Fiona, hello. Hi there, how are you . Im very well, thank you. And welcome back to newscast. Thank you. In previous episodes, we have had about 15 minutes. We have now got about a0 minutes, so. Good job the world is quite chaotic at the moment. There is plenty of Trouble Spots that we can look at. Before we go on a kind of tour around the world, ijust wanted to do a bit of your personal history. So what was happening in County Durham in the � 80s when you were a teenager and he decided that russian was the thing that you wanted to get into . Well, that was the period that actually, it is the subject of a Netflix Series at the moment about the Cold War and the bomb where we had the War Scare with the Soviet Union. The 1980s, there were several but the most memorable, at least from my perspective was 1983, when you just could palpably feel the sort of tension internationally. Even as a kid, teenager, in school in County Durham, it is thanks to the bbc, which we were watching religiously every day at teatime the nine you could really get that sense that things were happening geopolitically. And i was growing up not too far away from Air ForceBases Everything from harrier jump jets to other fighter planes that would kind of whizz across the skies. I was spending a lot of time and discussions at school. With people thinking there were no point sitting our A Levels because we were going to be blown up. There were occasions where i met with one of my elderly relatives who are called Uncle Charlie, he was actually my dad was my cousin, but in the north of england, everybody is rated. We would run into my Uncle Charlie down in the town in Bishop Auckland where i grew up, we do not have telephones. It was all the market days on wednesdays and saturdays where he banked on meeting your relatives and he had fought in World War ii. He had fought in World War ii. He had had some crazy experiences as a young man, being on a ship that was sung and he was blown to the surface in the mediterranean by death charges. He always had a fantastic tale to tell. He was worrying about the situation with the Soviet Union and we conversation in the marketplace and he basically said to me, you argue the languages, you should go off and try to figure out by the Soviet Union is trying to blow us all up. I thought myself, maybe i could, which was a bit of a Daft Idea because when you are a teenager in the north of england, russian wasnt taught in the local schools and how to get a job . I thought maybe i could become a translator, work on arms control, negotiation somewhere or other. I had that beenin somewhere or other. I had that been in my bonnet and decided i would go out to try and figure out how to study russian eventually. It seems like more practical thing than sitting and panicking wondering whether wed all fit in the cupboard under the stairs, kind of Harry Potter Esque in the event of a nuclear war. You might be too young to remember this but others who are listening to this might remember. They would have the public Service Announcement on the telly and then they would also send, because this is such primitive days, they would realfilms around schools for assembly, basically trying to inform you on what you should do an event of a nuclear attack. And it seemed to be mostly kind of rolling into a ditch and hoping it would pass over or crowding the cupboard under the stairs. I was member one of those where it was like, Unscrew The Door and use the doors turn it into and use the doors turn it into a little shelter and then had a under that. And who has got time to Unscrew The Door when sirens are going off . Sirens are going off . Exactly. A three minute sirens are going off . Exactly. A three minute morning, sirens are going off . Exactly. A three minute morning, dol sirens are going off . Exactly. A three minute morning, do i had the right screwdriver . My mac and did you have a Careers Teacher at school, when he said to them, this is what i want to do, they reacted to it . My Careers Teacher had set me off to try to sell Patio Doors on very early phone bank, one of those places who called everybody while they were having their tea and try to watch the news, ask them if they wanted Patio Doors or i had various jobs they wanted Patio Doors or i had variousjobs in they wanted Patio Doors or i had various jobs in sweet shops and restaurants and things like this. I remembertelling and restaurants and things like this. I remember telling one of my friends, we were sitting on a bench and said, i was thinking about doing theirs and they said, you are daft, you cant do that, nobody from here gets a job like that. I thought he would go to the united nations. So theres all of this kind of indicate thinking that was Going On in this period. My A Levels didnt really set me p A Levels didnt really set me up for this but i was pretty determined that i will try to study russian. Because i was growing up in the North East of england, my dad was a former coal miner. By this time, he had been working many decades in the local hospital as a porter. My Uncle Charlie had been a coal miner. He also told my dad on a later occasion that this is fast forward a few years, by the time of the miners strike, which was when i was about to go to college, that the durham Miners Association had some scholarships and bursaries for the kids of minors. And he thought that that would be one way i would be able to study russian. And indeed, my dad and my sister and i went on a bus to durham, to the durham Miners Association headquarters, a place called red hills, a parliament which was built by the miners back in the day. It is about to open again, by the way, hopefully as a unesco heritage site. We went to a man in an office and gave him this kind of idea because i had heard about this Language Course that i could take at the university of east anglia. He kind of let my Dad Record said, yes, sir. They gave this money, some of this money had been donated by the miners of donbas, of all things, in solidarity with the format of County Durham. They had links going back to the 1920s. Miners in ukraine in going back to the 1920s. Miners in ukraine in the going back to the 1920s. Miners in ukraine in the soviet going back to the 1920s. Miners in ukraine in the Soviet Union, | in ukraine in the Soviet Union, putting money in a ten that got sent to the uk, that you end up being able to go to study russian with . Being able to go to study russian with . Exactly, and i not russian with . Exactly, and i got £100 russian with . Exactly, and i got £100 after russian with . Exactly, and i got £100 after this russian with . Exactly, and i got £100 after this to russian with . Exactly, and i got £100 after this to pay i russian with . Exactly, and i| got £100 after this to pay for of my expenses. It was given to me in an envelope and i was just about come back and report and show my homework that id been studying russian. It was the most amazing opportunity and because of those chance encounters with relatives in the marketplace of Bishop Auckland. Everybody was really concerned about the whole prospects for nuclear year at the time. This is the time when sting had his song about to do the russians love their children too . There were threads the day after all of these series about nuclear armageddon. You think of the famous song, 90 99 red balloons. All of us are sorta coming back into vogue again because sadly, you know, here we are a0 odd years on. We are back to the same kind of perspective. You have other pop their ability to do things vladimir put you have other Pop Stars in the North East of perspective. You have other Pop Stars in the North East of england, santandersinging england, santandersinging england, Santander Singing about hypersonic england, santandersinging about hypersonic missiles. England, Santander Singing about hypersonic england, santandersinging about hypersonic missiles. There are plenty of other young there are plenty of other young people growing up in county people growing up in County Durham and elsewhere thinking durham and elsewhere thinking about the same dilemmas now about the same because we see vladimir Putin Durham and elsewhere thinking about tf we we durham and elsewhere thinking about tf we see Vladimir Putin going rogue in terms of because we see Vladimir Putin going rogue in terms of particular people around him in particular people around him in fattening nuclear response to fattening nuclear response to what is Going On in the ground what is Going On in the ground in ukraine. In a way it is even in ukraine. In a way it is even more dangerous now than it was more dangerous now than it was then, seemingly because we then, seemingly because we dont have that kind of set dont have that kind of Set Piece of interaction that we piece of interaction that we did have back in the Cold War. Did have back in the Cold War. I threw in many respects, i threw in many respects, whaley and us, that Everything Whaley and us, that everything has gone full circle from 1983, has gone full circle from 1983, 198a Round to 202a again. My 198a Round to 202a again. My mac the thing that makes it mac the thing that makes it scarier now is the lack of off scarier now is the lack of off ramps or rails or an emergency ramps or rails or an Emergency Press here, institutions and press here, institutions and structures that existed then . Structures that existed then . Thats right, or at least the lack of faith in those institutions. Thats one of the reasons why we have so much conflict now, we have simultaneously loved our confidence in international system as well as into many of the domestic systems. You have got, in the case of Adam Putin russia, someone who is kind of unchecked,in russia, someone who is kind of unchecked, in the power and in their ability to do things Vladimir Putin. Summer ob . It was. It was actually summerjob . It was. It was actually the summerjob . It was. It was actually the best summerjob . It was. It was actually the best Kind Summerjob . It was. It was actually the best kind of. Actually the best kind of summerjob in many respects. Most of my summerjob as well work in restaurants, cleaning in the local hospital where my dad worked as a porter and various other ragbag of the typicaljobs that most people in the North East of england have and sometimes peoples permanentjobs just to be very clear as well. Then it turned out the Durham County Council which i have to say they always trying to keep the international flag flying. Trying to keep the internationalflag flying. I mention these 1920s exchanges with the Donbas Region of the soffit union. Now one of the featured arenas for warfare in ukraine, as you rightly mentioned earlier. But they were always very says that it mentioned earlier. But they were always very says that it cultural exchanges. I had gone cultural exchanges. I had gone on a whole of them. Then, they on a whole of them. Then, they approached me and asked if i approached me and asked if i wanted to come as one of the wanted to come as one of the participants previously in participants previously in exchange to germany and France Exchange to germany and france and all over the place. To work and all over the place. To work on an exchange that they had on an exchange that they had been building up with the been building up with the region of the russian region of the russian federation. And so i get this federation. And so i get this great opportunity to work for great opportunity to work for that period of time is my first that period of time is my first real russianjob, helping real russianjob, helping real russian job, helping durham real russianjob, helping real russian job, helping durham real russianjob, helping Durham County Council in a Durham County Council in a series of exchanges with this series of exchanges with this Town And Region in russia, kind Town And Region in russia, kind of counterpart. It was pretty of counterpart. It was pretty is fascinating. It really gave is fascinating. It really gave me the job and i was really me the job and i was really grateful to be approached with grateful to be approached with this. I cant say that it was this. I cant say that it was the best above board in terms the best above board in terms of applications because it of applications because it turned out that they approached turned out that they approached me which has been a bit of the me which has been a bit of the same in some other positions same in some other positions rather than me really applying rather than me really applying for it. But i was delighted to for it. But i was delighted to be able to do this. I mean, it be able to do this. I mean, it really gave me a boost and a really gave me a boost and a lot of insight into how this lot of insight into how this Kind Exchange is worked and all Kind Exchange is worked and all the difficulties in getting the difficulties in getting them in motion. It was all done them in motion. It was all done without exchanging any money without exchanging any money because at this point with the because at this point with the Soviet Union and but they Soviet Union and obviously didnt have an exchange rate, a floating currency. So it was all kind of done you no, everybody paying their own way, setting up people for the visiting Soviet Russian delegation to stay with. We also try to do a kind of Business Event around this with the department for Trade And Industry and i felt fat enormously because we actually thought that they were going to bring over some real kind of man of such goods. This is such an area where there are quite famous linen and also manufactured products. Everybody brought people to people setup. Those people to people relationships do eventually pan out. I personally believe, i met a lot of great contracts that time, got a lot of manufactured products. Everyboc i brought manufactured products. Insights. I think russian everyboc i think|ht manufactured products. Everyboc i think russian insights. I think russian history has shown us that there history has shown us that there are a lot of ups and downs in are a lot of ups and downs in his relationships, it is always his relationships, it is always really rocky. There can ways be really rocky. There can ways be surprises. Behind the scenes in surprises. Behind the scenes in russia, there is a lot of russia, there is a lot of people who would like to have a people who would like to have a different set of relationships different set of relationships with the west. Putin himself is with the west. Putin himself is still convinced he can make still convinced he can make some grand Bargain Deal with some grand Bargain Deal with the west on his own terms. The west on his own terms. Especially ever ukraine and especially ever ukraine and perhaps a division of youre in perhaps a division of youre in again in the same way that again in the same way that happened after World War ii happened after World War ii when essentially churchill and when essentially Churchill And Stalin exchanged notes on Bits Stalin exchanged notes on bits of paper about divisions o