Prints, Austerity and Kohl

With only a week to go till our Open Studio, Jane and I labelled, signed and mounted our prints. Jane had also begun clearing out the rubbish from the garage. We then went along to Rhiannon Thomas' studio in Milton as she is open this first weekend. There were her new line drawings in silver wire - with a cat walking though a garden being the highlight - and snapped up by another visitor whilst we were there.

The newest Survation poll on Brexit related matters comes up with some interesting trends. If the referendum on Brexit were held today, 54% would vote to stay in the EU with only 46% for leave. More than 50 % would like a cross party working group to tackle the current Brexit negotiations. And in an unusual contradiction, 66% think that leaving the EU without a mutually agreed deal would be bad, yet if Prime Minister Theresa May had to make a final decision, 51 % would accept her judgement! There are increasing noises not just in Labour but within Tory ranks that austerity should be relaxed. There is even talk of tuition fees for students possibly being reduced. Bit late to start vote chasing now after the election!

The funeral of Helmut Kohl, German leader during the critical phase of reunification and key figure in the expansion of the EU to the East, took place today. His coffin lay draped in the European flag in the European Parliament as Leaders and former president Bill Clinton gave their tributes. His coffin was then transported to his birthplace in Ludwigshafen, and then to Speyer Cathedral along the Rhine for a Catholic requiem. Speyer Cathedral is the resting place of many rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, and during his life was seen by Mr Kohl as a symbol of European unity which he proudly showed off to Mr Gorbachev and Margaret Thatcher.