Month: April 2023

First an apology to a good friend whom I thought was going over the top in his criticism of a Guardian cartoon yesterday. I was totally wrong and thank Andy for pointing out my ignorances. It has made me think about the whole concept of prejudice.

I would classify myself as untra liberal on issues of prejudice, whether it be race, religion, sexuality, disability or whatever. However my upbringing in middle England since the 1950’s has left some marks. I think I may be overly prejudiced against those whom I believe to have racist, etc. views. However I do have sympathy for those that have been cast aside economically by the loss of well paid manufacturing jobs in Northern mill and mining towns, and places like Dagenham (demise of Ford plant), etc.. I have less sympathy for those who have resorted to the welfare system as a choice. I may also be an inverted snob when it comes to the likes of JR-M and his ilk.

But racism – despite being brought up in tye era of “Til death do us part”, and Enoch Powell; a father who would not have considered himself as racist (but believed black people were less intelligent – mainly I believe because he never met those who had had a full education. I have never used the word nigger or wig although these were relatively common at school. So on colour I think I am OK! Albeit with a smattering of perhaps over compensation.

Religion – basically I believe religion to be a totally personal thing. So if I was to turn religious it would be as a Quaker. Christianity in the past was about power and influence as revealed by cathedrals and churches and even the suppression of the written bible and the promotion of Latin to deny the masses access. The pograms against religions across the world are abhorrent, whether in Myanmar, Gujerat, Gaza, or wherever.

So to the Jews. Has any group in history been more persecuted for their beliefs? I am trying to understand why? Unlike a black, brown or yellow person they do not stand out (sympathy with Dianne Abbot here!). Their religion has a few odd bits like kosher and the ways of slaughtering animals that people in the past would not have even noticed. Was it because they have often behaved like immigrants and maintained their religion and customs, whilst the rest of us have “gone with the flow”. Why was the Nazi venom against them so rabid? I honestly do not know! Vague concepts of being financiers is all I was either taught or absorbed. In this country we expelled all Jews in 1290 (18th July!) and when they were readmitted they were not allowed to be buried inside the city boundaries (Exeter). Many of our leading Banks were established by jews, SchroderWagg, Rothschilds, etc. and companies like Tesco’s. So is it jealousy and avarice that causes anti-semitism? I am not aware of ever knowing a jew.

Seeing the way Israel is behaving today (and I have been there and enjoyed a hippy travelling around experience with kibbutz visits). It was a nice country.

This is not easy to write. Of course the holocaust occured and millions of Jews and others were slaughtered. But that does not give them the excuse to gert sympathy for ever more. Is there not an aspect of being anti-semetic that is based on the concept of; “you can never criticise us again?” because of the holocaust – I guess I need to understand the hatrid that Jews across the centuries have created and endured. I think that when I was at school the whole WW2 bit was still to close to discuss (I 3as not a precoscious child – I do intend being a 70 precoscious person though!).

So the despicable right wing media have a go at Gary Lineker (again) for stating the blindingly obvious, that te BBC is too important to be controlled by political appointees. Will Sunak bow to the ERG and appoint Dacre from the Mail? Political party donors to whichever party should be banded. There will always be bias involved but an open and transparent process is essential. Perhaps a cross party government commottee should make the decision, and the interviews be transmitted. A similar proceedure could be followed in many other areas. It maybe expensive but democracy is under threat and its preservation is worth paying for!

Typical tories. Get out the diplomats but leave the plebs behind. Germany secured an airfield immediately and has airlifted 490 people from 30 countries out. It has now agreed to allow British planes to use the airfield. In typical fashion the FCO is demanding visas before travel on to the UK. In another to late, over the top and probably inappropriate measure, 150 commandos have been sent out to. help the evacuation? Even though British passport holders are told to make their own way to the airpot 15kn from the centre of Khartoum – and reminded to bring their passports. God forbid that someone might illegally enter the country during a humanitarian crisis. Oh how i detest these people masquerading as a government. It is fortuitous for them that the ceasefire brokered by the USA is holding.

It has also crossed my mind to wander where all the weapons and money for them comes from? Research shows relatively low sales but we have allowed exports despite human rights abuses. The two sides in the dispute have been hitting each other for over a week – are they being resupplied, and if so by whom?

What a nasty little bully Raab is – typically he blamed the victims, and then started crying about the injustice of it all! The Mail then lead with a headline that it wass the end of democracy? Quite how they reach taht conclusion is beyond me! Something about a Civil Service conspiracy against him, or even part of a bigger plot by the leftie lawyers and bureaucrats. He was found guilty and Sunak was weak enough to let him resign rather than being fired. At least the new Justice Secretary has an easy task of doing better than the incompetent bully. Alex Chalk appears to be an old fashioned conservative – one with whom one coild have a sensible arguement with on the facts rather than ERG ideology and vitriol. He is still a tory (with landed interests and a title to inherit? Not sure on the last?) and therefore will be sucking up to the vested interests of business and the elite. Actually it is sad that I regard someone like him as a massive improvement on the incompetence that this government has spawned. Hopefully the next election will see the departureof the likes og JR-M and Guillis and the rest of the rabid pack.

All they had to do was ask a simple question – how many people traffickers have the government apprehended, let alone prosecuted and convicted. It seems that gangs can gather migrants, transport them across Europe, get them in boats across a 20+ mile piece of water, land them, then they (or atleast young ones) go missing. Do we have a police force or intelligence service that does anything other than send disgusting images and messages?

The gangs would be out of work tomorrow if the government opened up safe ways to claim asylum in the UK.