Category Archives: Social & Topical

If it’s anything to do with social, topical or political issues then it probably belongs in here

The Red, the White(s) and the Blue…

Posted on by
1

Just recently my attention, after the distraction of our own Brexit, turned to the Presidential elections in the US – now I’ve shown interest in the past but this time around it’s become an obsession in comparison.
Perhaps  the presence of Donald Trump and then even more the possible eventuality of him getting the Republican candidate ticket (which has now become a reality) prompted me to observe the political circus for far longer and deeper than ever previously.

I had to educate myself a little initially to familiarise my self with the different system and jargon and electoral process, the biggest difference being the protracted nature of the whole shebang and then the almost unnatural and chromatic shock of red signifying right of centre and blue signifying left of centre politics.

From my not fully informed UK perspective Hillary Clinton appeared (to moi) to be the natural and only option for President especially after observing the antics and listening to the rhetoric of Donald Trump.. but apparently to the US electorate it wasn’t and isn’t as clear cut as my cursory appraisal

So started my in depth look at the whole situation and as to why Hillary Clinton as a career and cabinet politician seemed so unpopular (even hated) and as to why Donald Trump as a billionaire playboy boom and bust business man was even on the electoral radar.

I came to the conclusion that the generic USA populace must be suffering (but much worse) from the similar disenfranchised feeling that the generic UK populace were experiencing and expressing protest to in the UK June Brexit referendum.

I’m not comparing the two cases directly of course as being in a different state of the USA can and must feel for some like being in a different nation altogether given the geographical scale and the socio-religious, industrial and gun-toting cultural diversities involved.

I still arrived at the same outcome that Hillary Clinton is the ‘no brainer’ choice of presidential candidate but I can also see why Trump garners blind support from those same resolutely disenfranchised if sadly deluded citizens despite his sexist bigotry and his simplistic ‘we’ll just  make it happen’ declarations.

Roll on Nov 8th so it’ll all be over or it’ll be the start of it all being over for the planet.

 

Gone to the dogs

Posted on by
Reply

For what seems months and months I have read and listened to the all the claims and counter claims regarding what I now believe is the totally unnecessary referendum over whether or not we should leave the EU.
The whole issue I feel has dragged this once proud and independent country to a low point in its history.
The issue has I feel been rushed and in their haste to get it resolved I feel that the government has created a lethargic population many of whom are so fed up with the half truths and unsubstantiated facts that they will probably not bother to vote.
This I feel will result in a very close result one way or the other and it is entirely possible that it will set one side against the other.
It is a fact that the whole structure of the EU is under severe strain with behind the scenes power struggles and the ever present failure of the Euro .
If I am to be honest I really do not care whether or not we leave this fractured organisation because I am of an age when life is lived by the day – but having said that I do care about my children and grandchildren who sadly are the people who will have to clear up the mess we are intent on leaving.
When I think of all those brave souls who put their lives on the line to give this country it’s freedom from tyranny, I am convinced that had they a voice they would say “what a waste of time that was, the bloody country’s going to the dogs”.
Rant over. Have a nice day. 😊

Letting go

Posted on by
5

In  life, there are aspects of that very life that internally we treasure and cherish deeply, there are memories we value and that make us happy and perhaps also sad in the same instant of recall – these are precious moments of reflection that warm and comfort us, give us strength and not least validate our existence when, with pride, we think of and look at family, friends and loved ones.

There are also aspects of  life that we recollect with anger, pain, confusion, fear and even self loathing – these are our demons that,  although we deny and suppress them, still rear up and visit our consciousness from time to time  or for the tragically unfortunate have never left.
When they call they can paralyse, obsess, weaken and threaten to destroy us if we allow it or cannot control it or more often we cannot forgive let alone forget.
I think it’s safe to say that most of us know or know of someone that we may consider embittered, angry at life or angry at the world or more commonly resolutely cynical.
Indeed that someone we know or know of may even be part or whole of our very self.

Any person that has lived a life has very possibly met, directly or indirectly, tragedy, misfortune, prejudice, oppression and violence and as a result has suffered emotional and spiritual damage.
So how is that damage limited, repaired or, at least, mitigated ? – that’s achieved by shedding the burden of railing against fate, by abandoning clinging to the wreckage and swimming on ….by simply letting go of what is weighing and dragging you down.
Yes, it’s easy for me to say, it may sound clinical and without due allowance for human frailty but in the final analysis it’s how we cope.