November 11th 2009
It is my opinion, previously expressed on this page, that Gordon Brown is a weak leader whose attempts to court popularity are misguided and invariably reflect badly on him. But, as Hugo Rifkind wrote some time ago in the Times, he is now being bullied.
The Sun has been instrumental this week in spreading the news that Brown's letter to the mother of a dead soldier had his name spelled wrong. The soldier's surname was Janes, whereas Brown wrote James – he also seemed to correct a misspelling of Jamie, and his handwriting was poor throughout.
Well, the first thing is that Mr Brown's handwriting is always poor, and this letter was probably the best I've seen it. The second is that this is in no way a news story; it is an excuse to criticise our Prime Minister, and to play on the grief of a mother in a calculated way, knowing that she cannot be criticised. Mrs Janes not only gave the letter to the Sun, she passed on a recording of her phone conversation with Brown – who records their phone conversations? - and has been interviewed at length about the matter. Sun journalists should be ashamed, but I'm not sure they're still capable of shame.
Should Mrs Janes also be ashamed? Yes and no – as a grieving mother, she cannot be judged under normal criteria, since her world has fallen apart. I can't begin to understand that, though she should remember that Brown, at least, can. Looking back, she may come to realise that she has acted in a very unfair manner to the Prime Minister, who has more important things to do than worry over a spelling mistake. Note that this is one mistake, as opposed to the 25 that she claimed on the phone (I have no idea where that came from, since I've seen the letter in the Times and it's definitely only one).
Of course, Brown is in an impossible position here. It's like 'biscuit-gate' again, in which he knows that the press are joining with the foolish to whip up a storm over the trivial, but he can't say so. This is why Tony Blair had to utilise 'spin' – it was the only way to combat the feral beasts of the media, who were there first.
In chirpier news, I had an excellent birthday last Saturday while on James Lee's stag weekend. It was great to meet up with Uni folk, some of whom I'd only seen once or twice since Uni days - these are among the best people I've ever met, and it was an honour to assist Matt in organising the stag. As Jimmy is a Spurs fan, we got him an Arsenal shirt and cake (bittersweet for me, since Arsenal crushed Wolves 4-1 on Saturday evening); he got me a T shirt featuring our famous Dangerously Articulate photo. On the first morning we played on the beach - beach football, making sand replicas of James and burying him up to his neck were among the pleasures to be had - and in the evening I rolled out a quiz. Since I know that you're a knowledgable lot, I've reproduced the quiz for your enjoyment.
Round One: Putting James to Faces
It's a picture round, and they're all called James.
Round Two: General Knowledge [with a hidden message]
1. Which band had hits with 'Sit Down' and 'Laid'?
2. What boy's name, when written backwards, is a kind of fish? (And no, 'Doc' is not a boy's name)
3. Which month is mentioned in Shakespeare's 'Shall I compare thee'?
4. Which airline decided to remove Richard Branson's cameo from its in-flight version of Casino Royale in 2007?
5. Which Premiership football team are known as the Lilywhites?
6. Complete the title of the Oscar Wilde play: “Lady Windermere's _____”.
7. What is the surname of the Newcastle player who has played in every Premiership season from 1992/93 to 2008/09?
8. Which games console was released in the UK on the 26th anniversary of John Lennon's death?
9. What word meaning 'zero' is the surname of Mike from the Beach Boys?
10. Give a four-letter word without any vowels that means 'song of praise'.
Round Three: Film & TV
1. Which actor has played characters called Jack Dawson, Frank William Abagnale Jr and Billy Costigan?
2. What was the first ever programme shown on Channel 4?
3. Which comedian sprung to fame in the TV series Marion & Geoff?
4. Which of these Anchorman actors has not appeared in Friends? Paul Rudd, Christina Applegate, Steve Carrell, Fred Willard
5. Who voiced Woody in Toy Story?
6. For which film did Robin Williams win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor?
7. Whom did Paul Merton replace as the host of Room 101?
8. Which child star appeared in Jumanji, Small Soldiers and Little Women?
9. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan have appeared together in Joe Versus the Volcano, Sleepless in Seattle and which other film?
10. Which Scrubs star has appeared alongside Harrison Ford in both The Fugitive and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?
Round Four: Sport
1. Which footballer ended his career by being sent off in the 2006 World Cup final?
2. Name either of the two sports that have been dropped from the 2012 Olympic games.
3. Name the English cricketer whose surname is an anagram of 'cricket shot'.
4. Which footballer has the most caps for the Republic of Ireland?
5. Hockey has red cards, yellow cards and which other colour cards?
6. The All-England Club, based in Wimbledon, hosts tennis and which other sport?
7. Which sprinter joined English rugby league team Castleford Tigers on trial in 2008?
8. Which football team does Prince William allegedly support?
9. Which retired tennis player recently admitted, in his autobiography, to taking crystal meth?
10. Who are the only football team to go an entire Premiership season unbeaten?
Round Five: Music
The titles of songs have been missed out from these lyrics. Name the song (the number in brackets refers to the number of words in the song title).
1. Someday you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a [2] in the sky
2. She said "It's really not my habit to intrude
Furthermore, I hope my meaning won't be lost or misconstrued
But I'll repeat myself, at the risk of being crude
There must be [6]"
3. Wise men say only fools rush in
But I [5] with you
4. And she won't write a letter, although I always tell her
And so it's my assumption, I'm really [3]
5. So may I introduce to you
The act you've known for all these years
[6]
6. I'm on my knees, looking for the answer
Are we [1], or are we dancer?
7. Walking around
Some kind of lonely clown,
[4] always get me down
8. I want to be Bob Dylan
[2] wishes he was someone just a little more funky
9. I know that it's a [2]
From the sky down to the sea
But I can only see it when you're here
Here with me
10. She's a [2]
Gunpowder, gelatine
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Round Six: Literature
1. Wuthering Heights is the only published novel by which author?
2. Which book begins: “"It was a bright, cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen"?
3. Which Shakespeare play contains the line “The lady doth protest too much, methinks”?
4. Which Narnia book comes between Prince Caspian and The Silver Chair in the series order?
5. In The Lord of the Rings, what kind of creature is Legolas?
6. What is the name of the dog in the Famous Five?
7. On what book is the film Clueless based?
8. Which Irishman won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995?
9. Which novel is narrated by the character Scout Finch?
10. Name either of the two cities in Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities?
Round Seven: Animals
1. Which football team plays their home matches at Molineux?
2. According to legend, in which modern day country was St. George born?
3. Which comedy duo starred in the film Alien Autopsy?
4. What was the nickname of British Olympian Eddie Edwards?
5. Adam Duritz is the lead singer of which band?
6. Which Canadian-born actor announced in 1998 that he suffered from Parkinson's disease?
7. With which sport is W G Grace associated?
8. Aesculus hippocastanum is the Latin name for which tree?
9. What novel tells the story of the characters George Milton and Lennie Small?
10. Which weatherman gained notoriety when he wrongly said: " Earlier on today, apparently, a woman rang the BBC and said she heard there was a hurricane on the way... well, if you're watching, don't worry, there isn't!”
Round Eight: Beards
1. Which England footballer sparked a national debate recently by having a beard?
2. Who is referred to in this Bible verse? “So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.”
3. Who is the only Beatle with a beard on the cover of Let It Be and the only one without a beard on the cover of Abbey Road?
4. Which is the only one of the 7 dwarves who doesn't have a beard?
5. In which series of Blackadder does the eponymous hero sport a beard?
6. Which American president supposedly grew a beard after receiving a letter from an 11 year old girl recommending that he do so?
7. In original editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, what was wrong with Dumbledore's beard in the image on the back cover?
8. Which member of the royal family this year mocked a guest's soul patch as being a 'poor, frustrated beard'?
9. Which was the only James Bond film to feature a bearded Bond?
10. Which band features two bearded members and a third whose surname is Beard?
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what am I listening to?
OK Computer - Radiohead |
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what am I reading?
The Shadow Rising - Robert Jordan |
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what am I watching?
Battle of Britain |
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