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6月22日 If This is a Man (1958) by Primo LeviPrimo Levi is a Jew. It is 1944 and Primo Levi is in Auschwitz. Primo Levi is 24 years old. He is a graduate of Turin University. Primo Levi is a chemist. Primo Levi is filthy, tired, hungry and scared for his life. Primo Levi is standing before “Herr Doktor”. This individual has the power of life an death over Primo Levi. Primo Levi is a Jew. “Herr Doktor” is not. “When once again I was a free man I wanted to meet him again, not from a spirit of revenge, but merely from a personal curiosity of the human soul”. This sentence sums up “If This a Man” far more eloquently than any review you can read anywhere on the internet where the phrases “life changing” and “must read” are far too easily bandied about regarding various victim lit. Primo Levi documents what happened to him from the transportation from his native Italy to the death factory until his eventual circuitous return to his homeland. Much has been written about this ghastly episode in human history and I found a savage irony that, as a Yorkshire man my county returned a Holocaust denying scumbag to represent us in the European Parliament on the day that I collected If This is a Man from the library. This book is of the Holocaust but not necessarily about it in my humble view, as the genesis of the processes of hatred and de humanisation are always with us, as the Romanian citizens of a city I know and love, Belfast, are finding out the hard way. 6月18日 ICC World Twenty 20: England Crash and BurnMr Tait and I spent a fantastic day at the T20 World Cup, this being my first visit to Trent Bridge since it's revamp, and it's a cracking place to watch cricket as the facilities are first class but it doesn't seem to have that stadium feel which is a blight at Headingley.
The draw couldn't have fallen better for us at this Super Eight stage as we got to see both Ireland and England, and although the Irish went down fighting and having a great time, England were predictably dreadful in this form of the game, seeming to freeze with the bat and get all the tactics wrong in other parts of the game.
New Zealand were so short of fit players that Aaron Redmond was called up from Club cricket and Ross Taylor was crocked. Bedecked in my Ireland soccer shirt and a tri colour, lustily belting out Ireland's Call
I informed my bemused, but supportive neighbours in the stands that an upset was on the cards.
Redmond belted 63 of just 30 balls and Ireland were thrashed by 83 runs, but the criac was fierce and the beer (an eyewatering £3.84 a pint with no take ins allowed) flowed so I wasn't too disappointed.
At the break between games people disappeard to the surrounding pubs but we remained where we were doing what we always do; discussing the odds of England actually doing summat at the business end of a Tournament and reminising about the 2005 Ashes Series.
When our fellow spectators returned they were suprised to find a totally irrational and over excited Irishman replaced by a cynical Yorkshireman in an England ODI jersey fearing, and expecting the worst from Collingwood's team. Such are the privileges of dual heritage.
We won the toss and elected, inexpicably to bat. This form of the game and a fresh pitch means that no Captain can predict what a par score is, and given South Africa managed to defend just 130 against India, all logic suggested sticking them in.
Our innings never really got going, and once KP fell to a wonder catch at mid on by van Der Merwe and it became obvious we had no plan how to tackle their spinners, there was only going to be one winner. So it proved as we staggered to 111 and the Proteas knocked the runs off with 8 balls to spare.
Watching Owais Shah was a painful experience as I have rarely seen a more nervous professional sportsman, jumping about in the crease and strangling the bat in his hands. No wonder cramp has bedeviled his career. Generally people get less panic stricken as their cricket career develops. Shah appears to reverse this trend and it has been since he replaced Bell (underwhelmingly) in the Test side that the jitters have set in.
The problem with the T20 team is that guys like Luke Wright and James Foster have simply never faced rapid pace, or indeed mystery spin on the County circuit and are thus easily undone. Strauss and Cook are good cricketers and should be fully involved in the one day side. Conversely Collingwood, a doughty but not very gifted competitor, has found it difficult to improvise.
Until we pick our best cricketers and give up this "specialist" (reality average with both bat and ball) crap which has seen us lift how many World Tournaments again, err none, we will never succeed in the one day arena.
Bonuses from the Tournament however were the outstanding bowling of Swann, Broad but especially Ryan Sidebottom who led the attack with growing maturity, keeping it together when the pressure was really on in the India game and sending it down at a distinctly rapid pace boding well for the Ashes.
My starting 11 in Cardiff would be this; Cook, Strauss+, Bopara, KP, Collingwood, Prior (wk), Broad, Swann, Anderson, Sidebottom, Panesar.
The priority is to take twenty wickets as this batting line up is very strong provided they can hold it together mentally. Cardiff turns, hence Monty's inclusion as the second spinner. Fred needs more time to sort his batting out as he is no longer a starter in either discipline on its own.
The Aussies.... Underestimate them at your peril but with no spinner and having lost Langer, Warne, McGrath and Gilchrist since the 06/07 series they look to be there for the taking.
6月15日 Looking for Eric (2009) Dir Ken Loach. CineWorld HullIn the first ten weeks of this year I saw 14 film at the cinema, of which eight I would count as outstanding with two (Milk and The Wrestler) as sensational.
But since Bronson in March we have been scraping around the listings for something to watch, rather than waiting with eager anticipation for this weeks releases.
Fast and Furious, the new Terminator picture and Watchmen were all worth seeing, the first two for the action and the later along with Star Trek were decent enough story wise but some weeks there was really nothing at all to stir the juices.
Why do the studios have such maddening inconsistency of output? I suspect it has to do with when the gongs are given out plus this obsession that once Summer comes the public seem incapable of digesting anything other than block busters.
But within this sea of mediocrity Ken Loach has once again produced an island of wonderfulness.
Loach and screenwriter Paul Laverty have a magnificant body of work and must rate as amongst the greatest film makers this sceptred Isle have ever produced.
All the best elements are present in this touching, funny and sensitive piece where we are party to the often mudane, and occasionally explosive ins and outs of 50 something Eric who is trying to hold it all together despite being a lone step father dealing with unruly teenagers, whilst trying to help his teenage daughter cope with College and motherhood.
His mates at work in the Post Office provide him with some off the wall "support", Jon Henshaw is priceless as a guy with all the best intentions who tries just that bit too hard but when, after smoking his son's spliff the one and only Eric Cantona turns up as Eric's confidante only then does our man start to confront his demons.
All protagonists in the film, including our hero's connection to his beloved daughter's past then experience a swift and shocking brush with real Manchester gang culture life, but a Cantona inspired session of truth and awe produce a denouemnent of bitter sweet comedy.
This is a film bathed in pathos, irony, but ultimatley speaks volumes for the success and humour ordinary people betrayed by 12 years of our Labour Government where because of the obession with Daily Mail Land "the many" live in Arcacia Ave, AnyTown and "the few" live off Cranbrook Ave, North Hull.
6月8日 European Elections 2009. Some Positives for the Labour PartyOnly a fool would deny that last nights European Election results were extremely damaging to the Labour Government and its authority.
We have messed up in a number of ways. Firstly by displaying a dithering indecisiveness regarding the economy by wasting an historic opportunity to make the Banks fully accountable to the people they serve by taking overall control in the Boardroom in order to oversee how the vast amounts of our cash was going to be deployed, and secondly through a mendacious smoke and mirrors Budget with its grandstanding 50% tax hike at the top end which won't work, plus a raft of nebulous, catch all "promises" which no one seems able to fathom actually mean in terms of delivering real help.
And most importantly a whole host of Labour MPs including Jacqui Smith, Hoon, Blears, Beckett, McNulty, Purnell and Diana Johnson have displayed a withering contempt for those that they represent via their blatent theft (that's what it is, the "system" didn't sit them down, put the pen in their hand and dictate those claims) of our money. Blears epitomised their over inflated view of themselves. Hefty dollops of hubris borne of being told how bloody marvellous they are for sacrificing careers to represent the Many and Not the Few, lead these people to think they are entitled to trouser a few extra quid on the side due to their sheer wonderfullness and altruism. Pass the sick bag.
The voters delivered their verdict and it is this.
They are totally pissed of with the Labour Government and think we are out of touch and don't care about what happens to them. They see the PLP and the Cabinet writing and speaking to each other and the Westminster Village, and doing little of practical good to get things moving in the economy.
What major Government legislation is going through Parliament at the moment? Lots of talk but no action. What's going on with the Small Business Loan Guarantee Scheme? What measures have been taken to lean on the Banks regarding the flow of credit? What is Darling going to do about all the toxic debt that still remains especially at HBOS and the RBS? Can he guarantee we can sell debt to the markets, and is there a Plan B? What about the Public Sector Pension black hole? Etc, etc....
But Mr and Mrs. Joe(sephine) Public don't fancy the Tories much either.
With the Govenment not so much on its knees as face down in the gutter all they can muster is a pathetic 27% share of the vote, barely more than they achieved last time out.
At the same stage of the Major Administration Labour polled 44%, so Druggie Dave must be demoralised that, despite the situation they are no nearer making a breakthrough that could put him in Downing Street. There is no feel good surge to the Tories. It simply does not exist in the way it did for Tony Blair all those years ago.
And as for the Lib Dems.... Clegg may as well pack up and go home now. Beaten by one of the (currently) un popular Governments in history proves they have nothing to offer as far as the British public are concerned.
I am wholly devastated that Yorkshire returned a BNP member for our great County, but this horrible canker of a Partys vote did NOT significantly increase. There is NO evidence of a rush of votes in the direction of extremism here. The result came from the inability of the main stream Parties to get their voters out. For obvious reasons. It that loss of trust that has put the BNP into the European Parliament and we must address why so many people are so angry with established politics that they voted this way. Don't blame them, or demonise them as being racists, the lazy option. Get it sorted.
This Election provides an opportunity for Gordon Brown to reassert his authority at tonights PLP meeting.
He should tell them that their decadence at having a job for life (450 constituencies will never change hands) , holding the Public in contempt via expenses, back stabbing, plotting and general inertia to the needs of real people has put us in this mess. We do it my way or not at all. Fall in line, remember why you are here and get on with working for your constituents. Together we stand, divided we fall.
The next Election result is in our hands. We can, and must win. If Brown can survive this, he can survive anything. He can take heart from this crisis and move the Labour Party, and the country on by actually carrying through his plans rather than just talking about it.
6月4日 James Purnell: Who Do You Think You Are?Decadent.
Whilst the Nation is hurting and with economic meltdown a real possibility in the Autumn when the Treasury may well fail in selling Govenment debt via bonds on the open market, thus either sending us to the IMF or bankruptcy the Labour Government's decision to enter into Civil War and naval gazing intercine conflict just seems a sick betrayal of everything the Party is for.
I realise I was wrong (as usual) about Gordon Brown.
Let him do his job, put personal gain behind was is right for the Country and forget this stupid idea that a period in Opposition would do the left good.
Ask the beneficiaries of doubling of spending on the NHS and education, those who get a hike up from SureStart, the New Deal plus the countless other ways in which we have moved the UK forward if THEY want a Tory Government.
When I was a senior teacher earning bloody good money, I expect I would have been one of those thinking OK, one term out of Office....
But now I rely on expensive treatment to keep me just about going, we are below the poverty line, reliant on benefits and have a kid on free school meals I am terrified of what may happen if the Labour Party is (perhaps deservedly) swept from power.
It's about the vulnerable, remember that Mr. Purnell when you are leading a rump PLP and we are in Opposition but you are getting plaudits from the Guardian for your principles, all too readily trotted out from the opposite side of the House.
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