A Stranger's London
GLC Police Bill reggae song
The Greater London Council issued a record last week predicting "pure war" in the streets if the Police and Criminal Evidence Bill was passed without amendments, reports The Times. The 12-inch-single "Kill the Police Bill" has a reggae music background overlaid with a long lyric.The words, quoted on the sleeve and prepared by the council include: "You hear 'bout de Police Bill / If you no strong you bound to get kill/Dem kill you in the name of legality..." "It is attacking the Police Bill", Mr Paul Boateng, chairman of the Police Committee has said. "There's no question here of any attack on the Police.'
The record was issued to coincide with the third reading in the Lords. Mr Boateng said it was disgraceful of the government to oppose the amendment improving suspects' safeguards.
The centenarian's secret
The secret of Lord Manny Shinwell's longevity appears to be Scotch whisky laced with a dash of cantankerousness, wrote Alan Hamilton in The Times last week. While several hundred of his fellow peers toasted his centenary in the House of Lords the oldest active peer in history sipped the golden juice of Kilmarnock.His long life spanned the most fascinating period in British history. In the year of his birth Queen Victoria ruled; Edward VII, George V, George VI and Elizabeth II have reigned, Mr Glad- stone was Prime Minister, the Fabian Society started and Karl Marx died.
It was Manny's wish that his birthday present should not be a personal gift. He chose instead a slate plaque engraved by the Welsh sculptor, Jonah Jones, which records his first century and will hang permanently in the Lords' library.
His sons Samuel and Ernest are both aged 67 and his sister Julie has passed the 78 milestone.
Chaos as it rains money
Shoppers started a mad scramble when it rained £20 notes in a busy town centre. Up to £20,000 fluttered out of the sky and was hastily stuffed into handbags and pockets after being carried along on the whirling winds. But, of course, there was a catch - all the notes were forgeries!The counterfeit cash is believed to have been flung from the top of a multi-storey car park in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear.
Police, who were alerted by an anonymous phone caller, toured the streets warning people to hand the forgeries in. The notes all have the same number H3585292. The mystery caller claimed another £20,000 would be thrown into the air next Saturday.
The brain damaging act
The case of Dr Keith Hampson, MP (accused of accosting a policeman in a gay club) the former Private Personal Secretary to Mr Michael Heseltine, has many curious corners, said a News of the world editorial.He had been working hard, he said, on a speech for Mr Heseltine, the Defence Minister. Then he sank five pints of "brain damage", his amusing label for draught Bass beer, before returning to the speech. It was merciful that the Defence Minister is able, presumably, to spot any brain-damaged flaws in those speeches. All the same we all know now the secret of Mr Heseltine's fiery speech!
EEC threat to British Summer
The Common Market has threatened to shorten the British Summer by two weeks. From 1986 Summertime will end in the middle of October instead of at the end, if Euro MPs get their way.The European Parliament passed the resolution by a big majority. If the decision is ratified by the European Council of Ministers as is thought likely, Westminster will be forced to introduce the change.
Summertime this year began on both sides of the Channel on the same day March 25. But whereas the Continentals introduced Wintertime on October 1, Britain will not do so until 2 a.m. Sunday October 28.
If European harmonisation is achieved, the Continentals will have an extra two weeks of summer and Britain a fortnight less.
John Smith, you're not alone
John Smith isn't just a handy symbol for the man-in-the-street. He really is the commonest-named chap in the English-speaking world. Out of the 100,000 widespread English surnames, Smith occurs most often and most often of all with that Christian name. What's more, there is evidence that John Smith, in one form or another, may also be the best known name in many other countries.Out of the 56 million people in Britain upwards of 800,000 are surnamed Smith and of these one estimate puts at least one-fifth of them as John Smith. In Europe, there is the German Johann Schmidt, the Dutch Hans Schmidt, the Greek Ion Smikton and the Spanish Juan Smithus!
