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A PLAYLIST FOR TOMORROW
I will start off with Staus Quo ‘Rocking all over the world”. The The Doors “The end”. John Lennon “Imagine”. Pink Floyd Atom Heart Mother to quiten me down and then maybe St.Tropez for a bit of sunshine! “Look what they did to my song ma” by Melanie Saska, Morcheeba “Rome wasn’t built in a day’ for realism. I might even throw in “The laughing policeman” if I am getting hysterical. I appreciate any recommendations.
They have had an absolute majority and have diddly squat to show for it other than a broken Britain. Their last days of campaigning are damage limitation and more lies. Starmer says he will try to be a good father and husband by taking Friday nights off. I guess too many Tory ministers had to spend 24/7 with their fingers in the dyke (or till!) and were rushing to hush up their latest incompetence. Some stupid tory minister even said he was going to do a 4 day week – their lies are pathetic, get rid of them by voting them out on Thursday.
The papers on Thursday morning could be interesting? What lies will they lead with? I cannot think of any positive headlines; they will be slagging off Labour. I might be tempted to watch GBTV if there is a chance to watch tears and humiliation (Being a nice person stopps with tories and Reform!).
WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP! Any majority of more than 10 is basically giving a party a mandate for anything! The tories had a mjority of over 60 and still managed to fuck everything up. Are the tories calling for PR already – maybe in 5 years time?
What was missing from the last 5 years in particular was an abject failure by the 5th estate to hold Johnson/Truss/Sunak to account. With an absolute majority and a compliant press there has been nothing to reign in the oddball measures promoted like ‘the Brexit Plan’ and the Rwanda scheme (all £320million spaffed against the wall!).
We can e certain that the press will be more forensic with Starmer – although maybe they have lost the art of journalism and will resort to the usual aspertions and lies?
Then other stuff! So England have ground their way through – nothing particularly wrong with that! However if yhoping for pizzazz and panache, tink again. Bellingham scored a saver in the last minute to take it into extra time, and there are approximately 5 million fans who will say where Southgate has got it wrong! For those old enough, England did not get off to a great start in 1966! But I guess the demand for greater entertainment is higher now? Spain looked to be what England fans wanted to see – attacking football with excitement provided by a schoolboy on one wing and a 21 year old on the other. 31 shots on goal and 4 scored. OK against a low ranked team – but still done!
Italy out and Germany looking good, France with huge potential. Personally I would not write off the Alpine countries yet. Switzerland are well organised as are Austria. The Euro’s have thrown up surprises in the past!
I will admit to tearing up listening to Glastonbury Coldplay – Fix you! I thought I would mention other places I have cried! Brussels Cathedral – I walked in all agnostic and historian – then the choir started and I sat outside sobbing! I think that is it for places!
Interesting stats from the ONS. Live births was down 3.1% to 605479 in Eng & Wales in 2022. Also half of all women born in 1990 were childless by their 30th birthday. The fertility rate is about 1.7 (Italy 1.2 and SKorea 0.7). Worldwide only sub-Saharan Africa has a rapidly expanding population.
The population of the UK is rising through migration and given that most migrnts are under 35 one would expect expect that to have an impact on the fertility rate and births. Maybe it does? and the rate for those born here is similar to Italy?
There are many implications. Primary school places will be reduced (by as much as 13%) resulting in redundancies. The working age proportion of the population is set to fall. The population over 65 is set to rise both in numbers and in percentage.
This is happeneing now – and yet there is no discussion. We know tories do not give a shit – they will have pensions and be ok. But the implications for society are immense and growing. Pressures on NHS and the care sector. Need for unskilled workers, demand for higher skilled workers – or will AI have an impact on these and result in a dumbing down?
Will workers be paid more and work less? If so productivity will need to be improved (another dumbing down?). Will housing need to take these stats into account? Perhaps smaller housing with communial gardens? Older people taking on childcare to free people up for older aged care?
Age distribution will possibly become a bigger factor? Inner cities becoming the home of young adults whilst families populate the suburbs and villages. So where will old people go? Being well into that category I would like to continue to live where I am. However it is not perfect with the doctor in the next village, limited shopping and a group of christians dominating both church and village hall and subsequent groups! The majority of the under 65’s work away and shop and play away! I am sure some have never set foot in the village shop.
Education will at last need to change – traditional skills are superflous in a future scenario. Thinking skills are likely to become more important and maybe schools need to reduce the traditional school day hours and add super activites for at least 4 hours with different staff? A division between academic and artistic/fitness/fun?
Migration – at present it will need to continue until society can be restructured to take into account the changes happening. Asylum will increasingly be needed for climatic and environmental disasters (when will the superpowers wake up to the need for them to accept their responsibility?). Sub-Saharan Africa has been left to France and Russia for too long (with an input from USA). China has invested millions in infrastructure and raw material extraction. Surely it could become the power generator for Europe (a plan proposed many times! But the political turmoil caused by the underinvestment in the area has prevented large scale projects.
I have not mentioned culture – is this the elephant in the room? Are we all frightened of the basic culture we grew up with being modified or changed? I guess that in some areas the changes have been too fast. Wearing the burkah is maybe a symptom of this – after all what could be more inocuous than wearing a face covering? But it comes back to need to conform – children following the same fashions, joining in with activities that we know are wrong? More multi-cultural activities are needed in communities – who does not enjoy a taste of something different!
It really is different over there! If Biden went now Harris would become President. But the Democrats will nominate the candidate for the Presidency in a convention in Chicago in August. Biden has already got enough nominations to be that candidate. – but it is probable that he will be advised to stand down before then (although he says he will not!). So there are 3 candidates who stand out Gavin (cool to have a Gavin as President?), Gretchen (bit of a fairy story?) or JBPritzker (savory snack?). JBPritzker has the money, Gavin the all-American looks and Gretchen youthful enthusiasm.
However the wider picture is rather bleak! Trump is basically threatening civil disobedience if he does not win and seems to be backed by both wealthy and the well armed insane! My belief is that the Democrats would need to spend a shed load of money to get their candidate into te White House. Biden looks and sounds beaten! Trump arogant and aggressive. In this country it is the media (dominated by the right) that seems to want to make it a 2 horse race. In many constituencies such as mine, where the borders have changed quite radically, there is no incumbent MP standing (also about 100 MP’s have resigned/retired). But otherwise there is a local element – one which was promoted by Brexiteers of taking back control and having a local MP to potentially converse with!
Back to the UK – Mail headlines Tactical voting! I am sure I have read about them slagging off Labour in the last election for this very thing! Otherwise they have also turned their sights on Reform – but nt Farage!. I guess Starmer can just sit and watch? Labours lead in the polls does not seem to have diminished much with the prominence that Reform is getting? So he should sit tight – issue some cutting responses to the most dispicable of Farage and cronies. And hopefully next week we can celebrate before holding the next Government to account!
Last nights TV debate revealed 2 things. One person seems unfit to be a candidate, let alone the person who holds power in the world’s still most important country; and the other who it seems cannot put a sentence together without lying! Some choice America!
I have nothing new to say about Trump but the Biden situation is very interesting! Listening to John Sobell – he reckons that there could be 2 alternative democrats who could run for President – one is a California Govenor Gavin Newsom or Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan. Whether the Democrats could sort themselves out and then raise the finance is questionable! The rest of the world will be looking on with baited breath!
It seems obvious that Farage is using the same tactics as were used to get Brexit.
A wide range of unconnected, uncoated, and generably unobtainable statements, but all of which appeal to the underlying insecurity of the population who have been desensitised by austerity. No one paints a brighter future, and the cowards look nostalgically back to a past that has been cleansed of the nasty stuff.
Perhaps a few truths would be good to emphasise. The war gainst Hitler would not have been won without the USSR – D-Day would not have succeeded. Typhoid and cholera were around in this country in the 1950’s. Life expectancy was much lower than today. The benefits from migrants has been immense. The only unequivical thing that was better? The physical environment before chemicals and agribusiness destroyed the wildlife in the countryside. Cars broke. down regularly, foreign holidays were beyond reach for most and British summers with a couple of exceptions were awful!
If there is anything that we could suggest that the prsent would be better without it would possibly be some aspects, but not all, of the globalisation aspect of capitalism. It would be wrong to condemb capitalism ‘per se’, but its unrestrained spread has created a more unequal and dangerous world. Nividea is worth more than the GDP of the UK! How is that even conscionable? It does not take a genius to realise that unequal wealth distribution (beyond certain limits) creates an environment where violence becomes an option for the underclass.
Spell of warm weather has perked things up. Chicory and evening primrose have burst into flower. Slugs also seem o think there is a free dinner with my baby flowers! Tomatoes looking good too, and the chillies are making an effort after initial torpor! So I have some plants on the patio table to harden up a bit – then tomorrow I will put out some planters with flowers to brighten up the garden.