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Showing posts from 2011

Cameron and Christianity

Well, our Prime Minister has decided to done his sackcloth and has taken the opportunity of the season to chide the Church on not doing enough to promote the idea that Britain is a Christian country, and that we should return to traditional Christian values. I can see where Cameron is coming from but he's clearly not done much to understand what has been going on in this country for the last 50 years or more. Firstly, the predominant problems in our society are to do with people who would have been born into families that once would have followed the ethos of the Christian Church. In the 1960s and then on there was a rebellion against the Church and nothing, sadly, properly replaced the function of the Church. Except other religions and spiritual paths for those who still felt that an 'inner' life was an important factor. It is a fact that over these last 40 years there has been a substantial influx of Asians who have brought with them their Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist

Miliband deserves and needs all the backing he can get

The respected author Harold Pinter said (in his 2005 Nobel Prize speech): I believe that despite the enormous odds which exist, unflinching, unswerving, fierce intellectual determination, as citizens, to define the real truth of our lives and our societies is a crucial obligation which devolves upon us all. It is in fact mandatory . The time has now come when man has no option but to re-find his self-respect. In the UK, we still (despite what we think are problems) sit comfortably while in many countries typhoons and tempests rage and floods are making thousands homeless. Deserts are being created and children are going hungry as much now if not more than they have ever done. Wars are still being fought and the donwtrodden in a number of countries have sprung up to seek justice against their oppressors. The world's ecology is threatened. Man is at a precipice. Back home, there have been significant signs of a deep and underlying frustration in the UK. There is no excuse f

Answering Fire with Fire

Understandably, the Prime Minister calls for law and order and promises that control over the situation will be imposed. Good. But, does this mean that the cuts that are in the process of being imposed on the police will be eased to ensure no repeat of the conflagration? Let’s ask another question. If the cuts on the police budget are eased, will there be a corresponding ease on the cuts to those services which are likely to help restore community well-being – the youth clubs, the community workers and all the fine services that have recently been forced to break up? I doubt it. In reality, government does not want to know about people who commit these ‘crimes against society’ – it draws back from dealing with the source of the problem, which is primarily alienation of the youths in deprived areas. Government has never properly cared about these issues. When the British economy picked up during the early 90s, the riot problems manifest in the 70s and 80s looked as though they had

The Big Society

David Cameron is right! The idea of the Big Society is a brilliant one. But it's already being going on for quite a few years since before he was born!! My Uncle Percy (an ordinary working man) was one of those who not only worked a 50-hour week as standard but also put in so many hours every week in giving free help to administer charity work for those who were without shelter or in other kinds of desperate need. This was before the War and just after, before the Welfare State came into being. That was the time of the real Big Society. But there are many, many other examples from before Uncle Percy's time and since, including a certain George Perkins of Birmingham who I came across more than 35 years ago, trying to stimulate interest in youngsters in deprived areas to help the community. Cameron talks blithely on TV about how his middle-class, moneyed constituency are setting a good example for the Big Society. Problem is, he nor the people he's talking of have hardl

Commonsense

An Obituary printed in the London Times: Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place: Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; Teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; A teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. Common Sense lost ground when parents att