karen dalton and the dog that refused to bark

it's the 50th anniversary this year of the release of karen dalton's in my own time. there's a bumper re-release with lots of extras including the montreux golden rose pop festival performance from 1971 (which briefly appeared on youtube a while ago). 

in other news the parliamentary standards watchdog will not be investigating decorationgate - where boris had various tory donors pay for the redecoration of the no.11 prime minister's flat. 

why is horsemouth not surprised?

'the BBC understands downing street received a letter from the commissioner last week confirming there would be no further inquiry.'

horsemouth is quietly furious. the regulator has said she thinks it is a matter for the register of minister's interests but seeing as this (like the priti patel bullying case) is a matter of the prime minister marking his own homework he would have to dob himself in  to the cabinet office.

righty-ho. ministerial code it is then.

'there must be no bullying and no harassment...  no misuse of taxpayer money and no actual or perceived conflicts of interest. the precious principles of public life enshrined in this document – integrity, objectivity, accountability, transparency, honesty and leadership in the public interest – must be honoured at all times...' - PM boris johnson in his introduction to the ministerial code, august 2019.

horsemouth liked this documentary on alternative livings (frank lloyd-wright, arcosanti, tiny houses etc.). on escaping the tyranny of the housing code. at arcosanti they want to preserve the urban feel and concentration, elsewhere they want to spread out and scatter (avoid the man and live free). the family take a road trip in search of alternative living - it is of course easy to have a composting toilet and a shower cubicle with no door when you don't have any neighbours. 

meanwhile a fire in a new york tower block, 19 killed, 9 of them children, it reads like there were no door auto-closers  either on the flat doors nor on the door into the stairwell (or that they had been disabled). it reads like there was no extractor system to keep the stairwell smoke free.

it reads like because it was social housing those protections were not in place. the fire alarms went off all the time said the residents - so everybody ignored them. 

but it also reads like the stay in place advice was correct because the block had not been clad. the fire did not spread, the people who died died trying to escape of smoke inhalation on the stairwell. 

today horsemouth goes with his mum to pick up a framed picture. soon he will be back in the wen. 

it seems like the state are moving to declare the pandemic over (but of course it is not in their power to call this).  horsemouth's sedentary hermit-like lifestyle protects him from most risk.