After 13 almost 14 years of Conservative government, can you name one thing that has improved or to put is another way, not gone to shit? No government is perfect or even necessarily competent but the Tories have taken mismanagement, incompetence, lies, deviance and corruption, to levels, never seen before in British politics. Politics is a dirty game, full of ambition, backstabbing and for some an easy way of lining their pockets or making sure their mates profit. Sweeping as that is, we know there are genuine MPs who care and struggle to do their best for their constituents and the country. It has become so complicated, so full of bureaucracy, red tape, that it must seem at times impossible to get anything done! Legislation isn’t always easy to get accepted, after all that is what a parliamentary vote is for and even if the it gets through it is often difficult or unlikely to be enacted or used. 

Let’s take the hideous policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda. I hope I am right in writing that most people in the UK see this a s a monstrous, unfair and mad way of dealing with a problem that this govt. in particular, despite their declared aim, has failed to address in any meaning full way. Whatever you may think of immigrants, it is obvious that our present system is not fit for purpose and all this govt, has succeeded in doing, has made it ridiculously complicated! Surely it is in the interests of no one to have so many people waiting interminably to find out their fate. Unable to work, unable to function as a normal person, can’t go forward and no going back! It seems this has become a huge problem throughout Europe and has been a big reason, for the prominence of right wing populism in a number of countries, many of whom we have always believed were never likely to have such parties rise to prominence. As usual the fundamental issues that cause much of this, is never addressed. We only have to look across our globe to see the damage being caused and understand the desire of people to move some where they hope they can live a decent and safe life. Would we not do the same if it was happening to us? The world is shifting and unless we understand there are many factors that cause movement of people, climate change, war, ethnic rivalry, famine, persecution and much more, until we, collectively start to except that this is now an unstoppable problem and that we can only solve it by working together, the better off we will all be!

Stay well

Never a week passes without some new crisis or unspeakable violence. I was born in 1952 and spent my formative years in the sixties. The optimism and harmony seemed palpable and although horrible things were going on, The Cold War, Vietnam etc. we “baby boomers” thought we could make the world a nicer more inclusive place! For a few brief moments it seemed we could succeed but like so much it was a false dawn and now as we reach old age, it seems we could not have done a better job of making the world worse. 

The litany of poor decisions and bad policies are endless. Humans have made enormous progress in the short span of time I have lived, probably more than at any other time in history. Technology’s, medicine, health care, education and much more has advance at a huge rate and spread further than ever before. The”west” no longer dominates, Asian advance has radically changed the way we trade and do business. We were for more than 50 years part of a large trading block and much more as part of the EU, which sadly was unnecessarily torn from our grasp by lies and fear and an antiquated desire to be a “sovereign” state! What fools we are, for even one second, to think we can go it alone in today’s global markets. Nobody talks about it, well certainly not in Parliament but we all know it has been a disaster and our country has suffered. 

There is no confidence in the government and voting Tory would be like shooting yourself in the foot and yet we know so many will still waste their vote on this busted, divided, mismanaged party. So we rumble on, more confused, less safe and with a permanent sense that it all could have been so different and maybe, just maybe, it still can?

My generation has a lot to answer, I can only tell you we meant well but after all we are  all flawed ! I still have optimism but it’s damn hard to hang onto!

Stay well

I have been moved to write one of my periodical blogs. There is little I can write on the state of our nation and as for the rest of the world, it is a fearful place full of leaders who are bent on telling their people only what they should be afraid of!

But let me get on to my main thrust, on which I will not be alone, Suella Braverman. In my long life I have experienced many hideous, unfit, divisive, repulsive people, not all of whom were or are politicians but this woman is one of the worst fucking ones ever! Her rhetoric is bad enough, her lack of shame or any vague sympathy is a crime. She is our Home  Secretary, a position that essentially governs the rule of law in Britain. This is not a woman who is pandering to the right wing of her party but is firmly so right wing she is on the tip of it! In previous period she would have rightly been labelled a facist. The Tory party has many unfit and repulsive members (not all of whom are in Parliament) Braverman is by far the worst. She has all the charm of a warthogs arse, with a smarmy expression and total disregard for the rights of anyone. If she had her way nobody would be aloud to protests, say or even think anything that might be construed as critical of anything she deems as unacceptable! She wants to be sacked, she sees it as a position from which she can gain the leaders mantle after the inevitable demise of Sunak! What a disaster that will be should her plans come to fruition. Imagine a Conservative Party lead by this hateful woman? Mind you it could be lead to the complete destruction of this tired divided party and that would be delightful!!!

Stay well