I’m feeling just a bit cynical this morning.
On last night’s news programmes everyone was getting very excited about Britain’s latest venture to be the best at something. Our very own spaceman Tim Peake was brought into the BBC studio to comment on what was going on in Cornwall, which he wasn’t really able to do but they were pleased to have him in the studio. Masses of people turned out to watch a plane take off. We watched it take off on television because, of course, none of us has ever seen a plane take off before (??). Oops, that was perhaps unkind. Maybe a plane taking off with a rocket strapped to it is a different matter. Anyway, we were going to establish our place in the space programme. Best in Europe!
And then the rocket failed to get into orbit properly! Matt Archer, the director of commercial spaceflight at the UK Space Agency, said he was hugely disappointed that the mission had not been successful – but still pleased that the first launch of satellites from Europe had taken place from British soil. “We don’t know what caused the anomaly but we achieved a launch,” he said. “A lot of positives have been achieved. Space is hard. We knew that this had a risk of failure. Launches don’t always work. We’ve created the conditions for launch here. We’ve shown we can do it and we’ll look to do it again”
So a lot of expensive equipment will be burnt up on reentry into the earth’s atmosphere or will fall into the Atlantic.
Maybe I’m being unfair but I can’t help feeling we’re still congratulating ourselves on not achieving very much. And surely if Virgin want to throw money away there are other places it could go than into the Atlantic.
Anyway, about 2,000 people turned up to watch the plane take off. There was a bit of a Cornish festival, if a bit chilly I imagine, with stalls selling food and souvenirs. There was even a disco, a silent disco where people listen to the music via wireless headphones - that would probably be no use to me as ai almost certainly don’t have the right kind of headphones. They played David Bowie’s Space Oddity, Elton John’s Rocket Man and the Thunderbirds theme.
And they even had their own local eccentric (loonie?): Adrian Grint, 46, an IT worker from St Austell, had turned up in an alien costume and held a sign reading: “Take me home.” He said: “I dress up every now and again. This is massive for Cornwall, very forward-thinking. Everything is based on tourism in Cornwall – this is different.”
Somehow a very British event! Everyone tried hard but …
Little progress seems to be being made in sorting out the strikes. I read this yesterday: “The health secretary, Steve Barclay, has also suggested health workers could get a bigger pay rise in April – as part of the 2023-24 pay settlement – if they agree to NHS “efficiencies”. Sources said opening this year’s deal was “not in play” as it was unaffordable.”
“Efficiencies” is one of those euphemisms. It usually means people working longer hours or accepting some other form of deterioration in working conditions.
And today I read this:
“Suella Braverman is planning to abandon several of the key commitments made in the wake of the Windrush scandal as the UK government prepares to implement hardline promises to fast-track the detention and removal of migrants.
Sources told the Guardian that the home secretary has dropped a pledge to create the post of a migrants’ commissioner, who was due to be responsible for speaking up for migrants and for identifying systemic problems within the UK immigration system.”
To top it all, it’s still raining, or raining again - there’s not much difference. Granddaughter Number Two tells me she like the sound of rain, indeed she has a recording of rainfall which she plays to sooth her to sleep. Personally, I am growing more than a little tired of it.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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