adrenochrome

I usually try to avoid religious comment, as it gets people rather hot under the collar, but two things reported in the news recently have caught my eye.

Firstly, I have long wondered how moderate members of the UKs Jewish faith could remain sikent regarding Isreals behaviour towards the Palestinians. I am very happy today, British Jewish groups have been involved in the protests outside the Israeli Embassy in London, alongside Islamic, Christian and other denominations. Congratulations to those people and groups who braved severely cold weather to show their disgust at the atrocities being carried out in the name of Judaism. I recall hearing a man from the ‘Wiesenthal Centre’ in America claiming that the message of the holocaust was that Jews should arm themselves, rather than that atrocities of this nature must never be allowed to happen again - although, Darfur shows that our politicians do not feel so inclined. I am glad that many Jewish people within Britain share my view, as opposed to the hard right opinion. Thank you and congratulations once again.

The second non-secular issue is regarding our Prime Minister. Having declared that he received ‘a moral compass’ from his Presbyterian Minister father, Gordon’s government has been declared ‘morally bankrupt’ by Christian Archbishops. Will Gordon be leaving his faith and converting to another like his predecessor? Does this mean his compass is demagnitized? As his economic policies are in tatters, his road taxing schene vetoed by the Manchester public, and, his christian morals shredded - will we get an election? Probably not.

Enough religion. Have a super New Year, and don’t over-do it.

For those of you, who have read my first instalment in this series of literature postings, you shall be familiar with the association between the Templars and Gothic architecture; so it seemed only right that I should now give time to the English Gothic novel. Whilst I use the term English, it should be remembered that Bram Stoker was born in Dublin. He did, however, move to London and work at the Lyceum Theatre long before beginning his serious fiction writing career. It should also be remarked upon that the Victorians were very interested (even intrigued) by death, and the lengthening of ones lifespan. Books such as ‘The Mummy’ and ‘Frankenstein’ had already cashed in on this interest in the afterlife, and had particularly Egyptian and scientific influences. Both Egyptology and Science were traditionally regarded as going against God, and as evil. Certain Christian sects still do not allow doctors to treat them nowadays.
By 1897, English society was perfectly ready to embrace another tale of immortality, and the battle between traditional (Catholic) good and (Templar/Protestant) evil. Chuck in a good dose of life-beyond-death, a taste of sensuous eroticism, a historical, nostalgic sense of drama and blood-letting, and every Victorian lady would be gripped! Bram Stoker gave them all this and much more, and we can continue to enjoy the same today. Of course, Bram did not invent the Vampire; instead, he took all that the Occult, Paganism and the Catholic Church had ascribed to Vampirism, and bundled it into a single European gentleman: the suave, wealthy, well-bred, and charming Count Dracula - everything a Victorian lady of standing would desire in a prospective husband.
We should examine some of the known details and documentation on Vampires, before examining Dracula himself (as the embodiment of many of these traits), and where Bram may have encountered them. The reader may well be surprised by the amount of writing on the subject in the 250 years PRIOR to the famous novel. The earliest known writings on Vampires is found in the Torah of Judaism, in ancient China, and in writings of the Greeks. I shall commence with the Torah, as this particular text is still the basis of an incredibly large modern day religion. Many people today will be unaware that Adam had a wife before Eve, but that this particular lady refused to be subservient to her husband, so God excommunicated her, and cast her out. Lilith, as she was called, was clearly the first ever feminist. She felt that being beneath Adam during the act of sex was unbecoming as she was his equal. She was cursed by God, and is portrayed as the killer of young children, and drinker of their blood. There has been a lot recently written, and shown in films like ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ & ‘Da Vinci Code’, about sex within religion, so it would seem insulting to the reader to mention this aspect of gnosticism and Templar life regarding feminine equality and the sexual act (needless to say that the act prefered by Adam is still known to this day as ‘Missionary Position’!).
The Incubus/Succubus is also known as a creature that sucks ones lifeforce from a person during the sexual act, and I’m sure many ladies may feel that their partner is hardly alive after fulfilling the act, if not actually dead! The removal of the male seed, and the metaphor of the seed as a form of life, or lifegiving, ia also very clear. It is opportune to mention that Bram is really an abbreviation of the authors first name, Abraham. The ancient Greek writers had told stories about a variety of living-dead types, who kept themselves alive by imbibing the lifeforce of the living through different techniques, including the drinking of blood. These beasts lived within the realms of the Underworld, but could on occassion, pass to Earth. These creatures were known as Vrykolakas. I mention these creatures, as, in 1645, a famous study of these creatures and the writings about them was published by Leo Allatius, and Bram may well have been familiar with this text. Now, briefly, to the East, and the love of Oriental writers for the ‘Kiang Shi’, who took on the life force through blood consumption from the living, to continue their existence. In Japan, this Chinese fascination has continued today, with many Vampires appearing in Manga magazines, and anime movies. Whilst it is unlikely that Mr Stoker would have encountered the ‘Kiang Shi’ in his research, I have included this example to show that this kind of story has been about us forever, and across all societies. As a final footnote on these ancient texts, it should be noted that a Vampire named Algul appears in the ‘Tales of the Arabian Nights’.
As this hub is regarding the Templars and their fellow gnostics, it is I feel, time to allow the Roman Catholic Church to enter the affray. The first RC reference to Vampires can safely be ascribed to Pope Innocent III, who referred to such evil characters in 1215, although the church’s official stance on Vampires was not properly communicated until 1489, when these beasts appear among the list of devils and demons which only the church has the ability and authority to combat, in the Malleus Maleficarum. These creatures seem to harken back to the Apocryphal tales of Lilith, who sought refuge from Adam among the devils around the Red Sea. Their inclusion has roots within Catholic doctrine from before this time. One of the church’s attributes of the Vampire, is that its body does not decay after death. Ironically, this is also a step in the proof of Sainthood! For fans of the film Nosferatu, where Fritz Lang has deftly intertwined the association of the Black Death with Vampirism, and an old tale from Bremen (to reset the story in post-World War I Germany); the change from Whitby to Bremen is not a chance one. Apparently, in 10th Century Bremen, the Archbishop, St Libentius, excommunicated several sailors. Many years later, the grave of one of these sailors was disturbed, and the body found not to have decayed. This so disturbed the locals, that the latest Archbishop had to pardon the sailors, so their souls could leave their bodies, and the corpses decay naturally. This concept of excommunication meaning that the soul could not leave the body, but instead to be trapped, again reinforces the idea that only the church held the power to combat Vampires.
The Roman Catholic church stayed steadfast in its teachings on Vampires until the middle of the 18th century. That it had changed its stance at this time, still required many further years before being absorbed by the average Catholic person living after that period. It was Dom Augustine Calmet, in 1746, who first started the ball rolling against the church on the existence of Vampires, and the long-term effect was so slow in coming, that Voltaire was astonished to attend a discussion on the existence, or not, of Vampires at the Sorbonne!I suggest that I have now spent sufficient time painting a historical context for the novel, though have left one particular person out of the picture; for it is with he that many people falsely relate the eponymous character. I take you on a journey, across Europe and time, back to 1431, and the birth of a young boy in Romania: Vlad the Impaler, governor of Transylvannia under Emperor Sigismund, and member of the Teutonic ‘Order of the Dragon’, regarded by the Wallachians as ‘the Evil One’. The term Dracul has been given 2 strong meanings, though which you choose to believe, I shall leave to the reader. It could refer to his being within the aforementioned order, as Dracul is the Romanian word for Dragon, or, it could be the Wallachian word for Evil. Both apply to Vlad, though alas, he is not the inspiration for the novel’s Count. The pertinence of Romanians has more to do with the term Romany, and the fact that Romanian could also be used to describe the gypsies whose persecution by the church, and protection by the Templars, has already been addressed in the first hub. Within the novel, it is of interest to note that these gypsies (known as the Szgany) are the keepers and protectors of Dracula. A hint that Bram Stoker regards these people as noble, contrary to the church’s stance, is contained in the final chapter where Van Helsing remarks that the leader of the gypsies was ‘a splendid looking fellow, who sat his horse like a centaur’, bestowing respect, and a mythical accent upon the man. It is, in fact, from the very mouth of the church’s hero, Van Helsing, that we glean the Templar tendencies of Bram Stoker. Having now entered the realms of the novel itself, I should examine that most Christian of the characters, and so, ladies and gentlemen, I introduce Abraham Van Helsing.
I have already mentioned that Bram’s first name was actually Abraham, and all the history and aplomb that the Jewish and Christian faiths have bestowed upon that name, Bram donated to his hero (if you, in fact regard the vampire slayer as the hero, not the adversory). There could hardly be a name that holds so much within it, as Abraham. A name as old as time, a devoted man, and father of a nation. As for the surname “Van Helsing,” a number of possibilities have been suggested. It may derive from Dr Hesselius, the fictional narrator of Sheridan Le Fanu’s famous Vampire tale “Carmilla” (1872). Given Stoker’s familiarity with Shakespearean plays as manager of the Lyceum Theatre, the origin is possibly “Elsinore” - the Danish town in which Hamlets’ castle is located. This is a bit of a stretch, but possibly reflects the similarities between Van Helsing and Hamlet. A third consideration is Van Helmont, an ancient alchemist mentioned briefly in T J Pettigrew’s On Superstitions Connected with the History and Nature of Medicine and Surgery (1844), one of Stokers known source-texts for Dracula. The last of these texts may raise a few eye-brows, although Bram Stoker’s name appears several times within lists of members of the ‘Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn’,

Yesterday, I criticized the TIF (Transport Innovation Fund) bid effort this year. Today, I will offer a Plan B, which I believe would have satisfied both the government and local electorate.

Step 1 - a single tier congestion charge zone following the inner ring zone of the proposed bid. The original proposal of an inner and outer ring had several drawbacks; psychologically, it seems unfair to pay four charges just to visit the city centre and return home, and creates a perceived overcharging to visit your own city. Physically, it requires twice the roadside equipment and a more complicated computer software system (let’s face it, government computer contracts are infamous for being over budget, late on delivery, and, unworkable). Most importantly, governmentally, it seemed to lack direction, begging the question ‘where are we tackling congestion? Motorways or A & B roads?’ The whole plan seemed a second rate stealth tax.

There is considerable congestion at peak times throughout the citys roads, especially the A6 and the Ardwick and Worsley roundabouts, and also on the motorways, M60/61/62/602 junctions. However, these two problems must be tackled individually. When Alistair Darling cancelled the promised Metrolink extension, he chose to widen the M6 instead. If he had carried out the proposal, Rochdale and Oldham would have been connected, and alongside Bury, these towns create a large share of the traffic heading west along the M62 towards the M6/M61. These towns also contribute to the inflowing traffic that clogs up the northern A and B roads into the city. Instead, the government extended the M6 by one lane in each direction, then increased road tax, and will indubitably bring in tariffs for motorways soon.

Step 2 - re-regulate the bus services. It is no use proposing additional bus services when the existing ones do not run. When de-regulation came into force, we were told that this would promote competition, cheaper fares, and, better services. Of course, economists know that this is the short term case, then the large swallow the small. There are now basically three bus companies, two in the north and west, and just one for the south and east. I live in the east of the city and used to live in Longsight and Levenshulme, so can only address the issue of Stagecoach. Every year, the bus companies receive hundreds of thousands of pounds sterling of tax-payers money to provide their services and each year, Stagecoach receive fines for failing to deliver these services. As the fines come from profits (and rather healthy profits, too), it means that the bus user is paying them from their fares. It does nothing to deter Stagecoach from continuing to cut services and fail to deliver, as the fines are small in comparison to their profits, and as such, does nothing to help the commuter. The TIF bid claimed that there would be more buses and more routes, but this would only be on paper, as the reality would be that the bus companies would not deliver these services properly. More taxpayers money down the drain, and a perfect example of ‘throwing good money after bad’. Incidentally, Stagecoach have kept upping prices, claiming this is due to increased petrol costs. The global price of oil has fallen sharply over the last six months, yet Stagecoach have not cut prices, in fact, they are raising them again! 

Unfortunately, New Labour is too right wing to consider this option, as it is old Labour and reeks of nationalization. There is one other alternative; drop the fines, and where a bus company fails to supply the services that it is contracted to, remove the most profitable routes and award them (along with the government funding) to small local companies. For example,with Stagecoach, firstly remove the Oxford Road to Withington routes, then secondly the A6 to Stockport ones, before thirdly the Manchester to Ashton ones. This would hit profit margins, wake up shareholders, and ensure the timetabled buses would turn up.

Step 3 - de-Beeching. I am not a trainspotter, and this area is not my speciality. What I am aware of, though, is that our once proud railways were butchered by successive governments of both parties on a flawed report by an economist, Lord Beeching. I have also read many informed and well written letters in the Manchester Evening News, which explained how several disused old lines could be reclaimed for just a few million pounds. These proposals are not about long tracts, but short connecting tracks, that could link areas that we already need to enter the city and then head out to. It appears that about four such tracks could alleviate overcrowding on trains at commuter times, and also create alternatives that are currently far easier and reduce car traffic at the fringes of the city.

Step 4 - the current government swept in on a wave, promising a whiter than white alternative to sleeze. I have been a lifelong Labour supporter, but have found the majority of the current cabinet to be no less greasy, smarmy and backstabbing than the Tories. The whiff of corruption hangs over the whole party and many Labour politicians individually. Lord Mandelson has had to resign twice, but is back for a third time. Stephen Byers, David Blunkett (twice) have behaved despicably. The whole funding fiasco for the Deputy Prime Minister stank, and similar in the Scottish Labour Party. Lord Levy and Tony Blair being questioned by police, though, strangely not anti-terrorism police, and at a pre-arranged time (not dragged down the station and held for hours), and with no police access to Tonys office nor the House of Commons! Finally, John Prescott, the bumbling buffoon, adulteror, champagne socialist. Wasn’t his late appearance to urge citizens to vote ‘Yes’, a complete and utter failure. I felt that he was as welcome as whooping cough at a glass-blowers convention.

Politicians have to realize that most people no longer trust nor respect them. As such, it should have been stated in advance, the cost of the charge (and by how much it could be increased per annum) and the hours that it would be in operation. Having stated these, they MUST be enshrined in law, with a legal guarantee that neither could be altered without a further referendum. Remember, this is the government that claimed the police needed new powers to combat terrorism, then used those powers against Iceland! Give the politicians power and they will abuse it.

Step 5 - ensure that ALL the work involved in the programme goes to local business, not London. If it’s our money paying for it, keep the benefits for our economy. Far too many Southerners were involved in the bid, and do not understand the Northern psyche. We are warm and considerate people, but will not be patronized and treated like bumpkins.

I think I’ve addressed most things above, but if you feel I’ve missed something, or think my plan is unworkable, please comment.

This month, the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester held a referendum on proposed improvements to the transport infrastructure of the city, some paid for via grants, others from a central government loan. The cost to the public of this loan was the introduction of two congestion charging zones, pay-to-drive at peak times. The outcome seems to have surprised nobody, the Manchester Evening News has been full of quotes from councillors, government ministers and business leaders saying that despite their best efforts, the result was anticipated. For those outside Greater Manchester, the public rejected the Labour government and councils plans by a 4-1 majority, despite Geoff Hoon’s insistance that there would be no ‘Plan B’ and that the government loan would become available to other cities. As Greater Manchester is the last metropolitan province controlled by Labour, I wish him luck trying to convince other cities to sell their souls.

With the result known, the plan binned, and no plan B; it is time to look into what happened, and what went wrong.

From a budget of £34m set aside, over £18m has been spent on the TIF bid, including £3m on public consultancy. If the result was a foregone conclusion, and ‘no surprise’, then why continue with the process? Simple, New Labour has a dream of introducing congestion charging across the UK, and does not EVER listen to the electorate. They treat the public with a contempt that would have made Margaret Thatcher blush.

When Manchesters Metrolink was first opened, the people were told that this was just stage 1, with expansion planned to the airport, Salford Quays and more outskirt towns. Of course, I was  just a teenager living in Altrincham then. When Labour came to power, Gordon Brown promised to make savings in government and channel these new funds into projects across the country. Manchester was promised expansion of the Metrolink to Rochdale and Oldham, and to the airport, by Transport Secretary Stephen Byers. When Mr Byers resigned in shame, his replacement, Alistair Darling (yes, our current Treasurer) twice repeated Mr Byers promise, before cancelling the whole project. Thrice promised, never delivered. Finally, we are told that we can have what had been promised for over 20 years, but only if we accepted a comgestion charge zone 10 times larger than Londons. In return, we would receive nearly £2.75billion in funding, though £1.2bn would be in a 30 year loan. Compare this with the £5.8bn the government spent on St Pancras station in London, in order to reduce the journey time from London to Paris by a meagre 20 minutes!

It should also be mentioned that over 30 private consultancies were paid £6.5m to help research and draw up plans for the bid. Just think what that money could have done for schools in Greater Manchester.

As for the contempt shown by government, this seems to have been echoed throughout the process by these agencies; most notably, Creative Concerns apparent belief that Northerners are too ugly and unphotogenic, using photographs of Americans on their leaflets. Even at the last minute, these agencies continued to prove themselves unworthy of tax-payers money, when one even breached election rules, and another wasted £230,000 on a TV ad campaign that breached Ofcom rules.

Basically, New Labour has been caught lying too many times, and even the traditional Labour heartland no longer trusts them. This was reflected in the rule breaking by the agencies selected to sell the charge to the public.

It is easy to have 20:20 vision in hindsight, and to criticize without coming up with any valid alternatives, which is why I shall be proposing steps that could be taken to improve the bid, to address the concerns of business and the individual, and to improve transport throughout the district. Unfortunately, you shall have to wait till tomorrow for that.

Have  a great weekend, and congratulations to Lee ‘Evil’ McEvilly on his brace of goals against Shrewsbury, opening his account during his third spell at Spotland.

(Thanks to the Manchester Evening News and The Times for the figures quoted above.)

Charles Dickens, the noted British author, penned many books designed to enlighten the wealthy city dwellers of the social failings of the country with respect to the working classes. Due to this educational stance, he has attained a great standing in the literature elite, despite his stories being dry, tedious and boring. Even Phil Collins singing jaunty little tunes in the musical version does little to improve the viewers enjoyment. However, few pieces of literature, if any, have been improved by being put to music, by that eras version of Ben Elton. Bah humbug, musicals should simply be banned (especially Gilbert & Sullivan, which makes lawyers, accountants and magistrates believe they are witty, life and soul of the party types, but purely reflect why the professional classes are so despised today).

This, however, is not the subject of my ranting for today. Please, Britain, let’s lay four ghosts to rest, and announce a television moritorium for the rest of time on Dickens short story, ‘A Christmas Carol’. Marley was dead, let it go. Not even  a full novel, not enlightening with regard to workhouses, hardly well written, this short, originally contained in a book of short stories, has become the blight of Christmas. In the three festive days (Eve to Boxing Day), British television has selected no less than eight versions of this hogwash. Whilst there is some individuality to The Muppet version, and the modern reworking, set inside a tv company, ‘Scrooged’ with Bill Murray has far more comic affect than the original, the other six are attempts at genuine recreation of the original text. By God, there was even a version starring Kelsey Grammar! Has the man no shame, nor soul. I recall vaguely an episode of ‘Cheers’ where the cast bemoaned the repetitive nature of American Christmas tv, showing Jimmy Stewarts ‘It’s a wonderful life’, and then this talentless ego films the British equivalent.

Of course, the Dickensian blight is not just restricted to the full length films, the musical and the Muppets; almost every tv show has recreated the story in its Christmas episodes. ‘The Simpsons’, ‘Steptoe & Son’, ‘2.4 Children’, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, have thought to themselves, “wouldn;t it be witty, novel and a surprise, if we were to do Dickens for our Christmas Special?” - NO, it would be trite, unimaginative and tedious for the audience.

How horrific to think that at the BBC, ITV, C4 etc, programme makers, commisioners and producers all get paid thousands of pounds each year, and can only come up with Dickens for Christmas. I appreciate that this year there is an irony to this, as Gordon Brown will no doubt be considering re-opening workhouses for those on benefits, Bedlam for the mentally ill, and borstal for the ASBO generation, but please, some imagination, some variety and some new programming.

This lack of quality by television companies probably explains why C4 is going bankruptcy and internet advertising expenditure surpassed that of television for the first time this year. That does not help the public, who are tuning out, watching DVDs, and, binge drinking to oblivion.

What makes me really sad, though, has been the news that Britain has lost one of its finest playwrights of the modern age; Harold Pinter. As a young man at school, I was lucky enough to direct the school, and its sister girls school, Drama Society cast in several plays, including two by that esteemed writer of dialogue. ‘The Caretaker’ and ‘The Dumb Waiter’ were great successes, a pleasure for the cast to perform, easy for props, and wonderful stories. Quite probably, the finest writer of dialogue since  Oscar Wilde, this man will truly be missed by all who have been touched by his works. Perhaps, we shall now be fortunate enough to be reminded of his magnificence by the tv companies swamping us unimaginatively with versions of his works, in honour of his passing.

I should also add a quick sad comment at todays news of Eartha Kitts death. She has charmed and entertained for decades, and shall be missed. 

Hi folks

Today, I thought I’d take time out from my ranting criticisms, to tell you all about my birthplace, a very under-rated and historic town in the Northwest of England.

Rochdale, about 9 miles north/northeast of Manchester, is shrouded in history and culture, and this year its football (soccer) club celebrates its 101st anniversary. Staying with Rochdale AFC for a brief moment, they have never won anything, are possibly the most friendly team in the whole of English football, and was once voted the club with the best pies in the league.

Anyway, that’s enough about football, let’s move on to politics, and the great impact that Rochdale has had on the world, though never really receiving the credit it deserves. Rochdale is the birthplace of ‘Communism’, and to that end, once had a street in Moscow named in its honour. In 1844, before Marx and Engels had even learnt how to clean their teeth, never mind write their communist manifesto, Rochdale had established the ‘Co-op’, an organisation that still flourishes across the UK today. The ‘Workers Co-operative Society’ was created to help the families of the men, and later women and children, working in those ‘dark, satanic mills’ mentioned in William Blake’s ‘Jerusalem’ lyrics. The shop was basically owned by its customers, and any profits accrued during the financial year were re-paid to the customers in the form of a dividend, based upon how much they had spent in the shop. The movement spread across the mill towns of the Northwest of England, and almost one tenth of Manchester city centre is still taken up with the Co-ops Head Offices, which have branched out into insurance, banking, and funerals! The movement is still the only financial institution in the UK to have a moral policy over lending.

Rochdale has also been the birthplace of many great entertainers, film and pop stars, and one famous barmaid! The first, and perhaps best known, of this band of tremendous celebrities was one Grace Stansfield, who attained stage and silver screen fame under the abbreviated name, Gracie Fields. ‘Our Gracie’, as she is still affectionately known, has a newly refurbished theatre named in her honour in Rochdales town centre, not far from the colourfully decorated and famous Town Hall, and during WW2 was one of the great ‘forces sweethearts’, performing live close to the front lines for our troops. About 60 years later, another Rochdale Stansfield searched the world looking for her baby, the one and only Lisa Stansfield, whose fame and quality singing even led to her dueting with Barry White, before the great stars death.

Perhaps inspired by the ‘Gracie Fields Theatre’, several wonderful tv and film actors/actresses have followed in Gracies thespian footsteps, most recently, the English Rose, Anna Friel, who shot to fame as one half of the first lesbian kiss on British tv, during her role in Brookside, a soap opera based in Liverpool. Far too good an actress to remain in the realms of soap operas, Anna has gone on to star in many theatre and film roles has just completed 9 episodes of ‘The Jury’ for Fox T.V. in New York, has been a great success in the tv series ‘Pushing up daisies’ and has completed filming ‘Perfect Strangers’ with Rob Lowe.

Okay, Soap fans out there, what is the most famous pub in Britain? Yes, Coronation Streets own ‘Rovers Return’, and one of its most famous barmaids, Bet Lynch was played on screen by Rochdales own Julie Goodyear. Additionally, the sixth Dr Who, Colin Baker, lived in Rochdale for a long period of time prior to travelling time and space!

Whilst there have been several economists and unionists to be born in Rochdale, I shall not bore people with those figures, who can easily be traced via any of the numerous websites devoted to Rochdale. However, there are two important figures in the towns history whose names have spread farther afield than the others. The town features in the famous Domesday Book, compiled by William the Conqueror and his son during the twenty years after 1066, under the name ‘Recedeham Manor’ although the area was first settled about 5000 years ago. It was one of the Salford Hundreds until 1638, when it became part of the lands of one Lord Byron the famous and magnificent poet.

Possibly the biggest thing to ever come out of Rochdale, was the tremendously charismatic Liberal MP, Sir Cyril Smith, who represented the town throughout the 1980s and 1990s. A wonderfully large and jovial northerner, his name will remain associated with the town for decades to come.

On either side of this metropolis of class and culture, it is unrivalled, by Oldham (the ‘Home of the Tubigrip’) and Bury (claims to have invented the ‘Black Pudding’, though this is contested!). Clearly, Rochdale could well have been the inspiration for the old adage, a rose between two thorns.

So, the next time you’re planning a trip to the UK, ignore London (it’s full of French people nowadays), and Stratford-upon-Avon (the bard was really Christopher Marlowe), and make the short journey up the M6 motorway (they even have trains and coaches going into and from the town), and visit the Mecca of history and culture that is Rochdale.

All the best for the festive season (even if it is a big con based on the Persian Demi-God Mithra, venerated by the Romans as Mithras), and a joyous New Year to all and sundry.

‘Tis the season to be merry, and of good will. Walking through Manchester, you cannot escape the Christmas feeling, with lights along the streets, the market stalls outside the Town Hall and at Piccadilly Gardens, carol singers, and charity collectors.

In the UK, we have been rocked by the death of a young child whose whole life had been a catalogue of violent abuse, at the hands of the parents and a lodging friend. The child had been listed on the ‘at risk’ list, had been visited approximately 60 times by Haringey Social Services, and seen numerous times by doctors. After public outcry, especially as new regulations had come into place following the death several years ago in the same Haringey borough, heads finally rolled at the Council. All in all, a very sad state of affairs was exposed.

However, whilst the media searched for people to blame, childrens charities continued to run tv adverts asking for a monthly direct debit payment to protect the children of the UK. Gone have the appeals for a one-off donation, nowadays they want bank details and a set monthly contribution! A quick search on Yahoo! of the UK pages reveals a dozen charities all claiming to protect children in the UK, rather than children abroad. When ‘Baby P’, as the unfortunate child who died is referred to, was being tortured, abused and ultimately killed, where were these charities?

Yesterday, the news ran stories of problems within the charities of the UK, who, due to the recession, have seen donations down 13%, and by 20% from businesses. Shock horror, they may have to lay off staff.

When I was a child, charity was a genuine heart-felt matter; shops selling decent second-hand goods, staffed by unpaid, kindly old ladies, where  contribution was rewarded by a cup of tea and a biscuit. When my mother died, we asked for contributions to the British Heart Foundation rather than flowers. I took the money collected to a shop, my mothers details taken down, and I was made to feel very good that such a sad event would benefit others.

Certainly, historically, Barnardos did a lot of good for orphans, Childline (a free phone facility for children) was a great idea, and the NSPCC has been helping children for decades. However, there are now so many charities, each requiring administration, that charity has taken on a completely capitalist element. The industry, and that is what it has now become, employs thousands (mostly call centre and admin) and has a turnover of millions of pounds per annum.

I once worked in sales for 6 weeks, cold calling businesses trying to get them to pay for a child help magazine to be issued to pupils of local schools. The magazine was certainly well written, giving help and support on issues such as bullying, ’stranger danger’ and drugs. A certain charity was supposed to have endorsed the product, as had the Greater Manchester Police, and received a pay-off for the use of its name. The sales company made enough money to send its top 30 salespeople on a weeks foreign holiday each year, to pay a decent weekly wage, and very healthy commission on each sale. I was disgusted by the arrogance and greed of the salespeople and the company. What was worse, the government could have issued this magazine to each school child for about £5million per year.

Charity has taken the responsibility off the shoulders of the government, who used to see a child as an investment in the future of the country. It has also become an impersonal giant industry, with credit card databases and no heart.

In the Eastlands area of Manchester, over 90% of children are living in poverty, and the kids loiter looking lost, with no facilities; the next lost generation. Where are the charities? Nowhere to be seen.

Some charities do achieve things for our needy children, but most just swallow up money. The government should make it much harder to establish charity status, should legislate to consolidate charities within each field (cancer charities are even more common), and start taking responsiblity for the welfare of the people.

Strangely, since coming to power in 1997, the New Labour government has promised to halve child poverty in the UK by 2010, and eradicate it by 2020. As pointed out earlier, the figure for Eastlands is over 90%, and 2010 is only twelve and a half months away. This is the same area that won the SuperCasino bid, before the government pulled the plug on that investment. This would have had a MetroLink, promised by Stephen Byers and Alistair Darling, then abandoned (though resurrected to connect the football ground to Piccadilly Station since Manchester Citys purchase by an Emirate investor). What has happened to the local Labour MP, Tony Lloyd, for such abject failure in reducing child poverty and raising investment; he is now Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party! The sort of blood money that even Judas Iscariot hung himself for accepting, but no such noble a gesture from the Right Honourable Member.

Well peeps,

 what can I say? I have only posted 3 blog entries, and already the effects are being felt across the world. Obviously, not a lot has happened to Victor Hugo recently, as the poor fellow is no longer with us. My other two entries already have additional updates, as clearly the whole fabric of the British establishment is reading with interest.

Firstly, the economy in Britain. Whilst Lord Mandelson has been discussing Jaguar/Land Rover and hogging the limelight from the Badger who is in charge of the Treasury, Alistair Darling has discreetly been mentioning to certain newspapers that the depression/recession may affect us more than other economies after all.

 Secondly, today the BBC received two more fines for dodgy competitions last year. Whilst only two shows were fined, three were admonished. One of these shows was for Londons local BBC radio station, but the other two were for Radio2. The London station and Radio2 were fined for running competitions during pre-recorded shows, where the winner was announced during the shows. Anyone who actually listened to the show could not win, yet were urged to enter. The other Radio2 show, which incurred no fine, was because the competition received no entries. To avoid the embarrassment of announcing that no-one had entered the competition, the show invented a winner!

Wow, only 3 days on the job and I’m striking gold.

If you want to keep up-to-date, you know where to come.

In a short series of discussions I shall be discussing how non-Catholic subplots, reflecting the Cathars’, Templars’ etc. beliefs, exist in European Literature, and should appreciate any input from fans of great books.
Many authors have reflected the gnostic side of religion, and the Roman Catholic church’s attempts to eradicate the knowledge of these ‘gnostic gospels’ from the public psyche. This has led, historically, to the Albigensian Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, and the continued persecution of the Romany Gypsies. In propaganda, the church would describe members of these non-Catholic-alligned forms of Christianity as evil, devilish, and ugly or deformed humans.
Whilst Dan Brown’s novel, a historically flawed piece of writing, elaborates on hidden messages in Renaissance art, no books seem to reflect a similar pattern of ‘occult’ (or, hidden) messages within the great European literary community. Today, I shall briefly give some clues for the reader to bear in mind, whilst re-examining some of the great novels of the last 400 years. I shall attempt one book per week, and this one shall be regarding Victor Hugo’s classic (and much filmed) work ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’.
A precis of the story is this: a murder of a prominent Parisian occurs, at the hand of a member of Parisian nobility, yet the establishment find a travelling gypsy dancer, Esmeralda, guilty of the murder, and of many unChristian devilworshipping acts. She is saved from the gallows by the eponymous bellringer of ‘Notre Dame’, who takes her into the church, and claims sanctuary for her. The real murderer is finally unmasked.
Just as the Normans are famous across the UK for having introduced a new form of architecture in their castle building, the Knights Templar are heavily associated with the creation of the Gothic style of architecture, and were behind the building of many of Europe’s greatest buildings. Probably the finest example of Gothicism in Paris is the magnificent church of ‘Notre Dame’ on the Ile de Notre Dame, on the river Seine. The association with ‘Our Lady’ also clearly shows the Templar influence. It is therefore no surprise that Victor Hugo should set his book, and its central character, within the safety of this building.
Historically, the Templars would give refuge to members of any of the gnostic sects, refusing to take up arms against the Cathars, and shielding Gypsies from persecution. As such, Quasimodo, the hunchbacked bellringer of the book’s title, is acting in a truly Templar fashion, by bringing the gypsy Esmeralda to the sanctity of a Gothic church.
The true face of Catholic persecution of the Gypsies is reflected in the account of Esmeralda’s trial. It is not enough to charge this young woman with murder, but to emphasise and justify her arrest, the establishment also tries her for witchcraft; communing with animals, and casting a spell upon the poor victim of the murder. The trial itself is highly amusing, with a goat as a witness for the prosecution. Such charges were regularly voiced by the church against the gnostic faiths.
One of the principal tenets of the Gnostics is the belief that every individual contains a little piece of the Divine within them, and it is in that context that Jesus’s phrase that ‘We are all God’s children’ is read. The titular character, actually named Quasimodo, reflects both the church’s decrying of the Gnostic beliefs as twisted and evil, and the association of evil and ugly, are perfectly epitomised by this poor beast, as is the Gnostic belief mentioned above. In fact, Hugo writes of him:’For though he was gentle and kind, it was Quasimodo’s crime to have been born hideously deformed. But one day his heart would prove to be a thing of rare beauty.’
The same could also be said of the great book, and I hope that you might take the time to re-read and discover this literary classic, examining it again, but now from the perspective which reflects the author’s true message.
I shall be back, with further postings regarding other European classics, notably, Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’, which will be my next contribution on this subject. I hope this information adds to your enjoyment of the novel.

Once regarded as ‘the voice of the free world’, broadcasting radio to and from around the world and Commonwealth, the BBC, or Beeb, as it has affectionately become known, is in turmoil.

Over the last 18 months, scandal has followed scandal, trust has diminished, and Britain is turning off. To examine what has gone wrong, we must look back about 20 years, and compare it with today. Whilst Britain did not have the same mass of channels and broadcasters that many other countries had, only 4 terrestrial channels, BSkyB was still young, and Nynex were cabling small areas; BBC1 was the channel for tv, and Radios 1 & 2 were must hear radio, dependent upon age group. Margaret Thatcher was in power, there had been race riots in British cities, Ulster was a military zone, there was the threat of a nuclear holocaust as the Cold War ran on, and ‘boom & bust’ created Yuppies and Sloanes. Even so, things weren’t all bad. The BBC gave the country the finest sports coverage, with outside broadcast crews that were the envy of the world. Test Match cricket, one-day county cricket matches, the F.A. Cup, every domestic and French Rugby international, Wimbledon, the Derby & Grand National, the Varsity Boat Race, Rugby League, international boxing, snooker, golf, crown green bowling, darts, ‘Pot Black’, athletics, and more…

Quality drama was still the norm; ‘Play for Today’ would feature the cream of British theatre and film acting, with scripts by the great writers of the day, genuine and fresh Period Dramas were well-planned, with a cast of great ability and superb direction. Whilst ‘the Sweeney’ had run its race, there were other gritty, tense shows, based in realism but a little escapist - the ‘Professionals’, for example.

Edgy comedy sat comfortably alongside family orientated sitcoms. ‘The Young Ones’, ‘Not the Nine O’clock News’ and ‘the Kenny Everett Video Show’ amused the youths, and shocked parents, whilst actors of the highest calibre please the older folk. Whether it was Richard Briers, Ronnie Barker or the magnificent Les Dawson, everyone could escape their troubles and have a good laugh.

Even the kids were well looked after, whether during the week by the likes of ‘Grange Hill’, or the whole of Saturday morning with ‘Superstore’.

There was light entertainment, of course, and whilst ‘Noel’s House Party’ may not have been to everyones tastes, it was a vast improvement upon ‘Seaside Special’. And, of course, there was music; ‘Top of the Pops’ was must see telly for every teen, and the over twenties had the remarkable ‘Old Grey Whistle Test’, with performances from iconic stars who rarely bothered pandering to the hype of the 3 minute pop song.

We now move forward to the last few years. That things may be askew at the BBC, first came to my attention via a little known or remembered show. It was about five years ago, the comedienne Jenny Eclair hosted a stand-up comedy talent contest. Each week, for about 6 weeks, several up-and-coming folk would ply their trade for 5 minutes, and the winner (selected by a panel of judges) advanced to the final. During this short-lived show, I had a really good laugh; one act that I recall would certainly have upset the status quo, being a fathers view of his son, but the son was Jesus. Comments such as “I couldn’t get him interested in carpentry, even if I’d nailed him to a piece of wood”, and “he keeps tellng me ‘You’re not my Dad’!” may be distasteful to many, but the act was hilarious. Strangely, the competition winner was a woman called Lucy Porter, whose act was less than funny, more cringe-worthy involving a gorilla glove puppet. Obviously, with any competition, everyone will not agree with the judges decision, but, in this case, it should be noted that Ms Porter had been working for the BBC for the previous 3 years, supporting comedian hosts on Radio 4, unlike the other contestants. Suddenly, Ms Porter was to be seen everywhere on BBC tv, and has pretty much disappeared again since. Would the BBC actually manipulate a whole tv series just to promote a member of its own team? Surely not. I let it pass, but now see that this was just the beginning of the Beebs decline into self-interest over quality.

Don’t get me wrong, everything has not always been smooth sailing for the BBC; Noel Edmonds did become the first tv presenter to kill a member of the public, live on prime time tv, and they did cancel ‘The Day Today’ because it confused middle-aged people.

However, recently everything has gone to seed.

Sport; Formula1 returns next year. Gone is the club rugby union, the England home international rugby, ‘Pot Black’, the cricket, the bowls, the FA Cup, the Boat Race. Even half the sporting events which MUST by law be shown on terrestrial tv have been lost to ITV.

The once great Period Dramas are now rehashes starring ex-soap and pop stars, rather than thespians. It is also the same old novels which are being adapted. As the acting is so poor, and direction so bad, the Beeb served its latest Dickens work in half hour segments, and drowned out with backing music (for atmosphere). It appears that the programme commissioners have only read books by four authors (Austen, Bronte, Dickens & Hardy). Believe it or not, but there are many others. There are authors of great quality who are still alive, too. Frederick Forsythe didn’t write the ‘Day of the Jackal’ and then put down his typewriter for good! Even Kevin Spacey has condemned the BBC for its lack of quality drama, with real actors and directors.

Jonathon Ross and Russell Brand used a radio show to leave obnoxious messages upon the answerphone of an aging comedian, regarding his grand-daughters sex life. Middle England was in uproar, thousands of people, who had never listened to the show, complained. Brand resigned, as did the head of Radio 2, and Ross (on a salary of £6million p/a) was suspended for 3 months. A review was set up, yet before it decided whether further action needed to be taken against Mr Ross, the BBC started advertising his return date. Not surprisingly, the review decided no further action should be taken. This shows that the review was never going to do anything, and was simply a rubber stamping formality, put on for show. As the old adage goes ‘it’s not what you do, it’s what you’re seen to do’. I’ve shown from my comments earlier that I enjoy edgy comedy, but feel that Mr Ross should have been fired. Why? This wasn’t comedy, it was puerile, pointless and malicious, whilst just not being funny. Russell Brand is a ’shock’ style presenter, and will always be followed by controversy, so this is just what a person can expect from him - that surely is why the Beeb hired him. He appeals to the teen and early twenties audience, so should have been on Radio 1. He should not have gone, he just did what he is paid for. Mr Ross is supposed to be a safe pair of hands, is middle-aged and grossly overpaid - he should have known better, should have intervened, not collaborated, and should have lost his job.

Phone-ins. Even in the Eighties, phone-ins were unpredictable. There are two highly memorable moments from the saturday childrens show ‘Superstore’ which I will remember till I die; Margaret Thatcher being badgered by a young girl over the sinking of the Belgrano during the Falklands War, and the pop ensemble Matt Bianco being told they were “sh1t” live on air. Of course, in those days, phone-ins were just that; a chance to express yourself. Now, in modern Britain, we have the mobile phone and phone votes (bring back Hughie Greens ‘clapometer’!). Whilst many channels across the globe have encountered difficulties in using this new technology, the BBC seems to be standing still. First, it was the long-running childrens classic ‘Blue Peter’ that betrayed the youth of today. For any non-Brits, ‘Blue Peter’ has been running for about 40 years, teaching children how to make their own Thunderbird2 out of a washing bottle, presenters displaying their acts of derring-do, educating us how to make cupcakes, to garden and appeciate pets. It has always had its hiccups - a baby elephant poo-ing on the floor during a show in the glorious days of black and white telly, the dog Petra dying and being quietly replaced by a lookalike, and the scandal of youths breaking into its garden and smashing it up. However, in 6 months it blew the country to pieces. Firstly, because the phone system was n’t working for a phone-in quiz, all phone entries (although costing the caller money) were disregarded and a kid who happened to be in the studio faked being the winner. Who actually got the prizes was never revealed. Okay, mistakes can happen, but then they completely disregarded the result of a phone-in to name the shows new kitten, because the producers didn’t agree with the name chosen by the viewers. This exposure led to a list of BBC shows announcing that they had rigged phone-ins, staged winners and basically ripping off the viewing public.

On behalf of the BBC, I should point out that its main rival, ITV, had similar problems (mostly people still being urged to ring in when the winner had already been selected), and its Director stated that ITV would no longer do business with any company that had been involved in such scandals. The two biggest offenders were a prouction company run by ‘Ant & Dec’, the ITVs most prized assets, and ITVs own in-house production company; both of whom remain employed and working with ITV. 

All channels promised to stamp this out. At the weekend, the BBCs ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ (a show known in the USA as ‘Dancing with the Stars’, and has franchised shows globally) was caught up in its second scandal within a month. At the root of the shows problems lies one man, an individual whose news and political credentials are massive, a person who was once rudely pushed aside in one of Margaret Thatchers ‘handbagging’ incidents live on the news, and who resembles, in appearance, Rumpelstiltskin. He is Jon Sargeant. Once, a sad bedraggled gentleman, often left standing in the rain outside the Houses of Parliament or 10 Downing Street, shivering and awaiting the studio to ‘go over to’ him, he retired from political journalism for the BBC, and entered the popular populist show. Whilst I have never watched the show, nor the daily update shows, nor the Sunday repeat, nor the results show, I am informed that Mr Sargeant really was a star. It seems his dance performances befitted Rumpelstiltskin rather than Ginger Rogers. Brits love an underdog. We can’t help ourselves. I am proud that Britain rallies behind the unfortunate struggler, I feel this social trait is a virtue. The public kept voting for him, contrary to the judges opinions. The more these nobodies (unheard of before this show) attacked his lack of ability, the public warmed to his effort. Ultimately, he jumped before he was pushed, and politely left the show. The public stance was that he felt the winner should be the best performer, and that if he had won, thanks to the public vote, it would have made a mockery of the show. Behind the scenes reporting seem to reflect that the judges egos were being offended, strife was brewing, and Mr Sargeant was urge to leave. This meant 2 couples leaving in one week. This weekend was semi-final, when the judges gave two of the contestants joint top marks. The result of tis action was that no matter how many votes the third participant received, he could not avoid a dance-off! Apparently 11 million people watch the show, and hundreds of thousands voted at their own cost. The show finished ten minutes early, no explanation given to the public, and the Beeb spent ten minutes showing promotional footage for itself at prime time on a saturday night (the BBC is not allowed to show adverts, supposedly). Auntie Beeb announced that no refunds would be given, but that the votes would carry over to the final, featuring no dance-off for the third place, and irregardless that those voters may wish to vote for someone different next week. This morning, the Beebs Director General appeared on morning news programmes for all the channels, explaining that viewers could now apply for a refund. Strangely, you will have to search hard on the BBC website to find this news of a u-turn, or even about the scandal. This is very surprising from a channel who discuss the programme during their news shows (as though it is news) and even questioned the government minister for business, Lord Mandelson, whilst the banking crisis was at its height?! To be honest, my real gripe within this story is the contempt for the viewer. Why do 4 overpaid undertalented judges opinions count more than 11 million viewers? Whatever happened to one man, one vote?

For none British readers, this may seem a long rant about a tv company, but there is soething special about the BBC. It is paid for directly by a tax on every television in the UK. Any television, video recorder, DVD recorder, computer that can receive a television signal, etc is being used illegally unless your household owns a tv license, and this revenue goes straight to the BBC. It is cuurently about £120 per year, even if you never watch the BBC.

Channel 4 in the UK is going bankrupt. This is because all its programming is targetted at youths and early twenties, yet according to the news, these people are never in their houses. They congregated in hooded gangs at street corners, terrorizing old people, or are fighting and throwing up in town and city centres, because of bars ‘happy hours’, alcopops and excessive drinking. Advertisers don’t bother with channel 4 because this age group does not have disposable income, unlike us middle aged folk. The remedy; combine it with BBC Worldwide. That’s really going to improve the BBCs image, becoming indirectly, the home of ‘Big Brother’.

Fortunately, the public is wising up. Sabotage is afoot. Mr Sargeant is not the recipient of some unexpected mass public support over the last few months.  Back in the Eighties, a shy young man with a tremendous singing voice became an overnight sensation courtesy of his talent and the Stock, Aitken, Waterman record machine. Singing some new material and some classic cover versions, this young lad from outside Stockport near Manchester dazzled the public, before retiring because he didn’t seek fame. His music was not my cup of tea, but I had to respect his talent as a vocalist, and the fact that he turned his back on a fortune for a quiet, private life. This year, Rick Astley, for twas he, won a public vote. He beat the likes of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Morrissey, and Damon Albarn to win ‘Most influential person in music history’!

Whilst the BBC may be dying slowly, it is, at least, wonderful to see that irony is still going strong in Britain.