‘A week is a long time in politics’. Harold Wilson

Yawn

I realised too much has been said and written about the current political situation when my daughter rang me this morning and asked excitedly ‘did you hear Gordon Brown’s resignation speech?’ This from a girl who a couple of weeks ago would have been hard pushed to pick Mr Brown out of a line up that included Ball, Prescott and Shriek. I am used to my son having an interest in politics thanks to Ian Hislop and Paul Merton but my daughter? Shocking!

'Given a fair wind, we will negotiate our way into the Common Market, head held high, not crawling in. Negotiations? Yes. Unconditional acceptance of whatever terms are offered us? No.' Wilson

My own interest in politics started with decimalisation. I was all for it as I could never add up pounds, shillings and pence. For some unknown reason I was dead against joining the Common Market and had high hopes for the 1975 referendum. Maybe I just preferred Wilson to Heath. I also remember urging my mother to go out and vote against staying in the CM in the referendum. She didn’t and I have always held her responsible the referendum going Heaths way. Maybe I was worried about having to get used to counting in Lira.

1971: D-Day delivers new UK currency

The British Government has launched a new decimal currency across the country. The familiar pound (£), shilling (s) and pence (d) coins are to be phased out over the next 18 months in favour of a system dividing the pound into units of ten, including half, one, two, five, ten and 50 pence denominations. Chairman of the Decimal Currency Board (DCB) Lord Fiske told reporters: "The general picture is quite clear and the smooth and efficient changeover so many people have worked for is now in fact being achieved."
But he expected it would take several months to adapt the five million machines affected by the new coinage. According to Chairman of the Joint Trade Committee of the London Cab Trade, John Welland, it will take 15 months to convert all the fare meters for London's 9,000 taxis.
Banks have been closed for the past two working days to prepare for the implementation of the new currency on what has become known as D Day. (Two days? I’m impressed)
Some traders - such as luxury London department store Fortnum and Mason - have been well-prepared for the switch, with dual pricing on many items.
But reporters noted some men have continued to spend their old pennies in the public lavatories in Piccadilly. (Eh? Diehards I suppose, spending their last penny!)
Chairman of the British Bankers' Association decimalisation committee, Bernard Sharpe, made clear old coins would not last.
"There is no case whatever for the retention of the sixpence in a decimal currency system, except for sentimentality for the 'dear old tanner'," he said.
A few market-stall holders were concerned by the size of the new halfpenny, but Lord Fiske explained: "It is not unduly small by world standards. "It has an important role to play particularly in price-shading of low-priced goods." (It was tiny, and soon phased out)

For many years a familiar phrase was ‘Yes, but how much is it in the old money?’

Having a father who was a Shop Steward coloured my political views, although my much adored Grandfather was a Conservative voter and, because of that so was my Nan. I have always had a weakness for the underdog, whether it is a football team, a boxer, Eddie the Eagle or a miner, and in the dark years of Thatcher my leftist views strengthened. I loved Red Ken when he ran the GLC and was heartbroken when he lost the battle to save it. I took a dislike to him however when he introduced the Congestion Charge. Sadly nowadays when the conversation turns to Proportional Representation, which I still can’t get my head around and other such complex things, I am embarrassed by my ignorance and I switch off. I just want the vulnerable cared for and everyone treated fairly and given the same opportunities. And a tax kicking to the super rich. But the one thing I do understand is compromise.



CamClegg gave a nice little speech today about new politics and change and compromise and shared vision. It was all very nice. Admirable. To see two nice looking (so I’m told) public school boys compromising so well is refreshing, almost reassuring. The coalition is being spoken about in terms of a marriage. Opposites attract they say. In my experience that’s bullshit. Some differences cannot be ironed out.

Wikipedia -To compromise is to make a deal where someone gives up part of, or all of its demand. In arguments, compromise is a concept of finding agreement through communication, through a mutual acceptance of terms—often involving variations from an original goal or desire. Extremism is often considered as antonym to compromise, which, depending on context, may be associated with concepts of balance, tolerance. In the negative connotation, compromise may be referred to as capitulation, referring to a "surrender" of objectives, principles, or materiale, in the process of negotiating an agreement. In human relationships "compromise" is frequently said to be an agreement that no party is happy with, this is because the parties involved often feel that they either gave away too much or that they received too little.

Just like a marriage then. And when you look closely CamClegg are more or less the same. And the family they have invited to sit with them at the top table are also cut from the same high quality cloth. No riff raff at their nuptials.

Good Luck Boys.