Notebook
The world press shudders at the possibility that, if he wins the Presidency, Mr Jimmy Carter might make Professor Zbigniew Brzezinski his Secretary of State—shuddering, not because of any lack of talent on the part of the professor, but because of the difficulty in spelling his name. It seems, however, that the opinion of senior Democrats is against such an appointment, because 'we can't have two foreigners running at the State Department'. Nonetheless, there is a real possibility that Columbia's ZB might get Harvard's HK's old job, as chief adviser on national security to President Carter. Certainly, like the German Dr Kissinger, the Polish Professor Brzezinski is in no state of uncertainty about his own talents. Asked by a friend whether he had been paid for the various foreign policy speeches he had written for Mr Carter he replied: 'Carter couldn't pay me enough for the speeches I write.'
The threat by Northamptonshire journalists to strike in their demand for a closed shop is disiurbing for two reasons. First it shows that Mr Michael Foot's disastrous legislation is already encouraging the National Union of Journalists to muzzle the press by excluding those who are not union members. Secondly, it has come in a part of the country where Labour politicians and trade unionists have been involved in corruption that should have been closely investigated by impartial journalists. The town of Northampton was a stamping ground of the notorious T. Dan Smith, whose Labour and trade union accomplices also browbeat the press in Tyneside.
The NUJ has also tried to impose a closed shop in Barnsley, which might be called one of the worst Tammany towns in England, and in Birmingham, where Labour leaders have joined in by saying that they would not speak to non-union reporters. Many members of the Labour Party in Birmingham would no doubt welcome any pretext for not having to answer questions about their disgraceful management of the city.
The hideous scene in the demilitarised zone of Korea -when North Korean frontier guards axed Americans and South Koreans to death----which has provoked a military alert on both sides of the frontier dividing that country has a possibly even more gruesome background. The North Korean dictator Kim II Sung uses his country's orphanages as the training ground for the youthful guards on the frontier. These youngsters, bereft of family, are taught that their parents were killed by the United Nations forces who took part on the South's side in the Korean war; and hate is thereby built into their education. For understandable reasons, My Kim II Sung never mentions such educational programmes in the full-page advertisements regularly taken in Western newspapers, which extol his ideological excellence and are duly reprinted in North Korea masquerading as Western editorial endorsement, thereby showing his oppressed people how highly he is regarded as a revolutionary of world-wide importance.
Michael Foot's image as Leader of the House of Commons needs some refurbishing after the events of last session, and there are at least two ideas that he might care to turn over in his mind during the holidays. First, it is surely not good enough that only postcards and guidebooks should be on sale to the public in the Palace of Westminster. Why not Hansard, White Papers, and other government publications? The retail branch of HM Stationary Office in High Holborn is not as central as it should be, and the service there is anyway far from adequate. Those who attend debates in Parliament, or who visit the building when Parliament is not sitting, are by definition interested in what goes on there. It seems absurd that they should not be able to gratify their interest by buying on the premises any printed records or documents that they may wish to buy.
This is all the more desirable granted the small amount of space given to Parliament in the newspapers. Even President Giscard d'Estaing's recent speech to both Houses— by all accounts entertaining as well as important--was not reported verbatim in Spectator 28 August 1976 any British newspaper. Only partial or summarised versions of it appeared even in the so-called journals of record. And as for speeches by ordinary MPs. . . Yet the proceedings of Parliament are full of good material, which ought to be more readily available to the public.
Another idea -worthy of Mr Foot's consideration is that the ceremonial opening of Parliament should take place m Westminster Hall rather than in the House of Lords. Westminster Hall is the most ancient and splendid part of the building. It is also the most capacious.
Glyndebourne's 1976 season ended with a dramatic duo on the stage between George Christie, chairman of Glyndebourne Productions (whose father established the famous opera house), and Gerald Coke, for twenty-one years chairman of the Glyndebourne Trustees. After the last performance of the season Mr Christie made his customary 'end-of-term' speech, during which he presented Mr Coke with a beautifully bound copy of Fielding's Amelia to mark his retirement. (Amelia contai ns references to Handel, on whom Mr Coke is an outstanding authority.) After expressing his thanks Mr Coke asked to be allowed to make a reciprocal presentation to Glyndebourne, which turned out to be his very fine collection of first and early editions of Mozart operas. Mr Christie was as unprepared.as the audience for this splendid gesture. which naturally cabsed him special delight.. In future, whenever a Mozart opera is berng performed at Glyndebourne, a first or earlY edition of its score will probably be on show in the organ-room.
In southern Spain a dispute has persisted for years between the sherry producers of Jerez and the makers of the excellent and veil similar Montilla from Cordoba. The argil,: ment now moves to London where a HIP Court action, to be heard in the auturriti' has been brought by several sherrY 1,111. porters, alleging that Montilla is beil! passed off as sherry by the use of the Wm' descriptions fino, amontillado and a/oroso. of It will be a great pity if the English sale , Montilla is curtailed as a result of 'W(5 action. The grape used for Montilla—Pecif) ., Ximenes—grows in a climate hotter than all; Jerez, and for this reason has a highersug content and greater strength. Montilla 4-.3.1". therefore be shipped unfortified most sherries), which gives it a 111° authentic Spanish flavour.
The bank strike in Ireland, which ended thtio9, week, should not have been allowed _A start. The Irish banks, where clerks and managers actually know their cusat.ornelarn and like to pass the time of day.
(!", '.. example to British banks with the (!", '.. example to British banks with
personal staff and their bungling c staffs puters. Apparently the Irish bank they kept on strike so long largely because enj were nettled by hostile remarks fronl..1oYe nalists who, as they well know, have _„rs, huge salary increases over the last few
. 10.r.
nalists who, as they well know, have _„rs, huge salary increases over the last few
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