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Fickle fortune

Kate Chisholm

Wednesday, 8th October 2008

Tulips in Winter (BBC Radio 3); Soul and Skin (BBC Radio 4)

So what did we learn from all this? Quite a lot actually, about Amsterdam in the 17th century and the balance of power in Europe. Then, of course, the Continent was dominated by Portugal, and the northern kingdoms of Denmark and co., with no mention of France or Germany or Italy. Amsterdam was thought of as the New Jerusalem, a safe haven for the Jews who had been expelled from Iberia and were still not allowed to live in England. But how fragile is the supposed invincibility of a society; a moment of hubris can lead to a sudden fall from grace. As Spinoza’s guardian angel continually reminds him, ‘In Amsterdam, crooked houses slide into the water, sucked in by soft sand.’

This was a typical Radio Three play; definitely not for those seeking aural wallpaper. You really had to concentrate to follow the ideas that were being floated. And that’s not easy to do these days with so much else going on around you all the time. But it’s exactly what we should be paying the BBC to make. It was artful, thoughtful and a colourful reminder that fortune is fickle. Where next will the new tulips flower?

Over on Radio Four, Soul and Skin (Thursday) reminded us that America was founded on Christian belief, whose ardour was heightened by exile, as Rob Watson took us to Ohio to hear how religion is dictating the terms of this year’s battle for the White House. Ohio is a key swing state. One quarter of the adult population worship at evangelical churches like the Cornerstone Chapel, which has 1,200 worshippers at each of its two Sunday-morning services and where the Christian Alliance, a vote-winning machine, holds a stall each week offering to register anyone not yet entitled to vote. Last time round they succeeded brilliantly, ensuring that 80 per cent of white evangelicals voted for George W. in Ohio. Who will they vote for next month?

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