At the age of eighty,
travelling has become a challenge, but a return first class train day journey
from Newcastle to London was booked in the fourth week of October to mark
finding that the murder of a former friend, Ann Haldane, stabbed to death in a
Soho Street on Tuesday October 22nd 1963 has remained unsolved
despite an estimated seventy people surrounding her body as she died, and a
dozen of these, according to the Inquest papers held at the London Metropolitan
Archives, being able to give a description of the killer and the direction in
which he walked away.
As the day of the visit
approached, Thursday October 24th,
I considered visiting the House of Commons for what was to have been an
historic day when the legislation required before entering into a treaty with
27 other European sovereign nations to leave the European political and
economic community of 28 nations would receive its third reading before
consideration in the House of Lords over the weekend, a one hour report stage
before being given its Royal assent in time for the British to have signed the
Treaty before 1st of November. In the event the time table for
considering the legislation was rejected and my visit to the crime scene was
brief because of heavy rain. I went to an impressive Disney film again, in 3D,
had a half pint of lager at the Parcel’s
Yard at Kings Cross Station before watching the proceedings in House of
Commons in the first class lounge at the
station and after an enjoyable meal on the homeward journey witnessed a
potentially serious physical confrontation between two men and their partners
on Metro train journey back to South Shields finding later that was but one of several recent acts of violence
on this part of the Tyneside and Wearside Metro train system according to
reports in the Shields Gazette and the Newcastle Evening Chronicle.
Although I enjoyed many
aspects of the journey and visit, I was left with the feeling of failure and inadequacy
which has affected much of my life over the past three decades. The impotence
of being unable to influence events for the better.
Since writing these words the
people in the British Home nations know that the most important general
election since that in 1945 will take place on December 12th and I need to finish or interrupt a number of
activities so that I can devote the greater part of each day to help the Labour
Party which I first joined in Wallington in 1960 to form the next government
and where my friend Ann Haldane had joined the separate young socialists before
me.
On Saturday October 19th
, four days before my journey, the House of Commons voted by 322-306 to delay
further consideration of the proposed legislation to implement the proposed
Leave Treaty and new political declaration. The significant development then,
and still, is that the Democratic Unionist Party supported the delay
because of betrayal of the commitment given by Boris Johnson to their annual
conference that he would not support either the existing proposed back stop insurance
requirement, or a border along the Irish sea between Northern Ireland and the
three mainland home nations. This commitment together with the promise to leave
the community before November 1st had been a factor in being elected
Prime Minister by the Tory Party membership as the other candidate, former
Health and Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, had been honest in admitting that
given the composition of the House of Commons getting agreement which would satisfy
the Commons before the latest date
agreed with the Community could not be guaranteed.
The usual procedure after such
a vote has taken place is for the Leaders of the political parties to use a
Point of Order to explain their position in the light of the decision. In this
instance the Prime Minister remained defiant and determined, which did not surprise,
but the action of the Leader of the House of Commons, the cultured, erudite and
eccentric Jacob Rees-Mogg, used the same
procedure to announce the abandonment of business planned for Monday, which he had announced on Thursday there would be further
debates on the government programme, and instead there would another attempt
the end the Parliament with a General Election on December 12th. In terms of the procedures of the Commons the
Speaker resisted ruling the move disorderly as notice if the intention to
change the programme had not been given.
The motion to delay giving
approval in principle to the proposed Withdrawal agreement until the
legislation had published, considered and passed, meant that the Prime Minister
was required to seek a third extension
writing a letter which had been
set out under legislation which the House of Commons had successfully passed
as a private member backbench Act, and which
the Prime Minister and leading members of the Cabinet describe as the Surrender
Act. His response reinforced the view of
a juvenile mentality and unfitness for a public office, let alone that of Prime
Minister. He sent the letter without his signature accompanied by a formal
letter of explanation, and a third explaining his continuing opposition to delay
and wish to Leave before November 1st.
Moreover, it quickly emerged that
there would be a future programme motion would ensure that the legislation passed
in the Commons by Thursday, then to the House of Lords, sitting over the weekend if necessary with an hour to consider any Lords’ amendments
on Monday followed by seeking Royal
Assent.
On Sunday, October 20th,
Sir Kier Starmer, the Labour Party’s brilliant architect of its policy,
strategy and tactics towards exiting the European, confirmed on the Andrew Marr
Show, the continuing consistent approach
the Party has taken since agreed at its annual conference, and detailed the flaws
in the proposed Treaty and withdrawal legislation. Although Leaving with transitional arrangement which ruled out
no deal appeared proposed, if the future
trade agreement with the Community is not agreed by June 2020, the government
could then choose to leave without a deal, and the majority in the Commons
subsequently rejected the oral assurance
that the Commons would be consulted before such a move was taken. The
government were also pretending that there would be no administrative border between Northern Ireland
and the three homeland other nations, and the proposed simple majority required
in the future devolved Parliament changed
the terms if the Good Friday agreement which effectively required both Unionist
and Nationalist Parties to agree before any changes to legislation are agreed. This
paved the way for the administrative border to become indefinite and a
referendum for an all-Ireland Government likely as it does for a new referendum
for full independence in Scotland which voted significantly in favour of remain
and the Tory Government promised that
remaining part of Britain meant membership of the European Community was also
confirmed.
For me, the most important point
which Sir Keir made and one which I had not previously been sure he fully appreciated,
is that the intention of Nigel Farage and the Brexit Party, as it is of the United
Kingdom Independence Party, other right wing Parties and movements, the core membership
of European Research Group of the Tory Party, those engaged in Global Finance
and business, to pursue low corporate taxation, limited or no trade union and
general worker’s rights similar to that in the United States of North America,
admirably exposed by Simon Reeve in his present
series of travels highlighting the level of homelessness in Los Angeles, the use
of slave illegal migrant labour in the Californian valley, and polices which help to put into question the future of the
earth planet. This political difference is
more important than if we are part of the political structure of the European
Community.
In 1962, I represented Ruskin
College on a committee of the Oxford University Labour Party formed to oppose
British entry into the Common Market because
it was evidently working to promote an uncontrolled and unplanned market
economy for the already richest countries on the continent. The committee was
short lived because General De Gaulle, President of France said Non.
At the same time my study of
history suggested that a united states of all Europe with a European defence organisation was a long term
necessity if military conflict within Europe was to be avoided. The need to
avoid the kind of death and destruction Europe has experienced for centuries
leading to the first and second would wars within three decades of the first
half of the twentieth century has affected all of us with direct experience.
Having said this, the reason
why I accept it is necessary that we leave the present political union, hopefully for only a matter years rather than decades, at the same time as
developing and strengthening all other relationships, it because the British electorate
was told without any ifs or buts, changes in political or economic circumstances, the referendum decision would be respected
and implemented. Failure to leave the political
aspects of the community, severely undermines British democracy and fuels right wing extremism, and the scapegoating of races, and any deviating
from was is politically determined as the acceptable norm.
In the mid 1980’s after
attending an international senior management course, it was evident from the
factual information provided that the move towards a globalized economy and
global trading alliances would accelerate and that the European economic structure would need to be
strengthened if we were to retain income and expenditure standards as the trading economies in other parts of the
world also strengthened. I circulated a paper on the issue, including to Michael Heseltine
the Member for Henley on Thames where the management college I located, which impressed him sufficiently to write a
personal letter saying he was circulating
widely in Whitehall. I received a letter of interest from the Human
Resources Director at the Department of Defence, which given my background I
still find amusing.
The solution to the economic and
political aspects of our future relationship with Europe is that worked out by
Sir Keith and the Labour Party at his annual conference two years ago and which
continues to be the position with the commitment to hold a confirmation referendum
to leave the political union but not the economic union, together with the
option to formally ask to Remain.
The successful alliance
between the Labour Party, the Scottish National Party, the Liberal Democrats,
the Greens, together with members of other parties and those who have become independents to prevent leaving without a transitional period and an agreed
in advance basis for future trading and other relationships, was always destined
to break down, once the immediate threat of no deal was removed and this has
been so. It was also evident that the failure
to Leave on March 31st would impact on the European elections and on
any General election held before leaving with or without a deal. However, I did
not fear an early general election as long as there was no pact between the
Tory, Brexit and UKIP parties to concentrate on winning Labour Party and Lib
Dem held or likely to be won seats.
The Scottish Nationalist Party
know that the resignation of Tory Leader in Scotland Ruth Davison coupled with a
rogue politically creative maniac of a Prime Minister and his political guru
Dominic Cummings, should result in the departure of every Scottish Tory Party
Member and that in the event of a
minority Labour Government Jeremy Corbyn would not stand in the way of a second
independence reference although it is in Labour’s interest for Scotland to
remain in the Union, and for Labour to
gain seats from the Nationalists as well as the Conservatives. Labour
needs to gain House of Commons seats in Scotland to establish and overall
majority and a Labour Government remaining part of the Customs Unions Union
should be able to offer a new devolution
deal which could encourage the Scottish
nationalists delaying putting the issue
to a new independence referendum. As with the DUP money talks and binds.
It is also evident that the
inexperienced new leader of the Liberal Democrats is an opportunist who still hopes
to build on the summer success of appealing to the undemocratic Remainers, especially
once it was evident that majority of the Remainers, and anti-Corbyn and John
McDonnell members of the Parliamentary Labour
Party were not going to attempt to form
a centrist new party. Once 19 members of
the Parliamentary Labour Party voted for the second reading of the Withdrawal
Bill, the Liberal Dems and Scottish Nationalists had no choice but to go for a general
election and once this was signalled, it forced Boris to stop bluffing, accept
no deal and gamble that Nigel Farage would hesitate before contesting every
Tory seat.
Contrary to the majority of
political commentators the outline of the general election result can be predicted
as long as there is no secret deal between Johnson and Farage to limit the
damage in England and Wales. In Scotland perhaps one or two conservatives will survive
because of local factors and personalities but the more likely none will, and the issue is whether Labour can gain some
of these as well as retaining those presently held. In Wales the position is
likely to remain as it is now overall. In Northern Ireland the position of Unionists
will be strengthened depending on the present demographics with Catholic
Nationalists. The Liberal democrats will gain seats from the Tories in the
South West and may also do so in London. The Tories will not gain seats in the
North but could gain a few seats in the Midlands.
My present predication is therefore
no Party will be in overall control, but Labour will hold the largest number of
seats sufficient to form a minority government, and be given the time by the European
Community to negotiate the terms of a new treaty and for time to put this in a
referendum with the option to remain by the revocation if Article 50. The outcome
of such a referendum cannot be predicted.
It is also possible that in
these circumstances a Minority Labour Government could continue to function and
implement the less controversial aspects of its manifesto.
One factor will be to get the Northern
Ireland Assembly up and running and offer the Executive, the Parliaments in Scotland
and Wales more powers and more money.
Alongside I believe the
priority should be to transfer back to the local councils the funds required to develop the social and community health care, education and housing programmes together with the youth service, and community policing.
Only if the election result is an overall majority should the emphasis be on bringing Rail, Water and the Post Office into a new
form of public and employee ownership
unless agreement can be reached with Libs Dems and other centrist groupings in
the Commons.
However, Corbyn
will grow personally in stature until the Tories are able and willing to
replace Boris if he has not immediately surrendered after losing the election. The decision to revoke
article 50 will lead to a new right wing party being created from the Tory,
Brexit and UKIP memberships and could see the end of the present Tory Party.
The unpredictable aspect is
the actual door step and campaigning power of the Labour Party’s membership,
the extent to which the limitations of
Boris and the inexperience of Ms Swinson are exposed and the honesty, openness and
integrity of Jeremy Corbyn can withstand and overcome the unscrupulous behind the scenes interventions led by the Russian, Chinese, USA and Israeli political leaders who all fear a real democratic
socialist party gaining political power
in one of the top economically powerful countries.
Despite the rain, it was
important to revisit the Dean Street in Soho and the place were Ann Haldane was
murdered in October 1963, having decided to suspend writing about what is know
to have happened while I continue to digest the new information arising from meetings held on the afternoon
and evening of Friday September 13th, the decision to advise a contact in London’s Metropolitan police appointed to
review the available documentation and
deciding if to change the focus of the autobiographical work and possible refer
the latest information to those with resources to assess whether the new
information changes the perspective that I had developed.
The visit also provided the
opportunity to experience the new carriages of Azuma trains, what were to have been
the flagships of Virgin before the failure
of its service from London to the North
East and Scotland. The first difference was the absence of reserved seat
tickets tucked into the back of each seat, replaced by digital indicators which
only indicate the current position of
the seat and not the sequence of occupants. I was allocated an aisle forward seat at a
table of four with someone about to sit
immediately facing me deciding to find
someone else with the outcome that I was left on my own for the whole journey.
The other new feature is a TV
screen at each end of the carriage which provides updated information on stations,
times and connections, plus news headlines and offers. On the way back we were
given minute by minute changes to the amount of delay which reached 16 minutes
before Darlington and was around 13
minutes on arrival.
There is also a new “Let’s
dine” first class menu booklet choosing the full LNER breakfast with Yorkshire
sausage and Yorkshire bacon, baked beans, a flat mushroom, hash brown and fried
egg. I had to wait sometime as priority was given to the bacon rolls.
Fortunately, a round of brown toast with marge and marmalade arrived quickly and I enjoyed
two more rounds later and three coffees.
I had already seen the Disney
film mistitled Maleficent, Mistress of Evil as a Superscreen, surround sound,
production at the Cineworld in Newcastle and as no film other film appealed, the
opportunity was taken to see the film again in 3D which continues to impress as
the film medium of first choice, although if I could cope, 4DX is better. I
have recently experienced 270 degree screen vision for the second time, with Gemini
Man, concluding that the sensory overland was not enjoyable and distracted.
There was only one other individual for 1 pm showing so and the film the 3D production
did not disappoint with a good balance between the sense of depth with
appropriate out of screen moments. I was struck by the similarities of the cavernous
world of the winged creatures able to transform their appearance and the hidden world in the last “How to Train Your Dragon” film. The
other thought was if the impact of today’s
cinematic digital technology still caused the same wonder as the transformation
of Kansas into the world of Oz which the 1939 film had on me.
I arrived back at the Kings
Cross St Pancras combined underground train system making by way to one end of
St Pancras station unintentionally and passing the entrance to the high speed
trains into Europe noted about thirty
police in attendance some with powerful automatic weapons and wondered is this
was usual or because of some new threat
intelligence. No one appeared spooked by the number and people were eating out
and also listening to two pianists playing at different ends of the station ground level.
I did some shopping in Boots and looked around Marks and Spencer debating to
buy some food, not having eaten since mid-morning, I changed my mind and on
crossing over to Kings Cross decided I would enjoy a lager beer, making my way to
the Parcel’s Yard where I had to drink
the half in a corridor seat before a
table became available.
I cannot visit the Parcel’s yard
without reflecting on the visit made on January 2nd 2014, and
meeting two members of the group where the senior politician involved, Tom
Watson, deputy Leader of the Labour party
is under fire because he, the police and others were taken in by someone
who made serious allegation against prominent politicians past and present and
which led to one of the major police operation involved in the investigation and reinvestigation of past
allegations of child abuse. From third
party information, some well-informed, I have never doubted that some politicians
were directly involved, but went on record in writing to the House of Commons Home
Affairs Committee, those organising the People’s
Tribunal and whoever care to listen that some of the men making allegations should
be treated with caution and that the emphasis on national politicians could deflect
from investigating and understanding, the scale, the causes and the lifelong
effects of the abuse. On January 2nd, 2014, I spent four hours with both individuals and a further two
hours with one, before over the next 48 hours working out what to do next and halting my ongoing work of the Artman 101
Installation. It was another two years before deciding to undertake the research
required for an autobiography, nd wondering if the murder of Ann Haldane had
been brought to justice.
Moving to the First class
lounge class lounge, I made do with coffees, a treacle muffin, a banana and
tried three small packets of different corn snacks at same time as trying to hear what was being
said in the House of Commons as Government’s legislation and policy programme
was formally agreed.
On the train, a couple were
already seated at the table facing me in the allocated seat, but I found a
vacant two seat table mid carriage. As the train was about to depart a man who
I recognised as a Conservative Party junior Minister considered taking the vacant
seat, looked me over, and then decided to see what else was available so the
opportunity for an interesting exchange of views was missed. Rishi Sunak, the
Member of Parliament for Richmond has been chief secretary at the Treasury
since July. He took over the seat from William Hague, was head boy at Winchester,
obtained a degree in Philosophy Politics Economics at Lincoln College, Oxford,
became a Fulbright scholar at Stanford in US of North America, and went into Hedge fund management before politics. This Sunday he appeared on the Andrew Marr show on behalf of the Tory alternative to the Farage version of hard Brexit, who also appeared with John McDonnell.
I enjoyed the summer chicken
casserole, having a pre-prandial whisky with ginger on the rocks, followed by another
post prandial and a diet Pepsi after York. I had another treacle muffin noting
the advertised creamy vanilla filling and a packet of crisps with the first of
the drinks.
It was just before eleven when
the train ended its journey at Newcastle, and I spotted that one of train crew
had left their blazer which did not belong to any of team departing the carriage
before me. I was therefore pleased with myself on going to the platform via the
lift as the escalator was stopped and was
relaxed until Jarrow when two couples
entering the carriage started to get
into an aggressive confrontation both men squaring up. One couple departed at
Tyne Dock where the driver came out of his cab
to observe the remaining male hammering hard at the door in frustration.
This couple then departed at Chichester. At South Shields the driver confirmed
he had reported the incident which I assumed had also been filmed on the carriage
camera. I made my way out of the
brilliant new Metro and bus station noting that the all night coach to
London had already departed remembering the occasion when with my eldest daughter
we joined at the Washington Service area the overnight coach from Newcastle to
London and made our way to Wembley Stadium to attend the British part of Live
Aid. At the age of eighty there is a tendency to see the present through the
lens of the past and debate the decisions and choices made and review the
experiences enjoyed and those not.
