Fragments of May, 2019

Totnes, May 31st, 2019

I'm in bits. I think quite a lot of people in the United Kingdom are in bits at the moment. No need to mention the reason.

I am beginning with this bit of bitchiness :-

To paraphrase a recent letter to The Guardian

‘Dear sir,

Early June is not a good time for the Prime Minister to resign. The end of May would be better. 

Yours etc.’

I regret having persuaded myself to record the above.  I  feel for this lamentable lady as I do for those in that section of human life which is catalogued under "POLITICIANS". They believe so much in themselves - many are on the make  - yet they are hapless. They have no clue, they are useless at what they do and refuse to admit it. Look at miserable Mrs. May. She may have meant well but she did not succeed in any political role she took on. She is far from alone when you consider her colleagues past and present. Yet these were and are people who are absolutely convinced they are right and tell us so. Wouldn't it be healthier if they were to admit to their mediocrity and seek our help? It fair makes my blood boil that they think they are so much wiser than most ordinary lasses and lads. 

It's sad to see there are many who put their noses to the grindstone in the mistaken belief that the imperatives of these politicians must be followed. Thus people working for private companies as agents of government  attack poor and vulnerable people and deny them rights. Yes, our government attacks us.

More fragments:- 

 I’ve reached a stage where words won’t do to express my fury and rage. If I don’t agree with Netanyahu and the Israeli government's policies and actions I’m an anti-semite and thus a member of the Labour Party (which, proudly, I am). I’m allowed no way out of this cage. Pity the Palestinians.

We’re all warmongers yet would deny it. It’s when we’re peacemakers we like to cry it.

I’m feeling fed up of just about everything….…..and after some hours reflection on this,

I find I’m still fed up.

I once yearned for longevity 

But now I pray for brevity

Says me a man who has no facility 

for language written or oral.

I am grandiose, pompous and wordy 

At all times guilty of prolix.

LP Hartley wrote that the past was a foreign country,

and that they did things differently there.

For me it’s ditto for the present.

They do things differently here

And I’m lost in this place going nowhere.

Two women overheard in a shop in Exeter

"That’s a bright scarf"  says one.

“Yes, it wouldn’t do for me,” replies the other.

A good joke in the closing pages of Ali Smith’s novel And there for the

“What prize did the man who designed door knockers win?”

“I don’t know, what prize did he win?”

“The no bell prize”.

I hope that in June I can pull things together and get the bells ringing again.

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Jackie Sharpe writes:

Song of the marginalised

Get out of my way I'm much younger, fitter, faster and more important than you. 

My son is in there and I need to see him.

You carry on fiddling with the entry numbers, I'll just knock on the door.

Get out of my way I'm coming out now.

I'm even younger and much smarter.

You're doing it all wrong. You've put the numbers in the wrong way round.

I'll do it. Get out of my way. You're so slow and stupid.

Why do you want to go in there anyway?

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Ian Whittingham observes:

It's the 1st of June now. The Big Day has arrived.
Hopefully tonight all will be well in the world!

You'll never walk alone!

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Alison Poltock comments

Ha, I see the influence of an East End Film Fest invitation earlier. Great riffing! I always love reading your blog spots - although with the state of the world at the moment, they’re struggling to find a positive spin (you need Alistair Campbell for that ; ). Good joke to end on though - much better than that old cracker classic : “why did the farmer win a Nobel prize? - because he was outstanding in his field”. Groan. 

As you can see, your blog has not cured my insomnia, which I guess is a compliment!

I’ve pretty much given up on politics and currents affairs - I barely keep a track on the news anymore as it’s always so biased and maddening. And, of course, saddening. I took a cursory glance just now and saw a headline about another mass shooting in America. As Private Frazer used to say “we’re all doomed Captain Mainwaring”.

I hope you and mum are well. Looking forward to seeing you both on Friday, and thanks for your blog post, shame we don’t all have your ruminations to read rather than Facebook. Everyone I know of all ages is on it ALL THE TIME jumping on whatever is the zeitgeist of the moment. Next time you drive past a bus stop in London, check out the queue- everyone will be on their phones, and everyone will be on Facebook. Scary. That Mark Zuckerwhatsit has a lot to answer for. 

Ok, I’m off to read an article about how Australia has just given the thumbs up to a coal mining plant larger in size than the whole of the UK. It seems that the message from Greta and the gang hasn’t reached Ozzy shores. Or maybe it has, but someone very skilled in spin doctoring has been at work......

ALISTAIR where are you at?

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Lucy, the celebrated dog from Kent barks

If what I hear is truly the state of your human affairs, I can only say I am grateful that I neither read nor write.

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A Festival of Song in Israel: a celebration of human harmony?

     What's another year? The bizarre extravaganza that is the Eurovision Song Contest is to go ahead even in the face of a widespread condemnation of the event being held this weekend in Tel Aviv.  A small minority of powerful people from the worlds of politics, finance and mainstream media have been successful in making sure this year's competition in Israel will run. They try to claim the moral high ground, (as others have tried to do with sport), by suggesting that music and musical performance are peaceful not political endeavours.  Yes, they can be peaceful ventures which bring people together in harmony and unity but on this occasion the argument does not hold.

     
    To witness that music is often politically divisive listen to the tenor of the music and lyrics of most national anthems. For instance one verse in the British National Anthem God Save the Queen contains the following lines about what should be done to Scots.

Lord grant that Marshal Wade
May by thy mighty aid
Victory bring.
May he sedition hush,
And like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush.
God save the Queen!

    
    Nothing I have heard or read about this year's occasion persuades me that it is about harmony or unity, and justice has not been served in bestowing upon Israel the right to run this international event, an event that is always openly used by the hosting nation as a propaganda exercise from which it shapes an image of itself that it hopes will demonstrate its respectability. This could be acceptable if, in the main, the government of the hosting state treats all of its inhabitants and neighbours justly, equally and humanely.  These qualities are not evident in the actions of the government of Israel towards the Palestinian people. It is tragically ironic to watch an Israeli government adopt the kind of attitude towards the Palestinian people for which the NAZI German government of the 1930s and 1940s was rightly condemned when its treatment of Jewish people and others was unthinkably abominable. More alarming about the current situation is that the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, appears to have the support of the USA, (so called 'Land of the Free'), under the ‘leadership' of President Trump. 
    
    Even more distressing is that in acquiescing to this cruelty we all become culpable. Is the deliberate imposing of suffering upon Palestinians a price they should be prepared to pay so that our show can go on?  Must our show go on ? Or should we "Dare To Dream" that it meets its deserved Waterloo?

I wonder if some day that you’ll say its OK

To watch a festival of song in Israel where innocents are slaughtered everyday,

Like Palestinians on a string, 
Like Palestinians on a string!

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