Scapegoats and reality

It's difficult to feel too much sympathy for Stephen Hester and Fred Goodwin but I have to admit to some. The notion that Goodwin was single handedly responsible for the banking crisis and its aftermath, as reported in some news reports over the last few days is frankly ludicrous. He wasn't even single handedly responsible for the problems at RBS - those around him share the responsibility if only for not arguing enough. And has everyone forgotten about Lehmanns? And Northern Rock?

Similarly, Hester was not the only banker in line for a large bonus. And the fact that he's not taking it has no real impact on anybody else. I have a problem with 'rewards for failure' as these bonuses are being called but it's not clear that he has failed - many argue he's doing a good job. And the way to prevent large bonuses is to stop promising them, not to promise them and then either renege on the deal or shame the recipient into waiving them. The truth of the matter seems to be that actually doing something practical and constructive, like changing the rules of the game for the future, is too difficult so we're left with knee jerk scapegoating. The press and politicians should be ashamed of themselves.

Going back to Mr Goodwin, now reduced to the normal honorific, he is far from the only knight of the realm who has been found to have feet of clay. Neither is it a new thing. In Mallory's 'Morte dArthur' knights who blotted their copybooks were not stripped of their knighthoods but given quests to fulfil. Damsels were rescued, grails sought, dragons slain. Maybe the forfeiture committee could have been more inventive and sent Sir Fred off to redeem his name by some noble deed. Or maybe we should not award knighthoods to people who have amassed large fortunes but focus instead on people who have shown themselves capable of noble deeds in the first place. And poets, playwrights and jazz musicians obviously.

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again

I spent much of December in wonderful colonial style villa on St Lucia's Cap Estate. Called Manderley because the first owner was a Du Maurier fan, it provided a great base for a couple of weeks escape - our first visit to the island despite having family there. What struck me this morning as I prepared to get properly back into the world of work was how much of the last few weeks I've spent disconnected from world events, the markets and other day to day considerations - and how the world has survived anyway! Wifi was sporadic on the island, I couldn't check the markets on a regular basis, David Cameron was busy vetoing European proposals, all sorts of other things were going on but I was happy in a protective bubble of sunshine, sea, family and rum punch - and when I got back there was only time for quick catch ups on a couple of essential matters before everything stopped for Christmas.

The lesson I draw from this is to worry less and relax. Not original but I need reminding. I started this morning with a list of tasks to work through, some of them more important than others but none of them dependent on the anxieties I often carry round with me. I've been pretty effective this year so far without getting bogged down. I wonder if i can keep it up?

We're not the 99%, we're the top 10%

I was struck by the focus on relative wealth which seems to be all pervasive. Rich lists, executive pay, bankers bonuses. The 'occupy' protests with the mantra 'we are the 99%'. Well, it's all a matter of how you look at it. Yes, there's an imbalance between the very wealthy and the rest, and between top and bottom income levels in the west; there's greed and insensitivity, and there's injustice. But, and this is a significant rider in my view, there is a more significant imbalance between most people in the UK, the US and other western countries and the bulk of the world's population. Most of those protesting are likely to be in the top 10% by income, and probably by wealth as well - and we live in a world where the poorest are hardest hit by natural disasters, where the richest strike the most favourable deals, and where the UK government is criticised for protecting the aid budget on the grounds that we're hard up. I have plenty of criticisms of the government but that is not one of them.

There's nothing wrong with pointing out the injustices of our system but let's remember the old saying about people in glass houses and make sure we do something about the 90% as well.

An alien in New York

Okay, it's a hackneyed phrase but that's what I am. A visitor, after a break of perhaps 4 years, to a city which feels very familiar but also very foreign. New Yorkers in my experience are friendly, hospitable, entrepreneurial, noisy and fun. It's seen as a fairly liberal place by much of America and has strong Democrat connections but read the New York Post as I did this morning and you see a different side - insecure, insular, reactionary and still buying the old lie that its somehow a socialist trick to reverse the Bush tax cuts for the super rich despite the hugely wider divergence between rich and poor and the clear lack of the old trickle down effect in recent years.

I'm here because my play The Door is on at 59E59 Theater and it's going remarkably well , playing to full houses who are lapping it up. It is seen as much more controversial here than it would be in the UK though - not that that's a bad thing, just another cultural indicator. And while I'm here I'm enjoying it immensely. Enjoying the hospitality, the service culture, the buzz and the friendly faces. And also enjoying the experience of having a play on 'Off Broadway'. A happy alien.

Black Friday - no time for the blues

It's Black Friday in New York, traditionally the day on which the retailers go into the black and the trading year becomes worthwhile. The resulting exuberance means there are bargains to be had, goods at knock down prices and it's also a day when lots of Americans are off work for the Thanksgiving weekend and thus available for a spot of shopping.

Shopping is the last thing I'd want to do on a holiday weekend but each to his own and it looks like I might be a beneficiary as my acting colleagues are out looking for a cheap airbed for when I join them in their bijou apartment, a far cry from the days of business travel. The glamour of Off Broadway! - my play, 'The Door' is on at 59E59 Theater as part of the Brits off Broadway festival and I'm off to see the production and meet all the wonderful staff there just as soon as I've fulfilled my commitment to sing Poulenc's Gloria and Verdi's 'Four Sacred Pieces' this weekend (at St Martins Church in Dorking with Brockham Choral under the masterly baton of Andrew Phillips).

The origins of the name 'Black Friday' are in fact a little in doubt as there is a school of thought that holds to the theory that it was originally called Black Friday in Philadelphia because of the log jam of traffic caused by the sales. Either way, shoppers are getting bargains, retailers are getting trade, and our New York production is getting enthusiastic audiences so it's no time for the blues.

Lessons in song

We went to a Ball on Friday, a fund raiser, and listening to my friend Scholastica speak, I was reminded of my trips to Kenya and the people I met. The charity was New Ways and the ball was packed with familiar faces, regular supporters who run, bike, climb, and do many other things to help the people of Turkana gain access to clean water, better nutrition and education for their children. Children who have proper nutrition when young grow up healthy - with better brain and body function. Areas with a sustainable source of water are less prone to famine and disaster. We all do our bit to help, and it's a joy to do so, especially when the opportunity arises to visit Turkana.

I've been twice, riding my bike round the Rift Valley and meeting the people in central Kenya before heading north to Lodwar and Nariokotome. The people are a delight. Friendly, interested, dignified and fun. Much of the teaching in schools is done by singing, and the children love to sing. The picture shows a group we encountered by chance at a lunch stop on our first bike ride. A group of children keen to sing for us and to laugh and shout. England and India were in the midst of a test series at the time and I doubt whether they'd seen much cricket but one of the guys on the ride had them enthusiastically chanting for India (he was rather outnumbered by English supporters the rest of the time). But the most poignant moment came when the girl in the picture sang her song. She sang beautifully but in Swahili and we asked for a translation. The teachers answer? 'AIDS kills everyone. Rich or poor, old or young, AIDS kills everyone'. Another hard lesson for these youngsters and another dose of reality for the cyclists.

There's another lesson in this for us too which is to take a leaf out the Kenyan book and enjoy ourselves in the midst of difficulty. In Turkana, where life is tough, the people sing and dance. So should we. So I'm looking forward to the next Ball - and to the fundraisers in 2012 which will include performances of my play 'Visiting Time' which explores the issues around Aid and AIDS among other things.

Those interested can learn more about New Ways on www.newways.org.uk

I've visited New York many times and will be pleased to go back but this time there's an extra buzz about the trip. The play I wrote for a local festival has somehow gone professional and crossed the Atlantic. We just had the final planning meeting and the cast are off at the weekend, one of them as soon as he finishes playing Elyot in 'Private Lives. I will be following later. Where this adventure will take us next I don't know but there are a number of productions in the pipeline and no shortage of subjects for issues based drama - and never a shortage of relationships to explore. Topics that are suggesting themselves at the moment include the implications of a completely non elected government in a parliamentary democracy (how does that work?), the collapse of a financial system (or the rescue of one) and the contrast between western concerns with banks, currency and pensions and the famine in the Horn of Africa. A comedy maybe?