#OxfordMidSummer Background

 

This is a note to come back to. The police conversation has not got to this yet. But later there will be events that make it relevant.

It appears to be random if a name of person fined appears in the newspapers. After the first announcement Helen MacNamara was named by Daily Telegraph ( 4th April front page with photo ) but no mention of James Slack. Later it became clear that his leaving do was one of the parties included so some assume he may have been fined. The i reported that there was surprise at the Sun. Also noted that there has been less reporting that at the Mirror.

Is it possible that Sun journalists have realised Slack would know something about what happened in Downing Street while he was working there?

If the Lee Cain story becomes more reported then the history with Vote Leave could be relevant. #PartyGate follows a series of questions around misinformation. If PM is shown to be a liar around this issue, what else will be checked out?

The policy of not naming those fined is said to be a consequence of Leveson - protection of individual privacy. there may though be public interest in how Downing Street operates, including contacts with press.

#OxfordMidSummer chat after Easter

 Beginning to worry the Met are losing control of the narrative. After Sunday Times there are now some details of parties in Mirror, Telegraph and Times. Maybe more. Times suggests Gray is upset by delays. Thee is no context for the fines as news when announced by the Met. No names and sometimes not clear which party. The leaving do for Lee Cain may soon get more attention but will it be on the Met list to do soon?

Bit of a worry. awareness of different pressures but realising Met must get on with job as planned.

#OxfordMidSummer Chat before Easter

 This is notes for a drink just before Easter.  I don't have characters clear yet, this may depend on how the improv takes shape. I think there are about four police or related roles. Balanced on leave / remain opinions but all concerned about support for police.

Main topic is something noticed in newspapers after the fines for PM and Chancellor. There is the start of criticism of the Met. Daily Mail editorial wonders "what motivates Scotland Yard to dribble out these fine notifications in such a piecemeal fashion" -  they should get it over and get out. Sun quotes an MP "The Met are yet again bungling this by dripping it out and prolonging this agony for everyone".

Opionions include whether the procedure is intended to delay main report till after elections and what else Met could do. Expectation id to proceed through approx a party a week.

BBC and PBS Docs on Putin , Ukraine , Revenge

I have started to look at documentaries about Putin after the issues started with Ukraine. They are being shown now but were first broadcast a while ago.

BBC4 is half way through a repeat of four on Putin and the West. From 2012 with only a note at the end to update. All four are on iPlayer. PBS has put even the recent one on YouTube - Putin Road to War . Some of this is in the earlier ones - Putin's Revenge parts 1 and 2. these have more length and explain how Putin came to see USA as interfering in elections in Georgia and Ukraine. The "revenge" was the interference against Hilary Clinton in 2016. There is not much about Brexit but there is some time for interference in EU area.

BBC has also done two parts on Thatcher and Reagan with Charles Moore. This has almost nothing on EU though thatcher was very involved in EU meetings. The 2012 docs have several clips from other EU leaders and was made with some EU support. My guess is that the BBC would find it hard to do an update to the same standard now.

So far proper TV has not explored Russia and Brexit. There is content on YouTube that raises the issues. Eventually there may be an edit of what is available into an hour or several. BBC is on iPlayer in UK. YouTube allows a wider range of media based outside the UK.

( This is not drama or fiction but I seem to alternate with reality helped by ways to think about television )

Chat around leaks #OxfordMidSummer

 This blog continues as a sort of script for Oxford Mid Summer. Also background text and links. The script will probably end up as a full set of dialogue but meanwhile there will be forum theatre and verbatim theatre. You can tell from previous posts that I am against Brexit but in the drama many points of view will be represented.

So the scene is a rural pub somewhere near Oxford . Light fading but some are in garden if video required / inside if just radio. Staff from local police force are ending the day with a drink and discussion.

More or less in real time now as notes / blog

Topics include possible criminal charges for leak of info on Sunak tax / green card. Will the Met get involved? BBC seems to be pushing the ide of "Red Throat" - Labour supporting civil servant. Somebody suggests "Big Dog" may have started  some story to block support for Sunak as alternative PM. More background chat on #Partygate. Why is there a delay in fines? Is it just civil servants who are involved.

This is just enough for some improv. More later.

Oxford Mid Summer continued

 I am still interested in fiction as a way to deal with Brexit and the aftermath. In facts there are too many lies. The consequence has been a convention for the Conservative Party and supporting newspapers that anything can be told as a story. I am not sure who accepts this but the proper telly usually bases the news agenda on this sort of thing.

So I will explore info about Russian influence in UK between 2014 and current war. But it is so hidden / disputed that only fiction can cope. Part two of the murder mystery will have the outline of it, possibly some detail. Thee is a large country house but nobody knows who really owns it. There have been dealings in linked cottages and barns that may have been special deals for academics and journalists. 

Today there is the start of reporting in a new phase, some info from Met Police plus #No10Sources claims that this is no longer a story of any interest for the UK public. So some version of the script can start now in real time. I say "script" but probably the start will be improv. Not much guidance will be needed, that is I won't get much time to put in a request. But this blog will take the form of background notes anyway.

The method is to start with forum theatre and move on to verbatim. Improv is a shortcut. Character definition depends on who is available. I will start with bits of dialogue. They can be allocated to characters some time later. So far the best bit of verbatim is

Does the PM require someone else to tell him where he is or where he was?

I refer the Honourable Lady to my previous answer.

Someone could just remember this. It will fit in somewhere.

So tonight a group of police officers will meet in a pub garden somewhere in travel range of Oxford . ( It is light quite late now, a bit cold. Natural light assumed for video because of budget plans )

Topics include the Telegraph mention of a retired civil servant, Guardian mention of a former #No10Sources person now at a newspaper. Can anyone guess a police source possibly connected to a journalist? Is it reasonable for Leveson to be used as reference for not naming names. What to make of Rees-Mogg claims the PM was misled before making statements to MPs. Will it turn out to be a mistake to announce things bit by bit?

So far this seems plausible as a situation. People from outside London may well discuss other organisations in a casual sort of way. The fiction will start with the first accident / death early in May.