Author: Richard

The UK fertility rate has dropped again, to 1.41 (a steady population has a fertility rate of 2.1). Basically it means that the percentage of older people will continue to grow – thus increasing the burden on younger people to work and provide taxes. I have not seen the proportion of births to those born outside the UK but am confident the the the fertility rate for this group is higher. The recent politics of division in society will make racism worse. Northern Irelands recent spate of racist attacks maybe a harbinger of what is to come.

The fertility rate has been falling since the early sixties and dropped below replacement level in the mid-1970’s, co-incidentally it correspends to the imposition of Thatcherite politics. I have heard people express opinions that the decline is due to economic factors “eople cannot afford to have children”, but basically this is bollox! In my youth (here we go with old people speak!), wealth was more fairly distributed and we did not have the gizmo’s, cars, TV’s, etc.etc. of people today. Were we happier? I have no idea but we also had outbreaks of typhoid and measles, chicken pox, mumps were common and widespread.

However the key factor, in my opinion was optimism. The later 1960’s and early 1970’s were time of change and optimism about the future. Yes I know the Cold War was in full spate, Vietnam war was in full horror, but the pop scene and youth culture was booming, hemlines up and hair down! The future was bright. CND marches and Greenpeace offered a better future. The NHS was brilliant and the papers had not started to slur anyone who had made it from a working class background (unlike the campaign of hate against Angela Raynor and Meghan Markel today).

Are 30% of te UK population knuckle dragging racists? Obviously? Not.

Therefore they must have some legit concerns that the twat known as Farage can tap into! There is real concern at the loss of Englishness (Britishness) as the last government allowed millions to move in, especially as they were not people with a similar cultural heritage from Europe – but people with very different cultures. This country, apart from the real brain deads, have always welcomed migrants and those seeking asylum. However many feel overwhelmed by the numbers moving into selected areas, thus not acheiving the diversity that leads to understanding and tolerance. This influx was also to coincide with the Brexit shambles that has led too economic problems, when people are financially constrained their tolerance is diminished – they look to blame others. Asylum seekers being given free accomodation (albeit that they are also deprived of the right to work and get an income) is a red rag to those struggling with fuel bills and rising prices.

In an ideal world the asylum seekers would not exist – migration would be limited, wars would not occur and everybody would be happy and caring! Knob head himself stood in front of an airline departure board with 10 countries listed – all stating illegal immigrants boarding. Of the 10 8 have significant disputes occuring within their borders (the other 2, Turkiye and Vietnam have internal fractions that I am not au fait with). So back to the question without an accepted answer (except by the knuckle draggers) – should people facing death and torture at home be allowed to seek safety elsewhere?

There is also a bigger question – we allow capital (money) to flow freely within and between capitalist countries. Why islabour not allowed to flow freely? I think it was Thatcher who told the recently unemployed workers in the north that if they could not find employment “they should get on their bikes!”.

So dickhead Farage – basically “shut the fuck up” until you accept the facts of a world crisis – and 122 million refugees, including 42 million needing international protection. Until you acknowledge and discuss this you and your followers are ***** (an anagram using the letters uncst).

I have at the age of 72 finally realised just what I dislike about the gutter press and why. Whilst talking to Aaron this morning I had a Eureka moment. It is not just that I disagree with what is written in the likes of the Telegraph, Mail, Express and latterly the i, but the really annoying thing is that they publish opinion on the front page (and elsewhere) purporting to be news. Often it is a minority opinion that is deemed to whip up the hatred of their readership.

An example was last weeks front page headline and article claiming that shutting the asylum hostel in Epping was a ‘victory for Mothers’. The facts do not in anyway support this – locking up the protestors outside the hotel would have a greater claim for protecting ‘mothers’ and their ‘children’.

I realise that all news has a bias whether by omission or emphasis, but respectable outlets try to maintain the true facts – comment and opinion should be clearly labelled as such as the Guardian does. The BBC sometimes goes too far in the pursuit of fairness – why Farage has appeared on QT more than anyone else is a mystery – as is the insertion of climate denial comments in debates on climate change. It does not mention that some people think the world is flat everytime they show a globe! However I realise that there is a difficult line to be drawn here. But there is no excuse for total bias to mascarade as fact.

So Sunday muse time. Well Israelis continue to kill Palestinian civilians (83% of deaths are civilian according to the Israeli Army). – so not a mistake or two! Russia continues to kill and abduct Ukrainian civilians. Trump postures about peaceful settlements in both cases – but merely looks stupid. Meanwhile he continues to increase the fascist state by sending the National Guard into Chicago (following Washington D.C.) whilst his Supreme Court drops charges against him.

Back home the press continues to to increase hatred against asylum seekers. Demonstrations outside asylum hotels have continued but generally been outnumbered by pro-migrant lobbies. Angela Raynor has bought a 3rd house which we should all be very angry about! And Union Jack flags are appearing on lamp posts across the land in a display of “patriotism” ? Fu**ing ridiculous – thhose who want to show a cheap image of their prejudice should buy their own flagpole rather than impose their views on the rest of us – it is the freedom of speech that they claim they want, whilst imposing their views on others. the same people support Farage who has said he will repeal a law designed to protect children and shield them from abuse online. Weird dangerous fu**ers!

On a more serious matter than knuckle draggers waving their tiny willies around – Antarctica is losing ice at a frightening rate – 2.5 trillion tonnes of ice lost in last 20 years. Sea level is rising, slowly but inexorably, coastal erosion is increasing. But hey-ho all is ok as Reform led councils are deleting any reference to climate change from all council documents. Farage again has said he will cancel any contracts related to Net-zero – what a wanker!

Council tax may be altered; and the papers will find pensioners who feel hard done by, because their properties have spiralled in value into the millions whilst their income has not changed. My heart bleeds! More to the point is why society has let the wealth of the rich multiply exponentially whilst workers are heaped with abuse for wanting a living wage. the median FTSE 100 CEO is now paid 122 times the median UK full time worker; the number of FTSE 100 companies paying their CEOs £10 million or more increased by 30%; In 2024-25, 84 % of FTSE 100 companies paid their CEO a Long Term Incentive Payment (LTIP) up from the 81% who did in 2023-24.

I am not jealous – I just have a sense of fairness. The gap between rich and poor has grown massively in my lifetime and it is not right! There is a limit to how much ones living expenses are – after that the rich invest in assets such as property which make them even richer – whilst the young (those born without golden spoons in their gobs and without daddies contacts), are left to struggle with survival.

Which brings me to my last point – why are people so fucking stupid to vote for Farage and his racist policies whilst simpering at the feet of the wealthy?????

Does a human life mean anything? I ask because behind the rhetoric of Farage, Jenrick and co. we see no acceptance that there is a responsibility (ensconced in International Law and acknowledged by the UK) that a person fleeing persecution in their own country should be offered a safe haven and sanctuary in another country. Personally I think this is one of the aspects that make me proud to be be British (even if ashamed of the knuckle draggers). But the question remains – should we offer sanctuary to these poor souls, or cast them aside to be tortured or left to rot? Farage states that he would organise 5 planes a day to send asylum seekers elsewhere – he does not specify, nor cares, where.

So the question remains – I would love to stop the small boats endangering peoples lives, and also accept that many have no legitimate claim for asylum. What the government needs to do, and should have done immediately on getting power, was to set up paths for legitimate asylum seekers to be accepted into the UK – empowered immediately to work and set up be independent and potentially a benefit to our society. How many people are fleeing from situations that were generated, or inflamed by UK governments interference in the past? (Libya, Iraq, Somalia, Iran, for starters!).

So back to the question – should we give a shit or just turn our back on fellow human beings? Or should we stop pandering to the obnoxious wankers promoted by the media to feed their bank balances abroad, and sort out a sensible solution?

Like most other things, there is a lots of bullshit talked about exam results. I read a report that said kids do better in London due to; better teachers; more choice of schools. However as N.I. outperforms all English areas this must be bollox. The tories will love to see that Wales does worse than England with a Labour government. However, whilst I cannot explain N.I. I believe the crucial factor in England is motivation related to post education opportunities. The correlation with wealth is obvious. Whilst avoiding a future dominated by basic wage job prospects might be a motivation for some, especially those with parents able to mitigate lack of motivation.

Places like Cornwall may seem idyllic, but the reality of the job market is bleak for a school leaver with average/good results. Thus the motivation in school is bleak too, older siblings are struggling and sending a message. What I do not know is how to break the cycle.

I also had a discussion with Aaron this morning regarding the exams. He was all in favour of the standardisation enabled by the exam system. Parents would send their children to successful schools was his argument. I must say that he was taking bollox! The choice for most parents in even semi-rural areas is zero. Secondly he believes in a standardised curriculum – why should kids in Cornwall or Sunderland be fed a curriculum developed for the Home Counties and London. I believe that schools and certainly Local Authority areas should be allowed to develop their own curriculums related to local areas. Yes of course there should be a standardisation – but one with a silk glove, not an iron fist. But it is also my belief that education is used to promote nationalism and patriotism – both of which are swear words in my house!

It is also interesting that areas that voted Brexit (and perhaps “taking back control” or maybe just racist?) are those that have lost due to the dominance of London and the South-East! They voted like little children given the opportunity to eat ice cream until they they threw up and realised that the Government would not replace EU funding!