Jane McCulloch's Blog

These days we are daily hit by major news stories that cause sensation, horror, sadness, or even delight, (not much delight at the moment, except for the royal engagement or the rare Olympic gold medal) – with their dramatic headlines..  The news of these events may even last a few days, but then these stories, that seemed so momentous at the time, are quickly taken off the front page and forgotten.

The one that haunts me most is the plight of that poor woman, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been held in an Iran jail for nearly two years on trumped up charges. Her news came to prominence when our idiotic buffoon of a Foreign Minister, Boris Johnson, made her plight so much worse by announcing that she had been out to Iran on a lecture tour when in fact she had merely been out on a family visit.  This immediately was pounced on by the media and an apology was squeezed out of Boris in Parliament.  To make amends he travelled to Iran to raise awareness of her plight and try to get her home by Christmas but nothing has happened and the weeks tick by.  She has already been in solitary confinement for more than 8 months  and now it is alleged she has been tortured with a whole catalogue of abuses.  Her poor husband who has fought tirelessly for her, needs to reunited with his wife now.  Her child needs her mother back.  What is the British Government doing?  Nothing as far as the public can see.  Boris has left the problem behind and now spends his time justifying his stance on Brexit.  Has he no conscience or shame?  I hope if I have a problem when abroad, Boris and the Foreign Office aren’t the ones left to help me.  Of course since the Brexit debacle, this country has little standing in the eyes of the world anyway.

Another recent horrifying story is the school shooting in Florida.  It covered our headlines but soon, once the funerals are over, the story will yet again be lost.  There have been so many similar horrific shooting events in the US schools, it is baffling for those of us on this side of the Atlantic to understand why action has not been taken.  We had a shooting in Dunblane 20 years ago.   New gun laws were passed and we have not had a school shooting since.  In the UK we are made to understand that the gun lobby which powerfully influences the US government and which also heavily funds the President –  will not be moved when it comes to amending their gun laws.  Can they not understand that the weapons used now are very different to the ones when the original law was made?  I am probably over-optimistic but there is one ray of hope that things could change –  in that there is a planned walk-out of students from their schools in April and they will stay out until the Congress does something about the gun laws.  It cannot be right that any boy of 18 – whether with mental health problems or not – can get hold of  a weapon that can deliver so much damage within minutes.  President Trump please note, prayers and thoughts are not enough in this situation. Take some action to end school massacres. NOW.

Another of the forgotten news stories is the NHS.  The headlines in January were all about the winter crisis and old people left in hospital corridors to die.  Now that the sensational headlines have stopped, this dreadful government seems to have forgotten the NHS, along with the many crises in our prisons, schools, social care and housing.  Their time is taken up with their Brexit muddle – which is to go on and on in ever more depressing circles.

It is not all doom and gloom.  The days are getting longer, the sun has made an appearance and I have planted up my window boxes of herbs.  I have also started on a new tapestry cushion which is of a badger – which is excitingly different from anything I have done before.

Let’s hope for some really good  news on one or all of the above –  very soon.

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Over the last month we have been going through the annual Awards season – BAFTA, Golden Globes, the Oscars etc. and inevitably we have been treated to the endless acceptance speeches.                             It is easy to have grown used to the tears and the long list of thank-yous – but what struck me this year is the poverty of language in these speeches and the over-use of superlatives.  The most over-used word is ‘genius’.  People of genius are now as common as garden birds.  We have the ‘musical genius’, the ‘acting genius’ the ‘directing genius’ and so on and so forth. It is natural that when accepting these awards there are certain words that the grateful person has to fall back on. Those they work with are the greatest, superb, outstanding, brilliant, and when asked how they feel they nearly always say ‘surreal’.  Now I have never won an award but if I did I would probably fall in to all the same traps. especially if cornered by an interviewer.  But perhaps I would try and avoid the word genius.  To my mind this superior species is very rare, and probably only recognised after death. Although of course Oscar Wilde recognised his own during his life-time.  When asked at Customs if he had anything to declare, he replied “Nothing but my genius.”

March so far has been the oddest month.  Russia sent us blizzards, ice and snow, bringing the country to a grinding halt.  Now the snow has gone it seems Russia has invaded us with chemical weapons.  As the ‘spy story’ unfolds it all becomes more and more like a John le Carre novel.  The country has gone into a state of shock.  I loved the woman who said “Who’d have thought this could happen in sleepy Salisbury?”  Who indeed.  It is difficult to know where poor little Britain can go from here.  Brexit has left us isolated and a source of mockery around the world.  Our impotence to retaliate is all too plain to see.  It is obvious that Putin is a very dangerous man indeed and for the UK to leave the EU at this time when we need to present a united front, must be a disastrous move. Some are still of the mind that we are running the British Empire.  We are not. We are now a little island with little power or influence and  just our poets and our countryside to boast about.  We used to have a moral standing – I’m not sure we even have that anymore. However, we do have our freedom and I still think I’d rather live here than anywhere else in the world, even if our politicians are doing their best to ruin us.

On a happier note one of my granddaughters turned 18 last week, another is 21 tomorrow.  I will not indulge in superlatives – just to say they are great company and the nicest people and  I am very proud of them.

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I was going to tackle quite a different subject for my September blog, and then the death of the Queen changed my mind. In looking back over her life, with all the duty and dedication she showed, it made me think how near it was to perfection. Near, but not quite there, for however much we strive for perfection, it is not humanly possible, because all of us are flawed in various degrees. Religious leaders of whatever creed would say that only their God is perfect, and we must all strive to be like that God. Thus, we have the Saints who have come near to it – but again, not quite.
After this, I began to consider perfection in other ways – the ‘arts’ for example. What is a perfect piece of music, painting or building? What is a perfect performance on the stage? And here we hit upon a problem, because what is perfect to some, may not be so to others. And then, what did the artist think of their work? Did Bach, or Beethoven, or any of the great composers feel they had reached perfection? I doubt it. Did Michaelangelo feel he had reached perfection on finishing the Sistine Chapel? Again I doubt it, because the true genius also has humility and recognises that perfection is impossible to reach, even if the aim is always there. I know, in a very small way, I can be pleased when re-reading certain passages I have written in a novel, but they are a long way off perfect. Perfection in writing is an impossibility. Some of the great authors have come very close, but there is always something to stop it from being absolutely perfect. Perhaps the one thing I can honestly say reaches perfection, is in nature – a view or a newly blossomed rose. Some would argue this is because it is God’s creation and not mans. So, we get back to the notion that it is humans that are flawed.
I would also say that this Tory government is as far from perfection as any political establishment can get!

Talking of writing, (but not of perfection) – my latest novel, QUO VADIS E G RAWLINGS? is about to be published. October 13th is publishing day and that is only a couple of weeks away. It is the last book of a trilogy and for the moment it is the end of my fiction writing. I have written 7 books in 7 years (they can be viewed on Amazon/Jane McCulloch books) and I am going to take a break. Instead,I am being urged to write my Memoir – but that is quite a different project and one that I will have to think about!
Meanwhile, the weather has not only turned Autumnal but almost wintry. It is a sudden shock after all those hot summer days, to feel such cold. It is back to the post war days of no heating, just piling on extra layers of clothes. I’m hoping for an Indian summer in October.
A5 promo card Rawlings 3

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“Bad times are just around the corner…” sang Noel Coward in one of his most famous lyrics. Well, if you live in the UK, the bad times have now arrived and with a vengeance. Every bulletin heralds worse and worse news and our poor country is failing on every level, with our Tory politicians largely to blame for this crisis and seemingly unable to deal with it.
So…it is up to us individually to cope as best we can.
I love the word ‘cope’. It implies that in spite of huge difficulties it is somehow possible to surmount them.
When my children were small, we would holiday in Cornwall. Our cottage was a short walk from the beach and I would send the four children out each morning with a packed lunch and an instruction not to return unless – there was a crisis. So, the eldest, then about ten, and his three younger siblings would happily spend the day on the beach, leaving me to get on with my writing. (This would be heavily frowned on now, but back then it seemed fine to leave children unsupervised.) Once, on enquiring how their day had gone, my eldest son solemnly told me that there HAD been a crisis, but he’d COPED! The word has stuck with me ever since.
It sums up how the British managed to survive the second world war. They coped.
But how to cope now?
Obviously the priority is to try and deal with the dire financial state we have been landed in. Everybody is affected, but some will be far worse off than others and in really desperate straits. It is to be hoped that the government will quickly help the poorest in society or the consequences will be terrible indeed. But for those of us who are still suffering, but less drastically, there are measures we can take to ease the strain.
For me, it is cutting down on small areas; not buying unnecessary luxuries, saving on heating bills by taking less showers, saving electricity by turning off lights and using white goods sparingly. There will be fewer car journeys and eating out at restaurants! This should quickly make a difference to monthly bills.
Another result of the present crisis is feeling mounting stress. The news is so bleak on all fronts I now only listen to the bulletins once a day. Instead there are plenty of diversions that cost nothing and give great pleasure. For those who love gardening this is a great joy and totally absorbing. There is always music to listen to – I find the classical variety most soothing but all music is diverting. This is also a good time to catch up on reading, especially all those novels that you may have missed. It is also a good time to catch up on neglected friends and relations. And for me, when the cricket is on, especially a test match, it is the best diversion of all.
Something I find very therapeutic is to try and fight the bad decisions the government are making, in any way I can. Only in this way will things eventually change, so I write to my MP, write angry tweets, and challenge the ministers in charge. My particular bugbear at the moment is the disaster that is overtaking our beautiful rivers and coastal waters with the sewage that is now pouring into them. The Water Companies have to be challenged to change their actions, or the damage will be permanent.
I hope my September blog will have more cheerful content – but meanwhile good luck to everyone with your COPING!

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July Blog…
The phrase ‘Be Prepared’ keeps floating into my mind these days, as I realise on a daily basis how very unprepared we are for all the crises that are now assailing us.
This present Government has excelled at being unprepared, either for the consequences of Brexit, or for a Pandemic. They were constantly warned of the dire consequences of the former, but brushed the warnings aside with accusations of scaremongering. Brexit isn’t yet done, but the lack of preparation in all quarters is now becoming apparent. The Northern Ireland dilemma isn’t going to be resolved any time soon, with the government threatening to break an International Treaty in their desperate attempts to sort out the Protocol which they themselves set in place. Brexit consequences are seen everywhere, not just in Ireland. Beautiful Kent has become one giant lorry park and holiday makers have to wait in 7 hour car queues to get their passports stamped, for want of the extra staff needed at the port of Dover. Fruit is rotting in the fields for want of foreign pickers and frustration and anger is growing at the airports with inadequate staffing in all areas. As for the NHS, lack of staffing is causing huge problems with hospitals, no longer able to recruit doctors and nurses from Europe.
All this should have been foreseen – but it wasn’t – because the Government wasn’t prepared for the consequences of its action. It was very happy to declare Brexit ‘done’ but the fact is, it isn’t and we are all suffering from the lack of preparation.

The Government like to blame their Brexit problems on Covid – but these are two separate issues.. With Covid, the Government yet again was not prepared – but they could have been. Plans had been drawn up for actions to be taken in the event of a Pandemic. But these plans were abandoned by this Government a few years back, so when Covid hit, they were not equipped to deal with it. Panic set in and bad decisions were made, especially over shortage of equipment in the hospitals. This will all come out in the Inquiry – too late to be of help to the thousands that died.

In spite of Baden Powell’s slogan of ‘Be Prepared’ for his Boy Scouts, the adults never seem to learn this lesson. I have been reminded of this lately when reading an excellent book, written in 1941, which has just been re-published. It is by Virginia Cowles, called ‘Looking for Trouble’. She was an extremely brave and brilliant war correspondent. The book starts in the Spanish Civil War in 1937, where she went to the fronts of both sides in the conflict. After Spain she travelled through Europe, meeting Hitler on the way. It was obvious to her that Germany was bent on war and mass invasions, but the rest of Europe refused to prepare against the Nazi invasion and one by one the countries were over-run. Back in England Churchill was a lone voice in his shouts to be prepared for war. When war became inescapable, the British were totally ill prepared for it.

It is a lesson that none of the world’s governments seem to learn even now. Putin is doing the same with the invasion of Ukraine. We were warned it would happen but nobody would believe it.

In my very small way, I have been doing my own version of ‘Be Prepared’ and that is against the problems of getting older.
But that is for another time and another blog.
If you are travelling on holiday, I hope your problems are few. If you are staying at home, be prepared for more heatwaves! But happy holidays to all!

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So far, June has been a month of anxiety and stress. I have tried to rise above it, but the war in Ukraine and the uselessness, corruption, and utter failure of our government, is constantly on my mind. In order to try and ignore the bigger picture, I am now concentrating on those daily frustrations that occur in my life, which I call ‘bugbears’. As I get older the list increases and I am highlighting just a few.

THE HEADLINES IN THE DAILY MAIL.
I really don’t mind opinions being expressed if they are honest, even if I disagree – but the sheer inaccuracy and dangerous right wing propaganda put out by the Daily Mail I find both infuriating and shocking. The Sun and the Express are not far behind in this. A constant irritation.
CYCLISTS.
Of course cycling is a good thing for the environment and I would be all for it – BUT – the London cyclist is a race apart. Most of them give the poor motorist a terrible time. They cut in, use up the road, (even when there is a cycle lane) and on the whole behave in an arrogant and downright dangerous manner. To this you can add the scooter riders as well. A terrible hazard for them, and for the poor motorist who would be liable if there was an accident.
MUSACK
I cannot understand why we have to live with a constant strain of pop music in our lives. This background music is worst in restaurants. It makes conversation difficult and is horribly intrusive – quite from the fact that I find most of the music loathsome. I wouldn’t even want Mozart or Beethoven as background music while I’m eating. I now only go to restaurants that do not have Musack.
TELEPHONE CALLS ON HOLD.
Not only do you have to suffer the infuriating messages of being told you are 18th in line, but then you have to listen to an ear-splitting soundtrack with some poor composer being massacred. This is constantly interrupted by a message to say you are still in the same place in line and then the soundtrack is back, often starting from the beginning. What is wrong with silence?
ADVERTS
Some adverts are quite amusing – some are not. The ones I really resent are the endless funeral and life insurance ads. The same awful little man seems to appear on all of them, telling us to apply immediately. The radio ads can be infuriating too. There is a terribly gushing female who urges us to buy things or to take a cruise. Her voice, which I think is meant to sound sexy, turns me off immediately and I vow never to get the product she is trying to sell.
NHS COMPLAINERS. I really resent the endless grumbling and complaining of people in the surgeries and clinics waiting to be seen. Yes, we have to wait, blame the government not the NHS. Even worse are the people who have had surgery, who yell for attention all the time and then complain when they don’t get it immediately. We are so lucky to have the NHS. They should try living in the US!
JARS AND TINS THAT WON’T OPEN.
Sometimes getting into jars and tins is like trying to break into Ford Knox. Why does it have to be so difficult? And parcels and packages come into this category as well. Why is it necessary to break every nail before managing to open something?

I am sure there is a Tom Lehrer song that applies to all of the above. And there are many more things on my list – but I won’t bore you with those. Instead I can report that I had a late and joyous 80th birthday party, in the garden last week. The weather perfect and there was a wonderful mixture of family and friends, the first time we had been able to meet up since Covid. It made me forget about all of the above – for a while!
Next month I will try an make a list of all the things that bring me joy. I am happy to say this is a long list as well.

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As everyone now realises, the present situation in this country is truly dire. The government, under the leadership of Boris Johnson, has made a mess of things and every department is failing. The result of Brexit and all its consequences is adding to the rising cost crisis. For many in the UK now, abject poverty is real and it is frightening. In many cases choices are having to be made between having a meal and keeping warm. The famous case of the poor pensioner Elsie riding round in a bus all day in a desperate attempt to keep warm, has horrified us all – but she is not alone. It is truly shocking this should be happening in one of the richest countries in the world. The government must take a great deal of the blame for their mismanagement of the economy and their dreadful wastage. Billions were lost through Covid scams, Minister corruption deals and failed purchases of medical equipment. Inflation is going up, fuel prices are souring, taxes are increasing, but the Chancellor seems determined not to help the poorest in society. Ministers will be quick to blame Covid and the war in Ukraine, but their mismanagement has been scandalous. If they want money to spend on a foreign office town house in the US, or military equipment for Ukraine, or a new yacht to replace the Royal yacht, they can find it. But all pleas to help the poorest in our society fall on deaf ears.
What is their answer? Daily advice is pouring in from all sides. Every Minister is wheeled out to make their views clear on what is their answer to problems with the poor. They should learn how to cook, take on a second job, work more hours, manage their budgets better, etc. etc. This really does not help but merely infuriates and adds to the frustration.
For those of us who have been hit by rising prices and fuel costs but are not yet on the poverty line, it is interesting to ask ourselves what economies we would make.
One of my mother’s favourite phrases was ‘we must tighten our belts’.
I have been trying to do this and make fresh small economies, but as I no longer have an extravagant lifestyle this is quite hard. I am definitely reviewing my food order, taking less journeys, and reducing fuel costs. But then I am not drastic case.
For so many the belts have already been tightened as far as they can go and they still find themselves in great difficulty with impossible choices to make. The government needs to act and act NOW. Something which at the moment they seem sadly incapable of doing.

We’ve had some lovely Spring days and one or two really hot. But the weather is changeable, one day hot, the next cold. In spite of this, the parks and gardens are looking wonderful. May is definitely my favourite month and a day in the garden works wonders for those feeling depressed about the present crisis!

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As with many octogenarians I came to social media late. My children and grandchildren were fully familiar with it by the time I finally arrived on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The fact is, I probably wouldn’t have bothered with any of it if my publisher hadn’t said it would be good in helping to sell my books. With some trepidation I cautiously started with Facebook and the immediate joy I found is that I could make contact with those abroad, or forgotten friends from the past who I otherwise would have lost contact with. It felt good to share opinions with like-minded souls and occasionally be surprised at how diverse these opinions could be ! I liked it that contributions on Facebook were often accompanied by photographs and fascinating documents. A time to catch up on people’s lives. Inevitably Facebook covers many  appeals for charities and good causes, accompanied by harrowing pictures of bombed cities and starving children. Scrolling down you are likely to hear famous stars of stage and screen appealing for help with Syria, Yemen and of course now Ukraine. These I do not mind, and it is good to be reminded and to contribute when one can. What does worry me is that these graphic visions of suffering should be followed by photographs of rich meals or recipes that have been put on, tempting us to indulge. They are in such contrast with pictures of skeletal children, any pleasure you might take in these sumptuous feasts  is quickly tempered by guilt.

I tend to skim through Facebook now and it doesn’t take up much of my time. It is the same with Instagram. I have kept my followers to a minimum but even so, annoyingly they will creep in unasked and I’m suddenly bombarded with photographs from people of whom I’ve never heard. So Instagram can also be a time-waster.

Then we come to Twitter. I began very slowly on this and looking back I realise it was very different when I started At the beginning I didn’t really offer opinions, only occasionally putting on a photograph of a park in Spring, a garden in summer or a gallery and exhibition visited. I gradually picked up followers and most interesting of all, on the whole these followers were not those I knew, just like-minded people expressing similar views. At this point I spent no more than ten minutes a day skimming through. Not so now. It all really changed with Trump. Political opinions crept in and basically took over. Trump was followed by Boris Johnson and the full horrors of populist politicians with right wing leanings now becoming apparent. Also apparent was the creeping realisation of the corruption within government. Brexit and two years of Covid followed and Twitter became full of harrowing stories of the suffering of people through the harsh lockdown rules. And now? Now Twitter is angry and giving full vent to the fury people are feeling. Brexit is shown to be failing, we had the Paterson debacle and Partygate unfolding. My ten minutes early morning Twitter time has increased to thirty minutes. I have found my Twitter voice. Having been a rather passive liberal in the past, recent events have sent me into vocal anger at the ruination of the country through its leadership and morals, in the hands of Johnson and his inadequate Tory cabinet. Every department of government has failed and Twitter has given me a chance to express my opinions. I have collected more and more followers and it has become like a crusade. The other great advantage of Twitter is that contributions are limited in length and thus have to remain short and pithy!

However, as always, there is a downside to this. All too often there can be views where vicious, unfair and personal attacks are made. Certain individuals have been targeted quite unfairly, most of all the unfortunate Meghan Markle. It is here the danger of fake news comes in. When on Twitter it is advisable to sort what is true, from sheer malice.  And I also dislike the continual use of swear words. Strong views can be expressed perfectly adequately and with force, without resorting to 4 letter words.   But properly used, Twitter can be used for driving forward change – which can only be regarded as a good thing.

Apart from all this, Easter came and went, the weather beautiful, giving us a brief respite from the horrors abroad and at home. I spent it in the garden – absolute bliss.

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It is hard to believe that since my last blog, only one month ago, there should have been such a mammoth change in the fortunes, not only of this country, but the entire world. A perfect storm of crises has come together and left us reeling. Four weeks ago the vile Putin instructed the Russian forces to invade Ukraine in his mad endeavour to re-create the Russian Empire. We had thought, mistakenly, there could never be another Hitler. Wasn’t that why the United Nations was created? But now this body seems to be utterly useless. Their  great mistake was to have one country on the security council allowed to veto. It  has left the UN unable to act against this monstrous act that Russia under Putin has taken and powerless to take any action. Apart from the horrors this war is inflicting on the Ukrainian people, it is having a ripple effect of hardship that is spreading over the entire world. Sanctions aren’t doing enough and we watch helplessly as  terrible atrocities are being inflicted on the brave Ukrainians. There seems to be little NATO can do either for fear of starting a nuclear war and so the frustration goes on.

In the UK the depths of our Russian involvement has finally come to light. The government and London are awash with dirty Russian money. So many Tories are guilty of taking Putin’s money and it becomes increasingly apparent that Putin had a hand in both Brexit and the last election, putting the his puppet Boris Johnson in power as our totally inadequate Prime Minister.  Harsh words, but every day it becomes more obvious what a hold Putin has.  Our sanctions against Russia came far too late and there was a reluctance to act against the Oligarchs, who have for far too long have been allowed to indulge in their rich lifestyles here. But  – my main criticism of the government over the Ukrainian crisis has been their dreadful and totally inadequate response to the refugee crisis. Under Priti Patel, our disastrous Home Secretary, the UK has been made to look both mean and unhelpful. She seems to be content to leave mothers and babies stranded in Calais, requiring these poor people fleeing from war to fill in  50 pages of questions online. It is shameful and what makes it worse is that this comes at the end of a long category of mismanagement of refugees, particularly Afghanistan last year, and going further back Syria and Yemen. She is  also the person giving instruction to turn back small boats risking crossing the Channel in great danger. Lasting shame on her and her government!

Added to this perfect storm of crises, the Covid cases are once again on the increase and no matter how long this government relies on the vaccines, the NHS is under further stress and the backlog of cases needing treatment increases still further.  No help from the Chancellor either. His Spring statement totally inadequate to dealing with the growing financial crisis.  Mothers are torn between eating and heating. Thousands of children go hungry to school, and the old and sick are left to die in despair. All this in a rich country in 2022. Drastic action was needed and Sunak’s answer? The rich are to grow richer and the poor poorer. We urgently need a change of direction or a new government – preferably  the latter.

As I write this, it is Mother’s Day and I weep for the mothers in Ukraine. Putin will show no mercy now. As one brave female Ukrainian MP told us, ‘When Putin talks of peace, reach for your kalashnakov.

After such an angry outpouring I must try and find a positive to end with. So here goes…                I’m just back from a wonderful week spent in Spain with my son and his wife. On my return it was to find Spring had arrived and to add to this pleasure, we have just had five days of sunshine. You can almost see the plants growing and the trees bursting into bud. When I left for Spain my miniature fruit trees looked like sticks in the ground, not they haver leaves and evidence of blossom. Life can’t be totally bad if you can sit in a sunlit garden and listen to birdsong.

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February is only half through and already we have had enough drama to last us a lifetime. One subject that has occupied the tabloids and air waves for far too long, has finally reached its expensive conclusion – Prince Andrew has settled his sordid case out of court. This has brought out all the Republicans who claim this means the end of the Monarchy. I firmly beg to differ. Of course it will do a good deal of damage, but all families have their bad apples and the Queen’s is no exception. The Queen will still carry on in her extraordinarily dutiful way, Charles will do the same and I am sure William and George will follow, brought up to it as they have been. It is one of the few things that gives this country an air of stability and continuity in this very changing world.  However the hereditary system has its drawbacks. Those that do not inherit, often seem to go off the rails. Princess Margaret found no outlet for her talents and led a life of self destruction. It looks as if Andrew is going the same way.  He has been spoiled, is obviously weak and easily led. He fell into bad company early on, made a poor choice for a wife, and the consequences have been dire for all concerned. His best chance at some sort of redemption is to follow the  late John Profumo, who after falling from grace in a major scandal, devoted the rest of his life working for a charity in the poorest part of London.  Andrew should remain low profile for the rest of his life and try to find something good to do with it. The Royal Family also has lessons to learn. The extended members of the family have done great harm to its reputation. It now needs to be paired down to the direct heirs. They can take some comfort from the example already shown by Charles, William and Kate.

I have to say I’m horrified at the vicious comments that have been levelled by Republicans, not just at Andrew but Harry and Meghan as well, as proof of their cause of abolishing the Monarchy.  No doubt I will return to the subject of press attacks another time, but last night, unable to sleep, I listened in the small hours to the LBC presenter, Darren Adam, with his passionate Republican views. Stemming from the Andrew debacle, he railed on about the Queen being unelected and that now we should be free to elect our leader. I think he should be careful what he wishes for. He complains we are not a democracy, but we already have our democratically elected prime minister, Boris Johnson, and look where that unfortunate election has led us. If we elected a President, we would quite likely get someone like Trump, or even worse, Nigel Farage!  We have a Parliamentary system and elect our members of Parliament.  Leave the Monarchy above such things. That is its strength. Without the Monarchy, hundreds of year of history, along with all the magnificent pageantry would be gone, and we would be left with a drab, grey land, and a very dubious leader. (He should remind himself of the brief years of Oliver Cromwell)  If the Monarchy was replaced with an elected President, it could be a disaster. The public are easily swayed, hence recent dreadful decisions, Brexit and a Tory government. He  also complains the Royal Family is like a soap opera. But wasn’t Trump’s family? And what does he think is going on in Downing Street right now, with our fearless leader’s wives, mistresses and children that’s he lost count of! At least the subject keeps reporters like him busy. I am glad to say, Darren Adam and all Republicans, are going to suffer a long patriotic summer with all the Jubilee celebrations, which I for one look forward to –  along with the majority of the country..

Words and actions have consequences, as both Andrew and Boris Johnson will have learned this month. No doubt the dramas will continue and I will have plenty to talk about in the March blog. Meanwhile we have to survive the February weather. This month is known as February Fill Dyke, which basically means that the constant rain fills all the gullies, turning the fields and lanes into rivers of mud. Roll on Spring.

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