Democracy in 2021? What does it mean...

 It might not be obvious to many people but democracy has run its course. How and Why? Well, with the advent of the Internet it has to be apparent that there are simply too many opinions. Look at the BBC, daily ramifications on what the government has been up to, discussed and decided. Followed up by endless dissemination of what is to happen or not happen or even might happen. Just look at the reporting of the Covid crisis. The elected are more concerned about how they look to others and are too afraid to lose face. They endlessly look on Twitter and Facebook to see if they are talked about and like Trump climb immediately in the pen to comment, refute or attack others, instead of governing. It has become a pantomime. Obviously this is not lost on the Chinese or Russians. They in particular bombard us with fake news to undermine the real issues. The Chinese are very much carrying out a softly softly approach, offering to produce cheap goods to a hungry greedy Western world. We lap it up with closed eyes. Guess what the next move will be? Increased military presences across the globe. Even the Russians are afraid of that. Governments that are not democratic and don't really have to suffer the upheavals of elections, are pretty geared up to aggressive politics. Do they work on a plan to undermine the West? Sure they do. We in the West are so concerned with the minutae of our existence, our relationships, our standing that we do not even see or care what those countries like Russia and Chine are up to. The Russians constantly probe defences and readiness. Where is the British navy? Well, we have two good looking aircraft carriers. To be very frank without the support ships they don't mean much and would not last 10 minutes in a conflict. On top of that they leak! This is my prediction for 2021, we will see a very increased activity on all fronts by the Chinese. They are very much squaring up in the Pacific, hopefully Biden will see this but I fear he will be much occupied by Covid and global warming. Sorry to have to say this but we will have to cut our trade links with the Chinese and Russians to an absolute minimum by becoming more self-sufficient in electronics and allied sciences. Also become much more security conscious, even to the point of becoming aggressive on the web. Watch 2021 and see how it will enfold! Good luck Biden, good luck Boris.

The Pantomime of the Century...

 

This year we don't have the usual pantomime unless you are prepared to stand outside your door and watch a few intrepid persons performing. But we have had and still are watching a pantomime with Ugly Sisters, Dandy, et al. It's called Brexit Negotiations. Yes friends, it has been going nicely for nigh on a year. The Ugly Sisters (Angela and Ursula) have been brilliant but before the end of the year they will be upside down, hanging whilst the audience will be shouting he's (Boris) behind you!! Then we have the Nasty Baron (Michel Barnier) and Dandy (Emmanuel Macron). Dandy is in love with all the female reporters waltzing around and cannot make up his mind which one to ask out for a quick 'how's your father'. The Elf (Boris) is the magic factor of the play wanting to do the best but failing badly every time. In the end good will win, the Elf wins, Dandy will not get the girl, the Baron will emigrate to Luxembourg and appear in the European Court for grossly overstating his importance. And what about the Ugly Sisters? They were never heard of again!

Yes, it's a pantomime alright, you couldn't make it up, could you? Entirely dished up for us, plebs as we are, to believe our elected actually do some work. It was clear from the beginning that some deal or something would be done. All this posturing was and still is, for our benefit. To think our elected are clever, steadfast in the face of the storm, holding the rudder with steely concentration! Steering the Ship of State to the safe port on the horizon. You could not make it up but they did and are playing the pantomime to the very end. At 11.50pm, ten minutes before 2021 the Elf (Boris) will announce his victory and so will the Nasty Baron and the Ugly Sisters will open the champagne supplied by Dandy. He will make a play for the Ugly Sisters because all the female reporters are too busy reporting to their listeners. Just one thing friends, at the end there's no need to applaud.

Ed: A 'quick how's your father' is slang for a bit of 'amour' involving a 'quickie'. Quickie=sex.

How was 2020?

 A good question to ask is 'How are we going to end 2020?' Because it hasn't been particularly good I suppose. It is not all down to Covid-19 but we can also thank poor decision making by various governments. France's in particular does not come out very well. But politically speaking 2020 has not been a good year despite Boris' good majority in Parliament. A lot was hoped but very little materialised. It seems that we have bred a very poor strain of politician. Political life must be under review and not before time. Even so, the year has not been entirely wasted. In education we have a good chance to get used to new ways of teaching, and also put more importance on the Sciences. It is remarkable how we have dumbed down into arts subjects and used these to gauge standards. Let me say this, an A* in Home-economics does not excite the ghost of Einstein. Although it would be good to know the difference between a sirloin and a rump steak. It might set one up for a lucrative career in commenting on TV cook shows. The funny thing is also that the weather was brilliant for a long time whilst the lock-down was in progress! Now, I am not complaining but I am afraid a lot of people, too many, were feeling the pinch because despite government promises of support it was not easy to obtain that support. Especially for the self-employed.

So, for me in retrospect the year was so-so, not good and not bad. My family and I are now looking forward to receiving the vaccine sometime in the new year. With a bit of luck we will put this all behind us. Although as I have mentioned before, our lifestyles will in the future invite more diseases, viruses and so on, so let's hope we can change for the better. Stop being so greedy and wasteful. Let's lead the world in how life ought to be lived, cooperative and peaceful. Will someone tell Russian, Chinese and American governments? Thank you!

Marooned? Where... What were you doing in Outer Mongolia?

So, with the knowledge that Covid has sex as well, a new baby has arrived apparently and possibly more to come, what next? With the borders shut-down as done by nearly 50 countries, led by the French of course, thousands of Brits are marooned. It is basically, let's admit it, complete CHAOS! But it also shows, sorry marooned Brits, but were you wise? To go travelling for whatever purpose viewing governments' all over Europe handling of the crisis? They change their rules at a whim, at the insistence of the psycho-babbling scientists who to say the least, have not come out looking too great but we can look at that after we have all been vaccinated. My recommendation is - very simple - retire or sack them forthwith. Get rid of all the over 50's and appoint some of the brilliant 30+ers we have here in the UK. In the meantime all those now marooned - sorry it's your own fault, you should have known that the situation is very unstable. I have family in good old Holland. I haven't seen them now for nearly two years. I had tickets to go to Schiphol, Amsterdam last Easter but luckily managed to get the money back (minus the insurance premium). Hopefully this will not be the end, but I will not go although I could. There are always ways and means to solve any problem but no, I have decided to follow the recommendations so far issued by the Welsh government. The Welsh government has not done badly so far. Don't applaud me, I am just doing what I think is prudent. Not to be a carrier or someone who thoughtlessly becomes a spreader of something that could be and in many cases is, nasty. Keep with it, stay safe this Christmas.

The kin of Covid-19 has arrived....Welcome, please take a seat....

Depressed are you? Today? Well, after the usual BBC (Bugg**ed By Covid station )tally of the dead and the number who have found to be positive with the virus, you will be excused. Go and get yourself a stiff drink. I find it incredible how the media talk down the UK. Take this so-called 'new' Covid strain. You have to excuse me, I think whatever strain is as virulent as another. Where is the data? Hmmm, oh I left that in my cupboard, sorry forgot to bring it to Dr Death and sidekick. Get real people, any Covid is as bad as another. It is people who don't think the rules apply to them who have been guilty of spreading the virus, of whatever strain. It is the government, its indecision, its lateness in understanding what we are dealing with. It is journalists like Trevor Kavanagh who constantly states that we should just carry on regardless. Never mind the death rate which could be astronomical, leaving the UK without many older people. Older people who are somebody's grandma or grandpa. He says, the economy is too important to play with, to lock-down. Lock-downs don't work. But now the whole country is not just locked-down, it is locked-out! Basically from saying we have another strain of the virus. Yes? So what, what's the difference exactly? Oh, you catch it quicker. So how do you do that? Ah, stop mingling with other people. No, really? You could have fooled me. You know, I like being sarcastic but our betters have as much a clue about it as I do and that is zero, nada, nil.

So, maybe Trevor is right after all, lock-downs obviously do not work. Simply because too many don't follow the recommended guidance, and that is not likely to change. The death toll will just continue and possibly take a lot more older people and people with underlying health conditions. Watch this Christmas when a quarter of the population will simply ignore the 'Stay at home' advice.

Time to have a hard look at how we can, if at all, deal with a virus which has no opposition. Meaning it can spread wherever we, humans, go. Despite lock-downs or lock-outs.

Edit: Not only two variants, it's already three! 

Rights? What rights...

 Only last week my favourite journo, Rod Liddle, was a most reviled chap in Britain. Thanks to his article about teachers. In truth, it was not good. I do know a bit about education and teachers. Without going into great detail, most teachers work damn hard and under atrocious circumstances. Unruly children, extreme attitudes and unfair pressure from governmental bodies such as 'Estyn' in Wales. Rumours I heard that it was mainly staffed with failed head-teachers (hmmm, interesting; it might explain the poor standards). It all stems from politicians' interference in matters of which they have scant, if any at all, knowledge. But this week he is spot on again about the situation we are facing, Covid of course, it's ramifications and in particular what it has shown about us as humans. About what we have become accustomed to and are now taking for granted, even saying things like, we have a right to live like this. We have a right to fly all over the place, a right have three cruises a year, a right to become as fat as a pig, or drunk and kick a few shop windows in. As he said, we have been privileged compared to the vast majority on this planet. Our lives are based on a much more fragile foundation than we would like to think. Spot on Rod! If we talk about rights, what do we mean? We have none whatsoever! We can give ourselves rights, but there is no natural right. It is only through remembering rights come with responsibilities that we can come to some sort of consensus.

When we are born, we have no rights. We live through the willingness of parents to care for us. If that was not so, we would simply not survive and die. Rights come through negotiation between parties with separate interests and willingness to cooperate. That is how civilisation works or should work. The basis of the universe is simple, it started, it evolves, it will die. Time started, time will stop. There are no rights. No wrongs.

It is us humans who through a veneer of self-importance say, 'we have a right to know, a right to live'. The universe will just smile benignly and explodes the next supernova. 

Have a nice Christmas or whatever you celebrate as the Sun will now begin its journey back! 

Merry Christmas everybody!

 The naffest thing you will ever see is photographs of Z-listers (celebrities who think they are celebrities) with a carton of coffee in one hand and in the other support the latest mobile phone. Oh, and if there is room there will be a toy-dog as well. Apparently this is now THE in-thing if you need to be seen. God help us. Poor dogs. I suppose with the looming Christmas lock-downs we will see thousands of toy-dogs running along the streets looking bewildered as they cannot find cups of coffee, ditched by the Z-listers. In the meantime I'm bracing myself for some more rain. What am I saying - deluge is what I meant to say. The garden here is so sodden that more rain is just drowning my sub-tropical herbals. Ah well, hopefully they'll survive. I have though put my pip-grown tangerine treelets in-house. It might have escaped your notice but is this amount of rain normal? Methinks not, warmer air can hold loads more moisture so in my mind global warming is not Russian fake news. It is undoubtedly real, please someone tell Mr American president soon to be not president. But when I look around I do not see many people very worried. They still throw all sorts of plastic waste, cellophane in particular, all over the streets. Discarding left-over Chinese food including polystyrene wrappings. Moreover, fouling the air we all breathe by driving idiotedly fast along roads with cars parked both sides so that you can only go one direction at a time. Belching out carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide plus a host of lovely minute particles every second. No wonder asthma is very prevalent around here in the narrow South Wales valleys. But we are still building more and more houses, despite failing or non-existing infra-structure (doctors/dentists). Well, have a nice Christmas friends, I will have an extra large cognac to drown my sorrows and afterwards I will dance naked in the rain-sodden garden singing Merry Christmas Everybody!

Ed. Noticing the word naffest (naff=a bit stupid, unsophisticated) and treelets - my idea of a small seedling tree. Naff is slang and treelets does not exist in the Oxford Dictionary but it is now in mine.

A fun-filled world, No, it isn't, oh yes it is...

As has been said many times before, it is a funny world. Made funny by one species - humans! I am a member of that species but sometimes I wonder whether I would have been better off being something else, like a monkey swinging through the trees, eating bananas. Then I remembered that they are under severe pressure because of hunting and environment reduction. Guess by whom? Yes, humans, it is a sad story. Present day's 'talk' in newspapers is a strange concoction of opposite views, especially about the virus. You will read about the thousands infected everyday. About hundreds dying, about the elderly suffering in care homes. And then you also read about "Getting back to normal". This without spelling out what normal really means or is. I take it from a recent historical opinion that it involves millions of aeroplane flights and booze soaked 'holidays' in the sun or thousands going on cruises. Travelling surely has been one of the major factors in the spread of the Covid virus? People seem have short memories but throughout history diseases have spread quickly because of human actions, the way we live, eat and treat the environment. Bubonic plague spread because of travel and the environment in our excrement filled cities. Where rats thrived and humans died, in their millions. Cholera, typhoid, dirty water borne diseases. And just the tip of the iceberg. It all just keeps pointing to humans. The dirtiest, wasteful, most ignorant species on the planet. Wow, I must have stepped out of bed with the wrong foot this morning! Wondering just now what God thinks of his creation looking at the shambles. Another simple question, where are the people of good-will, the ones with the right ideas? The ones with the clout to make things happen for the good of humanity AND the planet? Mr Bezos, the rich guy from Amazon? Or is he more interested in his next billion? Hey Mr SpaceEx how about doing something else? There is really no point in going to Mars. Humans cannot really live there. They do some work with charitable foundations but is it of benefit for us or them? Facebook, well another rich guy but doing quite a bit of damage to social interactions. Some good but a lot bad.

It is time humans starting thinking more straightforward. What is important, and what is not. Is this planet important? Yes? Then take steps to save it. To preserve it, not just now for us but for future generations. We should remember, it isn't just our planet, it's EVERYBODY's planet! Despite Covid have a great Christmas and don't worry about lock-downs. In the end it will all be of benefit.

Corruption? Oh, you mean the brown envelope system...

 Rather interesting reports coming out of Liverpool. The mayor been taken into custody? Well, whatever but there is an investigation going on about corruption. In my opinion it is about time that we are going to have a very hard look at politicians of all colours. First of all those who are involved in Planning and those who award contracts. I don't think there should be any doubt that these functions are key to spending a lot of money, public money, our money! As such these characters will attract outside interest, interests from property developers and big house-building conglomerates. It is a well-known saying I have heard many times - politicians are very fond of brown non-addressed envelopes! Obviously I am not saying the mayor is guilty, it will be decided later. I hope he will be exonerated but still... Even so, to stamp out this nasty business of knobbling politicians we will have to begin proper investigations into the bank accounts. To this effect the banks will have to play a role as well. People generally speaking have an almost infinite way of hiding nefarious activity, especially financially. Bank accounts in strange names, in different places, even different countries. And it is not just money, there are many other ways to catch a mackerel - as they say. That a new car councillor? Nice! How do you afford it! And so on and on. The short of it all is despite some control that is in existence, corruption still occurs. As such we must be vigilant and so I applaud what is happening in Liverpool. Let's widen this whole thing and start investigating ALL politicians. Let's start by asking all the banks to provide print-outs of their accounts. It will take time but it will also show the wonderful elected that corruption is not a good thing! Even better when newly elected the 'lucky' persons must provide print-outs of their financial accounts for at least the last five years. Not only that but spouses, if any, as well. Lots of paperwork? Sure, but computers and scanners can make a big difference. So, let's set up a public body entirely devoted to fighting political corruption. Here comes, Elliot Ness!

Ed - Knobbling is slang for trying to corrupt somebody, eg 'grease' someone's palm.

Slebs have a fair deal? Yeah, sure..

 We live in strange times - Covid times I call it. It means the plebs, that's you and me, abide by all the rules and celebs do not. The mindset of those below thirty is something like 'Nothing can happen to me, Covid only affects oldies. And why do we need oldies? They've had their life, time to die baby! Or thoughts to that effect. I find it very interesting to observe society. Obviously there are many strata in society, from the upper echelons, aristocrats and dumbos (another word for celebrities or Z-listers) to the pleb levels. Plebs are the workhorses of society. Whipped from sun-up to sun-down. They earn all the money, everybody else leeches from it. When I think of Marx - was he really, really a communist? - and his ideas on economics, he thought similar things. There are those who 'earn' the money or rather are made to slave for it and then there are those who simply acquire it by nefarious means. That is to say, they do not work, they sit like a ponderous elephant on top of the backs of those that do work. They can be either employers, or those like aristocrats who 'need' looking after. Or lawyers and solicitors, the leeches of our society. Am I going off the point here? Well maybe but the point about the strata in society is a fair one. Take a good-looking sleb like Rita Ora, who thinks she is a tad above all of us. Covid is of no concern to her, she must have her birthday bash, yes sir! And here came the other slebs, congratulating her on taking a stand against unfair laws! Wonderful, let me say this, except for seeing some pictures in the usual newspapers, she is eminently forgettable. Body yes, brain no. Sadly she is far from alone. Time to take a good look at the Sleb culture we have built.

Ed -  It seems that Ms Ora is now hell-bent on finding out who shopped her. It was not me but I'd like to know who did and give him/her a medal! 

The latest report is, she has fled the UK to do some 'work' in the Balkans. Perhaps she might decide to stay there permanently. I would not shed a tear, or may be just one. I did like her photos.

Leftie Lawyers run amok...

 A sad day for our nation, leftie lawyers, some of the paid-up Labour party members (of course they are) have now taken to defend rapists, murderers and drug dealers. Citing human rights, mentioning their high blood pressure so they cannot fly back to their country where they were born. Yep, a sad day that this country educate people to such professions as the law and this is how we end up. It is a travesty that the law, Law (with a capital L) has to suffer such idiocy. What about all those who had to suffer the harm meted out by those criminals? Why do we have to harbour these sad and vile emanations of the human race? They came to the UK with just one thing in mind, crime, drugs, sex. That's what they heard in the country they came from. Anything goes in the UK, girls are just asking for it, you can become a millionaire just dealing drugs. Come to the Gold coast boys, come to the UK. It is high time that yes, we do have a good hard look at our society. Because simply said, if we do not we can expect many more such people to come, including terrorists. We need proper, sound law making, not the woolly-headed cr*p that Labour party oriented lawyers think. Or other soft-bellied Etonesque types, with whisky-muddled brains. I am not advocating bringing back the noose but eh.... OK maybe strapping to a chair with wires hanging from it. If we are wanting a proper society then there have to be proper laws to govern it. There is no room for woolliness or prevarication about laws that are governing society. Laws like responsibility for actions. If stealing you would have to make repairs. If killing you have to lose yours. Hard? Of course it is, just look at life in all its colours. Life on Earth is not simple, it is not cosy, it is not soft. It is good to care for those who fall by the wayside, as much as can be but again it is and should not be, a soft option. Change it PM if you can, but first get rid of the Human Rights ACT and supplant it with a proper one!