Letter from Europe

[Barbara Nadel]

Have you heard the one about our government wanting to put missiles on top of a block of flats in the east end of London. This is apparently to deter al Qaeda from attacking the Olympics. But at this rate they've probably got more to fear from the locals actually. Missiles on your roof! It's like having a great big finger pointed at your apartment with the words 'Bomb me!' on it.

[Lowell]

What would they use it for? To shoot down a highjacked civilian airliner coming at them? Somehow I would find it unsettling to a have missile with sizable warhead sitting above my bedroom. Like guns it a home, it would be more likely to kill the residents than any enemy.

[Barbara Nadel]

What would they use it for? To shoot down a highjacked civilian airliner coming at them? Somehow I would find it unsettling to a have missile with sizable warhead sitting above my bedroom. Like guns it a home, it would be more likely to kill the residents than any enemy.

Exactly. People are going crazy about it. Talk about setting up targets! Anyway nobody actually thinks that al Qaeda or anyone else will actually bomb the Olympics. Why bother when you can pick off a train or an aircraft elsewhere while the Olympics are providing a handy distraction. Also all the so called tens of thousands of people who were supposed to be coming from abroad aren't. It's all corporates. All the landlords in London who wanted to make a killing are fuming as their properties are not rented for the Olympics. We could have done without this.

[Barbara Nadel]

Oh, blimey it gets worse! Now we're going to have RAF fighter planes over the Olympic site. Is it worth it? Dear Detroit, don't EVER bid for the Olympics. Even if the world promises you all gold plated houses - DO NOT DO IT. A Greek friend warned me after the Athens games that if London got it, the UK would enter a whole new world of problems and debt. He was right.

[Pam]

Oh, blimey it gets worse! Now we're going to have RAF fighter planes over the Olympic site. Is it worth it? Dear Detroit, don't EVER bid for the Olympics. Even if the world promises you all gold plated houses - DO NOT DO IT. A Greek friend warned me after the Athens games that if London got it, the UK would enter a whole new world of problems and debt. He was right.

Might be time to kill off the Olympics since it's become so commercialized, or at least hold it in the same place every year.

[Barbara Nadel]

Might be time to kill off the Olympics since it's become so commercialized, or at least hold it in the same place every year.

Personally I think it should always be in its home of Athens but that the world as a whole should pay for it. Under those circumstances it would provide much needed revenue for the Greeks [[they could use their permanent stadia as tourist attractions and they are of course the home of the games).

[Barbara Nadel]

Voting day in our local elections. Also voting for the Mayor of London. If we're lucky and people aren't just too apathetic to be bothered, maybe we'll be able to send a message to our stupid incompetent government. Not that there's really any choice going on here. You can vote for the government [[rich morons, corrupt and clueless), the opposition [[some rich morons, a lot of cowards) or the LibDems who are in coalition with the government and have lost all credibility. It's a toughie. Time was when you didn't have to be rolling in money to stand for Parliament we had loads of alternative parties. They rarely won anything but they were a way that one could register one's disgust with politics. I can remember back in the 1980s voting for the Monster Raving Loony Party for instance. We also had The Spotty Party, The Birthday Party, the Dog Walking Party and the George Davis is Innocent Party.

[Pam]

I can remember back in the 1980s voting for the Monster Raving Loony Party for instance

I've heard of that one. Wasn't it associated with Screaming Lord Sutch? Or maybe it was Monty Python...

[Barbara Nadel]

I've heard of that one. Wasn't it associated with Screaming Lord Sutch? Or maybe it was Monty Python...

It was the late, great Screaming Lord Sutch. We miss him!

[Arkady001]

Have you heard the one about our government wanting to put missiles on top of a block of flats in the east end of London. This is apparently to deter al Qaeda from attacking the Olympics. But at this rate they've probably got more to fear from the locals actually. Missiles on your roof! It's like having a great big finger pointed at your apartment with the words 'Bomb me!' on it.

Not quite: the military will hardly leave them unguarded. These mobile launchers, as well as MANPADS [[Man-Portable Air Defence System) are part of a layered defence that will see an RAF CAP loitering high over the south-east, covering all civil air-corridors. Any flight deviating from its flight-path would be intercepeted first by RAF fighters well away from Urban centres.
Only as a very last resort would MANPADs be used - the resulting casualties from an airliner crashing into central London are still deemed preferable to it crashing into a packed Olympic stadium...

In any case it's more of a PR deterrent than anything likely to be used: MANPADS are routinely stationed on rooftops in Washington DC [[and any other city visited by POTUS, including London) and the locations rotated so they cannot be targeted easily.

[Barbara Nadel]

Not quite: the military will hardly leave them unguarded. These mobile launchers, as well as MANPADS [[Man-Portable Air Defence System) are part of a layered defence that will see an RAF CAP loitering high over the south-east, covering all civil air-corridors. Any flight deviating from its flight-path would be intercepeted first by RAF fighters well away from Urban centres.
Only as a very last resort would MANPADs be used - the resulting casualties from an airliner crashing into central London are still deemed preferable to it crashing into a packed Olympic stadium...

In any case it's more of a PR deterrent than anything likely to be used: MANPADS are routinely stationed on rooftops in Washington DC [[and any other city visited by POTUS, including London) and the locations rotated so they cannot be targeted easily.

Thanks for taking the time to explain that. Reports here have been so vague and veiled it's quite difficult to know what the authorities have in mind. Unfortunately this 'veiling' of official information, the use of vague words and not answering questions is part of our culture now. Maybe you should come and work for the BBC!

[Barbara Nadel]

A bit of Olympic news. Apparently Ben Gordon of the Detroit Pistons is really looking forward to coming the UK to play for us at the Olympics. He was born here and although he has lived in the States for most of his life it is reported that he is going to be proud to play for his country. A nice Olympic story - well it is for us who are very lucky to have him.

[Barbara Nadel]

We had our local elections last week and the Labour party gave the Conservative government quite a drubbing. These cuts are too much and people are angry. However, what was the government's response? Well, lets have some more cuts and lets give the rich some more tax back. Oh, yes well that'll work [[not)! Also London still has a conservative mayor, Boris Johnson.

[Barbara Nadel]

Francoise Hollande has beaten Nicolas Sarkozy in the French general election. Is this the beginning of a wave of socialist governments not willing to cut to the bone in Europe? I hope so. We've all had enough of 'the markets' and what they want. If Hollande to tell them all to get on their bikes [[or just shake them up a bit) it's all to the good as far as I'm concerned. Europe needs jobs!

[Barbara Nadel]

Looks as if capitalism may be about to take a bit of a beating in Europe. The new French president has said he's done with austerity and intends to tax the super rich at 70% and the Greeks just will not vote for any more austerity. Well, it doesn't work. It's just a pity our PM has his fingers in his ears and is going 'La! La! La!' But then he probably can't think about that at the moment with all this investigation into his dealings with Rupert Murdoch going on. I believe it started with Thatcher but there is evidence that Murdoch was in with all our PMs from the sainted Margaret onwards. The only exception was Gordon Brown. It was a pity he was too angry and flawed to make a better job of PM but sadly he was just hopeless.

[Barbara Nadel]

UK Paperback edition of 'Dead of Night' to be published on 5th July 2012. Publicity trail starts in June. Wish me luck.

[Barbara Nadel]

It's hotter here in the UK today than it is in ROME!! Mind you I'd probably rather be in Rome than here because then I wouldn't be at work. Just finished a pile of editing for the new Cetin Ikmen book which will be published here in January 2013. It's set in the hotel room where Agatha Christie and her husband used to stay when they were in Istanbul. They visited a lot, usually on their way out to Iraq where Agatha's husband used to go on archaeological digs. Hope you're all well there and enjoying some warmer weather now.

[Blueidone]

Barbara...this showed up on my AOL news reports today...thought you might find it interesting!

Melungeon DNA Study Reveals Ancestry, Upsets 'A Whole Lot Of People'

[Barbara Nadel]

Barbara...this showed up on my AOL news reports today...thought you might find it interesting!

Melungeon DNA Study Reveals Ancestry, Upsets 'A Whole Lot Of People'

REALLY interesting, thank you! I'll pass this on to people in Turkey. One can't argue with genetics but that said, the story about the Ottoman sailors being shipwrecked off the Americas is an old one. So I expect it is a case of it being possibly, true in some cases. Melungeons are such a diverse group of people anyway. But the article is a great insight into genetics and into racial politics. Thanks.

[Barbara Nadel]

Off back to London in searing heat. Thank goodness British cars have aircon these days. We didn't have this in our cars for decades. I'm organising my new website and also arranging to have a small film made about my London borough of Newham which is where my new series [[called 'Hakim and Arnold') will be set. Then back in time for the Diamond Jubilee weekend. Nothing special planned but we'll probably watch the parade on the Thames. If I'm not back on line in time, have a great picnic. I wish I could be there. I'll be thinking of you.

[Pam]

but we'll probably watch the parade on the Thames.

How was it from the ground? It looked pretty cool on TV.

[Gannon]

And at least her hubby got a doctor's note for missing the party.

Bladder infection. I'll have to remember to use that excuse.

I can just hear him now..."Sorry, dear, can't go to your big party. I've been buggering defenseless children, and seem to have caught something from the louts. Do so have Charles call out a cheer for me. I love to hear the crowds holler."


What? I'm just repeating the rumors...we won't get into the cannibal reports, LOL!

[Barbara Nadel]

Didn't actually see the Diamond Jubilee in the flesh as it were, but saw bits and bobs on TV between bits and bobs of working. I am not a monarchist myself but I do have an affection for the Queen because she has been around all my life. The world has changed so much during her reign and she has been one constant for us in it. That said it did all cost a lot of money we don't have and quite why the Prime Minister had to get involved by reading from the Bible in St Paul's Cathedral, I don't know. But then politicians always get their noses in the trough somehow. I didn't actually go and see the floatilla - not because it was raining [[known as 'Queens weather') but because the tube stations were packed and alarming.

[Kathleen]

From what I saw last evening on the ABC special, it was swarming with people, probably frightfully so! But the concert was fun...and I was rather verklempt at times at the outpouring of country pride and love for the Queen!

Loved the 3 cheers for the Queen....Hip, hip, hooray!!!

[Barbara Nadel]

From what I saw last evening on the ABC special, it was swarming with people, probably frightfully so! But the concert was fun...and I was rather verklempt at times at the outpouring of country pride and love for the Queen!

Loved the 3 cheers for the Queen....Hip, hip, hooray!!!

Yes, we don't do the whole patriotic thing en masse much these days but when we do, we do it well. Basically everyone likes the Queen even if the rest of the royals leave them cold. That's certainly how I feel. The Queen has been there all my life and has been a constant even when we've had corrupt, vile or just chaotic governments. It's said that she didn't like Margaret Thatcher, which puts her in my good books for a start. And now that we have this shonky old lot under Cameron it's nice to know that the Queen's still there as a sort of point of reference. And yes the floatilla was great. Last time we had one like that it was the 17th century. Next thing, we should have an ice fair when the Thames freezes in the winter. We used to have those in the 17th century too. However I expect there's some sort of law against it now. There are laws against most things here.