The PROBLEM OF THERESA

As the blessed summer recess sends MPs to their favourite faraway fleshpots where they hope their sins will not be featured in The Sun, the more contemplative Tory MPs wake up screaming in the night seeing horrid visions of a fouled-up Brexit, lost constituencies and the nightmare of a Jeremy Corbyn government putting the UK back 73 years to the advent of dismal Clem Attlee, or even 370 years to the heyday of the Levellers. These MPs would normally simply demand sharp action from their Leader, but alas, their Leader is Theresa May, already found wanting on numerous counts and as inspirational as a limp stalk of last month’s rhubarb. A low murmur can be heard in the Shires and in the loyal heartland of England, with due acknowledgement to Rogers and Hammerstein, asking in agony “How do you solve a problem like Theresa?”

Theresa's time to depart

Our erstwhile European “friends” could offer rapid answers. The French could volunteer “Madame la Guillotine”, the Czechs “Defenestration”, the Spanish “The Garrotte” and the Germans, spoilt for choice from their own dark history, would suggest “The Firing Squad”. Of course, the Russians deployed an ice-pick on Trotsky and pistol shots to the forehead for Beria. The Americans have seen 4 Presidents succumb to an assassin’s bullet but the British have only witnessed one violent end to a Prime Minister and that was Spencer Perceval in 1812, but his assailant was clearly deranged. No, we Brits want a constitutional solution for Theresa’s finale, bloodless but decisive and irrevocable.

Sadly, the electoral arithmetic could hardly be less promising. The Conservatives have no majority in Parliament and depend on the support of the Democratic Unionists from Ulster.

Party	Seats
Conservative	316
Labour	258
Scottish National Party	35
Liberal Democrat	12
Democratic Unionist Party	9
Independent	7
Sinn Féin	7
Plaid Cymru	4
Green Party	1
Speaker	1
Total number of seats	650

Theresa was chosen as the Leader to unify the badly split Tories – to paper over the cracks. She gambled but lost in an attempt to strengthen her party’s position by calling a snap election in June 2017, which made her position worse. Her own feeble campaigning was much to blame.  She has since formulated her “Chequers” proposal, much too concessionary to the EU in the view of most Brexiteers but supported by many other Tories. The EU has yet to pronounce but recent experience is that it will react entirely negatively. A “no-deal” Brexit is a real possibility with every Remainer Cassandra prophesying doom. The torrent of gloomy predictions emanating from the Treasury since 2016 have actually all proved false. Theresa might conceivably win a vote of confidence in the Commons if some half-respectable deal were negotiated but a new man at the helm would struggle to reconcile the 60-80 diehard Brexiteers with the 100 or so tepid Remainer Tories and the mass of stolid backbenchers.

The fact is that Teresa is not a believer in Brexit and has no vision of its stimulus and opportunities. The other leading Tories - Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees Mogg, David Davis, Michael Gove and Philip Hammond – are saving their powder for a showdown at the right moment, but that moment has not yet arrived. Every delay makes Theresa better entrenched and a feeble Brexit deal more likely. All great political parties need maintenance, the speeches to warm the grass-roots, the flesh-pressing bonhomie, the private words of confidence and appreciation from the Leader and the convincing performances before the media – all little arts which Theresa has failed to master. A party not thus maintained will fail and collapse as surely as that ill-fated Morandi motorway bridge in Genoa.

An unmaintained Genoa bridge

Utter despair is not the rational reaction. Let us peek into the future, as I see it. A deal will emanate from Brussels and London, not ideal, but as Gove said “Do not make the perfect the enemy of the good”. The House of Commons by a free vote or (less likely) a second referendum will approve the deal. All in the UK are heartily sick of the Brexit discussions and want to move on, convinced that the EU is not our kind of game nor led by our kind of people. A handful of Labour Brexiteers will support the deal, and the views of the declining SNP, the moribund Liberal Democrats and assorted oddballs outside the Tories may sway the parliamentary vote. We will leave on 29 March 2019 as agreed with a transition period until 31 December 2020. What new alignments on Left and Right shall emerge? Soon after 29 March a new Tory Leader will call and convincingly win a general election.

Who knows? We will see!

SMD

26.08.2018

Text Copyright © Sidney Donald 2018.

---

FLEXIBLE GREECE

In July 2016 the SYRIZA (i.e. loony leftist) prime minister of Greece, Alexis Tsipras called a hasty referendum to seek the approval of the people for a harsh EU/IMF bail-out package (the third one!). Rejection was particularly advocated by Yannis Varoufakis, the brilliant but erratic Finance Minister, and indeed the vote easily rejected the bail-out package.  However, after a few days contemplation, Tsipras decided to take the safer option and to knuckle under to the EU terms. Varoufakis lost office and heavily indebted Greece has feebly limped along. The bail-out notionally expired a day or two ago and Tsipras has since won an election and retained the premiership. These political gymnastics would have earned in the UK Churchill’s famous gibe at Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald “I never thought I would live to see the day that The Boneless Wonder was standing at the Treasury Bench!” But in Greece, a firm back-bone is a luxury it is unable to afford and Tsipras is forgiven.

Boneless if pragmatic Tsipras and erratic but smart Varoufakis

Since early June I have been mainly in Athens but have just returned from 10 days in our cherished Aegean island of Samos. We travelled by car ferry, not recommended in the crowded high season culminating in the 15 August Feast of the Assumption. The ferries are large and comfortable but the time spent waiting about to embark and disembark and the stifling car-decks themselves are a trial for an oldie like me. On the way back, on the short Mykonos to Syros leg, we were treated to an old-fashioned piece of salesmanship. A burly islander carrying a huge wicker basket full of Syros delicacies invaded the seating area and we bought some Halvadopitas.

Halvadopitas from Syros

Halvadopitas are waffle-like pies stuffed with creamy nougat and impregnated with sugar and honey. They are a cheap sweetmeat originating in Syros – not part of your calorie-controlled diet! Syros itself is an oddity. Once colonised by the Venetians and the French, she fell to the Ottomans in the 16^th century. For ages until the mid-19^th century, her population was entirely Catholic but various convulsions brought an influx of Orthodox refugees and the Orthodox now make a slim majority. A flexible ecumenical spirit between these two branches of Christendom allows the Catholics to observe Easter according to the Orthodox calendar – quite a concession, in favour of unity. Syros was once the largest Greek port, eventually being overtaken by Piraeus and by Patras, but it still prospers.

Our visit to Samos was really as landlords looking after our leased house and student flats. We, or rather my dynamic wife, ran around with painters, plumbers, carpenters and canopy sellers. We had to buy a new student bed and were concerned that the local Greek mattress (advertised as de luxe) was too hard. Our new student tenant reassured us that the mattress would be just fine – he had lain on much worse! As the sun was beating down, we found time to swim most days and to eat well in some of our favourite places;

Our favourite beach-bar, Hippy's at the Potami, Karlovasi, Samos

Happily, this year Samos has not been plagued by Afghan, Syrian, Iraqi and Pakistani refugees arriving via Turkey. The agreement between Turkey and the EU restraining this traffic seems to be holding fast, despite Erdogan’s threats. Fortunately for Greece, Turkey has found another adversary in the US, and suddenly Turkey needs friends as her economy and currency totter. Whose ego is the larger between Erdogan and Trump is hard to judge, but the US is much the stronger. In these volatile times, a pinch of Hellenic flexibility is a wise addition to the bubbling mixture!

SMD

20.08.18

Text Copyright © Sidney Donald 2018

TEN GREAT HYMNS

I am about the last person in the world who should be writing about hymns, as I am an unbeliever and critic of religion and only sing hymns in my bath. Yet I still remember the old tunes and famous words and wish to pay them due tribute. “Why should the Devil have all the good music?” is a question attributed to Luther, Charles Wesley, William Booth of the Salvation Army and a London clergyman Rev Rowland Hill. Whoever said it, there are many cherished hymns to cheer up those dismal hours in church and I share with you 10 of my favourites.

1.       For all the Saints who from their Labours rest. Words by William Walsham How and music (Sine Nomine) by Ralph Vaughan Williams. A rousing affair, very suitable for commemoration services and indeed any normal occasions:

      For all the saints, who from their labours rest,

              Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,

Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

               Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;

Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;

Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGBrq-C5VYE

2.Onward, Christian Soldiers! Words by Sabine Baring-Gould and music (St Gertrude) by Sir Arthur Sullivan. Has been a firm favourite since 1871, condemned by a small number as militaristic, it was sung rousingly by Churchill and Roosevelt together at their first wartime meeting at sea in 1941:

Onward Christian soldiers!
  Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
  Going on before.
Christ, the royal Master,
  Leads against the foe;
Forward into battle,
 See, His banners go!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9DHgnKeAxo

3.Be Still my Soul. Words by Katherina von Schlegel and music from Finlandia by Jean Sibelius. A beautiful tune if rather lowering lyrics. My mother loved this piece, so it resonates greatly with me but anyhow the Finlandia Hymn belongs to the world.

Be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In ev'ery change be faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly friend
Through thorny way leads to a joyful end.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwkPsKe-39Y

4. I vow to Thee my Country Words by Sir Cecil Spring Rice, music by Gustav Holst (Thaxted) using a passage from his Jupiter in The Planets suite. Spring Rice was a senior British diplomat who wrote the poem in 1912 but first published it in a hymnary in 1925. It became very popular at war memorial services and was familiar to schoolchildren throughout the UK. It was thought by some to glorify country before God, but it is still widely used. Whatever, it is an inspiring and patriotic hymn.

I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=erooWKq9-RE

5. Come down, O Love Divine Words by Bianco da Siena, 15^th century, translated by R F Littledale. Music by Ralph Vaughan Williams (Down Ampney). Even I can see that the lyric of this hymn for Pentecost is spiritually moving and intelligent, a match for the excellent music.

Come down, O love divine, seek thou this soul of mine,
And visit it with thine own ardour glowing.
O Comforter, draw near, within my heart appear,
And kindle it, Thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn, till earthly passions turn
To dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
And let Thy glorious light shine ever on my sight,
And clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HPKL1wOVXk

6. All People that on Earth do Dwell (The old 100^th) Words by William Kethe (1561), Music by Louis Bourgeois (1551) harmonised by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1900). This splendid and venerable anthem taken from the Scottish Psalter of the 16^th century is used at celebratory assemblies throughout the land.

All people that on earth do dwell,

Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.

Him serve with mirth, His praise forth tell;

Come ye before Him and rejoice.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-1dQ8t03mE

7. O sacred Head, sore Wounded Words attributed to Arnolf of Leuven, 13^th century, translated by Robert Bridges (1901). Music by Johann Sebastian Bach from his St Matthew Passion.  Easter and the Crucifixion are at the heart of Christianity and naturally have attracted the finest literary and musical talents. This chorale is a piece of great solemnity.

O sacred head, sore wounded,
Defiled and put to scorn;
O kingly head, surrounded
With mocking crown of thorn:
What sorrow mars thy grandeur?
Can death thy bloom deflow'r?
O countenance whose splendour
The hosts of heav'n adore!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M4uUJibpvw

8. Rejoice today with one Accord, Words by Henry W Baker (1860) Music by Martin Luther (1529) Ein Feste Burg. This was the version used in my time to put words to Luther’s magnificent Hymn. One can imagine its cadences echoing around some lofty Gothic cathedral in Protestant Germany.

Rejoice today with one accord,
Sing out with exultation;
Rejoice and praise our mighty Lord,
Whose arm hath brought salvation;
His works of love proclaim
The greatness of His Name;
For He is God alone
Who hath His mercy shown;
Let all His saints adore Him!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XUYZoguhEQ

(I could not find the right video. The above has the right music but a different lyric. Sorry!)

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) Master hymn composer and arranger 

                                              

9. O Little Town of Bethlehem Words by Phillips Brooks, Music by Ralph Vaughan Williams (Forest Green) adapted from an English folksong. A simple enough Christmas carol written by a Philadelphia pastor. The tune by Vaughan Williams has several delightful phrases making it a joy to sing.

O little town of Bethlehem,

 How still we see thee lie!

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by;

Yet in thy dark streets shineth

The everlasting Light;

The hopes and fears of all the years

 Are met in thee to-night.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTPyKwqUUgc

10. Jerusalem Words by William Blake (1808), music by Sir Hubert Parry (1916). This has become an unofficial second national anthem for England with visionary and prophetic words combined with a terrific tune.

And did those feet in ancient time,
Walk upon England’s mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On England’s pleasant pastures seen!

And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!

I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In England’s green & pleasant Land.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=041nXAAn714   (with God save the Queen thrown in!)

I encourage you all to make your own selection and keep singing!

Sidney Donald

05.08.18

Text Copyright Sidney Donald 2018

PEASANT FARE

I often embarrass my rather conventional offspring by my appetite for simple old-fashioned food which they term “peasant fare”. Well, I revel in these foods and greatly regret their decline. So, when I order say, black pudding, my family will avert their gaze, shake their heads in a despairing manner and gaze forlornly at their boots. But I scoop the gastronomic pool!

Delicious Black Pudding

             

Black Pudding is a type of sausage made with pigs’ blood, pig fat, suet and cereal, usually oats or barley. It is encased these days in a cellulose skin. Sliced fried portions are often served as an accompaniment to a full English Breakfast of bacon, fried eggs and pork sausage. In my banking days I regularly had occasion to take the train to Leeds, travelling First and on expenses, (natch!) and fortifying myself with a British Rail breakfast. I particularly appreciated the black pudding as the duller parts of industrial England passed by.

More recently a local gastropub in my present home town of Folkestone serves black pudding garnished with a chutney as a starter, cunningly disguised in Frog as Boudin Noir but it is black pudding in anyone’s language and the pungent flavour delights.

Warming Stovies

I ascribe my pleasure in “peasant fare” to my upbringing in the North-East of Scotland whose culture had been predominantly rural until the 20^th century. The hard life made people economical and frugal and such habits die hard. As well as Scotland, Yorkshire, The Midlands, Lancashire and The Black Country shared this background and have their own local delicacies. My parents and siblings had a comfortable middle-class life, without any hardship, and they chose to eat certain old dishes out of habit, which is my situation too.

Using up left-overs is one of the functions of Stovies, a dish mixing up baked odd cuts of meat with potatoes and onion with many additions possible, like cheese and herbs.  Simple, filling, yet delicious, if one drops the airs and graces. Similar use of leftovers is seen in Bubble and Squeak, mixing fried potato and cabbage, happily accompanying grilled meat in good English pubs.

A highlight of Scottish traditional cuisine is Haggis, boiled and served with mashed potatoes and mashed turnips (“neeps”). It is conventionally eaten at Burns Suppers (25 January) and St Andrew’s Day beanos (30 November) but it is really a “winter warmer” welcome whenever it gets chilly under your kilt (that is, quite often). I hate to shatter illusions but a haggis is not a wee hillside beastie with one leg longer than the other to aid hill-running.

Wonderful Haggis with Neeps and Oatcakes

Haggis is a savoury pudding containing sheep’s “pluck” (heart, liver and lungs) minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices and salt, mixed with stock, traditionally encased in the animal's stomach, though now often in an artificial casing instead. According to the 2001 English edition of Larousse: "Although its description is not immediately appealing, haggis has an excellent nutty texture and delicious savoury flavour". I would admit it is an acquired taste – one I acquired years ago. The over-fastidious Americans have long banned the importation of this exquisite food into the US, claiming health concerns over sheep’s lungs – more fool them, I say – they are missing an ambrosial experience.

My parents would talk of Skirlie (fried oatmeal with onions and seasoning) and Sowans (a sour concoction derived from the husks of oats). Neither was ever eaten by us and Sowans was rather used as a pet-name. My mother, a gifted mimic, would drop into the Doric and humorously ask my father “Hey, Sowans, fit wye wid ye dee ‘at?” (Hey, Sowans, what way (viz, how) would you do that?).

The list of peasant fare is a long one and could include Scotch Eggs (boiled eggs encased in sausage meat, Mealy Puddings (Black puddings without the blood), a dream with mince, and the sharply tasty Pickled Eggs seen in English pubs.

Incomparable Magiritsa from Greece

All countries have their rustic festive recipes. Here in Greece one of my favourites is the Easter soup Magiritsa, made with diced lambs’ offal, onions, dill and rice, sadly seen less and less nowadays. This piece is just an introduction to the old dishes we might think of reviving. My next piece will sing the praises of Ox-eye soup, stewed pipistrelle bat and sautéed sea-gull breast (I jest!).

Let us not forget that today is Yorkshire Day. The Yorkshireman is simply a Scotsman without the generosity but once a year he loosens his purse-strings and eats Wilfra Cake, a type of apple tart, in honour of the 7^th century St Wilfrid. May I wish them a great feast!

St Wilfrid's Procession in Ripon

                              

SMD

01.08.18

Text Copyright © Sidney Donald 2018