A Beefeater has become an internet hit after his politically incorrect jokes about the elderly and the French were posted on YouTube. Footage of Yeoman Warder Bill Callaghan giving his version of the history of the Tower of London has been seen by more than a million people. During a tour Mr Callaghan mocks his colleagues and tourists and tells children that Richard III will get them at bedtime.
A little bit of background on the guy, his name is Bill Callaghan and he is Irish. In addition to his job as a yeoman warder, he is also a life boatman for the RNLI, and in 2009 raised several thousand pounds for the charity by travelling the length of the River Thames with a friend, in a tandem kayak. (Over 200miles)
The video, made by a visitor, shows the former Sergeant Major asking elderly people on his tour to hurry up because they might not have long left to live. To roars of laughter, he says: "I don't care if you are limping. Catch up. Old people! It is an amazing fact that the elderly just do not realise how little time they may have left."
In the 12-minute clip Mr Callaghan states that the majority of the Yeoman Warders, the Queen's personal bodyguard, are ex-Army like him. "We do have four from the Royal Air Force, no one talks to them, and we also have two Royal Marines and these are instantly identifiable because they are usually holding hands," he adds.
He goes on to say that many tourists would be disappointed that he was not wearing the Beefeater ceremonial uniform of white ruffle, red and gold tunic and tights. "We only wear that in the presence of Her Majesty because she likes it," he says. "If you want men in skirts; Scotland. Although you can get that kind of action in Soho. I'm sure the Royal Marines will be happy to tell you where."
Moving onto the subject of Traitor's Gate, he jokes: "Mel Gibson should have been brought through these gates and given a really hefty slap over the colossally inaccurate comedy film Braveheart." Callaghan also tells a group of tourists: "History is nearly always written by the people who win. This explains all the empty pages in the French history books."
The footage of Mr Callaghan has earned him praise from hundreds of YouTube viewers. One said: "Brilliant, informative, entertaining, unique! Respect for his handling of the group - they will remember him for years and a lot more of his imparted detail as a result of his irreverent humour."
Tower of London spokeswoman Katrina Whenham said Mr Callaghan, who is on sick leave, had been spoken to but was not in trouble. She said: "He admitted he may have been slightly more sarcastic than usual on that particular tour ... he said that it was the last one of a long day. But Bill is a fantastic story-teller with his own unique interpretation of events at the Tower."
The Beefeater's top quips
On the film Braveheart: "Never a day goes by without some demented Scot, I'm not saying you're all demented, just the ones I meet, demanding to know 'Where did you keep William Wallace? He was my father, check out my blue face and the family resemblance'. That's just the women."
After telling how little Princes Edward V and his brother Richard were suffocated in their beds and buried beneath a stairwell: "Now I'd like you children, especially you young children, to think about that at bedtime. Your mummies and daddies are going to tell you that was all a long time ago and that's true.
They're going to tell you there are no more bad men. That's a lie. There are bad men, then there are very, very bad men. They're not always out there though, sometimes they're under your bed. They wait for you to go to sleep and that's when they strike. Sweet dreams kids."
As he prepares to take the visitors through the Bloody Gate at the Tower: "We are about to charge through it. Charge is a military term. It means to move rapidly to engage in eager combat with an enemy. So let's not have the Italians at the front."
This is here for no better reason than I think it is really great short. It was shot entirely on the Nokia N8 mobile phone and is the winner of the Nokia Shorts competition 2011. The fact it was shot on two Metros is another plus, obviously! For the anoraks among you they are Metro de Paris and MTA, New York with shots of Gare de Nord and Grand Central although the clip ends in London.
Director: JW Griffiths Producer: Kurban Kassam Director of Photography: Christopher Moon Editor: Marianne Kuopanportti Sound Design: Mauricio d'Orey Music composed by: Lennert Busch
For more “Splitscreen” shorts by J W Griifith see;
Remember when Carers, Teachers, Police Officers, Soldiers, Nurses, Fire-fighters, and other government employees crashed the stock market, took billions in bailout money, wiped out banks, took millions in bonuses, stopped their contributions to the pension system and paid no taxes? No? Me neither!
Davy Cameron's New Model (after cuts) Army
On Thursday 30th June 2011, hundreds of thousands of union members will be striking against an attack on their hard fought and won pension rights. People are being forced to withdraw their labour because they are outraged at having to pay for an economic crisis caused by selfish bankers and unaccountable financial institutions. Our public services, jobs and pensions are under attack by the ConDem Government of Millionaires for Millionaires.
Show solidarity with striking public sector workers. You can do this by joining a picket line in your locality and/or by attending one of the rallies listed below:
Aberystwyth: noon, rally at Morlan Centre, Queens Road, SY23 2HH.
Bedford: 10am, rally at Civic Theatre, Horne Lane, MK40 1RA. Speakers include Jim Stringer from PCS.
Birmingham: noon, gather for rally and march which will start and finish at Victoria Square, B1 1BD. Speakers include: Hugh Lanning, PCS deputy general secretary; Vici Whittal, PCS Birmingham prison; Jason Ferraby, PCS Cannock Department for Work and Pensions; and Kevin Courtney, National Union of Teachers (NUT) deputy general secretary.
Brighton: 10:30am assemble at The Level, 37 Ditchling Road, BN1 4SB. March to Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, BN3 4AH for rally at noon. Speakers include Dominic McFadden, PCS national executive (NEC).
Bristol: 11am, assemble at College Green, BS1 5TA. March to Castle Green, Wine Street, BS1 2BH, for speakers including John McInally, PCS vice president. There will be an afternoon of stalls and entertainment in Castle Park, Castle Street, BS1 3XD.
Cambridge: noon, rally at Parker's Piece, Parkside, CB1 1JE.
Canterbury: 10am to 2pm, rally at Abbotts Barton Hotel, New Dover Road, Canterbury, CT1 3DU. Speakers include John Walder, Kent NUT divisional secretary.
Cardiff: noon, assemble Sofia Gardens, Cathedral Road, CF11 9XR. March to Cathays Park, CF10 3ND, for a rally. Speakers include: Andy Richards, president of Wales Trades Union Congres; and Dave Bean, deputy president PCS.
Carlisle: 12.30pm rally by Old Town Hall, CA3 8JH, with music and food. Speakers include: Mary Ferguson, PCS NEC.
Chatham: noon to 2pm rally at Command House, Dock Road, ME4 4TX. Speakers include Zita Holbourne, PCS NEC.
Chelmsford: 11am, rally at High Street, CM1 1BE.
Chester: 12.30pm, rally at Town Hall Square, Northgate Street, CH1 2HJ. Organised by West Cheshire Trade Union Council.
Colchester: 12.30pm, rally outside Colchester town hall, High Street, CO1 1PJ. Organised by Colchester and Clacton trades union councils.
Dover: noon, rally at St Mary's church hall, Church Street, CT16 1BY. Speakers include Annette Rogers, NUT association secretary; Alan Dennis, PCS NEC.
Exeter: 11am rally at the Corn Exchange, George Street, EX1 1BU. Speakers include: Brendan Barber, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC); and Hector Wesley (PCS NEC). March to Belmont Park for a Festival for the Alternative at 12.30pm with music from Billy Bragg, a bouncy castle and children's entertainment, stalls and food and drink available.
Glasgow: noon rally in George Square, Glasgow, G2 1DU. Speakers include: Janice Godrich, PCS president; Grahame Smith, general secretary of the Scottish TUC; Mary Senior, University and College Union (UCU) Scottish secretary; Mike Kirby, Unison Scottish secretary; and Pat Rafferty, Unite regional secretary.
Gloucester: 10.30am, rally at the bandstand in Gloucester Park, Park Road, GL1 1LH.
Halifax: 10am to noon, indoor rally at Arden Road Social Club, HX1 3AG. Speakers include: Linda Riordan, Labour MP; Ian Murch, NUT national treasurer.
Hastings: 10am to noon, rally at White Rock, White Rock, TN34 1JU. Speakers include Andy Reid, PCS NEC; Dave Brinson, NUT NEC. Followed by a picnic in Alexandra Park, St Helen's Road, TN34 2EL. Huddersfield: noon, rally Market Cross, Market Plave, HD1 2AN. Speakers include Eddie Childs, PCS NEC.
Hull: 10am, rally at Royal Hotel, 170 Ferensway, HU1 3UF.
Ipswich: assemble at 10.45am in Giles Circus, Princes Street, IP1 1DT. March to a rally at town hall council chamber, Cornhill, Ipswich IP1 1DH. Speakers include Lorna Merry, PCS.
Leeds: 11.30am, assemble at Leeds Metropolitan University, Woodhouse Lane, LS1 3HE. March to noon rally in City Square, LS1 2AN. Speakers include Jane Aitchison, president of PCS in the Department of Work and Pensions.
Liverpool: assemble from 11.30am, William Brown Street, L1 1JJ. March to The Black-E arts centre, Great George Street, L1 5EW, for a rally at 12.30pm. Speakers include: Marie Daley, UCU NEC; Julie Lyon-Taylor, NUT NEC; and Alice Robinson, Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), national senior vice president.
Llandrindod Wells: 11am, rally at The Pavillion, Spa Road, LLD1 5EY. March to rally and picnic at Landrindod Wells Lake Park, LD1 5LG.
London - central: 11am, assemble at Lincoln Inn Fields, WC2A 3TL. Music provided by Love Music Hate Racism. March to Westminster Central Hall, Storeys Gate, London. SW1H 9NH, for a rally at 1pm. Speakers include union general secretaries - Christine Blower (NUT), Mary Bousted (ATL), Sally Hunt (UCU), and Mark Serwotka (PCS); Dot Gibson of the National Pensioners Convention; and Labour MP John McDonnell. Find out more and download the London rally flyer at the events page.
London Wembley: 10am, rally in The Torch pub, Bridge Road, HA9 9AB, by Wembley Park station.
Luton: noon assemble at Market Hill, LU1 2YN, walk to Town Hall, George Street, LU1 2BQ, for speakers at 12.30pm - including Ian Albert, PCS NEC. In the afternoon there's a picnic in Wardown Park, Old Bedford Road, LU2 7HA.
Maidenhead: 11am to 1pm, rally at The Thames Hotel, Ray Mead Road, SL6 8NR.
Maidstone: noon to 2pm, assemble outside the Walnut Tree, 234 Tonbridge Road, ME16 8SR, for a rally focussing on education. Maidstone: 4 to 5pm, assemble outside County Hall, County Road, ME14 1XD, for a rally focussing on public sector cuts.
Manchester: assemble from 11am, All Saints, Oxford Road, M1 7DU. March to Castlefield Arena, Liverpool Road, M3 4JN for a rally at noon. Speakers include: Helen Andrews, NUT NEC; Mark Baker, ATL NEC; and Dominique Lauterburg, UCU NEC.
Merthyr Tydfil: 12.30pm, rally at civic centre, Castle Street, CF47 8AN. Speakers include: Peter Harris, PCS Wales secretary; Dominic MacCaskill, Unison; Debbie Scott, NUT; and Jeff Edwards, leader Merthyr council. NEW
Middlesbrough: 4.30pm, rally by the bottle sculpture, Russell Street, TS1 2AE.
Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Meet at noon at Life Centre, Times Square, NE1 4EP. March to the monument, Grey Street, NE1 7AL, for a rally at 1pm. Speakers from striking unions including Cheryl Gedling, PCS NEC; plus Kevin Rowan, secretary Northern TUC.
Newport (south Wales) : noon, rally at John Frost Square, NP20 1PA. Speakers include: Dave Bean, PCS deputy president; Roy McCabe, UCU; and Angela Davies, NUT.
Nottingham: 11.30am, assemble at Castle Meadow, NG2 1AB, for march to Trinity Square, NG1 4AF. Followed by rally in Albert Hall, North Circus Street, NG1 5AA. Speakers include Paul Williams, PCS NEC.
Oxford: noon, assemble at Town Hall, St Aldate's, OX1 1BX. March to a 2pm rally in Bonn Square, OX1 1EU. With music and a barbecue. Called by the Oxford & District Trades Council.
Peterborough: 10am rally at Laxton Square, PE1 1UQ. Organised by Peterborough TUC. Peterborough: noon, rally in conjunction with Unison at City Hospital, Bretton Gate, Bretton, PE3 9GZ. Organised by Peterborough TUC.
Plymouth: 11am to 12.30pm , rally organised by ATL, NUT and UCU at Plymouth Albion rugby club, Madden Road, PL1 4NE. Plymouth: noon, assemble at Guildhall Square, PL1 2AD, for Stop the Cuts' march round town and back to Guildhall, organised by Plymouth TUC.
Portsmouth: noon, rally at Guildhall Square, PO1 2AB. Speakers include: Mike Derbyshire, PCS NEC.
Preston: noon, rally at The Flag Market, PR1 2JA. Speakers include: Kathy Eager, ATL NEC; Simon Jones, NUT NEC; and John Murphy, UCU NEC.
Reading: 11am, rally at Reading International Solidarity Centre, 35 London Street, RG1 4PS. Noon, leafleting at Oracle shopping centre, RG1 2AG.
Rotherham: 11am, rally All Saints Square, S60 1PW.
Sheffield: noon, assemble Peace Gardens, Pinstone Street, S1 2HH. March to rally at Barkers Pool,S1 2JA. Speakers include Marion Lloyd, PCS NEC.
Sittingbourne: 11am, rally at Phoenix House, Central Avenue, ME10 4BX.
Southampton: 11am, rally in Guildhall Square, West Marlands Road, Southampton SO14 7FP. Unite and Unison members who are in dispute with Southampton city council will join the crowd at 12.30pm.
Southend: 12:30pm, Victoria Circus, SS1 1TJ. Organised by Southend Against the Cuts.
Swansea: 12.30pm to 2.30pm, rally at Castle Square, SA1 3PP.
Telford: noon, assemble at Southgate, TF2 8JT. March to rally at Cordingley Hall, Wellington Road, Donnington, TF2 8JS. Speakers include Chris Morrison, PCS NEC. Refreshments provided.
Truro: 10am to 1pm, rally at Lemon Quay, TR1 2LW.
Worthing: 11am, rally in Steyne Gardens, Warwick Road, BN11 3DZ. March to Homefield Park, Homefield Road, BN11 2HZ. Speakers include: Adam Kalif, PCS NEC. Supported by Worthing Solidarity Network.
Wrexham: 11.30am, rally at Queens Square, LL14 3EQ.
The above list is not exhaustive. It is very likely that a rally will also be held in your locality, if none of the above is convenient for you. Please check the link below for the latest on events organised near you:
Some advice in relation to the strikes next Thursday 30 June 2011 on the legal position regarding necessary leave to look after children or other dependents as many employers are trying to “blindside” employees by not telling them about the legal position in relation to time off.
Under S.57A Employment Rights Act 1996 (“ERA 1996”), employees have the right to take unpaid time off work, in certain circumstances, to care for or make arrangements in respect of a ‘dependant’. In order for the right to apply, the employee must:
(a) tell the employer the reason for his or her absence as soon as reasonably practicable; and
(b) if able, to contact the employer before returning to work, giving the employer an estimate of how long the absence will last.
The issue here is whether employees have had sufficient time to make alternate care arrangements. The legal test is whether it was ‘necessary’ and ‘unexpected’, and not as is often wrongly assumed, ‘sudden’ or in an emergency situation.
Therefore it is imperative that any employee who believes that they will have a difficulty in finding alternative care provision for their dependents during next week’s strike, must inform their employer as soon as possible. This will then give them protection from any potential disciplinary action. It should be noted that the right is only for unpaid leave. Companies may offer the choice of taking a day’s holiday instead, but this would be discretionary.
Please do all you can to support public sector workers. A victory for them is a win for a better future for all!
To keep you going until Thursday here is the Jam singing "Kidney machines replaced by rockets and guns"... still so true 31 years later!
I for one never begrudged U2 their success and I am not one of their knockers. They are a hard working professional Band who have worked hard at their craft for over 30 years. They have stayed living in Ireland and invest in the country. Indeed Bono (Paul Hewson) and The Edge (David Evans) live within bombast distance of a friend’s Martello Tower in Killiney Co. Dublin.
Paul was a near neighbour on the Northside of Dublin growing up in Cedarwood whilst I lived down the road in Willow Park. I never knew him but Dublin is not a huge city and I would see him at the next bustop by the roundabout on Ballymun Avenue with a Dunnes Stores bag of records waiting for the 19A bus into town. There, like all of us in Dublin at the time, he and the guys would hang out in the Dandelion Market on Stephen’s Green, a development site which became a bit of a groovy market a bit like Camden Lock in London. We also had some mutual acquaintances and I caught some of their early concerts in the Project Arts Centre which acted as a catalyst for so much in the visual and performing arts in Dublin.
In common with others U2 have taken advantage of an extraordinary tax break introduced by Charles Haughey when he was Finance Minister which exempted royalties earned abroad from creative writing from income tax. Now this was originally intended to get writers to settle in Ireland and encourage native talent but it has been availed of by film directors, script writers and pop musicians all of whom structure their tax affairs to take the bulk of their income in royalties.
The Boys
Glastonbury organisers were accused yesterday of using heavy-handed tactics against demonstrators who tried to embarrass U2 during the rock group’s debut at the festival. Activists from protest group Art Uncut made their point by unfurling a 25-metre inflatable balloon bearing the slogan ‘U pay tax 2?’ in front of the 50,000 fans watching the band perform on the festivals Pyramid Stage. Friday’s protest was directed at U2’s 2006 decision to cut their tax bill by moving their business affairs from Ireland to the Netherlands.
Before 2006 U2 Ltd, which deals with U2’s royalties payments, was registered in Ireland, the band’s native country, for tax purposes. At the time, Ireland had an astonishing policy of allowing artists to pay zero tax on royalties. In 2006, the Irish government decided to cap the income which can be subject to this exemption at 250,000 Euros per annum. Following this change in the law, U2 Ltd decided to move their tax affairs to Holland in order to pay less tax.
Irish politicians called it a cynical tax-avoidance ploy by the world’s highest-earning musicians, who last year raked in about £80 million. Members of the 30-strong group of activists, who were aged between 18 and 35 and included a teacher, artists and musicians, said within minutes of the unveiling they were set upon by security guards, who pinned protesters to the wall and left one, 23-year-old Claudia Stevens, with a broken finger.
U2 business acumen is legendary directed by their “5th Member”, their Manager Paul McGuiness who has always directed their affairs and who takes an equal share with the band members. U2’s members are worth almost £1 billion between them through savvy investments. The band was one of the first music successes to obtain all rights to its music. Frontman Bono, 51, and lead guitarist The Edge, 49, each own 25 per cent of Dublin’s Clarence Hotel. Bono, who has a £300 million stake in Facebook and a £220 million share in media company Forbes Media LLC, owns properties worth more than £30 million.
Meanwhile, The Edge has a £30 million Californian mansion; bassist Adam Clayton, 51, has a £12.5 million house in London plus a home near Nice, and drummer Larry Mullen Jr, 49, owns properties in upstate New York and the French Riviera worth a total of £30 million. Now they are not the first band to organise their affairs to minimise their tax payments, the Rolling Stones for instance have always been a company in the Netherland Antilles, but it does sit uneasily with Bono’s pronouncements on Western Nations not giving enough to Africa.
Indeed I am worried that with Bono and Chris Martin both at Glastonbury nobody is looking after Africa. I shouldn’t have worried as it turns out Bono asked God to deputise for him over the weekend!
I’m grateful to Ross Lydall of the London Evening Standard for the heads up on what the London Underground map may have looked like if Germany had won WWII. Never mind the map of Europe, this is how the map of the London Underground could have been redrawn if the Germans had won, or would it? An Austrian university librarian has imagined how the Tube network would look if we all spoke German, renaming the capital's 270 stations from Heidenreihe (Heathrow) to Hahnenzuchter (Cockfosters).
Horst Prillinger has used a mixture of wit and linguistic dexterity - Heidenreihe most accurately translates as "heathen row" while Hahnenzuchter could be read as "chicken farmer" - in adapting the station names. Mr Prillinger said the map had translations that preserved the meaning of the English words, such as Burnt Oak becoming Verbrannte Eiche, and "deliberate misunderstandings".
While the suffix "ham" means "home", he translated it as the meat, so West Ham becomes Westschinken. Here is Horst’s website;
Die Linien, Bahnhöfe und Zonen von London Underground, London Overground und Docklands Light Railway (DLR). Als Klassiker des Designs macht die U-Bahn-Karte das Fahren im Londoner U-Bahn-Netz denkbar einfach. Diese übersichtliche Karte enthält einen Schlüssel zu allen eingezeichneten Stationen sowie die 6 Gebührenzonen.
Click on the map for a larger image
For more see TUBE BLOGS and TRANSPORT BLOGS in the Blog sidebar >>>>>
With the passing of Kader Asmal who has died of a heart attack at the age of 76, in a Constantia hospital in Cape Town freedom has lost a great friend, the Rule of Law a great advocate and both his beloved native South Africa and his adopted home of Ireland have lost somebody who enriched them immeasurably. It was my great privilege to know Kader and I am both saddened by his passing but also grateful to have known somebody who reeked of integrity and made such a difference in life.
For Kader, an always polite and enthusiastic Law Professor much given to smiling and laughter has left a large footprint on this earth. He had led the campaign in Ireland against apartheid and went on to hold two ministerial posts in South Africa. Asmal left Ireland in the early 1990s, returning to South Africa, where he was a senior figure in the African National Congress. Although he served as a minister in the Mandela government from 1994 to 2004, he regularly returned to Dublin.
After leaving his native South Africa in 1959, he helped found the anti-apartheid movement in London, before moving to Dublin. He lectured in Trinity College for 27 years. Kader Asmal came to Ireland in 1963, a South African exile and member of the African National Congress, fresh from a degree at the London School of Economics.
As a founder of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) with former President Mary Robinson,(one of his former students) he championed the rights of workers in Dunne’s Stores when they refused to handle South African oranges. In Trinity College, he specialised in human rights, labour and international law and from 1980 to 1986 he was dean of the faculty of arts. He met his wife Louise in Dublin. They had two sons and two grandchildren.
Kader with his former student Mary Robinson, later President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Kader was the best type of lawyer, one who truly believed in the Rule of Law as the glue which binds a civilised society, who led by example and who influenced a whole generation of lawyers, judges and legislators in Ireland before returning to South Africa. He said;
“The state is not the enemy, it’s the abuse of power” that is the enemy, he says. In order to fight such abuses – and he stresses that the abuse of power can come from private as much as, or more than, public interests – a strong state is vital. “One thing I’ve learned, don’t always counter pose the state as the enemy.” He cited economic globalisation and US imperialism as further evidence of the need for a strong state, able to assert its sovereignty.
Kader grew up in Stanger, KwaZulu-Natal and while still a school-boy he met Chief Albert Luthuli who inspired him towards human rights. In 1959, Kader qualified as a teacher, moved to London where he enrolled at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
While in London he started the British Anti-Apartheid Movement and when he joined the Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland as a teacher of human rights, labour and international law, he started the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement. Kader qualified as a barrister in both the London and Dublin Bars and received degrees from both the London School of Economics (LL.M. (Lond.)) and Trinity College, Dublin (M.A. (Dubl.)). He was a law professor at Trinity College for 27 years, specialising in human rights, labour, and international law. In 1983, he was awarded the Prix UNESCO for his involvement in the international inquiries into human rights violations. Kader served on the African National Congress' constitutional committee from 1986.
Trinity College, Dublin
In 1990, Asmal returned to South Africa and shortly afterwards was elected to the African National Congress' National Executive Committee. In 1993, he served as a member of the negotiating team of the African National Congress at the Multiparty Negotiating Forum. In May 1994, he was elected to the National Assembly, and joined the cabinet as Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry.
In 1996, the World Wide Fund for Nature-South Africa awarded Asmal their Gold Medal for his conservation work. During his tenure he supported the Global Water Partnership (GWP). As Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry he spearheaded the recognition of the concept of "the environment as a prime water user." While serving as Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, he also served as the chairman of the World Commission on Dams (1997–2001).
In 1999, after the South African general elections, he became Minister of Education. Among his initiatives as Minister of Education was the launching in 2001 of the South African History Project "to promote and enhance the conditions and status of the learning and teaching of history in the South African schooling system, with the goal of restoring its material position and intellectual purchase in the classroom". Asmal emphasised that children should not be measured by outcomes only, “but measured by the successes achieved getting to an outcome”.
He was a professor of human rights at the University of the Western Cape, chairman of the council of the University of the North and vice-president of the African Association of International Law.
On 5 October 2007, he severely criticised Robert Mugabe for the situation in Zimbabwe, lamenting that he had not spoken previously, at the launch of a book Through the Darkness — A Life in Zimbabwe, by Judith Todd, daughter of former Southern Rhodesia prime minister Garfield Todd, an opponent of white minority rule under Ian Smith.
Asmal resigned from parliament in 2008, in protest against the ANC's disbanding of the elite Scorpions anti-crime unit. He felt it was a poor decision, and that it was improper that politicians who had been investigated and found to be engaged in corruption by the Scorpions then took part in the vote to disband the organisation. Just six days before his death, Asmal called for the controversial Information Bill (also known as the "Secrecy Bill") to be scrapped.
I first met Kader in 1974 when I was Secretary of the Student’s Union in Bolton Street. One of the few redeeming features in this utilitarian 3rd Level Educational institution was a small payment from the college for guest speakers. Kader came along to state the case for fighting Apartheid. What struck me then and since was his own personal experience of Apartheid, its pervasiveness and how every aspect of your life was controlled by your official designation as white, coloured or Bantu, as black people were called under the system. The whole nonsense of separate development which led to the creation 10 Bantustan which led to three and half million black South Africans being deprived of South African citizenship and being forcibly relocated to these nonsense puppet states. The detail Kader outlined was shocking but this was no bitter ranting exile. On the contrary with his ready smile and laughter he was an optimist that human goodness would prevail no matter how grim the present reality seemed. It was inspirational and it inspired me to join the Irish Anti Apartheid Movement (IAAM).
This in fact was run from Kader and Louise’s family home at Beechpark Road, Foxrock but as a campaigning organisation it always punched above its weight with many high profile protests, for instance when the Springboks Rugby Team toured Ireland. But its high point came when a Dublin shop girl refused to sell two Outspan oranges to a customer in a major supermarket chain.
In July 1984 a 21-year old cashier Mary Manning was suspended by management at the Henry Street branch of Dunnes's Stores where she worked. Two days earlier, Mary and her worker colleagues received a directive from their union IDATU (Irish Distributive and Administrative Trade Union) not to handle any products that originated from South Africa. This was as a consequence of a motion adopted at the IDATU annual delegate conference that said that because of the apartheid system, union members were to refuse to handle South African goods. This lead to a strike and campaign lasting 2 years nine months during which the Dunnes’s Stores strikers stood firm with public support against management and Garda intimidation and in the latter case sometimes violence. It took a heavy toll on the principled strikers, some of whom ended up losing their homes, but in the end Ireland passed a law forbidding the import of South African produce which stayed in force until the end of Apartheid.
In 2008 a plaque was embedded in front of Dunnes's store on Henry Street to commemorate the strike and the workers who participated in it. Speaking at the ceremony, Kader Asmal who had been Chairperson of the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement during the strike and who went on to become a Minister in post Apartheid South Africa delivered a message on behalf of former South African President Nelson Mandela.
According to Mandela“young workers who refused to handle the fruits of apartheid 21 years ago in Dublin provided inspiration to millions of South Africans that ordinary people far away from the crucible of apartheid cared for our freedom".
Kader at the unveiling of the plaque outside Dunnes's Stores, Henry Street, Dublin in 2008
I, like many others in Ireland, have warm memories of Kader, the bustling academic lawyer, whose love of liberty stemmed first and foremost from his love of life and people. I never remember a trace of bitterness in his being even when he was telling me in the dark days of isolation about his ANC contemporaries in South Africa who had been killed or were rotting in prison. Louise was vice-chair and very much his equal partner in his campaign and when he left Ireland she went with him to South Africa, a country whose freedom she had spent many years campaigning for but which she had never been to. Their son Rafiq was a student and part time club promoter in Dublin and used to rent a basement night club in Dublin’s Grafton Street where he ran a club called “Risqué” on a Saturday night. He was astonished around 12.30 one Saturday night when this part time club was graced by David Bowie, his Band and entourage who crashed in after performing to 50,000 at Slane Castle earlier. He wasn’t the only one who was astounded as so was I being there that night and I ended up chatting to David whose management asked for the doors to be closed but very kindly insisted on picking up a bar tab until four in the morning by way of thanks!
Kader and Louise Asmal
Kader too was avuncular, enjoying company, a “jar” and unfortunately chain smoking which no doubt contributed to his ill health in recent years. I had left Ireland before he went back to South Africa but I remember afterwards reading an interview with him where he regretted that he had gone back at the age of 55 and not 45 when he was in his prime. Be that as may be and though our thoughts are with Louise, Adam and Rafiq in Rosebank, Cape Town we cannot feel sad after a life which has accomplished so much and has served as an example of the importance of Human Rights and the Rule of Law and how with courage and determination these values will prevail. But there is another reason why we must not be sad for that was not Kader’s way. Whilst he gave a great deal to Ireland he also felt wanted there and took from the country as a little story illustrates.
At a formal dinner of the SA Brandy Foundation, in 1999, Kader told the guests: "This is an occasion when I should declare my interest in relation to brandy versus whisky, without further ado. For, as you know, it is incumbent on parliamentarians and ministers to declare their interests, and we are here to salute brandy and its responsible consumption.
"So I must declare that, if I do have the odd diverting dram, it is whiskey, spelt with an 'e', the Irish way. In fact, it is generally totally misspelled, the more correct being P A D D Y," he said. "I mention this in case any of tonight's esteemed audience passes through Heathrow duty-free and is heretical enough to purchase some Paddy on my behalf."
Farewell to Kader who showed us the way, a true friend of Freedom.
Well Mayor Boris Johnson got some sound bite headlines as he claimed he was planning to confront President Obama over millions of pounds owed by the US embassy in congestion charges, during his visit to London. But as is so typical with Bozza this turned out to be sound without substance or all “piss and wind” as they say in the parts of the country Bozza is unfamiliar with, like Liverpool.
Boris Hall
Several embassies refuse to pay the charge for driving in central London, claiming they are exempted from local taxes. The total bill stands at £51m. "Maybe when President Obama's hors d'oeuvre plate is whisked away he will find a bill for £5.5m," he said. The US embassy said it considered the charge to be a "direct tax".
Bozza signing a petition against Tube Ticket Office closures
Speaking to Vanessa Feltz the mayor said he may be "shepherded away" from Mr Obama but added: "If I get the chance to I will remind him that the US owes us £5.5m in congestion charge.”I think if they are going to have the representation here in London then they should pay the charge for driving and using our streets.
The Con Charge
So 'No representation without a congestion charge' is the slogan." Several embassies refuse to pay the £10-a-day charge and the £120 fine incurred through not doing so. The charge was £8.00 a day when Boris was elected in 2008 promising not to increase it. But Mr Johnson said: "It is not a tax, it is a charge for services and I think we should test this in the courts. That of course is NOT what Boris said when running for election as on this clip;
The American Embassy says;
"Our position on the direct tax established by Transport for London in 2003, more commonly known as the congestion charge, is based on the 1960 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which prohibits the direct taxation of diplomatic missions."
I once had a Law Lecturer who said the best guide to the Company’s Act was to read it so in the same spirit I actually read Article 23 of the Vienna Convention;
Article 23
1. The sending State and the head of the mission shall be exempt from all national, regional or municipal dues and taxes in respect of the premises of the mission, whether owned or leased, other than such as represent payment for specific services rendered.
2. The exemption from taxation referred to in this article shall not apply to such dues and taxes payable under the law of the receiving State by persons contracting with the sending State or the head of the mission.
Seems plain enough to me but unlike Bozza I’m not an Oxford educated Classics Scholar – maybe our fearless Mayor, that scourge of burglars, Greeks, piccaninnies, Scousers and embassies would understand it better if it was in Latin?
Boris who?
So file this one away along with all the other Bozza Bollo entries like I’m going to get a strike free deal on the Tube, I’ll introduce the Bicycle scheme at zero cost to Council Tax payers (£43 million and rising), I’ll get rid of Bendy Buses ditto and I won’t increase fares above inflation. Yeah, yeah, yeah!
This is the first full song to be uploaded on YouTube, taken from the December Premiere Showcase at The London Irish Centre in Camden.
Having blogged on “1916 The Musical” last March I’m very glad to see it is getting nearer production with the full musical score having now been recorded at Universal Studios and a number of heavyweight industry figures joining the team. It is good to see it gathering momentum as this is the seminal event in Irish history and indeed in the history of my hometown of Dublin.
GPO Dublin 1916 after the Easter Rising
One of these figures coming on board is John Cameron who is an acclaimed Composer, Arranger and Conductor; the creator of the original orchestral score of Les Misérables from its inception in Paris 1980, through the Royal Shakespeare Company, Broadway, and concert versions to the production still playing at the Queen’s Theatre in London’s West End today.
On joining the team, John Cameron was asked what attracted him to the project:
“I have been involved in a variety of projects involving Celtic music, including film scores for ‘To End All Wars’ and ‘Driftwood’, my cantata ‘Missa Celtica’ and a string quartet ‘Tara’s Brooch’, and so Celtic music is certainly in my blood. Furthermore as a historian, the subject of Irish Independence has always been for me one of the key issues of the last four hundred years. When I was approached about writing music for 1916, the subject already excited me, and the story that Sean and Simon had woven around the events of 1916, by turns heroic and tragic, funny and romantic was enough to make me want to start writing straight away.”
I recently had the pleasure of meeting the person who has been the driving force behind the project, theatrical producer Sean Ferris. ‘1916 The Musical’, is an epic love story and the brainchild of Sean Ferris, was born 17 years ago, when Sean was walking through the streets of London. Of Irish descent, Sean is fiercely patriotic and proud of his heritage, describing Ireland as “where his heart is”. He feels compelled to tell this passionate love story to an audience, who are perhaps not familiar with the iconic events of Easter, 1916.
When speaking with Sean, the word ‘Legacy’ is mentioned on numerous occasions, which emphasises Sean’s belief in the power of theatre to not simply entertain, but to educate and culturally enrich its audience. Yes, ‘1916 The Musical’ utilises the successful formula of war and revolution to frame a story of love and deceit, a model employed by film and theatre writers for centuries; however, Sean’s intentions go further than simply creating a box office phenomenon.
For when “1916 The Musical” goes into production it will act as a catalyst for reappraisal of this seminal event in modern Irish history. As the poet WB Yeats put it;
“Now and in time to be, Wherever green is worn, All changed, changed utterly: A terrible beauty is born.”
It is not a goodtime to be one of the PIGS – Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain. Greece, Ireland and Portugal, the euro region countries that needed 256 billion Euros ($366 billion) in emergency aid to avoid default, may all see their debt loads exceed the size of their economies this year. The only one of the PIGS whose economy has not been bailed out is Spain which is arguably too big to be bailed out in any event.
However the possibility of a second Greek Bail-Out and the increasing likelihood of defaults on Sovereign Debt is threatening not just the continuation of the Eurozone but the entire European Banking System – it is estimated that UK Banks have over €88 Billion exposure in Ireland and French and German Banks over €100 Billion exposure in Greece. Moody's has placed three large French banks on negative review based on their exposure to Greek debt.
In Ireland the political opposition is building up to the IMF Bailout fuelled by resentment that the Developers, Bankers and idiot Politicians who caused the bubble in asset values are getting off scot free. Finance Dublin kicked off The Irish Government Debt Clock which was set at midnight on June 30th 2009, when it was €65.278 billion. It updates the latest figures for the National Debt of Ireland. The clock is re-set periodically, to reflect changes in debt and deficit estimates from the Dept of Finance, the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA), and independent economists. The clock is set now at €107 Bn, an amount which would be unserviceable even if the boom had continued. For further background on what the debt figures mean click here.
Greece’s debt, already the biggest in the euro’s history at 143 percent of gross domestic product last year, will jump to almost 158 percent this year and 166 percent in 2012, the European Commission said this week in Brussels. Portuguese debt will surpass total economic output for the first time this year, growing to 101.7 percent of GDP, while Irish debt will reach 112 percent, the forecasts show.
As European Union officials consider boosting aid for Greece a year after its 110 billion-euro bailout, today’s report shows little sign of debt levels becoming more manageable. Soaring borrowing costs have left the three nations shut out of financial markets with investors increasing bets that Greece will become the first euro member to default.
The scale of Greece's problem is simply stated: her national debt will approach 160 per cent of GDP on current trends. Here in the UK we are supposed to be in crisis because that ratio is heading for about 75 per cent.
Les porcs
The Celtic Sage takes no satisfaction in predicting as far back as 2007 that the “One size fits all” Monetary Policy would be unsustainable in the EU’s peripheral economies when I wrote;
“There is widespread and growing disquiet about the consequences of the Euro, especially as the preparations for it already seem directly responsible for rising unemployment in Europe. Some argue cogently that the regional imbalances from monetary union will be a source of conflict not harmony between states. Popular resentment about high unemployment in depressed regions and about the scale of financial transfers to them from richer states could lead to a possibly violent break-up of monetary union.”
Earlier this year I pointed out the sheer impossibility of Ireland servicing its (then smaller) debt and how the election of a new brand of Gombeen Government would not make an iota of difference;
Beware of electorates carrying placards
“So the € 80 Bn Bailout equates to roundly € 55,000 for every productive worker. Add to this annual interest servicing costs of € 4,960 per annum and you get the scale of the problem, Ireland’s public and private debt is simply unsustainable. Most reconstructions, Bankruptcy and liquidations, involve substantial debt reduction, a write off of debt before you begin a fresh start. Ireland is in unrealistic denial about being able to service its Public and private debt making the hard stop of debt default inevitable sooner rather than later.”
