*
I think that sounds quite knowledgeable. So evidently did my editor, who I expect just didn’t want to have to do any research herself, and so let the story through almost untouched!
Sunday, May 11th to Saturday, May 17th 2014
The news this week has been full of Germany and Greece yelling at each other. Germany threatened to recall its loans to Greece, and Greece’s German ambassador responded they’d need to come in tanks to collect. That was pretty scary talk, but the Greek president came on TV shortly afterwards to calm things down, and to fire his ambassador to Germany for being a bit too loud mouthed. To be honest I think I saw the presidents mouth twitch when he made the announcement and he secretly approved of what had been said, but he could never admit it.
On the home front, Taima has had two more job interviews, and two more rejections. I can see that look on her face, kindof like the one I always had when I didn’t get a job. I feel guilty as hell, she had a job before we moved to Didcot, and quit it when we moved. It was in West London, and she’s gone for other jobs now that are further away. I’m doing my best to be supportive, but the line between supportive and patronising is a fine one, and I think I may have stepped over it a couple of times. We’ve had a big fight this week again, about - you know, I don’t actually know what it was about. I was just the bad guy and it was all my fault, and everything I’ve done in the three years we’ve been together has been crap. How is it that every woman on the planet seems to remember every single little thing we do wrong, and never forget it? Even years later, they can bring it up as a huge tragedy, even when you can’t remember the event even happening, and I’m expected to apologise for it. Again. I just don’t get it.
We’ve been on basic communication only for two days now. I guess I’m expected to apologise for something, but she won’t tell me what. I guess I should start at apologising for my own birth, and work forwards through all of my memories, I expect I’ll get it right eventually.
The only other thing of note this week is that I heard a load of noise at the back of our flat, coming from a few streets away. I rushed out with my pad, in case it was something exciting, and found the train company cutting down all the trees on the embankment. You remember the story from a couple of months ago, my first ever story? Well, I guess I’m doing a follow up to it next week for local consumption.
Sunday, May 18th to Saturday, May 24th 2014
There were quite a few people protesting against the tree cutting, but nothing too exciting. I was hoping to see someone climb the trees, or chain themselves to them, but no, just shouting and some placards. Nobody even threw anything. So much for an interesting story there. I did a write up of it anyway, and the boss liked it. It was just dull enough for him, while not being too dull that my editor would slap me around for it. Oh the fine line I walk sometimes.
Taima finally came out of her sulk - though if she hears me call it that I can expect a nuclear sulk to happen - and we’re on talking terms again. No idea what I did, probably never will know, which I don’t like, but I’m pretty much stuck with not knowing and I’ll take that over the cold shoulder any day.
It seems that the whole south of Europe is shouting at Germany right now. Italy has promised to assist Greece in its transition, and, in diplomatic terms, told Germany to shut the hell up. I saw a bit of the UK reactions on the BBC, and the politicians here are lapping up the problems in the Eurozone, although the Lib Dems are looking a bit green, being all pro-Euro as they are. The Conservative MPs are all patting themselves on the back for not giving us a referendum on joining the Euro, even though a few weeks ago they were all in favour of it. Do they really think we’re a big bunch of goldfish and we’ll forget that so quickly. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pro-Europe, as it’s kept us all from fighting in more than words for quite some time, but I don’t like a lot of what they do, so I end up on both sides of the argument. I suspect a lot of people are like that.
By the end of the week it had settled down to Germany, and to an extent France, glaring at Greece and Italy over the edges of their glasses at the EU government forums. They were still talking, but the civility was heavily undertoned with sniping and sarcasm. I especially liked Italy’s snide comment that Germany should be careful with France on their side of the argument, as it would likely doom them to defeat.
Sunday, May 25th to Saturday, May 31st 2014
It’s been a quieter week this week. I think Greece just decided it had better things to do than waste time sniping at Germany, and actually got down to doing some work on the new currency. I discovered, interestingly, that with the Greeks having been in the Euro for so long, they have no currency production facilities, and the new batch of Drachma are being printed in south Wales at the Royal Mint. That’ll be good for a few hundred jobs that the country desperately needs. The new unemployment figures are out next week, and I don’t think, from what I’m seeing, that they’ll be great news and an excuse to hold nationwide street parties.
We spent Wednesday evening in London for Taima’s dad’s birthday. I always feel a bit uncomfortable there. They’re very devoutly Muslim, and while I don’t advocate any kind of racism, they do make me feel a bit uncomfortable. However that’s a problem for me to resolve, not them, I should be able to accept people as who they are, no matter if they’re different. It’s difficult though when they break off a conversation for prayers, I feel like I’m intruding, and I’m unwelcome in the house. I’m sure that - possibly - isn’t the case, but that’s how I feel. They said many years ago that they weren’t happy with their daughter being in a relationship with a non-Muslim, but I guess they were at least happy that I have no religion, rather than a competing religion.
At the end of the week, the tree cutters from the train company were done, the crowds dispersed, and life returned to normal. I had a chat for the final follow up with the guy I’d talked to first that started off my coverage of it all, and he was really unhappy, reckons it’s knocked £20,000 off the value of his house. He’s going to be asking for compensation from First Great Western. I wished him luck with that, with as little pessimism in my voice as I could manage. I think he has as much chance of getting compensation as he has of finding a bag of magic beans and re-growing all of the trees by the end of next week.
Sunday, June 1st to Saturday, June 7th 2014
Last week was quiet, I should have known this week wouldn’t be. I’m just going to copy in my article on what happened.
Old people now too expensive to help
On Monday, the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government announced they would, with immediate effect, stop winter fuel allowance payments to the elderly members of the population.
The allowance, worth £300 to each person over the age of 60 to help them to pay for fuel bills, had been credited with saving the lives of hundreds of elderly people every year. The saving of £4 billion a year will of course go a long way towards assisting the economy, but what about the elderly people left to shiver in a single heated room in their house.
Well, the answer comes later in the bill. The new law will require electricity and gas companies to take up the slack, and provide discount fuel to anyone over the age of 60.
The utility companies have reacted angrily to this offloading of the responsibility for Britain’s 12 million elderly people onto them, with supplier EDF claiming that it was “a shocking breach of trust, and irresponsible to pass such large expenses over to the private sector without even a consultation”.
Obviously, with the new employment figures showing a rise to 16.2% unemployed coming out on the same week, the saving of £4bn annually will balance the increased benefits payments to the unemployed, and keeps the governments 2013 pledge of matching each increase in spending with a corresponding cut in services or increase in taxes. Cutting the winter fuel allowance, however, is guaranteed not to be a vote-winner for the government.