I had never thought of 'The Mediterranean' as having been, let alone being, a cultural unity even in Roman days, but John Crossan makes a good case for it; a socety, or rather a collection of societies where family honour and patronage, until very recent 'globalised' times have counted for more than central govts. and their laws. He uses sociological studies of rural Spain in the 1950s as a means of introducing the reader to the Palestine of Jesus' childhood.

The principle of taxation, in historical terms, has only recently been inverted. For millennia it was a means whereby the landed would extract the tribute to sustain them in wealth and power. No wonder Marx and Engels' proposal, in the manifesto of 1848, to levy a progressive tax on income to finance universal elementary education, appeared at the time as revolutionary.

Peter Lawley is providing me, as ever, with a challenge to my skills in communication. His wish to seem 'ahead of the game' requires patience and diplomacy. He has an armoury of ready made objections to all sorts of things, but often fails to understand his 'enemy' before he voices his doubts. When I mentioned my 'book' c. 2 years ago he straightway reminded me that trashing Marxism was now old hat. It took some time to explain that my work was not on that theme, but on likening Marxism, and indeed many branches of socialism, to Christian Apocalyptic. At least he is now reading it and beginning to understand what it's about.

In his Christmas programme notes, he assaulted the 'misconception' that Christmas arose as a celebration of the birth of Jesus, not realising, it seems, that the Christian/Pagan fusion was common knowledge. And as for trashing the 'Christmas Hit' genre per se in an introduction to a concert where a Christmas Hit was promoted as a highlight, that can only be evidence of a warrior in a desperate search for an enemy. Some old lefties became greens when the cause was so obviously lost and the CPGB consigned to history, but Peter has not sought a home there. For some reason he remains in the Labour Party.

His initial assumption that the Utility Warehouse depended upon 'churning' for its commercial success, can thus be seen in that light; he needs the comfort of a protestor's vocabulary.
Churning was a popular (and justified) description of stockbrokers' practice in pre internet and Big Bang' days when access to financial markets was a closed shop. Brokers depended upon regular buying and selling to collect any commission. They would thus generate trading for its own sake regardless of benefit to their clients. The UWDC model is the antithesis, and success for all depends on stability. It would have helped if Peter had understood the etymology of churning, but he had acquired this 'weapon' anyway and saw, he thought, a chance to use it.

I now have the task of explaining that 'Broadcall' is not the bum deal of his immediate misconception, but sale or no, it's all good practice and, as with his comments on PD thus far, it is all most instructive. On that last at least he has taken the time and trouble to read and comment, and much of my revision will be based on his remarks. Thanks Peter.

Even at my advanced age the ligaments between my knuckles respond to the stretching jazz chord exercises, just as my biceps and chest respond, albeit very gradually, to the daily modest pumping of iron. Last dancing was Wednesday night and the next is tomorrow. What a long wait, but I look forward to a chat with Roger and Gladys at the new pub on Mapperley top when I've signed off.

Good Night.