Fireworks, Magic and Sorcery

The Worthing Symphony Orchestra performance for the Day of the Dead featured Fireworks, Magic and Sorcery.

Starting with the Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila by Saint-Saens the programme also featured John Williams, Offenbach, Malcolm Arnold, George Gershwin, Grieg, Dukas (The Sorcerer's Apprentice which is familiar from Fantasia), the appropriately-named Danny Elfman (for the Nightmare Before Christmas) and Ravel.

 For me, the highlights were Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Ravel's Bolero.

It was a great afternoon of entertainment. Magical, you might say. 

 

Remembrance

 

On 11th November, the first remembrance day was held. People were not glorifying war, they were celebrating the end of the first world war and remembering the people who had died in the senseless slaughter.

For the BBC and the media generally Remembrance Day has become an opportunity for politicians, generals and royals to glory in wars and all things military. They start the wars but they make very sure it is the working class that actually fights in them.

The arms manufacturers also had a lot to thank the war for. They made historic, unprecedented profits during the First World War, with many companies doubling, tripling, or increasing their earnings by over 950% compared to their pre-war baselines.  This was eclipsed by the profits to be made from the second world war. 

The civilian deaths in the first world war were on a par with the military deaths. By the time the second world war came around twice as many civilians were killed. All subsequent wars have effectively been wars between the military and civilians with civilian bombing becoming commonplace.

The first world war was billed as the war to end wars. Tell that to the people of Gaza, Ukraine and the West Bank.

Capitalism is horror without end. Only Socialism can bring an end to war. 

Sales on Amazon

Sales of ebooks exceed sales of printed books.

I have taken to selling audio books on eBay

World of Books also sell my books. 

 

The King's Evil

The king has a personal fortune of 400 million pounds. This is not true of most pensioners.

He also demands 100 million pounds from the taxpayer each year. Pensioners don't get that either.

All this money could be put to a much better purpose in the health service for example.

Yet Labour continues to uphold the monarchy.

We could do with a party of the working class.

Take a Break fiction magazine

Take a Break fiction magazine has given its writers their marching orders and now uses AI. 

 Short stories appearing in the title credited to the in-house team are 100% AI generated. You are not obliged to buy this publication which has replaced writers with machines. 

 

George Orwell predicted this in 1984. #ai #takeabreak #bauer

 

 

Right to Live

As every MP knows Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with ALS in 1963 and was initially given just three years to live, but he survived for 55 years after that diagnosis, living until 2018. 

Will doctors stop making simplistic predictions in response to politicians legislating for the ‘right to die’ for people with ‘only six months to live’?

All Your Stories 2026

https://allyourstoriesandpoems.com/all-your-stories-anthology-magazine/

 

"All your Stories" have had the good taste to include two of my stories in this edition. I am very pleased!

 

Review of Clown Town

If the Secret Service should last for a thousand years, people will still say, this was Jackson Lamb's finest hour. Jackson Lamb is very entertaining on the page but nobody would want to have him as a boss in real life. 

The other stand-out character for me is Roddy Ho. The Rodster is not the doyen of self-awareness.

Amazon are quite peculiar. They have also asked me to review my own book which would look a little odd.

Everyday Fiction

https://everydayfiction.com/?s=derek+mcmillan

Everyday Fiction has not been online since June so I have here my previous contributions.

An interesting fact

This is a good quiz question because anyone who watches the BBC or indeed reads the Daily Mail would refuse to believe the facts.

General election	Labour leader	Labour votes	Vote share
2024		9,708,716	33.7%
2019		10,269,051	32.1%
2017		12,877,918	40.0%
2015		9,347,324	30.4%
2010		8,609,527	29.0%

Story in Drablr

100-word stories are called "drabbles" in America but don't let that put you off.

Here is an example.

https://drablr.com/story/32382-do-not-resuscitate-dnr

E mail from Antipodean Sci Fi

Email from Antipodean Sci Fi

Hello AntiSF authors and narrators,

Just a quick email to let you know that you have a story coming up on an episode of the AntiSF Radio Show soon.

713 Brunsia

Ache - by Charles Sartorius - narrated by John Dee

Gossamer - by John Doriot

Antari Girls Go Hard - by Cameron Scott Kirk

Awkward Customer - by Derek McMillan

30/08/2026

You can grab the audio from here <antisf.libsyn.com>, once the show is published as a podcast (usually around noon on Sunday, a little before the broadcast on 2NVR.

Ooroo for now,

Ion. Antari Girls Go Hard - by Cameron Scott Kirk

Awkward Customer - by Derek McMillan

30/08/2026

You can grab the audio from here <antisf.libsyn.com>, once the show is published as a podcast (usually around noon on Sunday, a little before the broadcast on 2NVR.

Ooroo for now,

Ion.

Audio version of Ragamuffin's Boot

https://youtu.be/b1CkIMuIh9U

In the Mirror of Eternity audio

https://youtu.be/5uX1kVcQEFQ

Audio version of "A Likely Story"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoX-Wb9r7gk

This was first published in Northern Flash Fictiion and this is the audio version.

Audio version of "The Project" on YouTube

https://youtu.be/IW0gNLNAO8w

Signs on YouTube

https://youtu.be/TkIE-Xrfzak

I do not believe in horoscopes. Friends tell me that makes me a typical Capricorn.

Audio version of "Robbers" for youtube

https://youtu.be/0C1KOJlI1io

Audio version of "Dave's Contraption" on youtube.

Audio version of "Dave's Contraption" on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VLMsKGuNmU

Abigail's Party

This review contains a spoiler.

Ferring Amateur Dramatic Society presented a production of the Mike Leigh play "Abigail's Party" which was originally a 'Play for Today' on the BBC.

The play is very representative of its time, right down to a lava lamp centre stage.

The Abigail of the title never appears. The party is next door to Abigail's house and includes a very worried Abigail's mother played excellently by Lina Grinstead.

A neighbour, Angela played by Julie Cleasby, adds humour to the production, especially with her unforgettable dancing. Her monosyllabic husband, played by Steve Baker, finds her such an embarrassment he allegedly suggested she could do with sellotape over her mouth.

The man of the house, played by Niall Conlan, is a local estate agent who is worked to death, quite literally.

The star of the show is Beverly, the excruciating host, played superbly by Sue Burroughs. A seventies' suburban party which starts out moderately dreadful deteriorates and deteriorates under Beverly's influence.

This is a first class production.