Allen@Large.as an era ends

[Allen]

Hi there Silversurfers;
I ask you to raise your glass to a monument of our times a free speaking
died in the wool Socialist who changed the habits of a nation.
At a stroke she saved more lives than any surgeon, in fact because of
her hundreds of thousands are alive today who would have been killed by
drunk drivers.
Barbara Castle MP. A forthright champion of the rights of the underdog
and her only failing in my eyes was to be a Lancastrian. I was to be her
escort in Yorkshire, to shepherd her safely through meetings and T/V
appearances she was a lovely person to talk to. She asked to walk a
while in a beauty spot where I frequently walked my dog, we chatted
about the wildlife a pleasure we had in common. Her party was successful
Harold Wilson, a Huddersfield lad, won a second term as PM unheard of in
Labour until then. He appointed her Minister of Transport.
She introduced a bill to breathalise motorists and established a limit
thought at the time to be a little too low for alcohol in the
bloodstream. Jokes abounded about chaps having blood in their alcohol
stream but gradually it became apparent that it was working. Enforced by
the police forces and with massive advertising the drunk driver became
recognised as a criminal in society.
Unlike many Scandanavian states our law allows a maximum amount of
alcohol to be tolerated. Sweden says that none is the true limit and
enforces it.
I'll tell you a tale of a fool who drank and drove.
On holiday this chap went with friends on a caravan meet, they sailed
down the lake from Pooley Bridge and had a glass or three of beer en
route. At the other end of the lake they had a pint or so with a lunch
in the local hostelry and imbibed again as they made the return trip.
A lazy picnic tea with a few pints from a party 7 can and the suggestion
was that they went to a nearby pub, ( just too far to walk), for supper
and a singalong.
As they returned a car joined the convoy which wasn't driven by
caravanners. It followed the chap into the site and the occupants asked
him if he had been drinking.
The reply was, " I've had a pint officer.", then he was asked to blow up
a bag with a tube attached.
It must have been faulty, and as he had sat down the chap had stood on
the spare phials for the equipment so the test couldn't be repeated.
His friends had watched from nearby as the incident unfolded, their
thought that the crystals should have turned sky blue pink with dots on.
But it wasn't to be.
He never again over imbibed when drinking, he took care that his
children and family were safe in his care.
I suppose they should have banned him, but he took a lesson from the
experience and drinks now to Barbara Castle. God Bless her.
That stupid driver was me.
Thirty years on I still remember the thoughts flashing through my head
of losing my licence which has provided me with such pleasure over those
years.
I don't know if there's a statute of limitations for the offence, I
suppose this confession might stand me in good stead.
Better go now before they come with the cuffs.

Allen@Large is illustrated @ http://www.outlane.com/page212a.htm and @
http://www.age-net.org.uk a site for Silversurfing.

See you on Sunday
--
Allen
"The average woman would rather have beauty than brains, because the
average man can see better than he can think."