Victoria Williams: 0198

When he assumed party leadership he took over the micro-management of the setting of the clocks. Even though an automatic adjustment system was in place, he preferred manual calibration for the challenge it posed of overcoming human error. This meant that workers were required to move the clock-hands at the appropriate times of year, under his direct supervision. It was impossible not to picture him, as we checked the hands any of our 47 municipal clocks, standing aloft with his arms spread wide. The face of the clock-setter came to be well-known, as it travelled across and wound its way around all lived things.