PARISH VIEW

Sometimes it is good to post before I absorb the wisdom of my fellow posties. So here goes. The USA and UK have launched an attack on Houthis positions in Yemen. At a glance this would seem reasonable – Houthis have launched attacks on shipping. However the reaction seems to be rather aimed at the wank fest populist supporters in each country. Surely a diplomatic solution could be found – but of course not as the numbskulls in government are fully supporting Israel regardless of genocidal tendancies by Netanyahu.

It would seem that diplomacy is not allowed in the testosterone filled chambers of our lobotmised leaders. Any action that fails to reign in the horror unleashed by the Isreali government is likely to be inflammatory. Maybe this is what the industrial/military complex needs at a time of economic stagnation. I am with South Africa in bringing their case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.

COOKIES

I made up a lush recipe. 100g butter; 100g dark brown sugar; 50g rye flour; 50g plain flour; 1/2tsp baking powder; 100g rye flakes; 2tsp cinnamon; 2 hndfuls chocolate chips. 15 minutes @180C. Tasty!

It is cold outside so I have bought myself a new jumper! rather than bump the heating up. I have cut the roses back but wheelie is full so I will wait until Monday before cutting back more. Evenings are nearly back! I do not like the darkness! Bee hotel xmas pressie made ready to hang by front door at the end of next month. I will wait and see what has survived the winter before ordering new plants – hopefully I will have a dozen rose bushes and some bulbs. And maybe plant out the rosemary and thyme varieties alongside the road? Greenhouse is basically prepped ready to go with tomatoes.

Gluggaveður

The Icelandic word gluggaveður, which translates as ‘window-weather’, refers to weather that is good to watch from your window, appropriate for today!

RANT TIME

I have not had a decent rant for a while! So here goes.

First off – WTF are the govt. doing spending £1.75m to do a questionnaire of 175000 people about royalty. Presumably this is part of their culture war bollocks. We can be sure itwill not pose sensible questions like “Why does Charley need so many houses and castles”? “Should the Windsors pay tax”? “Why does the British Public pay over £100m for royal security”? Can we ask how many people know how much the Windsors get from offshore wind farms? Further – will the questionnaire co-ordinators release details of the demographics of the sample. Why 170000 people when it is common knowledge amongst pollsters that 10000 is a more than large enough sample.

Secondly – Brexit. It is now widely accepted that Brexithas been a monumental cockup based on lies and misinformation. Can ALL politicians now accept this and stop the lies about new trade deals done with USA states, etc. Can we have an audit of the costs (financial and social) and a political party which is committed to ameoliarating the horrendous costs.

Thirdly – world politics. Enough of the fear about being anti-semitic. Condemn the bombing of Gaza and the Israeli backed terror on the West Bank. Apparantly we are now fighting the Yemen! Where was this discussed in Parliament? Backing Israel at present is just going to polarise international diplomacy and create unnecessary divides.

Fourthly – met.office issues more rain warnings whilst Greenpeace (Unearthed) announces that studies show 4204 flood defence systems to be in a poor state of repair due to spending cuts. More needs to be made about the horrific cuts to services across the UK in all areas of life. Tax cuts for the rich mean service cuts for the rest of us. The government is keeping quiet about the PPE scandal and it has taken Carol Volderman to expose the corruption. They do nothing about tax evasion and fraud regarding government contracts, leave their own expense system open to massive exploitation, whilst making a song and dance about benefit fraud. Fraud is wrong at all levels but pandering to the numbskulls who read the trash papers (Mail, Express, Sun, Telegraph, in particular), is evil.

Fifthly the press. Press reform is urgently needed. Prince Harry has arguably done more to bring about press reform than anyone! The lies perpetually foisted on the public by these papers should addressed by legislation.

Lastly, for now, morality. We have come to accept that the Conservative Party if full of dirty little misogynistic, racist toads – but when James Cleverly extols the use of date rape drugs to pacify his wife, without censure by the party, leadership or press, we can see just how much damage has been done to this country.

WHO TO FOLLOW

Jolyon Maughan, Marina Purkiss, Jemma Forte, Peter Stefanovic, Carol Vorderman, Gary Lineker, Dave Lawrence, supertanskii, Chris Packham, Fergal Sharkey, Greenpeace. Further suggestions welcome.

2024

A new year arrives later tonight – what will it bring? There are several known events that will take place.

Firstly a General Election – surely the great British Public will not be fooled and we will be rid of the useless jerks that are screwing the country at present. The only shame is that they will not face the prosecutions that they warrant.

Secondly it will be election time in the USA where democracy is at risk. It appears that many Americans are that stupid and may elect Trump again.

Across Europe the right wing seem to be gaining some heft, but hopefully democracy will win? Poland maybe a sign of a rejection of the far right? Altough Hungary seems set on self destruction if the EU finds its man-pants and lays down the rules for member states.

Paris will host the Olympic Games which hopefully will be a great success for the human race.

El Nino seems set to cause havoc around the world – just maybe it is what politicians need to force dramatic action. And tectonic plates have been relatively idle for a few years with a quake in N-W China and an eruption in Iceland the most notable recent events.

Conflicts seem set to continue in the Ukraine and Gaza with no mediation apparant at the present. Hopefully China will be consumed by its domestic demographic problems and leave Taiwan alone.

In South America hopefully Venezuela will refrain from direct action regarding Guyana and Argentina will come to its senses?

In football it seems likely that Manchester City will win the league again, with Liverpool second?

XMAS

Merry Xmas all. A quiet day – spoke to family on phone and prepped food for tomorrow. Weather rubbish! Lovely presents from Kaush and Aaron.

GEOGRAPHY

Nature has reminded me why I love geography! The spectacular volcano in Iceland and then the crocodile swimming down a flooded street near Cairns in Australia. Both are a reminder that we need to live with the power of our our environment.

PRESS

So the Courts have found in favour of Prince Harry. The Mirror Group accepts full guilt and apologise. £140000 damages awarded so far! Piers Morgan specifically named for illegal activities. Several people mentioned for giving false information whilst under oath to the Leveson Inquiry.

What next? Daily Mail is up in court in January and must be concerned! Murdoch papers have already paid out £1 million in costs and damages. Whilst all this is interesting what is of real concern is the low threshold the mainstream press have for the truth. Wikipedia will not accept the Daily Mail as a guarantee of truthful providence for a story!

Whilst the the press (the fourth estate) play an important part in the politics of this country, there seems to have been aa appalling lapse in standards. The public deserve to have a press free from lies and foreign manipulation. Perhaps we get the press that reflects our government? One where lying is ubiquitous and where facts can be changed (Rwanda can be deemed a safe country by changing the law) to suit.

Also of note is the relentless campaign that the press are running against Harry and Meghan, this confuses me as they do not seem to have done much, if anything wrong?

ISRAEL

Whilst I still condemn the killing of innocent Israeli’s by Hamas, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Israeli Government is set on removing Palestinians from they region. Whether this is by death or deportation is apparently irrelevant to the Israeli’s. International sanctions need to be applied – especially by America. I wonder if our government will be open and disclose what armaments are being provided from the UK to the Israeli’s.

There can be no move to a solution whilst the present Israeli government is in charge. The same probably goes for Hamas with the proviso that any Palestinian would be hard pressed to condemn them!