Why is it that where men and women can complete on a level playing field they are totally male dominated? e.g. darts, snooker, Grand Prix, horse racing (changing slowly). Yet where there are strength/size aspects there are seperate fields (soccer, rugby, cricket, boxing, athletics, swimming)?
PATRIOTISM
There is a lot of talk about patriotism and ‘the flag’ and Englishness. This all unsettles me. I was born in Essex, have lived in Sussex and Somerset but find my identity unclear in terms of patriotism and nationalism. I am English I guess, ancestory has no immigrants mentioned at all. But whilst I support England at football I would not fight or even argue for the concept of a nation. I support Essex at cricket, Sunderland at football (although I have never been close to the city!), but really do not identify with the concept of a nation. Borders change both geographically and mentally.
Culturally I feel European. There is a certain arrgance related to having an ancestry rooted in centuries of buildings and indeed “history’, which inhabitants of the USA try so hard to inculcate. I do not need to wrap myself in a flag, nor sing praises to a monarchy. I am often ashamed of others who profess their pride in these things.
Nationalism and patriotism grew out of a need to find protection in violent and unsafe times. In a modern world ruled by fair laws there should be no call for patriotism. Identity with a geographic region, religeon or political doctrine is a way for some to exert power over the rest of society. Who are those who are most nationalistic or patriotic? It is those with vested interested in the power structure and perversely those who are the most vulnerable, who can gain an aura of security or power from identification and security from alignment with the powerful. This is how populism and fascism appeal to the disadvantaged masses. It is no co-incidence that the likes of Farage, Johnson, Sunak and Rees-Mogg are part of the powerful establishment, using the client media to manipulate the populace by means of divide and rule.
Thus the first target for the powerful is to call on the populace to blame minorities for their short comings. This directs anger from the disproportionate wealth garnered by those with power and their incompetence and criminality; and places it firmly on the defenceless or minorities whether it be a religeos or racial group, or the sick or even people with different agendas like trade unionists.
So back to the start – my patriotism is firstly and lastly to myself and my family. I would like to say humanity but that means including those who do not fulfil the term!
ARE LABOUR GOING TO BE GOOD ENOUGH?
There is no doubting the incompetence, callousness, moral decrepitude, etc. of this government. They tell lies everytime they open their mouths. The Rwanda debacle is just another stain on their ability in government. It will not stop the boats, nor do they want it too (the boat people are too important as a hate subject for the problem to be solved). So there is no doubt that they must go – but the prospect of Starmer’s Labour is not overwhelminglming! Angela Rayner humiliated Dowden at PMQ’S and we can expect the client media outlets to double down their hatred of her tomorrow, She comes across as an honest politician without the Westminster patena.
I find it hard to think of any positive achievements that this government under its mny mnifestations of leadership have brought to the country. But again ask, will Labour step up and be good enough – I know it is a huge ask but Britain expects.
ANGELA RAYNER
It seems to me that there is much more going on here than seems appropriate – if appropriate there would be no story at all! The MoS has yet another front page “scoop” where some neighbour of 10 years ago has been paid hansomely to spread malicious gossip. So what are they doing? With Menzies following Wragg in sordid sex scandals Rayner is a diversion. However it is much deeper than this. Ashcroft is facing a tax bill of £millions due to avoidance so this is not about tax avoidance or even electoral fraud.
The purpose (Part 1) is to discredit the whole of the Labour Party by getting Rayner the sack. Part 2 will be to ensure that any discrepancies between potential candidates for her job are amplified and Labour portrayed as being in disarray and therefore unelectable.
That the gutter/client press have been unsuccessful so far has shown just how desperate they are. The Mail has had Rayner on the front page at least 4 times and the Telegraph and Times have also featured it on the front cover, even the BBC has been complicit by allowing the issue prime air time (although it did show some restraint in ignoring the MoS claims in its news summary web page).
Yet the public seem uninterested in whether Angela was opaque about her living arrangements before she became an MP. I suspect that many people have tremendous sympathy for her and the campaign is misfiring. That a dozen detectives are wasting their time compounds the publics disquiet about this is a complete joke at the public’s expense.
CHILDREN
So Sunak is supportive of hitting children? An absolute no brainer. How can it ever be OK for any civilised society to support adults hitting children? The message this sends maybe condoned by the despicable perverts who inhabit the Conservative Party, but should have no place in any society. Of course it is a simple situation, the message to all adults must be “never ever hit a child”, I can think of no situations to justify violence against a child.
TRASH
William Wragg has betrayed his party, his colleagues, his country and his family. His punishment for this betrayal is to be feted as “brave’ for owning up about his grave error of judgement, compounded by involving at least 16 colleagues. Why has he not been banished from Westminster, his party and called out as fool by the press?
The obvious answer is that he is privy to too many secrets about senior colleagues or maybe in the moral sewer of the Conservative Party his misbehaviour is seen as the norm and “there for the grace of God” go I. The press are certainly not exploiting the situation as they should.
Instead the propaganda magazine of the right is after Angela Rayner big time. Having failed to stir up hatred by disclosing her purchase of a former council house (a Thatcherite policy) they are now claiming that she avoided about £1000 in tax in doing so by misrepresenting where she lived. How the paper has obtained supposed evidence is perhaps the most important aspect of the story – if illegally it should be liable for huge damages. Of course Angela Rayner should be held to account for misdeeds of the past, if true, but surely the misdeeds should be of a certain magnitude – not trivial. Public servants and MP’s particularly should be subject to the highest level of behaviour to set an example to our children. Which brings me back to Willie Wanger Wragg; What is an MP doing sending dickpics? Why was he not sacked? Are the police investigating and breach of security by him? Why has he not resigned and put himself in for treatment?
Sunak tells us we are all doing well, as rents that have risen by an average of 30% in last couple of years and are due to continue rising. Rents should never exceed equivalent mortgage repayments. If that causes a drop in house prices tat would be good (with maybe some support for those left with negative equity. Certainly something needs to be done to fix a broken housing marketplace.
ISRAEL
Have recent atrocities by Israel allowed discussion of the existence of it as a bona fide state to occur, without screams of racism shouting the discussion down. It may be that the premise for the establishment of the state of Israel was built not on logic or reasonable analysis, but on horror and sympathy. Other religeons have not had states created for them – indeed the west is fighting to prevent the establishment of ISIS (maybe a silly example – so what about a Sikh state?).
So should Israel exist as a state? It could be argued that its establishment has destablised the whole region?
Also why are arguments that state, that the atrocity initiated by Hamas last year, needs to be considered in the context of the treatment of Palestinians over the past 50 years, dismissed as irrelevant or even racist. Deprived of land, their water poisoned, their olive groves burnt, the Palestinians have a very real grievance. Ignored by the international community for, like forever, it was no surprise that their outburst of violence was severe. The governments of the west ralied round immediately and stated that the state of Israel had a right to defend itself, and are thus complicit in the violence and near genocide wreaked on Gaza and innocent women and children (and many males). There were, and are, no santions against the illegal occupation by the IDF and settlers on the West Bank.
What are the arguments for the existance of Israel per se?
GAZA
Israel has been very successful in polarising opinions and countering the arguments that are pro-Palestine. With the majority of Western democracies ignoring Israeli attrocities in the West Bank it has manipulated their support skillfully so far. The attack by Hamas has been used to justify the obliteration of Palestinians in Gaza. Killing civilians was portrayed as unfortunate and inevitable collateral damage, rather than the callous genocide which the evidence points to as being nearer the truth.
Time has come to osterise Isreal diplomatically. This is essential if Western democracies are to continue with a pluralistic society. Anti-semitism must continue to be outlawed, but needs to be distinguished from anti-Israel. Israel to needs to develop a multi-ethnic society where all religeons and ethnic groups are respected and represented. Israel was created out of the horrors of the holocaust and must not become a mirror image of its parentage. A violent and cruel upbringing does not have to be followed by similar misdeeds.