On Friday October 25th I set out to attend the opening lecture of the Free Thinking Weekend at the Sage, Baltic Square and because of the likelihood of further wet I decided to take my car and which in one respect proved a good decision because it did rain and the parking after 5pm as in Newcastle is now free. I also noted on the back of the tickets that these now provide free Metro transport from two hours before to two hours after. (With the new barrier system coming into force I am unclear how this will be affected although I did subsequently enquire out of curiosity as I already have a Metro Travel pass combined with my bus pass at Gateshead metro where the assistant advised that it would be possible to use via those station which will be staffed at the barriers and which I understand is however only the main station after the initial guidance is provided. She added that additional staff had been appointed. I forgot to ask if as in London where the barriers at King Cross for example are not being used because ticket collects either do a purge at the entrances before boarding or on the train. This is odd given the expense of putting in the new barrier system.)
I said in one respect because I jumped out of the car as the rain came down with coat and umbrella in hand and it must have at the juncture the phone spilled from the coat, something which I failed to hear as it half slipped under a neighbouring car for the screen to be broken as the car sped off while someone else spotted and handed in. I did not know this at the time concluding I must have left at home.
I arrived about half an hour before the session commenced only to learn that Sir Michael ( Marmot) was delayed having set off for Newcastle from London at 2pm. We were kept standing for at least half an hour beyond the stated entry time of 7.15 as a consequence and it was 8pm plus before the talk got underway, supposed to last 20 mins with 40 mins for question but where in reality he spoke for three quarters of an hour which meant the editing was substantial and had to be done quickly for the 10pm programme broadcast.
Marmot is one of the key figures in the world on the issue of health inequalities based at University College London with a department of 120, having key roles for the UN and the EEC with his basic message a simple one while there are dramatic inequalities in health care, these could be reduced rather than increasing as is happening if there is political and public will which is evidently lacking. He failed to state why this is so which from my judgement and experience is the nature of the capitalist in which governments are only willing to address major social issues, especially inequalities through increases in the gross domestic products because of economic activity expansion.
When I arrived in the region in 1974 one of the first documents presented to me was one of Health Inequalities North v South, Industrial heaving industry communities versus the more richly textured lives of those in the urban south with one major conclusion that there was low expectation and therefore low demand for action and where the politicians appeared unable to take the decisions required to change the balance.
True there have been significant improvement is general life expectancy across Western civilizations including the USA but within these nations there are significant internal differences based on the usual factors wealth. locations occupations and inheritance. In the talk he provided a raft of relevant information but failed to provide a blue print for action although apparently he had a detailed one through the publication of the Marmot review with its 35 page Executive summary Fair Society Healthy Lives which I have now downloaded.
The review was set up by Alan Johnston and supported by his successor Andy Burnham when under the Labour Government his Commission for the UK was established after his work as chair of the UN investigation in the work on social determinants published in 2010. The Commission had to assemble and review the evidence and show how the evidence could be translated into practice and for this purpose a number of research committee were formed before the final report was completed.
The first point made is that health inequalities should be regarded as a matter of fairness and social justice in the context that between 1.3 and 2.5 extra years of life could be achieved in the UK. The lower the social position the worse the inequality in health with the converse true. Action is therefore required to change the social determinants without just focussing in the poorest groups but proportionate across the total population. Economic growth should not be regarded as the most important measure of the country‘s success.
A programme should be designed to give every child the best start in life. Everyone should be able to maximise their capabilities (Erich Fromm wrote this over half century ago) and have control over their lives. Fair employment and good work for all. Health standards of living for all. Create health sustainable places and communities. Effective local delivery means participation decision making with empowerment of individuals and local communities. But who does not agree with any of this and the issue remain how and in what way and what are the implications?
In fairness there are more specific policies. These were still too general to be meaningful objectives The emphasis on high quality maternity services, paid maternity leave and provision for parenting programmes, the importance of pre school provision to balance out the most impoverished family environments also crucial. The wider application of a living wage as opposed to the minimum wage. The Integration of planning, environment, transport housing etc. More focus on ill health prevention programmes. The former Medical officer Health had this kind of local policy advising and implementation role in Victorian England through to 1974 when they were abolished and replaced by a public heath function with a significantly reduced status. Directors of Social Services appeared to be given a wider role in this respect from 1974 in addition to the management of statutory care function until the limitation of the care role became highlighted. We now have a Coalition that does not believe in the leadership and change role of public service and wants to turn everything over to people who are generalist political activists, matched by tight financial control with private sector service delivery, a recipe for chaos and increasing inequalities.
Given the very nature of the BBC charter on balance there is a fundamental contradiction with the concept of free thinking as opposed to the controlled thinking of the way BBC is itself controlled.
After a shorter than planned first exercise session on Sunday morning I heard the actual broadcast of Chris Mullin at Sage Gateshead, having witnessed the programme making yesterday at 4pmo the actual broadcast on Sunday 27t. the little red book diaries, politician goes to a book shop to the political section and goes to the index to see if they were mentioned. Paddy Ashdown wrote in the book index to one colleague” I thought you would look here first.” Westminster Palace Choir from all walks of life get to play wonderful venue, Westminster Cathedral and Abbey, the Banqueting Hall. Having only snippets yesterday it was good to hear longer extracts from the selected pieces Mozart’s Coronation Mass with the Parliament.
First classic music he encountered was Peter ‘Katin‘, at his Catholic Boarding school near Ipswich, a Chopin Nocturne. Boys marched to concert in tough De Salle Brothers run school with the pianist was a friend who came to school occasional to play concerts. After University trained as a Journalist Sunday Mirror £81 for a one way ticket to the Far East. Himalayas and got to know reasonably well subsequent years. Music from Tibet and people bring in music from different cultures. Sparsely populated with two or three million people in the size of Western Europe. Haunting and melodic. The Gods of Fortune.
Returning to England worked as a journalist uncovering that the Birmingham Six were not the real Bombers. You went in search of the real Bombers. Got the wrong people for all the big bombings in 1970,s 18 in total with 10 facing the death penalty. Shock to legal system Criminal cases review Commission. Argument against the death penalty bottom line. Michael Howard changed his mind as a result of the Birmingham Six case.
Africa Hill View Junior School Choir sung by his daughter Emma won Sunderland Primary Schools competition an Africa song representing time as a Minister for Africa in the Blair Government. Directed by Joanna Jackson Zulu song. Africa. Walked for an Aid Agency. Taking granted basics and being affected by that. Children in smart school uniform reneging from slums a tribute to their mothers. How their mother must struggle to achieve that condition?. (Explained at Sage but not included his life from Sunderland to Africa nine hours and the extent he was able to communicate with the ordinary people.)
Reference to his thriller made into a TV series A British Coup and a Mozart Mass. . Also was a piece from Handel’s Organ Mozart which the presenter explained at the time was used for the Prime Minister to seduce young women and asked if the audience were similarly affected.. Seduction led to introducing the fact that his wife who he met in Vietnam after the war was over and where he had been before the war, a friend from Bristol ran a travel agency and asked Chris who had been to the country before the War to be a Courier and his wife proved to be the Vietnamese courier. Music its own integrity Very graceful music Vietnamese character, son of wife’s colleague in the Tourism Team, I art less can be more with a simple sketch speaking more loudly than an oil painting Folk song from South Vietnam.
You love this part of the country. Lived in Sunderland 25 years with home there now moving but still an area where one is a few hours drives from the lakes North Yorks Moors North Northumberland and Scottish Borders. Bought the film right again of his books enabled the purchase of an acre walled garden remote part of Northumberland. Of the earth instrument Northumberland Pipes dextrous. Catherine ‘dekell’ playing Northumberland pipes. In tune Our Kate for Catherine Cookson. Programme ended with the music he actually listens to The Rolling Stones and other Rock groups with You can’t get all you want with Mick Jagger.
I then watch a good frenetic Tyne Wear derby with Sunderland desperate at the bottom of the competition with only 1 point scoring early with a head gaol while the new local defender was outsmarted. Newcastle manage to equalise and then appeared to take control of the game but after the interval Sunderland came back and scored the winning goal as the match came to an end thus bring hope to the side but even relegation could now be faced having beaten Newcastle at home.
In the evening the San Francisco 49. came to Wembley in a regular season game in the NFL which the Jacksonville Jaguars the technically home team, a team which lost all seven previous games while the 49ers having lost two games early on and won all their most recent games getting scores of over 30 points. In this instance they were no match for the “home side” thumping them 40 to 10. Wembley was full of 49er supporting with many like me having acquired their red shirt a couple of decades back when they won four Superbowls and were runners up last January. With two regular season games this year here are to be three next year with the Jaguars coming come here for the next three years. There`9t is talk between their owner and the owner of Fulham about the creation of a London based member of the NFL.
Downton Abbey seems to have lost its way where as over the past weeks of Surprise Surprise there have been dramatic stories with split families reunited after decades of searching. I went to bed late with the radio and ear phones to keep track of the violent storm with up to100 miles hurricane winds forecast in the south.
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