In mitigation for Lady Susan Hussey

A post about the recent drama involving the Palace, questions and ‘kindness’.

A 61 year old domestic violence activist at Sistah Space and experienced social media protagonist, born Marlene Headley but now adopting the name Ngozi Fulani, is invited to a private reception at Buckingham Palace.

She has a history. It seems that in March 2021 she accused the King and Queen Camilla of domestic violence towards Meghan Markle, tweeting ‘I can’t stay silent about this. I admire Meghan for speaking out. According to clear definition, it seems Meghan is a clear survivor of DV from her in-laws’.

At the function she finds herself speaking with an 83 year old honorary household assistant old enough to be her mother, a woman who spent sixty years caring for the Queen. The elderly lady is there to help greet guests and engage them in conversation. Ineptly, she asks the activist where she is from. The activist, dressed with Afro-Caribbean styling prevaricates. Almost certainly she understands that the question relates to her ancestry. As Chris Rose wrote today, ‘being completely honest, if I met Ngozi Fulani I would be intrigued to ask her about her ancestry, mainly because she has gone the extra mile to make it noticeable.’

Rather than helping and correcting her questioner, the activist responds with unhelpful monosyllables, claiming to memorise the conversation which she broadcasts as a tweet at her earliest opportunity.

Those that know me will attest to my denunciation of prejudice and commitment to egality. It follows that this post is not intended to condone, justify or defend an approach attributed to the late Queen’s former Lady in Waiting.

It is, however, intended to add a perspective currently absent – the prism of ‘kindness’.

BBC Royal correspondent Sean Coughlan reported, ‘This began as an awkward private conversation but soon became a big public embarrassment for the Royal Family.’ No, Sean, it did not! It simply demonstrates ordinary every-day conflict that arises either from misunderstanding or malevolence.

My questions are these:

• Why did Ms Fulani choose to obstruct the conversation with this elderly retainer rather than to re-direct it?
• Why did she memorise and broadcast it on social media?
• What was Ms Fulani’s real motive for attending the reception? Was it to promote her cause against domestic violence, against racism, to make a point, or to pick a fight?
• Why did she not simply respond with kindness and grace?

If, for a moment, we focus on the intention rather than the form, it seems that Lady Susan Hussey meant no harm and was no doubt horrified by the perception of her questions. To make this story a racial battleground is, in my book, a massive injustice to truth and tolerance.

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Winter solstice – celebration or hibernation?

A post examining the implications of the winter solstice for twenty first century life

Where will you be for the winter solstice, Wednesday 21st December?

Will this astronomical event guide your terrestrial activities? Might your inner spirit ark back to your Neolithic and Bronze Age forbearers? For you, will it be a moment of reflection – or rebirth?

Just before Christmas over twenty five years ago, my digger driver (hired to excavate a spring head at Sutton Bank) insisted that we should wait for ‘his friend’ to supervise the digging. Out of the mist appeared an elderly gentleman who took from his tweed pockets some dowsing rods. Within minutes he pointed to an unlikely spot; but seconds after the second bucket hit the ground, a wave of water flooded forth. Later, when the spring waters were contained, he taught me to dowse and, in parting, gave me his rods.

Some would contend, in addition to ground energy, that it is possible to dowse energy lines, termed Ley lines, linking prehistoric standing stones and monuments. The ley hunters will follow the lines, marked by stones, burial grounds, moats, beacons, old stone crosses and ancient yew, guided by their rods. They will follow tracks marked by the deer and hares. Their destination – the solstice markers.

There is even the story of two unconnected ley hunters tracking a line from opposite directions and meeting by chance on an isolated ley. They were each following something, clearly the same thing. But what?

Stonehenge may not be your 2022 winter destination, but you might perhaps explore one of the UK’s rich tapestry of prehistoric sites – Avebury Stones Wiltshire; Callanish Outer Hebrides; Beaghmore Stone Circles County Tyrone; The Ring of Brodgar Orkney Islands; Castlerigg Stone Circle Lake District; Swinside Neolithic Stone Circle Cumbria; Drombeg Stone Circle West Cork; Rollright Stones Oxfordshire; Boscawen-Un Stone Circle in St Buryan Cornwall; Long Meg and her Daughters Cumbria; Duddo Stone Circle Northumberland; or Mitchell’s Fold stone circle in Stapeley Hill Shropshire.

If you do, let me know what transpires when you arrive and before you leave; and look out for those ley followers with their rods. You never know, they may help you tap into some unexpected and inexpensive earthly energy.

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Reformation

In anticipation of the Coronation, a post about the Royal Family, Counsellors of State, and the transition from the reign of Elizabeth II to Charles III

Looking back, there have been quite a few bad publicity decisions by Royal players – Andrew, Edward and Anne hosting the Royal Knockout (1987), awful media interviews by Royals (Charles 1994; Diana 1995; Sarah Ferguson 2011; Andrew 2019; Meghan & Harry 2021) – not to mention Meghan Markle’s failed walkabout in September for which, it seems, she was not paid! Every poor decision by a minor Royal undermines the institution.

Two further recent events have highlighted the vulnerability of the Royals – in March this year, William and Kate’s lackluster and misjudged visit to the Caribbean, and their jeers in May 2022 at the FA Cup Final. Neither is a clear indicator of Republicanism, but both signify public intolerance of the Monarchy’s historic sense of privilege and authority. Clearly, that has to change. Such reform is a sensitive matter of survival.

As we embark on King Charles III’s reign and look forward to his Coronation in May 2023, the Monarchy requires elevation into something we can admire, rather than that we resent.

It seems that King Charles is already on the case to define the future composition of the Monarchy, instigated or supported by Viscount Stansgate and the Lord Privy Seal, Lord True.

To mark his 74th birthday the King has requested that S.6(2) Regency Act 1937 be amended to reinstate his sister Princess Anne and brother Prince Edward as Counsellors of State. This move recognises that of the current Counsellors – Queen Consort Camilla, Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice – two (Harry and Andrew) are no longer ‘fit for duty’, and Andrew’s daughter Beatrice ‘only occasionally helps out’.

Royal observers suggest that King Charles favours a slimmed down Monarchy that would include Queen Camilla, William & Kate, Anne, and Edward & Sophie as working Royals. Changing the Counsellors of State could be a first move. A close, tight team may result in fewer missteps or opportunities for indiscretion, and focus media attention onto the core group of active, full-time Royals.

In speaking of working Royals, could now be timely to consider some degree of privacy for them? Might we define more realistic areas of public interest into which the media is entitled to delve whilst professional Royals are fulfilling important public roles?

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Baron Johnson of….Herne Hill?

A post to speculate on Boris Johnson’s next move

Why might Boris want to meet with Rishi ahead of the Conservative Party leadership challenge? Why would Rishi, guaranteed 100 endorsements, agree to parley?

Let’s look at the facts on the ground, starting with Boris.

Boris faces a Privileges Committee inquiry with uncertain outcome. He has done the job of Prime Minister once with some success winning an unrepeatable majority. He knows that the economy is now in a precarious, if not parlous position from which it is unlikely to recover before a general election. His re-election as PM is likely to trigger a mini-meltdown amongst some Conservative MPs. There is a host of reasons why he might not seek another term at this stage.

On the other hand Rishi has shown a voracious appetite to secure the top job. The economic markets love him nationally and internationally. This time might be his one and only opportunity to gain the UK’s most senior and influential position.

By bowing out with grace, and anointing the man who helped to depose him, Johnson could leave with authority as the King maker, rather than the shame of the vanquished.

But he would need a job – one with real lasting status to confirm his place in history – ‘the former UK PM who saved the world’. Let’s start with his Baronetcy to follow in the footsteps of Margaret Thatcher, a lifetime appointment that is not dependent on politics. Might there also be a vacancy in the Privy Council, the best club for aspiring nobility? Could Rishi’s New Years Honours list deliver sufficient incentive to stand-down Mr & Mrs Johnson, especially if accompanied by the post of Ambassador-at-Large with international responsibility, perfect for a man who knows the quirks of every national leader and who has the country’s confidence in relation to the war in Ukraine?

The perfect storm could be transformed into the perfect outcome. Perhaps someone should give Rishi a call, or suggest this to Lady Johnson, and appraise them of the winning formula?

Will you do it, or should I?

Sense of Entitlement

A post about Harry, titles and uniforms – written and posted on 17 September before the funeral – and reposted from my legal blog.

The task of handing in a letter of resignation is never easy. We might spend hours crafting the words, only to be told by the recipient they had expected it, and that they wish us all the best with our new adventure.

But the reality begins when we vacate our desk, or hand back the company car. There is a moment when we no longer belong to the past, but are yet to assimilate our future. We are in a twilight zone from which we will progress with time into the life and role that awaits.

I experienced this but once in my working life, resigning from my service as a police officer to practice at the Bar. I recall the moment when the duty sergeant asked for the return of my appointments – uniform, truncheon and warrant card (I was allowed to keep my police whistle). It all seemed so final and, but for the excitement of my next chapter, would have been a genuine moment of emotional turmoil.

Harry Windsor, in impetuous pique, handed in his resignation, but sought to keep the keys to the factory. Being Prince was insufficient. He, or his ambitious wife Meghan, wanted privilege: to retain his title of ‘His Royal Majesty’, his security team, and his uniform.

Whilst Queen Elizabeth, compromised on the question of the title, permitting its continuing use in limited circumstances, his father King Charles III, has now acquiesced in relation to the latter. 

The Great British public seem less forgiving, perhaps following a series of legal challenges brought by the Prince against his State, or the unseemly interviews and publications that pepper such media as will publish them. In public opinion there is no room to remain with a foot in the door whilst criticising the house owner. It is time for Harry – to be Harry – to wear a suit – and to quit the royal stage. 

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Why not retire to a tiny home? Here are five reasons why you should.

A post concerning tiny homes and their advantages for the recently retired

Followers of this blog will be familiar with my preoccupation with tiny homes, having first written about them here in November 2017, here in February 2019 and in March 2021 here. With climate change and resource management coming to the fore, I sense that now might be the perfect time to revisit the topic, especially for those recently retired who seek to liberate themselves from their portfolio of possessions and a barrage of bills.

Did you know that 40% of tiny home owners are over 50 years of age? Of those 68% have no credit card debt as a result. I know not what might be their stress levels relative to their house-owning peers, but I sense they will be significantly lower.

Reason 1 – Capitalise now rather than after you have died

Many over 50s have most of their capital tied up in one asset – their home. After a working lifetime of paying a mortgage they have reached the stage where they nearly own their home outright, or at least have a manageable debt. What better time than to liberate their investment, not by way of mortgage release, but by mortgage dissolution.

There are many options for which to use the capital that is tied up in a family home – early retirement from work, travelling or spending time abroad, start-up capital for the children or grandchildren, or launching a new project – whilst buying a more luxurious or manageable downsize. Bear in mind that the standard inheritance tax rate is 40% over the £325,000 threshold. That means that nearly half your estate over this limit will go, not to your family, but straight to HMRC in taxation.

Reason 2 – Why upkeep a large space?

Heating a home is to become one of the largest annual expenses that many will face this winter. We are currently unsure what government support for energy bills will be available to families or pensioners, but we can expect little or none will be targeted to those that have chosen to retire early.

Vacuum insulated panels provide a high level of insulation when coupled with other insulation materials, meaning that winterised tiny homes are very different from seasonal static caravans of yesteryear. Whilst an energy-passive tiny home is a huge ask, the fact that you are heating a tiny space means that thermostatic controlled electric, Bio-LPG or solar storage heating, will run at a minimal cost.

Tiny homes can benefit from much reduced charges, especially for those who are able to accommodate their tiny home within the curtilage of a relative or friend’s home. If connected to existing utilities and when notionally mobile, tiny homes are free of council tax and utility standing charges, being classified as additional living space by members of that household. All that is then required is to set up a standing order to your host family to cover the cost of energy, water and any additional costs or charges.

Reason 3 – Rip up the ‘to do list’

In a home with a footprint of 200 square feet (the average size), household chores should take less than 60 minutes per week. Instead of time spent cleaning, tiny home owners are liberated to devote time to themselves, their grandchildren, their pets or their hobbies.

Reason 4 – downsize your possessions

Speak with anyone who has downsized their home and they will tell you that the most difficult task proved to be ultimately the most satisfying – divesting of possessions. Those with larger homes accumulate an unnecessary burden – the contents of a spare room that is rarely occupied; clothes that we will never wear, multiple televisions and kitchen knives, out-competed by one preferred; pictures and ornaments that we hardly notice. My favourite uncle travelled the world wearing his blazer and flannels, with a brief case containing a spare shirt and underwear, shaving kit, toothbrush and his yachting club tie for special occasions. The little extras that he needed, he bought; and when he came to return to his boat, he left them behind. His lesson was not his minimalism, but his life philosophy: what you do not need, you do not want.

To this end, the tiny house is perfect. And when your time comes to depart this life, your family may spend an hour looking at your digital photos, rather than a fraught fortnight with a removal van.

Reason 5 – accommodating the environment

Tiny homes afford an opportunity for shared living whilst retaining independent space. The UK has an aging population of between 12-13 million over 65, or 18.9% of the population – the largest proportion ever – set to increase at the annual rate of 1.5%. By 2043 this demographic will reach 17.4 million (24% of the population). The English Housing Survey reveals that 29% of households are led by someone over 65 years, 45% of those live alone, 79% of them are owner-occupiers, and 55% under-occupy their homes.

Judging by the cost of home ownership in the UK, by transposing just a part of this demographic into bespoke tiny homes, especially when situated within the curtilage of an existing home, would make a massive difference to the housing crisis.

Importantly, such ventures may future-proof the problems of assisted living, providing a safe, family-controlled environment for the ambulant elderly, many of whom can reciprocate by providing support for child care or contributing to energy and living costs.

When you next clean your house, or contemplate redecorating your home, why not question whether yours is the home that you need? Sit down and do a cost-time benefit. You may surprise yourself by what you discover!

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Preparing for Armageddon

A post about winter freezes, soaring fuel costs and the steps we should be considering now.

In recent years we haven’t experienced especially cold intervals in Britain, however in the past there have been episodes of world cooling – 1650, 1770 and 1850 with decreased solar radiation, heightened volcanic activity, changes in oceanic circulation and world orbital change being blamed. Londoners would skate on the Thames, the Baltic Sea froze over, and on one occasion the Swedes walked over the ice to invade Denmark.

We are beginning to understand that climate change is not just about warming. Complex weather patterns resulted in harsh UK winters in 1947, 1963, 1982 and 2010. Might 2022 bring a further freeze? Whether it does or not, we are assured of one thing – energy price hikes, with the greatest impact on home heating costs. It is to that end that this post is dedicated.

We are over a month beyond the summer solstice and here in the north east of England the harvest is already home and trees are showing their first tinge of autumn colour. It is probably too early to measure the thickness of a cow’s nape or to count the fall of acorns, but we can count on the fact that cooler weather will arrive within six weeks.

Prepare now whilst you can

Before energy price caps are raised and chill winds blow, here is my checklist to get you started:

1. Investigate your winter energy needs in kWh (October to March). Most energy suppliers provide online records of your energy use for both electricity and gas monthly over the past three years, providing a useful basis to make a forward estimate. Using current costs, prepare a winter fuel estimate, but bear in mind that this will be subject to a seasonal multiplier as we face the autumn price hike.

Whilst dealing with your energy supplier, do a current price comparison and consider ordering a free smart meter to better estimate and regulate your energy use.

2. As electricity prices are presently the most significant part of your energy expenditure, try switching off all unused appliances (especially TVs). Avoid leaving them on standby, and simply unplug them. When using electrical appliances, identify the occasions when you can multitask, for example, filling a flask or tower steaming vegetables.

3. Re-organise your home. If, like me, you live in a home on multiple levels, this might be a good time to decide what spaces you actually need to occupy and heat. For example, might you eat meals in your kitchen, share recreational space rather than heating multiple rooms, target heat to key parts of your home?

My experience of shared tiny living tells me that there are many innovative changes that can be made. For example, with the addition of folding screens as room dividers and headphones or noise cancelling earbuds it is more than possible for different members of the family to function in the same room. You will soon find that family members will willingly gravitate to the one warm area of your home. Bear in mind that if you are heating one room rather than three – your energy need reduces by a third!

3. Review your winter kit and stock up on home clothing at summer prices. If you wait until autumn you may face hits of seasonal price increases, stock shortages and higher manufacturing/transport costs. This is the perfect time to order the thermal clothing and heated throws that will enable a reduction of several degrees on your thermostat.

4. Water heating and water use. A simple survey of my home reveals that the bulk of current energy use is in heating water – for showers, home care and laundry. Here, with a changed mentality, significant savings can be made. For example, avoiding running constant hot water when showering saves hundreds of litres that would otherwise run clear down the plughole with minimal benefit to the user.

Taking simple steps now makes enormous sense, ensuring you have what you need before the energy crisis bites, and giving the opportunity to test what measures will work best for you.

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Kemi Badenoch – a missed trick in politics

A post about political opportunities v political opportunism

Few could suggest that I am overtly political, and those that know me indeed might term me politically naive, but perhaps that qualifies me (and maybe you) as appropriate unbiased commentators on the issue of leadership, a topic right at the heart of national politics this month and next.

When it came to the big issues of the day, Boris Johnson understood leadership. It is the reason why many of his Party members (and Parliamentary members) continue to offer him their support and admiration. We may now take for granted Brexit, a prompt vaccine rollout and early support for Ukraine, but Johnson’s choices, not the most obvious at the time, were delivered with intuitive command.

As the handful of Conservative Party members with a vote, and the general public without one, look with ever increasing horror at the two remaining candidates nominated to lead the country, now might be a propitious time to examine the trick that was missed. Kemi Badenoch.

After Boris’ overly Presidential style, it seems that Britain now seeks a more collaborative model of management from our Prime Minister: one respecting and restoring Cabinet responsibility, where talents are valued and encouraged, and through which an agreed but inspirational philosophy is advanced through a single clear message.

Enter Kemi Badenoch, the overlooked asset of a failing party. Whether one admires her right-of-centre position, Ms Badenoch presents precisely what other candidates lack – the ability to bring the party together around an able, energetic and convincing personality. As Martin Barringer said, ‘A truly inspirational and uplifting speech from a very able lady. She has the clear thinking and analytical mind of the engineer. This country would be a better place with her as the Prime Minister.’

Ms Badenoch offers an identity that has been very largely missing from politics – not simply young, female and black – but visionary in a realistic way, where practical problem solving precedes ideology: honesty before slogan, costings as opposed to fantasy.

Whether the current selection process throws up Truss or Sunak as the winner of this race, they have but two years to demonstrate the worth of their promises. Perhaps meanwhile we should keep a careful nurturing eye on Ms Badenoch, for absent effective leadership from any other quarter of political life, our country may want and need her yet.

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Bad politics

A post about political responses – is it time to try honesty?

Our charismatic Prime Minister, whether intentionally, or as a chancer due to his habitual ill-discipline of taking the ‘short cut’, appears to have disregarded the advice of colleagues, fudged rules and political convention (proroguing Parliament), and bent standards of public life (party gate and Pincher). The upshot – he was rumbled, doggedly pursued and finally deposed.

But has that expurgation resolved a problem with our politicians? Is political life really purged and refreshed?

The ‘elephant in the room’ remains precisely where it has always been. Mark Twain joked in 1897, “truth is the most valuable thing we have. Let us economise it”. Boris Johnson was not the initiator of economy of truth, he was simply a serial perpetrator. And it seems he leaves behind – on all sides of political life – a whole heap of others that continue to seek to mislead us.

It was a recent episode of BBC Radio 4’s ‘Any Questions’ that triggered this post. When first broadcast in October 1948, the programme’s panelists sought to debate with integrity of argument, challenging where necessary and conceding where appropriate. In this week’s episode, when questioned, SNP Work and Pensions spokesperson Kirsty Blackman MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray MP and Minister in the Scotland Office Iain Stewart MP managed to turn almost every topic into a political football. Only ‘The Herald’ columnist Iain Macwhirter accommodated the proposition that government is a fine art, not a science, and that those who govern deserve credit for their successes as well as criticism for their failures.

It is the intellectual dishonesty of failing to give credit – that is missing from current debate, leaving in its wake the obsessive fault-finding that deceptively portrays every argument through the prism of calamity. Whilst as a species we are rarely comfortable with compromise, we are certainly damaged by such dishonest polemic. Shouldn’t our political leaders now be striving to work together, supportively and openly, accounting with refreshing candour their opponent’s successes as well as their failures and errors? If they did, wouldn’t we be better respected and informed?

By way of postscript on our Prime Minister, I would not for a moment write him off. Whilst every candidate to replace him contended that they would not have him in their cabinet, do bear in mind that political memory is short and forgiving. It is not beyond reason that, were he to seek to return, he will be embraced again by a party that is otherwise bereft of both personality and vision.

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Not the News

A post about news broadcasts – what are they, and are they really ‘news’?

Readers of this blog will recall my difficulties with the BBC here and here, questioning standards of broadcasting, and examining the future of the BBC as a public service broadcaster. This post is different – for here I seek to address a commercial aspect of ‘news broadcasting’, asking the question: what are we being given…is it really news or something else?

This morning I awoke early. Of the three regular ‘news broadcasters’ – BBC Radio 4, Times Radio, and when necessary Talk Radio, I chose Aasmah Mir and Stig Abell of Times Radio, not least because I admire Abell as a broadcaster and enjoy the interaction of the co-presenters.

In those drifting moments between dozing and wakefulness it appeared as if the programme producers were obsessed by one topic. Whilst not to the exclusion of others such as GP retirements, Ukraine, a small spot on climate change and sport, the latter part of the programme was dominated by the topic of the Conservative party vote on the Prime Minister.

Admittedly, this was and remains an important issue. The outcome of the vote will have national implications and inevitable international repercussions – but so called ‘news’ coverage extended far beyond information sharing and news reporting. It mainly comprised opinion on speculation, with contributors (mostly politicians) informing us what ‘the British public was thinking’, and re-defining opinion as fact.

It was the BBC that replaced news bulletins, with news and comment in its present popularist, rolling form. In the early days, commentary involved reasoned analysis, often from highly informed sources, mostly as objective (as any opinion can be), embracing, exploring and comparing options, balancing opposing views and considering them fairly and without harassment.

Currently the ‘news programmes’ have sought another audience – one that is tolerant of micro-speculation, seeks drama, tuning into speculative faux-forecasts from bit-players, apparently relishing the interventionist and hectoring interviewing techniques from biased interrogators.

My questions: am I alone in lamenting the passing of proper news bulletins – broadcasts that reported facts and events, rather than a bilious diet of half-informed opinion from third party players and journalists? Why should news programming be continuously streamed? Do I really need to know what is anticipated from a statement, as opposed to being informed of its actual content?…’In the next hour the Prime Minister is likely to announce…..

What has been the purpose of an inordinate focus on ‘party-gate’, or the hypothesised aftermath of a failed vote? I ask myself whether I should continue to consume a diet of ‘news’, or simply turn to favoured podcasts for that tiny drop of discerning intelligence?

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