What better way to mark a glorious English summer than the first Ashes test and the optimism of a nation. There was far more at stake than the 4" high Ashes trophy and much debate about whether there is still appetite for the lengthy Test five day format as opposed to the cut and thrust of T20 and limited overs cricket.
With the aggressive and combative approach of this buccaneering team led by courageous captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendan McCullum, the English side’s performance provided a thrilling test match even if at the nail biting finish, Australia edged over the line to go one up in the series.
The game attracted more interest and involved a new generation in Bazball and in the thrills and strategy rather than bashing boundaries.
Certainly controversy on the reasons for grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory – the declaration in the first innings, delaying taking the new ball, the missed catches and so on.
What matters is making us care about the game and now (nearly) everyone is checking on the Test score.
The announcement by the Prince of Wales (we need to get used to this meaning William not his father) that he intends to tackle the national problem of homelessness is a great credit.
He is launching a five year plan to address the problem and is looking at making some crown lands available for housing – a suitable response to Nimbies around the country who oppose erection of social housing in their areas and thwart the Government’s house-building targets.
A very deserved Tony award to Jodie Comer for best leading actress for her performance in Prima Facie, now playing on Broadway. At the ceremony in New York the presenter wrongly referred to her as ‘Julie’ but there is no doubt that Jodie has established herself internationally, having already won two BAFTAs and an Emmy. She is the only performer in the play, taking all 20 parts. It is a credit to her skill that Suzie Miller, author of Prima Facie, was reluctant to cast her because having watched Comer in Killing Eve, Miller was convinced that Jodie was Russian.
Fortunately the ability of fine actors to portray roles and pretend to be someone else is still recognised and valued, despite challenges from those alleging cultural appropriation or insisting that only a character of the same sex, age, race or orientation can be portrayed by an actor similarly identified.
The recent sad death of Glenda Jackson reminded us of her many fine performances from Women in Love, A Touch of Class, Elizabeth I and latterly as King Lear at the Old Vic in 2016 – not to mention her starring role in the Morecambe and Wise Show as Cleopatra. She won two Oscars but was too busy to collect either.
Her performances as herself in the House of Commons as Labour MP for Hampstead and Highgate (1992-2010) did not win similar accolades. Put this down to poor scripts from her neighbouring MP Jeremy Corbyn.
Two years after the last lockdown, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry hearing has begun. It will be of vast scope with no estimate of when it will end. In his opening, Hugo Keith KC, Counsel to the Inquiry described it as ‘an inquiry into myriad decisions and complex decision-making’ and ‘not limited to a single event’.
Baroness Hallett, the presiding judge who chairs the inquiry says her chief role is ‘to determine whether the level of loss in the broadest sense was inevitable and whether it could have been done better’.
The Grenfell Inquiry concerned the deaths of 72 people in one night in one small location. The inquiry started in September 2017 and is still not concluded.
The Chilcott Inquiry into the Iraq War lasted six years.
Covid involved 220,000 deaths, and continuing, and encompassed the whole country. The judge is dividing the task into modules. 1 Preparedness, 2 Decision-making, 3 Impact on Health Service, 4 Vaccines and Therapeutics, 5 Procurement, 6 Care Sector.
Vast numbers of interested parties, individuals, families, relatives, politicians, scientists, companies, experts with many being legally represented.
Dame Hallett talks of a tight time frame but this seems extremely optimistic. Where will the protagonists be when the report appears?
One overriding lesson for inquiries is to be warned of ‘the powerful and distorted beam of hindsight!’
For now, a few years of solid work for the many lawyers.
barryspeker@hotmail.com