For the sixth day in ten, Tuesday 12th November 2013 I had an outing with at least one treat having previously been to see two operas in relay, a theatre relay recording, the Imax in 3D production of Gravity, and enjoyed two meals out and several coffees as well a undertaking Christmas and other shopping for me. The main event on Tuesday was a lecture on Margaret Thatcher by her official biographer Charles Moore at the Newcastle City University, as part of the Autumn series of public lectures.
According to Wikipedia who I looked up before his lecture I assumed his first volume work on former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher would be interesting
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“Charles Hilary Moore was born in Hastings. He is from a Liberal family. His mother was a county councillor for the Liberal Party in Sussex, and his father Richard was a leader writer on the News Chronicle, who unsuccessfully stood for the party at several general elections.
While at Eton in 1974, he wrote about his membership of the Liberal faction there in the Eton Chronicle, and also about his taste for 'Real Ale. During this period he was already a friend of Oliver Letwin. Moore remained a Liberal into his early twenties.
Moore went up to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was joined by Letwin, and also got to know Nicholas Coleridge. He read English (2.1) and History (2.1) and was awarded a BA in 1979 By now an advocate of architectural conservation, he became an admirer of the work in this field of (then) poet laureate Sir John Betjeman.
In 1979 he joined The Daily Telegraph as a political correspondent, and, after a short period on the 'Peterborough' gossip column, was writing leaders within two years by the age of 24. In 1982 Moore wrote a pamphlet for the Salisbury Group, entitled The Old People of Lambeth (1982)
Two years after joining The Spectator as a political columnist, he became the magazine's editor in 1984, remaining there until 1990. Moore co-edited A Tory Seer: The Selected Journalism of T. E. Utley, which was published in 1989.
Following The Spectator, he edited The Sunday Telegraph from 1992 to 1995. Near the start of this period, around the time of the publication of the Andrew Morton book, Diana: Her True Story, he appeared on Newsnight to discuss the marital difficulties of the Prince and Princess of Wales. To the astonishment of the presenter, Jeremy Paxman, Moore said, that because he wished to protect the monarchy: "I believe in the importance of concealment in these matters and, if you like, hypocrisy.
Moore became editor of The Daily Telegraph in 1995. In 2001, his signed editorial "A Free Country gained some notice elsewhere in the media. In this article, he argued in favour of hunting, pornography, the right to employ whom we choose, the right to trial by jury and advocated the legalisation of cannabis. He blamed a decline in 'freedom' on the controls imposed during the second world war, and on Margaret Thatcher: "If you've been in office for a long time you always start to believe in having more power, and she undoubtedly got that disease.
Owing to falling circulation, there had been speculation by 2003 about Moore's future prior to his resignation in the autumn of that year Moore had been editor when stories about the politician George Galloway,which led to a successful libel action from the MP, had been published. The newspaper had falsely claimed that Galloway received payments from Saddam Hussein's regime.
Moore is a vehement critic of the BBC, which he believes has a left-wing anti-Thatcherite bias. Moore was fined £262 for not possessing a TV licence in May 2010 eighteen months after announcing that he would donate the amount payable as a television licence to Help the Aged because the BBC had failed to sack Jonathan Ross for his "Sachsgate" prank with Russell Brand. He saw the episode as part of an on-going "pathology" at the BBC, rather than being an isolated incident.
In December 2009, regarding The Beano character Lord Snooty, also his Private Eye nickname, Moore thought that "he is the ideal role model for David Cameron. In 2011, after the News International phone hacking scandal became public knowledge, he wondered if the Left had been right all along, not only in their objection to Rupert Murdoch's power, but also whether "'the free market' is actually a set-up.
Moore currently writes for two of the publications he once edited, The Spectator and The Daily Telegraph. He is Chairman of Policy Exchange.
Following the death of Margaret Thatcher on 8 April 2013, during his appearance on the Question Time programme three days later, Moore criticised the BBC for giving too much publicity to the Thatcher critics who were celebrating her death. Menzies Campbell accused Moore of suffering from "a persecution complex On the day of the funeral of Margaret Thatcher, Moore stated that parts of the country showing enmity were considered "relatively less important
He had left his post as editor of The Daily Telegraph in 2003 to spend more time writing Margaret Thatcher's authorised biography. Always intended to be published after her death, the first volume, entitled Not For Turning, was published shortly after the funeral of Mrs Thatcher. “
Mr Moore described his lecture as a talk but this proved to be the most interesting and more thoughtfully well constructed of the lectures heard this season to date and all of which I consider outstanding.
He spent sometime on explaining how he came to be selected by Mrs Thatcher to write the autobiography, and that he had been approached to do so without warning. Given what I have read about his work I am struck by the similarity by the other individual who appeared ( I have not yet read the book) to have impressed Mrs Thatcher in terms of her political thinking, Sir Keith Joseph and about which I have mentioned before, that at the first dinner of the new British Association of Social Workers, Family and Child Care section where he was the principal guest, I believe I sufficiently persuaded him of my support for individual choice, freedoms and personal responsibility, despite saying that I was a socialist, summing it up by saying that when the revolution came I anticipated we would both be among the early one to be shot, that he subsequently personally approved my appointment as Director of Social Services in 1974. (Jimmy Saville had been invited to address the conference whose theme was the Young girl in care and turned it down which I now find interesting given the revelations about him)
It was quickly evident from the talk, as it is from the Wikipedia notes that Mr Moore combines an independent mind of strong beliefs and opinions with a scrupulous attention to accuracy and detail, and is able to also be objective in his analysis of the available evidence. I mention this because it is clear, at least to me, that Margaret Thatcher was from a similar mould, the scientist in her where she preferred to be known as the first Prime Minister who was a scientist with a passionate and deep understanding of about the importance of personal choice and freedoms against the tendency of governments to seek to want to know and to control. She also understood that to get against done in the way you wanted and set out to do you had to be bold and resolute and depending on the position, sometimes bloody. She could not stand those, without thought through opinions and who were not prepared to express them from fear of what would be thought of them
I have carried with me the view of one senior Labour politician, who will remain nameless as he is still alive, that the problem with Margaret Thatcher in terms of her role as Prime Minister, was that she led the Conservative party and not Labour. In this context I always remember that while local Labour leaders went onto the picket line during the mining strike in the mid 1980’s they were also adamant that Arthur Scargill should not be seen to win, a view which I passed on when attending the senior course at the Henley Management centre when the strike was still continuing. In relation to the Miner’s strike Mr Moore explained why she had not stood firm in the first confrontation with Scargill but did so second time round, which in itself confirms the realism of knowing what can not be achieved
It was this realism which he reported meant that everyone around her as well as herself were of the opinion that nothing could be done to stop the invasion of the Falklands by the Argentinean junta until she encountered the senior naval man who said it would be possible to send a task force and succeed.
I only briefly encountered Margaret Thatcher once as she passed through those of us attending the annual dinner of the conference which the Association of Directors of Social Services held with the Local authority Associations with each in alternating years selecting, the venue, speakers and guests, although there was consultation over this as the Local Authority associations were our employers and also generally paid for our time and the cost of attending conference. The word back was that she just was not interested in supporting the expansion of the all embracing role of local authority directed personal social services, something which Mr Moore confirmed in terms of her interest in science and economy and which it can be argued the Cameron Clegg coalition has further with a vengeance taking back the role of local government as the major employer in the changed British economy as a faster rate than her government ever did,.
He told the story of her attending a dinner in which she would stay with the men and their port while the ladies from a rural constituency area went to discuss the things which interested them and how one of the farmers had expressed great interest in her disclosing his wealth in some details, but where she had in effect passed him to her sister who he had married and both had settled into their life, while she had taken up with Denis and where he also explained the circumstances in how they came to meet and their relationship developed. In this respect he also mentioned her subsequent astuteness in knowing how to present her background and private life giving the impression that Denis was her first significant boyfriend, over looking that she had several relationships prior to this.
As with the talk by Chris Foote Wood my understanding was much enhanced by his talk (and I hope) by the book £25 Allen Lane, although less so than by the life of T Dan Smith where Foote exploded many significant inaccuracies with his biggest that Dan was guilty of the offence to which he was charged and imprisoned. My other reason for including reference to the lecture on T Dan Smith is that I mentioned this to Charles Moore and then could not remember the author’s name saying it was Foote by adding Paul and then decided to leave it be when I remembered on my way to the Metro station.
Earlier after lunch I took the metro from South Shields station on another bright blue sky sunshine day but with a cool wind, blowing stronger than anticipated. I had enjoyed a small beef in red wine lunch with tiny potatoes purchased for £1 or £1.50 from Asda. I was going for a haircut, shopping and for a lecture by the official biographer of Margaret Thatcher who has just published his first of a two volume edition for £25.
Talking of food I have forgotten to mention my visit last week to the Britannia Toby Carvery at Cleadon where I had been awarded a £5 voucher after completing an on line survey, one of three for the three Inns, at Cleadon village, Aigburth Liverpool and the Park Mitcham which I have used in the past. Find there is a Toby at Mansfield and register with in my the Christmas season. Must work out where it is located. There is a pub in neighbouring village which serves small portions of meat with unlimited vegetables.
On my visit to the Britannia last week I enjoyed an apple and mango fruit juice which with the roast (beef) with veg an no Yorkshire pudding came to 8.25 but cost £3 25, in fact I paid only £2.25 as was also reimbursed the £1 parking charge I had also paid..
Yesterday I left the train at central station and then forgot my way to the Barbers taking something of a detour twice along two street not normally visited which proved interesting. I enjoyed the visit as the barber was also talkative, not Bobby who has the sleep apnoea registered but someone similar who also has the same problem,. The assistant went out for a sandwich and brought back some chocolate brownies which her friend declined and then offered one to me with a I half refused having talk about the struggle to keep my weight down. Before heading for M and S I had a good walk around the Indoor market Grainger market which has several fish and meat counters as well as books, clothing, a traditional toyshop, traditional sweet shop and a number of coffee shops, sandwich and tea areas as well as meals. I purchased £1.50 pack of winkles which I enjoyed when I returned home followed by a Tex Mex oven heated starter, one third of the pack for £4. Purchased from Lydl and which one used to be get from Asda. Later before going to bed a I had soup all late without exercise after returning from the Newcastle visit.
Before visiting the Grainger market I enjoyed a coffee at the McDonalds and now five of the six credits required or a free cup. The Monument Mall has gone for ever, or so it seems. This was a small shopping area with T max on the basement level which could be entered from the same level at the Metro station and where there was a lift up to the ground level continue to the two other levels which on third was a food court which used to be well used. There was also a record shop and boots, a branch of the Newcastle club shop on two levels, a hair dressers, a print and picture store. Where the entrance used to be there is shortly to be opened an Italian restaurant. The basement level appears to have vanished and the food court level. T Max can be entered from escalators the back and is now .
on two floors. It is all very puzzling. The new barrier system for the Metro is still not in operation but the big surprise was at Newcastle station where as previously reported there is some kind of major work being undertaken at the font of the station but now the main booking hall has also been fenced off and I could see now way in or where it was possible to purchase tickets. All very odd. I promised myself I would look on line for an explanation. These is no reference to the ticket office being change from its present location adjacent to Platform 2 but the entrance is described as stunning when completed although when is not stated.
Before getting to marks and Spencer’s I decided on taking a look at British Home Stores where I have made successful purchases in the past and found a winter fur warm all round head and neck area hat in black. I had first looked in T Max but these were coloured mixed whereas I hope to find something plain and black to go with the black coats I usually wear throughout the winter.
Fenwick already has its great Christmas window displays which attract great crows and I went into look at coasts and for my hay Jagger long winter heavy coasts and howe 3150 off their normal price which indicates the kind of level. I did find a Burbery winter hat in black but although an assistant went up to the fourth floor they did not have one in extra large which I needed £32.50) I did find one at BHS also in black with astrakhan type wool fur for warm and which ties a toggle which is better than the club devices which I suspect can become fragile. This was a timely buy (£15) because snow is forecast with freezing temperatures for next week. I have booked to go and see Newcastle on Saturday week which could prove a big mistake.
I also managed to find` a second new black Winters Coat with a slight leather look. I still went on to MS where I bought a pack of vests and a pair of slip on slippers for around £24.5 I think but only involved £2.50 cash as I had £22 in M and S vouchers, The vest are black and will do for when I swim as well do I will get some more.. So I was quite loaded up on the way to the Metro and a woman also sat opposite with a BHS bad among others and we both hoped with would have the seats to ourselves but no such luck as two teenagers joined us and continued for most of the journey to Shields even when the woman left and there were other sets of four vacant seats available. They continued to text or use their smart phones throughout. It was a cold walk back and I had not left the heating so it was some time before I went to bed and the house warmed up.
Although I stayed up I did not watch the latest Masters of Sex episode until this morning preferring to catch the next episode of Atlantic City and now I am about to settle down to the last ever episode of David Suchet as Poirot which all suggest a TV up date starting tomorrow, The Montalbano mini series of four has also concluded with the last series of Borgen, the Danish programme about a Coalition government starting this Saturday.
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