Sunday, May 31, 2009
Verbal dysfunction
I have mixed feelings returning home from Hay-on-Wye. On the one hand I had a really good time in some exceptional weather and attended a number of facsinating and enjoyable events, but on the other it was a bit of a strain being cut off from the outside world for so long.
No mobile signal meant no access to phone or e-mails. Getting back to several hundred e-mails and phone messages has been a bit like surfacing for air after spending too long swimming underwater.
Highlight of today had to be Vince Cable, whose appearance at the Festival to promote his book led to a sell-out in the biggest tent, which must hold at least 1500 people. Other sell-out events were Alan Bennett and the Very Hungry Caterpillar.
I did get to read the newspapers so I was not entirely cut-off from the outside world. After listening to Chris Patten yesterday, I was interested to find his views on David Cameron's policy for Europe in the Guardian and in particular these words:
'the Tory leader stands accused of adopting a "rigid commitment to impotence" after he pledged to withdraw from the main centre-right grouping in the European parliament.'
An interesting choice of words I thought on a dysfunctional Tory policy.
No mobile signal meant no access to phone or e-mails. Getting back to several hundred e-mails and phone messages has been a bit like surfacing for air after spending too long swimming underwater.
Highlight of today had to be Vince Cable, whose appearance at the Festival to promote his book led to a sell-out in the biggest tent, which must hold at least 1500 people. Other sell-out events were Alan Bennett and the Very Hungry Caterpillar.
I did get to read the newspapers so I was not entirely cut-off from the outside world. After listening to Chris Patten yesterday, I was interested to find his views on David Cameron's policy for Europe in the Guardian and in particular these words:
'the Tory leader stands accused of adopting a "rigid commitment to impotence" after he pledged to withdraw from the main centre-right grouping in the European parliament.'
An interesting choice of words I thought on a dysfunctional Tory policy.
