Brit Exodus

Why, asked the BBC news broadcast last night are so many Brits leaving the country? Is it the cost of living, cost of housing, law and order? Needless to say no concrete answer was forthcoming. I would suggest it’s all of those and one might add, gridlocked roads, feral youth, the plethora of speed and CCTV cameras, the appalling treatment of the elderly and the disabled, overcrowded trains, television drivel, gutter tabloid press, MRSA and other killer bugs in our hospitals, lack of NHS dentists, low standard of education, immigration and on and on.

All the above contribute to a Britain that is now so mediocre at every level it is downright depressing. I am surprised anyone is still here. Were I in a position to leave I would not hesitate but sadly my wife’s Parkinson’s precludes that we return to hotter and brighter climes. Happily for them, two of our three children enjoy lives in the tropics as did my wife and I for over twenty years. My eldest has vowed never to return to the UK to live and I do not blame him at all.

This was all summed up for me as I watched England play Germany at the new “fortress” Wembley, last night. I felt no passion, no involvement and I was bored to tears as England passed the ball backwards, sideways and occasionally forwards in such dim-witted unimaginative fashion, I lost the will to live. So lacking in flair and imagination, were they, one wonders if they or those that coach them know anything about anything! They certainly do not seem to know where the goal is. In the end I was cheering on Germany.

40 years ago, this was without a doubt the best country in the World to live in. There was a great community spirit. People by and large respected the law, were courteous and no one spied on anyone or had to carry identity cards or give DNA samples to the police (as is proposed in the future) irrespective of whether they had committed a crime or not. Local bobbies on the beat were part of the community and had their ears to the ground. We were truly free. We left our doors and windows open when we nipped down to the local shop. Remember them! We had faith in the justice system and even our politicians. The BBC reported rather than opined on the news and was respected all over the World as a beacon of truth and dependency. True our cars were lousy but the traffic flowed. Yes, we still made British cars in those days and much more beside. Now all we make is trouble. To those including Gordon Brown who say Britain will become a world leader in the new bio-technologies, etc., I say garbage. I speak to Indians who speak better English and are better educated than most young Brits. Asia is and will knock us into a cocked hat and sit on it. There is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that our mediocrity is or will be, a match for their drive, ambition and flair. If we woke up to day and pulled finger, it would still be too late.

Kids were generally well brought up and well behaved. Now we have kids stabbing and shooting kids. We have the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in the Western World. Half our 11 year olds can barely read or write which means half our twenty year olds are semi-illiterate. Many respect no-one and nothing. We have more people in prison than our continental neighbours. We used to be able to enjoy a night out on the town without being insulted, accosted or beaten up by hordes of ill-mannered drunken youths. Now most of us steer well away, prisoners in our own streets, towns and cities.

Is it any wonder 300,000 people left the UK permanently last year? How many others left that we do not know about I wonder? Government statistics are now a bad joke at which no one is laughing. Of course the BBC did not mention any of this because right now it’s not on their spin chart. It’s off the agenda. To those who are leaving or have left I say, good on you, bon voyage and the best of luck. Will the last one leaving turn out the lights.

Media Illusions

The BBC like other television companies have been caught with their trousers down practising the ancient art of deception, misleading the public, editing programs to suit the political agendas of its/their producers.

We need a sharp wake up call. We are all as brainwashed as any North Korean. Like the North Koreans, we are constantly being fed illusions. The only difference is the manner and nature of the methods used but the objective is the same, mind control. The major difference is that Western methods of brainwashing use more modern and sophisticated tools. In North Korea it is more simple. The people are starved of all information other than that which the state chooses to give. In the West we are inundated with information from politicians, the media and the marketing men, much of it spun to obtain the desired reaction from the masses. The nature of the spin differs only in degree depending on whether it is initiated by the left or right. Irrespective of the messages being transmitted they are for the most part a distortion of the truth. The USSR is/was evil. America is/was the beacon of goodness.

If you believe the Hollywood version of history, America won two world wars on its own and according to the marketing men, junk food and fizzy drinks are desirable and harmless. I could go on and on but the fact is that very little of the information we are fed is the whole truth. We are fed illusions spun to be perceived as the truth, by those who hold the reigns of power and who will do almost anything to maintain their status quo. Self evidently, this has very little to do with democracy and everything to do with the exercise and maintenance of power, by a self promoting elite. What chance does an ordinary citizen with little or no wealth or influence have of breaking into this club. It is clear to anyone who observes the world that money is the key to power. Those without substantial wealth have little or no hope of ever becoming President of The United States or Prime Minister of Britain.

Communists are not bad people because they are communist, anymore than Americans are good because they are democrats but this is the illusion we have been fed. America did not win World War II alone as Hollywood would have us believe. In fact America has never won a war on its own, not even the War of Independence where the French were their allies. America lost the Vietnam War and was unable to subdue a renegade war lord in Somalia. Fifty percent of the troops that landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day were British. Had Britain not held out , albeit with the logistical support of the U.S., there would never have been a D-Day landing because there would have been nowhere from which to launch the invasion. The truth is that it took the combined efforts of many nations to overcome Nazi Germany.

Likewise, America has never dominated the world nor ever could. We need look no further than Germany, Vietnam, Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq to know that World domination is an unattainable pipe dream. It's no more possible for America than it is for Bin Laden, China or India. World domination has historically been an aspiration of many including the Neo-Conservatives. America won the Cold War. Ergo America is the world's only remaining super power. It may have super power but it is no match for the rest of the world. It is not even capable of imposing its will on the Middle East let alone Europe, China and India. No, America is not a self contained planet. It is just an island amongst others and it needs the rest of the world as much as the rest of the world needs it. We are all interdependent. We all need each other. That is the real truth America.

The media no longer simply reports the news. It opines on the news and even makes the news. They dictate what we will see, what we will read and what we should think. The media no longer give us thoughtful drama or unbiased documentaries. They give us opinions. They feed the masses a constant drip of so called reality TV drivel that has been carefully manipulated to produce sensationalism. It has absolutely nothing to do with reality. Newspapers bow at the altar of celebrity which they themselves have created and fill their pages with endless kiss and tell tales of inconsequential tittle tattle to occupy our dumbed down, empty little heads. More people know the name of the winner of Big Brother than the name of the Opposition party leaders. Why? What does that say about them, us and our society in general? Who is behind this drive towards intellectual bankruptcy and why? The truth is that the media is in the hands of the rich and the powerful. It is there to serve its own agenda and to make money by concentrating on the banal, the sensational, the wicked. It chooses to appeal to the baser instincts of humanity rather than serve as a tool of enlightenment. In truth we cannot trust the media and we all know it, but do they? Are they now becoming victims of their own deceptions?

And no, junk food and fizzy drinks are not desirable or healthy. They are bad for us. They make us fat, raise our cholesterol levels and give us heart attacks. Nevertheless, somebody, lots of people actually, have made massive fortunes by selling a susceptible public an illusion of something quite different. If this is not mass brainwashing, what is? And let us not even begin to talk about the tobacco or drug industries or we will be here for ever. Suffice it to say we have been sold hogwash and more worryingly we swallowed it, hook line and sinker. So how hard can it be to manipulate minds? Its obviously very easy and the mind benders know it.

However, like all castles built on sand, lies and damn lies, they eventually succumb to the tide of truth. Half truths and lies cannot hide forever from the logic of reason. That is why the Neo-Conservative conspiracy is doomed to the same fate as the communist conspiracy and every other conspiracy built on deception. When will all the would be comptrollers, realise that social adhesion, respect for authority and the building of a common destiny never has and never can be built on lies, deceit and illusions. When will they realise that real good can only prevail if truth and integrity prevail and nothing worth a pittance will ever come from a philosophy, of spin, half truths and outright deceit. Or could it be that the comptrollers are not really interested in real good but only what they perceive is "good" for them?

They are deceiving themselves however. Fundamental truths are indestructible. They are written into the code of life itself and are there for all who have eyes, to see. Those of us who do see through the mirages, understand whilst we are all different, we are nevertheless all part of a single humanity. We know it is only possible to bring nations and cultures together by building bridges, not destroying them. We know that the respect of people for their governments can only be obtained by governments who behave and act with integrity and honesty. Political hypocrisy and double standards will never engender anything but a loss of respect for its practioners. Far from creating orderly societies, such policies can only fuel anger, frustration and a loss of faith in authority, thus engendering the collapse of social adhesion rather than its consolidation. A truth built on a lie will always be a lie. It is a contradiction in terms that will not stand the light of day or the test of time.

Yes we all need to wake up and fast before the castles in the sand are washed away by the tides of true reality.

Impact of Terrorism!

I received this in my email box and thought it worth sharing. Amused me anyway!
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The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist threats and have raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved."

Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." Londoners have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies all but ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to a "Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was during the great fire of 1666.

Also, the French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are "Surrender" and "Collaborate." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralysing the country's military capability.

It's not only the English and French that are on a heightened level of alert. Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."

Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual, and the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels.

The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.

The Fear Factor

It is strange how the powers that be appear to continually create a fear syndrome, a false enemy in order to unite unruly and rebellious citizens behind a common cause. In the recent past we have had the "threat" of communism in the form of the Soviet Union followed by multiple health scares, obesity, second hand smoke, bird flu, MRSN, high cholesterol and every thing in between. On top of that we have the threat of terrorism, nuclear holocost, global freezing (in the 60's), now 50 years later we have global warming.

In the meantime everyone is trading with China despite human rights abuses. Odd that we supplied Saddam Hussein and Bin Laden with arms to fight proxy wars, that Noriega was at first an ally and then a threat, Marcos, Mobutu and Idi Amin too, but to name a few. It suggests there is at the very least, a lot of duplicity about or worse, the ruling elite are either too clever by far, for their own good and ours or simply have no insight or understanding as to where their actions will ultimately lead. It seems to me that what we really need to fear is the myopia of those we trust to govern us.

A Most Profound Truth

"Civilization depends upon a proper recognition of human rights but the time has come to see that to care for human rights alone is not enough. We share our planet with all of the burgeoning forms of life and together with them we are a giant community that is the responsive part of the Earth system. If we want to sustain our civilisation we need to take care of Earth as much as we do humanity. There is no future for any of us on a dead planet".

James Lovelock (Scientist)

Iraq - Stay or Go?

I was originally a supporter of the war which I felt was justified on moral grounds i.e. the eradication of a tyrant who had killed hundreds of thousands of his own citizens. I did not believe for one minute that Iraq had any WMD having seen the state of their armaments in various documentaries. I did believe however, that did not mean that Sadam Hussein would not attempt to obtain them at some point in the future unless he was stopped. I also believed that had the international community acted in concert to condemn the Iraqi regime and demand that it step down and go into exile or face other punitive measures including international arrest warrants, seizure of assets, ejection from all world bodies including the UN and a total ban on travel outside of Iraq, Saddam and his henchmen might well have decided that discretion was the better part of valour and lived out their lives in undeserved luxury in exile. That is what should have happened but clearly the self interest of certain countries who were dealing under the table with Saddam got the better of their morals and their backbones. Such is the nature of things in a corrupt world.

It is now clear that had Saddam Hussein gone of his own volition, it would not have changed the current situation very much, given the minority Sunni domination of power in the country. An almighty fracas would have ensued leading probably to the division of Iraq which is the most likely outcome now anyway; the only difference being that the lives of allied soldiers would not have been sacrificed and the blood of innocent Iraqis would not be on our hands.

To me it is clear that the war on terrorism should have been concentrated in Afghanistan not Iraq. Had we injected the same resources into Afghanistan and maybe more, I have little doubt that the Taliban and their terrorist allies would be severely on the back foot now.

It is the common view of the majority of politicians and UK citizens and much of the world that the execution of the post Saddam Hussein strategy has been so inept as to be farcical and it has gone from bad to worse ever since. The lack of post war planning is tribute only to the incompetence of the politicians and military planners responsible. They have embarrassed and weakened the West far more effectively than Bin Laden and his cohorts could ever have done on their own.

Lastly, it is the glee of the ordinary Iraqis (whom we liberated from their tyranny) at the death of our soldiers that has finally convinced me that we should withdraw. How can anyone ask soldiers to sacrifice their lives for people who dance and gloat over their deaths? To me this is a bridge too far, a return to the futility and mentality of the 19th century Charge of the Light Brigade. Two centuries on, it is as ludicrous now, as it was then.

As I have said, Iraq would have blown apart of it's own accord with or without our intervention. Nor did we need to kill tens of thousands of innocent people to prevent Saddam Hussein obtaining WMD. Good intelligence and a few well targeted air raids would have sufficed. The cost in innocent human lives has been too high to justify this war. Sadly, whether we stay or go, there will be many more lives lost before peace returns. At least it will not be our soldiers who are dying needlessly and thanklessy and perhaps, just perhaps, the Iraqi people might stop, think and sort it out, once there is no fallback position or "foreign invaders" to blame. They will have only themselves to blame.

A Perspective On The Legacy of Slavery

I have heard many comments about the issues surrounding slavery over the last few days, some of which have been thoughtful, sage even. Some have been a crock of manure. I have heard some eloquent discussions from blacks and whites and a lot of clichéd nonsense that borders on the edge of hallucination and hysteria.

On the one side there are those who despite recognising the tragedy that was slavery see it in its historical perspective. Wicked and brutal as it was, it was one human tragedy amongst many from a bygone age. That it happened at all is deeply regrettable and shameful but we cannot now re-write the history books. If we could we would do so in a flash but then there would be no history and without it there would be no present or future. We are where we are today because we have the lessons of history to guide us towards a brighter future.

We are entwined by our histories and history has tested all peoples and nations. What happened, happened. Nothing can change that. What is more important and much more majestic is that we have triumphed over the adversities, disasters and tragedies that have been inflicted upon us and which we have inflicted upon each other. Black people not only survived the horrors of slavery, they overcame it and forged a place of honour in the roll call of humanity. Whilst abhorring the inhumanity of slavery we can now only wonder at the courage and fortitude of its victims. It has made the survivors stronger and wiser and it was ever thus.

Yes slavery was an epic tragedy but in historical terms it was just one amongst countless others no less important, no less ignorant nor tragic. It is vital we remember and understand this episode of history. We should bow our heads in memory of those who suffered unspeakable pain and by doing so ensure it will never happen again. However, to pretend that this is a greater or lesser injustice than those suffered by billions of others of all races and cultures over millennia, is a nonsense.

From the dawn of time rape, pillage, torture and murder has been equally spread throughout humanity. Africans have been as guilty of these crimes against their fellow men, woman and children as Europeans, Indians, Arabs and Asians. We have all been colonised, some of us several times and Britain is no exception.

From the beginning of time, the most adventurous, advanced and powerful tribes, have always been curious as to what lay on the other side of the next range of hills or across the seas. They went, saw and conquered. That is and always has been the nature of the beast from which there is no escaping. It is in-built into our genes and part of nature's plan to ensure the survival of the fittest. In the course of this process genes are transferred along with knowledge and technology making the human race stronger as a whole. This is evolution at work.

The knowledge and technology of the Romans for example, was assimilated by the survivors of those they conquered. Whilst we do not forget those they enslaved, massacred or fed to the lions in the Coliseum nor do we demand an apology. We understand the inevitability of these events. History is littered with victims but from the darkness of ignorance comes enlightenment and progress.

Nothing has changed. Having colonised and de-colonised the globe, mankind driven by his innate curiosity is now looking to the stars and beyond. This is a natural process without which evolution would not nor could not flourish. Let us hope we have learned the lessons of history and will never enslave the occupants of distant galaxies. Let us also hope they have also learned theirs!

Lastly, there are those who say we should now apologise for slavery even if it was our ancestors and not us who were responsible because we are still living off the wealth of slavery. Yes, that is to some extent true but the survivors of slavery are also benificiaries of this wealth. This kind of argument is ill thought through and does not merit any credibility whatsoever.

May the souls of oppressed peoples everywhere rest in peace. However, until such time as we go to the aid of oppressed peoples irrespective of economic interests, the lessons of slavery cannot be said, to have been truly assimilated.

Rwanda, Angola, Somalia, Darfur, Zimbabwe, Congo/Zaire, are today’s humanitarian tragedies and we lift not a finger, black or white to help. What more is there to say?

Comic Relief – What Kind of World?

I watched Comic Relief on BBC television on the 16th March 2007. There were heart wrenching stories a plenty designed to entice money from our pockets. As usual the British public responded with typical generosity. In doing so the ordinary citizens of this country were exercising a duty of care that is the duty and the responsibility of governments; namely to look after the welfare of the sick and the poor.

Comic Relief highlighted brilliantly the inequalities and injustices that blight the world we live in. How is it that in the 21st century we tolerate these appalling slums with open sewers which run unchecked and unfiltered into the streams and rivers on which the inhabitants depend for cooking, washing and drinking? There are no words to describe such horror. What kind of governments do we have that would rather spend hundreds of millions on extravagant and monumental white elephants in the name of prestige, before they will supply clean water, hygiene, energy and education to millions who live in conditions so adverse it almost defies imagination?

What kind of world and what kind of people are we that we so easily assuage our consciences with a small pecuniary donation over a telephone line before erasing the images from our minds and returning to our vicarious passions for the latest celebrity gossip, mobile phones, reality television and designer clothes?

What kind of society thinks it’s alright for children to have to care for sick parents on their own, as long as we donate enough money to give them a day out each year? How unthinking, uncaring and insulting that is, to some of the most wonderful and compassionate beings on God’s Earth. It’s a shameful reflection on our priorities and our national psyche that we can believe for a single second that it is alright to burden theses children with such overwhelming responsibility and forlorn loneliness.

The burden of caring for sick and disabled relatives is extremely difficult, lonely and physically and financially crippling, even for adults. To leave these magnificent kids to fend more or less for themselves in such circumstances in a country as rich as the U.K., is quite simply morally reprehensible and unacceptable.

It’s time to act. It’s time to stop wasting millions and even billions on white elephant projects such as the failed Dome in this country, whose only purpose was to boost the political prestige of the nation and the political profile of a superficial image conscious government. There is an endless list of misspent public money, frittered away on unnecessary hair-brained schemes designed to “improve” that which needs no improvement.

The glut of new, totally unnecessary road markings and signs that is appearing along the length and breadth of Britain’s highways like an unsightly rash, is but one example. We have managed for decades without traffic lights and lane markings on roundabouts so why do we suddenly need them now? They do nothing for road safety or traffic flow except add confusion and distraction. Stop this madness. There are far more worthy causes that require attention.

Alleviating injustice and poverty and educating the illiterate will bring far greater social and economic returns than investing in white elephants or the non-productive Walter Mitty dreams of hair-brained bureaucrats, trying to justify their existence.

It is impossible to witness the misery and the unspeakable hardship in the slums of Nairobi or elsewhere and not feel deep in one’s soul that in a civilised world, such inequality is intolerable and unpardonable.

As individuals, we can all dip into our pockets as much and as often as we like but ultimately it is a drop in the ocean. As individuals we can do something. We can save some lives but we cannot solve the route problems of poverty or injustice, unless governments around the world dip much more deeply into their national treasuries and act in concert, to tackle the misery we witness in programs like Comic Relief.

They would find it a rewarding exercise. By boosting the productivity through education, of the billions who currently live below the so called poverty line, they would be enhancing skills and therefore potential global earning and buying power. More demand means expanding global economies. Everyone wins.

It’s time to outline and enact new strategies to combat the injustices that are responsible for so much misery around the World. Failure to act now will only lead us all to a darker place. This is the duty of governments not individuals. What we can do as individuals is hold our governments to account. This would be a much more effective way of tackling poverty wherever it is found.

There is only one way to bridge the gulf between the poorer and richer nations and that is through joint ventures in which all trading nations have a stake in the production, distribution and marketing of the goods we commonly produce and consume but this is for another day.

What Justice?

It has been reported that the International Court Of Justice in the Hague has issued arrest warrants against Sudanese Ministers for crimes against humanity. Why has no arrest warrant ever been issued against Zimbabwean Ministers, including President Mugabe for the same crimes?

If the law is applied unequally and inconsistently then it is not only unjust but it is totally lacking in any credibility. Why should anyone take these institutions seriously and why do we put up with their double standards and general ineptitude?

Mayan Leaders Cleanse Ancient Ruins

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Mayan leaders will spiritually "cleanse" ancient ruins in Guatemala after a visit by U.S. President George W. Bush, unpopular here because of foreign policies going back to Central America's civil wars.

The leaders said they would hold a spiritual ceremony to restore "peace and harmony" at the Mayan ruins of Iximche after Bush tours the site on Monday.
"No, Mr. Bush, you cannot trample and degrade the memory of our ancestors," said indigenous leader Rodolfo

"This is not your ranch in Texas."

Comment:

This is a sad reflection on how the World now regards America under George Bush but is he the sole cause or the natural spawn of ill conceived foreign policy spanning decades? You tell me.

Making expedient short term choices on the basis of perceived strategic self interest is not the same as making the right long term moral choices. Foreign policy that fails to recognise that self interest can never be served when the common interest and morality are ignored is doomed to the outcomes with which we have become familiar in South America and more recently in Iraq (the West's support of Saddam Hussein) and Afghanistan (the arming and financing of Bin Laden) where strategic allies metamorphosed into deadly enemies. This has been the unending pattern of politics throughout history. Is it not time we learned the lessons of past failures and altered our perverted political philosophy by doing what is obviously right rather than what is obviously wrong?

Let those who seek short term gain through perverted thinking and corrupt action dig their own graves. Their victories will be shallow and short lived and we will be there to pick up the benefits when their houses of cards come tumbling down, as they inevitably will and do.

Political philosophies founded on temporal moving sands, have never and will never stand the test of time.