Comment....with Barry Speker

Will the Road Map produce a national consensus? To pull together to achieve recovery for all - physically, economically, socially, educationally, emotionally and recreationally?

While there is widespread acknowledgement of the government’s success in acquiring vaccine supplies and rolling out the vaccination programme – a third of the country having had a first jab (including me) – there is still rancour.

This relates to order of the priority groups, whether children and teachers should receive vaccination now, and the police, fire service, ambulance staff, jailed prisoners and prison staff, and all third world countries. The ambitious aim for all adults to be vaccinated by 31 July has produced calls for early lifting of restrictions to restore some normality, prevent national ruin and mass redundancies and protect the futures of children.

The conflict is between those seeking a quick fix to save the economy and restore our liberty and sanity and those urging extreme caution until it is ‘safe’, avoiding a significant third wave.

Then a few simple challenges for the Government to recoup vast state borrowings and lost tax revenue, replace thousands of collapsed businesses and jobs lost, deal with early glitches of Brexit, save the Union from attack by the Picts, Scots and Sturgeons and contribute to saving the world’s environment. It should be an interesting year.

It cannot be denied that the French are more discerning in their culinary expectations, often mocking what the British are prepared to consume. Covid is bringing about one change. France is to repeal the longstanding law in its labour code which makes it illegal for workers to eat lunch at their desks.

I remember being in France and trying to enter a bank at 12 noon. Pas Possible! Non Monsieur! As the shutter came down blocking entry, ‘On doit manger!’, I was told (One must eat).

And eating a proper lunch -not a snatched coffee in a paper cup with a plastic wrapped sandwich and bottled water. That barbaric innovation was an import from America – as Gordon Gekko announced ‘lunch is for wimps’! The pint at lunchtime is a distant memory.

However the change in France is not a dilution of their civilised standards as to food but to reduce the risk of passing on coronavirus in the canteen. After a year of working from home many will rediscover the pleasure of a decent lunch.

Although not a regular listener to Women’s Hour, I was aware of its concentration on all matters of interest to its faithful audience. The programme has been running for 75 years during not quite all of which it was presented by the recently retired Jenny Murray. Something of a surprise that it should be attacked recently as adopting a style of aggressive interrogation more typical of The Today Progamme. A letter of protest was sent to the BBC by 200 ‘prominent’ women. Their grievance relates to an interview of Zara Mohammed, the new first female general secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain.

The presenter, Emma Barnett, asked Mohammed about the number of women Imams in Britain. When the reply was ‘I haven’t a clue’, Barnett found this hard to accept bearing in mind Mohammed represents 500 mosques and many women’s Muslim groups.

It is reasonable to expect her to know that the answer to the question is zero.

The ‘prominent’ women, including Baroness Farsi, Diane Abbott and Naz Shah, suggested that asking such questions was hostile and pursuing a stereotype that Muslim women are disenfranchised by a faith which has not reformed. If there is any change then surely a smart woman in a major position as Mohammed should be able and willing to handle simple questions of interest even to the audience of Women’s Hour.

Having competed the compelling series of ‘Deliver Us’, another Danish import, I have begun watching Bloodlands, a four part series by Joe Mercurio, and starring James Nesbitt. Based in Belfast the dialogue may well justify sub-titles. The narrative evokes the violent times of the Troubles and features the giant Harland and Woolf shipyard cranes, nicknamed Samson and Goliath, but no spoilers.

It may keep us watching pending the March appearance of the next series of Line of Duty.

Whilst Tribunal hearings continue to be almost exclusively by video, I have avoided turning into an indomitable Jackie Weaver despite my power to mute at will. No repeat yet of the predicament suffered by Texas lawyer who made a virtual appearance before a judge as a cat, courtesy of a Zoom filter apparently entered by one of his children. He could not disable it and was left to plead ‘I’m not a cat’.

It went viral of course, but the judge was lenient to the advocat! Virtual sur-reality?