Sunday 9 August 2015

Don't worry, be happy

Let's see if I can write a post without getting myself branded as a left-wing loony. Oh, why bother.

In their own defence, most right-wing loonies describe their views on all things relating to social issues as 'pragmatic common sense'. It is true that Britain is and always has been - by nature - conservative, with a small 'c'.

I am conservative, though that might be hard for some people to either believe or understand. I'll give you an example: I am a monarchist who believes that Britain should be run by a hereditary king or queen, with the help of an army of pragmatic but humane civil servants. The House of Commons would be held accountable by a separate House of hereditary Lords, who would curb the excesses of the Commoners (that sounds familiar). What has happened is that we are now run by committees of nauseatingly ambitious and ruthless so and sos who have all but destroyed 200 years of highly experienced civil service by sacking most of them for telling them what to do.

I think that - in the long-run - left-wing loonies do far more harm to society than their right-wing counterparts. Arthur Scargill is a prime example of this.

Traditionally, Conservatives (with a large 'C') have always been land-owners, which has inevitably  put them at loggerheads with their more uppity tenants, let alone ramblers. I thought that the Magna Carta had sorted all of this out years ago when it was signed in a lovely meadow in the heart of Conservative Surrey, but obviously not.

I know my place, but it isn't necessarily where I am now. It is true that I did have a bit of a problem with authority when I was 16 years old, but I think I am over that now. I still think that 'live and let live' should work both ways in a compassionate society, as do all of my Conservative-voting friends. They would not be my friends if they did not.

If someone says that they own 15,000 acres of British woodland, moorland and mountains, then I am quite happy to humour them in their delusion, just so long as they can afford to maintain it and allow sensible people to walk over it without disturbing their ground-nesting game-birds.

Sheep may safely graze. Most of the wealth of the inland land-owners was accrued through wool. This was a reasonably happy arrangement for both the farmers and the sheep. Lambs were hardly ever eaten, only old ewes in the form of mutton. This was pragmatism.

These days we are supposed to demand 'choice', but it is next to impossible to buy mutton. It's all down to fast turn-over for quick profit, like everything else.

It is ironic that over-population and fears for thousands of migrants coming in via Calais is starting to shred any idealistic notions of society. I don't think that it was a mis-quote when Margaret Thatcher was credited with saying that 'there is no such thing as society', so what are we worried about?

Jeremy Corbyn, that's what. New, improved Labour are saying that if Corbyn gets elected as leader of the Party, then that will consign Labour to be in opposition for at least 12 years. Nobody seems to think that an effective opposition is actually required right now, as there isn't one - unless you count the SNP in Scotland, where most of the grouse-shooting takes place.

I'm all for the privatisation of the railway system. Our railways are the most expensive and inefficient in Europe, and the companies that are supposed to run it have made a complete pig's arse out of it, still using public money and charging travellers about 4 times as much as any other European company.

Most of the (unfilled) contracts are about to expire. Time to change the name of Network Rail - again.

23 comments:

  1. All politics is local, said our long time Speaker of the House, Tip O'Neill. And privatization of the rail lines probably only means another set of scoundrels will make a lot of money.

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    1. Re-nationalisation was what I meant, really. That is very difficult to achieve because it means getting the scoundrels to give back the money they have already had from the nation.

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  2. The only thing that unites the Conservatives is hatred of the Labour Party. If Labour destroy themselves there will be no enemy. I am not sure what happens after that. The Conservatives should be careful what they wish for, a loony lefty might just be what the voters think they want.

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    1. If that's what they want, then that's what they ought to get under a democracy. I would hate to see the unions become as omnipotently powerful as they were in the 70s, - I had first-hand experience of this, because I worked for a printing company then and was not a union member - but it would be a crime if reformed unions were crushed out of existence.

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    2. The Conservatives are just going to make the Unions work a little harder to collect their subs.

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    3. Other way around. They are making the potential members work a little harder to subscribe. In these straightened times of minimum wage, they know that someone with private rent and rates to pay on top of a family to support, is hardly likely to take some out every month to pay a cunt like Scargill, but there will come a time when they will regret not having done so.

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    4. It has sent a shudder through the Unions, whatever. Scargill was certainly a cunt, that's for sure.

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    5. What is left of the unions. The Conservatives are planning removing Art from the curricula of all schools - you know, the activity which us two and Cro really benefitted from - on the grounds that it has no commercial use. Idiots. Looking on the bright side, Art always flourishes when it is suppressed. So do Unions.

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    6. Yes, art or rather the arts should be funded and at the forefront of everything else to bring us together as a society. A bit simplistically put but ignore it and this country will become a moron. Politics aside we have it wrong, not just the Conservatives, put opera, theatre, art, singing, dance, design up there and we will be a stronger lot for it. I hope it flourishes And grows on its own.

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  3. For the sake of my sanity I decided long ago to completely opt out of politics. I know its sowardly and if everyone did it then what a mess the country would be in. But this one voter here in North Yorkshire says she can no longer be bothered with any of it. Sorry.

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    1. I have never been bothered with it, but I think it's a good idea to know in what way the latest rip-off is being perpetrated. I begin to care as they destroy the country, and all parties are quite capable of that.

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  4. When I think of Jeremy Corbyn I just think of ponds with stones thrown in and the ripples gently getting bigger and bigger, I like a good shake up. We are not likely to go back to socialism but capitalism has a rather nasty face at the moment, it needs a bit of a punch to even the balance!

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    1. I agree. The terrible thing about this system is how we are forced to swing violently one way, then the other. There is no long-sightedness in British government. It's all short-term benefits and long-term consequences.

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  5. Everything Arthur Scargill predicted came true. Miners and their communities were destroyed and had their hearts ripped out by the Tories. I hated themes like:

    "Greed is good."

    Look back at the 1945 Labour government Tom and you will see a proper socialist government creating a welfare state with social housing and a free NHS for all. Not privatisation and selling off the family silver. Labour needs to get away from champagne socialism and get back to its roots.

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    1. Everything that Scargill predicted came true as a result of of self-fulfilling prophesies.

      The post war welfare state was as a direct result of the war. It's an ill wind. Ask Japan.

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  6. I don't always agree with you Tom but I always appreciate your ability to express yourself so well. I love a good political discussion especially those that degrade into name calling as long as the names are creative.

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    1. There has been a lot of that, even amongst fellow Labour party members recently. 'Morons' was one, and that even referred to potential constituents.

      I loved it when Regan got voted in, because I knew he was going to fuck-up the Republicans for some time to come. Now you have Donald Trump! Perfect!

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    1. Four seconds viewing was enough for me. Just not funny enough.

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  8. Being an aristocratic parent is no guarantee of having politically like-minded offspring, which is why I rather liked the old system of The Lords. Lefty son takes over from right-wing father, etc; nothing was certain. Nowadays people are offered peerages simply because of how they will vote; not the original principle of an upper house..

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    1. Exactly. What is the point of having voting Lords if one party can put them in place? This is just corruption. This is why it really should be the Monarch who decides which family is honoured. There are far too many bloody life peers in there already - almost a thousand in total.

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    2. And damn it.... we're not amongst them. £300 a day would come in handy.

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    3. For a quarter of an hour attendance.

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