WITH the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II almost on us I took down an old paperback from my shelves by a war novelist, now, unfortunately, a forgotten writer, called Dan Billany.
Billany (pictured right), grew up in the poverty of the back-streets of Hull, educated himself in evening classes, and blossomed into a fine, sensitive novelist.
Taken prisoner in Italy in the war, he was found dead in mysterious circumstances in 1944 after, apparently, tackling an informer who had been helping the Germans. He was 27.
Later, two manuscripts of his were found in the camp – the one I read, The Trap, was published, unrevised, after the war.
The tragedy suarrounding the writer’s life was enough to draw me to his last testament. But the vitality and lyricism that bounce off the pages of The Trap make him, in my eyes, one of the most significant writers of the last half of the 20th century. His description of the cruelty and senselessness of a German bombing raid of a Cornish town made me turn again and again to his searing passages describing the ‘blasphemy of force.”.
Amidst the rubble of what was once a family home, he finds blankets, sheets and mattresses “stiff with blood”.
Bitterly he writes: “This was the practical issue of the conferences of statesmen…of high principles and councils of war…this was what the talk of Empire and Sovereignty and Fatherland and Motherland really meant. This was how they solved their problems. Just this.”
For the words Empire, Sovereignty and Motherland substitute the words Freedom, Liberation and Weapons of Mass Destruction and we are in Tony Blair’s adventure in Iraq.
The Trap drew me back to the bloody war in that tragic country, and the savage bombing of Fallujah.

High praise indeed from our Dame Jane

Camden Council leader, Dame Jane Roberts

SHE rarely has a good word to say about Tory-controlled councils in public, often lambasting Conservative performance in neighbouring Westminster.
But a secret letter I have uncovered shows that in private correspondence Camden’s Labour leader Dame Jane Roberts reserves admiration for her Tory counterparts.
Using the Freedom of Information Act, I have found that Cllr Roberts was quick to write to Simon Milton, leader of Conservative-held Westminster, to congratulate him on winning the Local Government Chronicle’s Council Of The Year prize in 2004.
In a gushing letter, Cllr Roberts said: “This is wonderful news for Westminster, for its residents and indeed for London. This prestigious award is fiercely sought by many but achieved by few and to a large extent your strong and effective leadership has brought about the recognition that Westminster deserves.”
The Town Hall leader added: “I know what high levels of competition you would have faced to get this award and you can be justly proud that all the hard work and commitment put in by you and your team has been recognised in this way.”
The praise in her letter was only tempered when Cllr Roberts reminded Cllr Milton of Camden’s own Council Of The Year success in 2003.
She said: “If I might be allowed to make the somewhat inevitable comment, it may seem that Westminster are following in Camden’s footsteps. But then you may point out that on this occasion, Westminster emerged as an outright winner.” (Camden shared the award with another local authority.)
Councillor Piers Wauchope, the leader of the Tories in Camden, said: “There is no doubt Westminster has some thing that Camden does not have – good leadership, sensible policies and low council tax.”

The phoniest of phoney events

I had a hundred questions for Gordon Brown – the man who, single-handedly, has brought invincibility to our economy.
There he was at Coram’s Fields in Bloomsbury for an election quickie – quick pictures, quick soundbites.
I had been promised a quick one-to-one with Brown (pictured) by a top Labour official.
But what are political promises worth these days? A one-to-one? I couldn’t get near the man surrounded by bodyguards and bouncers. Nor could any of the other journos.
Dodging the pack of journalists in the room, he scooted off into a waiting car followed by an eager band of journos as if we weren’t there. But I, like them, couldn’t even shout a question at him as bouncers blocked the way.
Earlier, Brown had taken questions from a hand-picked group of Labour luvvies.
Later, you weren’t able to tell from the TV news-casts what a phoney event it had been.

Betsy’s sideways look at Hollywood

I WAS charmed to meet actress Betsy Blair (pictured above) last week at the London Review Bookshop in Bloomsbury, still sprightly despite her 81 years and her fondness for cigarettes.
She was to be interviewed by critic Andrew O’Hagan about her Hollywood memoir, The Memory of All That – a book I’ve no doubt movie buffs will pore over looking for insights into the wolfish charms of hr ex-husband Gene Kelly.
She starred in the classic 1955 comedy Marty, still to this day the only film to win both the Oscar for Best Picture and the Palme D’Or at Cannes. And, she tells me, she flies next week to Cannes to be on the jury for Un Certain Regard – the category for young experimental filmmakers.
“It’s my favourite category, the films are more…” – she searches for the mot juste – “…arty. I like my films arty.”
Joining her on the jury is Hollywood wunderkind director Alexander Payne, currently feted for his grown-up road movie Sideways, and maker of About Schmidt.
“I still haven’t seen Sideways,” she said. “I suppose I should fit that in before I meet him.”

Secure at last?

AT last the council has installed a new back door to the former Greenland Road community centre in Camden Town (pictured).
For months the broken lock on the door allowed alcoholics and drug addicts to use the backyard of a community centre the council controversially close down 18 months ago in order to save money.
After highlighting this little scandal in my column council carpenters turned up last week to put in a new door.
Neighbours had turned to me for help after being ignored by the council.
I don’t know what that says about the power of this column but it certainly exposes the inefficiency of the council’s housing department who are laughably paying a security firm nearly £50,000 a year to keep the building safe and secure!

Will Daniel put a spell on the girls?

I HEAR that Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe (pictured) has tired of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and is joining the Camden School for Girls sixth form.
When I called up the school I spoke to a cagey member of staff who pleaded ignorance. “And anyway, even if someone does have a place they still might choose to go to another school in the end,” she added.
Still, word on the playground is that the movie moptop has been seen coming in for an interview and has been accepted.
Sightings of Quidditch equipment have yet to be confirmed.