Monday Moan 7

Reform of the Lords

Last week’s debates in the House of Commons over proposals to reform the House of Lords were bewildering to many people – not just those who took part in them.  All the major political parties are in favour of reform. 

The debate last week was impassioned, but the opponents of the Bill were united only in their opposition, not in their reasons for opposition.  Amongst the Tory ‘rebels’ it seemed that behind the various arguments they put forward, the overwhelming mood was of increasing indignation that they are beholden to the Lib Dems for the continuation of their time in Government, and want nothing more than that the Lib Dems should just knuckle-under and accept what the Tory majority wants.   That and a fear that a reformed second chamber would be more powerful than the current version. The Labour Party wants reform – but it wants reform on its terms rather than the Coalition’s.  After all, the Labour Party hardly had time to make any progress on the issue during its own 13 years in power.

All very interesting, of course, but after all these years of talking about real reform, the UK still remains the only major country in the world apart from Canada to have a wholly unelected second chamber – and even theirs has no hereditary element.

Emperor's New Clothes?

The opening night of the BBC Proms is an occasion to which music lovers look forward with growing excitement as the day approaches.  Sometimes the day provides a concert and a performance that lifts the heart and sets the whole lengthy Prom season off on just the right foot.  But not always. 

This year's Prom season got under way last Friday with the world premiere of a piece by Mark-Anthony Turnage called 'Canon Fever'.  The Guardian's reporter described it as  “a saucy piece, instantly likeable and utterly appropriate to the occasion.”   Hmm.  That certainly wasn’t my reaction.  Call me a Philistine if you like, but it sounded to me as though it had been composed by means of the ‘give 100 monkeys 100 typewriters’ principle.  You can judge for yourself by listening to the whole concert on i-Player for the next few days.  But if life is too short and you just want the buzz of the three minutes the piece lasts  then this is the place for you. 

On the other hand, if you want to know what I really thought then try this instead.

A Quiet Sunday Morning?

My neighbour’s house has been unoccupied for five months following a major water leak earlier this year.  The reinstatement of her house is being covered by insurance. 

My house was damaged by the water leak.  My insurance company has very generously estimated the cost of repair at around one quarter of the true cost.  I cannot claim on my neighbour’s insurance because to be successful I would have to prove that she had been negligent in not preventing the leak.

My neighbour is being accommodated elsewhere whilst the rebuilding work takes place.  I have to listen to the drilling and banging from the empty house next door.  The builders have also now taken to working  from 8am on both Saturdays and Sundays. 

Enjoying a lie-in on a Sunday morning?  Yep, that’s something I used to do L

Big Girl's Blouse - part 2

I came in for some stick after last week’s piece on Andy ‘big-girl’s-blouse’ Murray’s blubbing performance at Wimbledon.  Apparently, there are those who think he has become more human through this lachrymose behaviour, and that we have seen a different and more lovable side of him. 

I saw Andy on last week's 'Mock the Week'.  He looked like he was enjoying himself, which was great.  But the comedians were treading on eggshells so as not to offend him, which is not how they behaved on other topics during the rest of the show.  And the audience got to their feet to applaud our Andy - hopefully for his gallant performance during the match rather than his abject one afterwards.

But surely most Scots would say he has to ‘man-up’ wouldn’t they?  After all, if they can listen to bagpipes in public without crying then losing a game of tennis shouldn’t be a problem.