Wexford and Burden monitor a Rock Concert. A corpse spoils the party.

 Some Lie and Some Die (1973) A Rock Concert near Kingsmarkham attracts tens of thousand of (mostly) young people. On the last day, a pair of lovers discover a badly battered body in the small quarry on the edge of the estate. Wexford and Burden use their usual mix of dogged police work (mostly done by coppers off stage), intuition, and psychological insight. We learn a few more details of their back stories (Burden is a widower, Wexford is edging towards retirement), but on the whole this is a potboiler. It feels as if it’s perhaps adapted from another story idea, since it features Rendell’s interest is psycho-pathology. A good quick read, but not her best Wexford. **
    Ruth Rendell.

Post-election comments II

 A comment on my 2015 pre-election musings:

The only prediction in that 2015 post that turned out to be valid is implied in the last sentence. Harper managed to keep the far right and centre right together. Andrew Scheer couldn't do that. The attack on his leadership came from the far right.

Two elections later: Trudeau enjoyed a majority from 2015 to 2019, and now must manage with a minority. The Conservatives are the official opposition, but the deep fault lines between the centre right and the far right in that party have become visible in the attack on Andrew Scheer. They will co-operate or abstain on issues with broad public support, and will reiterate their tax-cutting mantras.

The Greens don't have enough votes to make a difference, but Trudeau will certainly co-opt them for good optics whenever he can. The Bloc Quebecois and the NDP have little common policy, and so will bargain for different goodies. At some point, both will tire of the game, and one or the other will trigger an election when they think the polls show an advantage for them.

This will not be a minority government that will do much for most of us. We Canadians are centre-left, but we've caiught the anti-tax infection from south of the border. This government will try to woo the West, risking loss of support in the rest of Canada (which is getting rather tired of Alberta whinging because  its economy has declined to only slightly better than the rest of the country). A past politician observed that Canada has too much geography. True. And that's what makes it difficult to govern.

Dave Brubeck at 91: Take Five at Montreal in 2009.

 

Just listened, again, to this Dave Brubeck version of Take Five at the 2009 Montreal Jazz Festival. He was 91. IMO this version is the best ever. It's 10 minutes long, so be prepared.

Joe Leaphorn, retired, solves a cold case

Tony Hillerman. The Fallen Man (1996) A skeleton found high up a nearly unclimbable mesa closes a missing persons case, but loose threads prompt a search for a truth that’s inconvenient for many people. One group retains Joe Leaphorn, now retired and a “civilian”, to investigate. A murder and an attempted murder complicate matters, the resolution raises the issue of law versus justice, and throughout the Navajo desire to restore harmony controls both Leaphorn’s attitude and our understanding of the story. Jim Chee, now acting lieutenant, has relationship problems, and must mentor a new recruit who is all gung-ho to catch a cattle rustler.
    
The parts make a satisfying whole that’s more than their sum. The narrative pace is relaxed, but relentless. Hillerman is careful and fair with the clues. We discover new information at the same pace as Leaphorn and Chee. For me, the Four Corners became real not only as a desert landscape, but as a community. Navajo culture is attractive. ****

Latest Monty Python Skit: Brexit: Britain 'will not be aligning with EU rules' - Raab

The UK will not be aligning itself with EU rules, according to Dominic Raab.

It's become impossible to satirise the delusions of the Brexiteers. You just can't make this stuff up.

Update Wednesday, 5th February 2020: Here's a link to The Toronto Star's Michael de Adder. (Published Monday, Feb 20.) I think it captures the delusions of the Brexiteers perfectly.

Happiness? Maybe.

     Lapham’s Quarterly XII/3: Happiness. ... is over-rated, makes life worth living, is a side effect, can’t be caught when you pursue it, surprises you, and requires sorrow.
As always, a good collection. ****

Sending Children into Safety? Maybe not. Evacuees during World War 2

     Ben Wicks.  No Time to Say Goodbye (1988) In 1939, Ben Wicks was sent into the country when the UK authorities worried about the expected bombing of London and other major cities. Reading about WW2, he noticed that there was little available about his and other children’s experience. So he put out a few adverts asking for reports of personal experience. He received hundreds of letters. This book is the result of sorting, editing, and selecting from them. Many people welcomed the chance to tell their stories, many told those stories for the first time ever, all were changed, for better or for worse, by being uprooted and having to cope with being strangers among strangers. Most had a relatively good experience, but some suffered physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. One referred to a sister whom she never saw again after being separated from her.
      Read the book. If you’re of a certain age, you will be reminded of your own experiences, whether or not you were an evacuee. If you didn’t live through that time, the book may help you understand why your parents and other older relatives are the way they are. The war changed us all, one way or another. ****