twenty-twenty/2020 vision?

A time for some reflection… (sorry):
Since the start of the first lockdown, I’ve been keeping a daily diary (just for me). I’ve also written a number of occasional ‘Reflections’ (again, just for me). Frankly, the diary is pretty boring (maybe it’ll improve with age?!), but some of the reflections make interesting reading (for me, at least)… and remind me of my feelings during the course of the past nine months or so.
It would take pages and pages to run through all of these thoughts and emotions (and, even so, I’ve included far more than I originally intended!), but here are just a few extracted snippets (the number of reflections has decreased over recent weeks – maybe just a sense that there was nothing new to say?):
1.  Huge uncertainty. Self-isolation. The need for us to establish routines. Importance of daily walks (18 March).
2.  We’ll cope; we’re very fortunate compared with so many others. Lots of lists. Thankful for doctors, nurses, NHS staff, food stores (including shelf-stackers!), people helping to maintain public utilities etc (19 March).

3.  Some people not taking warnings seriously. People ignoring what’s happening in Europe at this time. “Hopefully, when we emerge from this awful business, people will have changed… they will have a new respect for the simple joys of life, for others, for nature, for kindness, for civility, for generosity of spirit, a more equal society and the like… and that greed, ruthlessness, dishonesty, profit et al… will be things of the past” (22 March).

4.  For Moira and for me, self-isolation is inconvenient but manageable. No, we can’t go to shops, can’t meet up with family and friends, but we’re very fortunate to have a house of our own and to be retired and not needing to work. Lots of instances of great kindness being shown by lots of individuals and, certainly, the vast majority of people are being wonderfully generous and considerate. Of course, one also comes across instances of people behaving abominably and ignoring the isolation rules and meeting up in large groups (26 March).

5.  I find myself trying to recall the last time I hugged each family member… and realising that perhaps THAT would be the last time I was able to do so… and desperately wishing for a chance to hug them all ONE more time (I know)! In such a scenario, I have this rather beautiful vision of being able to use a magic wand to conjure up just a day in each of their individual company (completely unknown to them that this would the last time we’d meet up)… to do silly things; to laugh and joke; to recall particular memories; to walk along a beach together; to enjoy a meal together… and to tell them how much I love them (1 April). 

6.  Is there a heaven? Well, I actually do feel there is… but my heaven is much more the ‘heaven here on earth’ concept. Something about it being here, right now, and that it’s about our collective need to actually look for heaven… it’s here all the time and, perhaps for most of us, we just don’t ‘see it’ – we don’t appreciate all the beauty, creativity and humanity that surrounds us. Fundamentally, I think heaven is about kindness and helping others (5 April).

7.  I’ve noticed that some people have begun to make ‘wish lists’ of things they want to do as soon as the virus crisis comes to an end. It’s been illuminating. I haven’t noticed any of the ‘usual’ bucket list items appearing on people’s agendas (swimming with dolphins and suchlike)… they’re much more focussed on stuff that, in the past, we’ve perhaps taken for granted, such as: hugging family members; meeting up with friends (in a bar/café/restaurant); going to the cinema, theatre etc; visiting a special place you’ve always promised that you’d go to; walking along a beach; walking through a wood or a forest… you get the idea (10 April).

8.  I’ve developed a routine of ‘dawn walking’. Not every day, but perhaps three or four times a week. The only downside is that Moira ‘doesn’t do dawn’(!) and so these early morning walks just involve me… we try to walk together on other days (28 April).

9.  From this weekend, the government has changed the ‘lockdown’ rules. Some schools will re-open on Monday… The government has relaxed these rules despite the fact that some of its own scientific advisors have been warning about the risks of easing the rules too soon. Inevitably, there will be some, like me(!), who fear that many people will now stop taking notice of any government advice (don't get me started about Mr Cummings!). There's already a sense that many of the restrictions are being largely ignored by large numbers of the public (particularly 16-30 year-olds... and especially males it seems). Easing restrictions too soon and risking a second wave of infections would have devastating consequences (30 May). 

10.  Understandably, people are keen to return back to ‘normal’ life... The majority of the population are continuing to take a cautious approach to returning to ‘normality’ and many are indicating that they won’t be rushing back to frequenting pubs, restaurants, cinemas or taking public transport any time soon. The underlying fear, of course, is that people become blasé, fail to take the necessary precautions and a ‘second wave’ of the virus to return… and seeing photographs of crowds of drinkers in London’s Soho last night only underlines such fears… Of course, the wonders of modern technology have been hugely important during ‘lockdown’… one wonders how on earth we’d have all coped without it. But, clearly, the thing that we’ve both missing most is the simple pleasure of hugging our lovely family! (5 July).

11.  Staying alert? Staying confused? Being responsible? The government clearly hasn’t helped itself on any number of occasions. There have been times when ministers have contradicted each other in their own interpretations of policy. As one of my friends observed: “Let’s all be honest, any sense of doctrinal adherence to rules as described on gov.uk is advisory at best since Cummings-gate. It shouldn’t be, but it is”. I have a sense that some people feel that the ‘worst is over’; that we’re beginning to ‘come out on the other side’ (daily death rates have consistently been reducing over recent weeks, afterall); and that we can start relaxing the rules a little (on the other hand, the number of reported cases has escalated since the start of August)…There’s a sense of “we’re responsible people, we won’t take any real chances… but we do want our old lives back now”. The trouble is (but, hey, what do I know?!) that bending the rules is the start of a slippery slope… and, as we all know by now, the virus doesn’t play by ‘normal’ rules, so being ‘careful’ or ‘responsible’ isn’t really enough (24 August).

12.  Somewhat ridiculously, I’ve been keeping track of the daily coronavirus deaths. It obviously makes pretty depressing reading, but it’s also a reminder that at the start of April there were several days when the daily death toll exceeded 900. By the beginning of August, thankfully, these numbers had reduced hugely – often just to single figures. But, over the past few weeks, the number of daily coronavirus cases started to rise rapidly… and so, inevitably, have the number of deaths. Depressingly, fears of a second-wave, as we approach the winter months, has been exacerbated by shortcomings in the government’s testing system. Clearly, for the government (whose focus, perhaps, seems to have been more on protecting the economy than people?), with the prospect of a potential second-wave comes the increasing possibility of a national ‘lockdown’ (21 September).

13.  Mr Johnson made another of his television appearances to confirm that new Covid-19 measures were being introduced (in England) as a result of the recent rapid growth in the number of cases. Interesting to hear reaction of a leading scientist, Prof John Edmunds (head of the faculty of epidemiology and population health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) – who didn’t think the measures went anywhere near far enough and feared that, for the second time, the government would end up clamping down too late: “I suspect we will see very stringent measures coming in place throughout the UK at some point, but it will be too late again. We will have let the epidemic double and double and double again until we do take those measures. And then we’ll have the worst of both worlds, because then to slow the epidemic and bring it back down again, all the way down to somewhere close to where it is now or where it was in the summer will mean putting the brakes on the epidemic for a very long time, very hard - which is what we had to do in March because we didn’t react quick enough in March, and so I think that we haven’t learned from our mistake back then and we’re unfortunately about to repeat it” (23 September).

14.  The number of coronavirus cases and deaths have sharply increased over the past month - in fact, the current daily number of cases (some 20,000) is getting on for THREE times higher than the HIGHEST daily figures from March-September (just let that sink in). I really don’t envy ANY government in these challenging times but, thinking back to those early days back in March, when a virtual ‘lockdown’ was imposed on the entire country, people generally backed the restrictions and there was a strong sense of ‘unity in a time of crisis’. Since then, of course, the government has come under an enormous amount of criticism on a long list of matters: its slowness to react; the ill-judged/illegal actions of Dominique Cummings on his trip (or trips?) to Durham; the lack of appropriate equipment; the lack of an adequate regime for testing, tracing and isolating; issuing contracts to ‘friendly’ companies without competition; making up the rules on local lockdowns without consulting regional leaders and health authorities; universities and colleges (students/halls of residences/number of positive cases); all the mixed messages; and now ignoring the advice of its scientific advisors etc etc. You might recall that the prime minister unveiled a plan in July to return England to “normality” by Christmas… and he also indicated that it might “be possible to move away from the social distancing measures” by November. Well, it doesn’t seem to have quite worked out like that… and, of course, Mr Johnson will claim that the reason it hasn’t is all down to US… nothing to do with him! Meanwhile, consensus has disintegrated and there’s distinct sense of “they’re making things up as they go along”… and opinion polls indicate that the public has lost confidence in the government (17 October).

15.  I’m aware that my thoughts and experiences relating to Covid are likely to change over the coming months (in my head, I’m just trying to focus on ‘getting through to March’ – on the basis that this represents a year of living in this ‘lockdown world’)… This from the Guardian (27 October) seemed to sum up the thoughts of many: “Managing a second wave of Covid-19 in winter was always going to be a tougher proposition than imposing a blanket lockdown in March. There is mounting evidence of fatigue, confusion and resentment over localised restrictions. Frustration has been compounded by the sense that the government pays only lip service to the notion that ‘we are all in this together’” (27 October).

16.  Further reflections on Covid-19… One thing I’ve become increasingly aware of over recent days/weeks is a strange sense that we’re having to ‘tread water’ until the pandemic is either over or the vaccine becomes available… I’m also very conscious of missing out on a year of our grandchildren’s lives (at a time when they’re blossoming and developing so quickly) and, at the same time, us getting older (and time running out!?) feels like a double-whammy. With the number of UK cases (and deaths) on a sharp increase, it feels as if a second national lockdown might become inevitable…but when? An immediate 2-3 week ‘firebreak’?  A full national lockdown immediately after Christmas/New Year? (28 October).

17.  So, the first day of ‘Lockdown2’… People are obviously far more prepared than last time… shops are far more organised; people are aware of the social distancing rules; face-masks are everyone’s ‘fashion accessory’. But, for some individuals, there’s also a strong sense of “we’ve had enough of this… we don’t care anymore… and, anyway, the ‘rules’ keep being changed and we can’t keep up”. We always KNEW that, at some stage, the government would end up blaming the population at large for its inability to deal with the pandemic. So it came as absolutely no surprise when today Justice Minister Mr Buckland announced that it was all OUR fault! He remarkably managed to forget all those mixed messages the government had been pumping out for the past several months (‘stay home’/’go back to work’/’back to business’/’act fearlessly’/’world-beating test+trace’/’following the science’/‘turning a blind eye to the science’… and, of course, it was perfectly ok for certain ‘key’ individuals (like Mr Cummings) to ignore the rules. What a huge surprise… the second wave was nothing to do with the government. Professor Devi Sidhar (who, in my opinion, has talked an awful lot of sense over the past six months or so) seemed to sum up the thoughts of several health experts when she declared: “The UK government’s decision to delay a national lockdown in the hope that this would be easier on the economy defies reality: delaying action has led only to a longer, harsher lockdown. It can feel as though, confronted with this paradox and exhausted by the months of work that lie ahead, the governments is close to giving up without a clear plan or strategy for how to survive in a Covid-19 world” (5 November).  

And, of course, the above completely ignores ANY comment about the government’s rules for the Christmas ‘holiday period’ or the latest Tier arrangements…
Roll on the vaccine!!
Happy Happy Christmas and a Healthy New Year! 

and this will all end…

“In dreams we remember what was, we think about what is, we imagine what might be, what can be, what will be” (Eva-Jane Gaffney speaks Sarah Coffey’s words in “The Pheonix”). These words are taken from a really beautiful Irish Covid-19-inspired video about love, loss, hope and strength (if you haven’t seen it, I suggest you do so by clicking here).

The video manages to captures many of the emotions we’re all feeling at the present time… the sense of gratitude; the kindness shown by others; the awful suffering; the amazing heroes; the precious lives lost; and the enormous strength shown…

We probably all have our ‘wish lists’ of the things we will treasure when all this ends. Those MANY things that perhaps some of us have taken for granted… those simple pleasures… those things that help to make us who we are.

We will never ever forget it and we will never ever let go again.

And this will all end…

But before we get carried away by it all, it’s VITALLY important that we also never allow the people in power to forget the things that they got SO wrong and at such cost:

• The Prime Minister is very good at putting a ‘positive gloss on things’, but conveniently fails to acknowledge that the death toll in the UK is amongst the highest in the world; that NHS staff and other healthcare workers have not had the protective clothing and equipment they needed and would have expected; that the government could have increased testing, tracking and tracing capacity weeks earlier than the current timetable; and that care homes have been woefully under-protected.
• The Prime Minister skipping five crucial meetings on the virus (as reported by The Sunday Times on 19 April, in its massively-critical assessment); when he did attend in early March, it was almost certainly too late (the virus was already upon us) - failings in February probably cost thousands of lives; calls to order protective gear were ignored and scientists’ warnings fell on deaf ears (check out this week's 'Panorama' programme if you think I'm being unfair).
• The Home Secretary making disparaging remarks about low-skilled workers (when it transpires that the majority of people employed by the sector are low-paid care workers - who are responsible for providing daily help to older and disabled adults in care homes and the community).

Writer Philip Pullman doesn’t hold back in his criticisms of the existing system (in an essay in ‘Perspectives’ for Penguin Books): “It’s all got to change. If we come out of this crisis with all the rickety, fly-blown, worm-eaten old structures still intact, the same vain and indolent public schoolboys in charge, the same hedge fund managers stuffing their overloaded pockets with greasy fingers, our descendants will not forgive us. Nor should they. We must burn out the old corruption and establish a better way of living together… And let’s reform the voting system. At the very least, let’s do that without delay. It’s no wonder that people feel disconnected from politics when most of us live in safe seats, and might as well not vote at all. We must be able to see that our opinions are accurately reflected in the composition of our government, not completely disregarded as they are now. So it might lead to coalitions: excellent. Discussion, compromise, working together are exactly how to run a decent country”.

And when this will all end, you’ll ask me dance.

And I will say, yes, let’s dance.

I desperately hope that we come out of it all determined to make the world a better place.

I desperately hope that we remember the people and the jobs that make our day-to-day lives worth living.

I desperately hope that we truly decide to care for our planet.

I desperately hope that we can move away from the old world of greed and power, of the haves and the have-nots. My fear is that some will have very short memories and revert back (if ever they budged) to lives governed by wealth and influence.

I desperately hope that such individuals and corporations are overwhelmed by the voices of those who know there’s a better way.

We’ve learnt so much from this awful coronavirus experience. Let’s use what we’ve learnt to make the world a better place.

And this WILL all end…

We will cry… oh we will cry!

Photo: Banksey’s ‘Girl With Pierced Eardrum’ gets a Covid-19 facemask.

despairing of politics…

Look, at my age*, I know that my voice counts for nothing (oh, how I wish the same could have been said of all those other ‘old’ people who were allowed to significantly influence the outcome of the 2016 Referendum!).
I no longer matter (well, at least that’s how I feel)… in 10 years’ time I may no longer be around.
But, in 10 years’ time, all my six grandchildren will be eligible to vote.
Sadly, I fear for what our nation might have become by 2030.
Actually, it’s more than fear…
It’s despair.

We have become a nation dominated by bitterness and division (surely the most divided in my lifetime) – largely as a result of the farcical (in my view) decision to hold an ill-defined referendum on EU membership (to placate Mr Cameron's divided Conservative Party). Home Office figures show there has been a sharp increase in racially and religiously motivated hate crime since the 2016 EU referendum. Where the UK used to be regarded as a beacon for stability, we have now become something of a laughing stock around the world.

Two days from now, the UK electorate will have cast their votes and, as things stand (if you believe opinion polls – but, these days, who does?), it would appear that the Tories will be forming the next government with a parliamentary majority of perhaps anything from 20-70 seats?

They will be introducing (virtually unopposed) measures that will include a speedy no-deal Brexit (after going through vague motions of trying to negotiate a last-minute deal with the EU and, of course, failing) together with lots of policies that will benefit the ‘haves’ against the ‘have-nots’. The pre-election ‘promises’ will no doubt be ‘clarified’, but are unlikely to prevent the ongoing privatisation of the NHS, the continuing deterioration of public services and the like.
In Scotland, the SNP is likely to see that the only way for them to remain in the EU is to opt for independence. The Tory UK government will publicly wring its hands at such a prospect, but privately punch the air in celebration (because it will serve only to increase their own power in Westminster).

After nearly a decade in Opposition (and at a time when it should have been only too easy to win arguments against a succession of weak Tory governments), the Labour Party has abjectly failed in its task. There are lots of intelligent, gifted politicians (of all parties) who have the experience and desire to change things for the ‘common good’, but their voices are lost behind Political Party smokescreens. They count for nothing.

Sadly, our political system does not work. Democracy is something of a farce. As things stand, given our ridiculous first-past-the-post electoral process (and where I happen to live), my vote doesn’t count. And, of course, any Party in power certainly won’t want to change a system that ‘works for them’!
Sadly, there seems very little prospect of things changing over the next 5 (or even 10) years.

Even if my vote did count, any chance that my own MP would be able to influence her Party’s political stance on individual issues is something of a pipedream, so what chance do I have? At the same time, we have right-wing biased newspapers/media in this country (and, sadly, I now also feel unable to trust the impartiality of the BBC).

So, like many people, I’m left feeling utterly isolated… and as if I live in a separate ‘virtual’ world where 95% of all my friends have similar views to my own… and yet, there’s clearly another virtual world out there that thinks completely differently… and, frustratingly, that’s the one that counts.

So, at a time when the Climate Change Crisis should be at the very TOP of its agenda, we’re likely to have a new Tory government who will frankly be paying little more than ‘lip service’ to the environment and are far more focussed on cutting taxes (at a time, in my view, when we need to increase taxes to help pay for the NHS, education, mental health, welfare and other ailing public services). I could give you a long list of lies and concerns relating to statements from Tory ministers (although other Parties are hardly innocent bystanders)… but I won’t bother (unless pressed to do so!).

In a recent article in the New York Times (entitled “Britain’s Dirty Election”), one voter admitted that she “was voting for Boris Johnson precisely because he is a proven liar. It shows, she said, ‘he’s human’”.
THERE ARE NO WORDS.

So, yes, I despair. I despair for my lovely, intelligent, articulate children… and I despair for their children (and their children). In 10 years’ time, when my grandchildren can vote (some of them will actually be able to vote within the next 5 years… and who knows, the voting age might have even been reduced to 16 before then?), they will find that their opportunity to influence a world that they love and feel passionately about is in fact absolutely tiny. I can only hope that they will be able to find and encourage others who have similar passions and beliefs…

I live in hope. x
Photo: from Antony Gormley’s “Blind Light” exhibition at the Hayward Gallery, 2007.
PS: * I must stress that I have a number of very lovely friends who are ‘somewhat older than me’… and who remain VERY active and resourceful and who contribute brilliantly to making all our lives worth living… so apologies for the rather negative ‘spin’ regarding my own ‘aged’ status! They’ll probably never forgive me! 

optimism over despair…

"We have two choices. We can be pessimistic, give up, and help ensure that the worst will happen. Or we can be optimistic, grasp the opportunities that surely exist, and maybe help make the world a better place”.
The above words were on the cover of Noam Chomsky’s book “Optimism Over Despair”. Given my own current sense of desperation and hopelessness about what’s currently going on in our world, I (obviously) thought: This book is for me!

I’ve previously read various articles by Chomsky (born in 1928) and had also watched bits from a couple of his lectures on YouTube, but this was my first book of his. He is a hugely impressive man. The book was published in 2017 and represents his interviews with CJ Polychroniou from late 2013 to early 2017 (originally published in ‘Truthout’)(so barely touches Trump’s time as president).

Chomsky has been described as “America’s moral conscience” (even if, according to the book’s introduction, “he remains unknown to the majority of Americans”).
It’s an absolutely fascinating, thought-provoking book… BUT, in the end, I felt that I’d been hood-winked. I think I would probably have a good case under the Trades Description Act, 1968.
The book consists of 196 dense pages of text – essentially focussing on the USA. They provide insights into the consequences of capitalist globalisation. They analyse the state of the planet. They tell us how we got here. They explain the motivations of those on the world stage… BUT they do NOT inform us why we should feel optimistic rather than desperate. Indeed, the quote at the top of the page is the ONLY reference to ‘optimism over despair’ in the entire book… and it comes at the very end of the book (ie. the final paragraph of P196!) in response to the question: “Are you overall optimistic about the future of humanity, given the kind of creatures we are?”… and, in fact, the quote is not complete – because Chomsky added five more words at the end of it: “Not much of a choice”! In fact, this concluding chapter was written in February 2016 – nine months before Trump’s election – so who knows if he still thinks there’s a case for optimism today?
Did the book make me feel better informed about the ways of the world, unfettered corporate expansion, the effects of unmitigated climate change, illegal wars? Yes, of course I did.
Did the book make me feel less desperate and more optimistic? Absolutely not (indeed quite the reverse – and it was published before Trump had settled into his new ‘role’ and before the ramifications of Brexit here in the UK had begun to unfold).

It would be foolhardy of me to try to summarise Chomsky’s views on the incredibly wide-ranging number of issues covered in the book, but I’ll leave you with just a few extracts (apologies for their great length, but they include some interesting stuff in my view!):

·         “It is well established that electoral campaigns are designed so as to marginalise issues and focus on personalities, rhetorical style, body language and the like. And there are good reasons. Party managers read polls and are well aware that on a host of major issues, both parties are well to the right of the population – not surprisingly; they are, after all, business parties”.

·         “A recent IMF study attributes the profits of the big banks almost entirely to the implicit government insurance policy (‘too big to fail’), not just the widely publicised bailouts but access to cheap credit, favourable ratings because of state guarantee, and much else”.
·         “But the big banks, which were responsible for the latest crisis, are bigger and richer than ever. Corporate profits are breaking records, wealth beyond the dreams of avarice is accumulating among those who count, and labour is severely weakened by union busting and ‘growing worker insecurity’, to borrow the term Alan Greenspan used in explaining the grand success of the economy he managed, when he was still ‘Sir Alan’ – perhaps the greatest economist since Adam Smith, before the collapse of the structure he had administered, along with its intellectual foundations. So what is there to complain about?”.
·         “JP Morgan Chase has just been fined $13billion (half of it tax-deductible) for what should be regarded as criminal behaviour in fraudulent mortgage schemes, from which the usual victims suffer under hopeless burdens of debt… The inspector-general of the US government bailout programme, Neil Barofsky, pointed out that it was officially a legislative bargain: the banks that were the culprits were to be bailed out, and their victims, people losing their homes, were to be given some limited protection and support. As he explains, only the first part of the bargain was seriously honoured, and the plan became a ‘giveaway to Wall Street executives’ – to the surprise of no one who understands ‘really existing capitalism’. The list goes on”.
·         “Democrats have to face the fact that for forty years they have pretty much abandoned whatever commitment they had to working people”.
·         (Reference to Goldman Sachs ‘surging stock price’ following Trump’s election and…): “Other big gainers are energy corporations, health insurers, and construction firms, all expecting huge profits from the administration’s announced plans. These include Paul Ryan-style fiscal programme of tax cuts for the rich and corporations, increased military spending, turning the health system over even more to insurance companies with predictable consequences, taxpayer largesse for a privatised form of credit-based infrastructure development, and other ‘normal Republican’ gifts to wealth and privilege at taxpayer expense. Rather plausibly, economist Larry Summers describes the fiscal programme as ‘the most misguided set of tax changes in US history which will massively favour the top 1% of income earners, threaten an explosive rise in federal debt, complicate the tax code and do little if anything to spur growth’. But great news for those who matter”.
·         “Prestigious and influential positions in Congress used to be granted to on the basis of seniority and perceived achievement. Now they are basically bought, which drives congressional representatives even deeper into the pockets of the rich. And the Supreme Court decisions have accelerated the process”.
·         “On November 8 (2016), the most powerful country in world history, which will set its stamp on what comes next, had an election. The outcome placed total control of the government – executive, Congress, the Supreme Court – in the hands of the Republican Party, which has become the most dangerous organisation in world history… The party is dedicated to racing as rapidly as possible to destruction of organised human life… The winning candidate, now president-elect, calls for rapid increase in use of fossil fuels, including coal; dismantling of regulations; rejection of help to developing countries that are seeking to move to sustainable energy; and, in general, racing to the cliff as fast as possible”.
·         “One of the difficulties in raising public concern over the very severe threats of global warming is that 40% of the US population does not see why it is a problem, since Christ is returning in a few decades”.
·         “It is an astonishing fact about the current era that in the most powerful country in world history, with a high level of education and privilege, one of the two political parties virtually denies the well-established facts about anthropogenic climate change. In the primary debates for the 2016 election, every single Republican candidate was a climate change denier, with one exception, John Kasich – the ‘rational moderate’ – who said it may be happening but we shouldn’t do anything about it”.
·         “Concentration of wealth leads naturally to concentration of power, which in turn translates to legislation favouring interests of the rich and powerful and thereby increasing even further the concentration of power and wealth… It’s a vicious cycle in constant progress. The state is there to provide security and support to the interests of the privileged and powerful sectors of society, while the rest of the population is left to experience the brutal reality of capitalism. Socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor”.
·         “Trump supporters include much of the white working-class. One can understand their anger and frustration, and why Trump’s rhetoric might appeal to them. But they are betting on the wrong horse. His policy proposals – to the limited extent that they are coherent – not only do not seriously address their legitimate concerns but would be quite harmful to them. And not just to them”.
·         “Since oppression and repression exist, they are reflections of human nature. The same is true of sympathy, solidarity, kindness, and concern for others – and for some great figures, like Adam Smith, these were essential properties of humans. The task for social policy is to design the ways we live and the institutional and cultural structure of our lives so as to favour the benign and to suppress the harsh and destructive aspects of our fundamental nature”.
·         “There are two grim shadows that loom over everything that we consider: environmental catastrophe and nuclear war, the latter threat much under-estimated, in my view”.
Much food for thought… and very little of it feeling suitable for consumption.

stormzy at glastonbury…

The ability to convey powerful messages that resonate in these hugely difficult times - when the current world of politics, war and greed seems SO different from so many of our own desires and expectations – is an amazing gift.  
I found watching Stormzy at Glastonbury (on the tv!) utterly mesmerising.
Compelling music, charismatic performance, stunning staging and infectious energy. But what I found most forceful and impressive was the ability for music and words to convey massively important messages to the people-in-power… to condemn the issues that allowed Grenfell to happen (and shaming those responsible for allowing them to happen)… for the London Bridge victims (and those who failed to spot the warnings)… for the Windrush shaming farce… speak out about the injustice of young black kids being criminalised in a biased and disproportionate justice systemto speak out about the "injustice of young black kids being criminalised and disproportionate justice system" (in David Lammy’s words)… and so it continues.
A rapper who has become an icon.
An amazing example of someone who was a self-confessed “very naughty child, on the verge of being expelled from school”, but who found he could do well in exams… and discovered that A Levels showed him that in life “you need work ethic”. He’s intelligent, hugely articulate and has become the voice of so many people who feel that they don’t have a voice… (and, as a bonus, it seems that he’s a really nice bloke… and a man of faith).
Are you listening UK politicians?
Are you listening world?
PS: He also got the crowd to advise the world what they thought of Boris Johnson!
PPS: Check this out: “Blinded by your Grace: Part 2”

 

“alexa… please stop brexit”… (placard at last week’s march)

So, another week of frustration ahead in Westminster… and that’s just for the politicians (obviously, they’re so focussed on Party Politics that what might be best for the nation or their constituents seems to come quite a long way down the list)!
I genuinely fear a ‘No Deal’ at the end of all this.
What an utter disaster that would be...

Back in December, I blogged: “After a week of utter chaos at Westminster and a time when confidence in UK politicians appears to have hit an all-time low (in my lifetime, at least?), we’re left with an apparent choice between Mrs May’s ‘deal’ with the EU or ‘no deal’”.

In January, I blogged: “It’s almost as though the powers-that-be are running down the clock to ensure that we end up with an ‘acceptable deal’ that is only marginally less disastrous than a ‘no-deal’”.
Interesting (and worrying) reading Margaret Beckett’s thoughts in today’s ‘Observer’: “The more I look and listen to this woman (the prime minister) the more I think she’s capable of doing literally what she says, driving us right to the last minute, and then saying ‘it is my deal or no deal’… I have become increasingly worried that the house could decide something which is so far away from what people thought they were getting when they voted to leave that it could cause serious ructions. Some very strong Leavers say they don’t think people should have a second opportunity to be consulted because they might have changed their minds. That seems to me to be incredibly dangerous as well as completely indefensible.”

With the country in absolute despair, there are those (including the Labour Party, obviously) urging Mrs May to call a General Election. Of course (but what do I know?!), it won’t happen because the Tories fear it would merely expose the HUGE splits amongst its ‘party faithful’ (as if people weren’t aware already!!)… and they’d lose the election (although, with the UK electorate, who knows?). Of course, they wouldn’t admit such things… instead, they would maintain that an election would exacerbate the Brexit crisis and that, for this reason, it wouldn’t be in the best interests of the nation!!

Oh, thank you, thank you, oh wise ones!
I frankly don’t think that parliament (especially with the DUP ridiculously ‘calling the shots’) will be able to agree to ANY compromise deal within the required timeframe (and this after very nearly 3 years!)… and, although those annoying ERG oiks will pretend to shake their heads in quiet despair, they’ll actually be punching the air with glee… because a) the option of a second referendum will have been ‘kicked into touch’, b) remaining in the EU won’t happen and c) they can start making plans for ruling their increasingly small empires… and us.
Photo: Mrs May signing the Article 50 letter, March 2017

put it to the people march. london...

I was one of the thousands and thousands who participated in yesterday’s march demanding a People’s Vote. The organisers reckon there were more than a million marchers and various reports have speculated that it might actually have been the largest in the UK… ever – even bigger than the demonstration against the Iraq war in February 2003 (which I also attended).
It was quite an experience. I’ve never seen as many EU flags in my life! People everywhere - happy chanting marchers… applauding and waving spectators. Crowds of demonstrators literally inching their way down Piccadilly at the start of the march (it must have taken an hour and a half to cover the first half mile)... focussed, in very good spirits (and voice), peaceful, passionate and determined.
During the course of the march, I found myself (at various times) walking alongside two wonderful, colourful, talented drumming bands. Despite being a man of natural rhythm (well, in my head!!)(obviously), even I struggled to walk and jig along to the amazing beat - but some people actually DO have such talents! It was a simply wonderful atmosphere… and then, as you do, I came across a group/side of marching Morris dancers!! There’s something rather magical about being part of a large group of happy smiling people (ie. the dancers AND the rest of us). People of all ages; lots of old people like me, lots of enthusiastic young families and lots of ‘young people’ too.
A simply, brilliant memorable day.
I felt conscious that I was also representing lots of other family members and friends who weren’t able to be at the march… they were certainly with me in spirit (and I with them). This felt powerfully tangible and rather humbling.

So, will the politicians listen to us?

My first instinct (maybe I’ve just been buoyed up by yesterday’s events?) is that they simply MUST. However, I fear that the powers-that-be (and who knows who they will be over the coming days/weeks?!) will muddle on and fudge stuff once again.

And as a footnote…

As I travelled home to Bristol Temple Meads on the train last night, I found myself reflecting on the day. It had been a huge demonstration of ‘people power’… really encouraging and perceptibly powerful. It was all incredibly civilised and ‘very British’ I suppose… but it also spoke of the very best of our society and civilisation.
I was very proud to have been part of it.
But as I pondered, I also found myself realising that the marchers had been a somewhat predominantly middle-class group of individuals – and articulate, well-educated and liberal to boot. Yes, I’d be the first to acknowledge that this is a HUGE generalisation (clearly, I have absolutely no idea… it was just a ‘sense’ that I took from the day!) and, yes, I’m well aware that there are lots of passionate Brexiteers who could be described in a similar manner (ok, well maybe not liberal!). But this, in turn, reminded me of various political analyses undertaken after the Referendum and, indeed, after the 2017 General Election… which identified a significant group of disaffected, largely poorly-educated(?) members of our population for whom politics represents an unimportant, meaningless desert in their lives… many clearly feel completely forgotten and ignored by all those ‘in power’ (not just the government) and so, having been duly fed by what I regard as bigoted newspapers, ’certain’ politicians etc, have reacted accordingly when presented with their chance of ‘making a difference’. Yes, as I say, a huge generalisation… I know.
But, after my own brilliant, uplifting day with my fellow marchers, it left me feeling very dejected and sad.
Yes, I’m only too aware that, over the past three years or so (don’t remind of the Thatcher years!), I’ve also frequently felt irritated, hopeless and helpless by the actions and inactions of our politicians. The only difference between the ‘disillusioned’ and me perhaps is that I want to fight for what I believe… f for hope and for the things that are fundamentally important.or hope and for the things that are fundamentally important… and they simply feel ignored and unimportant?
I wish it was all so different.
Photo: random images from the day…

“a nation’s self-respect hangs by a thread as high noon looms”…

It’s just 62 days until 29 March (Brexit leave date).
Just to give you an idea of how time flies (really?), it’s now 53 days since Mrs May opened the debate of her Brexit ‘deal’ on 4 December. It seems to me that not much, if any, ‘progress’ has been made over the past 7 weeks or so and, I don’t know about you, but it seems that anything to do with Brexit has been happening ‘under the radar’ over the past week or so.
It’s almost as though the powers-that-be are running down the clock to ensure that we end up with an ‘acceptable deal’ that is only marginally less disastrous than a ‘no-deal’.
But what do I know? I’m no politician… and there are frequently times, these days, when I feel completely perplexed, lost and hopeless.
But don’t worry, rest assured that some of our politicians are well and truly focused. For example, we hear that Mr Johnson was given a £10,000 ‘donation’ by JCB this week before his Brexit speech in front of a digger (and just happened to mention the company several times)… and ‘poor’ old Mr Davis (former Brexit secretary) has secured a £60,000 20-hour-a-YEAR gig (that’s an HOURLY rate of just £3,000!) to ‘advise’ that very same JCB organisation.

Meanwhile, MPs continue to squabble about the important things in life… I refer you to this from journalist Marina Hyde in today’s Guardian:   

"Quote of the Week must still go to Nadine Dorries, who went on telly to express contempt for Brexit-cautious MPs ‘who really don’t care about their careers going up in flames’. Did the erstwhile gobbler of kangaroo testicles just say that out loud? To hear Nadine speak at the best of times feels like intruding on private stupidity, but even by her standards, this is eye-catching from the member for Mid-Bedfordshire. It can’t really be that Nadine should have been in parliament for almost 14 years without anyone informing her that politicians are in fact SUPPOSED to act out of a higher sense of duty than personal career advancement”.
Obviously, I’ll look back at this post in a couple of month’s time and think: “What on earth was I worried about?”… then again.
PS: Will there be an Article 50 extension? Will a decision be taken to allow a “People’s Vote”? Will the Villa be relegated?

struggling schools within a struggling society: present and future problems…

You’ve probably read/heard stuff about how schools are struggling…
You’ve probably seen/read about the thousands of head teachers from around the country demonstrating in London recently…
You might be a parent who is seeing for yourself some of the scary issues schools are facing through lack of adequate funding.
You might well have shrugged your shoulders and thought: “well, we’re all struggling, what makes schools so special?”.
Well, I’d urge you to read this (please):

After retiring from my architectural practice, I spent six years working in a secondary school in a mentoring capacity. This morning, I received this from a friend/former work colleague (she’s still working in education, but not at the same school):

“I'm so glad you are out of education Steve it's heartbreaking where I work now, so many kids with problems... they just can't get the mental health support need counselling. Teachers are dealing with disruptive kids every lesson no TAs. One class has 2/3 kids with SEN no TA. When kids tell me they are cutting themselves I'm told the waiting list for in school counsellor is over 6 months. They have no money to buy in counselling support, they try to get trainee counsellors but there aren't any just now. Schools are dealing with lack of special school provision for those who need it. One boy in year9 genuinely doesn't think he's a human. Other day was lying on the floor in class teacher couldn't get him up. We are failing him as he is more anxious by an environment he shouldn't be in and the rest of the class are learning lot less. That's one example of many. I'm seeing kids where parents don't engage at all with them, complete neglect - and social services are not on any of it as short staffed. I'm not even in a pastoral role and 4 kids have confided in me this month with big problems who need and were getting no support. The sad thing is I often can't get them that support. It's breaking my heart you'd hate it. You can't run a society not looking after your mental health, disabled, your kids and the poor as well as screwing over social workers schools and hospitals. Why the hell are we letting this happen?”

Things were bad enough when I left education in 2011 (thank you Mr Gove and welcome to the depressing world of Academy Schools!). Mental health issues were rising at an alarming rate and waiting lists for counselling support for pupils were in order of six weeks (they’re now six months and the numbers of children needing support is increasing).

Disruptive pupils, lack of parental support (frankly, an alarming number of parents who seem to think they have little or no responsibility for raising their children once they’ve started school)(you might be shocked by this, but I can assure you I came across many such situations).
This is the next generation of adults we’re talking about, for goodness sake… and they’re going to be the parents of the generation after that. It MATTERS and this isn’t anything that the short-term, egotistical whims of education ministers will solve.

In my view, we’ve completely lost our way when it comes to education (some of my teacher friends might disagree with certain aspects, but…?). Everything seems to be focused on ‘league tables’ and ‘results’. Teachers are all under ridiculous pressure to ensure that ‘attainment standards’ are met and for the 'curriculum' to be rigidly adhered to. It also seems to me that it’s currently about ensuring most children receive a university education (I personally think we need to focus far more on apprenticeships and the like - a degree doesn’t need to be for everyone), instead of educating future citizens of the adult world in the broadest possible way - where the environment, the arts and humanities are given far higher priority and where issues such as relationships, respect and kindness play a fundamental part in teaching children about life and the world.

But I’m clearly living in cloud cuckoo land and I’m old and I just don’t understand.