September 27, 2016 – 6:45 PM
Extensive coverage in The Observer, 25th September 2016, of the Labour Party leadership and the debate over who should elect the shadow cabinet. It seems that a number of people have failed to grasp a few simple facts. At the last general election 232 Labour MPs were elected with 9,347,304 votes that was 30.4% of […]
September 27, 2016 – 6:39 PM
Charlotte Higgins ran an article in the Guardian on the 24th September 2016, saying that after 70 years Radio 3 needs a rethink . The rethink, whereby composers would be put in charge, reminded me of a rearguard heroically defending a lost cause. The BBC gave us the iplayer internet streaming catchup service and yet is […]
September 5, 2016 – 1:25 AM
“Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” is an American popular song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Ted Koehler. Cab Calloway first recorded it in 1931. The Boswell Sisters recorded the song with The Dorsey Brothers in 1932. Frank Sinatra also recorded the song in 1959. Ella Fitzgerald recorded it for […]
The Observer leader and other commentators on Brexit (3.7.16) like the political establishment are bounded by the rationality of the past. The first past the system is now an anachronism. Labour is entrenched in its old ways. The Conservatives foisted on the nation a needless referendum and will be hard put to extricate themselves from […]
Owen Smith in the recent Labour Party Leadership, has like the child who cried wolf too often, been talking about a split in the Labours Party. As a Labour Party member for over thirty years the antics of Owen Smith and Jeremy Corbyn have led to a “head in the hands moment.” What I want […]
It was recently reported in the press – 16th July 2016 that Cameron overruled Whitehall to boost aides’ pay-outs to £1 million and an encore for top players in Prime Minister’ s Home Office team. I recently made a Freedom of Information enquiry on special advisers. I was informed that special advisers are recruited as temporary […]
Much of the media like the political establishment are bounded by the rationality of the past. The first past the post system is now an anachronism. Labour is entrenched in its old ways. The Conservatives foisted on the nation a needless referendum and will be hard put to extricate themselves from the mess of their […]
On the 2nd April I wrote to the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport. My letter is printed below. “Dear Mr Whittingdale Re: The Culture White Paper I read the Culture White Paper and I have a number of comments that I trust you will find helpful. Perhaps it might help to […]
On the 28th August 2015 I wrote to the BBC regarding the lack of diversity in the music programming of the Proms. My complaint was: “It was impossible to glean Tony Halls contact details from the BBC website but the BBC Trust was more transparent. The BBC publicity states “While the Proms celebrates its 120th […]
February 19, 2016 – 8:45 AM
Darren Henley’s article in the Guardian on the 17th February, “The ENO must evolve for its own sake”, is disingenuous and highlights the problem with the Arts Council and arts funding; a lack of an art form policy that holds the organisation to account for its funding decisions. Before the last funding round in 2015 […]