tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46142773013881171372024-03-27T23:54:15.163+00:00Buff's StuffWhat actually occurs in our minds when we use language with the intention of meaning something by it? What is the relation subsisting between thoughts, words, or sentences, and that which they refer to or mean? What relation must one fact (such as a sentence) have to another in order to be capable of being a symbol for that other? Using sentences so as to convey truth rather than falsehood?F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.comBlogger884125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-84835813955217374322024-03-23T11:01:00.000+00:002024-03-23T11:01:17.248+00:00A POINT OF VIEW <p style="text-align: justify;">There is a program on BBC Radio 4 entitled <i>A Point of View </i>which features the view of a variety of people in the public sphere. I think it might be worth a listen to this podcast at:<i> </i></p><p>https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001xfxk</p><p>It's only 9 minutes. You may haver to register and sign in to the BBC iPlayer to listen to the program - assuming you can get the BBC on line in the US <br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2sRjKWZGhIuXOQxQ-7Atj-e0KO8C2ifL8OUGt_rOopHiMhKsOJa4Pt9OrsEfAHvD7yPUjjgju0In9U-Td_RZEesctcz9ztus2eaa1ntme91d1RBuBwSNqaOhSLrzUX6P3WvgaQWEmFiong6dR3B6aQU62s9DYzEip87_vByZsWpN12PSfEtLXxVsPIK6/s1094/John%20Gray%20Point%20of%20View.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="1094" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2sRjKWZGhIuXOQxQ-7Atj-e0KO8C2ifL8OUGt_rOopHiMhKsOJa4Pt9OrsEfAHvD7yPUjjgju0In9U-Td_RZEesctcz9ztus2eaa1ntme91d1RBuBwSNqaOhSLrzUX6P3WvgaQWEmFiong6dR3B6aQU62s9DYzEip87_vByZsWpN12PSfEtLXxVsPIK6/w527-h245/John%20Gray%20Point%20of%20View.jpg" width="527" /></a></div>
<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="ky2igmncmogjharherah">John
Nicholas Gray (born 17 April 1948) is an English political philosopher and
author with interests in analytic philosophy, the history of ideas, and
philosophical pessimism. He retired in 2008 as School Professor of European
Thought at the London School of Economics and Political Science</span>.</p>
<p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-121962836280549672024-03-22T15:18:00.001+00:002024-03-22T17:13:46.024+00:00IS IT A QUESTION FREQUENTLY ASKED ?<p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There appears to be an outcry against
smart phones. In particular ‘parents’ are worried about the effects of mobile
phone usage by children and teenagers. On a more political business level, the
United States Government is suing Apple in an antitrust iPhone monopoly lawsuit.
It is claiming that the company has illegally prevented competition by
restricting access to its software and hardware. “<i>Apple has maintained its power
not because of its superiority, but because of its unlawful exclusionary behaviour</i>”
according to US attorney general Merrick Garland.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So on the one hand, excessive and
addictive mobile phone usage is causing deep psychological and behavioural
problems in children and teens, and on the other, exclusivity by one
manufacturer is restricting other companies from greater competition and
proliferation of mobile phones. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Indeed, the usage of mobile
phones has dramatically changed a lot of human behaviour and social
interaction. The increasing technical capability of mobile phones, from simple phones
to include voice messaging, then text messaging and on to internet connectivity
and a variety of video connections (face time, WhatsApp etc..) has indeed been
a technical revolution which has dramatically changed social interaction. The drive
to combine computer innovation with personal communication and enhanced capabilities
has been relentless. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Before any of this got going, I
can recall reading the ‘funny papers’ and marvelling at Dick Tracy’s two way
wrist radio which began in 1946. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, we
have the smart watch which seems to be an even more compact personal computer.
The implanted chip may well be on the verge of making us all cyborgs.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJL6pmLz0SvH4xNJTjYEBHYrBBHr2sn8QXVKu2pe9zNrcAvOsLZPDW2a2dxOKX4b5k22KNsr3I5qx44wNSKEKNmh331WANJomABV5_HZx0GRut9YcPStxaOkku4u3DA2eWGccR7ViFNfnX_97NosfggYld74xHhcoQyjbRSIn2ROcBXo2SecUAKzwj6w9/s1366/dick%20tracy.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="1110" height="619" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJL6pmLz0SvH4xNJTjYEBHYrBBHr2sn8QXVKu2pe9zNrcAvOsLZPDW2a2dxOKX4b5k22KNsr3I5qx44wNSKEKNmh331WANJomABV5_HZx0GRut9YcPStxaOkku4u3DA2eWGccR7ViFNfnX_97NosfggYld74xHhcoQyjbRSIn2ROcBXo2SecUAKzwj6w9/w503-h619/dick%20tracy.jpg" width="503" /></a></div>
<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So where do we go from here? There
is no doubt that the addictive effects of the smart phone are causing
significant disruption and changes in our behaviour, and not just in children
and teens. Sleep patterns and other aspects of our behaviour have been
modified. How did we manage before the proliferation of mobiles? It takes an effort
to remember. The telephone box or kiosk in stores, on the street, at airports
and railway stations were prolific. The dial was eventually changed to push
button and the method of payment and connection was simplified. Can you
remember “Push button B” or was it A? Some people could somehow tap the cradle buttons
and get connected for free. All very different now.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As to meeting up with friends, arrangements
were made in advance or one just turned up. It was a more fluid and clearly
more interactive approach to relationships. One spent more time with friends and
relations in person, out of necessity and circumstance. Of course one could
spend a lot of time on long phone calls, but that was more to do with distance
and with close friends and family. It was also in addition to personal contact.
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The telephone was usually on a
table in the hall. The long lead, the extension and multiple phones around the
flat or house came along for convenience and increased usage. So far as
businesses were concerned the installations of multiple lines and switch boards
were introduced. There were many operators and an information service along
with telephone directories galore. So much paraphernalia and many people were
involved with telephones. When one called one always spoke to a person. It took
a while before the answerphone was introduced but one would generally speak to
a living being. On the whole, the telephone industry employed a lot of people
and became widespread multinational public as well as private companies. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any event it was all people. First and
foremost we interacted with people.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Much has changed. Now any interaction
with organisations is met with interrogation and instruction by a voice telling
us what number to tap, or what to say, with advice to go on line in the first
place. The website should be the first port of call with its list of frequently
asked questions, none of which are the one you want to ask. Also one no longer
taps buttons, one speaks or swipes across an image. The style and method of interaction
has dramatically changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The days when
people walking down the street, talking to themselves and gesticulating, might be
considered in need of help, have become an everyday fact of life. One does have
to admire the dexterity and skill which some people - generally the young -
demonstrate when texting. Of course the language we use has significantly
change. When did <i>access</i> and <i>impact</i> or <i>text</i> become a verb?
One used to have access to something or make an impact on something or someone
and write a text or send a message. We now access, impact and text all over the
place. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In any event, people being
born into this world have an entirely different perspective and approach. Much
of it seems to be great cause for concern. Children are apparently becoming
more isolated and perhaps actually less communicative despite the ease with
which they can communicate through their smart phones. They are also prone to
be influenced in a negative way by the myriad of stuff that comes through to
them because so much of it is crap and deeply worrying. Sadly, the scams,
bullying and scatological material is as prolific as the very valuable
information that is also available on the net. Unfortunately, the sad character
of a great number of human beings has led to the creation of the dark web and
hacking. All of this has given great cause for concern. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Controlling and policing the internet
is extremely problematic. Blocking and editing material is far more difficult
that one can imagine. The difficulty of using technology to control technology
has become apparent. To attempt to ban and control the use of technology in any
way is equally problematic. Making it illegal for children to have smart phones
is not a solution. Because of the rather sad nature of our society and for matters
of safety, for a child to be able to contact a parent or call for help in an
emergency is perhaps something of a necessity. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The tragedy is that the use of
the internet has become a weapon in the hands of some people. One finds oneself
thinking about it as one does about the use of guns in the United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the absence of being able to ban guns,
because of a constitutional amendment, many citizens speak of “responsible gun
ownership”. It is only a matter of teaching people, and children in particular,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>how to look after guns and use them ‘responsibly’.
What on earth does that mean? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Should we now be speaking of
teaching responsible use of the internet in the hope that the phishing and
other forms of scamming and negative social engineering will disappear? How far
can one legislate and criminalise internet activity without massive infringements
of civil liberties and damaging political social engineering as well. I feel
for the parents whose anxiety over their children’s stress and anxiety
apparently brought about by the proliferation of smartphones, is overwhelming. I
heard a mother this morning, on radio 4’s Today program, seeking to find a way
forward and trying to set up a group or lobby of parents to find a solution. It
only adds to one’s own stress and anxiety. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I confess I spend a lot of time
on the internet. I enjoy the stuff I find surfing around the web. It keeps my
80+ year old brain engaged. It can be very helpful as well as deeply
frustrating when dealing with officialdom; but on the whole, it’s a great invention,
despite the number of scams and chicanery all over the place. One can be alert
to these things. As an instance in point, when you get an email informing you
that a package has failed to be delivered and you are not expecting any such
package, how did the delivery firm, you’ve probably never heard of, know your
particular email address? Not difficult to work out it’s for the bin. Yes there
is a lot of it, and of great concern, but there is so much more to enjoy and to
share. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I do not know what the solution
is. That education should make the difference is a given, but education, like stiff
sentencing for deterrence, has made little difference in world affairs. The
problems in Middle Europe, the Middle and Far East, and the African continent
are all conducted, discussed and debated by educated people who cannot seem to
find common ground and closure of hostilities. It is not so much that one must
make children aware and to beware of scams and chicanery, one must make
children not want to become mendacious scammers, thugs and bullies. With the
likes of Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and, yes, Boris Johnson and others, so
easy to spout lies and give voice to delusions, is it any wonder that some
think it’s ok to behave in that way. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">But if you want a bit of diversion
and cultural education in the artistry of writers Billy Wilder and Charles
Brackett, director Mitchell Leisen, producer Arthur Hornblow Jr under the
banner of Paramount Pictures go to this site: <a href="https://ok.ru/video/3084433033961">https://ok.ru/video/3084433033961</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Called <i>Midnight</i>, it was
released in 1939, the same year as <i>Gone With The Wind</i> and <i>Wizard of
Oz </i>to name but two in that extraordinary year which took the world into
quite another era from which I believe we are still recovering. Anyway it’s
worth an hour and a half of your time. You won’t regret it. You’ll like the
acting as well.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-73310121153009262992024-03-15T17:18:00.000+00:002024-03-15T17:18:06.733+00:00JUDICIAL THINKING<p>
</p><p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="text-align: justify;">I sometimes wonder about the
process of thinking in the United States of America. In particular the thinking
related to the prosecution of Mr Trump and a number of co-defendants. </p>
<p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="text-align: justify;">In the indictment by the state
of Georgia, the state wrote: “Trump and the other defendants charged in this
indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and wilfully
joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favour
of Trump. That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or
more acts of racketeering activity.”</p>
<p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="text-align: justify;">The group, the state charges,
“constituted a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in
various related criminal activities including, but not limited to, false
statements and writings, impersonating a public officer, forgery, filing false
documents, influencing witnesses, computer theft, computer trespass, computer
invasion of privacy, conspiracy to defraud the state, acts involving theft, and
perjury”</p>
<p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="text-align: justify;">Part of the evidence against him
and his co-defendants revolves around and incident on the 2<sup>nd</sup> January
2021, when in a recorded telephone call, Mr Trump asked Brad Reffensperger, a
Republican serving as Georgia’s top election official, to overturn the election
by stating “All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which
is one more than we have because we won the state”. Mr Raffensperger refused.</p>
<p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="text-align: justify;">The Fulton County District Attorney,
Fani Willis, prosecuting the case, has already obtained convictions of some of
the co-defendants in the case who have pleaded guilty to some charges. Scott
Hall, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis and Kenneth Chesebro have all made plea deals
with the prosecution.. </p>
<p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="text-align: justify;">We have had a hearing for the
last few weeks over the suitability of the Ms Willis to continue prosecuting the
case because of a relationship with another prosecuting lawyer involved in the
case. There in nothing about this relationship that has anything to do with the
evidence against the defendants. It is solely an attack on the character of the
individuals concerned with the prosecution and NOTHING to do with the evidence
against the defendants. I repeat NOTHING to do with the case against the
defendants. </p>
<p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="text-align: justify;">The Judge, Scott McAfee,
overseeing the case, has been listening to ridiculous evidence concerning Ms
Willis and has now stated that there was an “appearance of impropriety” and
that either Ms Willis or Mr Wade (the other prosecutor) should leave the case
to resolve that. The claim was that their behaviour had compromised the integrity
of the case. The judge disagreed yet still went on about appearances. In what
way? As stated before, four defendants have pleaded guilty without Ms Willis
and Mr Wade’s affair causing any distraction or loss of integrity.</p>
<p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="text-align: justify;">The insanity of the claim is overwhelmingly
obvious to anyone reading about the case or listening to this charade playing out.
The defence lawyers had argued that Ms Willis should be disqualified because
her relationship with Mr Wade, whom she had hired, had compromised the
integrity of the case. How a personal relationship has anything to do with the
case against the defendants is a mystery. What has a personal relationship got to do with the evidence against the defendants?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In what way does an affair between Ms Willis
and Mr Wade affect examination of the evidence against the defendants for conspiring
to commit acts of racketeering in Fulton County, in the State of Georgia? I repeat myself as I am baffled.<br /></p>
<p class="dcr-4cudl2" style="text-align: justify;">If there is any impropriety, it
is allowing the defence to even have a hearing about their contention that it
does. The failure of the Judge to take a firm hand and give short shrift to the
hypocrisy of the defence’s proposition makes one very concerned about his
ability to conduct a trial where the defence will do anything to try to divert
attention from the facts in evidence. Mt Trump and his co-defendants behaved
like gangsters and are continuing to do so at every opportunity. It is so
glaringly obvious to the rest of the world, yet, apparently not to the citizens
of the United States of America, and worryingly not to the judiciary either.
When are the courts going to actually take serious decisive action against the
chicanery of Trump and Co.?</p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style> <br /></p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-54478780125693497722024-03-13T12:46:00.001+00:002024-03-13T16:03:56.105+00:00NOT A GREAT DAY <p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">On the 7<sup>th</sup> December 2023 I posted a blog entitled
<i>Stop the Boats – A Solution</i> which can be found at: <a href="https://fbuffnstuff.blogspot.com/2023/12/stop-boats-solution.html">https://fbuffnstuff.blogspot.com/2023/12/stop-boats-solution.html</a>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I commented jokingly:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I would have thought
the best thing to stop the dinghies would be to supply safer transportation
across the channel, straight to an airport, show them the Welcome to Rwanda
Brochures and send them on their way with a cash bonus of £20,000 to help them
get settled once they arrive. Better yet, just fly them straight from the
nearest airport in France.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We now have the following report from BBC News by reporter
Kate Whannel, 13 March 2024:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">”UK to pay failed asylum seekers to move to Rwanda under new
scheme: </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Failed asylum seekers are being offered up to £3000 to move
to Rwanda under a new voluntary scheme. The plan, first reported by The Times,
is understood to be a variation of an existing voluntary returns scheme, where
failed asylum seekers receive cash to return to their home country.” </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So where are we on the question
of deterrence? The mixed signals presented by the variety of strategies to implement
the Government’s Rwanda scheme are bewildering. Does anyone in the Home Office
or, indeed, in the entire executive government of the United Kingdom, have any
idea of what they are doing? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">David Neal, who was serving as
independent inspector of borders and immigration from March 2021 was fired from
the position last month, and has yet to be replaced. His view of the department
has been less than complimentary. He is quoted as saying immigration failures
went to the top. <i>The Home Office is dysfunctional and in urgent need of
reform, the recently sacked independent borders inspector has told the BBC’s
Today Podcast.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I would go further and suggest
that the entire government is dysfunctional and in urgent need of reform. I do
not understand what the Prime Minister is hoping will happen between now and the
formal end of the current Parliament on the 17<sup>th</sup> December 2024. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allowing the 25 working days to prepare for
the election, it must be held on the 28<sup>th</sup> January 2025, but surely
it should be held within this calendar year. To continue to drag things out as if
their legislative program had any hope of long term validity is delusional in
the extreme and decidedly counterproductive and injurious to the nation as a whole.
This conceited, selfish self-serving clinging on to power is an embarrassment
of colossal magnitude. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The present conservative party’s
machinations over the last 13+ years have weakened and destroyed the character of
the United Kingdom. They have produced a self-centred egotistical society with
serious economic and cultural divisions, more prone to dishonesty and violence
then ever, through their austerity measures and failure to maintain the public
services essential to the well-being of a modern nation. National Health and
Education have been reduced to a shambles. The damage inflicted has been so
deep that any new government, no matter what their political persuasion, will
have an almost impossible task of recovering and remedying the situation. I say
‘almost’ out of some vestige of hope, as I cannot be so thoroughly pessimistic.
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The very wealthy in any country can
do what they like and go where they please without any worry. There is also a comfortable
middle class that, at the moment, can carry on and lead reasonable normal
lives, but not without some anxiety that their security could come crashing
down. The bulk of the population is struggling, although it might not appear so
on the surface. That state of affairs seems to apply to most of the developed democratic
nations. It is certainly the case in the United Kingdom. I may be wrong and, if
so, I am willing to be corrected. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As to the United States I no
longer have any idea. The political landscape can only be described by reference
to the Grand Canyon, the divisions are so deep. The current tendency to idolise
and support a psychotic demagogue, despite his overt criminality, pending
convictions and overwhelming unsuitability to hold any office, is staggering.
It will be an end of the great experiment of 1776 and after 248 year it will
perish from the earth. What is so sad is that it will take a lot of the rest of
the world’s democracies with it. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As you can tell I am not in a particularly
happy frame of mind this morning. I will go and have a nice lunch to cheer
myself up. Thankfully there is still a kitchen to escape to. </p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style> <br /></p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-90059431669021894402024-03-06T14:26:00.000+00:002024-03-06T14:26:13.463+00:00WHAT'S IN A PLAY<p style="text-align: justify;">Celia and I recently went to the
National Theatre to see <i>Dear Octopus, </i>a play by the novelist and
playwright Dodie Smith, which was written in 1938 and opened in London at the
Queens’ Theatre, on the 14<sup>th</sup> September 1938.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In her book,<cite><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> Dear
Dodie: The Life of Dodie Smith </span></cite><cite><span style="font-family: Times; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">(1996)</span></cite> Valerie Grove comments:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">“The real first night, at the Queens Theatre on 14 September
1938, began gloomily. The crisis in Czechoslovakia was on everyone's mind.
During the first half, the house was subdued, faces grave and laughs few. It
seemed to have become dull. Then, in the first interval, a dramatic <i>deus ex
machina</i>, Charles Morgan, arrived from <i>The Times</i> with news, which
spread like wildfire through the theatre, that Neville Chamberlain was flying
to meet Hitler at Berchtesgaden. It was as if the whole audience breathed
a sigh of relief. And from then on the play went superbly, and built to a
magnificent reception." </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The play opened at a time the
world was in turmoil and so it is now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is a passage in the play which has particularly stayed with me. It
is a dialogue between Charles and his sister-in-law Belle, who at one time had
feelings for Charles. It comes in Act II, half way through scene three:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">BELLE.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">You've never written your
book Charles, or gone into Parliament.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">All the things you planned
as a boy</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">CHARLES.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">I've never done any of
them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">BELLE.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">You would have done if
you'd married me.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">CHARLES</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">I wonder. You women are
much too fond of fancying you can make geniuses of men.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">And anyway, there are far
too many books written and far, far too many people in Parliament.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">BELLE.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Don't pretend Charles. You
had great gifts.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">CHARLES.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Not really, Belle. You
see, when I came to have a little leisure to explore the minds of other men, I
found that everything I wanted to say had been said by someone else. I was
always expecting to get some epoch-making new idea, but I never did. I think I
might have had a shot, at politics—but there were so many far more important
things to do.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">BELLE.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">What things?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">(The dance music stops. Talk and clapping can be
heard.)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">CHARLES.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Surely you have realized
that any house that contains Dora also contains a number of Little Jobs? You would
be surprised, for instance, what a very large number of shelves I have put up
and an almost equally large number 1 have taken down. (He walks down c.) Then
there have been children to play with, dogs to take walks, gardens to plan,
neighbours to visit.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">BELLE.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">And you call these things important?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">CHARLES.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">I do indeed. I call the
sum-total of any man's happiness important.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">BELLE.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Have you been happy, Charles</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">CHARLES</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">So happy that I am
sometimes tempted to erect a statue to myself. I should like people to be
reminded that happiness isn't quite obsolete. (He goes back to BELLE.) Have you been happy, Belle?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">BELLE.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">That's rather a cruel
question.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">The exchange is very much of its time. Indeed it is very
similar to the sort of emotion and thinking taken up by Noel Coward in <i>This
Happy Breed </i>written in 1939, again written during a world at war. The idea
that the family is paramount. It is a toast to the family, “</span><i>To the
family—that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape, nor, in
our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to."</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">What strikes me most however,
is the phrase “You’ve never written your book or gone into Parliament. All
those things you planned as a boy”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How
many of us have stumbled over this thought? Most of the people I know must have
had the notion, although I can think of a number of friends who have at least
done the writing, and one or two who have dipped into the pond of public
office. Having done neither, I greatly admire those who have.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">During a particular discussion
at a friend’s house, over dinner. I was asked by the host “If you had been Prime
Minister of Israel on the 7<sup>th</sup> October, what would you have done?”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My first inner thought was, if I was prime
minister anywhere at this particular time, what would I do? It is an easy question to ask.
Indeed, how often have we heard journalists ask opposition politicians during
an interview “What would you do?”. There is never an easy answer. I like to
think, that if I had been Prime Minister of Israel, then October 7<sup>th</sup>
would never have happened and there would be peace in the middle east. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">Nonetheless, we have what we
have. Would my response have been different from Mr Netanyahu? Again, I like to
think so, but the emotions of the moment and the feelings of rage and despair being
felt by so many around one, would make the decision exceedingly difficult. There is a scene in Lawrence of
Arabia (co-written by Robert Bolt) which depicts the Arab Army who come through
a village that had been devastated by the Turkish Army. They pause looking out
at the Turkish troops in the distance:<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"></span></i></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="323" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aARaYjgm_rA" width="388" youtube-src-id="aARaYjgm_rA"></iframe> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Is
it not an easy scene to watch any more than the current flow of newsclips from
Ukraine or Gaza. “Not this” is all one can say. Think of the future is all one
can ask. There is a road to Damascus.. In the meantime there is the horror. There
will come an end and there will come some kind of resolution. Whether it will
be sufficient to end the heartache and resentment among the participants to the
carnage, one can only hope. Agreements are tough to maintain. The Good Friday Agreement
of the 10<sup>th</sup> April 1998 still manage to hold, although on occasions it
may seem fragile. Curiously it is a hovering peace that one hopes will settle
solidly on the ground. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So long as talking
continues that should happen. ` I do not know what prejudices have been handed
on to the youth of Northern Ireland during the last 26 years, but the fact that
the current first minister, Michelle O’Neil is from the </span>Sinn Féin
political party<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">, is some
progress towards normalisation. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The
other matter brought up by the dialogue in <i>Dear Octopus </i>is the excuse proffered
for not writing the book or seeking public office “</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">I found that everything I wanted to say had been said by someone else.” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Too often have
I found, in reading journals and other publications and listening to broadcasts
and discussions, that much of what I feel deserves attention or consideration,
has been ably and clearly expressed by another with a wider platform and access
to a wider audience. In some instances by a public servant, journalist, writer
or commentator. Quite often amongst my friends and acquaintances, which is
probably why they remain friends and acquaintances. I tend to avoid
confrontation and continued association with people who have opposing and
strongly held views. That would be my loss. Sometimes confrontation can be
instructive and even helpful to clarify or improve one’s own thoughts. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Once, in conversation with some people, I heard one
person remark to another, after that person had expressed an opinion on a
certain matter “A lot of people think that” to which came the response “Oh really?
I must change my view at once”. I don’t think I am quite a contrarian as that,
but perhaps I should change my mind about a lot of things. A damascene moment
is perhaps just around the corner, but in the meantime should I take no
prisoners?</span></p></div>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-77745053759514168692024-03-04T12:44:00.000+00:002024-03-04T12:44:28.414+00:00I MIGHT CHOOSE FRANCE
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I was listening this morning to
the Today Program on BBC Radio 4 and a couple of members of the House of Lords
were interviewed in relation to the Rwanda Bill now before the House of Lords
for scrutiny, amendments and approval.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The bill is the fabrication of the Government in response to the Supreme
Court’s decision against deporting refugees to Rwanda on the basis that there
was insufficient evidence to declare that Rwanda was a safe country. It was drafted
to override the ruling of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and any legal
pronouncements by the Court of Human Rights. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The apologists for the Rwanda
Bill such as Michael Howard are amazing in their duplicity of thought. Whilst
arguing that Rwanda is a perfectly safe country, and people should have nothing
to fear by being sent there, he firmly believes that the policy is right and
will act as a deterrent to people attempting the journey across the Channel
from France. He added this at the end of his interview on the Today program this
morning. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“After all France is a perfectly safe country… <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and if people have the option of staying in France
or going to Rwanda it’s a fair bet that they might choose France”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So Rwanda is a safe country, but the prospect of being sent
there is so awful that the risk of being sent there outweighs the risk of
crossing the channel in a rubber dingy. I wish someone could explain that is
more detail.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The other argument put forward by
Lord Howard was that the unanimous decision of the five justices was wrong and
overstepped their role as unelected judges in deciding government policy. The separation
of powers is rightly accepted, but it is for parliament to decide on such
matters and not the judiciary. Parliament is sovereign in all matters. The Divisional
Court had stated that the Rwanda Policy was lawful and this bill is to restore
the status quo that Parliament is sovereign. It is not for unelected Judges to
adjudicate against that, which the government claim is what the Supreme Court
did. Parliament is accountable, they are elected representatives, the Judges
are not. In respect of the separation of powers, in this instance the court has
overstepped the mark. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So what we have is effectively a
constitutional issue relating to conflict of law and legislation or rather argument
as to the interpretation of legislation by the courts. What is legislated by
parliament becomes law. The courts enforce and interpret the legislation with
regard to the law as written in the statues produced by the legislature
together with the already existing common law - at least what little of it
still exists. If the Government thinks that the courts have wrongly interpreted
the law, then it can produce legislation clarifying the position, to better
reflect the intentions of Parliament. Which is what is going on at present. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Before that happens the proposed
legislation must be approved by Parliament, which includes the House of Lords,
although the final say is down to the House of Commons. Fort5unately in this
case, not everyone agrees with the likes of Lord Howard, even though the
majority of the Lords is made up of Conservative Party adherents. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are some ex-conservative ministers who
disagree radically with Lord Howard. Lord Kenneth Clarke being one.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Rwanda fiasco is the policy
of our present Conservative Government. There is the matter of the separation
of powers – executive, legislative and judicial – but this government’s party majority
in Parliament is such that its policies, no matter how stupid or venal, are
bound to get through. In effect, because of the nature of the system -
Government always being made up from the majority parliamentary party - the
executive and legislative end up being one and the same. So the only other
separate power to scrutinise and balance the workings of the government is the
judiciary, who are, quite rightly, left to be independent. The judiciary ensures the continuance and strength
of the rule of law. Parliament may make the law but it is the judiciary that
has to enforce it and bad law can sometimes be found to actually be contrary to
the rule of law. Hence clarification is sometimes necessary. The Government can
do what it likes up to a point. The judiciary have a duty to make that point to
the government, </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">What also surprised me about Lord
Howard’s interview was that he kept referring to Parliament being sovereign and
saying elected representatives are the ones who are accountable, as opposed to
judges who are not elected. Parliament is not just the House of Commons, which he
seemed to be implying. The House of Lords is not elected either, yet it is part
of the Parliament. Are the Lords not accountable? Should their views be ignored
as well? Every person is accountable for his/her actions. It doesn’t take a
vote to decide that. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Parliament may be sovereign, but
it too is subject to the rule of law. Legislation based solely on opinion and
not on fact and evidence is a poor basis for creating law. Those politicians
who proudly proclaim to act on their belief have led us into the worst of nightmares
and wars. The not so long ago belief in non-existent weapons of mass
destruction is an instance in point. Deterrence has not worked as an effective
policy since the severity of the Hammurabi Code nearly 4000 years ago. If it
had, the world would be without violence or dishonesty. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Which brings us back to the
Rwanda policy. Deterrence or fiscal necessity. Cheaper to send the refugees
abroad that to have to deal with them in the UK? Either way is expensive. Given
the numbers that are likely to be sent there and the cost involved per individual,
it may be more economic in the long run to let them stay, find employment and
start paying taxes. I know that’s not so simple to do in this day and age by
anyone, let alone a refugee; but, it may be more profitable as time goes by. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In any event, I don’t know, just
expressing an opinion on the options. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
paraphrase Michel Howard, France is a perfectly safe country, if people now had
an option of staying in France or going to Brexit Britain, it’s a safe bet they
might choose France.</p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-89539456263369429582024-02-29T17:56:00.001+00:002024-02-29T23:59:55.758+00:00DEMOCRACY SOLD OUT<p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Supreme Court of the United
States is no longer to be seen as an independent institution and part of the
checks and balances built in to the Constitution of the United States. The
separation of powers in government is a bedrock of American Democracy and the
independence of the judiciary is vital in upholding the rule of law. The
judiciary is there to prevent the executive branch of government or the
legislative branch from becoming a dictatorship.. The Supreme Court has been
the final arbiter in the legal system establishing the limits to which the
executive and legislative branches of local, state and federal administrations
can exercise their power. The principle that no single individual is above the
law within that framework is at the core. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rule of law is paramount. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">To even consider the argument that
the head of any executive branch of any organisation is immune from upholding
the law is tantamount to accepting dictatorship. To even make the argument is,
in my view, an outrage. Mr Trump’s attorneys have stretched the concept of
immunity for the holder of the office of President of the United States well beyond
its limits. The argument that a sitting president is immune from prosecution of
any kind unless or until he is formally impeached and found guilty by a two
thirds majority of the senate is despicable. That any individual would be allowed
to kill off any opposition and remain in situ is preposterous, or is it that Mr
Trump would seek to emulate Mr Putin for whom it appears this doctrine applies.
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The founding fathers,
unfortunately, never contemplated a leader capable of such mendacity, chicanery
and criminality as Donald Trump, and so, in deciding on the question of a
finding of guilt by the Senate, chose a two thirds majority rather than a
simple majority. They clearly shied away from unanimous as being too onerous or
difficult to achieve. One also has to bear in mind that when the constitution
was established the senate was a much smaller body of 26 people, which is only
a quarter of the current membership; however, the fact of presidential
impeachment has nothing whatever to do with the basic principle of law. No
person is above the law, and most particularly when it comes to crime. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It is of course possible for a
person to be granted judicial immunity by the State for individual offences,
but only in exchange for testimony against other offenders. No one has blanket
immunity because of office. That would be contrary to any public policy in any
democracy across the world. Dictatorships are another matter, but be that as it
may, for the Supreme Court of the United States to even hint that the lower
courts’ unanimous decisions thus far need any examination or debate is, as one
commentator put it, “selling American democracy down the river”. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Not only is the decision to
accept the question atrocious, but the scheduling and delay is deliberate interference
in an overdue prosecution of Mr Trump and his co-defendants, some of whom have already
pleaded guilty. The court knows full well what it’s doing as they could easily schedule
and settle the question in a matter of days. This court is no longer worthy of
any respect and has merely prepared the planks for the coffin in which to bury
the last vestiges of democracy in America. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">If the American voters do not
come out in fury at this outrage then there is no hope for what we have come to
think of as the free world. All we will have left is a Trump dictatorship and a
Putin autocracy. East and west with the bodies pilling up in between or
accumulating in the frozen north and south. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There are too many conflicting
energies at large in the world. President Macron suggesting western troops on
the ground in Ukraine which would no doubt lead to an escalation of war. There
is also a call for a prolonged cease fire in the Middle East, which is having
little effect in the face of Mr Netanyahu and his supporters. Violence in the Gulf
of Aden, the Arabian Sea and Yemen continues. The list of conflicts supposedly
in the interest of restoring peace is growing. Why does it always seem
necessary to create carnage to bring parties to a conference table? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">My anxieties continue to fester,
what with the inability of governments to come to terms with its citizens.
Elected representatives are meant to work at improving the lot of the individual
citizen by improving the lot of all citizens. There is dissatisfaction on all
fronts. In France, farmers are turning signs upside down, to indicate their world
has been turned upside down. In the UK strikes, never before contemplated by personnel
in the NHS, have become repetitious, as have actions by rail and transport
workers. Politicians are always declaiming what ‘the people want’ when in fact
they are merely claiming what they want. Representatives no longer care about
what their constituents actually think, but are so immersed in bolstering a party
line that they will say anything and make the feeblest excuses and arguments to
support the party line, and at the same time claiming opposing parties have no
plan whatsoever. It is no longer about what the people actually want and need,
it is about staying in power. Keeping the job is all that matters. Public
service is mere lip service. In the UK the electorate is somewhat at sea,
floating like refugees on the Raft of the Medusa waiving rags to attract the
attention of some distant saviour on the horizon. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never has a painting been more appropriate to
the current human condition across the world. One can only ask, what has changed
in the last 200 years besides the capabilities of a mobile phone, which is
actually useless in the middle of the ocean without a network? We are left with
waving rags for any kind of attention.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6x1B7-TR8fkB908sP6Vy-yZP_6nhaZCzzaxJEkjSNnqMmgZO9gbeXpR6md_IGKNpzYCjo1JGTQWAlJb8Tku3QFbldLJZV7Oh_59NWGzEaUZ3ma5mDm_a2wjE6-ONiARf_ipy6wdOznFWSAKS5HJsv9Ga8NWMXKLRid72jsVLjG0h7sKbWDNoIbiddPd5G/s2880/JEAN_LOUIS_THE%CC%81ODORE_GE%CC%81RICAULT_-_La_Balsa_de_la_Medusa_(Museo_del_Louvre,_1818-19).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1966" data-original-width="2880" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6x1B7-TR8fkB908sP6Vy-yZP_6nhaZCzzaxJEkjSNnqMmgZO9gbeXpR6md_IGKNpzYCjo1JGTQWAlJb8Tku3QFbldLJZV7Oh_59NWGzEaUZ3ma5mDm_a2wjE6-ONiARf_ipy6wdOznFWSAKS5HJsv9Ga8NWMXKLRid72jsVLjG0h7sKbWDNoIbiddPd5G/w547-h373/JEAN_LOUIS_THE%CC%81ODORE_GE%CC%81RICAULT_-_La_Balsa_de_la_Medusa_(Museo_del_Louvre,_1818-19).jpg" width="547" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-18739830526577315722024-02-16T12:07:00.000+00:002024-02-16T12:07:12.027+00:00WHAT'S NEW IN GEORGIA<p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I have a problem with certain
aspects of the legal system. To begin with, I am a firm believer in the rule of
law. I also believe it should be every citizen’s right to have recourse to the
law in order to clarify a difficult and possibly injurious situation which
affects them. This access to law is available not only to individual citizen’s
but to groups, corporations large or small and the state itself. There are
proceedings brought forth by the state. Criminal activity is an instance in
point. It is part of the state’s duty to legislate for the health and safety of
the nation, hence anti-social and criminal activity is, on the whole, prosecuted
by the state. If the state itself falls short of its duty or makes serious
mistakes in the performance of that duty, then it too is held to account in a
court of law. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There are certain rules and
regulations which the state must follow in order to proceed with a criminal or
any state prosecution. It has a duty of care to observe the laws relating to
the enforcement of the law itself. It must be seen to be fair, reasonable and
accurate in the discharge of its duty. So if someone has a grievance and
believes that the state is wrong in law, and is being unfair, unreasonable and
inaccurate, then they can call upon the court to adjudicate as to the actions
of the state, and decide whether the state is indeed wrong in law and being
unfair, unreasonable or inaccurate. To that end there must be evidence that the
state is wrong in law. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The personalities of the
individuals involved, employed by the state, whose job it is to administer the
law on behalf of the state, have nothing whatever to do with the law. For a
complainant to state that they do not like a particular individual involved in
the process is neither here nor there, if it has nothing to do with the law on
the case in question. Some people are nice. Some are more efficient than others.
Unless the individual is corrupting the evidence and manufacturing a case where
there is no case, then the complainant has no case. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Therefore, to manufacture a
complaint based on “I don’t like the way you have behave” is a complete sham
and should be slapped down as soon as it arises. To even allow such a complaint
is an abuse of the court. To allow it on the pretext of ‘being fair to all
parties’ is an insult to the integrity of the court. A sham is always a sham
and pandering to such duplicity demeans the court. A court of law is too important
a place for such puerile debate. Any law officer who participates in such
scheming and dishonesty should be ashamed and disbarred. Mendacity has no place
in a room which relies upon individuals who are compelled to take an oath to
tell the truth. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I realise that individuals do not
always adhere to an oath in a courtroom, but for an officer of the court to
violate their professional duty of care and participate in machinations which
have no validity or scintilla of integrity whatsoever is beyond the pale. Therein
lies my problem with certain aspect of the legal system as displayed in the
United States and in particular the State of Georgia. Did someone say frivolous?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">A flagrant attempt at obfuscation
by attacking the character of a prosecutor, to divert the gaze of the public
from gross criminal activity for which they seem to have no answer, is actually
being allowed to take place. I find it incredible that behaviour of the kind so
widely deployed during the prohibition era by the likes of Al Capone and other
such gangsters is now being repeated by Donald Trump and associates, who have
clearly modelled themselves on that gang.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Indeed they both have home retreats
on the Florida coast. Mar -a-Lago and Palm Island are but 70 miles apart. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would not be surprised if Mr Trump suffered
from the same disease as Mr Capone, apart from psychotic narcissism. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvTNJBPjxwrVZqMcUoSALzJmWZAsDPvR7JpdnuFObSA26yvPXqVA9p4pwPVOCPTI5IU3a4_4qHN0CROEzC6g0gMRX0n-OVwWOaZfo510cNGWdFs7kkBfetVWJu2mKp6Eear-csjGd0ewWygxoa3dZbbKNhj-g-uefqoD02Idm4Iv_07m1DZcyeJbEvfnL/s1824/Trump%20Capone%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="1824" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvTNJBPjxwrVZqMcUoSALzJmWZAsDPvR7JpdnuFObSA26yvPXqVA9p4pwPVOCPTI5IU3a4_4qHN0CROEzC6g0gMRX0n-OVwWOaZfo510cNGWdFs7kkBfetVWJu2mKp6Eear-csjGd0ewWygxoa3dZbbKNhj-g-uefqoD02Idm4Iv_07m1DZcyeJbEvfnL/w550-h376/Trump%20Capone%202.jpg" width="550" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-84011445557393398612024-02-14T12:29:00.000+00:002024-02-14T12:29:23.308+00:00FROM ONE LANDSCAPE TO ANOTHER<p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The current political landscape is
not one that can be appreciated in the same fashion as a pictorial landscape.
It has nothing like the vision of a Van Gogh, Constable or Turner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The present American landscape is particularly at
odds with the beauty to be found in its actual landscapes. I am thinking of the paintings
from the Hudson River School. The work of its founder Thomas Cole and later
members Frederick Church, John Frederick Kensett and Albert Bierstadt are
rather fine examples of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>mid nineteenth century
landscape paintings. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5se8Kf1spYa5h7WrPkytloVCaKRomNCIWUbfha0mMUq1OJlJunnHyquh-dJ2_DGqHGx2IQ-VrlywMzgLQ7XMxfRiKaMniuthz0NNxFR6pqFC1NqYd0QXBfHTXRnhIUkrVNj21JfqbdauP2lT0uBZ-Ck5PZBElh-ZOZQxuOwWZW2Ie9d23fdVEC_VrJR48/s1528/Hudson%20River%20School.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1528" data-original-width="894" height="886" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5se8Kf1spYa5h7WrPkytloVCaKRomNCIWUbfha0mMUq1OJlJunnHyquh-dJ2_DGqHGx2IQ-VrlywMzgLQ7XMxfRiKaMniuthz0NNxFR6pqFC1NqYd0QXBfHTXRnhIUkrVNj21JfqbdauP2lT0uBZ-Ck5PZBElh-ZOZQxuOwWZW2Ie9d23fdVEC_VrJR48/w518-h886/Hudson%20River%20School.jpg" width="518" /></a></div><p>
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">There is something about Bierstadt’s work that favours
Turner. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBcXm0tu7_drEo0biq0bsbCkN7G2LIbT4z_xOjHk26Lzx6tBTy42vR36OcJMuEjTvNeJS64L0q14A_9PQLpkn9mMwp_KwS45osCgDRrGpj4cUIqzgN2i3Gx1JXnkl0VfZ0nvVxAi52dVxUB-Hq_qMcpu59KkY6uG1cL0ZJGaGRPir8v1aP7yj2ch3mDtgx/s439/440px-Albert_Bierstadt_-_Rocky_Mountain_Landscape_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="439" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBcXm0tu7_drEo0biq0bsbCkN7G2LIbT4z_xOjHk26Lzx6tBTy42vR36OcJMuEjTvNeJS64L0q14A_9PQLpkn9mMwp_KwS45osCgDRrGpj4cUIqzgN2i3Gx1JXnkl0VfZ0nvVxAi52dVxUB-Hq_qMcpu59KkY6uG1cL0ZJGaGRPir8v1aP7yj2ch3mDtgx/w512-h346/440px-Albert_Bierstadt_-_Rocky_Mountain_Landscape_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rocky Mountain Landscape</i>, 1870</td></tr></tbody></table>,<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7gEa3HE3FKgWAWQnb16p2WHqAwuwrLXeuW45-vEOO4CCgeGxWBHjpHQiZxauehR8JxkaAy9szo_P9eLfLKT0gpolXK3eZ-TJyNpdrwuvzm1ZPCOPUFCdKcwN9kHojJfgiDGB1N4_MM7MKqGLMWKg31a35ePLuTRLkIH8QZ_2MzzWQf7Nf0_ti1Jc_DTq/s440/Albert_Bierstadt_001.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="440" height="415" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7gEa3HE3FKgWAWQnb16p2WHqAwuwrLXeuW45-vEOO4CCgeGxWBHjpHQiZxauehR8JxkaAy9szo_P9eLfLKT0gpolXK3eZ-TJyNpdrwuvzm1ZPCOPUFCdKcwN9kHojJfgiDGB1N4_MM7MKqGLMWKg31a35ePLuTRLkIH8QZ_2MzzWQf7Nf0_ti1Jc_DTq/w513-h415/Albert_Bierstadt_001.jpg" width="513" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lake Tahoe</i>, 1868</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">He was also a war artist, the Tim Page of his day.</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9ZHlexKljj9Uc71VfXrFVCuxThI4X9pIesVwoSKSKbER-N34-P0qiMvuXYrMvrWN_tSEADLocuk1GUVeo4AbNoiqK3X_AfMDiKhyhNf6lAkGHr_meKmTwurqVxtf75oe-FywCRsLkdgk69ipa01PubxWOPO0P9V6GL1HQSgVHn7NJo278a51bB6KF8gc/s440/Albert_Bierstadt_-_Guerrilla_Warfare.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="440" height="437" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9ZHlexKljj9Uc71VfXrFVCuxThI4X9pIesVwoSKSKbER-N34-P0qiMvuXYrMvrWN_tSEADLocuk1GUVeo4AbNoiqK3X_AfMDiKhyhNf6lAkGHr_meKmTwurqVxtf75oe-FywCRsLkdgk69ipa01PubxWOPO0P9V6GL1HQSgVHn7NJo278a51bB6KF8gc/w512-h437/Albert_Bierstadt_-_Guerrilla_Warfare.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Guerilla Warfare, Civil War</i>, 1862</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">So where can one go from here?
The seemingly endless exposition of Trump’s background and narcissistic
behaviour has no effect whatever on his Maga supporters. They have no truck
with the written, photographic, filmed and other recorded evidence that shows
him up to be a complete sham. He is the personification of the snake oil
salesman that has been tarred and feathered and ridden out of town on a rail
since the pioneering days of the American landscape. Numerous writers and
historians have depicted his kind for centuries and still they emerge to
bamboozle the surprisingly vast numbers of ignorant and gullible citizens, who
for some obscure reason are drawn to them. They think of Trump as ‘one of us’
despite every indication to the contrary. He speaks in their vernacular all the
while proclaiming to be so rich that he is immune from corruption, as well as
mendaciously claiming to be a self-made man. As to being self-made, one has to
accept that he has constructed this dangerous duplicitous figure, himself, all
on his own. He is indeed a self-made charlatan of the first order, despite all
his advantages at birth. He has bribed, bullied and cheated himself into the
spotlight and into the American landscape. </div>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-90941755011412739702024-01-31T14:36:00.000+00:002024-01-31T14:36:33.104+00:00TRUTH, A VITAL PUBLIC INTEREST<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Just over ten years ago on the 12<sup>th</sup>
December 2013 I published a blog about journalism and ethics. There is a
Journalists Code of Ethics carefully written out by the Society of Professional
Journalists (an American Society headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana) which,
following a preamble has four main headings:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Seek truth and report it</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Minimize harm</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Act independently</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Be accountable and transparent </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The United Kingdom equivalent,
the National Union of Journalists (Headquartered in London) has a membership of
approximately 24, 528 as of 2022. The SPJ has a membership of only around 7000.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The preamble of the SPJ’s code of
conduct now reads:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Members of the Society of
Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of
justice and the foundation of democracy. Ethical journalism strives to ensure
the free exchange of information that is accurate, fair and thorough. An
ethical journalist acts with integrity. The Society declares these four
principles as the foundation of ethical journalism and encourages their use in
its practice by all people in all media.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The preamble as printed in 2013
reads as follows:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Members of the Society of
Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of
justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to
further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive
account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and
specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty.
Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility.
Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behaviour and adopt this
code to declare the Society's principles and standards of practice.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There is a slight change of
emphasis in the two paragraphs, the earlier version laying more focus of the
behaviour of the individual rather than members generally. It specifies that
journalists have a duty of care to the public. That phrase “The duty of the
Journalist…” is more imperative that merely “striving to ensure free exchange
of information that is accurate, fair and thorough”. Integrity and
responsibility are vital to journalism if it is indeed to be seen as ‘the
forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy.’</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The section on seeking the truth
and reporting it has a few changes as well. One of current criteria, the ninth
in the list reads: <i>Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering
information unless traditional, open methods will not yield information vital
to the public.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In 2013 at number 8, it read:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>Avoid undercover or other surreptitious
methods of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not
yield information vital to the public. Use of such methods should be explained
as part of the story.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">You will note the additional
admonition in the earlier reading indicating that when using undercover
surreptitious methods it must be <b>vital to the public interest</b> and the <b>methods
should be explained as part of the story. </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I believe that there should be an
additional admonition that whatever undercover of surreptitious method is used,
it should never fall within the scope of the criminal law. There should also be
included a lengthy definition of just what can be classified as being vital to
the public interest. A dictionary definition of the word states inter alia: of,
relating to, or characteristic of life; necessary to the continuation of life;
life sustaining; concerned with or recording data pertinent to lives; necessary
to continued existence or effectiveness; extremely important; essential.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The United Kingdom equivalent,
the National Union of Journalists (Headquartered in London) has a similar code
but stated more simply as a sort of 12 step program. </p>
<ol start="1" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">At all
times upholds and defends the principle of media freedom, the right of
freedom of expression and the right of the public to be informed.</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Strives
to ensure that information disseminated is honestly conveyed, accurate and
fair.</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Does
her/his utmost to correct harmful inaccuracies.</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Differentiates
between fact and opinion.</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Obtains
material by honest, straightforward and open means, with the exception of
investigations that are both overwhelmingly in the public interest and
which involve evidence that cannot be obtained by straightforward means.</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Does
nothing to intrude into anybody’s private life, grief or distress unless
justified by overriding consideration of the public interest.</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Protects
the identity of sources who supply information in confidence and material
gathered in the course of her/his work.</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Resists
threats or any other inducements to influence, distort or suppress
information and takes no unfair personal advantage of information gained
in the course of her/his duties before the information is public
knowledge.</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Produces
no material likely to lead to hatred or discrimination on the grounds of a
person’s age, gender, race, colour, creed, legal status, disability,
marital status, or sexual orientation.</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Does
not by way of statement, voice or appearance endorse by advertisement any
commercial product or service save for the promotion of her/his own work
or of the medium by which she/he is employed.</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">A
journalist shall normally seek the consent of an appropriate adult when
interviewing or photographing a child for a story about her/his welfare.</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Avoids
plagiarism.</span></li></ol>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Paragraphs 5 and 6 above, are
much the equivalent of section’s 8 and 9 of the SJU Code.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The phone hacking case is a
perfect example of the colossal breach of a journalist’s code. It descended
into criminality and the information obtained was far from being vital to the
public interest, let alone the public interest. It may have been of interest to
some of the public but one cannot possibly make a claim ‘in the public
interest’. There have been other examples. Most gossip and many so called human
interest stories are hardly newsworthy, but fill up a lot of column inches. The
crux of seeking the truth and reporting it is, or should be, just what is “in
the public interest” Some reporters and publications clearly have a very wide
and very loose definition of what is in the public interest. I repeat, what
some members of the public are interested in, is not necessarily in the public
interest. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Dishonesty or violence involving governments,
elected officials, civil servants both state and local, armed forces, police
forces, legal and judicial bodies, medical and health institutions, influential
global corporations and companies affecting large portions of the work force
and economy, journalists as well, should be open to scrutiny by the press. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Seeking the truth and reporting
it is difficult at the present time. There is so much information floating
around the world across every form of communication, on every platform now
described as social media, and every type of news outlet on the planet. There may
be thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of persons describing themselves as
journalists or reporters. On viewing the reporting from many different spheres
it is increasingly difficult to differentiate between fact and opinion.
Distinguishing between news reporting and advocacy in the light of present day
events and present day aspirations as to what constitutes a civilised society,
is a conundrum. The diversity of cultures, economic and educational levels, and
human experience are difficult to accommodate.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">What reporting can be like in the
Russian Federation under Putin’s State and judicial control is practically
impossible. Seeking and telling truths to the population has become a criminal
offence. Even though, it would appear that, other voices from outside the
country are available, they are not listened to or accepted by the general
public, as the citizenry accepts mainly what is being purveyed by Putin fed
information. At least that is what I am led to believe. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Should I have any reason to doubt
the reporting about Russia? Steve Rosenberg, the BBC correspondent in Russia is
extremely plausible and has spent quite a number of years in Russia since 1991
including a spell in Berlin. He is clearly well acquainted with the Eastern European
situation. His comments and analysis are delivered with authority, so I have no
reason to doubt him; however, that does not mean that the whole of his
reporting or analysis is accurate. Indeed, how we accept analytical reporting
depends mostly on what we tend to already believe. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Therein lies the problem. In the
United States the situation is extreme. The repetitive assault on the validity
of the 2020 general election and the behaviour of Donald Trump and his supporters
in the Republican Party has been so full of lies and mendacity that the
majority of news reporting seems more like editorial rather than factual reporting.
There is a barrage of reporting which cries out against the ‘big lie’, and
because the reporting, of necessity, characterises the Maga crowd as liars and self-deceivers,
the comments appear to be entirely subjective rather than objective reporting,
accurate and fair. Indeed almost all of reporting on the political situation in
the United States is now editorial and opinion. How can it be anything else? The
polarisation of political thinking as developed to such a degree that reasoned,
informed and studied argument seems to have been eroded leaving nothing buy
rigid entrenched views. The divide between reason and ignorance is almost complete.
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The United Kingdom, in light of
what is happening with the current government’s desperate, futile and cringeworthy
attempts to cling to power, willing to say anything no matter how duplicitous
and ridiculous, is going the same way. The distance between the major parties however
is not so pronounced as in the USA, nonetheless the cracks are getting wider. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reporting is also becoming more analytical
and opinion based that factual. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People
are in fact turning away. The flag ship ‘Today’ program and Laura Kunessburg’s
Sunday slot are losing audiences. It would seem even the BBC is having
difficulties with its reporting. It claims to be emphatic about being unbiased,
yet most of its reporting is now analysis by ‘political’ or ‘named’ correspondents.
Facts tend to blur with analysis. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There is a Declaration of the
Duties and Rights of Journalists which was written in Munich. It covers mush
the same as the code of ethics stated above. It was adopted by six syndicates
of journalists of the six countries of the European community in Munich, 23-24 November
1971.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Preamble</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The right to information, to free
speech and to criticism is one of the most fundamental freedoms of every human
being. The whole complex of duties and rights of journalists derives from this
right of the public to know facts and opinions. The responsibility of
journalists vis-a-vis the public has precedence over any other responsibility,
in particular towards their employers and the public power. The mission to
inform necessarily includes the limits journalists spontaneously impose on
themselves. This is the subject of the present declaration of duties. Yet these
duties can be effectively respected in the exercise of the journalist profession
only if the concrete conditions of professional independence and dignity are
implemented. This is the subject of the declaration of rights quoted here.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Declaration of duties</b><br />
The essential duties of the journalist in gathering, reporting on and
commenting on events consist in:</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Respecting
the truth no matter what consequences it may bring about to him, and this is
because the right of the public is to know the truth.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Defending
the freedom of information, of commentaries and of criticism.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Publishing
only such pieces of information the origin of which is known or – in the
opposite case – accompanying them with due reservations; not suppressing
essential information and not altering texts and documents.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Not
making use of disloyal methods to get information. </p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Feeling
obliged to respect the private life of people. </p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Correcting
any published information which has proved to be inaccurate.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Observing
the professional secrecy and not divulging the source of information obtained
confidentially.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Abstaining
from plagiarism, slander, defamation and unfounded accusations as well as from
receiving any advantage owing to the publication or suppression of information.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Never
confusing the profession of journalist with that of advertiser or propagandist
and not accepting any consideration, direct or not, from advertisers.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Refusing
any pressure and accepting editorial directives only from the leading persons
in charge in the editorial office. Every journalist worthy of this name feels
honoured to observe the above-mentioned principles; while recognising the law
in force in each country, he does accept only the jurisdiction of his
colleagues in professional matters, free from governmental or other
interventions. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So I continue pondering. I know
that objective truth is important. It is vital in the public interest. We can
all ask ‘What is truth?’ but never mind the philosophy, we all know the
difference between truth and fantasy. Every reporter knows that and should
stick to it. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The codes I have included here
may seem repetitious and redundant, but I thought it important to include them.
There is an International Federation of Journalists which was founded in Paris
in 1926. Its Global Charter of Ethics for Journalists was adopted at the 30<sup>th</sup>
IFJ World Congress held in Tunis on the 12<sup>th</sup> June 2019. It completes
the IFJ Declaration of Principles on the conduct of journalists (1954) known as
the “Bordeaux Declaration”. Its preamble reads:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The right of everyone to have
access to information and ideas, reiterated in Article 19 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, underpins the journalist's mission. The
journalist's responsibility towards the public takes precedence over any other
responsibility, in particular towards their employers and the public
authorities. Journalism is a profession, which requires time, resources and the
means to practise – all of which are essential to its independence. This
international declaration specifies the guidelines of conduct for journalists
in the research, editing, transmission, dissemination and commentary of news
and information, and in the description of events, in any media whatsoever. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The full charter can be found at: <a href="https://www.ifj.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Global_Charter_of_Ethics_EN.pdf">https://www.ifj.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Global_Charter_of_Ethics_EN.pdf</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It contains 16 points. The fifteenth
paragraph states: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Journalists worthy of
the name shall deem it their duty to observe faithfully the principles stated
above. They may not be compelled to perform a professional act or to express an
opinion that is contrary to his/her professional conviction or conscience.<b></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>“Journalists worthy of the
name” </b>is a weighty description for any professional ‘hack’. So far as the general
public is concerned those worthy of the name are few and far between, but that
is a matter of opinion.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/opyv8kbhpZQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="opyv8kbhpZQ"></iframe> <br /></div><p></p>
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{margin-bottom:0cm;}</style></p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-46761580281247275412024-01-23T16:00:00.007+00:002024-01-26T12:18:44.146+00:00FIRST AND ONLY TIMES<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I was pondering this morning
about the various changes that have occurred in the body since I have turned
80.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course the changes have been happening
well before that age, it’s just that I was not aware of them. But then very few
of us are. Those little aches, or fleeting episodes of concerns that we
dismissed at the time, or simply overlooked, have a specific cause. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The causes are more fully exposed to us as we are
inevitably referred to consult with doctors and physicians at various
hospitals. Our GP is merely a broker who takes down the details and passes us
on to the most appropriate department down the line. To us, we are hearing a diagnosis
as if for the first time. There are many things that happen to us for the first
time, but for the experienced physician it far from the first time they have
delivered the news. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Indeed, how they deal with the
matter is what distinguishes one doctor’s bedside manner from another. One has
to remember that there was a first time for them delivering the news. The
frequency with which they do that must clearly have an impact of some kind. They
must bear in mind that it is the patient’s first time of hearing whatever it is
they have to reveal. This can be awkward or pleasant depending on the adept
empathy of the carer and the comportment of the patient. The two go hand in
hand. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It is all to do with how we
approach the first time. Many things happen to all of us. Most things that
happen to us are of a similar nature, so there is nothing unique. We are mostly
aware of things happening to other people which have not happened to us, but we
are reasonably certain will eventually happen to us. When it happens, it will
be for the first time. How we deal with the first time makes all the
difference. Will our behaviour and deportment be like everyone else, or will it
be different? We think it will most certainly be different, but will, like as
not, be the same as many others. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again
there is nothing unique, save, for us, it will be the first time. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Our lives are crowded with
incident and first times. Indeed, when we wake in the morning it is the first
time we have opened our eyes that day. As to that, who was it who said “This is
the first day in the rest of your life” for the first time? There are any
number of truly first times that have affected us all. Someone somewhere spoke
intelligible words in the form of a sentence. Someone created an alphabet of
sorts and started writing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first
person to create mayonnaise or jump from a high place using a parachute never
did it before. All inventions are first times, although some are merely
evolutions of other objects. The mobile phone and most digital technology are
instances in point. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">One has to marvel at the thinking
that gives rise to first times. What was the spark that induced someone to
presume that separating an egg yolk from the egg would be appropriate to combine
with an oil and emulsify it into a sauce which could then be flavoured with any
number of herbs or juices. Is that too a matter of cooking evolution derived
from the first time any human being decided to use fire to fry or boil a piece
of meat or vegetation?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Along with first times that are
also ‘only times’ and ‘never once’s’. It is something else to ponder. “The only
time I….” and “I never once…” are phrases that one utters in sadness and regret
or with joy and relief. It is not something one can be indifferent about. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
are some only times that one looks back on with amusement even though they were
not particularly pleasant at the time. These tend to end up as stories one
dines out on and do not necessarily paint one in a good light. It’s all in the
telling. There are some first and only times that are so similar they fall into
the character of <i>déjà vu </i>and clearly suffer from too much repetition. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is the nature of getting to what is
popularly classified as old. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So I enter the labyrinth people
of my age step up to. I watched my parents and in-laws managing the terrain,
and perhaps should have paid more attention. I can’t say that I should have
known better, as there was, after all, a distance of thirty years between us;
however, on reflection, that is a pour excuse for a lack of empathy. I did note
that my father-in-law, being a medical man, did have moments of extreme
lucidity and objectivity during which he described some of physical and mental
incidents that were happening to him. He kept his good humour throughout. There
was some dementia to a small degree, but that made little difference to his social
and communicative skill, save for the retelling of some of his stories. Indeed,
in the telling, there was always something different and when he lost the
thread, having gone off on numerous tangents, he would pause for thought, and after
a silence (sometimes quite long) he would say, “Ah yes ..” and the story was
back on track. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In short, there is never a time
when there are no first times, which ought to make things more exciting and
give one a perpetual feeling of looking forward with gladness. Unfortunately
there is so much crap being thrown in everyone’s face at the moment, it is
difficult to find any glee. The quantity and quality of my observations are not
as acute as my father-in-law’s as regards my physical being, and politically we
were at opposite ends of the spectrum, but. so far as religion was concerned we
were probably on the same page. I can recall a time, not the first time,
sitting in the dining room with my father-in-law at the house in Wells, Somerset,
finishing off a glass of something. My sister-in-law’s cat was visiting and at
that moment came into the room with a mouse it had just caught. It was doing unspeakable
things to the poor mouse, much to my horror. My father in law commented “God
made that”. One had to laugh. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">One could say the same about what’s
going on round the world at present, only it’s not so funny. The first five
commandments have been well and truly shattered. For too many people it’s their
final first and only time. That’s a first time that should not happen until we
are truly ready. To call it ‘God’s will’ is itself a blasphemy. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I continue to ponder.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">This morning I have looked at a
couple of pieces in the Guardian. The first is an editorial headed <i>The
Guardian view on environmental protest: dissent is vital to protect democracy</i>
and the second is an opinion article from Rafael Behr titled <i>The Trump
revival will force Starmer to acknowledge the sheer folly of Brexit.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The editorial can be found at:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/23/the-guardian-view-on-environmental-protest-dissent-is-vital-to-protect-democracy">https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/23/the-guardian-view-on-environmental-protest-dissent-is-vital-to-protect-democracy</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Behr article at:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/24/keir-starmer-donald-trump-special-relationship">https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/24/keir-starmer-donald-trump-special-relationship</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Mr Behr subheads his piece with
the comment “It’s hard to imagine the vindictive despot and the former human
rights lawyer enjoying a ‘special relationship’”. Indeed it is difficult to
contemplate; however, views being expressed by some politicians from all
parties tend to eschew comment about Mr Trump and move straight on to the
necessity to take a firm but friendly approach to dealing with Trump. In any
event, to not be antagonistic and to take a firm advisory stand in any direct dealings
with Mr Trump. This is what is being suggested by some “because, despite one’s
feelings, to openly criticise the President of the United States would not be politically
efficient” and any President of the United States does have to be dealt with. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So hypocrisy reigns supreme in
British government. Expressing a preference about the choice of President is
hardly interfering in the American elections. Mr Trump is openly antagonistic
towards Europe generally, and so far as I am aware the United Kingdom is geographically
part of Europe. To not make comment about his boorish and narcissistic arrogance
is feeble in the extreme and only feeds his ego.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is the problem with his acolytes. As to his relationship with Mr
Putin, it is quite clear that Mr Putin played him like a fiddle with flattery and
bonhomie. One only has to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>listen to Trump to know what a fool he is, and
completely unsuited to be the president of anything. He does not read. He does
not enquire. He makes no attempt to learn. He merely pontificates about how
hard done by he is, and as a side issue, how he can save the world in 24 hrs. He
has no interests in anything outside his immediate sphere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a buffoon. Why political leaders and
representatives should pussyfoot around his ego is astonishing.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">His presence however, causes
anxiety. The world does not want him. The Maga group of republicans surely cannot
be so numerous that there is any chance of him actually being elected; yet,
here we are with him riding high on the news. There is a cohort of representatives
in the United States Congress that for some obscure reason supports him, which
clouds the issue. How does he have such a gangster like hold over them?
Unfortunately this coming November election will be a turning point for us all.
I can only urge and hope all those having a vote in it will do the right thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">One should not forget that four
people have already pleaded guilty to their part in the Georgia case to
overturn the 2020 election, which is tied to Donald Trump. They will also be
giving evidence at trial. These are a few quotes from newspapers in the US.:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>Scott Hall, a bail bondsman,
pleaded guilty after being accused of conspiring to unlawfully<b><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> </span></b>access voter data and ballot-counting machines at
the Coffee County election office on January 7, 2021.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will receive five years of probation and
agreed to testify in further proceedings. He was also ordered to write a letter
of apology to the citizens of Georgia and is forbidden from participating in
polling activities.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>Sidney Powell, a public face
of Trump’s attempts to challenge the election results in 2020 and 2021, pleaded
guilty Thursday. The former Trump attorney will<b><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> </span></b>avoid
jail time but agreed to testify as a witness and pleaded guilty to six misdemeanours
for conspiracy to commit<b><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> </span></b>intentional
interference, downgraded from felony charges she had faced.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>Kenneth Chesebro, a less
public face of the effort, was an attorney who helped engineer the fake elector’s
plot. He pleaded guilty Friday to a single felony, conspiracy to commit filing<b><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> </span></b>false documents. He’s also likely to avoid jail
time.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>Jenna Ellis pleaded guilty to
one felony count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings. She had
been facing charges of violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt
Organizations Act, known as RICO, and soliciting the violation of oath by a
public officer, both felonies. She rose to speak after pleading guilty,
fighting back tears as she said she would not have represented Trump after the
2020 election if she knew then what she knows now, claiming that she relied on
lawyers with much more experience than her and failed to verify the things they
told her.</i></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBut6iXsHuCp4M563gVnBVP4hgc1QkRUYhHrB_phJADSSaM8f9I6RYB61uYqI-zqzUlSzFGYvKjPNQmqbSI4tlLER61rnhhpXH-idUK4u_qFarBctf6LfKD5BlDvuAVbLRJo7ohw948X80DTPZIKZ4_ZwfJHXVi8N3F6P2m4kG2L-8pm1NuDN-xRYkPa90/s1210/ellis%20plea%20photo.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1210" data-original-width="1130" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBut6iXsHuCp4M563gVnBVP4hgc1QkRUYhHrB_phJADSSaM8f9I6RYB61uYqI-zqzUlSzFGYvKjPNQmqbSI4tlLER61rnhhpXH-idUK4u_qFarBctf6LfKD5BlDvuAVbLRJo7ohw948X80DTPZIKZ4_ZwfJHXVi8N3F6P2m4kG2L-8pm1NuDN-xRYkPa90/w283-h303/ellis%20plea%20photo.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jena Ellis on entering plea<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><i><br /></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">One has to ask why would these highly
educated lawyers together with Mr Hall pleaded guilty and offered to testify unless
there was some clear evidence to back up the indictments? Wake up America, wake
up and smell the coffee. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><style>@font-face
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I note that his family no longer
step up and campaign with him. Some may make comment now and again, but none are
out there front and centre. I only hope there is still sufficient intelligence
left in America to vote him down. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As to the matter of protest, I
refer back to previous blogs in which I have commented on the dangerous path towards
authoritarianism this government has taken. </p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-44311408853055718402024-01-17T16:31:00.004+00:002024-01-17T23:55:40.223+00:00DO NUMBERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE ?<p style="text-align: justify;">According to the numbers, Donald
Trump received just over 56,000 votes during the primary elections. Based on
the figures from the 2020 election there are now approximately 2,200,000 eligible
voters in the State of Iowa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trump won
the State of Iowa in 2020 with 53.09% of the vote, whereas this primary result
represents about 2.5% of the electorate in Iowa. I appreciate that the voters
in this primary are meant to be registered Republicans, but that is a
considerable drop from the general election of 2020, in a state that has mostly
Republican voters. Indeed the entire turnout for this vote was just over 5% of
the total electorate of the State, and although he may have won 51% of the vote
in the primary, there were still 49% of voters who did not support him.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Unfortunately the dreadful
weather must have played a part in the numbers who managed to make it to the
voting booths, but nonetheless the percentages must give some sort of
indication as to what can be extrapolated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I realise that what one can predict from these figures is difficult to
know. I am sure there are statisticians who have formulas for judging more
precisely what these figures add up to, but I rather hope that the low
percentages, as against the total electorate, indicate that the Trump band wagon
is more flimflam and bluster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be that as
it may, it still provides him with massive free coverage and publicity. His
voice is being well and truly heard throughout America and feeds the Maga
circus. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I only hope that the voices that
speak of the real dangers of a Donald Trump Presidency, of his psychotic
narcissism and pathological lies are heard and reported just as widely. I note,
in this respect, that the Emmy’s nominations for outstanding talk shows
included Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert and Jon
Stewart all of whom have issues with Donald Trump.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am assuming that their combined audience is
reasonably large, or is it just that the people deciding on the nominations
have a particular bias and the actual numbers are quite low. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There are also a number of
politicians who do have a following and who do have a reasonably wide platform.
This includes Democratic Congresswoman Katie Porter from the 47<sup>th</sup>
District in California, which contains, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa,
Newport Beach and Seal Beach. Oddly enough, she was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa and
grew up on a farm in southern Iowa. She graduated from Yale and Harvard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am assuming that there may be other folk in
Iowa who are not part of the Republican majority. Ms Porter may well have
friends in Iowa who are as anti-Trump as she is. So one lives in hope that
throughout the country there are more voters opposed to a Trump revival and
that the effect of that number will see him sent off the political scene. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In the meantime in the United(?)
Kingdom there are specific problems relating to language and interpretation of
legislation. The current government seeks to deport illegal aliens (refugees)
to Rwanda and in order to do so has proposed a bill that will allow government
ministers to disregard any and all judicial rulings that might prevent the
deportation of an individual claimant for asylum. They will be, by an English
act of parliament, enabled to ignore the law. There is a group within the
conservative party government who want the legislation to specifically say that
no law or international agreement currently in existence will be able to
prevent a minister for immigration from issuing a deportation order against any
potential immigrant. There is to be no right of appeal or access to a court of
law in any circumstances. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The current Prime Minister and
his supporters claim that the legislation does in fact imply that that is the
case. A number of his colleagues disagree. They do not want any exceptions, no
matter how limited, that would give any individual rights of access to a court. The government also insists that
the reason for the legislation is to deter people from trying to get to the
United Kingdom across the channel in small boats. They say, the fact that they
will be immediately carted off to Rwanda on arrival, will deter them from even
contemplating the journey, thus ending the traffic across the channel. The
boats will stop. Their firm belief in the deterrent effect is remarkable given
the failure of harsh punishments imposed for certain criminal offences which
have not stopped the commission of crimes. The 30 year sentences of
imprisonment for the notorious train robbers have not stopped robberies of all
kinds. Tough sentencing and punishment has nothing to do with deterrence. If
that were the case then criminal activity would have ceased 5000 years ago. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">What this legislation is about
has nothing to do with stopping the boats. It is merely a subterfuge to get rid
of the immigrants and refugees who are already here, thereby getting rid of the
backlog of applications and removing people without any scrutiny at the stoke
of a minister’s pen. It seeks to bypass any judicial sanction and is in complete
contradiction of any adherence to national or international law. It is entirely
at odds with the very basics of the British constitution.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The protestations of the mealy
mouthed Michael Tomlinson MP Minister of State for Countering Illegal Migration,
as expressed in an interview on the Today Programme this morning, are sad and
disingenuous. If ever there was a conservative party junior apparatchik he is one.
That he pretends to believe the guff he spouts would be laughable if it weren’t
so serious. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">This government has brought the
entire country into disrepute. On top of which the pretence at being a world
power by once again aligning itself with the United States in its attempt to
police the world is pathetic. It was pointed out to me today what determination,
character and leadership it took for Harold Wilson to keep the United Kingdom
out of the Vietnam war despite American entreaties. He may have allowed the
United Kingdom to be used as an extended US Air Force and Munitions base, but
he was not drawn into the fray and thereby saved many British lives. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not suggesting that the attempt to deal
with the current piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab Strait is
anything like Vietnam. It is clearly something that needs global attention, but
the picture of Rishi Sunak clothing himself with a sword of honour and military
prime ministerial bravado is ridiculous. It just hasn’t worked. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">And so we trundle on. I was
hoping for a healing start to the new year, but the fissures and cracks appear
to be widening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish all good things
to my American friends and hope that their collective will and determination
will see the end of the likes of Donald Trump, his most violent supporters and
the crass and hypocritical republican party congressional representatives and members
of the senate. Never in the history of the United States have so many been two
faced and willingly submissive and supportive of a psychopathic narcissist.
What’s the deterrent procedure and sentence for that? </p>
<p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-67223063227448860752024-01-11T17:06:00.002+00:002024-01-11T18:45:21.193+00:00FROM THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Listening
to <i>In Our Time </i>on BBC Radio 4<i> </i>(Link : https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001v3wy)
with Melvyn Bragg on the subject of Nicolas de Condorcet, French philosopher
and mathematician, born 17<sup>th</sup> September 1743 in Picardy and died in a
prison cell on the 29<sup>th</sup> March 1794, in Bourg-la-Reine in the middle
of his 51<sup>st</sup> year, I was moved to doing some further reading about
this interesting man. Mentioned during the broadcast, amongst other writings,
was his <i>Sketch </i>– [full title: <i>Esquisse d'un tableau historique des
progres de l'esprit humain (Sketch of a historical picture of the progress of
the huma mind)</i>] The first paragraph reads:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkhkXe-F2DPYT1U0o6bRcbdi6ky8X9MUcno-CgBH4vsQG_M5mnJ00Tuw0EGS2UxXxyzKYKDM9gsPRmAbPv0i56HBPjGg-1OLgqkgYcxEw8ktJ0xoN1Xax4RsICpadLCIgx-YUYbAVXxpWMj_dC1aWHvLFe3fXgULChgT2L5gPO3m7Dyaq_A5pMiGiMvtJC/s764/condorcet.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="764" height="403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkhkXe-F2DPYT1U0o6bRcbdi6ky8X9MUcno-CgBH4vsQG_M5mnJ00Tuw0EGS2UxXxyzKYKDM9gsPRmAbPv0i56HBPjGg-1OLgqkgYcxEw8ktJ0xoN1Xax4RsICpadLCIgx-YUYbAVXxpWMj_dC1aWHvLFe3fXgULChgT2L5gPO3m7Dyaq_A5pMiGiMvtJC/w547-h403/condorcet.jpg" width="547" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">“Man is
born with the faculty of receiving sensations, of perceiving and
distinguishing, in those he receives, the simple sensations of which they are
composed, of retaining them, of recognizing them, of combining them, of
preserving them or recall in one's memory, to compare these combinations with
each other, to grasp what they have in common and what distinguishes them, to
attach signs to all these objects, to better recognize them and facilitate new
combinations.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The Wikipedia entry referring to the Sketch
states:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“It made the Idea of Progress a central concern of
Enlightenment thought. He argued that expanding knowledge in the natural and
social sciences would lead to an ever more just world of individual freedom,
material affluence, and moral compassion. He argued for three general propositions:
that the past revealed an order that could be understood in terms of the
progressive development of human capabilities, showing that humanity's
"present state, and those through which it has passed, are a necessary
constitution of the moral composition of humankind"; that the progress of
the natural sciences must be followed by progress in the moral and political
sciences "no less certain, no less secure from political
revolutions"; that social evils are the result of ignorance and error
rather than an inevitable consequence of human nature. He was innovative in
suggesting that scientific medicine might in the future significantly extend
the human life span, perhaps even indefinitely, such that future humans only
die of accident, murder and suicide rather than simply old age or disease.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“For Condorcet's republicanism the nation needed enlightened
citizens and education needed democracy to become truly public. Democracy
implied free citizens, and ignorance was the source of servitude. Citizens had
to be provided with the necessary knowledge to exercise their freedom and
understand the rights and laws that guaranteed their enjoyment. Although
education could not eliminate disparities in talent, all citizens, including
women, had the right to free education. In opposition to those who relied on
revolutionary enthusiasm to form the new citizens, Condorcet maintained that
revolution was not made to last and that revolutionary institutions were not
intended to prolong the revolutionary experience but to establish political
rules and legal mechanisms that would insure future changes without revolution.
In a democratic city there would be no Bastille to be seized. Public education
would form free and responsible citizens, not revolutionaries.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Sketch was published in 1795
after his death, but no doubt written during the period of the French
Revolution which followed on from the American Declaration of Independence and
subsequent revolution 13 years earlier. That revolution was promulgated by men
who clearly had education and knowledge of David Hume’s Treatise of Human
Nature (1739-40) and Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1761), as did
Condorcet whose wife Sophie not only published her husband’s Sketch in 1795, but
her own translation into French of Smith’s Theory of Moral Sentiments in 1794.
Indeed Sophie Madame de Condorcet started a salon at the Hotel des Monnaies in
Paris opposite the Louvre which was attended, amongst others by Thomas Jefferson.
She also hosted the Cercle Social whose members included Olympe de Gouge who
had published the <i>Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen</i>
in 1791. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">This world and word of
enlightenment clearly was widespread and led to the optimistic thinking of the
power of education and man’s supposed ability to absorb knowledge and common
sense which gave rise to the multiple and various declarations of the rights of
men, and the formulation of the Constitution of the United States, “a new birth
of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people,
shall not perish from the earth”.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The people, who gave prominence to
reason and real education and believed in the evolution of free and responsible
citizens, have, so far as the current United States is concerned, been
abandoned. The very idea that an individual such as Donald Trump can be
tolerated, let alone actively supported, by free citizens with the power to
vote in such numbers so as to make him President of the United States of
America, is contrary to every expectation of human decency, education and
intelligence. We appear to be living, or rather existing, in a world retreating
into the dark ages.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The people who came to prominence
and influence during the 17<sup>th</sup> and 18<sup>th</sup> centuries looked
forward to a progressive and continually enlightened civilisation. The glass
was always half full. Following on from the ravages of the 19<sup>th</sup> and
20<sup>th</sup> centuries, we seemed to be hell bent on a downward spiral
rather than peaceful and human progress. Technologically there have been some
impressive and inspiring advances and, on the whole, are beneficial to the planet,
if applied and used with intelligence and reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then again, application and intelligence of technology
is a problem all its own, but that too, has its up and down side. Overall one has
to question why it is that the authoritarian approach to government seeks to
maintain a populace in ignorance. What is it that creates ‘parental rights
groups’ which seek to limit the availability of books ‘not approved of’ and
enforce a very limited approach to learning. It’s as if education was about
learning only what is deemed to be acceptable by the control group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is not education, that is
indoctrination. Societies have been there before and it never ends well.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There is a divide in the United
States as to what the Constitution actually means. Both left and right of the political
spectrum lay claim to it and appeal to it to enforce their point of view. Outrageously there
are the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers who propound that it protects their right
to bigotry, intolerance, the power of the gun and violence both physical and
verbal. Our way or no way. They hurl insult and threat at the slightest opposition.
In the face of overwhelming evidence showing their leader to be an obsessive charlatan
applauding violent behaviour, they do not see the sham. “He loves our country” is
their instinctive response. Constituencies that can elect the likes of Lauren Boebert,
Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, Matt Gaetz. Jim Jordan, Josh
Hawley and many more, give cause for great concern. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Despite the revelations of the
January 6 House Committee hearings and the statements of the variety of
witnesses that Donald Trump is an arrogant swindler nothing seems to stick. How
is it that a country whose popular majority rejected Donald Trump in 2020, having
swallowed four years of his psychotic narcissism, is once again on the brink of
allowing him to continue in any public office, despite exhibiting even greater psychotic
obsession?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I wonder about humans born in the
United States. Has the faculty of receiving, perceiving and distinguishing sensations
been subverted? Do they really have the facility to recognise, compare and distinguish
between what is the truth and what is criminal chicanery? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The internet is so rife with skulduggery
invading emails and messages across the globe that one is forever on alert and
almost every transaction now requires double verification. How does one distinguish
anything? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I do not seek to be depressing at
the very beginning of the new year, but the next 11 months is a major test for
democracy around the world. I truly hope that the predictions and prospects
felt during the Enlightenment of the 18<sup>th</sup> and 19<sup>th</sup> Centuries
will prevail. Where are the likes of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sophie
Condorcet and Olympe de Gouge when we need them? I know they are out there. Now would be their time and it's not the likes of Nikki Haley. <br /></p><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-28373240039278710122023-12-31T15:04:00.004+00:002024-01-01T09:37:14.829+00:00HAPPY NEW YEAR<p style="text-align: justify;">Coming to the end? I would like
to believe that to be the case on a variety of matters. The end of wars in
Middle Europe and Middle East. The end of Putin and Trump. The end of the
British Conservative Government. The end of the increasing number of medical
appointments. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">2023 has not been the best of
year ends. Its beginning was a rather mixed bag although much of it
enjoyable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a lovely Christmas in
Paris we also had another visit to Paris in January to see Annie dance at the Palais
de Chaillot. After the show, we had a lovely supper with her director and
fellow cast member. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly on our return
London we discovered that our great friend Charles Carne had died. So too had
Piers Haggard. Their memorials were one day apart on the 7<sup>th</sup> and 8<sup>th</sup>
of February. It was a very sad time. In addition, there have been a few
passings of old acquaintances in this last month, Barrie Meller, Tim Woodward
and David Leland and very sad it is; but that is on the downside. Like Annie’s
performance, there is an upside. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We did a short trip to France in
March to lift the spirits and visit a couple of Cathedrals and had lovely meals
at Augne and Font-Peauloup. Shortly after our return Celia got a job with the
Royal Shakespeare Company which took us through to the 5<sup>th</sup> of
August. It was all very nice and followed by another visit to France in
September to hook up with an old high school chum and her cousin in the
Dordogne. We went on to Quillan I in the Aude Department to visit Clare,
returning to London via Font-Peauloup and more lovely food. From then on we’ve
had a few very nice lunches and suppers with friends in London. Another
highlight was a visit to the Theatre Royal Bath to see Oliver Cotton’s play <i>The
Score </i>which we believe will next be performed in London some time in 2024.
Something to look forward to.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The year began on a Sunday and is
ending on a Sunday. This next year, whilst beginning on a Monday will end on a
Tuesday, it being a leap year. That being the case, it is also an Olympic year in
Paris, France and an election year in the United States. It may also be a
general election year in the United Kingdom. Indeed there should be an election
before the Paris games begin on 24<sup>th</sup> July. The official opening
ceremony is on the 26<sup>th</sup> July but some of the preliminary games must
begin on the 24<sup>th</sup>.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There will also be elections held
in South Africa, Taiwan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ukraine, India, Indonesia,
Russian Federation, Mexico, Iran, South Korea, Algeria, Uzbekistan, Ghana,
Mozambique, Madagascar, Venezuela, North Korea, Mali. Syrian Arab Republic, Sri
Lanka, Romania, Chad, Senegal, Cambodia, Rwanda, Tunisia, Belgium, Dominican
Republic, Jordan, South Sudan, Czechia, Azerbaijan, Portugal, Belarus, Togo, Austria,
El Salvador, Slovakia, Finland, Mauritania, Panama, Croatia, Georgia, Mongolia,
Uruguay, Republic of Moldova, Lithuania, Botswana, Guinea Bissau, North Macedonia,
Mauritius, Comoros, Bhutan, Solomon Islands. Maldives. Iceland, Kiribati, San Marino,
Palau, Tuvalu.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Some elections already have fixed
dates and others are yet to be decided. Some of the elections will be
completely free and fair and others will be suspect or decidedly controlled. I
do not expect the Belarus elections to be anything relating to "democratic" and
the Russian Federation is so controlled that it hardly deserves to be called democratic.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In any event it would seem that
most of the world’s population will be asked or coerced into making a political
decision. There is an interview on YouTube between Brian Tyler Cohen and Mehdi
Hassan which is interesting if only to get a small perspective on the upcoming US
election in November. Mehdi Hassan no longer has a show on MSNBC and this
interview was done some while ago before he was removed. It is also a bit of a
book promotion. Hassan certainly has views on America.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kBSXNnFwTVA" width="320" youtube-src-id="kBSXNnFwTVA"></iframe></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So let us look forward to 2024 in
the hope that the forthcoming elections round the world will actually create a
world change towards greater co-operation among nations and a strengthening of the
power of United Nations Resolutions to bring about world peace and greater
economic equality. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-9775689939090176532023-12-22T13:33:00.002+00:002024-01-02T06:12:10.546+00:00TAKE THE PILLS<p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It is only now that things are
being put in perspective. As the year comes to an end I feel as if my whole
body is shutting down, as if in some sort of synchronization with what is happening
across the globe. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By way of explanation,
I was recently prescribed medication which, on reading the enclosed explanatory
leaflet (<b>Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine
because it contains important information for you</b>) I am now hesitating to
take. Under warnings and precautions I find two categories that give me pause.
Naturally, because of the time of year, I am having difficulties speaking to my
GP who prescribed the medication.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is
a very nice and concerned man and I have every confidence in him, but these
warning leaflets are there for a reason, so I am hesitant until I have a chance
to speak. In the meantime, my current physical being is showing clear signs of
fatigue which might be alleviated by the medication. My local pharmacist thinks
it’s OK for me to start taking the pills and if necessary adjustments can be
made at a later date. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Hesitation and delay seem to be at
the heart of current decision making wherever one looks. The United Nations is
finding it difficult to make decisions owing to political controversy and the
right of certain nations to veto resolutions. The simple matter of humanity
demands that a ceasefire and end of the violence should be mandated by the UN
in the Middle East. Also in Ukraine, Africa and anywhere else there is killing.
There should be no compromising for the sake of political sensitivities. That
is nonsense and obfuscation. Stop the killing!! </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As to the United Kingdom, the
governments raising and lowering visa monetary requirements, ridiculous illegal
immigration legislation, chaotic performance in every ministry and desperately seeking
an advantageous moment to call a general election before being required to do
so, are symptoms of a paralysis bringing the entire nation into atrophy.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">This, quite naturally, seems to equate
with my own physical condition. I am in little doubt now that I will start
taking the pills. I am also of the view that the United Nations must take a
very strong stand, regardless of sensitivities, and that the United Kingdom
must have a general election as soon as possible. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHfVlHvmWKq-o3MRr7v5bUxdBE7YDH8l3wv_sXwnar9sP4XI-FUNerzBccP8RJxWadjAHd6sIOoc6tsHhXm_VnMV59b8Hk8ZvHK3VhriouMPe-OuWqtjqBoO0Dg9X4OmWSnPyUFgbR0vVw4IBPjFnVe67r9i-11XfQmQYrrQr1C2-ndWZB86wiUhyphenhyphenMT7i/s311/Barbara_Woodward_(cropped).jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="256" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHfVlHvmWKq-o3MRr7v5bUxdBE7YDH8l3wv_sXwnar9sP4XI-FUNerzBccP8RJxWadjAHd6sIOoc6tsHhXm_VnMV59b8Hk8ZvHK3VhriouMPe-OuWqtjqBoO0Dg9X4OmWSnPyUFgbR0vVw4IBPjFnVe67r9i-11XfQmQYrrQr1C2-ndWZB86wiUhyphenhyphenMT7i/w280-h341/Barbara_Woodward_(cropped).jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dame Barbara
Woodward</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">In the meantime, Dame Barbara Woodward should be
bombarded by us all, with emails, or X.s (tweets) to <span class="css-1qaijid">@BWoodward_UN</span>,
</span>urging a firm stand for a ceasefire and end to violence everywhere. For
those who may not know, Dame Barbara is the current Permanent Representative of
the United Kingdom to the United Nations. A strong forceful stand by the whole
of the United Nations now should be no problem and any adjustments required can
be made at a later stage
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The pill I am being prescribed is
a sort of hormone replacement which is meant to increase my energy levels. It
will alleviate my current symptoms of fatigue and breathlessness. I trust that
taking the metaphorical decision taking pills by the current government and United
Nations will have the same effect. That would be a very merry Christmas and New
Year indeed.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></p>
<p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style> <br /></p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-53022799602277519602023-12-18T16:26:00.005+00:002023-12-18T22:19:16.324+00:00WHAT PRICE NATIONAL HEALTH PROTECTION<p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPVL4FGW7is0EIahLemJ7ew8FfXLnERif2n2klqu3zNRaB7mXmsPRvEmK_U4h0X8-owPQyM5E_0viMnxVSn-4htiNTiGUek4LP7MmLFfZ6YYEhbGJ2t9EsSdIqt3uRo_dkXvj1aXWjwiEzuAxdK_t_-3sF6zwmgEeDuNcR_hTF84yrgdwJ1q-x5dSEJ47/s3395/NHS_logo_logotype-1531467428.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="3395" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPVL4FGW7is0EIahLemJ7ew8FfXLnERif2n2klqu3zNRaB7mXmsPRvEmK_U4h0X8-owPQyM5E_0viMnxVSn-4htiNTiGUek4LP7MmLFfZ6YYEhbGJ2t9EsSdIqt3uRo_dkXvj1aXWjwiEzuAxdK_t_-3sF6zwmgEeDuNcR_hTF84yrgdwJ1q-x5dSEJ47/w526-h202/NHS_logo_logotype-1531467428.png" width="526" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Medical assistance is not so easy
as it once was, however, once you are in the system, by which I mean, have an
appointment with a GP face to face or with a referral to a hospital and are
face to face with the hospital staff, then you are, for the most part, in very
good hands. I have found during my interaction with medical personnel that I am
treated with the greatest care and concern. The concentration and focus on
one’s medical problems is impressive. I believe this to be true in 99% of
cases. Once you are ‘in the system’, face to face, you are in good hands. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There are of course failures. The
numbers of people seeking advice and treatment is overwhelming, and the
pressures on staff, in all medical departments throughout the NHS is daunting
for both patients and staff. The tragedy is that 1% which can be devastating.
As of the 1<sup>st</sup> December 2023 there are 63,049,603 patients registered
at GP practices in England, which can mean some 630,000 people could be in
difficulties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no indication
that that number of people have problems because of NHS failures, which
indicates that the service is more than 99% effective, but the failures that
have occurred have attracted conspicuous notoriety and demands for the whole of
the service to be transformed or farmed out to private enterprises. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As it is, I find, there have been
some 16,484 clinical and non-clinical claims made against the NHS in 2021/2022
which were resolved. That would amount to some 0.023% of patients, which would
make the service 99.97% effective. Sadly the actual amount spent by the NHS on
those claims for 2021/22 is £2.4 billion, which the service can ill afford.
That amounts to an average of almost £146K per claim. I am assuming that figure
includes legal and administrative fees, but it amounts to a considerable sum
which could be better spent elsewhere on the service. <br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Despite that, the service comes
out as 99.97 % effective and, given the numbers, what other national public or
private service is anywhere near as effective. Certainly not the government,
rail, transport, police, defence or security. Some NHS mistakes have had
extremely dreadful consequences and been played out in the national press, as
well as unacceptable waiting times for access to in and out-patient treatment,
but nonetheless it is clearly more effective than most. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Making it 100% is the goal and
the lack of proper support, particularly from government is glaringly obvious.
Whether a Labour led ministry will be any better is yet to be decided. <br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">If my figures are wrong, I
apologise, but on the whole it is a spectacular service and should not be put
down. I accept that not all registered patients are actually receiving specific
treatment but all patients from time to time consult with their GP, even if
only to be told “There’s nothing wrong with you”. That is all part of the
service. They are all on the <i>qui vive</i>. I would like to think that is the
case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Last night, over supper,
conversation turned on the matter of honesty in today’s society. It seemed clear
to me that as a reaction to the cost of living crisis and rising prices
(inflation rates may have come down but prices are still rising) the average
citizen’s first reaction is to resort to theft. Shoplifting figures have risen dramatically.
Perhaps violence has increased equally. I do not know, but the ethical and
moral behaviour of Britain has declined, from the top down. <br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The government has no qualms
about reneging on previous commitments and breaching the rule of law. As
another instance in point, we have Ms Michelle Mone. A person who had left
school without qualification and eventually, at quite a young age (44) been
made a life peer (2015) and achieve the title of Baroness. She was made
redundant from a job that she had obtained with invented qualifications.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had also authorised the electronic
bugging of a former operations director’s office as a result of which he won a
claim for unfair dismissal from her company. There is much more rather dubious
stuff outlined on her Wikipedia entry. She has also confessed to deliberately
lying to the press and public about her involvement with a company that appears
to have swindled the government over a PPE supply contract and had £29 million
paid into a trust benefiting herself and her children. She claimed, having already
admitted she lied, “It’s not my money, I don’t have that money and my kids don’t
have that money, and my children and family have gone through so much pain
because of the media. They have not got £29m”. I don’t really understand her
distinction with the money being held in trust. It is held in trust. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one else except the beneficiaries can use
that money, so yes, they do have the money. She also stated that lying to the
press is not a crime – she did it to protect her family. She seems to have a
very loose association with the truth and a very weak comprehension of
integrity. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hC9MGLdzaKw" width="320" youtube-src-id="hC9MGLdzaKw"></iframe> <br /></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So it would seem to be the case
with many British citizens, what with figures of dishonesty and fraud on a
never ending scale. The nostalgic notion of a time when one didn’t lock one’s
front door or car door was mentioned. That may still apply in some villages
around the country, but I doubt it. <br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It was David Cameron as PM who
made her a peer, and he is now our foreign secretary with a dubious record
related to paid-for lobbying of former colleagues. How can one expect any
foreign government to take him seriously. The UK has lost its clout and
anything said or done by the UK in relation to foreign affairs is of no account
to anyone outside the UK and consequently the reporting of what UK does or says
in relation to anything only gives the false impression that the UK still
matters. Much is reported by the likes of Bowen, Guerin et al, but it is
because they are the BBC that it is of interest to others, and that only
because of the BBC’s World Service and reputation built up over the years. But
that too appears to be fading along with the supposed impact of the British Government.
In fact the BBC’s reporters probably have more impact and clout than the foreign
office.</p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-39955832463539338822023-12-10T12:31:00.000+00:002023-12-10T12:31:06.949+00:00STUFF TO LOOK AT<p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">I am grateful to Roland Lewis for giving me the following
link to a Lecture and Q&A at the University of Notre Dame by Steven
Levitsky on “Tyranny of the Minority”. It is well worth a look and listen:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lEdwKH4-vB8" width="320" youtube-src-id="lEdwKH4-vB8"></iframe></div><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEdwKH4-vB8"></a><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">There are people in America who do have a concept of how
democracy in America is being eroded by Trump’s Maga assault on the
constitution. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It may also be worth your while to view an interview on MSNBC
between Ari Melber and Yuval Noah Harari at:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlni04mpDdg"></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlni04mpDdg"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nlni04mpDdg" width="320" youtube-src-id="nlni04mpDdg"></iframe></a></div><p></p><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-81208345826290113902023-12-09T12:57:00.000+00:002023-12-09T12:57:51.787+00:00FISCAL INSANITY AND SHADES OF DALLAS<p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I started to write a blog
yesterday and find that the Guardian Newspaper has already published much of
what follows; nonetheless, I will add my few bits as well into the ether.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>The amounts of money being
pissed away by this government is astronomical. If an episode of Yes Minister had
been written which including the current governments list of insane
expenditure, it would have been seen as a complete fantasy; yet, it is not.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>Over a billion pounds has been
defrauded from the government in its zeal to help out business during the
pandemic. No effort appears to have been made to recover that money. Millions
have been spent on useless and unfit for purpose personal protective equipment
and no effort seems to have been made to sort out how it happened, nor any
attempt made to recover that money. Do we remember Grayling’s awarding a
shipping contract to a company with no ships? Over a billion pounds have been
spent on the empty and contagious Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge. Yet more
millions have been paid to Rwanda (£250m to date plus another £50m due next
year).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How much longer can this go on?</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>I read, from a BBC online news
report by Andre Rhoden-Paul, that “The Home Office has said Rwanda has an
initial capacity to take 200 people a year, but there are plans to increase
that number when the scheme begins.” So far that works out at £1,250,000 per
person in the first year. The idea behind the deterrent factor is that it will
save lives by stopping the boats and that it will be so successful by the
beginning of the year, the boats will have stopped. Does that not suggest that
there will no longer be a need for the flights as the boats will have stopped
and there will be no more people to transport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So a scheme that is only required for one year will have cost the
taxpayer an exceptional amount of money. </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>Mr Rhoden-Paul’s article goes
on to add “The department has also estimated the cost of sending someone to a
safe country - not specifically Rwanda - is £169,000, compared to £106,000 if
they remain in the UK.”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What does an
extra £63,000 matter?</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>Of course, having established
the scheme, it seems only natural to keep using it, so who else can the
government send off to Rwanda. Any person who is or deemed to be an illegal
immigrant will be shipped out to Rwanda, or maybe just people we don’t like.
Russia has its Siberia, now the United Kingdom has its Rwanda. How cool is
that?</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>You cannot stop refugees from
seeking a shelter where they believe a shelter exists. So long as western
Europe and the Americas hold out the myth of offering refuge they will continue
to come. The only real way to stop the flow is to stop the carnage and
suppression that exists forcing them to leave their homes and become refugees. That
means international co-operation. So long as nations are allowed to subvert and
ignore international co-operation so long there will be refugees. Instead, help
make the place they live better, or as good as, the place they think they are
going to. </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>It is simply not right to show
commiseration and concern for the plight of some people (e.g. Syrians,
Afghanis, Iraqis, Iranians etc..) and then treat them like a plague because of
the manner in which they seek refuge. The hypocrisy of the likes of Suella
Braverman, Priti Patel and their acolytes is more than gargantuan.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I note that Priti is eight years
older than Suella. I also note that one has rarely, perhaps even never, seen a
cosy photo of the two of them together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am not sure what one can surmise from that. Both born in London, of Indian
background via neighbouring African countries Uganda and Kenya. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">According to Wikipedia, Suella
was named after Sue Ellen Ewing from the soap opera Dallas. Her mother was a
fan. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sue Ellen was the long suffering
wife of the notorious JR Ewing, one of the great television villains. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The catch phrase “Who shot JR?” made it across
the globe in 1980. The episode in which JR was shot aired on 21 March 1980. The
resultant publicity around “Who shot JR?”, which created a furore, led to the “who
done it?” episode on 21<sup>st</sup> November 1980. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Suella Braverman was born on the 3<sup>rd</sup>
April 1980, only 13 days following the fatal episode for JR; but, I think one can
assume that Suella’s mother was watching “who done it?” on that Friday evening
43 years ago, with her babe in arms. Apparently some 83 million people tuned in
to watch the episode, one of whom was a seven month old Sue-Ellen Cassiana
Fernandes, now known as Suella Braverman. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8I41UTa69RXx-n3LTTGOFazJdfbZrh6R6zVQbXLTo16WFQFfAbqkPJVkSmQ1X_JbPxRB3xYJv8fkppvJRctNBHmtuHHln_y4vWV-09pHuQ2pnIghYRiba7weFUwvpZwq3onLGdnVhwb_hhWkuA9riMe0vlpU3rDzByNjYvqG8UlpKuC1BY-eVdjaCI0b/s780/suella%20sue%20ellen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="780" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8I41UTa69RXx-n3LTTGOFazJdfbZrh6R6zVQbXLTo16WFQFfAbqkPJVkSmQ1X_JbPxRB3xYJv8fkppvJRctNBHmtuHHln_y4vWV-09pHuQ2pnIghYRiba7weFUwvpZwq3onLGdnVhwb_hhWkuA9riMe0vlpU3rDzByNjYvqG8UlpKuC1BY-eVdjaCI0b/w511-h382/suella%20sue%20ellen.jpg" width="511" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I wonder just how closely the
lives of Suella and Sue-Ellen have coincided.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i>Dallas</i> gave us a view of Sue’s alcoholism within an atmosphere of
“corruption, betrayal, lies greed, affairs and scandal” as some critics have described
her. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do not know if Ms Braverman has
taken to the bottle, but as for the rest, what can one say?</p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style> <br /></p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-48897595857914712862023-12-07T12:51:00.001+00:002023-12-07T13:59:43.878+00:00STOP THE BOATS - A SOLUTION<p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">This morning I listened to Suella
Braverman being interviewed by Nick Robinson on the Today program. She was just
as arrogant as ever and obsessed with her Stop the Boats solution of sending people
to Rwanda, and barely answered any direct question. She also exhibited a
serious lack of understanding when it comes to the law, which not surprising in her case, being
a barrister who was shunned by colleagues for her lack of knowledge. Her
continued reference to promises to the British people which must be kept, as if
that was the prime concern of the British people. It is only her concern that
appears to be of prime importance, no one else’s. She is apparently of the
belief that instant deportation to Rwanda will act as a deterrent and stop
people from making further attempts to reach the United Kingdom across the
channel in a boat. To do that she is willing to sacrifice any idea of legal and
humanitarian safeguards or civil liberties this country has for several
centuries tied into its common law. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">What I do not understand is her
idea of deterrence in the case for Rwanda. That people will be so terrified of
being sent to Rwanda is what drives her thinking. At the same time she is desperate
to classify Rwanda as a safe place to be sent to, where refugees will be given
a proper place to stay, access to lawyers and all the good things that a safe
and secure democracy founded on freedom can provide. They will be well looked
after and Rwanda is happy to comply with this arrangement. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it is so great, why would anyone be
deterred from going there. It sounds like the ideal place to start a new life. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjHFTAyXY_8dYImNcZYAhaY1SrmoZ2zQ1bfnaHeMJLVZoHOgRyEbigkS5_BTyQU072tUnVRWCOLFxG6SwgsEe492coCQV2Rsj2pOHacLDF2_6358VkMllI9aVQlbpb6CVzvVE7JaAP7YscvnL3GDv4WMgndCTu0hR4IRW1BerkYEsDDFDnk-6r4WVh9ta/s2316/Welcome%20to%20Rwanda.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1672" data-original-width="2316" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjHFTAyXY_8dYImNcZYAhaY1SrmoZ2zQ1bfnaHeMJLVZoHOgRyEbigkS5_BTyQU072tUnVRWCOLFxG6SwgsEe492coCQV2Rsj2pOHacLDF2_6358VkMllI9aVQlbpb6CVzvVE7JaAP7YscvnL3GDv4WMgndCTu0hR4IRW1BerkYEsDDFDnk-6r4WVh9ta/w509-h367/Welcome%20to%20Rwanda.jpg" width="509" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I would have thought the best
thing to stop the dinghies would be to supply safer transportation across the
channel, straight to an airport, show them the Welcome to Rwanda Brochures and
send them on their way with a cash bonus of £20,000 to help them get settled once
they arrive. Better yet, just fly them straight from the nearest airport in
France.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETr5EYy2VI5wYRoTaUUub3nP-giM_lQ1P15RA-EoKc9cLhBDStx_6KyYAuocT26KJgzDQjunoj5GGHWJwM2aY2V52hI2xG2b9G1n546FQ7MxhSIY0auV5DHGKgOoJ1Z_co5pjkK5lkEdoiT7-fLAofrLG4YquxL5RUOwyzbNAuFeznvk7ltLQu6bePLcy/s2912/Calais%20Airport.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1562" data-original-width="2912" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETr5EYy2VI5wYRoTaUUub3nP-giM_lQ1P15RA-EoKc9cLhBDStx_6KyYAuocT26KJgzDQjunoj5GGHWJwM2aY2V52hI2xG2b9G1n546FQ7MxhSIY0auV5DHGKgOoJ1Z_co5pjkK5lkEdoiT7-fLAofrLG4YquxL5RUOwyzbNAuFeznvk7ltLQu6bePLcy/w510-h274/Calais%20Airport.jpg" width="510" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calais Airport<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Given that some 27,284 people
have travelled across the channel this year. That would represent something in
the region of £545,680,000. This is one third of the two years rent the
government has spent our money for the unused Bibby Stockholm barge. The whole
of that sum could account for 70,000 refugees to get them started in Rwanda,
and that’s just a one off payment not a continuous rental. I would have thought
it made much greater economic sense to sell the country as THE place to be. If
you’re not in Rwanda you’re nowhere. What could be a simpler solution, and you
don’t even need to pass new legislation. Don’t just book it, Thomas Cook it.
Now who would have thought of that?</p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-64533425838617272112023-12-05T16:02:00.006+00:002023-12-06T13:08:35.755+00:00A VIEW OF NAPOLEON<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisU6fzbeMjsdb11AUIYvpmv5YEUkhbWbFKrNRzQ-RLYGbTWj7DCxq0E4rnD1lSAXxqb4D_Cd7wIvFYXszZWo3XN1Y-waVJ_-AxIt4mdnmSV6W20fVpdkIMMppD8mLLneI_jdhAV60c9J5H9-DHpKvhOXmVYaPbt-m5zG9LgJ7ZjoRjiR_XcaxJ1OX3IWSj/s2880/Jacques-Louis_David_-_The_Coronation_of_Napoleon_(1805-1807).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1811" data-original-width="2880" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisU6fzbeMjsdb11AUIYvpmv5YEUkhbWbFKrNRzQ-RLYGbTWj7DCxq0E4rnD1lSAXxqb4D_Cd7wIvFYXszZWo3XN1Y-waVJ_-AxIt4mdnmSV6W20fVpdkIMMppD8mLLneI_jdhAV60c9J5H9-DHpKvhOXmVYaPbt-m5zG9LgJ7ZjoRjiR_XcaxJ1OX3IWSj/w533-h335/Jacques-Louis_David_-_The_Coronation_of_Napoleon_(1805-1807).jpg" width="533" /></a></div>
<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It the interest of fighting off
depression caused by the state of the world I seek to make observations about
what passes for culture and entertainment. It has been a while since I have
ventured into a cinema, and last week Celia and I took the Number 2 bus to
Brixton to the Ritzy Picture House. In the largest of the theatres, Screen 1,
we saw Ridley Scott’s <i>Napoleon. </i>Lovely large wide screen with full on
surround sound. Nonetheless, and because of my diminishing ability to hear
properly, I found some actors do have a tendency to mumble or shout, with
little nuance between the two. So I put back the hearing aid, having taken it
out because of the opening blast of the surround sound at the start of the film
with the revolutionary crowd hurling stuff and insults at a stern looking Mary
Antoinette heading to lose her head. The hearing aid was not a great help as
the mumbling seemed to be ever present. Indeed, even Celia asked what “What did
he say?” on a couple of occasions. </p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Having read Peter Bradshaw’s
‘Five Star’ review in the Guardian, I confess I could find little that came
near a five star rating, unless he was talking about the brandy he must have
been imbibing whilst writing his review. In his opening paragraph he states:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">“Many directors have tried
following Napoleon where the paths of glory lead, and maybe it is only defiant
defeat that is really glorious. But Ridley Scott – the Wellington of cinema –
has created an outrageously enjoyable cavalry charge of a movie, a full-tilt
biopic of two and a half hours in which Scott doesn’t allow his troops to get
bogged down mid-gallop in the muddy terrain of either fact or metaphysical
significance, the tactical issues that have defeated other film-makers.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Indeed, the film is well shot and
the battle scenes extremely impressive and violent. An extraordinary recreation
of warfare at the end of the 18<sup>th</sup> and beginning of the 19<sup>th</sup>
century. The spectacle is full on. But why call the film a full-tilt biopic
when we learn very little about Napoleon. It is all very well to use artistic
licence in dealing with his journey from the execution of Marie Antoinette in
1793 to his death on St Helena in 1821, to invert and invent events, but at least
give us something about the man. As an instance in point, Napoleon was occupied
with the siege of Toulon when Marie Antoinette was executed in October of 1793,
and was nowhere near the Place de la Revolution a.k.a Place de la Concorde. The
sets or buildings used in the film, bear little resemblance to the actual
historical buildings frequented by the historical figures depicted; however,
none of that really matters in so far as giving us a full-tilt biography. Where
was Napoleon? His name was used in the title. It is a one word title. So who
was this man? What did he achieve or not, as the case may be? Why have so many
been so interested in his life and legacy? Will all be revealed? What was his Rosebud moment?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As to that, we learn practically nothing
at all, and are given a potted history around the presumed turbulent but
obsessive relationship between Josephine and Napoleon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It finishes with a catalogue of the numbers
of dead resulting from some of his battles and the combined total of the all his
battles. What Peter Bradshaw saw in this film must have been some other director’s cut, it certainly was nothing like the version at the Ritzy Picture House.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There is the odd interaction
between historical figures such as Talleyrand, Wellington, Tsar Alexander I,
and a few others who actually had a great deal to do with Napoleon, but nothing
of any great note or revealing insight into the character and appreciation of
the man himself. This is very sad. Such a great filmmaker working without a
decent script, being told by some how wonderful his film is <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and yet one is left metaphorically shouting
out “The Emperor has no clothes” </p>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I was sent a link to this posting
on X:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5URbve9tQ_gqQVLG5_KVS7qHsWRn69LArWF86IlL-jGqtTJBUOU1h53teLCXGdsfqYo_boCzwOkcDUY-ye5HJxSd0Zx2sTiEeVwt6SlkRwkae77PJrkINTWI80Ihf8BR6kj2W9RAt_97vgllP3Q6VFSzVdCWI2gO88-SiaCh-t-paut92C3Q8BcZUPpe/s1548/Bibby%202.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1548" data-original-width="1188" height="627" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5URbve9tQ_gqQVLG5_KVS7qHsWRn69LArWF86IlL-jGqtTJBUOU1h53teLCXGdsfqYo_boCzwOkcDUY-ye5HJxSd0Zx2sTiEeVwt6SlkRwkae77PJrkINTWI80Ihf8BR6kj2W9RAt_97vgllP3Q6VFSzVdCWI2gO88-SiaCh-t-paut92C3Q8BcZUPpe/w482-h627/Bibby%202.jpg" width="482" /></a> </div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">To spend around £1.6 billion on
renting a vacant barge is an extraordinary expenditure of public money. To
claim discussion of such profligacy would not be in the public interest, is
beyond baffling, and is rather a reflexion of the crass arrogance of the
current government. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Not in the public interest? Roger,
who sent me the link, just captioned the word “unbelievable” next to it. This
is the doing of Suella Braverman fulfilling her dream and depriving the NHS (or
possibly the police and security services) of 40,000 nurses on £40,000 a year salary
each. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">They constantly make claims to be
responding to the wishes of the British public because of their election
results in 2019. Since then, the British public have most assuredly changed
their minds. Every single day that passes, as evidenced by current polls, must
surely have penetrated the Conservative psyche. Every single revelation of
incompetence from the Covid Enquiry must surely have given them some pause for
thought. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To hark back to 2019 and persistently claim a
public mandate to govern is unconscionable. They know that and yet they persist
in holding on rather than actually doing what the British public are screaming
out for, which is a general election. Unfortunately the screaming is not quite
loud enough as yet, but that is the desire of everyone that I have spoken to. Is
it not time for the conservative party to stop harping back to a mandate they
no longer hold? Why is this not pressed by the opposition? This should be
pointed out to them every time it is mentioned, not only by opposition MPs but by
journalists during the course of any interview.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Many do not understand why no one
has put forward a motion of no confidence. At present the Conservative party
holds 350 out or 650 seats. That is a simple majority of 25 seats if all the
other parties joined together in favour of a vote of no confidence. Is it so
unlikely that 26 current conservative MPs might conclude enough is enough?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are, of course, a number of Independent
MPs (18), the DUP (8) and the Reclaim Party’s one representative which might
give the government a possible 27 votes, but I doubt they could count of that
100%. Might it not be worth having a go?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">If the rumours one picks up from
journalists are correct, then perhaps a spring election is on the cards;
however, if that does not happen, then I believe every possible elector should
write to their MP demanding an election be called. If their MP refuses to take
notice then s/he should be put on notice that they will lose a vote when the
election finally happens. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We carry on living in limbo with
a dysfunctional government, nationalists coming to the fore in Europe leading
to a possible disintegration of the European ideal, war and violence flourishing
across the globe, a fantasy COP 28 offering a buyout but no actual solutions. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In the meantime people meet
around dinner tables letting off political steam and coming back to civility in
discussing their families, children and grandchildren, reminiscing about previous
endeavours and looking forward to the possibility of other enjoyable prospects.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Civility and friendship are what holds
us together. Why can this not be done on a larger scale?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-18821323962379380532023-11-23T13:04:00.000+00:002023-11-23T13:04:34.002+00:00I LEAVE IT WITH YOU<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIrpG6OijBzGo2KD75L2oaeZ7ZrjDdn001QEPHPb-IktqLygQCaw6cmAz8QDokHXRapD_0yDIoGelEo6zmViG3keeU4cMif_gAaKoYoQHRVRUSmbXH0pyxqQdNjUUndiHMstSD3EYHieOoO4QUEqEqyN8LVR1Sx1nBZN87Fpn8DQoSBFdR7nb39JdunC2S/s1304/Brain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="974" data-original-width="1304" height="403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIrpG6OijBzGo2KD75L2oaeZ7ZrjDdn001QEPHPb-IktqLygQCaw6cmAz8QDokHXRapD_0yDIoGelEo6zmViG3keeU4cMif_gAaKoYoQHRVRUSmbXH0pyxqQdNjUUndiHMstSD3EYHieOoO4QUEqEqyN8LVR1Sx1nBZN87Fpn8DQoSBFdR7nb39JdunC2S/w539-h403/Brain.jpg" width="539" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Everyone I speak to is distraught about what is
happening around the world. It is not a healthy way to live. There is too much
confusion and very little relief. This is a refrain that keeps swirling around
my brain. I have started and discarded a number of possible thoughts for deliberation
on the blog and have yet to settled on anything worthy of analysis.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As pompous as that reads, it is
nonetheless a state of mind. With advancing years, it is essential to keep the
brain functioning. At the moment, physical exercise is not as much of an issue
as mental exercise, or rather it is as important; however, physical abilities
tend to decrease with longevity no matter how much exercise you do, whereas
mental acuity can disappear in a trice unless some cerebral activity is
undertaken. I am assuming this is a reasonable view even though I am not a
scientist, anatomist or physiologist.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As to the brain, one can perhaps
borrow as few maxims from popular culture. “What happens in the brain, stays in
the brain” and “The first rule of The Brain, is you do not talk about The
Brain”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With that in mind, welcome to
the brain. The second rule of The Brain is YOU DO NOT talk about The Brain.
Third rule of the brain: if some incident causes extreme trauma and conscious
thinking ceases, The Brain is over. Fourth rule: keep interaction limited.
Fifth rule: one grand thought at a time. Sixth rule: Thinking is to be
individual, no outside aids, no ChatGPT. Seventh rule: Thinking will go on for
as long as it has to: The eighth and final rule: If this is your first time
with consciousness, you have to think. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">What is remarkable is that despite
its flexibility and ability to absorb information it can become locked and
rigid, perhaps even frozen. What is difficult to understand is why so much of
our behaviour is dependent on the information that is put into the brain whilst
in its infancy when so much more information is absorbed in later life. Why do
the first five, or so, years of input have such a hold on the rest of our lives?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Most countries with an
established representative government institute a form of early education to
teach its children basic information to enable them to function in society. We
learn to read, write and count. In addition, due to the most usually adopted
method of education, it is performed in groups with a teacher and similarly
aged students in a classroom where a framework is created for learning social
skills as well. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The learning or curriculum is
expanded, as we grow older, from basic reading, writing and counting, into the
study of one’s native language and literature as well as more complex forms of
mathematics. Additional cultural activities are included, such as history,
geography, sciences, music, art, and sport. The progression is towards learning
certain subjects in more depth and perhaps specialising in certain areas of
higher education which would include law, politics, economics and philosophy,
as well as architecture and more sophisticated science and technology. Not
everyone goes on to university education and may prefer to learn more practical
skills or develop their artistic proficiency and talent in fine art, music and
drama. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Although we like to think that
all human brains are exactly alike in structure, they may not be so similar in
respect of capability. Not everyone is able to follow the trajectory indicated
above, and even those who do sometimes, or perhaps more often than one
supposes, fall away from completing the course. The great tragedy is that most
of the world’s population doesn’t even have the chance to start the journey.
Despite all that, the basic desire and instinct of any human being is for
adequate food, shelter, security, health and safety, freedom to roam or not, as
the case may be, without interference and in peace. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All rather simple and straight forward; yet,
the diversity of opinions on how to achieve that state of affairs, is
problematic and chaotic in the extreme. This results from the same structural
material we all carry in our heads. This malleable collection of nerves, cells,
neurons and synapses has produced religious fundamentalism, bigotry, obstinacy,
narcissism and psychopathy as well as compassion, love, generosity and
civility. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">What can we make of this mess? We
have a world body of united nations who have established a forum through which
to air our differences and yet more groups and treaties between nations to do
the same. What is so difficult about coming together? What creates this
necessity to impose someone’s fixed ideas on others? What is it about a flexible
and accommodating organ such as the brain that makes it so rigid, uncompromising
and ready to do evil? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">What is it that permits the
leader of one country to ignore the representations of masses of people around
the world and other world leaders to stop the killing? What allows the powers
that be to ignore the appeals of its own citizens to stop aggression and
counter aggression? How long does it take for sense to prevail? Why has
education and experience so dismally failed the representative leaders and
legislators of nations and peoples? There must be some way out of here. I put
it to you and I leave it with you. </p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-7071473897015341122023-11-15T12:09:00.000+00:002023-11-15T12:09:57.305+00:00MY LETTER TO THE GUARDIAN<p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-family: Times; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I have today sent this letter the the Guardian newspaper which no doubt will not be published, so I am sending it out on the web, which will probably have as much effect as sending it to the Guardian.</span></em></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-family: Times; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span></em></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-family: Times; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">To the Editor, <br /></span></em></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-family: Times; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I am minded to refer to Suella Braverman’s expressions of
concern as either simply hypocritical or possibly specious. Her primary
concerns in Government, her ‘dreams’, her obsessions, are entirely negative.
She seeks to have total control and prevent what she sees as contrary to her
wishes, which she claims are the wishes of the British citizenry. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She wants to prevent immigration at any price
and is willing to sacrifice hard won human right legislation. She seeks to
prevent dissent of any kind by preventing public demonstrations and free
expression of opinions contrary to her own, by sacrificing hard fought for constitutional
rights with legislation containing harsh sentences to imprison protesters. She
seeks to enact legislation limiting legal rights and preventing the courts from
having any say in what affects the rule of law. She seeks a government that has
total control without scrutiny or any kind. That is the effect of what she
says. </span></em></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-family: Times; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span></em></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-family: Times; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">At the same time she professes to support traditional conservative
values. Small government and free market trading with little interference or
regulation whilst paying lip service to health and social care, which, in any
event, should be provided by the private sector. You will note, she said
nothing in her ‘written agreement’ with Mr Sunak about social welfare or the
cost of living; however, she claims “</span></em><em><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It
is a privilege to serve and one we should not take for granted. Service
requires bravery and thinking of the common good.</span></em><em><span style="font-family: Times; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">”</span></em></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Her whole being is arrogant in
the extreme and her behaviour and constant refrain spouting repression has
nothing whatever to do with the pubic good. It is she who has abused the
privilege of public service, and has indeed taken her position for granted. She
is not at all interested in collective responsibility only here own views. It’s
her way or no way. This is bravado not bravery. This is narcissism, not selflessness.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-5940771505295083292023-11-14T17:46:00.004+00:002023-11-15T09:40:19.941+00:00ALPHABET SOUP<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZCS6BsyZYb1o9x28IZWpWaiQrzcYndTt5oy2NZiMqCt-YsJ-xV9oNFB64lIXNa3a0YEGVp-skTH9XwmR2b-FZY_wYDxFvcUJ3eOOAW1Aw6CuiL6_DWyZdmjL0q1KYThUEQ9sRAIFPVKG-e6LpJvaBWgwAAMeh6QsWnKqVGqQ1NtserVqvxlb2cyM6nyB/s1506/IMG_0759.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1506" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZCS6BsyZYb1o9x28IZWpWaiQrzcYndTt5oy2NZiMqCt-YsJ-xV9oNFB64lIXNa3a0YEGVp-skTH9XwmR2b-FZY_wYDxFvcUJ3eOOAW1Aw6CuiL6_DWyZdmjL0q1KYThUEQ9sRAIFPVKG-e6LpJvaBWgwAAMeh6QsWnKqVGqQ1NtserVqvxlb2cyM6nyB/w512-h360/IMG_0759.jpeg" width="512" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">How we read is what we read. That
we read at all is a consequence of having something to read. From the moment we
open eyes or become conscious we have the ability to interpret signs, to reach an
understanding of what is before us, in front of us, what we can see and
possibly reach out and touch in the immediate present. I do not confine reading
to the reading of text. The necessity to read and interpret is crucial to
survival and our lives are taken up with survival.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Recently in <i>Waterlife, </i>the
magazine of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, an article on how to identify
tracks and signs was published. This takes us back to probably one of the first
things a newly evolved homo sapiens would have been taught to read some 300,000
or so years ago. That, together with images painted or carved on walls of
dwellings, and observations of weather and climate conditions, would have been
the first ‘texts’ of required reading. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As to what we now call writing,
that did not happen until some 5500 years ago. Of course, it did not just
happen, and it came about in more than one place on the planet to accommodate the
various languages that had emerged around the world. As interaction between
individuals became more complex, trade and relations require some form of record
keeping, and indeed the first known writings concern accounts (numbers and
stocktaking). This would have required the creation of symbols to represent the
word for cow, chicken or pig. Again, necessity was the mother of invention.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The facility to read and organise
out thoughts is developed in the brain. Stuff is poured into us the moment we
emerge from the womb and probably a couple of months before that. We learn a
language or several languages over time, but it is our so called mother tongue
that defines us for the rest of our lives. Our thoughts, dreams, impromptu expletives
and reactions are expressed in that language. We are what we speak and we speak
what we read. The brain organises and records it all. We can consciously recall,
or retrieve from our stored memory banks, events that have occurred. Sometimes
some exterior stimulus will prompt a memory to surface to the forefront of our
thoughts. Included in this retrieval are the emotions that coloured the incident
at the time it occurred. The language expressing those emotions and recalling
the associated events is the same. So, we become, and are, what we speak.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">According to a Wikipedia entry
there are some 40 languages spoken by at least 45 million people around the
world, from English at 1.456 billion people (380 million as a first language and
1.077 billion as a second language) to Yoruba at 46 million (44 million as a
first language and 2 million as a second language). <br /></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0wIE78clETCQF07LthNJ3UpoQo4Hbhxbk3vbEQGLRyOFHyM8JBUhHZc-zSMIyxbiyIGXqymrlQZ7In3lHx1cNMo1TxgZJr6iGMaoZ57t2okbIQUijo38Cdfihoh-YkGcvGjCuorbDyaVaa53z662J5n10gXVNFeVsN3XeAG-dWxkXSdmx-eR_z6Ap9n9/s1446/langauges%203.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1446" data-original-width="776" height="982" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0wIE78clETCQF07LthNJ3UpoQo4Hbhxbk3vbEQGLRyOFHyM8JBUhHZc-zSMIyxbiyIGXqymrlQZ7In3lHx1cNMo1TxgZJr6iGMaoZ57t2okbIQUijo38Cdfihoh-YkGcvGjCuorbDyaVaa53z662J5n10gXVNFeVsN3XeAG-dWxkXSdmx-eR_z6Ap9n9/w528-h982/langauges%203.jpg" width="528" /></a></div><br /><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The CIA have done some research
and have produced the following chart of most spoken language as a percentage of
world population:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDCfera-n3KlA9P3BON_0g-hMLJV9KaTlylBm5LSHWR9Bx2Tto2TByKfQS_ok0BmCYuuRkoQrS9RJ5wAaSr6rHRVLjGlI8HY-d7XThWDUZHKsJpNmRl0rZOS_cmqK9qq4HSDH33d_p4JBWAFTr_wpJzcJRNOwaIUDrAA9iQoTA4iQQXEJHaUZISD31nnKY/s778/cia%20lang.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="484" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDCfera-n3KlA9P3BON_0g-hMLJV9KaTlylBm5LSHWR9Bx2Tto2TByKfQS_ok0BmCYuuRkoQrS9RJ5wAaSr6rHRVLjGlI8HY-d7XThWDUZHKsJpNmRl0rZOS_cmqK9qq4HSDH33d_p4JBWAFTr_wpJzcJRNOwaIUDrAA9iQoTA4iQQXEJHaUZISD31nnKY/w316-h508/cia%20lang.jpg" width="316" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We have, however, come a long way
from tracking signs. Communication is now universal and certain languages have
dominated the landscape at various times in history. At present, it is the English
language that is becoming the lingua franca of our time. Communication for
commercial airlines and airports requires English. Many countries participating
in the Eurovision song contests, produce music with English lyrics. The tourist
industry thrives on the ability to speak English. Many placards and posters
held up at demonstrations throughout the world will be in the English language.
In addition, the proliferation of mobile technology and the world wide web have
changed the landscape seemingly beyond control.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As to writing, things are a bit more
problematic. There are a number of alphabets, but not as many as there are
languages. There are some 15 alphabets or scripts that are in current use, as
per this chart:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRR75AUuUicAlpucW4wyFgtSCwgmp-BaB54HM90xyuziiDfmlUErs5OH-xIdDWm9AdeyIo_aOWrQ3P-dvPNLEBdxbuMqM4MH0xGTgyduNVRDOONdCwvQaX09X9ydqP4N25qZGD1JWg0f52F7RVk3gIMfCspxymZ81LQsuoToVxWHaWeOB1RZqC9mJ0vdiU/s940/alphabet%20x.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="940" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRR75AUuUicAlpucW4wyFgtSCwgmp-BaB54HM90xyuziiDfmlUErs5OH-xIdDWm9AdeyIo_aOWrQ3P-dvPNLEBdxbuMqM4MH0xGTgyduNVRDOONdCwvQaX09X9ydqP4N25qZGD1JWg0f52F7RVk3gIMfCspxymZ81LQsuoToVxWHaWeOB1RZqC9mJ0vdiU/w536-h484/alphabet%20x.jpg" width="536" /></a></div>
<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The various symbols and letters
of alphabets are sound keys that represent the sound of syllables of words. It
is interesting that the Latin alphabet can be used to convey the sounds of a
variety of languages. The Cyrillic and Greek notations have much the same
sounds as their Latin equivalent. It is also interesting that the same notation
or script can be used for Slavic, Germanic and Latin based languages. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Wikipedia entry defines an
alphabet as “<i>a standardised set of written graphemes (called letters)
representing phonemes, units of sounds that distinguish words, of certain
spoken languages. Not all writing systems represent language in this was; in a
syllabary, each character represents a syllable, and logographic systems use characters
to represent words, morphemes, or other semantic units.</i>” </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">That does not however change the fact
that we are what we speak, although it has made us realise just how similar we all
are as human beings. Our basic requirements are entirely the same: human rights
including secure shelter, health, safe and secure employment, education and free
speech. The eradication of prejudice and bigotry of any kind would be a help.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Looking at it from another perspective,
our brains are <span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px;">little understood, but extremely advanced and sophisticated data processors</span>. The brain never stops functioning
and is constantly siphoning or drawing in information, whether we are awake or
asleep, and no matter what our level of intelligence. All our senses, touch,
smell, sound, taste and vision are in constant operation so long as we are
alive. We all have the facility to retrieve the information we are gathering so long as we can breathe. How we choose to use that information is what makes
us all different. What keeps us alive, what gives us the energy to keep
functioning is the same for every creature on earth. In that respect we are all
the same. The eradication of prejudice and bigotry of any kind would be a help.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">So let us not talk falsely now. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bT7Hj-ea0VE" width="320" youtube-src-id="bT7Hj-ea0VE"></iframe></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><p></p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614277301388117137.post-27508160382930225592023-11-13T15:42:00.000+00:002023-11-13T15:42:07.008+00:00A BIT OF A WIZARD ?<p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">My thoughts are interrupted by a
bit of political news which brought to mind the Munchkins, given our prime
minister’s diminutive stature:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Song of the Munchkins<br />
And oh, what happened then was rich.<br />
The house began to pitch. The prime minister took a slitch.<br />
It landed on the Wicked Witch in the middle of a ditch,<br />
Which was not a healthy situation for the Wicked Witch.<br />
The house began to pitch. The cabinet took a slitch.<br />
It landed on the Wicked Witch in the middle of a ditch,<br />
Which was not a healthy situation for the Wicked Witch.<br />
... Who began to twitch and was reduced to just a stitch of what was once the
Wicked Witch.<br />
<br />
</span>Ding Dong! The Witch is shed. Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch!<br />
Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is shed.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span></p>
<p>Wake up - sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed.<br />
Wake up, the Wicked Witch is shed She's gone where the goblins go,<br />
Below - below - below. Yo-ho, let's open up and sing and ring the bells out.<br />
Ding Dong' the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low.<br />
Let them know<br />
The Wicked Witch is shed!</p>F Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13207872790173098524noreply@blogger.com0