Corruption and Decay!

Article in FT Magazine 20/1/07 by Michela Wrong

John Githongo is reported to have discovered too much corruption in Kenya.

His responsibility in the administration of president Kibaki was to ensure that the alleged abuses and corruption under Moi, the previous president, were investigated and that the new government did not slide down the same path. I do not know enough to take a view about this and, given the position our own dear leader finds himself in, perhaps discretion is the way forward until Gordie starts turning up the promissory notes and aide memoire stuffed down the back of the sofas in No. 10. My delight in the piece was the story below.

Mr Githongo is now reported to be living modestly in lodgings in Oxford associated with a college as a result of leaving Kenya for the benefit of his health. When he arrived in 2005 it was suggested he was in need of support. John is a big man, as evidenced from his photo, and not likely to be intimidated but we all know what the bad boys are like. He was welcomed to the collegiate bosom and supported by the college porters who, he suggests, provided a ring of steel about his person.

The article goes on …

“Soon after arriving the head porter called to say a package had arrived.”

When asked if it was ticking he replied that:-

“I will immediately dispatch my most dispensable porter to give it a firm kick and find out sir.”

The porters, burly lads, possibly retired from the Oxford constabulary, had a degree of professionalism, dignity and respect for life which we take for granted. We should resolve to give the next can of worms we find a firm kick and find out what happens! Who knows who might support us?

There May Be No St David's Day Holiday

The count I recorded at the site below on the 24/1/07 @ 15:04 was 9061. This, as you may remember, is the petition that there should be no replacement for Trident. The graphic above indicates how the those dedicated to eliminating weapons of mass destruction enjoyed themselves over the Xmas period! Not quite the exponential growth I would have liked to see.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/trident/

Our little band of brothers and sisters against nasty weapons were being led by a petition to make St David's Day a public holiday - count at roughly the same time 9153.
So get to the petition and sign you beggars or there may be no national holidays for any of us, except possibly the ants! I wonder who their patron is?

We have to the 17 Feb. A few hundred thousand would be a nice poke in the eye for a retiring politician and his replacement!

Ambling

A mild winter afternoon bimbling along with the local amblers. Two hours of pleasant company and footpaths across the wide meseta of Mid-Suffolk. Less mud than predicted and the rain which threatened held off. Heading back, the sun broke through and the day, measured in weary steps, turned towards its end.

New Year 2007

A very good new year with friends who we love.
A chicken dish which would have annoyed Mr Bush and not too much over indulgence.
We made a trip to Welney and I was smitten. The above, obviously had a wild new year.
But the feeding at 3.30 and the floodlighting brought in birds, especially swans, by the hundreds.

There were more ducks arses after the feeding than I remember from dances in the 60s.


Incoming swans kept us transfixed.


It was difficult to capture the moment. The birds were so cool. They arrived in ones and twos; then sixes and nines, then the tens and twenties. After this they swam around with such sophistication and aplomb that they seemed to be having a little passeo or vuelta before a spectacular dinner or ball.

Enough.

A good new year to all our readers!
La vida es un haya.
Keep planting the seeds!