Peter Rhodes on UFOs, customer service and a landmark in social history
When they come to write the social history of the 21st century, I bet February 11, 2023 will get a big mention.
For this was the epic day when a resolute campaigner was hailed as “one of the great paladins of our times,” a man who “truly stands out as a beacon of moral courage” and richly deserves either a knighthood or a peerage. The campaigner in question is the gay rights activist Peter Tatchell and the organ calling for his ennoblement is none other than that repository of English middle-class values, the Daily Mail. Strange times, indeed.
I'd endorse any campaign for Tatchell to become Sir Peter or even Lord Tatchell, if only for his proven physical courage. Waving a banner is one thing. Getting beaten up by assorted henchmen and homophobes is quite another. Peter Tatchell takes a thumping and then goes back for more. I wonder how many knights and lords have ever displayed such courage.
Meanwhile, as the UK Government scrapes around for combat jets for Ukraine, no-one has mentioned one RAF unit which isn't doing much at the moment and could richly use an opportunity to improve its jaded image. Bring on the Red Arrows?
Incidentally, when the UFO shot down over Canada was described as “the same size as a small car”, was I the only one thinking of Harry Potter?
After the final episode of the third series of Happy Valley (BBC1), we did what I dare say millions of other viewers did, and watched series one and two all over again. It is a remarkable body of work, leaving one intriguing question. Who could have predicted that Rhys Connah, so heart-touchingly perfect as Ryan, the troubled little seven-year-old in 2014, would mature into such a fine teenage actor in 2023? Was it a well-considered long-term plan - or just a massive stroke of luck?
Once again, technology outstrips humanity. A reader describes losing his broadband and being told by his internet company that an engineer might turn up on either the Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. He finally arrived on the Friday but announced he was unable to replace the router because it was in the attic and he wasn't insured to use ladders. My intrepid reader duly entered the loft and plugged it in. This may explain the term “customer service”.
