Month: September 2005

Adlestrop

Adlestrop station sign and bench
Photo from http://www.mjausson.com

I went out to Worcester today, to give a talk, and the train passed the site of the old Adlestrop station, made famous by Edward Thomas’s beautiful poem. The poem’s always been a favourite of mine, Jane and I had a poster of it up in the first flat we had together, but I’d never been to the place itself.

You can see why Thomas was moved to poetry – the view from the railway line between Oxford and Evesham, running along the Evenlode Valley, is absolutely spectacular. So much so, in fact, that when faulty line-side equipment kept us waiting at a signal for 35 minutes, I was almost pleased.

Bush and Blair at the UN

Just been watching Bush and Blair speaking at the UN Security Council (clips on Newsnight for the next 24 hours, about 10-12 minutes in).

My God, Bush is an atrocious public speaker. He reads from his notes, he gabbles, he hesitates, he mumbles. I’m glad I’m not his translator. Compare that with Blair – still reading, but using his notes intermittently, speaking forcefully. World of difference. Now, who’s the leader of the free world again?

Rousseau: Government of Poland

Thought for the day from Rousseau’s Government of Poland.

As long as luxury reigns among the great, cupidity will reign in all hearts. The object of public admiration and the desires of private individuals will always be the same; and if one must be rich in order to shine, to be rich will always be the dominant passion. This is a great source of corruption, which must be diminished as much as possible.

Ranting nutters defiant

Someone sitting opposite me on the train is reading the Daily Express, house journal of paranoid xenophobes. He has that pinch-faced disapproving look that seems to go with reading the Express or the Mail.

I see from the cover that the “World’s Greatest Newspaper” (© Daily Express) has put the Union Jack behind the crusader emblem, and added a subtitle ‘Britain defiant’.

I’m not sure whether this is pathetic or disturbing. One the one hand, the siege mentality of the far right is deeply, deeply contemptible and stupid. On the other, the power of the stupid is not to be underestimated, and I’ve always thought Richard Desmond was a natural for Fascist dictator.

Pies in Brighton

Culinary discovery of the weekend was Pokeno Pies in Gardner Street, Brighton. Lovely modern, airy shop with excellent beef and mustard pies (also haddock and fennel, which Jane had, and chicken and leek for my mother in law).

Quick, friendly service with a huge chunk of mash and mushy peas. Lovely.

British and European attitudes

From the BBC.

Compare:

EU countries have come under pressure to control fuel costs amid a clamour for action from hauliers, farmers and motoring groups.

The French government announced a package of measures on Tuesday designed to ease the situation for farmers.
They will be offered tax breaks and refunds on fuel worth about 30m euros ($36.6m; €20.2m).

“The rise in fuel prices penalises farms, which cannot always pass the cost on,” Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin told a meeting of farmers in Rennes.
“We must help them.”
Similar financial assistance was announced for hauliers on Monday.
Farmers unions have said that they would study any government proposals before deciding whether to step up direct action.

With:

The British government has ruled out any direct action over fuel costs.

Chancellor Gordon Brown ruled out cuts to fuel duties, instead urging Opec members to boost production and invest in new refineries.

I’m with the British on this one.

Ashes news

A good day for England in the cricket, and the Ashes inch even closer. BBC sport has the details, in a story that includes the first non-US use of ‘storied’ (meaning lots of tales rather than lots of floors) I can remember seeing.