Vince Cable seemed to be all over Radio 4 yesterday. Well, only one – Westminster Hour - was live. More or Less was a repeat. And Desert Island Discs pre-recorded
He chose I think 3 records featuring his son and/or daughter in law, but since both are very good singers & the songs meaningful, he could hardly be said to have done a Schwarzkopf
And if I were not already a bit of a Cable fan, I would have become one because he chose 2 songs which had me wallowing in nostalgia for my youth. Pat Boone’s Love Letters In The Sand & Acker Bilk’s Stranger on the Shore. The latter brings a double set of memories; Trad Jazz was what I moved on to when I became too sophisticated for mere pop (until the Beatles), and Stranger on the Shore started as the theme tune to one of those classic BBC Sunday tea time serials for family viewing, about a French au pair girl in Brighton
It came as news to me that Dr Cable’s first wife, who sadly died from cancer, came from Kenya
I was left with the sneaky, unbidden thought that, at a time when all our politicians are keen to claim affinity with (soon to be) President Obama, Dr Cable may, once again, have the edge on them because of this connection
