Duck and boat

Derwentwater on a cloudy day. One of the boats that do the lake circuit approaching and a duck leaving. I'm amazed they can take off so well are they fed by the tourists.

The Words by the Water festival is in the theatre a few minutes away. We'd been to see Hermione Lee talk about Penelope Fitzgerald about whom I knew nothing beforehand but loads afterwards. Then to listen to Michael Meacher MP who was Minister for the Environment in Blair's government and a long serving parliamentarian.

He spoke about alternatives to austerity and that the Tories were using this as an excuse to shrink the state. How red blooded capitalism had failed and how inequality has soared. He advocates expanding the economy to get people into work which would reduce the welfare costs and explained how this could be paid for; mainly by the super rich. My three sentences hardly does his speech justice.

I've read many of these ideas elsewhere but it was good to hear them all brought together in a coherent whole. Really nice, approachable bloke too.