Out Of Touch

Listening to the Conservative party conference today made me realise just how out of touch they are with the real people of Britain. They have no concept of what real people are going through, their wants and needs and what its really like in the towns and on the streets of this country. They seem intent on social division like no party has before, they seem even more hell bent on it than Thatcher did.

I'm not sure where all this is going to end up but it's not going to be good, a Neo-Victorian era awaits as the middle class seems to be collapsing and the gap between rich and poor widens.

The Thatcher Years and Me

Margaret Thatcher has died today. I grew up in the Thatcher years being then around 12 years old when she was elected, I was rapidly approaching my mid twenties when she was ousted ... by her own political party. 

In my early childhood days I was probably a little bit oblivious to it all though it my early teens it was evident musicians at the time had a strong dislike for her (Billy Bragg, The Specials etc) as did many of the comedians on tv, Ben Elton immediately springs to mind. There is no denying Thatcher is a cultural icon of the 1980s but maybe not in a good way. I'll always recall Rik Mayall's anti Thatcher quips on The Young Ones.

My family were working class and had mixed fortunes during the Thatcher years, I'd say they steadily improved but that was through the hard work of my parents and not the successive Thatcher governments. I called in to see my dad today and asked him what he thought of the Thatcher years, he replied flatly 'Our mortgage doubled in cost'.

Reflecting back I can only convey here what I really remember and that was leaving school and going on the YTS (Youth Training Scheme) as my parents couldn't afford to finance me staying on at school or going to college. The YTS of course was very low paid labour but fortunately I managed to get on a scheme working with computers which was more training than work. It soon became evident that promises of a job through the scheme were merely transparent, I became restless, somewhat rebellious (I was still young and naive) and left the scheme to join another hopeless one. Fortunately during this time my parents didn't charge me board and lodgings, stating they wanted me to get used to having some money of my own and encouraged me to save and budget for my own clothing etc. The YTS scheme was in reality smoke and mirrors exercise, few gained jobs from it, though I do know people that did, however its main purpose was to lower unemployment figures.

Later of course, when I'd got a relatively low paid factory job the Poll Tax (also known as the community charge) came into effect and I saw my earnings plummet to pay some stupid tax even though I was still living with my parents. I refused to pay, as did hundreds of thousands of others and rioting occurred in some towns. I went to court and stood there with scores of others who'd refused. It was either pay or face the consequences so many of us agreed to pay the bare minimum. Soon after it was replaced and Thatchers reign ended.

Of course I recall other instances throughout her time as Prime Minister. The Falklands war in which a nation suddenly realised we had tiny islands thousands of miles away even though hardly anyone had heard of them beforehand. At the time I was probably patriotic and I remember the vivid images of sinking ships, burnt soldiers and the news reports on tv. I also recall riots in London and Bristol in deprived areas. I remember the miners strike and being spat at whilst leaving school and called a 'scab' by Yorkshire miners who had come to picket Crown Farm colliery mine and were encamped in a nearby pub before causing chaos. I wasn't the son of a miner but both my grandparents were miners so I have a mining background and I'm proud of it too. Thatcher divided Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire miners, a rift that is still apparent today. The epilogue to the strike was the unions were crushed (always a plan of Thatcher) and whole towns and communities were ruined. Nottinghamshire miners were favoured short term by the Thatcher government but in time their mines became no more and the local miners although receiving a period of prosperity followed by good pay off's found that getting work after was very difficult. The end of the mines saw the town where I used to live wither and slowly die, after the mines went other industries toppled and promises of cash injections never really appeared. A once thriving happy town seemingly capitulated, I witnessed its death, it affected me, I was there, it should have never have happened. Before the miners strike there always seemed to be work even low paid work, after it declined rapidly.

Can I say anything good about Thatcher? A strong leader or bully? All I can say is I liked the way she stood up to Europe and the then early makings of the European Union, that's about it really. Its fair to say life in the Thatcher years wasn't all bad, as a family we slowly prospered though I know my parents had periodic tough times. I recall the era well probably because as Thatcher came to power I was reaching that age where I took more notice, went to school, left school, struggled to find work and saw many social changes and influences. The Thatcher years will be always etched on my mind and shape how I think today.

In closing I don't think her legacy is a good one, though many will argue otherwise. She encouraged privatisation and private health. She divided communities and further widened the north-south divide. She crushed unions without mercy and destroyed what they'd spent years achieving. Manufacturing went to cheaper firms abroad. The coal mining industry was laid to waste. Deregulation of banks, social unrest, VAT from 8% to 17.5% etc etc, I could go on.

She died today in the Ritz Hotel where of course only the rich can afford to die in.

Everlasting Winter

This winter feels like it has lasted forever. Usually people say winter is never over until February is out of the way but this year February came and went, was very cold and now at the end of March we seem firmly entrenched in winter still. Suffering with a severe arthritic condition makes the cold no fun for me at all. I'm reluctant to put the heating on as its so expensive these days but sometimes I just think to hell with the bill and put it on, pain it seems tips the balance over cost when the cold is really biting. I dread to think what large fuel bills families have? In winter my bill usually comes in around £300 quarterly and I avoid using it as much as possible. I layer up clothing wise, even sometimes wear a hat, my apartment being on the top floor seemingly is colder in winter yet hot in summer, ideally I need to look at relocating.

I recall about a decade or so ago gas and electric seemed relatively cheap, stretching my mind back I think my bills came in around £80 for a quarter and it always seemed to be on in winter. How times change and how the fuel companies have been consumed with greed. of course the governments remarks about it yet nothing seems to be done, no surprises really.

These days the gap between rich and poor is becoming ever more apparent. The current government seems determined to purge the poor. Benefits are being slashed whilst living costs rise. It even seems that you see more poor people these days, its evident just by the way they are dressed, added to the fact we seem to have an increasing amount of lower class Eastern Europeans on the streets, if you haven't seen social changes then my guess is that your head must be buried in the sand, you're rich and oblivious to it, or you just choose to ignore it as it doesn't really concern you. The reality today is that the world is a changing place, in fact its been changing quite rapidly for a while now when you stop and take stock of things. I've taken to watching different news channels to get a broader picture of what's happening around the UK and around the world. As for the press? Well most of the British press is odious and predictable. Right wing tabloids often putting spin on stories to divide society even more. 

Despondent? Not really, I just seem to have an increasing awareness to the reality of how things are changing and not for the better. Right now though I want winter to end, for the pain and stiffness in my joints to subside and for rays of sun to shine through. This winter has slowed me down. which of course has slowed my plans down, the claws of the cold weather seemingly place curses on my ambition.

Of Facebook, Friends and Passions Bold

'Monsieur l'abbé, I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write.' 

Was written by Voltaire in a letter to M. le Riche, February 6, 1770. It's often misquoted nowadays along the lines of 'I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it'. With that sentence said, and hopefully digested by anyone reading I want to write frankly about feelings, passions and that modern conundrum of social networking - Facebook.

I have to be honest and say I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. Like most human beings I'm inquisitive, so checking into Facebook regularly satisfies my thirst for knowledge and curiosity. Overall I think I like it mainly because it keeps all friends and associates alike in one place. I suspect some just have a large friends list to stroke their own ego though!

That said I don't always like what I see on there. I'll be candid for a moment and say I don't like a constant stream of updates by the same person. Then there's the things I have no interest in, babies, dogs, repeated posting of regurgitated imaged jokes that are still doing the rounds from Myspace and constant posting of music videos. 

BUT....

That said I have nothing personally against the person posting, because to be honest, if I had kids I'd be passionate about them, I'd be proud and want the world to know about them. If I had a dog, the same would apply, as would a favourite musical band, and on it goes. So even though I grind my teeth about some things I'd always defend peoples right to post whatever they want. What do I like to see? Well I enjoy witty comments, jokes, holiday photos as I love travel and links to interesting articles. So I guess the likes offset the dislikes and you have to take into account we're all different, we can't all like the same thing - fact.

The reality is on platforms such as Facebook is that people don't do criticism well, who does really? Criticism and things like ridicule come in different forms of course and can be constructive as well as negative but when we do either - we reason. I recently told a female friend I thought she posted too many status updates and many seemed mundane or irrelevant. This of course didn't go down well and I woke the next day to find myself deleted as a friend. Oh well, my timing wasn't perfect but my criticism was that if I was finding minutiae and tedium in her status's then others may do but of course I realise she has every right to post status's as much as she likes. I don't mind being deleted and obviously my comments hit a nerve but in all honesty her constant stream of comments pointed towards insecurity and a desire to be popular when really she was likeable enough in the first place. Sometimes people need telling and in some circumstances its for the right reasons or we care.

This is where Facebook is used as a weapon though, an emotional base tool akin to infantile playground psychology 'I've suddenly decided I don't like you and I'm not your friend anymore'. We may all remove people from time to time on Facebook for varying valid reasons. I've done it myself but the usual reason for me is I don't really know the person, or they are the type to add you then never speak when they see you in the street. Would I delete someone for disagreeing or criticism of me? Highly unlikely.

I often clash with people on Facebook because some of my views are controversial, I seemingly have a faculty to disenchant people with my opinions and critical thinking. I'm pretty sure some of this is because people don't want think critically, they are comfortable in their bubble and stepping out of it can be unnerving. They may also disagree with me because they have genuine logical and legitimate reasons to do so, after all people do think differently, which is why I like debate so I can see different angles on things. Though I may have strong thoughts and passionate opinions I am not afraid to be outwitted or proved wrong.

Take for instance a recent status of mine in which I openly voiced opinion against the Pope and Queen. People didn't like it, knee jerk reactions occurred and strong counter opinions were voiced, some however were in total concurrence. The person that didn't like my comments is an ex military sort, excellent morals and not a bad bloke at all, the queen and country noble sort you might say and we seem to share a passion for dark humour. The irony was though whilst he was happy to defend religion he has been open about his feelings on Muslims etc in the past, some of which I share, especially on immigration. So the obvious counter argument would be you can defend one faith yet not another? Christianity can be a comfort to millions yet Islam cannot? I don't like any organised faith, though more of that shortly. He actually backed a comment once that I did on immigration but probably believes Britain is still great. I'd say we are both patriots in a different way.

Personally speaking, I don't like the Monarchy, I feel we are descending into neo-feudalism where the cultural and rich/poor divide is getting bigger. So inevitably what we may be come is something like a quasi medieval society and the historically minded will all know how grim those times were. Just look at Henry VIII, he used religion to his advantage, used ordinary men in wars to acquire territory and wealth and gorged on lavish banquets when many had nothing. I'm not saying the current monarchy is the same of course but they have many, many faults and we shouldn't blindly put so much emphasis on them as we do in my opinion, the days of the empire are long gone, we need to modernise and not keep giving rich people even more money.

Moving to religion, well that would take an age to explain my complete and utter revulsion of it. The pope preaches love and peace in his Christmas message yet openly takes a swipe at gay people, a contradiction in terms. The papacy is an organisation that is seeing thousands die in Africa by telling them using condoms is against gods will. How in rationalities name is this good??

My views on organised religion are so strong that I have been writing a Humanist blog since March of this year. I am wholehearted and passionately opposed to it for countless reasons.

So going full circle. Passion for things is what drives us, you are passionate, I am passionate, you have interests, I have interests, you have causes, I have causes and we all have different humour. The stigma attached to shorter people like me voicing opinions is that we have 'little man syndrome'. Any person under 5'5" kicking off is seemingly labelled with it. No such condition exists of course but its often used to denigrate the more vertically challenged of us should we get uppity and dare to have an opinion. I understand the term of course, and in some ways I agree it can be applicable, but only in the sense of a short person with real anger issues actively seeking physical confrontation to prove something, that is just folly. Maybe in my late teens and early twenties I may have been more like that, trying to stand shoulder to shoulder in the big wide world but you soon find out big people hurt when they hit (physics!) but that's not to say little people can't hurt back, Mike Tyson was never the tallest of boxers I believe. Fighting in any form, though necessary on occasion, should be avoided, I'd go for debate and dialogue every time. I realise I am diminutive in physical stature, I'm happy with that especially in my more mature years, wit and words have to be my weapons because brawn cannot be, I just wouldn't want to be the big sort who clobbered someone because they disagreed and could do so through sheer physical force. I guess I'm the Tyrion Lannister sort, for anyone that watches the Game of Thrones series or reads the books.

My passions, my angers, my beliefs are done via the medium of blogging and Facebook, with words and reasoning, done with honesty and done so all can see. Anyone who really knows me, knows the real me as a person despite my rants, opinions and dark satire. On many occasions I cross swords on Facebook with another friend but we always chat about views when we meet and we appreciate each others brevity on certain things.

I'm fortunate to live in a democracy and have free speech. On some occasions though I've been wrong, certain criticisms of the Fox & Crown come to mind but these were things I felt passionate about at the time but reacted to in haste and by listening to people whom perhaps I shouldn't but I'm human and I make mistakes. I deleted my blog on the pub and spoke to the people concerned, admittedly I should have perhaps done that in the first place. I know all don't agree with me, I don't expect them to but I hope the bonds of friendship transcends differences in opinions and they are mutually respected. I just want to end with the fact if you don't feel happy about something then don't be ever be afraid to say!

As Mark Twain once said; 'Our opinions do not really blossom into fruition until we have expressed them to someone else.'

I may not like everyone's views or opinions but like Voltaire I would defend their right to have them. Social Networking and blogging may not be everyone's proverbial cup of tea but it gives millions a voice - 'Vive la social revolution!'

Squander

I'm not going to lie, I don't like the Conservatives and never have done. In my opinion they have always been out of touch with the common man in the street. That said recent backing of gay marriages when a vote becomes available is to be commended by them. 

Anyway, the point I wish to gnash my teeth about is the fact the government is allocating £50 million to commemorate the centenary of Word War 1. I personally find it staggering that almost a 100 years on and in harsh economic times we are going to squander such a large amount.

Do I respect what the servicemen did during the great war? Of course I do, my great, great grandfather fought as a cavalry man in it but I think a war that was mainly about colonial powers jostling and bumping heads should now start to be committed to the history books more. Sure, have the memorials, remember the sacrifices, keep it alive in museums and classrooms so that new generations can understand and learn from it.

Let me put it in another perspective. Outside of Athens, just a short bus ride away is the site of the Battle of Marathon. On the shoreline graced with wooded pines is a triangular area with a hillock, inside that hillock Athenians citizen soldiery are buried that defended the fledgling democratic world from Persian dictatorship and tyranny. The battle of Marathon in 490BC is considered by historians as perhaps one of the most important battles of all time because of the implications of its outcome yet its dead lay in a simple setting and millions worldwide are unaware of their important sacrifice. 

Should we remember and honour our fallen, without doubt but we should also educate to classrooms the senseless slaughter and folly of that war too. We should have services and memorial ceremonies but seriously, in these dark times should we really be throwing £50 million on it? The government seems focused on bigging up Britain at the moment whilst the reality of what is really happening in the country is yet again glossed over.

I'm pretty sure the soldiers who died would want to be remembered and rightly so but they'd also want us to have a better country with money spent wisely.

Evictions Begin

So the Occupy London group has been evicted with little violence and a few arrests and now the Occupy camp nearest to me in Nottingham braces itself for impending eviction, though it vows to remain. I've often passed the Nottingham one that's tucked away in the Market Square, I sometimes stopped to read pamphlets or posters and I agree with their plight and what they stand for.

On reading the BBC coverage on the story today and then moving on to the comments section someone stated 'The simple fact people needed to protest against corporate greed is a damning indictment on this governments policies.' That statement really says it all yet the irony is the protest would only ever be tolerated for so long, even though it was peaceful.

The local Nottingham bunch seem resolute but I suspect their fate will be the same. I found it interesting on a local website that the Nottingham lads had done their research on who owns the Market Square land. They say it was gifted to the people of Nottingham but the council recently changed legislation, though it's better explained if you watch the short video on this link. In total contrast to the report on the news in London the Nottingham protesters mention their support from local businesses around the square. Evidently shops and corporate elements in London are breathing a sigh of relief, no shocks there then.

I hope the Occupy protests go on despite a large amount of the populace not giving a damn. Democracy in this country is a fickle beast.

Photo used is from Nottingham Indymedia website and is of the Nottingham Occupy camp.

Greece

It's really sad to see what's happening in Greece and the burden they now have after the latest bail out. Greece is such a beautiful nation steeped in history and culture, my heart really goes out to them and the average Greek person that is having to suffer this latest set back due to the financial situation. Greece and Greek people, my thoughts are with you.

Immigration - My Thoughts.

Before I begin, I feel with this blog I am about to type that I need to put some form of disclaimer beforehand that I'm not racist, fascist or member of the BNP or EDL etc. My godfather (though I wasn't christened I must add) is an Afro-Caribbean gentleman and I grew up in a family that embraced foreign people and the multicultural society we've had for decades. However sadly it's not the done thing to talk about foreign people or immigration these days, people get uneasy or angry about it and most generally want to avoid such conversations, unless it is something that suddenly affects them of course. We've become a 'bite your lip' nation mostly when it comes to talking about such matters, even the political aspects of it.

It occurred to me this morning whilst paying my last council tax instalment 'Do we really know how many Eastern Europeans are actually here in the UK?'. The notion was instigated by an Eastern European man in the queue asking in broken English 'Please, give me form for council house?'.

I must confess I felt uneasy at this because I believe (and I hope) that preferential treatment should always be given to British nationals for that sort of accommodation. Usually such schemes go on points and rightly so but it left me wondering just how easy it actually is for foreign people to get into British council housing? Only today reports have been released that indicate immigrants do take British jobs. I'm sure the report is valid, though I don't read the actual paper the headline was in. Migration Watch the none political website also ran an article on the 9th of this month saying youth unemployment and immigration are more than a coincidence. All said and done I'd hope British people are always put before foreign applicants, even if they are unemployed. Recent reports have said there is a real shortage of council accommodation and unfortunately we always have a supply of single mums or old people here needing it despite peoples opinions on it and we should look after our own first.

Most British people actually feel there are too many foreign people here, especially Eastern European and they'll quietly say so. This doesn't mean they are racist because most of those people will actually know Indian or Afro Caribbean people either as friends or in the work place or even just to exchange small talk with down the local curry house or takeaway.

Before I go into where I actually stand on it politically and personally, I think a paraphrased history lesson is in order to better understand my viewpoint and understanding of our British multicultural society.

Post world war two we welcomed many Free Polish people that had gallantly fought either in the British army or as part of the free Polish forces. These Polish people settled into British life, in some cases married British partners and worked in industry, in my area it was the coal mines they worked in mostly. They integrated into British life and became British citizens whilst still retaining their culture. Over the next few decades that Polish population grew slightly as some escaped the Iron curtain and made their way to Britain. You'd see Polish working mens clubs back when I was young or even Ukrainian clubs of the same nature but that generation of Eastern European very much settled into the English way of life and culture, were hard working and an asset to the country and more importantly 'integrated'.

In the 1950s Britain of course there was a post war man power shortage and people were invited from within the commonwealth to come and work here, especially in the cities where there was a shortage of labour. Many did come, they settled and they became proud citizens, adopting their new country but also bringing their culture with them, in time multicultural Britain flourished and was welcomed by most of the native population. I love the fact this country has a fusion of different cultures, that we have our Indian and Chinese cuisine, fantastic foreign doctors and health workers and many others too numerous to mention.

Its with some irony that generations down the line immigrants that settled here long ago and integrated are also against the mass influx of Eastern Europeans.

Coming back to the present day influx. Are East Europeans actually to blame? Of course not, they want better pay and gainful employment and most of course have a strong work ethic.

So what are my objections and problems with it?

Firstly the new wave of incoming Eastern Europeans don't mix very well like past generations did. They open Polish food shops and generally stick to their own, I don't see how such shops benefit our economy, they only import food stuff to serve the local Eastern Europeans. You rarely see Eastern European people mixing in our communal society, it's become a 'them and us' mentality, they should ideally take heed from those that settled here generations ago. This brings me to the point the new influx are kind of here in a mercenary capacity if you'll excuse the phrase. This is because they are getting used to the system here and it's benefits, especially health care, welfare and housing. That said we have mercenaries of our own, landlords that charge high rents for small houses that many are forced to share. This of course has led to a shortfall in our own private housing and increased rents before of greedy British landlords, so our own suffer as well as foreigners being ripped off in many cases.

It all boils down to the money at the end of the day, that's the sad thing. They come here, earn money and many send it home or go back home with some, which again isn't putting into our economy. The fact many have come here and will work for low wages has undercut British workers and tradesmen, that's why wages have fell and living standards dropped. Nobody bothers with local green grocers anymore, they go to 'poundstretchers' or supermarkets instead but I'm not blaming that on migrants (though they do like their Poundstretchers). Our own Employment agencies actively work with representatives in countries such as Poland to bring foreign work in, locally here its in warehouse, factory or farm work. Again, this is a political issue that should be addressed because the government should be monitoring this more and be actively involved with placing our own people, especially youngsters in such employment whether they moan about it or not because back in the day you worked regardless, you never really could pick and choose unless you were well educated or from a privileged background.

My view is really simple. I think the government knows there are real problems facing communities and services due to the influx of Eastern Europeans. Mr Cameron if you don't believe me try getting an appointment at a local doctors surgery then when you manage it take not on how many immigrants are there when you're sat waiting. Smaller provincial towns such as my own are awash with Eastern Europeans, whilst in a mobile phone shop the other day I was (beside the staff) the only English speaking person in there. This does of course feel odd at times, oddly enough had there been Afro-Caribbean or Indian people sat near me speaking English I wouldn't have given it a second thought. A friend recently once told me her town of Wisbech in Cambridgeshire has been nicknamed 'Wizbeckistan' by the locals, you don't need to muse why.

In the past I worked with homeless people in Nottingham, many of which were Eastern Europeans. Most of them had come to England to avoid problems back home for reasons mostly known to themselves though we did know many were on the run from authorities and were now leading life's of petty crime and begging on the streets of the city. Some of course had come expecting a better life, it wasn't so and so they lapsed into drinking and again, petty crime. The benefit system here doesn't usually pay out until Eastern Europeans have worked for a year and paid in, so things can often go wrong if they suddenly end up without employment. The sad thing was that most of the men I dealt with were 40+ years of age, spoke almost no English and had come here expecting to walk into a job regardless, the reality was different, this country has its own problems and people of their age weren't as employable, so began a descent into drink and desperation rather than go back and face the authorities or tell their family they had failed, such is the social stigma in Poland I am led to believe. So the above said, I can speak with some knowledge of how immigration doesn't work and needs to be monitored more because bluntly speaking we have many that simply shouldn't be here or our responsibility. It was only a few weeks ago that someone I once worked with, an elderly Polish gentlemen dropped dead outside McDonalds in Nottingham, friendless, cold, bereft of money and made to beg for others by his own countrymen. A thoroughly sad end to a life.

So, do I think there are too many Eastern Europeans here? Well that's a resounding yes, it's not their fault but the governments fault for letting too many in and buying into European dictated legislation etc. That said it's almost like the new wave of them don't actually give a damn for Great Britain as a nation and what it's about, they want to earn cash, keep to themselves and that's as far as their minds go. I for one on going abroad at least like to absorb as much of their culture as I can. I've seen Eastern Europeans get aggressive in a few instances in the past, once I was pushed away from an ATM machine in town by two Eastern European gents and couldn't do anything about it, though to be fair English people could have done the same but some immigrants do have a belligerent nature, possibly because they aren't at home so don't have to worry so much but maybe some is down to apprehension, cultural differences and the whole being 'en guard' in a strange place. I dunno really but it's there to be seen.

Am I racist? Well those who know me can see the answer to that or read it within this blog. I love the fact we have a multicultural society and generally are a very tolerant country compared to others. It's amazing that due to foreign doctors and specialists that the national health is so good and helps so many. I think it's great foreign students come here to study and take back a little bit of Great Britain with them and I feel proud of our multicultural heritage over the last few decades though some would argue it's a legacy brought upon us by our grand imperial days of the empire. There's some irony to the fact that most third world or Indian countries still see Britain as a mythical land of greatness and want to become 'British', you see them talking about it on tv, especially fleeing migrants or impoverished people with dreams of a better life. The same I feel cannot be said for many of the new wave of Eastern Europeans because if that was the case they'd be making more effort.

When I walk through the cities and towns of England now and hear so many foreign accents I wonder if we are losing our own 'British culture', have we sunk into an apathy of not fighting for our own, or our own jobs? Have we become more materialistic and less hard working (probably) and thus more immigrants coming here was inevitable? I can't help seeing stark contrasts between say 15 years ago and the present day and come to the conclusion the government has let us down and we've lost our initiative work wise. The new thing in the high street seems to be lots of salons full of Chinese people painting fingernails cheaply, why didn't we think of this or would we even want to do it? You really can't fault immigrants for being industrious in some ways but the bottom line is, with rising population and unemployment the government should be looking inwards towards our own, finding new employment initiatives and even encouraging apprenticeships that once was. If it all goes wrong then we only have ourselves to blame. Sadly the phrase 'Britain, the workshop of the world' will never be commonplace again, probably because immigration aside we readily give contracts out to foreign companies.

Anything in moderation is good but I honestly feel there are too many immigrants in this country now, and as I have said above, some without purpose and a good few taking jobs we should be making our own people do. Instead of a Polish lads doing a cheap car wash down the road it should be our own youngsters taking the initiative but I doubt that will happen because it again goes back to a sense of national apathy to a degree that we seem to have cultivated. I'm not leaning towards slating benefits here because many of us have used state benefits in the past either between jobs or because of ill health. It just seems to me the government and indeed past governments are largely out of touch with the changing social landscape and problems of this country, problems which I think that unchecked immigration are only compounding.

I sincerely hope that the foreign friends I have and cherish that work and reside here see my points above and think along the lines of their own nationalistic thoughts, own government faults or personal viewpoints and respect mine.

Trouble Ahead?

I popped into my local pub this morning for a coffee and to see if my letter had been published in the area newspaper (see blog below). In no time the staff pointed out an article about a newly formed local wing of the EDL (English Defence League for those reading overseas). The EDL is a right wing nationalist organisation that is gaining some degree of popularity so I guess it was only a matter of time before my sleepy little town had its own collection of motley bigots.

The staff also told me that a shopkeeper in the convenience store on the next road to me had been attacked the previous evening after a group of EDL supporters had been in my local beforehand, what a coincidence! The owners of the shop are probably of Iranian or Turkish origin, or from that part of the world and when I pop in they've always been very polite and helpful, they speak excellent English and the shop is well stocked and set out.

In the local paper the newly formed local EDL are stating the aren't against multiculturalism but don't want sharia law or islam rising within the town. To my knowledge there are virtually almost no Muslims within my small town population wise. Whilst I am no fan of Islam in a religious context I've nothing against people who come from Islamic regions of the world as long as they aren't fanatical about their beliefs. If we have a large group of foreign people within the town then it is East Europeans and though I personally do think there are too many over here again I have nothing against them as people, I just think it is a political issue and past and present governments have let us down on immigration and the numbers let into Britain. I love the fact we are a multicultural nation and we have cultures that have influenced us over generations, after all where would we be without a good curry house or Chinese takeaway?

In the article it mentions an EDL march of some sort in the near future but no date is given, in fact it's all very vague on their part, I wonder why? Perhaps they don't want any opposition when they parade. I hope it remains vague and they never really get organised. Nearly all of the local population here would agree with me and say this sort of thing isn't wanted here and my own view is if you have strong nationalistic views then be legitimate with them and follow a political route with relevant dialogue, not that it really did the British National Party any good in the past election. My own view is that there are problems within society and multiculturalism, especially in some areas of the country and its only recently David Cameron has commented upon this contentious subject. There's nothing wrong in being proud of your country and having opinions especially in these problematic days but lets be quintessentially British here and show that we can be calm and sensible about such matters without resorting to violence and racism, there's positive patriotism and negative and we certainly don't need the latter.

Tv Of The Month

It's not been a bad month for tv really. The Apprentice has been in full swing on BBC1, Wednesday 9pm. The thing is, I feel the Apprentice is becoming tired and formulaic. There's only so many times panoramic camera views of London (especially the Gherkin building) can have appeal. The tasks on the show remain the same with little change. The contestants are as usual mostly loathsome ego maniacs yet I still watch the show, mainly because I love Sir Alan's aide 'Nick Hewer' who has me rolling with laughter with his facial gesticulations and quips. Karen Brady is also a great asset to the team and I really like her blunt honesty. The show does need some changes though, maybe longer tasks or more trips abroad BBC?

Second up is the back to back programs of Four In A Bed and Come Dine With Me on Channel 4 5-6pm respectively. Great irreverent virtual reality shows with plenty of typical Brit humour, I never take the shows seriously but then that is the general idea - an ideal bit of teatime nonsense with laughs.

Lastly my favourite program of the month. This was a documentary presented by the award winning fantasy author Terry Pratchett, a thoroughly lovely man. The documentary called 'Choosing to Die' was aired on BBC2 on June 13th an was about assisted suicide. I really find words hard to find to describe the impact this program had on me. It was a reminder of my mother that died several years ago when I consented to her life support machine being switched off. All the memories came flooding back but the way Terry Pratchett presented this sensitive subject was objective in general context (not subjectively about Mr Pratchett), balanced and very touching. As he rightly quotes in my opinion 'The timing of his death should be his choice and not the governments'. Of course Terry Pratchett's thoughts and feelings were evident but I felt as a viewer the program looked beyond his personal views and looked at the subject matter from different perspectives.

It was a compelling piece of powerful television and I haven't seen anything that has evoked that much raw emotion in me for some time. I feel strongly for assisted suicide if of course there is no doubt in peoples minds that because of disease, pain and declining health issues that their quality of life is no longer there. It's a contentious subject for sure but one I feel the government needs to address and the church needs to stay out of. Great television from the BBC. You can find a review of the program here.

Step Down Mr Blatter

Fifa supremo Sepp Blatter is 75 years old and still wants to run unopposed for another term as president for another term. This is amid allegations of corruption and bribes currently circulating in the news. Mr Blatter has been the president since 1998 and worked at Fifa for 36 years, and he probably thinks he has ascended to his rightful position after years of hard work. I think at his age he should ideally step down and let someone else take the helm, then again power and money aren't easy things to give up - ask any dictator.

Alternative Vote

Well the alternative vote referendum and local elections are over. As predicted the Lib Dems lost heavily in local elections and to add salt to Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg's gaping political wounds the Alternative vote system was rejected. I personally was in favour of an alternative voting system instead of our current first past the post system but it seems many weren't, or were actually in fact ignorant to it, just putting a no down as they didn't really understand it. We are very much a nation that doesn't embrace change well at times.

Clegg, once a king maker now seems unhappy with his lot, so does Vince Cable who attacked the Tories bitterly this week. So could Clegg & Co have a hand in future Tory policy blocking or even demise or will the Tories remain in power with subservient coalition partners?

The Big Society?

Do many people know what David Camerons 'Big Society' is about, do the public at large actually care? Will Cameron do himself any favours for a big society by saying things like state multiculturalism has failed? Already some cities such as Liverpool and Manchester who are suffering from severe council funding cuts are distancing themselves from Mr Camerons big society pilot schemes. I've seen at first hand how government cut backs are destroying inner cities charities and projects topple and fall after many years of hard work, as the Tories put the squeeze on local government spending the big society only looks like it can ever implode. Mr Cameron of course still champions this empty grand scheme. Even people that want to volunteer cannot because the charities or projects they volunteer for are going to the wall.

The victim as I see it in Mr Cameron's big society is indeed us - the society because his scheme is clearly stumbling before it can walk. If projects and charities cannot help those that need it then society on all tiers begins to suffer, from the homeless to the mentally ill, from disabled to elderly, from blind to beaten women. The only way a big society can succeed is by supporting sections of the population that need it most and by cutting spending to these Mr Camerons big society is a contradiction in the broadest sense.

Total Bankers

I'm guessing after Bob Diamond, the Barclays bank chief executive told MPs last week big pay packets for bankers were here to stay, the Conservative ones won't remonstrate too strongly. For one thing the other bankers will love him as he said it was time to stop blaming the banks for the recession. The belligerent Mr Diamond refused to apologise to a commons select committee but he has reason to be smug, he earned a reported £60 million last year and may get an 8 million bonus this year, in my opinion its a world gone mad and divides the nation between rich and poor even more.

The Pope, No Thanks.

The Pope, lovely fella (allegedly), a man with a hotline to god, a man whose word can influence millions of catholics, a man I really don't want in this country with his antiquated values and morals.

Where do I start with this blog? Well lets have a look at popes from the past first.

"If my own father was a heretic, I would personally gather the wood to burn him" Pope Paul IV

"Mussolini is a wonderful man. Do you hear me, a wonderful man" Pope Pius XI

"One Galileo in two thousand years is enough" Pope Pius XII (more about him later).

And lastly the current pope Benedict XVI

"Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is more or less strong tendancy ordered to an intrinsic moral evil, and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder"

Back in the middle ages the pope was the real power in Europe, having influence over most of it, his word was treated as the word of god and what he said - went. So we had crusades that cause division and animosity to this day, inquisitions, burnings, invasions, papal bulls, edicts - they all happened. It seems to me that even though society has moved on and developed, the papacy hasn't. I say the papacy because there's much more to it than just the pope, and all past popes cannot be culpable.

Let's go back to pope Pius XII. Though there is quite a lot said in favour of this pope but you don't have to dig deep to find that this pope, the pope during the second world war and after could have made a difference but chose not to. This pope had favourable relations with the Nazi regime, but during the invasion of Poland he decided to keep silent, tens of thousands of Polish catholics died and catholic monks, 2,500 (aprox) were detained in concentration camps. Pope Pius's refusal to censure the invasion of Poland still strikes a raw nerve with some Polish catholics today but it gets worse, much worse. Ante Pavelic, the new leader of the Nazi puppet state in Croatia formed during the war went on, with Vatican approval to forcibly torture, convert and kill on a mass scale the jews and orthodox christian Serbs in their territory. So large and cruel a concentration camp that was set up by Pavelic and his Ustashe party henchmen in the town of Jasenovacs that even the Nazi were reviled by their actions. Of course later in history Yugoslavia erupted again with the Serbs seeking revenge in what was called 'ethnic cleansing' which was really 'religious cleansing'.

In 1942 when there was evidence of mass killing and concentration camps Pius turned a blind eye to it, even when his own people such as Monsignor Montini (the future pope Paul VI) told him that 'massacres of the jews reach frightening proportions'.

In 1944 on meeting Winston Churchill it was pope Pius who tried to get Italian war criminals off the hook by saying they shouldn't stand for trials as they were victims of the Nazi regime.

In fairness the catholic church did save many Jews during the war, some had to convert to christianity, some were kept safe in religious establishments throughout Europe.

In closing this bit, Pope Benedict now wants to make Pope Pius XII a saint, madness!

Back to the middle ages, fortunately this Isle managed to shake off catholic yolk and control from Rome but not without a few hiccups. After Henry VIII died his daughter Mary came to the throne, married Phillip II of Spain and began reversing her fathers work and embracing catholicism again. Come 1554 England had a Spanish king and was subject to Rome once more, then it was time for the burnings of protestants to begin, Bishops, poor people et al. Just before being burnt at Oxford, Bishop Latimer turned to Bishop Ridley and said "We shall on this day light such a candle by god's grace as, I trust, shall never be put out". The burnings in Smithfield where most suffered horrible deaths was actually a turning point, and eventually led to the return of England to a protestant nation. Catholic horrors were still being perpetrated abroad though, the Spanish inquisition, catholic purges in the Spanish occupied Netherlands and atrocities in the New World.

Today in Edinburgh as the pope made his opening speech or should I say gambit of the tour it wasn't long before he was having a pop at the rise of secular states. If old fools like this were in charge we'd soon be back to the middle age values and the thinking back then. I wouldn't be able to type blogs such as this because of the fear of persecution or even death. An example of how far the catholic church hasn't come is this, in 1996 the Irish republic held a referendum on whether its state constitution should still prohibit divorce. Fortunately Ireland has increasingly moved towards sensible secularism and most political parties urged people to approve of a change in the law. They did so, for several reasons, they no longer thought it right for the roman catholic church to legislate the people on their morality. There was also thought that there would be no reunification in Ireland if the mainly prostestant north were repelled by the thought of clerical interference and rule. But one of the main reason was nobody should be trapped in an unhappy marriage, especially if it was a woman with a continually drunk husband that would beat or rape her - I'm sure you get the picture. Despite people having common sense on the vote the catholic church flew in such big names such as mother Theresa to campaign for a 'no' vote.

Personally I find catholicism regressive, self serving, self indulgent and fundamentally backward in its values (sorry catholics, as I know you aren't all bad and I have catholic friends) but that is my view. This is a faith that lets you give your wife a beating but you can atone for it with a confessional. Forget confessionals, just make sincere apologies for the bad things you've done or to the people concerned, see... easy, and the human thing to do. This is a pope and faith that advise people in the third world not to use condoms, in fact that condoms are a weapon. More people die of aids in Africa and many other catholic countries and its alright by the pope, common sense doesn't come into it. When you look at Ireland both main factions prefer sectarianism as this divides communities and fuels old hatreds but the catholic hierarchy there like this, as it can influence children in clerical schools and continue fuelling religious hatred. In such a divided society the populace are easily monitored and its easier for the church to extend its controlling hand.

It always intrigues me why catholics make a big deal of the virgin Mary, revere her in such a sycophantic way. The virgin birth is clear proof that man is capable of creating a legend, a legend not to dissimilar from other eastern faiths, Horus of the Egyptians being born unto a virgin to mention one past figure. There's no recorded birth of Mary in the bible but later of course she is singled out for special treatment and visited by the archangel Gabriel and told of things to come. How ironic later in the bible that she seemingly has no memory of this or angels telling her she is the mother of god. Later after Jesus is born according to biblical accounts she seems surprised at everything her son does, why is he talking to priest's in the temple? You'd think a Mary would have a memory of why Jesus is important.

More interestingly, later in the new testament Matthew tells us in 13:55-57 that Mary had several kids, that there were 4 brothers and some sisters too, hhmm not very virginal. Later we have James telling us in his gospel that Jesus had a brother by the same name (what!?) who mixed in religious circles ... would the real Jesus please stand up?!

Amazingly the doctrine of the immaculate conception didn't come to being until it was announced in Rome in 1852, and later the dogma of the assumption in 1951.

Back to the pope Benedicts visit. There seems to be fluctuating statistics on the cost of it all but the general figures seems to be 12 million of taxpayers money which is shocking really, the Vatican is so rich that it could easily afford to fund the pope's visits but I guess as we're the hosts we have to foot the bill, large thanks go to Mr Tony Blair who I believe had something to do with inviting him to some degree. You can argue as a nation we do pay for other dignitaries to visit but most of these are diplomatic figures and I would assume trade talks are always on the cards, so this is of benefit. It's fair to say though the papal hierarchy and the vatican aren't short of money, papal personalities such as the popes private secretary, the smooth Georg Ganswein dubbed 'gorgeous Georg' by the Italian press likes to play tennis and fly planes in his spare time.

British catholics are paying £25 to see the pope at various venues in the UK, if the catholic church was so benevolent why isn't it paying for the facilities and hosting it free?

Getting back to Pope Benedict, this is a pope that doesn't want progress, doesn't want to release details of child abuse within his church thinking his own people are above secular law. This is a pope that fears secularism and practical thinking, this is a pope that knows there are prominent clergy within the catholic regime who deny the holocaust.

I think it's warming to know that so many great people within British society, celebrities, scientists, authors and philosophers are speaking out against the papal visit. This is the great thing about secular democratic societies, we have the freedom to think and speak openly without fear of theological recrimination. Personalities such as Stephen Fry, Richard Dawkins, AC Grayling, Polly Toynbee, Peter Tatchell (his documentary on the pope was brilliant) and veteran author Claire Rayner have all spoke of their dislike of Benedict.

For me though it was Andrew Copson, chief executive of the British humanist society that phrased things so well, that the papacy 'use their powers to make peoples life worse'. People such as the woman from Manilla that Peter Tatchell interviewed with a large family, and getting larger as she was pregnant again. She said she didn't want to have more kids because she was struggling to feed her existing ones but because of her faith she couldn't use condoms and the local priest said she should have more children, shocking.

In closing, the pope isn't a kindly old fluffy man, he's a man that could make a difference to millions, especially in Africa but chooses not to. In fact he chooses not to do a lot of things like hand details of thousands of cases of child abuse over to secular states.

I want to end with a quote from Thomas Paine, English born American author and revolutionary.

"The world is my country, all mankind is my brethren, and to do good is my religion"

The fact being you don't need religion to do good.

The Unwashed

The press in general and especially the odious Daily Express who loves to churn out doom on a regular basis are seemingly laying the smack down on the unemployed without mercy at the moment. They want you to think the unemployed are the great unwashed responsible for nearly everything going wrong in the country today. It's easy for the government and the press to lay the blame with people out of work, after all they are an easy target but are the newspaper editors and politicians really in touch? Do they empathise with the man in the street that may have just lost his job, or a single parent struggling to hold down a part time job and raise a child?

Have we become a society that is so divided we can look down on the less fortunate so readily? I ask you, who has the moral high ground in say a boss that plays games on Facebook for hours a week in his office whilst doing nothing or the man/woman who is out desperately searching for a job? And let's be honest here, jobs that just aren't there.

The government must be revelling in the press headlines at the moment, it makes there job easier when it comes to purging the less fortunate or making them even poorer.

I will readily admit that there are people that use and abuse the benefit system to their advantage but this has been going on for years now, through different governments. Gradually as Britain has shut down over the last 30 odd years and lost its industry successive governments haven't addressed the problems of growing unemployment, training and a growing populace in general. Back in the 80s the Tory government had the Youth Training Scheme but everyone knows it was just a way of keeping the unemployment figures down and giving employers free reign to exploit cheap labour, believe me, there was little training involved in the YTS.

Apprenticeships are seemingly unheard of these days were once they were commonplace. Initiatives aren't being taken to remedy the growing underclass. Most young people from working class families or families on benefits have low literacy levels but lets be honest society is on decline in many different ways.

I'm not sure if we are still actually in a recession technically, I suspect we are, jobs aren't readily available for sure. I realise there's problems, I realise people do take advantage but most importantly I realise there are genuine people out there wanting to work. The press will play devils advocate and raise questions regarding unemployed people or foreigners taking jobs because it's easy pickings. The press loves to peddle misery and be divisive, out of touch editors love to curry favour with out touch politicians whilst quaffing wine and eating business lunches unawares of thousands of miserable people out there desperately wanting work.

We are becoming more of a divided nation, a case of those of have, and those that have not. I'm pretty sure we've all used benefits of some sort in the past, especially as the last couple of decades have been turbulent employment wise. What we have in the benefit system is an amazing thing, unique in the world, like the NHS. Before we chastise the unemployed, berate people for claiming some form of helpful benefit take a moment think about the plight of those that genuinely need it and realise that the majority that do need it outweigh the ones that abuse the system.

As for me, I won't be joining silly Facebook groups that denounce the unemployed, I won't be buying into fluctuating figures of this and that regarding scrounging people on benefits from the press. There are thousands of people out there that need benefits, disabled people, war veterans, people with mental health - who are we to label them lesser citizens?

I feel for the average man out there that may have lost his job and may be losing hope due to the sense of apathy that comes with being out of work. As a nation though it seems the powers that be would prefer us to pour scorn upon them, decry them and lay the blame on them when it is past governments (mainly the Tories but Labour are guilty too) who have sold British industry out and encouraged cheap imports that are culpable.

Dynamic Duo !

So Brown went last night, with dignity. Cameron is in No.10 with Clegg as deputy. Today I watched the 30 so minute Cameron/Clegg press conference in the gardens behind 10 Downing street in which they said they are new united coalition. I have to say, they looked good together, and despite the doom and gloom brigade constantly reminding us of yesteryear (not just you either Pat) I think they may have just changed British politics forever, possibly for the better. Yes, I am optimistic, and why shouldn't I be? In fact why shouldn't others be, after all, this was how the vote panned out, nobody won with a gaping majority, and neither do we have a majority controlling parliament, so as a nation we basically will reap what we sow.

Politics has changed over the last few days, times change, people change and where the nation moved forward under Blair when he took over, I suspect we will move forward again. It's a coalition that looks charged and ready to go, ignore the naysayers and merchants of pessimism and give them a deserved chance without hanging onto fetters of the past. There may be cuts, and it could well get worse before it gets better but with team work and a seemingly new found dynamism, hopefully something may come out of this coalition.

yours optimistically


A Hobbit in the Midlands

On It Goes

The talks go on, Clegg and Cameron have spoken by phone and in person, a clandestine meeting was arranged following the VE day commemoration. Brown like a barnacle clings on, neither voted in the first time, nor this time either, yet ironically still prime minister. Let's hope he goes soon.

Hung !

So then, a hung parliament. A huge shift to Conservative with Labour losing 90 something seats yet the Conservatives didn't get the magic number of 326 seats for a majority. Clegg of the Lib Dem's now chatting to Cameron, lots of talk of reform for the electoral system. I kind of hope Clegg and Cameron do a deal, and Brown goes.

Almost Election Time.

So, we are mere hours away from the general election and by this stage I am thinking everyone wants to vote and get it over with. I don't recall any other election with this much media coverage or hype (one sided coverage if you're part of Murdoch media of course).

The good old BBC has come through with impartial coverage, though one has to wonder if the Tories get in how much pressure the BBC will actually be under.

Anyway, on to my final thoughts and what really matters to me, what I want out of it all.

It's evident that politics is more centred these days, gone are the days of gulf's between left and right politics, sure you still have more extreme smaller parties but the main three seem very mainstream these days, as if none want to do anything to challenge convention. The irony is a time will come where a party in the future will have to deal with tough decisions as problems in our social fabric become more prevalent and out of control.

My dad said to me many years ago when I was old enough to vote that 'Any working class man should always vote Labour' and after all that time that statement has hung in my head, I will always agree with it.

Sadly I am not a fan of Gordon Brown but neither will I heap the whole of the worlds and this country problems squarely on his shoulders, because quite simply it's not all his fault. Blair irked me towards the end, I was glad he went, Brown seemed capable at first but slowly and surely he was destroyed by the press whilst the Tory party slowly but surely - rebuilt. It's all about faces these days, people are gullible and taken in by the media too much, unable to think beyond what they are told by it. Most people tomorrow will be voting Tory simply because after a few pints in the local they will be able to shout 'Yay for the Tories, I voted for the winners'.

On reflection I have much to thank Labour for. My swift surgery on the magnificent NHS, that gave me a new lease of life. Benefits I was paid whilst sick. And generally not a bad standard of living.

Tomorrow I think I can pretty much guess on what the results may be, and unfortunately I can't see Labour winning, Mr Brown sadly isn't charismatic enough for the press, and as it becomes evident our election process is becoming more American and about personalities then he obviously has a face that doesn't fit. That said, not all has been good with labour, they've made some genuine mistakes and done things very badly at times, they've also had some bad luck too. There's some complacency in there as well, some bad personnel etc. I think if they lose the election they need to go away, restructure and reinvent themselves once again, and come back better, stronger with a new face at the head of the party. How will Cameron or Clegg fare if they win, I don't really know but Brown I feel, although coming across inept at times does have more experience.

Having read chunks of all the main party manifesto's its all pretty much generic stuff, either using the other parties old practices and expanding upon them or along similar sounding themes.

All I want in my heart is for the NHS to go on, it is something I feel passionate to my very core about, as it has rescued me health wise on many occasions, from my eyesight to shiny new hip joints.

I want to see safer streets, instead of gangs of cowardly thugs seemingly roaming them at will causing all sorts of problems for all ages. Society needs to get tough because this problem will only grow with time.

I want to see honesty and fair dealing with politicians, banks and corporations.

I want to see industry grow again and jobs created, things to be built here once again.

I want to see arts and culture flourish, peoples abilities celebrated, our national esteem to rise.

I want a secular society, and no involvement at all from the church.

I want less European involvement in our affairs, and I definitely don't want to see the Euro replace the Pound.

Less encouragement/advertising for companies or websites that lend money to people that really can't afford it.

Good education for all.

All in all, I don't really want much, just society to improve and not decline, like it seems to slowly be doing.

Come the morning, I will be there early to vote, probably 7am as I have to go into Nottingham soon after. I will probably have to tactical vote tomorrow, such is our voting system here, which radically needs to be changed.

Till tomorrow then!