TheBanyanTree: Something of the night

[John Bailey]

Wednesday October 29, 2003

SOMETHING OF THE NIGHT

My new all-digital photo-id driving licence arrived safely this morning 
and, so far as I can tell, all the details are present and correct. The 
photo is not laminated on to it but instead has been digitised along with 
my signature and printed directly. The whole thing is laminated, 
holographed, security printed and electronically marked to avoid forgery. I 
can't say I like the idea very much -- it's a national identity card by 
another name and we've fought off all suggestions that British citizens 
should be obliged to carry those intrusive things. It'll not be long now, I 
suspect, before we are all required to carry an official identity card of 
some sort. It's the way of the world so I shall have to live with it. If 
there is ever any way of expressing my disapproval through the ballot box I 
shall do so; otherwise I'll be silent. I don't think there's any real 
danger of evil men prospering because of my silence and, much as I dislike 
bureaucracy I don't want to dilute the meaning of evil by misusing the word 
on this issue. It's just not nice, is all. Distinctly un-British, to say 
the least.

Meanwhile Graham has been plugging on with the task of removing the old 
kitchen floor covering and applying the new. It's been a beastly job -- the 
builders had used some user-unfriendly adhesive, making the removal of the 
old vinyl a slow, messy and tedious task. The last section of it was 
removed this evening, however, and the concrete has been sealed ready for 
the new planking so the job will be finished tomorrow. And peace will be 
restored. When one of us is labouring over a difficult job it affects the 
whole household.

Our spirits were lifted considerably during the early evening when the 
presently unelectable Tory party ousted its leader and started on the 
process of electing yet another new one. It looks as if Michael Howard will 
get the job and that is an amusing prospect. He comes across as a slightly 
sinister man, rather too right-wing for comfort, and famously described a 
few years back as having something of the night about him. The cartoonists 
are already depicting him as Dracula and it'll be a difficult image for him 
to shift. Well, he does come from Transylvannian stock, after all, and 
looks it.

"There is one consolation," I remarked.

"What's that, then?"

"If he is Dracula then Tony Blair will have to become Buffy the Vampire 
Slayer."


--
John Bailey   Carmarthenshire, Wales
journal of a writing man
<http://www.oldgreypoet.com>