Since then 'Peace', with its delicately perfumed, full blooms 
F36  33 of pink-edged, creamy yellow and deep green, glossy foliage, has 
F36  34 sold at least 100 million plants world-wide and all because 
F36  35 Meilland was an accomplished rose breeder and had an eye for a 
F36  36 promising youngster.<p/>
F36  37 <h_><p_>CONTAINER GROWN ROSES<p/><h/>
F36  38 <p_>It is our good fortune these days, that we can drive to a 
F36  39 garden centre and view a range of container grown roses in full 
F36  40 bloom. We can make our choice of colour and form, take the plant 
F36  41 home, ease it out of its container and plant it to give us instant 
F36  42 colour. With its root system intact, the plant will hardly notice 
F36  43 its move from pot to hole and it will grow, providing it has a 
F36  44 plentiful supply of water.<p/>
F36  45 <p_>After planting, give the soil a thorough soaking with 2 to 4 
F36  46 gallons of water and top dress with a good thick mulch of any 
F36  47 organic material, that will serve to keep the roots cool and 
F36  48 conserve soil moisture. In prolonged dry spells your new rose will 
F36  49 probably need watering several times a week for at least a month, 
F36  50 until it has made new roots into the surrounding soil, and the 
F36  51 lighter the soil, the more often it will need watering.<p/>
F36  52 <p_>The next few weeks should be the hottest, driest time of the 
F36  53 year and where plants are concerned, water is a greater necessity 
F36  54 than food. In any case, they absorb their food in solution and 
F36  55 therefore in a dry soil they can neither slake their thirst nor 
F36  56 satisfy their appetites. This fact of plant life applies just as 
F36  57 much to roses as to anything else, and particularly to climbing 
F36  58 roses, even though they may be well established. The foot of a wall 
F36  59 is the driest part of any garden and any plant growing there may 
F36  60 need watering even after rain.<p/>
F36  61 <h_><p_>NEW ROSES<p/><h/>
F36  62 <p_>Returning to the rose breeders, they have transformed our 
F36  63 conception of the rose in recent years. Until fairly recently our 
F36  64 rose beds were occupied by either hybrid teas or floribundas and in 
F36  65 our borders you sometimes found a few of the old shrub roses. The 
F36  66 HTs and the floribundas still predominate and very lovely and showy 
F36  67 they are, but there are a whole lot of exciting newcomers.<p/>
F36  68 <p_>Of paramount importance is the new range of dwarf floribundas, 
F36  69 that have become popularly called 'Patio' roses. These little 
F36  70 beauties grow to an average height of 18 inches, although some will 
F36  71 go to 2 feet. All this means that they are just the thing for small 
F36  72 gardens and for growing in containers.<p/>
F36  73 <p_>I have also seen them in massed beds in large gardens and they 
F36  74 look superb. They flower throughout the summer and are compact with 
F36  75 dense, healthy foliage. The best varieties to look for are Angela 
F36  76 Rippon - salmon pink, Rugul - yellow, Snowdrop - pure white, Sweet 
F36  77 Magic - orange and Red Domino - crimson.<p/>
F36  78 <p_>For me, the old fashioned roses have great charm and beauty and 
F36  79 I have been content to enjoy their splendid but comparatively 
F36  80 short-lived, floral display. Things are changing, indeed, have 
F36  81 changed. In Albrighton, near Wolverhampton, David Austin has been 
F36  82 busy breeding a new race of shrub roses, which he has called 
F36  83 English Roses. These spring from crosses between the old roses and 
F36  84 the modern hybrid teas and floribundas. They retain the unique 
F36  85 charm of the 'Olds' with the ability of the 'moderns' to keep on 
F36  86 flowering over a long period and they have fragrance as well. They 
F36  87 are blessed with a bushy appearance, good colourful blooms and they 
F36  88 vary in size from medium-size shrubs to small bushes. Two 
F36  89 particularly good varieties of the shrub-type English Rose are the 
F36  90 clear yellow Graham Thomas and the rose-pink Mary Rose.<p/>
F36  91 <p_>Climbing roses are truly beautiful, but they can be an 
F36  92 embarrassment in small gardens. How does one cope with a climber 
F36  93 with a natural desire to climb to 20 feet up a 6 feet high wall? 
F36  94 With difficulty, but not if it is one of the new Miniature Climbers 
F36  95 such as the deep yellow Laura Ford, which is content to climb to 6 
F36  96 feet or so and no higher.<p/>
F36  97 
F36  98 <h_><p_>Honey for Tea<p/>
F36  99 <p_>John Douglas got the buzz and now has his own private 
F36 100 reserve<p/><h/>
F36 101 <p_><quote_>"HOW MANY have you got, then?"<quote/> That's often the 
F36 102 first question I am asked when someone hears that I keep bees.<p/>
F36 103 <p_><quote_>"Oh, 40,000, give or take a few hundred,"<quote/> I 
F36 104 reply.<p/>
F36 105 <p_>There's a smile of disbelief. It's a joke, isn't it? But when 
F36 106 they realize that I'm serious, questions come thick and fast.<p/>
F36 107 <p_>What is so interesting about these dark, six-legged insects? 
F36 108 After all, you hardly notice them. They just get on with their 
F36 109 work. Unless you disturb them, they are unlikely to sting you.<p/>
F36 110 <p_>Is it their ability to produce that delicate and delicious 
F36 111 golden substance we call honey?<p/>
F36 112 <p_>Could it be their amazing community life? Some 30,000 to 40,000 
F36 113 in one hive, with the queen laying up to 1,500 eggs a day and each 
F36 114 bee with its own job to do. Workers who act as royal attendants, 
F36 115 guards, nurses, cleaners, undertakers and foragers - not to mention 
F36 116 the drones, whose sole function is to fertilize the queen, then 
F36 117 die. A dear price for a life of leisure.<p/>
F36 118 <p_>Or is there an idea that you'll have something for nothing? 
F36 119 Persuade the little beggars to live in a special box and store 
F36 120 honey, then when it's ready you steal it! Well, we can knock the 
F36 121 free honey idea straight on the head. I fed my bees over 30 pounds 
F36 122 of sugar in September. That's hardly free!<p/>
F36 123 <p_>You need a veil, a hat and a pair of gauntlets as minimum 
F36 124 protection. With a smoker and a hive tool - indispensable items for 
F36 125 calming them down and opening the hive - and some wax foundation 
F36 126 for the frames, you can spend well over pounds50 before you even 
F36 127 risk a bee-sting.<p/>
F36 128 <p_>But, as a novice, I knew little about all this until two years 
F36 129 ago. For some time I had been interested, but then I just kept on 
F36 130 spreading my toast with honey from the local supermarket - marked 
F36 131 <quote_>"produce of more than one country"<quote/>.<p/>
F36 132 <p_>It was during the spring that my friend Bill, a beekeeper for 
F36 133 more than 30 years, said, <quote_>"If you're interested, come and 
F36 134 look at mine."<quote/><p/>
F36 135 <p_>It was warm and still - a perfect May afternoon. His bees were 
F36 136 flying and content. The air hummed with activity. Hatted and 
F36 137 veiled, with hands firmly in my pockets, I peered gingerly for the 
F36 138 first time into an open hive. Gently, Bill eased out one frame 
F36 139 after another full of honeycomb. Hundreds of bees were working on 
F36 140 them. I smelt the warm sweet scent of honey and wax.<p/>
F36 141 <p_>I had thoughts of breakfast toast spread with honey from our 
F36 142 own bees in our own garden. I was hooked.<p/>
F36 143 <p_>The intelligence network of the local beekeepers' association 
F36 144 resembles a benevolent <tf|>MI5. Within days I possessed a 
F36 145 second-hand hive, awaiting an obliging swarm.<p/>
F36 146 <p_>I learnt my first lesson in bee-lore. 'A swarm in May is worth 
F36 147 a load of hay.' That is, a May swarm should settle into a hive and 
F36 148 produce honey for harvesting later in the summer.<p/>
F36 149 <p_>BILL is an official swarm gatherer. The police call him when 
F36 150 concerned householders report bees in their thousands settling in 
F36 151 the garden. But that year no swarm appeared in May.<p/>
F36 152 <p_>'A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon.' Still no swarm.<p/>
F36 153 <p_>'A swarm in July isn't worth a fly!' So the intelligence 
F36 154 network took over again. Old Jack was not well. He was cutting down 
F36 155 and selling some of his hives as going concerns. I bought one which 
F36 156 was considered by my friendly agents to be in good shape and 
F36 157 well<?_>-<?/>stocked. About 14 pounds of honey already stored, they 
F36 158 guessed.<p/>
F36 159 <p_>Late one evening we moved the bees. Sealed and clamped a hive 
F36 160 fits easily into a hatchback car. We set it up at the far end of 
F36 161 the garden, agreed as a suitable site so as to cause no trouble to 
F36 162 neighbours. In fact, ours had been interested and encouraging when 
F36 163 we had spoken with them.<p/>
F36 164 <p_>The intelligence agents were right. We were delighted to take 
F36 165 off 16 pounds of honey at the end of that first summer.<p/>
F36 166 <p_>Now I didn't actually go to listen, but tradition has it that 
F36 167 at midnight on Christmas Eve the bees, clustered in their hives, 
F36 168 hum praises in honour of Christ's birth. It is also said that 
F36 169 bought bees don't do well. But last year our hive yielded a 
F36 170 surprising harvest of 82 pounds.<p/>
F36 171 <p_>And if in early summer I am seen walking round the garden 
F36 172 noisily banging pans and baking trays together, I shall be 
F36 173 'tanging' - an old and tried custom to encourage a swarm to settle 
F36 174 quickly, not too far from its original hive. That's the theory 
F36 175 anyhow. My first swarm is my big practical test.<p/>
F36 176 
F36 177 <h_><p_>A DOG'S BEST FRIEND<p/>
F36 178 <p_>Jenny Jones tells the heart-tugging tale of a rescued dog's 
F36 179 first love<p/><h/>
F36 180 <p_>THE FIRST thing I gave Bozo was a blanket. It was a big, 
F36 181 fluffy, pale blue affair, which somebody had donated for just such 
F36 182 an occasion and needy cause.<p/>
F36 183 <p_>He adored his blanket on sight, helping to place it carefully 
F36 184 in his bed, nudging it with his broad nose, patting it with 
F36 185 enormous feet. Then he sat on it firmly, with an air of 
F36 186 take-it-away-if-you-dare!<p/>
F36 187 <p_>I have no way of knowing if the blanket was the first thing 
F36 188 Bozo had ever owned, but he acted as if it was, and woe betide 
F36 189 anyone who thought to straighten it, move it, or worse still, wash 
F36 190 it.<p/>
F36 191 <p_>Bozo was an Old English sheepdog - but don't imagine something 
F36 192 like the famous paint dog, pampered and combed; rather, a rangy, 
F36 193 moth-eaten, greyhound-thin bundle of neuroses covered in 
F36 194 sparsely-tufted grey and white fur. Nine years of dog rescue had 
F36 195 inured me, I thought, to the sad sights and sorry stories of the 
F36 196 animals I cared for, but the tales of beatings, starvation and 
F36 197 abandonment I lived with paled in the light of Bozo's 
F36 198 circumstances.<p/>
F36 199 <p_>A windowless bathroom, with barely space to move between the 
F36 200 bath and loo, is no place to keep a dog, yet this had been Bozo's 
F36 201 lot for two whole years. During all that time he'd never seen 
F36 202 daylight, never been released from his cell, been fed only 
F36 203 intermittently, not known one kind word, and the small room had 
F36 204 never been cleaned out.
F36 205 
F37   1 <#FLOB:F37\><h_><p_>AUTUMNAL ANARCHY<p/>
F37   2 <p_>Simon Evans<p/><h/>
F37   3 <p_>Remember, Remember the fifth of November,<p/>
F37   4 <p_>Gunpowder, Treason and Plot;<p/>
F37   5 <p_>I see no reason why Gunpowder treason,<p/>
F37   6 <p_>Should ever be forgot.<p/>
F37   7 <p_>This simple rhyme sums up for many of us what Bonfire Night 
F37   8 celebrations are all about, the commemoration of the failure of an 
F37   9 illegal plot to destroy our parliament in 1605. There is no doubt 
F37  10 that the thwarting of this deed was a momentous triumph but there 
F37  11 is also little doubt that the custom of bonfire is itself much 
F37  12 older. We only have to witness the spectacular celebrations of the 
F37  13 Sussex Bonfire Societies to realise that embodied in this practice 
F37  14 are remnants of something much older, a seasonal festival 
F37  15 stretching back into ancient times. These modern societies maintain 
F37  16 the custom of burning effigies of those who they wish to denigrate, 
F37  17 be they politicians or other public figures. It seems that the 
F37  18 Gunpowder plot was such a significant event that for most of us 
F37  19 that we have continued to express our disapproval by retaining Guy 
F37  20 Fawkes as the perennial baddie, even at the Sussex celebrations the 
F37  21 anti Papist sentiments survive. To this day the bonfire 
F37  22 celebrations in Sussex towns are such that many pubs and shops 
F37  23 board up their fronts and those pubs that do remain open remove all 
F37  24 the furniture from the bars and spread plastic sheets across the 
F37  25 floors to protect the carpets from beer and fireworks. There is no 
F37  26 doubt that festivities such as these were once enacted across the 
F37  27 country and our own county of Kent was no exception, in fact the 
F37  28 Edenbridge Bonfire Society is now the only one in the country with 
F37  29 a license to manufacture their own fireworks.<p/>
F37  30 <p_>Ever since pre Christian times the turning of the seasons has 
F37  31 been <}_><-|>puncuated<+|>punctuated<}/> by a major festival, the 
F37  32 mid winter Yuletide was complemented by mid summer celebrations. 
F37  33 The springtime change from winter to summer was celebrated by 
F37  34 Beltane and survives in a number of guises, from the Christian 
F37  35 Easter festival which still uses the egg as a symbol of fertility 
F37  36 to the May morning dances performed by morris men. The Autumnal 
F37  37 change is marked by what has become a confusion of celebrations, 
F37  38 but Halloween, Bonfire and All Souls are probably all variants or 
F37  39 remnants of the old Celtic New Year which fell on November the 1st. 
F37  40 It was a riotous affair and the anarchic celebrations that are 
F37  41 still strong in Sussex are probably only a shadow of how things 
F37  42 were years ago. A measure of its importance to people is 
F37  43 demonstrated by incidents that <}_><-|>occured<+|>occurred<}/> in 
F37  44 Dartford during the last century. It was felt that the festivities 
F37  45 were getting out of hand, the anarchic celebrations that are still 
F37  46 strong in Sussex being probably only a shadow of how the festival 
F37  47 was once celebrated. In a Dartford newspaper in November 1839 a 
F37  48 report was published of which this is an extract:<p/>
F37  49 <p_><quote_>"About 10 O'clock, amounting in the whole to about 150, 
F37  50 many with their faces blacked, and others wearing masks and crepe, 
F37  51 marched into the town from Crayford, calling at many houses, and 
F37  52 demanding fuel or money; which, if they failed to obtain, the most 
F37  53 gross outrages were committed. This party of ruffians then 
F37  54 proceeded to The Bull, marched up the yard with torches, fireworks, 
F37  55 etc., and demanded to be supplied with straw. Mr Potter, however, 
F37  56 resolutely refused to acceed<&|>sic! to their requests and 
F37  57 consequently the most violent threats were used against him - a 
F37  58 friend, unknown to Mr Potter, at length gave them money to depart. 
F37  59 They then proceeded to the bonfire, and commenced scattering it 
F37  60 around the house; and the greatest possible fears were entertained 
F37  61 for the safety of Mr Edwards, whose cellars were filled with pitch, 
F37  62 resin and other combustible articles. Some of the fire was thrown 
F37  63 against the premises of Mr John Wilding; which induced that 
F37  64 gentleman to make an attempt to put out the fire. He was known, and 
F37  65 most violently assaulted by the ruffians; and the town was kept in 
F37  66 a state of alarm during the great part of the night."<quote/><p/>
F37  67 <p_>This state of affairs obviously continued for many years 
F37  68 because a local solicitor who played a part in attempting to have 
F37  69 the festivities stopped came in for attention on November the 6th 
F37  70 1848.<p/>
F37  71 <p_><quote_>"There was a mob of 400 or 500 persons around my house, 
F37  72 they came several times during the night masked and in disguise, 
F37  73 they began throwing stones and breaking my windows. I went to my 
F37  74 door to remonstrate with them and was met by a shower of fireworks 
F37  75 that I was glad to beat a retreat. They continued to shout 'burn 
F37  76 him out' and 'pull it down', and such threats accompanied with 
F37  77 oaths at the same time throwing fireworks and lighted wood in my 
F37  78 house burning the sill of one of the windows and a carpet. There 
F37  79 were seventeen panes of glass broken, a chest of drawers injured by 
F37  80 the stones, a wire blind, a quilt and a carpet by fire and other 
F37  81 injuries sustained. A lighted tar barrel was rolled against my door 
F37  82 which was only prevented being burnt by the policeman rolling the 
F37  83 tar barrel into the water."<quote/><p/>
F37  84 <p_>This anarchy continued every year with lighted tar barrels 
F37  85 being rolled through the streets with any attempt to prevent the 
F37  86 celebrations being vigorously opposed. Opposing factions would 
F37  87 enter the town, rolling lighted barrels down East Hill and West 
F37  88 Hill, meeting in the centre of town opposite the Bull Hotel where 
F37  89 the fire would be lit amidst much rioting. One year the pub was 
F37  90 burnt down and the law continued to attempt to stop the 
F37  91 festivities, creating such tension between the Bonfire Boys and the 
F37  92 police that in 1863 the following words appeared on a poster around 
F37  93 the town:<p/>
F37  94 <p_><quote_>"Whereas, certain ill-disposed Persons have attempted 
F37  95 to prevent the lawful Festivities of the public on the fifth of 
F37  96 November - the anniversary of the infamous Gunpowder plot! This is 
F37  97 to give notice that a reward of ten shillings will be given for the 
F37  98 head of every Policeman and one pound for the head of every 
F37  99 inspector which shall be delivered at the Parish Pound to a 
F37 100 gentleman who will be there authorized to receive it, from 6 to 12 
F37 101 pm. God Save the Queen!"<quote/><p/>
F37 102 <p_>Although many of the Sussex bonfire celebrations are still 
F37 103 rowdy affairs, they are largely good natured and it is good to see 
F37 104 the increase in communal bonfire celebrations. Many towns and 
F37 105 village now stage public bonfire and firework displays which bring 
F37 106 people together to celebrate the onset of the cold season. 
F37 107 Edenbridge is particularly worthwhile, with its massive bonfire and 
F37 108 superb firework display, locally made and always with a topical 
F37 109 theme. If you go, do get there early, the town is closed to traffic 
F37 110 from early evening with a procession of floats through the town, 
F37 111 accompanied by flaming torches and fireworks, but nowadays it is a 
F37 112 well marshalled and safe affair for all the family.<p/>
F37 113 <h_><p_>Playford Dancing at Broome Park<p/>
F37 114 <p_>by David Stephens<p/><h/>
F37 115 <p_>Broome Park at Barham, near Canterbury, once the home of Lord 
F37 116 Kitchener, has seen, over the last decade, the establishment of an 
F37 117 event known as the East Kent 'Playford Evening'. Playford is a name 
F37 118 synonymous with a form of country dancing from the 17th and 18th 
F37 119 centuries but which now includes dances of a similar style from the 
F37 120 19th and 20th centuries. Playford was not a dancing master but a 
F37 121 publisher whose house printed eighteen editions and many revisions 
F37 122 between 1650 and 1728.<p/>
F37 123 <p_>The evenings, <}_><-|>usualyy<+|>usually<}/> three a year, were 
F37 124 initiated by Ernest Eley of Ewell Minnis in 
F37 125 <}_><-|>albout<+|>about<}/> 1980 as an excuse to invite his back 
F37 126 two or three hundred years where they could enjoy eachother's 
F37 127 company and dancing. Ernest's personality was perfectly suited to 
F37 128 that era. When age and health <}_><-|>finalyy<+|>finally<}/> forced 
F37 129 him to give it up in the mid 80s the role of Master of Ceremonies 
F37 130 was taken up by Michael Spenceley of Canterbury until he moved to 
F37 131 Shropshire at the end of 1986. For a while Patricia Skelton of 
F37 132 Dover, a close friend and protege of Ernest Eley, ran the evenings 
F37 133 until in 1987 she handed over the reins to David Stephens of St. 
F37 134 Lawrence-in-Thanet, the current M.C.<p/>
F37 135 <p_>Since the evenings began dancers have been encouraged to wear 
F37 136 costume from the Playford era: and many do, 
F37 137 <}_><-|>therreby<+|>thereby<}/>enhancing both the visual aspect and 
F37 138 <}_><-|>everyones<+|>everyone's<}/> enjoyment. The tunes of the 
F37 139 dances published by Playford are a joy to listen to: but no dancer 
F37 140 could do just that and in recent years the music has been lead 
F37 141 mostly by Tina Young of The Rigadoons band.<p/>
F37 142 <p_>Let us hope that Playford dancing will be a 
F37 143 <}_><-|>featrure<+|>feature<}/> at Broome Park for many years to 
F37 144 come - and of course the more people that come from far and near 
F37 145 wearing their finery and contributing to the convivial atmosphere 
F37 146 the more <}_><-|>wew<+|>we<}/> can be sure that the event will as 
F37 147 <}_><-|>mcu<+|>much<}/> a part of our future as it has been our 
F37 148 past.<p/>
F37 149 <h_><p_>DANCE IN YUGOSLAVIA<p/><h/>
F37 150 <p_>In the picture the dancers can be seen linking hands and moving 
F37 151 slowly in a circle. This dance is called the Kolo, almost the 
F37 152 national dance of Yugoslavia. There are many variations of this 
F37 153 dance, which can also be danced in a line. Sometimes the Kolo was 
F37 154 danced to ward off evil spirits, or to bring fertility to a newly 
F37 155 married couple. It could also be used to bless the sowing or 
F37 156 gathering of crops in Spring or Autumn.<p/>
F37 157 <p_>Yugoslavia was overrun by Turks for five centuries, so the 
F37 158 Turkish influence is seen in the music used to accompany the 
F37 159 <}_><-|>dasnce<+|>dance<}/>. At first the Turks forbade music 
F37 160 altogether, so often the <}_><-|>peassants<+|>peasants<}/> danced 
F37 161 without it, just stamping their feet and clapping their hands to 
F37 162 the rhythm of the dance. The Turks were so hated that the leader of 
F37 163 the dance often clenches his right hand behind his back as a secret 
F37 164 symbol of defiance.<p/>
F37 165 <p_>Today every Sunday during the tourist season, dancers and 
F37 166 musicians dressed in their national costume meet and perform in the 
F37 167 village of Cilipi near Dubrovnik.<p/>
F37 168 <p_>contributed by <tf_>Joan G Brown<tf/> Maidstone FDC<p/>
F37 169 <h_><p_>Annual Trawler Race in Folkestone.<p/><h/>
F37 170 <p_>Although competition and gain are played down as primary 
F37 171 elements in our fields of interest, this annual event has, 
F37 172 predominately, an element of fun.<p/>
F37 173 <p_>It has been held regularly for eleven years on a Saturday in 
F37 174 August, (24th. August this year.) depending on the tide. It is a 
F37 175 pursuit race in which some thirty registered fishing trawlers, 
F37 176 drifters, liners or motor boats start from outside Folkestone 
F37 177 harbour at times dependent on individual handicaps allotted. These 
F37 178 aim to bring them all back to Folkestone harbour at about the same 
F37 179 time from the course round a yellow <}_><-|>bouy<+|>buoy<}/> laid 
F37 180 half way to Dover.<p/>
F37 181 <p_>From early morning on the day - the tide right and the weather 
F37 182 practical - the vessels competing, are being decorated overall. 
F37 183 They will assemble for judging in the harbour. Then, during the 
F37 184 morning, amid much bantering and teasing, flower bag slinging and 
F37 185 water squirting, each sets off eastward at its appointed time 
F37 186 according to handicap. The children, the rest of the families and 
F37 187 onlookers stay around the quay entertained by the old Dutch organ 
F37 188 and various other attractions. The whole course can be seen from 
F37 189 Copt Point and the high ground between the first Martello Towers 
F37 190 or, of course from the high cliff top above the Warren.<p/>
F37 191 <p_>Around midday the boats begin to congregate again off the East 
F37 192 Cliff on the final stretch and excitement increases as the winners 
F37 193 come in.<p/>
F37 194 <p_>Later at a lively party in the East Cliff Pavilion, the prizes 
F37 195 are awarded an another Trawler Race Day ends.<p/>
F37 196 <p_>(With thanks and appreciation for help to Mr. Paul James, 
F37 197 Umpire and Chairman of Folkestone 
F37 198 <}_><-|>Fishermens<+|>Fishermen's<}/> Association and Mr. Reg 
F37 199 Briggs, an old friend of Folkestone Yacht Club days.)<p/>
F37 200 <h_><p_>"THE END OF THE ROAD"<p/><h/>
F37 201 <p_><tf_>Simon Evans<tf/> must be congratulated on his excellent 
F37 202 documentary on the life, culture and music of the Travelling people 
F37 203 in Kent as featured in BBC Radio 4's 'Kaleidoscope' programme 
F37 204 broadcast on Friday 7th September last.<p/>
F37 205 
F37 206 
F37 207 
F38   1 <#FLOB:F38\><h_><p_>Bank-Fishing in April<p/><h/>
F38   2 <p_>Most of the major reservoirs open for fishing on April 1 or 
F38   3 Good Friday, whichever is the earlier. When I'm standing in 
F38   4 icy-cold water, hands purple with cold, blustery showers spattering 
F38   5 my specs, on an all-too-typical Opening Day, I reckon the epithet 
F38   6 'April Fool' is well merited, but it only needs that magic pull 
F38   7 from the first trout of the season and any discomfort is 
F38   8 immediately forgotten as excitement takes over and the adrenalin 
F38   9 flows! If we are to make the best of the April fishing, we must be 
F38  10 prepared to accept whatever the weather throws at us - after all, 
F38  11 we can't throw it back! If your reservoir is situated so that 
F38  12 westerly, south-westerly, or southerly winds give suitable wind 
F38  13 directions for fishing the banks, you are indeed lucky. Luckier 
F38  14 still if those winds prevail during April, bringing mild cloudy 
F38  15 conditions. All too often, the reverse is the case and raw 
F38  16 north-easterlies create conditions where even newly introduced 
F38  17 stockies are reluctant to take.<p/>
F38  18 <p_>British weather being what it is, however, I've known several 
F38  19 Opening Days when the sun beat down and jackets were discarded in 
F38  20 air temperatures warmer than those of the following June. Even 
F38  21 after one of the comparatively mild winters we've been experiencing 
F38  22 during recent years, one thing is fairly certain - the main body of 
F38  23 water will still be very cold. The big reservoirs take many weeks 
F38  24 for the water to reach a comfortable temperature. It is only the 
F38  25 shallower water round the banks which warms up more quickly and 
F38  26 brings the trout into a situation where they become more active and 
F38  27 need to feed more positively. The bank-fisher should therefore 
F38  28 score over the boat-angler during this month because these more 
F38  29 productive spots are not usually available to the boat-fisher. 
F38  30 These band shallows are out of bounds for boats, because reservoir 
F38  31 rules usually prohibit them approaching within 50 metres of the 
F38  32 bank, so anchoring-up near the bank is 'out'. Drifting boat methods 
F38  33 are restricted to deep-sunk lures behind the boat, if allowed by 
F38  34 the rules, or Highspeed HiD line over the front, with a very slow 
F38  35 drift speed; loch-style fishing with floating line, covering as it 
F38  36 does the upper layers, is usually unproductive.<p/>
F38  37 <p_>Bank-fishers have the opportunity of enjoying the best of the 
F38  38 action, fishing the most likely locations round the reservoir, 
F38  39 places where fish are easily reached and where they are most likely 
F38  40 to be feeding. Use your thermometer, and measure the temperature 
F38  41 accurately. It's of little use just to dip your hand in the water. 
F38  42 Look for readings above 45<*_>degree<*/>F (7<*_>degree<*/>C) if 
F38  43 possible, at which trout will move quite well. You'll be amazed at 
F38  44 the difference between one shore and another.<p/>
F38  45 <p_>It is essential to remember that trout are cold-blooded 
F38  46 creatures in the exact sense of the word, with their body 
F38  47 temperature equalling that of the surrounding water. Body 
F38  48 temperature controls metabolism and activity. In temperatures below 
F38  49 45<*_>degree<*/>F (7<*_>degree<*/>C) the trout will be quite 
F38  50 lethargic. Within certain limits, the warmer the water, the more 
F38  51 active are the fish and the more likely they are to feed. 
F38  52 Discussing this point with Michael Leney, a trout farmer of very 
F38  53 long experience, he told me that 55<*_>degree<*/>F 
F38  54 (13<*_>degree<*/>C) is the optimum water temperature for trout. In 
F38  55 stewponds, doubtless spurred on by competition from the other 
F38  56 trout, they can take pellets in water which is only just above 
F38  57 freezing, but conversion of the food into body weight is virtually 
F38  58 nil at such temperatures. This is perhaps the equivalent of 
F38  59 shoaling stockie rainbows taking lures on a cold opening day?<p/>
F38  60 <p_>If recent and current weather conditions dictate that you fish 
F38  61 into the wind, it isn't always the chore some think it is. 
F38  62 Long-casting is rarely needed; often the trout are only a few yards 
F38  63 out, beyond any band of coloured water which has been stirred up by 
F38  64 the waves. Don't bother to fish really 'dirty' water, even though 
F38  65 it may be the warmest in the reservoir; you can't expect trout to 
F38  66 tolerate it, and even if they do, visibility is so poor it is 
F38  67 doubtful if they can see your offerings. Fishing into the wind, 
F38  68 remember to cut the rod-tip down through the wind to give the line 
F38  69 that extra impetus, and keep the leader length to a minimum, with 
F38  70 no more than two flies. A longer leader will just be blown back, 
F38  71 and the flies won't fish properly until you have taken up the 
F38  72 slack.<p/>
F38  73 <p_>Whether it's allowed or not, don't wade shores into which a 
F38  74 strong wind is blowing. Owing to the cloudy water, you often cannot 
F38  75 see the bottom, and could easily step into a deep hole. A heavy 
F38  76 wave can slop over the top of your waders, a mishap I try to avoid. 
F38  77 By the way, if your waders do get wet inside, when you get home 
F38  78 pack them with screwed-up newspaper, which will absorb much of the 
F38  79 moisture overnight; after removing this, finish the drying process 
F38  80 with prolonged use of a hair-dryer.<p/>
F38  81 <p_>If your reservoir isn't stocked with triploids or female 
F38  82 rainbows, and you want to avoid our-of-condition 'black' trout, 
F38  83 steer clear of shallows with a hard stony bottom. Such places are 
F38  84 often populated with male rainbows not worth catching. Similarly, 
F38  85 stay away from any spots where feeder streams or drainage trickles 
F38  86 enter the reservoir. Another 'no-go' area, though for a different 
F38  87 reason, is anywhere which dried out completely during the previous 
F38  88 season; all weed and insect-life will have been killed off and when 
F38  89 the reservoir is refilled the barren bottom will not sustain any 
F38  90 food items or offer shelter to hold trout there. The fish will tend 
F38  91 to be found where last season's marginal weed remains, often 40 or 
F38  92 50 yards out, and at that distance they are out of range to even 
F38  93 the expert shooting-head exponent. After a dry summer, and low 
F38  94 water-levels, this means you should concentrate on the deeper parts 
F38  95 where the bed slopes more sharply, and the weed is likely to be 
F38  96 within reach. If there's a side<?_>-<?/>wind, so much the 
F38  97 better.<p/>
F38  98 <p_>If the water is no more than 8 feet deep, I like to use a 
F38  99 floating line and long (say 20-foot) leader with a leaded point fly 
F38 100 to get down quickly. Deeper than that, use a WF sinking line, the 
F38 101 sinking rate of which is determined by the slope of the bed. A 
F38 102 gradually shelving bank, giving water 10-12 feet deep at 25 yards 
F38 103 out, could be tackled with a slow-sinker (sinking at around 2 
F38 104 inches per second); a fast-sinker would need too fast a retrieve to 
F38 105 avoid snagging the bottom, and in cold water a very slow retrieve 
F38 106 is essential. Trout won't chase after anything moving fast. Even 
F38 107 lures should be moved slowly, so select those with mobile materials 
F38 108 such as marabou.<p/>
F38 109 <p_>Steeply-shelving bottoms or deep-water drop-offs require a 
F38 110 fast<?_>-<?/>sinker (sink-rate about 3 inches per second); very 
F38 111 deep water needs a very fast-sinking shooting-head, because you 
F38 112 must cast a very long way to compensate for the greater depth to 
F38 113 which the line must sink. Choice of shooting-head backing is then 
F38 114 important; braided monofil backing is unsuitable because it is 
F38 115 slightly buoyant and slows down the sinking rate of the set-up. I 
F38 116 prefer 30-lb-test Stren monofil in the fluorescent yellow colour; 
F38 117 this is thick enough to handle nicely and limp enough to resist 
F38 118 tangles, provided you stretch it thoroughly before every fishing 
F38 119 session. Join the monofil to the head with a needle knot finished 
F38 120 with a few coats of Vycoat to facilitate passage through the 
F38 121 rod-rings.<p/>
F38 122 <p_>A brightly-coloured shooting-head backing enables you to use 
F38 123 the portion between rod-tip and water surface as a take-indicator, 
F38 124 in the same way as the coarse-fisherman uses a swing-tip when 
F38 125 ledgering. Any deviation from its normal angle can mean that a 
F38 126 trout has taken the fly - you don't need to wait for the pull 
F38 127 before tightening. This visible indication of a take is equally 
F38 128 important when fishing a floating line; when I'm figure-of-eight 
F38 129 nymphing, there are many times when a slight lift of the line at 
F38 130 the rod-tip tells me that a trout has my fly. Waiting for the pull 
F38 131 might result in just a missed 'tweak'. Usually I do rely on a pull 
F38 132 to indicate a take, however, and simply lift into it firmly; you 
F38 133 will rarely hear a swish as I strike, because I don't strike with 
F38 134 terrific force like some people do.<p/>
F38 135 <p_>Lure-fishing at depth, using one lure only, requires a strong 
F38 136 leader<?_>-<?/>point, say 8-10lb, and the leader need not be longer 
F38 137 than 9 feet if a sinking line is used. The less-expert caster will 
F38 138 find that a knotless-taper leader turns over well. If you prefer to 
F38 139 fish nymphs or wet flies with a sinking line, you could increase 
F38 140 the length to 15 feet, decrease the strength to 5 or 6lb, and have 
F38 141 4-inch droppers spaced at 4-foot intervals. Fishing into the wind, 
F38 142 use no more than 10 feet of leader and no more than two flies.<p/>
F38 143 <p_>With any type of sinking line, one warning applies to all. Do 
F38 144 not attempt to back-cast until there are only a few feet of line 
F38 145 remaining in the water. Trying to lift a longer length of sunk line 
F38 146 could result in a broken rod, and at best makes life difficult. In 
F38 147 any case, fish often follow the flies up from the depths and take 
F38 148 as the fly is about to leave the water, so it pays not to lift off 
F38 149 too soon. Hang the flies at the surface for a few seconds - yes, 
F38 150 trout <tf|>will take a static fly! If there is no take, roll-cast 
F38 151 the line into the air, back-cast, and then false-cast to work 
F38 152 outside the rod-tip the amount of line you need for the next cast; 
F38 153 if using a shooting-head of WF line, this must only be a couple of 
F38 154 feet longer than the head itself and the rest must be shot.<p/>
F38 155 <p_>Even if there is no sign of surface activity and no hatch of 
F38 156 insects, I like to start with nymphs if the wind isn't too strong. 
F38 157 In winds of 10 knots or more I fish a lure at this time of the 
F38 158 year. Any one method is rarely the complete answer, so although my 
F38 159 preference is always towards the imitative approach I'm not against 
F38 160 lures. Those who stick stubbornly to one method miss out sooner or 
F38 161 later. Be prepared to alter your technique according to 
F38 162 conditions.<p/>
F38 163 <p_>Having chosen your specific location on the bank, and the 
F38 164 method to be used, don't wade in straight away. Start fishing off 
F38 165 the bank itself. Usually the water is very clear in April, with no 
F38 166 development of suspended unicellular algae to give colour, so your 
F38 167 approach to the water should be cautious in order not to scare any 
F38 168 trout which may be close in. Cover the water with short casts at 
F38 169 first, each cast at a different angle so that you fish a fan-shaped 
F38 170 area. Lengthen the distance gradually until you are fishing at 
F38 171 almost the full extent of your casting ability. Give your flies or 
F38 172 lure time to sink to the appropriate depth before commencing the 
F38 173 retrieve. Count off the seconds until the fly touches bottom or 
F38 174 connects with weed on the retrieve, and knock off two or three 
F38 175 seconds next time; you will then know that you are fishing just off 
F38 176 the bottom, where the trout probably are.<p/>
F38 177 <p_>Takes in cold water can be really quite gentle, often feeling 
F38 178 almost as though you have hooked a bit of weed, so you must be sure 
F38 179 that every slight stoppage is a fish and not weed. In any case, a 
F38 180 fly festooned with weed or bits of bottom debris is most unlikely 
F38 181 to be taken.<p/>
F38 182 <p_>You may get takes as the fly is falling though the water ('on 
F38 183 the drop' is the term used). If this happens, note the number of 
F38 184 seconds' wait at which it occurred, and next time start the 
F38 185 retrieve at that moment because the indication is that this is the 
F38 186 depth at which the trout are moving.
F38 187 
F38 188 
F39   1 <#FLOB:F39\><h_><p_>EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY THIMBLES<p/>
F39   2 <p_>Three main shapes characterize thimbles made in the eighteenth 
F39   3 century: in the early years, a short, round thimble was preferred; 
F39   4 gradually, tall, thin thimbles replaced these in popularity; but by 
F39   5 the end of the century, the beehive form was favoured. As the 
F39   6 century progressed, so the demand for sewing sets increased.<p/><h/>
F39   7 <p_>By the end of the seventeenth century, the Dutch thimble 
F39   8 industry was beginning to lose its business to English and German 
F39   9 competitors. There were at least five German factories in the 
F39  10 valley of the river Lenne, in south Westphalia, the most notable of 
F39  11 which was owned by Johan Casper Rumpe who enjoyed the patronage of 
F39  12 Frederick the Great. Rumpe's basic method of production was casting 
F39  13 and then hand-finishing and his company specialized in inexpensive 
F39  14 well-made metal thimbles; they are still in production today.<p/>
F39  15 <p_>England had its own prospering brass trade by now and no longer 
F39  16 needed to import thimbles from over<?_>-<?/>seas. John Lofting's 
F39  17 mill continued production into the eighteenth century - finds of 
F39  18 his brass thimbles in the United States, England and the 
F39  19 Netherlands suggest that they were in great demand. Birmingham had 
F39  20 a flourishing trade in small brass toys (in the sense of trinkets), 
F39  21 such as thimbles, buckles and buttons, alongside that of its 
F39  22 silverware. Joseph Ashwell and Walter Davenport were registered 
F39  23 there in the trade directory in 1769 as thimble-makers. The same 
F39  24 year saw the patenting of an important invention for applying metal 
F39  25 ornamentation, John Ford's patent Number 935. Raised patterns were 
F39  26 formed on a sheet of metal which was pressed by machine between two 
F39  27 dyes (stamps), one dye being convex and the other concave. This 
F39  28 gave far greater scope for design on less expensive goods and 
F39  29 effectively foreshadowed the end of the hand-crafted metal thimble; 
F39  30 after a period of experimentation, mass-production of metal 
F39  31 thimbles became a reality.<p/>
F39  32 <p_>The collector's interest in base metal thimbles is obviously 
F39  33 not connected solely with the value of the materials from which 
F39  34 they are made or with aesthetic considerations, but with their 
F39  35 craftsmanship, antiquity, historical associations and so on. The 
F39  36 mass-production of thimbles therefore often renders them less 
F39  37 interesting to the collector.<p/>
F39  38 <p_>The eighteenth century saw the general diminution of the power 
F39  39 of monarchy and a corresponding increase in the power of elected 
F39  40 government. New industrial methods accelerated the number and range 
F39  41 of everyday and luxury goods produced and more people could afford 
F39  42 them. The eighteenth-century fashion for trifles, <foreign_>objets 
F39  43 de vertu<foreign/>, and <foreign|>galenterie (including thimbles) 
F39  44 which originated in France, took Europe by storm. Silver sewing 
F39  45 compendiums are a good example.<p/>
F39  46 <p_>Three main thimble shapes succeeded each other as the century 
F39  47 progressed. Needleworkers in the first half of the century 
F39  48 preferred the shorter rounder shape which then declined in 
F39  49 popularity in favour of a return to the tall, slim thimble with a 
F39  50 rounded top. The beehive form towards the end of the century was 
F39  51 the last of the three. Until the 1750s or so, thimbles were still 
F39  52 being made in two pieces - a top and a cylinder. A gentle widening 
F39  53 of the base in relation to the top as the century progressed was 
F39  54 accompanied by the addition of a border which often carried 
F39  55 decoration, followed by two engraved lines at the thimble's base 
F39  56 (in lieu of a rim). Indentations were small and round, retaining 
F39  57 the circular look prevalent at the end of the previous century - 
F39  58 the waffle indentations on the sides of the thimbles had ceased. 
F39  59 Occasionally tiny dots were used in between the circular 
F39  60 indentations. The thimble tops had both round and 
F39  61 waffle<?_>-<?/>shaped indentations but rarely any rims.<p/>
F39  62 <p_>In the second half of the century, metal thimbles began to be 
F39  63 made in one piece using a technique known as the 'deep drawn' 
F39  64 method. 'Deep drawing' shapes the thimble from a small, flat, round 
F39  65 disc which is hammered into a dye, or mould. This method of 
F39  66 production was largely responsible for pushing the trend towards 
F39  67 taller slimmer thimbles which needed in some cases to be 
F39  68 reinforced, for instance, with the introduction of steel tops. 
F39  69 Beehive thimbles were made in one piece, with indentations reaching 
F39  70 down to the border at their base. Thimble decoration certainly 
F39  71 changed to suit current tastes (for the Neo-classical and Rococo 
F39  72 styles), but not so drastically that working thimbles lost their 
F39  73 primarily functional raison d'<*_>e-circ<*/>tre. The more 
F39  74 restrained Neo-classical style prevailed on decorative thimbles 
F39  75 that had still to retain their full function; more extravagant 
F39  76 Rococo designs were favoured for elaborate chatelaines and etuis, 
F39  77 prized for their fine workmanship and expensive materials more than 
F39  78 for their utility. Exceptional workmanship is evident in certain 
F39  79 Rococo gold and tortoiseshell thimble cases and in gold thimbles. 
F39  80 The typically wavy, almost waisted outline, the chasing of tiny 
F39  81 flowers and leaves and even the use of a natural material such as 
F39  82 shell luxurious harmony with gold are all classic examples of the 
F39  83 Rococo style at its finest.<p/>
F39  84 <h_><p_>THIMBLES AS TOYS<p/><h/>
F39  85 <p_>Decorative thimbles and other 'toys' were also being introduced 
F39  86 alongside practical working thimbles. Silver compendiums, mainly 
F39  87 made in England, Germany and Italy are particularly interesting: a 
F39  88 compendium unscrews to reveal a thimble, a letter powderer, a 
F39  89 needle-holder and a letter seal. Ribbon-like interlacing and 
F39  90 chasing in Moorish patterns recurs frequently. Filigree (wire work) 
F39  91 was widely applied to sewing toys, and in the first half of the 
F39  92 century, decorative filigree thimbles were stubby in shape and had 
F39  93 rounded tops. Later filigrees are taller and slimmer, but both 
F39  94 styles had shields or ovals on which their owner's initials could 
F39  95 be marked.<p/>
F39  96 <p_>Various combinations were used in making later thimble toys, 
F39  97 the most famous being a thimble screwing on to a base containing a 
F39  98 miniature scent bottle as first seen in the preceding century. 
F39  99 Other variations included thimbles with a tape measure or a pin 
F39 100 cushion. Some had a finger guard that screwed on to a base 
F39 101 containing a tiny emery cushion; the guard was then covered by a 
F39 102 thimble, but is sadly, now almost always missing. The bases of 
F39 103 these toys often had engraved initials and are thought to have been 
F39 104 used to seal letters. Most of the toys that have survived are in 
F39 105 silver, gold or pinchbeck and command very high prices. 
F39 106 Contemporary porcelain thimbles are also highly sought-after: the 
F39 107 vital factor affecting their value is the painting on them. They 
F39 108 have the added charm of often being very colourful, with an air of 
F39 109 fragile delicacy.<p/>
F39 110 <p_>The eighteenth century was the great age of porcelain, a fine 
F39 111 ceramic ware, white, translucent and very delicate. It was first 
F39 112 developed and exploited in China and was named after its country of 
F39 113 origin, although the English word comes from the Italian, 
F39 114 <foreign|>porcellana.<p/>
F39 115 <p_>Unfortunately very few porcelain thimbles of the period exist, 
F39 116 and many of those that have come down to us are difficult to 
F39 117 attribute with any certainty. Because of this, accredited 
F39 118 eighteenth-century porcelain thimbles are highly sought-after and 
F39 119 consequently fetch very high prices at auction.<p/>
F39 120 <h|>MEISSEN
F39 121 <p_>One of the first documented porcelain thimbles is recorded in 
F39 122 the list of the great Meissen factory (the first to manufacture 
F39 123 'hard paste' porcelain in Europe) in Germany in the early 1700s, 
F39 124 under the category <foreign|>Galanterien, which can be translated 
F39 125 in this context as 'fancy goods'. There is little pretence that 
F39 126 these porcelain thimbles were ever intended for practical work: 
F39 127 they were fashioned purely as decorative objects - as beautiful 
F39 128 gifts and keepsakes for wives and sweethearts - and for this reason 
F39 129 they have a very special place in the romance of thimble-collecting 
F39 130 (China thimbles do, however, have a specific use in needlework, as 
F39 131 their smooth texture makes them ideal for working with silk).<p/>
F39 132 <p_>Because most Meissen thimbles now exist in private collections, 
F39 133 it is very difficult to calculate how many actually survive, but it 
F39 134 would be a great surprise, given what we know, if there are more 
F39 135 than about 500 - of which only a handful are in public collections 
F39 136 and museums. At probably the most important ever auction of 
F39 137 thimbles, held at Christie's Geneva show<?_>-<?/>room in 1975, no 
F39 138 less than 103 Meissen thimbles went under the hammer, all of which 
F39 139 were fully authenticated, and many of which were, in addition, 
F39 140 accredited to individual craftsmen and painters. A world record 
F39 141 price of 21,000 Swiss francs was paid for a continuous seascape 
F39 142 thimble featuring offshore ships, attributed to Ignaz Preissler at 
F39 143 Breslau. This record price was broken in 1979, when Christie's 
F39 144 auctioned 10 Meissen thimbles, among them a small thimble from the 
F39 145 1740s depicting a harbour scene, which sold for a hammer price of 
F39 146 pounds8000.<p/>
F39 147 <p_>Landscapes and seascapes are popular Meissen subjects, as are 
F39 148 people fishing or hunting, and birds and flowers depicted in 
F39 149 oriental style. Many Meissen thimbles have a distinctive rounded 
F39 150 form, but the Cummer Gallery of Art in Jacksonville, Florida, has a 
F39 151 collection of eight eighteenth-century Meissen thimbles, the shapes 
F39 152 of which vary considerably. One has a waisted effect, tied around 
F39 153 with a painted blue bow on a plain white ground and with a gilded 
F39 154 interior; another is very small and squat, with two plain yellow 
F39 155 bands at top and bottom; and a third has a flat top, is tall and 
F39 156 slim, and is painted all over with <}_><-|> 
F39 157 many<?_>-<?/>colourd<+|> many<?_>-<?/>coloured<}/> 
F39 158 'Deutsche-Blumen' flowers. This Deutsche-Blumen pattern was 
F39 159 introduced <tf|>c.1735, inspired by Chinese and Japanese work: it 
F39 160 shows stylized oriental flowers outlined in a darker colour.<p/>
F39 161 <p_>The trademark of Meissen consists of two crossed swords, 
F39 162 painted in underglaze blue, but this is not always present. Meissen 
F39 163 thimbles can usually be readily identified by the painting style, 
F39 164 which is always fine, and shows meticulous attention to detail: 
F39 165 gilding inside the thimble is also a good indicator, but again, 
F39 166 this is not always found.<p/>
F39 167 <p_>Meissen designs were heavily influenced by Chinese and Japanese 
F39 168 decoration on the costly items regularly imported to Europe from 
F39 169 the Far East at that time. Because of their great commercial 
F39 170 success, and the facility with which they reinterpreted oriental 
F39 171 hard paste porcelain, most of their contemporary European rivals 
F39 172 copied Meissen, though there is not here, as there is in other 
F39 173 thimble categories, much danger of confusion in attribution. These 
F39 174 competitors and imitators included factories at Furstenberg, 
F39 175 Ludwigsburg, Nymphenburg, and possibly H<*_>o-umlaut<*/>chst, in 
F39 176 Germany; Schooren in Switzerland; and Du Paquier in Vienna: but 
F39 177 documentation is incomplete, and in any case none of their 
F39 178 production can be said to rival Meissen either in artistry or scale 
F39 179 of output.<p/>
F39 180 <p_>Elsewhere in Europe, the Royal Copenhagen factory in Denmark 
F39 181 certainly produced some porcelain thimbles, but they lack the 
F39 182 refined elegance of their Meissen peers. Thimbles were also 
F39 183 manufactured at the Royal Factory in Naples, Italy, of which a 
F39 184 small number still exist, and at Mennecy-Villeroy, in France. 
F39 185 However, it is only in England that any genuine attempt was made to 
F39 186 compete with Meissen, certainly in quantity, if seldom in design. 
F39 187 It is ironic that the growth of the market for porcelain thimbles 
F39 188 in England came at a time when the Meissen factory had all but 
F39 189 ceased production.<p/>
F39 190 <p_>Generally, records for the earliest past of the eighteenth 
F39 191 century are vague, and though thimbles other than Meissen have come 
F39 192 down to us, attribution is difficult and mostly uncertain. Factory 
F39 193 documentation shows that porcelain thimbles were being manufactured 
F39 194 in quantity, yet relatively few examples exist: this may be due to 
F39 195 their fragility, or to the fact that they were damaged easily, and 
F39 196 so were discarded.<p/>
F39 197 <p_>In England in the late eighteenth century, the Chelsea factory 
F39 198 and the Worcester Porcelain Company (previously named Chamberlain 
F39 199 Worcester), all included soft past thimbles in their list of wares. 
F39 200 It was not until the nineteenth century that the fashion really 
F39 201 took hold, and the market was then quickly dominated by 
F39 202 Worcester.<p/>
F39 203 <p_>Porcelain had become a standard product by the end of the 
F39 204 eighteenth century: when Chamberlain (later to become Chamberlain 
F39 205 Worcester) commenced manufacture in 1790, there were fewer than 10 
F39 206 porcelain producers in the British Isles, but by the 1840s-50s 
F39 207 there were nearly 100. One of the earliest pieces of evidence of 
F39 208 porcelain thimble manufacture in England is a thimble waster, or 
F39 209 mould, found in one of the store rooms of the Worcester Porcelain 
F39 210 Company dating from <tf|>c.1785.
F39 211 
F39 212 
F40   1 <#FLOB:F40\><h_><p_>KEEPING UP APPEARANCES<p/>
F40   2 <p_>The Heritage of London Trust is helping restore the 'grace 
F40   3 notes' of the capital's landmarks, writes Tony Aldous.<p/><h/>
F40   4 <p_>What have the Dogs of Alcibiades, a gazebo at Twickenham, eight 
F40   5 19th-century cabmen's shelters and the intricately carved pulpit of 
F40   6 Sir Christopher Wren's church of St Stephen Walbrook in common? The 
F40   7 answer is, they have all been restored with the help of grants from 
F40   8 the Heritage of London Trust (HLT). These are just four of the more 
F40   9 than 150 conservation projects the trust has funded in its first 10 
F40  10 years of existence.<p/>
F40  11 <p_>In doing so, the trust has brought to wider notice a number of 
F40  12 little-known architectural gems in the remoter parts of Greater 
F40  13 London. For example, it has three times given grants towards 
F40  14 restoration of the interior of the church of St Lawrence Whitchurch 
F40  15 at Stanmore, on the capital's unprepossessing northern suburban 
F40  16 edge. From the outside this looks like a decent Georgian church 
F40  17 with a 16th-century tower; inside the richly decorated Baroque 
F40  18 interior you could for a moment think yourself in the Tyrol or 
F40  19 southern Germany.<p/>
F40  20 <p_>Stanmore owes this unexpected treasure to the 18th-century Duke 
F40  21 of Chandos, who built a mansion, Canons, near by, and remodelled 
F40  22 the church to serve, in effect, as his private chapel. He sat with 
F40  23 his bodyguard in the west gallery under the tower, listening to his 
F40  24 30-strong concert of musicians playing music by his 
F40  25 composer-in-residence, George Frideric Handel. At ground level the 
F40  26 nave is filled with very English box pews, but above them rise 
F40  27 painted walls and a vaulted ceiling that ought to be in Austria, 
F40  28 filled with depictions of the virtues, evangelists and biblical 
F40  29 scenes by Louis Laguerre.<p/>
F40  30 <p_>At the east end the effect is quite theatrical: in front, the 
F40  31 altar; behind it, gilded organ pipes rising from a finely carved 
F40  32 case attributed to Grinling Gibbons; and, behind that, a 
F40  33 retro-choir with vaulted ceiling on which painted clouds swirl 
F40  34 across a blue sky. On the corresponding canopy above the Duke's 
F40  35 gallery is a dramatic copy by Antonio Bellucci of Raphael's 
F40  36 <tf|>Transfiguration.<p/>
F40  37 <p_>St Lawrence, unique in Britain, has attracted funds from a 
F40  38 number of organisations to restore its interior. HLT's 
F40  39 contributions so far have been used to restore two of the ceiling 
F40  40 paintings (pounds12,000, of which pounds6,000 came from the Pilgrim 
F40  41 Trust); to restore the antechamber to the adjoining Chandos 
F40  42 Mausoleum in which are buried the Duke and his first two wives 
F40  43 (pounds5,000, plus pounds7,000 from Pilgrim); and repainting of the 
F40  44 Duke's colourful armorial hatchments.<p/>
F40  45 <p_>Sometimes the trust puts its money into restoring a room or 
F40  46 rooms in a building undergoing more general restoration. Thus at 
F40  47 Pitshanger Manor, Ealing, another little-known treasure which was 
F40  48 Sir John Soane's country house, its money is earmarked to restore 
F40  49 the principal bedchamber to the appearance Soane gave it in 1801. 
F40  50 The Heritage of London Trust's pounds6,830 grant is matched by an 
F40  51 equivalent sum from the Leche Trust.<p/>
F40  52 <p_>At Charles Dickens's House, No 48 Doughty Street, Clerkenwell, 
F40  53 one of HLT's earliest grants, of pounds10,000, returned the drawing 
F40  54 room to an early-Victorian state. Judged by present-day taste, it 
F40  55 may seem fairly indigestible, but Dickens and his contemporaries 
F40  56 considered it just the thing. The restorers had some difficulty in 
F40  57 tracking down an authentic carpet design, but eventually found the 
F40  58 King of Sweden possessed one of the right pattern.<p/>
F40  59 <p_>Buildings benefiting from the HLT's assistance range from the 
F40  60 prestigious to the obscure. Prestigious beneficiaries include the 
F40  61 Royal Academy of Arts (restoration of the Palladian 
F40  62 fa<*_>c-cedille<*/>ade of Burlington House); Lambeth Palace (return 
F40  63 of a 17th-century wooden screen to the chapel); English National 
F40  64 Opera's base, the London Coliseum (restoration of the original 
F40  65 Frank Matcham-designed entrance canopy); and St Bartholomew's 
F40  66 Hospital (Henry VIII Gate and courtyard fountain).<p/>
F40  67 <p_>Among the relatively obscure are repairs to the 130-year-old 
F40  68 spire of Christ Church, Cubitt Town; restoration of the Pelican 
F40  69 group of statuary in Coade stone at the Horniman Museum; 
F40  70 replacement of a statue on the pediment of the Hackney Empire 
F40  71 theatre; rebuilding a granary at Harrow's medieval Headstone Manor; 
F40  72 and the reinstatement of copper flower finials on the roof parapets 
F40  73 of public halls designed and given to South Norwood by local 
F40  74 inventor and industrialist William Stanley. The Stanley Halls grant 
F40  75 comes from a special fund given to the trust by Croydon Corporation 
F40  76 and earmarked for projects within its boundaries.<p/>
F40  77 <p_>Not all grants are for buildings or even for artifacts. In 
F40  78 continuing to support restoration of Hawksmoor's splendid Christ 
F40  79 Church, Spitalfields, the trust paid out pounds10,000 for a 
F40  80 research report and working drawings which could not otherwise have 
F40  81 been afforded. It has also backed an exhibition on Sir Christopher 
F40  82 Wren at Whitechapel Art Gallery in east London, and publication of 
F40  83 an architectural map of Covent Garden.<p/>
F40  84 <p_>Heritage of London Trust came into being in 1981 when the 
F40  85 Greater London Council decided that London should follow other 
F40  86 cities and countries in Britain by setting up a building 
F40  87 preservation trust. These operate primarily as 'revolving funds', 
F40  88 buying and restoring historic buildings, then selling them to 
F40  89 finance further projects. But for various reasons, not least the 
F40  90 nature of the London property market, the HLT has developed in a 
F40  91 very different way and instead has concentrated on two invaluable 
F40  92 functions.<p/>
F40  93 <p_>First, it provides grants to those engaged in conservation 
F40  94 projects for what may be called the 'grace notes' of restoration - 
F40  95 putting back a sculpted figure on a pediment, for instance, or 
F40  96 returning to working order the rusty, dismembered, 350-year-old 
F40  97 clock of Inigo Jones's St Paul's Church, Covent Garden. These are 
F40  98 the important details, reinstated to a very high standard, which 
F40  99 might have been omitted, postponed or merely patched up for want of 
F40 100 the extra few thousands - or even hundreds - of pounds required.<p/>
F40 101 <p_>The trust's second characteristic function is, in the words of 
F40 102 its director, Sir John Lambert, <quote_>"to stimulate things, to 
F40 103 get projects off the ground"<quote/>. This it does not by using 
F40 104 financial muscle but by persuasion, influence in key places, and 
F40 105 'leverage' - offering its grants on condition others match them. 
F40 106 Furthermore, it can give the projects it supports credibility in 
F40 107 the eyes of bigger and wealthier grant-giving charities like, for 
F40 108 instance, the Pilgrim Trust.<p/>
F40 109 <p_><quote_>"We're like a little spider sitting in the middle of a 
F40 110 web of contacts - boroughs, charitable trusts and, above all, 
F40 111 English Heritage,"<quote/> says Sir John, whose previous post was 
F40 112 as Britain's ambassador in Tunis. <quote_>"We operate in a quiet 
F40 113 way, but the pace has increased over the last two or three years. 
F40 114 We've got better known, and we've been jolly active."<quote/><p/>
F40 115 <p_>'We' chiefly means Sir John, his second-in-command, Diana 
F40 116 Beattie, and the trust's chairman, William Bell. Sir John and Mrs 
F40 117 Beattie operate three days a week from a tiny office (a former 
F40 118 stationery cupboard) at Chesham House, English Heritage London 
F40 119 Division's premises off Regent Street. English Heritage, set up to 
F40 120 look after historic buildings and monuments in England, took over 
F40 121 from the trust's original sponsor, GLC Historic Buildings Division, 
F40 122 when the GLC was abolished in 1986.<p/>
F40 123 <p_>It was Mr Bell who, in 1980, persuaded the GLC to set up the 
F40 124 Heritage of London Trust with a dowry of pounds50,000 and the 
F40 125 promise of pounds10,000 a year more if it raised pounds40,000. GLC 
F40 126 abolition knocked away that prop, although the London boroughs' 
F40 127 joint grants scheme supplies core funding to keep HLT ticking over. 
F40 128 However, the extra degree of independence has encouraged the trust 
F40 129 to stand on its own feet, and helps explain why in the past few 
F40 130 years its business has been booming.<p/>
F40 131 <p_>Though English Heritage's London Division owes HLT nothing, in 
F40 132 practice the two work in partnership. <quote_>"It's a 
F40 133 two<?_>-<?/>way process,"<quote/> says Sir John. <quote_>"People 
F40 134 tell us about possible projects, and we get English Heritage to 
F40 135 take an interest in them; English Heritage refer projects to us 
F40 136 where they think we might help."<quote/><p/>
F40 137 <p_>The trust leans very much on the expertise of its host's 
F40 138 professional conservation staff, and often helps to make a 
F40 139 restoration scheme practicable by matching English Heritage grants 
F40 140 with money from its own funds and from other trusts with which it 
F40 141 has close links. These include the Leche Trust, founded by Angus 
F40 142 Acworth, a leading campaigner for Georgian buildings and 
F40 143 furnishings, and Manifold, a family charitable trust set up by Sir 
F40 144 John Smith, whose Landmark Trust has restored scores of follies and 
F40 145 small buildings all over the UK.<p/>
F40 146 <p_>Sir John Lambert says that economic recession has made it 
F40 147 harder for the trust to raise the pounds100,000 it needs each year 
F40 148 to top up its working capital - and this just at a time when many 
F40 149 conservation groups, for the same reason, desperately need its 
F40 150 help. On the other hand, high interest rates linked with the 
F40 151 trust's tax<?_>-<?/>exempt status have worked to its advantage. The 
F40 152 trust has a useful pounds500,000 in its kitty, of which 
F40 153 pounds350,000 is committed in grants offered but not yet paid out. 
F40 154 <quote_>"Our aim,"<quote/> Lambert explains, <quote_>"isn't to 
F40 155 build up big reserves, but to be solvent, with a little put to one 
F40 156 side in case the right revolving fund project comes up."<quote/><p/>
F40 157 <p_>Lambert and his trustees are finding that donors increasingly 
F40 158 ask HLT to use their money for socially worthwhile projects, and 
F40 159 this matches the trust's preference for 'good end uses'. Examples 
F40 160 of these include work on the Trinity Centre, Tower Hamlets, used by 
F40 161 the Breakthrough Trust for the Deaf; restoration of important 
F40 162 sgraffito decoration on the old St Paul's Cathedral choir school, 
F40 163 now a youth hostel; restoration of chimneys and windows in 
F40 164 Mitcham's pretty 1829 Mary Tate Almshouses, converted to 
F40 165 high-standard sheltered housing; and restoration of the Georgian 
F40 166 billiard room at Tottenham's former Bell Brewery as the centre for 
F40 167 a disabled people's transport service.<p/>
F40 168 <p_>One very worthwhile exercise which could scarcely have happened 
F40 169 but for HLT's determined intervention was the rescue of 
F40 170 nursery-rhyme wall-tiles during demolition of a children's ward at 
F40 171 Moorfields Eye Hospital and their installation in other children's 
F40 172 wards at Moorfields and Great Ormond Street. Another was 
F40 173 restoration work at Lauderdale House, Highgate, badly damaged by 
F40 174 fire but now used as a community arts centre.<p/>
F40 175 <p_>A third and most unusual example is the restoration of, to 
F40 176 date, eight of the 13 surviving shelters built by a Victorian 
F40 177 charity to give cab-drivers somewhere warm and dry to rest and 
F40 178 partake of cheap, nourishing and non-alcoholic refreshment - which 
F40 179 they still do. VIP reopenings have featured the Duke of Westminster 
F40 180 at Grosvenor Gardens, the Duke of Gloucester (the trust's patron) 
F40 181 at Kensington Park Road and the Prince of Hanover at Hanover 
F40 182 Square.<p/>
F40 183 <p_>But what of the Dogs of Alcibiades? These are two marble dogs 
F40 184 atop brick piers in Victoria Park in the East End of London, whose 
F40 185 restoration the trust funded after they had been vandalised. Heads 
F40 186 raised and ears cocked as if some invisible benefactor were 
F40 187 offering them a succulent bone, they were first installed there in 
F40 188 1912, and are copies of a sculpture by the fifth-century-BC 
F40 189 sculptor Myron. This represented a dog owned by Myron's 
F40 190 contemporary, the Athenian politician-general Alcibiades, and were 
F40 191 given to the London County Council in 1912.<p/>
F40 192 <p_>Alcibiades had a chequered career: sentenced to death in his 
F40 193 absence after being blamed for desecration of the Hermae (ancient 
F40 194 statues in Athens); recalled to lead the Athenians to victory 
F40 195 against their enemies; finally murdered in Phrygia where he had 
F40 196 fled after the fall of the city. But whether Alcibiades's dog 
F40 197 barked when the murderer struck, or why he and his twin were 
F40 198 thought fit guardians for the park, is unknown.<p/>
F40 199 
F40 200 <h_><p_>CHESS MITES<p/>
F40 201 <p_>Twenty years ago England ranked 25th in the world of chess and 
F40 202 had no grandmasters. Now it is second only to the Soviet Union, 
F40 203 boasts 19 grandmasters and has a huge potential among the very 
F40 204 young. Is Britain at last nursing a world champion? Ted Nottingham, 
F40 205 a schoolmaster whose students are among the country's best young 
F40 206 players, and Bob Wade, English national coach, report on the 
F40 207 prospects. Photographs by Chris Cormack.<p/><h/>
F40 208 <p_>Chess has recently become a highly popular game for British 
F40 209 children, and they seem to be starting younger every year. Now they 
F40 210 are learning the game at the age of five or six, and there are 
F40 211 champions of under eight.
F40 212 
F40 213 
F40 214 
F41   1 <#FLOB:F41\><h_><p_>Buying and selling: Successful 
F41   2 negotiating<p/><h/>
F41   3 <h|>Outline
F41   4 <p_>Negotiating skills are described and they include:<p/>
F41   5 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> preparation<p/>
F41   6 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> listening and questioning<p/>
F41   7 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> trading concessions<p/>
F41   8 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> avoiding misunderstanding<p/>
F41   9 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> maintaining the momentum of negotiation<p/>
F41  10 <h_><p_>The meaning of negotiation<p/><h/>
F41  11 <p_>Negotiating involves recognizing situations where the terms of 
F41  12 trade can be changed to one's advantage. In the industrialized West 
F41  13 many buyers accept the authority of the price and wait for 
F41  14 temporary reductions, if they can. However, there is the case of an 
F41  15 immigrant from the Far East who settled in the West with his family 
F41  16 and visited the local family owned supermarket on a Saturday 
F41  17 morning to buy groceries. He filled his trolley and moved to the 
F41  18 check-out. To the cashier's surprise he did not just deposit his 
F41  19 purchases by the till and wait for them to be listed. Every time he 
F41  20 picked one of the groceries up he nominated a price that was below 
F41  21 the store's price. The cashier was astonished and rang her bell for 
F41  22 the owner, who arrived quickly. Then it was the immigrant's turn to 
F41  23 be astonished. He could not imagine a trading system where there 
F41  24 was no negotiation. Fortunately for him the owner entered into the 
F41  25 spirit of the occasion and the two began a weekly process of 
F41  26 negotiating over groceries. The owner quickly exploited his 
F41  27 strengths - the next supermarket was several miles away - and soon 
F41  28 achieved his usual profit margins, sometimes getting an 
F41  29 above-listed price sometimes below. The two became firm friends.<p/>
F41  30 <h_><p_>Negotiating from ignorance<p/><h/>
F41  31 <p_>Sometimes negotiating advantage can be derived from ignorance. 
F41  32 A chemicals company sent a highly qualified salesman to see a buyer 
F41  33 in a pharmaceuticals firm, to discuss a possible order for a bulk 
F41  34 chemical. The chemicals firm was not at that time a supplier but 
F41  35 hoped to become one. On the day the salesman arrived, the buyer was 
F41  36 ill and a senior chemist in the research and development division 
F41  37 was asked to see him instead. The salesman explained that he could 
F41  38 offer a substantial discount on the normal price for a first 
F41  39 shipment of 2 tonnes. The research executive was uninhibited by 
F41  40 purchasing experience and he asked for the same discount to be 
F41  41 applied for a two-year period, during which consumption of the 
F41  42 chemical would be 50 tonnes. The salesman asked to use a telephone 
F41  43 privately and came back into the room to say that his sales 
F41  44 director had agreed the discount for two years. The researcher was 
F41  45 disappointed to receive only a note of thanks from the head of the 
F41  46 buying department and not a salary bonus!<p/>
F41  47 <h_><p_>Negotiating to overcome a refusal to sell<p/><h/>
F41  48 <p_>There can be occasions when the potential buyer wants to buy 
F41  49 something that is not apparently for sale. He should take heart 
F41  50 from the experience of a businessman who decided that a particular 
F41  51 industrial site would be ideal for his business, even though there 
F41  52 was a busy workshop already there. He telephoned the owner and said 
F41  53 that he would like to buy the lease (having estimated that it was 
F41  54 worth pounds50,000). The owner replied abruptly that it was not for 
F41  55 sale, so the businessman responded: <quote_>"Do you mean that if I 
F41  56 offered you pounds100,000 for the lease, you would not take 
F41  57 it?"<quote/> The owner replied: <quote_>"That is different"; and 
F41  58 the businessman countered by saying: <quote_>"In which case it is 
F41  59 for sale and you and I are simply talking about the price."<quote/> 
F41  60 Negotiations began and the lease changed hands for pounds48,000.<p/>
F41  61 <h_><p_>Preparing for negotiation<p/><h/>
F41  62 <p_>Before entering into a negotiating process, a general 
F41  63 appreciation should be made of the situation.<p/>
F41  64 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> What are the comparative strengths and needs of 
F41  65 the parties in respect of this particular issue? This does not mean 
F41  66 that negotiation should not be attempted with a much larger firm. 
F41  67 It may itself be under pressure, perhaps to reduce its stocks, or 
F41  68 it may be a firm of commercial estate agents which has had a 
F41  69 property you want on its books for longer than its principals would 
F41  70 like.<p/>
F41  71 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> How urgent is the matter, for you and for them? 
F41  72 By when do you need to conclude the matter and what deadline do you 
F41  73 judge they have in mind?<p/>
F41  74 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> How important is it for you? Does it involve 
F41  75 enough money to make it worth your while negotiating? Negotiation 
F41  76 is a process which requires special preparation, so most small 
F41  77 businesses can only afford to pick out a few major sales or 
F41  78 purchases and approach them in this way. Such items might include 
F41  79 wage negotiations, a new lease for premises or a new machine for a 
F41  80 workshop.<p/>
F41  81 <p_>Consideration of these points should make it easier to decide 
F41  82 whether to try and negotiate. Negotiation occurs when two parties 
F41  83 have a mutual interest in agreement but differ as to the precise 
F41  84 nature of that agreement. If the maximum that one party is prepared 
F41  85 to offer is below the minimum that another party is prepared to 
F41  86 accept, there is no basis for an agreement. This situation 
F41  87 sometimes occurs in an industrial dispute and it drags on until one 
F41  88 or both of the parties alters its expectations and negotiations 
F41  89 begin.<p/>
F41  90 <h_><p_>List the negotiating points<p/><h/>
F41  91 <p_>The next task in preparing for negotiation is to list (often 
F41  92 mentally but written down if the list is a long one) the points 
F41  93 that one hopes to gain or the points that represent the limits to 
F41  94 which you will go. For a machine for a workshop, these might 
F41  95 include the following.<p/>
F41  96 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> Total purchase price of pounds9000.<p/>
F41  97 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> pounds7000 invoiced one month after delivery.<p/>
F41  98 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> Remaining pounds2000 invoiced two months after 
F41  99 delivery.<p/>
F41 100 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> Payment due 60 days after invoicing.<p/>
F41 101 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> Supplier's engineer to assist with installation, 
F41 102 on day of delivery, and test run machine to customer's 
F41 103 satisfaction.<p/>
F41 104 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> Two-year guarantee.<p/>
F41 105 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> When guarantee expires, a labour and spares 
F41 106 maintenance agreement.<p/>
F41 107 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> A two-hour response from the supplier in the 
F41 108 event of machine breakdown.<p/>
F41 109 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> Evening delivery and installation so that the 
F41 110 daytime work of producing to meet customer orders is unimpeded.<p/>
F41 111 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> Delivery on a date to be nominated by the 
F41 112 customer. Time is an important variable in any negotiation, witness 
F41 113 the employers who concede a percentage wage increase in return for 
F41 114 an agreement that it shall extend over 18 months rather than a 
F41 115 year.<p/>
F41 116 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> Compensation if delivery delayed, of pounds100 a 
F41 117 day.<p/>
F41 118 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> Change of specification.<p/>
F41 119 <h_><p_>Anticipating the supplier's negotiating points<p/><h/>
F41 120 <p_>In his sales presentation, the supplier may well have given his 
F41 121 terms and presented them as fixed. These could cover<p/>
F41 122 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> total purchase price of pounds10,000;<p/>
F41 123 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> 10 per cent deposit payable with order;<p/>
F41 124 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> remainder of purchase price invoiced on delivery 
F41 125 and payable within 30 days;<p/>
F41 126 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> one-year guarantee;<p/>
F41 127 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> delivery date to be notified when deposit 
F41 128 payment completed.<p/>
F41 129 <p_>Other facilities that the supplier might be prepared to 
F41 130 consider have to be estimated. They might include<p/>
F41 131 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> change of specification;<p/>
F41 132 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> his best efforts to give more specific notice of 
F41 133 delivery;<p/>
F41 134 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> annual service agreements when the guarantee has 
F41 135 expired.<p/>
F41 136 <h_><p_>Determining the negotiating strategy<p/><h/>
F41 137 <p_>The next stage of preparation is to decide the minimum that 
F41 138 will be accepted. This depends on<p/>
F41 139 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> the ease with which an alternative source can be 
F41 140 used;<p/>
F41 141 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> the loss of profit that might accrue from 
F41 142 delaying the purchase;<p/>
F41 143 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> the time that can be spared from other tasks in 
F41 144 the business.<p/>
F41 145 <p_>Once this is completed, the customer is in a position to begin 
F41 146 negotiation. If possible he should do this in a situation, such as 
F41 147 an office, where he is less likely to be distracted. Negotiating on 
F41 148 home ground is usually an advantage, especially for a small 
F41 149 business person. Not only can you control interruptions but you can 
F41 150 begin negotiating when it suits you.<p/>
F41 151 <h_><p_>Defeating intimidation<p/><h/>
F41 152 <p_>Larger firms in particular have plenty of devices to make the 
F41 153 visiting negotiator feel at a disadvantage:<p/>
F41 154 <p_>1 Making you wait well beyond the appointed time, perhaps on 
F41 155 your own in a small room. There are various ways of countering this 
F41 156 tactic, such as:<p/>
F41 157 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> taking work with you and getting on with it, as 
F41 158 if the delay is useful and not an inconvenience;<p/>
F41 159 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> asking for a phone so that you can call your 
F41 160 business and talk to your employees;<p/>
F41 161 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> asking for more information about the firm you 
F41 162 are visiting, such as the names of colleagues of the contact;<p/>
F41 163 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> asking for the use of office facilities, such as 
F41 164 photocopiers.<p/>
F41 165 <p_>All these devices can give the impression of a busy and 
F41 166 successful business person who has a great deal to do in the 
F41 167 working day. They also have the advantage of preventing you from 
F41 168 sitting and worrying about the outcome of the negotiation. Your 
F41 169 confidence is enhanced and that confidence makes a successful 
F41 170 outcome more likely.<p/>
F41 171 <p_>2 Holding the meeting in a lavishly furnished conference 
F41 172 room.<p/>
F41 173 <p_>3 Alternatively, holding it in a small office and allowing 
F41 174 frequent interruptions from colleagues and taking all telephone 
F41 175 calls. This is no reason for you to deviate from your 
F41 176 objectives.<p/>
F41 177 <p_>4 Saying at the beginning of the meeting: <quote_>"I can only 
F41 178 spare twenty minutes!"<quote/> I was once subjected to this 
F41 179 treatment but took no notice and worked towards my objectives. The 
F41 180 meeting ended successfully and amicably an hour and a half later. I 
F41 181 reminded the big company executive of his original time limit. It 
F41 182 was obvious from his reaction that he had forgotten it and that it 
F41 183 was simply a negotiating manoeuvre.<p/>
F41 184 <h_><p_>Listening and questioning<p/><h/>
F41 185 <p_>Once the negotiations have begun the best general advice is<p/>
F41 186 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> listen,<p/>
F41 187 <p_><*_>bullet<*/> ask questions.<p/>
F41 188 <p_>Listening, particularly when the other party is summarizing its 
F41 189 position, gives the opportunity to hear if the other party is 
F41 190 changing its position, and they may well do so, simply because a 
F41 191 silent attentive audience prompts the desire to talk. Asking 
F41 192 questions means, apart from the obvious advantage of acquiring 
F41 193 information, using the best technique for dealing with unwelcome 
F41 194 propositions. Such questions can also be used to make the other 
F41 195 party think more about the implications of their position: 
F41 196 <quote_>"Do you want our opinions of your machine to be based on 
F41 197 our testing it without one of your engineers being 
F41 198 present?"<quote/> This question hints at a possible weakness in 
F41 199 their position, which they may not have considered.<p/>
F41 200 <p_>Some questions can require specific answers, such as asking for 
F41 201 the longest continuous running time any of their customers have 
F41 202 obtained from the machine. Others seek to strengthen a position by 
F41 203 asking for opinions: <quote_>"Do you think your new machine will 
F41 204 wear as well as the last one?"<quote/> The seller cannot deny that 
F41 205 he has less experience of it and less information and may be forced 
F41 206 to reply with a generality such as: <quote_>"We have great 
F41 207 confidence in it"<quote/>, which does not improve his negotiating 
F41 208 stance.<p/>
F41 209 <p_>Sometimes the process of trading concessions can be compressed 
F41 210 by asking 'if' questions: <quote_>"If we take only 30-days credit, 
F41 211 will you deliver by the end of next month?"<quote/><p/>
F41 212 <p_>Negotiating principles are not just for application in 
F41 213 complicated matters. A customer walked into an electrical shop and 
F41 214 asked to buy a new kind of telephone. The sales person went away to 
F41 215 the stock<?_>-<?/>room and returned with the information that the 
F41 216 product on display was the last in stock. The customer asked for a 
F41 217 discount as it was shop soiled. The sales person stood his ground 
F41 218 and explained that it was not policy to reduce the price of 
F41 219 displayed products, whereupon the customer said he was sure he 
F41 220 could find one in another store. The sales person hurriedly 
F41 221 returned to the stock-room and returned to say that he had found 
F41 222 one after all still in its package. By this time he was so anxious 
F41 223 to please this customer that he consulted the company price list 
F41 224 and said the price on display was incorrect. The customer left the 
F41 225 store with the product he wanted reduced in price by a quarter. By 
F41 226 keeping his mind on the objective of the best possible value for 
F41 227 money, he did much better than he might have expected if he had not 
F41 228 attempted to make his purchase in a negotiating frame of mind. The 
F41 229 detail of those negotiations and the surprising change of mind by 
F41 230 the sales person are less important than the result.<p/>
F41 231 <h_><p_>Avoid objecting<p/><h/>
F41 232 <p_>Never make flat objections. The object of the exercise is to 
F41 233 continue the negotiation until there is a reasonably satisfactory 
F41 234 outcome.
F41 235 
F42   1 <#FLOB:F42\><h_><p_>Noble Stock<p/>
F42   2 <p_>JOHN RADFORD TRACES THE ROOTS OF THE WORLD'S MOST POPULAR WHITE 
F42   3 WINE GRAPE VARIETAL TO 936 AD AND A GAUL NAMED CARDO<p/><h/>
F42   4 <p_>EVERYBODY LOVES THE CHARDONNAY. UNLIKE MANY OF THE WORLD'S 
F42   5 GREAT GRAPES, WHICH RETIRE INTO MEAGRENESS and moodiness, when 
F42   6 transplanted from their native soil, the Chardonnay soldiers on 
F42   7 undaunted, from the sandy plains of Llerida to the baking vineyards 
F42   8 of Bilyara, the high-tech wineries of Sonoma to the experimental 
F42   9 nurseries of Surrey. It's a noble variety in the best tradition of 
F42  10 nobility: happy in all kinds of company, always willing to give of 
F42  11 its best, and at home all over the world.<p/>
F42  12 <p_>The origins of the Chardonnay, however, lie in the tiny village 
F42  13 (population 163) of the same name, west of the N6 from Tournus to 
F42  14 M<*_>a-circ<*/>con. The village, and the cave co-operative which 
F42  15 occupies its 16th-century ch<*_>a-circ<*/>teau, celebrated their 
F42  16 joint millenium in 1989: a thousand vintages in an unbroken line, 
F42  17 giving the distinct impression that the Chardonnay is certainly 
F42  18 here to stay.<p/>
F42  19 <p_>In the earliest records, the village and the vines which grew 
F42  20 wild among the local thistles are one. The Romans called the place 
F42  21 <foreign_>Ager Cardoniacensis<foreign/> which is traditionally 
F42  22 translated as 'the place of the thistles', as <foreign|>carduus is 
F42  23 the Latin for thistles. But the name could be derived from 
F42  24 <foreign|>cardo, which means a pivotal or axis point, bearing in 
F42  25 mind that M<*_>a-circ<*/>connais area occupies a strategic position 
F42  26 between the Alps and the Rhine - something the Romans might have 
F42  27 found quite important. <foreign|>Chardon, however, is the modern 
F42  28 French word for thistle and the plant plays a major part in the 
F42  29 local heraldry.<p/>
F42  30 <p_>In the third century what we now know as Burgundy was ruled by 
F42  31 the Romans, but largely inhabited by the Celtic Gauls and the 
F42  32 Germanic Franks. These people knocked each other about for a while 
F42  33 but united to fight the Huns, eventually becoming a united kingdom 
F42  34 in the sixth century under the first Frankish king called 
F42  35 Clovis.<p/>
F42  36 <p_>The Franks had been nomads for centuries, but settled in the 
F42  37 fertile pastures of eastern France and became farmers and herders, 
F42  38 so it is likely that they would have been the first to domesticate 
F42  39 the vine in a serious manner - and the first to give it a name. In 
F42  40 those days, names - whether of people, places, or things - tended 
F42  41 to consist of some descriptive or locational element, and it is 
F42  42 quite likely that they referred to the vine as the 
F42  43 one-from-the-thistles or something similar. The only written 
F42  44 language in the sixth century was Latin, so one-from-the-thistles 
F42  45 might translate as the genitive plural of <foreign|>carduus, which 
F42  46 is <foreign|>carduorum. Interestingly, the locals would probably 
F42  47 have still been speaking a Celto-Germanic dialect and might have 
F42  48 called it the <tf|>Disteler or something similar.<p/>
F42  49 <p_>The first written reference (again in Latin) is from the 
F42  50 tenth-century <tf_>Cartulaire de Saint-Vincent de 
F42  51 M<*_>a-circ<*/>con<tf/>. It records that the village and its church 
F42  52 were given to the bishopric of Maimbod de M<*_>a-circ<*/>con 
F42  53 between 936 and 952 by L<*_>e-acute<*/>otald, Count of 
F42  54 M<*_>a-circ<*/>con. Note the Celtic character of the names: the 
F42  55 major French directory of place-names records that the village (and 
F42  56 its vineyards and, ultimately, its grape variety) took their name 
F42  57 from a Gaul named Cardo. Again, this is a Latin version of a 
F42  58 Celto-Germanic name, and we can only conjecture as to what he was 
F42  59 called locally. With the confusion between <foreign|>Cardo and 
F42  60 <foreign|>Carduus, Latin, Frankish dialects and the 
F42  61 <foreign_>Langue d'Oil<foreign/> it could have been anything from 
F42  62 <foreign_>de Cardus<foreign/> to <foreign|>Distel (no relation). 
F42  63 However, since, still, Latin was the only written language, the 
F42  64 lands owned by this mysterious Gaul were known as 
F42  65 those-which-belong-to-Cardo, and in Latin that's also expressed as 
F42  66 the genitive plural <foreign|>cardonis. In this way, the thistle 
F42  67 (<foreign|>carduus) and the pivotal point (<foreign|>cardo) become 
F42  68 one.<p/>
F42  69 <p_>It is interesting that Cardo is described as 'a Gaul' in the 
F42  70 French texts, especially since, by the tenth century, Burgundy had 
F42  71 a fairly well integrated population with origins from northern 
F42  72 Italy to the Rhine valley. Most of the Celtic Gauls had withdrawn 
F42  73 to the west, so whether this was a lone Gaulish nobleman who moved 
F42  74 in and founded the village, or whether his origins owe more to the 
F42  75 philosophies of M Chauvin than to those of the historian, we shall 
F42  76 probably never know.<p/>
F42  77 <p_>In any case between 956 and 986 the <tf|>Cartulaire records a 
F42  78 vineyard in the village, and by 1304 the local ruling family was 
F42  79 headed by one Henry de Chardonnay (indeed, in 1990 there is a 
F42  80 Chardonnay family still living in the area). Even taking the latest 
F42  81 of the dates quoted by St Vincent, the vineyards of Chardonnay must 
F42  82 have been in place by 986, and so the vines would be comfortably 
F42  83 mature enough by 989 to produce a full vintage.<p/>
F42  84 <p_>'Yes, but,' I hear you cry, 'where did the grape actually come 
F42  85 from?' I have a book from a German publisher which explains 
F42  86 blithely that the Chardonnay is a mutation of the 
F42  87 Rul<*_>a-umlaut<*/>nder (Pinot Gris) which is itself a mutation of 
F42  88 the Riesling which just goes to show that all great (white) grapes 
F42  89 come from Germany. There are others who claim that it isn't a 
F42  90 member of the Pinot family at all. I respectfully submit that both 
F42  91 arguments are unprovable and irrelevant. Thanks to modern 
F42  92 techniques of propagation, clonal selection and the like, the 
F42  93 Chardonnay of 1990 is not necessarily even the same grape as the 
F42  94 Chardonnay of 1970, so what is likely to have happened in a 
F42  95 thousand years?<p/>
F42  96 <p_>The custom in those days was to plant what grew, and propagate 
F42  97 it if the results were good. The prosaic truth is probably that the 
F42  98 original <tf|>Cardonni<*_>e-grave<*/>re was a fairly standard and 
F42  99 unexciting wild grape, pollinated anemophilously each year and 
F42 100 throwing up sports and mutations with every vintage. In the tenth 
F42 101 century growing a vine was no more an exact science than growing a 
F42 102 beard, and the <foreign|>vigneron, through a process of trial and 
F42 103 error, reproduced vines in any way he could until the results 
F42 104 fulfilled his expectations.<p/>
F42 105 <p_>The first written works naming the grape 'Chardonnay' - in 
F42 106 French rather than Latin - didn't appear until around 500 years 
F42 107 after the village's first vintage. Over those five centuries the 
F42 108 villagers had had plenty of time to breed an average grape into a 
F42 109 good one, and a good grape into a world-beater. Indeed, the 
F42 110 Chardonnay's transplantability and versatility shows that it must 
F42 111 have been hardy stock to start with (like all good weeds) and that 
F42 112 the toiling Cardonians husbanded it very well indeed.<p/>
F42 113 <p_>By the 16th century, of course, the grape's fame had spread 
F42 114 much wider than the borders of Burgundy: some of the local names it 
F42 115 carries are evidence of its progress northward (though not, 
F42 116 strangely, southward until somebody discovered that the 
F42 117 Ard<*_>e-grave<*/>che... but that's another story). It's known as 
F42 118 the Beaunois around Beaune, and the Aubaine in the Champagne-fringe 
F42 119 vineyards of the Aube. In Chablis they used to call it the 
F42 120 <tf|>Fromenteau, ostensibly because the undersides of the leaves 
F42 121 are the colour of wheat (<foreign|>froment), but perhaps because, 
F42 122 like the one-from-the-thistles, it once produced 
F42 123 water-from-the-wheat...?<p/>
F42 124 <p_>Early in the last century, the fame of the white wines of 
F42 125 Burgundy had spread to such an extent that noblemen from Spain and 
F42 126 Italy, the Russias and the Far East, were importing vines to create 
F42 127 their own vineyards, their own Puligny, their own Meursault. Later, 
F42 128 Americans, Australians and others decided that their soils and 
F42 129 climates were pretty good, and that Chardonnay was worth a try. 
F42 130 Some succeeded better than others. The best are still with us 
F42 131 today.<p/>
F42 132 <p_>Chardonnay, the village, is also with us today. It's still 
F42 133 small, a good way from the main road, and dominated by the 
F42 134 Ch<*_>a-circ<*/>teau de Chardonnay and the Ch<*_>a-circ<*/>teau de 
F42 135 Montlaville, built in 1820, which will shortly open as a private 
F42 136 school. The village's own school closed last year, and its church 
F42 137 only opens occasionally for weddings and funerals. The village 
F42 138 laundry pool, however, still sees an occasional user, and there's a 
F42 139 tiny park with a commemorative millenium statue which is bedecked 
F42 140 with flowers in a riot of colours in the summer.<p/>
F42 141 <p_>The Ch<*_>a-circ<*/>teau de Chardonnay is mostly original: no 
F42 142 manicured museum-piece but a working building housing offices and 
F42 143 staff accommodation. It also has a big dog which barks loudly when 
F42 144 the gate is locked and licks your hand when you actually go in. The 
F42 145 winery is next door to the ch<*_>a-circ<*/>teau, with pallets and 
F42 146 forklift trucks and all the prosaic equipment of modern 
F42 147 vinibusiness. There are cars sporting Swiss and German number 
F42 148 plates among those which pull up at the door to buy Chardonnay de 
F42 149 Chardonnay at FF22,50 a litre and M<*_>a-circ<*/>con rouge for 
F42 150 FF17,00.<p/>
F42 151 <p_>The Cave Co-operative de Chardonnay has 135 members, of whom 70 
F42 152 actually supply grapes at vintage time: a total of 15,000 
F42 153 hectolitres (two million bottles) from 233 hectares of vines, 80% 
F42 154 white and 20% red (which are roughly half-and-half Gamay and Pinot 
F42 155 Noir). The red is simply M<*_>a-circ<*/>con Rouge and Bourgogne 
F42 156 Pinot Noir, of course, but the white may be Cr<*_>e-acute<*/>mant 
F42 157 de Bourgogne, M<*_>a-circ<*/>con Blanc (if it's from the co-op's 
F42 158 members outside the village) or M<*_>a-circ<*/>con Chardonnay (if 
F42 159 it's from inside the village). With Bourgogne Pinot Noir, the 
F42 160 epithet 'Pinot Noir' is the name of the grape; in the case of 
F42 161 M<*_>a-circ<*/>con-Chardonnay the epithet 'Chardonnay'  is the name 
F42 162 of the village: confusing, possibly.<p/>
F42 163 <p_>The co-op's M<*_>a-circ<*/>con-Chardonnay is called 
F42 164 Ch<*_>a-circ<*/>teau de Chardonnay if it's made from grapes grown 
F42 165 in the Ch<*_>a-circ<*/>teau's own vineyards, or Chardonnay de 
F42 166 Chardonnay if it comes from elsewhere in the village. The wines, 
F42 167 however, are very similar: the 1,000th vintage showed a crisp, 
F42 168 wholesome nose with plenty of fruit on the palate, and yet backed 
F42 169 by a certain old-fashioned backbone and character, with good length 
F42 170 and lipsmacking finish. There is none of the voluptuous fruit and 
F42 171 seductive up-front blandishment of New World Chardonnay.<p/>
F42 172 <p_>Under the hands of <foreign|>chef-caviste Claude Chevalier, the 
F42 173 co-op ferments the must in stainless steel at low temperatures and 
F42 174 holds the finished wine in neutral deposits - no oak. But apart 
F42 175 from those concessions to modern methods, the style is very 
F42 176 traditional. <quote_>"Almost <foreign|>artisanale?"<quote/> I asked 
F42 177 the co-operative's general manager, G<*_>e-acute<*/>rard-Claude 
F42 178 Pallot. He thought for a moment. 
F42 179 <quote_>"<foreign|>Rustique,"<quote/> he conceded at length. 
F42 180 <quote_>"Chardonnay has been making wine for a very long time. We 
F42 181 look at every new development but we always respect the tradition 
F42 182 of the wine as it has been made in the past. And people seem to 
F42 183 enjoy it."<quote/><p/>
F42 184 <p_>Walking back past half a dozen cars, their owners clamouring 
F42 185 for a taste of the wine from the village which gave the world one 
F42 186 of its greatest grapes, I had to reflect that he was probably 
F42 187 right.<p/>
F42 188 
F42 189 <h_><p_>White noise, White papers<p/>
F42 190 <p_>CAN YOU TELL CALIFORNIA AND FRENCH CHARDONNAY APART? THEIR 
F42 191 MAKERS COULDN'T ALWAYS DO SO AT A 'FOCUS ON CHARDONNAY' CONFERENCE 
F42 192 HELD RECENTLY IN BEAUNE: TIM ATKIN MET THE WORLD'S EXPERTS<p/><h/>
F42 193 <p_><foreign_>LE BIEN PUBLIC<foreign/> WAS IN NO DOUBT: BURGUNDY 
F42 194 WAS HAVING ITS HOTTEST SUMMER FOR YEARS: AS LOCALS CAVORTED 
F42 195 half-naked in the fountains of Dijon, a group of internationally 
F42 196 famous wine<?_>-<?/>makers met in Beaune to discuss the minutiae of 
F42 197 the world's most celebrated grape.<p/>
F42 198 <p_>The occasion was the second Focus on Chardonnay, a week-long 
F42 199 round of tastings, lectures, meals and vineyard visits. The first 
F42 200 Focus was held four years ago at Sonoma Cutrer winery, when a group 
F42 201 of Burgundians were invited to compare notes with their Californian 
F42 202 colleagues. The event was an unqualified success; hence the return 
F42 203 match.<p/>
F42 204 <p_>The line-up of participants was impressive. Several 
F42 205 Californians had made the trip: Dick Arrowood of Arrowood 
F42 206 Vineyards; Zelma Long of Simi; Steve Kistler of Kistler Vineyards; 
F42 207 Dick Graaf of Chalone; Bill Bonetti of Sonoma Cutrer; Jed Steele of 
F42 208 Kendall-Jackson and Jerry Luper of Rutherford Hill.<p/>
F42 209 <p_>The French also put out their best team: William 
F42 210 F<*_>e-grave<*/>vre and Vincent Dauvissat from Chablis; Thierry 
F42 211 Matrot from Meursault; Jean-Jacques Vincent from 
F42 212 Pouilly-Fuiss<*_>e-acute<*/>; Louis Carillon, Vincent Leflaive and 
F42 213 G<*_>e-acute<*/>rard Boudot from Puligny-Montrachet; Aubert de 
F42 214 Villaine from the Domaine de La Roman<*_>e-acute<*/>e-Conti; and 
F42 215 Bernard Morey from Chassagne-Montrachet.<p/>
F42 216 <p_>Would the Americans hold their own? It was going to be quite a 
F42 217 contest, with opinions crossing the room simultaneously in two 
F42 218 languages.
F42 219 
F42 220 
F43   1 <#FLOB:F43\><h_><p_>THE GREAT BRITISH Weekend<p/><h/>
F43   2 <p_>Going away for the weekend is a British institution. In 
F43   3 Victorian times, the new railways made it easy for friends and 
F43   4 relatives to go to stay in the great Victorian country houses. The 
F43   5 house party was a special favourite of the Edwardian upper classes. 
F43   6 Today, most of us try to get away for a day or two at some time 
F43   7 during the year because a weekend break brings welcome relaxation 
F43   8 from work and city stresses. But where to go? Here's our first-hand 
F43   9 report of some great British weekend choices<p/>
F43  10 <h_><p_>Champagne break in the Cotswolds<p/>
F43  11 <p_>Arline Usden<p/><h/>
F43  12 <p_>From the first, it was apparent that the Lygon Arms puts great 
F43  13 emphasis on good service, as befits a recent member of the Savoy 
F43  14 Hotel Group. Set in Broadway, one of the Cotswold's loveliest 
F43  15 villages, the inn exudes the special charm of 450 years of English 
F43  16 history - it is, after all, one of the oldest and most famous 
F43  17 country hotels in England - and the tone of friendly hospitality 
F43  18 and care was set from the moment we arrived.<p/>
F43  19 <p_>The attention to detail was impressive: fresh flowers in our 
F43  20 room; a bowl of fruit; a built-in hairdryer; trouser-press; and 
F43  21 various sundries such as pincushion, cotton wool as well as 
F43  22 tissues, emery boards and cotton buds.<p/>
F43  23 <p_><tf_>The Daily Telegraph<tf/> was delivered without asking 
F43  24 every morning, and a glass of sherry was served on a silver tray in 
F43  25 our room at 6pm each evening. The bath robes were indulgently 
F43  26 thick, and the television/radio had a remote control.<p/>
F43  27 <p_>We started off with a delightful tea on the patio, then had 
F43  28 drinks before dinner by the open log fire and studied the menu ... 
F43  29 eating is naturally an important part of a weekend break, so forget 
F43  30 dieting here, though slimmers can find less rich choices.<p/>
F43  31 <p_>Our first three-course dinner (pounds26.50) offered us 
F43  32 asparagus and spinach soup, smoked chicken with thyme and honey 
F43  33 dressing or a terrine of fresh salmon and smoked salmon with a 
F43  34 tomato relish, as a starter.<p/>
F43  35 <p_>I settled for a main course of grilled medallions of venison 
F43  36 with garlic flavoured lentils and fried celeriac, but I could have 
F43  37 had a panache of red mullet and turbot on an orange and anchovy 
F43  38 sauce or roast sirloin of Scottish beef with woodland mushrooms and 
F43  39 port, plus a selection of vegetables which included gratin of 
F43  40 potatoes and leek. In such a typically old<?_>-<?/>fashioned 
F43  41 English setting, we had to try the traditional pudding of the day: 
F43  42 baked syrup and marmalade tart with marmalade ice-cream. It was 
F43  43 delicious English food with a difference and superbly presented.<p/>
F43  44 <p_>Built of handsome Cotswold stone, furnished with antiques 
F43  45 collected by the Russell family - who originally owned the Lygon 
F43  46 Arms, having bought it at the turn of the century - and with real 
F43  47 log fires, this country hotel is a very special Cotswold jewel. 
F43  48 King Charles I conferred with his confidants here and Cromwell 
F43  49 actually slept at the inn.<p/>
F43  50 <p_>We were also pleasantly surprised to find we were driving down 
F43  51 empty country roads, when we got off the main route from London, 
F43  52 even though it was a Bank Holiday weekend.<p/>
F43  53 <p_>Broadway itself, of course, is full of delightful houses and 
F43  54 antique shops, and there's a long uphill walk to the Broadway 
F43  55 Tower, a folly, through fields of sheep, if you want to get some 
F43  56 exercise.<p/>
F43  57 <p_>But there was much to do inside, too, because a fine new 
F43  58 country club has been opened at the hotel, with well-equipped 
F43  59 gymnasium, galleried swimming pool and spa bath and a range of 
F43  60 excellent beauty treatments. I had a very good massage with 
F43  61 aromatic oils which chased all my tensions away.<p/>
F43  62 <p_>There is a splendid billiards room, and we could have played 
F43  63 tennis, but we settled for a walk in the delightful grounds, and 
F43  64 visited the famous gardens at Hidcote, and Sudeley Castle, the home 
F43  65 of Katherine Parr, Henry VIII's last and surviving wife.<p/>
F43  66 <p_>Stratford is just 15 miles away and other places to visit 
F43  67 include the Slaughters (see cover), Blenheim Palace, 
F43  68 Bourton-on-the-Water, and Chipping Campden.<p/>
F43  69 <h_><p_>Fact File<p/><h/>
F43  70 <p_>Champagne Weekend pounds195 per person, two nights to include 
F43  71 Friday, Saturday or Sunday. A chilled bottle of champagne is served 
F43  72 in your room when you arrive, and there is a table 
F43  73 d'h<*_>o-circ<*/>te dinner each evening, fruit and flowers in your 
F43  74 room, early morning tea with a complimentary newspaper, continental 
F43  75 breakfast and a gift to serve as a momento of your stay.<p/>
F43  76 <p_>If you can take advantage of a midweek break, minus the 
F43  77 champagne, you pay pounds185 per person. Golfing Break is 
F43  78 pounds225; a Clay Pigeon Shooting Break, pounds270.<p/>
F43  79 <p_><tf|>Contact: The Lygon Arms, Broadway, Worcestershire WR12 
F43  80 7DU. Telephone: 0386 852255.<p/>
F43  81 
F43  82 <h_><p_>Canal Cruising in the Midlands<p/>
F43  83 <p_>Amanda Brooks<p/><h/>
F43  84 <p_>Life on the ocean wave has always been a favourite pastime of 
F43  85 mine although it can be rather energetic, so I decided to plump for 
F43  86 a more relaxing weekend, although still on water.<p/>
F43  87 <p_>Arriving at Club Line Cruisers base in Coventry with parents 
F43  88 and dog in tow, we were shown to our accommodation: a 47-foot 
F43  89 <tf_>Ace of Spades<tf/> narrowboat.<p/>
F43  90 <p_>Modern conveniences were quite adequate and included a fridge, 
F43  91 gas hob and oven, bathroom and shower. The galley was stocked with 
F43  92 all the necessary utensils and had hot and cold water.<p/>
F43  93 <p_>Once we had unloaded the essentials such as bottles of wine and 
F43  94 bread and milk, a member of the company came to give us a brief 
F43  95 lesson on how to drive the boat, work the locks and grease the 
F43  96 stern gland.<p/>
F43  97 <p_>Safely through the first loch at Hawkesbury on to the Oxford 
F43  98 Canal, the scenery opened up ahead of us, complete with wild iris 
F43  99 growing on the banks, cows munching in fields of buttercups and 
F43 100 families of new born cygnets on the move.<p/>
F43 101 <p_>This really was enforced relaxation, travelling at four miles 
F43 102 an hour with no one else in sight and only the gentle rumble of the 
F43 103 engine coming between us and the canal life. On this type of 
F43 104 weekend you can do as much or as little as you want. We opted to 
F43 105 see as much as possible, and sample the local fare.<p/>
F43 106 <p_>Stopping at Ansty to explore we discovered Ansty Hall where 
F43 107 they do a superb lunch in very plush surroundings. On to Brinklow 
F43 108 where we found a delightful old-fashioned tea shop in the village, 
F43 109 and dinner at the friendly Boat pub in Newbold-on-Avon.<p/>
F43 110 <p_>Then the inevitable happened. Rain. In fact it was like a 
F43 111 monsoon. That really was the only complaint I have against 
F43 112 narrowboats. When it rains you have to stand outside to steer the 
F43 113 boat, there is no getting away from it.<p/>
F43 114 <p_>Canal life is far different from the rivers and sea in every 
F43 115 way.The boats are extremely colourful and the people on the whole 
F43 116 very friendly. Perhaps I could get used to this slow pace, it 
F43 117 certainly captivated us for a weekend.<p/>
F43 118 <h_><p_>Fact File<p/><h/>
F43 119 <p_>Weekend breaks are available all year round, departing on 
F43 120 Fridays at 3pm and returning to base on Sundays at 4pm. Rates start 
F43 121 at pounds130 for a two berth and increase to pounds310 for a 12 
F43 122 berth (fuel included). Bedding is supplied at pounds2 per berth if 
F43 123 requested when booking.<p/>
F43 124 <p_><tf|>Contact: Club Line Cruisers, Swan Lane Wharf, Swan Lane, 
F43 125 Stoke Heath, Coventry, telephone 0604 258864.<p/>
F43 126 
F43 127 <h_><p_>Guernsey Gourmet Weekend<p/>
F43 128 <p_>Emma Bromidge<p/><h/>
F43 129 <p_>Gentle Guernsey is an idyllic setting for a weekend away, 
F43 130 situated in the Gulf of St Malo off the Normandy coast of northern 
F43 131 France, 80 miles from England, but resolutely British. Here I hoped 
F43 132 to find a flavour of France without requiring a passport.<p/>
F43 133 <p_>The Air <tf|>UK flight from Stansted took just one hour, so 
F43 134 very soon we were experiencing our first sights of Guernsey, with 
F43 135 its green fields, winding lanes, and glasshouses. As there are few 
F43 136 signposts it is best to take a taxi or hire a car and make good use 
F43 137 of a tourist map to reach your destination.<p/>
F43 138 <p_>We were staying at Guernsey's four-star St Pierre Park Hotel on 
F43 139 a special gourmet weekend break. This includes two nights luxury 
F43 140 accommodation, a full English breakfast, a five-course dinner at 
F43 141 the hotel's elegant Victor Hugo restaurant and use of the recently 
F43 142 refurbished <tf_>Le Mirage<tf/> health suite, which includes a 
F43 143 luxury 25-metre swimming pool.<p/>
F43 144 <p_>For informal eating we found the hotel's new 
F43 145 <tf_>Caf<*_>e-acute<*/> Renoir<tf/> was ideal, with views across 
F43 146 the lake to the nine-hole golf course beyond. Renoir spent a month 
F43 147 in Guernsey in 1883, and painted about 15 pictures of the island. 
F43 148 The artistic theme is used for the table decoration, service style 
F43 149 and menu. Each dish is described as a portrait to be observed and 
F43 150 enjoyed.<p/>
F43 151 <p_>I recommend the starter of deep-fried mushrooms served with a 
F43 152 garlic mayonnaise, or a tender melon boat lightly dusted with 
F43 153 sienna ginger. Main course specialities include fresh caught 
F43 154 Guernsey plaice, char-grilled and served with an 
F43 155 '<foreign|>appliqu<*_>e-acute<*/>' of melting herb butter. Aspiring 
F43 156 artists can compose their own still life study from the array of 
F43 157 colourful salad vegetables, or you may prefer to let the crispy 
F43 158 base of a pizza act as a 'canvas' for the chef's creative 
F43 159 talents.<p/>
F43 160 <p_>Sweets are served with a generous helping of fresh Guernsey 
F43 161 cream, and there is a 'private collection' menu of the hotel's 
F43 162 ice-cream specialities.<p/>
F43 163 <p_>But the highlight of our stay was the gourmet meal in the 
F43 164 Victor Hugo restaurant. We chose <foreign_>diamant d'asperges et 
F43 165 champignons des bois<foreign/>, a delightful puff pastry basket 
F43 166 filled with fresh asparagus and tasty woodland mushrooms to start, 
F43 167 a <foreign|>cassis sorbet, then for the main course, 
F43 168 <foreign_>tournedo de boeuf au vin rouge et confit 
F43 169 d'oignons<foreign/>, saut<*_>e-acute<*/>ed beef fillet served with 
F43 170 an onion marmalade and red wine sauce, accompanied by seasonal 
F43 171 vegetables and to drink, fine red wine. This was followed by a good 
F43 172 selection of French cheeses and a <foreign_>tarte du 
F43 173 cerise<foreign/> floating in Guernsey cream, coffee and special 
F43 174 <foreign_>petits fours<foreign/>. This was a meal worthy of the 
F43 175 attention of the great Victor Hugo himself!<p/>
F43 176 <p_>Daniel Malherbe, the executive chef, trained at Versailles and 
F43 177 has held senior positions at the London Waldorf and Kensington 
F43 178 Hilton hotels. He feels that he is lucky to be able to make use of 
F43 179 the island's abundance of fresh herbs and vegetables and local 
F43 180 fishermen provide him with excellent seafood.<p/>
F43 181 <p_>After eating alfresco at the hotel's Sunday lunch barbecue it 
F43 182 was hard to go. Guernsey, we were told, would be easy to get to and 
F43 183 difficult to leave. They were right.<p/>
F43 184 <h_><p_>Fact File<p/><h/>
F43 185 <p_>A Gourmet break costs pounds127 per person.<p/>
F43 186 <p_><tf_>Contact: St Pierre Park Hotel, Rohais, St Peter Port, 
F43 187 Guernsey, Channel Islands, tel. 0481 728282.<p/>
F43 188 <p_>We flew to Guernsey from Stansted's new air terminal, courtesy 
F43 189 of Air <tf|>UK. A new Stansted Express rail link runs every half an 
F43 190 hour from London's Liverpool Street Station to give an efficient 
F43 191 service which links directly in with the new space-age terminal 
F43 192 coined the 'silent airport'.<p/>
F43 193 <p_>Air <tf|>UK fly to Guernsey twice daily at 12.10 pm and 7.20 
F43 194 taking about 1 hour-1 hour 20 minutes. The return fare is pounds95 
F43 195 if you book 14 days in advance, otherwise pounds134.<p/>
F43 196 
F43 197 <h_><p_>Oxford Culture<p/>
F43 198 <p_>Sally Bodsworth<p/><h/>
F43 199 <p_>Spend the weekend in Oxford, and immerse yourself in the finest 
F43 200 of British culture. For the first time, Oxford boasts a hotel that 
F43 201 is both upmarket and relaxed, and an ideal base from which to 
F43 202 explore and enjoy this lovely city.<p/>
F43 203 <p_>The 17th-century, Cotswold stone Old Parsonage Hotel is 
F43 204 situated off St Giles, Oxford's famous wide avenue of plane trees, 
F43 205 and looking across the hotel's delightful gardens to St Giles' 
F43 206 Church, it is hard to believe that the city centre is so close. 
F43 207 Leave your car in the hotel car park and you won't need to use it 
F43 208 again until the journey home. Two minutes walk takes you to the 
F43 209 city centre and all its attractions.<p/>
F43 210 <p_>Of course the colleges are beautiful and to step from the 
F43 211 hustle bustle of Oxford into their serene courtyards and gardens is 
F43 212 wonderful. New College has grand rolling gardens with a medieval 
F43 213 wall and magnificent Chapel. Merton College is home to England's 
F43 214 oldest library built in the late 14th century and Magdalen College, 
F43 215 as well as educating the notorious Oscar Wilde, has a serene deer 
F43 216 park in its grounds.<p/>
F43 217 
F44   1 <#FLOB:F44\><h_><p_>A Bird On The Side<p/>
F44   2 <p_>In all his years with The Rolling Stones, Charlie Watts has 
F44   3 nursed a private passion - for jazz giant Charlie 'Bird' Parker. 
F44   4 Now, his secret love's no secret any more. John Fordham 
F44   5 reports.<p/><h/>
F44   6 <p_>If there was a musical equivalent in rich eccentrics' hobbies 
F44   7 to the Howard Hughes wooden flying boat, it was Charlie Watts's Big 
F44   8 Band. An immense aggregation of three generations of British jazz 
F44   9 musicians (including a three-man drum section), it bulged the walls 
F44  10 of international jazz haunts in the 1980s. On a bad night it was a 
F44  11 mess, players of completely different allegiances getting in each 
F44  12 other's way as if simultaneously trying to get through a revolving 
F44  13 door. On a good night, though, it was a riot.<p/>
F44  14 <p_>Better known, obviously, as The Rolling Stones' drummer, 
F44  15 Charlie Watts is currently on the jazz beat again, one of his 
F44  16 oldest and deepest loves. The incentive is a strange one. Back in 
F44  17 the mid-'60s, Watts published a tribute to the jazz legend Charlie 
F44  18 'Bird' Parker, a book of drawings and a short but heartfelt 
F44  19 biography about a musician most of the Stones' fans of that time 
F44  20 would probably never have heard of.<p/>
F44  21 <p_>Now the book, Ode To A High Flying Bird, is 
F44  22 re<?_>-<?/>published, and an accompanying CD (featuring a quintet 
F44  23 with Watts in the drum chair) provides a soundtrack to it. Watts 
F44  24 had aimed to ghost the sound of the Parker quintet that included 
F44  25 the trumpeter Red Rodney and - a little unexpectedly - the music is 
F44  26 delicious. Peter King, one of the best saxophonists ever to have 
F44  27 developed in Britain and a man who preceded the 'jazz revival' by 
F44  28 25 years, wrote the arrangements and represents Bird's voice. 
F44  29 Gerard Presencer, a blazing teenage trumpeter, soars over the music 
F44  30 with almost as much certainty as King. Charlie Watts, though he 
F44  31 keeps his head down, plays with a soft, 
F44  32 <}_><-|>lissome<+|>lissom<}/> swing. In fact, this rich eccentric's 
F44  33 hobby-music gives off a surprising warmth.<p/>
F44  34 <p_>Charlie Watts prepares himself fastidiously for what is plainly 
F44  35 the taxing prospect of talking about a personal preoccupation: 
F44  36 Jermyn Street shirt studded and pressed to a razor's edge, tie 
F44  37 arching so decisively from between the jaws of his collar it could 
F44  38 have been whittled from timber, waistcoat as taut as he is himself. 
F44  39 <quote_>"Don't like talking about myself,"<quote/> he mutters. 
F44  40 <quote_>"Makes me paranoid."<quote/> But start to turn the subject 
F44  41 around with him - Is all music the same?, Does jazz have a special 
F44  42 song?, Was this a slow<?_>-<?/>burn affair or an overnight rush?, 
F44  43 What was the '60s Soho jazz and blues scene like? - and he 
F44  44 stretches back on the sofa, inspecting the ceiling for the distant 
F44  45 sounds of the three or four bands a week he played in before he 
F44  46 joined the biggest rock'n'roll phenomenon ever.<p/>
F44  47 <p_><quote_>"Good rock'n'roll <tf|>shouts what it is, and ends on a 
F44  48 shout, that's what I've always thought. It may be an old way of 
F44  49 looking at it, but the people I've always played rock with, they 
F44  50 just look in and stay there, and that's it. With jazz it's a much 
F44  51 looser thing, it breathes, it stretches. If you try to bring things 
F44  52 down in volume on the drums in a rock band like you do in jazz, it 
F44  53 just disappears. I always wanted to sound like the loosest 
F44  54 drummers, originally. Keith Moon used to say that he loved Gene 
F44  55 Krupa, but I never wanted to sound like that, I used to sound like 
F44  56 the first bebop drummer, Kenny Clarke. Kenny Clarke was the best 
F44  57 rider of the cymbals ...<quote/> (Watts demonstrates here with a 
F44  58 lazy rocking of his wrist, making a noise like rain on a metal 
F44  59 roof) <quote_>... and the nearest to him is Billy Higgins, who has 
F44  60 the sweetest ride of anybody alive today, and that includes Tony 
F44  61 Williams. Tony's ride is an instrument in itself, but Billy's just 
F44  62 floats. That's jazz to me."<quote/><p/>
F44  63 <p_>When he was a kid, Charlie Watts made a saxophone out of rolled 
F44  64 up newspaper (and painted it bright orange) after he bought his 
F44  65 first horn record, an Earl Bostic blues set. Gerry Mulligan 
F44  66 followed, and the Bird: <quote_>"I fell in love with it. I still 
F44  67 don't know what it was that got me, but if I play Just Friends now, 
F44  68 or Dancing in The Dark, anything like that, I just go cold and it 
F44  69 still means the same thing now as it did then. It's improvisation, 
F44  70 it's an amazing thing to do. I love the people who can do it, same 
F44  71 as I love being around painters and sculptors. They seem like 
F44  72 amazing things to do with your life."<quote/><p/>
F44  73 <p_>But Charlie Watts didn't do that with his life. He claims he 
F44  74 was never good enough, and the Stones picked him up and swept him 
F44  75 away before he ever got the chance to learn to be, though he worked 
F44  76 frequently with jazz musicians in the active all-night scene of 
F44  77 '60s Soho, in Alexis Korner's blues band, and in a group with Stan 
F44  78 Tracey's tenorist Art Themen. Believing it was impossible for any 
F44  79 band to last more than a couple of years, Watts kept his day job in 
F44  80 graphic design (<quote_>"commercial artists, they called it 
F44  81 then"<quote/>), sat in the flat he occupied on weekdays with Mick 
F44  82 Jagger, Keith Richards and Brian Jones, reading the jobs section of 
F44  83 Advertising Weekly while Jones crafted high-flown letters to the 
F44  84 music papers proclaiming how unbelievable the Stones were.<p/>
F44  85 <p_>But after a while, they all found that the band just couldn't 
F44  86 shake audiences off. <quote_>"One week you'd play in a pub and 
F44  87 there'd be 10 people,"<quote/> Watts says. <quote_>"Next week 
F44  88 there'd be 30. After a few years, 90,000. We never wanted for an 
F44  89 audience, whether they were laughing at us or clapping us."<quote/> 
F44  90 Eventually it convinced Watts he could leave commercial art without 
F44  91 starving, but not before the skills of his apprenticeship had made 
F44  92 High Flying Bird possible. He was on his own in the Stones as a 
F44  93 jazz fan though, and still is. <quote_>"Keith likes Louis Armstrong 
F44  94 because he's a great blues player, and he's got good ears so he 
F44  95 can't put any of the musicianship down. But basically I think Keith 
F44  96 would sum jazz up as toodly-toodly."<quote/><p/>
F44  97 <p_>Charlie is modesty itself when he discusses his book and his 
F44  98 record. (<quote_>"I can't see many people playing it, but it was a 
F44  99 nice thing to do."<quote/>). A big part of his motivation when he 
F44 100 put his '80s big band together was exposure for British jazz 
F44 101 musicians, some of whom (like bassist Dave Green, whom he's known 
F44 102 since he was 10) are his own age, some either side of it. The 
F44 103 record company suggested augmenting the band with Wynton Marsalis 
F44 104 when they went to the States, and Watts declined, insisting that he 
F44 105 was showing Americans what Don Weller, or Bill Eyden or Annie 
F44 106 Whitehead could do, not tell them something they knew already.<p/>
F44 107 <p_>The main satisfaction for Watts in making the Parker tribute is 
F44 108 the thought it might germinate more jazz lovers. <quote_>"These are 
F44 109 just little cameos illustrating a book, though Peter put it 
F44 110 together beautifully, and put himself into it much more than I had 
F44 111 any right to expect. But if somebody likes it, then they might 
F44 112 listen to Parker and go on to other things. You know: Did he 
F44 113 <tf|>really? Did he play like that? That would be the best thing 
F44 114 that could happen for me."<quote/><p/>
F44 115 <h_><p_>Mr Chalk loves Mrs Cheese<p/>
F44 116 <p_>They seemed to belong to different worlds: the avant-garde 
F44 117 guitar boffin and the marmalade-haired Princess of Punk. Listen 
F44 118 awhile, as Mat Snow recounts the heart-warming tale of Robert Fripp 
F44 119 and Toyah - rock'n'roll's unlikeliest romance.<p/><h/>
F44 120 <p_>Last year Toyah survived the most taxing performance of her 
F44 121 career. She played the title role in an adaptation of Zola's 
F44 122 Therese Raquin, and was on stage throughout. <quote|>"Mad!" she 
F44 123 declares in authentic thesp style. <quote|>"Manic!" And worse. 
F44 124 <quote_>"There were, erm, explicit sex scenes ..."<quote/><p/>
F44 125 <p_><quote_>"They weren't <tf|>that explicit ..."<quote/> Her 
F44 126 husband, Dorset's most avant-garde guitarist, Robert Fripp, offers 
F44 127 mild reassurance.<p/>
F44 128 <p_><quote_>"They were for <tf|>me!"<quote/> Toyah has none of his 
F44 129 soft soap. <quote_>"Every conceivable humping position! On every 
F44 130 piece <}_><-|>piece<+|><}/> of furniture!"<quote/><p/>
F44 131 <p_><quote|>"Gymnastic?" her swain euphemises hopefully.<p/>
F44 132 <p_><quote_>"Yes. Very gymnastic. Thank you."<quote/> Toyah sniffs, 
F44 133 and is midway through one of those actressy explanations of how 
F44 134 portraying sexuality is <quote_>"very challenging"<quote/> when her 
F44 135 husband whispers something in her ear, and the pair quake into 
F44 136 conspiratorial giggles.<p/>
F44 137 <p_><quote_>"I came back from working abroad and had a seat in the 
F44 138 audience,"<quote/> Robert Fripp reminisces, beady glasses a-gleam. 
F44 139 <quote_>"And indeed, the stage furniture did have certain, ahem, 
F44 140 <tf|>demands put upon the strength of its construction. One of the 
F44 141 other actresses asked me afterwards what I thought of my wife in 
F44 142 this gymnastic scene, and I replied that it gave me an erection. 
F44 143 Why? she said. Does it excite you to think of your wife being in 
F44 144 this way with another man? And I said no - it was the thought of 
F44 145 <tf|>me being with my wife!"<quote/><p/>
F44 146 <p_>The betrothal of shy, bespectacled rock guitar boffin Robert 
F44 147 Fripp to the marmalade-haired actress and former 'Princess of 
F44 148 Punk', Toyah Willcox, was surely one of those bizarre incongruities 
F44 149 which life occasionally throws up to amuse us. Only Kate Bush 
F44 150 leaping the broom with Vanilla Ice could have raised eyebrows 
F44 151 higher.<p/>
F44 152 <p_>He, of course, is Dorset-born and bred, rustic of accent, mild 
F44 153 of manner and so studious of his art that, even when his group King 
F44 154 Crimson were blowing minds back in 1969, he would insist on being 
F44 155 stool-bound throughout the show. In 1974 he broke up the band, 
F44 156 declaring that the future lay in being a <quote_>"small, mobile, 
F44 157 self-sufficient unit."<quote/> And so it has proved.<p/>
F44 158 <p_>She, meanwhile, is Birmingham-born and posh with it; her early 
F44 159 role as 'Mad' in Derek Jarman's punk film Jubilee blossomed into 
F44 160 real life rock stardom as an immodestly clad shocker whose strident 
F44 161 singles It's A Mystery and I Want To Be Free took her to dizzy 
F44 162 chart success and a standing invitation to represent Angry Young 
F44 163 Women on stage and on screen.<p/>
F44 164 <p_>If, as The Bible claims, in the Kingdom of Heaven the lion will 
F44 165 lie down with the lamb, then Mr and Mrs R. Fripp of Dorset offer 
F44 166 reassuring evidence that it can be done. Nor does their partnership 
F44 167 confine itself to the matrimonial arena. He has a hand in her 
F44 168 albums, of which the latest, Ophelia's Shadow, bears all those 
F44 169 characteristics - wrong-footed rhythms, algebraic melodies and so 
F44 170 on - that ensure Toyah's recording career will continue to diverge 
F44 171 from pop's mainstream.<p/>
F44 172 <p_>Conversely, when Robert is not instructing his furrow-browed 
F44 173 disciples in the finer points of fretmanship in the virtuoso 
F44 174 workshop they call The League Of Crafty Guitarists, he leads a 
F44 175 pleasingly accessible new quartet called Sunday All Over The World. 
F44 176 Their debut album, Kneeling At The Shrine, merges the old man's 
F44 177 thoughtful guitar with the drama school diction and adolescent 
F44 178 preoccupation of his bubbly spouse. (One also detects her influence 
F44 179 in the selection of his suits.)<p/>
F44 180 <p_>Clearly chalk and cheese can enjoy a meaningful creative 
F44 181 partnership. One is curious, however, about how this unlikely union 
F44 182 came to be. The Fripps, we learn, were brought together by Princess 
F44 183 Michael of Kent. The occasion was a fund-raising lunch held by the 
F44 184 great and the good of the UK rock industry in aid of Nordoff 
F44 185 Robbins Music Therapy; Toyah had just signed to the same management 
F44 186 as Robert, and was thus seated at the same table. But it wasn't 
F44 187 until the patroness of the trust, Michael herself, began working 
F44 188 the room that contact was made.<p/>
F44 189 <p_><quote_>"The three of us were introduced and the national press 
F44 190 descended to take pictures, and I smilingly walked 
F44 191 backwards,"<quote/> beams Robert. <quote_>"But Princess Michael 
F44 192 extended her hand, caught hold of my jacket and pulled me into the 
F44 193 picture. It appeared the next day on page three of the Daily 
F44 194 Express - with me cut off the end. The next time Toyah and I met 
F44 195 was when we shared a taxi to the same event three years later. At 
F44 196 the time I was also raising money for a children's school in 
F44 197 America, and I said to Toyah, Would you help me make this charity 
F44 198 record? And she said yes.
F44 199 
F44 200 
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