The Messiah

Late to the piece but last Friday IQ went with me to the Barbican for the annual trip.

Shaz was indisposed awaiting the result of a PCR which was reported as negative just as the show was about commence.

It was a smaller scale affair with only 26 in the choir and the music played by a sinfonia rather than full orchestra. Despite this the acoustics of the venue helped project the sound thought the variation in tones was not evident as it can be with a larger choir.

The audience was reduced- fear regarding infection I suppose.

From the Barbican website:

‘Handel’s glorious Messiah holds a special place in many people’s hearts over the Christmas period, but perhaps it will be even more significant in 2021

After a year without the triumphant ‘Hallelujah’ chorus ringing out in churches and concert halls, Britten Sinfonia will give an intimate but impassioned performance. A star-studded line up of soloists joins conductor David Watkin and the Choir of Jesus College, Cambridge.’

Political sleaze

Tories engulfed in sleaze crisis after U-turn and Owen Paterson resignation

Conservative MPs react with fury at ‘own goal’ after PM ditches bid to shield former minister from lobbying claims

Owen Paterson, whose case led to an attempt to overhaul parliament’s anti-sleaze regime.

Owen Paterson, whose case led to an attempt to overhaul parliament’s anti-sleaze regime. Boris Johnson was engulfed in a sleaze crisis following a humiliating government U-turn that saw veteran Tory MP Owen Paterson resign from parliament after Downing Street ditched a bid to shield him from lobbying claims.

The appalling behaviour has been going on in one form or another for years but we seemed to have reached some sort of crescendo- or just a local peak of overpowering self-interest and abuse.

So Johnson rallies the MPs to vote down a punishment to meted out to his ‘friend ‘ or just Brexit comrade- possibly to weaken the system of accountability in preparation for his next investigation?

Hence the cartoon:

In less than 24 hours there was a U-turn and Patterson was cast off to the wilderness. No loss there as his behaviour of lobbying for money and using Parliamentary resources for that, was clearly corrupt, no matter what the Tory MPs, ministers, colleagues were saying.

Good turn of words to paint the picture:

“Downing Street has clearly treated parliament as a populist assembly, a lapdog to executive power. That 250 Tory MPs on Wednesday night, after damning dozens of ordinary MPs such as Keith Vaz and Ian Paisley for unethical behaviour, could obey Johnson’s orders to bail out his friend is, if anything, more awful than Johnson’s own decision.“

How long is the countdown?

The Queen spent night in hospital after cancelling Northern Ireland visit

Buckingham Palace says Elizabeth II is now back in Windsor after doctors advised a few days’ rest

queen smiling
Queen Elizabeth II welcoming guests at a Windsor Castle reception on Tuesday. Photograph: Getty Images

The 95-year-old had been due to take part in a two-day trip, but doctors told her that she should rest for a couple of days at Windsor Castle.

However she was then admitted to hospital for “preliminary investigations”.

That last bit is the usual cover for something big. She is 95 after all.

No need for Plan B?

Much talk at the moment about the persistent and increasing level of cases in UK. So much higher than other western European countries.

However, from the government point of view this is not a problem. But to emphasise how serious this is they are apparently ‘checking the data hourly’- LOL.

So the message is that no action is needed and all is ok.

Until it is not presumably when the penny drops that the health service is dealing with so many Covid cases that the backlog of work from the last 2 years is not being dealt with or someone finally acknowledges that the deaths and ill health are not acceptable.

Then we will be told, in months to come, that all action was taken at the right time without delay, and that ‘ the science was followed’. Let’s hope the facts are clear when the questions are finally asked.