Leisure

Barry Speker's Comment

Issue 70

The arrival of the impressive 82 metre high Hadrian's Tower is a welcome addition to Newcastle's skyline, and the tallest.

It contains 162 luxury apartments and on the top floor is 3SIXTY, its amazing 27th floor restaurant and champagne lounge. (Fortunately the designated lift transports you from the ground straight to the 27th floor). This is well worth a visit not only for the stunning 360 degree views of Tyneside but excellent food and rather more extensive drinks menu. You will need to book a table even only for drinks and be ready to hand it back after a two hour slot. Naming it by a number such as 360 might contribute to the expectation of being top rank – such as 21 in Queen Street and SIX on the roof of the Baltic.

The excitement of the arrival of Euro 2020 one year late has seen a welcome lifting of the national frustration at the lack of live sport. The admission of albeit limited thousands of football spectators has enabled real atmosphere during the matches rather than the occasional stage-managed recorded crowd reaction. It has not taken long for the euphoric over optimism as to England’s prospects of success to be replaced by widespread criticism of the team and tactics and not only for being too ready to bend the knee. A draw with Scotland at Wembley saw the team roundly castigated whilst the Tartan Army celebrated as if they had won the World Cup final. Still, Harry Kane says his ambition to win the Golden Boot is undiminished. No more years of hurt? There was great disappointment at the delaying of Freedom Day set for 21 June and put back to the new ‘terminus date’ of 19 July. This had been predicted in the road map and was necessitated by concerns at the rapidly spreading Delta variant, which accounts for more than 96% of new Covid-19 cases. Although the large majority of Britons continue to support pandemic restrictions, the anti-lockdown movement is becoming increasingly ferocious with a conglomeration of anti-vax , anti-government and anti-Semitic theories encouraging more radical behaviour. The harassment and threats towards the BBC’s Newsnight political editor Nick Watt by antilockdown activists was appalling, occurring adjacent to 10 Downing Street and despite a large police presence. The arrival of Andrew Neil’s GB News Channel was greeted by the expected tirade of hate mail from extremists on the internet including SFH (Stop Funding Hate), as well as derision from former BBC colleagues. That the opponents of the new channel should have been initially successful in persuading companies not to advertise even before the channel opened, was the antithesis of free speech. Fortunately advertisers such as IKEA, Bosch and Vodaphone have resiled from the ill-gotten plan, now agreeing that they acted too quickly. A recent newspaper poll found that 93% of respondents would boycott companies refusing to advertise on GB News for political reasons. It is reassuring to see such bullying from the authoritarian woke-left coming to nought. Perhaps a tide is turning.

Note the recent successful appeal by Maya Forstater, who lost her job as a tax expert after tweets criticising government plans to enable people to self-identify their gender. The court found that gender-critical beliefs are protected by the Equality Act. The likes of J.K.Rowling should now be able to express sincerely held views without fear of attack. Wishful thinking? Relaxation of restrictions has permitted resumption of musical performances – not quite Glastonbury, but jamming in Sloane Square with Paul Lau and an opportunity for a set in tribute to 80 year old Bob Dylan

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