Richard Oliff's Blog

Only the Lonely

richoliff — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:15:01 +0000

There are many sides to living on ones own and just as many reasons for so doing. There are those that choose it as a way of life that gives them total freedom without the ‘interference’ or influence from others which is perfectly commendable and suits many lifestyles. Yet ‘alone’ and ‘loneliness’ are quite different things. Some people have the latter thrust upon them through no fault or choosing of their own. Bereavement and divorce are the obvious culprits than can leave one feeling isolated particularly if in later years such things arise and, for whatever reason, there are no young adult children from any previous relationship to tender support. Of course there are friends or other remote family members that can offer human contact and comfort, but literally, at the end of the day, when the doors need locking, the kitchen light is switched off and its time for bed, one of the loneliest prospects ever is the climb upstairs to the bedroom: alone. Animals have proven to be a great comfort to the lonely, simply another living ‘being’ around ones home that requires just enough attention to ease the all too often volume of silence. Dogs are particularly good as they require the owner to at least get out of the house for a couple of brisk walks a day. Hobbies, evening classes, clubs, and societies: these are some of the obvious groups of ‘new’ people that are out there and remember they need you as much as you may need them. Mind you, perhaps after a hard days work, feeding and walking a pet, cooking for ones self, and all with one eye on the ironing, housework or shopping list, ones energy levels may be just a tad too low. Too low to summon enough ‘get-up-and-go’ to learn about pottery at a Thursday evening class. I’ve experienced enforced loneliness, divorce and bereavement, and fully empathise with anyone going through the same. When two older people, say, in their 50’s or 60’s, decide that for whatever reason there is no alternative to separation, it can lead to one partner who will not find a new life with another person in another home. That’s not all. It’s the panic attacks and hideous waves of useless desperation: even failure. It’s the loss of income which in some cases can be quite extreme. One also loses that other person who was so familiar with your little endearing personal quirks that made that relationship uniquely sacred. Yet all is not lost. In my experience I found it most helpful to ‘open-up’ to my G.P who was than able to recommend various agencies or professionals that understand your plight. The advent of social media on the internet can be an amazing resource for bringing the ‘real’ you back into the world, where you might just find that you are certainly not alone in being alone. I recently came across an excellent website that you might find useful. http://www.webofloneliness.com/. It certainly worked for me.

All For One and One For One

richoliff — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:16:00 +0000

The subject of independence from a United Kingdom has been with us all since the day we were born. Even the Cornish have their own flag as a sign of defiance against being a part of our tiny group of sibling states. Today, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland all have assemblies, (though England appears to have been short-changed), that have come about because of their continued and relentless march towards some kind of self determination. Leaders in Scotland were voted in on the back of a promise of a referendum on full independence from the rest of the United Kingdom. Without question, even if such a vote were put to the Scottish people within the next two years, surely the cost would be astronomical. There are Scots living all over the world, which begs several questions, who precisely would be eligible to vote? Would Scots living in England, Ireland or Wales get a say? Would people of Scottish decent be invited to take part? Then there is the question that no one seems to have an answer. If Scotland becomes independent then what possible use is a Scottish independence party? It’s a tad like voting for communism in a democracy: if the communists are elected there will no longer be the opportunity to vote. No one has fully outlined to the rest of Britain the exact nature of an independent Scotland. I have heard it said that they would retain the pound with the Bank of England maintaining control over interest rates and the like. Well, forgive me for being just a wee bit thick on this one, but I’m not sure that’s quite what is meant by independence. A few other questions come to mind. Would passports be issued to Scottish people with border controls put in place? Would we have to go through the same process with the Welsh and Northern Irish? Then, last weekend a less expensive solution popped into my head which may, or may not, have legs, and it’s not something I’ve never heard proposed (possibly for good reason, which at the moment escapes me). Instead of reeling out a repeat Scottish performance for the Welsh and Irish, wouldn’t it be simpler and more cost effective if there was just one referendum: in England. So far, the English have not been invited by anyone to share their opinion on either devolved governments within the Union or potential independence from any of the four countries. Perhaps the English would like to be fully independent from the rest of the United Kingdom, and, if so, surely that would go some way to answering many questions. If England were to vote for full independence with borders and passports, surely the other states would have no other choice than to declare themselves, by default, independent. But first we must ask the question: Why have we not even attempted to resolve the ‘West Lothian Question’ which many see as a major stumbling block in the determination of all our futures.

Beatles ‘mainstay’ TONY BRAMWELL interviewed by Richard Oliff

richoliff — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:59:24 +0000

The ‘Beatle Man’ Tony Bramwell interviewed by Richard Oliff Tuesday 17th January 2012 1530. Paul McCartney’s publicist Geoff Baker calls Tony Bramwell, “the last man standing” because only Tony, the Beatles former Road Manager, remains alive out of a small group of Beatles insiders from Liverpool who helped Brian Epstein manage the Beatles from the very beginning. Other Beatles insiders who have tragically passed away include: Mal Evans and Neil Aspinall who started as roadies in Liverpool to help out their friends the Beatles, Brian’s Assistant Alistair Taylor who was also known as the Beatles “Mr. Fix-it”, and lastly not to be forgotten is Alf Bicknell, the Beatles chaffeur from 1964-66 and also worked as a roadie at John’s request. Tony was also a close friend of all of the Beatles and remains close to Paul and Ringo. Tony wrote “Magical Mystery Tours: My Life With the Beatles”, a tell all book about his time working with the Beatles first published in April 2005 in hardcover and is now available in paperback .

So Many Why’s on the Y-Front

richoliff — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 07:45:56 +0000

Another Puffer-Buffer-Duffer?

Which ever way one looks at it we can’t avoid being an island nation with finite mass. Our island space is filling up at an alarming rate with people who consequently need homes, jobs, schools, cars and infrastructure. An item of news during the last week was the decision to give the go ahead to build a new 100 mile high speed rail link between London and Birmingham during 2016 and 2026 at an initial cost of 17 billion pounds.

The proposed route of the 100 mile high speed rail link between London and Birmingham during 2016 and 2026

They call it HS2. In itself it’s quite an exciting and ambitious project which would directly connect our country’s two major cities in what appears to be the first part of an even larger scheme which, by 2033, would see cities like Leeds and Manchester equally connected at a final estimated cost of £32bn. Yet there is another expense: another resource that needs to be considered. One might think that such a scheme would vastly enhance our attractiveness to foreign businesses and entrepreneurs as a forward looking, even dynamic, country in which to invest. All well and commendable. But what of the people who already live in homes which were bought in good faith whose lives are now to be blighted by yet another massive and, no doubt vastly under- budgeted building project? People whose homes have already begun to see their property values decreasing daily as potential buyers study the route of the massive ‘Y’ line. Of course, there are concerns too about environmental issues as the new line will cut into swathes of irretrievable and valuable countryside at a time when our quality of life as a nation decreases on a daily basis. Yet there is one very disturbing factor that seems to have eluded the political decision, begun by Labour and continued by the coalition, to embark on such a massive project. Will travellers and commuters in the years 2026 and 2033 be able to afford to use the service? Lets face it, here in 2012 the cost of travelling anywhere in this country by rail is extortionate when compared with those services on mainland Europe. An annual season ticket that might cost £3,000 in the UK may be as little as £300 for a regular equidistant journey in Italy. Why? Why is it cheaper to fly to a Spanish holiday resort than to take a train from Peterborough to Edinburgh? Above all else, who will run and profit from the finished item? I remember being fairly animated and excited when the channel tunnel was to be opened. I had visions of French-style TGV trains hammering through Kettering and Market Harborough at well over 100 miles per hour. Well, that dream didn’t last long, although it did prompt the powers that be to invest heavily in sprucing-up St. Pancrass. This week I came across a group on Facebook calling for the return of the hitherto lambasted British Rail all of which left me wondering if, as a nation, we’re quite up to running a ‘Y’ shaped future.

John Lennon’s sister JULIA BAIRD interviewed by Richard Oliff

richoliff — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:34:25 +0000

John Lennon and his sister Julia

(click here for full interview)

Two of Julia's books. Click image for Julia's website and book store

Mersey Beat’s BILL HARRY Interviewed by Richard Oliff

richoliff — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 07:37:38 +0000

THE BEATLES. John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McARTREY, Pete Best

The Beatles getting the show on the road: George, Pete, John & Paul

From Liverpool to Hamburg. The rest, as they say, is history! John (left) looks on.

My interview with Pete Best may be heard here. I interviewed him live on Saturday 23rd September 1995 at 1015. This recording is taken directly from the small reel-to-reel tape containing our conversation as it happened.

....then there was a brave new world, new van and new drummer: Ringo Starr!

Casablanca – My Favorite Film

richoliff — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 04:19:15 +0000

Everybody Comes to Rick’s!

Humphrey Bogart - Richard 'Rick' Blaine

Ingrid Bergman - Ilsa Lund

Paul Henreid - Victor Laszlo

Claude Rains - Captain Louis Renault

Conrad Veidt - Major Heinrich Strasser

Sydney Greenstreet - Signor Ferrari

Peter Lorre - Signor Ugarte

Dooley Wilson - Sam

S.Z. Sakall - Carl, the waiter at Rick's

Leonid Kinskey - Sascha

Helmut Dantine - Jan Brandel

Oliver Blake - The waiter at the Blue Parrot

Trude Berliner - Baccarat player in Rick's

A Few Lord HighTreasurers Prior to the Creation of First Lord of the Treasury

richoliff — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:28:38 +0000

Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset, Baron Buckhurst

Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester, 1st Viscount Mandeville

James Ley, 1st Earl of Marlborough

Richard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland

William Juxon, Bishop of London, Archbishop of Canterbury

Edward Littleton, 1st Lord Littleton

Francis Cottington, 1st Lord Cottington

Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton

Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex

Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester

Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin

John Poulett, 1st Earl Poulett

Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer

Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury and 12th Earl of Shrewsbury

First Lord’s of the Treasury Prior to and Including Robert Walpole

richoliff — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:10:34 +0000

Prior to these gentlemen becoming First Lord of the Treasury (equivalent to, but not known as Prime Minister), the post was reffered to as Lord High Treasurer.

Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax

*Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle

Robert Walpole, The Earl of Orford

James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope

Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland

* Re. Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle: this is the only signature missing from the collection

You’ve Got Mail

richoliff — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:59:49 +0000

At the end of 2005 a disturbing email arrived that has bothered me to this day. I still take it seriously and this is the first time I’ve spoken about it. It doesn’t contain many words: it didn’t have to. I’m possibly attempting to rid myself of its ‘mind worm’ quality yet, at the same time, curious to know who has to dislike one so much that they feel the need to put finger to keyboard in such a poisonous way. Apart from anything else I find the whole anonymity thing quite cowardly, an indication that such an action was perpetrated by a sad or inadequate individual. It would be difficult to tell you the full content of the mail purely because of its tone and nature, though the immaturity of the sender may be revealed by its closing words: ‘Now you will feel the yield….’ I’ve absolutely no idea what this was supposed to mean.All of my internet research on the subject has given me no clue. I though it may be from the script of Star Wars or Star Trek: it has that Darth Vader quality to it. Flash Gordon may have once been threatened by some random nemesis to ‘feeling the yield’. Other things in the mail were worrying. ‘Firstly, you were quick to ridicule’ it said.’ second, you smeared me. Third, you scuppered my opportunity’. I’ve wracked my brains. I can’t be that important to anyone. I took the mail so seriously that its arrival was reported to the Police. I shall call my police contact Dennis, the officer in charge of such things, at that time, at my local police station. I told Dennis that I found the experience disturbing, threatening and slanderous, and wondered if he might be able to trace the culprit. I told him that I have no knowledge of the sender: not even a clue in the mail address and the whole thing had left me worried for both my family and my personal safety. Dennis then visited our home to give some reassurance. Now, if that little email containing so few words has managed to keep me curious for the past six years then what must it be like to receive more threatening or damaging anonymous filth on ones computer. More people get far worse than mine in their in-boxes. We’ve all heard of cyber bullying: actions that can lead in extreme cases to the recipient taking extreme and unfortunate or self harming actions. So, what to do if you become a victim of such a crime? Well, you need to print out the offending messages and notify the police immediately, due to their threatening overtones. Give them to the police, as this will be treated as evidence that will be used against them in court. Remember that your interpretation of a ‘nasty’ email may be different to someone else’s level of toleration. None of that matters: if it’s seen as a threat or damaging to you: report it!