The government endorsed the concept of European monetary union with a commitment to an independent European central bank. UK participation would be subject to a vote in the Commons, and it's unlikely that the convergance could complete before 2000. The Law Lords sought guidance from the European Court of Justice regarding restrictions on Sunday trading; a final decision is not now expected before 1993. The Conservatives lost the by-election in Monmouth on a 12.5% swing, but claimed they had only lost because Labour told lies about the health service. A general election is not now expected before the autumn.

Labour's euphoria at its by-election win in Monmouth was tempered by pessimism; The Economist wrote, Few Labour MPs seem convinced they will make it to government. Even fewer are politically excited or intellectually engaged by the prospect. The magazine proposed an agenda for a Kinnock-led government, which we preçis:

There will be lashings of investment in technology, skills, and infrastructure. Keep inflation low, give the Bank of England its independence, and argue forcefully for an independent Bank of Europe.

Taxes will rise, but public services will improve. Education will receive 40% more funding, the national curriculum will be simplified, and the A-level will be reformed to six subjects, mixing arts and science. Student loans will be introduced, with bursaries for sciences and students from poor families. The health budget will increase by 15%; junior doctors will be asked to work less, eye tests and dental checks will be free again, and the emphasis will be prevention, not cure.

Defence spending would come down by 30%; Britain is no longer a superpower, and should stop pretending it is. Subsidies for the arts will be slashed. There will be a road-pricing scheme to ensure motorists pay the true costs of their travel. Import quotas will be abolished, as will the Common Agricultural Policy.

The poll tax will be replaced by a national property tax, which will finance local government grants. National insurance will be folded into income tax, with rates at 20%, 35%, and 45%. Mortgage interest will no longer qualify for tax relief, and VAT will go on gas and electricity at more than the standard rate, to discourage use. Benefits to the poor will more than offset these losses, and there will be a new tax-and-benefits system.

Edith Cresson was appointed prime minister of France, replacing Michel Rocard. Soviet air traffic controllers threatened to strike. Yugoslavia was in constitutional crisis as Serbs blocked the election of a Croat to the country's presidency. Slovenia prepared to leave the country. St Paul's Cathedral imposed a £2 entry charge for visitors other than those attending services. Helen Sharman became the first British person in space

Boston began a large-scale underground project, constructing a third tunnel under the harbour; it will open in 1999. The death was announced of Shintaro Abe, a former foreign minister of Japan and widely expected to be the country's next prime minister.

In cricket, Durham were confirmed in the First Class from next season, and coloured uniforms will be worn by all sides in the Sunday league. Ian Botham was recalled to the one-day squad for a series against the West Indies. Mihir Bose wrote that by 2000, Lord's would have a pitch of grass in an all-plastic outfield. The Cup Winner's Cup was won by Manchester United, who defeated Barcelona 2:1. Tottenham Hotspur beat Nottingham Forest 2:1 in the FA Cup final, the match went to extra time, and Paul Gascoigne snapped ligaments while making a reckless tackle. Motherwell beat Dundee United 4:3 to win the Scottish FA Cup; the match also went to extra time.

Bids were announced for the sixteen ITV regional franchises. Border, Central, and Scottish were returned unopposed. Thames faced opposition from Carlton (main shareholder: Carlton Communications), which would not make its own programmes; and from Greater London Television (Richard Branson, David Frost), which would set up video booths. LWT was opposed by London Independent Broadcasting (Polygram, Mentorn). Granada's competitor was North West Television (Mersey TV, Yorkshire TV, Trinity International) which promised much more regional output.

TV-am faced rivals Daybreak (ITN, Carlton, Daily Telegraph), promising a more serious news programme; and Sunrise (LWT, Scottish Television, Disney), proposing something remarkably similar to TV-am. TVS secured the backing of Home Box Office and Canal Plus, but was opposed by Carlton; Meridian (MAI and SelecTV); and CPV-TV (Branson and Frost). All would be publishers rather than producers.

Yorkshire was opposed by Viking Television (TVF) and White Rose (Chrysalis, various local newspapers), both proposing lots of work for the indies. Tyne Tees had one competitor, North East Television (Granada, Border, Newcastle Chronicle). Anglia saw opposition from Three East (EMAP, Telegraph, CLT) and CPV-TV (Frost, Branson).

There were challenges for two of the Celtic franchises. HTV Wales and West was challenged by Merlin (Associated Newspapers, Chrysalis), C3 Wales and West (TSW) and C3W (United Artists, Flextech, RTE, HIT Communications). Ulster met opposition from TVNi (Thomson Newspapers, local businesses) and Lagan (Barney Eastwood, the former manager of Barry McGuigan).

Three of the smaller franchises also saw opposition: TSW were met by Westcountry (South West Water, Associated Newspreaps, Brittany Ferries) and Telewest. Channel was challenged by CI3, a group of former employees and John Nettles. Grampian saw North of Scotland Television (British Linen Bank) and C3 Caledonia (local businessmen) also submit bids.

UK Singles Chart for w/c 19 May 1991

Number One	The shoop shoop song (it's in his kiss) - Cher - 4th week (Number 664 in seq.)
Highest new entry	Caught in my shadow - The Wonder Stuff - number 18
Fastest climber (within top 40)	Shiny happy people - REM - up 22 to 13
Fastest climber (within top 75)	(as above)
Lemming-like fall	Dalliance - Wedding Present - down 26 to 65
Top 40 debuts	Curve
Top 40 exits	Paul Weller Movement
Top 75 debuts	Marc Cohn, Harry Connick Jr, Intastella, Manic Street Preachers
Top 75 exits	Joey B Ellis, Clive Griffin, Guy, Samantha Janus, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, Wendell Williams
Simon Mayo's Record of the Week	Rubberband man - Yello

Eighteen new entries, but we begin with Wendell Williams's So groovy, a non-mover at 74. New at number 70 came Marc Cohn's Walking in Memphis, a story of his time walking in, er, Memphis. Indie darlings Intastella entered at 69 with Dream some paradise, the first of three very minor hits this year. Five Thirty were new at 67 with 13th disciple, and Kym Mazelle promised No one can love you more at 64. Shabby Wanks is up seven to 63 with Trailer load a girls, and the Manic Street Preachers slide in at 62 with You love us. If you say so, dears. Joey B Ellis rose a place to 58 with Thought you were the one for me, and Kirsty MacColl entered at 57 with Walking down Madison.

A fast climb, but not the fastest, as the Divinyls rose 16 to 53 with I touch myself. Salt 'n' Pepa were big in 1988 and were now back, as Do you want me entered at 52. Harry Connick Jr put the double A-sided Recipe for love / It had to be you in at 51; was the world ready for his silky-smooth jazz-ultra-lite? Gang Starr were Lovesick at 50, a rather entertaining funk number. New at 47 (but 15 in Scotland) came Hue and Cry with My salt heart, we'll have more from them later in the summer. The Blessing inched up one place to 46 on Highway 5. Tottenham Hotspur Football Club may have won the cup, but When the year ends in one could only make number 44, an eight-place improvement on last week. It won't be around next week, and the club hasn't bothered to release a follow-up. Bob Marley's re-released One love was up three to 42.

That well known peddlar of popular fiction (or literary dreck) Jeffrey Archer had organised a huge concert at Wembley Stadium. Nominally in aid of the Kurds, the gig raised, after expenses and security, about sixty grand. He could have raised more money by auctioning dogs, or by sitting outside a tube station with his hat on the ground. There were insinuations that Mr. Archer (as he then was) had only staged the concert to make himself look important. Anyway, the concert was named after a song Chris de Burgh had released to little acclaim in 1987, called The simple truth. De Burgh had narrowly missed the top 40 with soft rock clasics Don't pay the ferryman (48, 1982) and High on emotion (44, 1984), before scoring a number one with The lady in red (1986). This gave him a place as a peddlar of ultra-soppy ballads, cemented by the number 3 hit Missing you (1988). The original release of The simple truth made 55 over christmas 1987. Re-released as a fund-raiser, it limped in at number 36, and could hardly have done worse if it were twice as rubbish, which is very rubbish indeed. Separate tables made number 30 in April 1992, and So beautiful was his third-largest hit, making 29 in 1997. We're surprised that his yuletide classic A spaceman came travelling hasn't beaten the number 40 it made in 1986.

Shoegazers ahoy! Curve make their top 40 debut at 34 with Coast is clear. For Toni Halliday and Dean Garcia, it's the high-point of the year, and though they'll never have a top 20 hit, and their chart career will be over by summer 1993, their influence lingers, for Curve's stylish ethereal nature bridges the kookiness of the Cocteau Twins and the blatant goth of the Cure.

Or Siouxsie and the Banshees, by now fifteen years and eleven albums into their career and still sounding entirely fresh. Kiss them for me was certainly their most accessible pop song since the mid-80s, and perhaps vies with such works as Dear Prudence and Hong Kong garden as out-and-out pop works. About the deceased actress Jayne Mansfield, and taking its name from one of her films, Kiss them for me met with very minor success, and deserved better. The reason we're not including a copy? They have something better later in the year.

Technotronic's bubble has burst: just eighteen months after Pump up the jam, new single Move that body can only enter at 32. Simple Minds suffer from second single syndrome, See the lights is entirely forgettable, and only enters at 29. Queen are up to their third release of the year, and Headlong is in at 28. It's a typical Queen rock-out number, with Freddie Mercury almost bellowing out the vocals to be heard over the guitars.

If there was a long-awaited comeback this week, it was the first single off Deacon Blue's third proper album. Raintown (1987) was universally acclaimed as a proper classic, and When The World Knows Your Name (1989) was simply too popular to be cool. The group had released Ooh Las Vegas, an album of out-takes and B-sides, in 1990; this was generally seen as an error. They'd also released a Four Bacharach and David songs ep, their biggest UK hit single and including the definitive version of I'll never fall in love again.

Their third album, Fellow Hoodlums, was a strange beast, treading a slightly harder musical ground than World, but not particularly advancing the group's adventure in popular music - we'd have to wait until the next album for a radical reinvention. The lead single was Your swaying arms, perhaps the most comfortable song the group had yet released. It's almost worthy of pipe-and-slippers, yet there is a very subtle subtext of loss and return at play. Many fans were surprised that the 10-inch version of the single contained dance mixes of the tune, which added a little extra depth to the song.

T'Pau climbed 11 to 20 with Whenever you need me, and the highest new entry honours go to The Wonder Stuff, Caught in my shadow storms in at 18, the third time they'd had the highest new entry, but last under their own steam. Jason Donovan puts RSVP up eight to 17, and the fastest climber is REM's Shiny happy people, up 22 to 13. Backing vocals on this atypically simple track are provided by Kate Pierson of the B-52s. New Kids on the Block are up 8 to 12 with Call it what you want, and Denny Minogue is up 10 to 11 with Success. Out of the top ten go Blur's There's no other way (8-16) and Electronic's Get the message (9-22).

Zucchero and Paul Young spend a fifth and final week in the top ten with Senza una donna, down three to 10. Amy Grant appeared on Top of the Pops last week, and Baby baby storms up 17 places to number 9 as a result. OMD's Sailing on the seven seas drops four to 8, and Colour Me Bad's I wanna sex you up climbs 20 to 7. Cathy Dennis finally turns turtle, Touch me (all night long) is down a place to 6, and Soft Cell's ten-year-old Tainted love is up five to 5. The KLF drop two to 4 with Last train to trancentral.

Beverley Craven rose two to 3 with Promise me. Born in Colombo in 1963, Craven quickly moved to Berkhamstead, and attended art school, where she was spotted by Bobby Womack. Early sessions were produced with Stewart Levine, but were abandoned after being too blatantly commercial. No doubt she was horrified to find her first single took ten weeks to slowly burn all the way to number 3. She'd appeared at the Archer Aid concert last Sunday, would having the eponymous album go top three, and would end 1991 by winning the BPI Award for Most Promising Newcomer. It's the kiss of death: two subsequent studio albums (Love Scenes, 1993; and Mixed Emotions, 1999; all filleted for a best of in 2004, and reissued in a Legends box-set in 2005) met with little commercial success, and Craven has preferred to spend time with her daughters and only occasionally playing concerts, usually at intimate venues. She set the place for a solo woman at the piano, and we'll shortly be meeting someone who has been prolific in this niche.

Crystal Waters's Gypsy woman (la da dee) is up a place to number 2 in the CIN chart, though tops the MRIB survey as used on the Network Chart. Officially, this is Cher's fourth week at the top with The shoop shoop song.

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