Queening It

Recently... I be contemplating favouring monarchy as a way of government.

Course, sometimes some what do know me and The Old Man do call us anarchists...

....And Mr Smooth-Face Smartypants and his Cabinet is telling us that it is the Socialist Workers' Party (or as we used to say... the "Space Cadets") that have cowed the likes of Tesco, Superdrug, et al... so that they do get all nervous and back out of the government's work-for-nothing scheme.Though sometimes Mr Smooth-Face do say it's Anarchists. Tut-Tut. Who would have thought that Big Business could be frightened by "extremists" so easily. I think it may be a first.

Mind you. You never know who can influence opinion utterly. I seem to remember when Murdoch closed the News of the World... some furious spokesperson for something or other blamed it on members of MumsNet "eating their shortbread" and voting on the Web. It is obviously a shame that extremists such as SWP members and MumsNet members can hold Big Business... ahem.. cough... cough... the Nation to ransom in this way.

But my ponderin on Monarchy is rooted a bit more in the world view.... elections that get rigged... presidents that won't leave when their time is up... would rather slaughter their people than go.... Oh the joy of democracy.

Let's call a spade a spade... and go back to Kings and Queens.... then they can just haggle over the DNA of the matter.

The Old Man's Telly Channel

So I do say... in my previous post... that The Old Man do pontificate somewhat. He do have a lot of views and do like to express them.

The other day we do have a visit from Family including Youngest Niece. And as we do all sit there... listening to The Old Man ... for often there are not many options ...

Niece says:

"It's like a TV show isn't it. Old Man's TV."

The Vilification of the Public Sector

You may remember my diatribes about being a "baby boomer" (Click here for Post 1 and here is Post 2).

Time was when people didn't mind that you worked as a librarian, a teacher, a civil servant, a fireman, for a council-whatever. It was considered quite a respectable line of work. You were of course looked down upon by those who worked in the Private Sector. Something a bit ploddy about opting for the Public Sector.

But not now. Oh No. With that Jeremy Clarkson geezer for instance. It isn't even the stupid remark about "executing strikers" that offends me. When I hear the clip repeated on the Radio... it's the tone of voice he uses when he is asked if he knows any public sector workers.
"What me?" squeaks he "Know a Public Servant? Good God. No." Or words to that effect....  He does justify himself by saying that he is invited on these shows to be funny, so... Buffoon it is then.

So yes. I did  work in the Public Sector. I admit it. I think I may have to adopt a disguise when I go out now. I most certainly grow shifty and avoid people's eyes when they ask me what I did for a living. Perhaps I'll tell them that I worked as an investment banker or...or an estate agent. None of these jobs seem to get much stick these days.

A week or so ago.... buying cheese in a local-ish shop.... The Old Man and me falls to chattin' with the proprietor, as you do.
"What was your line of work?" say he
"Civil Servant and Librarian in a Public Library..." (to paraphrase)
"Oooh. Gold-plated pensions." he sneers.

Course I'm not good at instant come-backs in real-life.
Else I could have pointed out that that's how come I can afford to buy his cheese.

I Do Get so Fed Up With....

Mr Smooth-Face and his Cronies. He reluctantly comes back from his holiday in Tuscany and reconvenes his parliament... Yes George that means you too... Put down that Disneyland ice-cream, wipe your hands and come here. And up he steps with outraged pompous empty words about "sick" parts of Broken Britain and what he will or will not tolerate.

His remedies? Prison; eviction from social housing;...

What? You got room in the prisons?

(Suggest redeploy scrapped naval ships e.g. Ark Royal as Prison Hulks.)

You want more kids on the street?

Got no brief for trashing and robbin'... but let's just review the progress of these past few years?

Bankers who cause economic crashes with their greedy practices.

Do they suffer? No.

Greedy Media Moguls get sloppy with their in-house ethics.

Do they suffer? No.

Policemen get sloppy over who they bang-up, beat-up, shoot, or get jobs with when they retire.

Do they suffer? No.

How do you expect the ordinary people to engage in society when nothing they say or do matters? The power groups continue to get their own way... and their representatives in government blame society's decline on the criminally "sick".......

Oh never mind... just a rant. What do you expect from a soft, bleeding-heart, baby-boomer, liberal?

Read this Independent article by Camila Batmanghelidjh instead.