B01 1 <#FLOB:B01\>Pseudo-realism in Peking

B01 2 THE Prime Minister's rating is up in the polls. This may owe B01 3 much to the alertness with which John Major has seized his B01 4 opportunity to visit Washington and Moscow and portray himself on B01 5 television and in the Press as a world statesman, hobnobbing on B01 6 equal terms with the mighty of the earth, though it is not clear B01 7 exactly what these lightning visits, which cannot have been B01 8 carefully prepared, will have achieved.

B01 9 Mr Major cannot be accused of opportunism in making his third B01 10 superpower visit to Peking. That was arranged long before the B01 11 hardline Communists in Moscow made their despairing bid to turn B01 12 back the tide of history. No doubt the Prime Minister would B01 13 privately be happier if he were not today shaking hands with the B01 14 Chinese leaders. These are the men who repressed the movement for B01 15 democracy in Tiananmen Square two years ago with just that B01 16 ruthlessness which the Soviet Communists, in their moment of trial, B01 17 could not summon. What will Mr Major feel as he inspects an honour B01 18 guard in that square, the symbol of the Chinese government's B01 19 indifference to the principles of human rights that he upholds in B01 20 the Soviet Union?

B01 21 The official justification is couched in terms of B01 22 realpolitik. Like it or not, the briefers murmur, China is B01 23 there, and so are its rulers, and we must deal with them. And then B01 24 there is Hong Kong. In 1997 China takes over, and the transfer of B01 25 power will be even harder if Peking is not kept sweet. Douglas B01 26 Hurd, the Foreign Secretary, argued in The Independent on B01 27 Sunday that "a visit by the Prime Minister does not B01 28 confer our seal of approval", and he was back at the old B01 29 stand on radio yesterday: Tiananmen Square was ghastly, but we must B01 30 not isolate China.

B01 31 Mr Worldly Wiseman's advice should always be closely examined; B01 32 there is such a thing as pseudo-realism. According to Western human B01 33 rights organisations, some 1,000 demonstrators were mowed down in B01 34 Tiananmen Square, and in spite of cosmetic releases it is plain B01 35 that thousands of members of the democracy movement are still in B01 36 prison, some of them in abominable conditions. Torture, according B01 37 to reliable reports, is widespread. At least 49 dissidents have B01 38 been executed; interestingly, it is the workers and the peasants B01 39 who have paid for protest with their lives, while the students and B01 40 the intellectuals have been less severely punished. Roman Catholic B01 41 and Protestant missionaries, those who have helped run an B01 42 'underground railway' to spirit dissidents out to Hong Kong, and B01 43 Tibetan and Muslim protesters have all suffered.

B01 44 In the world's eyes, Mr Major does himself little good by B01 45 hastening to shake hands with the authors of all this misery. Nor B01 46 will he do himself much good in their eyes. China's ageing despots B01 47 are hard men, hardened by decades of struggle and, yes, isolation. B01 48 They will interpret Mr Major's visit as evidence of Britain's B01 49 weakness, of British cynicism in denouncing human rights violations B01 50 but being more concerned about the contracts to build Hong Kong's B01 51 new airport and the survival of Hong Kong's capital markets. Nor is B01 52 it true that the alternative to endorsing these ruthless Communist B01 53 tyrannosaurs is to isolate them; in a world where Communist B01 54 dictatorship is retreat, it is they who would be isolating B01 55 themselves if Mr Major did not give them spurious B01 56 respectability.

B01 57 B01 58 What is the TUC there for?

B01 59 IT IS a quarter of a century since the late Lord Woodcock, then B01 60 general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, asked his B01 61 colleagues: "What are we here for?" George B01 62 Woodcock, that rare creature, the genuine working class man who was B01 63 also an intellectual of the first rank, was rightly worried about B01 64 how the movement would respond, after a long period of Conservative B01 65 rule, to the demands of Harold Wilson's government. But, implicit B01 66 in his appeal was the widely held belief that the TUC could play a B01 67 powerful and constructive role in the nation's affairs.

B01 68 This belief is now open to question. Twenty-five years on, in B01 69 Glasgow this week, TUC delegates are once again preparing B01 70 themselves for a general election that they hope will result in the B01 71 return of a Labour government. The unspoken question facing them is B01 72 even more fundamental than that posed by Lord Woodcock. Does the B01 73 TUC - can the TUC - serve any further, useful function? Or should B01 74 the carthorse finally be put out to grass?

B01 75 The question is more urgent because of the failure of the B01 76 conference called by the TUC in May to seek to define a new purpose B01 77 for the federal body. The meeting had been rendered inevitable by B01 78 the publicly expressed anxieties of two of the biggest unions, the B01 79 Transport and General Workers and the General, Municipal and B01 80 Boilermakers. Their criticisms reflected a widespread belief among B01 81 affiliates that the TUC has not come to terms with the changes of B01 82 the past decade, or with its own diminished role on the political B01 83 and industrial stage. The most obvious of these changes has been B01 84 the discrediting of the corporatist approach to the national B01 85 governance. It was not only Margaret Thatcher who had grown B01 86 disenchanted with incomes policies, national economic plans and the B01 87 rest. So had the electorate. John Major shares the views of his B01 88 predecessor, as does Neil Kinnock, who goes out of his way to B01 89 signal his distance from the unions.

B01 90 Thatcherite reforms, which Mr Kinnock would not abandon, B01 91 however much the TUC old guard huffs and puffs this week, further B01 92 reduced the clout of politically motivated union barons. They did B01 93 so by making it easier for moderate, rank-and-file members to have B01 94 their say in an orderly, individual and secret manner about the B01 95 attitudes adopted by their leaders. In any case, there is little B01 96 point in the TUC lobbying a government that resolutely refuses to B01 97 be lobbied - and less point in calling political strikes (Days of B01 98 Action, as the TUC called them) if they are ignored by union B01 99 members and Cabinet ministers alike.

B01 100 Ultimately, however, the TUC's crisis of purpose is a function B01 101 of the changing nature of its affiliates. Mergers mean that the B01 102 overwhelming majority of trade unionists are already members of a B01 103 handful of large super-unions, well able to fight their B01 104 respective corners. This centralising tendency will continue. These B01 105 giant unions define their own political agendas, conduct their own B01 106 research, undertake their own publicity and lobbying in Brussels as B01 107 well as Westminster, and offer the services (cut-price insurance, B01 108 cheap holidays, bulk-purchased cars and the like) that the highly B01 109 competitive new unionism has to provide if it is to survive. If the B01 110 TUC is unable to define a role, necessarily modest, and compatible B01 111 with the new unionism, it will gradually wither away.

B01 112 B01 113 A Soviet menu for all tastes

B01 114 TWO WEEKS ago the Soviet Union completed the task of breaking B01 115 with its past, which had occupied it for several painful years. Now B01 116 it is turning its attention to the future, where two extremes lie B01 117 in wait. On the one hand, its enormous human and material resources B01 118 give it the potential to become a wealthy and successful extension B01 119 of Europe. On the other, its unresolved ethnic tensions and B01 120 inexperience in democracy could drag it down into conflict and B01 121 misery.

B01 122 The auguries at the moment point tentatively in the more B01 123 hopeful direction. Yesterday's meeting of the Congress of People's B01 124 Deputies was skilfully handled, to avert the threatened revolt of B01 125 the old guard. The meeting was presented with a plan designed to be B01 126 all things to all people. The republics get their independence but B01 127 the union is preserved. Precise details to be worked out later. B01 128 This is independence <*_>a-grave<*/> la carte, with each republic B01 129 invited to select its own arrangements from the menu. In essence it B01 130 is a holding operation, but none the worse for that.

B01 131 For the Soviet people the plan offers reassurance that a single B01 132 economic space will be preserved, to minimise the inevitable B01 133 disruption and accelerate "radical economic B01 134 reform". There is also an appeal to the republics to grant B01 135 equal rights to all their citizens and to protect the rights of B01 136 minorities. The future peace of the region will depend on the B01 137 extent to which such rights are observed.

B01 138 The outside world will be reassured by the plan to keep in B01 139 being a central authority responsible for defence and international B01 140 obligations, including treaties. The Congress is specifically asked B01 141 to confirm "strict observations of all international B01 142 agreements and obligations of the Soviet Union, including the B01 143 question of arms cuts and control as well as foreign economic B01 144 obligations."

B01 145 Foreign governments will also be relieved that a role has been B01 146 preserved for Mikhail Gorbachev for the time being. While his B01 147 powers will be limited under the plan, he may be slightly more B01 148 secure in that he will probably be spared the need to face direct B01 149 election. The union authority will consist of councils nominated by B01 150 the republics, which will want to keep the choice of chairman in B01 151 their own hands. They may, of course, decide on someone other than B01 152 Mr Gorbachev, but presumably he will be given a chance to prove B01 153 himself in the important role of manager, co-ordinator and B01 154 conciliator.

B01 155 But the plan amounts, for the present, to no more than words. B01 156 It consists of proposals, appeals and principles that have yet to B01 157 be tested. At the moment it does not embrace republics that want B01 158 full independence, the number of which may yet increase - or even B01 159 diminish, if the new arrangements come to look attractive. There B01 160 are some apparent contradictions. For instance, the republics are B01 161 encouraged to seek membership of the United Nations, although the B01 162 union is to remain responsible for foreign relations. Uncertainty B01 163 also surrounds the armed forces, which are to be in some sense B01 164 under central control while also subject to the authority of the B01 165 republics in which they are stationed.

B01 166 Nevertheless, the plan offers a hopeful framework for the B01 167 future, and something to hold on to while working out the next B01 168 steps. It brings at least conceptual order to what had begun to B01 169 look like pure confusion. Good news has to be celebrated while it B01 170 lasts.

B01 171 B01 172 The influence of David Owen

B01 173 DAVID OWEN'S planned departure from party politics has been B01 174 accompanied by harsh comments from many of his erstwhile B01 175 colleagues. Lord Jenkins wrote in his memoirs of the former's B01 176 "sheer abrasiveness", adding: "I have never B01 177 tried to work closely with anyone with whom it was so difficult to B01 178 talk things out." Sir David Steel commented in The B01 179 Times yesterday: "He [Dr Owen] could not accept that B01 180 there is more to politics than simply holding office."

B01 181 These judgements are at the same time perceptive, partial and B01 182 prejudiced. Dr Owen remains an attractive personality, both to B01 183 those who saw him on television or on public platforms - and to B01 184 many of those who come into casual contact with him on private B01 185 occasions. However, his abrasiveness, his arrogance, his short B01 186 tempers and his refusal to suffer fools gladly were real. They came B01 187 to serve him ill in his relationships with close colleagues.

B01 188 As the crisis of the Seventies and Eighties receded and the B01 189 two-party system reasserted itself, Dr Owen was pushed to the B01 190 margins. This process was all the more pronounced because he found B01 191 necessary and honourable compromise distasteful - particularly when B01 192 dealing with allies. Yet, paradoxically, Dr Owen could compromise, B01 193 in the limited sense that he was always prepared to greet his B01 194 opponents with outstretched arms if, in his opinion, they got B01 195 something right. To a public sickened by the mindless knockabout of B01 196 politics a decade ago, when it was unthinkable for the B01 197 representatives of one major party to do anything but speak ill of B01 198 their opposite numbers, Dr Owen's attitude seemed more like honesty B01 199 than opportunism.

B01 200 As for the accusation that the Social Democratic Party's leader B01 201 was preoccupied by his desire to hold high office, it simply does B01 202 not wash. With a little trimming of sails he could have played a B01 203 dominant role in the Labour Party or commanded a senior post in the B01 204 Cabinets of Margaret Thatcher or John Major. He chose not to trim. B01 205 Dr Owen may have demonstrated hubris. B01 206 B02 1 <#FLOB:B02\>Safe havens are only the start

B02 2 FIRST THE GOOD news, or a promise of it, for the Kurdish B02 3 refugees in the most hopeful reading of Mr Bush's new plan. It is B02 4 of a tacit understanding, enforced by the symbolic presence if B02 5 Western troops, between the Baghdad regime and the allies to allow B02 6 those refugees to return home by stages. Having set up their tents, B02 7 communications, latrines and clean water, the US, British and B02 8 French troops will be more a hovering presence in the helicopters B02 9 that fly in aid than a thin line of battledress on the ground. The B02 10 plan is based on the assumption that, in the words of one Pentagon B02 11 official, the Iraqis will "not be dumb enough to screw B02 12 around with us". It also assumes a fairly orderly B02 13 progression of refugees back from the Turkish border into what will B02 14 amount to five or six staging camps. Satisfied that life in Arbil B02 15 or Kirkuk will at least be tolerable, they will then move on. B02 16 Saddam Hussein's side of the deal is an affirmative response by the B02 17 UN to Iraq's request for the easing of sanctions. It has protested B02 18 against the Bush plan, but that could yet prove to be mere routine B02 19 denunciation of "intervention in internal B02 20 affairs".

B02 21 The principle of non-intervention is still a substantial one, B02 22 and to breach it is always a contentious course of action. One of B02 23 the cases where it appeared most justified - Vietnam's overthrow of B02 24 Pol Pot - is still regarded as illegitimate by Britain and the US. B02 25 Another worrying question concerns the way that Resolution 688 is B02 26 being invoked as legal justification, although it does not actually B02 27 authorise anything except "humanitarian relief". B02 28 Not for the first time, there is the prospect of a Security Council B02 29 resolution being regarded as a blank cheque for independent allied B02 30 initiatives. (Mr Bush himself indirectly conceded that a new B02 31 resolution might be necessary). Secretary General B02 32 P<*_>e-acute<*/>rez de Cu<*_>e-acute<*/>llar is not an easy man to B02 33 read, yet his reaction yesterday to the news was distinctly B02 34 hesitant. He can appreciate the danger of the UN having nominal B02 35 responsibility without power, just as he did during the actual war. B02 36 Against these worries it may be argued that there is no reason why B02 37 international as well as domestic law should remain immune to B02 38 changing public opinion and practice. This debate will remain B02 39 academic - though vital for the future of the UN - if Mr Bush's B02 40 plan works. On the assumption that the allied troops now being sent B02 41 to northern Iraq can be regarded in rather the same light as B02 42 soldiers being committed to famine or flood relief - and that they B02 43 do the job successfully - many people will put these questions of B02 44 international law very much in second place.

B02 45 But what if we face instead an alternative scenario of bad B02 46 news? Then we shall recall how senior US officials, just last B02 47 weekend, were arguing against the plan their President has now B02 48 adopted. There was National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft who B02 49 said that a safe haven for the Kurds could result in an instant B02 50 West Bank. There were others who feared that the sanctuaries could B02 51 not cope with the refugees, and that any US commitment would have B02 52 to be "open-ended" in terms of time and manpower. (Both Mr B02 53 Bush and Mr Major, while hoping for a quick outcome, were careful B02 54 yesterday not to fix any time limit). We may also recall that a B02 55 separate agreement with Baghdad on establishing B02 56 "humanitarian centres" in northern Iraq was being B02 57 negotiated by Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan. And we may reflect rather B02 58 more on the irony that if all the Kurds had headed for Iran, and B02 59 not for Turkey, no Western leader would have dreamed of proposing a B02 60 safe haven or encampment of any description.

B02 61 In the meantime the refugees in the mountains are still dying, B02 62 in hundreds every night. The young and sick obliged to drink dirty B02 63 water all over Iraq are also dying. The Bush plan can only be part B02 64 of a much greater international effort which targets all the B02 65 refugees, and all the civilian victims of the war.

B02 66 B02 67 Inflation down the ages

B02 68 DID YOU know that the price of homekilled lamb rose by 5.9 per B02 69 cent between March and April, 1977, or that potatoes went up by B02 70 7.27 per cent between February and March, 1958? Or that the general B02 71 level of prices went down by 28 per cent in the year to B02 72 January, 1922? These and thousands of other facts are contained in B02 73 a wealth of statistics about the Retail Prices Index just published B02 74 by the Central Statistical Office as part of its 50th birthday B02 75 celebrations. They are in the best tradition of objective B02 76 government statistics untainted by political bias.

B02 77 Which is more than can be said about the retail prices index B02 78 today which has become a political football with different groups B02 79 constructing their own indices to suit their purposes. Last year B02 80 the Government favoured the 'underlying' rate excluding mortgage B02 81 interest payments which were then rising. If, as some others are B02 82 doing, the effects of the poll tax are taken out as well then it is B02 83 possible that by the Autumn the official index will be recording an B02 84 annual increase of less than 4 per cent while 'core' inflation (RPI B02 85 less poll tax and mortgage interest) will be over 8 per cent. This B02 86 week's figures for producer price inflation (which has crept up B02 87 from 5.8 per cent a year in September to 6.3 per cent in the latest B02 88 quarter) are a reminder that inflation in the real world looks much B02 89 more like the underlying rate than the official one. In other words B02 90 inflation in tradeable<&|>sic! goods (which affects our industrial B02 91 competitiveness and the balance of payments) is still on a B02 92 worryingly high upward trend. This is mainly because of wage B02 93 settlements no longer offset by productivity increases.

B02 94 This is not an invitation to ditch the official RPI. Far from B02 95 it. Nearly half of all households have a mortgage and when interest B02 96 rates go up and down they affect spending power in a real way just B02 97 as fluctuations in prices do. The RPI, for all its faults, offers a B02 98 fixed standard of comparison over the years (as yesterday's CSO B02 99 document confirms) which politicians will meddle with at their B02 100 peril. But like all economic statistics its constituent parts must B02 101 be analysed carefully. And the underlying message at the moment is B02 102 that while inflation for mortgage holders is coming down the B02 103 inflation of goods - which we have to export in a competitive world B02 104 - is still rising. Politicians will ignore that message at their B02 105 peril.

B02 106 B02 107 A leg up for the teachers

B02 108 WHOSE pay has suffered the worst decline in the last 15 years: B02 109 nurses, doctors, dentists, senior civil servants, judges or B02 110 teachers? Correct, the biggest group of all, the 450,000 teachers. B02 111 And by a large margin. Teachers' pay has dropped from 37 per cent B02 112 above the white collar average to a mere five per cent in the B02 113 period. Which of the six groups named above does not have a review B02 114 body? Correct again, the teachers. Yesterday, the Education B02 115 Secretary agreed to set up a teachers' review body. Five out of the B02 116 six teaching unions are now sensibly ready to support this B02 117 solution.

B02 118 It is now four years since teachers' pay negotiating rights B02 119 were withdrawn by Kenneth Baker after two years of disruption in B02 120 the schools - plus even more years of inter-union disagreements on B02 121 the Burnham Committee. An Interim Advisory Committee was set up - B02 122 and advised on the last four pay rounds - before the Government B02 123 introduced its Bill in the current Parliament to restore limited B02 124 negotiating rights. That bill is now being dropped, and new B02 125 legislation introduced to set up a review body in time for the next B02 126 year's pay deal.

B02 127 Of course, at the crux, all review body recommendations can be B02 128 reduced, delayed or staged by governments facing economic problems. B02 129 But consider how empty national negotiations would be in the B02 130 current system: first, any agreement between local education B02 131 authorities and teaching unions could be undermined by Whitehall B02 132 refusing to fully fund it; second, opted out schools will be B02 133 allowed to negotiate their own pay deals; and third, the rivalry B02 134 between the six unions could once again reduce national B02 135 negotiations to a farce.

B02 136 In the words of the last Permanent Secretary at Education, Sir B02 137 David Hancock, "by far the most serious problems in B02 138 education are restoring the morale and raising the status of B02 139 teachers". Pay is only part of the solution, but it remains B02 140 a crucial part. As the all party Commons Select Committee on B02 141 Education noted last year, the pay scale needs restructuring. B02 142 Career prospects must be improved. It takes a good honours student B02 143 just six years to reach the top of the present pay scale. A review B02 144 body is the ideal forum under which such reforms could be B02 145 achieved.

B02 146 B02 147 The doctor departs

B02 148 THE LONG uncertainty is over. Dr David Owen, unwilling any B02 149 longer to hang about in politics in the increasingly meagre hope B02 150 that something worth his attention may one day turn up, is standing B02 151 down as MP for Plymouth Devonport at the next election. His eyes B02 152 are on other horizons: he has always, he tells us, looked on B02 153 politics as temporary, never as a permanent career.

B02 154 Dr Owen was sped on the way yesterday by two remarkable B02 155 tributes. "I am sorry he is leaving the Commons. He is a B02 156 man of talent whose abilities I admire": John Major. B02 157 "An unforgiving loser ... sheer abrasiveness ... something B02 158 of a nuclear fetishist ... I have never tried to work closely with B02 159 anyone with whom it was so difficult to talk things out... B02 160 ": Roy Jenkins in his memoirs serialised in the Observer. B02 161 The curious thing is that both judgments<&|>sic! are true. Few who B02 162 have observed him would question Dr Owen's ability, his sweeping B02 163 and often original vision, his detailed, sometimes over-detailed, B02 164 grasp of all kinds of subjects where others were content with B02 165 surface impressions, from the nature of nuclear weapons to the B02 166 financing of housing or the NHS. Few would challenge his courage, B02 167 or deny him some at least of the essential qualities of B02 168 leadership.

B02 169 There is an echo here. Dr Owen's forthcoming memoirs, reported B02 170 in the Sunday Times, recount an occasion which sounds only too B02 171 authentic. At a Downing Street dinner in 1988, Mrs Thatcher took Dr B02 172 Owen's wife, Debbie, aside and lectured her in this fashion: B02 173 "Your husband has a big choice to make and it can no longer B02 174 be avoided. There are only two serious parties in British politics B02 175 and we women understand these things. It is time he made up his B02 176 mind." Debbie, he reports, "bridled". No doubt. But B02 177 did David bridle too? David Owen and Margaret Thatcher had quite a B02 178 lot in common. That is not to endorse the familiar sneer which B02 179 dismisses him as always, deep down, a Tory. His commitment to an B02 180 NHS whose battering under the Conservatives he never B02 181 underestimated, stood in the way of that. But his famous assault on B02 182 "fudge and mudge", his impatience with B02 183 reservations, his hatred of "wetness", a word he deployed B02 184 with much of her snarl, marked him down, much like her, as a team B02 185 player only so long as he could be captain.

B02 186 Those outside politics often have most respect for those who B02 187 refuse to compromise. That was part of Mrs Thatcher's appeal, and B02 188 of Enoch Powell's, to a swathe of British electors right across B02 189 party barriers, though few were ever quite as besotted as Fleet B02 190 Street. The truth of the matter is that compromise, even dreadful B02 191 old fudge and mudge, are an absolutely inescapable part of B02 192 peace-time politics. All parties are coalitions built round a B02 193 common denominator. No leader can hold a party together B02 194 indefinitely around the tenet: I am right and you are wrong. The B02 195 Conservatives took it from Mrs Thatcher while she delivered: when B02 196 she ceased to do so, it finished her. David Owen at all times saw B02 197 himself, bravely and undissemblingly, as master of his fate and B02 198 captain of his soul. B02 199 B03 1 <#FLOB:B03\>END OF A DYNASTY

B03 2 Rajiv Gandhi has paid the price of doing away with the security B03 3 with which he had surrounded himself since the murder of his mother B03 4 Indira Gandhi seven years ago. Only last week in Uttar Pradesh, he B03 5 protested that the masses were being kept away from him. B03 6 "Let them come forward," he declared, driving in an B03 7 open jeep. Now he too has fallen victim to political assassination. B03 8 Will Indian democracy die with him?

B03 9 It was already clear before yesterday's tragedy in Tamil Nadu B03 10 that this election was marred by some of the worst violence, B03 11 corruption and thuggery in modern Indian politics. The rise of B03 12 Hindu extremism as a force has alarmed not only Indian Muslims but B03 13 also the many friends of Indian democracy abroad. There is a long B03 14 tradition of Indian secularism, which Rajiv Gandhi's grandfather, B03 15 Jawaharlal Nehru, sought to bind into the newly independent B03 16 country's political institutions. That tradition has been under B03 17 attack not only from the Hindu nationalists of the Bharatiya Janata B03 18 Party but also from fanatics playing on caste hatreds. Their B03 19 militancy has clearly blinded them to the overriding goal of B03 20 maintaining the unity of the state and the democratic guarantees it B03 21 offers - in theory at least - to all ethnic and religious B03 22 minorities.

B03 23 Rajiv Gandhi's critics would blame Mr Gandhi himself for much B03 24 of the instability and political turmoil which followed his last B03 25 administration. His defeat at that time was largely due to the B03 26 perception that his government was corrupt and too weak to deal B03 27 with the apparently intractable problems of caste, poverty, B03 28 inequality and, most immediately threatening, factional B03 29 Hindu-Muslim violence. Yet Mr Gandhi, for all his faults, remained B03 30 a politician of greater stature than those who came after him - and B03 31 not just for the family tradition that he had come to represent. B03 32 For the past 18 months India has been ruled by weak coalitions. B03 33 Chandra Shekhar, the prime minister, uttered the ultimate cynicism B03 34 of Indian politics, that his sole ambition was to hold his B03 35 particular office.

B03 36 Mr Gandhi was the product of a dynasty steeped in public B03 37 service. The 1985 election which followed his mother's B03 38 assassination gave him a landslide victory based on hopes that he B03 39 would modernise the Indian economy, bring 20th-century technology B03 40 to its industry and do away with the archaic ideological baggage B03 41 that had become an encumbrance to the Congress (I) Party. He lost B03 42 public confidence because he was aloof, because of the Bofors B03 43 corruption scandal and because, in the end, the tasks he confronted B03 44 simply overwhelmed him.

B03 45 Yet he proved in opposition that he was capable of humility, B03 46 coupled with an ability to listen to public discontent and learn B03 47 from his own past mistakes. His loss is a grievous blow to his B03 48 party as well as to his country. Congress (I) has proved in the B03 49 past to be a clumsy and imperfect instrument of government. But at B03 50 least it was a party of government, of strong centralised B03 51 authority.

B03 52 India needs a party opposed in principle to the extremes of B03 53 religious fanaticism. It also seemed to yearn again for a family B03 54 dynasty which, through its charisma and experience, could lead B03 55 India's huge population through at least a semblance of democratic B03 56 respectability. Three of that family's members have been killed. It B03 57 will take a mighty effort of collective political will for India's B03 58 leaders now to rise above the factional hatred which threatens the B03 59 country with chaos and bloodshed, just when it faces its greatest B03 60 trial.

B03 61 B03 62 GLORIES OF THE GARDEN

B03 63 The sun, stubbornly absent for most of the spring, is shining B03 64 this week to welcome nearly 200,000 people to the Chelsea Flower B03 65 Show. The numbers have been limited to avoid a crush, and the show B03 66 is likely to sell out. An Englishman's home these days is his B03 67 garden - or somebody else's. The National Trust has declared 1991 B03 68 the Year of the Garden, and expects visitors to its gardens to B03 69 exceed last year's 7.6 million.

B03 70 Gardening is one of the few pursuits at which Britons excel. B03 71 Blessed with a climate that generally furnishes enough rain to keep B03 72 plantlife lush, the British cultivate gardens that are the envy of B03 73 the world. Unlike continental Europeans, who are happy to live in B03 74 flats, and Americans, who dismiss their garden as a 'yard', the B03 75 British think no house is complete without a real garden. One of B03 76 the pleasures of the British countryside is not just the B03 77 architecture of its villages, but the flowers and lawns that B03 78 enliven them.

B03 79 The best British gardens eschew the geometry and formality of B03 80 the Italians and the French, in favour of a studied asymmetry. Just B03 81 as Capability Brown designed landscapes to look as perfect as they B03 82 might in nature, the British herbaceous border, though tended, has B03 83 to have a hint of wildness and overabundance in its arrangement.

B03 84 Gardening has become a boom industry in this country. About 85 B03 85 per cent of British adults have a garden and last year they spent B03 86 around pounds2 billion on horticultural products, more than twice B03 87 as much in real terms as in 1980. Plants are now easier to buy: in B03 88 the past, keen gardeners used to have to write off the nurseries in B03 89 the autumn to buy seeds or plants for the following year by mail B03 90 order. Now, with the proliferation of garden centres and B03 91 do-it-yourself megastores people can buy ready-grown plants and B03 92 flowers whenever they like, even on a Sunday in most areas. Nearly B03 93 half of all garden-related shopping is done in these shops.

B03 94 But most important is the rise in home ownership. Garden B03 95 centres report a big increase over the past decade in the number of B03 96 young couples coming in for plants to prettify and thereby increase B03 97 the value of their new houses. Hanging baskets are taking off in B03 98 every sense. Meanwhile the pattern of gardening has changed away B03 99 from vegetable-growing and towards the more aesthetic cultivation B03 100 of flowers. With the constant availability of fresh vegetables in B03 101 supermarkets, there are now half as many allotment-holders as there B03 102 were in 1950. Many now have their own garden in which they can B03 103 plant lobelia instead of lettuce.

B03 104 Gardening is not quite immune to the recession; this year the B03 105 Horticultural Trades Association is expecting no real growth in the B03 106 market. But those who forgo the holiday in Spain for financial B03 107 reasons will no doubt potter round their gardens instead in true B03 108 British style. Why did it have to be a Frenchman, Voltaire, who B03 109 concluded that, in order to lead a better life, il faut B03 110 cultiver notre jardin?

B03 111 B03 112 BAD TO WORSE IN LONDON

B03 113 Does London need a new Greater London Council? Both the B03 114 Government and the Labour party reply no. For the government the B03 115 argument ends there; for Labour it does not. In a policy document B03 116 published yesterday, Labour declares that, while it is not for B03 117 recreating the GLC, it does need to create a Greater London B03 118 Authority. One thing should be understood from the start: Labour's B03 119 GLA is nothing but GLC reincarnated.

B03 120 The GLA would have 'strategic' powers covering virtually every B03 121 local government activity in the capital, including transport, B03 122 health, police, housing and planning. Indeed it has a vastly more B03 123 extensive remit than that originally proposed for the GLC by the B03 124 Herbert commission in 1960. That body was also meant to be B03 125 "lean and hungry" and established on B03 126 "modern managerial principles with a small B03 127 highly-professional staff", in the words (referring to the B03 128 new body) of Labour's shadow environment secretary, Bryan Gould, B03 129 yesterday.

B03 130 The GLC had been specifically charged only to be strategic, B03 131 with the new London boroughs delivering local services. Within a B03 132 decade, it had become one of the most interventionist, extravagant, B03 133 wasteful and boastful bureaucracies in a capital B03 134 well-stocked with such beasts. But even so it did not run B03 135 the hospitals and the police, as is now proposed for the GLA. The B03 136 old GLC housing department, one of the County Hall's worst B03 137 scandals, is to be reborn with a complete "land-use B03 138 planning framework" and "housing development B03 139 powers". The London boroughs should shudder at the thought: B03 140 even their new education functions are to be exposed to a six-month B03 141 enquiry into how they might be "improved".

B03 142 Not a word in Labour's document, rife with platitudes, suggests B03 143 that the party has shed its old big-government-is-beautiful B03 144 obsession - except its hope (unconstrained by any statutory limit) B03 145 that it would never need more than a small staff. The hand of B03 146 grasping local government unions is heavy on the document. B03 147 Recreating not just a regional authority but a tier of government B03 148 with the widest possible powers, and one that previously proved B03 149 flawed, is no way to reform London government. Nor is it the way to B03 150 answer Michael Heseltine's failure to include London in his current B03 151 review of local government.

B03 152 So what should Labour, and Mr Heseltine, have proposed? The B03 153 answer is what Labour claims to want but is too in love with the B03 154 old GLC model to propose - a truly "lean" body to stand at B03 155 the apex of the capital's government. Londoners have shown time and B03 156 again in polls that they do want some symbolic focus for city-wide B03 157 identity. Reformers should be able to evolve a body that can answer B03 158 this need. There are some functions appropriate to an elected B03 159 authority for the capital, some consultative, a few regulatory and B03 160 many ceremonial. Mr Heseltine should not leave Labour to make the B03 161 running.

B03 162 He should respond to Labour's challenge by proposing a B03 163 minimalist version of a London authority. It should be based on a B03 164 single elected mayor, plus a senate composed of borough B03 165 representatives. The mayor's office would be less potent than any B03 166 of its County Hall predecessors. Its functions would be B03 167 consultative and exhortatory, liaising between the boroughs, B03 168 central government and the London quangos, notably in matters of B03 169 transport and development planning.

B03 170 As with the London mayor's New York equivalent, elected status B03 171 would give the office considerable public clout. It might also B03 172 enjoy some of the regulatory functions proposed by Labour, for B03 173 instance in environmental, conservation and arts matters. While the B03 174 mayor would deliver no services, the office would have a small B03 175 budget, fixed as a percentage of the London-wide council B03 176 tax, to give exhortation some weight. There is a world of B03 177 difference between these modest, mostly symbolic aims, and the B03 178 hands-on management of major services that Labour is proposing for B03 179 its new GLA.

B03 180 Should Labour return to power, London will clearly have to B03 181 experience another round of costly empire-building by a B03 182 union-dominated County Hall. The Tories could best avert this B03 183 monster by stealing, not Labour's entire suit of clothes, but a few B03 184 modest undergarments, restyled<&|>sic!.

B03 185 B03 186 SOUNDING THE RETREAT

B03 187 In his prayer for generosity, St Ignatius Loyola tells those B03 188 who carry out his spiritual exercises "to toil and not to B03 189 seek for rest, to labour and not to ask for any reward save that of B03 190 knowing that we do Thy will". Such selfless devotion to a B03 191 cause without the promise of success in this life is nowadays not B03 192 merely rare - as it always was - but seemingly at odds with the B03 193 ethos of a secular society.

B03 194 Yet the words of St Ignatius, along with other Christian guides B03 195 to the inner life, still help many whose days are indeed spent in B03 196 toil, not for any divine purpose but to sustain their families and B03 197 realise their ambitions. An increasing number of these not B03 198 necessarily churchgoers nor even Christians, are nowadays finding B03 199 rejuvenation and meaning to their lives in the ancient custom of B03 200 retreat: a few days of quiet prayer and introspection in a B03 201 Christian community or retreat house.

B03 202 Many retreats are supervised by Anglican and Roman Catholic B03 203 monastic or conventual orders. Others are led by clergy or laymen B03 204 of various Christian denominations. Demand for places exceeds B03 205 supply. Some 160 houses offer retreats, and most are booked up in B03 206 advance throughout the year. For lay persons, the cost may vary B03 207 between pounds15 and pounds30 a day, but some are asked only for B03 208 donations according to means.

B03 209 Those who go might find themselves in eminent company - the B03 210 Archbishop of Canterbury is at present on retreat. There is no B03 211 social appeal: a normal retreat of eight days might involve little B03 212 conversation with anyone.

B03 213 B04 1 <#FLOB:B04\>Why a tough inquiry is vital

B04 2 NOW that the Government has done the right thing in the B04 3 incredible case of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, B04 4 one essential is clear: there must be no skimping over the inquiry B04 5 it is to set up.

B04 6 If half the tales of deceit, fraud, terrorist associations, B04 7 assorted skulduggery, bribery, embarrassed or compromised top B04 8 people and Government buck-passing are true, BCCI is a scandal of B04 9 gargantuan proportions.

B04 10 Consequently this must be the roughest, toughest inquiry ever B04 11 by a British Government.

B04 12 It must deliver its verdict in its own time, consistent with B04 13 meticulous and authoritative investigation.

B04 14 If it cannot get at the truth, it must be ruthless in B04 15 identifying those who have been obstructive.

B04 16 In the interest of public confidence, there are four questions B04 17 it should particularly address.

B04 18 <*_>bullet<*/>What are the processes by which financial B04 19 institutions are permitted to operate in Britain as custodians of B04 20 our money; were they observed in the case of BCCI and, if not, who B04 21 is responsible? If the processes were observed, are they B04 22 adequate?

B04 23 <*_>bullet<*/>When did the British authorities learn of doubts B04 24 about the operations of BCCI and when did they acquire 'court B04 25 quality' evidence which justified intervention? Was there anything B04 26 which might reasonably have been done which was not done in the B04 27 interim to warn investors?

B04 28 <*_>bullet<*/>Is all the whining now going on by those who B04 29 invested in BCCI in expectation of earning a fast buck (or two, or B04 30 three) justified?

B04 31 <*_>bullet<*/>What has become of prudence and caution in B04 32 British local government which we once regarded as exemplary? Is B04 33 there not a case for a separate inquiry into financial control in B04 34 British local authorities.

B04 35 Finally, the inquiry might usefully address the effect on B04 36 Government in its widest sense of the propensity these days for B04 37 anyone and everyone to make allegations against anyone and everyone B04 38 in authority.

B04 39 Here the Commons, especially Labour MPs, has much to answer B04 40 for.

B04 41 In short, are investors in BCCI an unfortunate consequence of B04 42 the modern habit of crying "wolf" at every opportunity?

B04 43 B04 44 Stick to education

B04 45 TWO Oxford colleges - with four more expected to follow - are B04 46 apparently ready to ditch academic performance as evidenced by exam B04 47 results, for some undefined means of assessing the potential of B04 48 entrants.

B04 49 All this is presented as being in the interest of blacks and B04 50 deprived inner city kids, including (presumably) whites. This is B04 51 idiocy, however well meaning.

B04 52 First, academic institutions should not compromise their B04 53 standards.

B04 54 Secondly, they should not identify, if only by implication, B04 55 black students or those with the wrong accent as inferior B04 56 intelligences. Colour and accent are not a guide to brain power.

B04 57 Thirdly, the stupid academics should stop their social B04 58 engineering. Like cobblers, they should stick to their last.

B04 59 Their job is to educate. It is not to choose who to educate, B04 60 regardless of measured ability.

B04 61 B04 62 Time for some tough talking

B04 63 HOW do you tell a geriatric about to foster your child that he B04 64 is a hoodlum with a diseased mind and it's time to change his B04 65 ways?

B04 66 That is the thorny question John Major must tackle when today B04 67 he becomes the first Western leader to bless Peking with a visit B04 68 since the stomach-churning massacre in Tiananmen Square two years B04 69 ago.

B04 70 Nobody should envy his high-wire task of coupling a firm B04 71 denunciation of the last bastion of discredited Communist rule with B04 72 the need to secure cast-iron guarantees for Hong Kong's nervous six B04 73 million citizens in the run-up to the handover in 1997.

B04 74 Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd was fair to insist - as he did B04 75 yesterday - that Britain should not prove its morality by B04 76 neglecting its responsibilities. But he and the Prime Minister must B04 77 remember that the two are not mutually exclusive.

B04 78 By warning that the world will not tolerate the brutal purge of B04 79 dissidents, he takes a further step towards guaranteeing democratic B04 80 rights for the colony in six years' time.

B04 81 By telling Peking that Marxist central command economies end in B04 82 tears, he is doing a little more to help protect Hong Kong's B04 83 thriving commercial markets from Chinese interference post-1997.

B04 84 Downing Street agreed the visit two months ago as a quid B04 85 pro quo for getting Chinese agreement for a vital new airport B04 86 deal for the colony.

B04 87 But in the light of recent events Mr Major now shares B04 88 chopsticks with the gerontocrats as a spokesman for the seven most B04 89 powerful nations in the Western world as well as Prime Minister of B04 90 Britain. He must not mince his words and he does not need to.

B04 91 Tough talking is not only in the best interests of the world. B04 92 It is in the best interests of Britain's colonial child, too.

B04 93 B04 94 Doctor was a tonic

B04 95 SO the Good Doctor is finally packing up the political scalpel B04 96 he has wielded with such consummate skill for 25 years.

B04 97 Dr Owen's decision to stand down as MP for Plymouth Devonport B04 98 after a remarkable career is a sad loss to the body politic. He was B04 99 the youngest Foreign Secretary since Anthony Eden. And when he B04 100 helped set up the breakaway SDP, he broke the political mould and B04 101 did the Labour Party a lasting favour.

B04 102 Perhaps his greatest gift was his readiness to praise the B04 103 policy strengths of his opponents.

B04 104 It is a crying shame that a big man ended up leading such a B04 105 small party.

B04 106 B04 107 Ownership goal

B04 108 DOES Neil Kinnock have a split personality or a conveniently B04 109 short memory? In this week's Director magazine, he claims that a B04 110 "huge majority of the Labour Party" never believed B04 111 in wholesale nationalisation.

B04 112 Yet in 1975 he said: "We cannot remove the evils of B04 113 capitalism without taking its source of power - B04 114 ownership."

B04 115 And in 1983: "It is inconceivable that we could B04 116 transform this society without a major extension of public B04 117 ownership and control."

B04 118 We are told that many of the fat cats at the Trade Union in B04 119 Congress meeting in Glasgow are despairing of his leadership.

B04 120 We suggest that next year, after three General Election B04 121 failures, any leader of the Labour party should have his memory B04 122 jogged ... with the sack.

B04 123 B04 124 How the TUC plays possum

B04 125 TRADE Union leaders are being urged not to rock Labour's boat B04 126 at their annual congress in Glasgow this week in case they spoil B04 127 Neil Kinnock's chances of getting the keys to 10 Downing Street. B04 128 But the real message is: Just be patient, and you'll be able B04 129 to rock the whole country.

B04 130 Tony Blair, the shadow employment spokesman, is eager to B04 131 promise us that the unions will get no special favours from a B04 132 Labour government.

B04 133 Which could be roughly translated as: No more special than B04 134 usual. You own the party and we will do as we are told.

B04 135 Mr Blair is, of course, the moderate face of Labour. And he B04 136 tries to persuade us that there will be no return to the 1970s and B04 137 the days when the trade unions were a law to themselves.

B04 138 But already Mr Kinnock's men are promising a return of B04 139 secondary picketing against firms not directly involved in a B04 140 dispute, disguised as sympathy action. And for the first time they B04 141 promise to make it illegal for firms to sack strikers, even if the B04 142 alternative is bankruptcy.

B04 143 For the most part Labour is pussyfooting its way around the B04 144 embarrassing trade union question.

B04 145 While TUC delegates are on their best behaviour it is worth B04 146 recalling who provides the vast bulk of Labour Party funds: The B04 147 unions; who sponsors the biggest proportion of Labour MPs since B04 148 1935 and all 20 elected members of the Shadow Cabinet: The unions; B04 149 who casts almost 90 per cent of the votes at the Labour Party B04 150 conference: The unions; and who has a major role in picking B04 151 candidates as well as the leader himself: The unions.

B04 152 They may be playing possum now but if Britain were ever to B04 153 suffer the misfortune of a Neil Kinnock in Downing Street, guess B04 154 who would be waiting on the doorstep to collect their pay-off: The B04 155 unions.

B04 156 B04 157 Six million reasons to meet Old Guard

B04 158 ONE day the evil geriatrics who rule China will pay for their B04 159 massacre of the democracy students in Tiananmen Square. In the B04 160 meantime there is no alternative but to deal with the Old Guard B04 161 Communists in Peking, even if it is through the gritted teeth B04 162 displayed by the Prime Minister yesterday.

B04 163 Those who whinge and whine about Mr Major's visit do so out of B04 164 political malice, ignorance, or the understandable feelings bred in B04 165 those whose families and friends have suffered.

B04 166 It should come as some comfort to this latter group that Mr B04 167 Major lost no time lecturing on the need for widespread reform in B04 168 China - a robust performance from a man increasingly making a name B04 169 for himself on the world stage.

B04 170 Some leaders might shy away from being the first from the West B04 171 to visit Peking. But the Prime Minister has six million reasons for B04 172 such a bold step.

B04 173 They are the people from the colony of Hong Kong which is due B04 174 to be handed over to China in 1997. Mr Major is determined to B04 175 protect them as far as possible by maintaining confidence in their B04 176 economy and political freedoms. Spurning the Chinese government B04 177 would only damage such hopes.

B04 178 The Prime Minister is right to keep the channels open and B04 179 bluntly remind China's isolated leaders that their days are surely B04 180 numbered if they continue to behave like brutes at home.

B04 181 B04 182 Paddy hasn't a dog's chance

B04 183 PADDY Ashdown has proved himself to be both a charismatic and B04 184 popular leader of the Liberal Democrats against all predictions B04 185 when he took over that thankless job. As he kicks off the last B04 186 party conference season before the General Election he can be B04 187 satisfied with his achievement of knocking Neil Kinnock for six in B04 188 the battle to become the most effective opposition leader.

B04 189 This is mainly due to his firm and authoritative performance on B04 190 various foreign crises including the Gulf War.

B04 191 For this he has been rewarded with high personal ratings and, B04 192 even, more support for his party in latest opinion polls. But there B04 193 is still the smack of opportunism about the Liberal Democrats who B04 194 meet in Bournemouth this week.

B04 195 They have no real hope of power except as part of some shady B04 196 coalition if the two main parties fail to win an overall majority B04 197 in the next General Election.

B04 198 His claim, repeated yesterday, that the people will decide B04 199 whether they want a hung parliament, is a fraudulent interpretation B04 200 of any such result. The vast majority will have voted for either a B04 201 Tory or a Labour Government and not some fudged result leading to B04 202 deals concocted in smoke-filled rooms.

B04 203 Mr Ashdown has also made it clear that neither Mr Major nor Mr B04 204 Kinnock need pick up the phone unless they are prepared to grant a B04 205 change in the electoral system.

B04 206 Again, most voters will have supported parties which want no B04 207 such thing.

B04 208 Mr Ashdown says some sort of coalition government is not the B04 209 result he is seeking when John Major goes to the country. Voters B04 210 would have to be naive to fall for that one too.

B04 211 He knows an unstable Government with the Liberal Democrat tail B04 212 waving the dog is his only realistic hope of power come polling B04 213 day.

B04 214 B04 215 Motorists must dump litter habit

B04 216 There is an almost mystical belief among millions of people in B04 217 Britain that drinks cans or cigarette packets thrown out of car B04 218 windows vanish into thin air. The great pity is these people cannot B04 219 be made to help clear the 260 tonnes of litter taken from motorways B04 220 verges each week and 7,000 bags of rubbish that have to be removed B04 221 from London's Underground stations.

B04 222 So Tidy Travel Week is a welcome attempt to rid our roads, B04 223 trains and buses of the garbage dumped by those who regard the B04 224 world as their litter bin - and British Rail as their ashtray.

B04 225 Teachers, police and all decent citizens should drive home the B04 226 message too.

B04 227 B04 228 Long live Jimbo

B04 229 Jimmy Connors's latest star-spangled tennis performance gives B04 230 hope to all that life does not end at 39. While younger players B04 231 like John McEnroe, 32, Pat Cash, 26, and Boris Becker, 23, seem to B04 232 have lost their love of competitive tennis, Jimbo's enthusiasm is B04 233 unending.

B04 234 B05 1 <#FLOB:B05\>Left feet trip T & G

B05 2 I'VE long thought the Transport and General Workers' Union B05 3 should join the Magic Circle on account of its ability to score an B05 4 own goal while simultaneously shooting itself in the foot. Not even B05 5 Chelsea in its music hall prime ever managed that.

B05 6 There is no bad situation which the T & G cannot make worse. No B05 7 disaster which it cannot turn into catastrophe. No defeat which it B05 8 cannot snatch from the jaws of victory.

B05 9 Now it is pivoting on its two left feet to do it again.

B05 10 This week, ballot papers for the election of the union's deputy B05 11 general secretary have been posted to members (and, if the election B05 12 for the general secretary is anything to go by, to some people who B05 13 aren't members at all).

B05 14 The candidates who matter are 42-year-old Jack Dromey, the B05 15 husband of Harriet Harman who dresses almost as smartly as his B05 16 wife, and Jack Adams, 15 years older and one of the last members of B05 17 the British Communist party.

B05 18 Amazingly, at a time when a Communist couldn't even get elected B05 19 in Moscow, Adams is the likely winner - unless the union's B05 20 apathetic members stir themselves and vote heavily for Dromey.

B05 21 The result is due on October 18 - right in the middle of a B05 22 general election campaign should Major gather his nerve and go in B05 23 November.

B05 24 The Tories are praying their T & G supporters will vote for B05 25 Adams so that they can queue at every TV studio proclaiming Labour B05 26 is run by Reds.

B05 27 An Adams victory would make T & G even more ridiculous, which B05 28 doesn't bother me, and Neil Kinnock could respond by distancing B05 29 himself even farther from the T & G. However, Tory nonsense about B05 30 Labour's "paymaster" might stick.

B05 31 That's why electing Adams as a deputy to a weak general B05 32 secretary, Bill Morris, whom the hard left of the union already B05 33 reckons it can control, would win the T & G the Own Goal of the B05 34 Year prize in any competition.

B05 35 Even if it did have to limp to the stage to collect it.

B05 36 B05 37 Matter of opinion

B05 38 I SUPPOSE nothing will stem the tide of rubbish which is B05 39 written every time a new opinion poll comes out, but that doesn't B05 40 end the obligation to point out what garbage it is.

B05 41 The idea that there might be a November general election really B05 42 took off when The Sunday Times MORI poll showed that the B05 43 Tories had taken a two-point lead over Labour. When other polls B05 44 followed suit, The Independent declared that the B05 45 bandwagon for a November election was "unstoppable".

B05 46 But the bandwagon came to a juddering halt when another B05 47 Sunday Times poll showed that Labour had gone back to a B05 48 four-point lead. Unless you believe about a million voters changed B05 49 their minds over a couple of weeks, it appears confusing.

B05 50 Not necessarily so. The two Sunday Times polls could B05 51 be compatible. Given the three-point margin of error within which B05 52 the polls work, it is mathematically possible that a two-point Tory B05 53 lead could actually be a four-point Labour lead. Equally, a B05 54 four-point Labour lead could be a two-point Tory lead.

B05 55 What the polls show is that the outcome of the election is B05 56 neither certain nor inevitable. No more.

B05 57 B05 58 Foreign affairs

B05 59 WHY should three foreigners of incredible wealth, two of them B05 60 billionaires, the third a millionaire (currently on pounds3,500,000 B05 61 bail facing charges of theft and false accounting), jointly give B05 62 nearly pounds4 million to the Tory party?

B05 63 What was in it for them?

B05 64 When a minor businessman in Neil Kinnock's constituency B05 65 absented himself from police making their inquiries, it was spread B05 66 over the front pages of The Sun and other Tory papers. B05 67 Though they proclaimed (no doubt on the advice of their lawyers) B05 68 that Kinnock was completely free of any suggestion of wrong-doing, B05 69 the underlying message was there.

B05 70 But wouldn't they have screamed for a public inquiry if Kinnock B05 71 had dined with Li Ka-shing, a Hong Kong businessman, and his party B05 72 then received a cheque for pounds100,000? Yet that's what John B05 73 Major did a few weeks ago.

B05 74 If Kinnock had invited a Turkish-Cypriot, Asil Nadir, to dine B05 75 and sent effusive letters of thanks for donations to the party B05 76 funds adding up to over pounds1,500,000 (much of them covering the B05 77 1987 election campaign), wouldn't the soap-boxes have been erected B05 78 between Fleet Street and Westminster for editors to cry B05 79 "Scandal"? Yet that is what Lady Thatcher did.

B05 80 Wouldn't those same papers now be demanding that Nadir's money B05 81 should be contributed to the unfortunate shareholders who have seen B05 82 the value of their holdings melt away?

B05 83 If Kinnock had received pounds2 million from John Latsis, a B05 84 shipping magnate with unsavoury links with the former Greek B05 85 dictatorship, wouldn't there have been demands for his resignation? B05 86 Yet that happened, too, under Lady Thatcher.

B05 87 Not all the Tory papers concealed the truth. The Sunday B05 88 Times first revealed the Latsis connection and the Daily B05 89 Mail printed the Nadir news, even if only on page 19.

B05 90 But, as Edith Cavell said about patriotism, that is not B05 91 enough.

B05 92 Why do rich foreigners give so generously? Were these donations B05 93 - and God alone knows how many others there have been - B05 94 philanthropy or an investment?

B05 95 B05 96 Greens don't get my vote

B05 97 WEDNESDAY, apparently, is National Vegetarian Day. I will not B05 98 be taking part. In fact, I'm due at a lunch where I know lamb is B05 99 being served. What's more, I had roast beef for lunch yesterday.

B05 100 I am not indifferent to the welfare of animals. I stopped B05 101 eating veal 30 years ago when I discovered the cruelty calves B05 102 suffer in their brief lives.

B05 103 But I hate the main components of vegetarian food.

B05 104 I abominate tomatoes, served with everything by bad B05 105 restaurants. I detest cheese, hard or soft, whether smelling only B05 106 slightly off or reeking to high Heaven.

B05 107 Lettuce is fine for rabbits, but not for me. Beetroot is awful. B05 108 Cucumbers are tasteless and so are their undeveloped sisters, B05 109 courgettes. Avocadoes<&|>sic! are grossly overrated, even when B05 110 filled with prawns. And radishes never pass my lips.

B05 111 I cannot be converted, because I'm not going to live on peas, B05 112 runner beans and apples for the rest of my life.

B05 113 B05 114 Lest we forget ...

B05 115 IN A sane society, the idea that John Major could go to the B05 116 Soviet Union to give advice on how to run an economy would have the B05 117 unemployed, the repossessed, and bankrupt businessmen falling about B05 118 in hysterics.

B05 119 The notion that he could also bestride the world stage and B05 120 confer with President Bush, President Gorbachev and the collective B05 121 Chinese leadership all within the space of a week, would make those B05 122 who remember his embarrassingly awful few months as Foreign B05 123 Secretary collapse in a heap.

B05 124 But there he is, doing just those things. There might be hope B05 125 for David Owen yet.

B05 126 Ronald Reagan was known as the Teflon President, because no B05 127 matter how often his ignorance, incompetence and laziness were B05 128 exposed to the American voters, they refused to take any notice.

B05 129 There is a danger, now, that Major will become the Teflon Prime B05 130 Minister.

B05 131 I don't just mean his elevation to sainthood by the Tory press. B05 132 We expect that. If he were caught spending the nation's cash on a B05 133 French actress, the Daily Express would praise his concern for the B05 134 arts and the Daily Mail would see it as further proof of his B05 135 dedication to Europe.

B05 136 But there is more to his current success than sycophancy.

B05 137 The voters still blame Lady Thatcher for the sorry state of the B05 138 economy and excuse Major his leading part in it. They still blame B05 139 her for the Poll Tax and forget that he defended it.

B05 140 They forget his uncaring dismissal of the plight of the Kurds B05 141 and only remember that, eventually, he did something about it, even B05 142 if they don't remember what.

B05 143 But if they forget he is the leader of the Tory party, then B05 144 they will do so at their peril.

B05 145 B05 146 Smeared by a fantasy

B05 147 LORD MACAULAY once described a book as being the best ever B05 148 written on the wrong side of the subject of which the author was B05 149 profoundly ignorant. I doubt if he would be as kind today to B05 150 Smear! Wilson and the Secret State, by Stephen Dorril and B05 151 Robin Ramsay (Fourth Estate, pounds20).

B05 152 This ragbag of spelling and factual errors (Brian Walden was B05 153 never a Minister, Judith Hart is not "now Dame B05 154 Judith" but Baroness Hart) purports to show how Harold B05 155 Wilson was smeared by the secret services through most of his B05 156 political life.

B05 157 Naturally, in order to refute the smears, it repeats them, so B05 158 that alleged affairs of Wilson and his wife and indiscretions B05 159 involving former Labour Ministers will get a wider audience than B05 160 they had when they were only gossiped about.

B05 161 Smear! is a regurgitation of the wilder fantasies of B05 162 Private Eye, Auberon Waugh, Spycatcher Peter Wright, B05 163 Collin Wallace and Tony Benn. 'Facts' are preceded by phrases like, B05 164 "Although there is no evidence of this yet, it seems highly B05 165 probable ..."

B05 166 The most remarkable thing about this clumsy book is how little B05 167 the authors know of what really happened in the Wilson years, not B05 168 how much.

B05 169 B05 170 THIS column, like Mr Gorbachev, was on holiday when the Soviet B05 171 coup took place, though I think Gorbachev's mistake was the B05 172 greater.

B05 173 We all know what he did. What did I do?

B05 174 Among other things I discovered Oxford has a painful practice B05 175 of projecting metal bus stop signs above the pavement at a height B05 176 of about 5ft.8in. As I'm 5ft.9in, I ended up with a cut head. I B05 177 thought there was a law against that, and, if there isn't, there B05 178 ought to be.

B05 179 It's no way to encourage tourists, except pygmies and B05 180 dwarfs.

B05 181 B05 182 Major decision

B05 183 IF JOHN Major hasn't already decided when the General Election B05 184 is going to be, I'll be astonished. And if he has told anyone else, B05 185 I'll be equally astonished. A secret shared is a secret lost.

B05 186 Some forecasters of the date will, of course, eventually prove B05 187 to be right. But only because they made a good guess, not because B05 188 they were well-informed.

B05 189 Having been wrong about a June election, I'm not going to plump B05 190 for any other date. I've bet 10 quid against November 7, but that's B05 191 a hunch, not information.

B05 192 The trouble with the Soviet coup's Committee of Eight was that B05 193 there were seven too many in it. British Prime Ministers learned B05 194 that lesson a long time ago. Power shared is power lost.

B05 195 The art of politics is to take a decision and allow others to B05 196 believe they were part of it. It's known as Cabinet government.

B05 197 In all the election fever over the past few days, the awful B05 198 example of Harold Wilson rushing to a General Election in June B05 199 1970, after a few good opinion polls, has been held up by The B05 200 Guardian, The Times, The Sunday Times and ITN, among others, B05 201 as a reason why Major should be cautious.

B05 202 Even Roy Jenkins, in his elegantly-written autobiography A B05 203 Life at the Centre (Macmillan, pounds20), falls into the same B05 204 trap.

B05 205 They are all wrong.

B05 206 Wilson decided on a June election on April 13, the night before B05 207 Jenkins's<&|>sic! Budget, and I've got a note to prove it: The B05 208 first poll showing a slight Labour lead didn't come until eight B05 209 days later. Not until April 29 did Wilson consult his Inner Cabinet B05 210 for their opinions, which meant, in reality, manoeuvring their B05 211 agreement. Blame shared is blame lost.

B05 212 In the meantime, speculation increased and an B05 213 "irresistible" bandwagon was created. The longer Major lets B05 214 the autumn bandwagon roll, the more likely it is to happen. If he B05 215 doesn't want it, the example to follow is Alec Douglas-Home's: he B05 216 announced in the spring of 1964 that the election would not be B05 217 until the autumn and the May bandwagon crashed.

B05 218 B05 219 They never listen ...

B05 220 DEREK Jameson has got the boot, or at least the slipper, from B05 221 his BBC show, the afternoon Woman's Hour is being B05 222 switched to the morning, ball-by-ball Test Match commentary has B05 223 been scrapped and Gardener's World is cutting down on B05 224 some of its best-loved presenters.

B05 225 In addition, Sky Sport's habit of showing instant replays of B05 226 previous points in tennis means the start of the following point is B05 227 frequently missed, and the BBC's practice of covering motor racing B05 228 from the inside of one of the cars means viewers can't see what's B05 229 happening on the track.

B05 230 B06 1 <#FLOB:B06\>Miles Kington

B06 2 Confusion rules the waves

B06 3 TODAY - a thrilling tale of the sea!

B06 4 One Of Our Subs Is Independent

B06 5 Deep inside the USSR Navy submarine Stalingrad, B06 6 things were pretty quiet, except for the background humming noise. B06 7 In the captain's cabin, Captain Volkov was puzzling over a chess B06 8 problem, making vague musical noises to himself. That was the B06 9 background humming noise. There was also a knocking sound at the B06 10 door. There was only one way to stop that.

B06 11 "Come in!"

B06 12 The door opened and in came Chief Officer Lermontov, holding a B06 13 bit of paper in his hand. When he saw who it was, Volkov B06 14 automatically switched on the secret tape recorder he used to B06 15 preserve all conversations with subordinates. He noticed at the B06 16 same time that Lermontov was activating the small tape machine that B06 17 he kept secreted about his person. Whenever the two of B06 18 them spoke, they were both taping the talk.

B06 19 "Ah, Lermontov, it's you, testing, one, two three, B06 20 four, come in. How are things?"

B06 21 "Not bad, sir. The men were wondering where we were B06 22 exactly."

B06 23 "Somewhere off Norway."

B06 24 "Norway, eh?"

B06 25 "Yes. Or Sweden, possibly."

B06 26 "Sweden, eh?"

B06 27 "Yes. Or maybe even Germany or Spain ...Lermontov, you B06 28 know I can't possibly tell you where we are."

B06 29 "Yes, sir. Because you don't know. Because only HQ back B06 30 home knows, and they won't tell us."

B06 31 "Yes. Got a bit of paper there, have you?"

B06 32 This was for the benefit of the tape recordings, rather than a B06 33 straight inquiry.

B06 34 "Ah, yes, sir. I do have a piece of paper here. This is B06 35 the result of the on-board referendum about renaming the B06 36 Stalingrad. If you remember, HQ has encouraged us to think of B06 37 a new name that does not refer to Uncle Joe."

B06 38 "I remember," said Volkov heavily. B06 39 "There seems to be as much bureaucracy B06 40 post-glasnost as there was before."

B06 41 He bit his tongue. That wasn't the sort of thing you should say B06 42 to a tape recorder. He looked up to see Lermontov laughing wildly B06 43 but silently and gesturing as if to say "one nil!" B06 44 It was a sort of game he had with Lermontov, to see who could trick B06 45 the other into making the greater number of subversive statements. B06 46 At the moment the score was 1,916 to Lermontov, 1,777 to Volkov. It B06 47 was a high score, but Russian subs stay at sea for a long time, B06 48 especially when they aren't sure where they are.

B06 49 "Results of the poll are pretty inconclusive, I'm B06 50 afraid. We've had five votes for Spirit of Yeltsin, four B06 51 for Don't Worry, Be Happy, three for Dear Old B06 52 Vodka, two for Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll B06 53 ..."

B06 54 "In that case, we'll go for Spirit of Yeltsin B06 55 and thank our lucky stars that it wasn't worse. Thank you, B06 56 Lermontov."

B06 57 "Thank you, sir."

B06 58 They both switched off their machines. They both stayed in the B06 59 cabin. This was the point where the real conversation started.

B06 60 "Well, what was the result of the real referendum, the B06 61 one to decide whether the submarine should become an independent B06 62 republic or not?"

B06 63 "Fifty-six for, 13 against."

B06 64 Yes, the split-up of the Soviet Union had gone further than the B06 65 West suspected. At least one Russian sub had woken up to the fact B06 66 that it had its own nuclear strike force, its own micro-economy B06 67 amid its own stores of food and fuel. Why not its own independence? B06 68 It was already in far better shape than many real republics.

B06 69 "I have to say, Captain, that the men are worried about B06 70 the future. What happens when the food and fuel run B06 71 out?"

B06 72 "No problem. We point a nuclear warhead at the nearest B06 73 country and get it."

B06 74 "That's piracy."

B06 75 "Not if you call it getting aid from the West. Listen, B06 76 Lermontov, as soon as the West learns that a Soviet sub has gone B06 77 independent, they'll be falling over themselves to have us as B06 78 allies. We can't lose. The only thing is ..."

B06 79 "Yes?"

B06 80 "We still don't know our position. So I'm afraid we are B06 81 going to have to surface, make for land and just ask where we B06 82 are."

B06 83 (In the next episode, Captain Volkov's submarine, 'The Republic B06 84 of the Spirit of Yeltsin', emerges in New York harbour, where B06 85 Volkov establishes where he is and asks if it is too late to enter B06 86 another team for the World Cup. Don't miss it!).

B06 87 B06 88 Miles Kington

B06 89 Opinion polls for every occasion

B06 90 EIGHTY-FIVE per cent of the electorate are sick and tired of B06 91 the next election, even though it hasn't been announced yet! That's B06 92 the shock finding of a new poll commissioned especially for the B06 93 first few paragraphs of this column. Other findings include a 17 B06 94 per cent vote for David Owen as next PM, and a widespread feeling B06 95 that the Benetton poster of the new-born baby is an anti-Labour B06 96 smear campaign by the Tories.

B06 97 But here is the poll in full. Remember, it was taken B06 98 before news of Hampshire's victory in the Natwest Trophy could B06 99 have affected it.

B06 100 "If there was an election tomorrow, what would you B06 101 do?"

B06 102 <*_>square<*/>Vote (40 per cent)

B06 103 <*_>square<*/>Say "Thank God! An end at last to those B06 104 bloody opinion polls!" (60 per cent)

B06 105 These findings will shock those who have come to treat opinion B06 106 polls as a useful tool, a good way of filling up the front page, or B06 107 simply as the nearest thing to democracy in Britain today. But if B06 108 opinion polls are so boring and unpopular, why do we have so many B06 109 of them? One specially commissioned for the next bit of this B06 110 article asked this very question (NB: This poll was taken after B06 111 John Major's historic trip to China, but before he next went to the B06 112 lavatory.)

B06 113 "Who do you think pays any attention to polls about the B06 114 next election?"

B06 115 <*_>square<*/>God knows (33 per cent)

B06 116 <*_>square<*/>Nervous MPs (27 per cent)

B06 117 <*_>square<*/>People who make money out of running polls (23 B06 118 per cent)

B06 119 <*_>square<*/>Here, are you from that Esther Rantzen programme? B06 120 Well, if so, where are your cameras, then? Eh? (14 per cent)

B06 121 <*_>square<*/>Dr David Owen (3 per cent)

B06 122 Another unexpected finding to emerge from recent polls is that B06 123 politicians' prime ministerial potential increases after they B06 124 resign. David Steel, David Owen and Margaret Thatcher have high B06 125 profiles as future PMs. So does John Major. But this is because B06 126 many people are under the impression that Mr Major is already an B06 127 ex-prime minister. This emerged from a poll taken after this B06 128 article was started but before it was completed. Here is the B06 129 vital question.

B06 130 "What do you think John Major has achieved in his B06 131 recent world tour?"

B06 132 <*_>square<*/>He has considerably boosted the sales of his B06 133 books, CDs, tapes and T-shirts based on his tenure in office (37 B06 134 per cent)

B06 135 <*_>square<*/>He has shown the dictator of Burma is not the B06 136 only world leader with the guts to go to Peking and agree with the B06 137 Chinese leadership (25 per cent)

B06 138 <*_>square<*/>He was trying to go round the world in eight days B06 139 or less, using only official limousines and the Queen's B06 140 flight, and no public transport (14 per cent)

B06 141 <*_>square<*/>He was trying to avoid having to read the opinion B06 142 polls (24 per cent)

B06 143 "We now think," writes the eminent social B06 144 psephologist Dr Ivor Tenure, "that there are two main B06 145 reasons for the proliferation of polls before an election. One is B06 146 to provide employment. An enormous temporary army of pollsters, B06 147 researchers, TV workers and experts suddenly comes on to the B06 148 employment statistics, which cuts the jobless figures by thousands, B06 149 which makes it look as if the Government is doing a good job. It B06 150 is, therefore, more likely to get voted in. It's a self-fulfilling B06 151 process.

B06 152 "The other effect is that by picking a date for the election B06 153 the Government is, in effect, pledging an end to opinion polls for B06 154 a few years. Out of sheer gratitude, many, many people will vote B06 155 for it, simply for delivering them from the endless litany of Poll B06 156 Shock headlines."

B06 157 None of which explains Dr Owen's sudden surge in popularity. So B06 158 we commissioned a special poll to find out. Remember, this poll was B06 159 taken before you read the results, but after we realised we'd B06 160 need another poll to pad out the column. The questions asked were: B06 161 How do you explain Dr Owen's sudden surge in popularity?

B06 162 <*_>square<*/>Total mystery (25 per cent)

B06 163 <*_>square<*/>Is he the one on telly in that hospital series B06 164 with the catchphrase "Oops! Butterfingers!" every B06 165 time a patient dies? I think he's smashing (25 per cent)

B06 166 <*_>square<*/>Well, basically, everyone knows by now that B06 167 David's big flaw is that he can't work with any colleagues. Now, at B06 168 last, he has no colleagues. So we finally feel we can safely vote B06 169 for him (50 per cent)

B06 170 PS: Don't forget, on TV tonight, David Owen talks exclusively B06 171 to Jeremy Paxman and asks him: Now that your days as a bright and B06 172 cynical young man of TV reporting are virtually over, Jeremy, how B06 173 do you see you yourself having a future?

B06 174 B06 175 Miles Kington

B06 176 What I really meant to say was ...

B06 177 Apology B06 178 I WROTE recently in these columns the following statement: B06 179 "Increasingly Mr John Major is acquiring a high profile as B06 180 a foreign statesman to whom more and more heads of state are B06 181 willing to turn, and whose voice is regularly listened to in B06 182 international councils."

B06 183 This should, of course, have read as follows: "When a B06 184 man is making little headway on the domestic front, he B06 185 traditionally tries to make a role for himself on the international B06 186 stage, flying from capital to capital in an effort to look like a B06 187 big cheese. All that he actually achieves is a big airline bill and B06 188 a sense of foreboding among his colleagues at the prospect of B06 189 hearing his bland monotone again."

B06 190 I would like to apologise for any distress this may have B06 191 caused.

B06 192 Correction B06 193 I wrote recently the following statement about Dr David Owen. B06 194 "Dr David Owen will be leaving politics at the time of the B06 195 next general election."

B06 196 It has now been pointed out to me that this is incorrect, and I B06 197 have been asked to insert the following correction.

B06 198 "Dr David Owen left politics at the time of the last B06 199 general election, or possibly the one before that."

B06 200 Alteration B06 201 It has been drawn to my attention that a recent apology in B06 202 which I talked about Mr Major's role on the international scene may B06 203 have given the wrong impression. I have been asked instead to print B06 204 the following statement.

B06 205 "'Save me from the old witch!' That was the urgent plea B06 206 that brought John Major scurrying out to Moscow last night, as B06 207 Mikhail Gorbachev tried everything he knew to avoid a meeting with B06 208 Mrs Thatcher. Ever since her fall from power nine months ago, Mrs B06 209 Thatcher has been flying from country to country looking for one B06 210 that will give her asylum, or preferably where she can take over as B06 211 leader, and now she seems to have targeted the USSR as her future B06 212 sphere of activity, plunging the country into the chaos with which B06 213 we are all too familiar."

B06 214 I am glad to comply with this request.

B06 215 Withdrawal B06 216 I wrote recently the following: "Mr Neil Kinnock is too B06 217 big a man to be bothered by the vicious talk behind the scenes. By B06 218 the canard that, as he was always yoked to Mrs Thatcher in B06 219 opposition, he should have left when she did. That he is nothing B06 220 like the commanding figure that John Smith is. That even other B06 221 Welshmen find him windy. That only an all-Scottish shadow Cabinet B06 222 can save Labour now. Above all this Mr Kinnock can rise B06 223 serenely."

B06 224 This was, of course, a misprint. It should have read: B06 225 "Mr Neil Kinnock will be leaving politics at the time of B06 226 the next general election."

B06 227 Sorry B06 228 Recently I reported on the World Games in Tokyo to the effect B06 229 that: "We cannot but be inspired, in the midst of turmoil, B06 230 unrest and discontent, by the sight of men and women engaged in the B06 231 heroic, elemental battle against the frontiers of human B06 232 limitations. As man soars over 29ft, surely our spirits soar with B06 233 him?"

B06 234 Thousands of readers have written in to ask if I did not, B06 235 rather, mean to say: "When, oh when, will these B06 236 monumentally dreary games be over?"

B06 237 B07 1 <#FLOB:B07\>W.F. Deedes

B07 2 From dark fear to soft soap

B07 3 TYRANNY overcome, at least for the time being, where will B07 4 Russian writers go now for their inspiration? I put the question to B07 5 a woman in Moscow. It was her beautiful hat, not her thoughtful B07 6 face, which drew me to her; but luckily she turned out to be a B07 7 professor of literature. "They will help us to understand B07 8 democracy," she said. "They will see the new B07 9 challenge, and help us to meet it."

B07 10 I tried politely to look impressed, but I was not. Great B07 11 writers who have been denouncing the vileness of Stalin's legacy, B07 12 and challenging its heirs to throw them in jail, will seek bigger B07 13 fish than 'democracy'. My guess is that for some of them at least a B07 14 new target will be our Western culture. Samantha Fox and Sylvester B07 15 Stallone stand high in the esteem of many of Moscow's young people B07 16 today. That surely gives Russia's satirists some sort of start.

B07 17 The big burger looms in Moscow. I am assured that McDonalds' B07 18 designs there are benign, that they genuinely seek to improve B07 19 catering for local people, not to pamper tourists. I accept that, B07 20 but there is much else in store. There is Disneyland; there is B07 21 Benetton, the Italian outfitter with its avant garde B07 22 advertising; there are exciting fashion designers like Jean Paul B07 23 Gaultier; and at a humbler level, there are East-Enders, Wogan, B07 24 Joan Collins, Madonna and Clive James, all of whom may soon be B07 25 reaching out to Russia. My recent days here have brought home what B07 26 a culture shock this will be.

B07 27 Out in the darkness there, people have been living almost B07 28 entirely by human association. Thinking and talking centre on B07 29 reality, on birth and death, sickness, hunger and fear. B07 30 <}_><-|>Nobody's<+|>Nobody<}/> discusses last night's soap opera. B07 31 There is a depth to Russian thinking and culture, even among the B07 32 poor, which we in the West have part-exchanged for more ephemeral B07 33 pleasures.

B07 34 B07 35 W.F. Deedes

B07 36 The last word goes to Marx ...

B07 37 IT HAS rained in Moscow most of the last week. An oddly B07 38 appropriate consequence of this, I thought, was to be seen on B07 39 certain of the busts of modern Russian leaders which line the B07 40 Kremlin wall. When I inspected them, the rain trickled down their B07 41 cheeks like tears, as if they were crying. As well they might, you B07 42 could say.

B07 43 Lenin, whose embalmed body lies in the closely-guarded B07 44 mausoleum nearby, showed no signs of remorse. I glanced at the B07 45 pale, flood-lit face, rendered slightly incongruous by the neat B07 46 collar and black tie with white dots, and thought irreverently of B07 47 Evelyn Waugh's novel on embalmed corpses in Hollywood, called The B07 48 Loved One.

B07 49 On return to the pouring rain in Red Square, I asked some of my B07 50 fellow travellers why they had joined this damp pilgrimage. To B07 51 which most of them replied in effect "before it gets shut B07 52 down". It is reported that Lenin's remains will be B07 53 transported to Leningrad (St Petersburg) to be buried in accordance B07 54 with his wishes alongside his mother there.

B07 55 A MORE awkward question is the future of the vast Lenin museum B07 56 below Red Square, where 20 halls of the red-brick former city B07 57 council building are crammed with memorabilia of the founder of the B07 58 Soviet state. This also is threatened with closure, but I cannot B07 59 conceive how such a mass of material will be disposed of. It is B07 60 surely the world's most extravagant example of the cult of B07 61 personality.

B07 62 One or two English entries raise the eyebrows. A copy of B07 63 Justice for December 1903 bestows its blessing on Lenin as his B07 64 party holds its second congress. There is a blue LCC plaque of the B07 65 "Lenin stayed here" variety which was B07 66 "Presented to Moscow City Soviet by Desmond Plummer, leader B07 67 of the GLC, on behalf of the people of London, April B07 68 1971".

B07 69 Most striking of all is Lenin's splendid open Rolls Royce No B07 70 236 (1922-23) which has a niche to itself and appears to be in B07 71 pristine condition.

B07 72 I had been gazing at this when I was approached by a senior B07 73 museum official - there being virtually nobody else in the place, I B07 74 was a conspicuous figure. We chatted and I asked about the museum's B07 75 future. "We do not know," he said sadly, at which B07 76 one or two of the old dears who guard the halls began to creep up B07 77 like anxious pussycats.

B07 78 Well, I said, wishing to be helpful, if you are to be sold up, B07 79 do not let that Rolls Royce go for less than pounds2 million. He B07 80 looked amazed. The question seemed to me whether this staggering B07 81 collection is to be rated as history or mere politics. I mentioned B07 82 this to my interpreting lady. "History? B07 83 Fiddlesticks!" she said. "It is all B07 84 propaganda." She admirably expresses the prevailing mood of B07 85 this city today.

B07 86 BEING old-fashioned, I thought the right way to approach Moscow B07 87 was by train from Finland. I recommend the sleeper which leaves B07 88 Helsinki just after 6 pm and pulls into Moscow via Leningrad in B07 89 time for a late breakfast.

B07 90 The cars are old but not uncomfortable. When I did the trip ten B07 91 years ago under Brezhnev, the night's ration was bread, sausage and B07 92 half a bottle of vodka. Under Gorbachev there is a Pullman car of B07 93 Edwardian splendour with velvet coverings over the tablecloth, B07 94 delicious food and rapid service from ladies who look more WI than B07 95 Young Communist League.

B07 96 What drew me to the train, however, was not these delights, but B07 97 the thrilling impression of Russia which you get by rumbling B07 98 through it at night. It is hard to grasp the scale of this vast B07 99 land. A train journey conveys as the airplane cannot.

B07 100 They say the track gets bumpier after you cross the Finnish B07 101 border. And so it does, but that conditions the mind to what lies B07 102 ahead. So do the graveyards of broken trains and derelict carriages B07 103 which suddenly break the lonely forest line. Many traces of a B07 104 rotten, inefficient system which has dragged the Russian people B07 105 down almost all of my lifetime lie along this line.

B07 106 This was the route, my travelling companion assured me, which B07 107 Lenin took in the First World War when the Germans rushed him in to B07 108 ease their eastern front against the Tsar's army - as he did.

B07 109 SOME Muskovites still observed the courtesies during and after B07 110 the coup. Across a defiled statue of Marx run the words B07 111 "very sorry".

B07 112 B07 113 Chaim Bermant

B07 114 Practising some lethal preachings

B07 115 WHEN I first heard of them they were known as bum-boys. Then it B07 116 was nancy-boys and fancy-boys, and pansies and fairies, and fruits B07 117 and fags and faggots, and poofs and poofters and queers and B07 118 gays.

B07 119 Gays was the name they eventually chose. Now they are reverting B07 120 to queers, but given their disposition should they not be calling B07 121 themselves kamikazes? I ask the question in all seriousness, for B07 122 they not only seem to have a death-wish themselves, but an apparent B07 123 readiness to inflict death on others.

B07 124 A report in the Health Education Journal shows that a growing B07 125 number of gays are no longer taking precautions to protect B07 126 themselves or their partners, and that promiscuity among them is as B07 127 rife as ever.

B07 128 The nearest thing to a saint in the gay community is Derek B07 129 Jarman. As anyone familiar with his books and films will know, he B07 130 is very gifted. A recent interview with Lynn Barber also suggests B07 131 that he is extremely brave. He was diagnosed as HIV positive five B07 132 years ago and presumes he has Aids. He is in and out of hospital, B07 133 subsists on a diet of pills and has perhaps 12 months to live, but B07 134 accepts his afflictions with cheerful stoicism. He is 50 and it is B07 135 difficult not to be moved by his heroism. Yet he admits that he B07 136 still picks up young men without mentioning his condition.

B07 137 "I do make certain any encounter I have is B07 138 safe," he added. But, given the hazards, how safe is safe B07 139 sex? And, had his partners known of his condition, would they have B07 140 felt so nonchalant about it? One has to make allowances for Mr B07 141 Jarman not because he is dying, but because, as he says himself, he B07 142 is on so many drugs he is no longer quite sure who he is, what he B07 143 is, or what he is doing. But it seems to me that such encounters B07 144 are not far short of premeditated murder.

B07 145 It is always dangerous to draw conclusions from particular B07 146 cases, but Mr Jarman is more than a particular case. He is regarded B07 147 by many homosexuals as a role model. He is one of their most B07 148 articulate spokesmen, and he is devoting what is left of his life B07 149 to fighting Clause 28 of the 1988 Local Government Act.

B07 150 One might think from the fierce opposition it has provoked in B07 151 the gay community that the Clause is a threat to the rights and B07 152 liberties of homosexuals, whereas it was designed to limit their B07 153 presumption.

B07 154 Before the Wolfenden Report was published in 1957, homosexuals B07 155 suffered persecution and terror. The main proposals in the report B07 156 that public bodies should not legislate on private morality, and B07 157 that homosexual acts should be permitted between consenting adults, B07 158 were not readily accepted. They aroused great controversy, and were B07 159 only passed into law under the Sexual Offences Act (1967) after a B07 160 Labour Government was elected.

B07 161 The Act was intended to remove the stigma of illegality from B07 162 homosexual practices and to end the pariah of the homosexual. But, B07 163 if politicians could have foreseen what was to follow, the Act B07 164 would never have been passed - for instead of seeking integration B07 165 into the wider society, gays began to present themselves as an B07 166 alternative society. Where they had been retiring and discreet they B07 167 became strident, assertive, even aggressive.

B07 168 Then came Aids, and practices which people had felt to be B07 169 immoral were shown to be lethal. All the Government could do was B07 170 launch a campaign for the wider use of condoms.

B07 171 Gays insist Aids is not primarily a homosexual plague. Evidence B07 172 shows - in America and Europe, at least - that the victims are B07 173 overwhelmingly gay and, where heterosexuals are infected, it is B07 174 usually through contact with bisexuals.

B07 175 Drug addicts are also affected, but while no one suggested drug B07 176 addiction as an alternative life style, the gay community continued B07 177 to act as a sort of church militant. They obtained a greater say in B07 178 local government and tried to push their teachings in schools. B07 179 Hence Clause 28. If ever a measure were justified by circumstances, B07 180 this was it.

B07 181 We live in an age in which it is no longer acceptable even for B07 182 churchmen to talk in terms of right or wrong, but I think one can B07 183 be forgiven for suggesting that the homosexual way of life is less B07 184 than wholesome or, to put it more bluntly, it is, even without the B07 185 menace of Aids, a desperately sad one. Their gaiety, where it B07 186 exists, is at best ephemeral. There is little love in their lives B07 187 and their very promiscuity is an attempt to snatch a moment of B07 188 bliss in physical gratification. They are not preaching a way of B07 189 life, but a way of death. Not that every married couple is happy, B07 190 but the family offers scope for lasting relationships and B07 191 happiness. The life of the homosexual, possibly because of its B07 192 inherent sterility, does not.

B07 193 Their relationships are generally brief, and as they do not B07 194 care for the word promiscuity, they prefer to prove that they are B07 195 unhappy with the basic truths of their situation, and their efforts B07 196 at proselytisation arise not out of the belief that they have B07 197 something better to offer, but out of the comfort available in B07 198 numbers.

B07 199 It must be added that in spite of the Wolfenden reforms, B07 200 homosexuals still suffer from ostracism, discrimination and B07 201 harassment; the police tend to treat their complaints with B07 202 derision. But instead of protesting about genuine grievances they B07 203 protest about pseudo-grievances - like Clause 28.

B07 204 Gays are pushing their luck and seem to think that they can win B07 205 over public opinion by alienating it. They will not obtain the B07 206 repeal of Clause 28, but if they persist in their efforts, they B07 207 could lead to the repeal of the Wolfenden Act.

B07 208 B08 1 <#FLOB:B08\>Why the waiting game looks a winner for B08 2 Major

B08 3 The longer Kinnock stays in opposition the weaker becomes his B08 4 election appeal

B08 5 by Paul Johnson

B08 6 JOHN MAJOR can retain the option of a November election for B08 7 another month but, despite yesterday's Gallup poll, the chances are B08 8 that he will turn it down - and rightly.

B08 9 No Prime Minister likes to have to run the full course, though B08 10 the historical precedents are not so daunting as many pundits B08 11 think. The last Tory leader to do so, the little-fancied Alec Home, B08 12 very nearly pulled off a surprise victory in 1964, against a (then) B08 13 immensely impressive opponent, Harold Wilson. Had the campaign run B08 14 another fortnight, Home would have won.

B08 15 But the precedent most people have in mind is the calamitous B08 16 misjudgement of Jim Callaghan, who funked an autumn election in B08 17 1978, ran into the Winter of Discontent and handed Margaret B08 18 Thatcher a comfortable victory in 1979.

B08 19 Hence in the right conditions Major would be strongly tempted B08 20 to go in November. But the "right conditions" B08 21 consist, in practice, of four figures: inflation has to be at or B08 22 below 3 per cent, interest rates must be in single figures, B08 23 unemployment must have peaked and the Tories must have reached and B08 24 held a lead in the polls of not less than 7 per cent.

B08 25 None of these things is likely to happen in the next month; and B08 26 for all four to materialise would require something like a B08 27 miracle.

B08 28 The 1992 option has three powerful arguments behind it. The B08 29 first, which weighs particularly heavily with Major himself, is the B08 30 political impact of the key December negotiations with our European B08 31 Community partners on monetary union.

B08 32 Major believes that if, by some mischance, Labour were to win B08 33 in November, Neil Kinnock would make a hash of them and come back B08 34 with an agreement which would be disastrous for Britain.

B08 35 Believing he can get a deal which will reduce Tory malcontents B08 36 to a tiny minority, Major would prefer to have this under his belt B08 37 before embarking on a campaign in which an argument over Europe B08 38 would damage only his own party.

B08 39 Painful B08 40 The second argument is more fundamental. Elections are nearly B08 41 always won or lost on the voter's sense of economic wellbeing. B08 42 There is virtual unanimity among the well-informed that the B08 43 recession has bottomed out and we shall be visibly pulling out of B08 44 it by late autumn.

B08 45 Nonetheless, it has been the deepest and most painful most B08 46 people can remember. The wounds are still open and raw and will B08 47 take time to heal.

B08 48 Many homebuyers have had their flats and houses repossessed or B08 49 have abandoned them in despair at paying their monthly mortgage B08 50 bills. The notion of a property-owning democracy, the great slogan B08 51 of the Thatcher years, has turned distinctly sour.

B08 52 Most of the people in these two categories voted Tory in 1983 B08 53 and 1987. They may not now vote Labour. But some will turn to the B08 54 Liberal Democrats. Others will abstain. It is hard to see any B08 55 returning to the Tory fold this side of Christmas.

B08 56 A third and still expanding group of voters have lost their B08 57 jobs. They include many skilled workers, whom Mrs Thatcher won over B08 58 from Labour. Most are now back in the Labour camp and will remain B08 59 there until the jobless total begins to decline.

B08 60 The economic argument for 1992 is clinched by an important B08 61 tactical consideration. If Major picks November simply because B08 62 there is a pale glimmer of light on the horizon, he lays himself B08 63 open to the charge of blatant opportunism - and the far more B08 64 damaging smear that he is holding a snap election because the dawn B08 65 is a false one and he fears more bad news this winter.

B08 66 Emotional B08 67 That is an accusation Labour can be expected to hammer home and B08 68 many will believe it.

B08 69 Third, there is the personal argument. We must not minimise the B08 70 forces working against the Government. A dozen years is a long time B08 71 to hold power. No modern government has won four consecutive B08 72 elections.

B08 73 Time for a change is a cumulative force of huge emotional B08 74 importance, not least among millions of young voters who have known B08 75 nothing but Tory rule since they became aware of politics.

B08 76 These negative factors apply, whichever date Major picks, B08 77 whereas the countervailing personal factor becomes stronger, the B08 78 more he delays.

B08 79 It can be expressed in a simple, five-word equation: Major B08 80 Versus Kinnock Means Major.

B08 81 Perhaps the most important factor is Kinnock's failure, in B08 82 eight years as a Leader of the Opposition, to make himself look B08 83 like a prime minister.

B08 84 The longer he goes on, the less impressive he seems. In the B08 85 last month alone he has lost much ground. It is surely significant B08 86 that, in a recent poll of trades union leaders - who ought to be B08 87 his strongest supporters - he was rated only seventh in the Shadow B08 88 Cabinet. How can the voters trust a man in whom even the party's B08 89 stalwarts are losing faith?

B08 90 By contrast, Major's stature and appeal have grown with every B08 91 month. He had a superb summer. He looks set for a triumphant party B08 92 conference. If he pulls off a negotiating triumph in December - and B08 93 he clearly believes he can - this will set the seal on his B08 94 emergence as a popular prime minister.

B08 95 Instinct B08 96 Major has trumped Kinnock's two strong suits of youth and B08 97 ordinariness. He speaks to and for men and women in the street, B08 98 where Kinnock speaks only to and for party workers.

B08 99 Whereas Kinnock manages to look like a BA cabin steward, you B08 100 can imagine Major safely piloting the plane.

B08 101 He contrives to look and sound as unlike Margaret Thatcher as B08 102 possible, and this counteracts the time-for-a-change instinct.

B08 103 Best of all for the Tories is the feeling that there is plenty B08 104 more growth in their leader - that the more people see, the more B08 105 they like. That is a decisive argument for giving Major another B08 106 few, precious months.

B08 107 All the same, the choice is not easy and if he rules out B08 108 November, Major will pass an anxious winter. But how much more B08 109 nailbiting will it be for Kinnock, as he sees his chances slipping B08 110 away again - and how much stronger the probability that this B08 111 accident-prone man will trip himself up in the labyrinths of his B08 112 own verbiage!

B08 113 B08 114 Keith Waterhouse

B08 115 COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR

B08 116 Arnold on the lines

B08 117 AND finally, the railway that's disappearing into its own B08 118 shunting shed. Following a loss of 23,000 passengers a day, British B08 119 Rail hopes to halt an expected pounds84 million shortfall with B08 120 wide-ranging cuts including the loss of up to 48 rush-hour commuter B08 121 trains a day. Here from our Bournemouth studio to discuss the B08 122 implications of that is British Rail's brother-in-law Arnold. B08 123 "Good evening, Arnold."

B08 124 "Good evening Jeremy."

B08 125 "And the first thing concerned commuters will want me B08 126 to ask, Arnold, is how is your wife Moira?"

B08 127 "Still a martyr to indigestion, Jeremy, but my sister B08 128 Elaine - you know, the one who married British Rail - has put her B08 129 on to some blue pills that she has to take instead of meals, so B08 130 we're hoping they'll do the trick."

B08 131 "And the boys, Arnold?"

B08 132 "Kevin's waiting for his GCSE results and lucky little B08 133 Rory's gone to stay with his Aunt Noreen in Barbados, would you B08 134 believe? If you remember, Jeremy, she married one of the water B08 135 companies so they can well afford a time-share flat."

B08 136 "Now the next thing the disgruntled public is asking, B08 137 Arnold, is this. How does your brother-in-law justify charging more B08 138 and more for less and less?"

B08 139 "Well, Jeremy, you've got to remember he has an B08 140 enormous wages bill and it's rising all the time. Three hundred and B08 141 fifty per cent increase last year - and that's only his own B08 142 salary."

B08 143 "No, I didn't mean your brother-in-law the water B08 144 company, Arnold, I meant your other brother-in-law British B08 145 Rail."

B08 146 "Oh, I see, you mean Barry, the one who's married to B08 147 Elaine. He's very well, Jeremy, in fact we had a game of golf only B08 148 yesterday."

B08 149 "And what did he have to say about British Rail's B08 150 apparent strategy of trying to cut its losses by getting rid of its B08 151 passengers?"

B08 152 "Customers, Jeremy. Never say passengers, always say B08 153 customers. That's what I've drummed into my brother-in-law and he's B08 154 never looked back since. See, for passengers you've got to provide B08 155 trains, but for customers you've only got to sell tickets. I've B08 156 said the selfsame thing to my other brother-in-law, Lionel, I tell B08 157 him, otherwise they'll all be clamouring for water to put in their B08 158 hosepipes. Call them customers and all you have to worry about is B08 159 sending out the bill."

B08 160 BUT the question remains, Arnold - whenever British Rail is B08 161 faced with a huge revenue deficiency, it tries to balance its books B08 162 by putting up fares and reducing the service."

B08 163 "That's not a question, Jeremy, it's a statement. You'd B08 164 better be very careful - I have another sister, Beryl, who happens B08 165 to be married to the BBC."

B08 166 "Let me put it this way, then, Arnold. Can we expect B08 167 British Rail standards to get worse as more and more customers drop B08 168 away?"

B08 169 "No way, Jeremy. For one thing, fewer customers means B08 170 less crowded trains - that stands to reason, now doesn't it? And B08 171 fewer trains leaving the station means fewer trains arriving late - B08 172 that's another plus. Also, if the worst comes to the worst, Harry B08 173 can always revise the fares structure."

B08 174 "You mean put the fares up again?"

B08 175 "There you go, Jeremy, always looking on the black B08 176 side. Listen, I'll tell you in the strictest confidence what my B08 177 brother-in-law said over that game of golf yesterday- Arnold, he B08 178 said, we'll never get it 100 per cent right until we make such a B08 179 gigantic cock-up of the railways that the Government either has to B08 180 sell them off or come to the rescue."

B08 181 "So the rundown services are all part of a grand B08 182 long-term strategy?"

B08 183 "You've got it, Jeremy. But will the powers that be B08 184 listen. Of course, you know where the Government made its big B08 185 mistake, don't you?"

B08 186 "What was that, Arnold?"

B08 187 "It should have married my eldest sister Louise when it B08 188 had the chance."

B08 189 B08 190 Poorer Patels

B08 191 JUDGING from yesterday's headlines there seem to be about 12 B08 192 separate scandals rumbling away in the wake of the BCCI affair. B08 193 This one will run and run.

B08 194 There are also some intriguing questions to be answered, such B08 195 as why do bank paying-in books not carry a Government financial B08 196 health warning: "Deposit protection in case of the bank B08 197 closing down due to fraud, incompetence or unwise investment is B08 198 limited to pounds15,000" - and how on earth did the remote B08 199 Western Isles council get its fists on pounds23million in the first B08 200 place?

B08 201 B08 202 Keith Waterhouse

B08 203 Perfect peace

B08 204 KARL MARX got it ever so slightly wrong when he prophesied the B08 205 withering away of the state. It is Marxism that has withered away - B08 206 and with it all manner of ideological sideshows.

B08 207 One that I shall be rather sad to see fading into the tapestry B08 208 of history is the dear old CND, the Campaign for Nuclear B08 209 Disarmament, which is now facing hard times and cannot be much B08 210 longer for this glasnost world.

B08 211 All those game old birds with gnarled sticks and pipes and B08 212 flowing manes, all those earnest young women with baby harnesses B08 213 bouncing off their bra-less bosoms, all those long-haired young men B08 214 addressing their girlfriends as "Man", all those duffel B08 215 coats and jeans and badges and banners and open-toed sandals and B08 216 push-chairs and guitars and joints, and all those choruses of B08 217 "We shall not be moved".

B08 218 The Easter march from Trafalgar Square to Aldermaston - more of B08 219 a pilgrimage really - became as much a national institution as B08 220 Derby Day.

B08 221 Although it had some pretty cranky spin-offs, notably the B08 222 Greenham Wimmin, the CND was probably the last protest movement not B08 223 to resort to violence. Scuffles and sit-downs there may have been, B08 224 but you did not ever see CND supporters heaving bricks at the B08 225 police.

B08 226 The Campaign's heart was in the right place even if its head B08 227 was in the wrong one. And at least - unlike the raucous B08 228 single-issue lobbies even now filling the void it will leave behind B08 229 - it could sing.

B08 230 B09 1 <#FLOB:B09\>Freedom for the Kurds

B09 2 NOT one of your 15 contributors (April 17) proposed that the B09 3 governments of the countries most concerned, Turkey, Iran and Iraq B09 4 are central to any discussion of how to save the Kurds. Neither B09 5 Turkey or Iran have met to discuss the political implications or to B09 6 seek a solution which would enable the Iraqi Kurds to return home. B09 7 There are sound reasons why Iraq could be brought into such B09 8 discussion, and the key to the early return of the Kurds to their B09 9 homes in Iraq is the Iraqi government itself.

B09 10 Some of your contributors suggested that one way to make B09 11 Northern Iraq safe for the Kurds would be to re-invade, capture B09 12 Baghdad and impose terms. But diplomacy is a better route, and the B09 13 conditions for Iraqi co-operation may now be emerging. They include B09 14 the current movement towards democracy in Iraq.

B09 15 Such moves indicate that we may soon be able to 'do business' B09 16 with the Iraq government. Two other factors make it more likely B09 17 that Iraq will co-operate in the relief and resettlement of the B09 18 Kurds in Northern Iraq. The Iraq government is bankrupt. It has B09 19 appealed to the UN for permission to sell oil. A UN agency has B09 20 asked for massive aid to Iraq whose crippled infrastructure is B09 21 producing more deaths and sickness.

B09 22 While the governments which conducted the war are right to send B09 23 immediate aid to limit the 'collateral' damage to the Kurds, it is B09 24 essential that the Kurdish homelands of Northern Iraq are made a B09 25 'safe haven'. The only sure way for such an early return is by B09 26 encouraging Turkey, Iran and Iraq to sink their differences, B09 27 consider their mutual problems and responsibilities and work for a B09 28 peaceful settlement. If that includes some element of B09 29 self-government in the Kurdish area of Northern Iraq the grant of B09 30 similar autonomy may also be necessary in other Kurdish enclaves B09 31 outside Iraq, but this need not result in changes of existing B09 32 borders. Renewed war could lead to drastic changes; the temptation B09 33 to take this course should be resisted.

B09 34 Jim Addington,

B09 35 Surbiton, Surrey

B09 36 B09 37 SO DOES the fact of sending in Western Troops to northern Iraq B09 38 mean that the new world order works after all? I think not. In B09 39 seeking to deny it, President Bush has already underlined the B09 40 point. It is too little and too late. The oppression of the Kurds B09 41 does not date from the end of the Gulf war. It can be traced back B09 42 to the end of the First World War, when the West's carving the map B09 43 of the Middle East excluded an independent Kurdistan.

B09 44 The West's involvement now is a matter of political expediency. B09 45 A result of public and press pressure. The logic behind it is B09 46 another matter. Despite what Bush says it really is the logic of B09 47 the Vietnam War. The Gulf War had several aims. One was certainly B09 48 to keep control of oil for the West. Another was to clip the B09 49 territorial ambitions of Saddam Hussein. A third was to erase the B09 50 memory of America's defeat in Vietnam.

B09 51 But such things are not erased so easily. A war once started B09 52 throws up a whole number if uncomfortable questions. If not B09 53 democracy in either Kuwait or Iraq, then surely at least, freedom B09 54 for the Kurds?

B09 55 And what of the Palestinians? Bush's nightmare is not over. It B09 56 is just beginning.

B09 57 Keith Flett.

B09 58 London N11.

B09 59 B09 60 Dishing the dirt on nuclear power

B09 61 I AM surprised that Geoffrey Taylor can be so vigorous an B09 62 apologist for the beleaguered nuclear industry, yet remains B09 63 seriously out of touch with the progress of the renewable energy B09 64 sector (Terms of Reference, April 15). Having heard a senior B09 65 Department of Energy official state that wind power, biomass, wave B09 66 energy etc. now figure prominently in government plans alongside so B09 67 called "conventional" energy sources. I find it B09 68 exasperating to read yet again that future UK energy supply can B09 69 only be guaranteed by 'dirty' fossil fuels or 'clean' nuclear B09 70 power. No lobby is suggesting that wind power alone can fill the B09 71 technological gap left by the discredited nuclear industry - merely B09 72 that the combination of diverse renewable energy resources can make B09 73 a very substantial contribution in the near future.

B09 74 Most of California's pioneering wind turbines were built in a B09 75 hasty response to generous tax breaks, and therefore represent the B09 76 Model T Fords or Commodore PETs of the nascent wind industry - B09 77 early attempts at mass productions, already B09 78 <}_><-|>superceded<+|>superseded<}/> by much quieter and more B09 79 visually appealing machines. The focus of attention has shifted, B09 80 anyway, to the major wind power programmes under way in Denmark, B09 81 the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and even Spain. Britain is already B09 82 late in joining the band-wagon, and likely to miss out altogether, B09 83 if sensible planning policy guidelines and real windfarms do not B09 84 follow soon.

B09 85 Geoffrey Taylor may be correct in his assessment of Britain's B09 86 "voodoo" treatment of its nuclear industry, but we are B09 87 verging on more Tragically Wasted Years if we do not strike the B09 88 right balance between assessment and deployment of renewable energy B09 89 technologies.

B09 90 (Dr) J M O Scurlocjk,

B09 91 Division of Biosphere Sciences,

B09 92 King's College London,

B09 93 University of London.

B09 94 B09 95 GEOFFREY TAYLOR's opinion about the role of the electricity was B09 96 disappointingly ill-formed, particularly so since the author B09 97 declares himself a "Card Carrying B09 98 environmentalist."

B09 99 The importance of wind energy has been recognised by several B09 100 governments and is being actively encouraged in Germany, the B09 101 Netherlands and Denmark, where it now generates 2 per cent of B09 102 electricity. Similar encouragement is now in place in the UK.

B09 103 The removal of nuclear power from the privatisation of the B09 104 electricity industry was based on 'disciplined thought' imposed by B09 105 the City. Under its rules it can be shown, very easily and B09 106 transparently, that wind energy is already cheaper than Mr Taylor's B09 107 nuclear panacea. Windmills are, by their very nature, visible. Some B09 108 think them beautiful. Their only impact upon the environment is B09 109 their visual appearance - surely preferable to invisible pollution B09 110 from other 'conventional sources'. Modern windmills are not noisy. B09 111 If Mr Taylor's only experience of the wind energy industry is the B09 112 early Californian wind farms, then he should reconsider his B09 113 position. Certainly many of those early machines were ugly and B09 114 noisy but he should take a look at the modern European farms in B09 115 Denmark and the Netherlands. Soon, I hope, he will have an B09 116 opportunity to judge them in Britain where we have a raw resource B09 117 which is the envy of the rest of Europe.

B09 118 (Dr) A D Garrad,

B09 119 British Wind Energy Association,

B09 120 London W1.

B09 121 B09 122 GEOFFREY TAYLOR'S suggestion that opposition to nuclear power B09 123 is based on "timidity" and that the industry should be B09 124 allowed to develop by trial and error shows scant regard for the B09 125 thousands who have died, are suffering or will suffer as a result B09 126 of the Chernobyl disaster.

B09 127 He is right to abhor the environmental damage of the B09 128 industrialised world's reliance on oil. However, most oil is used B09 129 for transport, not for power production as he implies: in the OECD B09 130 countries 48 per cent of their oil requirements is used for B09 131 transport, while electricity production uses 8.7 per cent.

B09 132 The route towards a 'greener' source of energy is not to B09 133 promote uneconomic and unsafe nuclear reactors, nor fossil fuels. A B09 134 comprehensive programme of energy efficiency is needed, together B09 135 with an increase in the use of renewables. Contrary to Taylor's B09 136 assertions, renewable forms of energy now provide for about 20 per B09 137 cent of the world's primary supply; not just from wind, but also B09 138 from bio-mass, hydro power and solar energy. This figure should be B09 139 compared with the longer-established nuclear industry's B09 140 contribution of only 12 per cent.

B09 141 Bridget Woodman.

B09 142 Greenpeace Nuclear Campaign,

B09 143 London N1

B09 144 B09 145 Geoffrey TAYLOR is concerned that Britain's reluctance to B09 146 invest in nuclear power as widely as France will condemn us to B09 147 fossil fuelled future. His mind could perhaps be put at rest by a B09 148 1985 report to the Commission of the European community on wave B09 149 energy, by Dr Tony Lewis. This estimates that the European B09 150 potential (excluding Iberia) for offshore wave power is 92 GW, or B09 151 70 per cent of the present EC demand. This is about double the B09 152 present nuclear contribution.

B09 153 We could be delighted if he could investigate why this report B09 154 has been persistently ignored by the EX, and why the Department of B09 155 Energy went to such lengths to sabotage the UK programme in 1982. B09 156 We try hard not to be conspiracy theorists, but we wonder whether B09 157 it is because wave power is the only renewable option that could B09 158 provide serious quantities of base-load power. Thus (given but a B09 159 fraction of the nuclear research budget) it would compete with B09 160 nuclear power, into which UK in particular has sunk such quantities B09 161 of both prestige and cash, to such little effect.

B09 162 John Valentine.

B09 163 Energy spokesman,

B09 164 Green Party.

B09 165 B09 166 Pension less

B09 167 I WRITE to draw attention to the continually worsening plight B09 168 of hundreds of thousand of pensioners in this country. Last week B09 169 they received the much-publicised 10.9 per cent increase on the B09 170 basic state pension, bringing it to pounds52 for a single person B09 171 and pounds83.25 for a couple. This increase was based on last B09 172 September's inflation figure and was thus six months in B09 173 arrear<&|>sic!.

B09 174 Rents were increased (in many cases a week earlier) by upwards B09 175 of 10 per cent including those in sheltered accommodation. VAT from B09 176 15 per cent to 17 1/2 per cent (a 16.6 per cent increase) fuel and B09 177 food prices are constantly rising. Television licences have gone up B09 178 by pounds5m water rates in this area by 15.2 per cent, electricity B09 179 by 11 per cent. To add insult to injury many pensioners have now B09 180 lost their entitlement to Income Support and are no longer eligible B09 181 for free eye tests, dental treatment etc..

B09 182 It is scandalous that our elderly should be thus treated. Where B09 183 pensioners have been able to save or have a second pension, they, B09 184 too, are watching their capital disappear in the effort to keep B09 185 abreast of payment for basic necessities and their extra income B09 186 becoming less and less adequate to meet their needs.

B09 187 Pensioners all over the country are flocking to associations B09 188 campaign for a decent standard of living. In the Anglian region, B09 189 over 14,000 have joined an association which started only some B09 190 eighteen months ago.

B09 191 Mary Davies.

B09 192 Norfolk and Norwich Pensioners' Association,

B09 193 Meadow View,

B09 194 Stacksford,

B09 195 Old Buckenham,

B09 196 Norfolk.

B09 197 B09 198 Baby Food for thought

B09 199 YOU published a disturbing report of the low nutritional value B09 200 of manufactured babyfoods (Guardian, April 16). It reminded me that B09 201 last year when I visited the wing allocated to mothers and babies B09 202 in Holloway prison I was horrified to discover that these foods B09 203 were all the mothers were allowed to feed their children. Holloway B09 204 prison has no provision for allowing mothers to prepare fresh food B09 205 for their babies.

B09 206 If the analysis of the low protein content of commercial B09 207 babyfoods is accurate, then these babies are being malnourished. B09 208 Conditions for women and their babies in prison are far from B09 209 satisfactory, but the lack of fresh food at such a crucial stage in B09 210 the development of a young baby is scandalous. Mothers in prison B09 211 suffer terribly, whether they have their little babies with them B09 212 for a short time, or whether they are separated from their B09 213 children. The Howard league has been very involved in encouraging B09 214 improved contacts between imprisoned mothers and their children on B09 215 the outside. We applaud the considerable efforts being made by the B09 216 staff in women's prisons. But, these reforms are only hailed as B09 217 breakthrough because of the dreadful visiting arrangements that B09 218 went before.

B09 219 Far too many babies experience prison. In 1989 a total of 101 B09 220 women served all or part of their sentence with their babies in the B09 221 prison mother and baby unites, and one third of these women had B09 222 been convicted of theft or fraud. More women experience prison with B09 223 their babies on remand.

B09 224 The poor quality food given by the prison to babies in their B09 225 care is just one more reason why we should not be imprisoning these B09 226 mothers and babies in the first place. It is not beyond the wit of B09 227 our criminal justice system to find ways of managing these women in B09 228 the community.

B09 229 Frances Crook, Director,

B09 230 The Howard League,

B09 231 London N19.

B09 232 B10 1 <#FLOB:B10\>Insurance stance on Aids vindicated

B10 2 From Mr John Lockyer

B10 3 Sir, Scheherazade Daneshkhu attributes particular criticism B10 4 ("Life Insurance for Gays", August 3) of the life B10 5 insurance industry's lifestyle questionnaire to the Institute of B10 6 Actuaries working party on Aids. This misinterprets the working B10 7 party's views.

B10 8 Indeed, in its bulletin published in March, the working party B10 9 noted that the continued use of the lifestyle questionnaire appears B10 10 to be vindicated by the fact that two-thirds of newly-reported B10 11 cases of HIV infection are from among the homosexual community. The B10 12 recommendation of a switch of emphasis has to be set against the B10 13 context of a bulletin which discusses the possibility of more B10 14 widespread infection in the heterosexual community. If that event B10 15 comes to pass the insurance industry may well need to review its B10 16 procedures.

B10 17 As yet there is very little evidence, either in Europe or the B10 18 US, of an appreciable level of infection among sexual partners B10 19 where neither is a member of one of the recognised risk groups. The B10 20 working party is charged with looking to the uncertain future of B10 21 the epidemic; the insurance industry has the delicate task of B10 22 making commercial judgments in the light of today's realities as it B10 23 sees them. If life insurance underwriters believe there is B10 24 insufficient evidence to justify a change of direction we should B10 25 not criticise them.

B10 26 John Lockyer,

B10 27 chairman,

B10 28 Institute of Actuaries Aids Working Party,

B10 29 Leadenhall Street,

B10 30 London EC3A 2PQ

B10 31 B10 32 India's needs: less of the textbook and more aid

B10 33 From Parviz Dabir-Alai.

B10 34 Sir, Your leader, "Perestroika in India", is a B10 35 classic example of good analysis followed by an unworthy B10 36 <}_><-|>conclusions<+|>conclusion<}/>. You state that, given its B10 37 fragility, the Indian government should "go further and ... B10 38 still faster" in its attempts to liberalise the economy by B10 39 disbanding subsidies (such as those on fertilisers) and other B10 40 manifestations of control prevalent there. This textbook-like B10 41 conclusion, like many of its type, is a recipe for disaster as it B10 42 ignores the concerns of the myriad interest groups found across B10 43 rural and metropolitan India. To ignore the wishes of any B10 44 electorate in the pursuit of economic liberalisation alone is bound B10 45 to be politically dangerous as evidenced by Rajiv Gandhi's defeat B10 46 in the Haryana elections of May 1987.

B10 47 Your contempt for the decision partially to reinstate the B10 48 fertiliser subsidies is insensitive as their principal objective B10 49 has always been to underwrite incomes of marginal and lesser able B10 50 farmers. Removal of such subsidies will immediately jeopardise the B10 51 livelihood of millions. This is not to anyone's interest, least of B10 52 all to a government suffering from political fragility.

B10 53 Parviz Dabir-Alai,

B10 54 lecturer in economics,

B10 55 Division of Business Administration and the Social Sciences,

B10 56 Richmond College, London.

B10 57 B10 58 From Messrs John Toye and Michael Lipton.

B10 59 Sir, Your leader of<&|>sic! is right both to congratulate the B10 60 minister of finance, Dr Mammohan Singh, on his courageous moves B10 61 towards stabilisation and liberalisation, and to warn that they may B10 62 not go far enough. Unfortunately, you recognise neither the past B10 63 achievements and improvements in Indian economic policy, flawed as B10 64 these have been, nor the complicity of the western world in the B10 65 flaws.

B10 66 From 1947 to the early 1970s, the Indian economy crawled B10 67 forward at just over 3 per cent per year - about 1 per cent per B10 68 person. The proportion of Indians below the national 'poverty line' B10 69 fluctuated around 50 per cent. Comparable figures now are about 5 B10 70 per cent yearly, that is, almost 3 per cent per person, and those B10 71 below the poverty line are now less than one in three. Government B10 72 policies and programmes played a major part in these improvements. B10 73 They took place in an economically hostile world environment, and B10 74 largely in a fully democratic framework.

B10 75 However, India has also been experiencing a huge expansion of B10 76 public-sector deficits. This trend was stimulated by the policies B10 77 pressed upon India by western donors in the early 1980s.

B10 78 At that time, India was strongly encouraged to reduce its B10 79 borrowing from concessional sources, such as the International B10 80 Development Association, and instead to borrow heavily from banks B10 81 at commercial rates. Progressively, monetary and fiscal caution was B10 82 borne down in a flood of easy, but expensive commercial paper on B10 83 which debt service had to be raised through the public budget.

B10 84 India now needs greatly expanded flows of concessional aid, not B10 85 only as a reward for liberalisation, but also to support a reformed B10 86 and expanded role for the state in its appropriate functions of B10 87 providing infrastructure and social services for continued growth B10 88 and poverty reduction.

B10 89 John Toye and Michael Lipton,

B10 90 The Institute of Development Studies,

B10 91 University of Sussex,

B10 92 Brighton BN1 9RE

B10 93 B10 94 What has become of the EEC?

B10 95 From Mr Ian Macavoy.

B10 96 Sir, In the argument on erosion of parliamentary control over B10 97 the UK, little comment has been made on the original premise upon B10 98 which our application for membership was made. That we were to join B10 99 the European Economic Community.

B10 100 Similarly, in the subsequent national referendum on continuing B10 101 membership, the promarketeers' main argument in favour was of B10 102 economic benefits accruing to the UK, and the cost of withdrawing. B10 103 No argument was made by them in favour of devolving parliamentary B10 104 power to the EEC.

B10 105 I am now ashamed to say that I voted in the referendum for B10 106 continuing membership of the European Economic Community. But in B10 107 recent years the title of that has been changed to the European B10 108 Community, a completely different animal for which I did not vote. B10 109 The 'manifesto' of Mr Heath and pro-marketeers effectively sold the B10 110 nation a pup.

B10 111 Ian Macavoy,

B10 112 Wantage Hall,

B10 113 Upper Redlands Road,

B10 114 Reading, Berkshire

B10 115 B10 116 Relate high pay to insecurity of tenure

B10 117 From Mr Derek H Broome.

B10 118 Sir, Christopher Hood and Chris Tinder (Personal View, August B10 119 6) should consider the market principles of remuneration before B10 120 advising prime ministers or anybody else to raise their pay. The B10 121 only valid reasons for paying one person more than another are B10 122 relative scarcity of skills and qualifications. The Review Body has B10 123 the wrong terms of reference.

B10 124 Monopoly rents are of course earned where there is little B10 125 market and few performance measures - in boardrooms as well as the B10 126 public sector - and clearly there is little relationship between B10 127 performance and pay in such cases. Arguments based on comparisons, B10 128 or even incentives, can be shown to be largely fallacious; the B10 129 answer is to make high pay, wherever earned, subject to total B10 130 insecurity of tenure, dependent on performance, and with no golden B10 131 handshakes.

B10 132 It is improbable that the supply or performance of prime B10 133 ministers is much affected by pay, nor is it evident that the B10 134 country is better served now than when the office was held for B10 135 little or no direct remuneration. The comparison between Messrs. B10 136 Wilson and Heath and John Major was perhaps particularly B10 137 unfortunate. If the first two were paid relatively twice as much - B10 138 did they perform twice as well?

B10 139 Derek H Broome,

B10 140 Potter's End,

B10 141 Mears Ashby,

B10 142 Northampton

B10 143 B10 144 Future of the European Commission

B10 145 From Mr Dick Taverne.

B10 146 Sir, In the Brussels discussions about the future of political B10 147 and monetary union, one important item has been left out: the B10 148 future and effectiveness of the European Commission.

B10 149 The Commission seems to have few friends in high political B10 150 places. It is therefore worth bearing in mind how vital an B10 151 effective Commission is to the Community's well-being.

B10 152 The Commission is the only European institution which B10 153 represents the interests of the Community as such, rather than B10 154 those of the nation states. There are times when all states benefit B10 155 from the assertion of this wider perspective.

B10 156 The Commission has played a crucial role in the remarkable B10 157 progress we have made towards a single market. Further, we would B10 158 not be as close as we are to agreement about monetary union if it B10 159 had not been for the Delors Report and the efforts of M<&|>sic! B10 160 Delors himself. Whatever the nature of the new constitution which B10 161 emerges from the inter-governmental conferences, the role of the B10 162 Commission is likely to be more important than ever. There will be B10 163 more majority voting in the Council, which enhances the B10 164 Commission's role; there will be new fields in which the Commission B10 165 will acquire the right to make proposals, a right which has been in B10 166 part of the basis of its influence.

B10 167 But if the Commission is to perform these enhanced duties B10 168 effectively, it must function better than it does now. The number B10 169 of commissioners is too large.

B10 170 I am told that on important issues a preliminary tour B10 171 de table takes two-and-a-half hours. And there are doubts B10 172 about the cohesion of the Commission as a body.

B10 173 In 1979 the Spierenburg Committee (of which I was the British B10 174 member) was set up to review the working of the Commission. Two of B10 175 its central recommendations were to reduce the number of B10 176 commissioners and to split the duties of the presidency.

B10 177 We recommended that there should only be one commissioner per B10 178 member state. There are now 17, two for each of the larger states. B10 179 If and when Austria, probably Sweden, and possibly others join, the B10 180 college will become unmanageable.

B10 181 We also recommended that, to relieve the burden on the B10 182 presidency, there should be a deputy president. The president would B10 183 be concerned with strategy and represent the Commission on B10 184 important matters inside and outside the Community; the deputy B10 185 president would be responsible for organising and co-ordinating the B10 186 Commission's internal work.

B10 187 These recommendations were as relevant as ever. They should be B10 188 revived as an important practical contribution to the future of the B10 189 Community.

B10 190 Dick Taverne,

B10 191 PRIMA Europe Ltd,

B10 192 14 Soho Square,

B10 193 London W1

B10 194 B10 195 Blind Spots on the Dark Ages

B10 196 From Mr Peter Clery.

B10 197 Sir, David Richardson, a tenant himself, appears to have a B10 198 blind spot ("Tenant farmers fear return to Dark B10 199 Ages", April 16). There is currently a massive subsidy in B10 200 value terms from landlord to tenant. This is beyond doubt as the B10 201 price of agricultural tenancy is generally half the value of the B10 202 same land with vacant possession.

B10 203 The minister of agriculture is proposing freedom of contract B10 204 (on new tenancies only). For would-be tenants to claim some further B10 205 rights over a landowner's freehold property is impertinent and B10 206 illogical.

B10 207 If the minister's proposals go through, it is likely that there B10 208 will be considerable opportunities for new lettings on a freely B10 209 agreed basis. One might even arrive at the position, as is the case B10 210 in commercial lettings, where a farm let to a good tenant is worth B10 211 as much as it would be if in hand.

B10 212 This point appears to have been missed by Mr Richardson and the B10 213 tenant farming lobby which seeks a degree of influence over B10 214 landowners' property completely unjustified by the B10 215 circumstances.

B10 216 Peter Clery,

B10 217 Managing Director,

B10 218 The Lands Improvement Group Limited,

B10 219 1 Buckingham Place, SW1

B10 220 B10 221 Chemical mix-up was no laughing matter

B10 222 From Dr A. Scotney.

B10 223 Sir, I have no doubt that many of your chemically trained B10 224 readers experienced the same delicious frisson as I when they B10 225 read Clive Cookson's item "Nitrous Acid gets last B10 226 laugh" (April 10).

B10 227 Suffice it to say that intractable confusion between nitrous B10 228 oxide (laughing gas) and nitrous acid (an entirely distinct B10 229 compound known only in an aqueous solution) rendered the entire B10 230 article largely meaningless.

B10 231 Nitrous and nitric acids are present as pollutants in B10 232 atmospheric water droplets largely as a result of emissions of two B10 233 other oxides of nitrogen (nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide) from B10 234 petrol combustion and other chemical processes.

B10 235 However, I was particularly entertained by the prospect of B10 236 dentists using nitrous acid in high concentration as an B10 237 anaesthetic.

B10 238 I would be unlikely to induce the last (or any other) laugh, B10 239 but I can confidently predict the last gasp, the last rites and the B10 240 last will and testament in that order.

B10 241 Dr A Scotney

B10 242 17 Hyndland Avenue,

B10 243 Glasgow

B10 244 G11

B10 245 B10 246 Quality and productivity in education

B10 247 From Mr John Farago

B10 248 Sir, In the last 10 years industry and commerce (and readers of B10 249 the FT's Management features) have learned that dedication to B10 250 continuing improvements in quality of goods and services to meet B10 251 rising customer expectations, almost invariably brings added B10 252 benefits of less waste, lower costs, higher productivity and an B10 253 improved working environment.

B10 254 Those unwilling to change attitudes, methods and organisation B10 255 have not survived.

B10 256 Dedication to quality improvement techniques, better use of B10 257 time and other resources is just as likely to yield improved, more B10 258 cost-effective services and elimination of wastage in the B10 259 labour-intensive fields of research and education; better quality B10 260 and productivity need not mean less personal contact with students B10 261 or larger classes.

B10 262 B11 1 <#FLOB:B11\>Gazza and the law

B11 2 From Mr John King

B11 3 Sir, The "Gazza" case (reports, May 20, 21) raises an B11 4 interesting point in the context of sport and the law. In certain B11 5 contact sports such as rugby the referee has a duty to protect B11 6 players from both others and themselves; a concussed player can be B11 7 'sent off' by the referee and substituted.

B11 8 In the play on Saturday it is arguably clear that Mr Gascoigne B11 9 was in a hyper-excited state as evidenced by his first tackle. Had B11 10 the referee shown the yellow card it is most likely that the player B11 11 would have modified his mood, especially given his world cup B11 12 experience. This is not to say that the Hotspurs board should now B11 13 sue the referee for their lost millions, but it is time to remind B11 14 all arbitrators that they have a duty to protect players from B11 15 damaging others and themselves.

B11 16 Yours faithfully,

B11 17 J.B. KING (Director),

B11 18 The Academic Department of Sports Medicine,

B11 19 The London Hospital Medical College,

B11 20 Turner Street, E1.

B11 21 May 21.

B11 22 B11 23 Soul contribution

B11 24 From the Reverend Canon

B11 25 A. C. Roberts

B11 26 Sir, The report by Kerry Gill (May 15) concerning the request B11 27 of the crofters on the island of Foula for the reappointment of a B11 28 missionary by the Church of Scotland refers to the church seating B11 29 "about 50 souls".

B11 30 In view of the stated fact that sometimes there were only two B11 31 islanders at Sunday worships it must be comfort to the pastor to B11 32 know that 50 souls were also present. Or did the two bodies leave B11 33 room only for an assembly of 48 souls?

B11 34 Yours sincerely,

B11 35 A.C. ROBERTS,

B11 36 Shotton Vicarage,

B11 37 Deeside, Clwyd.

B11 38 B11 39 From Mrs Valery Rees

B11 40 Sir, I always thought it was bodies that required the seats, B11 41 not souls. Perhaps the islanders would be sending missionaries to B11 42 the church?

B11 43 Yours faithfully,

B11 44 VALERY REES,

B11 45 Conifers,

B11 46 12 Sandy Lodge Way,

B11 47 Northwood, Middlesex.

B11 48 B11 49 Aid for Bangladesh

B11 50 From Captain D.J. Ellin, RN (retd)

B11 51 Sir, Because Bangladesh possesses 40 F6 aircraft, Dr David Le B11 52 Vay proposes (May 10) that Britain should withhold air to this B11 53 Commonwealth country suffering from a massive natural disaster.

B11 54 The values and fears of the Third World are not always the same B11 55 as those of the West. Recently achieved sovereignty is very B11 56 precious. Military power is universally regarded as its best B11 57 defence and its very yardstick. The crushing superiority of Western B11 58 arms and technology in the Gold crises have probably reinforced B11 59 these views.

B11 60 If viewed by Western standards, Bangladesh and the other least B11 61 developed countries lack the economic viability to be independent B11 62 sovereign states. Nevertheless, born in the spirit and by the will B11 63 of the bulk of the United Nations in the era of decolonisation, B11 64 that is what they are. As such they have the responsibility and B11 65 right to ensure the security of their territories and people.

B11 66 Dr Le Vay considers that "there is no conceivable B11 67 use" for the F6s. It is doubtful if anyone in authority in B11 68 Bangladesh would agree. Throughout its history the country has had B11 69 to contend with armed insurrection in its hill tracts. The fear, B11 70 distrust and hatred between Hindu and Muslim in the sub-continent, B11 71 may seem undesirable and irrational to outsiders but they certainly B11 72 exist.

B11 73 Although relations between Bangladesh and India are currently B11 74 quite good, a number of important mutual problems are still B11 75 unresolved and many Bangladeshis fear that India has expansionist B11 76 aims or that their country's freedom of action may be proscribed by B11 77 India's extensive military power and ambitions as the regional B11 78 power. The possession of some armed forces as a deterrent against B11 79 such contingencies is believed to be essential.

B11 80 The whole question of how impoverished countries can exist B11 81 economically as independent states is one for which the world has B11 82 yet to find an answer. The creation of a new world economic order B11 83 has long been a foremost Third World aspiration but nothing B11 84 approaching a practical suggestion as to what that order should be B11 85 has yet come forth. In its absence the need for economic aid from B11 86 the affluent nations will persist.

B11 87 Yours faithfully,

B11 88 DUNCAN ELLIN,

B11 89 Balnald House,

B11 90 Kirkmichael, Perthshire.

B11 91 May 16.

B11 92 B11 93 Language on air

B11 94 From the Managing Director,

B11 95 Network Television, BBC

B11 96 Sir, Your thoughtful leader (May 16) about the broadcasting of B11 97 strong language makes many of the same points that underpin the B11 98 BBC's own guidelines in this area.

B11 99 We are alert to public sensitivity over the use of bad language B11 100 and in the case of feature films (the subject of a recent study by B11 101 Mrs Whitehouse's Viewers Association) there is a careful monitoring B11 102 procedure that often involves the editing out of bad language where B11 103 it is judged to be gratuitous.

B11 104 This is a rigorous process which also ensures that appropriate B11 105 decisions are taken about scheduling and the need for B11 106 pre-transmission announcements about the nature of particular B11 107 films. Many films are rejected as unsuitable for transmission on B11 108 BBC television in any form. Often these same films are available on B11 109 other television services and from video shops.

B11 110 Our 'watershed' policy is based on the belief that parents must B11 111 take some responsibility for what their children are allowed to B11 112 view after 9 o'clock. We have to bear in mind that more than two B11 113 thirds of the homes in Britain do not have children and that the B11 114 adult audience has a right to expect a full range of programmes on B11 115 BBC1 and BBC2.

B11 116 There are many films which must include strong language if they B11 117 are to deal with their subject matter realistically and honestly. B11 118 Each film has to be judged on its merits and decisions taken B11 119 accordingly.

B11 120 In the meantime, it is worth placing on record that only four B11 121 of the 44 BBC feature films listed by Mrs Whitehouse contained the B11 122 strongest elements of bad language. They were all placed after 9pm B11 123 and preceded by clear warnings. And only ten of the 44 prompted any B11 124 calls to the BBC about language.

B11 125 Yours faithfully,

B11 126 WILL WYATT, Managing Director,

B11 127 Network Television,

B11 128 British Broadcasting Corporation,

B11 129 Television Centre,

B11 130 Wood Lane, W 12.

B11 131 May 20.

B11 132 B11 133 From Mr R.N. Sainsbury

B11 134 Sir, "Theatregoers ... seem not to trouble themselves B11 135 overmuch about a few four-letter words" you suggest in your B11 136 leading article. Is there any researched basis for this B11 137 statement?

B11 138 Is it not likely that the strong antipathy to crude language on B11 139 television extends also to the theatre?

B11 140 Please do not suggest that the buying of a ticket is proof of B11 141 satisfaction with the product, for one does not hear the language B11 142 until after entering the theatre - when it then becomes an all too B11 143 frequent cause of regret at having spent the money and committed an B11 144 evening.

B11 145 Yours faithfully,

B11 146 ROGER SAINSBURY,

B11 147 88 Dukes Avenue,

B11 148 Muswell Hill, N10.

B11 149 May 20.

B11 150 B11 151 Service In Punjab...

B11 152 From Sir John Lawrence

B11 153 Sir, I write to correct an error in your interesting obituary B11 154 (May 10) of Brigadier Jimmy Green. That very distinguished corps, B11 155 the Piffers, were not the "Punjab Infantry Frontier Force B11 156 Rifles" but the 'Punjab Irregular Frontier Force B11 157 Rifles.' I am an honorary Piffer, as the great grandson of Henry B11 158 Lawrence of Lucknow - as he is known to history, although his life B11 159 was much more bound up with the Punjab.

B11 160 In what sense were they 'irregular'? Only in the sense that B11 161 they were not bound by the too-stiff rules which applied to the B11 162 rest of the Indian army. In particular, this made it possible for B11 163 Indians to be given real responsibility as officers, instead of B11 164 becoming NCOs as the height of their ambitions, and to serve with B11 165 great distinction.

B11 166 The Piffers are now a corps B11 167 d'<*_>e-acute<*_>lite of the army of Pakistan. They have B11 168 preserved the traditions which they inherited from the British and B11 169 have improved them.

B11 170 I remain, Sir, your obedient servant,

B11 171 JOHN LAWRENCE,

B11 172 24 ST Leonard's Terrace, SW3.

B11 173 B11 174 Widening scope of HIV tests

B11 175 From Dr Robin Russell Jones

B11 176 Sir, The realisation that HIV affects one in 500 women of B11 177 child-bearing age in inner London, and in some areas one in 200 B11 178 (report, May 18) is a cause of considerable concern, and should B11 179 lead to a reappraisal of present medical practice.

B11 180 Current policy is for epidemiologists to establish incidence B11 181 figures rather than identifying infected individuals, which casts B11 182 them in the role of passive observers rather than active B11 183 participants. The medical profession would like to test patients B11 184 but cannot do so without informed consent. Counselling of patients B11 185 at risk consumes considerable time and manpower, resources which B11 186 are unlikely to become more available in the new-style NHS.

B11 187 It would, for example, make sense to test all women attending B11 188 antenatal clinics. Even the most ardent right-to-life campaigner B11 189 cannot be so heartless as to wish for HIV-infected children to be B11 190 brought into the world when the means to avoid such a calamity are B11 191 readily available.

B11 192 Patients admitted to hospital for major surgery should also be B11 193 tested, not only to protect medical staff, but because certain B11 194 elective procedures such as tonsillectomy might be contra-indicated B11 195 if a patient is found to be immuno-suppressed.

B11 196 As a society, we surely have a responsibility to identify B11 197 HIV-infected individuals, if only so that they and their partners B11 198 can be made aware of the appalling risks associated with B11 199 unprotected sexual intercourse, and so limit the spread of the B11 200 virus. At the present time both the government and medical B11 201 representatives such as the BMA seem intent on burying their heads B11 202 in the sand, rather than risk criticism from those well-motivated B11 203 but vociferous interest groups that have made Aids their special B11 204 preserve.

B11 205 Yours faithfully,

B11 206 ROBIN RUSSELL JONES,

B11 207 Cromwell Hospital,

B11 208 Cromwell Road, SW5.

B11 209 B11 210 A drain on the well of our charity

B11 211 From Mr Frank Kennedy

B11 212 Sir, One of the most treasured and truthful posters in this B11 213 office, frequently requested by visitors, is that of Dom Helder B11 214 Camara, former archbishop of Olinda and Recife, remarking: B11 215 "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I B11 216 ask why the poor have no food, they call me a B11 217 communist".

B11 218 It is clear that there will be no end to the colossal and B11 219 unnecessary wastage of human life in so much of the world until B11 220 that fundamental question has been addressed.

B11 221 Oxfam, Cafod (Catholic Fund for Overseas Development), B11 222 Christian Aid and several other agencies have increasingly been B11 223 attempting to do that. The recent report of the Charity B11 224 Commissioners on Oxfam (details and leading article, May 10) B11 225 appears to threaten this vital aspect of the work of these B11 226 organisations, the ultimate aim of which should, after all, be to B11 227 render most of their work unnecessary.

B11 228 While it is gallingly apparent that today, more than ever, dire B11 229 emergencies must be met with the 'Band Aid' response of huge relief B11 230 packages, the recipients' long-term future depends on the B11 231 achievement of 'sustainable development'. This means enabling poor B11 232 people of Third World countries to work for, and win, the basic B11 233 human rights and social conditions most of us here take for B11 234 granted.

B11 235 Any consequences of the Charity Commissions' report which B11 236 inhibit the independent aid agencies from being instrumental in B11 237 this must be challenged in forthright debate. The Christian B11 238 churches with their close formal or informal links with the B11 239 agencies, and their traditional emphasis on works of charity, have B11 240 a clear role to play.

B11 241 Yours faithfully,

B11 242 F. KENNEDY (Fieldworker),

B11 243 Archdiocese of Liverpool,

B11 244 Justice & Peace Commission,

B11 245 152 Brownlow Hill,

B11 246 Liverpool 3.

B11 247 May 14.

B11 248 B11 249 From Mr Clive Hollands

B11 250 Sir, So-called "compassion fatigue" (letter, B11 251 May 6) may have other causes than the B11 252 "expensively-produced" appeals sent out by B11 253 charities. From my own experience of charities over more than 25 B11 254 years, although I still find the unfailing generosity of the B11 255 British public almost beyond belief, I cannot imagine that there is B11 256 a response anywhere in the world that can match the enormous sums B11 257 raised by media-backed appeals such as Comic Relief, Children in B11 258 Need and the Telethon.

B11 259 However, I would suggest these appeals are perhaps one of the B11 260 main causes of a drop in income among some charities. The more the B11 261 public respond to their emotional impact and excitement, the less B11 262 there must be available for weekly, monthly or annual B11 263 contributions.

B11 264 Charities more and more have to rely upon legacies from the B11 265 dead rather than gifts from the living.

B11 266 Yours faithfully,

B11 267 CLIVE HOLLANDS (Secretary),

B11 268 St Andrew Animal Fund,

B11 269 Queensferry Chambers,

B11 270 10 Queensferry Street,

B11 271 Edinburgh 2.

B11 272 May 10.

B11 273 B12 1 <#FLOB:B12\>Home truths for India

B12 2 THERE are so many lessons to be learnt from sorrowing India, B12 3 and most are being muttered too politely. The over-huge federation B12 4 of almost 900m people spreads across too many languages, cultures, B12 5 religions and castes. It has three times as many often incompatible B12 6 and thus resentful people as the Soviet Union, which now faces the B12 7 same bloody strains and ignored solutions as India. It has twice as B12 8 many people as the federal West Europe that some misguided souls B12 9 want to create.

B12 10 At independence in 1947, left-wing enthusiasts trilled that B12 11 India's size would allow its industries access to a great single B12 12 market in which to attain huge economies of scale. Pity the poorer B12 13 and more war-ravaged tiddlers such as South Korea, Taiwan, B12 14 Singapore and Hong Kong, these collectivist minds said. Today B12 15 average recorded incomes in those four are 10 to 25 times higher B12 16 than in India. As with other socialist countries, with their B12 17 centralised planning, controls and ownership, much of India's B12 18 production is 1950s-style protected junk that nobody, given choice, B12 19 would buy.

B12 20 It is sometimes said by friends and apologists that Indian B12 21 politicians have had a more difficult population than other B12 22 countries to deal with. In economic terms, that is rubbish. Abroad, B12 23 Indians are marvellously entrepreneurial (think of all those B12 24 British millionaires called Patel), frighteningly hard-working, B12 25 thrifty and academically bright. Indian children in British schools B12 26 struggle through their sometimes foreign English language to better B12 27 exam results than most native-born Britons.

B12 28 At home, India's trouble has not been its people but the wrong B12 29 ideology and bad government, and both came from one main source: B12 30 for all but six of its 44 independent years, it has been ruled by a B12 31 charming, brave, English-educated, upperclass, utterly incompetent B12 32 (especially when it comes to economics), Fabian-socialist family B12 33 called the Nehrus and Gandhis.

B12 34 Jawaharlal Nehru, a darling of Britain's intellectual left who B12 35 included a viceroy's wife among his mistresses, had been told by B12 36 the Hampstead set that central planning had made Stalin's B12 37 famine-breeding Russia a dramatically rich and happy country B12 38 between 1917 and 1947. He thought similar planning would transform B12 39 India between 1947 and 1977.

B12 40 Because he was an anti-colonial socialist, Nehru also harboured B12 41 a protectionist obsession even more paranoically than does the B12 42 troubling new woman prime minister of France. He thought B12 43 progressive statesmen should keep out foreign imports and avoid B12 44 'exploitation' by foreign multinationals, through all manner of B12 45 controls.

B12 46 That paranoia impoverishes almost 900m Indians to this day. B12 47 Bans -not just the world's highest tariffs -are imposed on the B12 48 import of any goods some bureaucrat thinks Indian firms might B12 49 conceivably soon produce, no matter at what cost. Limits are set on B12 50 the fees Indian forms can pay for imported technology. Because the B12 51 government seeks to avoid 'wasteful capacity', anybody wanting to B12 52 create, expand or move a private firm (or sometimes even develop a B12 53 new product from it) has to ask a bureaucrat's permission. This is B12 54 refused if the bureaucrat rules that India has sufficient capacity B12 55 already.

B12 56 The licences to expand are often corruptly bought by existing B12 57 producers, not for use but to keep out competition. When a firm B12 58 (including India's unbelievable inefficient nationalised B12 59 industries) loses money, it may not sack workers without a B12 60 bureaucrat's permission. As a recent survey in The Economist (May B12 61 4) concludes: India's system virtually "forbids successful B12 62 firms to grow, encourages them instead to become unsuccessful and, B12 63 when they fail, forbids them to close."

B12 64 This system is kept in being solely because it feeds the B12 65 world's biggest network of corruption. So many at each stage of B12 66 India's bureaucratic and political process (except at the very top) B12 67 profit from the graft, which is the only way such a system of B12 68 'socialist' controls can operate. State jobs are openly bought and B12 69 sold, with the price varying according to the graft that job makes B12 70 available. It is bright to buy the job of a hospital B12 71 superintendent, because you can then levy bribes from the sick who B12 72 are desperate for hospital beds, and you can sell drugs on the B12 73 black market. It is even better to buy the job of telling rich B12 74 industrialists what products you will not allow their competitors B12 75 to produce.

B12 76 At the very top, the Indian establishment prefers jobs to be B12 77 inherited within particular famous families, because they are rich B12 78 and public-spirited and well-bred enough not to seek to be bribed, B12 79 especially by the manipulators' rivals. When brave Indira Gandhi B12 80 inherited her father Nehru's job, she still bossily believed in B12 81 some of his Fabian socialism. When brave Rajiv Gandhi was virtually B12 82 conscripted into his murdered mother's job, he did attempt some B12 83 reforms, including cutting the top marginal tax rate from Nehru's B12 84 (negotiated) 98.7% to 50% (sometimes actually paid). He did not, B12 85 however, dare to attack most of the graft and licences. His heroic B12 86 but politically inexperienced Italian-born widow would be even B12 87 worse-placed to bring in reforms, which is why she has rightly B12 88 resisted being conscripted.

B12 89 After next month's delayed election, a prime minister should B12 90 emerge who is no longer under the influence of the Nehru family. B12 91 They new broom would be wisest to brush away all India's B12 92 'socialist' licensing restrictions with one sweep. If he does, he B12 93 may be murdered by the corrupt groups feeding on them. If he does B12 94 not, he and many more Indians will sadly be murdered by somebody B12 95 else.

B12 96 The political parties are now disintegrating into ethnic or B12 97 other groups that rightly demand they no longer be mulcted by graft B12 98 from the centre, but appallingly suggest they might murder members B12 99 of any other ethnic group that displeases them. The way forward for B12 100 India, as for the Soviet Union, will be to say a great prize can go B12 101 to any states and sub-states that maintain order without murders B12 102 and riots. They should be allowed to disregard Delhi's corrupt B12 103 licensing restrictions, run their own economic policies and bring B12 104 in as much foreign investment and as many free-market principles as B12 105 they like. Maybe India's richest course from the beginning would B12 106 have been to split into 100 Hong Kongs.

B12 107 B12 108 The blooding of Mr Major

B12 109 JOHN MAJOR faced a puzzled world when he succeeded Margaret B12 110 Thatcher as prime minister and leader of the Conservative party B12 111 last November. Margaret Thatcher, the most celebrated British B12 112 leader since Winston Churchill, was deposed and British politics B12 113 was convulsed. In her place came a man about whom hardly anything B12 114 was known abroad and little more at home. He had presented one B12 115 budget as chancellor of the exchequer and briefly been foreign B12 116 secretary. Otherwise he had no experience of the commanding heights B12 117 of power. What was known was not necessarily to his advantage. B12 118 He had been a loyal lieutenant to her and she a generous patron to B12 119 him. But he had not impressed himself upon the national B12 120 consciousness as other cabinet ministers had. Michael Heseltine was B12 121 much better known than the man who prevented him reaching 10 B12 122 Downing Street. It was natural, therefore, that questions abounded B12 123 and judgment<&|>sic! was reserved. Opposition leaders could not B12 124 conceal their glee. They believed he would be no more than a pale B12 125 shadow of his benefactress, a derisory Son of Thatcher. All of that B12 126 seemed long ago last week, as Mr Major proved to the country and B12 127 the world that he has his own style, his own sense of Britain's B12 128 role in international affairs and his own quiet determination to B12 129 run the government in his own way.

B12 130 Swift reassessments of his capabilities came last week as the B12 131 result of his initiative at the European summit in Luxembourg in B12 132 presenting a four-point plan to save the Kurds from Saddam Hussein. B12 133 The plan, calling for a safe Kurdish haven inside Iraq and B12 134 continuing United Nations sanctions against Iraq while Saddam's B12 135 tyranny continues, provided conclusive evidence of the prime B12 136 minister's intention to make Britain an active player in the B12 137 European Community once again. After a decade in which Britain's B12 138 reputation for carping criticism had earned diminishing rewards, Mr B12 139 Major's message that Britain was back in the team was well B12 140 received. It capped his efforts to achieve better Anglo-German B12 141 relations. It also showed that Britain is capable of making a major B12 142 diplomatic move without prior American support.

B12 143 For a day or so it seemed Mr Major might pay a penalty for his B12 144 independence. Washington's reaction lacked enthusiasm. Some B12 145 observers wondered if the prime minister had blundered by not B12 146 consulting the White House before putting his plan to the EC. By B12 147 Wednesday, it was clear he had not. The American order to Saddam to B12 148 cease all air activity north of the 36th parallel opens the way to B12 149 helping the Kurds without hindrance across a large Kurdish area B12 150 north and east of Mosul. "Europe is back on track," B12 151 said a German official. The possibilities of a closer political B12 152 dimension, long a pipedream, have finally taken concrete form B12 153 -thanks to British willingness to use the EC as a political forum B12 154 in the way it should be used.

B12 155 Mrs Thatcher, whose priorities were always Anglo-American, is B12 156 unlikely to have done that. But Mr Major need not worry on that B12 157 score. She urged action to help the Kurds and he, in his own way, B12 158 provided it. Mrs Thatcher had no choice but to disassociate herself B12 159 from the frenzied antics of the Bruges Group of her dispossessed B12 160 followers, whose paranoia against Germany is as absurd as their B12 161 pretensions to censure Mr Major's Kurdish policy are ridiculous. B12 162 With critics like them, Mr Major's credentials can only improve in B12 163 the eyes of people of good sense. Unwittingly, they may have done B12 164 him a favour. If there was any doubt about him being his own man, B12 165 there is none now.

B12 166 It is much to the government's advantage that this is so. Mr B12 167 Major has shown on other fronts that he is prepared to make his own B12 168 agenda and take the Tory party on to fresh ground from which to B12 169 mount its campaign for a fourth successive general election B12 170 victory. His decision to diminish the unpopularity of the poll tax B12 171 by increasing the yield of central government taxation from Vat was B12 172 a bold move, which Labour ignores but dare not repudiate. It is now B12 173 Labour policy too. So much for Mr Major's alleged dithering. B12 174 Replacing the poll tax altogether with a new, as yet undecided. B12 175 local tax calls for even greater skill. Our own preference, for the B12 176 abolition of local taxation altogether, remains undimmed. If there B12 177 is to be a replacement for the poll tax, however, it should be as B12 178 simple, as easy to collect and as low as possible. The imperative B12 179 now is to kick local government finance into touch as a contentious B12 180 issue and let local councils and government alike work together for B12 181 more efficient services and a return of civic pride. The B12 182 Major-Heseltine reforms now in the final making should signify a B12 183 new era in local government in which results count for more than B12 184 ructions.

B12 185 Mr Major's economic policy remains too constrained for our B12 186 liking, but the latest cut in interest rates is a welcome and B12 187 prudent move, its lack of risk underlined by sterling's B12 188 undiminished strength. Norman Lamont showed un-Thatcherite B12 189 tendencies in his first budget by tackling mortgage and company car B12 190 perks for the better-off and increasing child benefit. He should B12 191 now cut free from past errors by cutting interest rates again as B12 192 soon as possible. Monetary policy is still too tight, as Tim B12 193 Congdon, an eminent monetarist himself, points out. New mortgage B12 194 lending is down by some 30% on a year ago and the money supply, B12 195 allowing for inflation, stuck in the doldrums. Bringing inflation B12 196 under control is an urgent need; stifling the economy as part of B12 197 the cure is overkill.

B12 198 At least the trend, however slow, is in the right direction, B12 199 and Labour leaders are right to be worried. They recognise the B12 200 danger Mr Major poses as a man who has reunited the Tory party to a B12 201 much greater degree than small-fry agitation from the likes of the B12 202 Bruges Group and the Young Tories allow. Crucially for the B12 203 government, the Tories remain the most trusted to run the economy B12 204 in the latest opinion polls, a finding that points to a large but B12 205 temporary Tory infusion into the ranks of would-be Liberal B12 206 Democratic voters that will return whence it came as the election B12 207 draws near.

B12 208 B13 1 <#FLOB:B13\>Sunday Express

B13 2 Opinion

B13 3 High Tory hopes for the holidays

B13 4 FOR the first time since 1988, Tory MPs are setting off on B13 5 their holidays in better heart than their Labour counterparts.

B13 6 The party's optimism is justified. The recent rise in exports B13 7 suggests that British industry is still in good shape despite the B13 8 recession, while the increase in retail sales may well mark the B13 9 beginning of the recovery.

B13 10 Ministers are entitled to a great deal of credit for this - and B13 11 particularly the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr Norman Lamont. B13 12 Over the past few months, he has shown that he knows how to keep B13 13 his nerve under fire.

B13 14 He has displayed his determination to bring down inflation so B13 15 that the economy can return to the path of non-inflationary growth. B13 16 He is succeeding - and interest rates are falling.

B13 17 But above all, the credit is John Major's.

B13 18 Since arriving in Number 10, he has faced a succession of tests B13 19 at home and abroad. He has come through them all triumphantly.

B13 20 Mr Major has also been able to display his party's human face. B13 21 The Citizen's Charter may have been based on the new PM's own B13 22 experience of inner-city poverty and of the inadequacy of public B13 23 services. It was also a spectacular exercise in political B13 24 clothes-stealing.

B13 25 The Labour Party was undoubtedly planning its own version of B13 26 the Citizen's Charter as central plank in its next election B13 27 manifesto. Now it is reduced to carping from the side-lines.

B13 28 But despite recent improvements in the Government's standing, B13 29 despite Mr Major's triumph at the G7, there is no reason for B13 30 complacency.

B13 31 The recession is still hitting many households hard, B13 32 particularly in the South and the Midlands. The Government still B13 33 has to prove to some of its own supporters that it does care about B13 34 the human consequences of recession.

B13 35 It may be that inflation could not have been tackled without an B13 36 increase in unemployment. But the unemployed did not cause B13 37 inflation.

B13 38 Ministers now have to demonstrate that even if they cannot give B13 39 immediate help to the unemployed, they are determined to bring down B13 40 interest rates further to encourage a new surge of private sector B13 41 investment.

B13 42 Humanity dictates no less - so does politics. Over the next few B13 43 months, the Tories' main task is to develop the right economic B13 44 policies to re-establish their hold over their own natural B13 45 supporters. If they can do that, the next general election is won - B13 46 and won by a larger majority than seemed possible just a few months B13 47 ago.

B13 48 B13 49 Eighth time lucky?

B13 50 WHO could suppress a smile at the news that Elizabeth Taylor is B13 51 to marry for the eighth time - and to a labourer 20 years her B13 52 junior?

B13 53 Dr Johnson said that a second marriage represented the triumph B13 54 of hope over experience. There is no telling what he would have B13 55 made of an eighth.

B13 56 Yet isn't it something much more than cynicism which makes us B13 57 smile?

B13 58 For almost half a century, Liz Taylor has inspired a huge B13 59 amount of love in millions of fans all over the world. With her B13 60 public glamour and her private vulnerability she has touched B13 61 something in all of us.

B13 62 When people smile at Liz Taylor's forthcoming marriage, it is B13 63 not only because experience suggests that it will fail. It is B13 64 because in matters of the heart no human being ever learns. And the B13 65 hope triumphs in all of us that this time, at last, she will find B13 66 happiness.

B13 67 B13 68 Sunday Express

B13 69 Opinion

B13 70 Time to be tough with the bullies

B13 71 ON THE very borders of the European Community, in a country B13 72 best known as a venue for cheap summer holidays, a tragedy of world B13 73 proportions is unfolding while the rest of the world wrings its B13 74 hands.

B13 75 Only the most wide-eyed optimist can now believe that the B13 76 savagery engulfing Yugoslavia is capable of being ended without B13 77 external intervention. The hatred between Serbia and Croatia runs B13 78 too deep, the toll in the dead and maimed is too high.

B13 79 Serbia with the backing of the federal army is intent on B13 80 grabbing more territory by force of arms. Croatia insists on its B13 81 independence without lifting a finger to reassure its own Serbian B13 82 minority.

B13 83 The snarling-match between the two sides at yesterday's peace B13 84 conference in the Hague only serves to underline the dangers. B13 85 Yugoslavia is on the brink of a devastating civil war which could B13 86 claim tens of thousands of lives.

B13 87 We cannot ignore that risk. The continent after all is full of B13 88 countries which could fall apart if the Yugoslav example is B13 89 followed. Czechs and Slovaks, ethnic Germans in Poland, Muslims in B13 90 Bosnia and Albania, Austrians in Northern Italy.

B13 91 One principle is paramount. We dare not allow any European B13 92 border to be changed by military force. To do so would invite B13 93 disaster.

B13 94 The Serbian bullies must be told that the full force of B13 95 European economic and diplomatic sanctions will be brought against B13 96 them if they persist. The need for such a tough line could not be B13 97 more urgent.

B13 98 For unless Serbian expansionism is stopped now we may find in B13 99 weeks to come that the argument is not about the use of sanctions. B13 100 It will be about how many troops we need to send to prevent a mass B13 101 slaughter.

B13 102 B13 103 Hypocrisy of France

B13 104 EVEN by the low standards of French politics, President B13 105 Francois Mitterrand - the man who was so slow to condemn the Soviet B13 106 coup attempt - has plumbed new depths by wrecking European attempts B13 107 to help the struggling peoples of Eastern Europe.

B13 108 All the other nations of the EC are ready to open their markets B13 109 to products from Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Not France.

B13 110 In an astonishing demonstration of hypocrisy and selfishness, B13 111 President Mitterrand has flatly refused to allow in a few hundred B13 112 tons of beef from Poland in case it upsets his farmers. By that one B13 113 act he has derailed hopes of a comprehensive aid and trade B13 114 package.

B13 115 French politicians such as M. Mitterrand and Jacques Delors are B13 116 always lecturing Britain on the need to promote the European ideal. B13 117 But their words are meaningless.

B13 118 Once again France stands exposed as a nation always ready to B13 119 preach co-operation and never willing to modify its own greed.

B13 120 B13 121 Farewell to a friend

B13 122 ALWAYS ruthlessly honest and down-to-earth, always outspoken, B13 123 Daily Express columnist Jean Rook wrote exactly what she thought - B13 124 whether her readers liked it or not.

B13 125 For the most part, they adored it.

B13 126 Many tried to imitate the columnist they called the First Lady B13 127 of Fleet Street. None had a hope of succeeding. For she truly was a B13 128 one-off.

B13 129 Though she mixed with royalty and celebrities, she always B13 130 remained utterly true to herself and to her readers. And when she B13 131 died last week after her courageous battle against cancer, millions B13 132 lost an irreplaceable friend.

B13 133 B13 134 Sunday Express

B13 135 Opinion

B13 136 A vital role for Mr Gorbachev

B13 137 TIRED, defeated, abandoned by most of his former colleagues, Mr B13 138 Mikhail Gorbachev seems finally to have accepted the ruin of all B13 139 his hopes. "The main part of my life's work is probably B13 140 complete," he says.

B13 141 It can now be only a matter of time before he resigns. The new B13 142 Commonwealth of Soviet republics has found other stars to follow. B13 143 To them Gorbachev is an irrelevance.

B13 144 They are in danger of throwing away a priceless asset.

B13 145 After all those decades of Communist misrule the old USSR is on B13 146 the verge of economic collapse. There is a threat of famine this B13 147 winter. Inflation is rampant. There are whispers of another B13 148 military coup and fears of civil war.

B13 149 Such is the scale of the crisis that only a vast international B13 150 effort can now stave off calamity.

B13 151 The new Soviet Commonwealth desperately needs a figure capable B13 152 of summoning up that effort, a representative sufficiently trusted B13 153 and respected to inspire more aid and trade and money before it is B13 154 too late.

B13 155 Mikhail Gorbachev would fill that role with distinction.

B13 156 He could be a major asset to the UN. He could be a roving B13 157 ambassador for his country. Nobody would be more effective than he B13 158 on the American lecture circuit.

B13 159 It would be a tragedy to waste such outstanding ability. Mr B13 160 Gorbachev should think again. Whatever his present mood, his life's B13 161 work is far from finished yet.

B13 162 B13 163 Free for Christmas?

B13 164 IT IS becoming increasingly clear that Judith Ward may have B13 165 been innocent of the M62 coach bombing for which she was sentenced B13 166 to life imprisonment in 1974.

B13 167 Ex-Home Secretary Mr Merlyn Rees yesterday condemned her B13 168 conviction as seriously flawed. And former police chief Mr John B13 169 Stalker says that hers was one of the most unsatisfactory cases he B13 170 had ever dealt with.

B13 171 "I don't know of any police officer involved in the B13 172 case who had the instinct and the feeling that we'd got the right B13 173 person," he said.

B13 174 Yet Ward remains in Holloway Prison while prosecution lawyers B13 175 drag their feet, delaying the appeal and her expected release.

B13 176 The case must be heard immediately.

B13 177 If Ward is indeed innocent, let British justice at least have B13 178 the decency and the mercy to allow her home for Christmas.

B13 179 B13 180 As dim as dolphins

B13 181 FREDDIE the bottle-nosed dolphin does not have the slightest B13 182 idea that the size, shape and flexibility of his sexual organs were B13 183 at the centre of a court case in Newcastle last week.

B13 184 Nor does he know of the embarrassment suffered by his regular B13 185 swimming companion Mr Alan Cooper, who has just been cleared of B13 186 indecent behaviour with Freddie - largely because what may look B13 187 like naughty behaviour in a dolphin is in fact perfectly B13 188 innocent.

B13 189 The only achievement in this strangest of strange prosecutions, B13 190 which has cost the taxpayer over pounds33,000, is that the public B13 191 now knows more about what makes dolphins tick.

B13 192 One of the points which has emerged in the wake of that case is B13 193 that contrary to popular myth, dolphins are not particularly B13 194 intelligent.

B13 195 Indeed they seem to be not much brighter than the prosecuting B13 196 authorities of Newcastle.

B13 197 B13 198 Sunday Express

B13 199 Opinion

B13 200 Making it easy for terrorists

B13 201 AT four of Britain's eight military hospitals last week there B13 202 was no defence at all against the threat of a terrorist attack.

B13 203 There was no security at the entrances, no check on the B13 204 identity of visitors, no attempt to search bags or parcels. At B13 205 Catterick, Aldershot, Portsmouth and in London they might as well B13 206 have laid out a welcome mat for the IRA.

B13 207 It beggars belief.

B13 208 According to a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence, military B13 209 hospitals on the mainland are considered in a different category B13 210 from those in Northern Ireland. It would be comforting to believe B13 211 that the bombers share that cosy assumption.

B13 212 But nobody in his senses can believe any such thing. What has B13 213 become evident in the latest round of atrocities is that the B13 214 terrorists are savagely indiscriminate in their assault.

B13 215 The people who planted that bomb at the Musgrave Park hospital B13 216 in Belfast or who destroyed a school and a Catholic church in B13 217 Craigavon are beyond the reach of conscience. The people who B13 218 planted those incendiary devices in the shops of Blackpool, B13 219 Manchester and London do not care who they maim or kill.

B13 220 Their only concern is to get away without being caught. And we B13 221 are making it easy for them.

B13 222 Perhaps those policemen who have so rightly warned the public B13 223 to be vigilant should concentrate their attentions now on those B13 224 bureaucrats in Whitehall who have failed to take the point.

B13 225 It may not be possible to guard every potential target. It is B13 226 certainly possible to be wary and to be alert. We had better learn B13 227 the lesson now before we are taught it the hard way. In another B13 228 preventable tragedy.

B13 229 B13 230 The real Christmas

B13 231 ACCORDING to the Archbishop of Canterbury the real message of B13 232 Christmas is in danger of being buried beneath a torrent of toys B13 233 and tinsel.

B13 234 "There's a kind of Disneyland, Victorian Charles B13 235 Dickens Christmas which is being overlaid on the real one about the B13 236 manger, about the birth of Jesus Christ," Dr Carey B13 237 declared.

B13 238 The Archbishop's concern may be understandable. Yet need he B13 239 really worry?

B13 240 From time out of mind there have been complaints about the B13 241 commercialisation of Christmas, complaints about the frenzy of B13 242 giving and getting, complaints about greed and over-indulgence.

B13 243 B14 1 <#FLOB:B14\>Woodrow Wyatt

B14 2 THE VOICE OF REASON

B14 3 Major's charter lets the customer take charge

B14 4 JOHN Major calls his wheeze 'The Citizen's Charter'. A Pity.

B14 5 This is as though it were something to do with the 1789 French B14 6 revolution.

B14 7 I call Mr Major's brainchild 'The Customer's Charter'. That's B14 8 what it really is. It's first class.

B14 9 We're all customers. If we don't like a greengrocer, a store, a B14 10 pub, a car dealer, we have a remedy. We can shop around till we B14 11 find one we do like. But in an enormous part of our lives there's B14 12 no alternative supplier.

B14 13 We're stuck with the NHS, the Post Office, our local B14 14 electricity and gas providers, British Rail, the social security B14 15 offices, our local councils. Mostly we have no say in how they B14 16 treat us.

B14 17 Mr Major aims at customer power we haven't got now. Take the B14 18 NHS. There'll be guaranteed maximum waiting times for hospital B14 19 appointments and operations. If a hospital lets you down you'll be B14 20 found another.

B14 21 Mail B14 22 That's merely one area in the NHS in which customer power will B14 23 advance. Properly kept appointment times will save hours of hanging B14 24 about in hospitals waiting to be summoned.

B14 25 The Post Office will cease to be the only carriers of cheap B14 26 mail. Rivals will be allowed.

B14 27 Next day deliveries will be a certainty, not a lottery. The B14 28 railways will be privatised.

B14 29 Before that and after, if trains don't run on time you'll get B14 30 compensation. London buses will be privatised.

B14 31 Then you can choose the cheapest and speediest bus to suit your B14 32 purpose. London Underground will have targets for faster and better B14 33 service.

B14 34 If they're not met the staff will have their pay docked. That B14 35 penalty will apply throughout the public services.

B14 36 Police will have targets for the time taken to answer calls for B14 37 help. Along with other public servants they'll have to publish B14 38 figures to prove their performance is up to standard.

B14 39 The average waiting time for driving tests is nearly eight B14 40 weeks. It's to come down fast.

B14 41 There'll be tests on summer evenings and Saturday afternoons. B14 42 It'll be compulsory to allow telephone bookings for test times B14 43 everywhere. Parents will have to be given more information about B14 44 the standards in their children's schools.

B14 45 If they're dissatisfied they'll be able to do much more about B14 46 it than they can now.

B14 47 Time B14 48 Social security benefit payments will become quicker and easier B14 49 to collect. You can shop around for the best place to get them or B14 50 have them sent automatically. Making complaints against those who B14 51 provide public services will be simpler. They'll have to be dealt B14 52 with promptly or the officials will be penalised.

B14 53 In John Major's new world the customer will be king. Not B14 54 someone to be ordered about.

B14 55 That's true democracy. And it'll make life a good deal more B14 56 pleasant for millions.

B14 57 It'll take a bit of time. But Mr Major will arm himself with B14 58 the powers to make sure it happens much sooner than later.

B14 59 The guarantee he'll see it through rapidly is that he's banked B14 60 his political reputation on it.

B14 61 B14 62 A new shake-up for the unions

B14 63 IN the 1970s we lost every year nearly 13 million working days B14 64 through strikes.

B14 65 Since the trade union reforms there's been dramatic change.

B14 66 In the last four years the average working days lost yearly B14 67 through strikes have been less than 3.4 million. That's why Britain B14 68 now has the highest share of American and Japanese investment in B14 69 Europe. But union reform isn't finished.

B14 70 The shenanigans over voting for the executive in the T & GWU B14 71 showed the rules against ballot rigging aren't strict enough. And B14 72 strike ballots at the workplace can be fiddled.

B14 73 Only secret postal ballots will ensure that a strike is B14 74 genuinely supported by the majority. And another thing.

B14 75 Members can't change to the other union. That's because of B14 76 inter-union agreement made by the seaside at Bridlington in B14 77 1939.

B14 78 You're stuck in the same union you first joined however B14 79 dissatisfied you may be with it. It's like being tied to the same B14 80 employer for life though you may hate him.

B14 81 Promise B14 82 Mr Michael Howard is the able and energetic Secretary for B14 83 Employment. He intends to remedy these and other defects in the new B14 84 law. There'll be the usual rage from the union leaders and the B14 85 Labour party. Mr Kinnock isn't only against further modernisation B14 86 of the unions.

B14 87 He's promised to reverse reforms already made. But to compete B14 88 with the world we must adapt to the 21st century. Not the 19th.

B14 89 B14 90 WHY DO THE FRENCH HATE US SO MUCH?

B14 91 A FRIEND had her car transported by train across France to B14 92 Nice. It was the takeoff point of the summer holiday.

B14 93 Twenty cars were vandalised. All with British number plates. B14 94 Nothing much was stolen. But one mother was distraught over the B14 95 loss of her child's birthday presents.

B14 96 On the way back 50 cars were vandalised. All with British B14 97 number plates. My friend and others had all their windows smashed, B14 98 with glass strewn everywhere.

B14 99 Vandalised car owners trying to clear up the mess safely enough B14 100 to carry children missed the ferry to England.

B14 101 Attacking British cars on French trains is a national sport. B14 102 That's how much they dislike us.

B14 103 Sounds jolly for future cooperation in the European B14 104 Community.

B14 105 The French can never forgive us for winning the war after B14 106 they'd surrendered to Hitler.

B14 107 B14 108 BT tangle the wires

B14 109 BRITISH Telecom have made a terrible mess with their 071s and B14 110 081s for London telephone numbers.

B14 111 They were meant to produce enough London numbers for the next B14 112 30 years. They haven't.

B14 113 So in 1994 a 1 will be put after the 0.

B14 114 That's supposed to increase the London telephone numbers B14 115 available by ten times.

B14 116 In Paris and Tokyo they simply put a single different number in B14 117 front for each district exchange. None of that 071 and 081 B14 118 stuff.

B14 119 The Office of Telecommunications calculates that BT's longer B14 120 dialling time for and to London will waste 16.7 million hours a B14 121 year.

B14 122 That's what BT's extra seconds for dialling eleven digits add B14 123 up to.

B14 124 B14 125 How you can be a genius

B14 126 NAPOLEON knew how to be a genius. He said it was an infinite B14 127 capacity for taking pains.

B14 128 Last week, at the British Association gathering of scientists, B14 129 Michael Howe, a psychologist from Exeter University, spelled it B14 130 out. Mozart didn't produce masterpieces as a child.

B14 131 He had at least 12 years of intensive musical training before B14 132 they got anywhere.

B14 133 It didn't just come naturally. Don't be put off becoming a B14 134 genius in your chosen field.

B14 135 If you've any aptitude or flair, dogged work will do the trick, B14 136 or nearly.

B14 137 Bernard Shaw didn't learn to write a decent play till he was B14 138 nearly 40. Then, wow!

B14 139 B14 140 Major must wait for the darling buds of May

B14 141 TORIES are cock-a-hoop. The Gallup Poll in Thursday's Daily B14 142 Telegraph showed them 4.5 per cent ahead of Labour.

B14 143 It followed the 2 per cent Tory lead in the Sunday Times Mori B14 144 Poll. Now Tories clamour for a November election while the going's B14 145 good. They must be cuckoo.

B14 146 Renewed belief in the Government is fragile. Only a month ago B14 147 Gallup gave Labour a 6 per cent lead.

B14 148 Always when Parliament's not sitting people feel better about B14 149 the Government. The media aren't full of Labour's criticisms of B14 150 Government boobs.

B14 151 Mr Major shines as a new world figure. The seven top industrial B14 152 nations met in London last July.

B14 153 Riches B14 154 Mr Major went as their representative to talk to Yeltsin and B14 155 Gorbachev. He was the first Western leader in Moscow after the B14 156 failed coup.

B14 157 His handling of the visit won international applause. It gave B14 158 confidence to the new rulers.

B14 159 They now know that the Soviet Union will be saved from B14 160 starvation this winter. And aid will come for sensible plans to B14 161 unlock the country's great riches. They were frozen into B14 162 uselessness by Communism.

B14 163 Mr Major also had a triumph in Peking. He forced the Stalinist B14 164 Communists on the defensive over their vile treatment of B14 165 dissidents.

B14 166 If he hadn't gone to Peking Hong Kong's splendid new B14 167 international airport would have been blocked. Hong Kong's growing B14 168 prosperity after we go in 1997 would've been reduced.

B14 169 No one, not even in the Labour party, can imagine Mr Kinnock B14 170 having Mr Major's dignity, authority and skill at this high level. B14 171 So top marks to Mr Major for foreign travels.

B14 172 But at elections voters are more concerned with what goes on in B14 173 their pockets. Inflation for August will be well down on July's 5.5 B14 174 per cent.

B14 175 Fine. Last week interest rates for mortgages and bank borrowers B14 176 fell another half per cent.

B14 177 Since last November interest rates have fallen from 15 per cent B14 178 to 10.5. All fine again.

B14 179 Now for flies in the ointment. There are signs of a recovery B14 180 from the recession.

B14 181 But they're too small and hesitant for voters to believe we're B14 182 on a steady upward turn by November. Unemployment will still be B14 183 rising.

B14 184 Voters won't be convinced that inflation's downward drift is B14 185 set to last. Nor that it won't start zooming again.

B14 186 They've been told the same story before. Labour will ensure B14 187 that those who've forgotten it will be reminded.

B14 188 Norman Lamont is a first class Chancellor. He has courage and B14 189 imagination.

B14 190 He toughly resisted the yells from commerce and the unions to B14 191 cut interest rates deeper and quicker. If he'd agreed we wouldn't B14 192 have our firm prospects of recovery.

B14 193 He ignored the call for devaluation of the pound. That's the B14 194 instant easy way to make our exports cheaper.

B14 195 And the fast route for mammoth quantities of new imports. As it B14 196 is, our exports have been rising remarkably.

B14 197 Our adverse overseas balance of trade is improving well. Mr B14 198 Lamont is on course for a cheerful Budget next spring.

B14 199 Proof B14 200 It'll be based on six months' solid proof that the recession's B14 201 beaten. And there's no danger of its return.

B14 202 This will make a Tory victory with a healthy majority in May or B14 203 June a dead certainty.

B14 204 Voters at heart don't think much of Mr Kinnock and his pals. So B14 205 Mr Major could scrape by in November.

B14 206 It'd be with a much smaller majority than he'd get later. And B14 207 he just might not win at all.

B14 208 If Mr Major keeps the good judgment<&|>sic! he's evolving, B14 209 he'll wait for The Darling Buds of May.

B14 210 B14 211 OUR KNOW-HOW GOES TO RUSSIA

B14 212 JOHN Gummer, Secretary for Agriculture, is a bright lad. He got B14 213 together a consortium of British distributors to supermarkets.

B14 214 They're sending a team to Moscow. There's plenty of food B14 215 produced in the Soviet Union.

B14 216 More than half rots in the fields or in railway sidings. The B14 217 appalling inefficiency of Communism prevents modern quick B14 218 distribution.

B14 219 British supermarkets are the best of their kind in the world. B14 220 Showing the Russians what to do to get their plentiful food B14 221 distributed will help enormously.

B14 222 Far better than pumping masses of money into Soviet industry B14 223 before they've learned how to make it profitable.

B14 224 With our technical aid we're leaders in teaching them that B14 225 too.

B14 226 <*_> star <*/>A tip for Mr Kinnock if he wants a hope to win B14 227 the next election. Turn the Labour party into the equivalent of the B14 228 US democratic party.

B14 229 That wholeheartedly backs private enterprise. It never tries to B14 230 interfere with business by government regulation.

B14 231 In collecting taxes for the purpose of running state services B14 232 it doesn't unreasonably penalise top earners who create the B14 233 nation's wealth.

B14 234 Labour's promise of higher taxes all round plus an increase of B14 235 29 per cent on top taxpayers is an election killer.

B14 236 So is anything which even hints at Socialism. Or does Mr B14 237 Kinnock want us to share with China the honour of being the last B14 238 big country to continue with chunks of Socialism?

B14 239 <*_> star <*/>The Government could easily save the London Zoo. B14 240 It'd only have to pay the annual cost of its important national and B14 241 international animal research.

B14 242 It does that and more for Kew Gardens. It swamps Covent Garden B14 243 with grants three times bigger than the Queen's Civil List.

B14 244 Mr Major is genuinely an ordinary person with ordinary likes. B14 245 It ought to occur to him that ordinary people will be dismayed if B14 246 he destroys the nation's traditional family outings to London B14 247 Zoo.

B14 248 B15 1 <#FLOB:B15\>A canny excuse to delay the general election

B15 2 Julian Critchley

B15 3 "WILL she not come back again?" Bonnie Prince B15 4 Charlie ended his days in Rome somewhat the worse for wear: but Mrs B15 5 Thatcher has gone to the United States to be among friends. Her B15 6 voice can be heard talking of "betrayal", and she has not B15 7 hesitated to give advice. Within a week of the Daily B15 8 Mail's abject apology to those among Tory MPs whom Mr Gordon B15 9 Greig called "the dirty dozen", the Bruges Group, B15 10 of which Mrs Thatcher is president, has made a savage attack on the B15 11 foreign policies of her chosen successor. Had Mrs Thatcher been on B15 12 her throne - or so the argument runs - the Kurds would not have B15 13 risen (for the umpteenth time) against Saddam Hussein. They would B15 14 not have dared.

B15 15 How times have changed. It is not yet five months since the B15 16 'liberation', the Events of last November, when the earth moved, B15 17 the sky fell, and Mrs Thatcher was seen off from Loch-na-Nuagh B15 18 disguised as a man in the company of Sir Nicholas Fairbairn, an B15 19 unlikely Flora MacDonald. The right wing of the Conservative Party, B15 20 the arditi who had for so long sustained Mrs B15 21 Thatcher in office, had found itself in some difficulty: Michael B15 22 Heseltine had been the enemy within, and Douglas Hurd had gone to B15 23 Eton, thus they had no choice save to vote for John Major about B15 24 whom little was known. He was not rich and he certainly was not B15 25 grand: could he then be safely relied upon to carry the sacred B15 26 flame?

B15 27 Apparently not. John Major has, not unreasonably, striven to be B15 28 his own man, and the Government, which is run by the triumvirate B15 29 Major/Heseltine/Hurd, has distanced itself from several aspects of B15 30 Thatcherism. In matters of substance there is an pounds8 billion B15 31 Budget deficit, the poll tax is dead, if not buried, and child B15 32 benefit is to be indexed in line with inflation. The public B15 33 services are back in fashion, and the 'social market' has been B15 34 given the kiss of life. In matters of style, there is a world of B15 35 difference. Understatement is the order of the day, confrontation B15 36 for its own sake is no longer practised and the nation is not being B15 37 told to pull up its socks. We should be profoundly grateful, but B15 38 some of us who were once of us are not.

B15 39 The truth is that for as long as Mrs Thatcher keeps open the B15 40 possibility that she will fight the next election as the B15 41 Conservative candidate for Finchley, the dispossessed will continue B15 42 to make trouble. Glasses, filled to the brim with Mateus B15 43 Ros<*_>e-acute<*/> will be raised in dining clubs downstairs to the B15 44 Queen over the water, and groups such as Conservative Way Forward B15 45 will look back to what they see as a golden age, when Sir Alfred B15 46 Sherman was in his heaven and all was right with Lord Wyatt of B15 47 Weeford's world. Conservative Way Forward (by the '92' and out of B15 48 the No Turning Back group), held its inaugural meeting at the end B15 49 of last month. Mr Cecil Parkinson is in charge: his photograph, in B15 50 a group which included Lord Joseph (the John the Baptist of B15 51 Thatcherism) and a posse of large young men, many of whom were B15 52 sipping Tartan ale out of cans, appeared in all the national B15 53 newspapers. Can we sleep safely in our beds?

B15 54 Mrs Thatcher, Norman Tebbit and Bruce Anderson were swift to B15 55 dissociate themselves from the views of the Bruges Group. Anthony B15 56 Beaumont-Dark on the World at One said he was going home B15 57 to mother, while Neil Kinnock made what capital he could out of the B15 58 party's embarrassment. It was the kind of storm in a tea cup once B15 59 enjoyed by those Young Turks of the Bow Group - Mr Geoffrey Howe, B15 60 Mr Patrick Jenkin and Mr Leon Britan - in those far off days when B15 61 they were young and slim enough to run for buses and their pens B15 62 threatened to bring down the Macmillan Government. Howe's tongue B15 63 was later to succeed where his pen had failed.

B15 64 What will be the date of the next election? We will have to B15 65 wait, so say the pundits, until 3 May when the results of the local B15 66 government elections will have been fed into Professor Anthony B15 67 King's computer. There is an argument in favour of 10 October that B15 68 has not yet been deployed: a June election would not kill the Tory B15 69 Party's annual conference. Were John Major to be returned with a B15 70 reduced majority, however, the goings-on at Blackpool would be B15 71 properly muted, a fourth general election victory silencing B15 72 dissent. But were the party to go to the country in June and be B15 73 defeated, the Blackpool conference would become a battlefield, the B15 74 salty air of that insalubrious resort ringing with the cries of B15 75 "I told you so", and Mrs Thatcher, smuggled onto B15 76 the platform in a barrel, would be elected Leader of the Party by B15 77 the acclamation of the mob.

B15 78 It really does not bear thinking about. A terrible revenge B15 79 would be taken. John Major would be obliged to leave the Winter B15 80 Gardens dressed in the uniform of a police constable, Michael B15 81 Heseltine would be cast adrift in a small boat in the company of B15 82 Edwina Currie, while parties of Rotarians would be dispatched to B15 83 Warwickshire with orders to bring back the Howes, dead or alive. Mr B15 84 Harvey Thomas would return from beyond the grave with orders to B15 85 re-decorate the platform for the leader's speech in colours that B15 86 would match Mrs Thatcher's eyes. A familiar slogan would be lifted B15 87 above her head: "The Resolute Approach".

B15 88 Perhaps I am frightening my readers unnecessarily. The Tories B15 89 will win the next election, whenever it comes. The country is not B15 90 ready for Mr Bryan Gould. In the meantime I have been casting my B15 91 eye down the published list of those Tory MPs who will not be B15 92 standing at the next election. Of the 47 who have so far declared B15 93 their intention to retire, 24 are knights. The roll-call of their B15 94 names has all the resonance of the Camelot war memorial. The flight B15 95 of the knights into retirement must leave the Conservative Party B15 96 changed almost beyond recognition. Room 14, the home of the weekly B15 97 meeting of the 1922 Committee, will come to resemble a Midlands B15 98 sales conference of sanitary engineers. Musak will play B15 99 continuously in the Whips' office, and the newly-elected will B15 100 arrive at the Palace on the backs of their constituency agents' B15 101 motor bicycles.

B15 102 Among those without handles to their names, we must say B15 103 farewell to Norman Tebbit who is to go to the Lords where he will, B15 104 no doubt, sink his teeth into the silken calves of unsound bishops. B15 105 We shall not see his like again. Almost as much could be said for B15 106 Cecil Parkinson.

B15 107 The events of November have turned me into a loyal backbencher. B15 108 For the first time since 1974, I am 'sound'. I may even stand for B15 109 the executive of the 1922 Committee. I was lunching recently in St B15 110 James's where I noticed Frank Johnson, the political columnist who B15 111 has been writing regularly about "niceness" in the B15 112 Sunday Telegraph, a newspaper that has doubts about the B15 113 new Right. I told Frank, diffidently enough, that he should come to B15 114 terms with the revolution. "You never did" was his B15 115 reply. He has a point. But time is on my side.

B15 116 B15 117 What keeps the monster in power

B15 118 Michael Ignatieff

B15 119 IN THE last days of the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie, a B15 120 courtier was employed to carry one of the emperor's dogs about on a B15 121 small cushion and to wipe up whenever it raised its leg against the B15 122 shoes of the emperor's Ministers. Ceausescu reportedly made one of B15 123 his dogs a colonel in the army and gave him a full-time B15 124 chauffeur.

B15 125 I'm interested in the chauffeur. How does a person manage to B15 126 persuade himself to become a dog's chauffeur? Self-respect, I B15 127 guess, never stands in the way of survival. When a man is afraid, B15 128 he'll do almost anything. But still, I find it puzzling. How does B15 129 he tell his wife, how does he tell his friends, that he drives B15 130 around a colonel in the Romanian army who happens to be a dog?

B15 131 My colleague John Sweeney's fine study of the Ceausescu regime B15 132 and Ryzard Kapuscinski's The Emperor - his account of B15 133 Haile Selassie's last days - make it clear that tyranny is one big B15 134 laboratory for the study of human malleability. If you think there B15 135 are things you would never stoop to, you had better read these B15 136 books and reconsider.

B15 137 Lately, I've been reading another inquiry into what tyranny B15 138 does to people, Samil al-Khalil's The Monument: Art, Vulgarity B15 139 and Responsibility in Iraq. It is about Saddam's masterpiece B15 140 of authoritarian kitsch in downtown Baghdad, the vast victory arch B15 141 of crossed swords, held aloft by gigantic bronze casts of the B15 142 dictator's very own arms. But it also helps us understand how and B15 143 why a tyrant manages to pluck victory - his own survival - from the B15 144 jaws of military catastrophe.

B15 145 Fear is the simple answer, but it is not enough. All the B15 146 dictators in the modern bestiary - Ceausescu, Enver Hoxha, Saddam, B15 147 Pinochet - depended for their survival on terror, but they also B15 148 managed to enlist some degree of popular support. No imperial power B15 149 imposed Ba'ath rule on Iraq: it is an indigenous political B15 150 invention, and if it has survived two catastrophic wars, it must be B15 151 because it holds the place together.

B15 152 There is not reason to suppose that the ubiquitous posters of B15 153 the leader to be seen in every caf<*_>e-acute<*/>, in every sitting B15 154 room in Iraq, are there simply to keep the secret police happy. B15 155 Terror atomises a society: it destroys all loyalties, all forms of B15 156 trust and leaves a psychological vacuum which a tyrant fills with B15 157 love for his person. In Khalil's book there is a photograph of a B15 158 man who makes portraits of the dictator drawn in the man's own B15 159 blood. Crazy? Of course, but it is a kind of craziness where fear B15 160 and terror are transformed, horribly, into love.

B15 161 All tyrants depend for their survival on the layers of B15 162 masochism in all of us.

B15 163 There are more rational levels of a tyrant's appeal as well. As B15 164 Khalil's study shows, Saddam has exploited every iota of the Iraqi B15 165 national tradition to make himself the symbol of national unity. He B15 166 struts about claiming descent not only from Nebuchadnezzar, but B15 167 also from Sa'ad ibn-abi-Waqas, the commander of the Muslim army B15 168 that defeated the Persians in the battle of Qadissiyya in AD B15 169 637.

B15 170 All of this should help us to understand a particularly grim B15 171 aspect of the current massacre in the mountains: why a defeated and B15 172 discredited leader should have been able to marshal a shattered B15 173 army to carry out one more act of genocide. So successful has he B15 174 been, over two decades, in making himself the symbol of national B15 175 identity, that now, in his hour of need, Saddam has found little B15 176 difficulty persuading many Iraqis to give their approval for his B15 177 "final solution to the Kurdish problem". Moreover, B15 178 many Iraqis of Sunni faith will support their leader's massacre of B15 179 the Shias in the south. In other words, a tyrant's capacity to play B15 180 off the tribal hatreds of his own society to his own advantage is B15 181 just as important to his survival as the secret police, the torture B15 182 chambers and the execution squads.

B15 183 Saddam himself knows only too well that a tyrant has to tap B15 184 reservoirs of admiration as well as fear. Khalil quotes a speech of B15 185 Saddam's in which he speaks of "the need of the human being B15 186 to look beyond what lies between his hands or to the spirit of what B15 187 is visible, is a real human need. It explains why the human being B15 188 sometimes turns his stone idols into spirits." The great B15 189 triumphal arch of swords was not just intended to terrify: it was B15 190 intended to expropriate lofty human longings as well.

B15 191 Revolutions can only begin when the symbolic hold of tyranny is B15 192 broken. That is why pulling down the statue in the public square, B15 193 be it Ceausescu's, Hoxha's, Lenin's, Stalin's or Mao's, is such a B15 194 critical moment in any revolution.

B15 195 B16 1 <#FLOB:B16\>Breed out of hand?

B16 2 I AM disturbed that the Government should allow itself to be B16 3 panicked by the tabloid press into sentencing to death without B16 4 trial 10,000 pit bull terriers plus other so-called B16 5 'fighting dogs'. Whatever happened to the British sense of justice B16 6 and fair play, and love of dogs? To condemn and slaughter thousands B16 7 of innocent dogs just because one or two of their breed get out of B16 8 hand suggests a killer lust in those who bay for the mass B16 9 extermination.

B16 10 I write this letter with stitches in my badly bruised face and B16 11 my right foot in plaster because of broken bones, which forces me B16 12 to use crutches. Why? A few days ago I was attacked from behind B16 13 outside my flat and beaten, not by a dog but a so-called B16 14 human mugger.

B16 15 Can someone tell me the difference between the elderly being B16 16 mugged and children attacked by dogs? If statistics can be produced B16 17 I am sure they will show far more unprovoked attacks by human B16 18 animals than our canine friends who never even asked to become B16 19 'humanised' in the first place.

B16 20 By using the Government's yardstick, all males between the ages B16 21 of, say, 15 and 25 should be put to death because they are of B16 22 potential mugging age. Better get rid of the lot than risk another B16 23 person being mugged.

B16 24 For my part, I am sure that had there been a faithful pit bull B16 25 terrier, rottweiler or German shepherd beside me, I would not have B16 26 been mugged.

B16 27 Reg Shay

B16 28 58 Kendal Tower,

B16 29 Malins Road,

B16 30 Harborne,

B16 31 Birmingham.

B16 32 B16 33 No reserved seats - even for the Welsh

B16 34 COMPARISON of Wales with Kuwait ("Too Late to Save B16 35 Wales", Letters, May 19) ignores one major difference B16 36 between the two countries. People choose to live and work in Kuwait B16 37 for financial gain. Of Wales, the converse is true.

B16 38 Alun Jenkins, of Stevenage, and others like him were no more B16 39 driven out of Wales than other expatriate workers were driven into B16 40 Kuwait. Having left the land of their ancestors for essentially B16 41 selfish motives, it might salve their consciences to claim B16 42 force majeure. But the fact is, they freely B16 43 chose to make a better living for themselves on someone else's B16 44 patch. And why not indeed? Sauve qui peut!

B16 45 When an expatriate's financial goals are realised, he may B16 46 choose to return whence he came. On the other hand, he might not. B16 47 Population movement is a universal fact of life. And there are no B16 48 reserved seats.

B16 49 To believe that Wales is the victim of plots and has been B16 50 uniquely selected for persecution is to stray beyond laudable B16 51 nostalgia into the realms of paranoia, a most dangerous mental B16 52 condition.

B16 53 Colin W. Parsons

B16 54 Lower House, Woodstock,

B16 55 Haverfordwest, Dyfed.

B16 56 BY FAR the greatest of all British inventions is Britishness, B16 57 that unique combination of English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish, B16 58 which transcends any one single component. A federation more real B16 59 than the inferior unities of the USSR, Yugoslavia etc.

B16 60 I am English/Scottish. My wife is English/Welsh. We and B16 61 millions like us never claim to be English; we are British. B16 62 Southern Scotland, north Wales and eastern Ireland can never be B16 63 anything but a weird and successful mix of Angle, Saxon, Dane and B16 64 Norman: the mongrel is healthier than the pedigree.

B16 65 As such, the word English becomes abusive shorthand for B16 66 London, the South, the rich, the middle classes. I propose we all B16 67 use British in future and forget the mere subdivisions.

B16 68 J.W. Saunders

B16 69 17 Benton Road,

B16 70 Middlesbrough,

B16 71 Cleveland.

B16 72 B16 73 Famine in Africa is a disgrace to the human race

B16 74 THE UNITED Nations has to decide urgently whether or not it has B16 75 a mandate so save the Third World. Natural disasters like the B16 76 Bangladesh flooding cannot be prevented, but their consequences can B16 77 be alleviated by forward planning as well as aid afterwards. B16 78 Famine, on the other hand, is entirely preventable, and its B16 79 continuing ravages across Africa are a disgrace to the human B16 80 race.

B16 81 We all know the problems - inefficient local logistics, corrupt B16 82 governments, warring tribes, and sheer ignorance. There is only one B16 83 solution - efficient control of aid and establishment and B16 84 development of resources on the ground by the UN.

B16 85 There will be all sorts of reasons put up against this, B16 86 including that interfering in another country's business without B16 87 invitation smacks of fascism, but this does not alter the facts, B16 88 nor prevent misery and death.

B16 89 The United Nations should set up: 1, A standing army capable of B16 90 moving swiftly into disaster areas and stabilising them to allow 2, B16 91 A controlled relief programme conducted by experts, which not only B16 92 provides immediate amelioration of the human condition, but the B16 93 processing of long-term solutions providing resettlement areas with B16 94 a proper water supply, land conservation, planting of trees and B16 95 crops, grazing control, and medical services.

B16 96 In the end this may not cost more than we give at present in B16 97 charity with no guarantee of effectiveness. Charity is ultimately B16 98 demeaning. Why should these unfortunate people have to depend on B16 99 someone passing the hat round? If the rich countries have to raise B16 100 taxes to get rid of the misery, so be it. Who would object?

B16 101 P.C. Raine

B16 102 The Through,

B16 103 Forest Place,

B16 104 Waldron,

B16 105 Heathfield,

B16 106 East Sussex.

B16 107 B16 108 Dangers for NHS

B16 109 THE BRITISH Medical Association and the Association of B16 110 Community Health Councils have listed many reasons for opposing the B16 111 NHS trusts and GP budget systems. The Nursing Association wishes to B16 112 see how the present trusts are helping the patient before approving B16 113 any expansion of the system, which seems reasonable.

B16 114 When the average GP refers a patient to hospital, his only B16 115 consideration is for the standard of care for that patient and, as B16 116 I would do, he tries to make an appointment with a surgeon by whom B16 117 he himself would like to be treated. It is not just a matter of B16 118 searching around for the cheapest and least waiting time for an B16 119 operation. Lord McColl, who is Professor of Surgery at the United B16 120 Medical Schools of Guy's and St. Thomas's hospitals and director of B16 121 Surgery at Guy's, appears to consider the situation in that very B16 122 impersonal and completely commercial way ("Leading surgeon B16 123 backs NHS reform", May 19).

B16 124 Lord McColl gave a GP a date for an operation on a patient B16 125 which was far sooner than that of the local hospital. However, he B16 126 advised the doctor to tell the local hospital that he proposed to B16 127 send the patient to him and he would find that the date would be B16 128 automatically advanced, which is what happened. The inference is B16 129 that most local hospitals would react in this way, and so he is B16 130 accusing them of not doing a proper job within the National Health B16 131 Service and of course this must be corrected!

B16 132 May I make the following observation: after two years in a very B16 133 busy general hospital and 25 years in general practice, I came to B16 134 the conclusion that the more expert a surgeon was clinically, the B16 135 less time he was prepared to spend on administration, which he B16 136 preferred to leave to others.

B16 137 The poll tax was a disaster, and, similarly, the NH trusts and B16 138 GP budgets, which are being pushed ahead without adequate study and B16 139 discussion with all branches of the medical profession, may also B16 140 prove disastrous.

B16 141 W.I. McGregor, BSc, MB,

B16 142 ChB,

B16 143 55a Spa Road,

B16 144 Weymouth, Dorset.

B16 145 B16 146 Too much hype about a not very ladylike tomato

B16 147 WHEN editors of stuffy newspapers start devoting their boring B16 148 columns to Madonna (Profile, May 19), it proves that her formidable B16 149 publicity machine is getting to more than little girls, irritated B16 150 feminists and writers of "yours disgusted" B16 151 letters.

B16 152 I suspect that underneath all that hype the lady is, among B16 153 other things, intelligent, shrewd and very tough. She plays it her B16 154 way and will probably achieve everything she aims for, including an B16 155 audience with the Pope and a hair dye which does not turn her roots B16 156 orange.

B16 157 As for any weedy little old man contemplating wrestling off her B16 158 cone-shaped bra, he would have to consider that he may end up being B16 159 gob-smacked by one of her steely little fists. The most he B16 160 can do is fantasise about whether a particular tomato tastes as B16 161 good as it looks whilst safely sticking to the sour grapes! Yours, B16 162 with amusement for once,

B16 163 J.M.H. Creagh

B16 164 The Old Rectory

B16 165 Market Weston,

B16 166 Diss, Norfolk

B16 167 I AM writing to comment on your article about Madonna. I must B16 168 first confess that I do own a copy of Madonna's latest album, B16 169 The Immaculate Collection, and while I like quite a lot B16 170 of her music, I don't like the woman herself.

B16 171 I feel that all the comments made in the article are fair as B16 172 Madonna seems to have no shame and is obviously prepared to do B16 173 anything to attract publicity for herself. It appears to be the B16 174 more outrageous, the better; the more she can appal people, the B16 175 happier she is.

B16 176 It would seem from your article that you don't think too highly B16 177 of her either. However, I think that giving up nearly half a page B16 178 of your paper to merely say that she isn't really worth writing B16 179 about is also drawing people's attention to her. That is exactly B16 180 what she thrives on.

B16 181 Surely it would be better not to bother with her at all, no B16 182 matter how much you criticise her in the article.

B16 183 After all, the worst form of publicity for a person of her sort B16 184 has to be no publicity at all.

B16 185 Heather Rawlin

B16 186 (aged 14),

B16 187 186 Tom Lane,

B16 188 Sheffield.

B16 189 B16 190 UK Scan safety record

B16 191 I READ with interest the account "Magnetic Peril of B16 192 Scanner" (May 12) referring to some of the accidents that B16 193 have occurred, particularly in the United States, with the B16 194 operation of these important diagnostic instruments.

B16 195 I should stress that in the United Kingdom to date the safety B16 196 record has been very good, and that at our own centre we have very B16 197 strict and extensive safety measures in force, and have operated B16 198 for over five years with a high field system without any serious B16 199 incidents.

B16 200 New centres starting up do need to have staff in post who B16 201 appreciate and are regularly trained in the safety measures B16 202 required. It is also important that, when such installations are B16 203 designed, independent advice is taken to ensure proper safety B16 204 provision is made. It would be a shame if funding constraints or B16 205 the need to compete for business eroded the good safety record, and B16 206 thus the public's confidence, in this revolutionary diagnostic B16 207 work.

B16 208 (Dr) Martin Leach

B16 209 Co-Director, CRC Clinical

B16 210 Magnetic Resonance

B16 211 Research Group, Institute

B16 212 of Cancer Research,

B16 213 17a Onslow Gardens,

B16 214 London, SW 7.

B16 215 YOUR report may have raised unnecessary fears in many people's B16 216 minds. This is particularly unfortunate as we are in the middle of B16 217 a pounds2.5 million appeal to buy an MR Scanner for the Southampton B16 218 University Hospitals.

B16 219 A keen awareness of the safety aspects of every item of medical B16 220 equipment is obviously of prime importance at all times.

B16 221 I know of no cases in this country where a patient has B16 222 sustained burns during an examination. Patients with pacemakers or B16 223 other metal implants are never admitted to the MR environment until B16 224 it is known that the object is magnet safe.

B16 225 MR imaging gives us the opportunity of going straight to a full B16 226 diagnosis and dispensing with less effective, expensive or B16 227 unpleasant investigative techniques. Experience throughout the B16 228 world has shown that MR imaging is very acceptable to the patient B16 229 and cost-effective compared to other diagnostic techniques.

B16 230 (Prof) Michael Whitehouse

B16 231 Appeal Chairman,

B16 232 Southampton University Hospital,

B16 233 Southampton.

B16 234 B16 235 Telescope theory of Europe

B16 236 WHEN Margaret Thatcher signed the Single European Act, she, and B16 237 probably the majority of the British people, failed to realise that B16 238 the steps to political integration are interlocking like the B16 239 sections of a telescope; pull one, and the rest follow.

B16 240 In securing an opt-out clause on single currency, and deletion B16 241 of the social chapter from the new treaty at the Maastricht summit, B16 242 John Major is simply looking through the wrong end of the telescope B16 243 in order to distance himself from the final show-down B16 244 between Britain and the rest of the Community. This act of self B16 245 deception will not save this country from those Europhiles who have B16 246 used an economic initiative to achieve political ends, namely B16 247 Eurofederalism.

B16 248 B17 1 <#FLOB:B17\>The spirit of Gleneagles

B17 2 THE Scottish Council is a broad church and does not take B17 3 collective decisions very easily. Since the value of its annual B17 4 forum lies in its unique ability to bring together Scottish public B17 5 life in all its aspects - unlike bodies such as the CBI which are B17 6 sectoral - that is not a point of criticism. Much of the interest B17 7 for those who have been attending this year's forum at Gleneagles B17 8 has lain, as it has always done, in trying to assess the mood B17 9 emerging from the informal and social events surrounding the B17 10 plenary sessions. Any attempt to do so must necessarily be B17 11 opinionated and subjective but in this column, at least, the B17 12 attempt can be made.

B17 13 The forum has been confronting the implications of European B17 14 political and monetary union. Despite the difficulties that B17 15 surround the treaties which it is hoped will be signed at the B17 16 Maastricht summit next month, the mood music at Gleneagles implied B17 17 that monetary union and a single currency were inevitable and even B17 18 desirable; political changes might take longer and be more B17 19 problematical but they could scarcely be avoided either. What B17 20 impact will the replacement of sterling by the ecu have on the B17 21 Scottish economy? It used to be argued that currency alignments B17 22 were a mechanism which allowed a country to adjust for inherent B17 23 competitive disadvantages, such as those imposed by distance from B17 24 the marketplace or by having a small economic mass. The mood at B17 25 Gleneagles was that such doctrines, in the context of a large, B17 26 powerful and unified market, were unhelpful and self-defeating. B17 27 Devaluation of a currency simply deferred to the evil day when B17 28 inefficiencies had to be tackled, or stoked inflation. Nor was B17 29 classical regional policy seen as any kind of answer. Rather the B17 30 preference was for full exposure to the rigorous of monetary B17 31 disciplines in the hope that these would produce a new B17 32 entrepreneurial impulse and a fresh dynamism even if at some cost B17 33 in the short term, most probably in the form of unemployment.

B17 34 This realism was welcome and refreshing, even if the social B17 35 dislocation which it implies will in fact demand a more B17 36 transitional approach. But it was accompanied by a wide B17 37 dissatisfaction about the way Scottish interests are being B17 38 represented in Brussels. Mr Lang's initiative, Scotland Europa, was B17 39 welcome as far as it went but few felt it went far enough. What was B17 40 really surprising, perhaps, was the extent of the feeling among B17 41 people in the financial and business communities that devolution B17 42 was now not only inevitable but even desirable. The neglect of B17 43 vital Scottish concerns, such as salmon fisheries or whisky, were B17 44 cited as recent examples where the Government, either through B17 45 ignorance or indifference had failed the Scottish interest. And it B17 46 was acknowledged that sovereignty was already seeping away from B17 47 Westminster: by tieing<&|>sic! their currencies to their companions B17 48 in the exchange rate mechanism of the European Monetary System, B17 49 participating countries, including Britain, had already ceded B17 50 authority to the Bundesbank, regulator of the lead economy. Indeed, B17 51 the creation of a European Central Bank was seen as a means of B17 52 regaining sovereignty that had already been lost de facto.

B17 53 Highly unfavourable comparisons were drawn between the impact B17 54 achieved by Scotland in Brussels and that made by countries like B17 55 Ireland. The German Lander, and even the Welsh Office, B17 56 were regarded as having been more successful than Scottish B17 57 Ministers working through the UK mechanisms in making themselves as B17 58 real in European minds as England (still used everywhere B17 59 synonymously for Britain). It has been hard, at Gleneagles this B17 60 week, to resist the conclusion that the Conservatives must put B17 61 devolution back on the agenda. Despite multifarious denials by Mr B17 62 Lang, reports persist (the latest again in the Economist last week) B17 63 that a group of Conservative Ministers are discussing it, B17 64 admittedly in no especial spirit of generosity. The thinking is B17 65 that the devolution of Scottish affairs will lead to a reduction in B17 66 the number of Scottish MPs at Westminster, thus preventing in any B17 67 realistic scenario the election of a Labour UK Government. We do B17 68 not think that is a proper spirit in which to reform something as B17 69 important as the Union, but the mood at Gleneagles this week B17 70 certainly has tended to cast Mr Lang in the role of King Canute. B17 71 Given his thespian gifts, a quick change should present no B17 72 problems. He should reconsider his opposition to parliamentary B17 73 devolution to accompany the administrative devolution which he B17 74 already supports. Despite the screeches of the diehards, power is B17 75 ebbing away from Westminster.

B17 76 B17 77 Shadow of the hustings

B17 78 IF different calculations had been made, we would be listening B17 79 this week to campaign speeches, not debates on the Queen's Speech. B17 80 As it was, the next election cast its shadow over yesterday's B17 81 scenes in Parliament. The legislative programme announced by the B17 82 Queen was shorter than usual, tailored for a truncated session, and B17 83 the mood in the House fractious (not that this is uncommon on such B17 84 occasions). Not an inspiring start to the new session and not one B17 85 of British democracy's better days. It was not one of Mr Major's B17 86 better days either. This was his first Queen's Speech as Prime B17 87 Minister, but there was little sense of a new beginning. Admittedly B17 88 the legislative programme was not one that Mrs Thatcher would now B17 89 be announcing if she had remained in power. She would not have been B17 90 cheerfully giving the final push to the poll tax, conjuring up B17 91 citizen's charters, or talking about Britain's place in the B17 92 European mainstream. But the ambivalence of Mr Major's Government B17 93 was in evidence yesterday. Perhaps Mr Ashdown put his finger on it B17 94 when he said that the Queen's Speech was half an attempt to B17 95 mitigate the past, half an attempt to carry on as before (as with B17 96 the emphasis on railway privatisation). Fifty-fifty may not be the B17 97 accurate ratio but the ambiguity exists. The citizen's charter B17 98 idea, which might have come to the rescue, is falling rather B17 99 flat.

B17 100 The Government is certainly not dragging its feet over the new B17 101 local council tax - again the shadow of the hustings. The B17 102 legislation is likely to have a troubled passage, with the B17 103 Opposition fighting for improved rebates, with possible B17 104 administrative complications as the councils prepare for another B17 105 about-turn, and with public controversy about the banding system. B17 106 But it's the things that can't be legislated for that are likely to B17 107 cause the most noise in the run-up to the election - the economy B17 108 and Europe. Nor is there any legislation that can prevent Mr Major B17 109 being something of a lame duck leader, lacking total authority B17 110 within his own party, during a parliamentary session which is his B17 111 own choice.

B17 112 B17 113 Divisions of conflict

B17 114 THE CBI and the Government are not on the cosy terms that would B17 115 normally be expected this close to a General Election. Far from B17 116 closing ranks they are drifting further apart not just over B17 117 domestic policy but on Europe, as was clear on the opening day of B17 118 the CBI conference in Bournemouth. The confederation blames the B17 119 Government for the recession and the consequent slump in B17 120 investment. It disagrees with the Government over the timing and B17 121 extent of economic recovery. It believes the Chancellor's Mansion B17 122 House speech was too bullish in its claim that business confidence B17 123 was at its highest level for 17 years. The confederation's chief B17 124 economic adviser, Professor Doug McWilliams, has scathingly B17 125 observed that "seasonally adjusted confidence is difficult B17 126 to understand, let alone explain." Since Mr Lamont's B17 127 optimism had been based on the CBI's own survey, which recorded B17 128 less gloom than there was at the previous count, this put-down B17 129 might seem unfair. But the Chancellor hyped the figures much more B17 130 than most economists, no doubt in an excess of anxiety to welcome B17 131 the long-forecasted end to the recession. From the CBI's B17 132 standpoint, though, there are still hard times ahead for many B17 133 businesses even if the recession is drawing to an end. In these B17 134 circumstances the approach of a General Election does not B17 135 automatically restore sweetness and light despite the energetic B17 136 efforts to paper over the cracks on the eve of the conference.

B17 137 Above all there is no hiding the fact that the CBI is B17 138 particularly unhappy with the performance of the Department of B17 139 Trade and Industry, which it feels is not doing half enough to B17 140 promote manufacturing industry. Mr Lilley, faced with the difficult B17 141 task of addressing the conference yesterday, did his best to defuse B17 142 the criticisms. His Government, he said, was banging the drum for B17 143 British industry and the DTI was banging the drum for the CBI at B17 144 every opportunity - in Cabinet, in the Commons, in Brussels. B17 145 Indeed, if you believe Mr Lilley, the department is now B17 146 "very close" to the confederation and the two are B17 147 really working together. That's not how things look from the CBI's B17 148 side of the fence and it was unsurprising that Mr Lilley's B17 149 emollient words failed to turn aside the wrath of some delegates. B17 150 According to one speaker the Trade and Industry Secretary has not B17 151 cared enough about manufacturing and worse still has not understood B17 152 it.

B17 153 Probably there was no way that Mr Lilley could have deflected B17 154 criticism, short of conceding one of the main recommendations in B17 155 the CBI's recent report on manufacturing industry - a strengthened B17 156 DTI taking a more active role in encouraging industry. Mr Lilley's B17 157 lack of sympathy with such ideas is a reminder that pockets of B17 158 Thatcherism remain in Mr Major's Government. Mr Lilley is very much B17 159 a non-interventionist Industry Secretary, taking the view that B17 160 structural changes would not solve any problems. The point is that B17 161 structural changes might accomplish much if accompanied by the B17 162 political will to be "down on the pitch playing" as B17 163 Mr Banham puts it. Mr Lilley clearly lacks the will; a better bet B17 164 would be Mr Heseltine, who addresses the conference today, whose B17 165 interventionist inclinations are stronger and who is sympathetic to B17 166 the idea of building up the DTI to the point where it can stand up B17 167 to the Treasury. This approach would appear to be more in keeping B17 168 not just with CBI thinking but with the general tenor of Mr Major's B17 169 leadership and with the national interest as the UK faces the B17 170 prospect of a sluggish and uncertain recovery.

B17 171 Even if the CBI and the Government were really as much of one B17 172 mind as Mr Lilley claimed, there would still be differences over B17 173 Europe. The CBI wants economic and monetary union to be placed at B17 174 the top of the agenda, though Mr Banham believes that if the price B17 175 is too high the Government should walk away. His remarkably savage B17 176 attack on the French was hardly calculated to promote B17 177 Euro-understanding, but then the CBI are cool on political union, B17 178 fearful that it may prove a distraction from the important business B17 179 of economic convergence. This must be true of the full-blown B17 180 federalist formula, from which the Dutch themselves have now B17 181 retreated; and there are flaws in even the Mark 2 version. But too B17 182 negative an approach to moderate proposals for political unity B17 183 might also obstruct the economic union for which the CBI longs.

B17 184 B17 185 How to make the headlines

B17 186 FEW social skills are as elusive as the confident wearing of a B17 187 new hat. The secret, according to some experts, is to wear it first B17 188 in heavy rain, which not only makes it appear necessary, but causes B17 189 slight shrinkage, thus averting the indignity of a chase. To most B17 190 older men, of course, headgear is normal, having been worn at B17 191 school. Yesterday's polite boy not only raised his cap to his B17 192 parents, but to his sisters, a ceremony which today would doubtless B17 193 produce ribald feminist laughter. The school cap had a vital B17 194 function in sport, the peak keeping out the sun, and highly B17 195 coloured specimens were often awarded to the giants of the first B17 196 eleven.

B17 197 In later life hats were a signal of social class. The top hat B17 198 remains in use at the most exclusive English public schools, and B17 199 proceeds from there to the royal enclosure at Ascot. The bowler, by B17 200 contrast, may have derived from the eponymous hat-maker in London's B17 201 Nelson Square, but has had mixed fortunes ever since, a billycock B17 202 being worn variously by bookmakers, pre-war foremen, riders to B17 203 hounds, participants in Orange Walks, and, with umbrellas, by B17 204 ex-Army officers in mufti.

B17 205 B18 1 <#FLOB:B18\>A glimmer of hope?

B18 2 THE freedom of the brave and resilient John McCarthy could mark B18 3 the beginning of a new era in the tinderbox of the Middle East. B18 4 Sadly, the disappearance of a French relief worker in west Beirut B18 5 within hours of Mr McCarthy's release is a B18 6 <}_><-|>salutory<+|>salutary<}/> reminder of the complex nature of B18 7 life in the region.

B18 8 We hope there are indications that the kidnapping of Frenchman B18 9 Jerome Leyraud is removed from the central thrust of Middle Eastern B18 10 politics. Certainly, the news that Israel is prepared to hand over B18 11 its Lebanese prisoners in return for the release of seven Israeli B18 12 servicemen captured during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon is of equal B18 13 significance.

B18 14 As Foreign Office Minister Douglas Hogg so rightly says, it is B18 15 essential to capitalise on the momentum generated by the decision B18 16 to free John McCarthy. Mr Hogg recognises what a crucial player B18 17 Israel is in this dangerous game and he has stressed that Israel B18 18 will be urged to free its political prisoners as soon as B18 19 possible.

B18 20 If Israel is going to co-operate - and the signs are promising B18 21 - then there is a chance that the decision by Islamic Jihad to free B18 22 John McCarthy will herald a brighter future which would include the B18 23 release of the 11 other hostages languishing in the cellars of B18 24 Beirut.

B18 25 B18 26 Jewel role

B18 27 THE tremendous news that the priceless Middleham Jewel is to B18 28 remain in York was overshadowed by the euphoria surrounding the B18 29 release of the hostage John McCarthy yesterday. Nevertheless, it is B18 30 significant and presents the Yorkshire Museum with an excellent B18 31 opportunity to broaden its appeal.

B18 32 We trust that the jewel, one of the finest late medieval pieces B18 33 of its kind, will be displayed boldly in the museum. That should B18 34 ensure the Yorkshire Museum can rival the higher profile Castle B18 35 Museum and Jorvik Viking Centre, especially if the jewel is B18 36 supported by quality exhibits.

B18 37 B18 38 Don't shrug off death

B18 39 WE MAKE no apology for returning to the theme of our editorial B18 40 of July 27 in which we called for stricter driving tests for B18 41 everyone in the hope of curtailing the slaughter on Yorkshire's B18 42 roads.

B18 43 Since that editorial, dozens of readers have supported our B18 44 plea. North Yorkshire police, North Yorkshire County Council and a B18 45 number of advanced motoring organisations have also called for B18 46 tougher tests - to no avail.

B18 47 The council's idea of a probationary year for drivers once they B18 48 have passed their test is an attractive one which is already in B18 49 force on the Continent. It is both ludicrous and dangerous that a B18 50 teenager can be a learner driver one day and a motorway driver the B18 51 next.

B18 52 The Department of Transport, in rejecting calls for a second B18 53 test a year after the first, argues that it is not incompetence B18 54 which causes accidents but showing off.

B18 55 The real world, however, will recognise that better training in B18 56 any area of life is central to better ability and responsibility. B18 57 And if people fail that higher level of training through B18 58 incompetence, then a secondary test will have proved its worth.

B18 59 Admittedly, the driving test has been tightened up, but the B18 60 overall problem of poor driving remains. As a senior North B18 61 Yorkshire policeman points out, drivers are often not taught how to B18 62 drive as such, they are simply taught how to pass their test.

B18 63 There are too many deaths and there is too much misery for B18 64 Whitehall to take such a negative attitude to positive action.

B18 65 B18 66 Rights of the rambler

B18 67 THE high-profile campaign by the Ramblers Association to make B18 68 every footpath in the country clear by the year 2000 deserves our B18 69 fullest support. Launched today, this campaign aims to prevent B18 70 self-seeking farmers and landowners from blocking public rights of B18 71 way in the countryside.

B18 72 A sample survey of these rights of way - carried out by the B18 73 Countryside Commission in 1988 - revealed that there was only a B18 74 one-in-three chance of not encountering a serious difficulty during B18 75 a two-mile walk in the countryside.

B18 76 The Rights Of Way Act, passed last year, aimed to bring B18 77 landowners into line and to allow ramblers to enjoy the unspoiled B18 78 beauty of our countryside. Yet enforcing this Act has proved B18 79 troublesome and it has had little effect. Now the Ramblers B18 80 Association is setting up its own legal department to prosecute B18 81 those who break the law.

B18 82 The blinkered attitude which has prompted this campaign is B18 83 ultimately self-defeating. Aggressive keep-out signs help no one B18 84 and do not encourage respect. The vast majority of ramblers love B18 85 the countryside and wish to preserve it; denying them the B18 86 fundamental right of walking where they wish on public rights of B18 87 way is not only illegal, it is also immoral.

B18 88 B18 89 Unsung heroes

B18 90 IT IS appropriate today to pay tribute to Yorkshire's B18 91 coastguards who have just experienced the busiest of weekends. B18 92 These unsung heroes of the emergency services rescued no less than B18 93 100 people on Saturday and Sunday.

B18 94 It is easy to take our coastguards for granted. But their B18 95 bravery and commitment is an example to us all; last weekend was a B18 96 telling reminder of their worth.

B18 97 B18 98 Bearing fruit

B18 99 ONCE again the Ryedale Festival has proved a tremendous B18 100 success, emphasising how fruitful and positive is the relationship B18 101 between the district council and the festival organisers. We hope B18 102 that the York Festival, looming ever closer, contains a similar B18 103 level of co-operation and commitment.

B18 104 B18 105 Cut out the confrontation

B18 106 THE extension of York's park-and-ride service has always been B18 107 regarded, rightly, as one of the solutions to York's chronic B18 108 traffic problems.

B18 109 So the news that a second park-and-ride route could be being B18 110 introduced for a trial period at Clifton Moor north of the city B18 111 should be welcomed, especially as Christmas is approaching.

B18 112 However, this new scheme does not mean that peace has broken B18 113 out between York City Council and Ryedale District Council, who B18 114 have had well-publicised differences over park-and-ride in the B18 115 past.

B18 116 It transpires that while the city council is happy to use the B18 117 car park at Warner Brothers multiplex cinema as a temporary B18 118 park-and-ride site, the district council would prefer this site to B18 119 be permanent and believes it could solve the park-and-ride B18 120 impasse.

B18 121 The city council disagrees, arguing that this site is too far B18 122 away from the A19 and that commuters would be reluctant to go out B18 123 of their way to make use of the scheme. It is, the city council B18 124 argues, more than one mile from the A19.

B18 125 Whether the city council is right on this point will become B18 126 evident once the trial scheme goes ahead. Certainly, if the B18 127 multiplex cinema car park site proves a success, it would be both B18 128 naive and self-defeating not to make it York's second park-and-ride B18 129 base.

B18 130 If it does not prove popular, the York City Council will have B18 131 to look elsewhere, and try to find a site nearer the busy A19.

B18 132 Either way, we trust that York City Council and Ryedale B18 133 District Council will approach this important issue in a spirit of B18 134 co-operation and not of confrontation. The need for a second B18 135 park-and-ride site is paramount and it should not be blocked by B18 136 point-scoring from two neighbouring councils.

B18 137 B18 138 MPs with all to play for

B18 139 THE MPs return to Westminster today knowing that politics will B18 140 be overshadowed by the coming general election. The Government will B18 141 try to produce a programme showing that it has still got business B18 142 to do. But the dreary prospect is of six months or more of B18 143 political wrangling.

B18 144 All the major parties now run their conferences with one eye on B18 145 television. The Liberal Democrat conference was, in contrast with B18 146 the free for all of the old Liberal party, a self-controlled B18 147 affair. After the trauma of Dr Owen's departure, Paddy Ashdown B18 148 showed that the party was back in business, offering a combination B18 149 of commitment to the federal ideal in Europe, far-reaching B18 150 constitutional reform, and a free market economy based on B18 151 competition.

B18 152 At Labour's conference the will to win was so palpable that no B18 153 one wanted to rock the boat. It seemed to have taken on the old B18 154 Tory style of a party rally. Neil Kinnock, in the best-crafted B18 155 speech of his career, showed his total command of the party and put B18 156 the case that it was time for a change of government.

B18 157 The Conservative conference was more <}_><-|>line<+|>like<}/> B18 158 an old-style Labour one in its undercurrents. They met knowing that B18 159 John Major had not dared risk holding the election he would like to B18 160 have won next month. The wild reception accorded to Mrs Thatcher, B18 161 deriving partly from guilt, showed that she would still have the B18 162 power to make trouble if John Major and Douglas Hurd were to reach B18 163 an agreement on closer political and economic union in the European B18 164 Community she was not prepared to accept.

B18 165 Breaking consciously with the Thatcher Style, John Major B18 166 projected himself as the extraordinary ordinary man in touch with B18 167 what people felt. His scornful refutation of Labour claims that the B18 168 health service would be privatised and his jokes at his own B18 169 expense, as over Labour borrowing his grey suits, were effective. B18 170 Trust Major will be the Tory election theme, who wants to give you B18 171 the right to own and the right to choose. But Mr Major in the next B18 172 six months is very much at the mercy of events in the European B18 173 Community and in the world economy. The election is still wide B18 174 open.

B18 175 B18 176 Policy off the rails

B18 177 MOST people travel by car or coach and most goods are carried B18 178 by lorry. But the annual increases in rail fares are still B18 179 politically sensitive because of their impact on commuters in B18 180 marginal constituencies around London. The size of the increase B18 181 also matters because Ministers should be trying to persuade more B18 182 people to use the railways on environmental grounds.

B18 183 The Prime Minister, John Major, is credited with intervening to B18 184 press the principle, derived from his Citizens Charters, that fare B18 185 increases should be below average on commuter lines with a poor B18 186 service and higher on lines where there has recently been B18 187 substantial investment.

B18 188 The railways at present get the worst of both worlds. The B18 189 Government says it wants to run them as a commercial business and B18 190 privatise them. But it also realises it has to subsidise them as a B18 191 public service. Ministers therefore interfere with British Rail's B18 192 pricing and investment policies.

B18 193 The problem is compounded because of the Treasury's myopic B18 194 attitude to British Rail's borrowing for investment. The Treasury B18 195 lumps all British Rail borrowing in as part of the public sector B18 196 borrowing requirement which it says must be limited as part of its B18 197 efforts to control public spending and sustain confidence in the B18 198 pound. The crazy result is that the French Railways can raise money B18 199 for investment on the London stock market but British Rail B18 200 cannot.

B18 201 There is an urgent need to discriminate between public B18 202 borrowing for productive investment and public borrowing to finance B18 203 a budget deficit. There is a strong case for giving a boost during B18 204 the recession to the construction and engineering industries by B18 205 more properly targeted investment in the infrastructure.

B18 206 It is hard to see how a service which will always be partly B18 207 dependent on subsidies can be privatised. The Transport Secretary, B18 208 Malcolm Rifkind, proposes to end British Rail's monopoly and make B18 209 it easier for other operators to run trains over its tracks. But B18 210 the danger is that they may skim the cream.

B18 211 The Government should forget about privatisation and B18 212 concentrate on giving the railways more freedom to invest and B18 213 borrow as a State-owned business.

B18 214 B18 215 The lesson of Hemsworth

B18 216 THE Labour Party's unceremonious dumping of Ken Capstick of B18 217 Selby, the National Union of Mineworkers' candidate for the B18 218 forthcoming Hemsworth by-election in South Yorkshire, is a telling B18 219 reminder of the party's remorseless pursuit of power. Mr Capstick's B18 220 'sin' was to be closely associated with the controversial figure of B18 221 Arthur Scargill, perceived as a bogeyman by Neil Kinnock and his B18 222 cohorts. Although Mr Capstick consistently claimed he was his own B18 223 man, the party could not - or would not - accept this.

B18 224 Indeed Mr Capstick's nomination for this safe Labour seat B18 225 prompted a high-powered team from the party's London headquarters B18 226 to descend on Yorkshire last night with the express intention of B18 227 ousting him.

B18 228 B19 1 <#FLOB:B19\>Killer dogs

B19 2 THE agony of the six-year-old Bradford girl who has had four B19 3 ribs broken and may be permanently scarred as a result of a B19 4 horrific savaging by a pit bull terrier should shake Ministers out B19 5 of their lethargy over dog control.

B19 6 The blame, of course, lies in the first place with the people B19 7 who want to keep these dogs as so-called pets. The truth is that B19 8 they are lethal weapons.

B19 9 But the Government is responsible for the fact that the law B19 10 over dog control is in a mess. Nicholas Ridley, when Secretary for B19 11 the Environment, abolished the dog licence because the fee had been B19 12 left unchanged for so long that it was costing more to collect than B19 13 it brought in.

B19 14 He and Mrs Thatcher opposed the alternative of modernising the B19 15 dog licence, backed by a national computer register of owners and B19 16 exemptions for special cases like guide dogs for the blind.

B19 17 The Home Secretary, Kenneth Baker, has produced a discussion B19 18 paper on the control of dangerous breeds, suggesting owners could B19 19 be forced to carry insurance, and magistrates should have more B19 20 power to order dogs to be muzzled. But his proposals are too B19 21 weak.

B19 22 The prospect of compensation is small consolation to someone B19 23 who has already been savaged.

B19 24 We need a national dog register, financed by a licence fee, and B19 25 tougher laws so that killer breeds are kept, if at all, under the B19 26 same rules as wild animals.

B19 27 B19 28 Gazza B19 29 SPURS star Paul Gascoigne was 77 minutes away from the B19 30 likelihood of becoming the richest footballer in Europe when he B19 31 made his ill-judged tackle in Saturday's FA Cup final.

B19 32 He should have been signing for the Italian club Lazio today. B19 33 Instead he is in a London Hospital reflecting the fact that he has B19 34 blown pounds8.5 million with one reckless lunge.

B19 35 The tackle, against a Nottingham Forest defender, has caused B19 36 more controversy than the match.

B19 37 There is no doubt that the tackle was late. But was it a B19 38 professional foul?

B19 39 The referee has rightly been criticised for not booking Gazza, B19 40 and the general opinion is that the Spurs star has only himself to B19 41 blame for his misfortune.

B19 42 No doubt he will tell all when he emerges. But whatever he says B19 43 he cannot expect a great deal of sympathy.

B19 44 B19 45 Fishing Policy

B19 46 THE FACT that the European Community's court has overruled part B19 47 of an Act of Parliament for the first time should not come as any B19 48 surprise.

B19 49 The people to blame are not the court but the sloppy drafters B19 50 of the law intended to keep British fish quotas for British B19 51 fishermen.

B19 52 Those MPs expressing outrage at the loss of British sovereignty B19 53 as if it was something new are talking nonsense.

B19 54 Britain agreed to some pooling of sovereignty, particularly B19 55 over trade, when it joined the European Community nearly 20 years B19 56 ago. Britain has had to change policies before because of rulings B19 57 of the European court.

B19 58 Britain accepted this because it also expected to gain from the B19 59 development of a common market.

B19 60 The European court struck down our fishing law because it said B19 61 that three-quarters of the directors and shareholders in companies B19 62 operating fishing vessels in our waters must be British. This B19 63 contradicts the general right of a commercial established in one B19 64 European Community country to set up in another.

B19 65 An answer to the financial problems facing fishermen through B19 66 intense competition for depleted stocks cannot be found just by B19 67 national action.

B19 68 Difficult as it is, the European Community needs to develop a B19 69 more effective fisheries policy based on conservation or there will B19 70 be no fish left to catch.

B19 71 B19 72 Advice B19 73 THE advice to secondary and middle schools to shun publicity B19 74 while parents are making up their minds about the right school for B19 75 their child is nonsense.

B19 76 The advice comes from an Oxford association aptly named MUSH B19 77 just a few days after the Government began pushing through B19 78 legislation to give parents more information.

B19 79 MUSH, an association of Oxford middle and upper school heads, B19 80 says that any publicity could be construed as unfair B19 81 competition.

B19 82 But parents could construe the advice of the heads as that of B19 83 wanting to turn the schools into one glorious grey area, playing B19 84 down the achievements of the worst schools.

B19 85 Thankfully at least one school for girls, Milham Ford, is B19 86 ignoring the advice. Others should do the same.

B19 87 B19 88 Hard way

B19 89 AN Oxford consultant surgeon decided to find out for himself B19 90 the pressure under which junior doctors have to work.

B19 91 Half-way through a seven-day stint, standing in for a junior B19 92 doctor at a hospital many miles from Oxford, he gave up, unable to B19 93 cope with the long hours and workload.

B19 94 Now he is likely to use his experience in the battle to cut B19 95 juniors' hours. The Government has announced a phased reduction in B19 96 hours for junior doctors but many people think the target of 72 B19 97 hours by 1995 for the hardest pressed and by 1997 for the rest is B19 98 too far away.

B19 99 When the consultant surgeon puts his case, he will be speaking B19 100 from the heart.

B19 101 Health service managers and consultants are said to resist B19 102 shorter hours but to any of his colleagues who pour scorn on this B19 103 point-of-view, the Oxford consultant can reply: "Why not B19 104 try it?"

B19 105 B19 106 Spirit B19 107 THE closure of the youth hostel at Charlbury is sad enough but B19 108 now we hear that the money will be ploughed back into upgrading B19 109 other hostels.

B19 110 No doubt the money can and should be spent improving other B19 111 hostels but what causes concern is that the policy of the Youth B19 112 Hostel Association is to provide 'high quality' hostels and to B19 113 scrap the dormitory accommodation.

B19 114 Youth hostels have provided cheap and cheerful holidays for the B19 115 young and young-at-heart for years. They have given teenagers the B19 116 chance to rough it without risk and many people on low incomes B19 117 their only chance of a holiday.

B19 118 Sprucing up the hostels is one thing, but if 'high quality' B19 119 means hostels become hotels with an accompanying jump in price then B19 120 the spirit of the Youth Hostel Association will be lost. And we B19 121 will be poorer for that.

B19 122 B19 123 Great B19 124 IT was all hands to the deck when a cancer ward at the B19 125 Churchill Hospital, Oxford, let it be known that they needed a new B19 126 piece of equipment.

B19 127 Staff, ex-patients, friends and firms lost no time in launching B19 128 money-raising events or making donations. They came up trumps.

B19 129 They passed the pounds2,250 target in just 2 1/2months and B19 130 produced an extra pounds250 which will buy other equipment. Which B19 131 just goes to show what a caring, generous lot the people of B19 132 Oxfordshire are.

B19 133 B19 134 Talking shop

B19 135 OXFORD City Council has ended up with egg on its face through B19 136 lack of initiative.

B19 137 The council has been taken to task by the prospective Liberal B19 138 Democrat parliamentary candidate for letting a major car industry B19 139 development go ahead in the county rather than capturing it for B19 140 Oxford.

B19 141 The company set up in Stanford-in-the-Vale after turning down B19 142 an offer to locate in Swindon.

B19 143 But the Labour-led Oxford City Council, which produced a lot of B19 144 hot air when Rover began cutting down the workforce at Cowley, did B19 145 not even bother to approach the firm.

B19 146 The chairman of the city's employment and economic development B19 147 committee says the city council was not approached.

B19 148 But having spent public money supporting ineffective inquiries B19 149 into Rover's affairs, the city council would be better advised to B19 150 go and find alternative employment.

B19 151 Labour makes a great play about wanting to keep the car B19 152 industry on its feet in Oxford. But it does precious little about B19 153 it in real terms.

B19 154 B19 155 Deaths B19 156 THE county's health watchdog is right to call for action after B19 157 a series of deaths among mental patients.

B19 158 The demand to meet the doctor in charge of Oxford's psychiatric B19 159 hospital follows a series of deaths.

B19 160 The latest was revealed at an inquest this week, where it was B19 161 said that a man in the highest suicide risk area was allowed B19 162 maximum freedom, and was found hanged in his room.

B19 163 There were three other deaths of patients last year, all of B19 164 whom walked out of the hospital, and a woman was seriously injured B19 165 after she jumped off a bridge.

B19 166 The Community Health Council is dealing with complaints from B19 167 relatives about aspects of treatment in three of the cases.

B19 168 The rules keeping disturbed patients in hospital are B19 169 notoriously difficult. But the hospital authorities should make a B19 170 full statement and if necessary review their procedures.

B19 171 B19 172 Praise B19 173 THREE towns in Oxfordshire have become winners in the Britain B19 174 in Bloom competition.

B19 175 Oxford, Banbury and Woodstock scooped the prizes and deserve B19 176 praise in bringing a splash of colour into a dull year.

B19 177 B19 178 Hopeful signs

B19 179 THE best outcome for the cruel cat and mouse game now being B19 180 played out over the remaining Western hostages would be a grand B19 181 deal embracing also the Arabs held captive by Israel and the fate B19 182 of the seven Israeli missing in Lebanon. But the obstacles are B19 183 still great.

B19 184 The euphoria surrounding the release of John McCarthy and B19 185 Edward Tracy underlines the mixture of hope and disappointment B19 186 facing the families of those still in captivity.

B19 187 The most difficult task now facing the negotiators is to B19 188 arrange the timings of any further releases on each side.

B19 189 The key for further progress are the Shiite prisoners held by B19 190 Israel and its allies in southern Lebanon, particularly Sheikh B19 191 Abdel Karim Obeid who was seized by Israeli paratroopers.

B19 192 It is wrong to compare these prisoners who have become in B19 193 effect hostages with the small number of terrorists still held in B19 194 European countries who have been convicted of crimes.

B19 195 But Israel is entitled to insist that in return it should be B19 196 given firm news of the seven missing Israelis. If possible the B19 197 bodies and effects of those who are dead should be returned and the B19 198 two or more believed to be alive must be released.

B19 199 If the hostage holders insist on the immediate release of all B19 200 Arabs held in prison in Europe for terrorist crimes, they are B19 201 demanding the impossible. But the prospects for writing an end to B19 202 this brutal chapter on reasonable terms are better than ever B19 203 before.

B19 204 B19 205 Help B19 206 IT is good news that a debt crisis helpline will be publicly B19 207 available next year.

B19 208 The Oxfordshire Money Advice Project, set up by the Citizens B19 209 Advice Bureau, has dealt up till now only with cases referred to it B19 210 by other help agencies.

B19 211 But so many people and small businesses are getting into B19 212 financial trouble that the Oxfordshire Debtline is to be set up. B19 213 Volunteers will answer calls in the evening.

B19 214 The plans are being made at a time when Oxford's Citizens B19 215 Advice Bureau has had to cut its hours. It is short of staff and B19 216 cannot cope with the workload.

B19 217 Let us hope both projects find the volunteers they need. Their B19 218 service is invaluable.

B19 219 B19 220 Looking ahead

B19 221 THE first positive steps were taken last night to rid Blackbird B19 222 Lays of its tarnished image.

B19 223 It should be said that the reputation of the estate, which made B19 224 national headlines when the joyriding craze was at its peak, is not B19 225 altogether deserved.

B19 226 It is a hangover from the time the estate was first built as B19 227 council housing for low income families. Now the majority of homes B19 228 are owned by those living there.

B19 229 It is not one of Oxford's most affluent areas but it is also B19 230 not a deprived area. It is attractively laid out and has a B19 231 concentration of some of the best leisure facilities in the B19 232 city.

B19 233 But it still has a problem with some of the young people living B19 234 there - although no bigger problem than any other estate which has B19 235 a high proportion of teenagers. Even then the mindless vandalism is B19 236 caused by the minority.

B19 237 The community leaders who took the initiative to put a new face B19 238 on Blackbird Leys last night must have been disappointed to hear B19 239 that a police car was vandalised while they were meeting.

B19 240 It is a sign that the hooligan element is still alive. But the B19 241 hooligans will not win.

B19 242 A combination of a sympathetic community and a determined B19 243 approach by those who care about the place has every chance of B19 244 burying the past.

B19 245 B20 1 <#FLOB:B20\>Wrong number causes a few red faces

B20 2 George Parker's WMN Political Diary

B20 3 PADDY Ashdown normally has a very slick media operation, but on B20 4 one recent occasion a wheel came off the smooth moving PR machine B20 5 in truly embarrassing style.

B20 6 Highly efficient press officer, Olly Grender, set up a hotline B20 7 to Paddy on the night of the Kincardine and Deeside by-election, so B20 8 that journalists could get immediate reaction to the expected B20 9 Liberal Democrat victory.

B20 10 The telephone number was duly circulated to the ranks of the B20 11 Press Gallery, only for Olly to realise in a moment of sheer terror B20 12 that she had given out the wrong number.

B20 13 Fearing that nobody would be able to contact the party leader B20 14 on this historic night, Olly called the number she had given out, B20 15 to see if calls could be diverted to Paddy's office.

B20 16 The voice on the other end of the phone took the wrong-number B20 17 mix up very calmly, and assured Olly that he would arrange for the B20 18 late-night calls to be transferred.

B20 19 The relieved press officer was very grateful and asked out of B20 20 curiosity to whom she was speaking.

B20 21 "This is Ian Lang, Secretary of State for B20 22 Scotland," came the reply.

B20 23 B20 24 Anniversary celebrations

B20 25 OVER the weekend, the South West's longest serving MP - Robin B20 26 Maxwell-Hyslop - celebrated the 31st anniversary of his victory in B20 27 the long-forgotten Tiverton by-election of 1960.

B20 28 It will be the last such anniversary the Tiverton MP will B20 29 celebrate at the House of Commons.

B20 30 He will be standing down at the next general election on B20 31 account of his worsening asthma condition, which he says is partly B20 32 triggered off by the heavy smoking of his Westminster B20 33 colleagues.

B20 34 B20 35 Strange idea of helping

B20 36 RUPERT Allason, the espionage expert and MP for Torbay, tells B20 37 me of the time he was making his way in the world of politics, and B20 38 was chosen to fight the unpromising iron and steel seat of B20 39 Kettering.

B20 40 It was the 1979 general election, and Rupert was out on the B20 41 campaign trail in a particularly rough housing estate in the gritty B20 42 steel town of Corby.

B20 43 To help him on his way, Rupert's father kindly offered to bring B20 44 some of his friends to help campaign for him, although it was a B20 45 gesture that the aspiring MP came to regret.

B20 46 He overheard the following monologue on the doorstep: B20 47 "Good evening sir, I'm sorry to trouble you while you're B20 48 dressing for dinner.

B20 49 "I'm the former Greek Ambassador to London, and I'm calling on B20 50 behalf of Rupert Allason who is standing at the election.

B20 51 "I can't say I know him frightfully well, but his father plays B20 52 a very decent game of bridge at White's Club most evenings, and if B20 53 he's anything like his father, Rupert would probably be worth B20 54 supporting."

B20 55 Rupert says he quickly intervened and found a slightly less B20 56 demanding role for his father's chums during the rest of the B20 57 campaign.

B20 58 He has passed on this little gem for inclusion in a new book, B20 59 'A Funny Thing Happened ...', a book of Conservative anecdotes B20 60 compiled by Sir John Cope MP and priced pounds10.

B20 61 B20 62 Feeling the chill

B20 63 MATTHEW Taylor, Britain's youngest MP, is becoming strangely B20 64 absent minded for a man of his tender years.

B20 65 Readers may remember the time that he arrived in London on a B20 66 Monday morning carrying only a suit and a pair of beach shoes, and B20 67 had to walk to the nearest shoe shop to complete his parliamentary B20 68 outfit.

B20 69 Now he tells me that he went to the annual poppy day parade in B20 70 Truro on a bitterly cold November morning without an overcoat.

B20 71 The only option facing him, as he shivered on the freezing B20 72 streets, was to put on the anorak he was carrying with him.

B20 73 Fortunately, he resisted the temptation, remembering the furore B20 74 that surrounded Michael Foot's decision to wear a donkey jacket to B20 75 the Cenotaph, whilst leader of the Labour Party.

B20 76 B20 77 Police concerns mean we pay the penalty

B20 78 Richard Cowdery's WMN FA Cup Diary

B20 79 THE DIARY, impoverished as ever, wishes someone would give it a B20 80 pound for every time it hears or reads the phrase "the B20 81 romance of the FA cup" on this weekend of the tournament's B20 82 first round - the stage of the competition at which Fourth, Third B20 83 and this year, two Second Division clubs make their entrance.

B20 84 By any reckoning, there would be at least pounds12,50 in the B20 85 kitty come Monday morning, even despite the quintessential romantic B20 86 nature of the world's most envied domestic knock-out football B20 87 competition having been dissipated by the introduction of penalty B20 88 shoot-out.

B20 89 This year, ties that remain knotted after the conclusion of B20 90 extra-time in the first replay will be decided not in open play, B20 91 but from 12 yards: for the first time in the FA Cup's distinguished B20 92 (and romantic) history, a team will be able to claim th'owd tin pot B20 93 without winning a single game of football.

B20 94 The FA's arm has been twisted by the police who, after years of B20 95 managing quite adequately to cope with second, third or even fourth B20 96 replays at a few days' notice, have now decided they need at least B20 97 10 days to prepare themselves. This in an age of rapidly declining B20 98 hooliganism and decreasing crowds, too.

B20 99 While it might be unfair to raise the point that the police at B20 100 St James' Park on Saturday were impotent to prevent handfuls of B20 101 yobbos from twice encroaching the pitch to fling tea and no B20 102 sympathy in the direction of Alan Ball despite having had four B20 103 months to prepare themselves, the rule change does raise the B20 104 significant question of who runs the national winter game.

B20 105 Clubs are told by the local constabulary how many officers are B20 106 needed to patrol a game and how much it will cost them. If they do B20 107 not play ball, they will not play at all: the police will refuse B20 108 permission for the match to be staged. The notion that the police B20 109 exist to serve the public is a fast disappearing one.

B20 110 B20 111 Fans give ideas little support

B20 112 THE paying football customer, who provides the sport with as B20 113 much annual income as all the sponsorship deals put together, gets B20 114 a pretty raw deal all round for his or her loyal support, financial B20 115 and otherwise.

B20 116 The Football Supporters' Association, an organisation with a B20 117 voice of reason that continually has to shout to make itself heard, B20 118 has published the results of a survey of fans which reveals that B20 119 the game's custodians are wildly at odds with the person on the B20 120 terrace.

B20 121 Nearly two-thirds of supporters want penalty shoot-outs banned, B20 122 period, with three-quarters of that number favouring a natural B20 123 finish to a tied tie - nearly half were in favour of a sudden-death B20 124 finish (playing until the next goal), a method which the Diary has B20 125 long advocated.

B20 126 There was also strong backing for making referees professional, B20 127 a suggestion which has already been vetoed by clubs involved in B20 128 next season's FA-run Premier League. Predictable, this, when you B20 129 remember 'Bunter' Kelly's infamous admission that he did not care B20 130 that a majority of supporters were against the formation of the B20 131 Premier League in the first place.

B20 132 Interestingly, there was also overwhelming support, however, B20 133 for the tougher stance against the professional foul - 80 per cent B20 134 backed the in-operation extension to include deliberate hand-ball - B20 135 while a staggering 91 per cent demanded the yellow card for players B20 136 who dive or feign injury.

B20 137 B20 138 Third time lucky for drawn sides

B20 139 DESPITE the desire to limit FA Cup ties to a maximum of two B20 140 games, the Diary can reveal that at least one match in this year's B20 141 competition has already gone to a third - the third qualifying B20 142 round tie between Hampton and Tonbridge.

B20 143 Tonbridge, leaders of Winstonlead Kent League, were on the B20 144 verge of going out at home in the first game until two goals in the B20 145 last 10 minutes earned a replay which they eventually won 3-0, but B20 146 not before the first attempt to stage the second game ended in B20 147 fiasco.

B20 148 With 10 minutes to go, Hampton were 2-1 up when two floodlights B20 149 blew out, shrouding a corner of the pitch in darkness. After a 20 B20 150 minute delay, the somewhat appropriately named referee Barry Knight B20 151 abandoned the game, at which point the lights flickered back into B20 152 action, too late for Mr Knight to go back on his decision.

B20 153 Had it not been for Hampton's subsequent demise, it was a B20 154 situation which might have appealed to the London side's biggest B20 155 fan and benefactor, comedy writer Alan Simpson of Galton and B20 156 Simpson fame.

B20 157 B20 158 Silent movie says it all in road row

B20 159 Robert Jobson's WMN Cornish Diary

B20 160 THOUSANDS of words were spoken and written during the great B20 161 hullabaloo over a pounds28 million road in Mid-Cornwall but for me B20 162 a silent movie said it all.

B20 163 The video of the intended nine mile route, rejected by county B20 164 councillors last week after six months of raging controversy, was B20 165 shot from a helicopter.

B20 166 It represented a first in the annals of Cornwall County Council B20 167 and, given a similar set of circumstances in the future, I trust it B20 168 will not be the last.

B20 169 Taken by Surrey-based European Air Charter, specialists in this B20 170 field, at the request of the council, it left no-one in any doubt B20 171 about what was being proposed, for better or for worse.

B20 172 Having been deluged with facts, figures and opinions at all B20 173 hours of the day and night by pressure groups, elected members were B20 174 able to focus on what was termed the corridor of interest.

B20 175 Presented with a bird's eye view from the helicopter, they were B20 176 able to follow the nine mile route from the A30 at Bodmin along the B20 177 A390 to St Austell and assess the scheme's potential impact, with B20 178 the aid of a superimposed road.

B20 179 It is debatable whether the video, costing several thousand B20 180 pounds, swayed minds at such late hour but at least the council B20 181 could not be accused of any cover-up.

B20 182 Indeed, in the event of further multi-million pound roads being B20 183 proposed for Cornwall, a helicopter video should again be B20 184 compulsory viewing for those involved in making the big B20 185 decision.

B20 186 Too controversial for politicians

B20 187 IT does not pay to pontificate on new roads and how many lives B20 188 they might save and how many jobs, if any, they might help to B20 189 generate.

B20 190 Note how many of Cornwall's politicians, mindful of an imminent B20 191 General Election, kept their heads well down on this one.

B20 192 The route affected three constituencies and therefore at least B20 193 nine candidates but most chose not to express any view on its B20 194 merits.

B20 195 Restormel Borough Council's Liberal Democrat development B20 196 chairman, Cedric Burdon of Roche, did not however hold back.

B20 197 On hearing of the County Council's rejection move, he described B20 198 it as a blatant disregard of the future needs of the St Austell B20 199 community.

B20 200 Now who has disregarded whom during the past six months? There B20 201 appears to be no shortage of candidates.

B20 202 One could say that the needs of those who endure the noise and B20 203 aggravation of living on the existing main road at St Blazey have B20 204 been disregarded by those fortunate people who do not.

B20 205 Most of Mid-Cornwall's parish councils opposed the preferred B20 206 route and so did a majority of Restormel's development committee. B20 207 They claim to have been disregarded by Restormel's leaders.

B20 208 And then we come to Truro County Hall where a majority of B20 209 elected members have decided to disregard the professional advice B20 210 of highly paid and qualified road engineers who have spent three B20 211 years finding and evaluating the best route.

B20 212 Instead an optimistic working party of councillors will be set B20 213 up to find alternative solutions in a matter of months.

B20 214 The engineers' lips remain politely sealed but their B20 215 white-faced, incredulous expressions leave one in no doubt about B20 216 how they feel. We await the working party's findings with B20 217 interest.

B20 218 B20 219 Forward action

B20 220 COUNCILLORS were not the only ones to heave a huge sigh of B20 221 relief when the vote had finally been taken at Truro on the B20 222 pounds28 million proposal.

B20 223 For the local pressure groups involved, BRAG, LARD and FORWARD, B20 224 it was also the end (or was it?) of an emotionally exhausting B20 225 ordeal.

B20 226 BRAG, St Blazey Road Action Group, and LARD, Lanhydrock Against B20 227 Road Development, were naturally elated. FORWARD, Friends of B20 228 Residents, Work and Roads Development, deflated.

B20 229 B21 1 <#FLOB:B21\>The week that was

B21 2 By Keith Newbery

B21 3 Don't pander to Sir Peter's imaginings

B21 4 There is one television programme that no policeman of my B21 5 acquaintance likes to miss. Watching The Bill, they will tell you B21 6 privately, is like living with your ear to the incident room B21 7 door.

B21 8 Apparently, the series features characters with whom every B21 9 station can identify. The cockiness, the compassion, the bluffness, B21 10 the bravado, the devotion to duty and the humour are all there.

B21 11 All these qualities and emotions are amplified of course, B21 12 because that is the way television operates. But the essential B21 13 fabric of a police station and the people who inhabit<&|>sic! is B21 14 said to be well represented.

B21 15 That is not the case, however, if you listen to Metropolitan B21 16 Police Commissioner Sir Peter Imbert. This week he accused B21 17 programme-makers of habitually presenting a misleading and B21 18 potentially damaging image of the police.

B21 19 He felt that both fictional and documentary programmes B21 20 portrayed them as brutish, cynical, sceptical and insensitive, an B21 21 image which all forces had worked hard to dispel in the past ten B21 22 years.

B21 23 It annoyed him that in the fifties and sixties, when paragons B21 24 like Fabian and Gideon were pounding the television beat, standards B21 25 of behaviour within Scotland Yard often left something to be B21 26 desired.

B21 27 While Jack Warner was flexing his knees, blowing on his hands B21 28 and delivering a Saturday night homily, people were ill-advised to B21 29 shake hands with a senior police officer without counting their B21 30 fingers afterwards.

B21 31 Now that standards have improved, he is not impressed by the B21 32 fact that the public image has allegedly deteriorated.

B21 33 Sir Peter, it has to be said, appears to be an over-sensitive B21 34 soul and is talking the most consummate drivel.

B21 35 In 1982, the BBC showed an 11-part series called B21 36 "Police." There was one notorious episode in which B21 37 Detective Brian Kirk and some other officers were shown bullying a B21 38 woman who claimed she'd been raped.

B21 39 It was a distressing reprehensible display. In the face of B21 40 continual intimidation and bluster, the woman was reduced to the B21 41 emotional equivalent of a dish-cloth. She was a sobbing, B21 42 inarticulate wreck, unable to remember what she had just said, let B21 43 alone what had happened 24 hours earlier. It was the ugliest B21 44 exhibition of rampant machismo it has ever been my misfortune to B21 45 witness.

B21 46 The outcry was so great that within 12 months the Home Office B21 47 had issued new guidelines to be used in such cases, stressing the B21 48 need for tact and diplomacy.

B21 49 It has also had the welcome effect of making both the police, B21 50 and those who make programmes about them, far more aware of their B21 51 responsibilities. A more sensitive approach has been adopted and B21 52 the police, if anything, have emerged with their reputation B21 53 enhanced.

B21 54 If Sir Peter Imbert doesn't accept this, then he must be B21 55 hinting at that unhealthy wonderland where television exists only B21 56 to serve as a publicity vehicle for the constabulary.

B21 57 That is not what the police or the public need or deserve. It B21 58 is to be hoped that sufficient mutual respect exists between them B21 59 for such an exercise to be entirely counter-productive.

B21 60 If Sir Peter really wants to know what it feels like to have B21 61 one's profession distorted by television, he should ask a B21 62 journalist. We have never been accurately portrayed.

B21 63 We are usually depicted as unprincipled, unshaven, ignorant B21 64 poltroons with a fondness for drink and a tendency to see the worst B21 65 in everyone.

B21 66 I can honestly say that after 25 years in the profession, I B21 67 have never met a journalist as nice as that.

B21 68 B21 69 The word still deserts me

B21 70 There's never a clever-dick around when you want one! My plea B21 71 for help last week in finding the only word in the English language B21 72 (apart from hungry and angry) to end in GRY went unheeded.

B21 73 We spread the net far and wide. Conversation in the press box B21 74 at the Goldstone Ground in Brighton ended with the Times reporter B21 75 seeking the help of his editorial department in London.

B21 76 The combined brain-power of the BBC editorial staff in B21 77 Southampton was recruited on the basis that every little bit B21 78 helped. But all to no avail.

B21 79 The best offer I have so far is AGGRY, which is in the Oxford B21 80 Concise and is an African glass bead. But I'm sure there is a more B21 81 conventional word. There will be no rest until we find it.

B21 82 B21 83 Simon Toft

B21 84 Save our Political skins first

B21 85 I've never been to Calshot Activities Centre, but it doesn't B21 86 stop me appreciating the invaluable role it has played in the B21 87 development of thousands of Hampshire children every year.

B21 88 Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the county councillors B21 89 who have voted to close and then sell off the waterfront site at B21 90 Fawley, near Southampton to save money.

B21 91 They claim it is too expensive to maintain and run, though B21 92 their figures conflict with much lower ones produced by campaigners B21 93 seeking to save the centre.

B21 94 Such balance sheet judgment<&|>sic! is flawed because it is B21 95 innately devoid of any considerations that cannot be easily B21 96 calculated.

B21 97 Councillors should hear the inspirational stories of boys and B21 98 girls, many from inner city environments in the Portsmouth area, B21 99 discovering themselves and the great outdoors.

B21 100 Of new opportunities, adventures and experiences away from B21 101 their everyday lives. Of young characters being formed and valuable B21 102 lessons in life being learned through the exciting challenges B21 103 undertaken.

B21 104 The decision to shut the residential centre has rightly caused B21 105 an outcry in sporting and school circles, where Calshot's B21 106 contribution is properly recognised. Teachers have joined forces B21 107 with Olympic athletes and soccer stars to call for its survival. B21 108 Saints manager Ian Branfoot described it as one of the country's B21 109 premier sports venues and spoke passionately of its role.

B21 110 Sadly, without any similar enthusiasm from powerful councillors B21 111 in meeting rooms at Winchester, the Save Calshot campaign has B21 112 always been doomed to failure. A crucial full council meeting a B21 113 week today is destined to rubber-stamp in the fate of the former B21 114 RAF hangar once and for all.

B21 115 A last-minute volte-face appears extremely unlikely. Tory B21 116 council leader Freddy Emery-Wallis announced new county spending B21 117 plans this week, pounds53m below Government limits. He admitted B21 118 that, as a result, the end for Calshot would come quickly. His is a B21 119 powerful voice.

B21 120 It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the centre has been B21 121 used as a pawn in the council's obsequious efforts to impress the B21 122 Government and therefore prevent its abolition in any local B21 123 government shake-up.

B21 124 Far from being viewed as a way to cut costs, the centre's B21 125 unique benefits should have been regarded as a valuable asset well B21 126 worth the cost of preservation.

B21 127 Ways of generating additional revenue to help pay for repairs B21 128 should have been fully explored. Instead nothing of its kind will B21 129 be available in this area again. Starting from scratch would be B21 130 prohibitively expensive.

B21 131 Campaigners claim the council has allowed the centre to fall B21 132 into disrepair by a policy of neglect, thereby facilitating a B21 133 plausible reason for closure. It is a serious allegation that B21 134 raises disturbing questions if it is true.

B21 135 The children who have derived so much from Calshot's excellent B21 136 facilities are our future. The centre has offered a scope for B21 137 personal development through a whole range of physical activities B21 138 that schools could never match. And it is the only one of its kind B21 139 in the county.

B21 140 Generations of local children to come should not be deprived of B21 141 the chance to come to Calshot. But they will be, because of a lack B21 142 of will and vision from people with one eye on saving their B21 143 political skin.

B21 144 No wonder so many voices have been raised in disbelief. The B21 145 centre deserved to be saved, not shut.

B21 146 B21 147 Joe Murphy

B21 148 ON POLITICS

B21 149 Ringmaster Nelson in for victory?

B21 150 If John Major's high-wire act on Europe succeeds, it will be B21 151 partly thanks to Anthony Nelson, MP for Chichester.

B21 152 As ringmaster of 'Nelson's Column,' he has helped keep the B21 153 Premier's tightrope much steadier than could have been expected.

B21 154 This week, the anniversary of Mrs Thatcher's tumble, is B21 155 crucially important.

B21 156 It is Mr Major's last chance to cross the wire safely before B21 157 the circus transfers to Maastricht.

B21 158 Mr Nelson, 43, has been knocking around the European stage for B21 159 a good many years.

B21 160 He was a "committed European" throughout the B21 161 Thatcher years when this was as fashionable among ambitious Tories B21 162 as badger-digging.

B21 163 Way back in 1978 he put down a Commons motion urging Britain to B21 164 join the process towards a common European currency.

B21 165 It may be that Mr Nelson's passionate support for Europe stems B21 166 from his being born in Hamburg, the son of a British Service B21 167 family. It is also likely that his stance lay behind Mrs Thatcher's B21 168 otherwise unaccountable failure to promote him into government.

B21 169 Thirteen years on, Britain has taken only one concrete step B21 170 towards that goal, joining the exchange rate mechanism. Even at the B21 171 Maastricht summit next month, Mr Major is only likely to sign a B21 172 deal if it lets the others go ahead with Britain joining at a later B21 173 date.

B21 174 In July, Mr Nelson and a few colleagues realised further steps B21 175 would be impossible while the debate inside the party was dominated B21 176 by a handful of heavyweight fanatics.

B21 177 It was the time when Mrs Thatcher delivered her explosive B21 178 speeches in America against giving away sovereignty - prompting a B21 179 volcanic response from Ted Heath.

B21 180 In conditions of near-secrecy, they called a meeting of B21 181 like-minded MPs. Forty turned up.

B21 182 The group, dubbed Nelson's Column, arranged talks with B21 183 ministers from the Prime Minister downwards.

B21 184 The idea was not to take on the Europhobic big guns, but to B21 185 reassure Mr Major that he had a solid enough backing to follow his B21 186 instincts.

B21 187 It seems to have worked.

B21 188 True, the prospect of various heavyweights including Mrs B21 189 Thatcher, Sir Geoffrey Howe, Mr Heath, Nigel Lawson, and Nick B21 190 Ridley speaking in this week's debate is enough to send shudders B21 191 through the party. But thanks to the large number of MPs standing B21 192 publicly behind Mr Major, their capacity for damage is limited.

B21 193 When the history books are written, Mr Nelson's role in easing B21 194 Britain more deeply into Europe may merit only a few words. But B21 195 perhaps when Mr Major reshuffles his ministerial pack, he will give B21 196 the industry-wise MP the front bench recognition he should have had B21 197 a decade ago.

B21 198 B21 199 Alarm bells

B21 200 MPs are having a spot of telephone trouble. A thief is at large B21 201 in Westminster pinching their expensive mobile phones.

B21 202 The latest victim was veteran scandal-hunter Dale B21 203 Campbell-Savours.

B21 204 Secondly, MPs are frothing about a British Telecom 'offer' to B21 205 have a division bell installed in their own home.

B21 206 This would ring whenever there was a vote so that speedy MPs B21 207 could jump out of bed and dash to the Commons in time.

B21 208 But BT want a hefty pounds531 connection fee (more in outer B21 209 London) plus pounds438 annual rental.

B21 210 No wonder BT chairman Sir Iain Vallance can afford his B21 211 pounds1,230 a week pay rise.

B21 212 B21 213 Moira Martingale

B21 214 Feeding a female parasite

B21 215 There was a time when Martina Navratilova was perceived to be a B21 216 Centre Court tough guy, while her ex-lover Judy Nelson offered a B21 217 more fragile image.

B21 218 Now, having watched the pair of them volley in the 'galimoney' B21 219 case in a Texas court of another sort, a re-think is called for - B21 220 and, as with many heterosexual relationships - the 'masculine' B21 221 partner is seen to be the more emotionally weak.

B21 222 For as emotions have been laid bare, the floods of tears have B21 223 been Martina's and it is becoming apparent that Martina is the one B21 224 who is vulnerable, easily exploited and insecure.

B21 225 In contrast, the 'feminine' Judy Nelson seems to have granite B21 226 depths and is hanging on to her demand for half Martina's B21 227 fortune.

B21 228 She has turned down a reported offer of pounds1.5m, claiming to B21 229 be entitled to more because she gave up her own career hopes to B21 230 support Martina. This career was previously that of a doctor's B21 231 wife.

B21 232 She hasn't struck a bat since she met Martina, has ensured that B21 233 her relatives <}_><-|>benefitted<+|><}/>benefited fully from B21 234 Martina's cash - whether by the purchase of a Porsche for one of B21 235 her two sons, or by allowing them both to run up monthly B21 236 pounds1,000-plus credit card bills. It is Judy who continues to B21 237 live in Martina's pounds750,000 home, not Martina.

B21 238 B22 1 <#FLOB:B22\>The Gossiper

B22 2 News, views and memories of Lincolnshire

B22 3 Sky's the limit for tourism

B22 4 By PETER BROWN

B22 5 AT first glance, you might be forgiven for thinking that North B22 6 Kesteven doesn't have a lot to offer the potential holidaymaker or B22 7 tourist.

B22 8 You would look in vain for a sun-drenched beach. There aren't a B22 9 lot of snow-capped mountains to climb, and you would be B22 10 hard-pressed to discover an abundance of opera houses or concert B22 11 halls.

B22 12 But what it does have is a special charm all of its own; a host B22 13 of interesting and historic villages; sporting facilities that make B22 14 it the envy of many; some fascinating buildings ... and the RAF.

B22 15 With Cranwell College and the Elementary Flying Training B22 16 Squadron based at Swinderby, the chances are that most people who B22 17 serve in the service will visit North Kesteven at some time or B22 18 other in their career.

B22 19 There are also active and abandoned airfields in the area, and B22 20 North Kesteven District Council has been quick to realise that they B22 21 are all potential tourist destinations.

B22 22 Sometime ago the authority produced a booklet called Airfield B22 23 Trail which tourism officer Lorraine McGrath tells me has proved so B22 24 popular it is about to be updated and improved.

B22 25 But what the authority needs is for someone to help sponsor the B22 26 publication, says Lorraine.

B22 27 She can be contacted on 0529 414155 ext 480.

B22 28 B22 29 Unfortunate coincidence

B22 30 IT'S not very often that a full meeting of Lincoln City Council B22 31 falls on Guy Fawkes Night.

B22 32 But that's what's going to happen next week for only the third B22 33 time for almost two decades.

B22 34 And I gather that just before he opens the meeting, the Mayor, B22 35 Coun Ralph Toofany, is going to remind members of a very B22 36 unfortunate coincidence which has followed the two previous B22 37 November 5 meetings.

B22 38 Back in 1973, the Bonfire Night meeting was chaired by Fred B22 39 Allen. The 1985 meeting was under the chairmanship of Ida B22 40 Campbell.

B22 41 Both well-remembered former mayors have since died.

B22 42 But Ralph says he is not superstitious about things like that B22 43 and will be chairing the meeting as usual.

B22 44 Whether or not the subjects for debate produce any fireworks B22 45 inside the Guildhall, remains to be seen.

B22 46 B22 47 On the box again

B22 48 TELEVISION viewers throughout Britain will be getting an B22 49 insight into one of Lincolnshire's best-known country houses B22 50 tomorrow when BBC-2 screens, once again, the Heirs and Graces B22 51 programme about the Elizabethan house.

B22 52 The 30-minute programme, which starts at 1.45pm, is presented B22 53 by Lady Victoria Leatham, who knows all about county stately homes B22 54 - she lives at Burghley House near Stamford.

B22 55 B22 56 MEMBERS of the County Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society are B22 57 turning back the clock to those roaring 20s for their next B22 58 production.

B22 59 They are reviving Sandy Wilson's musical The Boyfriend at B22 60 Lincoln Theatre Royal for two weeks from November 18.

B22 61 If you haven't seen the show before, the society tells me the B22 62 chances are that at least some of the music will be very familiar B22 63 to you.

B22 64 B22 65 Lincolnshire 10 years ago

B22 66 MANY Lincolnshire people spent more money on dog food than they B22 67 gave to the Church, Lincoln Diocesan Synod was told. The Rev B22 68 Patrick Lacy, Rural Dean of Horncastle and Christian Stewardship B22 69 adviser, said: "The giving in this diocese is miserably B22 70 low."

B22 71 The County Council was continuing to reduce its staff and at a B22 72 faster rate than most other authorities, according to the Manpower B22 73 Watch returns prepared for the Government.

B22 74 Plans for a pounds900,000 entertainment centre went on view at B22 75 Skegness. The octagonal hall would be capable of holding theatre B22 76 shows, conferences, cabaret, exhibitions, dances, wrestling and B22 77 other sport.

B22 78 B22 79 Lincolnshire 25 years ago

B22 80 A motor cyclist, who skidded on a patch of ice and hit a lamp B22 81 standard, became the first person to have an accident on the new B22 82 road constructed between Market Street and the Southholme, B22 83 Gainsborough.

B22 84 The funeral took place of Mr Trevor Mays, maths master at B22 85 Lincoln School since 1957. Mr Mays (37) died after a long illness, B22 86 and headmaster Mr J.C. Faull said "The school has lost a B22 87 loyal servant."

B22 88 A pounds5,850 traffic survey, designed to give all the B22 89 background knowledge necessary in planning Boston's road network B22 90 for the future, was all set to get under way.

B22 91 B22 92 The Gossiper

B22 93 News, views and memories of Lincolnshire

B22 94 The Lights o' Lincoln shine brightly again

B22 95 FOR the first time for more than 40 years, the Lights o' B22 96 Lincoln shone brightly once again, as the wartime concert party got B22 97 back together again for what they expect to be one final B22 98 curtain-call.

B22 99 It was the idea of George Haywood, one of the few survivors of B22 100 the Lights o' Lincoln, who had long had an ambition to reunite his B22 101 old colleagues.

B22 102 And he tells me the event was a tremendous success - every bit B22 103 as good as he had hoped it would be.

B22 104 Joining George, who now lives just outside Nottingham, were Vic B22 105 Roberts and Marguerite Brindley-Auger from Lincoln; Hettie B22 106 Fooks-Paulson from Bicester and Eulalie O'Brian Power from B22 107 Twickenham.

B22 108 The day started at European Gas Turbines - the successor B22 109 company to the one which employed quite a number of the concert B22 110 party during the war years.

B22 111 After a tour of the factory, there was a civic reception at the B22 112 Guildhall by the Mayor, Coun Ralph Toofany, who was handed a copy B22 113 of a letter George had received from a private secretary to the B22 114 Queen Mother, explaining it was not possible for the Queen Mother B22 115 to send a message for the event but adding "She was B22 116 interested to hear of the event for Her Majesty knows of the B22 117 wonderful contribution made by the Lights o' Lincoln concert party B22 118 during the war."

B22 119 Then there was a celebration dinner at the Marconi Sports B22 120 Centre in Newark Road, Lincoln, where the entertainers trod the B22 121 boards for one more time for a final chorus of songs.

B22 122 Delighted with the success of it all, George tells me he has B22 123 just one more ambition and that is to see a plaque at Ye Olde B22 124 Crowne in Clasketgate - the public house where members of the B22 125 concert party used to gather before going off on their hundreds of B22 126 performances during the Second World War.

B22 127 B22 128 And now there's only one left

B22 129 THE death of Harold, Fourth Baron Tennyson, the other day - at B22 130 the age of 72 - means that now, for the first time for years, there B22 131 is only one surviving Freeman of the city.

B22 132 Former Mayor, Alderman and once the longest-serving member of B22 133 Lincoln City Council, Jock Campbell, is now the only living B22 134 honorary individual-Freeman of the city.

B22 135 The corporate honour was conferred on the Royal Lincolnshire B22 136 Regiment and RAF Wadington some years ago.

B22 137 Lord Tennyson was made a Freeman in 1964, and Jock in 1981.

B22 138 B22 139 Another Jason

B22 140 JASONS seem to figure prominently in the showbusiness career of B22 141 former Neighbours star Kate Gorman.

B22 142 She first attracted the attention of television viewers in her B22 143 attempts to snare Jason Donovan in the days when he used to play B22 144 Scott in the top Australian soap.

B22 145 Now, halfway across the world and in a straight play, she is B22 146 opposite another Jason, this time Britain's Jason Pethers in the B22 147 Edgar Wallace thriller The Case of the Frightened Lady.

B22 148 The play can be seen at Lincoln Theatre Royal next week.

B22 149 B22 150 Lincolnshire 10 years ago

B22 151 NEARLY 300 public houses in Lincolnshire and South Humberside B22 152 were closing because of a week-long pay dispute at Bass (North) B22 153 Limited. All staff at the brewery's managed houses, except the B22 154 managers and their wives, were being laid off as signs went up B22 155 outside pubs saying "Sorry - no beer."

B22 156 Sqdn Ldr Joc L'Estrange (55) of Leasingham, completed his B22 157 10,000th flying hour while captaining a Vulcan of No 44 (R) B22 158 Squadron.

B22 159 Jacksons, the Lincoln dry cleaners, were taking over shops at B22 160 Newport, Lincoln, and at North Hykeham, from Clarks of Retford.

B22 161 Skegness from Funworld Limited put in a bid to take over the B22 162 council-owned pier pavilion at Cleethorpes.

B22 163 B22 164 Lincolnshire 25 years ago

B22 165 LINCOLN UNITED best Ashby Institute 5-0 away to go fourth from B22 166 top of the Lincolnshire League, with 14 points from 10 matches.

B22 167 A 79-acre mixed farm at Mareham-on-the-Hill was sold for B22 168 pounds22,200 at an auction in Horncastle. The price represented a B22 169 figure of more than pounds280 an acre.

B22 170 Ald William Edward Young, a long-serving member of Kesteven B22 171 County Council and former chairman of North Kesteven Rural District B22 172 Council, died at the age of 82. He had represented Branston and B22 173 Mere on the district authority for more than 40 years.

B22 174 B22 175 Just a Thought

B22 176 TO know how to grow old is the masterwork of wisdom.

B22 177 If you have Just a Thought write to the Gossiper, Peter B22 178 Brown.

B22 179 B22 180 The Gossiper

B22 181 News, views and memories of Lincolnshire

B22 182 Marching joy for disbanded ROC

B22 183 DISBANDED or not disbanded, the Royal Observer Corps' B22 184 Fiskerton-based 15 Group goes marching on.

B22 185 And not only marching on, but marching to victory.

B22 186 Eight men and two women from the corps - a victim of the latest B22 187 Ministry of Defence cuts - proved you just can't keep a good squad B22 188 down when they set off for South Wales to defend the title Best B22 189 Military Team at the eighth international Black Mountain March.

B22 190 The march is a 25 kilometre gruelling slog through the Black B22 191 Mountain country in the Brecon Beacons.

B22 192 And they came back with the title Best Overall Team in the B22 193 competition.

B22 194 Chief Observer Dave Langlands, of Cherry Willingham, told me: B22 195 "The purpose is to march around the 25km route keeping together, in B22 196 step and maintaining a smart appearance all the time, irrespective B22 197 of the conditions and obstacles.

B22 198 "You never know where the B22 199 <}_><-|>marshalls<+|>marshals<}/> and observers are on the route - B22 200 some of them are mobile and some hidden.

B22 201 "Each team leader carries a check card which has to be handed B22 202 in and signed at each check point."

B22 203 More than 540 took part in the march, including teams and B22 204 individuals.

B22 205 Undeterred by a sudden ground-frost - a shock to the system B22 206 when they awoke from their slumbers while camping the previous B22 207 night - the ROC team started their walk from Ammanford in Dyfed at B22 208 10.05am and completed it at 3.25pm despite a break for lunch.

B22 209 B22 210 Fascinating B22 211 THE history of Hainton Hall is the fascinating topic chosen by B22 212 Lucy Bainbridge, a 17-year-old pupil at King Edward VI School, B22 213 Louth, for her A-level coursework.

B22 214 And Lucy's mum, Sally Bray, tells me that although her daughter B22 215 has collected much of the formal history of the hall, she's anxious B22 216 to contact people who worked there.

B22 217 Anyone able to help is asked to telephone 0507 313755.

B22 218 B22 219 A wartime reminder that was too painful

B22 220 CAN you remember any warlike mementoes deposited around the B22 221 county following the First World War?

B22 222 That's the question posed by Terence Leach, who edits a notes B22 223 and queries page in the Society for Lincolnshire History and B22 224 Archaeology's quarterly Past and Present magazine.

B22 225 A recent edition carried an account of a German tank presented B22 226 to Grantham in 1919, and the latest tells of a large and very heavy B22 227 piece of German artillery deposited in the centre of Lumley Square, B22 228 Skegness.

B22 229 The story, related by Winston Kime, reveals that the object B22 230 caused protests from soldiers trying to forget the dreadful days in B22 231 Flanders and from the relatives of those who died in battle.

B22 232 In due course, the roads foreman mustered his men and horses B22 233 and the great German gun was hauled off.

B22 234 B22 235 Lincolnshire 10 years ago

B22 236 MORE than 300 residents of Stanley Street, off Newark Road, B22 237 Lincoln, signed a petition opposing plans for travelling showmen to B22 238 set up winter quarters near their homes.

B22 239 Schools would be dirtier and less healthy to work in after the B22 240 County Council cut cleaners down to a four-day week, unions B22 241 claimed.

B22 242 County councillors ruled that the police must cut their budget B22 243 by pounds119,000 despite claims by Chief Constable, James Kerr, B22 244 that the standards of policing would fall.

B22 245 B22 246 Lincolnshire 25 years ago

B22 247 LINCOLN City FC appointed Ron Grey (45) as manager. He was B22 248 considered a "strict disciplinarian".

B22 249 Mayor of Lincoln, Coun Frank Eccleshare, launched a disaster B22 250 appeal following the Aberfan tragedy.

B22 251 Meanwhile, uproar broke out at the inquest on 34 of the victims B22 252 at Chapel Pentry when a man whose wife and two sons had been killed B22 253 demanded that the cause of death should be recorded as B22 254 "buried alive by the National Coal Board".

B22 255 B23 1 <#FLOB:B23\>Memorial service for Dame Eva

B23 2 DAME Eva Turner was brought up in Hollins Road, Oldham, though B23 3 when she was eight her parents moved to Bristol. I lived in a house B23 4 opposite to hers and was always told of her phenomenal voice and B23 5 rock solid technique, of her Scala debut when English singers were B23 6 not sought after on the Continent, and of her glittering B23 7 international career.

B23 8 When I went to study in London I saw her at Covent Garden on my B23 9 first visit there in 1961. In one of the intervals in 'Aida' she B23 10 presented a plaque to the great Italian tenor, Giovanni Martinelli, B23 11 to celebrate his debut at Covent Garden 50 years earlier. In later B23 12 years I got to know her and saw her many times in the audience at B23 13 Covent Garden.

B23 14 When I become responsible for concerts a Gray's Inn I invited B23 15 her to give a talk. She could be heard in every corner of the B23 16 Elizabethan Hall. The Old Bailey judge who gave the vote of thanks B23 17 said that her voice production was a lesson to every barrister and B23 18 judge present. I went to the great birthday performance given for B23 19 her at Covent garden when she was 90.

B23 20 On Tuesday, February 5 this year, I was part of the huge B23 21 congregation for the service in her memory at Westminster Abbey. B23 22 What an uplifting occasion it was, celebrating a fulfilled and B23 23 happy life which gave pleasure to so many. The hymns were 'The B23 24 Lord's My Shepherd', 'Fight the good Fight' and 'Jerusalem'.

B23 25 Sir Geraint Evans read from Mozart's 1787 letter to his dying B23 26 father, and the Duke of Kent read the passage from Corinthians B23 27 beginning, "Now is Christ risen".

B23 28 Royal Academy students played 'Chrysanthemums', by Puccini, and B23 29 the Royal Navy College Music wind ensemble played part of M B23 30 Serenade No.10. Elizabeth's greetings from 'Tannhauser' and the B23 31 Easter Hymn from 'Cavalleria Rusticana' were sung by Dame Gwyneth B23 32 Jones. Part of Verdi's requiem was sung by Dennis O'Neill and the B23 33 Covent garden chorus sang 'Va parsiero'.

B23 34 Sir John Tooley, General Director of the Royal Opera House, B23 35 1970-88, gave the address. He spoke of Dame Eva's pride in being a B23 36 Lancashire lass, and of her typically Lancashire qualities - B23 37 warmth, determination, thrift and patriotism, and above all her B23 38 probity. When auditioned by Toscanini and offered an instant B23 39 contract for La Scala, she said she could not go to Italy for some B23 40 months, as she had given her word to sing with the English Carl B23 41 Rosa Company. Nor would she change her name though she was told B23 42 English singers would do better if they adopted Italian names.

B23 43 Towards the end of the service we heard a recording of Dame Eva B23 44 talking in 1988 about her life, ending "I am now in my 97th B23 45 year and I send you all my loving greetings. Bless you". B23 46 Then there rang out her rendering of the aria she made her own, 'In B23 47 questa, reggia' from 'Turandot'. The glorious voice filled the B23 48 beauty of the abbey.

B23 49 A hymn and a prayer later and the great congregation began to B23 50 file out into a cold grey London afternoon. Among them I noticed B23 51 the Earl and Countess of Harewood, the Lord Hoosen QC, Lord B23 52 Goodman, Jeremy Isaacs, Director of the Royal Opera House, Richard B23 53 Baker, Bernard Levin and Heather Harper.

B23 54 Eva Turner never forgot she came from Oldham and always spoke B23 55 warmly of it. Few Oldhamers can have brought such credit to the B23 56 town or have been so universally loved and admired.

B23 57 MARGARET CHADDERTON,

B23 58 Gray's Inn,

B23 59 Treasury Office,

B23 60 South Square,

B23 61 London.

B23 62 B23 63 Single-tax theory on rating system

B23 64 THERE has been much discussion recently about equitable B23 65 alternatives to local rates. Some of your readers may be able to B23 66 correct me, if my memory going back 60 years has become clouded.

B23 67 About a hundred years ago, an American economist, Henry George, B23 68 founded a single-tax movement, based on the taxation of land B23 69 values. His book, 'Progress and Poverty' brought him a substantial B23 70 fortune, which he left to fund Schools of Economic Science to B23 71 propagate his views.

B23 72 His basic thesis was that the value of land increased without B23 73 any effort on the part of the owner, in the natural course of B23 74 increasing demand and the growth of society.

B23 75 He said that substantial landowners made a substantial unearned B23 76 increment thereby.

B23 77 He asserted that a single tax on this amount could cover all B23 78 government expenditure. I presume that, were he alive today, he B23 79 would have included council expenditure.

B23 80 He said that the identification of "economic B23 81 rent" would vary from the difficult to the impossible. One B23 82 of the problems he postulated was that the question of economic B23 83 rent could concern many matters other than land values.

B23 84 In this respect, money raised from the taxation of land values B23 85 would need to be supplemented by taxing transfer earnings - or B23 86 might have to be administered to avoid taxing such earnings.

B23 87 I remember well his much quoted example of opera singers.

B23 88 They are fixed supply, but faced by rising demand. As society B23 89 becomes more prosperous, the economic rent for opera singers rises, B23 90 and, in justice, their rising value (i.e. economic rent) should B23 91 also be taxed.

B23 92 It may well be that such devices <}_><-|>a<+|>as<}/> land B23 93 development and capital gains taxes, as well as graduate levels of B23 94 taxation may cope with the dilemma that governmental and council B23 95 spending have increased to the degree that economic rentals are not B23 96 longer a feasible basis for taxation. As late as the 1960s his B23 97 schools of economic science flourished in many countries, and B23 98 perhaps there are still some left in this country.

B23 99 There must be some of your readers who remember how popular B23 100 Henry George's work was before the war, as well as those better B23 101 able than I to comment upon them.

B23 102 As I recall it, George's book was a substantial one, and, B23 103 despite this, remains the best-selling economic text book ever B23 104 published.

B23 105 ALBERT M. HARRISON,

B23 106 St. Anne's Crescent,

B23 107 Grasscroft.

B23 108 B23 109 THANK you to the anti-poll tax campaigners everywhere for their B23 110 sheer determined efforts and protests over the unfair tax imposed B23 111 on the people by a Government which would not have made any effort B23 112 whatsoever to change the tax except for the protesters bringing to B23 113 their notice that the tax was so unpopular.

B23 114 I also believe that any Labour councillors who supported the B23 115 campaigners should not be expelled for their beliefs but made B23 116 prospective leaders of their councils.

B23 117 A. VOTER

B23 118 B23 119 I KNOW the poll tax is in turmoil at the moment, but reading B23 120 about it made my blood boil. Why should folks be charged an extra B23 121 pounds25 to cover for the non-payers? it is like a criminal going B23 122 to court, being fined and having a whip-round from the public B23 123 gallery to pay because he cannot afford it. It is not fair.

B23 124 Mrs. A.M. DAVIES,

B23 125 Onchan Avenue,

B23 126 Oldham.

B23 127 B23 128 COULD I prevail upon the anti-poll tax leaders in Oldham to B23 129 tell us if they feel that they should make any contribution to B23 130 local government services, and if so how?

B23 131 WONDERING

B23 132 B23 133 WHEN I retired in 1975, the rates and water rate of my small B23 134 domicile amounted to pounds82-odd and the pension for a single B23 135 person was pounds16 odd. About five weeks pension paid these B23 136 charges.

B23 137 This year they amount to pounds508, the pension is pounds52 - B23 138 about ten weeks' pension is needed. I calculate that if this trend B23 139 continues, by the time I reach 110 these charges will absorb 40 B23 140 weeks' pension and I shall be left with 12 weeks pensions to pay B23 141 for 12 months' food, fuel, electricity, telephone, the odd bottle B23 142 of Southern Comfort and holidays on the Costa del Sol.

B23 143 W. HURST,

B23 144 Belgrave Road,

B23 145 Oldham.

B23 146 B23 147 Oldham splodgings

B23 148 THE suggestion that Royton should be demolished for the delight B23 149 of the yuppie mugwumps of Oldham will alarm many Roytoners. Similar B23 150 notions have spread through the Civic Centre like the Black Death B23 151 spread through Bulgaria. Considering that Royton never gets more B23 152 than two day's notice of splodgings from Oldham, there could be B23 153 many fatalities.

B23 154 But Royton was here when Oldham was nobbut<&|>sic! two wigwams B23 155 and a saloon, and we, the true sons of Aethelfrith, whose kin goes B23 156 back to Cerdic, shall still be here when Oldham has shrivelled up B23 157 small enough to fit into one of its jackboots. All our people B23 158 forced to live in Oldham shall come home to a green, working-class B23 159 Royton again. We shall have a Tory council to repair our houses B23 160 after the first complaint. There will be a 50-year waiting-list for B23 161 outsiders wishing to move in.

B23 162 They told us the poll tax would restore local democracy. But B23 163 just because the poll tax is on its way out now does not mean we B23 164 will be lumbered with Oldham for ever. Yuppies are only slaves to B23 165 the wind. A people with roots can be sure there will come a time B23 166 when we can walk our dogs on the rubble of Oldham.

B23 167 ANGLO-SAXON

B23 168 B23 169 International hypocrisy

B23 170 YOUR correspondent, Mr T. Carey (April 9), unable to dispute my B23 171 indictment of the United States and Britain of sheer hypocrisy as B23 172 the prime coalition leaders responsible for the mass civilian B23 173 slaughter in Iraq - accepting pounds135 million from a fascist B23 174 regime in South Korea, underpinned by 143,000 American Troops - B23 175 carps at my totally "disparate facts" to provide B23 176 the case.

B23 177 There are no disparate essentially different (Oxford B23 178 English Dictionary) - facts in the context of international events B23 179 in which the Gulf apocalypse is but one - and long-predicted - B23 180 result of the capitalist West's espousal of fascist military B23 181 dictatorships (Turkey) and feudal dictatorships (all the Gulf B23 182 states, excluding Iran, since the American CIA-planted shah was B23 183 deposed in 1979, and Yemen, which voted with Cuba against B23 184 Resolution 678, which led to the Gulf slaughter.

B23 185 And then there was the destabilising of such anticapitalist B23 186 states as Chile, Cuba, Nicaragua, Vietnam, Cambodia, Afghanistan B23 187 etc., and replacement, as in El Salvador, Chile, Guatemala, and B23 188 Argentina under Galtieri and also Grenada, Panama, Dominica, Haiti, B23 189 and, elsewhere, Indonesia, by mainly United States military-fascist B23 190 surrogates.

B23 191 I am aware that not all the above targets have yet succumbed to B23 192 the economic, financial, diplomatic and military pressures exerted B23 193 by the United States, with Britain in the van of supporters, if now B23 194 less stridently than under Margaret Thatcher, but I trust I have B23 195 met Mr Carey's request to name only "one of the scores of B23 196 regimes" which I mentioned. Only my concern that a full B23 197 page of the Chronicle would be required to delve fully into a B23 198 subject requiring a mega-book rather than a letter to the editor, B23 199 prompts me to curtail even my own memory on the subject.

B23 200 That your correspondent is as uniformed on the widespread and B23 201 deeply rooted American racism as he is on the international issues B23 202 which led to the Gulf inferno, is shown by his presentation of a B23 203 single black man, Gen Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of B23 204 staff, as negating the penultimate sentence of my letter.

B23 205 That is Western racism in general and the United States in B23 206 particular when the very individual Mr Carey has named has stated B23 207 bluntly: "I never saw racism as a problem for blacks - it B23 208 was a white problem."

B23 209 At the risk of appearing immodest, I think that your B23 210 correspondent's own problem is similar to the critic encountered by B23 211 Hazlitt, who said that he could not understand a certain writer. B23 212 "He strides so far in front of you that he disappears into B23 213 the distance."

B23 214 As for Mr Carey's third point, Saddam Hussein's initial B23 215 savagery in Kuwait is not in question; it is the much vaster B23 216 savagery inflicted on Iraqi civilians by the coalition forces in B23 217 allegedly avenging Hussein's victims which is the reality ignored B23 218 by Mr Carey.

B23 219 S.H. PIERCE,

B23 220 Roman Road,

B23 221 Royton

B23 222 B23 223 A soft touch

B23 224 ARE the people of Oldham a soft touch? I have visited the new B23 225 Oldham indoor market on numerous occasions. At the main entrance B23 226 people are met by an able-bodied young-looking man sitting there B23 227 looking well fed, not nearing tattered clothes and definitely not B23 228 looking destitute.

B23 229 He holds a card which reads "Homeless and hungry. B23 230 Please help".

B23 231 Looking in his collecting receptacle I saw quite a good sum of B23 232 money. I am told he sits there every day.

B23 233 B24 1 <#FLOB:B24\>Tivoli B24 2 MADAM - Like many others faced with the never-ending task of B24 3 keeping one of Cheltenham's aging Regency houses standing up, I was B24 4 delighted to hear that Tivoli Trading will continue in business B24 5 with the same staff under its new owners, Dunton Plc.

B24 6 Customers can expect excellent advice and service at 'Tivoli,' B24 7 as well as all those odds and ends that cannot be found elsewhere - B24 8 a very different experience to shopping in the DIY supermarkets.

B24 9 Tivoli Trading is a shop that Cheltenham cannot afford to B24 10 lose.

B24 11 Gina Briers,

B24 12 Brookway Road,

B24 13 Charlton Kings.

B24 14 B24 15 Cars also on the paths!

B24 16 MADAM - In reply to Dr. Christine Haseler's letter, B24 17 "Buses for roads, not pavements," why does she B24 18 single out buses?

B24 19 In Church Street, Charlton Kings, at any time of day or night, B24 20 one can observe cars, vans, and lorries regularly driving along the B24 21 pavements, some at excessive speeds, or parking on them.

B24 22 If anyone dares to walk on the pavement, they have to do battle B24 23 with anything from a mountain bike to a juggernaut.

B24 24 The main cause is the 'park anywhere brigade.' Their main B24 25 targets are bus stops, leaving the free car park almost empty.

B24 26 Such is life!

B24 27 Name supplied,

B24 28 Charlton Kings.

B24 29 B24 30 Looking forward to the next one!

B24 31 MADAM - Three cheers for our councillors who stood firm and B24 32 refused to be pushed into banning the recent pop concert at Cox's B24 33 Meadow.

B24 34 As residents of Sandford Mill Road, we went to the concert and B24 35 took our daughter of 2-1/2. The afternoon was most enjoyable: the B24 36 groups in the main were good, the children's entertainers superb, B24 37 the crowd well-behaved, and the police good-humoured.

B24 38 The noise pollution was far less than we habitually suffer when B24 39 the funfair or donkey-derby is on the meadow. Our only moan is that B24 40 there was no re-admission once we left to put our daughter to bed B24 41 which meant we couldn't come back for the rest of the show. B24 42 Hopefully, this will be remedied next year when we look forward to B24 43 a bigger and even better event.

B24 44 As for the petition organisers, I hope they took the trouble to B24 45 attend the event as we did, and saw the enjoyment they were trying B24 46 to curtail for no valid reason.

B24 47 John and Julie Hughes,

B24 48 Sandford Mill Road,

B24 49 Cheltenham.

B24 50 B24 51 A better name for the '12th'

B24 52 MADAM - Surely it is time that the 'Glorious 12th' was renamed B24 53 the 'disgraceful 12th,' for during the season 1/2-million grouse B24 54 will be killed, some falling injured, thrashing around until B24 55 dispatched, others flying away peppered with lead shot to die a B24 56 slow death.

B24 57 J. Mate (Mrs),

B24 58 Broadway Close,

B24 59 Cheltenham.

B24 60 B24 61 Plane facts still in doubt

B24 62 MADAM - The identity of the aircraft on top of Westgate Motor B24 63 House has long been a source of speculation, particularly among B24 64 aviation enthusiasts who have only heard about the mysterious B24 65 pre-war machine. Now, at least we have a photo upon which we may B24 66 ponder.

B24 67 The aircraft depicted in the Echo of August 6 is undoubtedly a B24 68 Fairey Fox but, unfortunately, the actual mark number is not B24 69 certain as some of the identification features are either missing B24 70 or obscured. Also, it appears to be minus its undercarriage.

B24 71 There is a possibility that this may not have been the only B24 72 machine used by Westgate Motors over the years. Perhaps your B24 73 readers can supply other photographs showing either the reported B24 74 Avro 504 or Hawker Hart, or De Havilland Moth, all of which have B24 75 been quoted in recent correspondence.

B24 76 Bruce Stait,

B24 77 Mornington Drive,

B24 78 Cheltenham.

B24 79 B24 80 Blazing a Euro trail for county firms

B24 81 MADAM - I read in the Echo that "Firms in Cheltenham B24 82 are all talk when it comes to gearing up for the Single B24 83 Market" but are they aware that there is now a centre that B24 84 can help translate that talk into action?

B24 85 The European Business Information Centre is helping many B24 86 Gloucestershire companies understand the implications of the Single B24 87 Market on their business and maximise the increased business B24 88 opportunities that are being created by a frontier-free Europe.

B24 89 The picture is not as black as might be suggested. We have more B24 90 than 100 members and are growing. Many local companies are finding B24 91 that doing business in Europe is very profitable.

B24 92 We can help local companies who are seeking agents and B24 93 distributors in Europe to find new business opportunities, help B24 94 with understanding Single Market directives, online business B24 95 information services, undertake translation - in short, anything to B24 96 do with Europe.

B24 97 Supported by the county councils of Gloucestershire and B24 98 Hereford and Worcester, as well as Gloucestershire and Worcester B24 99 chambers of commerce, we are only a telephone call away - 0242 B24 100 261604.

B24 101 A.J. McKinna, Manager,

B24 102 European Business Information Centre,

B24 103 4 Royal Crescent,

B24 104 Cheltenham.

B24 105 B24 106 Call for diabetes charity helpers

B24 107 MADAM - The Diabetes Foundation urgently needs volunteers in B24 108 the Cheltenham area to raise funds to find the cure for B24 109 diabetes.

B24 110 There are no management deductions or commission payments B24 111 whatsoever, neither do we employ fund-raisers. A pound raised or B24 112 donated means a pound spent exclusively on UK diabetic research B24 113 work.

B24 114 In recent months, huge advances have been made and the cure for B24 115 diabetes is not very far away, but we do need your help now more B24 116 than ever.

B24 117 To keep up-to-date on the latest progress in research, you can B24 118 join our fast-growing membership (pounds3.50 per annum).

B24 119 We work closely with the Diabetic Society to provide a full and B24 120 comprehensive service to our members and yet foundation B24 121 administration costs, as defined by the Charity Commission, are B24 122 less than five per cent of total income. We have no connection with B24 123 any other diabetic charity.

B24 124 We also provide a national help-line (081-656-5467) which is B24 125 available for advice on all aspects of diabetes.

B24 126 Diabetics and the parents of diabetic children can obtain a B24 127 complimentary copy of our members educational magazine 'Diabetic B24 128 Life' and details of the foundation by writing to me.

B24 129 Ms Emma Aldrich co-ordinator,

B24 130 Diabetes Foundation,

B24 131 177a Tennison Road,

B24 132 London SE25 5NF.

B24 133 B24 134 Hard to find hotels for coach parties

B24 135 MADAM - I was most interested in your comment "So B24 136 worthy of a visit" in Friday's Echo and, having been B24 137 involved in tourism for the last 24 years, I should like to make my B24 138 own comments.

B24 139 From April to October, I run weekly package tours by mini-bus B24 140 of the Cotswolds. I started from scratch and my aim is to take B24 141 passengers to the lesser-known Cotswold lanes and villages. It was B24 142 not easy in the beginning but I now have a regular clientele, most B24 143 of whom are from Great Britain, although about five per cent of my B24 144 customers are from overseas. Many clients return year after B24 145 year.

B24 146 My biggest drawback has always been in finding a suitable hotel B24 147 for the guests. You would imagine that any hotel would welcome a B24 148 nice regular contract for seven people for about 24 weeks of the B24 149 year, but you would be surprised. I have from time to time found B24 150 such hotels, and the partnership has worked very well. But, alas, B24 151 hotels change hands, or the owners retire, and the new owners are B24 152 not interested in my business. Then I have the difficult task of B24 153 finding somewhere else and, believe me, it is difficult. On several B24 154 occasions I have gone from one hotel to another, only to be met B24 155 with "thanks, but no thanks - we are doing very well B24 156 without you." There have been times when I have seriously B24 157 considered packing it all in.

B24 158 I have on many occasions also found owners of cafes and B24 159 restaurants around the Cotswolds to be most unbusinesslike. Having B24 160 pre-arranged to bring my party to them I have turned up to find B24 161 that they have not reserved a table or the place was closed - no B24 162 apologies - no explanations. Very embarrassing for me. I must add B24 163 that not all establishments are like this.

B24 164 Anthony J Furber,

B24 165 Cotswold Tours,

B24 166 Christchurch Road,

B24 167 Cheltenham.

B24 168 B24 169 Splash out on the simple things

B24 170 MADAM - According to a recent article in your newspaper, B24 171 Cheltenham Borough Council is concerned about falling tourism B24 172 figures. Perhaps a simple solution to this problem would be to B24 173 remedy some of the minor sticking points like ensuring that the B24 174 main pedestrian access to the Queen's Hotel is kept puddle-free.

B24 175 I witnessed two wealthy lady visitors attempting to negotiate B24 176 large puddles on the pavement in order gain access to the hotel B24 177 entrance.

B24 178 Unless the councillors of our town address the basic errors of B24 179 judgement demonstrated by previous regimes, visitors will be B24 180 further deterred and avoid Cheltenham like the plague.

B24 181 Forget the grandiose schemes; get the simple matters right B24 182 first and, if you cannot do that, go home and let somebody else do B24 183 the business.

B24 184 R.V. Ashman,

B24 185 London Road,

B24 186 Cheltenham.

B24 187 B24 188 Please go easy on the accelerator

B24 189 MADAM - May I first say that I am not usually prone to airing B24 190 my views and angry feelings in public. However, I feel most B24 191 strongly about the subject of speeding.

B24 192 I try to drive at the legal speed limit. I am sure that there B24 193 are occasions when I may overstep the mark, like most people, but B24 194 especially in built-up areas, I keep my eye on the speedo, and on B24 195 the look out for any child that might leap out unexpectedly.

B24 196 I am sick and tired, to put it very mildly, of other drivers - B24 197 and, I must say, these are mostly men - obviously in a great hurry B24 198 to get to their very important destinations and overtaking in a B24 199 bad-tempered way, revving up and lights flashing usually, maybe B24 200 with a bit of verbal abuse as well.

B24 201 This is such a dangerous thing to do, but how can these people B24 202 be taught not to do so? Does it have to come to the extreme, where B24 203 an innocent child falls victim to their harsh impatience?

B24 204 Every child is someone's son or daughter, so please, drivers, B24 205 think before you push down on that accelerator and ruin many lives. B24 206 In that brief moment, you could maim or kill, and affect for ever B24 207 the lives of all those concerned with the victim - not to mention B24 208 that this dreadful act would, where any feeling person is B24 209 concerned, be etched upon the conscience for ever.

B24 210 I do realise that sometimes accidents happen, even though great B24 211 care has been taken, but why add a greater possibility of grief to B24 212 an already dangerous situation? We must also realise that these B24 213 people are breaking the law by overtaking at such speed.

B24 214 Lets<&|>sic! have a little thought and consideration; we all B24 215 want to be safe, and want our children to be safe, don't we?

B24 216 Karen Swan,

B24 217 Selkirk Gardens,

B24 218 Pittvill,

B24 219 Cheltenham.

B24 220 B24 221 Reunited, thanks to the Echo

B24 222 MADAM - With reference to the letter "Are you out B24 223 there, Anne?" (October 30), the lady writer from Hampshire B24 224 was trying to contact me on behalf of a mutual friend in New B24 225 Zealand that lost touch with me years ago.

B24 226 I am pleased to say that I have already written to renew B24 227 contact with my long lost friend. Your correspondent, Mrs Enid B24 228 Smith, certainly did have a lot of information about me and my B24 229 family that was 'nearly correct' the only error being that I did B24 230 not, as suggested, leave my husband. I am pleased to say that I am B24 231 still married to Mr Ralph Coombs!

B24 232 I am most grateful to you and your paper for putting me back in B24 233 touch with a friend from over 40 years ago.

B24 234 A M Coombs (Mrs),

B24 235 Eldon Road,

B24 236 Cheltenham.

B24 237 B24 238 To build, or not to build

B24 239 MADAM - Why is the Planning Committee in Cheltenham not B24 240 consistent in its decisions as to whether to grant planning B24 241 permission or not?

B24 242 Several years ago, the gentleman who lived opposite me applied B24 243 for permission to build a bungalow in the rear of his garden to B24 244 enable his elderly aunt to live near him. Permission was refused on B24 245 several grounds, but now, it seems, these reasons do not apply any B24 246 more as the gentleman in question has since sold the house which B24 247 has been bought by a builder who intends building a three-bedroom B24 248 house with double garage in the rear garden.

B24 249 Permission for this building has been granted although I and B24 250 other neighbours objected strongly to the application.

B24 251 To provide this intended house with a garden, a small piece of B24 252 land has to be leased from the council.

B24 253 B25 1 <#FLOB:B25\>IT HAS BEEN a long cold (Gulf) winter with many B25 2 problems at home and abroad still unresolved. But for a few B25 3 moments, let us talk of the joys of spring.

B25 4 This mild, sunny week the lanes of Kent and East Sussex have B25 5 been adorned by roadside primroses, starry yellow celandines and B25 6 pale mauve cuckoo flowers.

B25 7 Gardens, parks and roundabouts and verges have been decorated B25 8 by one of the loveliest shows of daffodils in years, thriving in B25 9 the cool westerly breezes that make them dance and bow their B25 10 heads.

B25 11 Tree buds are bursting into life, blossom is slowly but surely B25 12 coming out, and soon the heady scent of wallflowers will delight B25 13 all those with the time and inclination to pause and enjoy it.

B25 14 In evening fields owls have been hooting and screaming, B25 15 pheasants croaking, and badgers wandering. The nights draw out, and B25 16 it is possible to linger in the heavenly evening air, well past B25 17 eight-o-clock. Greenhouses have been tidied, flower beds weeded, B25 18 paths swept and spring cleaning started; the annual signs of B25 19 another coming summer (Surely not as good as last year! But there's B25 20 no harm in hoping ...)

B25 21 It does us all good to lay down our burdens occasionally, and B25 22 delight in the simple pleasures. And there is no better time to do B25 23 so than at winter's end.

B25 24 B25 25 TONBRIDGE High Street used to be the main A21 route from London B25 26 to Hastings. It was choked with heavy traffic, light traffic, slow B25 27 traffic and every other sort of traffic.

B25 28 Twenty years ago the bypass was built, and suddenly the High B25 29 Street was a delight. You could actually hear yourself talk. B25 30 Driving from one side of town to the other was a simple matter. And B25 31 shopping was a pleasure again.

B25 32 But it didn't last! By the eighties, there seemed to be as much B25 33 traffic as ever. And now you would hardly know there is a bypass, B25 34 the High Street is so noisy and busy again for most of the day.

B25 35 So a borough council scheme to widen the pavements, and make B25 36 other improvements for pedestrians, must be welcome, even though it B25 37 has caused some consternation in the town. At any rate, the plan B25 38 must be fully and openly discussed, and every effort made to make B25 39 Tonbridge welcoming once more.

B25 40 Another idea (on today's letters page) is for a one way system. B25 41 We urge caution here, because some lovely old towns have been B25 42 ruined like that before. But we do agree that something MUST be B25 43 done.

B25 44 B25 45 EDUCATION IS a political punch-bag, and everyone involved in B25 46 running schools, further education colleges, and universities must B25 47 by now be punch-drunk.

B25 48 A succession of education ministers have introduced a series of B25 49 fundamental reforms, many overturning those that came before. In B25 50 the past ten years, children have been the unwilling passengers on B25 51 an educational switchback, including teachers' strikes, shortages B25 52 of materials, appalling classroom conditions, and the introduction B25 53 of new tests and exam courses that have each, in turn, been called B25 54 into serious question.

B25 55 Now the Government seems set on the biggest change of all, B25 56 taking the cost - and therefore the control - of education entirely B25 57 out of the local arena. Meanwhile, it is pushing ahead with B25 58 sweeping reforms of the national curriculum, exam structure, and B25 59 the relationship between basic education and further training - B25 60 both academic and vocational - which is a hyper sensitive area, the B25 61 success of which will largely dictate the future prosperity of the B25 62 country.

B25 63 The strain on the system imposed by such high level Government B25 64 leadership or interference - depending on your viewpoint - is B25 65 becoming very clear. It led to an unparalleled attack on the B25 66 Government this week by the leader of the ultra-Conservative Kent B25 67 County Council, and a joint declaration by unions, teachers and B25 68 educationalists in East Sussex against the proposed Whitehall B25 69 takeover.

B25 70 Both topics are reported page 24. Readers who study these, and B25 71 similar, stories in the national Press, will quickly realise the B25 72 complexities of the issues at stake. It would be folly to rush into B25 73 major decisions without full consultation, and without a measure of B25 74 consensus among the people who will have to put any new policies B25 75 into effect.

B25 76 With a General Election, and possible change of Government, B25 77 looming, it seems to be a difficult time to say the least, for such B25 78 radical measures to be introduced.

B25 79 B25 80 ON A LIGHTER Topic, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council is B25 81 disappointed about the lack of immediate response to its bid for B25 82 success in the Britain in Bloom contest.

B25 83 It sent out 4,000 leaflets to town centre property owners, B25 84 encouraging them to put on a flower power display and inviting them B25 85 to enter a local contest. Only 20 people replied, and even before B25 86 the judges visit Tunbridge Wells, town hall officials admit B25 87 "We don't stand a chance."

B25 88 But as every gardener knows, new ideas take time to blossom. B25 89 Such a blooming good scheme must be nurtured and 'brought on' B25 90 slowly.

B25 91 B25 92 IT WOULD be easy to cast Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in the B25 93 role of Villain in the case of a 77-year-old woman who was taken to B25 94 prison for refusing to pay last year's poll tax.

B25 95 But consider the factual, rather than the emotive side of the B25 96 issue before passing judgement.

B25 97 First and foremost among the facts, and one which many people B25 98 seem to have overlooked, was that it was not the council which B25 99 imposed the 14-day prison sentence - it was the magistrates, as was B25 100 their right.

B25 101 In the weeks that followed, with the deadline for the sentence B25 102 to take effect being reached and passed, the council, by letter, B25 103 telephone calls, personal calls and chats over a cuppa, tried B25 104 persistently but unsuccessfully to get her to change her mind. One B25 105 particular officer even offered to pay her poll tax himself, as did B25 106 members of her family.

B25 107 But money was not the issue - she had over pounds16,000 in hard B25 108 earned savings.

B25 109 The council could have arranged for bailiffs or a security firm B25 110 to take her to prison but decided that if the deed had to be done B25 111 it were better done in the comfort of a nice car with an officer B25 112 she had come to know and two of his colleagues.

B25 113 Outside Holloway that particular officer repeated his offer to B25 114 pay the community charge for her, hardly the action of a member of B25 115 what a national newspaper described as a "snatch B25 116 squad" taking part in a "Gestapo-style" B25 117 operation.

B25 118 It was the same newspaper which paid the pounds327 tax bill to B25 119 bring to an end, after one night, her stay in prison, her much B25 120 admired and determined stand for a principle and her choice to B25 121 spend 14 days behind bars to defend it.

B25 122 She may still get another chance to prove her point - she says B25 123 she won't pay this year's tax either.

B25 124 B25 125 OLD REGIMENTS, like old soldiers, never die, even when B25 126 amalgamated and the Queen's Regiment shows no signs of fading away B25 127 as it faces the threat of amalgamation with the Royal B25 128 Hampshires.

B25 129 With the motto "Unconquered I serve" it is B25 130 hardly surprising that the county regiment for East Sussex and Kent B25 131 refuses to give in and meekly accept the consequences of planned B25 132 army cuts. Now the battlecry "demand justice" has B25 133 been sounded and supporters of the six regiments which form the B25 134 Queen's are being urged to rally round the colours.

B25 135 With the pen preferred to the sword, the Colonel of the B25 136 Regiment, Major General Mike Reynolds, wants them to write to the B25 137 Prime Minister, Defence Secretary and their local MPs demanding B25 138 equality of treatment with its sister large regiments, which are B25 139 not being merged, and the preservation of its name and its B25 140 bands.

B25 141 There's a saying in Sussex - "we won't be B25 142 druv." Neither, if it can help it, will its county B25 143 regiment.

B25 144 B25 145 BY APRIL 1993 many parts of the National Health Service are B25 146 expected to have become self governing trusts. And Tunbridge Wells B25 147 Health Unit has, as it coyly puts it, expressed an interest in B25 148 being one of them.

B25 149 If it does go down this road the Kent and Sussex and Pembury B25 150 Hospitals as well as local community hospitals and services will B25 151 opt out of Tunbridge Wells Health Authority control.

B25 152 Locally this will be tremendously important - affecting a staff B25 153 of 3,000, a budget of pounds45 million and almost the whole of the B25 154 Tunbridge Wells area's health service.

B25 155 The hospitals will become virtually an autonomous unit, B25 156 answerable only to the Secretary of State for Health. Managed by a B25 157 common board of directors, they will gain greater freedom to borrow B25 158 money, dispose of assets, set wage levels and choose which services B25 159 to provide.

B25 160 In fact, as intended by the government, Tunbridge Wells Health B25 161 Unit will take on many of the attributes of a private business. But B25 162 although still funded by tax payers money there is little provision B25 163 to ensure the public will have any influence on the way it is run. B25 164 Nor is there any guarantee that local residents will even be able B25 165 to learn what is being done with their health service and their B25 166 money.

B25 167 The present situation is already far from ideal. The public B25 168 part of Tunbridge Wells Health Authority's last quarterly meeting B25 169 took a mere 24 minutes. But if local hospitals do opt out of health B25 170 authority control they will only be obliged to meet in public once B25 171 a year for what is feared to be a very bland public relations B25 172 affair.

B25 173 As for the rest of the year, the Department of Health says it B25 174 will be up to "each trust to determine whether it wishes to B25 175 open its routine meetings to the public or Community Health Council B25 176 representatives."

B25 177 In other words not even the statutory patients' watchdog will B25 178 have the right to know whether the local hospital is about to go B25 179 bust.

B25 180 Nor, with a new tendency towards restrictive contracts as well B25 181 as professional inclinations towards confidentiality, will the B25 182 press and public be able to rely on staff blowing the whistle when B25 183 things go wrong.

B25 184 It may well be that managers of any local self governing trust B25 185 welcome open dealings with the public and allow healthy relations B25 186 to flourish with the community.

B25 187 But at a time when the Prime Minister is promoting his Citizens B25 188 Charter, this potential for secrecy in what is Western Europe's B25 189 largest employer is unacceptable.

B25 190 B25 191 PLANS FOR new supermarkets invariably raise the hackles of B25 192 anyone living close to the site. Objections also come from local B25 193 traders who fear the threat of additional competition, and from B25 194 some members of the wider community on traffic and environmental B25 195 grounds.

B25 196 For their part, the developers usually try to sweeten the pill B25 197 by offering to build leisure halls or sports facilities alongside B25 198 their new shops and huge car parks. But this suggestion is often B25 199 attacked as "bribery" by the opposition.

B25 200 Following the recent opening of new stores recently in B25 201 Tunbridge Wells (Sainsbury) and Uckfield (Tesco) we now have plans B25 202 for another Tesco at Pembury, and a Co-Op at Southborough. In both B25 203 new cases, there is a concerted attack on the plans which may well B25 204 persuade the borough council to refuse planning permission. But if B25 205 this happens, appeals and public inquiries are likely to follow, B25 206 which could overturn the local decision in favour of the shopping B25 207 giants.

B25 208 In each and every case, there are arguments for and against, B25 209 and however many people object to a new supermarket, far more B25 210 people would use it once built. So it would be quite wrong for the B25 211 Courier to come out for or against any particular scheme; better B25 212 that we report fully on all the arguments and allow proper planning B25 213 procedures to decide the issues fairly and squarely. But a few B25 214 general comments are offered on the merits of such schemes, as food B25 215 for thought.

B25 216 Firstly, supermarkets are often criticised for killing off B25 217 smaller shops with more personal service. But whereas some small B25 218 shops are excellent and very friendly, others are tatty and B25 219 uninviting. Similarly, some supermarkets are unkempt with poor B25 220 stock control and long check-out queues, but others are clean, B25 221 well-stocked, and brimming with good service that makes shopping a B25 222 pleasure instead of a chore.

B25 223 Secondly, supermarkets are a boon for the one-stop shopper, B25 224 with a handy car-park outside making it easy to drive off with a B25 225 month's provisions.

B25 226 B26 1 <#FLOB:B26\>Education for our sake

B26 2 The country's education system has undergone so many changes B26 3 recently, it is not surprising that many are confused by its B26 4 various aspects, and others have lost confidence in its B26 5 effectiveness.

B26 6 No sooner had the old O-levels been replaced by the GCSE, the B26 7 national curriculum was introduced with its attainment targets and B26 8 tests, prompting at least some local primary school heads to take B26 9 early retirement.

B26 10 "Education is in a watershed of gigantic significance B26 11 towards mediocrity," claimed one, adding that the new B26 12 proposals would create a stratified society for the 21st B26 13 century.

B26 14 Not content with those changes, the Government implemented the B26 15 local management of schools, giving governing bodies more say over B26 16 their spending. Very commendable, you might say, but the move again B26 17 took teachers away from the classroom and into administration.

B26 18 And the dust had hardly settled, when, last week, it was B26 19 announced that the further education set-up was to be tackled in a B26 20 bid to narrow the divide between academic and vocational B26 21 qualifications.

B26 22 Not only that, there was talk that the Government was B26 23 considering replacing A-levels with yet another examination.

B26 24 Against that background, it is hardly surprising that the B26 25 headmaster of Giggleswick School, Mr. Peter Hobson, felt it B26 26 necessary to appeal for stability in education at the school's B26 27 annual speech day on Saturday.

B26 28 The constant moving of goalposts is not fair on teachers, and B26 29 it is certainly not fair on the pupils. Both should know where they B26 30 stand, and what they are expected to achieve.

B26 31 Playing with youngsters' lives cannot be justified. Their B26 32 achievements now will colour their future paths - and they have B26 33 every right to demand a good grounding; in fact, the very best the B26 34 country can offer.

B26 35 We are forever being told about increased competition from B26 36 overseas once the Single market comes into being next year, and we B26 37 must be in position to meet that challenge. We can only do that if B26 38 our education system is second to none.

B26 39 But, without clear goals, the United Kingdom will lag behind B26 40 producing tomorrow's workforce because teaching staff will be too B26 41 busy trying to unravel the paperwork to concentrate on the B26 42 essentials.

B26 43 So come on, let's stop this bickering over the rights and B26 44 wrongs and agree the way forward. Education is a service; not a B26 45 profit-making business. We must all pull together - for all our B26 46 sakes.

B26 47 B26 48 Don't trash the Dales

B26 49 No-one can doubt the majestic beauty of the Craven Countryside B26 50 with its rolling hills, picturesque villages, and breathtaking B26 51 views.

B26 52 But its idyllic facade is misleading as it hides a very real, B26 53 and disturbing, threat. For, unless action is taken now to stem the B26 54 growing tide of erosion, many important features could disappear B26 55 altogether.

B26 56 As traditional farming methods are discarded stone barns and B26 57 walls are allowed to fall into disrepair, moorlands are being B26 58 over-grazed, and meadowlands are being sacrificed in favour of B26 59 fast-growing grasses.

B26 60 Not only that. Thieves are increasingly targeting isolated B26 61 barns for their stone slates, and some farmers seem to have taken B26 62 the view: "If you can't beat them, join them."

B26 63 We are told that some are selling stone from traditional B26 64 buildings and walls to make ends meet. That trend has got to stop B26 65 before the damage becomes irreversible, and Craven loses part of B26 66 its identity.

B26 67 The National Trust has already announced it is launching B26 68 pounds750,000 appeal<&|>sic! to help preserve the distinctive B26 69 landscape of Yorkshire, and the Government is being asked to give B26 70 Environmentally Sensitive Area status to the Dales National B26 71 Park.

B26 72 That would mean that subsidies would be available for good B26 73 environmental practices, and the park authority could protect walls B26 74 and buildings.

B26 75 Of course these measures will help, and should be supported. B26 76 But the statutory authorities can only do so much. They have to B26 77 work within strict financial budgets, and it would be unfair to put B26 78 the whole burden on their shoulders.

B26 79 It is up to every single one of us - whether we live or work in B26 80 the area or just visit it - to ensure that it is preserved for B26 81 future generations.

B26 82 Bolton Abbey has shown that commercial success and conservation B26 83 can live side by side, with the estate taking the Yorkshire and B26 84 Humberside Tourist Board's tourism and environment award.

B26 85 So what can we do? It is true that we, too, are limited in our B26 86 efforts, but there are simple measures we can take to help keep the B26 87 countryside looking beautiful for both residents and visitors B26 88 alike.

B26 89 For a start, we can ensure that we leave the area as we found B26 90 it; in other words we take our litter home. It is amazing how B26 91 discarded cans and cigarette ends can be found even in the remotest B26 92 parts of Craven.

B26 93 Opinion polls show that litter is consistently quoted as a B26 94 major environmental problem in our everyday lives, and it is an B26 95 issue with which we can easily identify because if affects us all. B26 96 And we can do something about it.

B26 97 It is a frightening thought that over 85,000 drinks cans, B26 98 forming a column 3,000 feet higher than Mount Everest, were B26 99 collected from roadside verges last year on a litter-pick from B26 100 Land's End to John O'Groats.

B26 101 Next week is Tidy Travel Week, which is designed to make people B26 102 more aware of their own littering behaviour while travelling. Why B26 103 don't we make it a Tidy Craven Week?

B26 104 B26 105 Saving our history

B26 106 It came as no surprise to us to learn this week that a planning B26 107 application had been lodged with Craven District Council for the B26 108 demolition of the Chimney at Belle Vue Mills, Skipton, now the home B26 109 of Kingsley Cards.

B26 110 For it was back in September that we first revealed that the B26 111 chimney - regarded by many as a landmark - was under threat.

B26 112 It is known that Kingsley Cards recently installed a new B26 113 heating system at what is perhaps best known as Dewhurst's Mill, in B26 114 Broughton Road, and now no warm air reaches the chimney. But the B26 115 structure is of such a design that it needs constant warm air to B26 116 stay in one piece.

B26 117 The chimney, it would appear, has deteriorated to such a point B26 118 where its owners feel it is unsafe - any other excuse for their B26 119 application would have to be put down to wanton vandalism.

B26 120 It will cost money to knock the chimney down safely, and B26 121 probably even more to maintain and preserve it. But it must be B26 122 done.

B26 123 The structure is a landmark - some may say not the prettiest B26 124 around maybe - but it does form a most important feature on the B26 125 town's skyline.

B26 126 Craven District Council has made much of central Skipton into B26 127 conservation areas, including many old mill cottages and terraces. B26 128 What would be the use of that if the mill chimney - a symbol of B26 129 what the houses were built for - were to go?

B26 130 Belle Vue Mills were built between 1830 and 1914 - perhaps the B26 131 greatest years of Britain's industrial past - and provide a rare B26 132 surviving example of how cotton mills evolved.

B26 133 In many other areas, people are realising that our industrial B26 134 heritage is just as important, if not more so, than our rural B26 135 heritage. Without industry, there would have been no wealth, no B26 136 real empire, little to be proud of in our past.

B26 137 The chimney, Skipton's most prominent icon of that great past, B26 138 must be preserved. But where will the money come from?

B26 139 Kingsley Cards, certainly, must bear some of the costs. The B26 140 building they occupy is a listed one, and they knew that when they B26 141 bought it. It is their responsibility, first and foremost.

B26 142 But others may be prepared to help in order not to lose such a B26 143 valuable asset. Craven District Council has shown its willingness B26 144 to preserve our heritage with its involvement with the Hoffman Kiln B26 145 at Langcliffe - not to mention all the effort and money it put into B26 146 the battle to save the Settle-Carlisle railway line and Ribblehead B26 147 Viaduct.

B26 148 Over in West Craven, Barnoldwick's Bancroft Mill is B26 149 privately-owned, but is grateful for the support of Pendle Council B26 150 and others. Indeed, work is currently being undertaken on its B26 151 chimney!

B26 152 National bodies too, such as English Heritage, the National B26 153 Trust, the Department of the Environment and the Victorian Society B26 154 must all be approached with a view to saving the chimney.

B26 155 Thankfully, we know that some local officials are opposed to B26 156 the demolition, if it is at all avoidable, and they have a good B26 157 track record in this area. When Skipton's Victoria Mill was being B26 158 redeveloped, they fought for the retention of its small, less B26 159 important chimney, despite the pleas of the developers that to B26 160 preserve it would be too expensive. The development went ahead, and B26 161 the chimney still stands.

B26 162 But it pales into insignificance alongside its big sister.

B26 163 Many members of Craven District's Planning and Development B26 164 Committee, we can rest assured, would also not want to see the B26 165 demolition of our history.

B26 166 As the chimney is part of a Grade II listed structure, B26 167 interested parties must be approached by the council for their B26 168 opinions on demolition.

B26 169 Let us hope they agree the chimney needs preserving. It is too B26 170 important to lose.

B26 171 B26 172 A Year of Destiny

B26 173 By the end of 1992 we shall all be Europeans. The stretch of B26 174 water which has so long separated us from mainland Europe - and on B26 175 more occasions than one been our salvation when foes would have B26 176 invaded our shores - will shortly be bridged.

B26 177 Down will come the barriers, the customs posts which, to those B26 178 in our islands have been a curiosity. We can drive into Wales or B26 179 Scotland, and cross to Ireland, without let or hindrance. There are B26 180 no policemen, guns slung menacingly at their hips, demanding our B26 181 passports. Europeans will find themselves with the novel experience B26 182 before 1993 dawns.

B26 183 But shall we be Europeans? There are plenty of people in this B26 184 country who are unhappy about the closer links with our European B26 185 brothers and sisters. After all, one or two of them have done us B26 186 few favours over the years. Ought we to ignore history, or learn B26 187 from it?

B26 188 Perhaps we can give heart to those who don't approve of the B26 189 moves. Some of us, it will be recalled, were dragged kicking and B26 190 screaming into Lancashire by local government re-organisation in B26 191 1972. Has it made us Lancastrians? Not a bit of it. We are B26 192 Yorkshire to the core still. No artificial changes by faceless B26 193 boffins in Whitehall have changed our allegiance. We still wear the B26 194 white rose with pride.

B26 195 A new Europe will not change those of us who have pride in our B26 196 heritage. We shall still fly the Union flag and have our own B26 197 National Anthem. 'Land of Hope and Glory' at the last night of the B26 198 Proms will still bring a lump to the throat.

B26 199 So will those immortal words "They grow not old, as we B26 200 that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years B26 201 condemn. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we shall B26 202 remember them." We shall still remember that they gave B26 203 their lives to ensure that some of the Europeans whom we are now B26 204 joining by negotiation, did not conquer us by force.

B26 205 We shall find ourselves ever closer bound to our European B26 206 partners. If it avoids another 1914 and 1939, for that alone, it B26 207 will have all been worth while. But we must not allow our sturdy B26 208 individualism and love of true democracy to be submerged by Europe. B26 209 Often we have had to defend the right of peoples to be free. We B26 210 must remain free to make our own decisions about own destiny. That B26 211 is our birthright and we must still defend it.

B26 212 Let us make that a New Year Resolution as we move into an B26 213 historic 1993.

B26 214 At home, let us hope that the problems which have confronted B26 215 many businesses, and led to the collapse of some in 1991 are not B26 216 repeated in the year ahead. In fact, we hope that industry of all B26 217 descriptions will boom in 1992.

B26 218 We would hope and pray that the year might be free of tragedy, B26 219 whether personal or on a national or international scale; that B26 220 peace will come to troubled areas, and a start made on the task of B26 221 tackling world poverty and hunger.

B26 222 B27 1 <#FLOB:B27\>Ignorance is widespread

B27 2 OVER the past few weeks I have been reading all the articles B27 3 and letters in the Western Gazette about the future of the three B27 4 Sherborne schools - Fosters Grammar, Lord Digby's Grammar and St B27 5 Aldhelm's Secondary Modern School.

B27 6 I thought it was about time that someone who attends the B27 7 grammar school(s) which are due to close wrote in.

B27 8 Perhaps some people may think that we know more than people not B27 9 attending the schools in question, but we do not, that is the B27 10 reason that I am typing this letter.

B27 11 All Dorset County council can produce is a letter containing no B27 12 information about the new school at all apart from the date it is B27 13 due to open.

B27 14 Instead, they send to all the parents in the Sherborne area a B27 15 letter containing verbal garbage which I think is a terrible waste B27 16 of paper.

B27 17 We have been given no information about the school uniform, B27 18 which is another important issue the council hasn't bothered to B27 19 think about.

B27 20 What about the parents of First Year (Year 7) pupils who will B27 21 be coming to Foster's the year before the new school will be B27 22 opening?

B27 23 They will have just bought a whole new uniform - blazer, B27 24 jumper, shirt, tie, trousers, etc<&|>sic!, not to mention all the B27 25 PE kit which in the end amounts to over pounds112 for nothing.

B27 26 Closing Fosters and Lord Digby's School will end around 350 B27 27 years of good education.

B27 28 All I can say is that when I am allowed to vote I will not vote B27 29 Conservative.

B27 30 Phillip Dawson,

B27 31 Pupil at Fosters School,

B27 32 20 Crossfields,

B27 33 Nether Compton,

B27 34 Sherborne.

B27 35 B27 36 New school is an exciting venture

B27 37 I WOULD like to point out that there are many, many parents, B27 38 staff and all the governing bodies of all the feeder primary B27 39 schools who are delighted at the prospect of the new school and B27 40 look forward to its establishment with as much pleasure as the B27 41 town's parents must have greeted the establishment of Foster's, B27 42 Lord Digby's and St Aldhelm's schools when they were new.

B27 43 I very much hope that the new school will be seen as a forward B27 44 step and a great opportunity to offer splendid educational B27 45 opportunities to fit our children for life well into the next B27 46 century.

B27 47 It will be building on the sound foundations laid by our B27 48 primary schools, all of whom will be working to ensure the most B27 49 positive and optimistic support will be given to this exciting new B27 50 venture.

B27 51 I am sure Sherborne will be able to boast an exceptional and B27 52 excellent school in the very near future.

B27 53 Jane Turner,

B27 54 Fir Cottage,

B27 55 Coldharbour,

B27 56 Sherborne

B27 57 B27 58 Struck by Tower Hamlets disease

B27 59 MRS Clark, leader of South Somerset District Council to whom I B27 60 am normally most courteous, in suggesting that I have stolen a good B27 61 idea in making progress in the dissemination of information via B27 62 post offices, is clearly suffering from that disease known as B27 63 'La infection des aldeas de la torre', or, B27 64 being translated, Tower Hamlets disease.

B27 65 It manifests itself, in its advanced stage, as paranoia and B27 66 reading too much between the lines. I knew they shouldn't have gone B27 67 on that visit.

B27 68 Her letter unwittingly epitomises the differences between the B27 69 Liberal Democrat cabal and local Conservative minority.

B27 70 In November, 1990 the Liberal 'Democrats set up the working B27 71 party on dissemination of information, with a provisional budget of B27 72 some thousands of pounds. We groaned. The working party met on 11 B27 73 April, 1991. Even before the November meeting had finished I had B27 74 worked out on the back of an envelope the solution to the B27 75 problem.

B27 76 On being elected as Chairman of Area East housing subcommittee B27 77 in May I spent just five minutes in each of two post offices and B27 78 convinced the postmasters that it would be in their interests to B27 79 hang the minutes of our meetings on a brass hook, to be supplied by B27 80 me; this would both inform the council tenants and probably provide B27 81 more business for the shops and post offices. Extra cost to council B27 82 - nil.

B27 83 I reported this to our subcommittee meeting on 17 July and you B27 84 reported it in your newspaper. In the meantime the Liberal B27 85 Democrats' working party goes about its business and will report in B27 86 the autumn of 1991.

B27 87 Get the message, electors? I did not say it was my bright idea B27 88 because the point is immaterial to me - I just couldn't wait for B27 89 the Liberal Democrats' ponderous think tank any longer.

B27 90 As the local Liberal Democrats cabal knows, their councillors B27 91 will more often than not vote down perfectly good local B27 92 Conservative proposals - cash limiting and compensating staff B27 93 reductions, for example - and then resurrect them without B27 94 attribution a year or so later.

B27 95 The Liberal Democrats seldom give credit where it is due, B27 96 although Mrs Clark has paid tribute to the contribution of B27 97 Brigadier Newth to the ongoing reorganisation (although not acting B27 98 on all his pertinent points), and Mr Temperley did pay an B27 99 appropriate tribute to Group Captain Deacon's contribution to the B27 100 planning system in South Somerset.

B27 101 David Aldrich,

B27 102 Deputy Leader,

B27 103 Conservative Minority,

B27 104 SSDC.

B27 105 B27 106 Proof of pudding leaves sour taste

B27 107 ONE hundred and thirteen hospitals and ambulance units have B27 108 this week revealed their plans for NHS Trust status. If they are B27 109 approved a third of all our hospitals will then have B27 110 'opted-out'.

B27 111 What can we learn from those that were amongst the first wave B27 112 to be granted Trust status?

B27 113 The chairman of the newly formed West Dorset Community Health B27 114 Trust, Mr Willis, spoke to the Yeatman Hospital League of Friends B27 115 recently. On more than one occasion during his speech he urged the B27 116 Friends to compete with the Blandford Hospital league of B27 117 Friends.

B27 118 And what is to be the object of this friendly rivalry? B27 119 According to Mr Willis it should be to see who can raise the most B27 120 money to purchase medical equipment for use by visiting specialists B27 121 at those hospitals.

B27 122 The AGM also gave Mr Willis an opportunity, as guest speaker, B27 123 to launch a consultation document about plans for the future B27 124 development of the Yeatman Hospital.

B27 125 Welcome as these plans are, <}_><-|>these<+|>there<}/> are B27 126 differences between this consultation document and the prospectus B27 127 prepared last year by the health authority, as its submission to B27 128 the Department of Health for Trust status.

B27 129 First, a start on a new 20-bed unit for the elderly severely B27 130 mentally ill is to be delayed for a year.

B27 131 Secondly, land adjoining the proposed ESMI unit, always B27 132 considered to be part of the hospital site available for future B27 133 expansion, now seems to be eyed as ripe for disposal and B27 134 development when the market circumstances are right.

B27 135 Thirdly, the original prospectus stated that capital projects B27 136 would be allowed to proceed when long term commitments had been B27 137 given by the health authority to buy patient care at the hospital. B27 138 The consultation document discloses that a new qualification has B27 139 been added to that statement.

B27 140 The phrase used is, "support to proceed from local B27 141 interest groups". In other words the League of Friends is B27 142 to come up with a sizeable amount of money for the project.

B27 143 Mr Willis also made it clear that the Trust would be seeking a B27 144 borrowing approval from the NHS Management Executive. I reminded B27 145 him that the District General Hospital Trust had sought a pounds5M B27 146 loan earlier in the year only to be told by the Government that, B27 147 far from getting the money, they would have to repay existing debts B27 148 totalling pounds1.9M.

B27 149 I asked him what expectation he had of obtaining such approval B27 150 and did not get a satisfactory answer.

B27 151 The only people who seem to have benefited so far from NHS B27 152 Trust status are a firm of management consultants brought in to B27 153 review the plans previously prepared by the health authority.

B27 154 When the Health Minister, Virginia Bottomley, came to West B27 155 Dorset she denounced as "wreckers" the critics of NHS B27 156 Trusts.

B27 157 The proof of any pudding is, however, in the eating. If the B27 158 fare offered leaves a sour taste in the mouth then she would be B27 159 better employed sorting out the chef and not the customers.

B27 160 Robin Legg,

B27 161 90 Newland,

B27 162 Sherborne.

B27 163 B27 164 Sad days for dog lovers

B27 165 IN her letter under the heading "Wipe out this foul B27 166 problem", Mrs Broom says, "Recently we have read in B27 167 the papers of a local boy who has gone partially blind due to dog B27 168 excrement." But she doesn't say what evidence the paper had B27 169 for making that statement.

B27 170 Toxacara eggs are found in some dog faeces, but not if the B27 171 animal is regularly wormed. They are also found in fox and car B27 172 faeces, and there is no way of telling which is the source of B27 173 infection.

B27 174 It is pretty safe to say that the majority of today's dog B27 175 owners do worm their dogs regularly. The same cannot be said of the B27 176 majority of cat owners. And there are many feral cats with no B27 177 owners as well as foxes, which are never wormed.

B27 178 Thanks to the media many people are now genuinely afraid of B27 179 dogs both as potentially dangerous animals and as carriers of B27 180 disease. This is very sad, especially in a country which has always B27 181 been regarded as a nation of dog lovers.

B27 182 It is now accepted by many in the medical profession that B27 183 people who keep dogs are healthier and live longer lives than those B27 184 who do not.

B27 185 To many old people their dog is not only their only friend but B27 186 also their only incentive to take walks in the open air.

B27 187 In over 60 years of breeding and training dogs I have never B27 188 heard of a dog breeder's child being infected by toxacariasis or B27 189 any other dog related complaint. But I have known many kids develop B27 190 some pretty nasty infections as a result of contact with other B27 191 children.

B27 192 Of course anyone who exercises their dog in a public area B27 193 should 'pick up' after it; and the new legislation which is now B27 194 coming into force will make it an offence not to do so.

B27 195 The idea of areas specially for dog owners and their dogs is B27 196 excellent. I am sure the vast majority of dog owners would welcome B27 197 it - if only to avoid the risk of harassment by people like Mrs B27 198 Broom.

B27 199 John Holmes,

B27 200 Formakin Farm,

B27 201 Gotham,

B27 202 Cranborne,

B27 203 Wimborne.

B27 204 B27 205 Roadside storage helps maximise efficiency

B27 206 I AM writing to answer the criticisms directed at British Gas B27 207 by Mr Ron Anstey.

B27 208 There are good reasons for the gas pipe to be stored by the B27 209 side of the Ringwood Road in Verwood. Contrary to Mr Anstey's B27 210 comments, those reasons highlight our commitment to maximize B27 211 efficiency.

B27 212 British Gas aims to keep storage and handling costs under tight B27 213 control. For this reason we order pipe from manufacturers and have B27 214 it delivered direct to the site where it is to be used.

B27 215 This arrangement minimises handling, transport costs and B27 216 storage space. It is normally timed to arrive shortly before the B27 217 job is due to begin.

B27 218 Unfortunately at Verwood the work was delayed and this is why B27 219 the pipework was left on site. Pilfering is most unlikely because B27 220 the bright yellow pipe has no other practical use.

B27 221 Most of the pipe has now been used to replace an old main in B27 222 Ringwood Road and there is very little work left to be done. We B27 223 will remove any pipe that is surplus to requirements as soon as B27 224 possible.

B27 225 I apologise for any inconvenience that has been caused. I would B27 226 add, however, that the work will ensure residents can rely on a gas B27 227 supply to service their future demands.

B27 228 M R Delahaye,

B27 229 General Manager,

B27 230 (Bournemouth District),

B27 231 British Gas Southern.

B27 232 B27 233 Riders aren't all hunters

B27 234 WORKERS on the Arrow project (Access and Riding Rights of Way), B27 235 would like to clarify that bridleways and hunting are two totally B27 236 separate issues.

B27 237 Work being done on bridleways in West Dorset is nothing B27 238 whatsoever to do with local hunts.

B27 239 Hunting people rest their horses during summer months, and tend B27 240 to exercise them mostly on the roads to keep clean and fit during B27 241 the hunting season. They hunt across country where they are B27 242 welcome, at the invitation of landowners. They are, of course, B27 243 entitled to use bridleways if required.

B27 244 Many other riders, both locally and nationally, have absolutely B27 245 no connection with, or interest, in hunting.

B27 246