Oh, Babe, What Would You Say

 While I generally think it better to be reading good books than writing bad things, I'll make an exception this week. I honestly thought I had a draft of an essay comparing but mainly contrasting two favourite poets, Rosemary Tonks and Philip Larkin, but when I checked I found it was only notes. That's what happens when you write things in your head - you think you've already done the hack work of typing it out. Still, I've now made a start and it was most enjoyable, flicking across to the internet or a book for the detail, leaving it to be filled in later if it's too difficult and framing sentences that sound neat to me whether they will to anybody else or not. It's nice work if you can get it. No, it's not work and one can have as much of it as one can think worth doing.

It is far more enjoyable than reading about Lord George-Brown, about who the story of him asking the Archbishop of Lima for a dance was eventually there in all its glory except it might have happened in Vienna with the Austrian equivalent. It is mystifying how 'populist' politicians become popular but much more so how they can remain so in the wake of their ongoing disasters and obvious unsuitability for high office. It would have been interesting to see how George Brown and Boris Johnson would have got on, being similar characters in many ways. One policy of Johnson's would have been endorsed passionately by Brown - that of sending some junior out to the off licence with a suitcase during a lockdown party with orders to bring it back full of booze.

Not even the sadness and reflection that can often come in the last chapter of a biography saves George. He summons a priest, concerts to Catholicism and, the book says, considers himself absolved. There's something about these 'characters', these rabble-rousers, that makes them entirely about themselves. By all means, Harold Wilson doesn't come out of this book with his reputation enhanced but, for whatever reason, he had to suffer George Brown as a major influence in government when he was trying to run the country. It says Brown threatened to resign 17 times before finally being taken at his word. It might have been a better idea to have accepted it the first time.

I realize that Rishi Sunak isn't the ideal Prime Minister and he has some odd people in his cabinet - his options are limited- but, Goodness Gracious- but he's not noisy, bumptious and on telly everyday and that might mean he's 'getting on with the job' like Boris always said he was going to but never did.  

--

I'm afraid the Fleetwood Mac record on the Playlist is Dreams, which is Stevie Nicks, but there's also I'd Rather Go Blind by Chicken Shack so, in memoriam Christine McVie, let's do that.