Run That By Me Again..

So BBC reporter Nick Robinson interviews a guy who is taking part in the strike march (public sector worker) and he gets him together with someone who runs his own coffee shop business (private sector worker). During the course of the chat the coffee shop owner says he doesn't have much sympathy with the strikers because he doesn't even have a pension plan, so what do they have to really grumble about(?!).

Did I miss something or does that sound like the beginnings of a joke with a missing punch line?! Do I construe from that argument that the coffee shop owner can't be arsed to save for his own future? If he feels that he CAN'T afford to save for his future then rather than thinking the grass is greener and begrudging the people who are striking, surely it would be better for him to consider the fact that if his own position is so indefensible, that he might like for a public sector worker to help highlight his impoverished position as a member of the public suffering under extraordinary austere measures? After all, when the public sector have been steamrollered, do private sector workers think this is not going to affect their lot? Or was it just this one coffee shop owner they found? Do private sector workers not think they deserve a better deal from the consequences of political misbehaviour? What am I meant to take away from that little ditty on the BBC news?

Are public and private sector workers so polarised in their views that they wish to squabble at each other? Maybe someone as well as me will realise we're on the same page.

Desperate Times Call..

Okay - enough is enough..  Let’s have a chip at this.  Most people are going to be aware of the upcoming strikes on the 30th November.  On the one hand we have the unions up in arms over the pensions/retirement debacle and the significant overall impact of the austerity plans upon people’s wellbeing, and on the other hand we have a government stubbornly pushing on whilst trying to paint the union leaders as “rabble rousers” who are endangering the recovery process at a time when we should all be pulling together.  Tut, tut.. anyone would think it was the late 70’s again.  Well I agree with them both!  We should ALL be pulling together, but I also have to side with the unions when they argue that the big plan is causing unnecessary hardship.  Forget bouncing the public vs. private sector slagging matches.. it’s a smokescreen!  Almost everyone is in the same mess.  Personally I also see it as the thin end of a rather nasty wedge.  Hmmm..

No one can be in doubt that we have to address the national debt – it cannot be allowed to continue unabated, but here we have our rose, with thorns intact.  It seems to me that the united “pulling together” front bandied about by so many conservatives in their 11th hour moment of crisis seems to me to be a repackaging of their own unique brand of equality.  That all too familiar echo pervaded 80’s society, which I seem to recall saw the Conservatives and all those about them brandishing their “go get ‘em” selfish attitudes with unashamed righteousness, everyone basically being equal, just more so in some cases than in others.  Their current “solutions” are being imposed upon people who are already beset with issues, not all of them of their own making (the banks know who they are).  Yes, at the end of the day we all need to take stock of our positions.  It’s unreasonable to imagine that there wouldn’t be consequences upon daily life with the country facing a fiscal crisis.  No one can expect to keep uncontrollably “putting it on the plastic” without a day of reckoning, BUT has anyone wondered whether we're at the tipping point where there may simply be too much money in too few hands these days?  We’re so busy grumbling amongst ourselves that hardly anyone seems to have mentioned the distribution of UK wealth; businessmen, politicians, bankers, even lottery winners with experience of real life abound, all seem besieged by the same old “I’m all right Jack” 80’s status fever.

According to the Telegraph, in an article dated 30th Sept 2010, the UK has about 280,000 millionaires (1.1% of the population), with a sum wealth of £1.28 trillion.  Well, that’s quite a lot of money right there..  Billionaires?  Count them in too - Forbes listed the UK as being home to 32 of them in 2006.  So, on the face of it things must either be unfeasibly, ridiculously bad or we should be in ruder health than we are.  Well, (and it’s just a guess) maybe it’s because a lot of their money may not be in circulation in the UK, but instead locked away in tax havens and offshore projects.  I don’t begrudge people who may have earned their right to lounge in luxury but the great god of Capitalism, as haphazard a thing as it usually is at best, must be appeased by the movement of money.  As far as the system is concerned you can’t be rich and a hoarder.  Capitalism doesn’t like that one bit.  It shows every time the government struggles to tell all the savers that they need to spend.  If the money doesn’t move in the right places at the right time, or doesn’t move at all, then it will create imbalances which need to be tolerated.  If it all moves within totally different countries, with little or no benefit to the source country then we have a ticking timebomb scenario, particularly if we have no way to generate revenue – say, for example, a country dismantling its manufacturing infrastructure.. now what kind of a country would do that!?  As for mishandling money, if you want someone to elaborate as to what happens there I suggest you ask a banker – they have a lot of experience of this.

I have a suggestion, which might seem quite unreasonable at first. We keep hearing a lot about people struggling at the bottom.. student debt, minimum wage, benefits, etc..  Since the larger argument is ostensibly about citizens sharing the pain, how about taking hold of the reins for once and creating an UPPER limit on personal wealth?  That’s not to say a limit on how much a business can generate – that would be a self-defeating premise for entrepreneurial flow.  What I propose is a ceiling on personal wealth, which would flex in accordance with the general overall wealth of the country in question – ie: what the country can afford.  That way we might minimise any issues of playing with more money than we can owe ourselves.  When the country is prospering, people can prosper a little more individually, and when things are tight the personal wealth factor would be somewhat restricted, understandably for the good of the whole.  Or am I missing a trick?  Is this how it is actually supposed to function, given that the individual wealth of the big players seems to be quantified/wrapped up in strange and mysterious (nebulous?) equities such as shares, stocks, bonds and so forth?  Is this in fact all STILL ultimately pointing to an uncooperative banking system, too afraid of its own tools?

Before anyone thinks I’m only taking a philosophical stick to the wealthy, let’s look elsewhere too.  I don’t like the idea of my taxes going into supporting NEET’s, or the unworthy as much as the next person but maybe the problem is also locked up in the (likely VAST) sums of money pushed in the direction of  the defence budget, to fight the petty skirmishes we don’t seem to be able to resist dealing ourselves into.  Has anyone sought to ascertain and truly, accurately declare these sums in the UK budget analysis?  Given that the rants regarding NASA’s budget have been suitably discredited by the announcement that the total budget for their entire space exploration to date has amounted to about 1% of the US defence budget for one year, where does the UK stand on its own defence spending? I’m not saying we shouldn’t have a defence budget, more I’m simply illustrating the point that it seems to be possible to find almost any sum of moneywhen it’s convenient.  So, to whom it may concern, before you start taking yet more liberties with the people least able to afford it all, maybe ALL the money needs counting?  The Conservatives love encouraging the masses to take responsibility and “have a stake” in the future (it makes their life easier and more deniable), so how about another proposal whereby at the start of each financial year we state how we want our individual taxes to be distributed?  You could fill in a form, a bit like an inverted tax return..  I have a feeling that concept might not be too popular with the taxman.

It’s perhaps best to reflect that there likely is no easy answer to any of this.  Nevertheless, for what it’s worth, the worst part for me is concern that the government, as always, seems very quick to point the critical finger at Labour (which they thoroughly earned), are very quick to spin out a yarn or two in an attempt to placate/misdirect the collective frustrations of society (an old trick for them), and seem VERY reluctant to take an honest and hard look in the right places.  I wonder whether the goodwill of the masses might even come close to the dizzy heights of the war time bonding between fellow strangers, if those same strangers could rest poorer, but emboldened by the knowledge that ALL of us are truly shouldering the burden.

Disney's "THE BLACK HOLE" - A retrospective..

** UPDATE ** - For all fans, I would draw your attention to the following..  As of 11th August 2011, Disney and Intrada have produced a remastered Special Edition CD soundtrack of the THE BLACK HOLE.  Having rediscovered the 32-track digital masters back in 2006, they set about painstakingly remastering all the music as presented and have released this wonderful score by the late John Barry.  Boasting no less than 24 tracks (a big improvement on the 32 year old, gold dust, 10 track vinyl release), a running time of just over 55 mins, and a 20 page liner booklet cataloguing the tumultuous path of the CD's creation, as well as notes and photos from the production itself, I heartily recommend grabbing a copy if you like your soundtrack CD's!


http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.7229/.f


Okay, in the grand scheme of things this is not the most important blog to hit the web but it is something which I feel personally motivated to write about, in part because of my frustration as a fan. There were two films from the Walt Disney studio which caught my imagination in my youth - 1979’s sci-fi offering “The Black Hole” and 1982’s unorthodox virtual offering “Tron”. I have my reasons for mentioning "Tron", which will become clear later on, as this is actually a blog regarding the former film – and the unexpected future in store for it.

“The Black Hole” was one of the most expensive films made in its day ($20,000,000) and sports flaws so startlingly obvious you wonder how they survived the creative process unscathed, given that they were riding on the back of such a high profile investment. Today’s cinematic experiences have reared children to expect flawless special effects, and although this film sat somewhere at the top of the heap for its production values (having being Oscar-nominated for its effects), there are some matters alongside the “cool” which I think in all fairness were unacceptable even at the time. Whether it’s the bad or inconsistent science, the occasional all-too obvious wires suspending the characters in zero-gravity, the laudable but obvious work of the matte artists to try and colour-match the film footage (in fairness I’ll come back to these two issues) or the insanely patchy dialogue which ranges from sublimely entertaining to bizarre or even downright bad, there are more than enough opportunities inviting criticism.

In spite of all this, I say give it another look.

Over the years It has garnered something of a cult status, sustained in part by its reputation as the first PG rated film from the Disney catalogue (for some mild language, and perhaps more reasonably for the scenes of death, one of which probably made more than one parent look sideways in concern as little Johnny handled his first Disney 'evisceration' scene). It’s all too easy to join in the critical “mud-slinging”, but when you look beneath the damaged surface you can perhaps see what the studio executives were raving about before the critics blasted it.  The film was in production as far back as 1974, so any comparisons to Star Wars may be quite obvious in retrospect, but realistically quite wrong.  At its heart is a darkly gothic film, sporting some of the most original hardware design this side of "2001: A Space Odyssey". Whether it’s the beautiful, Hubble-style starfield being consumed by the black hole in the corner of your eye, the defiant and beautifully skeletal mile-long vessel USS Cygnus, the haunting forms of her humanoid crew, the intimidating form of the ethically-conflicted Maximillian, even the production design of the double-barrelled laser guns (which I still love to this day) - all these were forever etched into my child’s mind on that grey Saturday afternoon in early 1980. The film even manages to reach beyond the occasional naïve scene which it’s fairly lambasted for, surprising the unwary with moments which certainly don’t fit the traditional Disney ethic; the sombre mood of the humanoid funeral, the soulless, dead-eyed crew member staring back at a shocked Anthony Perkins, his own character’s subsequent (albeit bloodless) evisceration and electrocution, the revelation of the murder of Palomino crew member Kate McCrae’s father by the Cygnus’ own commander Hans Reinhardt or the allegory of his soul’s eternal damnation within the shell of his own creation.. you choose. Personally, I think the most poignant (and likely overlooked) scene is a moment where a dying Reinhardt pleads for his life to his lobotomised crew. Two of them appear to turn slightly to one another, and with the little humanity left in them elect to ignore his cries for help, giving the impression that they are exacting some small measure of personal justice as well as bringing an end to their own suffering by the black hole - quite chilling stuff for a nine year old, I can tell you.

I discovered more recently that “The Black Hole” is about to be subjected to a “re-imagining”, with “Tron Legacy” director Joe Kosinski helming the project. With all due respect to how he seems to feel about the task this is not something I’d ever hoped for. Superheroes can be reinvented – “Spiderman” blossomed in the skilled hands of Sam Raimi and Toby Maguire, and “Batman” deftly sidestepped the 60’s camp to embrace the true, original nature of the Dark Knight, initially with the superb edginess of Michael Keaton, and after a commercial deterioration subsequently recovered once more through Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale.  Even "Superman" survived the transition from the late and much missed Christopher Reeve, with a portrayal from Brandon Routh which was startlingly akin and yet also his own. “The Black Hole” however is a different matter. Don’t get me wrong – In spite of my nostalgia-driven reservations I will give this a chance, especially as it is to be a true re-imagining by concept rather than a carbon copy of the original - Kosinski’s main drive seems to be to address the science issues and create something more akin to “2001” in style rather than an outright adventure (this may all end up echoing the visual feel of the original concept paintings of the Cygnus by the late Robert McCall).  I seem to recall having similar doubts about the recently released "Star Trek XI". Given that they could have continued going boldly into the future beyond the years of Picard and Janeway, it filled me with trepidation when they announced that they wished to reinvent the wheel, but in the end I think they created a veritable masterpiece.

I suppose I would really have hoped that Disney would treat the original version with a bit more respect. Its release history is something of a mess.  Twenty years passed, during which both several laserdisc and sub-quality VHS transfers were released.  With the advent of DVD, the film became the most requested release from the Disney back catalogue. Even before Disney succumbed to consumer demand, Anchor Bay managed a R1 remastered version (with the nostalgically correct starfield "overture" as seen in cinemas), but though it is arguably marginally superior to Disney's own treatment, the release was of the "non-anamorphic" widescreen variety.  When the 2-disc 20th Anniversary “TRON” DVD appeared there were rumours of a similar 2-disc Special Edition of “The Black Hole” waiting in the wings, and given the excellent job they did with "Tron" together with a wealth of material to choose from as demonstrated by a past laserdisc release (deleted scenes, trailers, a “making of..” with cast and crew interviews etc..) all looked rosy. It seems however that "Tron" didn’t sell enough units to justify its completion (!?), and Disney once again lost their bottle - ironic considering we now have a TRON sequel, an animated mini-series and the all but green-lit TR3N.  Sometime later they acquiesced and released a barebones disc (which is the only version officially available here in the UK), presumably to counter the Anchor Bay release, followed by a barely improved R1 version (including the overture with a title page instead of starfield (grrrr..), a 15 minute technical retrospective and a trailer).  Maybe we should be grateful it appeared on DVD at all.  Given that the visuals seem to be the most universally credited aspect of the film, the ubiquitous “pan and scan” VHS transfer did far more damage to the integrity of this movie than anything the critics could throw at it!  Now with the advent of Blu-ray we wait yet again for any signs of a release.. if it ever gets one in this format.

With a reimagining on the cards I can’t think that they will do anything with the original unless they go for the “cash-in” option. I know, it’s just wish fulfilment because I happen to have a soft spot for a film which scared the hell out of me when I was a kid, but personally (and PARTICULARLY with the advent of the high resolution of Blu-ray) I would love to have them cash-in and run “The Black Hole” through a similar re-mastering process to the one which Ridley Scott performed on “Bladerunner”. If only they were to produce a “Special Edition”, complete with its original starfield overture, commentary, maybe even with the deleted scenes restored in an optional “seamless-branching” approach as championed by the acclaimed R1 “Terminator 2” release.. They could go back to the original negatives and “spruce” it up. Transfer it through the 4K digital intermediate process which Ridley glows about, tidy all the blemishes and spots, re-balance the off-colour scenes (where scenes with “blue” colours became scenes with “aqua” colours to avoid clashing with the “blue screen” process), balance out the matte paintings, get rid of the accidental blue-screen reflections on objects, and yes, even digitally remove the wires.  Of course none of this is likely to happen. Disney have never really liked to give this film its due since their initial sense of shame, even after all the development costs and hard work by the effects artists - a pity really when you consider some of the truly obscure movies out there which have enjoyed restoration, sometimes simply because of the enhanced quality which DVD offers.  One can but hope though.  Maybe their attitude is thawing with the recent effort put into the Special Edition CD soundtrack release..

I like working with Photoshop – they could give the project to me! Hey, any Disney Exec’s reading this.. I dare you!

Peace

Cutting Our Own Throats?

Cuts, cute, cuts..

Is it just me or can I see a very real pattern of systematic abuse of the national austerity plans?  Alongside all the savings plans we have seen as a nation - the Police service, the NHS, education (and probably much we aren't aware of), that old chestnut of libraries and background resources appears once again.  So, what is the plan now?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14427066

Now, am I the only one who is getting really, really pissed off with these glossy publicity ideals and “soundbite” quotes, attempting to fool people into thinking all that which is happening is doing so for some greater good, whilst seemingly exonerating those with a duty of care for the wellbeing of said resources?  Don’t misunderstand me - I’m all for sorting problems out.  National debt cannot be allowed to continue – ask any American today and they’ll probably agree.  However, such a stance requires taking hold of the reins in politics, something the Tories never seem to have ever had a clue about since they seem happy to turn the fate of everything over to market forces.. AGAIN.  These days it seems that every “square peg” service which is being jammed into a “round hole” solution for the sake of saving a bit here and there, is being done so with the same old private interests at heart, interests which began crippling our nation many moons ago.  As someone whose employment terms are due to fall foul of the privatisation of education support in a year’s time, I can tell you that the solution too is unsustainable.

As I write this I cannot think of any one example of any system in the UK which hasn’t gone pear-shaped when it’s been taken out of public ownership and moved into the private sector.  When I was young the local buses used to cost 5p for an adult trip into the city from my grandparents place.  For me it was just 2p.  This was cheap back then (late 70’s early 80’s), and although I believe it was generally recognised that these South Yorkshire prices were very cheap even by national standards, I suspect the costs of public transport were quite reasonable across the nation.  Then the bus services were contracted out to a private company, and in the “spirit of competition” a couple more companies were also seen to establish themselves.  It wasn’t long before the costs began to rise quite sharply, and the quality of service began to drop, only being propped up by the continued demands of the consumer versus the best wishes of the supplier.  I can also tell you that we seem to have buses which have been either built to a price or designed by lunatics, powered as they are by Volvo engines which are apparently notorious for easily overheating (this in turn probably explains why the heating systems are ALWAYS on), and which are still in circulation years after the problem was identified.  I know this as it was many moons since a bus driver was kind enough to spill the beans as we sat cooling in a lay-by with the engine alarms “pinging” away.  That same “ping” can still be heard today.

From where I’m sat it seems that the people with the power to help veto all this foolishness when it happens, continue instead to buy into the bullshit, their eyes fixed on the short term gains.  Whether those gains are for themselves personally, their business interests or simply in the purported interests of “getting national debt down”.. it’s all the same.  On the surface it could be argued quite reasonably that the privatised mechanisms DO keep turning - it’s not ALL that bad.  I expect this idea might be the first line of defence thrown into the ring if this financially-driven madness were to be put in the dock - but you know, just because something appears to work it doesn’t necessarily follow that what is happening is in people’s best interests.  You can run a car engine badly with crap fuel and crap oil and it WILL work, but eventually it will break, and the mess you’ll be left with will probably mean it’s an irredeemable write-off – akin to those buses I expect I won't be using in a few years’ time.  So too is it likely to be the case with our social systems, if those with the power to affect change continue to gloss over the cracks and continue to accept the “extra funding” carrots dangled by such unworthy saviours, as has I think been the case with so many school/academy conversions.

All hail the mighty monetary system, mechanism of the universe and saviour of mankind.

Personally, the bit I fear in all this is the continued near-silent passing of all this ownership until we reach the point of domination of privatised (financial) concerns over EVERYTHING we do, as opposed to “most of that” which we do today (I can still recall the fictional news corporation CEO in Max Headroom saying "Credit fraud? My god, that's worse than murder") .  We’ve already seen the chaos which can happen when these institutions unravel.  Ironically for this, I point to the recent events concerning a news corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch and his son (and I’m more than tempted to point out another infamous double-act of recent years in the White House which got us all into a lot of trouble, but I leave you to draw any conclusions or parallels).

I’m thinking that maybe the first signs to show the inherent corruption of our current ways will be when the gnashing and wailing begins in the shadowy corners of education - when it’s realised by a learned few that the many leaps made to academy status throughout the system were on the whole a poor long-term decision – that is if anyone remains to  remember and make comparisons between the old and new ways.  I anticipate that by the time the damage is done, either those people will have been moved into positions far removed from the places they previously occupied, or worse still that the systems themselves will have been so drastically changed as for them to be "self-concealing" nightmares, their truly damaged state all but invisible from anywhere but above, in the hands of the few where the real gains from these changes are being reaped.

Can we not understand that it may be better for us to simply relax, accept that we won't all die overnight and allow some money to be spent on some things as a "going concern"? (incidentally, it may be a little naive of me or perhaps an oversimplification, but it feels to me as though the only people getting hysterical in all of this austerity are the people who are trying to make their money from money, rather than actually doing anything real.. but I digress).  For example, one re-occurring argument is our "wasting money on space missions, when we haven’t even sorted our own problems out here on Earth”.  For me there are three problems with this argument:

a) To this specific argument of financial misappropriation, I would make the counter-challenge that in this case people themselves have to change.  Throwing money at a problem never changed anything unless it was supported by the will to support and appreciate the change that said money could conceivably bring - this is why a lottery winner isn't necessarily a happier winner.    Something such as this which is given generally has no value with the recipient, unless there is an ethical foundation beneath them.

b) Space contains many valuable resources to help us with our issues here.

c) Most relevantly here - my traditional reaction to this matter is to simply relax.  Don't worry.  If the money we spent on space missions and research were thrown into the void along with all our probes and never to be seen again then okay, I could accept that would be a problem.  However, we don't keep printing money to suit and support our circumstances, so what happens?  Well, that very same money goes around.  It pays people’s wages and eventually comes around into the ownership of other people, likely with an entirely different vision on how to spend it.  I think it far better to worry about those who are hoarding all the money and resources – they are the ones who really concern me.  They are the ones clutching the resources which make the “costly” space missions actually seem more like pocket change.  They are the one's who are making money out of money (maybe I didn't digress after all).

Personally, I’d prefer some sacrifices be made elsewhere, such as perhaps the ideals and misplaced faith in capitalist values and monetary worth which drive us apart from our common sense on a daily basis, and take us to a place where our actions generally take precedence over the greater good.  Like ants, we are capable of doing such total, wholesome damage with our individual little piecemeal bad decisions which may not actually seem that drastic or powerful when taken on a day-to-day basis, but ask any Buddhist practitioner and he'll advise you differently.  True, Capitalism as a whole may be the better model from a bad bunch, but it is not infallible and we would be wise to keep our options open and our imaginations fertile, lest we end up with an even smaller handful of dictators fuelled by power and money than those which we already have to tolerate.  It isn’t even that these people can’t be usurped (is it Mr. Murdoch!?) but rather that I wish for us as a species to put a stop to the scale of suffering, wrongdoing and even bloodshed which we are all experiencing to some degree, in the name of their ideals and dogma.

We have a choice.  We have always had a choice.

It's so simple, isn’t it?

Peace.

20MPH - A Blog for Dominic Harrison, the Director of Public Health for Blackburn with Darwen

Have a look at this article and see if you can spot where it’s all going wrong..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12481423

If, like me, you caught yourself saying things like “where’s the common sense?”, “That’s health and safety gone mad!” or indeed anything pertaining to such sentiments, please stand to receive your applause.

Dominic.. sit with a cup of strong coffee – we need to talk.

Okay, so I can accept that you may have some statistics which point to road death being “the greatest avoidable public health epidemic”, but I still have to ask why you would consider the implementation of 20MPH ‘zones’ in residential areas to be so vital?  Presumably you think the ‘axle and chassis-wrecking’ speed bumps aren’t enough to contend with?  You say it's very hard to understand how we have not been “scandalised by inaction”, and ask what “cultural disease has allowed us to tolerate this preventable risk”?  I think I have an answer for you.

Consider this – we call it scandalous when we witness CCTV footage of horseplay on our rail network, or read stories of some poor unfortunate maintenance worker charged with scooping up the scattered/pulped remains of another rail victim into the nearest available bucket.  Every time we see a news article relating to someone’s misfortune (usually through stupidity or impatience) we are up in arms - but this general condemnation is usually directed at the behaviour of our protagonist.  We don’t see huge swathes of the general public marching in protest, demanding that all our trains be restricted to 20MPH when they pass close to a house, or through our towns and villages.  Why not?

I grew up with a deep respect for the train lines.  I always thought train lines were a fabulously stupid place to muck about.  When I was younger I had Darth Vader appear on the TV, in between "Magpie" and "The Tomorrow People", telling me to look both ways when crossing the road, and to refrain from behaving like a complete arse (I’m paraphrasing of course..).  I had a little boy with his highly intelligent cat called Charlie who used to agree with Darth Vader on many such matters, as well as warning me off the idea of accepting offers of sweets and puppies from strangers.  I even had the Grim Reaper (disguised as Donald Pleasence, I presume for that extra chill) warning me not to take any unneccessary risks near water.  There also used to be a thread of wisdom in popular circulation about not allowing your child to see the road as a play area or free-for-all - in fact, just as we seem to still feel about the train tracks.

Here’s my thought Dominic.  As laudable as it is to be concerned about the difference a 10MPH reduction may bring, I propose that instead we re-introduce a little common sense into the UK.  I agree with you – a speed reduction would make it slightly less painful for everyone, and increase the chances of tears rather than death, but I can’t escape the feeling that we would instead simply be removing our parent’s need to educate with one hand, and our child’s need to think, with the other.  If our child were to sensibly equate the road with possible injury or death then perhaps they might also stand a chance of reasoning that the train tracks aren’t a top spot for a bit of fun as well?  It would be even cheaper than implementing 'zones', and less of a burden for drivers, who already seem to have enough to contend with as they struggle to get from A to B.  As for that “cultural disease” you’re trying to quantify Dominic, I think it’s the same one which seems to be strangling everything in the UK these days – an unjustifiable fear of life permeating our day-to-day existence, and one which I see threatening to kill us all off in a frightfully more insidious way than any car ambling through a residential area.

Just in case you think I’m being in any way biased, I think it’s also worth noting for the record that I don’t hold a driving licence.

Peace.

Blinded by the Light *^^*

I’m having trouble knowing how I feel.  I’ve felt like this since I came back from my recent holiday.  You know, when you try to live a simple life it seems that letting go of the complicated stuff somehow empowers you to peel away a few surface layers and peek into life, seeing deeper and harder into layers you never thought existed.  If you’re at all tempted to follow then let me warn you that there may be terrible consequences to this.  Akin to some kind of cosmic spreadsheet a balance has to be redressed, even if that balance upsets and disorients you.  I was going to make my next blog a happy one, recanting the holiday and the wonderful woman I left behind but instead I find myself in a waking nightmare.  Am I being immature, selfish and/or indulgent? Well, truthfully yes, I think I am, but all self-critical reflections are like that aren’t they?  As for being self-indulgent, well all of this has happened because I was left to my own devices to seek something more and looking back it was, and still is true, that there is simply no sufficient distraction or entertainment in my immediate surroundings.. nothing except a country and culture which is paper-thin and myopic.

I knew there would be a bit of a drop in my morale when I got back from this holiday.  I have plenty of experience of the “holiday blues”, and so I totally expected them.  To help Hazel, I warned her that there would be this feeling.  So many times have we said that we missed and loved each other, but leaving a loved one behind is always a hard thing to deal with.  Still I wasn’t prepared for the attack I have felt on my soul - a feeling of being dislocated and unable to reconnect with the life I put on hold.  There is something more.. something different about this return which is sat above even last year’s victory of surviving the harsh reality of being isolated in a strange place so far from home.  I feel like I’ve looked into my own personal Pandora’s box, and connected with the realisation that maybe one’s life does have limits.. limits which once crossed will do you irretrievable harm.  It’s natural to yearn for more in life – that’s only human, but is it possible that in doing the unusual I have overstretched my perception of life, like an elastic band which gets stretched beyond its ability to return to its normal size?  Is this why I cannot settle again?  Let’s face it, looking from the third person perspective of all the people who know me best, I am likely the last person in their minds expected to have had the adventures I have experienced over the last two years.  Am I feeling a depression, or even desperation from over-experience, like the come down from a natural high?  It’s recognised that a lot of the men who landed on the moon had an incredibly hard time readjusting to life here back on Earth after their experiences, and although it’s true that I haven’t exactly been to the moon my last two excursions to the Philippines have been a close equivalent for a previously meek soul such as myself.  Maybe I have been chasing a dream so closely that I have been ill-prepared for any personal growth gained from doing something so outrageous.  For a good while I’m stuck with an inability to replicate what I have done, on the tether of a romance which because of society's own paranoid stupidity cannot progress, and at the same time on top of this I’m stuck with the feeling that I cannot live within the small confines I have returned to.  Is this similar to the feelings that caused Neil Armstrong to become a recluse?  I always been lead to believe that growth was one of the principle points of life, but what do you do when you feel you cannot pick up the threads again and carry on?

Maybe I have to let go of my old life and go walkabout, but in recognising that I was ill-prepared for this whole backlash I also know that I am ill-prepared for such a venture out into the world, even if I am so overwhelmingly compelled.  Perversely, in spite of all this change in my persona I still find my meek, normal side reflecting that there is still so much I am afraid of.  Without the help of others I still feel crippled by a lack of self-confidence and uncertainty.  Damn it all, this same old feeling of inadequacy permeates everything I do.  I’m hate feeling simultaneously over-enriched and weak.  Having read "Catcher in the Rye" recently, I can't help but feel that this all feels like a Holden Caulfield moment to me, lashing out at the world because of my own weaknesses.  Why can’t I just be normal and boring?  Why can’t I just have the “trainspotting” mortgage, wife, car, a job I’m semi-happy in and a twisted and all-absorbing interest in football, mainstream TV and beer?  I look around me at all the people here as I write this.  Students, families, the elderly.. How many of these adults here present have experienced what I am feeling?  It’s true that everyone’s life is different, but like a teenager who thinks they know it all, Iwould be naive in thinking that I’m alone with these feelings.  How did they resolve these emotions?  It’s reasonable to assume that some must have gone through this, after all to look at them they look quite normal and from the outside I expect I too look relatively normal.  If I was one of those people and I was looking at me through their eyes then I can’t imagine that there is any mark on my exterior which distinguishes me from anyone else they see, other than perhaps the weary expression I’m wearing at the moment.  Maybe if they knew me then they’d know my life at least seems to be far from normal.  I think this is how I really feel.

Peace (!?)

Just a Quick One! *^^*

Well, I haven't written a blog in a good while..

Thank you!

Peace

The Last Straw

After all we have seen, all we have felt sorrow for since the earthquake and tsunami last Friday.. all the suffering.. the countless dead and missing.. a helluva time to find that our guys in the British Embassy in Tokyo are a bunch of spineless b*&^*%ds.  How else are we meant to interpret their apparent unwillingness to allow the workers from the International Rescue Corp to work in Japan?  WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE!!??

I quote (thank you BBC website): Willie McMartin, operations director at Scotland-based International Rescue Corps (IRC), said: "The team has had excellent help from the Japanese embassy in London and the authorities in Tokyo but it broke down when they couldn't get the relevant paperwork from the British embassy in Tokyo..  This was the 32^nd world disaster we have been to and we’ve only had problems twice before with host governments in China and Afghanistan..  We have never encountered the position where the British Embassy, our own country, came up with a show-stopper”.

It seems they the Embassy staff are unable to “process” them because they couldn’t authenticate them as a bona fide organisation, and to sanction their permits would mean the Embassy would be responsible for their welfare.  This is a small point, but isn't it a part of an Embassy's remit that they be a point of contact and reference for their native citizens whilst they are in said country?  If not, what do they actually do?  Why have I ever bothered to inform the embassy of my whereabouts whilst I've been on holiday?  The team must be more than gutted.  What about their actions on the other 32 missions?  Could you really not find it in your hearts to shoulder this small burden for all those in need?  People are suffering and dying in a country which needs our help, and to which we have pledged our assistance, and now you’ve stopped their assistance and shipped them home because you didn’t get a ‘t’ crossed or an ‘i’ dotted!?  I make no apologies for this outburst.. Who are these w*%kers??

To the people of Japan.. “gomen nasai”.  It’s at times like this that I find this increasingly fastidious British obsession for accountability to be an almost unbearable embarrassment which makes me angry beyond belief.

A Quick Fire Overview

Okay, for a change I thought I might change the format of my next blog and compile a small summary of my thoughts for the week into one..

I would hate to think that the government would even think of taking advantage of the glorious rampage to tackle the national deficit by unscrupulously disposing of services which we don’t even see in the chaos.  Heaven forbid they go further and hide any other misdoings behind the visible figures..  Keep an eye on them.

Somali pirates seem to be having a “wail of a time” at the moment, primarily because they aren’t being countered with effective responses, nor in many cases can they be effectively tried when caught due to a lack of stable government and diplomatic legal procedures in their homeland.  Okay, so it’s possible to argue that some of the pirates are may be people desperate enough in their plight, or forced to serve organised crime from without and within their country.  So, here’s a possible solution.  Set up an international blockade around Somalia, including the coastline.  Nothing gets in or out of the country without a search and documentation – zero tolerance.  Anyone caught in breach of import/export rules established to distinguish between benign inventory such as food and such provisions and malevolent items such as weaponry will have their cargo seized and under the initial presumption of being an innocent party to criminal coercion, they will be detained and handed over for a fair trial (based upon humanitarian and international maritime laws) to establish their role, their circumstances and the names of any of their contacts.  Make it known that anyone who resists detention will have their cargo destroyed and they will be summarily executed.  I would guess that’s a little more effective in both action and disincentive than patrolling 4km square areas with underpowered, ill-equipped boats.  It’s funny that the oil and cargo companies don’t take this all more seriously, unless of course it’s all a compensation scheme to make more money claiming on the missing cargo.. hmm..

Finally, on the matter of voting rights for prisoners.. please, come on guys!  GET A GRIP!!  There are very few times that I agree with a number of politicians at once, but I get the feeling the members of the European Parliament simply haven’t sat and thought about the raison d’etre for incarceration where this little legal morsel is concerned.  When someone is imprisoned they have a right to fair conditions and treatment, but ethically they cannot be granted a slice of political decision-making whilst they are imprisoned.  As a criminal they may have been removed from society for any number of reasons, from murder to fraud, but the one thing which unites them all is the fact that incarceration means the loss of some basic freedoms of choice.  This is their punishment.  Since the abolition of capital punishment, prison itself is now supposed to be the ultimate civilised disincentive to criminal behaviour, but if they are to be allowed any influence the system which holds them, we may as well grant them the right to decide whether or not they are imprisoned.

Peace

The Hot African Winds

Okay, so we’ve had the Iraq War, global recession and the subsequent and continuing behaviour of the banks.. so many various gaffes from so many political bodies across the globe, but just when you thought life couldn’t present us with anything more implausible..  Two of Malawi’s most senior judicial officers are currently arguing over whether the scope of a recent public order offense bill is broad enough to encompass ‘public flatulence’.  I kid you not.  The bill reads "Any person who vitiates the atmosphere in any place so as to make it noxious to the public to the health of persons in general dwelling or carrying on business in the neighbourhood or passing along a public way shall be guilty of a misdemeanour”.  It seems that there is a legal description stating quite specifically “fouling of air”.  One lawyer has dared to contradict Justice Minister George Chaponda, stating that the description must realistically be intended to cover pollution of a chemical industrial nature, and that no one could seriously be trying to legislate against farting in public, but there isn’t any elaboration on this point.  The official line states that in the event of needing to expel gas then one should simply ‘go to the toilet’.  Apparently this law will be enforced by methods equally applicable to dealing with those who choose to urinate in public.

Excuse me whilst I allow myself a little leeway to play devil’s advocate..

What do you do if you’re in a compromised position such as a very long queue, on a bus, in a taxi or god forbid, a lift?  What if an officer witnesses a crime of any description, and in the process of dealing with the assailant he or she is overcome with an ‘urge’?  What if the officer issuing you with a ‘fart ticket’ then proceeds to fart themselves?  Do they make a ticket out and go back to the office?  Are politicians going to be subject to this bylaw?  Do diplomats still carry political immunity?  Where can this all end?  I would also imagine that the social habits of the Malawi people are going to be a borderline spectacle as a constant flow of people run into and out of public conveniences across the length and breadth of the country, trying to avoid a criminal record.  Can I suggest to Rupert Murdoch that he reserves some satellite airtime for a live “Malawi-Watch” programme, perhaps narrated by Tony Robinson, dedicated to the endless entertainment to be had from the chaos?  They could probably even construct a game show around it.  If this legislation seriously comes to pass (no pun intended) how long will it be before there is a ‘fart tax’?  Or maybe this is all in readiness for a system designed to power the state and promote green energy?  Rationalise this as you will!

You know, when you consider the problems which any country faces one would be tempted to think that this might settle somewhere pretty low on ANY list of national concerns.  So, I think there can only be one possible conclusion - this has to be a distraction from something much more serious.  The leaders of Malawi must be sat on something so politically outrageous that they decided any form of distraction would suffice, to detract from something so mind numbingly horrifying that even the world’s most hardened heart might raise a point or two of concern.  Have they attained nuclear power, or discovered an alien vessel poking up out of the tundra?  On the other hand, maybe there is no master plan, in which case they might want to consider the following.  Practically speaking, urinating is generally easier to resist than farting - not that I’m admitting in any way to any first-hand experience of breaking wind in public.  If I ever have the need or desire to go to Malawi and they read this then they may think twice about stamping my passport.  Actually, come to think of it, if this whole thing still seems more than a little preposterous then just spare a thought for little old me.. I can’t believe I’ve actually written this.

Peace

Anyone Up For a Rewrite?

I read an interesting report on the BBC website today (4/2/11). Allow me to extract (without any bias) the following:

Britons are the most anxious about immigrants, an international survey of eight European and North American countries has suggested.

• 23% of British people thought immigration was the country's biggest problem, compared with 10% in the EU (Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and France) and the US & Canada - the findings came even though five of the nations had a greater proportion of foreign people in their populations.
• 59% of Britons believed there were "too many" immigrants - In Germany and the Netherlands, both countries with a higher level of foreign-born residents, the figure was 27%.
• British respondents were the most likely to say immigrants were a burden - about a quarter of UK respondents did not think even legal migrants should be allowed to access the NHS or state schools - in other European countries the figure ranged between 1% and 5%.
• Seven out of 10 people in the UK said their government was doing a poor job in managing immigration - this was behind only the US (73%).

Okay, as actor Henry Silva said in the film ‘Amazon Women on the Moon’, “What do we think?  Bulls**t or not?”.  Let’s take a look.

Overall I’d say the biggest issue the UK faces IS one of poor management, compared with other EU and US states.  It’s logical that when you have a steady influx of immigrants, any country is eventually bound to run out of living space.  What is also true (and would probably cover the vast majority of ill feeling out there) is that other states have certain, quite reasonable requirements from their new citizens - paramount of which is (I would imagine) a willingness to integrate and be productive within the new society which is welcoming them with conditional, but open arms.  The integration is a hard one to tackle without this simple premise because people don’t seem to gel quite as much as perhaps they should.  I’ve seen it and felt it for myself, but I believe this would moderate itself if people were more straight with one another and the system was fairer (we will see this last matter again in a bit).  As it stands I would say the vast majority of people in the UK who are riddled with anxiety over immigration are feeling this way because we seem to pretty much indulge in giving handouts.  Again, if the system was fairer and the handouts moderated, a lot more people would I think have a milder attitude because we wouldn’t be the pushover that we are rightly perceived to be.  If we didn’t have a system which was so overwhelmingly complicated, corruptible and slow to adjust then it would likely as not function as intended, instead of being so incomprehensible to so many, riddled as it is with the many “bolt-on” quick fixes and inconsistencies.  Even the system of law itself is in the same sorry state which might explain a lot, and all serves to highlight what we need to do to fix it.  Simplify.

..However, nearly three quarters thought the government should allow more foreign doctors and nurses into the UK and just over half wanted more foreign care workers for the elderly

Hang on..  a minute ago, generally speaking, we didn’t like the idea of immigration but just over half of those surveyed think it perfectly acceptable to have an influx of foreign workers if they are going to fill the positions all our own qualified staff have abdicated? Before this aspect it seemed that the argument was a straight forward matter of common concerns of physical space and sustainability, the UK being approximately many times smaller than most of the alternative states being mentioned.  However, it now seems that we're happy to draught foreign workers in because we've become a nation of people who simply don’t want to have to be bothered with our own mothers and fathers?  How exactly am I supposed to interpret this report?

For those who read my blogs, it’s probably common knowledge that I have a relationship with an East Asian woman, so I would like to use my perspective as someone in an interracial relationship for the benefit of all, and speak some truths.  It’s for certain that here in the UK the matter of racism will repeatedly rear its head.  In part it’s because of many notorious political happenings of the past, but for a long time now I’ve heard it mostly recently from people crying wolf.  Without a doubt, some immigrants will have legitimate need of refuge, facing indescribable punishments or worse in their own lands.  As we watch the revolutions spread across the Arab world right now, the need for change in those states has never been voiced more strongly by those from within, and as a result the conditions of those states have never been more obvious to those around the world who are watching.  There are many more cultures who have yet to go through that process, or even be close to voicing their oppositions.  To those individuals in the worst trouble I extend a welcoming hand.  Similarly, any who wish to come here as a means to seeking to better themselves, so they may gain skills for use either here or in their home countries are also welcome.  Those who wish to come here so they can enjoy a state-funded life of relative luxury on our taxes, or seek to use our system to establish a base from which to further their many and varied international crime syndicates are extremely unwelcome.  They don’t have any more right to do that than we do to employ a foreign workforce exclusively to take care of matters of real life which we might want to conveniently ignore – don’t you fear growing old one day to think that people will just want you out of the way?

For many people, and I include myself in this, the whole situation is really simple.  Poor management and the acquisition of political favours and/or money can be virtually the only factors that enable such unjustifiable practices to continue unchallenged.  If a framework of reason and common sense is in place when handling immigration then there is every reason in the world to anticipate the general population becoming more moderate in their feelings about immigration, as seems to be the case in other countries (subject to the report statistics being accurate).  This would undoubtedly help in matters of social integration where the immigrant feels welcome enough to integrate, and we as receivers are happy to befriend.  I say this without any need to resort to political correctness or socialism in the slightest.  There is nothing wrong with basic fundamental kindness for a fellow human.  I shall leave the last quote of the blog to Craig Kennedy, President of the German Marshall Fund (an American based body who are focussed on bridging U.S.–European differences on foreign policy, economics, immigration and the environment, and who funded the report):

GMF Fund president Craig Kennedy said the survey was a "wake-up" call for governments.  "The survey shows that North Americans and Europeans have strong opinions about immigration policy, what works, and what doesn't.. but the survey also shows that the more one is exposed to immigrants, the more one feels positively toward them.”

Maybe it’s just me and my willingness to accept anyone who is reasonable, but I have to say that this is how I choose to conduct my day to day affairs.  To me it matters not which culture someone belongs to.  I work with a muslim guy - he's great.  I have an east Asian girlfriend - she's wonderful.  I take people on their individual merit, and if that ‘someone’ is reasonable then I will give them so much more of my time than if they’re belligerent, immoral and arrogant.  With a simplified system of immigration (and indeed, a simplified law) there is no reason to think that any situation should be insurmountable.  To my mind, what we need to do is stop introducing more 'measures'.  Whilst it may logically create a framework for a theoretically consistent system, it  leaves no room for the human heart or individual consideration.  Maybe spending enough time on the web has opened me to the point that I see the world rather than states and countries these days.  In fact I know I do.  I can say with conviction that without us taking the time to be human, without us using common sense, and allowing the rules to make our decisions for us, the system will fail almost everyone in some way each time – whether it’s the poor soul who becomes a victim of that system, thereby depriving us of the riches of their individuality, or the individual who abuses the system and brings us all down.

Peace

Predictive Text

The last few days in Egypt have been nothing short of remarkable.  In a stunning display of virtual coordination everyone seemed to turn out en masse to decry the iron rule of their leader Hosni Mubarak.  However, no sooner have we seen an apparent stand for democracy than we see a nation squander that momentum in what appears to be their first short-sighted disagreement, and I have to wonder where this is heading.  The last thing we all need is another civil war.

Until Mubarak spoke on national TV everyone was pulling together to depose their leader.  Then someone decided it would be a good idea for him to say a word or two.  In hindsight I suspect this was about the only way he could have salvaged anything for himself, and to be honest he wasn’t exactly quick out of the starting box to speak out in his own defence, which makes the sceptic in me think he was given too much time to consider his situation.  I like to give anyone the benefit of the doubt, but the same sceptic believes that Mubarak saw the way the wind was blowing and declared his wish to see his term through to September, knowing full well the divisive consequences it would have.  If he had a shred of decency in him he would have spoken quickly or quietly left as he was asked to.  Instead he was allowed to express his patriotism, and now we have two factions on the street – those who still maintain he should go immediately and those who are willing to let him see his term in office through, and once more the world has to witness brother fighting against brother.  This may all just be the ancient tactic of divide and conquer, to be used against an implacable and vast enemy.  If so, we may yet see the public decimated in their resistance and forced to concede comfort back into the old regime once more.  In my opinion I think this is exactly what he may be counting on, regardless of whether he really intended to concede office in September or not.  All in all this may not have been the turning point it appeared to be.

As for the in-fighting.. Well, for sure everyone has the right to an opinion and freedom of expression – this is what they were demonstrating for in the first place – but is this how they choose to demonstrate their dream of democracy to the world?  Are we to take it that nothing has been learned?  Barack Obama stated quite concisely that they would operate a policy of non-interference, but that assistance in any transition would be given willingly.  I worry that this is all going to end in tears.  Always with any power comes responsibility, and this is exactly what the world didn’t need to see happen.  In the beginning it was a precarious time for all Egyptians.  Now, this very moment that I write this it could be the prelude to a far more dangerous situation than their pre-revolution state.  I shall be watching this space with great interest.

The Power of Love

Before this blog header starts you thinking of Huey Lewis, Jennifer Rush, Celine Dion or Frankie relaxing in Hollywood, cast your minds back a few years..  Do you remember those poster tube packs you used to get with a set of Berol colouring pens?  As I approach 40 years of age I’m reflecting on the fact that my life seems to be like one of those posters.  Whilst it has been, and continues to be, fun to spend the time colouring and personalising it with all the correct and/or whacky colours of experience and philosophical rumination, in the end I’ll still end with a picture which looks more or less the same as everyone else’s.  However, sometimes something extraordinary might happen in your life and one thing you can guarantee is that it will take you down a path strewn with obstacles determined to make things more challenging..

As I write I’m looking forwards yet again to April.  You’ll recall in my last adventure things didn’t work out too well (for those of you reading this with a masochistic desire to dabble with empathy, see my blog entitled “How Far Will You Go? Pt2” from April 2010).  Ten months later and I’m taking another leap of faith, to reach the hand of a beautiful and loving Filipina with whom I now share my days - albeit virtually and with a significant distance between us.  We are getting together soon to explore the relationship we have nurtured, and intend to spend two blissful weeks bonding.  From where I sit writing now, I hope we will be together on a more permanent basis very soon.  Of course, no good deed or spell of happiness goes unpunished, and our romance is no exception.  Once more the incontinent buffalo of politics steams through the world, dropping manifestos, pledges and regulations aplenty, forcing us to jump through ridiculous hoops just to enjoy the basic freedom of togetherness which most couples take for granted.  As a very important part of our bonding I would love for my Filipina to be able to experience the UK sooner rather than later, but again it falls to me to do all the travelling and it is with notable irony to me that she must make an equal leap of faith in return, as you will see..

Did you know that Filipinos can’t take a holiday abroad to most of the world (if they can afford it) without a visitor’s visa, which in roughly 80% of cases is declined?  It will likely be because of a lack of proof that the person in question can support themselves financially whilst on said holiday, or proof that they will actually return at all!  Think about that for a moment.  You are subjected to numerous checks and searches before they let you willingly place body and soul into a fragile, pressurised container, to be carried to unfathomable heights perilously close to the edge of a vacuous infinity, but when was the last time the UK Border Agency automatically doubted you would return from your holiday?  Perhaps they plant a transmitter in your luggage or your shoes when they check for C4, just in case?  Irony strikes again to think that the Philippines national wealth relies pretty substantially on the income of off-shore workers (OFW’s) and yet they go to vast lengths to impose restrictions in case said traveller abandons their families.. or are the Filipino officials finally prepared to admit that their country needs some work on its political and social infrastructure?  Maybe I’m completely wrong.  Is it the fault of the rest of the world for imposing unreasonable demands as part of their politically/culturally negotiated travel requirements? 

It gets worse.

I can only speak for the UK, but after the ‘powers that be’ realised they’d left the barn door open they changed the rules governing immigration, and fitted a bureaucratic EU shaped ‘catflap’, thereby simply making the situation even harder for genuine non-EU applicants.  If my girlfriend and I are to come together “by the book”, then here is the scenario.  With hindsight we’ve discussed options and to have her living with me here in the UK is realistically the best option, so we have to prove we have a real relationship in order for her to qualify for a spouse visa (emails, tickets, anything and everything which can be mustered).  IF she is granted a spouse visa (at considerable expense) then we have leave for her to come here where we would have to be married within six months or else she’ll be sent off packing.  Assuming this blessed union takes place (under the banner of true love of course and not as a matter of political expediency which they are enforcing here) then we would need to apply for an 18 month extension to her visa, during which time she needs to apply for and successfully pass the “Life in the UK” test, to prove her worthiness to be a UK citizen.  All indigenous UK residents I know who have taken the online sample test have failed it.  I’ve failed it on several occasions.  If she passes she can apply for indefinite leave to remain.. if she fails then she can again expect to be shipped off home even though we’re now officially married in the eyes of everyone from ourselves, family and friends, down to the bean counters.

I suspect there are far too many couples in ‘separated marriages’ because of such heartless, statistical, quota-satisfying lunacy.  I appreciate that from one perspective this type of legislation creates a legal pause for ‘certainty of commitment’ between couples, but to be honest I really don’t think two people investing so much into a relationship such as this need any legislation to remind them of the rudimentary aspects of their romance.  To my mind Long distance relationships even have some advantages to them.  It removes the usual bed-hopping which takes place in early western courtships, and encourages the mutual core of loving feelings to surface better than a £1,000,000 worth of counselling, but even with as much love as we possess it does take a very real emotional toll, without all the residual political crap listed above.  All of this is yet another example of how the power of the internet is making it easier to meet and greet in the real world, effectively outrunning (or should that be ‘circumventing’?) the older, more pedestrian political machinations.  Indeed the “Life in the UK” test is probably as good an example of a political band-aid if ever there was one.  How can a test designed to filter those suitable and worthy for UK residency ask anything which can place both myself and my British friends into a category fit for deportation?  What about all the many other complications and misunderstandings which must happen between cultures through these gears of ineptitude?  If politicians haven’t completely given up on endearing themselves to their constituents and they feel inclined to think about the title of this blog, then maybe they ought to consider working ever more feverish towards positive political ties, rather than indulging in the kinds of arrogant political one-upmanship we seem to relive time and again.. puerile games for which in so many ways I haven’t even touched upon here, we may all pay a price worse than a couple of visas.

I’m sorry if it’s a cliché but the bottom line for me is that all the money, bombastic behaviour, and pomp and circumstance isn’t important.

People matter.  Love matters.

Peace.