From a Vauxhall Velox

A Caistor Heritage

2011-08-25T11:56:00.002+01:00

Watching the BBC last night (Village SOS) I was reminded of my family's heritage in that small, north Lincolnshire Town. My antecedents had been shop owners and publicans in the town for Generations.

I nearly leapt out of my seat when I saw this photograph on the screen:

The shop was on the corner of Fountain Street and Horsemarket.

In late 1930s, Harry's Granddaughter, Marjorie, married my Grandfather George Walton and the shop was modernised:

George and Marjorie also had another shop in the town which they continued to run separately after they separated in the late 1950s. The shop is now a Spar.

Other members of my family were involved in running the Fleece Public House, which is now a nursery school. Tom Dawson, my great great grandfather was the licensee of the Fountain pub as well......

My father has his own place in Caistor history by being involved in the snow-bound march to save Caistor Grammar School in February 1960. He can be seen in the photo below helping to hold the banner:

My father, who is now a Methodist Minister, tells me that while he was still a Local Preacher, he also preached in the Chapel that is now the Arts and Heritage Centre as featured on the programme last night. My mother apparently has also preached there, but then we knew that as all the chapels and churches she has ever preached in are either closed or demolished (well, most of them anyway).

I may not have lived in Caistor myself, nor have been born in Lincolnshire, but I am still proud of that heritage.

VV

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner - Part II

2011-06-17T10:38:00.005+01:00

After criticism that the last list was too much on the Testosterone side of life, I've been giving some thought to the ten women I would invite to dinner. Quite a challenge in itself.

Edith Cavell. Heroine of the First World War. "I realise that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone."
Marilyn Monroe. What did go on with the Kennedy Brothers?
Constance Markiewicz. First Woman elected to the UK Parliament. What was it like during the Easter Rising?
Joan of Arc. St Joan
Stevie Smith. One of Hull's lesser known daughters. Great Poet.
Soong May-ling. Otherwise known as Madame Chiang Kai-shek.
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. 'nuff said
Dolores Ibárruri Gómez. Otherwise known as La Pasionaria. "No Pasaran!"
Helen Suzman. Anti-Apartheid Campaigner.
Joni Mitchell. For the music - especially Big Yellow Taxi

So there you go. 10 women for dinner. I think I may need a translator ;)

VV

Top Tunes

2011-06-15T18:20:00.004+01:00

As many of you know I've been doing "Today's Top Tune" on Facebook and Twitter for some time now (about 18 months on and off) and I just thought I would share the Top Ten Tunes currently on my iPod. As many of you know I have an eclectic taste in music so here goes:

1. Reasons not to be an Idiot - Frank Turner (45 Plays)

2.Good Monsters - Jars of Clay (43 Plays)

=3. Mirrors & Smoke - Jars of Clay (37)

=3. April Skies - Jesus & Mary Chain (37)

=5. Work - Jars of Clay (36)

=5. Heavy Metal Drummer - Wilco (36)

7. American English - Idlewild (35)

8. Dead Man (Carry Me) - Jars of Clay (32)

=9. Evening of Swing (has been Cancelled) - Half Man Half Biscuit (31)

=9. Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down - Alicia Keys (31)

Bubbling under are tracks from Stiff Little Fingers, Feeder, The Killers, Placebo, Ska-P, The Gaslight Anthem and Snow Patrol.

Watch this space Pop Pickers :)

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

2011-06-15T16:20:00.004+01:00

I just looked at this blog and realised I haven't really had much to say for myself in the last 12 months which has been longer than the 140 characters which Twitter will give you (@vauxhallvelox in case there was ever any doubt).

So what's brought me back to the blogosphere? Nothing in particular, just a sudden urge to blog on something. And here it is. The ten people I would invite to a dinner party.

Colonel Theodore Roosevelt - Medal of Honor winner, liberal Republican President of the USA and a particular hero of mine.
John Adams - 1st Vice President of the USA and 2nd President. Constitutionalist (well I am a bit of a constitutional geek). Was a toss up between Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
David Penhaligon - Leader of the Liberal Party that never was. "Put it on a piece of paper and put it through a letter box."
John Wesley - Founder of Methodism
Noel Chavasse - one of only three men to be awarded two Victoria Crosses.
General Sir Ian Hamilton - twice nominated for a VC but never awarded. I want to ask him about all the cock-ups surrounding the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915.
Billy Bragg - well we need some music and I agree with a lot of his politics, especially on electoral reform.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer - German Pastor, member of the July Plot against Hitler - executed at Flossenberg in 1945. "We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself."
William Ewart Gladstone - only person to be British Prime Minister four times.
Victor d'Hondt - if only to find out how his eponymous system actually works.

There we have it. I'm sure there are others I could have chosen and I'm sure you won't all agree with my choices but I think it would make for an interesting dinner party.

VV

Vinyl Pleasures

2010-07-12T13:43:00.017+01:00

One of the things I've been doing lately has been converting my old vinyl records (that's the precursor to CDs for the youngsters amongst us) into MP3 format (that's the successor to CDs for the oldies amongst us). And I've been discovering some really old gems.

One of these gems is an album called Songs for Humberside by Christopher Rowe & Ian Clark which was a follow up to a 5 track EP in the 1960s (pictured) also called Songs for Humberside. I can't find an image of the cover for my album so the EP will have to do.

In short, it is a very humorous and folksy album of songs about Hull and the surrounding area and really reminds me of home.

The track listing is as follows:
* Humber Bridge - Lamenting the lack of a Humber Bridge
* Poor Mrs Jones - about the rivalries between the two Rugby League sides
* The Abercrombie Plan - The rejected plans for the redevelopment of the City after WWII
* King Billy's Lament - The Statue of William of Orange (see below)
* The Man who put the Halt in Haltemprice - The perils of Commuting into Hull from the suburbs
* O.H.U.2 - The original telephone dialling code for Hull
* Gloria Victoria - About the Statue of Queen Victoria in Hull City Centre
* Keep your Hands of Haltemprice - The 'friendly' rivalry between the City Council and the adjacent (then) borough of Haltemprice (now part of the East Riding Unitary Council)
* Land of Green Ginger - One of the more famous Streets in Hull
* Hull's Best Friends - Hedon to the East of the City and Hessle to the West and their economic rivalry with Hull
* The Moving of the Wilberforce Monument - the Memorial to William Wilberforce, Hull's abolitionist MP, was moved when the Queen's Dock was filled in and the move was in some ways quite a farce in itself
* King's Town - the history of the City itself from it's founding in 1293 by Edward I right through to the present day (er, present in 1973 at least) including it's strategic importance in the English Civil War.
As I suspect the album is now out of copyright I'm going to occaisionally share the lyrics of these songs, and as today is the 'Glorious' Twelfth, I thought I would start with King Billy's Lament.

King Billy’s Lament
Christopher Rowe & Ian Clark

"Of William of Orange, men once walked in fear
But I’ve had no respect since they put me up here.
The fruits of my labour I’ve lost willy-nilly
And now they’ve the cheek to call me King Billy

"I’ve been thinking it out, and it’s not really fair
Victoria’s got a whacking great square.
And for giving the white man’s burden a pardon
Wilberforce got a lovely big garden.

"And me, you know how I hated that Westminster lot
I used to avoid them, but now all I’ve got
Is my back to New Holland, a lav at my feet
And a permanent view of Parliament Street.

"And thousands of folks bring a car to the market
And drive round and round me trying to park it
While I sit up here with a rod in my hand
Like a gold-plated excerpt from Custer’s Last Stand.

"For my fame as a leader they put me up here.
So I’m sorry to have to bring up the rear
But if you think ingratitude cuts to the bone
Try a hundred year trot on a horse made of stone.

"There’s only one thing that really does spoil it
Every damn night they lock up my toilet!
I don’t want to pull rank but it’s not very good
When a king and his horse have to pray for a flood.

"Now down the road is Trinity Church
But I’m the one who’s been left in the lurch.
So robbed of my title, I sit looking silly
King of the fruit market, Jaffa Juice Billy."

Something David Cameron will never be

2010-04-27T10:57:00.002+01:00

He may be quoting Obama and Gladstone but I'm sorry Dave, unlike Gladstone you will never be Prime Minister on four separate occasions!

Vauxhall Velox is now Twittering!

2009-06-29T16:24:00.003+01:00

Haven't necessarily got the hang of it yet but you can now follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/vauxhallvelox. Maybe it will mean that I will just have to blog more....

VV

You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!

2009-05-18T16:56:00.008+01:00

The words of Leo Amery in the Norway Debate have never had such resonance and appropriateness as they perhaps have had today in the House of Commons. Sir Patrick Cormack referenced the great debate of 1940 during what can only be described as the shambolic statement by Mr Speaker Martin today.

Whilst there has never been a Speaker dismissed from Office since the 17th Century, the fact that there is such strong public opinion against him makes his grasping onto his job all the more risable. Why should parliamentary convention and tradition be his only excuse for staying in office? If this were any other profession, he would have been charged with bringing the organisation into disrepute!

And for Mr Speaker to have the gall to say that he will hold a meeting with all the Party Leaders in the House to come up with a solution is risable - what good is a further meeting? He needs to go now to restore public confidence in Parliament and the sooner there is a new Speaker in place to drive through the necessary reform, the better!

As I say:

"You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!"

A day in History

2009-01-20T13:33:00.003Z

As an historian, I am a great believer in a sense of History. There is absolutely no question about the fact that today ranks in that category. All the expectation and the eyes of the world are on Washington today. And what a day it will be.

The best thing that sums up some of my feelings about today comes from the words of Bruce Springsteen, speaking from the stage in Cleveland OH, back in November last year:

"I spent most of my life as a musician measuring the distance between the American dream and American reality. For many... the distance between that dream and their reality has never been greater or more painful. I believe Senator Obama has taken the measure of that distance in his own life and work, I believe he understands in his heart the cost of that distance in blood and suffering in the lives of everyday Americans. I believe as president he would work to bring that dream back to life.

"So I don't know about you, but I want my country back, I want my dream back. Now is the time to stand together with Barack Obama and Joe Biden and the millions of Americans that are hungry for a new day, roll up our sleeves and come on up for the rising."

That day is finally materialising. As Churchill once said, it's now the end of the beginning. The next phase starts today. Let's hope that there's some kind of knock on effect this side of the pond. We need some kind of rising of our own.

VV

The Velox is back in town....

2008-10-05T22:04:00.004+01:00

I can't really begin to believe that it has been nearly a year since I last posted to this blog. So much has happened in my life since I last wrote anything. Don't worry, I'm not going to bore you with 365 days or so's worth of what has happened but as this blog is back in town, I may well refer to some of them as we go on on our travels together.

Yes, I want to start the musings again, how successful I will be will only remain to be seen but seeing as a very good friend of mine persuaded me to try and keep the blog going or rather to resurrect it, lets give it a whirl and see what happens....

VV

Touching from a Distance.......

2007-10-10T14:34:00.000+01:00

Finally out last Friday and I saw it on Monday. Typically Corbijn, filmed in black and white throughout in his usual style, this is a very excellent adaptation of Deborah Curtis' biography of her late husband, the songwriting genius behind Joy Division, Ian Curtis.

Even though you know the ending - as well as the beginning and the middle - Corbijn keeps you glued to the screen. OK a bit slow in the middle - I did look at my watch a couple of times but was mesmerised by the end. Very sensitive portrayal of Ian's last few hours. Not glamourised or sensationalised, especially when no-one will ever know what was going through his mind that night.

I certainly came out of the cinema numb and emotional. It wasn't a packed screening - 21 people including me - sounds a bit like a now legendary Sex Pistols gig at the Free Trade Hall, but I stuck around until the end of the credits, not wanting to move. The majority of the rest left before Atmosphere had finished and the Killers version of Shadowplay had started, but there's no accounting for taste I suppose!

An excellent production, a worthy tribute to a troubled genius. (And at last I can but some kind of face to Annik - even if it is the face of Alexandra Maria Lara, and not the real Annik).

If you haven't seen it yet, go! It's well worth it.

One proud owner....

2007-09-26T10:58:00.000+01:00

....of a Vauxhall Velox!

OK it's just a 1:43 scale model of an alpine green Vauxhall Velox but it's a Vauxhall Velox nonetheless.

RIP Sir Tasker Watkins VC

2007-09-10T14:36:00.000+01:00

It was announced sadly yesterday that Sir Tasker Watkins VC has passed away.

He was one of only 13 living Victoria Cross Winners. His passing leaves only 5 living British Recipients, 2 Australians, 4 Gurkhas and 1 from New Zealand.

The bravest of the Brave. RIP

vv

Here's to all the girls I've loved before....

2007-09-04T16:15:00.000+01:00

No, I'm not turning into Julio Inglesias, honest. And those who have heard me on a regular basis at Karaoke will be more than relieved to hear that. But I thought long and hard about what I should blog on and have decided just to go with the flow and post random musings and ramblings. Sometimes there may be an obvious thread or theme, sometimes just one-off random thoughts.

I've been single now for over two years and at the moment I am more content with my bachelor-hood than I have ever been at any stage in my life. I've had my share of one-night stands, of short-term and long-term relationships over the years and at the moment I am happy to be single. But at the same time I thought I would raise a glass to all the women I have had some form of relationship with in the last x years and in particularly the four women who I can genuinely say I have ever loved in my life. S, W, R & A. Cheers.

You helped make me who I am. You helped me realise what love is. I just wish I had come to that realisation at the time, it could have spared a lot of heartache and soul searching on both sides. But then again, if it hadn't I wouldn't have learnt more. As Alfred, Lord Tennyson once wrote "It's better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all."

I'm not bitter about how things ended up, I'm not writing this to have a go. I just feel it's about time I said it and the best way to do it is in a blog. Some of you will know who the S, W, R & A are, some of you will certainly know some of them and they can probably work out who they are. I am writing this anonymously to spare the innocent, but those who came to this blog via my facebook profile can probably also work it out.

In any case, only 3 of the women referred to ever had a relationship with me, the other was very much unrequited - hence a few facebook referrences to having to look in a dictionary for the meaning of unrequited. Which also is a cross-reference to one of my other favourite Billy Bragg lyrics - "The Saturday Boy".

Anyway, enough rambling for now. Once again, cheers ladies. I hope one day you'll all forgive me for the part I played in the failure of our relationships, I have certainly long forgiven you. Life goes on, we've all moved on and none of us are the same person we were when we were together or when we broke up. We've moved on in life, and are better people for it, whatever the pain or the heartache we may have felt at the time.

Cheers! And enjoy life.

VV

Well, it started well!

2007-08-17T11:39:00.000+01:00

As with all the best intentions in the world I started this blog. It's now August and only my third posting. Too busy? Too lazy? I'll let you the reader decide.

Blogging certainly needs discipline or a focus. Like keeping a travel journal I guess. But here goes at an attempt to resurrect this blog with some more musings and observations as the summer (which we seem to have waited so long for) progresses.

V V.

Fasten your seatbelts, this could be a bumpy ride...

2007-05-11T14:53:00.000+01:00

"A week is a long time in Politics," as Harold Wilson once said.

However, I think it was Rosie Barnes who once said "A week is a long time in politics, but three weeks is twice as long."

So we have a Presiding Officer in the Welsh Assembly (Dafydd Elis Thomas (PC)) and a Deputy Presiding Officer (Rosemary Butler (LAB)) but we don't seem to be any nearer to getting a stable government.

Rhodri seems to be carrying on like the colonial governor he always appeared to be. It's all well and good saying he was "Shafted by Tony", but that's a bit like closing the door after the horse has bolted. With 26 out of 60 AMs I can't see the maths stacking up in favour of a minority government.

A rainbow coalition of the opposition is hardly going to work, the phrase "Herding cats" springs to mind - can you honestly see Plaid, Tories and the Lib Dems seriously working together? Can they agree on anything for any length of time. Look at the last round of budget talks. The loose association of German, Jones and Bourne didn't last very long. It wasn't very long before Rhodri managed to dangle a carrot in front of Plaid and the alliance broke up. How long will it be before Labour are up to their old tricks and trying to break up the rainbow?

Plaid and Labour? Well in one respect in seems to work in that the numbers stack up. They are both left wing parties or at least left of centre. But how long before the 'i' word rears its ugly head like it already has proved to be a deal breaker in Scotland. Politically the real winners could potentially be the Lib Dems - for so long they have fought against plaid for the left wing / left of centre votes as an alternative to Labour and if Plaid and Labour cosy up to each other it can only give the green light for disenchanted lefties to go over to the Lib Dems with a clear conscience.

Lib Dem and Labour - not for the faint hearted and certainly not if you are looking at it from the perspective of Aled Roberts, Cheryl Green, Chris Holley and Rodney Berman - the Lib Dem Leaders of Wrexham, Bridgend, Swansea & Cardiff Councils respectively. Wrexham, Bridgend and Swansea are all coalition councils with one thing in common - they are a rainbow of anti-labour councillors who have managed to wrest control from Labour after years of misrule.
Cardiff is a Lib Dem minority administration with support from the Tories if there is any question of votes of confidence. In all cases they will suffer greatly at the polls in 2008 if there is even a hint of propping up a failed Labour administration in the Bay.

The other alternative - no election of a First Minister by 31st May and we all go to the polls again. As Gladstone once said "Trust the people". Look where it got on May 3rd. Is it going to get any better in a month's time? Just think, another rainforest worth of unread campaign literature ahead of us.....

Fasten your seatbelts, this could be a bumpy ride.

Why From a Vauxhall Velox?

2007-04-14T10:38:00.000+01:00

Why not?
Alas, I didn't choose the title for a liking of the car. Far from it. I chose it because of one of my favourite songs by Billy Bragg.

I hope to develop this blog and try to come to terms with the things that impact on my life - faith, politics and anything else that catches my fancy.

In the meantime - take it away Mr Bragg

She said "Do these seats fold down"
I said "If you pull that handle"
All the time she'd been waiting for
Something with a little more
And all her mates on the new estates
Were walking out in confetti and sunshine

Her mother read her mail
And her Dad was a Policeman
Which I must say worried me
But some things have just got to be
So we passed very fast like ships in the night
Or cars in a contraflow system

Some people say love is blind
But I think that's just a bit short-sighted
Some people just want it now
It doesn't matter where or how
Satisfaction takes a second place
So long as they can get excited