Ranking Prime Ministers

I recently received an email asking me to rank the post war prime ministers. It prompted a lot of thought. I had read biographies of most British Prime Ministers but struggled to rate them against each other. I recalled that I had met four of them and had lunch with two of them. I looked at what had happened to the economy during their period of office, what major new initiatives they had introduced, their international exploits but most of all how happy did I feel at the time. I had been born during Attlee's post war government and although I have no memories of Attlee, I can recall watching Churchill and Eden on BBC newsreels after my parents won a TV in a competition in 1952. From Harold Macmillan onwards the PM of the day became part of everyday conversation. My father was a political activist and we had a steady stream of politicians visiting the house during my school years. Every weekend as a 15 and 16 year old I had to give up my bedroom for a parliamentary candidate who travelled up from London, he lost the 1964 election by 14 votes. A Panorama programmes was filmed in our living room the night I was revising for my 'O' level French. I was responsible for reading through and correcting the spelling in my father's letters to the local paper on most mornings before leaving for school. I began rating PMs by looking at developments during their time in office but realised that global events that are often outwith their control shaped progress. These events as well as the cost of living, employment, public services and incomes all influence turnouts at elections and the popularity of a PM. I decided that I should rank the PM's intuitively from my sense of whether they improved the quality of life of people from all walks of life. Did they display good governance, were they fair and did they win and retain trust? Although I have never belonged to a political party I do have left of centre sympathies on most issues. I have worked closely with politicians of all persuasions for 40 years and observed the good, the bad and sometimes ugly traits of politicians. I am generally impressed by their commitment to serving their electorate and communities although their craving for power and recognition is not always matched by their ability to take objective and rational decisions. Groupthink and party discipline sees to that. I have had an interest in the main political events from the mid 1950s and watched and heard news broadcasts from all of post war prime ministers apart from Attlee. He was the man who introduced me to cod liver oil and rationing but I forgive him because he made some good calls on the important things that have influenced my life. I lived in a new council house, attended a new school, my family benefited from the free health service, and I obtained grants to give me a higher education. Attlee created a more egalitarian society at the end of the war, putting the well being of the many above wealth for the few; and he started the dismantling of the empire. A man whose vision was clear and unencumbered by the necessity of being a performer for the media, which he certainly wasn't. Mrs Thatcher was the antidote to the welfare state that he created. She has done the most to damage to the lives of ordinary folk with high unemployment, the sell off of council housing, mortgages of 15%, underinvestment in schools and the NHS, deregulation of the markets, privatisation of public services and the creation of a culture of greed with rampant income inequalities. Post war prime ministers could be divided into three groups: those who managed radical change and were electorally successful - Attlee, MacMillan, Wilson, Thatcher and Blair. Those who won an election but struggled to make an impact or endear themselves to the wider public: Churchill (in his 1951 -1955 guise), Eden, Heath, Major and probably Cameron; and those who never won an election - Douglas-Home, Callaghan, and Brown. Undoubtedly the PM who made the most significant changes that have lasted the test of time was Attlee. He was not a great communicator but someone who managed a team of talented and strong willed politicians. He encouraged them to radically reform the role of government, to create the welfare state and to eradicate the pre war perils of poverty and inequality. He was a champion of the United Nations, the Marshall Plan and the independence of India. MacMillan was a one nation Tory who embedded the post war settlement of the welfare state introduced by Attlee. He invested heavily in public infrastructure: rail modernisation, motorways, public sector housing and schools. He was brave enough to bring down the curtains on the British Empire in Africa. My sense during the late 1950's is that it was a period of relative happiness as prosperity was spread across all sections of society and unemployment was very low. Wilson led the expansion of higher education, made technology a priority and carried out significant social and economic reforms during his first six years as PM. He was a lot less innovative in his second spell although he ended the miner's strike that had brought down Heath. He then let inflation rip and his period in office was punctuated by more industrial relations crises that could have been averted had he stood by Barbara Castle's proposals - 'In Place of Strife' in 1969. Margaret Thatcher abandoned the post war consensus about the role of the state and adopted neo-liberal policies that created a market driven economy and privatised or reduced many public services. John Major was seen as a failure by many Tories but he did rescue them from collapse of confidence as Mrs Thatcher lost credibility even amongst her own MPs. He surprisingly won the 1992 General Election. He started the process of peace negotiations in Northern Ireland and the recovery from Black Monday. Tony Blair inherited a strong hand and a massive majority as the Tories became increasingly mired in corruption scandals after 18 years in power. Blair played it well in many ways and won three elections with the economy booming and huge investment in Education and Health. But the way he courted the city, celebrities, the press and media and adopted many of the Thatcher reforms including rail nationalisation were already damaging his reputation before his ill considered invasion of Iraq. He did carry out significant social reforms such as the minimum wage, international aid, created devolved governments in the UK, a partial reform of the House of Lords and brought the Good Friday agreement to Northern Ireland. Then there are the men who don't quite fit in like Ted Heath, Jim Callaghan and Gordon Brown. Heath took the UK into the European Union but made some serial mistakes in his handling of local government reform in 1971, industrial relations and his back benches. Jim Callaghan was a calming influence after Wilson's sudden resignation in 1976 but it hard to say what he achieved other than to herald the onset of Mrs Thatcher. This inevitably followed his failure to tackle either the industrial relations or monetary crisis of the late 1970's. Brown's famed intellect could never get the better of his morose brooding personality that had damaged both himself and Blair as he plotted his succession. As Chancellor he crafted an image of being prudent and iron fisted but the sell off of gold in 1999, his irritable determination to push PFI and obsequious pandering to the financial sector did not play well. Nor did the ordering of two aircraft carriers to be built in his backyard. Having said that he did a remarkable job bringing together world leaders to stave off a global melt down after the financial crisis of 2008. It would seem that David Cameron is about to join this club of the men who don't fit in. I would not have expected this in 2010. He seemed to have taken the Conservative party into a new era and had progressive views on environmental and social issues. Unfortunately these good intentions have been stumped by the traditional views of the party. His attempts to stave off the UKIP advances by conceding a European referendum to keep his right wingers onside smacked of weakness in adversity. He appears to cherish popularity much more than his predecessors, all of whom seemed to be more principled than Dave the soundbite. And at the bottom of the ratings. Anthony Eden was a terrible failure during Suez despite his considerable experience and aristocratic charm and resigned within the year. Sir Alec Douglas-Home was a gentleman but suffered from the undemocratic nature of his appointment and the jibes of the opposition and media at a turgid time for the Tories. But these two did not inflict the damage of Thatcher. David Cameron may yet manage that. So my ranking of Prime Ministers for the impact they have made on the wider electorate and the economic and social progress of the UK goes as follows. 1. 1945-1951   Clement Attlee                Labour 2. 1957-1962   Harold Macmillan            Conservative 3. 1997-2007   Tony Blair                        Labour 4. 1964-1970   Harold Wilson                  Labour 5. 1990-1997   John Major                      Conservative 6. 1974-1976   Harold Wilson                  Labour 7. 1970-1974   Edward Heath                 Conservative 8. 1976-1979   James Callaghan            Labour 9. 1951-1955  Winston Churchill            Conservative 10. 2007-2010 Gordon Brown                Labour 11. 1963-1964  Sir Alec Douglas-Home Conservative 12. 1955-1957  Sir Anthony Eden           Conservative 13. 2010-2015  David Cameron              Conservative 14. 1979-1990  Margaret Thatcher          Conservative

Winter Conditions at last

Loch Ard reflections

The last couple of months have been smothered with cloudy, wet, windy and comparatively warm days for mid winter. At last we seem to be heading for more interesting weather. In London yesterday I ran round the parks, dodging dogs, toddlers, new year resolutionists padding along in box bright trainers and a rolling assembly of new age babies in hi tech prams. Today I was home so I would be devoid of company in the vast expanse of the forest. First light brought icy winter conditions with a thick fog at daybreak. I figured that it would probably clear so took my camera and headed for a run round the three nearest lochs. The pavements were lethal with black ice and the roads not much better; the gritter passed me spraying an austerity scatter of salted grit, a pea shooter would probably have been just as effective and a lot greener. I was glad to get off the public roads and onto the forest tracks which gave a good footing. There was a short spell of sunshine as I ran along Loch Ard and the vistas opened up to give stunning reflections in the mirrored surface of the loch.

I headed out on my favourite shoreline loop past Rob Roy's cave and was relieved that the footpath had been cleared of the fallen trees from the December gales. A rainbow appeared and arced its spectra into the Glassert grounds at the other side of the loch. I completed the loop as it started sleeting and then snowing. The trails had deteriorated into linear peat bogs. I reached the junction from where there is a steady climb to the top track which shusses down to Loch Ghleannain and then found an easy rhythm on the long descent to Milton. I was surprised to discover a Land Rover following behind me which raised my pace a little more.

I decided to return by crossing the Duchray Water by the new wooden bridge and to take the trail round Lochan Spling. It was bleak in the flat grey light that had now settled over the forest. I had met no-one despite running for an hour until I reached the junction to the Covenanters. Three large transit vans were parked and had disgorged their teams of barking huskies for their morning run. This is quite a common occurrence on winter weekends and I have had to dive into the ditches on several occasions as they race past, they didn't today.

Reaching Manse Road I was confronted with more black ice, a lone dog was treading ice with some trepidation and people were walking gingerly on the grass bank to avoid the ice and cursing me for the lack of gritting. As I reached the village emergency vehicles sirened their way through on the way to a crash on the icy roads. The sun finally arrived and Ben Lomond looked ready to shed its cap of cloud. The morning run had provided exercise, an adventure, a soaking and chance to take photos as the winter had at last  displayed its full repertoire of conditions. Altogether far more interesting than those wet and windy days that had regaled us for the past couple of months.

Foggy icy start

Near Rob Roy's cave

Pot of Gold

Loch Ard inlet

Lochan Ghleannain

Duchray Water

Rusty dragonfly

Lochan Spling in bleak mid winter

Ben Lomond finally appears

Key for Munro and Corbett postings

Celebrating the completion of the 4th Round on Schiehallion

When I started this blog it was not intended to be a record of hill walks but a diary of things that captured my attention after retirement. In practice it has become more of an online diary and a key feature of retirement has been the chance to indulge in a more relaxed round of Munros, complete the Corbetts, and enjoy some longer-distance walks. It seemed more sensible to write them up, include photographs, and post them on the blog rather than just fill another notebook for each outing as I had done for my four previous Munro rounds. A blog is easier to access and can be tapped into by companions and others looking for photos of the hills. It also provides information that might be useful for other walkers. In particular, the timings, length of the route, and the ascent of each walk are something most of us look for when planning a walk. This is the case with the Munro postings each post typically has received between 40 to 400 hits depending on the popularity of the hill. The rare remote hills also receive a disproportionate number of hits because there are few other postings about them.

There are over a hundred or so walks now on the blog and several people have asked for an explanation of the timings, ascent, and classification of the hills. They have also asked how realistic the timings are. Well, that depends on the individual, the conditions, and the amount of gear being carried, see timings below. The Key to Abbreviations is provided to give some insight into the information provided. My intention at present (2014) is to try and complete my current Munro round and the Corbetts by 2018.

Key to Abbreviations

The date is given for each walk, and the posting is often made a few days later.

Ascent:      is the total height climbed on the day as measured in metres by a Suunto altimeter                                   

Distance:   is the cumulative length of the walk, measured in kilometres, on 1:50,000 OS sheets or, more recently, using the excellent OS Maps Online, a bargain at £21 per annum

Time:         is the walking time and includes short stops for drinks, food, and photos. If I have a substantial break of more than, say, 10 minutes for lunch then this is not included in the time.

m   refers to Munros - there are presently 282 in Scotland. They are hills over 3000 feet (914metres)

t     refers to Tops - these are adjoined to Munros and also over 3000 feet. there are currently 500 tops

c    refers to Corbetts - hills between 2500 and 3000 feet which have a 500-foot drop all around. there are presently 224 Corbetts

Each Munro, Top, or Corbett is given its height in metres(m), and the cumulative time to reach it from the start of the walk (*hrs *mins).

The description of the walk is intended to describe the conditions, the main features, and the memorable events including wildlife sightings. I am still trying to find a way of including route maps on the blog.

Timings

I have been asked to explain my timings for various walks on the Munros, and Corbetts, as well as longer distance trails to give people an idea of how they should use them. I am aware that books such as the Scottish Mountaineering Club Guide to The Munros and Irvine Butterfield's excellent The High Mountains of Britain and Ireland give times based on either Naismith's rule or Eric Langmuir's

formula. The former is quite generous and should be easily possible for a reasonably fit walker and the latter are quite demanding but take no cognisance of ground conditions, which can be hugely significant.

I have listed my cumulative times for each walk. These are usually close to the lowest times in the range quoted by Irvine Butterfield or about 25% quicker than Naismith. However, they will vary according to terrain, weather, whether I am travelling light or carrying a tent and overnight gear, and also how well I am going on the day. They also depend on my companions. I have walked about a third of the outings on my own but I also have four strong walking companions: Keith, my former mountain marathon partner who still competes in hill races, John, my brother-in-law who is a keen cyclist and walker, Mark, a former work colleague who is an obsessive hill walker with a relentless pace and my son, Gregor, who is exceptionally quick on the hills. Between the five of us, we have climbed at 2014 over 9,000 Munros and completed 14  rounds of Munros so there is a wealth of experience and knowledge of the Scottish hills.

The times are mine, someone in his sixties, reasonably fit and still running regularly at sub-8-minute mile pace. I am an experienced hill walker having completed four rounds of the Munros. These posts are of my most recent outings of a more relaxed attempt on a fifth round of Munros and to complete the Corbetts. My times are on average about 15 - 20% slower than they were twenty years ago when I was hill-fit and fairly driven to take advantage of the rare days when I was not working.

Photographs

Wherever possible I take photographs on all walks unless the conditions are too atrocious or I forget my camera, which is very seldom although the battery has sometimes given up. Normally I carry a small digital camera: Panasonic TZ8 until it died, an Olympus ZX1(waterproof) now also defunct, currently a Sony RX100, and occasionally an SLR - Pentax K5 also waterproof.

Previous Munro Rounds

Round 1    1989 to 1993      92 days over 4 years 8 months start on Bidean name Bian and finish on Liathach
Round 2    1994 to 1998    107 days over 4 years 8 months start on Ben Vorlich and finish on Ben Lomond
Round 3    1999 to 2004    105 days over 5 years 2 months start on Ben Ime and finish on Buchaille Etive Mor
Round 4    2004 to 2008      80 days over 3 years 9 months start on Meall nan Aighean and finish on Schiehallion