The Jam Jam

I am passionate about the need to take action regarding climate change – but tadays headlines in the Guardian were sensationalist and possibly counter productive. The oil companies and big business and for some strange reason the right wing idiots are all climate deniers. So whilst the use of statistics maybe justified if predictions are even marginally out it will be lapped up. Headlines referring to 2050 may be prudent and sensible, but populist propaganda is not, most of the ardent supporters of Reform will be dead by then! Worst case scenarios are pointless when knuckle draggers welcome Med style summer temperatures. Will water companies, still driven by profit, be prepared – no new reservoirs for how long?

The Climate Change Committee also reported that flooding would increase (especially with nonsensicle planning approvals) with more intense storms and higher river flow (beavers and rewriggling will not be enough) and sea level rising. Conversely drought will become more common. Wild fires would increase and food production would be disrupted. So totally gloom and doom! I am a believer in Ester Boserup’s theory; population growth acts as the primary driver for agricultural innovation. Adapting this climate change will see farmers and consumers adapting to change. Will fizzy wine (champagne) become more common whilst meat becomes a luxury (if it is not already)? The old – middle aged today will lament the change but it will happen. Back to Ester – world population growth, has trebled in my life time, and even with growth rates falling it will continue to expand. This means more space for humans and less space for the ecosystems that underwrite our survival. Fuck it – I went down another negative theme!

So all Hail Elon Musk and fellow bros – they will save humanity! Or like Stark by Ben Elton they will fuck of to another planet and leave the suckers who supported them to die!

Again filling the front pages with excitable bollox. Why would the EU want the UK to rejoin when a major party has grown due to its distatste for the EU (Reform and with the Tories rump still a sizeable percentage of the electorate). Yes the British economy is 5th in the world ranked by GDP, but the EU will not be rushing to allow the UK to rejoin as it has bigger problems at the moment – namely the Russian threat, Trumps instability, and the growth of right wing populism. So maybe a Starmer’ish approach of little by little would be better.?

Ebola – a very nasty disease and the WHO have declared an emergency. Should we be bothered? Well over 200.000 international visitors travel from Congo every year – so it would not be impossible for it to spread? In our interconnected world nowadays we need organisations like the WHO to keep us safe! And Trump has cut funding to zero – bastard! The disease has already had 2 victims in neighbouring Uganda – cuts to aid by the US has reduced early warning systems and possibly enabled the spread of the disease.

An article in the paper today talked about food poverty in the countryside. Yes food in the local shop is expensive and not organic -But did these people learn nothing in school about healthy diets – being a single mother does not have a prerequisite that their children should live on fast food and takeaways. They are often living with gardens – plant some seeds then! And then cook fresh veg – even if more expensive than Aldi or Lidl – it is still cheaper and healthier than preprepared crap. So I have no sympathy for those who cannot be bothered to peel a few veg, a chunk of mincemeat and some pasta/potatoes/rice.

The present mob are in disarray. Elected with a massive majority just in June 2024, they are now fighting each other. Wes Streeting is unlikely to be an MP at the next election – let alone PM. And as for the rest I agree with Jonathan Pie. I too like Angela Rayner but do not wish her to be crucified on the Daily Mail alter of pseudo rightshness (how do you spell that!). No Labour are probably stuck with Starmer – they just need to role out some radical policies. Nationalise the bastard water companies and threaten the same for any energy company that uses the Iran/Trump crisis to profit. Kick private companies out of the NHS, cut student fees, impose rent limits, free bus services in rural areas, increase tax on millionaires (whether via property of earnings – preferably the former). Yes the press would have heart attacks and hernias, but the public would be proud! Stop the phoney Israel love scene and condemn the bastards, along with muslim regimes that incarcerate citizens and murder them. I want to be proud of a multi-cultural Britain.

The BBC have uncovered schemes to fund small boats and trafficking organisations. They are able to launder money through UK banks. Excuse me for being totally fucking ignorant – but why do we have a police force? Surely it should not be up to BBC reporters to go undercover, or are the police to busy dealing with right wing bigots terrorising their families? Or funding themselves by placing speed traps in harmless places? I have often thought the same regarding drugs – if it is easy for a young teen to get drugs it cannot e that difficult to catch the dealers – unless of course they are big male businessmen! Whilst politicians of all parties receive money from Israeli supported groups and other billionaires – should we feel sorry for the shoplifter? I have never been a shoplifter myself although I will admit to finding something under my bags when loading the car – I did not go back into the store to pay for it! Maybe the police are too anglo-saxon and white to be able to infiltrate ad expose these people traffickers? We should have no sympathy for these people who exploit others – but the question of deportation or imprisonment is not one with an easy answer.

The gutter press is in a panic as they see allth econtenders to be next PM supporting the idea of rejoining – a fact supported by the majority of voters in the UK. Brexit was a blatent plot funded by dodgy dealings and has been a disaster on every front. Andy Burnham will possibly lose a byelection in Wigan and there is no one else with the support of the membership and unions. The flag shaggers will probably defeat him – they have unlimited funds supplied by billionaires and foreign powers determined to undermine our democracy which may be wilting under the challenge. I fervently believe that only 20% of Britons are racist, and most of them are over 50! Add in 10% who are just stupid or gullible and the 30% vote for Reform is containable. Another 30% are left wing and support Labour and the Greens (of whom 10% are natural green votersand probably 20% traditional Labour voters.). Another 30% are broadly centre -right, of whom 20% are traditional Tories. That leaves 10% which are SNP or Plaid Cymru and have a greater influence in their respective areas. Why would anyone with a functioning brain cell (and I mean singular here) want to travel to London to support a misogynist, racist bigot – and then hide behind the flag of patriotism. Some peopple are so fucking stupid they should not be allowed to walk the streets without warning signs!

Well that was a rant from no where! I looked at the papers and could not see much of interest! Garden is more interesting. Herbs and roses are all doing well. I am hoping that chicory and evening primrose will appear somewhere soon – they self seed.

Ah – a topic for discussion! Sporting millionaires – Sir David Beckham and Victoria have become billionaires. Fair play to them – but should anyone become a billionaire? Yes we enjoy their talent, as we do with pop stars and film stars – but are they really worth that much? In my opinion no one is worth that much – not Elon Musk or other tecbros, not pseudo industrialists who fuck up the planet or purveyors of luxury brands. Their towers will crumble and the world will rejoice again that small is beautiful.

The government is a shambles! There is a financial crisis affecting many in the population and yet the politicians in Westminster squabble like little children over who was in the queue for the ice cream van first. Basically the population do not give a fuck who is P.M. only that they do a competent job. Labour supporters think Starmer has sold out to the right wing – and I agree; but remember that only 33.7% of the electorate voted for Labour in 2024. So basically 2/3rds did not vote for Labour anyway. Starmer has had an uphill battle against the MSP and many people hoped that there would be a change to a more equitable society. And Starmer has not delivered on that promise. I fear Andy Burnham will regret standing to be an MP at present. Hannah Spencer has already pointed out the drinking culture at Westminster – who would have convidence in any MP, apart from her? Starmer should just tell them all to fucking shut up – introduce legislation to bring forward PR at the polling booth; nationalise water and threaten the same for electricity companies if they do not lower bills; introduce rent capping again; negotiate to rejoin the EU; condemn Israel; make the IPSO do its job; and sort out Care Homes ( a local entrepreneur who has created lots of jobs as well as money for himself want to get into the industry because it is a gold mine!) – with an ageing population and decreased family size and relationships, governments have been negligent for the last 35 years at least. It is time to bite the bullet and nationalise care homes as part of the NHS.

Meanwhile it is cup final day, and at 3pm as it should be. 747 teams entered at the start last summer, only one major team has ever withdrawn (Manchester Fucking United – who else!) and it is a cebration of sport. I have memories about the cup final, Pete’s party in Bethnal Green? in 1973, Manchester U beating Leicester whilst my cousin was getting married (John and I took turns to get out of the church to listen on the radio), 1960 I remember a Blackburn Rovers player getting a broken leg? Then being at a kind of dilapidated farm house with lost grader as Arsenal beat ManU in 1979. I have obviously heard about the ‘Matthews’ final when Mortenson scored a Patrick? And then there was the ‘white suit’ final – was it Liverpool? I have vague recollections of Southampton and Wimbledon both overturning the odds in a big way (I made money on Southampton!). The Brighton striker who missed and is forgotten!; Enjoy the match today!

I have mixed views on charities – firstly most of them should not be necessary – e.g. Cancer charities, surely our tax money should pay for such important research (maybe with a tax allowance); secondly many are just a tax avoidance scheme – e.g. private schools -why should people buying an advantage for their children be given a tax break; third I accept that many charities are niche and would not get public funding. But 170,000 + charities claiming a tax allownce is ridiculous.

Lastly – why should some rich bastard, who has probably ripped off workers or customers, receive plaudits for giving money to their chosen charity? Billionaires by definition are not nice people!