Comment With.. Barry Speker

A recent London trip provided the delight of seeing Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre. The sell out Cameron MacKintosh show is innovative and electric. The hip hop style may not be easily digestible to all but it does add to the vibrancy of an amazing experience.

Alexander Hamilton’s political and personal life were both colourful and controversial. His remarkable role as the most unlikely of the founding fathers of the fledgling United States, rising to being George Washington’s number two and leading to his dramatic demise, makes compelling watching. This is so even for those not versed in the details of early American history. Strongly recommended. There was also the delight of seeing the unique Yuja Wang at the Barbican playing with French cellist Gautier Capuçon the Chopin Cello Sonata in G minor. A dazzling performance. The encore of Piazzola’s Le Grand Tango left the audience enraptured, and roaring for more.

A rather calmer musical event was my return as troubadour to granddaughter Vered’s class at MMK School in Mill Hill, London, my third gig there. The enticing programme included The Toothbrush Song, Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer and I Know An Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly and other classics. My agent may be bombarded with bookings.

Let us hope that the powers that be see sense and shelve their plan to make the Tyne Bridge one lane each way. The tail backs and delays impeding entry into and departure from our fine City are already more than an irritation. They are also a significant dampener on our already troubled retail sector, driving increasing numbers to the Metro Centre and other out of town outlets.

The 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz is a time not only to recognise the past horrors and repeat the slogan ‘never again’. We need to look at the present and the future and appreciate that we must contend with rising anti-semitism as well as the growing hatred of the Jewish collective through attempts to delegitimise the Jewish state which cloaks the desire of some including Iran, to eradicate the Jewish people.

January 31 2020 will go down in history as a day of major change for our country, when Brexit finally became a reality and Boris “got it done”. Not only that but it is the date when I eventually retired from practice as a solicitor after 50 years.

Generously Sintons marked the occasion with a lavish reception at As You Like It. My thanks for all who attended including many consultants and colleagues from Newcastle Hospitals, members of the Chinese community including North East Chinese Community, South Mountain and the Healthy Living Centre, lawyers, clients and representatives from numerous charities and associations in which I am very pleased to be involved. As I begun in the 60s and we are now in the 20s, this is my seventh decade in the law. I am grateful for the kind speeches by Mark Quigley, Jimmy Tsang and Andy Welch – as well as from Sarah and Robert who had come up from London for the occasion.

The future will give more time for reading, sitting as a Judge, dubious singing with my guitar, mediocre but enthusiastic golf, and turning up at St James Park. That will not be too time-consuming as it is only worth getting there for injury time. Importantly I will continue my columns in Northern Insight – sighs of relief all round!