The Rioting - a few thoughts

 Having mulled this other I thought I would just add my 6d at this point.

This rioting following the deaths of three children, serious injuries to others including two adult helpers at Holiday Club in Southport, Lancs has been some of the most worrying in recent years even if for extent and total damage they are not as extensive as say the '81 Summer Riots, The "Poll Tax" riots of 1990 or the disturbances in 2011.

While I hold that there is no excuse for criminal damage, assault and murder, we know from our country's history that sometimes there reaches a point where Civil Society says "enough" and this can spill over, the thing here was there was no connection what so ever with what those people were gathered for, burning buildings, looting and assaulting people...for just being of a different ethnicity and religion.

The person responsible for what happened in Southport as tragic as it is was neither a Immigrant nor a Muslim, a person British born of Christian parents. Little different than me actually.

Some who were around the disturbances did have concerns around overall migration such as the impact on host communities and I will say as a West Midlander, I know that is shared at least in part with previous generations of immigrants too.

People who added much to our region who understand the need for  immigration control and support to aid integration so they become an asset to us all.

The bigger majority however were racially motivated attacking black and asian businesses, people and mosques when really what had happened had NOTHING to do with it and had they of looked more into things it was obvious false information was being circulated by people with a race hate agenda.

Justice has been sped up - as it should to deter others and provided needed reassurance such behaviour and the attitudes that lie behind it have no place in our society - but we need to address misunderstandings about religious belief, perhaps opening our doors to those of other faiths in our communities literally and ensure politician do listen to the concerns of many so any issues may be nipped in the bud.

Social media has a lot to answer for on the moderation front around the spreading of such vile incitements and slurs, just as many of are concerned about how the needs of teenagers are managed and perhaps it is time to introduce some in real time post approval to bring such misuse across the board under control.

As adults I'm all sure we've seen things that we should never expect on social media on our smartphones and tablets. It needs to end. It's damaging our children too.

Hollies: Evolution revisited.

We are back but given current affairs the first choice for an entry is too fast moving we'll go with a short  update to a series of entries from 2011 where the contents have been very stable over some thirteen odd years.

The Hollies are passion, less for the longevity, genre expanding nature of label mates The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and the Who but more for their vocal harmonizing and the way their past tells a cautionary tale around the dangers of getting stereotyped and the the dangers in trying to change that.

Not withstanding some fine albums, in the main the Hollies ouvre was the two and a half minute pop 45 even though 1966's For Certain Because and Would You Believe showed maturity, sophistication and social commentary.

1967 was a massive year in popular music and indeed Youth Culture with The Summer of Love, Hippies, lsd taking and psychedelia generally and having seen close hand at Abbey Road studios the beatles experimenting, they too wanted to raise the "Oh Wow" feel feeling left out.

That also can be understood as until the continued sales of the Beatles first two UK albums (and A Hard Day's Night)  in 1964 the albums market was for adults and by 1967 that had changed with albums such as Dylan's Blonde On Blonde introducing the double pop album and lyrics, Pet Sounds exploring the studio as an instrument itself and of couse Sgt Pepper was only just around the corner. and recording had commenced in late December 1966.

Not wishing to look out of place Graham Nash with the other Hollies upped their game, while keeping a beat sound introduced warbling vocals on Lullaby To Tim, Stop Right There expanded the commentary previously unleashed on songs like Fifi The Flea.

Nostalgia for the past was shown on The Olde Toffee Shoppe and You Need Love really pushed that generation belief love was all. 

The Cover borrowed much with the colour stylized Evolution and Hollies to The Fool, who gave us the original Sgt Pepper inner sleeve producing the rear  design.

It was a album very much of and for the Summer of Love.

My original copy was a 2011 Spanish reissue from digital files that had some issues with over use of noise reduction and I was able to get this the August 1978 stereo reissue in minute condition that other than having the two box Parlophone lable rather than the originals Yellow & Black and a change in catalogue number from PCS 7022 to PCS 7175 is the same right down to using the same stampers cut for the 1967 stereo release.

The mono has a dedicated mono mix.

This was a brave move given Hollies albums generally didn't sell well but this did get to No. 22 in the UK chart and in a modified form higher in  the U.S. and Canada.

The strategy didn't ultimately work out and split Graham Nash from the group by late 1968 as it appeared they couldn't move with the times and yet by 1969 and He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother they had got past that pop single barrier.

Taking a break me style

 I'm not here this week as the other part of my life requires quality time with others who share similar lives  and unlike some I don't do social media and lots of time online as the who point is the face to face and tactile engagement just letting time go backwards, playing with friends rather than running a online office remotely.

Really it would take you away from what you actually need.

We did two jigsaws, made up some themed lego kits and made houses from cardboard that we decorated plus a spot of baking too making lots of cupcakes which we had with an evening meal.

I just love doing more arts and craft things like you were at a Summer Club for children really as it helps me relax more in tune with how some of my developmental issues have left me even if I do manage some "adulting".

I mean I even played rounders and took part in out school like games just like many of us recall doing and it felt good to be doing all of that, not least with some of serious stuff that was happening in the news this week.

Really this is the best kind of break for someone like me.

That said there were a few trips out included like to Whalley Abbey in that village near Lancaster, the ruins of which are shown in this picture I took before strolling in the café for cake and coffee in my blouse and tartan kilt with white tights on like I belonged.

Now 12 " 80's - 1983

 We're off this weekend so after some political posts, we'll go with something more fun.

The World of NOW, just gets bigger taking in numbered volumes of Now That's What I Call Music,, Now Yearbook, themed Now That's What I Call ..... and was joined by the cd only Now 12" 80's series which looks at 12" singles from a specific year rather than the three compilations of 80's 12 inch singles.

The first bunch 1980 to 1982 are on an earlier posts with our last post being in April.

Now12-inch-80s 1982

My original intentions were to group post all the series together but the 1982 edition gained two volumes which doubles the post and you will note they've done the same with this edition so it seems that the remainder will follow the two part format.

That makes it more sensible to break them into chunks and update each as needed.

As ever this is a bare bones card wrap around cover set which is a pity as a book form with some notes as with the Deluxe Now Yearbooks would of been better as this is aimed more at music fans and collectors but we just have to accept it as is.

1983 was the year I left school, like most teens was obsessed by music and accompanying fashions like cutting up white and grey t shirts in an attempt to make my own monochromatic looks and thought Nick Beggs of Kajagoogoo was wonderful.

Disc 1 opens with two of 1983’s biggest artists with Wham!’s "Bad Boys”, followed by Eurythmics’ (over 12 minutes remix of) "Right By Your Side”before being joined by Duran Duran with "Union Of The Snake (The Monkey Mix)", and the extended “Communication” by Spandau Ballet. The Human League keeps the momentum with their massive hit "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" which I bought straight on 12 single back then, while Howard Jones and Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark keeps up the Synth-Pop  with "New Song" and "Genetic Engineering" from the Dazzleships album respectively. Extended versions from Blancmange, Ultravox, and Tears For Fears  "The Way You Are" are also feature on the first disc.

Disc 2 celebrates Pop Gold with Adam Ant’s "Puss 'N Boots"one I remember from early Signal Radio here, Bananarama’s "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye", plus The Belle Stars, and Bucks Fizz. Pop and New Wave fused on fabulous tracks from Haysi Fantayzee, and Altered Images with the unforgettable "Don't Talk To Me About Love", and hits from a huge chart year for Kajagoogoo and Paul Young. The disc closes with more Synth-Pop from Heaven 17, Soft Cell and a huge U.S. hit for Taco with an unexpected cover choice in “Puttin’ On The Ritz”.

Disc 3 starts from the dancefloor with the iconic "Flashdance…What A Feeling", from Irene Cara, and the stunning Electropop work-out in extended form on Freeez’s "I.O.U. (Megamix)" a personal favourite. The legendary Arthur Baker produced “Confusion” for New Order, and “The Harder They Come” for Rockers Revenge, and Forrest enjoyed a smash covering “Rock The Boat” while Modern Romance and Level 42 bought Pop and Funk crossover to the charts. This disc works towards its finale with four UK acts who all enjoyed great success in ’83 with these 12” versions enhancing already great tracks – Madness, Fun Boy Three, The Style Council, and Nick Heyward who’s “Whistle Down The Wind” from the North Of A Miracle album was his first solo hit.

Disc 4 offers a star-studded line-up opening with 12” and remixed versions of Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson’s "Say Say Say" that took much effort to steem a sudden drop in the charts and Billy Joel’s "Tell Her About It" before The Fixx appear with their huge US hit “One Thing Leads To Another” from the album Reach The Beach, followed by Debbie Harry, and Laura Branigan who achieved a global success with “Gloria” from her first album. Hi-Energy floor-fillers from Miquel Brown and Divine, are next alongside Ryan Paris’ pan-European smash “Dolce Vita”. The collection concludes with classic dance hits from Lydia Murdock and Phil Fearon & Galaxy and a great collaboration between the legendary Donna Summer and Musical Youth.

For gathering so many interesting and important 12 inch singles of the year, a good number I personally bought at the time, this set is well worth it filling next to Now Yearbook 1983 (and Extra+Vault).

Part two with another four discs worth came out.

A great selection mainly of hits and the odd bubbling under selection this wraps up 1983!

Railways and potential changes

 

(Photo credits:BBC)

Parliament opened on Tuesday with its time honoured rituals with the Kings Speech - we're still getting used to that term after decades of a Queen - which include at a rough count some thirty-five Bills the incoming Labour wishes to bring before both Houses of Parliament to turn into Acts of Parliament.

It's quite probably some will end up being withdrawn, other put to one side while the propositions are worked on and resubmitted.

Other matters could be subject to legal and other challenges.

One that does interests me is the intention to Nationalize the railways.

Speaking as a conservative, it always puzzled me why under the Major conservative government even bothered with it as it was accepted from 1947 from nationalization from the Big Four by all the parties it worked better whatever we might think of the merits or otherwise of the Beeching Report.

Was it just a way for the Treasury to just offload a chunk of the public sector borrowing requirement so get way with running with less?

Trains ownership got seperated from track, stations and routes so on winning a contract for a service, that provider having said what the service would be like had to hire the trains from another body and if you had an accident repairs were more complicated because all the bits you need to clear the line were owned by different people and not where they were needed.

So some sort of integration or re-integration is needed and nationalization is one way of achieving this although my understanding it will be a matter of taking over when contracts come up for renewal so it's likely to be patchy until chunks are taken over.

You might say"Why not just take it all over"?

Well that would be quicker but you can be sure they'd be legal challenges, insistence on compensating shareholders which would have to be paid for by public funds which we're a bit low on.

I'm interested to see how this works out as the year or so moves on.  

Election 2024 - result

Well I did promise you a report of sorts last week as things were moving oh so rapidly and we we go. 

As was custom I did go down to the polling station although I had cast my vote in advance and here at least turnout appeared up and I did see more under 40 voters in an area which has seen sizable changes in property ownership since last time.

That suggested to me a sea change in results certainly was probably above and beyond the many opinion polls during the campaign that had seen Conservative support in freefall.

Newspapers like blog writers struggle to keep up but by after polls closed at ten polls of those who had voted indicated something rather shocking, a massive hemorrhaging of support for the Conservatives and a Labour landslide.

As it happened the results looked rather like this:

Labour: 412

Conservative: 121

Liberal Democrats: 72

Reform UK: 5

Scots N P 9

and others.

Was it that a vote FOR Labour or a vote AGAINST the Conservatives?

For me, Trust became an issue firstly with three leaders over one term becoming three Prime Ministers, the policies voted for drifted away as exceptional as Covid and the war in Ukraine was and remains.

That was compounded by a merry-go-round of Ministers, some lasting weeks which makes forming the connections and making the arguments  to make policies a reality difficult in the extreme even if they were workable.

Rwanda certainly was anything but.

So all we had announcements and feeling everything was very much "at sea", drifting off with little real governing taking place and that was despite some good work around helping those most affected by the rapid increase in the Cost Of Living (which only showed up what a state the safety net though deliberate underfunding was in) and the state of essential public services.

It wasn't just left leaning people who were very concerned around this, many conservative voters were, myself included, so we did the unthinkable and voted Liberal Democrat or Labour because hand outs and foodbanks are not sufficient.

We really need something like a Royal Commission into Benefit and Pension policy as the amounts just haven't kept pace with what people reasonably need, not least with housing, energy and food costs.

Arguments around "conditionality", getting those who can work to take up job offers while important should not preclude realistic support and people with complex needs need support in doing this.
 

Having won an Election and had a seamless transfer of power - memo to the U.S. of A - the new Prime Minister wasted no time in getting to work, appointing Ministers, chairing meetings and attending the N.A.T.O. Summit.

Ultimately it is the extent he can meet those expectations, deal with the unexpected and deliver that will judge if this will be the reset many of us hoped and voted for.

Congratulations!

What I'm about

Yes this indeed is Friday, July 5th, the day after the General Election but we're not doing that today because for one thing blogs are written in advance and while I *may* have an idea how it might turn out,a full enough picture won't emerge until early afternoon so it's best left to next week.

That suits both parts of me, the little bit that's usually on its own blog and this the more groan upside this week.

A common aspect of me is I retain much of the spirit and ideals of Girl Guiding within me, that curiosity, the urge to learn new things I can use, a love of the outdoors, and helpful friendliness.

They play a major part in being me that transcends political and religious leanings, the things along the way that were issues and committing yourself to being the best version of you, you can is something I take with the utmost seriousness.

And that runs right through me, nay even the more adult things, the things I support and for that matter where I have a duty to hold to higher standards.