I knew someone who used to say how glad she was that she had a job in the "caring professions". No, I don't know what she meant either. I don't think it was that kind of care. But then I also knew another person who said there were "no victims only willing volunteers". I'm pretty sure she meant that you bring it all on yourself by the choices you make.
But maybe not. Maybe both of them should listen to Manchester's finest philosopher : "I never felt like I had anything important to say".
Essentially all of this tripe means we are all trying to create, define and then churn out our own narrative, and make others believe it too. We are all politicians at heart, especially the ones amongst you who say any of the following, or similar:
1. They are all in it for themselves, just as bad as each other.
2. I'm going to weigh all the evidence carefully and vote in the national interest
3. We need strong, stable, leadership.
Then there's Theresa, or is it Teresa, I can never remember. "Let me be quite clear". Please just stop talking to us as if we were all children, or if you must, at least come down to our level and use baby language. I know you are a vicar's daughter, but that is not a qualification to lord it all over the rest of us.
We don't need strength, unless it's 953, and preferably welded not silver-brazed. Stability? Just keep moving and it happens, you will stay upright. Leadership? Over-rated. We are all individuals.
What we need is a bit more chaos. Some creativity, born of diversity of thought, not monolithic groupthink. Have you ever heard of the Stockdale paradox? Defined by Jim Collins in his book, "Good to Great", it's essentially the ability to be optimistic, whilst confronting the brutal facts of your reality, objectively.
This Brexit mess, well, I hear all my fellow Remainers gleefully pointing out, largely correctly, how up shit creek we are without a paddle. Whilst the Brexiteers stick their heads in the sand, with "Brexit means Brexit and we are going to make a success of it" rubbish.
A lot of things are going to go wrong, and most of us are going to have worse lives with a "hard Brexit". So let's objectively accept how much being in the single market benefits us, and embrace it. Put your prejudice about difference to one side and vote for openness, tolerance, economic wellbeing. You can still be out of the EU if you want. But don't pretend that anything other than this would be a total shambles.
Saturday, 22 April 2017
Wednesday, 19 April 2017
All that you fashion
I am a fully paid-up member of the liberal metropolitan elite, despite living in a rural area, been educated at a comprehensive school, and holding one or two reactionary views about the use of nouns as verbs.
I voted to stay in the EU. I'm not going to tell you again why it was such a bad decision to vote leave, let's face it, we are all pretty bored of going over the same arguments over and over again. But with my old mucker Monmarduman offering his well-reasoned, erudite and carefully-costed plans for his vote, I couldn't let the occasion slip peacefully past. So here is my new-fangled pound-coins worth.
1. "If voting changed anything they'd abolish it"
I have a proud record in general elections of always voting, but never having the person I voted for returned to Parliament. My relationship to what passes for a democratic process in the UK is a bit like one of those battered wives explaining why she stays with the oaf who continually beats the shit out of her. "But I love him".
Well, no longer. I have fallen out of love with our general elections. So instead of following it all on the (too) many media and newspapers that invade our lives, I will be hunkering down, doing as much cycling as I can, and avoiding as much of the rubbish as I can.
2. "As their lies wash you down and their promises rust"
Really? You needed to be told that they lie? Because if they were honest with you, you would never vote for them.....
3. The electoral system is fundamentally unfair and undemocratic.
I say this knowing that if a sufficiently inspiring and well-organised bunch of remainers existed (it doesn't) then they could in theory reverse Brexit by persuading only 35-40% of the electorate to vote for Lib Dem candidates in 326 constituencies. And we already know that May's Little Englander brigade will get a 100 seat majority on about 40% of the vote. Look at Scotland. The SNP garners almost all the seats, on just 45% of the vote.
Just don't argue because I'm on very solid ground on this one.
4. The "will of the people" doesn't exist
Most of "the people" can barely construct a sentence, never mind a rational argument, let alone a concept as definite as a collective will. These types of ideas are best left in history where they belong. Just look up Leni Riefenstahl and all the trouble that comes from this kind of ideology.
5. The main forces that act upon us are not affected by Elections
Count how many times you hear the phrase "global warming" in this election. I bet it will be on the fingers of one hand. Yet in 100 years time, our great grandchildren will look back at these petty squabbles and curse us for our short-sighted parochialism.
6. Bias runs through us like Usain Bolt in the 100 metres
Quickly, purposefully but there nonetheless. Confirmation bias, gender and race bias, all lurking just under the surface, for all of us, even me. It's been scientifically proved time and time again. So don't pretend your voting intentions are objective.
7. Don't try and understand the Northern Ireland situation
There's a reason all those seats are lumped into "Others" and never discussed by whichever Dimbleby is on the TV. It just risks starting an argument that will never end. The Irish don't really understand it and they've been having the argument for over 400 years. It's emotional, it's sectarian, it's tribal, it's religious. Don't go there.
8. A lot of Welsh vote for a party advocating independence, but hardly any of them actually want independence.
I'm sure this could be explained easily and simply, but I've never understood it. Perhaps it's a protest, but in contrast to the Irish it rarely (with the exception of a few holiday cottages going up in smoke) ends in violence. More likely to end in singing.
9. We get the politicians and the politics we deserve
In the forties and fifties, and even in the sixties and seventies, the characters in UK politics were ethical, and generally had experience of life before going to Westminster. Even if you disagreed with them, most people felt that our MPs had some ethos of public service about them.
Not now. A lot have never had a real job, never mind interacted with us in any meaningful way. Think Malcolm Tucker. Very funny but desperately sad all at the same time.
But what have we done about this situation? We created it by virtue of our indolence.
10. It will all be over soon.
And we can get back to what we all do best.....whatever that is. In the meantime, I'm ignoring the whole sorry business. No, really....
I voted to stay in the EU. I'm not going to tell you again why it was such a bad decision to vote leave, let's face it, we are all pretty bored of going over the same arguments over and over again. But with my old mucker Monmarduman offering his well-reasoned, erudite and carefully-costed plans for his vote, I couldn't let the occasion slip peacefully past. So here is my new-fangled pound-coins worth.
1. "If voting changed anything they'd abolish it"
I have a proud record in general elections of always voting, but never having the person I voted for returned to Parliament. My relationship to what passes for a democratic process in the UK is a bit like one of those battered wives explaining why she stays with the oaf who continually beats the shit out of her. "But I love him".
Well, no longer. I have fallen out of love with our general elections. So instead of following it all on the (too) many media and newspapers that invade our lives, I will be hunkering down, doing as much cycling as I can, and avoiding as much of the rubbish as I can.
2. "As their lies wash you down and their promises rust"
Really? You needed to be told that they lie? Because if they were honest with you, you would never vote for them.....
3. The electoral system is fundamentally unfair and undemocratic.
I say this knowing that if a sufficiently inspiring and well-organised bunch of remainers existed (it doesn't) then they could in theory reverse Brexit by persuading only 35-40% of the electorate to vote for Lib Dem candidates in 326 constituencies. And we already know that May's Little Englander brigade will get a 100 seat majority on about 40% of the vote. Look at Scotland. The SNP garners almost all the seats, on just 45% of the vote.
Just don't argue because I'm on very solid ground on this one.
4. The "will of the people" doesn't exist
Most of "the people" can barely construct a sentence, never mind a rational argument, let alone a concept as definite as a collective will. These types of ideas are best left in history where they belong. Just look up Leni Riefenstahl and all the trouble that comes from this kind of ideology.
5. The main forces that act upon us are not affected by Elections
Count how many times you hear the phrase "global warming" in this election. I bet it will be on the fingers of one hand. Yet in 100 years time, our great grandchildren will look back at these petty squabbles and curse us for our short-sighted parochialism.
6. Bias runs through us like Usain Bolt in the 100 metres
Quickly, purposefully but there nonetheless. Confirmation bias, gender and race bias, all lurking just under the surface, for all of us, even me. It's been scientifically proved time and time again. So don't pretend your voting intentions are objective.
7. Don't try and understand the Northern Ireland situation
There's a reason all those seats are lumped into "Others" and never discussed by whichever Dimbleby is on the TV. It just risks starting an argument that will never end. The Irish don't really understand it and they've been having the argument for over 400 years. It's emotional, it's sectarian, it's tribal, it's religious. Don't go there.
8. A lot of Welsh vote for a party advocating independence, but hardly any of them actually want independence.
I'm sure this could be explained easily and simply, but I've never understood it. Perhaps it's a protest, but in contrast to the Irish it rarely (with the exception of a few holiday cottages going up in smoke) ends in violence. More likely to end in singing.
9. We get the politicians and the politics we deserve
In the forties and fifties, and even in the sixties and seventies, the characters in UK politics were ethical, and generally had experience of life before going to Westminster. Even if you disagreed with them, most people felt that our MPs had some ethos of public service about them.
Not now. A lot have never had a real job, never mind interacted with us in any meaningful way. Think Malcolm Tucker. Very funny but desperately sad all at the same time.
But what have we done about this situation? We created it by virtue of our indolence.
10. It will all be over soon.
And we can get back to what we all do best.....whatever that is. In the meantime, I'm ignoring the whole sorry business. No, really....
Friday, 1 July 2016
Whatever happened to Leon Trotsky?
Last Sunday I joined the Liberal Democrats.
For those of you tuning in thinking you are going to read about cycling I'm afraid you are going to be sorely disappointed. Although I may not be able to help myself. The Tour does start tomorrow after all. But no, this site is for what one of my Brexiteer colleagues sneeringly referred to as my "burgeoning political career". Actually there will be no such thing, and nice guy though he is, no really, I respect him professionally and like him a lot, he really has no idea.
But neither do I. When I was last a member of a political party the charts were full of decent music, some of our politicians had principles (even the ones I disliked) and it was pretty straightforward. I was a student after all, and you went on demos, put leaflets through doors, spoke and argued a lot, and argued about minor procedural points at conferences. And drank a lot. And looked like this.
But I left active politics because I got bored of the ambition winning over the ideas. I grew up and got a job on the treadmill and moved on. And I remain deeply suspicious of all politicians and little faith in their ability to find genuinely productive solutions. My values always remained though, sometimes covert, sometimes not.
I have joined the Liberal Democrats to try and do something about the shit that has fallen onto us as a result of the EU referendum debacle.
What am I going to do? Well I haven't worked that one out, but I wanted to be active in some way to advance the ideas, principles, and values connected to this situation, rather than just carping on the sidelines. And if the Ukrainians have any influence, hopefully I can reach them too and they can pitch in.
It's really simple. Leaving the EU was and is a bad idea. I can't change that. But maybe, just maybe, I can change some minds.
Back in those heady days in the 70s & 80s no-one thought the Berlin Wall would ever come down, or the Irish troubles would be solved, or Apartheid would crumble, that Salford United would ever win the League or that the UK could be a prosperous, diverse, liberal, tolerant society. I know, who can imagine that?
I want to make sure it remains so.
Let's see how it goes.
For those of you tuning in thinking you are going to read about cycling I'm afraid you are going to be sorely disappointed. Although I may not be able to help myself. The Tour does start tomorrow after all. But no, this site is for what one of my Brexiteer colleagues sneeringly referred to as my "burgeoning political career". Actually there will be no such thing, and nice guy though he is, no really, I respect him professionally and like him a lot, he really has no idea.
But neither do I. When I was last a member of a political party the charts were full of decent music, some of our politicians had principles (even the ones I disliked) and it was pretty straightforward. I was a student after all, and you went on demos, put leaflets through doors, spoke and argued a lot, and argued about minor procedural points at conferences. And drank a lot. And looked like this.
But I left active politics because I got bored of the ambition winning over the ideas. I grew up and got a job on the treadmill and moved on. And I remain deeply suspicious of all politicians and little faith in their ability to find genuinely productive solutions. My values always remained though, sometimes covert, sometimes not.
I have joined the Liberal Democrats to try and do something about the shit that has fallen onto us as a result of the EU referendum debacle.
What am I going to do? Well I haven't worked that one out, but I wanted to be active in some way to advance the ideas, principles, and values connected to this situation, rather than just carping on the sidelines. And if the Ukrainians have any influence, hopefully I can reach them too and they can pitch in.
It's really simple. Leaving the EU was and is a bad idea. I can't change that. But maybe, just maybe, I can change some minds.
Back in those heady days in the 70s & 80s no-one thought the Berlin Wall would ever come down, or the Irish troubles would be solved, or Apartheid would crumble, that Salford United would ever win the League or that the UK could be a prosperous, diverse, liberal, tolerant society. I know, who can imagine that?
I want to make sure it remains so.
Let's see how it goes.
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