A Filling Scotch Egg

Can you have a takeaway delivered to a ‘wet’ pub? … a perfectly legitimate question. A blindingly obvious question that could have been anticipated if these rules weren’t made up by Tory politicians, legislators and civil servants living in the ivory tower bubble of large incomes, perks and privileges that is Westminster.

I guarantee that if the Tier 2 rule ‘no drink in a pub without a substantial meal’ was put to a group of ordinary folk that question about ‘wet’ pubs and takeaways would have taken … what?… less than a minute to come up I reckon.

Just goes to prove how out of touch with the real world they really. All this privileged Eton or Oxbridge etc. education means they think they know they know what’s good for us, but in real terms they know fuck all about the people they’re meant to be governing.

Why else would a Chancellor of the Exchequer with a wife worth £430M plan to cut Universal Credit when stories are coming out of children literally ripping open packaging in food banks to eat straight away because they’re so hungry.

Covid-19 has only accentuated and increased the problems of poverty and inequality of income not seen since Victorian times even before the pandemic, not been the cause of them.

Scotland The Brave?

Saw this on Facebook.

Reaction below …..

​The irony of quoting words such as ‘subordinate’ and ‘colonial possessions’ make me suggest a wider history is read with a bit more if a perspective attitude.

 Lets not forget we’ve had the same monarch since 1603 and there was also a Union Act at that time, although not of the full type there was eventually to be in 1707. There were many reasons on both sides for the Act of Union 1707 to be agreed …not least Scotland was broke!

Up to 50% of money circulating in that country was either lost or tied up in the disaster of the Scottish Darien Company which independent Scotland set about with such astounding ignorance and lack of forethought as to the reactions of the Spanish and English having their areas of influence and trade encroached upon. And don’t go blaming the English for their blockade .. it was a time of empire building and you were attempting nothing any different than England, Spain, and France etc. were … so don’t go there!
You blew it! … and Scotland would have done exactly the same as those two countries did. Rightly or wrongly by 21st century values, but at that time everybody was at it. 

There is often the North Sea Oil argument brought up … how England took most of the revenue from that. That conveniently brushes aside the £billions invested in Scotland prior to the oil being extracted in the first place!

Even back in 1707 we coughed up nearly £400,000, of which nearly 60% was used as compensation for that failed attempt at …. yes … a subordinate quasi-colonial possession.

 I’m not saying it’s okay … I’d preferred if my vote of remain was a success. I also respect Scotland and like the place and I’m perfectly happy and respect your decision if you ever vote to become independent. However, I get fed up with the ‘whoa its me’ … ‘ya English bastards took all our oil and all that’ … ‘Us Scots are wonderful we’re not to blame for anything’ attitude. It’s bullshit! … you had a chance to go independent and guess what? … as with the Darien fiasco, you blew it again! … You wanted to stay with the Bitch Mother of Parliament at Westminster so stop whining!

Either do something about it this time around  or lets just get on FFS!

Lords Be With Us

Occasionally the House of Lords in the UK functions as a proper second line of defence against the excesses of government.

By the very nature of rejection the Article 50 Bill and sending it back to Parliament with an amendment to be debated for reasons that encompasses all that is decent and well meaning to others from all nations sends a strong message to many around the world.

In particular it sends a powerful message to the government’s and citizens of the European Union that there are many of us in the UK that are not the acronym of the word BREXIT I have arrived at.

Blindingly Rejoice Excessive Xenophobia Intolerant Thoughtlessness 

Passport Ma’am? (Post Brexit)

It’s the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth I of England’s Coronation today which took place on Sunday, January 15 1559 where Elizabeth Tudor was crowned Queen of England at Westminster Abbey.

Interesting to note the House of Tudor was probably the most ‘British’ of the royal houses since 1066 in an indigenous context. Her grandfather Henry 7th who took the crown from Richard 3rd (Plantagenet – French) in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth, was Welsh. 

Her mother Anne Boleyn, whose surname could be seen to have a French connection, was ancestorally ‘English’ of at least 500 years with the family rising up from humble origins in the Norfolk village of Salle where her early ancestors were relatively prosperous peasants.
As the Tudors after Elizabeth’s father Henry 8th didn’t have any offspring to carry on the succession James 4th of Scotland became James 1st of England.
I’m not including James 1st in the same context as Elizabeth and House of Tudor, quite simply because he’s Scottish. That was a sovereign state in it’s own right and arguably not ‘British’ in this sense as the nation’s indigenous make up is primarily Picts, Irish and Norse tribes. 
In addition the Celts in Wales were the dominant culture in what became England for centuries before the Romans arrived and then the Saxons driving them westward.
That could be argued all day but I still maintain if you take the direct lineages of other royal houses one certainly goes back far less than 500 years to find a direct relative not born in Britain.
On that theme, there’s lot of stories coming out about people from abroad who’ve lived in the UK for many years, in some cases married to a British person and have a family, now at risk of deportation as a fallout of Brexit.
Well, seeing our current Queen Elizabeth doesn’t own a passport, her grandmother was German, the House of Windsor is German, her husband is Greek, will the ruling apply to her as well?

Trumping Of Them All

​It’s UK Brexit with attitude. Whatever the rights or wrongs of the US Presidential election results an individual feels, one cannot fail to recognise the the betrayal felt of US …. and in a UK Brexit sense …. the citizens who consider themselves unheard, ignored and the whipping posts of austerity. Coupled with the cost of the worst recent financial meltdown since the 1929 Wall Street Crash that all if us have paid a price, the ones least able to afford have endured a disproportionate burden of the austerity policies with at best were debatable … and at worst, an excuse for right wing dogma to be imposed on whom George Osborne when Chancellor has now been quoted as saying were worth being hit as they would never be property owners … and by definition, never Tory voters. 

In the USA the same has been felt on both sides of the political spectrum. Hence the dogged fight Hilary Clinton had against Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination.

President Elect Trump may have been bullet proof from the negative effects of his obnoxious character, views and alleged violations against women, but he spoke a language and struck a cord with enough of the electorate, however unpleasant that realisation may be.

In times of crisis, despair, implementation of policies and ignorance of their plight by the establishment … true or perceived … a leaning towards the far right or left is sometimes the reaction of those felt to be most acutely affected.

It’s happened here in the UK and now in the USA. On a historical point, it’s worth remembering, or looking up if you don’t know, the economic circumstances surrounding the rise of Adolf Hitler in 1930’s Germany. There are similarities in the context that is was the establishment of the Allied powers after WW1 to take revenge on Germany and make them pay vast sums in reparations. This in turn hindered that country’s ability to build its economic structure. 

This was further exasperated and the effect was more severe on Germany with the Wall Street Crash. 

Consequently when a politician rose with radical views … which by coincidence the the European elite and establishment also didn’t take seriously … the worst affected citizens rallied to his cause.

For Hitler it was the Jews. For Trump it’s the Mexicans and Arabs plus the trade deals he was able to convince were the reason for jobs leaving the US. This of course being the fault of big business striving to get the most profit at the expense of US workers, and an elite and government deaf to cries of their own people struggling to obtain and get by on the very basics for living.

What happens now is anybody’s guess but it’s a wake up call again of the social responsibility of governments and corporate business to ensure all sections of society benefit, whether that be in jobs and/or infrastructure/public service investment, irrespective if President Elect Trump or in our case Prime Minister May are or not the correct individuals to set this in motion

The Female of the Political Species

​I find it intriguing that based on the agreed political definition of ‘right wing’ and also historical fact, it seems to indicate this country lurches further that way each time we have a female Tory Prime Minister.

Interestingly enough the previous incumbent Margaret Thatcher at that time was criticised for not having enough women in the cabinet. 

This time we have Theresa May redressing the lack of female representation in the cabinet to a certain degree .. and what do we find? 

Liz Truss, in her combined roles as Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, staying silent about the extreme abusive and homophobic reaction of High Court Judges concerning the Brexit ruling until under severe criticism from Chantal-Aimée Doerries QC, the chairperson of the Bar Council to break this silence.

Only then was a statement issued that was of the most basic generic form with no reference or defence of the actual judges.

In the independent legal requirements on behalf of the Government and Parliament, the  combined post of Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor Liz Truss has been accused by the Bar Council of not fulfilling her accepted role as “the conscience of the government”.

I bring this point up about female ministers on the right of politics because it appears to follow a pattern. Margaret Thatcher was divisive to say the least and was “Miss Confrontation’ in the UK,  Europe and beyond.

Theresa May appears to assume we should accept everything she does or say with head bowed finger on the cap with a deferent “yes Miss, coz you knows best .. cor blimey don’t yer know”

God forbid some upstart of a group headed by Gina Miller challenging Theresa May’s authority ….. particularly as an unelected Prime Minister…. to negotiate Brexit and present it to Parliament and the country afterwards as a fait accompli.

“House of Commons! … Lords, Dames and citizens of the UK … these are terms of Brexit! This is the best deal we could have got because of the simple fact you are plebs … we are superior to all of you because we were clever enough to turn you over with the obscure constitutional Royal Prerogative ruse”

Well I’m extremely grateful to Ms Miller because the team assembled for Brexit negotiations I wouldn’t trust with a groceries shopping list.

Many of the papers headlines and lead articles have printed some disgraceful abusive and divisive comments at such an apparent outrage of a court ruling.

They’ve not even worked out what the actual case was brought before the High Court using the sovereign laws of this country which was one of the cornerstones of the Brexit campaign.

Apparently it’s all a conspiracy of a fucked up gay Judicial system and some British female who was born in Guyana but grew up in Britain to overturn the referendum result.

Oh … and just for good measure it appears at least one newspaper darkened the skin of Ms Miller in their photograph of her.

I wonder how some of the statements, views and insults published would have been viewed differently by Liz Truss if they’d come from an UK Islamic source.

 As “the conscience of the government” I wonder what the reaction of Liz Truss would have been if a leading member of the Muslim Council publicly warned of mass unrest and calling for protests in the street. 

One would assume nothing because the Justice Secretary/Lord Chancellor hasn’t as ‘conscience of the Government’ condemned a white leader of a right wing racist political party who has already said that to Andrew Marr on the BBC. 

(Awkward Silence Moment)

Oh I’m sorry! … I was off in thought there recalling how I read it was okay to beat up, destroy businesses and intimidate Jews  … but dangerous for Jews to fight back, complain and also have no chance of legal redress from an independent judiciary in Germany in the mid to late 1930’s 

Is it because women feel they have to justify their positions in any high ranking post? 

Is it because they’ve been at an unjustifiable gender disadvantage for so long they can’t get out of being tough and uncompromising … and having to keep showing they are?

Or is it coincidence and just the fault of enough of the electorate succumbing to the age old tendency to tolerate more than normal lurches in one political direction or other in perceived or real times of crisis?

To all who have been kind or bored enough to read this … I will leave you to decide 

• https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/nov/05/lawyers-war-liz-truss-over-abuse-judges-brexit-barristers

Beer Goggles

If bread be the “staff of life” then let ale be its gracious partner in all things hearty and well with each other and this world in which we reside 😀 #laceyslifequotes
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/sep/19/beer-goggles-study-confirms-the-obvious-that-drinking-removes-shyness-about-sex?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_WordPress

UK must pay for Brexit or EU is in ‘deep trouble’, says German minister

UK must pay for Brexit or EU is in ‘deep trouble’, says German minister

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/aug/29/uk-must-pay-for-brexit-or-eu-is-in-deep-trouble-says-german-minister?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_WordPress

On Wednesday (24 August 2016), Merkel said remaining member states must listen to each other carefully and avoid rushing into policy decisions.

“If you do it wrong from the beginning and you don’t listen – and act just for the sake of acting – then you can make many mistakes,” the conservative German leader said.

———————————–

Pity they didn’t have that ethos when concerns about the ERM and the effect of total complete free movement by member states, accountability of unelected officials, prevention of state intervention to high employment ailing industry, fundamental movement away from what the UK citizens voted for in the 1970’s and other areas the UK Government felt difficult to ‘sell’ to the influential anti EU ‘hawks’ in the Treaty of Rome negotiations. 

Although I voted to stay in because I believed the principle and benefits of doing so outweighed the negatives overall, the outcome of that treaty and the seismic effects of post 2008 financial collapse, plus the economic terrorism against the least who could afford it under Cameron led to Brexit 

#justathought

Maintenance grants scrapped for poorest students

Maintenance grants scrapped for poorest students

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/aug/01/maintenance-grants-scrapped-for-poorest-students?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_WordPres

Of course! …. the privileged establishment don’t want people from poorer white and ethnically diverse backgrounds to gain higher education.

If one were to study the social history of the UK you will see a correlation between the imposition of social exclusion by various means. 

This was maintained in various ways, the obvious being draconian laws where not only at one time education was only for the privileged, but poor, destitute and hungry children could be hanged or deported to the colonies for stealing a loaf of bread. 

From the 20th century with the rise of left wing organisations and governments, coupled with the social changes enforced on the elite from the two world wars, they have had to adapt to ways of trying to maintain what they consider their rightful status as ‘above’ the populous of the country.

Throughout the 20th century and beyond this has been through elements such as education where barriers have been placed in the front of state educated students to go on to higher degree level learning. 

Someone from a less privileged background has either had to be incredibly determined to surmount those barriers, and/or of an intellectual ability far in excess of their higher establishment counterparts. 

Apart from the historical evidence a question is worth asking is why in modern Britain today with the undisputed fact of the increasing massive gap between the rich and less well off in society, and with fees into the many thousands for a term the well off can afford even easier… then why are public schools allowed to continue having the advantages of their establishments being classified as ‘charities’

Wound the Russian bear at our peril

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/16/russia-economy-west-vladimir-putin

Russia has it’s own unique way of going about governance and commerce which is as diverse and varied as any non European state. We deal with other countries who don’t go about their business in what the west would regard as a conventional and appropriate way, so why on earth do we seem obsessed in changing the way Russia conducts its internal affairs.

It’s almost akin to the days when Western European missionaries trundled down to Africa to convert the ‘savages’ and impose our ways and philosophy on them …then shocked and abhorred on occasions when our ‘soldiers’ of God were turned upon and hacked to bits.

Even a short delve into Russian history, particularly since the revolution of 1917, one can appreciate why as a nation they feel insecure and threatened. Ever since the time of Lenin and Trotsky nations all around its borders have been trying at the very least to undermine them … and particularly from the western side.

France had a fear of invasion and from that came the Maginot Line, a vast fortification that spread along the French/German border. It’s intention in World War 2 failed but Russia simply expanded the idea in 1945 after the end of the war. Instead of concrete they chose the territory of whole countries between them as a ‘buffer zone’ … or the ‘Iron Curtain’ phrase coined by Winston Churchill.

This was hardly surprising as twice they had been invaded from the west, by Napoleon in 1812 and Hitler in 1941. In both cases the Russian casualties was beyond comprehension with millions of their people killed and injured.

And still the west continued in the same vein through the ‘Cold War’ period. Russia are by no means the innocent party in all this but there seems to be a complete blindness in the appreciation of why and a dogmatic refusal to look at this from a different angle.

Vladimir Putin is a different person to deal with than Mikhail Gorbachev and the ‘Glasnost’ period that eventually dismantled the USSR. He is a political animal of the ‘old school’ type. But the west have positive relations with leaders of nations just as bad or far worse than him who they accept in a pragmatic and positive way.

A wounded animal is a dangerous thing and that is the Russian bear at this time. The west’s overall treatment of Russia, and their dealings with Putin need to change and that means inclusion and assistance. The sooner the West realise this the better because the possible alternative consequences of a threatened Russia with a wrecked economy could be a far worse proposition.