Well, I'm not really sure what it's the season for any more. Certainly for some people it seems to be a grotesque celebration of many of the seven deadly sins, and certainly nothing to do with the traditions surrounding the birth of Christ. Fair enough - most of the symbolism surrounding Christmas was stolen from the pagans and even the date of the winter solstice (or close enough) was stolen, but it is still supposed to be a celebration to do with birth, peace, and loving your fellow man. I'm not really sure what filling shops with tacky crap from September onwards has to do with any of these. Or filling your house with enough food to feed a third world village for a month (then throwing the majority of it in the bin). I really think people have lost the plot and use Christmas as an excuse to eat until they're nearly sick and to spend more money than they have on crap they don't need.
And just in case you haven't spent enough before Christmas don't worry. The sales will give you a huge discount on all of the crap the shops couldn't get rid of before Christmas - some shops even started their 'Boxing Day Sale' on Christmas Eve.
So is this what Christmas has developed into? A quest to spend as much as possible to prove how much you like Christmas? Well not me. I'd rather just have a nice meal and some good company - and be able to stand up after the meal.
Saturday, 26 December 2015
Sunday, 6 September 2015
Exodus
It is very disturbing to me. Very disturbing that a photo of a dead child can cause world leaders to forget anything other than having a misguided concept of 'doing the right thing'.
Unfortunately, the right thing is not to throw open the borders of European countries. Although a dead child is tragic and very emotive, it should not be the basis of foreign policy. Inevitably, relaxing our border controls will lead to more dead bodies and help no-one.
Before asking where my compassion is, you should first ask yourself two basic questions -
So, although a tragic case, the cause of this child dying is not immigration policies of European countries. Why then are European leaders in some sort of grotesque competition to open their borders to prove they are more compassionate than all the rest? Ultimately these actions will encourage many more to make dangerous journeys and therefore more tragic deaths.
Is it perhaps a sense of guilt? After all, our foreign policies over the last few years are at least partly to blame for the current situation in Syria, Libya, Afghanistan etc. - you know, the countries where this mass exodus of people are coming from.
And let's be clear - are they really refugees? The vast majority are male and working age - do refugees leave their young and their women behind when fleeing from danger? Should refugees really be demanding which country they are to be transported to? Or should they be relieved that they have reached safety. Many seem to be dissatisfied with the safety and protection they now have because they are not yet in the country of their choice. You'd have thought that they would feel relief, not some indignant sense of entitlement as soon as they cross a border into a 'lesser' European country.
I have no doubt that there are genuine refugees coming to Europe and they should be helped. But by opening the borders and allowing thousands of people in almost unchecked, how many terrorists are also being allowed across our borders? What hashtag poster will the posturing politicians be holding up in self-publicising poses when a terrorist beheads someone in this country? #terroristswelcome?
Unfortunately, the right thing is not to throw open the borders of European countries. Although a dead child is tragic and very emotive, it should not be the basis of foreign policy. Inevitably, relaxing our border controls will lead to more dead bodies and help no-one.
Before asking where my compassion is, you should first ask yourself two basic questions -
- Why was the Syrian family on a boat travelling from Turkey? They were already in a safe country and did not need to get into an unsafe boat. In fact the beach the child washed up on is a popular destination for many British tourists, yet there have been no warnings from the government not to travel there.
- If Syria was so unsafe that the family needed to flee, how come they were able to return to bury their child? Indeed, if you were fleeing in terror why on earth would you even want to return?
So, although a tragic case, the cause of this child dying is not immigration policies of European countries. Why then are European leaders in some sort of grotesque competition to open their borders to prove they are more compassionate than all the rest? Ultimately these actions will encourage many more to make dangerous journeys and therefore more tragic deaths.
Is it perhaps a sense of guilt? After all, our foreign policies over the last few years are at least partly to blame for the current situation in Syria, Libya, Afghanistan etc. - you know, the countries where this mass exodus of people are coming from.
And let's be clear - are they really refugees? The vast majority are male and working age - do refugees leave their young and their women behind when fleeing from danger? Should refugees really be demanding which country they are to be transported to? Or should they be relieved that they have reached safety. Many seem to be dissatisfied with the safety and protection they now have because they are not yet in the country of their choice. You'd have thought that they would feel relief, not some indignant sense of entitlement as soon as they cross a border into a 'lesser' European country.
I have no doubt that there are genuine refugees coming to Europe and they should be helped. But by opening the borders and allowing thousands of people in almost unchecked, how many terrorists are also being allowed across our borders? What hashtag poster will the posturing politicians be holding up in self-publicising poses when a terrorist beheads someone in this country? #terroristswelcome?
Sunday, 19 April 2015
Politics
Well, only 3 weeks until the UK decides who gets the keys to number 10. It must be difficult for those who haven't decided who they are voting for. I just wish the politicians would tell the truth once in a while.
David Cameroon - no, you're not going to win an outright majority. Live with it and plan your campaign accordingly. Stop living in denial.
Ed Rubberband - Liar liar pants on fire. Of course you're going to go into coalition with the SNP if it means you can get into Downing Street. But of course you can't say this openly because it'll stop people voting for you - I mean come on, who wants the SNP to have any sort of influence over decision making in any government?
Nicola Stir-up - What planet are you on? What gives Scottish Nationalists this belief of entitlement? The Scots already get more money per head than the rest of the UK but you seem to think you are hard done by? Oh, and stop lying about the NHS. The SNP (who have control over health spending in Scotland) increased their spending on the NHS last year by 15.5 % and in the same period, the evil Tory party who are strangling the NHS to death increased spending by 22.8% - It seems to me that one of the biggest claims the SNP makes about the Tories is in fact a load of rubbish - but hey, it's politics, you're allowed to tell lies.
Nigel 'one-of-the-boys' Farage - well at least you have passion. I don't suppose UKIP will be anywhere near as popular at the ballot box as predicted but you never know. At least we sometimes see you telling the truth, even if it is unpopular. But please - explain how you can be such a hypocrite by being an MEP when your fundamental political belief is that we shouldn't be in the EU!
Oh, and I nearly forgot Nick Clogg. Not surprising really - have the Lib Dems even bothered campaigning this time around? They just seem to want to sell themselves to the highest bidder in a desperate attempt to stay in power. Not exactly the best thing for the country now is it?
So what are the choices?
A party who have scrimped and saved now promising to spend spend spend.
A party that put us into massive debt in the first place also promising to spend spend spend but make bigger cuts too.
A party that wants to move the treasury north of the border and spend it all on Scotland.
A party that wants to leave Europe, chuck out all immigrants and then spend spend spend.
A party that doesn't really know what it wants to do.
I think I may have to emigrate!
David Cameroon - no, you're not going to win an outright majority. Live with it and plan your campaign accordingly. Stop living in denial.
Ed Rubberband - Liar liar pants on fire. Of course you're going to go into coalition with the SNP if it means you can get into Downing Street. But of course you can't say this openly because it'll stop people voting for you - I mean come on, who wants the SNP to have any sort of influence over decision making in any government?
Nicola Stir-up - What planet are you on? What gives Scottish Nationalists this belief of entitlement? The Scots already get more money per head than the rest of the UK but you seem to think you are hard done by? Oh, and stop lying about the NHS. The SNP (who have control over health spending in Scotland) increased their spending on the NHS last year by 15.5 % and in the same period, the evil Tory party who are strangling the NHS to death increased spending by 22.8% - It seems to me that one of the biggest claims the SNP makes about the Tories is in fact a load of rubbish - but hey, it's politics, you're allowed to tell lies.
Nigel 'one-of-the-boys' Farage - well at least you have passion. I don't suppose UKIP will be anywhere near as popular at the ballot box as predicted but you never know. At least we sometimes see you telling the truth, even if it is unpopular. But please - explain how you can be such a hypocrite by being an MEP when your fundamental political belief is that we shouldn't be in the EU!
Oh, and I nearly forgot Nick Clogg. Not surprising really - have the Lib Dems even bothered campaigning this time around? They just seem to want to sell themselves to the highest bidder in a desperate attempt to stay in power. Not exactly the best thing for the country now is it?
So what are the choices?
A party who have scrimped and saved now promising to spend spend spend.
A party that put us into massive debt in the first place also promising to spend spend spend but make bigger cuts too.
A party that wants to move the treasury north of the border and spend it all on Scotland.
A party that wants to leave Europe, chuck out all immigrants and then spend spend spend.
A party that doesn't really know what it wants to do.
I think I may have to emigrate!
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