Monthly Archives: June 2017

Isn’t it funny how ideas can sometimes escape you? There are so many things that I could talk about here. I don’t want to get into anything too depressing. And that would be so easy right now.

It feels like there is always something terrible in the news these days. We might as well keep our flags at half mast all the time.

There are flags outside the place where I work and sometimes, when I see them at half mast, I have to wonder – is that for that thing that happened – or is it for some new thing that I have not yet got caught up on.

So it would seem that I have chosen this as a topic despite saying I would not. That is what happens when you start to think out loud in this manner. It’s like asking your mother to help you find something.  As soon as the sentence passes your lips you will no doubt find whatever it was you were looking for.

So yes it does seem like things are bad at the moment.  Are things really that bad or is it just that we hear about  everything going on in the world?

I’m just a blogger and I don’t expect to give any concrete answers. I do know however that too much following of the news can lead to great sadness.

There are times when ignorance really is bliss and, usually, information will trickle down to us eventually. That just seems to be how it goes.

As I right this I am feeling very tired and it is not even half twelve yet. There are times when the weight of things seems to get to me. So perhaps adding the weight of worry for terrible news is a bad idea.

I’m afraid I have no particular wisdom to impart here. So I will close by saying smile. Maybe it will help. And try not to think too much.

Thinking too much is the curse of my brain. How wonderful it would be to feel able to slow down now and again.

This is going to be a political post which I know is probably a bad idea.

Why?

Because when it comes to politics there are, broadly speaking, three types of people.

• People who don’t care.
• People who agree with you.
• People who disagree with you.

In the case of the first one a post like this isn’t going to make them care. And if they don’t care they may not even be registered to vote.

In the case of the second there is little need to do anything.

And in the case of the latter it isn’t going to effect them.

So why am I doing this?

In spite of the fact I tend to agree with Kent Brockman … that democracy doesn’t work not that we’d be better with insect overlords – I still make sure to vote. I did miss a vote a couple of years back I seem to remember – I can’t even remember what that was for.

And speaking of missing things I had planned to post this before the election – I guess I just treat deadlines the same way that Douglas Adams does.

This general election was a very important one.  Before the election it was important because it gave us the rare opportunity to evaluate a government midterm – given the brexit vote I believe that was important. In retrospect it was important because it showed Labour, under Jeremy Corbyn, as a credible opposition. I know he lost and I am not going to say otherwise but some people are now predicting he will be Prime Minister – and that it is only a matter of time.

I hope that everyone reading this from the UK got out to vote. People often say that all the parties are the same. I’m not so sure it was true this time around. My philosophy with elections is to take each one as it comes. I don’t believe that one party is the best. I have voted for different parties at different times. Unfortunately the nature of our system necessitates tactical voting.

I am left wing. I believe that services like the NHS are extremely important. It makes me so sad, and to be honest a little angry, when I hear about the state of health care in the US. Some people are in crippling debt and some die simply because of the cost of health care. Free health care is a basic human right and the Tories are in danger of destroying it. To quote Aneurin Bevan: ‘No society can legitimately call itself civilised if a sick person is denied medical aid because of lack of means.’

Obviously the NHS isn’t ‘free’ per se it is paid for my taxes. Now it may be that I live my entire life without any major medical expenses. If that happens then my money has just gone to help someone else – to me that is the only way to do health care.

Some people seem to hold the ‘everyone for themselves’ view. That, at least, is my bias opinion based on what I observe in the world. However give that the Tories are so well know for cuts I believe it has some merit.

I don’t know why people vote Tory. And I am not going to try and understand. That is their right but I will never vote Tory. As said above I am on the left and I think I will be to the day I die – even if I did become a millionaire who would be effected by a Labour tax policy.

Labour lost the election and I won’t try to argue differently. However I think it is important to look at ideology. Labour, Libdems and the SNP, broadly agree on many issues. In terms of votes the left got more collectively than the Tories. Which indicates that that ideology is what people want but the Tories get in because of how the system works.

This video explains the problem far better than I could.

So, for now, we shall see how things go with this government. I just want to end with a reminder, paraphrasing Ian Hislop, that just because you loose it doesn’t meant that you don’t go on making the argument.

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I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors.