Melania's Follow all Laws but Govern with a Heart. May's £20bn NHS promise. Visiting Oxburgh Hall.

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The growing outcry about the nearly 2000 children of illegal immigrants being separated from their parents took some unusual turns. Whilst the action appears to be a direct result of the Trump administration making all immigrants liable to a criminal prosecution, the President himself has repeatedly blamed the Democrats for the situation! Comments during an interview also appeared to give the impression that he was using the problem as a negotiating tool on immigration with the Democrats. Then today I hear that Melania Trump issued a statement broadly agreeing on the need to control immigration but ending with:
“Mrs. Trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform. She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with a heart.”

Meanwhile Prime Minister Theresa May issued a promise of an additional £20bn a year towards the funding of the NHS (a 3.4% rise), partly as a direct benefit of Brexit - a so-called Brexit Dividend. On current figures, The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said that even the government had accepted that an immediate post-Brexit boost to UK available funding would not happen. However, the taxpayer might be willing to suffer the necessary tax rises to cover the costs of the NHS. The government looks ahead to another turbulent week in parliament on Brexit related voting.

We spent the day with visiting Dutch friends on a trip to Oxburgh Hall. It was also a costume day there and we learned that every mediaeval person carried a spoon around with them, from the pewter spoon of the lord of the manor to the wooden spoons of the cook. We tasted oatmeal flapjacks and potage, and also had a potted history of the Hall and its changing fortunes from the scribe of a mediaeval merchant. After admiring different handmade wallpapers, paintings, documents, Mary Queen of Scots' embroidery done whilst in captivity, and the priests hole, we completed the day with a meal at the Bridge pub at Clayhithe.