INTROVERSION

Just when we need a confident government with both humility and humanity, we get these bozos. Cutting funds to world wide family planing, from water aid. Do they really believe the world does not exist outside the UK?

Perhaps this is the biggest obstacle to be overcome in the next decade. Forget the TNC’s and globalisation at our peril. Climate change is the greatest threat to humanity. Population growth is a huge part of this, and poverty a major part of population growth. To cut rather than improve the efficiency of our input is wrong. Simple.

The climate change challenge requires vision, determination and strength. This government has none of these.

GAUL OR GALLE?

Is that how you spell it? he won’t resign as any decent human being who had made such a crass statement would. He is confident that he has surrounded himself with such incompetence that there is no one who could readily replace him. Rumours that the Daily Mail is plotting to get Gove seem unlikely.

Did he say it? Probably as it fits his character, engaging brain before speaking is not his forte! there a lot of people who are anti the lockdowns, so maybe the damage is not so bad? In some ways the meeting about the ESL is more damaging voter wise? Especially in the northern former labour seats. Basically the red wall voters do not care about sleaze as it is sort of expected from politicians, and Johnson sort of gets away with it through humour. Climate change will see him having to adopt a much more intelligent role.

HOW SELFISH ARE WE AS A NATION?

Firstly, recent demonstrations of both left (Stop the bill) and right (Stop the restrictions) have turned violent. Both have shown scant regard for others with little mask wearing or social distancing.

The government has shown gold medal winning brilliance at selfishness with contracts to mates. And yet we see the polls giving Captain Blunder a clear lead? When their only success is the roll out of the vaccine by the NHS and volunteers (and armed forces?) why are people still fixated on themselves and what they can do next? During the first lockdown people were genuinely helping each other, and looking out for the less fortunate.

This does not bode well for the future when a crisis of much greater proportion really starts to bite. Would anyone other than a fool really trust this government to make a positive impact on climate change. As evidence of their lust for greed we have the permission for a new coalmine in Cumbria, new road building, no back track on Heathrow extension – please Johnson, do as you promised, and go and lie infront of the bulldozers! The Stanley Johnson clause that allows travel to property owned abroad, but not family?

Whist in Germany the lead in the polls is taken by the Green Party. Sensibly they have a proportional representation system which elects a coalition government. Oh how we need that in the UK NOW! And before people revert to the vaccine argument for the competence of the government it is worth noting that Germany still has way fewer deaths than we do. Yes they have their bonkers fringe in Eastern parts of the country (Which I am not really understanding – why do the right wing parties do so well in the part of Europe most ravaged by right wing extremist parties in WWII?

And then our weird relationship with home ownership. For those who own property the last 15 years has seen its value rise at about 5% our year, whilst wages have been relatively stagnant. My house has doubled in worth in the last 20 years, I am not sure how much wages have risen in this time, but for those starting out in life or with uncertain income, it has been a pittance of this. Who owns property? Predominately the white, middle class and middle aged/old. Basically the young are disenfranchised by politics which are weighted in favour of these people (like me!).

I guess the bubble may burst – it seems to go against economic theory that house prices can keep rising ad infinitum. Oh supply and demand – I wonder if this is correct? 126000 more people have died from covid over the last year than would have otherwise have died? Most were old. So does this mean that potentially there are at least 50000 more houses o the market? Most will be in the poorer parts of town, but an impact? Will the UK become less popular now that we have left the EU and have stricter immigration, thus lowering the numbers of people moving in (and probably more moving out). Will London’s property bubble burst as people move out (I suspect that many are renting their houses rather than just selling up)? If the bubble does burst we could see a fall in property prices that becomes very geographical?

CITIES

I was think of cities. I have never lived in one really, Chelmsford was pop 50000 when I lived there. But they do need some TLC.

COVID-19

Numbers creeping up in Cornwall, Devon and North Somerset, but down in Dorset and Hampshire. Can we relax yet? Have I got an anxiety syndrome? Numbers are still very low and have been lower than 3 per 10000 (approx pop of the 6 villages) for the last couple of months. I have not had the second jab yet. So the anxiety is the dichotomy between being desperate to see grandchildren again; and not wanting to throw away the last 15 months of being sensible. I think I confused T by offering her to stay here, whilst being reluctant to go down to C.

I know others who are like me – not paranoid about relaxing, but very wary, and in a way institutionalised to the isolation (this seems to be something that affects single people, rather than those with families living in the same house). 95% safety is not 100% and thus the need to be sensible remains, regardless of the government edicts/advice/etc. as they have shown themselves to be intellectually benefit and morally bankrupt. On top of incompetence and sleaze.

There still seems to be a lack of direction and enforcement at all levels. So I am confused! (Even more than usual). I am confident to meet with family, albeit with distance and windows. But there is still a but … but I do not know what the but is? I am 99% confident to go to Waitrose again, but only do so when it becomes important for me to get (actually it is to show I I can).