The Spectator

Portrait of the Week – 13 November 2004

A speedy round-up of the week's news

The Saturday 17.35 Paddington to Plymouth train, operated by First Great Western, was derailed when it hit a car on a level crossing near Ufton, just before Aldermaston, Berkshire; the car driver and train driver and five passengers were killed and 150 of the 300 aboard injured. Three soldiers of the Black Watch were killed in a suicide bombing ambush 30 miles south-west of Baghdad, and another soldier in the regiment was killed later. Mr Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, flew off eagerly to Washington for talks with President George Bush. The full scale of the rejection in a referendum of plans by Mr John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, to saddle the North-East with its own regional assembly was announced; 197,310 voted Yes and 696,519 voted No, with none of the 23 areas voting by less than two to one against the scheme. The Scottish Cabinet planned to impose fines of £3,600 on anyone who smokes in a pub or restaurant there. More than 200,000 civil servants went on strike for a day in protest against planned job cuts. Fred Dibnah, the steeplejack featured on popular television programmes, died, aged 66. Emlyn Hughes, the former England and Liverpool football captain, died, aged 57. The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, which unsuccessfully took legal action to stop the Franklin Mint in America producing memorabilia featuring the late princess, had a case for malicious prosecution brought against it by the Franklin Mint in Los Angeles. Sir Elton John managed to use the words fucking, tits, wank, bugger and bollocks on a morning programme on Radio 1. Islington Council told St Mary Magdalene Church of England school that when it becomes a ‘city academy’ it must drop the word ‘saint’ because it might offend some groups. Thieves in Newham, in east London, stole 35 manhole covers and 227 drain covers.

The Iraqi government declared 60 days of emergency rule.

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