Post 441. STRAIGHTFORWARDNESS.

 HOWEVER HONESTLY PRESENTED.

IS NO LONGER ACCEPTABLE.
No, you don't speak too openly, not in twenty first century England you don't. Now you tread warily. You choose your words with care. You avoid confrontation or giving offence. If you have two penn'orth of sense you keep clear of social media, too. ChitChat, TikTok, PatterNatter, FlipFlop - whatever trade moniker given it by some teenage billionaire.
And you ignore any comment by anybody who doesn't give their name, or by any 'former something-or-other' who does. Time was when a member of the NHS committee that purported to employ me (actually the government did) remarked that I was 'rather forthright' and I took it as a compliment, even if it did mean I would never progress beyond Deputy Clerk and Finance Officer. Most of the people who took exception to my bluntness were pompous small-town somebodies whose views concerned me not. I was my own man: never did learn.
Now it is different. Even my dear Leader warns me. You cannot - must not - be adversely outspoken about the way you see this country changing. It is no longer the England of your youth: the one you thought you knew. It is twenty first century England: the one you don't, and never really will, know. So keep your counsel. Do not rock the boat. Avoid words like 'tokenism.'
Though this may suggest otherwise, it really does not bother me all that much. Can't change it.
Early nineties, arthritis, diabetes, cancer: nobody lasts forever and my time has to be too limited for such trivia. But I worry for our descendants in the rat race they will perforce have to join.

Meanwhile it is BBC Proms time again so I am back watching 

TELEVISION.
Saw the vast and gifted National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain conducted by Andrew Gourley perform Danny Elfman's composition Wunderkammer (20 mins), Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue with Simone Dinnerstein superb at the piano, and Maurice Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe (50 mins). Loved the Gershwin, thought both the Elfman and the Ravel (in particular) were too long and went nowhere. But I am not a 'modern' music fan. The orchestra, though, was marvellous and the Proms audience (liberally sprinkled with NYOGB musicians' parents I guess) clearly enjoyed every moment wherever the music was or was not going. Wonderful.
Also saw Yuja Wang play Liszt's Piano Concerto No.1 with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Klaus Mäkelä. Brilliant.

How can someone who looks that good be that talented?
How many times have i asked that question?

That's it until the end of the month..