Ealing North
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Steve Pound MP Ealing North |
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Pounds on the streets of PortugalSeptember 2003 The secret of a happy family is constant negotiation. For example, when planning our holiday I set out my basic requirements of adequate licensed premises within walking distance and a few cultural centres – preferably with a large screen television showing the Premier League. My 13 year old son requires non-stop sporting facilities, pool tables and very little else.15 year old daughter may like to lie by the pool and read but is showing a disturbing interest in clubs and something called “foam parties”. Mrs.P.needs only sun, sun and more sun. For these reasons we have turned away from Cornwall after ten years and this summer we sat down to negotiate our family holiday. We all put in our bids and then Mrs.P.decided that a fortnight in the Algarve would be the very article – so off we went. Negotiation is a wonderful thing. Arriving in Portugal to find the air thick with smoke and a layer of ash on every surface was no difficulty for me. I’ve been creating an identical environment around myself since I was fifteen but the forest fires were rather worrying for everyone else. Fortunately the flames subsided and we settled in to a steady routine of hot sun and cold lager (with milk-shakes for the little angels). We managed one day in Lisbon, partly to ses the magnificent Sporting Lisbon/Benfica stadium and to soak up a little culture. The harbour is dominated by a vast statue commemorating Prince Henry the Navigator. I asked a few questions of the guide and was surprised to hear that this great national hero wasn’t actually a navigator at all. Born in Oporto in 1394 he managed only one sea voyage in 1415 and didn’t think much of it. However Henry was very fond of the company of sailors and preferred to assist them with their explorations rather than ship out himself. A lifetime of searching for the southern passage gave Henry his title of “the Navigator” and I don’t think that we should begrudge him the honorific. Incidentally, Henry’s mother was one Philipa of Lancaster and we constantly found evidence of Anglo-Portuguese links which underscore the truth that Portugal is Great Britain’s oldest ally. It also seems to be one of the very few countries that we have never gone to war with. I was delighted to see further evidence of the links between our nations in the universal respect shown to Luis Boa Morte of Portugal and Fulham FC. Oddly enough more people had heard of Luis the Death Snake than they had of Fulham, but I soon put them right. And, yes, I do know that Boa Morte means “good death” but he is known at the Loftusdrome as Death Snake and that’s good enough for me. All in all an excellent fortnight, but tinged with a sense of sadness that the days of our all going on holiday together are probably numbered. Still, we’ll worry about that next year when the negotiation starts and Mrs.P.tells us where we’re going. |
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| Disclaimer | Copyright | Designed by Bassam Mahfouz. Promoted by Julian Bell, The Labour Party, Ruskin Hall, 16 Church Road, W3 8PP on behalf of Steve Pound MP |
