WHAT ABOUT MORE EDUCATION

The opening of 2025 has been a very mixed bag of events, mostly unfortunate. There is talk of a ceasefire in the middle east but Ukraine smoulders on. In the United States, Southern California is equally smouldering, quite apart from the insanity of the current transition towards a new federal government in Washington D.C. An infantile psychotic narcissist, as head of the free world, seeks to surround himself with sycophants and ridiculously unqualified people of inferior intellect as his secretaries of ministerial departments of state. To what end, not even he knows. The day to day reveals of the lack of character and knowledge of his cabinet choices is astonishing; yet, the Republican Party representatives inexplicably fall in behind him like lapdogs. This godlike adulation will be the undoing of the Republic. Of that I have no doubt, unless the rational and decent citizen’s left can somehow rally together and hold him and his cohorts in check as intended by the constitution. Good luck with that.

 

In the United Kingdom the new government is finding its own transition into governing extremely problematic. The first six months of the current parliament, despite the party’s massive majority, has been a string of little failures causing a distancing of its supporters from the leadership.  Government ministers are having to defend themselves vigorously at every interview after only six months in office. They have not ‘hit the ground running’ as claimed, and how long will they be able to carry on with “We have inherited a drastic situation left by the previous government`’ as a preamble to their excuses for inaction? I am perhaps being a bit harsh so far as the Labour Party is concerned, and the expectations of the citizenry may be a bit demanding and optimistic, but such is the nature of the beast.

 

 “You said X would happen and it hasn’t, and you appear to be lacking in judgement about certain matters relating to policy and personnel” is a constant refrain at present. That is not surprising given this first past the post majority from a minority one third of the electorate. The country is out of sync. The Labour Party did not enter parliament with a sigh of relief from the electorate in July 2024, but with a grumble of discontent, so despite the hoopla of congratulations at the polls, it was never going to be easy. With that in mind the pratt falls during this first six months have not helped. We can but hope the new year will prompt the ground running to commence. 

 

Addendum:

Celia is extremely upset about the above two paragraphs. I do understand. Yes there was great relief by all that the Conservative Party was so massively defeated at the last general election. Also, the Labour Party is doing wonders given the unfortunate and drastic situation left by the Conservative Party. A great deal of time and effort will have to be spent on cleaning up the mess. It has been an extremely difficult transition for the new government when faced with the urgencies required to get the NHS back on track, to deal with the calamitous fallout of Brexit and find a way to revitalise the United Kingdom’s relationship with its foremost trading nations in Europe. Apart from NHS reform. new legislation relating to tenants, employment, education and social care is urgently needed. The finances to secure the success of such endeavours is paramount and the economic growth to that end is not easy to promote. The success of the new government is in difficulties as it is subject to an onslaught of negative press and the polling which indicates that 70% of the public appear to be dissatisfied with the government. That is not surprising given that those figures have in fact not changed since the July 2024 election when70% of the electorate did not vote for Labour. So the fact that there has been no real change is pretty good going. I’ve no doubt they will bounce back, which is why I said that perhaps I was being a bit harsh. In any event the United Kingdom is a much safer haven that the United States or the Russian Federation. True freedom of expression and the rule of law survive here and are in no danger of succumbing to the likes of Trump and Putin.  

 

I am encouraged to have a more optimistic outlook and refrain from obsessing about the growing insanity in the United States and other depressing news in general. I will go for that, as I find my sleep pattern interrupted, not only from more frequently having to pee in the middle of the night, but from the anxiety of what one is helpless to change about the world. This, I am sure, is a not uncommon experience with people of my age. To paraphrase, what thoughts may come gives me pause.

 

I am certainly not at a stage where I would consider making my quietus by means of a sharp instrument or bottle of pills, not even of any kind. I believe there are still a few miles left in the current corpus, although closure does not seem far off. I see and hear of bits of prospective parliamentary environmental and social legislation that will come into effect in and around 2030, 2035 and 2050, and it does dawn on me that I am unlikely to benefit from the effects of such measures. Does that stop me from wishing they would come into effect even so? I wonder if the commitment levels are as strong as they once were, although I have to confess they were never that forceful in any event.

 

My critical faculties also seem to be out of step with current thinking. As an example, there is a new police procedural program on television, though not the most brilliant, original or earth shattering of shows, but which I found pleasantly entertaining. On reading a review in the Guardian it was panned in no uncertain terms by a reviewer I normally find reliable and amusing. So what can one say? A difference of opinion or a critical lack of discernment? It is hard to know which. In any event it is vital to keep the brain active and in a perpetual state of enquiry. Which is perhaps why one should once again consider the pursuit of another university degree of some kind. Should I follow up on the abandoned Phd in performance writing, make a formal application to engage in the aforementioned PPE degree, or some other subject entirely? To engage with academia is making a commitment to study, research, read and write essays within a disciplined and organised structure. One has to keep to a timetable and engage with other students and tutors or the fees required are just thrown away funds. Higher education costs, whereas autodidacticism can be a leisurely and inexpensive hobby. Within a university environment one has deadlines and targets to meet in order to obtain the piece of paper that demonstrate the qualification and expertise, or at least specific knowledge, in and of a subject. ‘Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.  

 

Applications for the year 2025-2026 are now in the process of being considered by various institutions. UCL, LSE, Birkbeck and Kings College are but a bus ride away.  Perhaps a meeting and a discussion with some professor might be in order to get an idea as to what and whether it is worth pursuing? Perhaps a study in the vagaries and indecisions of old age from a philosophical, political and economic point of view? Who knows what lurks in the hearts of men? More of this anon.