variant of coronavirus — first recorded in india — is about forty percent more infectious than the version detected in kent. matt hancock said it made �*more difficult�* the decision on whether to lift all remaining restrictions in england later this month. meghan markle and prince harry have announced they've had their second child — a baby girl who they've named after queen elizabeth and princess diana — harry's mother. lilibet diana mountbatten—windsor was born on friday morning in santa barbara, california — where the duke and duchess of sussex now live. voting hasjust closed in mexico — in the biggest and deadliest election in the country's history. more than twenty—one—thousand seats are being contested for mayors, state legislators and the entire lower house of congress — where the party of president obrador is hoping to retain its two—thirds majority.

now on bbc news, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i am stephen sackur. much has been said and written about covid—19. by politicians, scientists and health care professionals across the world. but what about the voices of those hit hard by the disease that patients for whom it was very nearly a death sentence. my very nearly a death sentence. my guest today is one of them. hugely successful writer and educator, michael rosen. his covid—19 memoir is dark, sad, uplifting and funny all at once. how did he find the poetic in a pandemic?

michael rosen, welcome to hardtalk. it is a great pleasure to have you, not least because i'm very well aware that not so very long ago, jim went through a ghastly, near death experience thanks to covid—19. it clearly has not sapped your creative juices, but i wonder why you would want to revisit that dark period by writing about it? i to revisit that dark period by writing about it?— writing about it? i think it is a matter— writing about it? i think it is a matter of— writing about it? i think it is a matter of compulsion. - writing about it? i think it is - a matter of compulsion. anyone in the arts, you will find that whatever medium you work in, you will need to express yourself through it and so, if i were a painter or a dancer and musician, maybe i would've expressed my feelings about what happened through those

media but because i'm a writer, i found that after i came out of hospital, after three months in hospital and a couple weeks before that, being very ill, the first thing i wanted to do was put some words down on the page. one word after another, one line after another, just finding out what had happened, what i thought about what it happened and how i thought of the very moment sitting there with the pen in my hand. trier? with the pen in my hand. very interesting — with the pen in my hand. very interesting that _ with the pen in my hand. very interesting that you _ with the pen in my hand. very interesting that you put - with the pen in my hand. very interesting that you put it - interesting that you put it that way, finding out what happened because for significant number of days, you had no idea what was happening to you. you are unconscious, you are in induced, and so, if you are in induced, and so, if you had to retrace that time through doctors, nurses, your own close family sort of told you what they were going through and by extension you're going through. through and by extension you're going through-— going through. yes, i that induced coma _ going through. yes, i that induced coma for- going through. yes, i that induced coma for 30 - going through. yes, i that induced coma for 30 days| going through. yes, i that - induced coma for 30 days and although we talk about being unconscious and conscious as if

they're two unconscious and conscious as if they�* re two different unconscious and conscious as if they're two different things. when i put it together, there is a period of the next ten days rest coming out of that coma and then another whole period where i was, i can see now looking back on it, my mind was woozy, i didn't know what was woozy, i didn't know what was going on and even if i thought i did know was going on, i think quite quickly, i forgot it and so my wife would say to me you were in a coma and i would go, yes, it's a very understated and then a day later i would say, what did you say and when was this? and basically, it was all of april and a good chunk of may. and so it kind of disappeared. you have written _ it kind of disappeared. you have written before - it kind of disappeared. you have written before very movingly about death because tragically, you lost your own sun eddie when he was 18 years old and you then wrote a book about that experience. but when this was her own death that you are confronting, did it in some ways surprise you some of the

feelings you had? because the doctor told you as you put into the coma that there was only a 50% chance that you're going to wake up again. did your own feeling about death surprise you? feeling about death surprise ou? , �* . feeling about death surprise ou? , ~ ., feeling about death surprise ou? you? yes. at that stage, you've reminded — you? yes. at that stage, you've reminded me — you? yes. at that stage, you've reminded me that _ you? yes. at that stage, you've reminded me that the - you? yes. at that stage, you've reminded me that the doctor. you? yes. at that stage, you'vel reminded me that the doctor did say that, he said were going to put you to sleep and i asked him whether i would wake up and he said you have a 50—50 chance. and i said, if you done for me to sleep, then zero. and i remember thinking at the very moment, 50—50, that's quite a good, that's not bad odds, is it. because i think i was so light—headed with the lack of oxygen in my body and in that moment, i did not think about death, ijust thought moment, i did not think about death, i just thought well, moment, i did not think about death, ijust thought well, i stand a good chance of waking up. very good. let's do it. it's quite comical, it's a strange chill which was really touch and go. that's how it turned out. 32% of my intensive

care ward did actually die and so, it was 58—42. but afterwards, as i was coming to realise what it happened, i did indeed think about eddie and my mum and dad and i thought, what do i know about death. what do any of us know about it and so, that state, that medium state of not being dead and not being alive, kind of a life, i did think about that yes, a lot. did spirituality come into it? did spirituality come into it? did you perhaps feel more than you might�*ve expected a higher power or anything beyond your self? ., ., ., ., ., ., self? no. no, not at all. not at any point- _ self? no. no, not at all. not at any point. if _ self? no. no, not at all. not at any point. if i, _ self? no. no, not at all. not at any point. if i, interpret. at any point. if i, interpret spirituality as thinking about the spirit inside that keeps us alive, if he can be technical

about rain, blood circulation in the sins of will and purpose, then yes, i did think a lot about that but i didn't think about a being or a power outside of myself. no. i never thought about it along those lines, that isn't in my belief system you did not come to me at any point. i did have very strange dreams and i did well on mythology and that slightly different. i on mythology and that slightly different. ., ., _, on mythology and that slightly different. ., ., . ,, different. i want to come back to our different. i want to come back to your belief— different. i want to come back to your belief systems - different. i want to come back to your belief systems later i different. i want to come back to your belief systems later in j to your belief systems later in this conversation but for now, i want to keep you back in the spring of 2020 in the hospital and as you say, half world not quite living, not dead. in that particular time, your isolated because you couldn't see loved ones, they could envisage you and your reliance on the doctors and nurses and you reflected a lot on that and their role in your saving of

life, basically and also resonates with things you've written before about the health service. it written before about the health service. . ., service. it occurred to me coming — service. it occurred to me coming out _ service. it occurred to me coming out of _ service. it occurred to me coming out of this - service. it occurred to me coming out of this thing l service. it occurred to me i coming out of this thing and trying to understand what it happened in the way in which nurses were treating me right then and there that i was conscious of. in particular, looking at a patient diary, i have lifted it up there so you can see it, it'sjust have lifted it up there so you can see it, it's just an exercise book and it's got patient diary typed on the front and this is what nurses wrote to me after the night shift and their dayshift and they would write it in the form of letters and saying hello, michael and signed off holly or whoever. and this is so moving because they are describing what they are doing and quite technical terms about my secretions and things like that. at the same time, it's

full of personal detail and saying how we are rooting for you, we want you to do this and one nurse says they know i support arsenal football cloud and derby and a turn away, and how my arms are flailing around in the bed and all the while machine the well almost compelling me to get better. —— wishing me well. and i started to think about this and i thought, they're using all of their knowledge and skills and everything in their training everything in their training everything they've been trained to do, but they're going the extra mile. they're doing something that we as parents do when we've got sick children and we give them the medicines that we give them and then we stroke them and sing to them and talk to them and these nurses were doing the same things. we were holding your hand, why? well, because of the level of care and i began to think that they were behaving like parents and but they're

not my parents and so i'm left with this incredible feeling. i want you to read one particular poem because you are a poet and a writer and there's one poem that you wrote long before the pandemic at the world. the 60th anniversary of the creation in 2008 and people around the world would love to hear this short poem because it's something that captures something that captures something very important in which health care workers give themselves to keep people like you and your condition of life at the worst of times. would you read it for us?— at the worst of times. would you read it for us? these are the hands — you read it for us? these are the hands of _ you read it for us? these are the hands of touch _ you read it for us? these are the hands of touch us - you read it for us? these are the hands of touch us first. l the hands of touch us first. fill your head, find the polls and make your bed. these are the hands that tapped her back, test the skin, hold your arm and wheeled the bend. change the bulb, fix the drip, pour

the bulb, fix the drip, pour thejug, replace your the bulb, fix the drip, pour the jug, replace your hip. these are the hands that filled the bath, mop the floor, flicked the switch, soothe the soil. give a jab, throughout sharps, designed the lab. and these are the hands that stop these are the hands that stop the leaks, empty the pan, wipe the leaks, empty the pan, wipe the pipes, carried the tan. clamp the veins, make the cast, lobbied the dose and touch us last. ., . , ., , lobbied the dose and touch us last. ., . , .,, ., lobbied the dose and touch us last. ., . , ., , last. touch us last. that is . uite last. touch us last. that is uuite a last. touch us last. that is quite a final— last. touch us last. that is quite a final line. - last. touch us last. that is quite a final line. what - last. touch us last. that is quite a final line. what do| last. touch us last. that is - quite a final line. what do you feel you have lost as a result of this terrible experience you went through? because it was a year ago now but i know physically that you describe yourself as recovering rather than recovered. what have you lost both physically and may be

mentally as well?— mentally as well? physically, i have lost most _ mentally as well? physically, i have lost most of _ mentally as well? physically, i have lost most of the - mentally as well? physically, i have lost most of the site - mentally as well? physically, i have lost most of the site in l have lost most of the site in the thigh, my left thigh, it is fogged in most of the curing of my left ear because one of the things that covid—19 does is it messes with the circulation of blood systems and so i have micro pleats in my rain as well as blood clots in my lungs and so, i've lost that, i've lost most of the feeling in my toes, i have numb toes and another thing i've lost is my sense of balance. i do sufferfrom dizziness or vertigo, whatever you want to call it and so i have to accommodate that and that covers the physical side one year on and a bit of exhaustion. every now and again iflaked exhaustion. every now and again i flaked out as they say sometimes and log on the self and just go to sleep. but mentally, i think i've lost things like a certain kind of frivolity, certain kind of, may

be a bit of my sense of humour, i don't know. be a bit of my sense of humour, i don't know— i don't know. have you lost confidence? _ i don't know. have you lost confidence? yes, - i don't know. have you lost confidence? yes, i - i don't know. have you lost confidence? yes, i think. i don't know. have you lost confidence? yes, i think a l i don't know. have you lost. confidence? yes, i think a bit. i think confidence? yes, i think a bit. i think it's _ confidence? yes, i think a bit. i think it's a — confidence? yes, i think a bit. i think it's a balance _ confidence? yes, i think a bit. i think it's a balance thing. - i think it's a balance thing. the balance is very disturbing because you walk across a room he think the wall of the floors coming towards you it even though your head is no it is not, it's what it feels like that. well, and thatjust suddenly rocks me because in my other life, i do sometimes to performances in theatres for children, mostly in that involve standing about and sometimes running about waving my arms about and i don't think i'd have the confidence to do that without thinking, i might fall over and the children find it really funny because it is a pratfall as would colour than the business and i would think no, i did not mean to do that. and so, yes, ifeela bit no, i did not mean to do that. and so, yes, ifeel a bit edgy about it. and so, yes, i feel a bit edgy about it. ~ . and so, yes, i feel a bit edgy about it— and so, yes, i feel a bit edgy about it. ~ ., ., ., ., about it. what about anger? you have commented _ about it. what about anger? you have commented quite - about it. what about anger? you have commented quite a - about it. what about anger? you have commented quite a lot - about it. what about anger? you have commented quite a lot in l have commented quite a lot in the last few weeks and months,

your feelings about the way the british government handled the british government handled the british covid—19 crisis and this anger fuel you right now? yes, part b. there is some anger and as you try and sort of tease out the various elements that i feel, some of it sadness, some of it regret, there is some anger in there too. i do not feel the government behaved properly at the time i was getting the infection. i think we were working on a no policy principle which, in its own way is been called herd immunity without vaccination. so, people were meeting, big spreaders as they call them, football matches and so on. pop concerts and the restrictions and schools brother was visiting. i visited arsenal football cloud twice before packed ground. just in the period where he

must�*ve gotten ill and i may have come into the bbc to do a programme with no restrictions on the doors or anything like that. there was no sense in this country that there was anything particular to worry about. there was talk about washing hands, but no idea of social distancing, no idea of closing down any of these mass printing events and i believe the athletic on madrid fans came from spain to liverpool, if i'm right and right in that time as well. this is all very worrying and it has not been unpacked yet. a, worrying and it has not been unpacked yet.— worrying and it has not been unpacked yet. a pandemic is a collective _ unpacked yet. a pandemic is a collective experience - unpacked yet. a pandemic is a collective experience in - unpacked yet. a pandemic is a collective experience in many| collective experience in many ways. i wonder what you think it has taught us about the cohesion, the bombs that bind a society —— bonds. i cohesion, the bombs that bind a society -- bonds.— society -- bonds. i felt that some of— society -- bonds. i felt that some of those _ society -- bonds. i felt that some of those bonds - society -- bonds. i felt that some of those bonds had i society -- bonds. i felt that i some of those bonds had been broken. i thought even before i got ill orjust as i was getting ill that there was a

sense that if this illness was largely affecting and attacking andindeed largely affecting and attacking and indeed killing people over the age of 70 that somehow, this mattered less then if it were attacking people under the age of 70. were attacking people under the are of 70. �* ., were attacking people under the aueof70. �* ., age of 70. and for those unaware. _ age of 70. and for those unaware, you _ age of 70. and for those unaware, you are - age of 70. and for those unaware, you are over. age of 70. and for those i unaware, you are over the age of 70. and for those - unaware, you are over the age of 70. i unaware, you are over the age of 70. . , unaware, you are over the age of 70. ., , ,': unaware, you are over the age of 70. ., , ,': ., of 70. i was 73 when i got ill and on 75 — of 70. i was 73 when i got ill and on 75 now. _ of 70. i was 73 when i got ill and on 75 now. so _ of 70. i was 73 when i got ill and on 75 now. so i - of 70. i was 73 when i got ill and on 75 now. so i a - of 70. i was 73 when i got ill| and on 75 now. so i a variety of ways, these comments the district people sing, i am young or it only seems to be only, only the keyword, affecting older people. and indeed, i had an interchange with the journalist was quite famous in this country who, when she was rather delightedly leaping on the fact that there was a report that some people had will be called long covid—19 syndrome, what i've got another words, saying that their descriptions were literate and she was rather pleased about it so ijerkily set on the social media platform, oh yes, i wasn't

really ill, i was just hiding under the table. yes, we know you were ill, but you are 7a, or 73. and ifind myself thinking, what's bad about being 74? where is this part or only, where do these words come from in describing order people? and so i thought alarmed by that and i still feel alarmed by it. you talk about the bonds, one of the sacred bonds in society goes from the cradle to the grave which is what i was suggesting in the poem that i wrote that we bind ourselves together and a date and the life of an 80—year—old is no less valid than the day in the life of a five—year—old or 25 euros. these days are valid, they are life, it is what we have. thankfully, you're still writing fiction and well—known across the road for having written by the most popular kids books of all time, were going on a bear hunt which last

time i checked, i think it sold more than 8 million copies. you had time to reflect on something that you've written about and talked about a lot, which is you feel that the education system is failing to inject enough, sort of fun and engagement with books among today's generation of kids. words and books are your lifeblood in to you, school is failing to make words and books accessible and fun for kids. why and what can be done about it? ~ ~ , it? well, i think in this country _ it? well, i think in this country particularly - it? well, i think in this country particularly in | country particularly in england, this part of the united kingdom. this been an over emphasis on testing and the kind of testing that we call summative testing, the testing that comes at the end of a period of study. in it's what we call high—stakes testing. in other words, what we call high—stakes testing. in otherwords, it what we call high—stakes testing. in other words, it is government run, its

centralised and then it's used in order to great schools in the league table. this puts an enormous pressure on teachers and in turn on the students. whether their six—year—olds, eight—year—old, 11—year—olds or when the real big blows come at 16. and what this doesn't have an effect on narrowing the curriculum and forcing teachers largely against their will to teach to the test and so this squeezes out a lot of what i might call open interpretation in the subjects that i'm interested in, open interpretation and forms of freethinking and indeed invention so investigation and all high words. i feel they're being squeezed in some teachers are doing brilliantly and wonderfully and finding ways so that their lives and their work is not restricted in the way that i just described, is not restricted in the way that ijust described, but it is a struggle.— is a struggle. you are suggesting. - is a struggle. you are| suggesting, education is a struggle. you are - suggesting, education has become far too utilitarian and all about tests and all about

the mechanics of passing and irregular assessments and i think if there's something else going on, schools and teaching, just the way we live our lives. you see two and three—year—olds who have become used to swiping with their fingers on screens, we see primary school kids who have smartphones. could that be something to do with the fact that children are not engaging with books and apps in the way they use to? it with books and apps in the way they use to?— they use to? it could be. the description — they use to? it could be. the description you _ they use to? it could be. the description you have - they use to? it could be. the description you have given, l description you have given, i've seen talkers in the buddies with phones and looking at things in one form or another. it's very strange thing going on culturally speaking which is that we are giving children a level of autonomy, you can argue how much it is, but even so, handing them things like screens and playing with them and so on and at the very same moment, the classrooms are in essence, being asked, even if they do it, to close down and be much more going back to

forms of instruction that i was familiar with in the 1950s of teacher talking and passing on information, demanding that the students immediately absorb it and immediately produce results and immediately produce results and forms of pretence before the real tests and all of this is a form of summative testing. i am totally in favour of children being assessed but there are other ways of doing it. formative assessment where what we do is engage with students in order to find out what they know and what they don't know as part of a process as you go along. aha, don't know as part of a process as you go along-— as you go along. a final thought _ as you go along. a final thought which - as you go along. a final thought which is - as you go along. a final - thought which is something that you wrote a short time ago. he described how in order friend asked you if you see the road differently now, and i think your response then was, yes, but i'm not quite sure how. you've probably had a few more weeks and months to think about it and how you see the world

differently and your experiences with the past months. it experiences with the past months. , , , ., , months. it feels very unstable. it feels unstable _ months. it feels very unstable. it feels unstable in _ months. it feels very unstable. it feels unstable in the - months. it feels very unstable. it feels unstable in the way - months. it feels very unstable. it feels unstable in the way in l it feels unstable in the way in which people have taken up many conspiracy theories both about this pandemic, look at the words they've used, it wasn't a scam for me. it, so it feels unstable in that way and so, it feels unstable in terms of how are we going to put all of this back together again? you knowmake this country voted to separate itself off from europe and we do not know the consequences for that. and people are very divided about it and look at social media and the fury that appears there with the name—calling and more than that. the fury with two sides of the line if you think, what are we arguing about. and thatis what are we arguing about. and that is an interesting thought, how is everything you went

through. how is everything you went throu~h. . through. including the near-death _ through. including the l near-death experience, through. including the - near-death experience, how is near—death experience, how is it makes you feel more or less passionate about your political beliefs, about your own, sort of, identity? you've written so much about yourjewish background, and has this experience led you to back off a little bit? feel a bit more mellow and focus on family, friends and a bit more on the world outside? it friends and a bit more on the world outside?— world outside? it is an interesting _ world outside? it is an interesting balance. i world outside? it is an interesting balance. ll world outside? it is an i interesting balance. i had world outside? it is an - interesting balance. i had to retreat into myself in order to get better. since i was ill, i had to spend time thinking about what exercise am i going to do was actually lift this medicine ball? it becomes both trivial and also important to that moment and i've also spent the last 20 years researching a bit of invisible history and my own family and a lot ofjewish eastern european will know about disappearances and

disappeared stories from families and i have spent a lot of time doing that indwelling on how the holocaust impacted all my family and so it is both social and political. it has been something that i have returned to and i am pleased to say that the village where my father's uncle was arrested is going to commemorate him by naming the local park after him. and ifind that very moving. it is very difficult for france to acknowledge what happened of course, i'm not saying that in any sneering way. and for a local village mayor to risk, if you like, digging up the past in order to commemorate something, he is a history teacher. it is rather a wonderful thing. history teacher. it is rather a wonderfulthing. i history teacher. it is rather a wonderful thing.— history teacher. it is rather a wonderful thing. i think at the end people — wonderful thing. i think at the end people want _ wonderful thing. i think at the end people want to _ wonderful thing. i think at the end people want to know - wonderful thing. i think at the end people want to know that| end people want to know that covid—19 has not undermined your wednesday, yourfun covid—19 has not undermined your wednesday, your fun and your wednesday, your fun and your desire to keep writing.

can you just confirm all of that? i can you 'ust confirm all of that? .., can you 'ust confirm all of that? .. . ., can you 'ust confirm all of that? _, ':: i: , can you 'ust confirm all of that? '::::f ~ that? i can confirm it 10096. a new book _ that? i can confirm it 10096. a new book coming _ that? i can confirm it 10096. a new book coming out. - that? i can confirm it 10096. a new book coming out. but - that? l can confirm it 10096. a| new book coming out. but mac that? l can confirm it 10096. a. new book coming out. but mac i would expect nothing less. michael rosen, thank you for being on hardtalk. thanks for having me, stephen. hello there. last week was the first week ofjune but it was also half term and the weather could not have been better. we quite literally had sunshine topping and tailing the country as you can see by this weather watch picture sent in. all the way down to cornwall, not a cloud in the sky, light winds, lots of sunshine.

the warmth peaked on wednesday and in fact it was the warmest day of the year so far across scotland, northern island, wales and also into england. our week ahead will be a little bit more mixed, unfortunately. particularly into the far north and west as we see weather fronts toppling in across an area of high pressure that's going to bring some clout in increasing strengthening wind at well at the time but this further south in the east will keep warmer, dryer and sunny weather. so let's take a look and a little more detail. monday morning it starts off a little on the cloudy side with some mist and fog shroding the coast. that will thin and break, will cease sunshine develop it into the afternoon we could have a few sharp showers and particularly to the east of the penines, some heavy and thundery. temperature is widely high teens, low 20s just that little bit cooler into the far north and east. as we move into tuesday

high—pressure claims on across england and wales, across the top of that high we start to see a weather front portion. the winds will start to increase, will have a little bit of shower drain at the northern island in the western fringes of northern ireland. and generally a little more cloud into scotland. sheltered area should keep some sun and the highs of 20 degrees but we could see 22 celsius, 72 fahrenheit across the south east england. as we move out of tuesday into wednesday more of the same, really if anything the isobars squeeze together and the winds are set to increase. some of the rank could be heavy along west facing slopes and there will be more cloud generally pushing across northern england, wales and down into the southwest. the best of the sunshine on wednesday into the southeast. because the wind direction is coming from south—westerly it's going to be quite a humid feel to the day. temperatures widely into the low to mid 20s to the south, a little bit cooler further north. thursday into friday looks likely to see a good deal of dry weather. but again always the warmest of the weather down to the salt. that's it, take care.

this is bbc news. i'm david eades, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. polls close in mexico's biggest and deadliest election — seen as a referendum on the policies of president obrador. israeli forces fire stun grenades as two high—profile palestinian campaigners are released after being questioned by police. named in honour of her great—grandmother and her grandmother, harry and meghan announce the arrival of lilibet diana. and two tennis legends depart from the french open — are we seeing the end of an era in tennis? hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world.