03-20-2016

NO 1,359

20 March 2016

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2.20

LIGHTS OUT
Here is the last print edition of this
newspaper, but the news never stops ...
As Earth Hour is marked across the world,
we report on dark days and reasons
for optimism on climate change
GEOFFREY LEAN P12

In an exclusive interview, David Cameron

shares his fear that apathetic voters will
hand victory to the Brexit camp
TOM McTAGUE P4

A veteran reporter meets his match:

the woman who defied the doubters
to get the scoop of the century
ROBERT FISK P32

Shanghai goes
dark yesterday
JOHANNES EISELE/AFP

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 MARCH 2016

NEWS

CONTENTS

Duncan Smith exit undermines

Osbornes leadership hopes

NEWS

Post-Budget row over disability benets puts spotlight on hostility to Chancellor inside Tory party

20|03|16
Exclusive: Paedophile list
given to police was left in
a drawer and ignored
P14
COMMENT

Why are women still being

told to stay indoors to avoid
assaults, asks Katy Guest
P39
TRAVEL

Seven pages of great holiday

ideas from Paris to Peru,
Tuscany to the Greek Islands
P47
MONEY

Hard times ahead: Could

you survive on the new
155 state pension?
P58
SPORT

Premier League: Palace are

latest victims as Leicester
foxtrot their way to title
P8-12

Thats all folks: The very

best of The Independent
on Sunday, 1990-2016

Arts

Books

P J Harvey, Julia Davis, and

Fay Weldon are the stars in
our 20-page culture pullout

WEATHER

CROSSWORDS

Cloudy and
mainly dry in
most areas.
Scattered
showers P45

Prize and
Concise P45
Solutions plus
Beelzebub
answers P36

Recycled paper made up 78% of the raw

material for UK newspapers in 2012

By Tom McTague and

Mark Leftly

George Osbornes leadership

hopes were dangling by a thread
last night amid mounting Tory
anger at the disastrous fallout
from last weeks Budget, and widespread expressions of support for
Iain Duncan Smith.
Tory ministers and MPs lined up
to vent their frustration at Mr Osbornes failure to consult over a
series of controversial measures,
including the proposed cuts to disability benets which sparked Mr
Duncan Smiths shock resignation
on Friday night.
However, allies of the Chancellor hit back yesterday at the former
Work and Pensions Secretary accusing him of being intellectually
not up to the job and of quitting
before the referendum to escape
the blame for overseeing his departments universal credit asco.
The explosive row exposes the
depth of ill-feeling within the Tory
party which has been exposed by
the EU referendum campaign.
David Cameron moved quickly
yesterday to replace Mr Duncan
Smith with the loyalist Stephen
Crabb, while Alun Cairns was
promoted to Secretary of State for
Wales. Many ministers were privately seething yesterday about Mr
Duncan Smiths behaviour, but
there was widespread acceptance
that Mr Osborne had been badly
damaged by the row.
One former Tory leadership contender, David Davis, said: Its the
third time. After the omnishambles
and tax credits, now this. This
wont help the George the master
tactician myth.
He added: The problem has been
brewing for six years. Iain kept
being asked for large savings on
very short notice. That often ends

Iain Duncan Smith had reportedly threatened to resign before CARL COURT/GETTY

up causing a lot of misery for the people who are reliant on welfare.
Mr Davis dismissed claims that
the referendum was the real reason
for the resignation. Choosing to resign is a pretty painful decision. He
would not have resigned for minor
tactical advantages in the EU debate, he said.
Friends of Boris Johnson have also
made it clear they back Mr Duncan
Smith. A source close to the Mayor
of London said: It was just too much
for Iain. Its certainly damaging for
George and his future ambitions.
What goes up must come down.
One ministerial aide said that Mr
Osbornes position was precarious,
comparing Mr Duncan Smiths
resignation letter to Geoffrey Howes
1990 speech which brought down
Margaret Thatcher. The aide added

that Mr Osborne could be forced to

go within the next two weeks.
He added: This has very badly
damaged him [Mr Osborne]. The
fact of the matter is lots of MPs were
worried about PIP [the Personal Independence Payment] and nobody
was listening to them.
The resignation also means that
Mr Osbornes Finance Bill could be
defeated this week. The Chancellor
thought he had calmed a rebellion
on an amendment over renewable
subsidies Labour is angry that the
EU is trying to force VAT to be increased from 5 per cent to 20 per cent
on solar panels.
Conservative Eurosceptics have
signed up to this amendment, but it
looked as though the rebellion had
been crushed by Mr Osbornes concession that he would make sure

solar remained exempt from the

higher rate.
However, Labour is pressing on
with the amendment because Mr
Osborne has not guaranteed that this
exemption would be made permanent. A Labour source said about 20
Conservative MPs were now expected to rebel.
A Tory rebel said: If you drew a
Venn diagram of people who dont
like the EU and people who dont
like George it would be a circle.
The rebellion should be enough
to defeat the Government, which has
a slender working majority of just
16. This would be the rst Government defeat on a Finance Bill
since 1994.
Rebecca Long-Bailey, the Labour
MP who tabled the solar amendment,
added: We want proper legislative
action to protect green jobs, and
thats what our amendment would
allow, so unless the Government
gives us cast-iron guarantees then it
will stay on the order paper.
Demonstrating the depth of division
within the Tory party, the MP Stephen
McPartland yesterday insisted that
Mr Duncan Smith had lost his way
and welcomed his resignation.
Mr Duncan Smith is understood
to have threatened to resign on up
to four previous occasions.
A pro-EU minister said: Hes decided to quit rather than get pushed
after the referendum. There was a
feeling that intellectually he was
not up to the job. But at the end of
the day, the big loser in this is Osborne this is going to damage him
quite a lot. A source close to the
Prime Minister said Mr Cameron
had been surprised by Mr Duncan Smiths resignation, given that
disability benefit cuts were not
raised as an issue at the Budget
Cabinet meeting.
CAMERON INTERVIEW: PAGE 4

Cameron faces Lords defeat on child refugees

By Tom McTague
POLITICAL EDITOR

David Cameron is facing

another defeat in the House of
Lords over proposals to force
the Government to give sanctuary to 3,000 refugee children
currently in Europe.
An amendment to the Immigration Bill, which would
compel the Government to
accept its fair share of children who have made their way
from Syria and other countries to Europe, will be voted on
tomorrow afternoon.
The proposal, which is backed

by Labour and Liberal Democrat

peers, has been laid by the Labour
peer Lord Dubs, who arrived
in Britain as a lone six-year-old
refugee in 1939.
The Government has set up a
scheme to take refugee children
from camps in the Middle East
and insists that helping those
who have made it to Europe will
only encourage more to come.
The Independent on Sunday
understands that the Home Secretary, Theresa May, has held
talks with Lord Dubs in a bid to
nd a compromise, but the peer
refused to back down over his
demand that children who have

Lord Dubs said taking 3,000 children

would be Britains fair share AP

already made it to Europe should

be allowed into Britain.
Lord Dubs said: All the evidence is that there are thousands
of unaccompanied children
in Europe. Taking 3,000 is an
entirely reasonable thing to do
it would be Britains fair share.
The amendment has huge public support, reecting Britains
humanitarian instincts.
A Government spokesman said:
We have committed to taking in
20,000 of the most vulnerable
Syrian refugees. In addition, we
asked the UNHCR to identify
children [in the region] who can
be resettled in the UK.

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 MARCH 2016

NEWS

f Clark Gable hadnt uttered Francamente me

ne infischio, rather than
the better-known English
equivalent, would millions
in Italy have even seen Gone with
the Wind? The countrys voiceover artists insist not.
Italy is a country of castes and
special interests, from pharmacists
and taxi drivers to politicians and
lawyers, but perhaps none is more
serene in its power than the group
that puts the words in the mouths
of Hollywood celebrities.
But last week French lm star
Vincent Cassel (below) has dared
to speak out against this formidable
group, the lm dubbing industry.
In Italy it is difficult to see a lm
in the original language, because
the voice actors here are a maa,
said Mr Cassel ahead of the release
of his latest film A Moment of
Madness, which opens in Italy on
Thursday.
The power of the dubbers is
legendary, and they have even
become stars in their own right
among mollycoddled Italian cinema-goers for whom the expression
Original Language strikes fear
into the heart.
Theres lm dubbing in France,
too, said Mr Cassel, but the dubbers dont have so much power that
they run the show. There are creators and the dubbers. The dubbers
stick to the voice-overs. When
theres a dubbers strike the cinemas [in France] dont close.
And in Italy, strike they do. In
June 2014, millions of Italian TV
viewers were unpleasantly surprised to switch on their favourite
American sitcoms and hear English being spoken by the actors,
accompanied by Italian subtitles.
The sudden exposure to lingua
originale came thanks to a strike
organised by the countrys several
and powerful dubbers unions.
Mr Cassel said some of the
meaning in his new lm, a comedy
drama set in Corsica, was lost by
having characters speak Italian,

Robert De Niro
non sta parlando*
Even The Godfather gets dubbed. Now the actor
Vincent Cassel has criticised Italian lm voice-over artists
for acting like a maa, Michael Day reports from Rome

*Robert De Niros not talking

rather than French with Parisian and
Corsican accents.
Roberto Pedicini, who has done
voice-overs for Mr Cassel in the past,
although not in this latest lm, and
who does the dubbing for Kevin
Spacey and Javier Bardem, said Italians couldnt be expected to learn
every language, and that subtitles

were often inaccurate.

He told the Adnkronos news
agency: It would be nice to see
every lm in its original language.
The problem is that wed have to
learn really diverse languages, given
that the most awarded lms at festivals are Asian or from the Middle
East. And subtitles are often mis-

leading or compromised.
Massimo Cestaro,
the general
secretary of the
biggest Italian
dubbers union,
the Associazione
Nazionale Attori
Doppiatori, said

he didnt see what all the fuss was

about. Every so often this argument
comes around. But its not my members who decide whether the lm is
dubbed or in original language, its
the producers. And its normal for
books and novels to be translated
into different languages and no one
complains about that. So whats the
difference?
He added: We shouldnt use the
word maa, because that describes
something different and very serious. Italys long and uniquely strong
tradition in lm dubbing may have
started with the rst Italian lms,
when visually expressive actors
handicapped by dull voices were
dubbed by more mellifluous
colleagues.
Mr Cestaro said the tradition was
reinforced after the Second World
War, when Italian cinema-goers were
subjected to an invasion by
American lms, which they were
not ready or willing to digest in
English language. As the dubbing
industry grew, so did the skill and
fame of its main stars, some of whom
became associated in the minds of
Italian cinema goers with one or
more Hollywood stars.
Some celebrated Italian screen
actors have also had important
dubbing roles. One example is
Giancarlo Giannini, who starred in
many Hollywood lms, including
the James Bond pictures Casino
Royale and Quantum of Solace,
as well as doing Italian voiceovers for Al Pacino.
By now, the dubbing culture appears here to stay. Mr
Pedicini summed up why:
The question is simply this.
To make an Italian lm appeal
to the largest number of people it has to be
dubbed.
If it werent
dubbed, the
new film of
Cassel would
be seen by
many fewer
people.

NEWS | SPECIAL REPORT THE BIG INTERVIEW

avid Cameron has

admitted for the rst
time his fear that
Britain could sleepwalk out of the EU
as the Tory civil war over Europe
exploded into the open following
the dramatic resignation of Iain
Duncan Smith.
In an exclusive interview with
The Independent on Sunday, Mr
Cameron concedes that the result
of the 23 June referendum was now
on a knife edge and revealed his
biggest concern lay in persuading
enough people to turn out to deny
victory to the Brexit campaign.
Yesterday Downing Street battled to fend off claims Mr Cameron
had lost control of his party over
Europe, amid a series of budget
rebellions that threaten the Governments bid to eradicate the
decit by the next election.
Mr Duncan Smith quit on Friday night with a bombshell
resignation letter that blamed
indefensible cuts to disability
benets, despite the Governments
U-turn on the measure after a backbench backlash.
The Prime Minister hit back at
Mr Duncan Smith, saying he was
puzzled and disappointed by
his resignation. Downing Street
sources said he had failed to voice
any concerns to No 10 at any stage
before quitting.
As late as Thursday he was saying he would happily go out to
defend them, the source added.
Mr Cameron swiftly replaced Mr
Duncan Smith by promoting the
Welsh Secretary, Stephen Crabb a
pro-European brought up by a
single mother on a council estate.
The row exposes the increasingly hostile divisions within the Tory
party over the EU referendum,
which threaten to derail No 10s bid
to keep Britain in Europe.
Speaking to The IoS in this nal

edition today, Mr Cameron issues

his most impassioned appeal to
wavering voters yet, imploring older
Eurosceptics to keep Britain in
the EU for the sake of their
grandchildren.
The Prime Minister asks parents
to think about your children, warns
against jeopardising European peace
and claims Britains relationship
with Europe could be frozen for a
decade if there is a vote to leave.
Speaking candidly about his time
in No 10, Mr Cameron also admits
that the attempts to stop Libya sliding into chaos after the 2011 toppling
of Muammar Gaddafi have not
been sufficient and intriguingly refuses to rule out serving in a
future government after the 2020
general election. But it is Mr Camerons provocative call to arms over
Europe which is likely to provoke the
strongest reaction from Conservative MPs in the wake of Mr Duncan
Smiths resignation.
Sipping black coffee in his private
office in No 10, the Prime Minister admits he is concerned about
the state of the polls the latest of
which showed a slight lead for the
out campaign.
My fear is turn-out, he says,
bluntly. A lot of people might think:
Well, in the end, its the rational
thing to stay, but Ill let other people
make that choice for me. Dont. This
is very close, no doubt about it.
Turn-out, he says, is going to be a
really important factor.
Whether you either passionately
think we should stay in, or on balance think we should stay in, or on
a balance of risks think we should
stay in for heavens sake get out and
vote in, because you might wake up
and nd out youre out.
Mr Cameron is concerned the
rational argument for staying in
the EU will not be enough to defeat
the out campaign. I feel very condent that the case for remaining in a

For heavens
sake turn out
or youll find
were all out
Exclusive David Cameron tells Political
Editor Tom McTague that voters who are
tacitly in favour of the EU but who fail to
vote on 23 June could cost Britain and the
next generations a place in Europe

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 MARCH 2016

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 MARCH 2016

NEWS

UNDER PRESSURE

David Cameron;
(right) in his
Downing Street
ofce with Tom
McTague
JASON ALDEN
FOR THE IOS

reformed Europe has all the strongest arguments, but, he admits, there
is also a very important intergenerational and emotional case that
needs to be made.
He wants older voters to feel a
sense of duty not to pull the rug out
from under the next generation.
Think about your children, think
about your grandchildren, think
about the country and the world you
want them to grow up in. It must be
a world in which we are trying to cooperate and work together more
with other countries.
It is worth standing back and
thinking here we are, 70 years after
the end of the Second World War
This continent which was in conict
for so much of the 20th century has
found a way of peaceful coexistence,
and that is something we should
want to be part of and want to
share in.
Mr Cameron says he is teaching his
own children that Britain is special
and should belong to international
organisations in order to shape the
worlds future as well as its past.
I think the world I want my children to grow up in is [one] where
theres a big, bold, brave Britain at
the heart of these institutions trying
to deliver a world based on the values we care about democracy,
freedom, rights Thats the kind of
country I want my little ones to grow
up and inherit.
He calls on young voters to talk to
their parents and grandparents to
ask them to vote in. I think that
would be quite a strong message
from young people starting out on
life. Mr Cameron wants to inject
some passion into the debate: I think
the inners need to grab hold of all
the rationality we can because we
are winning that argument but also
put in a dose of emotion and patriotism about Britains place in the world
and our future.
Despite his appeal to the higher
ideals of European unity, Mr Cameron insists it is still necessary to
warn people of the more mundane
dangers of leaving. Its not frightening people, talking about the
alternatives its just project reality.
Weve just got to talk about what life
might be like.
He claims a vote to leave could set
the country back years. Britain
would spend the next seven to 10
years trying to work out what the future was like outside the EU and what
our relationship would be with it.
That to me is a bit like pressing
pause on your countrys future; and
when you press pause in the modern
world you actually go backwards,
because the rest of the world doesnt
stand still while you gure out what
your relationship is. The rest of the
world moves on.
In contrast, he believes Britain can
be a swashbuckling, trading, successful, buccaneer nation of the 21st
century within the EU.
Mr Cameron also claims leaving
the EU would embolden Britains
enemies. He comes close to saying
Russias president, Vladimir Putin,
would welcome a Brexit vote.
I think he probably , he starts
to say, before checking himself. I
dont know, I havent asked him. But,
he adds: Putin has an interest in trying to divide and weaken the West.
He respects strength and unity, not
weakness and division.
A slightly menacing sign of Russian strength is on display behind

Think about your

children, think about
your grandchildren,
think about the
country and the
world you want
them to grow up in

Mr Camerons desk, where four

ornamental swords sit on the
mantelpiece, including one from Mr
Putin. Theres probably a listening
device in there, the PM jokes as he
poses for photographs.
Its not the only gift from the Kremlin which has pride of place in Mr
Camerons office. He shows off a
special Russian doll of British prime
ministers. The largest doll is of Mr
Cameron, with Gordon Brown and
Margaret Thatcher both nestled
inside. Theres no Tony Blair.
Perhaps fearing his own place in
history could be similarly wiped out
if he loses the referendum, Mr Cameron is keen to enlist all the help he
can get. The PM is adamant that
Barack Obama should not shy away
from intervening during his visit to
Britain next month despite the
pleas from Tory Eurosceptics to stay
out of the debate.
I think its good that our friends
and allies around the world are saying what they think, but the British
people will make up their minds on
their own.
He says Mr Obama will say his
piece in his own way. Mr Cameron
could be forgiven for being less welcoming to the US President after
being publicly chastised by him over
the descent into chaos in Libya. Mr
Obama accused him of being distracted after helping to remove the
former dictator, allowing the country to slide into anarchy.
The PM insists he is not angry
with the US President. No, not at
all. He adds: We all have to accept that what has been done hasnt
been sufficient Everyone has to
take responsibility for the fact that
Libya is in a bad condition. But he
insists the UK and France were right
to intervene to stop Gadda from
butchering people in Benghazi.
Frankly, were better off without
him, he says, adding: Theres still
Semtex washing around in Northern Ireland that came straight
from Gaddafi. But Mr Cameron
does appear bruised by the disaster that has unfolded in the country.

He admits that in spite of all our

efforts, we havent seen progress
in Libya towards a single unified
government. That, he admits, is a
real problem.
Mr Cameron sets out with an almost resigned weariness the
measures he took to help the new
Libyan regime. In my defence, I
would say we piled in with aid; we
helped to train Libyan defence forces;
we got the Libyan prime minister to
the G8; we set up international meetings to help support him; we went
to the UN to pass resolutions to help
the new government.
But, he says: The truth is the Libyan political factions have not been
able to agree on unity and the disbanding of militias and all the things
necessary to build a functioning
state, so everyone has to take
their responsibilities.
Despite receiving a rare public
rebuke from the White House, Mr
Cameron carefully sidesteps getting
involved in the US elections after
being asked if he is alarmed at the
rhetoric emerging from the presidential race.
Look were two countries united by a common language and we
have some similarities in our politics, but a lot of our politics is very
different. But its a lively contest.
One of the things I most admire
about America is they have created
a genuine melting pot society, a
country of opportunity; you can be
of any religion, colour, ethnicity, persuasion and make it to the top of your
chosen eld. And thats something
I admire about America and hope
they continue with.
Its hard to imagine this patrician
Tory admiring anything about Donald Trump, but hes canny enough to
avoid saying so. After all, he may
have to deal with him in little over
six months time as long as hes still
in his own job.
At just 49 years old, six years into
being Prime Minister, Mr Cameron
looks remarkably unaffected by the
strains of office. He is a politician
on whom the burden of power
rests more lightly than most
despite the stresses of such a
tumultuous week.
Surely he looks across the Dispatch Box at his 66-year-old rival
Jeremy Corbyn and wishes he had
not ruled out standing for a third
term? No, I think it was the right
thing to say, the right thing to do.
But he still plans to stand again as an
MP. Does this mean he could serve
in a future Tory government?
I dont want to get into more speculation, he says atly refusing to
rule it out.
I have said enough about all this.
I have said I will serve a full second
term as Prime Minister, and my intention is to stand again as an MP.
At the moment, Mr Cameron is
less concerned about his future after
2020 than being forced out of Downing Street before he has even turned
50, in October.
The picture of his wife Samantha
and their children on his desk probably goes a long way to explain his
commitment to stand down. But if
he can survive the next few months,
perhaps 2020 may not be the end of
Mr Cameron after all.
PATRICK COCKBURN PAGE 35
JOHN RENTOUL PAGE 38
LEADING ARTICLE PAGE 39
HAMISH McRAE PAGE 41

New Work
and Pensions
Secretary is
tipped for top
By Mark Leftly
DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR

Until now, Stephen Crabb has

been best known for three
things: his beard (the Preseli
Pembrokeshire MP is the rst
Tory cabinet minister to have
so much facial hair since 1905),
growing up on a council estate,
and chatter that he will one
day lead the Conservatives.
Even Mr Crabbs political enemies have tipped him
for the top. Elfyn Llwyd, the
former Westminster leader of
Plaid Cymru, used to meet Mr
Crabb about once a fortnight
when he was Welsh secretary
during the last parliament.
My Llwyd told The Independent on Sunday: Hes
no-nonsense, intelligent. I
always considered him a person you could do business
with. I would say hes one to
watch and one of those who
could be vying for the leadership at some point.
The 43-year-olds humble upbringing means he is
often portrayed as a wet,
but he has shown erce support for Iain Duncan Smiths
welfare reforms. Last year, Mr
Crabb argued that Conservatives cant go soft on welfare
reforms in Wales its precisely the place that needs it.
Although he holds a comfortable majority of nearly 5,000,
such views have not always
endeared him to constituents.
Mr Crabb was also caught
up in the expenses scandal in
2009. He claimed more than
8,000 to refurbish his London
at which he sold at a prot.
He then ipped his secondhome expenses from this at
to a family home he was buying in Wales, allowing him to
claim 1,325 in interest on the
mortgage. He said at the time:
I havent claimed for things
like plasma TVs, even though
the rules allow it. My claims
were always within the letter
and the spirit of the rules.
His reputation, though,
has since been restored to the
extent that some bookies now
have him at just 16-1 to succeed
David Cameron, a result that
would see him go beard-tobeard with Jeremy Corbyn.

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 MARCH 2016

NEWS

Corbyn seeks
to avert split
over HS2
Labour leader performs U-turn over 55bn link.
Deputy Political Editor Mark Leftly reports

eremy Corbyn and John

McDonnell plan to whip
Labour into backing High
Speed Two, despite their
previous opposition to the
55bn railway, and so risk
the damaging resignation
of one of the partys high iers.
During the Labour leadership contest last summer, a source close to
Mr Corbyn said HS2, which will cut
journey times between London and
Birmingham to 49 minutes, beneted the few rather than the many.
Mr McDonnell, the shadow Chancellor, told the Department for
Transport in 2013 that he was not
willing to lend his support to the
project given the complete lack of
information on the impact on his
Hayes and Harlington constituency

in west London. But both have since

changed their minds and now back
HS2, which is in line with the majority
of the Parliamentary Labour Party.
But Sir Keir Starmer, the former
Director of Public Prosecutions who
became a Labour MP last year, is
vehemently against the project which
he thinks will lead to decades of
blight for his Holborn and St Pancras constituency in the capital.
Sir Keir is furious, because redevelopment work on HS2s terminus,
Euston, will last until 2033, disruption that has angered his constituents.
He wants the terminus moved several miles away to Old Oak Common,
but ministers say the Euston area will
be economically regenerated when
the project is completed.
Sir Keir has been tipped as a future

Vehement opposition from Sir Keir Starmer (right) has prompted the Labour leader to change tracks GETTY

The Euston area will be

economically regenerated
when the project is finished
Conservatives are badly
split. Many middle-England
MPs fear losing support

leader of the Labour Party and was

fast-tracked to the front bench as a
Home Office minister. There was
speculation he could even stand in
last years leadership contest, even
though he was a novice MP.
T h e Ca m d e n Ne w Jo u r n a l
reported last week that Sir Keir
might resign if Labour enforced the
whip on the HS2 Bill, which will be
debated on Tuesday. However, it
is understood that Labour is tabling
an amendment designed to protect
social housing around Euston
and to mitigate the impact of
construction.
A source close to Mr Corbyn said

this compromise will hopefully

persuade Sir Keir to follow the
whip and vote in favour of HS2.
However, it is not certain that the
amendment will be picked for debate and, even if it is, there might
not be sufficient cross-party support to get it passed.
The Conservatives are more badly
split over HS2, with many middleEngland MPs worried they will lose
supporters who are dismayed by the
project blighting the countryside.
Conservative backbenchers have
laid a number of amendments
to ease the harsher effects of
construction.

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

news

Dreaded scarlet fever makes a comeback

Illness associated with the Victorian era now infects hundreds of children a week, with no apparent reason for its return

By Dean Kirby

Thousands of children are being

infected with scarlet fever as the
once feared Victorian disease, a
leading cause of infant deaths in
the early 20th century, makes a
startling comeback.
Cases of scarlet fever have
reached a 50-year high, with more
than 17,000 cases confirmed last
year the highest since the 1960s.
There have been more than 6,100
cases since September last year,
and the peak season is from now
until the middle of April. Around
600 cases are currently being
recorded each week.
Family doctors across the country are now being told to keep
watch for scarlet fever by Public
Health England, and parents are
being told how to spot the
symptoms.
The Independent on Sunday reported last year that scarlet fever
was one of a number of diseases
rife in the Victorian era, along with
scurvy, cholera and whooping
cough, that have increased since
2010. But doctors say scarlet fever,

if treated, is no longer the death sentence it once was, thanks to antibiotics

and better hygiene. Experts say it is
unclear why it is making a comeback.
There is no vaccine.
Dr Girish Patel, a family doctor in
Salford, said: Ive definitely seen
more cases in the past six weeks than
Ive ever seen. We are likely to see a
large increase this year. Around eight
out of 10 of patients who have it are
under 10. It can still lead to complications if it is not treated, so it is
important that parents take their
child to a see a doctor if they suspect
they have the symptoms.
Scarlet fever is caused by bacteria
that can cause severe and life-threatening diseases. Doctors must inform
health protection teams whenever
they suspect a new case. Cases occur
most often in winter and spring, with
symptoms including a rash, a sore
throat, flushed cheeks, a swollen
tongue and a pinkish red rash on the
chest and stomach.
Unusually high numbers of cases
were first noted in 2014. Medics say
the reasons for the rise are unclear,
but may reflect a natural cycle of
the disease. Investigations are

at home

This girl was

quarantined
after her brother
had scarlet fever,
in 1949
bettmann archive

ngoing, although tests have ruled

o
out the emergence of a new strain of
the infection.
All parts of the country have experienced a rise in cases, but
Yorkshire and the Humber has been
the hardest hit, with 832 cases in the
six months since September. There
have been 731 cases in the East Midlands, 593 in London and 586 in the
West Midlands.
In the past week alone, there have
been reports of outbreaks in Carlisle,
Lincolnshire and Wrexham. Dr Ebere
Okereke, consultant in communicable disease control with Public Health
England in West Yorkshire, said:
Symptoms usually clear up within
a week and the majority of cases get
better without complications, as long
as the recommended course of antibiotics is completed.
Dr Theresa Lamagni, Public
Health Englands head of streptococcal infection surveillance, said: As
scarlet fever is highly contagious,
children or adults diagnosed with
scarlet fever are advised to stay off
school or work until at least 24 hours
after the start of antibiotic
treatment.

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

news

Corbyn
allies call
for second
reshuffle
Frustrated Labour MPs are urging
that this time Hilary Benn must go.
Mark Leftly and Chris Green report

enior allies of Jeremy Corbyn want the embattled

Labour leader to carry out
a second reshuffle before
Septembers party conference, despite the botched attempt to
change its top team only two months
ago. Corbynistas were frustrated
that their leader failed to oust his
Foreign Secretary, Hilary Benn, who
backed the Government over Syrian air strikes. Mr Corbyn is fiercely
against the bombing, but Mr Benn
overshadowed his arguments with
one of the most celebrated parliamentary speeches of recent years.
Instead, Mr Corbyns only major
moves were to sack Michael Dugher,
who had been campaign manager
for rival Andy Burnham during the
leadership election last year, and replace him at Culture, Media and
Sport with Maria Eagle. Ms Eagle
was demoted from Defence, where
she clashed with Mr Corbyn because
she supports the renewal of Britains
nuclear deterrent. Mr Corbyn is vicepresident of the Campaign for
Nuclear Disarmament.
One ally, who is a senior MP, said
Mr Corbyn must be more decisive in
a second reshuffle and sack Mr Benn.
Others said they have heard gossip
about such a move in Parliaments
tearooms. The source added: You
cant have a foreign secretary who
disagrees with the leader over Syria.
Hilary Benn is our issue. This reshuffle could take place at the end of
August or the start of September.
However, there is little appetite
for this in the leaders office, which
was so badly bruised by Januarys
debacle, dubbed the longest reshuffle in history. The reshuffle had been
briefed to the media for weeks, yet
still took several days to complete
when it finally got under way.
Some supporters also want Mr
Corbyn to reduce the size of his
Shadow Cabinet, which they think
is unwieldy at 31 members. There
are 22 members of David Camerons
top team, although another eight are
eligible to attend Cabinet.
Mr Corbyns mandate among Labour members is arguably the biggest
of any major party leader in history,
taking 59.5 per cent of the vote. A leftwing backbencher for more than 30
years, Mr Corbyn scored an unexpected victory, with Mr Burnham a
distant second with 19 per cent.
But his leadership is deeply
u npopular in the Parliamentary

Party line

Labour leader
Jeremy Corbyn
(left) with
shadow Foreign
Secretary
Hilary Benn
LEON NEAL/AFP/
Getty Images

abour Party few MPs voted for

L
him and they believe he is taking the
party too far left to be capable of
winning the 2020 general election.
There have been reports that MPs
would like to mount a coup later
thisyear before party rules are
changed to make it more difficult to
oust Mr Corbyn.
The plotters are struggling to find
a candidate, although Dan Jarvis, a
former soldier, recently made a
speech on the economy that was considered an effort to mark out his
political philosophy and build
momentum for an eventual tilt.
Many MPs believe Mr Corbyn
could be replaced only by a member
of the soft left, which has led to
speculation that Lisa Nandy, the
trade unionist shadow Environment
and Climate Change Secretary, is a
possible contender.
But another figure who fits the
soft left bill, shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Owen Smith, is
thought to be on manoeuvres. Labour sources said he is networking
the 2015 intake of MPs, while the
Pontypridd MP is also popular
among his colleagues in Wales.
Mr Smith has previously admitted

to having leadership ambitions, but

insisted Mr Corbyn will remain in
the post until the 2020 election.
Separately, former home secretary
Alan Johnson told the Scottish Labour Party conference in Glasgow
that Boris Johnson, Michael Gove
and Chris Grayling are responsible
for producing a tide of drivel about
the UKs relationship with the EU.
Mr Johnson, who is leading
Labours campaign to keep Britain
in the EU, also attacked the SNP for
arguing about process rather than
getting out and campaigning for a
Remain vote. He does not understand how Nicola Sturgeons party
can argue for breaking up the Union
through Scottish independence
while also being in favour of the UK
remaining in Europe.
The irony of the SNPs belief
in the benefit of working with othersfor the greater good as long as
its the EU and not the UK, he said
to applause.
Nicola Sturgeon is arguing to
leave a Union that is vital for trade
and jobs, while campaigning to stay
in the European Union because its
vital for trade and jobs. I find that
slightly paradoxical.

Ukip to lose funding under reforms

By Mark Leftly
DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR

Ukip will lose more than twothirds of the state funding it

receives after what its MP,
Douglas Carswell, attacked as a
cosy deal between establishment parties.
The Government had been
trying to reduce so-called Short
money, an annual payment to
opposition parties, by 19 per
cent. However, the cut will only
be about 5 per cent across the
parties about 2.3m over the
five-year parliament as part
of a deal brokered by Labours
Chief Whip, Rosie Winterton.

The plans will be outlined in

Parliament this week: the formula
for calculating how the money is
given to parties with fewer than
six MPs will be reworked. Ukip
received nearly four million
votes last year, but ended
up with only one MP, Mr
Carswell (pictured), who
retained Clacton.
As a result, the party
was entitled to 670,000,
but under the new rules
it will get only 210,000.
Ukip took a small proportion of the money because
the party wants to reduce
the cost of politics. However, Ukip believes it has

been targeted under the new

arrangement.
Mr Carswell said: We
welcome the reduction in taxpayer-funded politics. Ukip took
a lead in this, rejecting around
half a million pounds of taxpayers money last year. We are,
however, dismayed that the
establishment parties have
colluded in a cosy deal to reallocate what we didnt spend
so they can spend it themselves. We believe all parties
should follow our lead in taking less Short money than
they are entitled to, as well as
publishing details of what they
do with it.

10

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

news | special report europe

A voters guide to
the referendum
We are being bombarded by claim and counter-claim.
To the rescue come John Rentoul and Louis Ashworth, who
explain the ins and outs of summers political hot potato

This newspaper is sorry to leave

you in the middle of the campaign
for a referendum on one of the
most important questions facing
the nation. Over the next 95 days,
you will hear endlessly from MPs on
both sides. We offer this round-up of
where other leading figures stand,
and our guide to the myths, facts and
arguments that are being deployed.

Whos who for In or Out

In Prince William: In an increasingly
turbulent world, our ability to unite
in common action with other nations
is essential. (Speech at Foreign
Office, 16 February 2016)
Press office insisted his comments
were not about Europe.

Out The Queen: The EU was going in

the wrong direction, she said to Nick
Clegg over lunch at Windsor Castle
in 2011, according to The Sun, which
headlined its front page, Queen
Backs Brexit. She probably doesnt,
but was also reported to have told
MPs at an undated reception at
Buckingham Palace: I dont understand Europe.

In Barack Obama: Having the UK

in the EU gives us much greater

confidence about the strength of the
transatlantic union, and is part of the
cornerstone of the institutions built
after [the Second World War] that
has made the world safer and more
prosperous.
President Obama is flying in on 21
April to repeat his appeal on UK soil.

Out John Howard, former prime

minister of Australia: If I were British, I would vote to leave ... once you
set in motion the process towards
political integration it either becomes
unstoppable, or it begins to fall apart,
and I think on either ground there is
a case for Britain leaving.

In Richard Branson: Im sort of a

bit distracted with space at the

moment, but I think it would be a
very, very, very, very sad day if
British people voted to leave. I think
it would be very, very damaging for
Great Britain.

Out Luke Johnson, chairman of

Patisserie Valerie, former boss of

Pizza Express and Channel 4. The
EU is sclerotic, backward-looking. It
was formed as an economic entity;
I worry that its transmogrified into
something wholly different ... the idea
that trade will be stopped if we leave
is fantasy.

In Emma Thompson: Of course Im

going to vote to stay in Europe. Are

you kidding? It would be madness not
to. Its a crazy idea not to. We should
be taking down borders, not putting
them up.

Out Michael Caine: What youve got

in Europe is a government-by-proxy
of everybody, who [sic] has now got
carried away. You cannot be dictated
to by thousands of faceless civil servants. I sort of feel certain we should
come out.

In Stephen Hawking: If the UK

leaves the EU and there is a loss of

freedom of movement of scientists
between the UK and Europe, it will be
a disaster for UK science and universities. (Letter to The Times, from
Hawking and 150 other Cambridge

University scientists, mathematicians,

engineers and economists, 10 March
2016)

Out Joan Collins: Id get us out of the

European Union as I dont think it has
done anything for the British people.
The EU, controlled from Brussels,
cares only about itself.

In Mark Carney, Governor of the

Bank of England: He could not

provide a blanket assurance that
there would not be issues in the
short term with respect to financial
stability, and that potential reduction
in financial stability could be associated and normally would be associated with poor economic outcomes.

Out Rupert Murdoch: UK Brexit

campaign gathers force as government makes obviously false claims

aimed at scaring voters. Early days
yet. (Twitter, 3 March 2016)
The Sun (see Queen) has been hostile
to David Camerons renegotiation
and must be likely to back a Leave
vote. But Murdoch may hedge his
bets with The Times and Sunday
Times, which could be neutral.

In Robert Chote, Chairman of the

Office for Budget Responsibility:

A vote to leave in the forthcoming
referendum could usher in an
extended period of uncertainty
regarding the precise terms of the
UKs future relationship with the EU.
Outers were furious that the Chancellor had selectively quoted from the
impartial OBR report, which also said:
It is not for us to judge at this stage
what the impact of Brexit might be
on the economy.

Out Tim Martin, founder of Wether-

spoon: I was baffled by the fact that

most of [the EUs] political proponents

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

11

news
also said, there is no a priori reason
to suppose that many of these [jobs],
if any, would be lost permanently if
Britain were to leave the EU.
No.
Europe costs 50m a day
Who said it? Labour Leave: The
UK gives Brussels 50m every day,
350m every week. As well as
Douglas Carswell, Vote Leave, Nigel
Farage, Michael Gove, Iain Duncan
Smith and Priti Patel.
Is it true? The statistics Labour Leave
cited were shown to have been gathered in error the figure is actually
35m a day, of which some 18m is
reinvested in the UK.
No, its 17m.
Mobile phone roaming charges
would go up if we left
Who said it? The Association of
British Travel Agents, ABTA, last
week warned that Brexit might
allow surcharges on calls, texts and
browsing on the continent to be
reimposed.
Is it true? Surcharges in the EU will be
abolished next year. InFacts, the proEU fact-checking service, says they
are likely to stay abolished after
Brexit, but that this depends on the
deal we get.
Unlikely.

were a middle-aged and older male

elite whod almost all been to one
of Britains great universities, yet
wished to surrender power to a nondemocratic institution in Europe.
Clearly, if the UK decides to leave the
EU, it would be in the economic and
other interests of this country and our
European neighbours to have friendly
relations, strong business links,
including free trade, and, I believe,
free movement of labour.

In Sir Michael Jackson, Chief of the

General Staff 2003-06: Until recently,

my inclination was to leave [But]
Brexit would impose considerable
after-shocks on the EU, compounding
the immigration and euro crises.

Too close
to call?

Phone polls

59%

Remain

41%
Leave

Online polls

51%

49%

Remain

Leave

Out Frank Underwood (Kevin

Spaceys character in US House of

Cards, written by Michael Dobbs): If
I were a Brit I wonder if Id be more
afraid to stay in the EU than to leave.
Its always easy to whip up a feeling
of fear about change, but it infects
mostly those who sit in comfort and
dine on fois gras. Me, Ive always
been a spare ribs man. I need something to chew on. And spit out.

Brexit fact-check
Brexit would put 3 million jobs at risk
Who said it? Nick Clegg: There are
3 million of our fellow citizens, men
and women, in this country whose
jobs rely directly on our participation [in the EU]. Today programme,
31 October 2011. David Cameron,
slightly more carefully: Three million
peoples jobs in our country are
already linked to it. (10 March)
Is it true? It comes from a 2000 paper
by the National Institute of Economic
and Social Research, which found that
3.2 million UK jobs are associated
directly with exports to the EU, but it

sources

Averages of the three

most recent phone polls
and five most recent
online polls from eight
different companies
using the question on
the referendum ballot
paper, excluding Dont
Knows (see right).

British soldiers would be forced to

join an EU army
Who said it? Nigel Farage: In Brussels, they are hell-bent on building a
European army, navy and air force.
Is it true? Article 42(2) of the Treaty
of European Union has a clause
relating to common defence, but for
it to be invoked would require unanimous support from member states.
That would include the UK having
to hold a referendum on the topic.
Britain couldnt be dragged in against
its will.
No.
Tariffs would be charged on our
exports to the EU if we left
Who said it? David Cameron:
before we joined the EU, we faced
extremely high tariffs 14 per cent
on cars, 17 per cent on bicycles, 32
per cent on salt, 37 per cent on china.
Is it true? The usual rule is that
existing rules apply until new ones
are negotiated, but the EU might
regard the UK as part of the existing
outside world the average tariff
charged by the EU on imports from
outside is now around 3 per cent.
Not clear: tariffs might be imposed
while complex negotiations take
place.
EU law prevents the recycling of tea
bags
Who said it? Boris Johnson: Sometimes these EU rules sound simply
ludicrous, like the rule that you cant
recycle a tea bag.
Is it true? After the outbreak of footand-mouth disease, the EU introduced rules on the disposal of goods
which had been in touch with meat
and milk. But it didnt cover tea bags.
No.
Free movement into the UK would
still be allowed even if we left
Who said it? David Cameron says
Leavers wont say what the UKs relationship with the EU would be. Would
we be like Norway or Switzerland, in
which case we would have to sign up
to all the EUs rules, including the free
movement of EU workers, to have

access to the single market? Or would

we be like Canada, in which case
we would face tariff and non-tariff
barriers (such as a refusal to recognise our professional qualifications)
to selling in Europe.
Is it true? Boris Johnson implied on
The Andrew Marr Show (6 March)
that he would require EU citizens to
have a job offer before they came to
the UK.
Not clear: As prime minister, Boris
Johnson would probably impose
restrictions on free movement and
the EU would probably retaliate.
UK will be subject to a European
public prosecutor
Who said it? Vote Leave: The Lisbon
Treaty made provision for a European
Public Prosecutor The position is set
to be introduced in the near future.
Is it true? The Lisbon Treaty did allow
for such a post to be created, but
Britain has an opt-out.
No.
The EU blocks heathland housebuilding to protect birds from cats
Who said it? Michael Gove: EU rules
dictate the distance houses have

to be from heathland to prevent cats

chasing birds.
Is it true? It is a recommendation,
not a law, and the 5km suggested
boundary comes from Natural
England Britain, not Brussels.
No.

EU referendum polls (left)

Phone polls tend to show more
support for Remain than online
polls. ComRes, the Independent on
Sundays pollster, says online polls
tend to attract too many politically
engaged respondents, who tend to
be more anti-EU than average. The
phone poll average does not include
last weeks from ORB, which showed
Remain on 49 per cent and Leave on
51 per cent, because it did not ask the
precise question that will be on the
ballot paper. The uncertainty about
the polls is a good reason for recalling
the lesson of the 2015 election. Then,
journalists allowed reporting to be
skewed by polls that turned out to
be skewed themselves. So, notice the
polls by all means, but let us hope
that the debate over the remaining
95 days is about the issues.

12

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

news

Lights go out all over the

world for Earth Hour

Hundreds of landmarks in a record 178 countries go dark, in a powerful

demonstration against increasing climate change. By Geoffrey Lean

esterday evening the

lights went out not just
all over Europe, but
throughout the world.
But far from being a harbinger of doom as in Sir Edward
Greys celebrated observation on
the eve of the First World War it
was a sign that one of the worlds
most perilous, impending problems
might yet be solved.
Scores of millions of people in a
record 178 countries switched off at
8.30pm last night, to mark this years
Earth Hour, participating in the
worlds biggest ever demonstration
to stop climate change escalating
out of control.
But for the first time in the events
10-year history and despite new
alarming evidence of warming last
week they were pushing at an opening door. For last December the
world reached an unexpectedly ambitious agreement in Paris to address
the problem.
Some 366 landmarks around the
world ranging from the Sydney
Opera House to Big Ben, from the
Gherkin in London to the Colosseum
in Rome, from Salisbury Cathedral
to the Empire State Building went
dark last night. And so did Buckingham Palace, home to a remarkably
green activist royal family (even the
Queen has quietly indicated her concern about climate change).
Restaurants laid on special candle-lit dinners, the Forestry
Commission organised night-time
explorations and WWF, the events
organisers, issued a list of 60 things
to do in the dark, including going
stargazing, wearing fluorescent
fancy dress and telling scary stories
but not the activity that, perhaps,
first springs to mind.
One no-no, however, was to light
candles unless they were 100 per

Whats black and white

By Geoffrey Lean

Climate change. Repeated flooding. Deadly air pollution; the

disastrous economics of nuclear
power, as in the crisis over the
first of a new generation of
reactors at Hinkley Point.
All the stuff of todays headlines. All issues over which
The Independent on Sunday
pioneered coverage for over a
quarter of a century while also
campaigning successfully against
GM food and crops and the
mass slaughter of livestock over

foot and mouth disease, and for

greater access to the countryside.
For, to adapt the answer to
the childs riddle, this has been
a newspaper that has long been
black and white and green all over,
winning many awards. In 2009,
in a special retrospective to mark
the 1,000th edition, every one of
the five editors since 1995 identified its environmental coverage
in some way, as a highlight. And it
has continued to be so ever since.
Back in 1994 for example, when
the media was ignoring or downplaying the threat of climate

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

13

news

big switch-0ff

Clockwise from top left: before and after

in Sydney Harbour, the city skyline in
Shanghai, Singapores business district,
the Wat Arun temple in Bangkok, the
National Stadium (known as the Birds
Nest) in Beijing getty/reuters

cent beeswax or soy: normal ones,

made of petroleum products, could
release more carbon pollution than
keeping the lights on.
Studies have shown that past Earth
Hours have reduced electricity consumption by 4 per cent. But it is
designed to be symbolic action, rather than an exercise in energy
reduction. This year there is more
to demonstrate about than ever. Last
month, it was revealed on Monday,
was not merely the warmest February ever, but witnessed the biggest
month-on-month jump in temperatures ever recorded and by a big
margin. Normally cautious climate
scientists called it jawdropping
terrifying, and a true shocker.
Worse, the previous record rise
occurred just the month before, in
January. This has been the warmest
winter ever worldwide, and February was the 10th successive
record-breaking month.
Arctic sea ice as exclusively predicted in The Independent on Sunday
last month is at its lowest ever winter maximum after what the blue-chip
US National Snow and Ice Data Centre calls a season of unrelenting
heat, while the extreme weather is
also contributing to record droughts
in Africa and Vietnam, and helped
cause the biggest cyclone ever to hit
Fiji, costing the country a tenth of
its GDP.
Scientists are already predicting
that 2016 will be the hottest on
record, for the third year running,
finally exploding sceptics claims
that global warming has stopped.
Professor Stefan Rahmstorf, of Germanys Potsdam Institute of Climate
Impact Research, says the world is
in a completely unprecedented
climate emergency, while Deke
Arndt, of the US governments National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration, describes it as
m oving to a new and hotter
neighbourhood.
And yet, Earth Hour had something to celebrate. Last week it was
revealed that, for the second successive year, carbon emissions failed to
increase in 2015 , even though the
world economy grew something
that had not happened, even once,
in four decades. Chinas emissions
actually fell by 1.5 per cent, as the
worlds biggest polluter cut its use
of coal and increased renewables.
For years the world has been investing more money in building
power stations generating electricity from renewable sources than in
ones fired by fossil fuels. Last year
these provided a staggering 90 per
cent of the worlds new power.
And in December in Paris the
worlds governments unexpectedly
agreed to phase out carbon emissions altogether by the second half
of the century, committing themselves to meet every five years to set
ever more ambitious intermediate
targets, with the aim of holding the
increase in the earths temperature
since pre-industrial times to well
below the 2C since pre-industrial
times long regarded as the threshold
for dangerous climate change
Present reduction plans fall well
short of this, but there is now at least
a chance of averting disaster. And
last week a paper by Michael Jacobs
of the Institute for Public Policy
Research who was at the heart of
both the Paris and failed Copenhagen summits concluded that the
agreement was the outcome of an
unprecedented show of political
power by a broad and diverse coalition of forces from civil society.
Earth Hour will have played a part
and, with many other actions may
help ensure eventual success.

and green all over? The campaigning, often prophetic, IoS

change, the paper splashed on
one of the first signs that this was
already taking place: the appearance of flowers on the Antarctic
Peninsular a story that revived
coverage elsewhere.
The year before, it began the
first of two campaigns on air pollution now known to kill 50,000
Britons a year warning from the
start that the coming explosive
growth in diesel cars would make
things much worse.
As early as 1995 we described
the hopelessly uncompetitive
economics of nuclear power, and

The sun sets on the Hinkley Point nuclear plant in Somerset Matt Cardy/Getty

were warning against building at

Hinkley. At about the same time
we started advocating natural
measures to lessen flooding, an
issue that has risen to prominence
in just the past few months and
been increasingly accepted by
previously dismissive ministers
after we reported the success of
such a scheme in Pickering,
NorthYorkshire.
In the late 1990s we campaigned successfully for the
right to roam over open countryside and then in 2001 stood
alone, during official hysteria

over the outbreak of foot and

mouth disease, in opposing the
closure of the countryside and
slaughter of six million animals.
Two years later both the Government and the EU agreed never
to do either again, adopting our
policy of vaccination instead.
And from 1999 we did much
to stop the spread GM foods and
crops. When we started to campaign, 60 per cent of processed
foods had modified ingredients,
and more than 50 GM crops were
awaiting approval; five years
later both had been abandoned.

14

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

news

Question time

Tom Watson:
How many went
on to commit
sexual crimes?
afp/getty

Paedophile register
was ignored by police
Exclusive Detectives knew of 300 names in a secret club that advocated
sex with children. By James Hanning, Tim Tate and David Connett

olice let the secret

m embership list of a
controversial g roup
which advocated sex
with children to sit in
a drawer, leaving several of those
named on it free to commit serious
child abuse, The Independent on
Sunday has learnt.
Detectives were given the membership list containing more than
300 names and addresses of the
Paedophile Information Exchange
(PIE) group in the 1980s, but effectively did nothing with it. One
member of the group, which publicly
campaigned for adults to be allowed
to have sex with children from the
age of 10, was convicted 27 years after
police were first given the names.
The list has now been passed to
the independent Goddard inquiry,
which is looking at whether public
bodies and other institutions took
their duties seriously to protect children from abuse.
Claims of police inaction over
child sex abuse allegations comes as
Scotland Yard was reportedly planning to announce this week that it
will end Operation Midland, its controversial investigations into
allegations of VIP child sex abuse
and murder.
It is reported that Harvey Proctor,
a former Conservative MP who has
been questioned by Operation
Midland detectives, will be told
thisthat week police are discontinuing the investigation, which has also

been examining the late Lord Brittans conduct. Police declined to

comment yesterday.
Labour MP Tom Watson said last
night: The PIE list shows that there
were clear intelligence lines
thatcould have been investigated at
the time. It only begs the question:
how many of those individuals
wenton to commit sexual crimes
before they were finally brought to
justice? I am sure the Goddard
inquiry will investigate this area of
institutional failure.
One of those on the list and later
convicted was Leo Adamson, who
was sentenced to one year in jail for
refusing to tell police a computer
password during a search for child
sex abuse images.
Another PIE member later convicted was Charles Napier. Napier
was jailed for 13 years in 2014 for hundreds of sex attacks on schoolboys.
The file also contains a John Napier,
who had been convicted for running
a child brothel in London in the
early 1970s. A Metropolitan Police
source admitted the PIE list had been
all but ignored until recent paedophile allegations surfaced. The
police had the lists from the late
1980s, at a time when it was not a
crime to be a member of the PIE. The
files sat in a drawer, metaphorically
speaking, until 2012, when Operation Fairbank decided to go back and
have a look.
A Scotland Yard source said: They
were looked at briefly at that point

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

15

news

Charles Napier (top) and Leo Adamson (right) were on the PIE list getty

just to make sure that none of the

people on the list were involved with
work with children. The problem
was that although the names on the
list would undoubtedly have been of
interest, it would have been very difficult to get a warrant to go barging
in and demand to look at someones
hard drive, for example, on the basis
of them having been a member of a
legal organisation 30 years earlier.
Certainly it could have provided a
steer, but you couldnt make it the
basis of an investigation.
The late horologist Keith Harding
is also on the list. Recent reports
have suggested Harding may have
been influential among high-profile
paedophiles, having reportedly been
visited at his shop in East London by
Cyril Smith MP and Jimmy Savile.
Another name that appears is that
of a known paedophile, diplomat Sir
Peter Hayman, who died in 1992.
However, the name, without an accompanying address, appears to
have been written in by hand by a
police officer at a later date.
There are 307 names on the list
seen by The IoS, including four
women. Some of the names are
falseor known pseudonyms. Not
allof the addresses given appear to
be accurate. There are several
members living abroad, and one of
them currently appears to be a childrens entertainer.
Some of the PIE members also feature on a list amassed by the US
Customs child pornography and

Those who look at sexual

images of children may
become contact offenders
There still seems to be a
mindset that says we should
leave the past in the past

rotection unit which collected a

p
list of British customers of American suppliers of child abuse images.
The US list was also supplied to UK
law enforcement agencies but little
if anything was done about it. One
of those on both lists is former school
teacher Terence Waters. In 1994, he
was jailed for 10 years for possessing
indecent images of children and sexually abusing a 10-year-old boy.
Leading anti-child sex abuse campaigners said last night that they
were astonished at the police
inaction over the PIE membership
list. Peter Saunders, founder and
former director of the National
Association of People Abused in
Childhood, said: It is a bit like the
police being given a list of IS supporters and doing nothing about it.
The idea that they had all those
names on the US list and the PIE list
and yet they were not even monitored and no action was taken against
them is astonishing, he said.
We know that those who look at
sexual images of children often go
on to become contact offenders, so
had more action been taken as a result of the police having the lists,
many children would not have been
abused, as is clear from the case of
Adamson. There still seems to be a
mindset that says we should all just
move on and leave the past in the
past, yet people have a lifetime of
trauma to deal with and the police
should have recognised that in their
handling of these cases.

16

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

news

Daltrey and
friends lay down
some new tracks
The Who frontman is among the enthusiasts
behind the worlds biggest model-railway centre
By Richard Jinman

Three years ago Cliff Parsons was

sitting in a pub with Roger Daltrey,
one of his model-railway-obsessed
mates. Daltrey better known in
some circles as frontman with a
rocknroll outfit called The Who
agreed with Cliff that it was
appalling how little todays children know about Britains proud
rail heritage. There and then, they
decided to do something about it.
Last Wednesday, the audacious
scheme hatched over several pints
by the air-freshener factory owner
and the rock star took a giant leap
forward when Ashford council gave
planning approval for the worlds

largest model-railway exhibition

centre. The 2.5-acre Ashford International Model Railway Education
Centre (Aimrec) will display as many
as 30 enormous model railway layouts, many of them worth hundreds
of thousands of pounds.
Five layouts worth more than
500,000 have been acquired;
another has been offered by a member of the royal family. Mr Parsons
wont name the donor.
He may be old enough to remember the golden days of steam but Mr
Parsons vision for Aimrec is decidedly contemporary. Visitors will
download an app to their phone or
tablet that will allow them to control
the model railway layouts; immersive

steam-age kicks

Project co-founder Cliff Parsons (left)

has musical backers including Roger
Daltrey (above) Jason Alden

computer graphics will whisk them

back in time and demonstrate how
railways transformed everything
from the post and newspapers to
horse racing and funfairs.
There will also be a glimpse of the
future: another CGI display created
by Virgin Trains will offer a vision
of railways in the year 2500. What
Aimrec wont be is a museum.
Everything in there will work and
be interactive, said Mr Parsons. It
wont be stuff in glass cases.
Now planning permission is in the
bag all thats required ahead of a
planned 2018 opening is 5m on top
of the 1.2m already raised. Rattling
the can will be Daltrey and a group
of fellow high-profile model railway

nuts including Jools Holland, Pete

Waterman and Sir William McAlpine.
Mr Parsons has also had discussions
with Rod Stewart another railwayaddicted rock star and hopes to
involve Phil Collins, yet another
musical luminary who knows his
ballasting from his base plate.
Youd be surprised how many
people are into model railways, said
Mr Parsons. Theyre works of art;
some of them are exhibition pieces
that have taken more than 30 years
to make. His own masterpiece, The
Gresley Beat, is a 30-foot long, handbuilt 00-scale model of Kings Cross
station that has been decades in the
making. It is insured for 400,000
and, no, its not finished.

What is the attraction? Musician

Jools Holland, an Aimrec trustee,
says the best model-railway layouts
reflect the cultural and industrial
history of the UK and the rest of the
world. Its a way of looking at the
past in miniature, he adds.
Children are not always drawn to
art or history but Mr Parsons is convinced his project will attract visitors
of all ages. He points out that Hamburgs Miniatur Wunderland,
currently the worlds largest modelrailway attraction, pulls in 1.2 million
visitors a year. Aimrecs location,
only 37 minutes from London and
within easy reach of Europes 10
million modellers, puts it on track
to rival those numbers.

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

17

news

Life, the
universe and
cricket balls
Steve Connor has been Science Editor since the
launch of the IoS. He reflects on the big issues

t was the beginning of a new

decade, and the birth of a
new Sunday newspaper. We
had decided to make science
one of our main areas of specialist interest. As we look back
more than a quarter of a century,
many of the science-related stories
we covered during that first year of
The Independent on Sundays existence still have resonance today
whether it concerns human genetics and IVF embryo research or
fears over the dual use of science
for civil and military purposes.
During 1990 we attempted to
document the onward march of scientific progress, denoted by
breakthroughs in everything
from DNA fingerprinting technology, which allowed the police to
identify criminals from a single hair
shaft, to fresh insights into the origins of the universe.
If journalism is the first draft of
history, then we can perhaps be forg ive n fo r ove rl o o k i n g t h e
importance of some of the scientific achievements that were to
make their mark in the coming decades. However, there were still
many topics we covered that have
turned out to have long-lasting implications for science and society.
The first Gulf War was still a year
away, but Saddam Husseins apparent attempts to acquire weapons of
mass destruction occupied many
column inches. Iraqi nationals had
been caught trying to smuggle small
electronic devices known as krytons through Heathrow airport.
Krytons are super-fast triggers
for switching high-voltage currents
and are used in a range of innocuous scientific applications. As we
revealed, they were to be found
lying around many a university laboratory. However, they can also be
used to detonate the conventional
explosive charge of a nuclear bomb,
which is what Iraq was thought to
be interested in.
A few weeks later, the medias attention focused on Iraqs apparent
attempts to build a supergun, a massive artillery device that could fire
munitions possibly including nuclear devices over many hundreds
of miles. It was thought to be a neat
way around the military problem
of delivering an atomic weapon
when your air force or missile systems were not up to scratch.
Scientists were called in to advise on whether pipes made in a
Sheffield steel plant and destined
for Iraq could have the dual function of delivering oil as well as
artillery. It was not such a daft ques-

tion. A year earlier, a freelance

artillery genius called Gerald Bull
had been assassinated in Paris, almost certainly because of his role in
advising Middle East states on the
use of giant superguns.
Bubbling away in the background
was a health scare in the making.
Cows up and down the country were
going wobbly at the knees before keeling over and dying. The press called
it mad cow disease, while scientists
preferred the official name of bovine
spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
That year, government ministers
went into overdrive in their attempt
to reassure the public. Perhaps the
most memorable photo opportunity
was that of John Selwyn Gummer, the
then agriculture minister, attempting
to feed a hamburger to his reluctant
four-year-old daughter, Cordelia.
British beef can continue to be
eaten safely by everyone, adults and
children, Mr Gummer later told the
House of Commons while criticising
the alarmist reporting by newspapers for highlighting concerns about
the spread of BSE to humans.
But in the same year, other things
happened that should have raised
alarm bells. A cat called Max developed something remarkably similar
to BSE and calves had apparently
been infected with BSE from
theirmothers. Six years later, government ministers had to perform
one of the biggest U-turns in political history by admitting that BSE can
indeed be transmitted from cows to
humans by eating infected beef products. It became one of the decades
defining public-health scandals,
where politicians made unqualified
statements about there being no risk
to health.
Meanwhile, the Human Embryology Bill was working its way through
Parliament. Ever since the Warnock
report of the previous decade, scientists had been a central part of the
debate over the new technology
of in vitro fertilisation (IVF). The
Bill would put Britain ahead of
the world by enshrining in law
the legal right for scientists to res e a rc h o n I V F
embryos up to 14
days old.
Advisers had
recommended
a 14-day time
limit because
this was before the
appearance
in human
embryological
devel-

ws

(Clockwise
from above)
UN inspectors
in Iraq view a
supergun, 1991;
embryo stem
cells; digital
representation
of the human
genome; John
Selwyn Gummer
and his daughter
Cordelia in 1990
reuters; getty; pa

opment of something called the

primitive streak the first unambiguous tissue in an early embryo.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 was a pioneering
piece of legislation in many ways,
which would control the new IVF
fertility techniques through properly
licensed clinics. However, developments in science soon meant that
the legal framework became hopelessly out of date. The Act underwent
a major revision in 2008 to allow,
among other things, the creation of
human-animal hybrid embryos for
research purposes something that
would have been considered science
fiction just 20 years earlier.
There were other serious issues
involving science that were to loom
much larger in the public consciousness. The most notable perhaps was
a little-known problem known as
global warming. It burst on to the
political scene in 1990 when Margaret Thatcher delivered a remarkable
speech on the wider significance of
climate change. We were probably
the first newspaper to highlight the
scientific unknowns in temperature
projections called positive feedbacks when a rise in temperature
can in itself lead to change in the climate system that causes further
temperature increases.
Not everything was doom and
gloom back in 1990. Batsmen in county cricket matches were scoring
record runs. Many experts including this newspapers cricket-mad
news editor, Peter Wilby thought it
might have something to do with the
new balls introduced that year by the
Test and County Cricket Board. The
board hoped that the lowering of the
balls seam height would redress the
balance between batsmen and bowlers. But some thought the board had
gone too far and brought in scientists to prove their
point. In the event, every
one had to agree that
swing bowling relied on
factors other than seam
height, such as how
much beer a batsman
had drunk the night
before, and was ultim a te ly b eyo n d
scientific analysis.

18

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

news
Neil Hamilton
talks up his
Welsh
credentials
with voters
in Camarthen
Glenn Edwards

Welsh hopeful
Hamilton is back
on the stump
The disgraced Tory has rediscovered his roots, and
aims to speak for Ukip in the Cardiff assembly
By Jamie Merrill

For a man who could soon represent

vast swathes of Wales in the Welsh
Assembly, from the Menai Straits to
St Davids Head, Ukips Neil Hamil
ton is very relaxed about not having
a home in his homeland.
Our house in Wiltshire is less
than an hour from Cardiff and we
can get to Carmarthen in two hours,
says the shamed former Tory MP.
Hes sitting by his wife, Christine
(inset), in a Carmarthenshire hotel,
before yesterdays campaigning with
a small group of Ukip activists. If
elected Ill have a base in Cardiff and
we will get a mobile home. Then I
can stay ahead of journalists.
Historically, the man who des
cribes himself as a successful
stand-up comedian as well as a poli
tician, has good reason to want to
stay ahead of the press. To most peo
ple he will forever be associated with
the cash for questions scandal and
his subsequent defeat by anti-sleaze
candidate Martin Bell in 1997.
He has always denied the allega
tions, and is now seeking electoral
redemption as a Ukip candidate for
Mays Welsh Assembly elections, in
the face of accusations from Welsh
Labour leader Carwyn Jones that
Ukip is using Wales as a dumping
ground for Westminster failures.
Mr Hamilton said: The world has
moved on and the Inland Revenue
dismissed the allegations against me
as a pack of lies ... Carwyn Jones has
been about as useful as a chocolate
teapot for Wales. A more recent
scandal has been the resignations
and recriminations within Ukip over
his selection. Mr Hamilton called
the allegations black propaganda,
standing by comments that those
behind the claims are a cancer that
needs to be cleansed.
Mr Hamilton has form for
colourful language, once re
ferring to Ukip as home to
the decent supporters of the
BNP. But speaking to me he
seems every inch the career
politician, steering clear
of the opinions that
brought infamy to his
party. At one point he
does refer to Ireland as
a former peasant re
public, a comment
that would make a
press handler wince.
He is only accompanied by his wife,
though. To Ukips base
this is part of his charm,
but in rural Wales, where
Labour and Plaid Cymru
d o m i n a t e, i t s e e m s
foolhardy.
To many Labour voters
Mr Hamiltons candidacy is

a punchline to a risible career in the

public eye, but the partys hierarchy
is worried. Labour has dominated
the Welsh Assembly since its crea
tion 17 years ago, but the latest polls
show Ukip could pick up as many as
nine seats in the 60-seat Senedd.
Mr Hamilton is both a constituen
cy candidate in Carmarthenshire and
a list candidate for Mid and West
Wales. Its under this party list sys
tem that he and fellow Ukip candidate
and Westminster refugee Mark Reck
less could claim seats in the Senedd,
where Ukip hopes to hold the balance
of power come May.
For his part, Mr Hamilton is ex
ploiting his Welsh roots; his first
name, which he now uses in cam
paign literature, is Mostyn, he was
born in Monmouthshire and attend
ed Aberystwyth university. It doesnt
hide the fact that he last stood for

The Inland Revenue

dismissed the allegations
against me as a pack of lies
Were going to change the
nations health its more
interesting than politics
election 200 miles away in Wands
worth in 2014, where in council
elections he won under 400 votes.
Mr Hamilton comes as half of a
double act, and to many his wife is
the better known after her turn in
Im a Celebrity... in 2002. Shes now
an ambassador for Slim-Be, a 19-ashot slimming drink. Asked about
her role in the firm, its Mr Hamilton,
a Slim-Be director, who jumps in.
We are just about to launch the only
sugar-free cereal bar on the mar
ket. We are going to transform
the health and waistlines of the
nation. Thats more interesting
than politics.
Its an odd statement from a
politician seeking office, but Mr
Hamilton seems confi
dent that fears over
immigration will see
him elected, despite
immigration not being
devolved.
Mr Hamilton in
sists his move, or
nearly move, is per
manent. He said:
Welsh has a language
for what Im feeling. Its
called hiraeth, which is a
kind of nostalgia for the
land of your birth which
irresistibly draws you
back again. I suppose I
have sort of come home
to Wales to die.

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

19

simmy
richman
out there

A guide to anti-Semitism
In the two years or so of this columns
existence, it has covered a great many
subjects whatever amused, entertained
or raised an eyebrow was considered fair
game. But there is one subject that was
never touched on in Out There. Im talking
about the J word, and while I have written
about my own (complex) relationship
with the Jewish thing in other places,
Ihave always steered clear of it here.
But now seems as good a time as any to
rectify that situation, not least because
last week the comedian David Schneider
(right), inspired by the second suspension
from the Labour Party of the activist
Vicki Kirby, took to Twitter topresent
his Are you anti-Semitic? A personal
guide to lefties and others. While I agree
with everything Schneider says, one
point felt particularly pertinent: If you
think a Jewish conspiracy controls the
media/international finance/politics/
the BBC, you are anti-Semitic. There is
no conspiracy. I am well-connected in
the Jewish community so Id definitely be
invited, and Ive heard nothing.
Likewise, David, likewise. In fact, never
mind the international Jewish conspiracy
people, Im still waiting to be
approached by the Association of
Jewish Writers and Journalists.

pollution, and wants the beaches and seas

looking good for the tourists. He hasnt
been asked to do this, and doesnt have a
job. He tells me that he cleans the beaches
every day, for no other reason than to
make the place nice. What a legend,
Siyabulela Dan Magobiyane! City of
CapeTown, give this man a job.
And guess what? After becoming
something of an online sensation, Cape
Town did just that, with Magobiyane given
a bed for the indefinite future at the Haven
Night Shelter and a job as an assistant
driver at a rubble removal company called
Cape Skip. Facebook. Its not just for
sprogs, selfies and smugness, right?

Slam punk!
When the 40th anniversary of punk
rock received a 99,000 grant from the
Heritage Lottery Fund last year, various
establishments including the BFI, the
Design Museum and the British Library
launched a joint celebration under the
banner Punk London. Not everyone was
quite so taken with the idea, though.
Joe Corr is the co-founder of Agent
Provocateur and the son of Malcolm
McLaren and Vivienne Westwood. Talk
about alternative and punk culture being
appropriated by the mainstream, he
huffed in a press release announcing
his intention to burn his 5m punk

Cape of good hope

The feelgood Facebook
story of the week comes
from South Africa, where
a businessman by the
name of Jay Margolis
spotted the following on
a beach in the affluent
suburb of Bantry Bay,
Cape Town.
So this afternoon I
was waiting for a client,
he wrote on his page, and I
see this chap putting two bags
of rubbish in the bin. When
I come back 45 minutes later, I
see him filling another two big bin
bags and wait for him to have a chat.
Turns out hes embarrassed about the

A Jewish conspiracy? Wheres my invitation?

Changing a life through social media
Peeved punk to burn his 5m stash
Dullness is great, if you can stay awake

emorabilia
m
collection in
Londons Camden Town
on 26 November.
Among the kinder reactions
on various social-media threads
were the following: Agent Provocateur sold to a private equity firm
for 60m. Yeah mate, youre punk
and, You know whats really punk?
Not having a 5m punk collection.

Bore necessities
A book published next week
catches my eye. The Upside of
Downtime: Why Boredom is Good
represents many years of research
by Sandi Mann, a senior psychology
lecturer at the University of Central
Lancashire. But while full of fun lists,
quizzes and facts to reinforce how easily
bored we all are, it is not until the final
chapter, 242 pages in, that the book tackles
the subject its title promises, in a section
called The Benefits of Boredom.
Naturally, I skipped straight to those
pages. I would have read the whole thing,
but, you know, I got bored.

shaping todays technology was the 1980s

comic character Peewee Herman. Its hard
to ignore the eerie
similarities between
todays tech and the
sentient inhabitants
of Pee-wees Playhouse,
Dashevsky argued. The
evidence? A Magic Screen
that looked like an iPad, a
Picturephone booth that
looked like Skype and a
Siri-like character called
Globey. Quick! Catch the
repeats on Netflix, now.

Meme artist
Youve probably seen that internet
thing that puts pictures of, say, muffins next
to pictures of chihuahuas and asks you to
spot the difference (above). The meme is the
brainchild of a woman called Karen Zack
who, last week, offered the following rules
for going viral: 1) Do whatever you want.
2)Stick to it. And on that bombshell .
Twitter: @simmyrichman

How Pee-wee saw the future

The article of the week appeared in
PC Mag, where Evan Dashevsky argued
that the visionary most responsible for

20

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

news
Michael
Meanza killed
Jenny Foote
at Collette
House after
being moved to
the hostel Ben
Cawthra/LNP

Report on care
workers murder
to be withheld
Tribunal under fire for allowing release of
troubled patient from hospital unit to hostel
By Paul Gallagher

A controversial report into how a

violent, mentally disturbed patient
was released from NHS care to a
charity-run housing project where
he battered a care worker to death
with a fire extinguisher should be
kept secret, health service bosses
have said.
Michael Meanza was freed from
Butler House, a mens pre-discharge
unit at Ealing Hospital run by
WestLondon Mental Health NHS
Trust (WLMHT), in April last
year,after a mental health tribunal
deemed him well enough to be
conditionally discharged.
Despite being the subject of a
hospital order since the 1990s, and
with a history of assaulting staff and
patients, Meanza was sent to Collette
House in Acton mental health
a ccommodation run by London
Cyrenians Housing. It was there he
bludgeoned 38-year-old Jenny Foote
after she objected to him playing
rock music at full volume in the
earlyhours of the morning of 7 July
last year.
Ms Foote had threatened to evict
Meanza, 47, from the hostel and said
that he would be stopped from seeing
hisgirlfriend.
Sentencing him to life imprisonment at the Old Bailey this month,
with a minimum term of 24 years,
Judge John Bevan QC said he had no
doubt that Meanza would be an ongoing danger. He said that the parole
board would have to think long and
hard before considering him
forrelease.
The judge highlighted Meanzas
violent past 16 previous convictions for 79 offences, mainly in the
1980s and 1990s, which included an
assault on a member of hospital staff
and an assault on a female patient
on a psychiatric ward after she refused to perform a sex act on him in
exchange for cigarettes but said it
was a question for others whether
the hostel had been an appropriate
place for him.
In mitigation, Bernard Richmond
QC, defending, said: It would be
easy to demonise Mr Meanza and
label him as Mr Angry. That would
be too simplistic.
Whether Collette House was the
appropriate place for a man with his
difficulties is a question others will
have to ask themselves. The reality
was a womanwho should not have
had to deal with a man like Mr
Meanza alone was in a position
where she had to do just that.
Speaking outside court following
the verdict, Ms Footes brother,
Michael, criticised the authorities
who decided to house Meanza at the
Collette House hostel.
Its quite clear lessons need to be

learned, he said. They knew what

he was capable of and we also know
from the evidence which was given
he knew how to play the system. So
maybe he should have been in a more
secure environment, given the way
he was put in Collette House.
A former manager with London
Cyrenians Housing has claimed
thatmore could and should
have been done to prevent Ms
Footes murder.
Staff were saying to the management team for weeks before [the
murder], that this man was extremely dangerous and psychotic, he was
making threats to kill a member of
staff, the former LCH employee
wrote in an anonymous letter to
TheIndependent on Sunday.
The staff, and in particular Ms
Foote, have been completely let
down by the management team. The

They knew what [Meanza]

was capable of ... he knew
how to play the system
The hostel has not changed
any aspect of its practice
since Jenny Footes death
warnings were there and no one
listened to the staff.
The former LCH manager claimed
the charity has done nothing to improve safety following Ms Footes
murder and that Collette House has
not changed any aspect of working
practice following her death.
The letter also makes a number of
other accusations about LCH, saying
that managers rarely visit staff on
projects and that severe staff shortages mean that staff are being put at
risk. It also says, ... managers are
unable to guarantee the safety of staff
who express that they are in fear for
their safety and are demoralised.
The charity did not respond to
questions.
Following the murder, WLMHT
commissioned a multi-agency
serious untoward incident review
which it said was chaired independently. The trust itself was the lead
agency for the review.
A spokesperson for the trust said
that a summary of lessons learned
had been circulated internally to
relevant parties but that it would not
be releasing details of the findings
tothe public.
Paul Gallaghers reporting on the
West London trust has resulted
in hisnomination for Science and
Health Journalist of the Year for
2015 at this weeks Society of
Editors Press Awards

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

21

news

ndrei Lussmann has

every reason to be
very, very happy with
his customers: their
votes mean that his
eponymous restaurant group is
today unveiled as the winner of
the Peoples Favourite category
in the Food Made Good Awards,
the Sustainable Restaurant Associations annual celebration of the
UKs ethical eateries.
But if he could change one thing
about the 3,000 people that each
week eat at one of Lussmanns Fish
& Grills three sites in St Albans,
Hertford and Harpenden it would
be to persuade them to order more
vegetables. He wants to feature
more vegetarian dishes on his
menu but he needs people to order
them. We have to make vegetables
more superior, more impressive
and more charming on the plate,
he told The Independent on Sunday,
which is supporting the Food
Made Good Awards.
But we need our customers to
be more engaged and to try
something they might not usually try, he added.
Mr Lussmann vowed to put
sustainability at the heart of his
business when he opened his
first restaurant 15 years ago. He
served ethically sourced British
produce long before it became
fashionable for every menu to detail the birthplace of each chicken
on offer. He stuck to seasonal ingredients, perplexing diners
craving air-freighted strawberries
in February. For years, fish options
were limited to cod or haddock
until the Marine Stewardship
Council had certified that more
species were safe to serve.
Speaking to the IoS before the
awards, Mr Lussmann criticised people for not paying
more attention to where
their food comes from
when they eat out. People
suspend their values on whether
chicken should be free-range from

winners table

Jamie Oliver,
Andrei Lussmann
and his head chef
Nick McGeown
pa

Ethical, delicious
and preach-free
Lussmanns is named the Peoples Favourite in
the Food Made Good Award. Susie Mesure reports

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an Indian restaurant. Thats why

with Lussmanns, for eight years we
didnt tell anyone what we were
doing. We didnt want to come across
as being sanctimonious or righteous
or preachy.
Halving the steak options to two
has cost him money but it prompted
more people to order fish, he said.
Id like to reduce it to one steak,
forcing our customers down other
routes. But its difficult outside of
London. People want classics, dishes
they can understand. Whenever we
rehash something, the overarching
feedback is, What are you doing to
the menu? Its a very, very tough line
between remaining interesting and
ahead of the curve and not [becoming] too bohemian.
Mr Lussmann will share the spotlight at a lunch to celebrate the Food
Made Good Awards winners with
Jamie Oliver. Raymond Blanc, the
SRAs president, will crown the campaigning chef as his Sustainability
Hero on Tuesday. Whether he is
challenging school caterers head-on,
here or in the USA, or throwing himself into campaigns with an
unrelenting passion and commitment to persuade the nation to buy
higher-welfare chicken, Jamie carries people with him, leading them
to a better place, Blanc said, singling
out Olivers campaign to tackle childhood obesity for special praise. Mr
Oliver said getting the award was
a great honour, adding: This
one is extra special because it
bears the name of one of my heroes. The award was judged
before the Governments sugar tax
was announced in last Wednesdays Budget.
Lussmanns Fish & Grill is
one of 20 British restaurants, cafes, pubs, bars,
contract caterers, universities and hotels that will
be honoured on Tuesday
for their dedication to
serving their diners delicious, ethical and
sustainable dishes.

22

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

news

The geek of
the future is
female (thank
goodness)

happy eater

A robot serves
food at a
restaurant in
Shenyang, China
ChinaFotoPress

From Texas, Media Editor Ian Burrell reports

on moves to attract more girls to technology

Eagle

Weather p2 puff

Crossword p2 puff

cial network | emails

Navigation

Travel

obots should be intro

duced to primaryschool lessons in
order to show a more
humanistic side of
coding and to help attract more
girls to the digital sector, a govern
ment-backed technology leader
has said.
Gerard Grech, CEO of Tech City,
a showcase network of UK-based
technology companies, said an
early introduction to robotic
human models and vehicles would
assist children as young as five in
appreciating the value of learning
how to write code, which is already
part of the new computing curricu
lum for five- to 16-year-olds.
We could go further and
introduce robotics to make tech
nology even more accessible
regardless of gender thats where
you make technology come alive,
Grech said. The more physical
something can be, the more it can
be inspirational.
Robotics has already been intro
duced into schools as part of an
experiment in Estonia, which was

one of the first countries to teach

coding to young children and is the
home of Skype.
Grech was talking from the South
by Southwest (SXSW) conference
in Austin, Texas, where the issue of
sexism in the technology sector, and
especially in gaming, was a big topic
last week. Women games develop
ers spoke of receiving death threats
for taking up prominent positions in
the industry.
Grech said the UK tech sector
needed to do more to encourage
women, and called for an overhaul
of recruitment procedures to eradi
cate gender discrimination on
interview panels. We could intro
duce more attitude-testing as part
of the interview process, and more
initiatives to ensure there is no sub
conscious bias, he said.
Grech also called for more role
models to inspire girls to follow ca
reers in technology. He highlighted
the importance of British-based
women such as Sarah Wood, cofounder of video advertising tech
company Unruly, tech investor Sher
ry Coutu, Kathryn Parsons of tech

nEWS
IN BRIEF

!
:: justice

:: charity

TV trials film of Crown

court sentencing

Sport Relief raises

record 55m

Television cameras are to be let

into Crown courts for the first
time. Sentencing remarks by
senior judges will be filmed in an
experiment expected to start within
weeks. The footage will not be
broadcast but the move could pave
the way for the first live coverage
of Crown court cases. The Justice
ministe,r Shailesh Vara, said: My
hope is that this will lead to more
openness and transparency.

Sport Relief has raised more than

55m for charity, breaking the
previous on-the-night record of 51m.
During the marathon fundraising
night on Friday, Idris Elba played
Luther in a one-off sketch and David
Walliams played his Little Britain
character Emily Howard. BBC Radio 1
DJ Greg James completed five triathlons over five consecutive days and
Eddie Izzard is attempting to run 27
marathons in 27 days.

campaign group DeCoded, Ameri

can-born venture capitalist Eileen
Burbidge and tech entrepreneur
Wendy Tan White, founder of the
software company Moonfruit.
Theres still a lot of work to be
done, he said. When you are a

When you are a sector that

relies highly on innovation,
then diversity is key
Theres a big necessity to
show girls the possibilities
of the games industry
s ector that relies highly on innova
tion, then diversity is key.
Earlier this month, Baroness LaneFox, co-founder of Lastminute.com,
spoke out in Parliament on the lack
of senior women in the UKs tech
nology industry. Fewer than one in
10 women are in leadership positions
within the tech sector and, perhaps
most shockingly, women only make

up 4 per cent of software engineers,

she said.
Tech City travelled to SXSW with
20 British companies to promote the
UK sector at an exhibition called
Great Britain House. Among the
companies present was Pavegen,
which has developed paving stones
that enables peoples footsteps to be
converted into electricity. Grech said
this was an application that could be
demonstrated in primary schools to
show the human value of coding.
At SXSW last week, American
video game developer Brianna Wu
showed an audience an image of a
skeleton mask which was used as an
icon by an internet troll who threat
ened to put a drill to her head.
The abuse that Ive undergone
has been extreme, said Ms Wu who
has received more than 200 death
threats and, like the feminist critic
Anita Sarkeesian, has been targeted
by the underground #Gamergate
movement, which claims to be
protecting male video-game en
thusiasts against what it claims as
unfair smears that the sector is prone
to misogyny.

Alton Towers
reopened its
18m Smiler
rollercoaster
yesterday,
nine months
after an
accident
injured 16
people, five
seriously. Two
women each
lost a leg. The
Staffordshire
theme park
said that it
has sought to
learn every
possible
lesson from
the crash.

The SXSW sessions nearly did not

take place as two planned confer
ence events including a panel called
Level Up: Overcoming Harassment
in Games were cancelled in Octo
ber over fears of violence. The
session to which Ms Wu contributed
called Is a Safer, Saner and Civil
Internet possible? took place in a
hotel with strict security and a po
lice presence. She complained that
the YouTube and Reddit platforms
were culpable for their failure to
moderate sexist comments.
Several studies, including work
carried out by Pew Research Centre
in December, have shown that
women are equally as active in videogame playing as men.
Jenny Richards, of UK organisation
Women in Games, said that Gamer
gate had not crossed the Atlantic and
that the key challenge was to get Brit
ish girls to consider a career in the
sector. I think theres a big neces
sity to show younger females the
possibilities of the games industry,
she said. Once there, she argued, they
would find it incredibly welcoming
of females, for the most part.

:: search

Power station clearance

aims to find missing men
Work is under way to clear rubble at
the site of the collapsed Didcot power
station, where the bodies of three
workers are still unaccounted for.
The sites owners, energy giant
RWE, said it would take time to clear
the debris. They will be carefully
working their way in. Its going to be
a long process, a company spokesperson said. The HSE has said the
priority was to recover the bodies of
the missing men.

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

23

news

Teachers may
boycott tests for
four-year-olds
Gauging abilities and ranking schools is all about
accountability, not education, union will say
By Richard Garner
EDUCATION EDITOR

Teachers will call for a ballot on

boycotting baseline tests for fouryear-olds when they meet for their
annual conference next weekend.
New tests from this September
will make children in England
among the most tested in Europe,
the National Union of Teachers
annual conference in Brighton will
be told.
The baseline tests are designed
to inform teachers about the
abilities of pupils starting school.
They will also be used to rank
primary schools in league tables
by showing how much, or how little, childrens performance has
improved.
A motion before the conference
says: The formal testing of children at primary school is about
school and teacher accountability
and has very little to do with the
children being tested.
It adds: Testing ... narrows the
curriculum and limits the educational experience for pupils.
This autumns baseline tests are
one of three new tests for primary
schools. Nicky Morgan, the
Secretary of State for Education,
has also announced the return of
national curriculum tests for
seven-year-olds.
These were abandoned under
Labour because it was thought that
seven was too young an age for
c hildren to undergo a formal
externally marked test. Last weeks
White Paper on the future of
education also held out the prospect of times tables tests for pupils
aged 11, in their last year of primary
schooling.
In addition, children undergo a
controversial phonics test at the
age of six to check their reading
skills. This test has been ridiculed
by teachers for including made-up
words. There are also the national
curriculum tests in reading, writing
and mathematics for 11-year-olds.
Next weekends conference will
hear calls for a formal ballot on boycotting the baseline tests with
union leaders being urged to follow that up with a ballot on
boycotting all other primary school
tests this year.
Teachers will argue that the
testing regime in schools is partly
responsible for an alarming rise
in the number of children and
young people suffering from mental
health issues.
Any call for a boycott of the
baseline tests this autumn is likely
to receive overwhelming support
at the conference.
However, moves to boycott the
rest of the testing regime in primary

schools are likely to have to wait until

next year as, in particular, the tests
for 11-year-olds will only be a month
away by the time the vote is taken.
Childline has recorded a 200 per
cent increase in the number of young
people suffering from exam-related
stress; 34,000 children contacted the
charity to say they were worried. A
further 87,000 have visited its website for help with the same issue.
An NUT survey, Exam Factories,
concluded that the testing regime
had put pressure on schools to drive
up students exam results, leaving
them not enough time to support
childrens social and emotional
development.
Christine Blower, general secretary of the NUT, said: It frankly
beggars belief that Nicky Morgan is
not listening to the voice of the
profession on the chaos that the

It beggars belief that Nicky

Morgan is not listening to
the voice of the profession
School assessment is
certainly not meant to cause
pupils significant stress
overnment has caused in the
G
assessment system.
Baseline testing has been opposed from the outset by great
swathes of the early years sector.
This is not the way to get the best
from children.
However, the Department for
Education has argued that its phonics
check on six-year-olds has led to
120,000 more children getting on the
right track to become fluent
readers.
A spokeswoman said: School
assessment is certainly not meant to
cause pupils significant stress.
Schools should encourage all
pupils to work hard and attain high
grades, but we do not recommend
they devote excessive preparation
time for these tests and certainly not
at t h e ex p e n s e of a c h i l d s
wellbeing.
Parents rightly expect us to ensure that their children are leaving
primary school having mastered literacy and numeracy and this is why
we have tests at Key Stage Two [for
11-year-olds].
We are always willing to respond
to the views of teaching unions and
are in regular discussion with
them.
It is disappointing that the NUT
are taking this approach which
would disrupt childrens education
rather than working constructively
with us as other unions have.

Primary school
pupils face three
tests, at four,
seven and 11
Janine Wiedel

24

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

news
Richard Adams
says many
of his stories
were thought
up to entertain
his daughters
Justin Sutcliffe

Bright eyes still:

Richard Adams
has a story to tell
It wont be a sequel to Watership Down, but
there will be dragons, the 95-year-old explains
By Susie Mesure

More than four decades after Richard Adamss story about a rabbit
apocalypse terrified children around
the world, the author of Watership
Down is hoping to release his first
picture book for five-year-olds.
The Egg-box Dragon, which could
be the 95-year-old authors last published work, describes the adventures
of a dragon made out of old egg cartons. To write the book, Adams, a
great-grandfather, repeated the trick
that prompted his global bestseller:
he raided his back catalogue of tales
invented to entertain his daughters
during long car journeys and
atbedtime.
The Egg-box Dragon was my childrens creation, really, Adams recalls
about a craft project dreamt up by
one of his daughters primary school
teachers in the late 1960s. It was
someones idea to make a dragon. The
whole class used to amuse themselves
by thinking up more and more ideas
about Egg-box Dragon; how his tail
was made; how his ears were made;
what sort of stories he liked, and so
on. I took it up and developed it, writing further stories about him.
Veronique Baxter at David
Higham, Adamss literary agent, sent
the text to Oneworld Publications,
which recently released new illustrated versions of Watership Down
and Shardik, Adamss epic novel
about a bear. Juliet Mabey, Oneworlds editorial director, said The
Egg-box Dragon was under consideration for publication. She added:
Several illustrators have expressed
interest in taking on the task of bringing to vibrant life what could become
an instant classic, including Korky
Paul, best known for his iconic images of Winnie the Witch.
I find a contemplative Adams sitting in a high-backed armchair in the
sitting room of the Hampshire home
he shares with his wife, Elizabeth.
His face and his memories are
lost in a well-thumbed copy of Watership Down, a 2005 US edition,
dedicated to his daughters Juliet and
Rosamond and that road to Stratford-upon-Avon. There are rabbits
everywhere: miniature china figurines, bigger ceramic sculptures,
even Lindt chocolate ones. In his library lair, a resplendent room
bristling with books, a quilted image
of Fiver the rabbit, possibly, staring
into the sunset lies framed against
the fireplace.
Even now, with a string of books
behind him, the career civil servantturned-publishing phenomenon still
questions the lucky break that followed Rosamonds pleas for him to
write his rabbit tales. I cant quite
get used to it, even now. I became a
writer because the demand was

there, he says, taking his time to

order his thoughts. It required perseverance to find a publisher: six
turned him down before the eponymous Rex Collings took the gamble,
printing just 2,500 copies of Watership Down in 1972. Reviews were
rapturous; the book won the Carnegie Medal. A US edition followed,
and Adams has never looked back.
The novel remains one of the biggest selling childrens books of all
time. Adams, who is deaf in his right
ear, was besieged by fans at a book
signing in Blackwells Oxford branch
last year, in the process allaying concerns his deteriorating health would
be problematic. I carried on until
the end of the afternoon, and even
then there were still people.
Talk of Oxford reminds Adams of
his undergraduate days: he read
Modern History at Worcester Col-

Several illustrators have

expressed interest in what
could be an instant classic
He based the quiet, polite
Hazel and exhibitionist
Bigwig on fellow officers
lege, although the outbreak of the
war meant he completed his degree
after he was demobilised. Happiest
time of my life, he says, before segueing into darker flashbacks of his
time as a parachutist in the Royal
Army Service Corps. So many of
my friends were killed in the war. It
was an awful thing, the war. Worst
war theres ever been. His experience lives on in Watership Down: he
based the quiet, polite Hazel and exhibitionist Bigwig on two fellow
RASC officers.
A new generation will get the
chance to meet the rabbits next year.
The BBC is working on a new fourpart animated series. It will be the
third time the book has been immortalised on screen: the first, a 1978
animation voiced by John Hurt,
Ralph Richardson and Richard Briers, is infamous for its terrifying
battle scenes of ravaged rabbits.
Adams, who quit the civil service
after writing Shardik, wishes hed
discovered his talents as an author
earlier, but I hadnt got enough self
confidence. Asked for his advice for
anyone contemplating writing a
novel, he pauses for so long I wonder if hes heard my question. He says
eventually: Youll laugh at this. I
think they should be discouraged
and told to let it alone. Because that
means that the ones who really, really must do it, succeed in spite of
that discouragement.

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

25

jane
merrick
on politics

Its all academic

The unlearned
lessons of reform
IDS was a missile
left unchecked
Naked Chefs
campaign too far
Stop the carousel,
I want to get off

This column is not about the sugar tax

because I cannot decide whether it is
an idea that is utterly brilliant or truly
terrible. What I do know is that the best
way to reduce obesity in children is through
exercise. At least two hours of PE lessons
a week, led by a dedicated teacher, plus a
rich and diverse array of sporting activities
before or after school keeps schoolchildren
focused, relaxed, happy and healthy. If only
we had a Jamie Oliver for sport, inspiring
teachers, parents and children to take up
exercise and to lobby the Government to
push sport in schools. Just imagine what
could be done.
This is why there is great potential in
the plans, unveiled by George Osborne in
the Budget and by Nicky Morgan in the
education white paper, for extending the
school day to 4.30pm. Working parents
across the country will be delighted at not
having to find that extra hour of childcare.
But the longer school day must not mean
loading more lessons onto children already
burdened with homework. The extra hour
must be for extra-curricular activities and
nothing else or the law of diminishing
returns will take over. Private schools may
have longer hours and produce excellent
results but they also have longer holidays.
The Chancellor spoke in his Budget of
a devolution revolution and, like the
most difficult of revolutions, education
reform is incomplete. The white paper the
most wide-ranging in the sector for years
represents unfinished business for the
Conservatives. By forcing every school to
become an academy by 2022, ministers say
they are finishing what Tony Blair started.
But that is misleading: Blairs ministers
created academies to protect children
from failing schools, not to replace one
established structure, LEAs, with another
a network of multi-academy trusts.
Despite the claim that these school
reforms are part of the devolution
revolution, they represent another
heave to the centre. While academies
may be free from local-authority control,
academisation to use the Prime
Ministers word is a centralising,
Whitehall-driven reform that is not about
choice. Nor is converting schools to
academies about driving up standards.
The Education Select Committee last
year found no evidence that the change
improved attainment and, in any case, 83 per
cent of primary schools are judged good or
outstanding but only 14 per cent of primaries
are academies. A huge structural change,
against the will of many schools, just so the
Government can say they have completed
the task on academies seems unnecessary
and costly. As Schools Week reported, the

As Juliette and Jamie Oliver prepare for a fifth child, he should know better than to lecture new mothers

140m set aside is not sufficient to convert

16,000 schools into academies, suggesting
that the schools themselves will have to
meet a lot of the cost.
Similarly, the proposal to axe parent
governors from school boards is taking
away choice from families. Children are
the front line in schools and without parent
governors their voice will be diminished.
The Government should stop regarding
education reform as unfinished business
and listen to parents, teachers and children.

Irritable Duncan Smith

The wording of Iain Duncan Smiths
stunning resignation letter may have had
added piquancy thanks to his position on
the opposite side of the EU referendum
debate to George Osborne and David
Cameron, but the ex-welfare secretarys
anger over disability benefit cuts is real.
He has been furious with the Chancellor
for years over his departments budget
being squeezed, and No10 and No11
knew it. This backdrop makes the way the
PM and Osborne handled the two days
between Wednesdays Budget and Fridays
resignation all the more strange.
After Nicky Morgan said on the BBCs
Question Time on Thursday that the benefit
cuts proposal was just a suggestion, No 10
insisted on Friday morning that the DWP
was committed to it. Yet by Friday afternoon
the U-turn from the Treasury came, making
Duncan Smith look like a chump. Why
didnt the Prime Minister or Chancellor
realise that IDS, a leading Brexiteer, was
an unguided missile? Shouldnt they have
handled the fallout a little better?

Jamies boob revolution

I understand Jamie Olivers passion about
sugar, even though I am uneasy about the
impact on low-income families of taxing it.
At least the TV chef is an expert in this area
and his views should be respected.
What is less understandable is his new

drive for more new mothers to breastfeed

their babies. Oliver denies that this is a
new campaign as such but his remarks
have understandably caused irritation
among women. Oliver uses evidence
linking breastfeeding to reduced incidence
of childhood obesity but the scientific
research on this is contested: a 2013 study
in The Journal of the American Medical
Association cast doubt on previous studies
and suggested the link had been overplayed.
Whatever the evidence, I think Oliver,
whose wife is pregnant with their fifth child,
needs to be wary of lecturing mothers on
breastfeeding. Of course, breastmilk is best
for a baby but for those women who struggle
to get their child to feed, the last thing they
need is Olivers sunny-side-up preaching.

Goodbye to all that

For my last column in the last Independent
on Sunday I thought I would look back to
my first, from the summer of 2013. I wrote
about Tom Watson, who had just resigned
as Labours election co-ordinator after the
row over Labours candidate for the Falkirk
by-election. In his resignation letter, Watson
wrote that he felt like hed seen the merrygo-round turn too many times and it was
time to jump off and spend more time with
his family.
Of course, Watson is enjoying a political
renaissance as Labours deputy leader
he is not only back on the carousel but
is one of the men operating the funfair. It
is a reminder that political careers do not
always follow a rise-and-fall arc but can have
repeated downfalls and comebacks (see also
Iain Duncan Smith). For me it is time, for
now, to jump off the merry-go-round.
Twitter: @janemerrick23

26

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

news

I am angry that
we still live in an
unjust society
When you chart the way Britain is run,
a lack of progress is clear. We must fight
on to improve life for the neediest

Cole Moreton
IN DEPTH

o here we are. This is the

end, beautiful friends, and
I have to say Im angry.
Not angry at the end of
this titles print version;
thats more of a sadness. But angry
at all the things that have not been
fixed or that have got worse since I
wrote my first piece here more than
20 years ago, despite all the people
who have appeared in these pages,
promising to make them better.
Angry that successive politicians
have broken their promises and our
hopes, so that even when the country is in a mess, millions of people
just dont bother to vote, believing
it wont make any difference.
Angry that there is so little outcry
when a Chancellor uses a sugar tax
(which will hit the poor hardest) to
sweeten the bitter pill of a Budget
that contains more than 1bn a year
in cuts to the care of disabled people
who need help to get dressed or go
to the loo.
Im angry that a cabinet of millionaires persists in telling us were
all in this together. Even Iain Duncan Smith, architect of chaos and
misery in his welfare reforms,
doesnt believe that any more, according to his surprise resignation
letter. When even IDS says the cuts
to benefits are too cruel, you know
they really are too cruel.
A million people a year are forced
to use food banks to feed themselves
and their children. Nearly five million live in food poverty.
Im angry that weve let things get
so bad. Angry that so much of it is
unnecessary.
Ceceline, a mother of two I met
just before Christmas, happened to
write a number in the wrong place
on a form. The 70 a week with
which she feeds and clothes herself,
her son and her daughter was
stopped without warning for a
month, driving her to the brink of
despair. There are so many stories
like that: nearly half of all food bank
clients are there because of failures
in the system.
Im angry that our Government
has so obviously lost all sense of
compassion. Angry that we tax people for daring to have a second
bedroom, even if they care for a
severely disabled partner and need
to sleep in a separate bed sometimes,
to get some rest.
Angry that these life-changing,
misery-inducing decisions are made
by ministers with multiple bedrooms, second homes and staff.
Anger is not all I feel right now,
by any means, but its a good start.
Im angry that junior doctors have
to strike. Angry that hospitals still
have to warn people off coming to
overstretched accident and emergency departments, as Wigan has
just done for the third time in a fortnight. Angry at the break-up of a
health service that has cared for successive prime ministers children.
This is personal. David Cameron
swore the NHS was safe in his hands
when I sat in his kitchen for this

bad news

Homelessness
and poverty
affect millions;
the NHS is in a
critical condition
getty

newspaper a decade ago. He talked

about his debt to the doctors and
nurses who cared for his son Ivan.
Yet here we are on the other side of
one catastrophic initiative after
a nother, with health workers in
revolt.
Tamal Ray, a junior doctor, says:
For the first time in my career, I can
see real unity among my colleagues.
Our eyes have been opened to the
subtle dismantling of a healthcare
system we believe in and this has
inspired a movement for change.
Hes hopeful. Im angry that it
has come to this; that we live in a
sick, unjust society, after all the
fine talk. Angry, too, that the gap
between us is getting wider. Angry
that a short walk across London
takes you from a 300m house in
a ward where the average income
is 100,000 to another where
people are living on 13,000 a year
and the life expectancy of a man is
30 years shorter.
Angry that the billionaires who

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

27

news

unequal fight

Jacqueline
Carmichael
(right), who has
spina bifida,
was hit by the
bedroom tax;
doctors strike
for the first time
in 40 years colin
mcpherson; getty

own such fancy houses live here,

play here but pay no tax here at all.
Angry that on match days across
the nation, footballers earning astronomic sums are served by waiters,
stewards and cleaners on less than
the living wage. And angry that
friends who burn with a passion for
fairness go weak at the knees when
it comes to the (once) beautiful
game. They turn a blind eye to the
riches, the excesses of their heroes
and the utter disconnection between
the players and the communities in
whose name they play.
Im angry that we have become a
nation that will let you in if youre
loaded, but will stick you in a detention centre if you happen to be poor,
sick or in need of asylum. I saw that
for myself in Yarls Wood, where a
woman from Sri Lanka tried to tell
me her story, her mind fractured by
the pressure of being held there for
so long without trial or explanation.
Its inhumane.
This is not a party political

Im angry that government

has so obviously lost all
sense of compassion
Demand more of our
representatives and refuse
to take no for an answer

roadcast: the current situation is

b
the result of deals done by the Liberal Democrats and the Labour Party
as much as the Tories. We fell in turn
for Maggie, Tony and Nick, like
dizzy new lovers, and were let down
every time.
Im angry that the word politician
has become synonymous with liar.
Angry at the breathtaking cycle of
privilege, in which the same wellconnected people take turns to pop
up and lecture us about how society
should be run, without anything
ever actually seeming to change.
Meet Lord Adonis, for example.
His Labour party had 13 years to fix
the roads and rails, but now he is the
chairman of a Tory-born commission demanding that they be fixed
immediately. As if we would not remember. As if we have the memory
spans of goldfish. Do we? Im angry
that it seems we do.
If the North is to become a
powerhouse, it has to be better connected, says Adonis, who could
have made that happen years ago.
And here comes his old boss, Tony
Blair, with advice about our destiny in Europe. The man who took
us into a disastrous war in Iraq
before floating off into some kind of
weird personal fantasy about being
president of the world. No thanks
Tony, we know where your strategies lead. We dont really want to
bomb Berlin.
Go back to one of your many mansions, in your 27m property
portfolio. When a Labour prime
minister goes on to become one of
the super-rich, there is surely something to get angry about.
No wonder the Labour Party is
still in shock at being seduced by
this man.
But its time to get over that, learn
the lessons of what was good about

him and chuck out the bad, ditch the

guilt and get a grip, surely? Otherwise the party will keep imploding,
keep losing.
Im angry that there is no serious
opposition left right now, when we
need it more than ever, with the
Greens a shambles and the Lib Dems
all but vanished. The strong voice
of the SNP is weakened when it plays
hypocritical games such as meddling
in the vote over English Sunday
trading laws.
Some people will say all this is
sanctimonious. Tough. It also
happens to be true.
You will have your own reasons
to be angry, Im sure. Im angry that
successive governments have allowed a situation to develop where
a whole generation cannot afford to
buy and barely to rent.
Angry that in the lifetime of this
paper we went from supporting the
brightest kids from poor backgrounds through college to saddling
them with debt.
Im proud that The Independent
on Sunday was the first to oppose
that misguided war and that at least
a million of us marched. But Im
angry that the war happened anyway, and that it did what the
intelligence services warned it
would, turning Iraq into a crucible
of terrorism.
My first piece for the Sindy back
in 1993 was an interview with Baroness Nicholson about Amar, the
Iraqi Kurdish boy she had adopted
to save him from war. They are still
being bombed, those children, only
now by Turkey. The world has
changed a great deal since those
days. It feels even more dangerous.
Please God dont let the US choose
a racist thug as its next president.
Lets be honest, though. All this
anger is draining. And its not

enough. We have to turn away and

look for something more positive,
in order to go on.
There has been so much to celebrate in our years together. Peace in
Northern Ireland, for example,
which we almost take for granted
now. Great advances in our understanding of the universe around us
gravitational waves, the Higgs
boson and many lives saved by
medical science.
My second piece for The IoS was
an interview with the singer Holly
Johnson, who came out as having
Aids in 1994, when everybody
thought it was a death sentence. He
has a new song on the Eddie the Eagle
soundtrack. Ive just heard him on
the radio and it made me smile.
The Olympics were a brief but
glorious taste of the kind of happy,
inclusive, confident place Britain
could be. The Happy, Pink and Rainbow Lists in this paper have
celebrated some of the best of us
the kindest, most generous, most
determined, bravest.
I have met and interviewed so
many inspiring people here over
time. One of my favourites is Ted
Jackson, a middle-aged school
master from Surrey who ran seven
marathons in seven days on seven
continents last year, from the Antarctic to the African desert and on
to Australia.
Ted is not a natural runner. Hes
short and stocky and doesnt like to
train much. But he does want people to know about Overcoming MS,
the charity that has helped his wife,
Sophie. So he does superhuman
things, by strength of will alone.
Now he and his son are about to attempt a desert marathon and a
transatlantic row together for the
same cause. Extraordinary.
We all have to find ways to keep
going, like Ted. Ways of turning our
anger at what is happening into a
positive energy. Ways to keep believing in and working for fairness
and equality.
Keep demanding more of our representatives and refusing to take no
for an answer. Keep speaking truth
to power. Keep telling the world
about the people and things that
make us happy.
Thats what we have tried to do
on these pages, with your support.
And thats what I want to say, really,
as our conversation here comes to
an end: lets keep getting angry, keep
fighting, keep celebrating. What else
can we do?
Thank you. It has been a privilege
to write for you here. Lets hope we
meet again somewhere. Until then,
keep on keeping on. Goodbye.

28

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

or the first minutes of my conversation with the novelist Maggie

OFarrell, I compete for her attention with her daughter who is home
from school with flu. An audiobook
of Peter Pan comes to the rescue.
In any case, OFarrell says, Nothing could be less interesting for her
than listening to her mother talk
about books.
With three young children (she
has another daughter and son with
her husband, the writer William
Sutcliffe), OFarrell has become an
old hand at balancing domestic exigencies with life as a bestselling
author. Part of the skill of writing
at home with small children is ringfencing your work time. You have
to develop the skill of walking past
the heaps of laundry. Do she and
Sutcliffe share childcare duties?
Share is not quite the word I
woulduse. He is kind of around
Im not sure how it all works,
butitmust do because the books
get written.
The latest proof is This Must Be
the Place, OFarrells seventh novel,
which she began shortly after the
birth of her third child in 2013. I
dont know how I would have written this book if she hadnt been so
in love with sleep. I really deserved
one after the other two. I would
have had six kids if they had all been
like that. I know this is going to
make new parents spit feathers ...
Flu-stricken daughters notwithstanding, OFarrell is otherwise
luxuriating in the nice lull between finishing a novel and its
publication in May.
Born in Coleraine, County
Londonderry, in 1972, hers was a
peripatetic childhood courtesy of
her fathers academic career. We
chat about her early years in Dublin, Wales and Scotland; working
for The Independent on Sunday; and
her path to success as a writer. If
anything connects these stages, it
is how ordeals great and small have
deepened her relationship with literature. Individuals responding to
specific adversity fire the best of
OFarrells writing.
Instructions for a Heatwave
depicted a family confronting marital breakdowns, illiteracy and loss,
all set against 1976s famously broiling summer and the Troubles in
Northern Ireland. This was partly
inspired by OFarrells memories.
It was difficult being Irish in the
1970s. My dad remembers being
turned away from restaurants and
hotels which had the classic sign
No blacks, no dogs, no Irish.
OFarrell recalls a school trip when
she was 15: I was on my Irish passport. I was strip-searched.
Other tests are more joyously
life-altering, such as becoming a
mother, which inspired the Costa
Prize-winning The Hand that First
Held Mine. The gravest trial of all
was when eight-year-old OFarrell

Ulf Andersen

the interview

Mother or novelist,
Im a silent witness
Bestselling Maggie OFarrell tells James Kidd that she
doesnt read reviews, and her readers wont see her tweets
contracted encephalitis. Two days
after complaining of a severe headache she was confined to bed. A
couple of days after that I was unable
to walk. There were periods when
they said I was going to die. When I
was sent home, they said I would
never walk again.
OFarrell did eventually walk again
after two long years of intensive therapy, during which she was initially
unable to hold a pen or a book. Yet
this was when she fell in love with
literature. I listened to Felicity
Kendal reading My Naughty Little
Sister, she laughs. To this day, if I
hear Kendals voice it shoots me back
to that time. OFarrell later graduated to reading all the books on my
bookshelf. When I was done, I would
read them again.
If the act of rereading the Moomins or The Secret Garden sharpened
her critical faculties, the months of

The greatest enemy

to good art is not the
pram in the hall, its
the router in the hall.
Other writers say
their thinking is shot
by checking Twitter

solitude and quiet gave unintentional

lessons in closely observed families
that typifies her best work. You become this silent witness. You are in
a room on your own and listening
tolife next door or downstairs goingon without you You become
that person who is noting it all down
but not interacting, which, oddly, is
the position of the novelist within
the novel.
At the time, the idea of actually
writing for a living was unthinkable.
It wasnt until she encountered other
novelists-in-waiting while reading
English at Cambridge that she even
admitted the possibility. These included her future husband. He was
the first person who ever said to me:
I want to be a writer. I was astonished by the baldness and focus of
that ambition. I may have said: Me
too, but I was probably too shy.
After a year working for a computer

magazine in Hong Kong, she joined

the arts desk of The IoS in 1996.This
proved both challenging and instructive. It was an incredibleexperience.
It was a very young staff quite dynamic and very determined. There
was a slightly Blitz atmosphere:
weve got no money, but are going to
put out a newspaperanyway.
Highlights included interviewing
Ang Lee at a moments notice, and
suddenly being sent to cover the
Edinburgh Fringe. It taught me a
huge amount about speed and how
you mustnt be precious about what
you write. You cant spend all day
agonising over an adverb.
OFarrells fiction would later benefit from more formal workshops:
with the poets Jo Shapcott, at Cambridge, and Michael Donaghy, at
Londons City University. A turning
point came during an Arvon course
that she took as respite from the
more enervating aspects of arts journalism. I edited TV listings for
about a year. I was probably the worst
person in the world to do that. I didnt
watch TV and still dont.
The Arvon classes took place
during a freezing January in Yorkshire.SummonedbythetutorsElspeth
Barker and Barbara Trapido
OFarrell thought she was going to
be kicked off the course. Instead,
they praised the story that eventually became her debut, After Youd
Gone. OFarrell was so overcome that
she ran outside into the middle of
nowhere and fell into a ditch at the
side of the road. I was up to my armpits in frozen water. For a moment I
thought, I am going to die here. I did
manage to stagger out.
These days OFarrell ignores
praise or censure, save for a few
trusted readers. She doesnt read reviews, good or bad.
It isnt that I cant take the criticism. What you dont need is to hear
yourself explained to yourself, or for
any sliver of self-consciousness to
come into your writing.
Nor will she tweet her thoughts
about life, art or anything else. She
recasts Cyril Connollys famous
warning there is no more sombre
enemy of good art than the pram in
the hall ..., as the greatest enemy to
good art is the router in the hall.
She says: I have had conversations
with other writers who say their concentration is totally shot by their
need to check Twitter.
OFarrell cites a lack of skill and
inclination for her own rejection of
social media. If you are going to engage with that medium, you have to
do it really well. Im not sure even if
I had the time I would really do it.
And in any case, there simply
arent enough hours in her day. I
think you only have so much petrol
in the tank. I would rather use my
words for something else.
This Must Be the Place will be
published by Tinder Press in May

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

Get Trump!

Republicans scramble
to find a viable option
P31

Robert Fisk

How Clare Hollingworth

wrote the story of a century
P32

Patrick Cockburn

Politicians are to blame for IS,

but are rarely held to account
P35

WORLD
NEWS

home again

Turkish Kurds
returning to
Diyarbakir
last week ilyas
akengin/getty

Turkish Kurds
go home as
curfew lifted
But battle continues between security forces
and minority. By Norma Costello in Diyarbakir

adi Bayrams eyes fill

with tears. Rockets
here, bullets there,
the baker says, gesturing at the damage to his modest premises located
within the historic district of Sur,
in the city of Diyarbakir in southeast Turkey. As he kneels in the rubble, harsh sunlight illuminates the
shards of glass scattered around the
building that has housed his business for decades.
The scene of a battle between
Turkish security forces and fighters
with links to the Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK), Mr Bayrams bakery is
just another mound of concrete,
metal and glass that was once an integral part of life in the traditionally
Kurdish neighbourhood.
For months, conflict has been a
constant feature of life in Diyarba-

kir and across south-east Turkey,

the latest bloody episode in an fight
for Kurdish autonomy by the PKK
that can be traced back to 1984.
The Turkish state deem the PKK
a terrorist organisation, as do a
number of Western states, and in
December, government forces imposed a 24-hour curfew across a
number of areas in the south-east
as part of military operations carried out against the group.
The curfew in Sur is now gradually being lifted street by street. For
those who managed to flee the fighting to other areas of the country, it
has allowed them finally to come
home, while those who stayed now
have a chance to assess the damage
to their property.
The issue of burials is also fresh
in the minds of many. In one part of
Sur, families gather each day inside

Diyarbakirs Dicle Firat Cultural

Centre, and a protest takes place.
Relatives of those killed in the conflict clutch pictures of loved ones,
asking the Turkish government to
give back the bodies of those killed
in the fighting.
Sakir Gokalp is one of these people. When I went to the morgue to
find my brother it was impossible.
One boy was run over by a tank, he
was like minced meat. I feel like crying, but what can I do? Its hopeless.
No one will help us,
Mr Gokalps brother was killed
fighting in Sur as part of the PKK.
He was 18. Two weeks ago, Mr Gok
alps father got a call saying his son
had been killed in the violent clashes
between Turkish special forces
Kurdish fighters, many of them
Eagle

Weather p2 puff

Crossword p2 puff

Letters | social network | emails

P30

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Travel

30

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

world news

Travel

P29

Navigation

young men. We were looking for

him for a long time. We thought he
was in Iraq or Syria but it turned
out he was fighting here in Sur, a
district not far from our home, Mr
Gokalp explains, as weeping
women pray nearby.
This latest outbreak of fighting
between the PKK and Turkish forc
es is one of the bloodiest since the
1990s, and comes after the break
down of a fragile peace. In March
2013, the jailed PKK leader, Abdul
lah Ocalan, had called for a
ceasefire after negotiations with
the government of Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, the then prime minister
and now president. That finally
collapsed in July 2015. The current
military operations and curfews
in the south-east of Turkey have
been described as a collective
punishment by human rights
group Amnesty International.
Andrew Gardner, a researcher
on Turkey for Amnesty Interna
tional, was refused access to Sur
while trying to gather data on the
curfews last December.
There are two areas of concern
here. One is the curfews, which
amount to collective punishment;
and the second is use of force, he
said. The violence has escalated
and were seeing an increase in the
use of heavy weaponry as curfews
are extended. We estimate about
300,000 people have been forcibly
displaced by the conflict.
As the military operations move
from one region to the next, the
fragile peace of 2013 seems a dis
tant memory. Turkish soldiers
patrol Kurdish neighbourhoods
under curfews right now there
are curfews in seven Kurdish dis
tricts and cities scattered around
the south-east. Those who lived
under the curfew in Sur have told
of food shortages and lack of water,
as tanks and snipers searched for
PKK fighters in Surs winding
streets, which are surrounded by
an ancient wall.
There have also been dozens of
civilian deaths during the military
operations in recent months, al
though the Turkish government

larly the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks

(TAK), an offshoot of the PKK.
Mr Erdogan has called for the
legal definition of a terrorist in
thecountry to be expanded to
i ncludeallthose who are be
lievedtohelp groups such as
thePKK, through what the gov
ernmentsees as propaganda.
This would include journalists,
academicsandauthors.
Turkish media has also reported
recently that Mr Erdogan said he
planned to annihilate all terror
ists, while officials in the ruling
Justice and Development Party have
defended the military operations in

Letters | social network | emails

Crossword p2 puff
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Eagle

This latest outbreak of

fighting isone of the
bloodiest since the 1990s

time delay

An elderly Kurdish
woman waits to
be allowed back to
her home in Sur

Black Sea
Istanbul

ilyas akengin/getty

RUSSIA

Regions
with a
majority Kurd
population

GEORGIA

AZERBAIJAN
ARMENIA

Ankara
Diyarbakir

TURKEY
Suruc

CYPRUS

Kobani
Afrin
SYRIA

IRAN

Qamishli
Mosul
IRAQ

Irbil
Sulaymaniyah

LEBANON

100 miles

have repeatedly denied suggestions

that is has been deliberately target
ing residents. The decision by PKK
fighters to create trenches and dig
in within a number of areas has also
helped to create a situation where
civilians are in danger.
Matters have been further com
plicated for the government by the
conflict in neighbouring Syria,

Damascus

which has helped to create the worst

refugee crisis in decades and also
given Mr Erdogan a number of prob
lems. The success of Syrian Kurdish
forces linked to the PKK in fighting
Islamic State has deeply unnerved
Turkeys political leadership and
the military. It has also complicated
the relationship between Ankara
and its Western allies such as the

Rhetoric from Turkish

officials about the Kurdish
issue has escalated recently

Baghdad

US, which, despite deeming the PKK

a terrorist organisation, has supplied
arms to its offshoot in Syria.
The rhetoric from Turkish gov
ernment officials about the Kurdish
issue has also escalated recently in
the wake of a number of bombing
attacks across a number of Turkish
cities in recent weeks, some claimed
by Kurdish militant groups, particu

the countrys south-east, using the

recent bombings as justification.
For many in the Sur district of Di
yarbakir, it is the rebuilding of their
lives they must concentrate on, rath
er those bigger political issues.
Mahmut Simsek, a former tour
ism official, is helping families to
locate the bodies of those killed in
the city, in areas hidden from on
lookers by large sheets of plastic,
and protected by Turkish Special
Forces with rifles.
The population of Sur was about
65,000 people; half of the district is
still under curfew, he says. Unfor
tunately that was the area people
lived in and that is where the heavi
est fighting took place.
When the baker Hadi Bayram is
asked about the PKK and the fight
ing he stares at the ground.
War and more war, is all he
offers. Weeks and maybe months
ofrestoration lie ahead, an over
whelming challenge for a man
broken by a conflict that shows no
sign of ending.

Four Istanbul shoppers killed in bomb blast

By Laura Pitel
IN ISTANBUL

A suicide bomber struck at the

heart of Istanbuls shopping
district yesterday, killing four
people and wounding at least
36 in the fourth major attack in
Turkey this year.
A woman and her two
daughters, aged seven and two,
were said to be among the victims of the bombing on Istiklal
Avenue, a long pedestrianised
street, lined with shops, cafs
and foreign consulates. Twelve
of those wounded were foreigners, according to the Turkish

Health Ministry, including two

Irish citizens and six Israelis.
Turkey, a Nato member, was
already on high alert after a
series of attacks by Islamic State
and Kurdish militants on both
civilian and military targets.
There was no immediate claim
of responsibility for the attack,
which happened at 11am local
time. CCTV footage showed an
orange fireball engulfing the street,
sending debris flying as shoppers
and tourists ran for safety.
One official told Reuters that
the bomber had planned to hit
a more crowded location but
wasdeterred by the presence

The bomb killed four and injured at

least 36, including tourists reuters

ofpolice. Officials said the

primesuspects were IS and
Kurdish militants.
In January, an IS bomber
originally from Syria killed 12
German tourists in an attack near
Istanbuls famous Blue Mosque.
A PKK splinter group called
the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks
(TAK) claimed responsibility
for two suicide attacks in Ankara
that killed a total of 66 people in
February and last Sunday.
The flurry of attacks in recent
months meant that Turkey was
already on edge. On Thursday
and Friday, Germany announced
that it had closed its embassy,

consulate and several schools

after receiving very concrete
intelligence of plans for an
attack on a German target. The
US and other European embassies had warned their citizens
to be vigilant ahead of celebrations planned this weekend for
Newroz, a spring festival largely
marked by Kurds.
The latest attack is likely to
compound the woes of Turkeys
already flagging tourism sector.
The streets of Istanbuls fashionable Beyoglu district were
deserted yesterday on what
would normally have been a busy
Saturday afternoon.

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

31

world news

West wing

Texan Ted Cruz

believes he can
beat Trump, but
he would make
an unlikely
unity candidate
reuters; Ap

Republicans prepare for a showdown

The anybody but Trump camp is still talking about a unity candidate, but they still cant agree on who that should be

By Tim Walker
IN LOS ANGELES

The presidential race is heading to

Arizona and Utah this week, but
many Republicans are already
looking further ahead and further west to California. The most
populous state in the US is home
to 172 GOP delegates, but in recent
elections the battle for the nomination has been sewn up long before
it reached the Pacific coast.
This year, however, with the party
establishment scrambling to deny
Donald Trump the majority of 1,237
delegates he needs to secure the
nomination before the partys convention in July, California could be
a final bulwark against Trump tide.
The Golden State goes to the polls
with New Jersey and four other
smaller states on 7 June, the final
day of the GOP primary season.
California has voted for the Democrat at the last six presidential
elections, but this deep blue state
still has more than enough Republican voters to make a decisive
impact on the partys nomination.
Mitt Romney won more votes in
California in 2012 than he did in

Texas. Recent polls of the states

Republican voters give Mr Trump a
modest lead over his remaining competitors, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and
Ohio Governor John Kasich.
His closest rival, the ultraconservative Mr Cruz, plans to
mount a last-ditch challenge to The
Donald, and has already amassed a
formidable network of volunteers
across the state. In a blog post, Ron
Nehring, the California chairman for
the Cruz campaign, insisted: I
havent spoken to a single moderate
Republican who actually prefers
Donald Trump over Ted Cruz.
This Tuesdays biggest prize is
Arizona, a winner-takes-all contest
worth 58 delegates, where polls put
Mr Trump ahead by an average
ofmore than 10 points. The Utah
caucuses on the same day look more
promising for Mr Cruz, but only 40
delegates are up for grabs there,
doled out proportionately.
A national poll conducted by
Rasmussen in the wake of Marco
Rubios withdrawal last week served
only to underscore Mr Trumps dominance. Rather than rally behind a
single Stop Trump candidate, Mr
Rubios supporters split evenly,

California still has more

than enough Republican
voters to make an impact
I havent spoken to a single
moderate Republican who
prefers Donald Trump

aintaining Mr Trumps 15-point

m
lead, with 43 per cent support, over
Mr Cruz on 28 and Mr Kasich on
21per cent.
A group of conservatives committed to halting Mr Trumps irresistible
rise congregated in Washington last
Thursday to discuss strategy. Among
the organisers of the four-hour Never
Trump meeting were the blogger
and radio host Erick Erickson, and
Bill Wichterman, a former adviser to
President George W Bush.
Invitations to the event said the
groups aim was to defeat Donald
Trump for the Republican nomination, and if he is the Republican
nominee for president, to offer a true
conservative candidate in the general election. A statement released
afterwards suggested a unity ticket
of other Republican candidates, and/
or a contested convention. In a contested, or brokered, convention no
candidate has secured enough dele
gates to win the nomination and the
convention becomes a desperate
scramble to secure delegates in a
series of increasingly fraught votes.
Mr Cruz may be their best bet to
defeat Mr Trump, but establishment
figures remain reluctant to support

the Texas Senator, who is widely disliked in Washington. Late on Friday

Mr Romney said he would vote for
Mr Cruz in Utah, but declined to
endorse him. The only way we can
reach an open convention is for Senator Cruz to be successful in as many
of the remaining nominating elections as possible, he said.
Mr Kasich, meanwhile, is preparing for the possibility of a brokered
convention in Cleveland in July,
where he could make the argument
that he is the most electable of the
remaining candidates. This week,
the governor hired two advisers with
experience of the most recent contested Republican convention that
was 40 years ago, in 1976.
Some have suggested inserting another contender into the process at
the 11th hour. Yet the two most obvious candidates Mr Romney and
the House Speaker, Paul Ryan have
insisted they would not accept such
an offer. If Mr Trump comes up a few
delegates shy of a majority, but is not
awarded the nomination outright,
the billionaire has warned that he
thinks there would be riots.
Rupert Cornwell page 43

Terrorism ruled out as cause of fatal airline crash

By Simon Calder and
Chris Stevenson

All 62 people aboard a passenger

jet flying from Dubai to southern
Russia were killed when the
aircraft crashed on its second
attempt to land at Rostov-onDon airport yesterday.
It was the second time in less
than six months that a passenger
jet flying Russian holidaymakers
home has crashed with the loss
of all on board. Flydubai flight
FZ981 had left Dubai at 10.20pm
local time on Friday night.
The airline said there were
55passengers and seven crew on

board. In a statement the airline

said that there were 44 Russians
among the 55 passengers, eight
Ukrainians, two Indians and one
from Uzbekistan. Four children
were among the dead.
The Boeing 737-800 was
scheduled to arrive at Rostovon-Don at 1.20am yesterday
morning. Because of high
winds and poor visibility in the
vicinity of the airport the pilots
abandoned a first attempt to land.
Radar tracking shows the
aircraft then flew a series of
holding manoeuvres for almost
two hours before making a
second approach. However, the

A mourner at Rostov-on-Don airport,

the scene of yesterdays crash AFP

plane came down short of the

runway, broke up and caught
fire at about 3.40am. Russias
Emergencies Ministry said one
wing had clipped the ground.
Investigators recovered the
flight recorder and said that
the lines of inquiry include
the possibility of crew error, a
technical failure and bad weather
conditions. They are likely to
focus on the pilots decision to
fly a holding pattern rather than
divert to an alternative airport.
The last loss of a Russia-bound
flight was on 31 October, when
a Metrojet Airbus A321 from
Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt crashed

in the Sinai desert on a flight to St

Petersburg. It is widely believed
the plane was downed by a bomb
placed on board at the Egyptian
airport. There is no indication of
terrorism in the Flydubai crash.
Flydubais chief executive
said: We dont yet know all the
details of the accident but we
are working closely with the
authorities to establish the cause.
We are making every effort
to care for those affected
and will provide assistance
to the loved ones of those on
board. The airline is setting up
reception centres for relatives
ofpassengers.

32

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

world news | special report

How to write
the story of
the century
Clare Hollingworth, now aged 104, was the first
British correspondent to report on Germanys
imminent invasion of Poland in 1939

Robert Fisk
IN hong kong

hen Suzanne and

Helen opened
the door of the
cramped, boxlike apartment
in Albert Road, I didnt even notice
the small, huddled figure on the
sofa. It was only when Helen, one
of the two people who look after
Clare Hollingworth in her Hong
Kong home, stood aside that I saw
the very elderly lady in a red cardigan with thin hair and jutting jaw
and heavy spectacles and realised
that I was looking at the reporter
who wrote the greatest scoop of
the Second World War.
Yes, in August of 1939, this
crouched little woman 104 years
old, sightless now and moving only
with the greatest difficulty around
her tiny flat boldly crossed the
Polish-German frontier in a British diplomats car and saw General
Gerd von Rundstedts Wehrmacht
tanks, in their thousands, lined up
to invade Poland.
There are some interviews that
a journalist remembers those that
betray a politicians cruelty, a
soldiers brutality, the courage of

a doctor under fire, the kindness and

dignity of a man or woman who have
lost their family but in this little
home on the far side of the world, I
was lost. How do you talk to a colleague who has been deprived of
much of her memory, whose moments of extraordinary vision and
bravery return only in occasional
seconds of clarity and then bleakly
disappear? Did she think, when she
reported the German invasion of
Poland, that the Nazis would win the
war, I asked her? No, I thought
theyd lose the war, she answers
emphatically. Because they didnt
care about people. As good a
description of all fascist dictatorships, I suppose.
But then she confuses her father
with a family doctor called Anderson a handsome man and
announces that she wrote her last
report only the day before we meet
I know the feeling well! and makes
it clear that she still thinks she is a
working correspondent. Ive been
lucky so far, she says. I work hard.
Yes, maybe luck is what it is all about,
surviving as a correspondent. And
Clare Hollingworth has been very,
very lucky. She reported from Poland,
Germany, Algeria, Beirut, India,
Israel and China. I enjoy action,
she once told a radio interviewer. I
enjoy being in a plane when theyre
bombing something.
But her greatest scoop remains
her first. She borrowed the British
consuls car, a Union flag fluttering
on the bonnet, to drive over the still
just peaceful frontier from Poland

Between Hindenburg and

Gleiwitz I was passed by 65
military dispatch riders
I loved Beirut. You could
goanywhere in your car
andfind your way

into Germany in August 1939, bought

some batteries and wine at a local
shop and, driving back, noticed that
the wind lifted some vast hessian
sacks in a valley below her and
revealed hundreds of Wehrmacht
tanks lined up in battle order.
The frontier is still closed to local
traffic, she wrote. Everywhere I
saw signs of the most intense military activity. In the two miles
between Hindenburg and Gleiwitz,
I was passed by 65 military dispatch
riders on motorcycles. The only cars
tobe seen were those belonging to
the military.
1,000 TANKS MASSED ON
POLISH FRONTIER TEN DIVISIONS REPORTED READY FOR
SWIFT STROKE was The Daily

elegraphs headline next morning.

T
By then, Clare was back in her Polish
hotel in Katowice and saw the first
German tanks moving past her
window. When she called the British embassy in Warsaw, a diplomat
refused to believe her story so she
held the telephone out of her bedroom window so he could hear the
sound of German tank tracks.
When I ask her, all of 77 years later,
whether the embassy really didnt
believe the Germans had invaded,
she thinks for a while. They knew,
We
she says. Oh yes, they did. But the
Telegraphs foreign desk was seemingly more sceptical. They wanted
Cros
London to be the place of power politics, she remarks, by which I think
Letters | social net
she means and this is the problem

TV publicity means Trump,

the richest candidate, has run
the most frugal campaign

The must-haves for any

Amazon cruise ... how
about drinks in the hot tub?

Property speculation:
What will the housing
market look like in 2046?

comment, p43

travel, p53

money, p62

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THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

33

world news
front line

Clare Hollingworth
in 2009 (main picture)
and during her time
as a war correspondent
MIKE CLARKE/AFP/Getty

when you talk to such an elderly soul,

there have to be assumptions that
the desk thought they knew better
than she did. She has written, long
ago, of her problems with her employers. But did she know she had
written the biggest scoop of the century? I had a pretty good idea, the
old lady beside me says. And she
smiles and laughs a little and asks
for a glass of wine.
Helen brings the wine we have
Eagle
been joined by her great-nephew
Patrick from Moscow and an Amerieather p2 puffcan ex-journalist friend, Cathy
Hilborn Feng and gives the glass
ssword p2 puffto her, half wine, half water, to sip.
Patrick gestures to a grey filing cabinet by the window and pulls open
twork | emails
one of the lower drawers. It is packed

Navigation

Travel

to the brim with unopened champagne bottles, gifts from the flock of
journalists who have come, over the
years, to celebrate Clare Hollingworthsendlessbirthdayschampagne
to be enjoyed, no doubt, over the
birthdays to come. Patrick takes care
that her passport remains up to date
part of Clares world in which a
newspaper may still call on her for
one final assignment.
Her greatest post-war scoop came
in 1963 when she was working for
The Guardian and based in Beirut
I loved it, a place that was really
home, she tells me, where you
could go anywhere in a car and find
your way, and I changed homes
s everal times and heard that
hercolleague on The Economist and

nEWS
IN BRIEF

!
:: lebanon

:: Tanzania

Beiruts rubbish cleared for

first time in eight months

Chinese ivory smugglers

jailed for 35 years

The removal of mountains of

rubbish from Beiruts suburbs
began yesterday, marking the end
of Lebanons eight-month waste
crisis. Dozens of trucks started
carrying the rubbish to the Naameh
landfill, south of the capital, one of
three sites opened as a temporary
solution announced by the government a week ago. It was scheduled
to close last July, with no realistic
alternatives (AP)

Two Chinese men have each been

sentenced to 35 years in jail in
Tanzania for ivory smuggling. Huang
Gin, 53, and Xu Fujie, 25, were
sentenced after they failed to pay
a fine of $25m (17m) each. The
pair were arrested at a house in Dar
es Salaam in 2013 with 706 pieces
of elephant tusk. Tanzanias new
President John Magufuli has pledged
to root out poaching as part of a
wider war on corruption. (Reuters)

The Observer, Kim Philby, had defected to Moscow. His sudden

absence from the Lebanon press
corps had been noticed, but Clare
prowled the harbour and was shown
the Beirut port records which disclosed that a Soviet vessel had sailed
without warning from Lebanon on
the very day Philby disappeared.
Frightened that they might be libelling Philby if they got the story
wrong, The Guardian sat on the story
for three months!
On top of the champagne-filing
cabinet, there is a photograph of
Clare in a war correspondents uniform, sitting with a British officer in
a lounge room in Beirut it must
have been taken during the Second
World War, since most of her pictures

at this time show her in uniform

and I recognise the same type of large
Lebanese wooden panel doors which
connect the rooms in my own Beirut
apartment today.
The British invaded Lebanon
in1941, defeating French Vichy
troops. Alan Moorhead, one of the
other greats among the wars
correspondents, covered the same
story. When I tell Clare that, at 104,
she must have outlived all her colleagues a world record for
journalists her memory reconnects
perfectly. Its quite incredible for
me 104! she says.
That memory zooms towards her
like a satellite in outer space, brushing planet Earth and total recall. Ask
her why she chose to become a journalist and, quick as a flash, she
replies: People asked me to. I enjoyed it. Its good to be in charge of
a lot of things. You get the point?
Did she mean that she liked both
writing history and being read?
Both. And then the satellite swishes
off to another planet and Clare is
saying that she saw the ruins only
yesterday the ruins of 1939 Poland
or the Roman ruins of Lebanon?
and that Ill be able to read her latest
story in the paper tomorrow. On the
wall is an old copy of the front page
of the South China Morning Post,
recording one of her birthdays.
Her friends occasionally take her,
in good weather, 100 yards down
Albert Road to the fine old Foreign
Correspondents Club where she
celebrated her 104th birthday in
October and where we later sit
alone with Patrick and Cathy at
Clares table, in a small corner

President
Barack Obama
will make
history today
when he
becomes the
first sitting
US president
in nearly 90
years to visit
Cuba. During
his two-and-ahalf day visit,
he will meet
President Raul
Castro, attend
a baseball
game and talk
to political
dissidents.
(AP)

dominated by photographs of the

Vietnam war. Clare could sometimes
misbehave a little, Cathy says, banging her cane on the floor for attention,
shouting a little too loudly. But who
can blame Clare? I spent our chat
together, bellowing my questions
into the veterans right ear. My wife
tells her she looked very well, and
she replies: Youre flattering me.
And when told that she does indeed
look good, she says: I feel it.
So there was only one question
left for an Independent on Sunday
correspondent. Did the future of
newspapers lie in websites, in
computers, I asked her? Newspapers will all end up on computer,
she replies, but this was a bad thing.
Why? She thought for several
seconds. You have to feel the paper,
she says.
I think about this as the plane
taking me back from Hong Kong
toBeirut via Paris soars over
S iberiathat same night, and I
wonderwhether scoops mattered
on websites.
And then, some hours later, our
flight captain announced that we
would soon pass over the PolishGerman border. Stalin moved the
Polish borders west. But those
roadswhich Clare Hollingworth
travelled in 1939 still exist. And
somewhere a few miles away, in the
pre-dawndarkness below me,
77years ago, was the very spot
whereClare saw Von Runstedts
legions about to launch the invasionthat started the most titanic
warin the history of the world. You
cant take a scoop like that away
fromanyone.

:: Spain

Acting PM intends to form

grand coalition government
Mariano Rajoy of the Popular party
which came first in the general
election in December but did not win
a majority says he intends to form
a grand coalition government with
the Socialist party, which finished
second. The acting Prime Minister
has refused to step aside to ease the
political deadlock. MPs must form
a government within the next two
months or another election will be
held in June. (AP)

34

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

world news

Paris attack suspect is questioned by police

Salah Abdeslam, wounded in a raid on Friday, is being interrogated by Belgian authorities after four months on the run

By Leo Cendrowicz IN BRUSSELS AND

John Lichfield IN PARIS

Released from hospital in Brussels yesterday, the injured Paris

attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam
is now in the hands of the Belgian
authorities, who will already have
started interrogating him about the
spread of Islamic State terrorism
in Europe.
Mr Abdeslam, who was shot in
the leg and caught by Belgian police commandos in Brussels on
Friday after a four-month manhunt,
is thought to be the last surviving
member of the gang that killed 130
people in Paris last November. He
told his lawyer yesterday that he
was ready to co-operate with the
authorities and confirmed he was
in Paris, but would resist extradition efforts by France.
Belgiums investigating judge
formally charged Mr Abdeslam and
his apparent accomplice Monir
Ahmed Alaaj yesterday with participation in terrorist murder and
participation in the activities of a
terrorist organisation.
Mr Alaaj, who used the alias

Amine Choukri, was caught on Friday

in the same Molenbeek neighbourhood in Brussels as Mr Abdeslam. Mr
Choukri had also been sought by police: with Mr Abdeslam, he had been
stopped, questioned and fingerprinted in Germany last October.
Two other suspects caught on Friday were also charged. Abid Aberkan,
who hid Mr Abdeslam in the Molenbeek house on rue des Quatre-Vents
where he was caught, was charged
with taking part in the activities of a
terrorist organisation and hiding
criminals. Mr Aberkan was a friend
of Salahs brother Brahim Abdeslam
who blew himself up during the
Paris attacks. A female detainee, identified only as Djemila M, was charged
with hiding criminals but was not put
in custody, while a third, Sihane A,
was released without charge. All three
are family members.
France has already launched a
fasttrack appeal to have Mr Abdeslam extradited. The French
President, Franois Hollande, held
an emergency security meeting of
ministers at the Elyse Palace, and
said he would meet representatives
of victims families tomorrow.

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security alert

An ambulance
transporting
Abdeslam
in Brussels
yesterday
afp/getty

Mr Abdeslam, 26, is believed to have

been one of the organisers of the November attacks, driving three suicide
bombers to the Stade de France before
parking his car in northern Paris. He
is then believed to have dumped a suicide vest after calling friends in
Brussels and asking them to drive to
Paris to collect him. The Paris prosecutor, Franois Molins, said yesterday
that Mr Abdeslam had told Belgian investigators he had planned to blow
himself up at the Stade de France but
that he had backed down. However,
Mr Molins added that Mr Abdeslams
initial statements should be treated
with caution.
Investigators expect Mr Abdeslam
to explain how the attack was
planned, as well as to provide information on other plots and terrorist
cells. They hope he can shed light
on Mohamed Belkaid , the previously
unknown Algerian gunman who was
shot on Tuesday during the raid that
led to Mr Abdeslams capture.
Authorities are still searching for
Mohamed Abrini, who was seen in
a video with Mr Abdeslam two days
before the Paris attack at a petrol
station north of the city.

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

35

world news

How politicians
duck the blame
for terrorism
The French and British governments enabled IS
to grow, but the media lets them off the hook

Patrick Cockburn
WORLD VIEW

he capture of Salah
Abdeslam, thought to
be the sole surviving
planner of the Paris
massacre, means that
the media is focusing once again
on the threat of terrorist attack by
Islamic State. Questions are asked
about why the most wanted man in
Europe was able to elude the police
for so long, even though he was living in his home district of Molenbeek in Brussels. Television and
newspapers ask nervously about
the chances of IS carrying out another atrocity aimed at dominating
the news agenda and showing that
it is still in business.
The reporting of the events in
Brussels is in keeping with that after
the January (Charlie Hebdo) and
November Paris attacks and the Tunisian beach killings by IS last year.
For several days there is blanket
coverage by the media as it allocates
time and space far beyond what is
needed to relate developments. But
then the focus shifts abruptly elsewhere and IS becomes yesterdays
story, treated as if the movement
has ceased to exist or at least lost
its capacity to affect our lives.
It is not as if IS has stopped killing people in large numbers since
the slaughter in Paris on 13 November; it is, rather, that it is not doing
so in Europe. I was in Baghdad on
28 February when two IS suicide
bombers on motorcycles blew
themselves up in an outdoor
mobile phone market in Sadr City,
killing 73 people and injuring more
than 100. On the same day, dozens
of IS fighters riding in pick-ups
with heavy machine guns mounted
in the back attacked army and police outposts in Abu Ghraib, site of
the notorious prison on the western outskirts of Baghdad. There
was an initial assault by at least
four suicide bombers, one driving
a vehicle packed with explosives
into a barracks, and fighting went
on for hours around a burning
grain silo.

The outside world scarcely noticed these bloody events because

they seem to be part of the natural
order in Iraq and Syria. But the total
number of Iraqis killed by these two
attacks and another double suicide
bombing of a Shia mosque in the Shuala district of Baghdad four days
earlier was about the same as the
130 people who died in Paris at the
hands of IS last November.
There has always been a disconnect in the minds of people in Europe
between the wars in Iraq and Syria
and terrorist attacks against Europeans. This is in part because
Baghdad and Damascus are exotic
and frightening places, and pictures
of the aftermath of bombings have
been the norm since the US invasion
of 2003. But there is a more insidious
reason why Europeans do not sufficiently take on board the connection
between the wars in the Middle East
and the threat to their own security.
Separating the two is much in the
interests of Western political leaders, because it means that the public
does not see that their disastrous
policies in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya
and beyond created the conditions
for the rise of IS and for terrorist
gangs such as that to which Salah
Abdeslam belonged.
The outpouring of official grief
that commonly follows atrocities,
such as the march of 40 world leaders through the streets of Paris after
the Charlie Hebdo killings last year,
helps neuter any idea that the political failures of these same leaders
might be to a degree responsible for
the slaughter. After all, such marches
are usually held by the powerless to
protest and show defiance, but in
this case the march simply served as
a publicity stunt to divert attention
from these leaders inability to act
effectively and stop the wars in the
Middle East which they had done
much toprovoke.
A strange aspect of these conflicts
is that Western leaders have never
had to pay any political price for their
role in initiating them or pursuing
policies that effectively stoke the
violence. IS is a growing power in
Libya, something that would not
have happened had David Cameron
and Nicolas Sarkozy not helped destroy the Libyan state by overthrowing
Gaddafi in 2011. Al-Qaeda is expanding in Yemen, where Western leaders
have given a free pass to Saudi Arabia to launch a bombing campaign
that has wrecked thecountry.

overlooked

Bombings in
Baghdad last
month killed 73
AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/
AFP/Getty Image

A strange aspect is that

Western leaders have never
had to pay any political price
France and Britain should
share in the blame for the
rise of terrorism in Europe

Foreign
Reporter of
the Year
Society of
e d i t o rs
P ress awar d s

After the Paris massacre last year

there was a gush of emotional support for France and little criticism of
French policies in Syria and Libya,
although they have been to the advantage of IS and other salafi-jihadi
movements since 2011.
It is worth quoting at length
Fabrice Balanche, the French cartographer and expert on Syria who now
works for the Washington Institute
for Near East Policy, about these misperceptions in France, although they
also apply to other countries. He told
Aron Lund of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: The
media refused to see the Syrian revolt as anything other than the
continuation of revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, at a time of enthusiasm
over the Arab Spring. Journalists
didnt understand the sectarian subtleties in Syria, or perhaps they didnt
want to understand; I was censored
many times.
Syrian intellectuals in the opposition, many of whom had been in
exile for decades, had a discourse
similar to that of the Iraqi opposition
during the US invasion of 2003. Some
of them honestly confused their own
hopes for a non-sectarian society
with reality, but others such as the
Muslim Brotherhood tried to obfuscate reality in order to gain the
support of Western countries.
In 20112012, we suffered a type
of intellectual McCarthyism on the
Syrian question: if you said that
Assad was not about to fall within
three months, you would be

s uspected of being paid by the Syrian

regime. And with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs having taken
up the cause of the Syrian opposition, it would have been in bad taste
to contradict its communiqus.
By taking up the cause of the Syrian
and Libyan opposition and destroying the Syrian and Libyan states,
France and Britain opened the door
to IS and should share in the blame
for the rise of IS and terrorism in Europe. By refusing to admit to or learn
from past mistakes, the West Europeans did little to lay the basis for
the current, surprisingly successful
cessation of hostilities in Syria
which is almost entirely an US and
Russian achievement.
Britain and France have stuck
close to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf
monarchies in their policies towards
Syria. I asked a former negotiator
why this was so and he crisply
replied: Money. They wanted Saudi
contracts. After the capture of Salah
Abdeslam there is talk of security
lapses that had allowed him to evade
arrest for so long, but this is largely
irrelevant as terrorist attacks will go
on as long as IS remains a power.
Once again, the wall-to-wall media
coverage is allowing Western governments to escape responsibility
for a far worse security failure, which
is their own disastrous policies.
Patrick Cockburns Chaos and
Caliphate: Jihadis and the West
in the Struggle for the Middle East
(OR Books) is published this month

36

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

jason alden

news
Todays solution
S A V I N
H
E
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A NG L I
M G V
A L I K E
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Beelzebub 1,357 winners

R Jones, Pwllweli Gwnedd;
M Crapper, Whitchurch;
F Hulford, Oadby
Beelzebub1,358 winners
J Smailes, Ruddington;
P Coles, Brighton;
GW Duthie, Morecambe

Todays Concise
Crossword solution
Across: 1 Town centre, 8 Heart,
9 Prague, 10 Eros, 11 Ipswich,
12 Masterpiece, 15 Grimsby, 17 Meal,
19 Middle, 20 Issue, 21 Gulf Stream.
Down: 2 Other, 3 Nears, 4 Entwine,
5 Tapas, 6 Examine, 7 Euchre,
12 Magpie, 13 Shindig, 14 Physics,
16 Smell, 17 Miser, 18 Arena.
Todays Cryptic
Crossword solution
Across: 1 Saving, 4 Droopy, 8 Anglian,
9 Dickey, 10 Alike, 11 Cheapness,
13 Hypothetical, 16 Extra-special,
21 Parochial, 22 Meets, 23 Lavish,
24 Mundane, 25 Legend, 26 Famous.
Down: 1 Shaman, 2 Veggie, 3 Naivety,
4 Dodge the column, 5 Occiput,
6 Presence, 7 Unaccomplished,
12 Sold, 14 Temp, 15 Stargaze,
17 Archive, 18 Armenia, 19 Legato,
20 Assets.

For the last time, the editors letters ...

If you read The New Review before the main jacket,
as we call it, youll have seen a photograph from the
very early days of The Independent on Sunday. To
mark the transition of the paper (and its daily sibling)
to digital-only, the current IoS staff gathered to bid
you farewell with an updated version of that picture.
Four original staff members appear in both the 1991

and the 2016 pictures. Taken at lunchtime last Friday,

between editorial conference and copy deadline,
it features the reporters, editors, designers, subs,
photographers, writers and more. From all of us to
you, thank you so much for reading and our very best
wishes for the future and dont forget, you can still get
Independent journalism online at independent.co.uk

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THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

Katy Guest

Why is it still women who

are advised to stay inside?
P39

Joan Smith

The world has darkened,

but feminism shines a light
P42

Rupert Cornwell

Trump is great for US

television. Pity the voter
P43

COMMENT
on standby

Russian fighter
jets remain in
Syria to bolster
the Assad
regime reuters

Michael Graydon and

Gilbert Greenall

nce again President

V ladimir Putin has
caught us out: by withdrawing from fighting
in Syria he has neatly
exploited the vacuum left by current
US foreign policy and paralysis among
the EU nations. There is a conditional
ceasefire in Syria, and a tenuous deal
has been reached on that countrys
refugees. Is this the long-awaited
solution to the refugee crisis?
No it isnt. What will encourage
Syrians to return home is the feeling
that finally things might get better.
What is on offer wont do that. Something more is needed, and the politics
are not encouraging. The shooting
down by Turkey of a Russian aircraft
some months ago was stupid and
unnecessary a fighter intercept
would have sufficed and it made cooperation between the allies and
Russia that much harder. Partial (and
possibly temporary) Russian force
withdrawals will not change that.
The Russians have been keener on
attacking what they deem to be antiAssad terrorists than on taking on
Islamic State. Turkey has hardly
helped, concentrating its attacks on
Kurdish forces. President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, is taking Turkey back
into civil war, damaging the important
tourist industry, and creating deep
uncertainty in nations looking to
bringTurkey closer to the West. Will
he help progress to a pluralist regime
inDamascus?
Meanwhile the allied campaign,
with the Iraqi forces, has been steadily chipping away at IS, whose dreams
of a country straddling Iraq and Syria
and expanding outwards are crumbling. Increasingly, it is turning more
to Libya, where chaos will surely continue to reign unless the coalition
chooses to intervene.
Assad is more secure than before as
Russian air power, unconstrained by
democratic imperatives and used with
a brutality and probable illegality comparable to Assads own barrel bombing,
takes effect. So for now we will have
to live with a Moscow and Tehranbacked Assad.
IS being on the retreat is, of course,
welcome and means there is one less

Syria needs real

vision, not sticking
plaster solutions
The UN should profit from the temporary truce to
establish safe havens if it is to stem the flow of refugees
wolf around the Syrian sleigh, but it
is unlikely to persuade parents that
Syria has become a safe place to bring
up their children. Turkey and the EUs
agreement this weekend is more
about domestic Turkish and German
politics than about saving and securing lives. The proposals do not sit
comfortably with many in Europe
norat the UN. Problems will almost
certainly emerge and the deal may
not survive.
The numbers of refugees who will
actually be selected as legitimate is
unclear: 18,000 is a figure from an
existing EU plan from camps in the
Middle East; how many of these would
be from Turkey? And there are, it
would appear, 54,000 unallocated
places from a plan to redistribute
refugees from Greece and Italy.
Last year, some 360,000 refugees
from Syria arrived in Greece and
thishas shown no sign of stopping.

This deal will

not change the
mind of a
desperate
and terrified
people that
they are safe

ncertainties abound. This morally

U
questionable plan is supposed to persuade Syrian refugees that the door is
closed to Europe and that the only
route in future, for legitimate refugees,
will be via Turkey. Will that really stop
the economic migrants? Those on the
ground know the realities they face it
is unlikely they will reach the conclusion the diplomats want.
At the end of the Bosnian civil war
an interpreter was asked what she
would do when it was over. She said,
bluntly, that she was off to Canada, as
it would take 10 years for things to settle down, and a further 10 for any real
economic life to return to the country.
Such are the sentiments of many refugees now fleeing shattered Syria for
Europe. The death of hope is the signal to migrate, and a sticking plaster
deal will not change the mind of a desperate and terrified people.
Unless we are simply to cross our

fingers and hope the current ceasefire

produces something enduring, what
surely is required is the presence of
UN forces not just observing the
ceasefire but establishing safe havens
for the future. Areas which are not
under attack and are now being relieved with humanitarian aid could be
made the safe havens which might persuade a family to stay.
A belief in a future for Syria, internationally policed, could become a real
prospect. False hope given to the Kurds
by Bush senior at the end of the Gulf
War ended in 1.3 million people fleeing
to neighbouring Iran and Turkey in
1991. However the military operation
to provide a safe haven was remarkably successful in reversing a calamitous
situation, and here Srebrenica must
not be used as an excuse for doing nothing. Firm, resolute action induced mass
movement back into northern Iraq
within days of its deployment.
The UN should seek a Security
Council resolution to establish safe
havens in Syria while the iron is hot.
Crucially, this peace agreement will
need the support of a Marshall plan
for Syria to repair war-damaged infrastructure and restore normal market
mechanisms quickly housing, urban
water and electricity supplies. It is in
the first 100 days that peace can be won.
It could be the moment for our own
Department for International Development to shine; it has the expertise.
Let the Turkish refugee camps be
turned into townships with facilities for
a normal life: schools, clinics, business
training and investment in business.
Ensure, too, that the underlying and
prime objective of these camps is not
to provide transit for economic migrants or indeed terrorists but to lay
the foundations for return to Syria of

a properly representative population

capable of rebuilding the nation.
What is on offer now is a Russian
withdrawal which may not be total, a
plan for refugees that is flawed and
shaky, and a ceasefire which is conditional. It is most unlikely to be enough
for a shattered community to believe
in, but it can be built on. At the moment we have a shaming lack of
political vision, a failure to look
beyond mere expediency. Further and
robust diplomatic action is needed to
convince the people that Syria has a
future this is the only realistic prospect of halting the flow of desperate
humanity. And all the military and political jostling will not change it.
Sir Michael Graydon is former chief
of the air staff. Dr Gilbert Greenall
is a former senior adviser to the UK
government on humanitarian affairs

38

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 MARCH 2016

COMMENT

Duncan Smith is the new Opposition

John Rentoul

t looks as if Iain Duncan Smith

has resigned in protest against
cuts to disability benefits that
he proposed after the Prime
Minister and Chancellor had
already decided to abandon them.
In fact, if you read Duncan Smiths
resignation letter carefully, his decision made more sense than that.
He quit in protest against tax cuts
favouring the better off that George
Osborne announced at the same time
tax cuts that are not being abandoned. Confused? I certainly am.
David Cameron and Osborne did
the right but incompetent thing:
announcing Duncan Smiths cuts in
disability benefits and then retreating
after the Budget when it became clear
that Conservative MPs wouldnt support them. While Duncan Smith did
the right but disloyal thing: going
along with the Budget tax cuts for
higher-rate taxpayers but then
resigning two days later in the fit of
pique of someone who dislikes the

Chancellor and the European Union

with equal intensity.
Cameron, in his acid reply to Duncan
Smiths resignation letter, said he was
puzzled and disappointed. One of
the things that puzzled him, Im told,
is that Duncan Smith didnt ask for a
meeting to discuss his concerns.
However right I might think Duncan
Smith is to object to a Budget that
made people earning more than
42,000 a year better off, it is hard to
see why that straw should break his
back when the hay bales of cuts to the
incomes of the low paid were borne.
Those cuts are still planned, as was
confirmed by the Institute of Fiscal
Studies (IFS) on Thursday. All the
measures Osborne has announced
since the election will take most from
the working poor between now and
2020. The cuts to tax credits defeated
by the House of Lords in November
have only been postponed, not abolished. The Budget confirmed that they
are still pencilled in. According to the
IFS, the poorest fifth of households
will lose 7 per cent of their income
over the next four years. But the Budget added a tax cut for the rich that the
Chancellor had the effrontery to
describe as social justice delivered
by Conservative means.
Yet the reasons for Duncan Smiths
departure are more complicated than
his late conversion to egalitarian social
democracy. He has smarted for years

The social
justice debate
is only in the
Conservative
Party. Labour
might as well
not exist

from Osbornes condescension,

knowing that the Chancellor thinks
him stupid. The other thing that he
really cares about apart from a
confused Tory concern about poverty
is Europe. It seems implausible that
one of Duncan Smiths calculations
is not that his resignation would
weaken the Government in the
referendum campaign.
In all of this, the towering absence
is that of a credible opposition. Diane
Abbotts claim that Duncan Smith was
Jeremy Corbyns first scalp was interesting only because it was so risible.
The debate about social justice is one
that is happening only in the Conservative Party, just as is the debate about
Europe. The Labour Party might as
well not exist.
In his response to the Budget,
Corbyn rightly accused Osborne of
wanting to balance the Governments
books on the backs of disabled people
and the working poor. If the Chancellor fails in this mission, it will not be
because of the official Opposition but
because of centrist Conservative MPs
and the high establishment of the
House of Lords.
On Europe, it is striking that the
huge question of 13 years ago was
whether the five tests to join the euro
had been met. Today, the momentous
decision is whether the UK should be
a member of the EU at all. We have
moved on to a decision about whether

we should be in or out of the whole

thing. Whether or not you think
we should be in the EU, you cannot
deny that the centre of gravity of
the European question in British
politics has moved a long way. The
reason is that the Conservatives won
the election.
Duncan Smiths resignation confirms that the centre has shifted to the
right. Not because it has come to something when someone as right-wing as
Duncan Smith storms out because
Cameron and Osborne are too rightwing. The truth of this resignation is
more complicated than that, and the
Prime Minister and Chancellor have
a strong centrist pitch. Cameron has
promised an all-out assault on
poverty while Osborne stole the
national living wage while Labour
wasnt looking. Neither is convincing.
Cutting in-work benefits for those on
low incomes is a curious way to fight
the war against poverty, and the
national living wage fails to compensate. But they look like compassionate
Conservatism while they allow
another shuffle to the right.
Duncan Smiths departure confirms
that politics is now a battle between
Conservatives. That means that the
centre of gravity of British politics is
further to the right than it has been for
a long time.
Twitter: @JohnRentoul

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

39

comment

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF
Telephone 020-7005 2000
The Independent online: independent.co.uk

After all, social justice matters

his newspaper has

never been party poli
tical. We have not
advised our readers
how to vote. We have
always, however, been
strongly committed to
values and causes. We were founded 26
years ago as a European, green news
paper, socially and economically liberal
and wedded to social justice.
That was why, when David Cam
eron became Prime Minister six years
ago, at the head of a coalition with
the Liberal Democrats, we gave him
the benefit of the doubt. We worried
about his, and his partys, Euroscepti
cism, but we accepted that the doubts
ofthe British people about the Euro
pean Union had to be recognised and
thought that his pragmatic approach
might be effective.
We thought his early aspiration to be
the greenest government ever was a
little extravagant, but it was, in truth, a
low bar. Not only that, but he had said
the right things in opposition, and a
Lib Dem was now Energy and Climate
Change Secretary.
Finally, we thought his rebranding
as a compassionate Conservative was

more than a cosmetic exercise. While

we disagreed with the speed at which
he and George Osborne planned to
cut the deficit, we thought it would
be done in such a way as to protect
people on low incomes.
We even respected the rebirth of

to stay in the EU on 23 June forthe sake

of your children and grandchildren. If
he succeeds, that would be very much
in the national interest.
On the other two fronts, however, we
have been, as the Prime Minister said
in his reply to Mr Duncan Smiths letter

Since the election, the burden

of closing the deficit was
planned to fall overwhelmingly
on the working poor
Iain Duncan Smith, the anti-EU rebel
and Thatcherite former leader, as a
crusader against poverty. So now, six
years on, where do we stand?
On Europe, The Independent on
Sunday respects the democratic case
for the referendum, although its tim
ing has been decided by the need to
manage a divided Conservative Party
rather than by the changes in the EU.
Mr Camerons renegotiation was a sen
sible rebalancing of the relationship.
We are impressed by his appeal to you
today (interview, pages 4 and 5) to vote

of resignation on Friday, puzzled and

disappointed. The clean green rhet
oric of the early days gave way to the
cynical ambition to be the slowest ship
in the EU environmental convoy. At
best, Mr Camerons record has been
mixed, at a time when climate change
has been a long global emergency.
It is on social justice, however, that
we have been most disappointed.
Over Mr Camerons first five years,
Mr Osborne halved the deficit, which is
what we thought his target should have
been in the first place. Unfortunately,

the deep cuts in public spending in the

first two years stalled the recovery that
had been under way. But those on low
incomes were protected and, thanks to
an unexpected jobs miracle, inequality
of incomes actually fell slightly.
Looking back, it may be that Nick
Clegg and Danny Alexander did more
than was appreciated at the time to
ensure that the burden of deficit reduc
tion was borne reasonably fairly.
Since Mays election, however, the
burden of closing the rest of the defi
cit was planned to fall overwhelmingly
on the shoulders of the working poor.
Mr Osbornes first attempt to cut tax
credits was beaten back in the House
of Lords, but last weeks Budget con
firmed that the low-paid and disabled
will lose over the next four years, while
top-rate taxpayers will gain.
Mr Duncan Smith may not have
resigned simply as a protest against
such manifest unfairness, but if he had
he would have had our full support. The
Chancellor had the gall to use the phrase
social justice in his Budget speech.
The Prime Minister ought to insist that
Mr Osborne change direction now, so
that he and Mr Cameron could aspire to
use the words without blushing.

Bored by claims of sexism? Stop being sexist

Katy Guest

ne of the most contro

versial pieces I have
written for this news
paper was published in
December 2014, with
the headline The police may mean
well, but theyre wrong. A number
of sexual assaults had happened near
to where I live one at 8.15pm, the
others between 2am and 5am and
the police had advised women to try
to avoid walking alone at night and

keep to well-lit main roads. At the

same time, a series of burglaries hap
pened in my street, on weekdays be
tween 9am and 5pm. I waited for the
police to advise householders to try
to avoid leaving the house unattended
during the working day or only live
in well-lit main roads, but of course it
didnt happen. Householders cannot
be expected to put their lives on hold
while police try to catch a villain; only
women who go out can.
The reaction to that article upset
me, because it proved that I was right
to worry about the polices statement.
If you ignore official advice, some
people told me, then you deserve to
be raped. The well-meaning but
clumsy police attitude told women
who work late, or work shifts, or go
out with friends, or live in badly lit
cul-de-sacs, or walk alone at night
because were grown-ups and pay our

Men are twice

as likely as
women to be
attacked by
strangers, so
why do women
have to stay in?

taxes and mind our own bloody busi

ness, that we are asking for it. We must
give up our freedom, or end up being
victims and being blamed for it, too.
Now, two winters have passed dur
ing which women were meant to stay
in during the hours of darkness. I carry
an attack alarm, know some selfdefence techniques, and look over my
shoulder everywhere I go, but am I
actually allowed out yet? Unfortu
nately nobody was ever charged in
relation to the offences, a police
spokeswoman confirmed last week.
So, women, keep on not going out.
But wait: we know that men are
about twice as likely as women to be
attacked by strangers, with young men
most at risk (based on crime surveys
in England, Scotland and Wales); and
in violent crimes, men are about five
times more likely to be the offender.
So why is it women who are told to

stay in and keep out of trouble? Still?

Women first staged Take Back the
Night marches in the 1970s, before I
was born, to protest against just this
kind of injustice. Likewise, the Equal
Pay Act 1970 preceded my existence,
and it is still being continually updated
because it has not yet stopped employ
ers paying women less than men for
doing the same work.
Some readers, I know, are sick of
hearing about this. Trust me, not as
sick as women are of living it. So if
were boring you by forever mention
ing that this shit happens, then hurry
up and end sexism so we can all talk
about something more interesting in
stead. Ill stop banging on about this
when it stops happening. Until then,
Im not staying in, Im not shutting up
and Im not sorry.
Twitter: @katyguest36912

40

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

comment

How to create
literature out
of loneliness
Anita Brookner was not so much a tortured artist,
as a stoically unhappy one, or so she let us think ...

D J Taylor

only once set eyes on the

distinguished novelist Anita
Brookner, who died last week
at the age of 87, at a party held
some years ago at The Spectators offices in Old Queen Street.
She said little, shook hands in a rather
stricken way and left early, leaving the
celebrations to continue without her.
As Dickens remarks of Cornelia
Blimber, the bluestocking school
masters daughter in Dombey and Son,
there was none of your light nonsense
about Miss B. On the other hand, there
is evidence that she possessed a
slightly more worldly side. Her fellow
writer Jonathan Coe remembered
coming across her once in the fiction
section of a west London library, he
searching for copies of his novels
under C, she looking for copies of
her own under B.
If Miss B was not above checking
out her availability on the bookshelves,
then her many obituaries seemed to
confirm a reputation for personal aus
terity and self-effacement. She began
writing as late as her early fifties an
age when many novelists have a dozen
or more books behind them regarded
what she produced as displacement
activity and once commented that
she wrote to stave off boredom.
The great advantage of putting
words on paper, she confided to
an interviewer from The Paris
Review, was that it had freed her
from the despair of living, to
become , in the end, a way of
editing a life that had begun,
as she discreetly put it, on
the wrong footing.
As far as one can make
out, the roots of this dis
satisfaction lay in the
circumstances of her up
bringing. The solitary
child of Polish immigrants
the patronym was Bruck
ner growing up in a
household that constantly
expanded to take in displaced
Jewish relatives from
Mitteleuropa, she swiftly
came to the conclusion that

everybody was unhappy. Her moth

ers life had apparently been blighted
by her decision to marry the wrong
man. Her parents disapproved of their
brilliant art historian daughters
acceptance of a French government
scholarship to study at the Ecole du
Louvre in Paris and supposedly cut
her off, although this did not stop her
from taking time out from her job as
Slade Professor of Fine Art at Cam
bridge to care for her mother in her
final illness.
All this inevitably leached into
the novels she began to write in the
early 1980s in summer vacations
from the Courtauld Institute, where
she was appointed Reader in 1977.
A Start in Life (1981), she said, was
written in a moment of sadness
and desperation, when her life
seemed to be drifting in predict
able channels. The success of the
Booker-winning Hotel du Lac (1984)
made little difference to a modest
and unassuming manner of exist
ence whose principal relaxation
seems to have been walking the Lon
don streets.
Writing, she once confessed, was
her penance and the isolation in
which her books were conceived a
terrible strain. She gave few inter
views, declared that her ambition

She feared the

demands of a
relationship
would impinge
on the work
that acted as
its substitute

was to be unnoticed and declined

all invitations to appear at literary fes
tivals and radio programmes or take
part in academic seminars in which
the future of literature is discussed.
Brookner was clearly a rather unu
sual human being, but she was also a
rather unusual artist. Naturally, there
have always been great literary, cine
matic and theatrical showmen and
women think of Dickenss barnstorm
ing lecture tours of the 1860s, or Oscar
Wildes progress around late 19th-cen
tury America but the majority of
20th-century English writers would
have thought it bad form, to use that
ancient phrase from the public-school
playground, to go touting your wares
and your personality around the coun
try like a commercial traveller.
Anthony Powell, for example, would
not sign a book for a person he had not
met, and you can only imagine the re
action a publicity assistant from Evelyn
Waughs publishers would have re
ceived in the early 1960s had he or she
greeted the legendarily cantankerous
author of Brideshead Revisited on the
telephone with the words Hi Evelyn,
theyd love to have you at Cheltenham,
and the people at Essex wondered if
youd like to take part in a sponsored
bike ride for World Book Day with Gra
ham Greene and Aldous Huxley.

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

41

comment

Why Remain will win

by a mile, and why,
on balance, it should
Voters will follow their hearts on 23 June, and
avoid a quarrelsome journey into the unknown

Hamish McRae

W
private people

Anita Brookner and

Anthony Powell
(inset) rejected the
role of writer-asperformance-artist Rex

Half a century later the writer is essentially a performance artist, judged,

in an age where a festival appearance
is quite as important as a rave review,
for his, or her, ability to sway a crowd,
raise a laugh or fan the flames of a controversy. We had X here last year,
festival organisers will grimly confide
in town-hall green rooms as the Tannoy crackles overhead and the queue
winds round the corridor to the signing tent, and he was awful. Didnt look
up from the lectern, mumbled over
his reading and wouldnt answer a
chap who asked if the woman in his
new book was his ex-wife. The fact
that X, author of that Costa-winning
slice of East Coast noir, Cleethorpes
Confidential, might be terrified of appearing in public and pining for the
solace of his hotel-room mini-bar, is
irrelevant. To be able to sing for your
supper is at least as important as the
sparkle, or otherwise, of your prose.
None of this cut any ice with Miss
Brookner, who, as far as we can make
out, distrusted flamboyance as much
as she (eventually) came to distrust
her own talent. A prolific author, who
produced a novel a year until she
reached her eighties, she thought she
should have stopped with Latecomers
(1988) and judged that she had won
the Booker with the wrong book. But

what she also distrusted, as her obituaries made clear, was that widely held
contemporary belief about the absolute importance of having it all.
Close to marriage several times, but
always ultimately evading it, she found
herself caught in an unenviable Catch
22 writing her books to free herself
from despair, longing for ideal company but fearing that the demands of
a relationship would have impinged
on the work that acted as its
substitute.
I could get into the Guinness Book
of Records as the worlds loneliest,
most miserable woman, she remarked
in 1984. This may, or may not, have
been meant as a joke, but in either case
it was not something you could imagine any of her contemporaries owning
up to. On the other hand, by sticking,
however unhappily, to her guns, and
pursuing an undeviating aesthetic line
she produced a body of work that may
well last longer than much of the stuff
written by the modern performance
artists. There is a moral here somewhere. Meanwhile, I calculate that this
is the 375th column I have written for
this newspaper in the past seven and
a half years. It is also the last. My best
wishes to readers past and present,
and thanks to the editors who have
indulged me for so long.

ith the Budget out

of the way the focus
switches to something vastly more
important: Brexit.
Ten years from now no one will care
about what was in the Budget, but we
will all remember what happened on
23 June 2016.
There are two insuperable problems
about this debate. One is that many
people have such strong views they
are not going to be swayed by mere
economic arguments. So we will have
more scare stories of millions of jobs
being at risk were we to come out, and
more visions of sunlit uplands of
economic freedom if we did. But if the
decision is emotional, rather than
economic, there is not much that
economists can contribute.
The other problem is that the economic uncertainties are so huge, that
more or less any set of calculations is
open to challenge. We have form on
this. When the UK debated joining the
euro, there were similar warnings
from both sides. Big business, in the
shape of the Confederation of British
Industry, and the heads of many large
companies including Unilever, Nissan,
Toyota, WPP, and the Virgin Group
all urged Britain to adopt the euro.
Smaller businesses and the Treasury
were against. Remember Gordon
Browns five tests, which effectively
ruled out joining? Last week Sir Dave
Ramsden, chief economic adviser to
the Treasury, pointed out at a Kings
College London seminar with Ed Balls
that the tests look pretty good now.
That was nice for Ed Balls, who largely
wrote them, but the experience does
show how we should distrust experts
on both sides.
The most calm and moderate assessment of the economics that I have
found comes from Open Europe, a
think-tank that is itself neutral on the
issue but is broadly in favour of market
solutions to economic issues rather
than regulated ones.
The study was done a year ago and
its conclusion was this. At worst, were
the UK to leave the European Union
its GDP would be 2.2 per cent lower
in 2030 than it would have been were
we to stay in. And at best it would be
1.6 per cent higher. Those are extreme
results, and a more realistic range
would be minus 0.8 per cent to plus

0.6 per cent. There are many other

assessments, some more negative, as
to the costs of Brexit, but the Open
Europe proposition that the impact
either way would not be huge seems
to me a decent place to start. That does
not, however, help much in the decision, so let me put forward another
way of looking at it.
The UK will always be part of the
European economic space, and the
difficult issue for us is that Europe as
a whole accounts for a smaller proportion of the world economy every
year that goes by. So the question is
how we should play our semi-detached
role, focusing more on the rest of the
world but not risking weakening our
biggest market in the meantime. If you
baulk at the idea of our being semidetached, note that we are outside the
two biggest centralising EU projects,
the euro and the Schengen agreement,
and there is zero prospect of us joining either.
Given this, are we better to be just
in the EU, as we are now, but opting
out of its most important centralising
projects? Or would we be better to be
just out perhaps as a member of an
enlarged European Free Trade Area
with Norway and Switzerland but
opting into EU agreements where it
suits us? The first is vastly easier in
the short term, and people who know
more than I do about the detail of the
deal David Cameron did with Europe
seem to think it was a pretty good one.
But we would, were we to remain, have
a string of negotiations like that one
every time we found some new EU
policy to be unacceptable.
The option of being just out would
mean the negotiations happen now,
and we should not kid ourselves that
they would be sweetness and light.
We have a strong hand. For example
we are BMWs fourth biggest market,
after the United States, China, and
Germany itself. Germany would not
want to damage that. But Europe
would be angry with us and might not
act rationally. In the long run Brexit
might be cleaner, but the journey
would be bad-tempered indeed.
A lot of people have asked me where
I stand on this. I think on balance the
risks of Brexit are not worth the
modest advantages they might bring.
We have not exactly been held back
by EU membership, or at least not
much, and will continue to outperform
it. In any case we dont know how
Europe will develop. It may even
become a more successful region,
though I doubt it. Meanwhile, however, semi-detached is not too bad,
and that I predict is how the wise
British electorate will vote on 23 June.
You want a number? It will be 57 per
cent for staying in, 43 per cent for
getting out. So there.

42

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

comment

Feminism and a lost age of innocence

Who would have thought, when this column began, that our world would soon face sexual slavery, mass rape and misogyny

Joan Smith

n 1997, when I began writing a

weekly column for The Independent on Sunday, Labour had
just won a landslide election
victory. I wasnt a fan of Tony
Blair, an antipathy that appeared to
be reciprocated when I turned up at
a party at No 10 a few years later, but
Labours success changed the appear
ance of the House of Commons out of
all recognition. There were suddenly
120 female MPs in the lower chamber
and the vast majority (101, to be exact)
belonged to the Labour Party.
That was still less than a fifth of the
House, but back in 1979, when Margaret
Thatcher became the countrys first
female prime minister, the figure was
only 3 per cent. Labours 1997 intake
was patronised as Blairs Babes but
it began to feel normal to see MPs who
werent men in suits speaking about
matters which affected half the popula
tion. If progress since then sometimes
seems painfully slow, last years general
election lifted the proportion of women
MPs to a record 29 per cent, thanks in
part to the success of the SNP.
Its essential to record these mile
stones because the world in 2016
sometimes appears to be a very dark
place, and especially so for women.
The late 1990s, when Sex and the City
sparked conversations about every
thing from the pleasure of sex to
coping with sexually transmitted

iseases, now feels like a lost moment

d
of innocence. Who would have pre
dicted, watching Carrie Bradshaw and
her friends roam New York in fourinch heels, that a whole series of
terrorist organisations was about to
emerge, incubating a pathological
loathing of women?
I knew that Japanese soldiers had
forced thousands of foreign women
to work in military brothels during
the Second World War, but I didnt
expect to see sexual slavery being
practised in my lifetime. It is impos
sible to feel anything but horror as
Yazidi women who have escaped the
clutches of Islamic State talk about
mass rapes and being sold as sex
slaves. Something similar has hap
pened, I assume, to the schoolgirls
kidnapped from a school in northern
Nigeria by fighters from another
Islamist organisation, Boko Haram.
With the second anniversary of the
mass abduction approaching next
month, more than 200 girls are still
missing and their desperate families
can only guess at what might have
happened to them.
The deliberate targeting of women
and girls by terrorist organisations
isnt just a resurgence of barbarism. It
flies in the face of a belated recogni
tion by the international community
that sexual violence, far from being
an accidental by-product of war, is a
deliberate and unacceptable feature
of conflict. In 2001, a war crimes tri
bunal sitting in The Hague ruled that
the mass rape and enslavement of
women are crimes against humanity,
a charge second in gravity only to gen
ocide; in a landmark judgment, three
Bosnian Serbs who had been convict
ed of the rape, torture and enslavement
of Muslim women in the Bosnian town
of Foca were sentenced to a combined

Blairs Babes
brought hope
of amore equal
society, but nearly
two decades on
theworld is a
darkerplace
ANDREW BUURMAN

total of 60 years in prison. I can only

hope that the IS leader Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi, who is said to have repeat
edly raped Yazidi captives and the
American aid worker Kayla Mueller,
one day meets a similar fate.
Two decades ago, no one talked
much about female genital mutilation
(FGM), even though it has been illegal
in this country since 1985. Now, thanks
to campaigning by young women such
as Nimco Ali, founder of the anti-FGM
organisation Daughters of Eve, it has
moved close to the top of the political
agenda. While there has yet to be a
successful prosecution in this coun
try, police in Bristol last month used
new powers to prevent three girls who
were considered at risk of mutilation
from being taken abroad. FGM pro
tection orders were introduced last
year as part of a raft of measures to
stop the practice, which is now widely
recognised as a form of child abuse.
Last week an Australian judge

s entenced three people a retired

nurse, a mother of two girls and a com
munity leader to 15 months in prison
at the end of the countrys first FGM
prosecution. The victims were just
seven years old when they were cut.
None of this would have happened
without feminism. A generation of
women and men whose mothers
were feminists, including the Cana
dian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau,
are relaxed about applying the word
to themselves and calling publicly for
greater gender equality. Thats why
I think feminism is robust enough to
weather attacks from some trans activ
ists, who seem unable to disagree with
distinguished figures in the womens
movement without trying to turn them
into hate figures. I disagree with Germ
aine Greer on various issues, including
prostitution, but her 1970 bestseller The
Female Eunuch remains an intellectual
challenge and an inspiration. Personal
attacks and calls for no-platforming
have no place in one of the worlds great
human rights movements.
The world we live in today is far
more polarised than I could ever have
imagined in 1997. A couple of weeks
ago, on a trip to Paris, I saw soldiers
on the streets and was reminded that
the city has suffered two devastating
terrorist attacks one of them against
journalists in less than 12 months.
Writers, liberals and women are tar
gets of choice for people inspired by
reactionary ideas, which often turn
out to have misogyny at their heart.
I have tried to challenge those ideas
in my columns for The IoS, and I want
to thank the papers readers for stay
ing with me for almost two decades.
Not goodbye, I hope, but au revoir.
Twitter: @polblonde
politcalblonde.com

Want to be a columnist? Wine can help

Dom Joly

cant believe that this is my last

column. I started writing in
this slot in 2001, just as Trigger
Happy TV was all over your
screens. Oh, how things have
changed in 15 years. Im about to start
filming some Trigger Happy TV. Ah
well, plus a change and all that.
How did you get a newspaper col
umn? is a question I am often asked
by people who assume Im illiterate.
Well, Id just started writing a

olumn for the London Evening Standc

ard, having sent one in on spec. A TV
critic on that paper was obsessed with
slagging me off. So, I started writing
facetiously about how their cruel criti
cism was destroying my life. I got a
sniffy letter from the editor telling me
this was not good form. I asked why it
was OK for the critic to have a go at
me in the paper but not for me to reply.
I got an even sniffier reply informing
me that I was new to the business
and would soon learn why.
Fuck this I thought and I resigned
in the first of many, many unwise
career moves.
The next day I got a call from a
Simon Kelner, who wanted to inter
view me for GQ. He wondered whether
I could meet him at Le Gavroche, a
ludicrously posh French restaurant in
London. This was quite awkward, as
Id just filmed a stunt there where Id

Id tried to
force my way
inside dressed
as the actual
Michelin Man
dispensing
gold stars

tried to force my way inside dressed

as the actual Michelin Man while dis
pensing gold stars to the staff. As so
often in my life, I hoped that they
wouldnt recognise me.
Once in the reception I was looked
up and down by a distinctly unim
pressed matre d. You ave no jacket
no tie monsieur? I admitted that
this was indeed the case. I will att
empt to find something in your size.
He indicated with his eyebrows this
would be a formidable task, eventu
ally returning with a blazer last sported
by Ronnie Corbett and a Michelinfood-stained tie. I squeezed into the
outfit and awaited Mr Kelner.
It turned out that he was the editor
of The Independent moonlighting for
GQ in exchange for free food. I man
aged to get away with pretending to
know this but then got a bit tipsy and
might have been vaguely offensive to

Michel Roux. It was something about

needing a kebab when Id finished.
It cant have been that bad; Simon
Kelner hired me to write for The Indy
on Sunday where I have never been
told what I can or cant write. I have
only ever missed two columns in the
last 15 years and this was due to me
being stranded on a desert island.
I have managed to file from the
Syrian Desert, North Korea, Cherno
byl, the Congo, Antarctica, the Beijing
Olympics, my Iranian ski holiday, the
Empty Quarter, a prison in Mexico.
Once I even managed to get online in
the Cotswolds to file
It has been a privilege and a pleas
ure to document these curious 15 years
of my life. It has been a beacon of
stability in a distinctly unstable life. I
shall miss it more than you could ever
know. Thank you for reading me. Its
all been true almost.

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

43

comment

bandwagon

Driver Kraig
Moss (on his CB
radio) advertises
a Truckers for
Trump convoy
in Iowa Brendan
Hoffman/Getty

Bring it on, Donald ... bring it on!

TV fawning over Trumps every outlandish word and deed has brought him $1.9bn in free publicity. So much for democracy

Rupert Cornwell
out of america

ow different it was in
the good old days of the
1950s, when prosperity
reigned in the USA,
when the citizenry was
content, and Charles Engine Charlie Wilson, the chairman of General
Motors, could boast that Whats good
for GM is good for America. Well, he
didnt exactly say that, but that was
what he meant, and the quote is set
in stone for all eternity.
Fast forward to election year 2016,
when the citizenry is anything but content, when the nightmarish Donald
Trump dominates the headlines, and
corporate and national interests are
anything but aligned. Who would have
thought this circus would come to
town? Les Moonves, the chairman
of CBS, one of the three legacy broadcast TV networks, enthused about the
Trump effect at a recent media shindig.
It may not be good for America, but
its damn good for CBS. The moneys
rolling in .... This is fun.
And for the owners of CBS, and its
network rivals and cable channels
such as CNN and Fox that give politics blanket coverage, this campaign
has been fun like no other. Spending
on political ads has gone through the
roof. Viewers cant get enough of the

circus. Ratings have soared and with

them ad rates. The reason, of course,
is Trump. But in televisions obsession
to cover his every outlandish word
and deed, they have distorted the
American political process.
Of course, the property tycoon and
reality TV host had to be covered, as he
shot to the top of the polls, turned the
Republican party inside out and then
cemented his position as overwhelming favourite to win its presidential
nomination. The Republican party
is the biggest political story in the world
right now, Trump was bragging last
week. Hes probably right.
Now dont blame us in the dead-tree
media. The New York Times, The Washington Post and the like have given a
pretty balanced picture of the race. As
usual theyve unearthed most of the
stories that have mattered, and insofar
as possible in this personality-driven
year, have tried to air the issues.
But the running is set by television,
where most Americans get their news.
And for TV, for all the spurious gravitas it attaches to political coverage, the
thrill of celebrity, controversy and the
whiff of cordite is all. Trump, with his
personal experience of how the medium works, provides all three by the
bucketload. No matter that he sucks
up all the available airtime, depriving
rivals of coverage. For the networks
hes the gift that never stops giving.
As the great journalist and critic
HLMencken wrote back in 1926,
no one ever went broke by underestimating the intelligence of the American
people. (Correction as with Charles
Wilsons musing on GM, he didnt quite
say that. Menckens exact words were
the intelligence of the great masses

This circus ...

may not be
good for
America,
butits damn
good for CBS.
Thisis fun

of the plain people. But again, the

meaning is crystal clear.) CBS and the
rest are merely proving the point.
The fawning attention lavished on
Trump has enabled by far the richest
candidate to run an improbably frugal
campaign. This was supposed to be
an election dominated by dark money,
sinister Political Action Committees
(PACs), and hundreds of millions of
dollars of funding from zillionaires
such as the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson. It hasnt happened, or
not yet. Instead, the media provide the
money above all for Trump.
The king of the Super PACs was Jeb
Bush, who spent $82m (57m) on paid
media ads, and much good it did him.
Next, according to figures from media
Quant, a company which researches
such matters, were Marco Rubio (who
dropped out last week) with $55m, and
Ted Cruz, Trumps closest rival, with
$22m. Trump himself spent a mere
$10m. But that was more than adequate,
given the free coverage he received.
MediaQuant has done the sums. It
computes that by the end of February
he had received $1.9bn worth of free
coverage, compared with $1.2bn for
his 16 Republican opponents combined. Cruz comes closest, with $313m.
Yes, some of the Trump coverage has
been unfavourable. But in this extraordinary campaign, criticism seems only
to increase his appeal.
And the TV coverage simply plays
into his hands. Most cringe-worthy was
the aftermath of the Super-Tuesday
primaries on 1 March. Sure, Trump had
a great night, and yes, politics are also
about personalities. But was that justification for every channel to spend an
hour of prime time covering his victory

speech, the first half of which amounted to an infomercial for sundry Trump
brands? Was there nothing better than
this drivel to fill the time: the fate of another candidate or, perish the thought,
a discussion of issues? No, they were
mesmerised by the showman from
Manhattan, and the ratings he brings.
The media cant be wholly blamed
for Trumps rise, no more than they
can be blamed for their business
model, in a competitive capitalist freefor-all. But theyve surely facilitated
his ascent.
And that business model militates
against democracy. The US has no real
equivalent of the BBC, non-profit and
with a public charter, obliged to provide
equal time in party political broadcasts.
Once upon a time it did have a Fairness
Doctrine, requiring coverage of public affairs to be honest, equitable, and
balanced. But that rule was scrapped
in 1987. It also, theoretically, has its own
Equal Time rule stipulating, with certain major exceptions, that for each
minute of free airtime one candidate
receives, their rivals can demand the
same. But youd never notice it.
One reason is the assumption that
anyone who seeks an opposing viewpoint can easily find it in the fragmented
universe of the internet. In fact, for the
majority of Americans who are not
political junkies, the networks and cable
channels still dominate. Only a fool
would argue that their obsession with
Trump has not tipped votes his way.
So, let Les Moonves have the final
word. Sorry, its a terrible thing to say,
but bring it on, Donald, go ahead, keep
going .... For us, economically, Donalds
place in this election is a good thing.
Pity about America.

44

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

letters special | goodbye

My heart sank when the news was
confirmed last month that the paper
I love was closing. I started reading
The Independent on Sunday because,
to be honest, I couldnt deal with the
bulk of The Observer.
Your brisk editing over the past
three years (around the time I
started reading) has validated that
decision and I find myself reading
it cover to cover all week long. My
sports and fashion knowledge is
about to nosedive.
I was born only a month after the
IoS. My generation tend to have
their news filtered by friends and
fancy algorithms. Our social net
works represent my world, not
society or our world. There is no
letters page. Where will I read those
intergenerational voices now?
I remember buying the IoS
following the Paris terror attacks
in November, and your simple tri
colour cover. It represented every
thing I love about the paper. A
dedication to the news (so beauti
fully stated after Alan Hennings
death), a voice for considered opin
ions, and a space to celebrate and
champion justice, as seen in the
Rainbow List.
Thank you for informing me on
the fun and the serious. Im already
excited to celebrate with you one
last time this Sunday. With the very
best wishes to you, your team and
all contributors for the future.

Whether its
politics,
comment, or
sport, The IoS
has consistently
employed the
best, most
insightful and
considered
journalists
Barry Milligan
London N6

We are ex-pat Americans. The

I ndependent and The Independent
on Sunday are, for me, two of the
very best things about the UK.
Thank you for your aware
ness and care of so many vulner
able groups, especially the LGBTQ
community. You are a unique and
marvellous paper/resource and all
I can say is thank god Ill be able to
continue to read you online.
Pamela Bayes and Carl Wiltse
Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway

...

For the past 20-plus years my

Sunday evenings have been coffee,
Courvoisier and The Independent on
Sunday spread out over the sofa. Online viewing does not and cannot
work the same, and as for the other
Sunday options, they are really not
worth bothering with. Whether its
politics, comment, or sport, you
have consistently employed the
best, most insightful and considered
journalists. Please dont go!
Barry Milligan
London N6

...

Does it have to end like this? Youve

changed over the years, when you
used to be independent and care
free. I cant accept that you now
have some lefty views and dont care
for the Tories that much.
You are into all that green stuff
and some of your family think that
the countryside is full of toffs. But
surely there is something worth sav
ing? We might have to compromise,
but if we dont then after Sunday we
will be left with, well, nothing!
How will I survive without your
image facing me at the newsagent?
Without your words to inform,

Paul McNicol
via email

...

A particular plea is to retain the spe

cificity of the letters page. Websites
have comments under articles but
that is not the same as readers views
chosen for wider interest. In the
print version, the letters page will be
stumbled across. On the website it
is has to be sought out, and I suspect
not so many trouble to do that.
Keith Flett
London N17

...

Joey Knock
London, via email

...

Having been a reader since the

start, two things stand out. First,
the fresh and groundbreaking sport
supplements in the 1990s for world
cups and Wimbledon, etc. These
had a quality of design and gravi
tas balanced with wit which made
them armchair stand-bys through
out a tournament (I still cherish the
player anagrams for one Wimble
don which made Giant Irishman
from Martina Hingis).
Second, the music reviews of
Simon Price who introduced me
to some very good stuff. I think
particularly of Lucky Soul. With
out Simons championing I would
never have had the pleasure of
One Kiss Dont Make a Summer,
a truly goosebump-inducingly
swoonsome pop record that I know
Ill still love decades from now, if I
get that far.

enlighten and entertain me? You say

you want a long distance, virtual
relationship but are you sure that
will be the same? It isnt too late to
keep those printing presses rolling
for a bit more time? I can change ...
Philip H
via email

...

We have read The IoS from the start

and it has become part of our week
end. We read it over breakfast and if
we cannot finish it then, we have it
on the table for the rest of the week.
We have become used to the
high-calibre reporters to give us a
balanced view of world affairs as
well as domestic news. As a result
of the reviews, I have bought books
and discs.
No doubt I will dip into The IoS
online, but it will not be the same.

ing cuts Pension Wise) which I felt

lucky to get after redundancy from
a senior post in higher education. So
fare thee well and good luck. As a 57year-old female I dont think I shall
get meaningful employment again.
Thanks for the good times.
Susan James
via email

...

Most of all I shall miss Invisible Ink.

In more than 300 columns Christo
pher Fowler has opened a window
on to the wealth of literary talent
that lies outside the familiar main
stream. Dare one hope that Christo
pher will find a continuing channel?

What about those of us who live in

rural areas without decent broad
band? We have been readers of both
Independent papers since they were
first published, and have appre
ciated the quality and balanced
reporting, particularly with regard
to the Middle East. Robert Fisk and
Patrick Cockburn are exceptional.
Its the end of the road for us. I have
no idea where we will go next.
Elizabeth Spencer
via email

...

So long, and thanks for all the Fisk.

I shall miss your print edition each

Sunday, a title Ive purchased at
different locations over the years,
including in Hastings the Sunday
after 9\11 and being annoyed that
there were only three pages of non
Twin Towers news despite the same
level of lifestyle coverage.
I recall getting my name in your
old Captain Moonlight column,
and getting a 50 voucher from
Thomas Pink as a result. There was
also the Question & Answer fea
ture on the sports pages, I still have
on my bookshelves the title this
produced. I wish you well online
for those more technically minded
than myself.

Brian Lomas
Manchester

Stephen Roberts
St Peter Port, Guernsey

Tim Mickleburgh
Grimsby, Lincolnshire

I have been cutting out articles

for over two decades and display
ing them in my studio for years as
part of my postmodern art. It seems
I will have to purchase a colour
printer to continue my art!

It is with great sadness that I say

farewell to The IoS, especially the
Details competition. I have enjoyed
and entered the competition from
the start. Ten times my name has
come out of the hat, and it has given
me enormous pleasure to win,
though the pleasure of being right is
a close runner-up. Alas, I shall have
to buy my own prosecco now.

Roger and Mary Stephens

via email

...

Farewell then to the inky words of

John Rentoul, Rupert Cornwell,
DJTaylor, Tim Mickleburgh and
Keith Flett. I shall have to take up
gardening to get my hands dirty on
aSunday morning.

...

Kartar Uppal
Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands

...

Your demise segues with mine at

my part-time job (government fund

Michael Davison
Kingston upon Thames, Surrey

...

Your report and pictures on Stuart

Pearces appearance for Longford
FC (13 March) embodied the best of
The Independent on Sundays jour
nalism for me. Im going to miss it.
Good luck in your all-online future.
Chris Moorhouse
Southampton

...
...

Sally Wagstaff
Wolverley, Worcestershire

EDITORS NOTE
Thank you to the many readers who
took the time to write in with memories of the Independent on Sunday and
their thoughts about the change from
print to digital for the Indepedent titles.
Id like to point out that
The Independent Daily Edition is
available as an app that is iPad,
Android and Kindle-friendly from
independentsubscriptions.co.uk
If you have any queries, please email
[email protected]

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

45

CROSSWORDS & WEATHER

The Concise Crossword By Eimi
1

Stuck? Then call

our solutions line
on 0906 751 0240
Calls cost 77p/min
from a BT landline
plus any network
extras. SP: A&N
Mobile & TV. If you
are having trouble
accessing this
number, please
call our helpdesk
on 0800 839 174.

6
7

10

The Cryptic Crossword By Quixote

No 1361

11

No 1361, 20 March 2016

Last weeks solution

B I T
L
E
OW L
S
E
S EG
O E
MA N
I
P A C
O
T OR
H O
E X A
R
S
B U T

7
8

10

11

12

13

12

13

14

14

15

16

15

16

17

17

18
19

18
21

19

To solve our
crosswords
and puzzles
online, visit
independent.
co.uk/games

20

21

ACROSS
1 See title (4,6)
8 ? (5)
9 Czech capital (6)
10 Greek god of love (4)
11 ? (7)
12 Outstanding work (11)
15 ? (7)
17 Repast (4)
19 ? (6)
20 Edition (5)
21 Warm ocean current (4,6)

DOWN
2 Alternative (5)
3 Approaches (5)
4 Interlace (7)
5 Spanish snacks (5)
6 Inspect (7)
7 Card game (6)
12 Black and white bird (6)
13 Noisy party (7)
14 Science (7)
16 Odour (5)
17 Skinflint (5)
18 Stadium (5)

Solution for last Sunday

Across: 1 Tough customer, 8 Stupor, 9 Patron, 10 Tiny, 11 Israeli, 12 Difficult, 17 Also-ran, 19
Hard, 20 Client, 21 In vain, 22 Daddy longlegs.
Down: 2 Obtain, 3 Guppy, 4 Cardiff, 5 Super, 6 Oatmeal, 7 Exotic, 13 Instead, 14 Consign, 15
Paella, 16 Trying, 18 Ratel, 19 Hovel.

TODAYS WEATHER

24

25

OUTLOOK

HIGH

LIGHTING UP

24
25
26

duties (5,3,6)
5 Heads back in charge of company
setting up place (7)
6 Impressive manner with which
awards may be announced (8)
7 Lad so nice, chump unfortunately
lacking skill (14)
12 Half of army personnel
betrayed (4)
14 Office worker with a measure
of hotness? (4)
15 Look around Palestinian region
endlessly and dream (8)
17 Record a Catholic place of great
activity (7)
18 Song about fellows in the
country (7)
19 Smooth ale got drunk (6)
20 When groups of things will
become property (6)

DOWN
1 Bogus, an individual claiming
spiritual contacts (6)
2 Battle to eat food I restrict my
diet (6)
3 Refusal to admit one medical
specialists lack of experience (7)
4 Drunk wandering across Trafalgar
Square may not be able to escape

AIR POLLUTION
RURAL TOWN ROADSIDE

London....................2...............3..............3
S England...............2...............3..............3
Wales.......................2...............3..............3
C England...............2...............3..............3
Midlands................2...............3..............3
N England..............2...............3..............3
Scotland..................3...............3..............3
N Ireland................3...............3..............3
E Anglia..................3...............3..............3
Low (1-3) Moderate (4-6) High (7-9) V.High (10)

EXTREMES

(for 24hrs to 2pm yesterday)

Warmest............Edinburgh 10C (50F)

1016

1008

1016

Coldest.................Tulloch Bridge -6C (21F)

Wettest...............Houghton Hall 0.02ins
Sunniest.............Prestwick 7hrs

LOW
LOW

1008
1000

LOW W

LOW

LOW
992
1008

1000

1008

LOW

1016
1024

1016
HIGH

LOW
1008

HIGH

High C will decline slightly through the next 24 hours as well as moving
way from the UK towards the south-west. Meanwhile, Low W and
associated fronts will push cloud across northern Scotland.

HIGH TIDES

TRAVEL IN BRITAIN
AM HT(M) PM HT(M)

Avonmouth............... 5.59 12.3 18.24 12.6

Cork...............................3.16 3.9 15.35 3.9
Dover.........................10.00 6.1 22.13 6.4
Greenock................... 11.16 3.3 23.58 3.2
Harwich....................10.35 3.9 22.53 3.9
Holyhead....................9.18 5.3 21.40 5.2
Hull (Albert Dk)........5.13 6.7 17.23 7.0
Liverpool..................10.04 8.9 22.28 8.9
London........................0.27 6.5 12.51 6.8
Milford Haven.........5.03 6.5 17.24 6.5
Newquay....................3.56 6.5 16.17 6.5
Portsmouth.............10.02 4.3 22.25 4.5
Pwllheli........................7.01 4.7 19.20 4.7

SEA FORECASTS

POLLEN COUNT

North Sea: Moderate winds. Largely

dry. Good visibility. Slight seas.
Dover Strait, English Channel: Light
winds. Dry. Good visibility. Moderate
seas. St Georges Channel: Light
winds. Dry. Moderate visibility.
Moderate seas. Irish Sea Channel:
Light winds. Dry. Moderate visibility.
Slight seas.

Southern England:

Low

Midlands/E Anglia:

Low

Wales:

Low

Northern England:

Low

Southern Scotland:

Low

Northern Scotland:

Low

Northern Ireland:

Low

M1 J18-20 northbound and

southbound: Delays of up to
10 minutes, due to roadworks.
Expect disruption until 28
November 2017.
M6 J1 northbound and
southbound: Between the M1
and J1 of the M6, there are
delays of 10 minutes due to
roadworks. Expect disruption
until 28 November 2017.
A1 southbound: Between the
junctions with the A68 and the
A684, delays of 10 mins due to
roadworks until 11 May 2017.
Information from the Highways Agency

SUN & MOON

Sun rises 06.00
Moon rises 16.20
Full Moon

AROUND BRITAIN
FOR 24HRS
TO 7PM FRIDAY

HIGH C

HIGH X

Belfast.................6.39pm......to....6.20am
Birmingham......6.23pm......to....6.04am
Bristol..................6.25pm......to....6.07am
Glasgow..............6.33pm......to....6.13am
London................6.16pm......to....5.58am
Manchester.......6.24pm......to....6.05am
Newcastle..........6.22pm......to....6.02am

cloud. Min temp 1-4C (34-39F).

SW Scotland, SE Scotland: It will be
a generally fine and dry day with
plenty of sunny spells. Max temp
11-14C (52-57F). Tonight, cloud
thickening. Min temp 2-5C (36-41F).
NW Scotland, W Isles, N Isles, NE
Scotland: Rather cloudy with patchy
light rain gradually easing. Max temp
8-11C (46-52F). Tonight, patchy light
rain. Min temp 3-6C (37-43F).
N Ireland: A fine day with patchy
cloud and sunshine. Max temp 9-12C
(48-54F). Tonight, cloudy. Min temp
3-6C (37-43F).

23

losing head, going in the wrong

direction (5)
Splendid toilet is homes number
one feature (6)
Dull male a Parisian, fellow from
Copenhagen? (7)
Story set to have a twist before
the finish (6)
Renowned female, a timid sort for
the most part (6)

THE ATLANTIC NOON TODAY

Early morning mist or fog patches

on Monday will gradually lift 976
to give acold
mostly dry day
984
with variable amounts of
warm
992
cloud and
some sunny
intervals.
However,
there
occluded
1000
will be some patchy rain
for western Scotland during
1008
the day.
Another
front
line generally dry day
on Tuesday with again variable
cloud
1016
and sunny spells for many areas
of the UK. Staying generally 1024
dry
for most
online
Wednesday, however,
isobar
1032
light rain and drizzle will begin
to
push into western areas later in the
afternoon. It will then likely 1040
to turn
more unsettled during the rest of the
outlook period with outbreaks of rain
pushing in from the
west. LOW X
LOW

General situation: Rather cloudy for

most with the chance of some light
rain. Southern Scotland will have the
best of the sunshine.
London, SE England, S Wales, E
Anglia, Cent S England, SW England,
Channel Is: It is expected to be a
generally dry day throughout. Max
temp 8-11C (46-52F). Tonight, cloud
breaking. Min temp 1-4C (34-39F).
E Midlands, W Midlands, Lincs,
NE England, Yorks, NW England:
Following a cloudy and damp
morning, there will be sunny spells.
Max temp 9-12C (48-54F). Tonight,

Last weeks winner: Philip Allen, Mickleover, Derbyshire

Runners-up: Roger Clarke, Truro, Cornwall; Ifan Hughes, Durham DH1;
PJ Hartley, Manchester M26; John Fairclough, Cambridge CB1; Sue Brown,
Northampton NN1

26

ACROSS
1 Putting aside bathroom activity,
not hard (6)
4 Some awfully poor dame goes
about ready to collapse? (6)
8 Old tribes gala inn arranged (7)
9 False front potentially dangerous,
taking king in (6)
10 Similar names for a Vice President
and earlier President (5)
11 Various chaps seen offering an
attraction for shoppers? (9)
13 Healthy topic to bandy about,
based on a supposition (12)
16 Amazingly good actor in crowd,
part-time officer (5-7)
21 Old church in capital mostly
attended by a learner having
narrow outlook (9)
22 Comes across as judge

Answers to ? clues are suggested by words forming the puzzles title: TC FOR 1

Quixote, who set our first Independent on Sunday

prize crossword in 1990, returns to the paper today for
our final edition. You can continue to solve crosswords
from Quixote, Eimi and the rest of the team at
http://puzzles.independent.co.uk or check out our new
daily app edition details can be found at independent
subscriptions.co.uk. Todays solutions, and New Review
Beelzebub answers, are on P36

20

22

23

T E R N WH I T L OW
X
A
H
N
E
R
E T
B L I NDD A T E
R
S
T
U
V
N
U E S
E S CH E A T
M A G
T
I
D E L B RO T
SWA T
S O
E
T
S T UD I O F L A T
N
A
S
V
L
A
T ON I
R EWO R K
T
N
A
R
I
E
M I N E R S
D E L I A
C
R
I
U
E
I
L E R S
F R E E DOM

Sun sets 18.16

Moon sets 05.12
23 March

SUN RAINFALL
(HRS) (MM) C F

Aberdeen................. 0.7......... 0.2..... 8....46

Aberporth.................8.8..........0.1..... 8....46
Aviemore................. 0.0......... 0.2..... 6....43
Barrow in Furness 5.8........ 0.0..... 9... 48
Belfast....................... 0.3......... 0.0..... 9... 48
Bexhill........................0.1......... 0.2..... 7....45
Birmingham............ 0.4......... 0.0..... 6....43
Bognor Regis.......... 0.8......... 0.0..... 7....45
Bournemouth......... 0.0......... 0.0..... 6....43
Bristol........................ 0.0......... 0.0..... 6....43
Camborne.................9.8......... 0.0... 10....50
Cardiff........................ 6.1......... 0.0..... 8....46
Cromer....................... 1.5......... 0.2..... 8....46
Durham......................2.1......... 0.2..... 7....45
Edinburgh................ 0.0......... 0.0..... 7....45
Falmouth.................. 9.4......... 0.0... 10....50
Gatwick..................... 0.0......... 0.0..... 7....45
Glasgow.................... 0.3......... 0.2..... 7....45
Guernsey.................. 5.0......... 0.0..... 8....46
Hereford....................1.2......... 0.0..... 6....43
Holyhead................. 3.8......... 0.2..... 8....46
Hull............................. 0.4..........0.1..... 8....46
Ipswich..................... 0.0......... 0.2..... 7....45
Isle of Man.............. 9.3......... 0.0..... 8....46
Isle of Wight........... 0.9......... 0.0..... 6....43
Jersey....................... 3.6......... 0.0..... 8....46
Kirkwall.................... 0.0......... 0.0..... 8....46
Leeds......................... 0.7......... 0.0..... 7....45
Lerwick..................... 0.0......... 0.2..... 7....45
Lincoln...................... 0.0......... 0.2..... 7....45
Liverpool.................. 1.5......... 0.0... 10....50
London...................... 0.0......... 0.0..... 8....46
Manchester............. 0.0......... 0.0..... 8....46
Margate.................... 0.3......... 0.0..... 8....46
Northallerton......... 0.0..........0.1..... 8....46
Nottingham............. 0.0......... 0.0..... 6....43
Okehampton............6.3......... 0.2... 10....50
Oxford....................... 0.0......... 0.0..... 6....43
Peterborough......... 0.0......... 0.2..... 7....45
Plymouth..................7.8......... 0.0... 13....55
Prestwick..................4.1......... 0.0... 10....50
Shrewsbury............ 0.0......... 0.2..... 6....43
Skegness.................. 0.6......... 0.2..... 8....46
Southend.................. 0.0......... 0.2..... 7....45
Stornoway............... 4.7......... 0.2..... 9... 48
Tiree........................... 0.0......... 0.0..... 7....45
Yeovil........................ 2.9......... 0.0..... 6....43

46

classified

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

Malta

OFFERS
Rajasthan, the Taj Mahal & Amritsars Golden Temple

14 days from
only 1,699pp

Departing: from September to November 2016 and January to

October 2017
The price includes:
Visit the Blue City of
Return flights, taxes and
Jodhpur
transfers
Spend two nights in the Pink
Stay in hand-picked three,
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four and five-star hotels
Experience the fascinating
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Beating the Retreat
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See the poignant site of the
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Daily breakfast and four
Visit Pushkar, city of Lord
meals included
Brahma
Escorted by an experienced
Stay two nights at one of
tour manager
Rajasthans best-known
heritage hotels

Lake Garda, Venice and Verona

A journey on the Mekong

Eight days
half-board from
only 619pp

Departing: from April to October 2016

The price includes:
Guided sightseeing tour of
Return flights, taxes
medieval Verona - the city
and transfers
of Shakespeares Romeo
Seven nights in a choice of
and Juliet plus a wealth of
excellent quality three, four
Roman and Renaissance sites
and four-star superior hotels
Tour of the Dolomites
with breakfast and dinner
with some of the worlds
Tour of beautiful Lake
finest alpine scenery
Garda Italys largest lake
Guided sightseeing tour of
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Venice, perhaps the planets
by mountains and charming
most enchanting city
lakeside villages
Escorted by an experienced
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15 days from only

2,799pp

Departing: October and November 2016 and January to April 2017.

The price includes:
Stay in the heart of Saigon
Return flights, taxes and
transfers
Tour of Phnom Penh, the
Paris of the East
Experience a seven night
river cruise on board the
See the fascinating Cu-Chi
4-star superior RV Mekong
tunnels
Prestige II
Visit the teeming floating
Stay in 4-star and 5-star
markets of Kampong
hotels with breakfast
Chhnang and Cai Be
Gaze in awe at the
All shore excursions and
magnificent temples of
meals whilst on the Mekong
Angkor
Cruise

Brochure Line: 01283 742 375 or visit independent.co.uk/traveloffers

Terms & Conditions: Prices are per person, based on two sharing and subject to availability. Prices correct as of 09.03.16 at 09.00 and based on a telephone booking. Additional entrance costs may apply. Operated by and subject to booking conditions of Riviera Travel, Abta V4744 Atol 3430, a company independent of Independent Print Ltd. Riviera Travel, New
Manor, 328 Wetmore Rd, Burton upon Trent, Staffs, DE14 1SP. Fax 01283 742301. Image used in conjunction with Riviera Travel. V4744

In the frame

How to achieve the best

landscape photography
P50

Amazon shipping

A luxury cruise through

the Peruvian wilderness
P53

The real Greek

On the trail of the nations

answer to Mrs Beeton
P55

TRAVEL
The George V hotel; guillaume de laubier

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

The height
of luxury
Stephen Bayley examines
how Pariss grand hotels are
evolving for the future

48

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

travel
france

The City of Light

(and luxe) will
shine once more
Paris gave the world grandeur in its restaurants, hotels
and fashion houses. Stephen Bayley finds that recent
troubles may help reinvigorate those former glories

ibert, Egalit, Fraternit

and Luxury. The only
reason the revolutionary
proclamation did not in
the first place include any
reference to luxe is because the word
did not scan. Still, the French conception of la vie de luxe has titillated
and benefited us all.
France is the civilisation that gave
us the grand hotel and the notion of
the restaurant-as-entertainment. And
then it gave us, in Michelin, a system
to categorise the degree of pleasure
to be had in each. But the French conception of luxury is being re-evaluated,
not least by the French themselves.
Coco Chanel once said that luxury is
not the opposite of poverty, it is the
opposite of vulgarity. In food, there is
something of a movement towards
simplicity and away from the synchronised rising cloches and sommelier
ballets of fine restaurant tradition.
And the French are no longer quite
so good as they thought they were at
the novel, the cinema, fashion and the
automobile. There is a national mood
of self-doubt, tipping almost into selfloathing. This was caught by Eric
Zemmours book La Suicide Franaise
which describes the social and philosophical malaise of modern France
which contributed to the murderous
atrocities of the past year in Paris.
Who but the boldest boulevardier
or flneur will now sit comfortably
at a pavement caf thinking Existential thoughts? Besides, Paris is also
under attack from Airbnb, which has
more rooms in this city than any
other. This, it is whispered, has led to
a depression in prices in the grand,
luxury hotels. So, opportunistically,
I wanted to investigate.
My own experience of Paris began
as a backpacking student who, long
ago, checked into a rue de Vaugirard
flophouse at 50p a night. Ever since, it
has been the Left Bank, still efficiently
haunted by ghosts of Hemingway and
Sartre and Barthes and Debord, that
has been my city. But luxury Paris
is emphatically on the Right Bank.
We travelled from London by the
new Eurostar e320, itself a reminder
of how the French are adapting to new
realities. The original Eurostar was
designed by Roger Tallon, Frances
pioneer industrial designer, and I for
one had grown very fond of its vintage
interiors which combined the vibe of
the VIP suite in a louche nightclub
with that of a battered eighties Renault
saloon. But the new e320 is by Pininfarina, the automobile carrozzeria
which gave unforgettable form to the
Ferrari idea. It has gained a lot in efficiency, but lost a little in terms of
Francophonic charm.
We went first to The Royal Monceau on Avenue Hoche. Turn left
under its distinctive red glass Art
Nouveau canopy and the frame of
your vision is filled by the Arc de Triomphe. The Champs-Elyses is just
around the corner. And here, if you
like, is another symbol of French
decline. No longer shoppings Elysian Fields, Frances most famous
avenue now apes the sewer that is
the east end of Oxford Street.
But the hotels milieu is quieter and
finer: confident and assured in the
way that money brings, but friendly
too. Nearby is the lovely Parc Monceau, an 18th-century creation in the
Anglo-Chinese style with follies reminiscent of the glorious Dsert de
Retz. Here, in 1797, a bold individual
made the very first parachute jump
from a Montgolfier hot-air balloon.

Paris mon amour

Dining at
Carpaccio (right);
cocktails (far
right) at Le Royal
Monceau (above);
Hotel George V
(top right)

Monceau is managed by the Canada-based Raffles group, but is owned

by Qataris and Saudis. Yet with its
Philippe Starck spa and interiors, it
remains distinctively French. Starck
is normally too noisy for my taste, but
here he has achieved subdued elegance. To advertise its ambitions, the
Monceau has an art bookstore and its
own fashion shop. I was told this
means you need never leave the hotel
which, I am guessing, betrays something about current psychological
states in the Paris hospitality trade.
Upstairs, cleverly, if disturbingly,
mirrors maximise space in a way you
might find cleverly diverting or sickmaking, depending on the severity
of your hangover. We were spontaneously upgraded to a junior suite
which, perhaps, tells you something
about current occupancy rates. With
its bed artfully placed in front of a
seventh-floor window with a view of

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

49

travel

Eagle

Weather p2 puff

Crossword p2 puff

Letters | social network | emails

Navigation

At dinner that night, the transnational liaison of Pininfarina and

Starck was confirmed at Carpaccio, Travel
TRAVEL
the Monceaus Michelin-starred resESSENTIALS
taurant, billed as Paris best Italian. It
has a single Michelin star. Soon a
Nobu will open here too: the Monceau
has, significantly, decided not to do
Eagle
French food. But at Carpaccio,
French
Arc de
kitchen dogma remains and is incomTriomphe
Weather p2 puff
patible with the Italian
approach to
The Royal
Monceau
cooking. The former wants to glorify
CH
Crossword p2 puff
AM
the chef while the latter glorifies God.
PS
-E
LY
PA R I S
Thus, good produce is maddeningly
SE
ES
Letters | social network | emails
disguised by over-elaborate
concepHotel George V
tion and fussy preparation.
As we chewed paccheri ai frutti di
RIGHT BANK
mare astice e calamaretti, lattuga di
mare (paccheri with seafood,
Seine
Navigationlobster
and sea lettuce), Olivier Lot, the chef
LEFT BANK
de restauration, came to lean lanEiffel Tower
guidly on a pillar and explain that
200m
the business was down 30 per cent
since Novembers murders.
Eagle
We then moved
across the
Champs
Getting there
Travel
Elyses to the George V, built in 1928
Stephen Bayley travelled
Weather p2 puff
in that characteristic
French style that
with Eurostar (03448 224 777;
combines Art Deco, Neoclassical and
eurostar.com), which operates
Moderne. Crossword
Sitedp2 puff
in the temporarily
up to 21 daily services from
deserted Triangle dOr, where every
London St Pancras to Paris Gare
Letters | social
| emails
big name
innetwork
fashion
has a presence
du Nord, with one-way fares
but is not bothered much nowadays
currently starting at 29 (book
by actual customers, the magnificent
by tomorrow, 21 March for travel
Jazz Age George V is the sort of hotel
until 2 June). Eurostars new
where a gang Navigation
of paparazzi is always
entertainment system has just
stationed outside.
launched on e320 trains, allowing
Inside, dress codes prove le monde
passengers to stream films, TV,
lenvers. The bright and alert staff
news and games to their mobile
Eagle
are perfectly groomed while guests
devices, free of charge.
slouch and shuffle with backpacks,
wearing baskets,
the derisive
French
Staying there
Weather
p2 puff
Travel
term for trainers. In the lobby, a phanLe Royal Monceau Raffles, 27
tasmagoric flower sculpture
Avenue
Hoche (leroyalmonceau.com).
Crossword p2 puff
(arrangement is too small a word),
Doubles from 950, room only.
by creative director Jeffrey
Hotel George V, 31 Avenue George
Letters | socialLeatham,
network | emails
was of a size and grandeur that would
V (fourseasons.com/paris).
make Elton blush. The feeling here,
Doubles start at 1,100, room only.
even through the dazzling dentition
More information
of the charmingly helpful staff,Navigation
is that
en.parisinfo.com
you are continuously being assessed
for your nuisance value since covert
research has revealed that you are

wet, grey Mansard roofs, it was a glorious place to loll. And so too were
the bathroom and loo. The Japanese
Toto lavatory was as highly specified
as a top-of-the-range Lexus, with
heated massage seat and air-conditioning. Mysteriously, it flushed itself
at intervals throughout the night.
A good hotel the bar is always a reliable indicator of a citys mood. I ordered
a kir with vin blanc, which cost 18
(14) a good indicator of a citys tolerance. I wondered who on earth pays
these prices, and then my answer
walked in: an elegant man with ironcoloured hair in a Bernard Henri-Lvy
flop, a fine-art curated beard and a cashmere throw draped around his tailored
shoulders in a distinctively Parisian
fashion. He sat down, alone except for
a phone, and ordered a glass of vintage
ros champagne and an assortment of
sliders. I suppose he spent more
than100 on a pre-dinner snack.

In a good hotel the bar is

always a reliable indicator
of a citys mood
The staff are immaculately
suited while guests slouch
and shuffle with backpacks

nowhere near as rich as you pretend.

While rooms at The Royal Monceau are calmly modern, the George
V prefers a more period opulence.
Ours was overwhelmingly yellow
and gilt, Madame de Pompadour on
a sunshine and daffodil binge. The
bath, despite early attention from an
eager technicien, took 40 minutes to
fill. But hurrying, is not, after all, a
luxury activity.
At the George V they are very
excited that this year chef Christian
Le Squer earned his third Michelin
star at the hotels regal Le Cinq restaurant, but our experience was at
the wrong end of the indifferent-tobad scale. Gratine doignons at 70?
I grew up in smart hotels, but wondered how my late and generous
father might have reacted to paying
more than 50 for a bowl of soup.
My wife declared a detestation of
asparagus to the head waiter, but was
twice served it as if to say the chef
knows best. Which, if her dish of
Iodized Flavours (slightly marinated sea scallops, litchi [sic] and
frosted sea urchin) was evidence,
he certainly does not. She declared
it to be indisputably the worst thing
shed ever eaten. The turbot I ordered,
having been prompted to do so, failed
to appear and in its place a horrible
dish of wagyu beef with mozzarella,
a high-concept cheeseburger which
proved an abominable combination.
Promised something really special
with the cheese, a plate of Carrs
water biscuits arrived.
This experience would have been
unsettling had not, two days later,
the same Monsieur Le Squer presided over a lunch at the hotels cadet
restaurant, Le George, which was
precise, interesting, beautiful and a
memorable delight to eat.
In an interior by Pierre YvesRochon who has even if only briefly
exchanged his bonkers excess for
intelligent reticence, we sat in ambient grey in comfy armchairs around
low tables eating octopus cooked on
a wood fire, goat slow cooked for a
day and a half, and tuna tartare on
arancini (helpfully, if patronisingly,
described as fried risotto). We
drank a white Crozes-Hermitage waggishly called On the Rhne Again
and sat in perfect comfort disturbed
only by ripples of pleasure.
The Royal Monceau and George V
were officially confirmed as Palace
hotels in a Government audit five
years ago. In that French way, hierarchies were established and criteria
were set. Palace hotels embody
French standards of excellence ...
enhancing the image of France. They
provide services superior to a mere
five stars. Controversially, the famous
Ritz and the majestic Crillon were
omitted from the list. They soon shut
for refurbishment $100m worth in
the Crillons case and on reopening
will bring extra capacity to a troubled
local market.
Did my palatial hotel experience
make me feel worse about Paris today?
Put it this way: it made me feel that,
at their best, the French administer
pleasure better than anyone. I would
just add that very high levels of service do not always equal very high
levels of psychological comfort. We
ate both extremely well and dismayingly badly. I did not find a harrowed
city, but one whose passing troubles
may bring overdue changes. Who
knows? Perhaps a revolution? Will I
go back? Of course. Le jour du gloire
est en retard, but will soon return.

50

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

travel
The hotel

The flight

The book

The Riff Downtown has opened in

New York. Sister to The Riff Chelsea,
the hotel has 36 loft-style rooms
with exposed brick, retro knickknacks and, in some cases, private
balconies (riffdowntown.com).

Air Europa will operate the first

scheduled link between Madrid and
Cubas premier resort, Varadero
from 14 July to 15 September,
twice a week, with connections from
Gatwick (aireuropa.com).

Escape London is a compact volume

of days out within easy reach of the
capital, divided into chapters such
as Culture and Heritage, Gardens
and Greenery and Family Friendly
(9.99; quartouk.com).

stay the night

A potted history
of Tuscany
The remote Vecchia Fornace is a former terracotta
factory with a modern twist, says Chlo Hamilton

OFFERS

Victoria Falls, Botswana

Safari and Cape Town
Eleven days from only ,pp
or days* from ,pp

Fully
escorted

An outstanding tour exploring the world famous Victoria Falls, natural

forests and the unique city of Cape Town. Plus, experience a fascinating
river safari in Chobe National Park.
Explore Botswanas vast Chobe
Selected departures from June to
National Park
November 2016 and January to
November 2017, the price includes:
Stay four nights in Cape Town
Return scheduled flights from
Full-day tour to the Cape of Good
London Heathrow
Hope
Excellent quality, hand-picked three
Tour the Western Capes Winelands
and four-star hotels
with a visit and tasting at a 300-year
old vineyard
Daily breakfast and five meals
included
Escorted by an experienced tour
manager
Experience one of the worlds most
spectacular natural wonders, the
stunning Victoria Falls, with an
optional helicopter flight
On selected dates experience one of the worlds most luxurious train journeys on
Rovos Rails three-day trip from Pretoria to Cape Town

Brochure Line:

or visit independent.co.uk/traveloffers
Terms and Conditions: Prices are per person, based on two sharing and subject to availability. Prices
correct as of .. at : and based on a telephone booking. Additional entrance costs may
apply. Operated by and subject to booking conditions of Riviera Travel, Abta V4744 Atol 3430, a
company independent of Independent Print Ltd. Riviera Travel, New Manor, 328 Wetmore Rd, Burton
upon Trent, Staffs, DE14 1SP. Fax 01283 742301. Image used in conjunction with Riviera Travel.

3430

ABTA No. V4744

s we crunch up the gravel

drive in our hire car in the
pitch black, Vecchia Fornaces owner, Rosalba (a
whirlwind of a woman),
rushes out to receive us. Weve
turned up a day late after a flight
delay, but the welcome is warm if
a little exhausting. Were herded into
Rosalbas own kitchen, where she
lays on a feast of prosecco, pasta, and
gelato. We gulp it all down, blearyeyed but grateful, before making our
excuses and stumbling off to bed.
Its only the morning after that we
get a true sense of how glorious our
accommodation is. The sprawling
property is an old terracotta factory
which been divided into two separate lodgings: one for guests, the
other for Rosalba and her husband.
With a view so magnificent no photo
would do it justice, the villa sits in
the Tuscan hills, a patchwork of vineyards stretching for miles.
The rooms
Set back from the road, up a dusty
dirt track, Vecchia Fornace is ideal
for anyone looking to escape the
clamour of city life. The first thing
I notice when I wake is how quiet it
is, the only sound the gentle lap of
the infinity pool and the whisper of
the wind in the olive trees.
The villa is made up of three double bedrooms, an open-plan living
space, a kitchen, and the pool. Two
bedrooms are downstairs, side by side,
while the third is on the second floor,
reached by a metal staircase in the
garden. This room, though awkward
to access, is larger and comes with its
own kitchenette.
The decor is traditionally Tuscan:
orange brick walls, dark wooden
floors, beamed ceilings and terracotta tiles. Elements of the villas
previous life also sneak into its design; what is now a striking fireplace
in the centre of the living room was
once a melting pot, where workers
mixed earth and water together before baking (the propertys name
means old furnace).

dive in

The pool (above)

and a bedroom
(top right) at
Vecchia Fornace;
Siena Cathedral
(right) MAURIZIO
DEGL INNOCENTI/epa

Silk drapes, colourful rugs and a

collection of decorative suns and
moons add an arty feel.
The swimming pool is a short walk
from the rooms, across a garden dotted with sculptures (Rosalba and her
husband also own a sculpture park next
door, which is well worth a look). The
only slight drawback is that the pool
and the gardens are shared with the
owners, so privacy could be an issue.
No early morning skinny dips, if
thats your thing.
Out and about
You cant do Tuscany without a car.
Though remote, the villa is only a
30-minute drive to the medieval city
of Siena, with its beautiful cathedral.
The drive isnt dull either, sweeping
around hairpin bends and over hills
flanked by verdant vineyards.
One of the best ways to appreciate
the Tuscan hills is on horseback. Rendola Riding (00 39 055 97 07 045;

picture this john dooley

A few simple tricks will help

you get the lie of the land
Capturing awe-inspiring scenery can
be among the most visually challenging
endeavours that photographers face.
When confronted with a sweeping
panorama or dramatic landscape,
photographers can often feel visually
overwhelmed. Here are a few points to
ponder when facing this predicament.
Lines and curves are key visual
signifiers keep a lookout for horizons, sweeping curves, roads and tree

lines. They will guide your composition. Framing your image is key to
its success and effectiveness. What
you leave out is often as important as
what you choose to include.
To make your own visual statement, keep in mind the aspect ratio.
Visually forgiving with a wider angle
of view, 3:2 is the most common size
on DSLRs. On Micro Four Thirds the
size is 4:3, and on large format it is

In the frame: Visual signifiers

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

51

Globejotter
great getaways

travel

something to declare

Easter Escape

literary guide

Theres still time to make the most

of the Easter break. Little Barn, an
18th-century cottage converted
from an old cart shed near
Modbury, in Devon, is available
through West Country Cottages for
458 for a week, from Saturday
26 March, based on four sharing.
(westcountrycottages.co.uk).

Travel writer
Patrick Leigh
Fermor splices
the known world
with fantasy
getty images

Caribbean calling

British Airways has a sale on

first and business-class fares
until Tuesday, with discounts on
packages as well as flights. An
all-inclusive week at the four-star
Occidental Allegro Playacar Resort
in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, costs
1,699pp, including Club World
flights from Gatwick to Cancn on
18 June, and all-inclusive accommodation in a superior room
(ba.com).

Words with the power to

transport will endure

Sure-fire sun

rendolariding.com; one-hour rides

25/20), is a 40-minute drive away.
Our hack, led by the schools founder,
Jenny Bawtree, has us cantering
through vineyards and trotting
through villages. Jennys knowledge
of the area is encyclopaedic and she
drops in interesting facts as we ride.
For something a little boozier, head
to the Castello Di Brolio (00 39 0577
730220; baronericasoli.com). This is
a castle and vineyard which dates
back to the 10th century, belonging
to the Ricasoli family; Bettino Ricasoli, once prime minister of Italy, was
the first wine maker to produce chianti classico. The estate offers
wine-tasting for 5pp (4) at the
store, or 125pp (100) including a
private tour of the castle.

and a couple of restaurants.

They say food tastes better when
someone else cooks it, but Id argue
its all the more delicious if youve
cooked it yourself, under the guidance of an experienced chef. At
Ristorante Marlborghetto (00 39
339 303 4871; malborghetto.net) in
nearby Lecchi, chef Simone Murici
talks us through dishes including
pasta bolognese, a Tuscan bean dish,
and tiramisu.
Simone is a charming and patient
tutor, and, as a sommelier too, pairs
each dish with different delectable
wines. A three-hour cookery class
with lunch costs 95pp (75).

Etihad Holidays has a new

Sunshine Guarantee deal, where
travellers can book a five-night
break to Abu Dhabi between
1 May and 30 September and
receive a free repeat trip if
a single drop of rain falls. Be
warned, though, the average
rainfall in the emirate is zero for
11 months of the year. B&B at
the Centro Yas Island with flights
from Manchester on 1 June, costs
796pp (etihadholidays.co.uk).
Fine China

The food and drink

The nearest village to the villa,
Vagliagli, is a 10-minute drive away.
It has a chemist, a small grocery shop

The essentials
Vecchia Fornace, Tuscany, Italy. From
1,260 to 2,100 a week through To
Tuscany (0121 286 7782; to-tuscany
.com). The villa is in the grounds of
the Chianti Sculpture Park (00 39 0577
35 71 51; chiantisculpturepark.it).

Fancy spending a short break

panda-spotting? Head to China
with Wendy Wu Tours, which has
reduced the cost of its five-day
Ultimate Panda Weekend tour to
Chengdu to 1,395pp. Departing
on 1 June and 1 November, the
trip includes non-stop flights
from Heathrow with British
Airways, visas, accommodation
at the Tianfu Sunshine Hotel,
excursions and some meals
(wendywutours.com).

can guide your composition john dooley

5:4 both require more discipline to

make your composition shine. The
square format (or 1:1) has found new
life and a legion of admirers with the
popularity of iPhoneography and
Instagram.
On the subject of framing, many
digital cameras provide helpful
in-camera tips with explanations,
usually a series of overlay grids and
curves designed to help visualise the
scene the rule of thirds, the golden
ratio and the S Curve to name a few.
The Rule of Thirds is a frequent
starting point which will help steer
you down the right path. Simply place
your element or subject over the

intersecting points on the grid until

your composition feels right. S Curves
snaking through the image encourage
dynamic composition, while Leading
Lines draw the eye into the picture.
Dont be afraid to forgo a wide
angle lens for a telephoto lens
to isolate and emphasise certain
elements to convey mood and atmosphere. And while the scenery may
leave you breathless, remember to let
elements within the scene breathe.
A final point to consider; take time
to visualise the scene before looking
through the camera viewfinder
deliberation pays dividends when it
comes to engaging framing.

Sophie Lam
travel editor

Travel writing is not as easily

classifiable a genre as its benign
title suggests. From Homer to
Horatio Clare recipient of the
most recent Dolman Travel Book
of the Year award for his study of
contemporary life on the worlds
container ships it might convey
topics as diverse as political, social,
religious, or economic commentary,
art, exploration, food or music.
In the 19th century, pioneering
explorer Isabella Bird documented
her travels via the written word
and photography, journeys
prompted by ill health that took
her from her modest home in Edinburgh to Hawaii, Tibet, Australia,
Japan, Malaysia, India, Persia,
Russia and China. Her illuminating
writing was a big hit back at home,
but primarily sought to convey
the fundamental changes rippling
through the world at that time, as
well as the portrayal of countries
that would have been entirely
foreign to her audience.
More recently, Robert
Macfarlane has reinvigorated
the language of the natural
world, reminding us of the
beauty in the seemingly familiar,
from the landscapes of Cumbria
to the Cairngorms.
Then there is travel fiction
the imagination of Jonathan
Swift, Jules Verne, Mark Twain,
Douglas Adams, Jack Kerouac,
and, many would argue, Patrick
Leigh Fermor, that splices the
known world with fantasy, taking
the reader on a journey that is at
once familiar and foreign.

Even as mass tourism makes

the world more familiar and
increasingly homogenised, and
social media enables us all to
disseminate our own interpretation of the world, travel writing
is as relevant and important as
ever. These pages have demonstrated that fact since 1997
when the late Jeremy Atiyah (an
example of whose delightful,
lyrical style you can read in
todays New Review, page 35)
became the papers first travel
editor. Whether experiencing
Danish design heritage through
the eyes of Sir Terence Conran,
or the history of Japans bullet
trains via Stephen Bayleys
delightful and insightful prose,
our travel writing, I hope, has
transported you to places as yet
unvisited, or helped experience
the familiar through alternative
or veteran eyes.
Of course, it isnt restricted
to earnest chin-stroking. Editor
Lisa Markwells story about
taking her family on a cruise
could so easily have sneered at
the all-singing, all-dancing, mega
ship transporting them briskly
through the Caribbean, but
instead embraced the simplicity
of the journey, and the pleasures
of their collective enjoyment. Joe
Craigs recollection of a cricket
tour in India a series of mishaps
that included falling nipple
deep into an open sewer and
being dripped on from an open
window in Mumbai was comically wry, but never cynical.
While these are The
Independent on Sundays last
printed pages of travel writing,
this isnt journeys end. Well
continue to bring you the best
travel writing, news, advice and
ideas, both at independent
.co.uk/travel and via the digital
Daily Edition (independent
subscriptions.co.uk). I hope youll
join us for the ride.

52

classified

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

Italy

KIRKER HOLIDAYS
for discerning travellers

Kirker Holidays provides carefully crafted tailor-made holidays to over 140 destinations in 40 countries
- including 70 classic cities and 250 relaxing rural locations throughout Europe and beyond.
The Kirker Concierge has selected some of the cultural highlights of 2016 and each of our
short break holidays below includes pre-booked entrance to the exhibition as well as flights,
transfers and accommodation at one of our recommended hotels in the city.
This year promises major exhibitions of works by artists from Hieronymus Bosch to Francis
Bacon, as well as a whole series of events in Vienna marking the centenary of the death of
Emperor Franz Josef.There is something new happening every month, so now is the time to
plan your diary for the rest of the year. For advice and an immediate tailor-made quotation, call
of our experts or speak to the Kirker Concierge for on 020 7593 2283.
Prices are per person and include flights, return transfers, accommodation with breakfast, entrance to the
exhibitions described, Kirker Guide Notes to restaurants, museums and sightseeing and the services of
the Kirker Concierge.

Madrid

Monaco

Bosch The Centenary Exhibition at the Prado

31 May - 11 September

Francis Bacon, Monaco and French Culture

at the Grimaldi Forum 2 July - 4 September

In collaboration with the Noordbrabants Museum in Hertogenbosch this major exhibition

marking 500 years since Hieronymus Boschs death will feature over 60 works in the
Museo del Prados dedicated Jernimos building.The highlight of the exhibition will be the
outstanding Triptych of the Temptation of Saint Anthony.

Bacon was undoubtedly one of the finest British painters of the 20th
century and this fascinating exhibition will feature a number of his
works that were influenced by French culture during his time living
in Monaco and Paris. It is a great opportunity to see some of his
major triptychs as well as a number of rarely seen pieces.

De las Letras **** Superior

Columbus **** Superior

Located on the Grand Via, this stylish hotel has a terrace

with wonderful views, a popular restaurant and 103
comfortable bedrooms.
3 night price from 639 from 31 May - 30 June
4 nights for the price of 3 from 11 July - 31 August
- price from 595, saving 72

Francis Bacon: Portrait of

Michel Leiris, 1976.
The Estate of Francis Bacon.

Includes Paseo del Arte pass offering entrance to the exhibition at the Prado as well as the
Thyssen and the Reina Sofia museums

Located in the quiet harbour of Fontvielle, the Columbus hotel has

real substance to accompany its unquestionable style.The breakfast
room has a terrace overlooking the Princess Grace Rose Garden and
there is a gym and a private beach a short distance away.
3 night price from 789

Includes Passport to Monte-Carlo & helicopter transfers on arrival or departure,

and entrance tickets to the exhibiton

St Petersburg

Vienna

Catherine the Great and Stanislaw August: Two Enlightened

Monarchs at the Hermitage Museum - Until 21 May

Emperor Franz Josef: Man & Monarch

at the Schnbrunn Palace 16 March - 27 November

Taking place in the grand Nicholas Hall of the Winter Palace and featuring over 150
works of fine art from the personal collections of Catherine the Great of Russia and King
Stanislaw August of Poland.The exhibition displays how Russian and Polish culture was
influenced by the great Western European painters of the time.

2016 marks the centenary of the death of the great Habsburg Emperor Franz Josef.The focus
of this exhibition will be on his life as a monarch; from his childhood through the major events
of his life.The Schnbrunn Palace is located just outside the centre of Vienna and is worth
spending the whole day there enjoying the other state rooms and magnificent gardens.

Jean Honor Fragonard, Stolen Kiss

Second half of the 1870s
The State Hermitage

Hotel Angleterre **** Superior

The Angleterre offers comfortable and stylish

accommodation in a superb location in the heart of the
city.There are 192 bedrooms, a brasserie, a fitness centre,
small plunge pool and a sauna.
4 nights for the price of 3 from 1 April - 5 May
- price from 996, saving 85
3 night price from 1,109 from 6 May - 15 July

Includes Russian visa service and entrance to the Hermitage including the exhibition
ask for details of private guided tours

Speak to an expert or
request a brochure:

020 7593 2283

www.kirkerholidays.com

quote NIN

Altstadt **** Superior

The Altstadt is 10 minutes walk from theVolkstheater

and the spectacular Museum Quartier.There is an
attractive bar, 42 comfortable rooms and an Andy
Warhol print in the lobby along with many other
works of art throughout this delightful first class
pensione-style hotel.
3 night price from 598

Schnbrunn Palace

Includes entrance to the Schnbrunn Palace and the exhibition

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

53

travel

water world

The Aria (left);

birdwatching
(top right); riding
along the river
(right) Richard
Mark Dobson

PERU

Drifting into the lungs of the world

From the luxury of an upmarket expedition vessel, Nick Boulos sails through the Amazon to witness life at the waters edge
Eagle

iranha fishing isnt like

regular fishing. Theres
no sophisticated equipment (just a short bamboo rod) or any wriggly
maggots to contend with (a chunk
of filet mignon will do just fine).
Then theres the technique to master. Pretty simple, really.
The trick is to keep the line perfectly still and pull it in as quick as
a flash, said naturalist guide Daniel. With that in mind, I stand by
the side of our small boat in the
middle of the Peruvian Amazon
and simply wait. The minutes tick
by but nothing. Then, in an instant,
there is a heavy tug on my line that
almost yanks it out of my hand. I
haul the rod backwards and a sharptoothed, metallic bodied and
red-bellied fish comes flying out,
landing on the floor of the boat with
a slap and to squeals from my fellow fishermen and women.
Julio steps forward to retrieve it
and give us a closer look at the
Amazons most feared resident
before returning the deadly predator to the water.
My companions and I were not
on any specialist anglers getaway,
but a unique journey through the
worlds most revered rainforest.
Despite common perception, a trip
to the Amazon neednt mean sleeping in hammocks, cooking beans
on a campfire and endlessly swatting mosquitoes. Seeking an
experience high in both adventure
and luxury I boarded the Aria, a
river expedition vessel belonging
to Aqua Expeditions. It is more

Weather p2 puff

olished than most hotels: its 16 Eagle

p
Crossword p2 puff
modern and spacious suites have
Weather p2 puff
recently been enhanced by Peruvian
Eagle
Letters | social network | emails
architect Jordi Puig. Theres
an
Crossword p2 puff
onboard masseuse and a fine-dining
Weather p2 puff
menu created by Pedro Schiaffino,
one of Perus rising culinary
| emails
Letters |stars
social network
Crossword p2 puff
Navigation
its all Amazonian
snails and
snakefruit pie.
Letters | social network | emails
What else might
you need in the
depths of the Amazon? Perhaps an
Navigation
on-deck hot tub the perfect place
to sip a pisco sour as you watch pink
Navigation
river dolphins swim past.
But while Travel
all these five-star frills are welcome,
theyre not what brings people all
the way to the lungs of the world. Its
the flora and fauna, the impenetra- Travel
ble wilderness and indigenous tribes
that make the Amazon so captivating
Travel
to outsiders.
The four-night cruise takes us
through the Pacaya Samira National
Reserve, a protected patch of wilderness thats the size of Wales. It is
home to 527 species of birds, 102
mammals and 94 riverside floodplain
communities.
We set off from a dock close to
Iquitos, the worlds largest isolated
Eagle a
city (it is unconnected by road),
two-hour flight north-east of the capiWeather
p2 puff
tal, Lima. On our first morning
we
set
off on a small motorised boat and
p2 puff
thunder along the Ucayali,Crossword
a waterway whose name means canoe
breaker in the local tribal
language.
Letters | social
network | emails
I keep a close watch for floating logs
and submerged rocks but Im soon
distracted by the show unfolding
before us. The weird and wonderful
Navigation
wildlife soon presents itself: anteaters
and anacondas; swooping macaws,

ECUADOR

Amazon
Iquitos

Maranon

Pacaya Samira
National
Reserve

Pucallpa

BRAZIL

Ucayali

PERU

Lima

200 miles

TRAVEL
ESSENTIALS

Getting there

There are no direct flights

from the UK to Iquitos. KLM (020
7660 0293; klm.com) flies from
Heathrow to Lima via Amsterdam
from 479 return. Onward
connections with Peruvian
Airlines (00 511 716 6000;
peruvian.pe) start at 102 return.
Cruising there

Journey Latin America (020

8600 188; journeylatinamerica
.co.uk) offers a seven-night trip
to Peru, including three nights
full-board on the Aria Amazon
(aquaexpeditions.com) from
3,441pp. The price includes all
flights, excursions, transfers,
accommodation and some meals.
More information

peru.travel

once heavily hunted by tribes for their

blue and yellow feathers and, down
at ground level, caimans and giant
jet-black dragonflies with pulsating
tomato-red tails that hover over huge
waterlilies like helicopters.
Venturing down channels that narrow with every turn, a three-toed
sloth dangling from a branch with
its long gangly arms keeps tabs on
us. The Amazon is considered a
young river, especially compared
with the Nile or the Mississippi, said
Daniel. But it has a charm unlike
any other. You can put your hands
on a tree and feel its spirit. The Amazon cannot be explained.
Daniel grew up in this ecological
playground but left, aged seven,
when his father got a job in Iquitos.
We sailed there with eight in a raft,
eating nothing but bananas. It was
hard adjusting to life in a city. My
dad would shout at me for catching
the bus without wearing shoes.
Waiting for us on a muddy patch
of the embankment was Seor Lauro,
one of the reserves guides, who gives
up his time to lead tourists on jungle
walks in exchange for a fishing permit. He leads the way deep into the
forest, hacking through long grass
and twisted vines that dangle from
canopies several hundred feet above.
We tread carefully, mindful of the
trees studded with sharp spikes and
the armies of fire ants that scurry
across the forest floor on urgent insect business. Fire ants mean rain
is coming, Seor Lauro explains.
In a small clearing, he reaches for a
vine that grazed the ground, about as
thick as a salami. He gives it a hard pull

and pauses for several moments before

deeming it safe. We are beckoned forward, and one by one, we swim through
the jungle like Tarzan.
On our journey back to Aria, we
pass the seen-better-days Valentino
commuter ferry which sails for seven
days from Pucallpa to Iquitos for the
princely sum of $20 (14). Hundreds
of hammocks hang from every available space.
The rest of the Ucayali, which
together with the Maranon river
flows into the Amazon, was largely
quiet, aside from the odd fishing boat
skippered by smiling locals proudly
showing off their buckets of catfish.
Fishing is a way of life for the 40,000
people who continue to call the
Peruvian Amazon home. Though the
arrival of Europeans in the 16th century threatened the centuries-old
traditions, dozens of tiny settlements
remain along the banks of the river.
Life has changed somewhat but
its simplicity endures. A game of
football, played out with vigour on
a dusty patch of grass, was in the final
minutes when we arrive at the offgrid village of Huaysi (population
80). On the other side of the pitch is
a convenience store: a green-painted
shack raised on stilts and reached
via a wobbly plank of wood over a
deep ditch. The owner, Raphael, is
hard at work stocking the two shelves
with cans of evaporated milk and
neon nail varnish. Its a hard life
here, he says, we are washed out
every year by floods and have to
rebuild, but Im proud that my home
is somewhere that people dream
about visiting.

54

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

classified
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THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

55

travel
greece

Island cuisine
thats cooked
by the book
Nikolaos Tselementes was Greeces Mrs Beeton.
Juliet Rix lifts the lid on his Sifnos birthplace

n a pretty little Cycladic village their most famous son but locals are
of whitewashed houses, along at pains to point out that Tselementes
a narrow crazy-paved alley be- did not create Sifnian cooking; it crehind a blue-domed church, is ated him. Sifnos has a culinary
the birthplace of Greek cook- tradition dating back into the mists
ing as we know it. This traditional of time and Sifnos time goes back
home, its light-grey door flanked a very long way.
by huge palm trees, was the home
Centuries, even millennia-old,
of Nikolaos Tselementes, whose paths criss-cross this hilly island,
name is in Greek synonymous with offering commanding views as well
cookbook.
as an insight into the islands natural
Tselementes started life here on larder. The aroma of herbs thyme,
the island of Sifnos, little known in marjoram, sage wafts up as I brush
the UK but a popular summer past. Caper bushes erupt from dry
retreat for discerning Greeks. The stone walls and olive trees drop their
island is regarded as a cut above, black gems on to the path. Mountain
an attitude that may have begun as goats appear and disappear over
far as the sixth century BC when impossible ridges. They provide milk
gold and silver mines made this one for the local cheeses (soft mizithra,
of the richest places in the ancient and hard manoura preserved in wine)
world rich enough to build the and meat for traditional mastelo.
ground-breaking (and partly surAt Sifnos Farm, in the stone dining
viving) carved marble Sifnian room hand-built last winter by
Treasury at Delphi. Visitors also farmer and cook George Narlis, we
come, of course, for the food linked watch as he throws lamb, his own
to Greeces most celebrated chef. red wine and a fistful of dill, that he
Tselementes moved from Sifnos has just picked, into a large, unfired
to Athens before working in France, red clay dish, a mastelo, before
Italy and the US, but he often returned putting it in the oven to cook long
to his island home and is still remem- and slow. He does the Blue Peter trick,
bered by the oldest of the islands producing one he made earlier, and
2,600 residents as the man who I enjoy delicious lamb that falls from
cooked for them when they were the bone, packed with flavour.
hungry children during the Second
We eat his chickpea soup too; a
World War. By this time he was hearty mix flavoured with olive oil,
Eagle
already famous, having published onion and bay that is Sifnoss Sunday
the first Greek cookbook in 1910 (until special. Put in the wood oven on SatWeather p2 puff
then cooking was an oral tradition)
urday night it is ready to eat after mass
and his signature work in 1920.
on Sunday. The chickpeas come from
Crossword p2 puff
Just as no English kitchen used
to Georges dry farm. While most
be complete without a Mrs Beeton, agriculture in Sifnos is irrigated, half
Letters
Eagle| social network | emails
so, to this day, every Greek
kitchen of Georges smallholding has been
has its Tselementes. Like Beeton, his returned to methods Tselementes
Weather
puff
Cooking Guide is full
ofp2 tips
and would recognise. Using ancient local
advice as well as his signature reci- seed-types that require little water,
Crossword p2 puff Greek
Navigation
pes which combine traditional
George produces fruit and vegetables
cooking with elements from else- that are smaller than wet produce
Letters
| social network | emailsFrance.
where in Europe,
particularly
It was Tselementes who brought
bchamel to Greece, adding it to,
among other things, moussaka.
Is your cooking stillNavigation
influenced Travel
TRAVEL
by Tselementes? I ask the imagiESSENTIALS
native young chef-owner of
Drimoni, an attractive modern
Greek restaurant perched above
the islands tiny capital, Apollonia.
He answers by producing
his own
Getting there
Travel
copy of the Cooking Guide and says,
Ferries from Piraeus (Athens)
as if I should not have needed to
to Sifnos take around three hours
ask, Yes. He was the best.
(50/40pp, cheaper on slower
boats). It can also be accessed by
Some of todays Greek chefs
think Tselementess variations on
ferry from Santorini in around the
traditional dishes were vandalism;
same time.
No Sifnian would be so rude about

Eagle

Weather p2 puff

Crossword p2 puff

On the hoof: (clockwise from

top)
goat, Sifnos; Nikolaos Tselementes; pastitsio; making mastelo Juliet Rix; Alamy
Letters
| social mountain
network | emails

Paths criss-cross this hilly

island, offering an insight
into its natural larder

Navigation

The aroma of herbs

thyme, marjoram, sage
wafts up as I brush past
Eagle

Weather p2 puff

Crossword p2 puff

Letters | social network | emails

Aegean
Sea

Navigation

Ferry
to Athens

Kamares
! Artemonas

but more environmentally friendly

and 10 times as tasty.
Sifnian flavour, locals tell me, also
comes from the clay pots they cook
in, pots that have been produced here
since before Christ. There used to
be more than 90 potteries on this 74sq
km island; today there are 18 and clay
continues to be extracted from the
ground some 600 metres inland of
the main tourist beach, Platis Gialos.
Here, in his grandfathers workshop,
I find Frantzeskos Lemonis at his
wheel. A potter since the age of 11, he
conjures clods of clay into large elegant jugs and solid cooking pots.
Piled up next to his kiln, he points

Travel

touring there

Juliet Rix hired a car from

Proto Moto Car (00 30 22840 31793;
protomotocar.gr) which offers
vehicles from 20 (16) per day.
Staying there

Apollonia

Travel

SIFNOS
Platis
Gialos

2 miles

Inn Athens (00 30 69471

29810; innathens.com). Doubles
from 90 (71), including breakfast.
Petali Village Hotel, Sifnos
(00 30 22840 33024; hotelpetali
.com). Doubles from 90, including
breakfast.

out the squat-lidded chickpea pot, the

bowl-like mastelo, and the white
straight-sided giouvetsi used for
almost everything else. He makes
little clay stoves too, and the typical
vase-like chimneys that decorate
rooftops across the island.
Many of these are now ornamental,
but by no means all. In Artemonas
Sifnoss second town I find the elderly
Mrs Theodorou bent over her stone
hearths. In her immaculate little houseshop, she cooks traditional sweets:
sesame pasteli, almond and honey
amigdalota and halvathopita, a subtle
nut-nougat between two wafers.
I am munching some of these delicacies on my last morning with a pot
of Sifnian mountain tea (made from
a kind of sage), enjoying a last look
over Sifnoss pretty capital and its
monastery-topped mountains, when
the phone rings. The wind is too
strong, I am told; there will be no ferry
today. This being winter, no one is
phased and I am immediately invited
to supper by a sympathetic couple.
Here, I am treated to authentic Sifnian home-cooking: caper salad,
rocket with pomegranate, island
cheeses and pastitsio, pasta with
mince and bchamel sauce. Sitting
open on the middle of the table next
to grandfathers sweet raisin wine, is
naturally Tselementes book.

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THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

Dateline 2049

A millennial sees what life

is like on a state pension
P58

Wealth check

A bigger home is needed but

the savings are depleted
P60

The future goes home

What will the housing market

look like 30 years from now?
P62

MONEY
Giving is free
but fraudsters
like charities
Is helping a cause without spending a penny
too good to be true? Felicity Hannah reports

o if one half of every soc i a l m e d i a pa ge i s

crammed with pictures
of peoples babies and
cats then the other half
is bursting with charitable requests
and campaigns. Many of those are
direct fundraising appeals and requests for sponsorship, but others
suggest, enticingly, that its possible to support good causes without
paying out a penny ourselves.
Thats an appealing notion, especially for the most generous
nation in Europe. The Charities Aid
Foundation (CAF) recently found
that no one in Europe gives more
than the UK, with 75 per cent of
Britons donating to charity in 201314, compared with an international
average of only 31 per cent.
Unfortunately, however, socalled good causes are not always
what they claim to be.
The good
There are ways to show support
and give online that do not cost
money. Websites such as Greatergood.com use sponsorship to allow
visitors to make a free daily donation to global causes including
hunger, breast cancer research and
autism support. By visiting the page
and clicking donate, web users
prompt sponsors to make small donations but ones that add up. Since
its launch in 1999, more than $35m
(24m) has been raised this way.
The UNs World Food Programme created the not-for-profit
website Freerice.com, where answering simple quiz questions
triggers donations of 10 grains of
rice a go from the sponsors listed
around the page. Again these are
small gifts that quickly build up;

players have raised enough to feed

more than 5 million people since the
sites launch in 2007.
Shoppers can also make regular
purchases via websites that donate
their affiliate fee to good causes.
These include Giveasyoulive.com,
which has donated more than 6.8m
so far at no extra cost to the buyer.
However, Chris Allwood, head of
product development at the CAF,
says its essential to keep such support in perspective. The free click
here to give 5p websites dont represent a significant proportion of
donations, he says. Its a bit of an
anomaly. The vast majority of charitable giving comes from individuals
who are giving a regular amount
every month.
Meanwhile, with other social
media users trying to support charities for free by sharing pages and
campaigns without making a donation, such clicktivism has been
criticised for not being backed up
by real donations. It has even been
suggested that by making people feel
that they have supported a charity,
it actually lessens the chances they
will hand over hard cash.
However, Mr Allwood explains
that there is value to such social sharing: Charities use social media as a
way of deepening their engagement
with people helping them understand what they are about and what
they do. So its certainly valuable. By
sharing it, youre not just sharing the
link, you are also bestowing your approval and trust on that charity. And
people are more likely to respond to
their friends suggestions.
A lot of modern fundraising is
also about building momentum,
spreading the word and getting people excited about trying to create a

Giving is easier in the digital era, but the personal touch reassured people that their cash was going to a good cause getty

The vast majority of giving

is from individuals who are
donating a regular amount
A Facebook page has a
value in the amount of likes
and shares it accumulates

change. Some charities would see a

core part of their work as advocacy,
but more traditional ones want
money to pursue whatever change
it is they are trying to create.
The bad and the ugly
So it is possible to do some good
without spending money, but its also
possible to be suckered into hoaxes
and scams. There are plenty of Facebook pages and campaigns that
fraudulently claim: Share this image
and Facebook will donate $1 to starving children. And there are other
social media profiles that say they
will donate for every interaction but
are sketchy about how the money
will be spent.
Some of these fraudulent pages
are even known to have stolen images of sick children from genuine
fundraising efforts in order to build
up likes and profit from a popular
page. And raising awareness in these
cases benefits no one except the
scammers. Tony Sampson, reader in
digital culture at the University of
East London, explains: These pages
can be hoaxes, but more often than
not, this latest kind of scam spam
[called like-farming] is all about
making money fraudulently from

the economies that have developed

around friending, liking and sharing
on social media. A Facebook page
has a value established through the
amount of likes and shares it
accumulates.
And there are other more sinister
incentives for scammers to garner
attention from social media users
who like sharing good causes. By
drawing attention to so-called giveways or viral videos, attracting likes
and shares, they can legitimise the
page so that when its passed on, people trust it, warns Dr Sampson. It
then becomes a honey trap for further scams.
So for example, you click on an
offer for a free iPhone shared with
you via a friend, which leads you to
divulge personal information or
leads to a link on another page that
triggers the downloading of malware
leading to fraud.
Sharing information about good
causes online or making low-effort
donations can provide real support
for genuine charities. Unfortunately,
sharing such information without
checking whether its genuine can
help fraudsters and increase the
chances of friends being sucked into
a criminals sphere.

58

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

MONEY | saving

One month
of managing
on the new
state pension
With a new regime starting, and millions saving
little if anything, Kate Hughes found out if her
generation could live on what the state provides

Solve all
Major Crime
Live in a
Safer world
solveallmajorcime.com

irst things first, a few

clicks at gov.uk/state
-pension-age confirms
my expected retirement
date March 2049. That
looks more like a serial number than
my 68th birthday. Having paid my
first income tax at 18, it means Ill
have been working for almost 50
years. It also means, at 35, that the
state asserts I am barely a third of
the way though.
But as one of the older members
of the millennial generation in a
developed nation, its not unreasonable to think that I may live to be 100,
110, or even older. At least thats what
has been suggested by experts at the
Milken Institutes Center for the Future of Aging in California, along
with numerous other think-tanks.
My 50 years worth of national insurance contributions would need
to fund at least 32 years of older age
and possibly up to 52 years worth.
In other words, unless the retirement age changes significantly in
the next few decades, even my generation could be taking out for
longer than they put in.
Even though the UKs 30-somethings expect to retire at 65, and are
prepared to work until 67 at the
very latest ,according to data from
the insurer Scottish Widows, I
doubt Ill be able to draw from
whatever state pension pot is left
until well into my 70s.
But working out precisely how
much well get is a huge headache
and the reason why organisations
pushing the nation to save more are
criticising the Government. Women
born bang in the middle of the baby
boom years and now in their early
60s have been hit particularly hard,
with confusing and badly communicated changes sprung upon them
shortly before they had expected to
be able to stop work.

Partly in response, the new state

pension, at a flat rate of a maximum
155.65 a week per person (based on
national insurance contributions)
will come into effect next month.
That would be just shy of 16,200
between me and my husband each
year if we were finishing work today.
Unfortunately, thats also long way
short of the 23,500 UK workers
think their household will need to
be comfortable in old age.
Week one
Despite this abstract threat of a significant shortfall, Im feeling fairly
positive. Im not a big spender. Fast
fashion isnt part of my vocabulary
and I loathe shopping. I even have
an allotment. So Im not sure how
many of my everyday habits are really going to be under threat.
I dismiss child-related costs for
obvious reasons, not least that if Im
still paying for nappies when my
daughter is in her late 30s, something
has gone horribly wrong.
But after taking into account my
half of the council tax, energy bills,
insurance premiums, mobile, broadband and Sky subscription etc, Im
left with 109. A rock-bottom fuel
gauge takes my budget down to 74
for the next seven days. And theres
nothing for dinner.
Despite switching to a discount
retailer, religiously sticking to the
shopping list and spending hours
comparing prices by weight, my
share of the food bill for a weeks
worth of shopping is still 27.18.
That 46.82 left over is 7.80 a day
for the rest of this week. I dont spend
anything for three days staying in
or walking the dog and going without the usual shop=bought coffee
so I can afford to have lunch with
a friend on Saturday. The bill comes
to 26.90 and I end the week with
19.92 for the holiday fund.

So far, so good. But for todays 30somethings there could already be

a massive problem that would leave
them destitute before theyve even
started. Earlier this year the Halifax
reported that a quarter of first-time
homebuyers whose average age is
now anywhere from 31 to 34 depending on who you talk to are taking
out 35-year mortgages.
The Money Advice Service estimates todays pensioners are battling
with 8bn of debt, including mortgage, loan and credit card borrowing.
Separate figures point to average
personal debt in retirement of more
than 7,000. And the housing crisis
could mean the figures are far higher
by the time my generation stop work.
If I had loan repayments to find from
this months money, Id already be
dead in the water.
Week two
Last month I wouldnt have really
blinked at a relatives birthday. But
even with a small gift, joining her for
a pub meal eats up 42 of my 109.
Then four lightbulbs all go at once.
And theyre spotlights at 3 a pop,
even if I shop around online.
Thats 55 for the next six days,
including food shopping. Its tight
but I think it can be done, until I
realise were out of washing powder,
dishwasher tablets and shampoo,
adding 9 to the shopping bill. Suddenly, for the first time since being
a student, Im weighing up whether
to buy the products I can afford right
now, or going for better-value larger
packs that cost more upfront.
I had started this trial confident of
my ability to budget hard and get by,
safe in the knowledge that Id once
lived for quite some time on 8 a
week. But Id forgotten about the
constant background stress that
came with it the embarrassment,
fatigue and, more than anything, the

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

59

comment | MONEY

They drown us in
detail but your
cash does matter
The Budget reaction showed why we sometimes
switch off. But personal finance truly is real life

Kate Hughes

personal finance editor

W
retiring type

Kate Hughes
living on the state
pension at her
home in Taunton
Abbie Trayler-Smith

creeping fear that this was how life

would always be.
At the end of the week, despite
having the figures on loneliness in
old age to hand, I find myself trying
to get out of plans for a night out with
friends because I know I wont have
the money.
Week three
At the start of week one, there was a
little food in the cupboard. It wasnt
anything that would make a proper
meal but all the store cupboard
essentials were there oil, herbs and
spices, rice, flour. But now theyre
starting to run low and this weeks
food shop is 39.45 as a result.
At the same time, the car goes in
for an MOT and I spend far longer
than normal trying to work out what
the final bill might be. The we found
a few small things conversation
could have been much worse but
those repairs still wipe out the rest
of my budget and the holiday fund
from week one.
Its that 19.92 lost holiday cash
that grates more than anything. A
third of the population want to spend
more time travelling when they retire, says Scottish Widows, and Im
no exception.
A little money set aside every
week was enough for me to kid
myself that if I had to live on the state
pension, I might still be able to spend
some of my new-found freedom
doing the things I love. But its clear
that I wouldnt have a chance.
Week four
Food and fuel take up most though
not all of this weeks budget, although whether that will still be the
case in the decades to come as highly debatable as dwindling fossil fuels
and a slow uptake in alternatives
are likely could mean energy and
food bills account for a much larger

proportion of our disposable income. For retirees on the state

pension, there is unlikely to be much
wriggle room.
Speaking of which, it occurs to me
that in the past four weeks nothing
financially dreadful has happened.
The washing machine didnt blow
up, neither of us died (the average
funeral now costs 3,700) and it
wasnt Christmas. In January I got a
parking ticket. I wouldnt have been
able to pay it this month.
Of course, thats not quite true. I
could just slide into an overdraft,
whack any extra costs on the credit
card or sit on a bill until I go back
to normal in a few days time. Writing about this months somewhat
fictional tight budget could easily
be construed as patronising - the
social experiment of a middle-class
middle earner who has been saving
into a private pension since she was
22. The truth is, I know this wont
be my reality.
For my age and my income, of
around 30,000, I need to be saving
270 a month including tax relief.
As of this week, despite other money
pressures (like being made redundant), thats precisely how much is
going in because I never, ever want
to go back to the life of financial fear
I once knew. Especially if I knew that
was it for the rest of my life.
But with more than half my generation not saving nearly enough
for retirement, and a fifth of the
country making no provision at all,
a couple of napkin-based calculations suggest my four-week
experiment will be the relentlessly
restrictive 30-year reality for
around 1.2 million of my peers. This
is the age group with the greatest
opportunity to change all that,
though with whatever cash is left
after the small matter of getting by
in the present. I wish them luck.

rite about money

I never wanted
to do that. My 13year-old self was
going to be a war
correspondent, thank you. Or anything that would make me feel a
tiny bit like a real- life Lois Lane.
I can confidently say I never had
a daydream about covering the
Budget. Or the Bank of England
base rate.
Money has always been top of
the list of necessary subjects to get
through on a Sunday. Last weeks
endless stream of analysis of the
contents of that red briefcase
(worth about a grand, by the way)
has certainly proved that.
But somewhere among the chatter about pensions, commodities,
standard variable rates and switching energy suppliers sits real life
and that is important.
When George Osborne stood up
on Wednesday and leant on the despatch box, he had our present and
our futures in his hands. The problem was, as with all Budgets, it was
not until afterwards that we found
out what that future looks like. The
second the Chancellor resumed his
seat, an army of analysts experts
in the narrowest of tax, economics
and finance fields and plenty of
opposition party spin doctors mobilised like a rapid-response
taskforce to pick over the Budget
document in a bid to work out what
had actually just happened.
It was a treasure hunt for the
most damaging tweaks and stealth
moves that could have an impact
on our lives for decades after Mr
Osborne has retired to the Home
Counties.
In fact, one of the most significant changes was in the small print
and it took even this band of elite
operatives two days to work out
what it meant. It concerned public
sector pensions. With calculators
steaming, the Liberal Democrats
warned that plans in the Budget to
shift around 2bn worth of public
service pension costs from the
Treasury to employers such as the
NHS, the armed forces and teachers. The Lib Dems claimed this will
have to be drawn from front-line
services cash.

However, important though this

news was, its becoming clear that
the greatest impact of last weeks
Budget may be felt in the financial
behaviour that some of Mr Osbornes
big ideas will encourage.
The Lifetime Isa is a prime example, warns Steve Webb, the former
pensions minister and now director
of policy at the insurer Royal London. The Government claims that
the Lifetime Isa is a vehicle for young
people to save first for a house and
then for their retirement, he says.
But with the government bonus
being switched off at 50, the Lifetime
Isa starts to look very unsuitable for
retirement compared with a workplace pension.
There is a real danger that the
new product will mean many young
people will not start saving for their
retirement until their 30s or beyond,
and will struggle to make up for lost
time. The price of helping young

With the government bonus

being switched off at 50, the
Lifetime Isa looks unsuitable
There is a risk that many
people wont start saving for
retirement until their 30s
people to buy a house should not be
that they have to work until they
drop because of inadequate retirement saving.
Of course no amount of harrumphing over todays last-ever Independent
on Sunday will alter the grandiose
plans of politicians. And I worry that
this unravelling will detract from the
details that will make the biggest difference to our money and our lives.
So here, as a parting shot, are some
money tips for real life, stripped of
over-analysis and spin:
Yes, pay attention to the experts.
But then take your own action.
Save as much as you can for old
age its not fun but its vital.
Always seek out better deals
dont let anyone swindle you because
you cant be bothered.
Read the small print.
Look for underlying value, not
temporary trends.
Fiercely protect your most valuable asset your personal data.
Buy personal insurance if youre
anything other than child-free and
single.
Then spend anything youve got
left on the frivolous, stupid, fun stuff
youve always wanted to do.
Good luck. It has been a privilege.
[email protected]

60

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

MONEY | advice
WEALTH CHECK Esther Shaw
THE patient

We want to buy a bigger house

but weve wiped out our savings
Laura Mollard and her family need to rebuild their finances quickly after booking an exotic holiday

aura Mollard and her family are keen to move to a

larger home, but a family
holiday to California this
Easter has wiped out
their savings.
However, there could be good
news too. They are planning to put
their current three-bed home in
Whitefield, Manchester on the
market after they return, and Laura
believes it has increased in value by
30,000 or 40,000 since they bought
it in 2004 for 89,000.
When we come to sell, we will
owe around 60,000 on the mortgage, adds Laura, 34, a business
analyst who lives with her husband,
Chris, 33, and their two children
Jake, eight, and Lily three. This will
leave us around 60,000 to 70,000
in equity to use as a deposit for our
next house.
The Mollards are keen to stay in
the Whitefield area, but hope for
three double bedrooms, a garden and
garage in the 200,000 to 230,000
price range.
On top of the 60,000 to 70,000
we have in equity to use as a deposit,
we hope to be able to save a bit more.
The problem is, after paying for the
holiday, our savings will essentially
be down to zero. Cashflow will be
tight for a few months while we focus
on slotting away as much as we can
for the house-move.
That said, through a combination
of bonus payments and saving hard
for a few months, Laura and her husband think they may be able to amass
10,000 before moving, ideally, in
the summer.
They would love to have more in
savings, but have been paying nursery fees for the past eight years.
These fees have been like a second
mortgage, says Laura. This is the
reason weve had to put off the house
move until now.
It is also the reason why Lauras
retirement savings are in jeopardy.
Despite starting to save for her older
age at just 17, she had to stop when
the nursery costs kicked in.
I now have a new pension with
my employer and pay in 1 per cent
of my earnings each month around
24, she says. My aim is to increase

Banks should not refuse us a refund if were duped by scammers

Sarah Pennells
savvy money

hip and PIN technology was

introduced on
credit and debit
cards just over 10
years ago. The idea was that
using a personal number and a
chip in the card would reduce
fraud and it did: almost 130m

was lost to counterfeit cards in

2004, compared with 48m in
2014 (the most recent year for
which the UK Cards Association
has figures).
But while criminals have found
it trickier to clone cards, or to use
ones they have stolen, they
havent exactly decided to stop
bothering with financial crime.
Figures show that remote banking fraud phone, mobile and
online banking scams was up by
37 per cent in the first six months
of last year to almost 66m.
In theory, if youre a victim of
fraud, your bank or card provider
should refund any money thats
been stolen. But if youve been
tricked into sending money to a

criminal or giving them access to

your bank account, the refund
might be refused even if the
scam is quite sophisticated.
Now I believe we all have to
take responsibility for our own financial security and I wouldnt
expect someone to buy me a new
car if Id left the doors unlocked
and the keys in the ignition. But I
dont think people who have been
conned out of thousands of
pounds because the fraudster was
able to imitate their bank should
be left to bear the loss alone.
Recently, the Financial Ombudsman Service highlighted a
rise in vishing, where a fraudster pretends to be from the bank
or police, tells the customer that

their money is at risk of being stolen and persuades them to

transfer the cash into a safe account which is anything but safe.
It turns out that the bank may not
be obliged to reimburse the customer for the money lost if the
customer made the transfer.
Banks are keen to tell us that
theyd never ask people to transfer money to a safe account, and
in the cold light of day thats logical. But in the heat of the
moment (especially before this
issue was so widely publicised), I
can understand why someone
might fall for it.
If youre rolling your eyes, thinking sucker, how about this?
Fraudsters are increasingly turning

Scammers are sophisticated in how

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

61

in brief | MONEY

this, but this will have to wait until

weve moved house and our finances
have settled down.
THE CURE
Our panel of financial experts agree
that saving towards the new house
purchase has to be a priority. However, they also urge Laura not to neglect saving for retirement, and to
act now to draw up a will..
Save hard
Patrick Connolly from the adviser
Chase de Vere advises Laura to save
hard both for her immediate and
longer-term goals.
At present, it seems she is focused solely on the short term, he
says. But the longer she leaves her
longer-term objectives, the harder it
will be to catch up though the end
of nursery fees should now make a
difference.
And their plan to buy a new home
this summer will only work if they
are disciplined, Mr Connolly warns.
For many people, the best way to
save is to set up a monthly direct
debit from their current account to
their savings account shortly after
payday; that way, they will have
hardly notice the money touch their
current account.
Mr Connolly adds that once they
have moved into their new house,
Laura and Chris will need to focus
again on building their financial
reserves. Everybody should have
available cash savings to cater for
short-term emergencies, he says.
Equally, while it is good that
Laura is paying into a pension, she
is currently contributing far too little. She needs to up the amount she
pays in quite considerably as soon
as she can afford to.

The longer she

leaves her longerterm objectives,
the harder it will
be to catch up
Apart from the
deposit and home
loan, they will need
to budget for fees
and legal costs

Plan for property purchase

Once Laura and Chris have a clear
idea of their current homes market
value, they will be able to pin down
exactly how much equity will be
available for the new purchase, says
David Hollingworth of the broker
London & Country.
By that stage, they will also no
doubt have a better idea of the price
of their new property, he adds. In
addition to the deposit and mortgage, they will need to budget for the
other ancillary costs, such as estate

agents fees, survey fees, legal costs

and removal costs.
Mr Hollingworth warns that lenders will base their mortgage decision not only on income but also on
outgoings. The good news is, the
removal of childcare costs will help
boost affordability and give them a
wider choice of lender, he says.
Consider the mortgage options
If Laura and Chris like the idea of
knowing where they stand, fixed rates
could be their product of choice, he
adds. They might want to consider a
slightly longer deal this time around
if they are planning to stay put for a
while. There are currently five-year
fixes available at 2.5 per cent or less
up to 75 per cent loan-to-value (LTV);
these rates are higher than those on
two-year fixes, but give medium-term
security. For example, First Direct has
a five-year fix at 2.19 per cent up to 75
per cent LTV, although it does carry
a 1,450 fee.
Mr Hollingworth adds that taking
a repayment mortgage of 170,000
over 25 years at a rate of 2.5 per cent
would mean a monthly payment of
762.65. Extending the term to 30
years would cut that to 671.71. But
opting for a longer term does result in
more interest over the life of the loan;
in this case it would be 13,021.
Write a will
It is important Laura puts a will in
place, according to James Antoniou
from Co-operative Legal Services, as
this will enable her to set out how she
wants her estate to be distributed.
If Laura and Chris have shared assets and similar wishes, they should
consider putting mirror [identical]
wills in place together, he says.
Within their wills, they can also appoint a legal guardian for their two
children. This will provide peace
of mind that Jake and Lily will be
looked after in the event that she
and Chris were to pass away before
they reach adulthood.
Mr Antoniou also suggests the
couple each put a lasting power of
attorney in place. These legal documents would allow them to appoint
each other to make decisions about
the others financial affairs and welfare should they become unable to
make their own choices due to old
age, illness or accident.

:: property

:: insurance

Britons dont ask for much

when theyre buying a home

Claims back on the rise with

the return of car vandals

UK homebuyers are easily pleased,

with the top must have property
features including central heating and
a bath, according to research from
Gocompare.com. But the survey also
found that connectivity was important, with reliable broadband and
decent mobile reception featuring
in the top 20. A garden, friendly
neighbours and local shops were also
considered important, as was a living
room big enough for a flat-screen TV.

The number of insurance claims for

malicious damage to cars such
as scratched bodywork, smashed
windows and missing wing mirrors
has risen by 15 per cent in the past
year, warns the Co-operative. Thats
after several years when this kind of
claim worth an average of 1,000
had been falling. Manchester is
the malicious damage hotspot, the
insurer found, followed by Edinburgh,
Chelmsford and Peterborough.

:: debt

At last the Christmas hangover has gone for most spenders

Seasonal spenders are mostly back in the black this month after finally paying
off their Christmas debt. But shoppers in some parts of the country wont finish
clearing their December debt until May, an analysis of current accounts at TSB
has revealed.
Liverpool and Birmingham residents had wiped out the negative numbers by
the end of January, with large chunks of Scotland following suit by the end of
February. However, borrowers in East Anglia, London and Essex may not claw
their way back into positive territory until the summer beckons.

OFFERS

Crosswords
and puzzles
Play
online

who are masters of deception

they take our cash getty

to number spoofing to imitate

banks legitimate phone numbers.
This means you will have no idea,
as you look at the information on
your phone screen, that the call or
text isnt genuine. So say the message is that a fraudulent
transaction has been spotted on
your account and it has to be reversed. If its a fraud, and you
authorise the payment, it may be
that your bank refuses to stump up.
Alternatively, you may be paying
for a house purchase and find that
the money has never reached your
solicitor. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau said almost 100
instances of conveyancing fraud
had been reported to it in the year
to October last year. These scams

typically involve criminals hacking into the sellers or solicitors

email account and asking them to
pay the money into a different account. In some cases, the victims
have been compensated by their
bank, in others by the solicitors
insurer. But some have lost out.
So, yes, we should look after our
own financial security, and we
should think twice before clicking
on an unsolicited email. But when
fraudsters can mimic genuine
numbers, and when its not always
easy to verify who has made a call,
Im yet to be convinced that banks
really are doing all they can to
help their customers.
SavvyWoman.co.uk

Enjoy puzzles on The Independent online.

Test your problem solving skills with daily and archived
crosswords, codewords and many other puzzles and games.
The site includes a leader board so you can compete with
other readers, plus handy hints and solutions for those particularly
tricky puzzles.

Visit: puzzles.independent.co.uk

62

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

MONEY | PROPERTY

different tune

The property
market has
changed beyond
recognition since
Madonna first hit
the charts rex

ack in 1986 Madonnas

Papa Dont Preach was
topping the charts,
British Gas was floated
on the stock market
and The Independent hit the newsstands for the first time. A lot has
changed in 30 years and the convulsions have been particularly
acute in the property market, with
pressures, prices and pitfalls that
few could have anticipated.
Three decades from now, todays
first-time buyers helped on to the
housing ladder by the Governments
various schemes could, if theyre
lucky, be clearing their mortgages.
But who knows? If the housing market keeps changing at the pace of
the past 30 years then the landscape
could be unrecognisable.
Ask a five-year-old for their predictions and theyll say well be
living on the Moon by 2046. But ask
a housing analyst and it turns out
the answers are more contentious.
Thirty years of change
Few people in 1986 could have predicted the full extent of the house
price hikes in the past three decades. Back then, Halifax figures
show that the average UK home
was worth just over 38,000. Today
its 206,000. Thats a growth rate
of 5.8 per cent a year, says Mark
Weedon of the property crowdfunding platform Property Partner.
If we saw a similar rate over the
next 30 years, the average home in
March 2046 would set you back
920,000. The prospect of economic growth and wages keeping pace
with that seems remote.
So were likely to see one of two
long-term scenarios. We could see
house prices continuing broadly
upward, but at a gentler pace to
maintain the link with earnings. Or
well see a worrying continuation
of the current downward trend in
home ownership, with ever greater
polarisation between the housing
haves and have-nots despite all
the Governments efforts to tackle
the housing crisis.
Pete Mugleston, director of Online Mortgage Advisor, says: A large
proportion of todays first-time buyers might never actually clear their
mortgages. If house prices increase
if we all live longer and all retire
later then the average age of borrowers and their mortgage terms
will increase. And its likely many
of us will graft hard for 40 or 50
years as mortgage holders until we
die. What an exciting prospect for
budding homebuyers.
Sharing economy
The rental sector has changed dramatically in the past 30 years. In
1986 there were almost no private
rentals, with people either owning
their own properties or living in
social housing. Thats far from the
case now, of course, with a generation priced out of buying a home

The shape of housing

30 years from now
Will we have given up on home ownership or have a pied terre on
Mars? Felicity Hannah asks where the property market will be in 2046
and rising rents placing huge pressure on the rental market.
Louise Reynolds, director of the
investment advice service Property
Venture, believes todays housing
crisis will lead to a fundamental
change in the market. Thirty years
into the future, if we project forwards
with no radical change in policy, I
see the cost of buying or renting becoming more unaffordable, she says.

At a similar growth rate,

the average home in 2046
would cost 920,000
I see the cost of buying or
renting becoming more
unaffordable in 30 years

The private rented sector will be

significantly reduced and big corporates will have moved in to replace
the small-time landlords. This will
not necessarily improve the quality
and condition of housing. Property
owners will be forced to share their
homes more, either with family
members, friends or paying guests
of the Airbnb variety.
On that subject, if we are happy

sharing data now in exchange for free

services such as Facebook, its not
inconceivable that this will shape the
economy of the future. Conrad Davies, head of real estate at the law firm
Osborne Clarke, says: In 30 years,
the value of the bricks and mortar
may not be a landlords biggest asset
but data easily could be.
The data that a property owner
of the future will be able to collect
from tenants their movements, habits and patterns will be invaluable,
either for the purpose of the landlord
servicing the tenants wider needs,
or in helping other companies better
understand their consumers.
And with our research showing
that 82 per cent of 18 to 30-year-olds
already consider a branded or
themed home an attractive prospect,
there will be huge opportunities in
for the companies that get on top of
how best to exploit the convergence
of smart properties and big data.
Printed pads
The Government has sought to boost
self-build and customised developments, but it could be technology
rather than policy that changes the
market. Nick Ebbs, chief executive
of sustainable home developer Blueprint, says: I expect houses will be
procured in much the same way we
now buy a car. We will select the
model we want from a digital menu,
presented on an interactive screen,
and then customise it.
Once customised, the price will
be set at the push of a button and
who knows? in the not too distant
future the instructions could be relayed to a 3D printer. One week later
the house will be delivered, in kit
form, to your chosen house plot and
erected mainly by robots, within
days not months. It will be designed
by the customer to their requirements and built using state of the art
technology.
He is not alone in predicting a dramatic shift in how we construct
property. Some analysts are predicting flexible homes designed to
accommodate the changing demands
of families. Stephanie McMahon,
head of research at the estate agent
Strutt & Parker, says: The yo-yo
house is a future-proofed home
which focuses on flexibility and can
grow, contract and evolve with its
occupants over their lifetime. So we
predict that in 30 years there will be
more of these flexible houses which
have footings that will have the ability to move walls with relative ease
something that is already widespread in commercial spaces.
Eventually, suggests Nick Whitten, residential research associate
director at the property service JLL:
Ever taller residential skyscrapers
in excess of 1km will be joined by
subterranean Earth-scrapers built
deep underground to reduce the perhead space of the rapidly rising UK
population, which is forecast to be
in excess of 75 million by 2040.

el

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

20 March 2016

63

PROPERTY | MONEY
five to view
tiny homes

Q A
1

in association with

1 pulborough, west Sussex

1.8m
Grade II listed two-bedroom
cottage set in 3.5 acres; underfloor
heating (Strutt & Parker)
2 east dulwich, london

750,000
Two-bedroom house with garden
and private parking space (Foxtons)
3 kettering, northants

600,000
4

Grade II listed three-bedroom

detached house; gardens, garage,
outbuildings (Your Move)
4 truro, cornwall

425,000
Three-bed, five-storey home in
former engine house; gardens and
detached studio (Philip Martin)
5 Worthing, West Sussex

260,000
One-bed house, formerly stable
masters cottage, with courtyard
garden (Michael Jones & Company)