The BBC has announced it is renewing its wonderful TV series of the 1970s, Upstairs, Downstairs. Indeed, one of the original stars will appear in the new one as Rose, the parlour maid returns as the leading servant. The original series was set about 1900 to 1930. The new one begins in 1936, though with the house still the central character, and it's role still close to the centre of imperial power.

There's a magnificent story in the bankruptcy of GM. One wouldn't think so to read the news, but this is, historically, like being on the walls of Rome as the barbarian hordes swept forward, like being a carib Indian with a video camera filming by satellite as Columbus' ships dropped anchor.

It symbolizes one of the great turning points of history because the post recession world is going to be very, very different from what we have known. five hundred years of history are about to fall away.