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Posts Tagged ‘Politics’

I must start by declaring that I am a thief of other’s intellectual property but whilst I do not know the photographer of the above picture I give full honour to them. However,  in ‘mitigation’ of my offence, I offer the following: It is a brilliant picture and whether intended or not, achieves a similar level in its own right because of the detail in the characters to the best of the Hogarth prints and as a statement on our current society.

Obviously the topic is the Public Sector strikes over changes to their pension ‘entitlements’ and as someone who sold pensions during the 1980s in the private sector when only people well beyond 40 could “envisage the whole idea”, I can hardly believe in this strike. This strike is not about pensions, it is about FEAR of the immediate, not the long term future !

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It has become all too common regardless of which political party is “in power” to see the BBC as their “enemy” when it comes to reporting the ‘News’ But and to be fair, there may well be some justifications in such claims and a not too bad example is the following: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15199000

The “Story” comes from a supposed row over ‘Pussy Cats’ and illegal immigrants given ‘leave to stay’ under the ECHR. Ms May stated that the illegal was allowed to stay because of a ‘pussy cat’. The reality was likely that in considering whether the person could appeal further up the legal food chain, said pussy cat figured but thereafter got not a further mention in subsequent proceedings.

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The following I write without any intention of intending  ‘sounding superior’ in anyway but as a statement of fact: I don’t read the Red Tops, Heat, OK magazine, watch TV Soaps or Big Brother and some may say that I am probably ‘missing out’ on things by not doing so. The truth is not whether I think them good or bad, it is just that they don’t interest me and the endless list of minor ‘celebrities’ they seem to generate is frankly confusing, I just don’t know who these people are or even “what they are for”.

Eventually though, what I suspect is the “meat and drink” of this trade, will percolate through even to someone like me and I refer of course to the case before the Courts concerning a lady called Carina Trimingham who is the “partner” of Chris Huhne, suing Associated Newspapers and if the outline that I’ve read is correct, I find the whole thing astonishing at pretty much every level…

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In a sense, the Labour Party Annual Conference that runs through this week, is likely the most pointless exercise that anyone could imagine this year. Just how does any Party Leader following 13 years in power that resulted in abject failure, “Rally His or Her Troops” ? The answer of course is that you can’t except lead them off into some cloud cuckoo land where they feel ‘comfortable’.

Ed Miliband was voted in by the Unions quite cynically, they knew that any “next leader” would be a political space filler, rather like the Tories electing IDS as their leader so, why waste any effort on them, “make ‘em nice, human and we will dump them as soon as favourable opportunities arise…” It is called ‘politics’. The funniest thing that will be on view this week is Ed Miliband knowing the score, trying to make headway and upset all expectations…

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The Euro Crisis has thrown up an amusing spectacle, a British Conservative Government urging the Euro countries to “ever closer union”. On the one hand with so much of UK trade bound up with the Euro Zone, it is obvious that it is not in the UK’s best interests that the Euro should fail and therefore if tighter economic integration of the Euro Zone countries is the “answer” to it not doing so, then so be it.

Perhaps from a UK perspective, we are finally reaching a “tipping point” with regard to our relationship with the EU whereby without too much effort, we in the UK can move on our way quite naturally without having to make a “Big Decision”, like being an island race, many decisions are made for us already, same as if we were a “Continental Country”.

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I will start by saying that having been born and brought up as a Roman Catholic, I have a strong aversion to abortion whilst accepting that there may well be cases where Doctors might consider it an appropriate “therapy”. But that said, if life is sacrosanct then mealy mouthed descriptions of exactly when an embryo becomes “real” do rather leave me cold.

The perception of ‘exception’ fades into insignificance when in the UK there are 200,000 abortions a year which apparently represents 20% of all pregnancies resulting in a “termination”, yet another mealy mouthed description. However, having made my position clear, I also think that it is a major mistake to present the arguments against abortion in a typical ‘Pro-Life’ fashion, that will never work in this society people need a broader base upon which to form an opinion.

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I have written about my memories and personal ties to this particular date before and will later summarize them again because they are all rather odd in the sense that I can not recall any other day in my life which has ever been connected in the same way to such a significant “news event” via so many different ‘threads’.

However, 10 years is a significant anniversary and as good a time as any to reflect on the impact of those days one of which I experienced, as so many others do on my recent holiday in the USA. Having to check in for your flight very early, US Customs/Immigration, never a barrel of laughs, as surly as ever. But also there are the political dimensions not all of which have led to bad outcomes, some indeed may well be very beneficial in the medium term.

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Obviously with the recent riots, one can expect an awful lot of chair squirming and finger pointing as people try to avoid any blame. Although I can ridicule politicians as easily as the next person, I was delighted with both David Cameron and Ed Miliband albeit for different reasons.

Cameron for avoiding that all too familiar “We will hold a Public Enquiry” so much beloved of all Governments caught out by unexpected events and wanting to kick things into the long grass plus for Miliband him accepting that some degree of blame is attached to the Labour years in Office for the attitudes that seem to have taken root so, well done to both of them.

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Over the weekend in The Independent, they obviously had a crisis of confidence in the whole “EU Project” which is hilarious, being British always requires the necessity of being at least mildly sceptical, even of those things of which you might approve. In the case of the EU, it has not been anything of which any person of right mind would give unqualified support to. http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-europes-crisis-of-legitimacy-2332710.html

What made it all rather funnier was an article from the one time Minister for Europe, Denis MacShane who fitted the job in between the various ups and downs of his personal life. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/denis-macshane-slash-and-burn-less-brussels-better-europe-2332659.html

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Although at this time of the year with people away on their holidays, UK journalism like the TV schedules of endless repeats and nonsense, are never at their best but I was quite amused by an editorial in the Independent today on Afghanistan: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-giving-ground-to-the-taliban-2329612.html

It is difficult from reading this article to get a grip on what the “Writer’s view” actually is, that we should stay or go ? It is particularly funny coming from a newspaper which whilst not as arrogant as the Guardian, most times is as left wing and drippy as it.

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