Twins, wheels, and the ballroom dancer
I was stopped at the lights at the top of the Haymarket in Piccadilly Circus. My head was down over my handlebars. Then there they were at my left shoulder. Two stubbled chins, two shiny bald heads, two men in their late thirties astride two bicycles. Two brown identical twins in shorts, T-shirts, and trainers with dispatch bags slung over their right shoulders.
“Twins?” I asked, as we pedalled down Whitehall. “Yes”, they said. “Identical?” I asked. “Yes”, they said. “Rare”, I said. “What, twins?” they asked. “No”, I replied, “rare to see identical twin disptach riders on bikes cycling along in London”. “Yes”, they agreed “we work together”.
Normally we cyclists in London don’t talk to each other. It’s a dog eat dog world and we are in a hurry. But when we drew up at the lights leading into Trafalgar Square the twins told me they were from a small Italian town of 6,000 inhabitants.
Amazingly when they were born, five other sets of identical twins appeared in the town in the same period. And with that they were gone. Look out for them! They deserve a documentary!
I was en route to the 50th anniversary of the Overseas Development Institute – an aid think tank. There I found a rather relaxed Vince Cable, secretary of state for business.
Any initial collywobbles he may have had about being in government seem to have vanished. He’s enjoying power. Had he ever expected ever to be a minister? “Frankly Jon……er…no!” He’s finding government a massive challenge he told me. But he’s still getting an hour of ballroom dancing on a Friday!
As I left, there was Hugh Bayley, Labour MP for York, unshackling his bike from the neighbouring rack. Another man with a passion for development.
I don’t know him of old, though I should, he’s been an MP for many years – civilised, decent, and knowledgeable. We had an engaging conversation about the new Commons – the old strangleholds have been smashed, he told me…all the wrong candidates got elected to be deputy speakers.
In other words all the RIGHT candidates got elected, breaking the stranglehold of the party whips by being elected against their wishes.
We parted and cycled off in our different directions into the night.
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There are 26 comments on this post
You saw my mother the other day near Primrose Hill’s post office Jon. She approached you by saying “Your Jon Snow,i’m a great fan of yours!” and you answered by saying “it must be my twin brother..”…is that an identical twin Jon or a phrase you use with a lot of people that approach you in the street?
As for the politicians..i’ve totally lost my faith in them. Power changes people. Why don’t they use their stance to make a humanitarian difference? I’ll tell you why: It’s because the real power lies with The World Bank, IMF and all the super rich that have their dirty dollars in Switzerland.
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What an uplifting blog, Jon. Feel the same every time I’m in a queue of cyclists at traffic lights. We don’t need private cars in London. The damages to health from exhaust emissions can’t be ignored any longer. Mayor Boris Johnson’s air quality strategy document reports more than 4,300 premature deaths in the city from particulate pollution – which has been shown to lead to irreversible reduced lung-capacity in children (New England Journal of Medicine, spring 2008), not to mention the UK’s high asthma rate – once/maybe still the highest in Europe – and the growing problem of obesity, particularly amongst the young. NB coalition health minister Andrew Lansley: the most clinically effective and financially efficient health reforms must include ending the quango PCTs – Islington’s board members of same received a 40% pay rise last year – and investing instead in measures such as Birmingham’s ‘Gym for free’ scheme. This has reduced stroke rates and lengthened lives without a medical intervention in sight, and empowered one of the city’s poorest neighbourhoods.
Re Vince Cable: he must remain resolute in introducing capital gains tax on second homes/assets.
Above should have read 4,300 deaths a year in London from particulate pollution, a startling figure.
“Re Vince Cable: he must remain resolute in introducing capital gains tax on second homes/assets”
Aye, has he the strength to stand up to the Tories – I can’t say I’m seeing much evidence so far. It all seems a tad too cosy.
Your bicycle adventures make great stories, jon! makes me want to cycle down the good old streets of London too, although I think I’ll stick to the bus otherwise traffic will be at a stand still what with my slow cycling! X
Do they send dispatch riders on bikes all the way from Italy???
Did you ever think Jon , they could have been robbers , with masks , to fool the following police??
So Cable is going to accept his responsibilities and not rock the boat , that sounds good.
As for the new speakers , they should not be under party control , so at this stage all portends well for the new parliament.
“So Cable is going to accept his responsibilities and not rock the boat , that sounds good.”
His job is to “rock the boat”.
Another fascinating insightful vignette of the political world; balanced and original- thank you Jon!! (minor spelling error in p.2, if we’re being picky!)
Hmm! the wrong but RIGHT candidates got elected – sounds as if progress is being made. anything that stops the Whips having the stranglehold and power is good – no-one should be allowed to play a power game any more. If something has been presented and argued sufficiently and effectively by the Govt. it will get votes, if not then more thinking and convincing would be required which may be a plus in the long term – as if not obvious then consideration should be the way and not bullying to get something through Parliament. If after this the subject does not get passed then maybe we are better without it – The public are trying to work towards having thinking MPs that take note from the people who voted them in ( a balance of what is said in Westminster and Constituency) and not an in-house game the Whips being a main character at times and a ‘nasty’ if an MP does not follow orders.
Three serendipitous encounters in one bike ride. Maybe our ministers will enjoy such bounty now only their red boxes are allowed to go by chauffeur driven car.
Glad to hear Vince hasn’t completely given up on the dancing. Perhaps if every minister had an hour’s dancing, as well as riding a bike, this would be a much better and safer country.
Saltaire i’m glad i support Jon and also voted for this coalition .It looks like i was right yet again
Oh! I meant to also say for Mr Cable and Mr Bayley – On Overseas Aid: Has anyone thought of these days making a calculation where some of the Aid money is kept aside to pay when, the now regular disasters occur round the world and very often in the countries where Aid is given. For a few years now we pay our Aid and then pay out further on a disaster by goods and people power – but it is us paying further. Is it Global Warming caused or that news travels fast? … but every year somewhere requires help in tragedy and of course it must be given then AND recovery … if we had not given it all in a oner as routine maybe we could improve on aftercare.
i was interested to see how America are talking as to regard of bp… it is a tragedy 11 people died in the dissaster… but before america decide to hang bp, ask them to remember occidental and the piper alpha dissaster.. 167 people died that night…. and famillies never forget how an american company walked away from its responsibilty in brittain.. at least bp is doing what it can….
I think Obama is doing his world image no good , acting as a “little american .I think it is time we began to get heavy about our costly adventure with them in Afghanistan and previously in Iraq .We should be claiming compensation from them , for all the bad decisions they have made in both and for their failure to stem the flow of casualties
Colin – you are to be congratulated on this post. For anyone interested the story is on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_Alpha Read the background and follow the link to California based Occidental Oil, who did indeed walk away from the deaths of 167 people in the North Sea.
I’m disappointed but not surprised at the anti-America surge over BP.
Just what is it about BP we are supposed to support? The fact that they are important to our pensions and the economy? The same was true of the banks and their actions are equally reprehensible.
We should be cheering that a US President is holding a capitalist giant to account after their greed and incompetence caused chaos to so many ordinary people. And no, I don’t believe it is because it is a British-based company – Obama has also taken on the banks in the US.
You can’t blame him for previous failings of US presidents. Just be pleased this one is not a paid up member of the oil lobby.
Hugh Bayley IS a thoroughly nice bloke and he’s my MP too!
Seems Hugh Bayley – whom I’ll now be listening out for – was one of six candidates standing for chair of the backbench public accounts committee (Guardian 11/06). Margaret Hodge was the winner.
The paper’s Whitehall correspondent claims that Hodge’s election – using the AV (alternative voting) system – was a ‘reward’ from MPs of all political persuasions for her trouncing of the BNP in her Barking constituency. Interesting view. I thought a dedicated campaigning local postman was the principal force behind the life-affirming East London result.
I do hope the best, not the loudest candidate has won. This is, I understand, the most ‘powerful’ of the Commons committees, keeping a check on each government department’s spending, clearly an enhanced role under present economic conditions.
The economy is now the most important political question, and the new media has a potentially powerful role to play in raising awareness of the crucial issues:
- putting creation of the money supply back in the hands of government and away from the private banks (current UK ratio of same a staggering 3:97%);
- introducing a land value tax (Adrian: more in follow-up to this).
why are you so disrespectful regarding the prime minister by calling him cammeron and not refering to him as david cammeron the prime minister. you never you never talked like that about gordon brown.
Jon, 10 out of 10 for news coverage of the World Cup in SA. Just a gentle tip on names in SA – Nelspruit is sounded as Nelsprayt but the “ay” being slightly shortenend. Rustenburg – the first part is pronounced as in iron oxide, rust.
Keep up the good work.
As another poster remarked, Jon, an uplifting blog. It’s a relief that you’ve stopped feeling the need to bash the coalition (for now, anyway) and it’s rather nice that you react to social anomalies, such the sudden arrival oof a batch of twins, with the same interest that those of us who have never been present at earth shattering occasions would.
I have liked this round-about posting. About bikes and twins- chance meetings- what catches attention on the way between here and there and along with congestion and the changing lights, eases us into conversation. I`m getting the sense that these synchronicities- before everything is already made up and ordained- is where it is at- that they strike up genuine interest.
I worked with a boy and his teachers this morning whom I haven’t seen for over a year- (since losing my job as movement and shiatsu therapist in the cuts). He is epileptic and does not use verbal language. But there is a conversation to be had in the movement of a finger. This attention to micro detail that many disabled people hone to a subtle degree, is potentially politically far-reaching. It invites similar attention from those who care for them. Though it can- like all good advice- be ignored. Politicians who take up ballroom dancing. That’s good. The question is, is Vince Cable learning from it? . “Enjoying power” ? -you would trip on the first step..
Memo to Jon Snow:
You’re a great bloke, etc., but why does your picture show you leaning against your left hand?
Please, please,please don’t take this personally (I am Top Fan), but isn’t it a little bit Jane Moore, y’know a little bit on the-simpering-side-of-things? A little bit on the “OMG – isn’t life tubular” sort-of nonsense?
Is it me (fair enough)?
Put it this way – you top journo, me peasant.Please show a
more…err…didactic picture.
Something a little more in-control.
Something a little more pro-active. Something a little less vexed.
This is inetersting enough blog – some intereting expieriences etc – and all to the good – but it is a bit comfortable . Like there are other – perhaps more important item that IMO need airing . eg what long tem effect – if any – will this World cup have on South Africa – or is just a gignatic circus with messers Blatter and Platini ending up even richer – alos there now seems fairly strong eveidence on U tube that the Israelis may have made an error with their filmed version of the Flotilla attack – and that it was one of their traing films that was used for their propaganda purposes – aslo that one of the flotilla memebrs was shot FOUR time in the head from a range of 45mm [ ie 19inches ] and lots other items to come . Hopefully Eutnasia will get an airing – plus the long awaited report on the Bloody Sunday shootings . the list is well nigh endless – but do blogs like this have much / any effect on Public?? that is a big concern – are they just for letting off steam??.
Since its publishing on the blog site I replied to the overhead blog. Since all of my comments ,over 9 months have been published one begins to think. ahha .there is something wrong here. perhaps editors have changed …Inspector Clueless to the and the rescue.
Perhaps it is the political structure, or a little jealously..or just forgetting to understand that us gentle folk from the north west are moderately intelligent and our learning capabilities are limitless.
Your Italian twins come from a town that sounds like Harrogate. Parents there swore that they had never seen the likes of the numbers of twins (many identical) and triplets in their children’s classrooms. I know of someone who desperately wanted children drank A LOT of water on the advice that “there must be something in the water”. There was something in the water – water. The person is still childless, but is happy because she knows that life is what you make of it – one CHOOSES to be happy or not as a rule.