Author: Richard

The last government was clueless – this one is the same. Quite correctly there is concern about standards of readingin children, especially white working class children (ones with potential Reform voting parents – i.e. knuckle draggers!).. The answer to this from the Whitehall technocrats is to increase the external testing – children will soon have compulsory tests in 7/14 of their school years. I grow tomatoes (amongst other things!) and do not expect my plants to grow better if I measure them every other day!

A scenario of a UK family. Both mum and dad have full time jobs to pay mortgage, child care is basic and un trained. House has no books at all. Bedime is provided by games on phone or cheap tablet if at all. Labour talks about financial deprivation but there are other sorts! Time deprivation – I always believed that the greatest thing I could give my children was my time ( and I believe I have been wonderfully successful – 3 lovely caring sensibl’ish children); Stimulation deprivation – no books = lack of imagination, a video may compensate a little, but how many films have you seen that are better than the books you read first? So the child is deprived of learning opportunities from birth. A childs brain is a wonderful thing, not only do under 5’s learn to speak and communicate effectively, they also learn how to learn. However they can also learn something much more insidious and even dangerous – how to compensate for their lack of learning.

If we are testing children 7 times in compulsory education we are also condemning at least a tird to failure ( the bar will be lifted if a cohort is successful). How do we/children react if pronounced failures? Of course we can initially blame others; or adopt a “I don’t care” attitude; or big themselves up in other ways – the “big car – small penis syndrome”; or turn to cime (of which I include domestic violence).

So my answer is to reverse the spending bias on universities and higher education and concentrate on the under 11’s. My friends tell me that their children have never had a male teacher until secondary school. That is insane. TBH how many men do you see as good role models for children, especially young boys? Especially if what I have said above is even 30% true. Prioritise early education and enrich it. If that means universities having reduced funding, so be it. Employers with applicants able in maths and english can be trained. I could go on! but will stop now – email your comments, especially if you disagree.

Palestine Action have been proscibrd as a terrorist organisation by the government, but as far as I am aware, they have not endangered or harmed anyone. Led by Donkeys has 4 members arrested for a very clever projection of widely available images on Windsor Castle. Reform leader uses covert messages to insite hatred and harm towards coloured migrants and is not arrested and slung in jail -WHY?

Trump is talking out of his arse again. But there is a hidden message here – the right wing are calling the same tune – racial purity! Just about everyone agrees that we need migration to keep care homes, the agricultural and construction industries, NHS and hospitality industries functioning. The latest plans to stop legal migrants claiming citizenship is aimed at those with brown skins, Europeans will generally be exempt and I would live to be 150 to wait for a white Aussie, NZ, USA or Canadian citizen to be deported!

Suddenly the flag shaggers and knuckle draggers have become Christian (albeit without the understanding of the religion). They are concerned about the spread of Islam – it has had rather a long time to spread since 610AD .

Belief in a God is for those denied satisfaction in their lives; and politicians on the make. The rich do not care about religion or god forgiving them their indiscretions. It is the symbolism that “they are with you and support you” that is important – whilst they wring life and money out of us.

Britain appears to have a large number of racists. Love him or loathe him – Farage does appeal to a large number of people. His latest statement regarding repatriation of legal migrants will cause much despair amongst migrants, liberals and employers. His exclusion of European migrants maybe due to self interest, his wife is French, or it is just recognising the perception of many ‘working’ ‘non-working’ class Britons. His claims that the savings would be £230bn at least needs examination. Is it a misconception by me that migrants are a positive force for the economy? Expulsion would basically be determined by skin colour.

He is also willing to ignore demographic facts. We have an ageing population – who is going to work in care homes, the NHS, agricultural seasonal workers, construction and hospitality industries? there is also the growth of blatant racism to consider – the flag shaggers are not doing it out of loyalty to this country – but to intimidate and make foreigners (especially of colour) unwelcome. This country depends on trade and developing new ideas/products. We do much of this via universities which can attract the brightest students. Would these mega brains want to come to a country in which being different is seen to be detrimental. The LGBTQ communities and individuals beware – they will be after you next!

The vision of 800000 people being forceably removed is horrific. Why forcibly? How many will voluntarily leave their homes, jobs and friends to return to a country which is much poorer, will not welcome them, and they will have nothing? I am sure the flag shaggers will offer to take the role, like concentration camp guards. They will be like the Gestapo rounding up peaceful hard working people with little care for documentation – like ICE in the USA. Is this being doom-mongering – tell me then how else would this repatriation occur? Already it seems that raids looking for illegal immigrants are not on leisure spots or night clubs, but on workplaces.

So Reform – stop winding up the population of losers and do something positive? Perhaps stating ways in which we could cut the number of sick people (by this I mean actually sick people rather than racists and misogynists and child abusers – many of your supporters).

So Starmer will recognise Palestine despite many Palestinians not recognising their homeland anymore after mass destruction and genocide by Israel. On a pedantic point – can a country be unrecognised? I am sure Farage and Badenoch would do so if possible. Maybe they will just put their hands over their eyes and deny the carnage that is Gaza?

Recognising racism – it occured to me that no one I know has suddenly become racist due to the small boats; they were racist well before the first migrants made that journey. The only difference is that Farage and co, with the support of the right wing media have legitimised racism and rebranded it as patriotic.

Recognising a good idea as wrong is more difficult for many people. I believe solar panels are great – I have them. But a solar farm with 2 million panels – f***ing crazy! But we live in a crazy world. Surely a subsidy for householders who invest their own money in electricity generation is practical and sensible? Covering farmland with millions of panels (and spraying around them with herbicides is, basically stupid.

Recognising that all that glitters is not gold is also beyond most politicians and reporters. The annoucement of tens of £millions in the UK by US Tec giants is perhaps a Goldilocks moment. Seems like a great idea – jobs and wealth generated. Until the practicalities crack in – where will the electricity generation come from? Where will te water come from. We are basically short of both and yet AI is voracious in its consumption of both. Inevitably the demand will be concentrated in the South and East of England. Who actually benefits from AI? Greater efficiency usually means job losses!

So the orange wonder says use the armed forces? To do what exactly? This is not the USA and a land border with Mexico. The border in the Channel is approximately mid way between the land of each country. So any incursion by the Royal Navy into French waters would be against international law. So the Navy could wait for the boats to cross into UK waters – and then what? The knuckle draggers and flag shaggers would suggest just sinking and drowning them! Return to France could only happen with French co-operation. Or they could be put on planes to random countries that we think they come from (usually they have no papers or passports). Some would be executed or at least arrested on arrival. This would be against our responsibilities under International Law (which right wing wankers make a great display of saying they would withdraw from – without realising the diplomatic knock on impacts.

Basically we need to set up fast track processing in countries across Europe and beyond to verify the claims for asylum before they get near the Channel. I suspect that many are economic migrants – the UK needs a firm policy on what we want. However this situation would not satisfy the Mail and Express and Telegraph who are loving the present situation as it sells papers and hits on web sites. Without the small boats they would have to be more overtly racist, create more tension and hatred – the same goes for Reform and its putrid followers.

I understand why this law exists – Led By Donkeys claimed responsibility for the stunt which saw images of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein projected onto Windsor Castle – just how projecting images widely circulated bu the press and internet can be seen as malicious is frankly, beyong me. Gail Porters naked image was projected on the HoC a few years ago – anyone prosecuted? It will be interesting to read the prosecution charge sheet – if it comes to that! What have they done that the press and internet servers have not? I saw the images projected on x – should Musk be prosecuted (or is his charge sheet too long already?).

However it does stimulate the question “Where is the line drawn on freedom of expression”. Posting incitements to violence are obviously not acceptable. Banksy did a brilliant graffiti outside the Royal Court of Justice, whilst pertinent and clever and thought provoking, is still graffiti on a listed building! We allow politicians to lie with abandon. Would I like an image of Farage projected on my house? Obviously not – but then I am not of interest to even my own family at times!

I am enjoying the World Athletic Championships – how the fuck does anyone jump over 2.36m or over 7’7″. insane!

The lucky generation! My pension as disposable income far exceeds what I was earning! My mortgage is paid off, Clothes for work unnecessary (those who knew me at work – do not laugh!). Nights out a thing of the past! And my heating bills are basically negligible due to solar panels. Yet the Daily Express is making a bigissue of the fact that within 2 years 4 million pensioners will be getting enough to pay tax! What they do not say is how many will be moved off benefits! Food inflation is high but here again, pensioners are at an advantage – I have time to prepare food rather than pay inflated prices for processed meals.

Oh, and the rest of my lucky birth – born in the UK, free education, free NHS (including prescriptions for a long time, free dental care as before, a grant whilst at University, no National Service or war impacting on me, late 1960’s and early 70’s music and fashion and life style revolution; liberalisation of society with feminism and racism and homophobia not banished but an improved society. The future for todays youth does not look so rosy as the seeds of hatred are sown incessantly.