Election Shock

Well, I didn't see that coming. but nor did Theresa May, Linton Crosby, the mainstream media or the tabloids - all of whom have been made to look much more stupid and less streetwise than they would like. It's exciting and positive, because it removes Brexit as "the last time the country decided anything." That depressing majority in favour of going back to the past is looking shakier by the day - and for the good reason that the kids have had enough of fogies fixing their future. It's not going to be easy or simple, but it could well get better, somewhere down the line, and it's a long time since I felt like that. (If you want my poetic analysis of what's gone on, see  The Bonfire of the Certainties in poemsfromthenews, elsewhere on this website. )  

A Quiet Passion

We don't have a ton of British film directors whose style is immediately distinctive - in a good way. But there is Terence Davies, and his biopic of Emily Dickinson is just stunning. All the trademarks - slow, lingering camera, beautiful music, often playing for longer than you'd think. And thoughtful, feeling faces, telling us all we need to know. There is a script, sometimes a very witty and articulate script (also by Davies himself - I was amazed), but that's only a minor part of the overall effect. And at the heart of it is Cynthia Nixon, whom I'm not sure I've ever seen before, but certainly will want to see again. It's a cliche that actors carrying their previous big parts looped around their necks like an albatross, and I'd guess there are gains and losses from having been in Sex and the City, but that certainly shouldn't be held against her. I've never seen a film about a poet which convinced me so completely that yes, this person was actually involved in writing poems, and as a bonus we get a lot of them recited over the sumptuous pictures we're looking at. a total treat. 

Getting Over Brexit

Who's going to heal the wounds? Well, Grayson Perry, of course. He will chat up, collect photos from, a range of Leave and Remain voters. Then he'll put together two vases, which will contain the essence of the two sides, and bring them together in a finale of resolution. On a personal level it works well. He is possibly the most engaging interviewer on the whole of television, and his final coup - that if you ask Leave and Remain voters to send in photos of what they value, the results will be very similar - is clever and cheering.

But. But it isn't as simple as he implies. The deep bitterness among Remain voters is not just at the result. It's at the manner of the campaign - deceitful, calculating, demeaning. It's all very well to contrast Arron Banks and Gina Miller as emotion and reason, and say that Remain failed to find an emotional approach that resonated. True enough, but what was he looking for? "Follow LEAVE logic, and you end up killing Jo Cox?"  Arron Banks is personable and witty, but he also spent seven million pounds quite deliberately appealing to brute racism. Perry had one casualty of that, the single migrant in Boston brave enough to appear on camera, and he's still paying the cost. Is everything still OK, Grayson? I think not. 

Winning the Cup

Yes, children, of course winning is everything, but there's winning and winning. On Wednesday night Mourinho gives Manchester something to cheer about in a week when they definitely need it - but what a dire display. Not interested in possession, not interested in creating anything. Get a couple of goals from a lucky deflection and a goalmouth scramble, and then sit in the trenches, shooting them down. This hugely talented, expensive club is reduced to hoofing it up to Fellaini, in the hope that he can nod it on - if there's anybody that high up the field.

And now this. Oh my God. Arsenal, my favourite, totally exasperating team, have not only won the FA cup, they've done it by outplaying, outmuscling, even, the best team in the UK. Sure, they had a bit of luck with the first goal, but then Chelsea got one back and almost immediately Arsenal produced a winning goal of speed, clarity and class. If you put together a reel of the most exciting forward movements, there'd be more of Arsenal than of Chelsea. But there's also the spellbinding spectacle of wily old Per Mertesacker, who's played less than an hour of football this season, lasting the entire match at the heart of a defence constantly under pressure. It can't just be me that was moved by this. Mourinho and Wenger each have a cup to be proud of, but I know which achievement I admire most.

Graduation

I'm back on the Ludlow commute, driving 20 miles each way, roughly three times a month, because I can see films there that aren't on anywhere else. but for how long? Last night I drove on my own, sat in a huge cinema with seven other people, and saw a wonderful Romanian film. Somehow the Easter Europeans have a closer, tougher view of how hard life can be, especially for decent people who are trying to do the right thing. All the people in this world have a realistic sense that they are surrounded by corruption, and negotiating through that on behalf of their loved ones will be an uphill struggle, possibly doomed. It sounds as if it's simply depressing, but it's much more intelligent than that. Thoughtful, intricate, often surprising, this is a movie to make you think as you come out. I just hope that they can afford to keep showing them. 

Three Girls

I don't believe it. I raved at the start of this week about the great TV that was about to be screened, and left out one of the best bits. Three Girls, yet again, sounds appalling but wasn't. I wasn't even sure I'd fit in the time to see it, because there was so much else that I knew I wanted to watch. But then Saturday night arrived and there was nothing on, so I gave it a go - watch for ten minutes, see what it's like. I watched all three epidoes, back to back, over three hours. It's a  painful, patient account of the Rochdale Grooming case, focussing very closely on three girls, who were mates for a time but had very different experiences of and attitudes to what went on. The writing and the acting were stunning, with a heartbreaking analysis of exactly how and why various agencies failed to actually do anything useful to stop this abuse. Very closely based on meticulous research, this showed a police officer getting very close to victims of a crime, falling out with their superiors, and retaining strong links with the victims after they had left the service. Which is also exactly what happened in the final episode of Little Boy Blue, shown on Monday. If I were in the police, that's a coincidence that would worry me.  

Good TV

Oh wow. Just wow. Every week i make this list of what I want to watch on mainstream TV in the week ahead, and it's often very thin. But this week, for some reason, the schedules abound with riches. The last instalment of Little boy Blue, about the killing of a young Everton fan. Should have been deeply depressing, but was done with real sensitivity and conviction. Good documentaries on people facing death, and the historical roots of ISIS; again, don't sound cheerful, but both stimulating and well done. And then there's OJ Simpson:Made in America, five hours of quality documentary, shown an hour at a time over five successive nights. We haven't been spoiled like this for years, and it may never happen again, but I'll grab it while it lasts.

Born to Kill

Sad how TV won't even look at any drama unless it's got some sort of a crime involved. Born to Kill is somewhere in the middle of the heap, not brilliant, not terrible. it's got some pretty crude psychology underpinning it - son of murderer turns out to be psychopathic killer, just like his dad - but a rivetting performance by the lad himself, who's clearly one to watch. Out on the fringes, though, is Daniel Mays as an ex-policeman going through a tricky time. He's a really good actor but he's made a mistake. This is a crap part, lousily written, which makes him look like a pathetic wimp and doesn't give him the chance to build anything of any interest. A tough reminder, as if we didn't know, that it has to be there in the writing or it won't be there at all. 

First among equals

I'm reading John Bew's Citizen Clem, a biography of Attlee. I knew he was good, but hadn't realised just how good. and while people are underestimating him, patronising him, he just gets on with the job of running things, and running them really well. Here's what he says about being Prime Minister: "The essential quality in a prime minister was that he should be a good chairman, able to get others to work together." Oh, boy. When did we last have someone who had half a clue what that meant? Bevan was moody and egotistical, but given the right context, could work miracles. Attlee gave him the right context, putting up with the showboating because he was getting a health service and a lot of houses. Meanwhile Theresa is being encouraged to think of herself as the supremo who cannot be challenged, who must suppress any thought or initiative unless it comes from her own limited circle. And Corbyn, who should by rights be more collegiate and aware, seems to have no clue how to hold a group together. It's going to be a stormy ride.

EU negotiation

Like everyone else, I haven't a clue how the EU negotiations are going to end up, but the initial omens aren't good. May seems to think she has to present herself as some cut-price Thatcher - prepared to be "bloody" difficult - ohmigod, the vicar's daughter swore. This must be serious. It fits all too well into our grand tradition of effortless superiority; we know we're better than these foreigners, so we don't have to take them seriously. Quite apart from manners of morality, this can't be the smartest way to get a decent result. I'm not sure precisely what the guiding spirit for negotiation ought to be, but - to borrow an expletive - I'm bloody certain it shouldn't be the Daily Mail.

Election

Oh yes, that's just what we need. Like the rest of the country, I'm with Brenda, gobsmacked and incredulous that they could really be putting us through all this again. Tactically, it makes perfect sense, but I'd really rather not have Theresa May telling me that the country is united after Brexit - it's just a few moaney MPs who are getting in the way...And the most serious threats are hers (which of course is why she wants a bigger majority, so she can tell some of them to get lost). and for those of us who fear the Tory right who's the best bet to curb their power, if only a little? You've got it. A more secure Theresa May. 

And then there's the deeper depression, of our lunatic system which doesn't match seats to votes, but disqualifies huge numbers of voters across the country from having any effect at all. and there's the rules, like the rules on spending, which the Tory Party and the Leave campaign have both systematically broken, without this apparently making any difference to the result. How can we possibly treat this ramshackle system with any kind of respect? And then there's the media, who did such a great of covering the Brexit debate. There's a few sane voices, like Gina Miller, trying to inject some kind of rational sanity into this mess, but i have to admit I'm not hopeful. 

Line of Duty (again)

Yes, I know. I wrote about this only a couple of weeks ago, bemoaning the fact that it was trying to do action movie stuff when that isn't Mercurio's strong suit. But what is? This is. Tense interrogation stuff, dripping with political manoeuvres, and a devilish capacity for surprise. It all seems to be going according to plan, as the good guys move in on the seriously weird inspector, with an impressive chain of evidence closing around her - when suddenly she's turning it into a serious complaint about unfair treatment, superbly backed up with a ton of her own evidence, which they're forced to watch unfold before their unbelieving eyes. and yes, of course it helps that it's Thandie Newton doing her thing, but it's not just her. The whole thing is gripping, important and convincing. Quite magical.  

Hidden Figures

Now that's what I call a movie. It's not world shaking or - apparently - Oscar material. But it is very definitely an enjoyable evening, and I feel so much better for going. Partly, it's just a fascinating, almost unbelievable bit of social history - three black women working at NASA and fighting for recognition in sixties America, all hopeful and Kennedy optimistic, but also stone age in attitudes to gender and race. All that was convincingly done, but not heavily, and the whole thing had an energetic vitality that carried you along - with a lot of help from some marvellous music. This was a feelgood movie in an entirely positive way, and during the credits they showed each of the three main actresses, merging with their real-life equivalents in the sixties, and then shifting forward to their current sparkling old age, triumphant survivors with a stunning story to tell. 

Autumn

And here it is - Ali Smith's Brexit novel. Who could resist? My wonderful local library branch is still able to answer most of my requests, and here comes Ali's latest, for a bargain 60 p. As always, it's a treat. Lots of witty jokes and wordplay, a deep love of humanity, and much appropriate sadness about the way the Brexit debate has sioled us all. It's not just the decision; it's the manner of the argument, the bitterness on both sides that it leaves, whatever the outcome. and as I'm reading, i know I'm in good company, that Ali's suffering along with the rest of us, while also sharing her thoughts on the artist Pauline Boty. So it's thoughts, diary, essay, at times a poem - in fact, it's hardly a novel at all, but who cares? thanks, Ali - we need you more than ever. 

Line of Duty

And here we go again. that tense feeling, as a familiar favourite returns to the screen, and you start to wonder "Is this the time they're going to cock it up?" I've been a Jed Mercurio fan since way back (Cardiac Arrest, anyone?), and I love his sense of the politics of places of work, the tense conversational battles for power. He was brilliant on the NHS, and who can blame him for moving into the police, because that's what it has to be about if you want to be on TV. He's got great dialogue, a terrific cast, and fabulous ideas. So why this compulsion to shunt it towards an action movie, as though we were all sitting there getting bored? L o D 4 starts with a tense situation, and Thandie Newton - what more could you ask? But the cliffhanger at the end of the episode is an unconvincing showdown fight that makes me wonder if i'm going to be able to keep watching. It's Ok, Jed, it really is. What you do is terrific. You don't need to tart it up with third-rate Hollywood.

E-mail to an MP

My MP Philip Dunne sends out an emailed newsletter to his constituents about what he's been doing. It is, without exception, purposeful and positive, like you'd expect, looking on the bright side. This week, he reports on Brexit, and what he hopes to see. What he doesn't comment on are the obstacles to its achievement, which is surprising, since they're influential members of the party to which he belongs. Here's my reply:

 Philip, hi. Thanks for your newsletter, constructive and optimistic as ever. I’m delighted to hear that you want a positive relationship with Europe, access to EU markets and protection for EU citizens. So do I. But what he have is government ministers making ignorant and threatening noises, a jingoistic approach to negotiation, and official hostility to anyone in this country who wasn’t born here. The shameful retreat over the Dubs amendment was bad enough, but yesterday’s walk-out sulk by Brexit MPs from the Parliamentary select committee suggests that you’re going to have to fight for what you want. Good luck.   

Days Without End

I've known for some time that Sebatsian Barry was a writer worth watching, but "Days Without End" really is special. It doesn't sound that appetising. Two gay soldiers involved in a violent war with Indian tribes - still interested? the subtlety and detail with which it's written is just fascinating. As I read through I kept keeping note of particular passages which struck me - describing what it was like for a young man to put on a dress and dance with soldiers; the sensation of driving rain; how it feels to be carrying out a massacre of defenceless civilialns; the effect of Famine on an Indian tribe. Versatile, yeah? you feel he can do anything and make you believe it. A book to treasure. 

Breaking Point?

This is the title of the poetry booklet I launched in Much Wenlock this evening. It was a gorgeous night, though the attendance was small - as ever, there was a long list of people who really would have liked to come, but...what mattered is that those who were there did want to come, were interested in the poems and the issues, and stayed to eat, drink and talk about them.

The poems are all about migration. The idea was to look at migration from various angles - historical, geographical, psychological and political. there's a tone of research that's gone into this - thorough reading of the Guardian most days (and the filing system that results from that) as well as books and TV programmes. There's even a poem called "Chorus of the Trolls" using some of the tweets received by Lily Allen and Gary Lineker.  

I know I'm not like most poets. I'm happy to make use of information - sometimes in some detail; I like regular forms - so there's sonnets, a ballad rhymed couplets and a villanelle; and i'm not shy about political commitment. I think the Farage side of the leave campaign was despicable, and am strongly opposed to the explicit hostility to migrants which has resulted from the campaign. So there. I'm not, of course, on the front line, but Wolverhampton city of Sanctuary are, and the booklet is being sold to raise money for them. £72.00 in the first week, which is not a fortune but is better than nothing. 

Say sorry

Oh dear. Katie Hopkins is going to appeal against the judgement which says she slandered Jack Monroe. Hopkins' problem was that she muddled up Jack Monroe and Laurie Penny, assuming that since they were both anti-austerity then they must be OK with defacing a war memorial. Monroe comes from a military family, would never dream of defacing a war memorial, and throughout the case has offered Hopkins the simple, honest and inexpensive route of making an apology. 

Say sorry? How could she? It's only human nature to mix up similar people. And anyway, "there is absolutely no evidence that anybody believed the tweet I wrote." It didn't happen, or it was someone else, or it doesn't matter anyway. Anything at all, except "OK, I got it wrong."

She reminds me of kids I used to teach, volatile teenagers who assume that admitting anything is intolerable - lie, run away, or escalate the conflict, but never, ever, back down. And looking across the Atlantic, there's another figure with a serious case of the same affliction - any chance of hearing from any of his teachers?

Tunnel vision

You couldn't make it up. In response to the SNP's revival of the independence issue, Theresa May  tries to put them in their place: "The tunnel vision that the SNP has shown today is deeply regrettable. It sets Scotland on a course for more uncertainty and division. Politics is not a game."

So true. But it has been, to the Tory leadership over the last three years. Scottish independence, the election, Brexit and its fall-out - all of these major decisions have been approached as though short-term selfish advantage was the only thing worth aiming at. If you want some sense of the reality of other views, of Europe as a whole, or of the UK as a whole, Sturgeon has shown more vision than Cameron, Osborne and May rolled together - let alone Johnson and Gove. There was never a time when we were in greater need of someone taking a long-term dispassionate view of how we might best plan for the future, but none of the voices providing that are members of the current government.