On Thursday night this week (25th September), I watched a lovely program on BBC 2 with the title of this post. It turned out that the program was indeed marvellous and this post was duly inspired.

Normally at 9pm on a Thursday, I’d be watching “Who Do You Think You Are?”; in fact Reggie Yates was featured this week. This Thursday though, the one off, fact based drama about the life of Neil Baldwin was essential viewing.

If you are wondering why – well my Dad is Neil Baldwin (although he’s not the same one) and following a family naming tradition, my middle name is Neil too. How could I not tune in? Maybe this Neil is even family.

Here’s what “What’s On TV” printed by way of a review “ – a man with learning difficulties who has worked as a circus clown and a kit man for Stoke City (football club) and was awarded an honorary degree by Keele University in recognition of his contributions to campus life.”

And there’s another parallel, I spent a few good years of my life in Staffordshire; I didn’t go to Keele but I did study at Staffordshire University and lived in Stoke on Trent.

The role of Neil Baldwin was played by Toby Jones; he did a terrific job of portraying a simple soul that could have found life quite hard to manage but instead won people over, made friends everywhere he went and is something of a celebrity in his home town. Think Staffordshire’s very own Forrest Gump.

Watching Neil dealing with the challenges that his life threw at him and making his way in the world seemingly oblivious to his impairments, was truly heart-warming. He achieved some astonishing things when he set his mind to them.

The makers of the drama worked in some great appearances from the actual people the actors were playing – you saw Neil Baldwin talking to Toby Jones, Lou Macari (manager of Stoke City when Neil looked after the kit) talking to Tony Curran (who was playing the role of Lou), you even saw the real Neil Baldwin with the real Lou Macari. Potentially confusing but clever too.

The BBC has a micro site for the programme – the link to it is shared below; go visit if you are interested, there is an interview with Lou Macari and a piece written by Peter Bowker the chap that wrote the drama. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04jmx7l

Marvellous was a truly feel good programme, it is great that it got made, I am delighted I watched it. If you missed it, get to the BBC iplayer and catch up.

Neil Baldwin rocks! And it turns out I am not the only one who thinks so - check out this piece in the Potteries newspaper "The Sentinel" (when I lived in Stoke, it took me a while to realise that the local Sentinel hawker wasn't shouting "semi final"). 

http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Campaign-launched-calling-Marvellous-star-Neil/story-23010996-detail/story.html

A Facebook campaign has been launched to get Neil a knighthood. How marvellous - I am going to vote in favour. Why don't you! 

www.facebook.com/pages/Give-Neil-Baldwin-a-knighthood/1481899405423510

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This weekend my name appeared in the Guardian again, this time however the appearance was authorised and paid for. The Labour Party conference is on and CND has a fringe meeting taking place this evening in Manchester to debate the future of the Trident weapons system.

Rethink Trident is a current CND campaign; in the run up to the fringe meeting, CND published an advert in the Guardian funded by, and indeed featuring, CND members – and my name was in the list (see across and below).

The Scottish independence question put Trident firmly back on the agenda in recent weeks as the nuclear deterrent and the submarines that carry the missiles are based in Faslane. A ‘Yes’ vote (thank goodness it wasn’t) would have required the entire Scottish complex to be moved elsewhere and that would have been a worrying undertaking.

Given that Trident is back in the public consciousness, it is little surprise that CND is out there reminding the country that a very significant amount of public money (£ billions) has been earmarked by the Government for its replacement and that the cash could be used for greater good.

The British nuclear deterrent is centred on a fleet of four warhead carrying submarines – only one of the submarines is at sea at all times. Even those that advocate retaining nuclear weapons should ask themselves whether three subs would do.

Dear Reader, It is not my intention to preach in this post. For the record, I think Trident is pointless and I’ll share my reasoning with those that care to hear it (let me know if you do). In the same way that I don’t want Mormons trying to convert me to their faith, I am not going to try to impose my beliefs/views on you.

Well aside from one – did the advert have to look so bland? As a marketing man, I am disappointed that it was so damn easy to miss.

• The advert appeared on the left side of a double page spread – the right side would have gained much more attention
• The type only treatment didn’t include the Rethink Trident logo device that features so prominently on the Rethink Trident and CND websites – it’s not pretty but at least it is more eye-catching than plain text and it helps introduce education and health into the mix. The logo device is even presented in black and white so it’s not as if colour print cost considerations were a barrier. 
• The CND branding (surely one of the most recognised symbols in the world) was only given the same prominence (i.e. little) as the clutch of other, much less recognisable, logos

My view is that the advert only has value if the people that see it stop to read it. For those flicking through the Guardian on Saturday, the advert was too easy to miss altogether and that’s a shame because the debate is important. There is a risk that the only people that read the advert were those looking for it in order to see their name in print and know their donation had been used for its stated purpose.

My final disappointment is that CND didn’t tell me what paper the advert would actually appear in. Having part funded the piece; I had to work out for myself where it was.  So that’s poor service on top of poor creative.

Staying on the subject of things nuclear; a good friend of mine has suggested I watch a film called Pandora’s Promise. The 2013 documentary, which until this morning I had never heard of, is a piece about the positive potential for nuclear power.  Is it all propaganda or a potential mind changer? I’ll let you know in due course. Due course may take a little while – I was sent a Netflix link. I am not exactly sure what to do with that.

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This morning I popped on to Lovell’s website and bought myself an England rugby shirt (or rather another one would be more accurate). At lunchtime I popped into Milton Keynes (MK) shopping centre and had myself an even better rugby treat; the pictures are attached for your reference.

Unbeknownst to me during my stroll into the shopping centre; the square outside John Lewis was being utilised for a rugby exhibition. The 2015 World Cup is rapidly approaching and the promotional machine is gearing up. Stadium MK will host some games and today the town’s well-known shopping centre was the place to be if you wanted to see, or interact with, some of the finest silverware the sport has to offer.

I was accompanied into town by my colleague Mark Hughes and that meant we were able to take pictures for each other. Shots with the Amlin Challenge Cup, Aviva Premiership Cup, Heineken Cup and the wonderful Webb Ellis Cup were duly taken.

For a random, innocuous Wednesday lunchtime; a good surprise and a really rather cool experience!

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In amongst the plethora of Scottish independence related news on the BBC News website today, three articles particularly stood out for me and I share them with you now.

Time warp ‘E’ type

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29119814

A Vauxhall E Type from 1920 has sold at auction for £242,300, breaking all estimates. The lovely picture proves that the car in question was as beautiful as the much later Jaguar that many understandably associate with the E Type moniker.

It doesn’t surprise me at all that it was rediscovered in Norfolk, the retirement/holiday home of many a Vauxhall employee and their trusty vehicles.

In Great Yarmouth one can still find the Vauxhall Holiday Park, Vauxhall Bridge, even the railway station used to be called Yarmouth Vauxhall.  In the days when Vauxhall still produced cars in Luton, Norfolk was the closest seaside destination and many employees headed for the coast when the factory shut down over the summer.

I have had many holidays in, and trips to, Norfolk over the years and one of my close friends, with Vauxhall connections, still lives on the coast (hi Gary). My last classic Vauxhall, a 1973 Vauxhall Firenza SL came from Norfolk, and indeed went back there when it was time to part with it. The current Zafira has covered many miles in the county too.

Going to Norfolk is a bit like going back in time – swathes of it with no phone signal let alone 3G, 4G or wifi and precious few dual carriageways. A good place to go to unwind and leave the office to its own devices! No point in rushing because it won’t make any difference.

Fitting really, a time warp car from a time warp place!

Time for Tea

Nestle boffins have actually made a one off, functioning chocolate teapot;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-29126161

“Why” you might well ask? Read the piece for enlightenment.

Six weeks of research and development and a handful of hours in the actual construction netted Nestle with a pot capable of brewing chocolate flavoured tea (yuck) for a few minutes prior to pouring.

Has the saying “as useful as a chocolate teapot” been successfully challenged?  Well Nestle has wasted a load of time/money in exchange for some light hearted media coverage – does the value of one outweigh the other? God knows but I suspect the saying has many more good years in it yet! 

Michael Schumacher

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-29130742

The news today that Michael Schumacher is leaving hospital for home feels like it is positive but I find myself wishing his manager Sabine Kehm would give the world a decent update. I wrote about my grief in hearing about Schumacher’s plight back in early January, ever since I have read every media update with hope and yet the world has no idea if Michael’s state is closer to vegetative than it is to normal functioning. 

The shame is that without some indication, I find myself just assuming the former; the media/medical profession just has to keep speculating and the worst is assumed by all. A shared prognosis would set expectations and allow us all to adjust our sights.     

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I think the whole notion of Scottish independence is bonkers and founded in some romantic/patriotic dream-state (i.e. not meant to have an impact on reality). Apparently opinion polls are currently indicating the result is a close thing; I struggle to believe there is actually a possibility that the referendum could end up with a ‘yes’ outcome.

There are only ten days before the votes are cast and I hope that some common sense prevails before then.

The financial markets don’t want the change; major business doesn’t want the change; Scotland will have no currency if independence goes ahead; the UK’s nuclear submarine base (currently in Faslane) will have to be moved (at enormous cost and risk); EU & NATO membership presents some real hurdles for an independent Scotland; our political party system will be thrown into turmoil etc. etc. etc. The reasons for a ‘no’ vote make a very long list indeed.

From the start I have felt that the whole separation thing was some fantasy peddled by Alex Salmond to increase his profile and massage his ego. I expected a landslide vote against the notion and that to be the end of his political career. 

Has Salmond (or anyone in a Scottish politics) actually got the skills to run Scotland? Before people cast their votes, they need to be comfortable that their man/team is up to the job. From a personal perspective, my analogy is thinking I could successful race an F1 racing car because I have a driving licence and a Vauxhall Zafira.

In Scotland, the majority of the 2010 general election vote went to the Labour party (41 seats – the liberals got 11 and the Scottish National Party got 6). That meant four years ago the Scottish voting populace didn’t think Salmond was worth voting for. What on earth has changed?

The fact that Scottish independence even became a possibility is evidence of the soft, overly democratic, politically correct nature of this country – in places like China, North Korea, Egypt and Syria some form of bloody revolution would have been needed to get the notion some air time; Salmond would have been imprisoned for crimes against the state and his supporters would have to physically fight for his/their survival (as opposed to simply putting an X on a ballot paper). In the UK we just go okay let’s have a debate and waste loads of time and resources giving people a say when most of those same people won’t have a clue what the impact of their decision making process could be.

A 'yes' vote will throw the whole country into turmoil whilst the politicians/lawyers/bankers work out how the hell to actually make a separation work.  If ‘yes’ is chosen, the whole country will be weakened in every international arena and it I’d bet it wouldn’t be long before the public were wishing that someone had adopted a more draconian approach and just told Salmond to f--k off at the outset.

I offer another car analogy, though I don’t really like my Zafira and would prefer something different, I wouldn’t gamble it for the possibility of winning an F1 car that I couldn’t drive or losing and ending up with an old Cavalier.

On the bright side, Scotland may come to its senses, stop thinking with its heart and use its head instead.  Fingers crossed!

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Last time I wrote about fundraising, it was in conjunction with my son swimming a mile for Sport Relief. My seven year old daughter Charlotte was not to be outdone and she (in conjunction with my wife, sister and two nieces) has set herself an endurance challenge to raise money for Marie Curie.

The female contingent of the Baldwin and Welbourn families (the team name “Welwins”) are going to “Walk Ten” – that’s ten kilometres!  For the adults it’s a fair distance, for the kids, aged seven and eight, it’s a fairly significant undertaking.

The walk is going to be at Boughton House, a stately property en-route to Stamford, on the 13th September. Talking of routes, I don’t believe the course has any shoe or coffee shops along its length so the girls will have no distractions.

I have to say that I am proud of them all for having a go.

And you can sponsor the Welwins if you fancy - www.justgiving.com/Welwins

I feel obliged to start this piece with an apology; some weeks have passed since my last post and regular readers have actually been getting in touch to ask if everything is okay. There is some satisfaction to be had in people noticing my quietness but at the same time, I now have this feeling of guilt that I have been letting my readers down.

Sorry!

I am relieved to report that nothing untoward has occurred; life has just been rather hectic of late. After my hernia op recuperation period ended, I spent a week back in the office (which was frantic) before heading off to North Cornwall for a two week camping holiday with the wife and kids. I have just completed the first week back at work (also frantic).

Despite being otherwise occupied, there has been a wealth of stuff to write about. A few of the topics closest to my heart are addressed in subsequent paragraphs and I start and end with a bombshell!

Disappointment with the Guardian

I need to find a new newspaper. A few weeks ago I spent thirty minutes chatting to a journalist who was preparing a piece for the Guardian. The broad ranging conversation centred on best practice procurement for social care services in the UK.

Despite our thoroughly sensible conversation, Diane Taylor went on to produce a sensational article with some misinterpreted freedom of information act data and poorly informed comments from dissenting third parties. Some of my comments were, shall we say, tailored to suit her purposes. 

Her article has since been challenged by way of a formal complaint about factual inaccuracy but in the meantime her piece has my name associated with it.

I have been a Guardian reader for the last decade or so and now find myself looking for an alternative newspaper. I can’t endorse red top, tabloid type journalism from a broadsheet. The Telegraph was procured last Saturday, other papers will be sampled until an adequate alternative is found. Lucy Mangan and Tim Dowling – you will be missed.   

Prince Harry turns 30

On the subject of media coverage; a documentary was shown on ITV this week to mark Prince Harry’s 30th birthday. It has been a while since I watched something quite so overwhelmingly supportive (borderline slushy); Panorama it wasn’t!

I have to state though that I enjoyed watching it and am of the opinion that Harry is a genuinely good egg that the royal family should be proud of.

The Independent (newspaper), which is staunchly republican, would inevitably disagree and that may well mean that I can’t buy that either. 

Beheadings

IS beheadings have been big news and they are horrible events to learn about. I have been trying to get my head around what sort of person would actually be prepared to do it. Shooting enemies on the battlefield is one thing; taking a sword/ machete/axe to an unarmed, helpless person is something completely different. The individuals that are prepared to do this must be totally deranged/psychopathic.

On holiday I finished reading ‘Bring up the Bodies’ by Hilary Mantel (a good book incidentally) and whilst beheading was an oft utilised punishment in the 16th century, it’s not something that suits the enlightened times of the 21st.

As I understand it, human rights abuses are Diane Taylor’s area of journalistic expertise, perhaps she could write a properly informed piece about what the hell is going on in the middle-east. Field trip potential perhaps?

No religion, no circumstances and no person (even Diane Taylor) warrant such barbaric actions. The people that condone this behaviour are dangerous and need finding and neutralising.  Does that sound a bit Daily Mail?

I won’t be buying that paper either.

Putin, nukes and NATO

Dangerous types brings me on to Vladimir Putin. Last week he reminded the world that Russia remains a considerable nuclear power and that we should all think twice about messing with him. Hhhhmmmmmnnnnn!

What he is surely sponsoring in the Ukraine is wrong, the international condemnation/sanctions are right and Putin must be getting rattled to play the nuclear card. My belief is that in making such crass comments, he reveals weakness as opposed to strength. The implied threat is hollow because he’s not stupid enough to think he can actually use nukes.

NATO forces are present in Eastern Europe and Putin’s mention of nuclear weapons is hardly likely to result in everyone going home.

IS is prepared to behave in a medieval manner, Putin is also exhibiting some outdated thought, does he think it’s still the 1950’s?

And on the subject of Times, my newspaper decision for tomorrow has just been made.

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