Saturday 2 July 2016

Saturday

I posted this on Facebook earlier today, just waiting for the fallout.

The Grayling letter today is interesting and well meaning, but there is a problem. Regardless of the stupidity of Brexit - it was won, on a promise made by a Prime Minister. If we fail to follow through on that promise - the fallout will take decades to settle - we’re damned if we do and dammed if we don’t, and it’s all our own fault. 

Successive UK governments have either been weak, corrupt or self serving, lazy journalism that chases clicks and likes is so drunk and giddy on their own paperless power and careless that news has a 20 min lifespan - they can be as shrill and vicious as they dare without care of consequence. It’s all about headlines and punchlines. 

The tories have spent the decades since Thatcher taking us back to the 1930s and building a new cabal of smug, self important, greedy sociopaths - Labour has been a total shambles - well meaning but constantly failing to understand the modern world - it’s tumbling backwards into a vacuum. Both parties have repeatedly let us down. 

If we leave Europe - we will need much better people than we have now at the helm - they are not fit for purpose, on either side of the divide. If we manage to engineer a ‘stay’ - we’ll need much smarter people guiding us or we become the whipping boy of Europe and end up tearing ourselves apart with conflicting ideologies. Everything must go.

I’m lucky that I’ve certainly never witnessed anti-semitism in my life - but I am all to familiar with homophobia, sexism and racism - and the twin horrors of middle class contempt for the poor and working class contempt of, well - everyone not like them. Ugly tribalism like I’ve never seen. I’m particularly pissed off with people who claim to support the same party as me and compete to fly the red flag higher than anyone else but delight in a rabble rousing, foaming at the mouth, burn-the-witch hysteria and who insist on calling female labour MP’s they don’t agree with as ‘bitch’ ‘whore’ and ‘cunt’ whilst insisting they are feminist. Someone, and I’m sure they know who they are, referred to Jo Cox as having a ‘Blaire smackable face’ as she lay dying.

I don’t support Corbyn, because I don’t think he has the Charisma to lead a country - and because he’s part of the past - and it’s my past, so I understand it very well. (I personally think he’d be more suited and far more effective leading a left leaning pressure group like Momentum or CND) I want someone younger who isn’t part of the last 20 years of British Political chaos - and I want someone on the ‘other’ side to be the same. Even the tories understand they need a solid opposition, if we had one - this mess would never have happened. 
Like it or not - this country works really well from a centrist position, preferably leaning to the left. Neither party should be allowed to veer too far to the left or the right. That’s just a fact. You can only ever please half the people, all the time.

I’ve had to mute about half the people on Facebook over the last couple of weeks because off things they have said without thinking - if anyone wants to un’friend me now - go ahead, it’s not a problem.

6 comments:

Susan said...

Thank you for this! I've been watching from Canada (in dismay) and couldn't agree more with what you've said. We have a relatively new PM and Cabinet here who seem to me to be from the 'next' generation - they're not without their faults, but there has been a refreshing sense of difference in the philosophy and style of leadership here. I hope there will also be some new British leaders who will emerge from this mess, and that the shock of what's happened will bring about some painful but necessary changes. Idealistic, eh??

Richard de Pesando MA(RCA) said...

Trudeau is seen here as a cross between Brad Pitt, Charlton Heston, Superman and Mark Ruffalo - it wouldn't matter if he turned out to be the anti-christ, he's still be worshipped from afar. Everyone I know is talking about moving to Canada.

Susan said...

Charlton Heston - please, no, not Mr. NRA! Spartacus, maybe. Trudeau is still pretty much in the teflon-coated honeymoon phase of his mandate ... but he's a huge improvement on his predecessor as far as I'm concerned. We have our problems here, of course, but right now, Canada feels like a bastion of civility and progressive thinking compared to what's going on in the U.S. and to some extent the U.K.

Richard de Pesando MA(RCA) said...

Heston - yes, that was a bit of a boob - I can't even pretend I was being wry!

Susan said...

Oh, you've been wry often enough on your blog to make up for one poorly selected comparison : )

Unknown said...

Richard..................Long may you (and your blog} live and prosper. You mirror my thoughts exactly regarding the current state of this country.

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