A FEW CONCERNS AND OBSERVATIONS

To whom it may concern,

I’m not sure who is the whom I am addressing. I do not know whether or not they may actually be concerned with, or indeed interested in, the matters which I presume them to be concerned with.

Concern is a rather fluid word. Someone who is involved in a concern may be quite happy about the tasks and responsibilities associated with that enterprise. It may be an individual who is involved in the care of others or simply the attribute of a concerned person as envisaged by Adam Smith.   It may also relate to a person/s anxiety, apprehension and unease about their personal situation or the general state of the world around them. 

I could also be grossly mistaken and the whom is someone who is totally unconcerned with any of the above. In which case my opening remark is completely inappropriate. On the other hand it is difficult to imagine any individual who has no concerns or is not involved with anything or anyone. The simple matter of being alive is a concern, and the brain is never completely inactive, unless it has ceased to function entirely. In the absence of death we all have concerns of one kind or another.  So I presume to presume.

I was having breakfast and listening to More or Less on Radios 4.  The claim by Housing Minister Rachel Maclean that the government had built a record number of social rent homes was manifestly wrong, if not an outright lie. By carefully choosing her own definition of ‘social rent’ and massaging certain statistics, she could almost be correct. It was however an extremely misleading claim, if not a complete prevarication. In effect it was a lie, The presenter, Tim Harford demonstrated, with clinical examination and evidence from the Governments own statistical analysis of housing, just how misleading the minister was. He did the same for Liz Truss’s latest claims that her mini budget was correct, with clear analysis showing just how disastrous it was, and how flawed her thinking.

These are matter of concern, particularly when current conservative ministers continue to mislead and prop up disastrous government policy, retreating from critical environmental decisions, all the while claiming it to be in the economic interest of the public.  Having created the current cost of living crisis, they now claim to resolve it by stating that they are holding off implementing net zero commitments, and telling the public that by doing so they are saving the public from additional expenses on cars and boilers.   What kind of insanity is that?

Despite repeated claims that their actions are to support and benefit their poor constituents, it is painfully apparent that every turn by the current Prime Minister and his associates is a scrambled attempt at cajoling the electorate into re-electing a conservative majority. Their only program is to turn the polls around. They do not care what they do to preserve power. This is of concern. Government, it would seem is no longer about public service.

Additional note since yesterday: I have just listened to the Prime Minister being interviewed on the today program by Nick Robinson – The word disingenuous is all that can be applied to Rishi Sunak’s effort to claim he is thinking only of the economic pressures being put on the populace, that he is a new broom bringing about a change in political leadership and that he is initiating a new way forward for the British people. He defies anyone to put forward a better plan whilst claiming Britain has been leading the way forward in carbon emission reduction, and will still meet its net zero commitments. Having been party to creating the cost of living crisis, for which he accepts no responsibility, his current proposals are a connivance to persuade the electorate to turn back to the Conservatives. What is extraordinary is that there are still members within his party who defend his garbage and claim they actually believe in it. So what we get is a lack of frankness, candour, or sincerity. They are being falsely and hypocritically ingenuous; hence disingenuous, which must be of concern.

Mr Sunak had said in his speech, inter alia:

“The proposal for government to interfere in how many passengers you can have in your car. I’ve scrapped it,” he said.

“The proposal that we should force you to have seven different bins in your home. I’ve scrapped it.

“The proposal to make you change your diet – and harm British farmers - by taxing meat. Or to create new taxes to discourage flying or going on holiday. I’ve scrapped those too.”

Herewith sample exchange from interview:

Nick Robinson: “Hold on a second prime minister, you stand up with the authority or prime minister in Downing Street and you say you’re scrapping a series of proposals, and when I ask you about them yourself, you say ‘oh, somebody considered (them) and it was in the appendix of the document’.“There’s nothing to be scrapped, which is why your former environment (minister) says you’re pretending to halt frightening proposals that simply do not exist.”

Mr Sunak said: “I reject that entirely. These are all things that have been raised by very credible people.”

I would ask, raised by which people, where and when?  A complete nonsense. Pretending to deal with things that do not exist. What fantasy prime minister is this? This is straight out of the Trump book of political leadership. Repeat the fantasy. “These are things that have been raised by a lot of credible people, so many you wouldn’t believe, more than ever before”

Indeed, this is even more hideously demonstrated by what is going on in Russia, Hungary, Belarus and most assuredly in the United States and the outpouring of venom by Donald Trump and his supporters’ railings against the entire democratic process and rule of law. The avalanche of threats to judges, officers of the courts, law officers and potential witnesses since he has been indicted is of considerable concern. So much so that the prosecutor has petitioned the court to hold Mr Trump accountable and make him cease his harmful rhetoric.  His MAGA base has been referred to as a dangerous cesspool. He is more than prepared to stoke violence in this pool. The shit hitting the fan has never been more relevant.

On a different note, regardless of political concerns, there are other matters of import to the populace. The Rugby World Cup is in full swing. Twenty nations are represented in 5 different pools. France, Ireland, South Africa, Wales and England are all 2 for 2 at present. This is of concern to a great number of rugby fans across the globe.  The NFL season in the United States has begun. Attempts to spread the popularity of the game will involves 5 games being played in Europe. Two in Frankfurt, Germany and three in London. The Jacksonville Jaguars will be involved in two of the games in London, one of which will be at Wembley Stadium and the other at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which will also host the Tennessee Titans against the Baltimore Ravens in week 6.

We all have a variety of concerns, to wit family, friends, jobs, daily activities, cooking, shopping, subsidence, home maintenance, teeth, remembering to take the pills, what to drink, staying reasonably healthy, and the list goes on. This is that last day of my four score years and I move on to the next decade wondering if I’ll make it to 2032, by which time Mr Sunak’s deferments on scrapping petrol and diesel cars and gas boilers may have come into effect. It would be nice to find out. Tee hee.