Unexpected Revolution in Britain

[yeecn]

British coalition of Cameron and Clegg may survive on their new localism

I think Cameron is leading a very significant social change. Instead of everybody feeling helpless in the face of the looming global crisis of calamitous proportion, the type of decentralization Cameron is pushing would empower every individual to participate and contribute at the local level. The people power unleashed can be tremendously powerful. It could well be just what the world need to get out of the terrible rut it is in now.

I am keenly watching.

[A.S.]

Unexpected? I don't think so. Utterly inevitable - definitely.

As Cameron says here, within a few years the interest payments on the previous-government's debt mountain will be more than the British government spends on schools ..... clip here.

For a well considered, carefully researched and seemingly factual analysis of socio-economic trends in the UK, The Institute of Financial studies publish excellent reports. One is here. A quick skim through suggest to me that there has been a policy of social engineering since 1997 which has redistributed income, yet a significant number of adults living in workless households. Overall, under the previous government and despite the rhetoric, the very poorest have indeed become poorer. If I was in government, my top priority would be to get those (youngsters) away from their TVs and into constructive, paid, meaningful work.

[A.S.]

I was very surprised to be asked in (communist) China recently about the well being of "that great British leader, Margaret Thatcher" who ideologically is from the other side of the political spectrum (in theory that is). Well, now with Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative party back in office, Lady Thatcher has been welcomed back to No.10 Downing Street, the heart of the British government. This clip evokes memories, and reminds us of just how short our tenure here is. Baroness Thatcher

But let's not get too maudlin. I'm pleased to note that the fabled British sense of justice and fair play is very much alive and with us, even in these austere times. I'm just wondering how the very same Chinese friends would rank this next story of a scale of eccentricity from zero to ten. Here.

[kittykat]

eccentricity...

I'm surprised the man still has a smile on. I reckon it will be a bigger smile if she had used the 1800 quid to buy a pair of Harbeths for his birthday.

[Thanos]

I'm surprised the man still has a smile on. I reckon it will be a bigger smile if she had used the 1800 quid to buy a pair of Harbeths for his birthday.

There are children dieing from hunger everyday in Africa and Asia. For 1.800 pounds, you could buy food for almost a year for a couple of them. Including the chicken under discussion. Anyway that's not the only case of going nuts, losing the sense of reality and of the world that surrounds us. I have known many much worse cases (as to hyperbole) that have happened with animal "care", especially in the U.S, and especially by wealthy persons. But, as obviously understood, these people suffer from some kind of psychological illness.

P.S. And, when I say "including the chicken under discussion", I mean it cooked. I think the french way "poule au vin et avec de sauce Madeira" would be an excellent recipe!

[EricW]

I'm surprised the man still has a smile on. I reckon it will be a bigger smile if she had used the 1800 quid to buy a pair of Harbeths for his birthday.

In some cases, a happy wife may be a better investment than a pair of speakers - even Harbeths.

Value is a very subjective thing.

[kittykat]

P.S. And, when I say "including the chicken under discussion", I mean it cooked. I think the french way "poule au vin et avec de sauce Madeira" would be an excellent recipe!

That would probably make that the most expensive chicken dish, minus one drumstick, in the world.

Value, EricW, is indeed a subjective point and Thanos is right that it can make a lot of less fortunate people's lives less hungry.

[A.S.]

Yesterday's BBC Radio 4 Today programme's Thought for the day item makes some hard-hitting points about the consumer society and Christianity's view of it. Worth a careful listen. (3 minutes long)

Download

[sf7960]

Thanks Alan for the clip.

Its refreshing and does make me miss my time in Bristol. I wholly agree the bigger definition of poverty needs a rethink. Many are rich in wealth but poor in heart. I think the argument is not that money is unimportant, but rather it may not be as important as we think in life, unless our mission in life is to make as much money as possible.

Foo

[Thanos]

Yesterday's BBC Radio 4 Today programme's Thought for the day item makes some hard-hitting points about the consumer society and Christianity's view of it. Worth a careful listen. (3 minutes long)

Download

It is a very true and fine approach of the Human Measure. Yet, we must think the fact of danger that comes out of the so called "craziness of capitalism, which is profit for profit, and nothing more." You can't have a world of hungry poor animals and some "fortresses" of wealth ruling them through politics, violence, restrictions and manipulation of any kind. One day, possibly in the very near future- even in European soil- the masses might take things in their hands, then we'd see things happening, like in the French Revolution... Don't laugh at this, because you cannot tame hunger and despair. With half a century of life on my back, I still feel totally surprised when I see the Powerholders (companies, clubs and individuals) thinking that they can rule the billions of the earth like being stupid pawns, while they are the "kings of power and intelligence". At the end of the day, they will get destroyed, just like the majority of peoples around them. They can't see a foot ahead of their noses. More or less, British (together with the vast majority of international) politicians, are not excluded from this point of stupidity. And there's not much time left to become serious and sensitive in order to rearrange the "food" for everybody, in a just and human way...
Regards,
Thanos

[Sebastien]

... the masses might take things in their hands, then we'd see things happening, like in the French Revolution... Don't laugh at this, because you cannot tame hunger and despair.

I share your views Thanos. Not as radical as this, I'm glad to see that Chineese workers improve their living and get better salaries.

Now, on the "like in the French Revolution" way of thing, I'm not sure that Europeans will do it first. We must keep in our rearview mirror Asia and Africa. A lot of them are probably tire of all of this "BS", like some say.

Sebastien

[Thanos]

I share your views Thanos. Not as radical as this, I'm glad to see that Chineese workers improve their living and get better salaries.

Now, on the "like in the French Revolution" way of thing, I'm not sure that Europeans will do it first. We must keep in our rearview mirror Asia and Africa. A lot of them are probably tire of all of this "BS", like some say.

Sebastien

Dear Sebastien,

You've noticed my preference for Canada, as being a hope of the New World, carrying the best, European culture with American innovation and opportunity field... But, remember this: We, ( I humbly introduce the whole of -so called- European & Western front), have learnt to live to a skyhigh standard. The third world has learnt (or even been pressed) to live in huge poverty, and now has started to raise itself from the bottom of the barrel... I feel that hope is what drives them up. On the other hand, if you take away the lifestyle and life's standards of a well established social model, it is most possible that reactions might grow much more violent and radical. He who walks on foot is happy to achieve the purchase of a scooter. He who has two cars and a bike (most American and European families do so), will probably become very wild seeing his property being lost from unpaid loans, heavy taxation, etc. It is a matter of how tolerance is perceived from different societies. If you give a small gift to a poor child, you'll make it happy and dreaming. If you take away some gifts from a rich one, you'll probably extract his worst reactions... At least this is exactly what started to happen here in Greece, a country that quickly loses its privileges, lacking infrastructure to a very severe degree...
So, I'm getting worried more & more every new day about all these, being an (unfortunately) pathetic observer, as finance and occupation are both descending...
I hope this all will stop some day, soon, and wisdom will take over stupid consumerism and blind individualism...
Regards,
Thanos

[yeecn]

I hope this all will stop some day, soon, and wisdom will take over stupid consumerism and blind individualism...
Regards,
Thanos

Well said Thanos. Capitalism/Consumerism and the pursuit of unlimited self-fulfillment (in material sense) is perhaps the greatest ill of the current age. These two work hand in glove. It is an impossible dream. It poisons the environment and the mind of the people.

Below are some fact that will make you jaw drops:

A study by the World Institute for Development Economics Research at United Nations University reports that the richest 1% of adults alone owned 40% of global assets in the year 2000. The three richest people possess more financial assets than the poorest 10% of the world's population, combined [1]. The combined wealth of the 10 million millionaires grew to nearly $41 trillion in 2008.[2] In 2001, 46.4% of people in sub-Saharan Africa were living in extreme poverty.[3] Nearly half of all Indian children are undernourished.[4]

Almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day.


The West is MUCH better off than 80% of the world - but yet the wealth disparity has already reached an untenable level, threating to boil over anytime. How long do you think the 1.2 billion Chinese are willing to continue to live under the sub-human conditions? The ruling and elite class all over the world are firefighting to preserve the status quo. But I think humanity need a new beginning, a much more austere and sustainable way of life based on local self-sufficiency. I think Cameron is leading Britain in the right direction.

[yeecn]

Poverty Statistics and Facts are here.

Currently the top 20% of the population make up almost 80% of private consumption. If China, with its enormous saving and trade surplus were to demand to consume, it will throw commodity prices into chaos, not to mention the ecology disaster it will cause. Somebody did a calculation a while ago, showing that if every household in China were to receive a newspaper everyday the world will be devoid of trees within one year.

No matter how I look at it, consumerism is simply not workable.

[HUG-1]

How times have changed. To our shock and horror the Director General of the BBC admits that the BBC has a "massive bias to the left". Impossible! We could never guess that! What a surprise! Can it really be true?

But wait ..... this is not a new situation. Back in 2007, 'BBC accused of trendy left-wing bias' and also from 2007 'Left-wing bias that shames the BBC'. The difference then to now is that then, with a Labour government here you dare not say such things. But now, with the Liberal/Conservative government, you can speak the truth. Which has been obvious to many for years.

And now the BBC pension pot has grown out of control. So there is a strike planned. But for the same day as the Conservative conference, which should be reported by the BBC. But if the BBC staff are on strike?

"BBC's staff show their true colours" ..... looks like the BBC is going to be broken-up by the government if (their staff don't) grasp the new reality that there just isn't enough money to go around. "All out brothers".

MEANWHILE.......

Public sector workers have been doing very nicely (thank you) according to the Office for National Statistics (impartial) .... 'The myth of the underpaid public sector worker'.

What turbulent times we live in. Just as well there is music to escape into in the privacy and security of your own home.

[kittykat]

The revolution can only be expected when the money runs low, and the “fresh out of college” pseudo Marxists start to understand that earning a dollar means more than regurgitating ideas which are no longer fashionable, except in North Korea.

[A.S.]

I personally believe this to have a grain of truth in it. It may be hard for you overseas to believe this but what many perceive here is that airtime is given to many other causes, rarely is a Christian view heard.

'BBC biased against Christianity'. Like many things in life, when it's finally snuffed out we'll sorely miss it.

And because we believe in the intrinsic worth of the 'BBC monitor concept', we here will just keep making what we're good at and you want regardless of fashion or fad.

[EricW]

The "Labour" government in Great Britain may well have been a dire failure in many respects. However, it always distresses me to see people lining up along "left/right" battle lines. I'm really not sure that those labels mean much any more. There are excesses at both ends. Personally, intellectually lazy and self-righteous leftists (particularly academic ones) often drive me bonkers. But looking at North American politics over the last decade or more, I think there's a fair case to be made that right-wing ideologies have done far more damage, particularly in the US (and those countries who have borne the brunt of its military adventures, while the citizens back home get to keep paying the bills). When you look at bank bailouts, untendered military contracts and so on, I'd say it's pretty clear that powerful corporate "free enterprise" interests have sucked at the public trough as effectively, if not far more so, than e.g. public sector workers.

I don't want to take sides, at least not left/right sides. How about we make the demarcation sensible/stupid instead, or something like that? No one seems to have a monopoly on either of those qualities.

[A.S.]

... it always distresses me to see people lining up along "left/right" battle lines. I'm really not sure that those labels mean much any more. ... How about we make the demarcation sensible/stupid instead, or something like that? No one seems to have a monopoly on either of those qualities.

I agree that Left/Right are confusing classifications that, in the middle ground are very blurred.

I associate 'Left' with a social awareness that says that the state must be responsible for doing as much thinking for the individual as possible. For a proportion of the population who are truly incapable of looking after themselves through health or other issues that is not only reasonable but just. But the chronic problem we see here was rather well summarised in the leader column of last Saturday's Daily Telegraph here. The outgoing government deliberately set about creating a dependency culture, whereby the state made millions dependent upon hand-outs. Those in receipt of cash included a goodly percentage who were then trapped with zero motivation to look for work. And why would they?

If everyone knows of one scrounger that's one hell of a lot of scroungers that society is carrying. We know of one idle layabout who has drunk and fed himself into poor health at the taxpayer's expense, takes no responsibility for his well being, has separated from his hard working wife and been given an apartment by the local council (FOC). His entire existence is watching TV and filling himself with fast food brought by motorbike some ten miles. To top it all, due to his self imposed destruction at the taxpayers expense, he has now requested and been given a wheelchair - because he is so fat. And he is immensely proud of this wheelchair - which he doesn't need - and now has the idea that a home help (taxpayer paid) will save him even getting out of bed.

Under the previous regime, the ordinary working person dare not say the truth. The truth was - and is - that we are a society chasing the dream without the means of paying for it. Thank god, the pendulum has swung and ordinary people can comment on the state of things without fear. We have to create work. We have to get our young people used to the idea of a pay packet at the end of a week's work. And we have to teach personal financial management to youngsters before the credit card demon bites.

We must recreate the connection between personal responsibility, work and reward. I have always believed in 'little State, big People', not 'little People big State'. I guess, by implication, that means I support the middle ground not the extremes where the big State is inevitable.

[Thanos]

Well, let me put it this way:

It happens that people -especially in my little troublesome country- have started to reject politics and politicians. It seems that the world's dramatic changes are growing threatening in many aspects, as to resources, population control, consumption/economy and health. These, taken into severe consideration, present the need to be handled with a very orthological and prophetical manner. We need scientists together with wisdom and common sense, not politicians... But this, in the other hand, requires much more social conscience than individual or "corporate" well being. Respect and preservation of national characteristics, but not nationalistic behaviors.

I can joyfully accept left & right for Harbeth speakers and amp balance knobs, birds' and planes' wings, directions and road lanes. But, in this new world coming up, not for social planning. This is tending to become a one-way choice, that of "save the planet, save mankind"... Before it's too late...
Thanks for reading,
Thanos