Just as I starting to catch up on TV the news flashed across the screen of the death of Nelson Mandela at the age of 95, after several years of serious illness. The waiting period has enabled the authorities in South Africa to prepare for the event and for politicians to have ready their statements and News station to have available programmes prepared. Perhaps only the death of our Queen will attract as much international attention and news coverage. I switch between Sky news where the second episode banner across the bottom of the screen as I watched the second episode of the new season of Blue Bloods and which I assume the news was flashed across all Sky channels other than news, as BBC1 and 2 ITV and SKY CNN Fox European and other news stations commenced continuous coverage.
It is 9.26 as i was up until 1 am although responding to a suggestion that I provided two new contacts with information. Some fifty years ago following the Sharpville massacre I went to South Africa House and a Liberal candidate arrived with media and suggested we sat down. About a dozen of us were carried off peacefully and taken to Bow Street Police station where particulars were taken and we held in a room, not a cell, while bail was arranged. My care and birth mother had to go to a nephew for help. I was one of two kept back for several hours. The other individual was a black South Africa student at the LSE. We talked and he thanked me. The incident almost remind when I met a man from Afghanistan one Sunday lunch at Birmingham University who was during post grad studies in 1963. What happened to them? What kind of lives did hey have?
My life is full of encounters people with whom I was able to communicate, sometimes briefly.
Recently I wrote about the new sea wall being created along the Tyne river moth estuary at South Shields, in part to protect the new leisure centre. Just in time me thinks as the highest tides for over 50 years plus fierce winds threatened the whole East coast from Newcastle
Yesterday morning when I started to makes notes the choice was between Borgen or Montalbano, other TV or film, the Autumn statement and the 2nd Ashes Test, or continuing the Twitter led contacts and information discoveries,
It was then also 9.30 after I slept through the great wind and rain which hen gave way to some sunshine. The plan was to listen to first day of the second test from Aussi land at 11 am on Digital TV as if it was live starting the previous midnight UK time. I commenced but Australia batting and rain stopping play after the first over switched off for the Autumn financial statements and later found out what happened with the home side 273 for 5 with England dropping three catches. Ben Stokes of Durham is in the side and bowled 8 overs for 26 runs without wickets. He was the least used bowler as the Australians accumulated a massive 570 ending with 2 wickets for 70 runs off his 18 overs after Clark 148 and Haddin 118 delivered the goods. When Cooke was bowled for 3, he is having a disastrous tour as he had a poor season earlier this year, Who will take over when resigns after losing Ashes over Christmas? We were 35 fro 1 at the close of play earlier this morning.
I then watched the Chancellor in fine form saying the Coalition’s economic plan was working. A responsible recovery as the. Government lives within its means in a country which pays it way in the world. No quick fixes. Stuck to our guns and held our nerve. Opposition proved comprehensively wrong. The hard evidence the job is not yet down. Deficit is down but today we take more hard decisions and more economic reforms. Bold steps on cap to aspiration of the young and business. £3000 per family wiped away 2008 2009 which is approximately how much lower the income of families has become. New improved growth figures best for 14 years and faster than other European countries but Euro area is shrinking and world trade weaker. We are too dependent on markets in Europe and North America. Increasing our growth to emerging markets in the world. Jobs in South Tyneside growing faster than London. Jobs to rise 400000. Lowest proportion of workless household for 17 years. Businesses have created 3 jobs for everyone lost in the public sector. One million less in public sector job loss offset by three times. 2018 debt removed and in balance with a small surplus. Borrowing down than forecast Borrowing 2500 less than previously per family.
However the overall debt remains a high percentage of GDP with going up over the next couple of years. The structural deficit however remains. Economic growth is still therefore not enough to reform government expenditure. Fiscal neutral across the budget. Going to fix roof while sun is shinning. Fiscal credibility is new Fiscal Charter before parliament before general election. Cap overall welfare spending. State pension not to be included in cap. Parliament responsible to hold government to account. Government departments expected to continue to make reduction but Local government exempt if they continue to the rate freeze. Some help to military charities and to emergency services.
Basic state pension fair and generous increase and pension to rise next £2.95 week from April around £11.80 per four weeks. He then announced the bringing forward of when eligibility for the state pension would be put back over the next thirty years to the late sixties. With my entitlement to free TV Licence this is worth an extra £300 a year offset by the second freezing of the basic tax allowance as it brought into line with that for adults, increasing energy costs and other prices. Howeevr I have a significant overall gain by the removal of the major debt repayment.,
The chancellor made it clear that every household family had lost £3000 in terms of national gross income as a result of the banking crisis and interestingly this is the amount which under the Tories every household has lost in terms of living standards over the past three years Ed Balls renowned for his bullying approach when in government was outrageously bullied by the Tories as he commenced his attack on too little too late after they had started with the wring approach and were now attempting catch up. He kept to his guns and I thought a made a difficult case for the opposition this year and the green shoots are self evident in terms of economic stats, but you go to the High Street to see what is the reality.
After another night of less sleep than I should, I am returning to bed for a couple of hours and then I will decide to either have a good go at TV watching catch up or a review of Twitter and Googling me. I had a good sleep and then 56 minutes exercised mixed between Fitness here I did my best ever cycle which close to under four kilometres. My sleep apnoea treatment is under 8 at 7.9 hours for the first time since before April when detailed records were commenced, having reached 8.5 hours at the commencement of last month.
I enjoyed spicy chicken wings fir lunch although had to eat about cold as the meal was i erupted by someone from North East Energy offering a free boiler replacement worth £1000 fitted but lass I was not one of the qualifying categories, he advised that with the latest energy saving boiler it would be possible to save a significant amount per annum possible paying for itself within two years. In terms of food a I mentioned previously the Montalbano effect has taken hold with anti pasta openers ranging form strips of cured smoked ham to smoked mackerel, prawns in shell and winkles. I have also had smoked salmon in toast. I must find a store offering winkles in Shields others it is a long trip and expensive my car to Sunderland if one adds the parking to the petrol and a long trip but free to Newcastle on the metro. Next week I must work out a Metro to Newcastle to metro central having got the winkles in Newcastle before hand. In fact I will work out a schedule now, commencing with a train that gets me to the Metro centre at 2.30 net Tuesday. The best way, given that I want to go to the Grainger Market is to then go to Eldon Square bus station and get a bus taking around 20 mins max and free!
After lunch I caught up with the news catching the announcements of the state funeral and family burial of Nelson Mandela as well as celebrations of his life. I had a brief visit to Morrison for milk, no night sweets to sock up so hopefully they will restock or I will have to try Seaburn when I get petrol for the Nottinghamshire Christmas visit, I discovered on return that I had ready some cereal bran with fruit so now have a large packet to add to add to a smaller one. There was also a stir fry for £1 rejecting the 50p pack and which i will us with the met of a chop next week, having the lamb chops on Sunday, sprats in batter and a Pizza tomorrow. Bought some smoked mackerel and tonight about to enjoy pasta boiling now with packet tomato sauce with basil and some Italian style salami.
It was then time for Film afternoon with Mayo and Kermode concentrated to an hour and on an interview with Harvey Weinstock about his ability confluence Oscar awards which he claimed was due to the quality of the film scripts which he always went for first and also the amazing experience last night when at the London premier of his film about Nelson Mandela early life warts and all. The film was attended by two of his descents plus the Duke abd Duchess of wets minister who were informed of he news of the father’s death towards of the showing and which was then announced to the audience. It is one of those extraordinary coincidences which the Queen commented on during her arrange visit to the Palace of Westminster. I can see this film getting a lot of awards at the Oscars.
It was then time for the World Cup Football draw where England have had the worst of all possible results with an opening game against Italy in the hottest of all possible places 15th June next year around 2 at our time. Uruguay play England at 10 on the 19th and Costa Rica the weakest team at 17.00 on the 24th. If they are still in th competition by this game then Costa Rica one of the weaker teams could prove what was needed and playing another European team in such heat and humidity is also not as big a problem as a team used to tropical conditions.
An event which directly affected South Shields has been the exceptionally high tides made worse by the fierce winds and which have breached he defences in Boston Lincolnshire flooding two hundreds homes with others in Whitby and here in the north east both in north and south shields and Newcastle they broke above the embankment but only to th steps of buildings as far I have been able to ascertain so far. There is at least one other high tide risk over the weekend with the height greater than sixty years ago so the new defences appear have done their job in most of the threatened areas.
Now to some TV belatedly. The new Season of Blue Bloods has impressed with Commissioner of police Frank concerned with the latest internal opinion polls suggesting th men in the force felt that he was out of touch. After talking things over with his father ,a previous Commissioner, he goes on unannounced walk about and discovered that the commander of a local station is not on duty when he should. He is absence is covered up be staff but Frank persists and discovers that he mans wife is on last days with cancer. Frank ( Tom Sellick) also covers up and the episodes with him going for a drink a local bar used by the station to buy th desk sergeant a drink and to offer one on the house for everyone on his tab. The main story concerns a well known TV and film star shadowing the eldest surviving son Danny ( Donny Walberg) decides it will not work after the man gets involved in an arrest where the subject pulls a gun and a sniffer dog susses the man is carrying pot, albeit subscribed via medical prescription. He gives his card and promised to arrange for the actor to talk some experience retired officers.
Later he gets a phone call from the actor who has been stabbed, pretends he was mugged but admits he was going to a gay rendezvous via a internet site phone. Later there is a death through stabbing clearly the same perpetrator and Danny persuades the actor to cooperate on the basis everything is done to keep the info out of the media because of the impact on his career. The villain is caught and the actor is grateful with Danny keeping his secret from the women of all ages in the family continue to adore the star.
The first episode was of a very different order when the sister assistant DS is able to hold a murder suspect because the only witness had been steered by her brother and will not hold up in caught. The police operate Blue flue failing to show up to give evidence in cases she is prosecuting. Her position is not understood by the rest of family especially her grandfather. She finds a way of working with his brother to effectively trick the man into confessing and then walking away from a deal offered thus enabling the confession to be used as stand alone and without a sentencing deal.
The Tunnel is a British French collaboration which has worked as an extended thriller with several twists over the with the following Wikipedia episode notes
“ French politician Marie Villeneuve is found dead in the Channel Tunnel on the border between France and the UK. The body has been cut in half, with the lower half belonging to another victim, Welsh prostitute Gemma Kirwan, who was missing for several months. Karl Roebuck (Dillane) and Elise Wassermann (Poésy), the respective British and French detectives, work together to find the killer. In France, Charlotte Jubert (Balibar) is a suspect, having made threats against Villeneuve. Charlotte insists that she only did so to stop her from badgering her husband Alain (Carriere), a wealthy banker who is in hiding fearing for his life. The maintenance driver who found the body is later found dead. In the UK, Stephen Beaumont (Mawle) runs a hostel for failed asylum seekers and takes in Colombian-born Veronica (Catalina Denis). Meanwhile, Karl and Elise find a suspect in tabloid journalist Danny Hillier (Bateman), whose car was seen when Gemma was last seen alive (however it turns out that Hillier was in Prague at the time). Hillier enters his car to find it rigged with explosives. When the timer reaches zero however, it is revealed that there was no bomb. Instead, the killer leaves behind a message”
The British Detective is with his second young family and teenage son with whom he is in constant battle while the French detective is a loner who detaches love from sexual encounters which tend to be casual and where the rest of her life is work abd more work..
Episode Twp “The killer releases a viral video stating that the killings was the first of five "truths", "inequality before the law". Alain gets run over by a high-speed train getting away from people who are following him. In Folkestone, Karl further investigates Gemma's disappearance. Stephen moves Veronica and her son to an abandoned cottage to protect her from Anthony (Ed Skrein), the pimp who ran Gemma. In Calais, Elise has casual sex with a barman, as well as examining threats made against Villeneuve, leading her to an anti-Zionist farmer, based on the coroner's observation that the victims were cut with a saw used in slaughterhouses. At the farm, Elise finds the lower half of Villeneuve, but she realises the killer misled her; she releases the farmer because he cannot speak English. Later, the killer releases a second video in which he intends to target the elderly, who he deems as unproductive to society, for the second "truth", and later attacks a Folkestone retirement home by poisoning the residents' medication, resulting in several fatalities. Care worker Suze Beaumont (Hawes), Stephen's sister and Anthony's lover, who steals some of the drugs for intoxication, also falls victim. “
Episode 3 “recovering in hospital, the killer, nicknamed the "Truth Terrorist" (TT) by Hillier, calls Hillier to inform him he will continue the second truth in France, and later kidnaps World War 2 veteran Jean-Claude Delplanque (Pascal Laurent); his imprisonment is live streamed. Elise comes to understand that the Truth Terrorist is a mastermind, having covering his tracks thoroughly. What he does not account for is that a runaway teen couple accidentally find Jean-Claude, and are captured by the Truth Terrorist. Veronica calls Anthony for help, where he instructs her to run away to London. Meanwhile, troubled teenager Sophie Campbell (Mia Goth) runs away from her abusive mother and is taken in by Benji (Paul Ready), a seemingly trustworthy person. Karl and Elise learn Jean-Claude is in cold storage, and he is slowly freezing to death. The Truth Terrorist brings Hillier an untraceable phone, and emails him the photographs of four people who he says can save Jean-Claude. “
Episode 4 “ The four people are revealed to be wealthy businesspeople, who are demanded to make a significant donation to charity. Charlotte, who is one of them, investigates Alain's death and learns he had a second wife. Karl and Elise realise that Jean-Claude was targeted because he was suspected to have murdered his father. Three of the businesspeople opt out of paying, while Charlotte agrees to pay for all of them to wipe away all trace of Alain. Meanwhile, French police notice occasional vibrations on the live stream, which they determine (via audio analysis) are passing trains. They narrow his location to two cold stores. Karl and Elise search for what turns out to be the correct location. Armed police attempt to apprehend the Truth Terrorist, but he escapes. Jean-Claude does not survive, but the runaway couple are found alive. Elise suspects that the Truth Terrorist may know Karl after he was kicked in the groin (Karl recently had a vasectomy). In the UK, Sophie believes that Benji is mentally ill when she finds a cupboard full of unused prescription drugs. It is also hinted that Benji intends to go on a samurai-style suicide mission, and later wields a katana. “
Episode 5 “The third "truth" highlights the mentally ill; Benji beheads a psychiatrist and several pedestrians, and then kills himself with cyanide following his arrest. Karl sees Charlotte regarding encrypted files on her husband's computer, and Charlotte uses the opportunity to seduce him. Karl later returns home to find that his wife Laura (Coulby) is pregnant. Karl and Elise have to find Sophie before the Truth Terrorist does, who is posing as her father online. Karl and Elise find Sophie in an internet café, where Elise decides to lure the Truth Terrorist in a trap by using Sophie as bait at the Folkestone docks. Instead, the Truth Terrorist attempts to kill Sophie with a sniper rifle, but Elise saves her. Meanwhile, Karl's colleague Chuks Akinade (Bakare) finds a picture of Gemma on Stephen's computer. Stephen, now a suspect, murders Anthony. The Truth Terrorist arrives in France to kidnap police officer Laurent Delgado (Dimitri Rataud), who is accused of murdering a teenager named Mehdi Cherfi. “
Episode 6” Stephen boards a ferry to Calais, only to be caught by Karl and Elise. He admits to killing Anthony for destroying his work to help people, Gemma being one of them, before killing himself with a knife. The Truth Terrorist demonstrates the fourth truth, "the youth of today", by burning alive four youths who were convicted for their parts in the 2011 England riots using white phosphorus, which ignites by exposure to air. Hillier decides to ignore the Truth Terrorist's suggestion of a front page title, and as a consequence, the woman he had a one night stand with dies in the same fashion. Laura learns of Karl's affair, while Karl learns that his son Adam (Lowden) spent the night with Elise. Calais police learn that the French youths in the fourth truth were killed during a riot; one of them was Mehdi. Yacine, Mehdi's brother, is lured to an abandoned shop to find a restrained Laurent. Using a planted petrol can, Yacine forces Laurent to confess for killing Mehdi, and then writes a confession letter at home for Laurent to sign, but is stopped by Karl and Elise before he can return. Yacine's father finds Laurent and decides to release him. However, Laurent is then shot to death by the Truth Terrorist. “
Episode 7 “Karl and Elise believe that the Truth Terrorist is a police officer based on his knowledge of police procedures. Laurent's widow suspects it was one of his colleagues during training exercises, which was financed by a ZP Holdings. However, their office is found to be deserted. The Truth Terrorist hijacks a minibus of school children in Kent and holds them in a farm. For the final truth, covering the exploitation of children, the Truth Terrorist urges the public to attack department stores known for using child labour in third world countries, releasing a child for each attack, before making the public decide on which of the two remaining children will die. Ultimately, he lets them both live and executes the minibus driver. The Truth Terrorist later calls Hillier and offers to give himself up after an exclusive interview with him, but instead, he kills Hillier with a bomb. Cécile Cabrillac (Sigrid Bouaziz), Elise's colleague, finds the identity of the police officer believed to be the Truth Terrorist; Fabien Vincent. “
Episode 8 “ Karl and Elise's hunt for Fabien (Thierry Frémont) is hindered by direction centrale du renseignement intérieur (DCRI), who are using him as an asset. Fabien helped investigate ZP Holdings, who were suspected of gunwalking. Karl investigates Hillier's murder and discovers that his original name was Giles Haddock. Before the name change, Giles was drunk driving and was responsible for the deaths of the wife and child of Kieran Ashton, a police officer Karl once worked with. Kieran had since committed suicide. Meanwhile, Fabien kidnaps Elise. She realises that he is not the Truth Terrorist. Fabien reveals that he was a part of "Peloton", a joint operation of several European intelligence agencies, and killing Alain was one of their assignments. After escaping an assault by gangsters, Fabien releases Elise. Attention now falls on Ashton (James Frain), who is revealed to have faked his death; he is posing as Laura's friend John Sumner, and Adam's online girlfriend. “
Thee are two episodes more which I am looking forward to.
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