Practical Thoughts

The point that Glenda Jackson made as the motive behind her description of the Thatcher reign was that she felt a need to ensure that history was not being re-written - i.e. that the Tories would not get their wish to have a spotless description of her reign recorded for posterity. On thinking about it, I find that we English tend to have a wonderful ability to exaggerate our history - particularly in the notion that we gave things to the world that the world didn't have before. Though that may be true in respect of things mechanical and the ability to divide and rule, the notion that our sense of civilisation was any better than what existed in all the lands that we occupied is often a completely flawed notion. This was particularly true in India, which - I am sure - will come back and show us to be the repository of true civilisation in not many years from now. Many even think that the sciences stemmed from Isaac Newton and other European greats, until a study of history revea...

The death of Lady Thatcher this week has aroused (again) considerable emotion about what she did and did not do during her term of office from 1979 to 1990. It is, however, agreed by virtually everyone that in certain ways she changed the face of British politics and has left subsequent party leaders (of left and right persuasion) eager to emulate her in certain ways. And to the British public at large she infused a sense of what we have come to term 'aspiration'. However, what does that term really mean ... and does it really take us in the direction we should be aiming for? In fact, by bringing in this aspirational concept, Mrs. (as she was then) Thatcher had the affect of nearly burying some trends that were beginning to be popularised in the 1970s towards green concepts ... the notion that was developing among certain groups of people that Mother Earth was being hard done by, that we were steaming ahead in extracting fossil fuels and creating much dangerous waste. Gree...

The upshot of Maggie's era (having misquoted St. Francis' prayer to start off the process!) is to leave us with professional politicians whose leaders have hardly ever experienced another line of work and an attitude that has left behind those days when at least there was a semblance of genuine experience in public life. And the morals of business - which were always suspect - have been let loose big style. And - yes - Tony Blair capitalised on the era he inherited. It's not to say that everyone's 'at it', but what has been uncovered these last few years makes us realise that the era in which us oldies were brought up (for me the late 40s and the 50s) was the best era in terms of decency, when a TV with 2 b & w channels and 2 weeks' holiday was perfectly all right thanks. And also when most of us ate decent wholesome food. No, of course the society of the 50s couldn't stay where it was, but our leaders (in politics and of trades...

It's been some months since I've felt the energy to write another article. I also thought that perhaps it would be worthwhile seeing just how our ConDem coalition government is working ... just how it is fairing as it hits its mid-way point in their government term. And I say that remembering that they were very clever in getting the government term fixed at 5 years; I doubt whether the coalition would otherwise have survived quite so long as it has. The confident "We're all in it together" speeches from the government when they arrived in power were supposed to pep us all up ... make us believe that such a thing could possible be true. I would suggest that nothing could be further from the truth, and, what is worse, the situation is getting worse ... for the needy, the bottom 10% of society in income and opportunity terms. This very week I read a startling account of how a teenage underclass is rapidly developing in London. While the Shard rises high and oth...

Did you view the Parliamentary TV Channel the other evening and watch the Select Committee on Rail questioning firstly the leaders of the privately-led rail development management, followed by the questioning of the trades unions' representatives? Mmmm ... It doesn't sound very appetising (does it?) and if you didn't view it then I'd not be too surprised. But - do you know - there are valid reasons why a lot of people should have seen it. In the one hour or thereabouts that I saw, I was hugely disturbed by what must have been blatant misleading of the select committee by the development management chair and vice-chair. In contrast, the four trades unions' members (including Bob Crow!) seemed to be talking very good sense. In one question directed at the development management pair (about whether they consulted with the trades unions), the answer was of the variety, "Oh, yes, we're in regular contact ... and when our plans are sufficiently developed, th...

In my previous article I stated that the British athletes have been saying, "If we can accomplish what we have, then everyone can do it!". I asked if that was really the situation. It would be quite easy to (and sometimes I do) dive into a rant against Tory-ism and their record of elite-ism, which I fear is what the Olympic legacy idea will turn into. The Tory government is hell-bent on their plan to pull in the reins on expenditure, therefore it is difficult to see them stopping the selling of playing-fields and investing (other than through Lottery funds) money into the 'Legacy'. To be fair, the Socialists in this country don't have such a good record either - well, at least since the post-WW2 years, perhaps one of the bravest periods of government this country has witnessed. But the people got tired of grey-ness and wanted something of what the toffs had. By the mid-1990s, the Labour Party decided that to try and live by some form of decent well-thought p...

The 30th Olympiad in modern times has - they say - come to an end. The cauldron has ceased burning and the Olympic flag has been handed over to Rio de Janeiro. Speeches have been made saying how great this Olympic event has been and of how the government is suddenly going to further support the development of new athletes, particularly by bringing about a greater interest in schools. 'Legacy' is the new buzz-word. Fine - all that is good. But it is a terrible shame that the Thatcher government all those 30 years ago started the trend of selling off school playing fields - and all the governments since have followed suit. Even last week the government were to sign off the sale of another few dozen playing fields - have they now decided not to do that? The ways and means of governments are wonderful to behold. But back to the London Olympics. The fact is, it's not yet over. The Paralympics is about to start. Are its participants regarded as a separate breed so that they...

I have been blown away by Team GB's performance in the Olympics. I don't know whether it interests you but having seen Andy Murray win the gold in the most remarkable way against Federer made me think that it just shows that anything is possible ... it just takes self-belief to achieve what you want to do. More particularly, if we all in this country were to become as focused as these medal winners on what we should do both socially and spiritually, then, again, anything is possible. The world can so easily become such a wonderful abode if were to desire it enough!

Some of the items included in last night's opening party were class i.m.o. ... The Queen and Mr. Bond, the animation of Churchill's statue, Mr. Bean during the Chariots of Fire interlude ... and what I thought was the truly magnificent theme and engineering of the Olympic flame. That , I thought, was worth all the tea in China ... Well, surely it was at least something that was a truly innovative perspective incorporating the unity of the nations present. Having said that it seems churlish to criticise anything ... but I must. I felt that the first hour was a bore and the piece about the industrial revolution a total misrepresentation of history. Yes, Britain led the way in industrial development, but at the cost of the gross manipulation of workers and domination of a world that did not need dominating. Furthermore, the process led the world to think that all so-called "progress" was OK despite the pollution of the depths, the surface and the air. And parts of the ...

The Tory machine grinds on in its determination to impose its will, claiming that it's policy on financial cuts is necessary in view of what that naughty Labour Party did. Well, the last Labour government was by no means perfect - it certainly did not provide for a rainy day - but the Tories live according to (putting it politely) kidology. They say they're "cutting" but in the process are borrowing more, and wasting more as a result of their various u-turns. They do not know what they're doing, and instead of doing something directly to help the young get into work instead decide that letting the banks have more money to loan to business is the way forward. Will the banks do what is intended at affordable interest rates? I doubt it. It seems that a one-time very senior Tory figure not so long ago succinctly explained that the Conservative Party was a "coalition of privileged interests. Its main purpose is to defend that privilege. And the way it wins el...