It was an amazing day - last Saturday, 28 March. One stream marched from Park Lane, another - ours, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign - from Exhibition Road. We converged at Hyde Park, continued along Piccadilly, then into Lower Regent Street, then to Trafalgar Square and on to Whitehall for the speeches. The best speech - punchy, clear and short - was by Zack Polanski. We had pre-recorded the BBC, ITV and C4 evening news bulletins, to watch when we got home: these broadcasters had plenty of room for Tiger Woods driving under the influence but none for the march. This is from a Guardian report: Organisers claimed half a million people had travelled to the capital for the Together Alliance march. Police estimated the turnout was closer to 50,000, although they admitted it was difficult to judge the number due to the widespread nature of the crowd…The protest was in response to Tommy Robinson’s ‘unite the kingdom’ rally in September, when 110,000 people marched through central London. Doesn’t it seem odd that the far right march can be accurately counted but the march opposing them can’t? This is how it looked from the air, courtesy of Sky News, which did carry a full report:
We loved being with our tribe, our kind - a real rainbow nation of the decent and generous-spirited. Jews were there in good numbers as always, plus Holocaust Survivors Against Genocide.
Any Questions on BBCR4 on 27 March included this: ‘How will history remember Donald Trump?’ My answer: Twerp placed the lives of billions at risk by his perverse and ignorant view of anthropic climate change as a ‘Chinese hoax’ - he should have acted on scientific knowledge and advice but did the opposite (‘drill, baby, drill’ - a suitably infantile slogan); he was a mass-murderer, from the streets of Minneapolis to those he ordered US forces to kill in Venezuela, to those killed or starved to death by his unchecked ally Israel in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon, plus the many civilian deaths, including 180 at a girls’ school, in his illegal war against Iran. He also seems intent on starving the people of Cuba. He should be remembered for being impeached and jailed.
The price of fuel oil: last summer we paid £450 for 1000 litres. Last week we paid £1050 for 500 litres. I feel very sorry for those who are, like us, dependent on oil for their hot water and heating. We tend to have the hot water on only when civilians (aka guests) are visiting, our car is 17 years old and we are sparing with air travel. Also, we are relatively lucky with our pensions. Others are not so fortunate and must be having a terrible time heating their homes. There were queues at the Sainsbury’s petrol station on Thursday as only four pumps out of 12 were working.
On Wednesday North Devon Council Planning Committee approved a 450 house development at Brynsworthy, south of the A39 near Roundswell. The main concern for many of us on the committee was the effect on traffic on the A39. This busy road between Barnstaple and Bideford has hold-ups at rush hour. Traffic modelling predicts that the new estate will only add 10-15 seconds to a ten minute delay at peak times. We must, as a council, build 1300 homes this year so this is an essential contribution to that figure.
An avenue of fine beech trees is being felled in our hamlet. Disease has rendered them likely to fall at any time, as one recently did. It is a sad loss but a replanting scheme is already underway.
Meanwhile, the Blackthorn is in its pomp - the blossoms come before this tree’s new leaves, giving it a special look: brilliant and skinny, like a child prodigy. There are abundant dandelions on the slopes of Codden Hill, a lovely sight, plus the first wild garlic flowers along the hedgebanks, the earliest Queen Anne’s Lace and the first Swallows (four) seen during our Thursday afternoon Community Speedwatch near the Portmore Golf Club. I’m pretty sure I heard the shrieking cry of a Goshawk - there is a fairly dense pinewood quite close to us which is a favoured habitat for this elusive bird.
I joined the Good Friday Procession of the Cross from St James Church, Swimbridge to the top of Hooda Hill. I like the sight of people streaming down the hill afterwards, towards the hot cross buns ready in the church. This event seems both Christian and pagan - the Resurrection and the annual return of Spring. News came through of the by-election in Fremington, where many North Devon Green Party members campaigned. Our excellent candidate, Jules Credgington, came third (above the Conservatives and Labour), and we hope he’ll stand in a future election. The LibDems won, with Reform a long way behind in second place. Finally, do you know this beautiful flag?
It is the flag of Indigenous Peoples of the Global South and the women holding it (outside Imperial College) were part of last Saturday’s London march. Thank you for reading.
Note for diaries: 7pm on Friday 26 June: lecture on Green Party Economic Policy by Sheridan Kates. Barnstaple Library, all welcome, free.