The Need For Speed Gets Brakes!

There's that awful moment in some peoples' lives when an unbidden, official letter pops through the letterbox and lands with the weight of a thousand traffic cops on the shattered remains of a once unblemished driving record.

I am that person; that awful, hateful, hated person who believed themselves to be a better driver than most - although obviously not the best, that would be arrogant and conceited; that person who tuts at middle-lane hoggers and Sunday drivers and high speed racers; that person who pities and belittles Audi drivers and their broken indicators (it's not just me, is it? None of them work!); who bemoans the rudeness of others, the lack of care, the lack of observation, the lack of understanding, the lack of sharing.

I am also that person who did 42mph in a 30mph zone. After going through 3 villages on a National Speed Limit road in Cambridge at below 30mph - because that's the law! - and accelerating back to 60mph on leaving each one, I assumed the presence of a National Speed Limit sign as I exited the 4th village, only to be confronted by a camera. As I accelerated. Into what I thought was a 60mph zone. I'm sure I looked serenely happy on the photograph taken of me, believing that I was conforming to road conditions rather than stereotype - not that there is a stereotype where speeding is concerned. There isn't.  Your background, age, education, profession mean nothing. We're human. And sometimes we make mistakes.

It matters not. I had not been concentrating. If I had, I would have seen that there was a slightly tighter bend, that visibility was not great because of the trees and shrubs, that there was a hazard line in the middle of the road (the lengthened white line), that there was a camera immediately after the road narrowing furniture.

After nearly 30 years with a clean licence, pulled over once 15 years ago by a very bored policeman at 3 o'clock in the morning after a 6 hour drive to London from Newcastle to have a finger wagging session about doing 31 in a 30 zone, I had received the dreaded "Notification of Naughtiness!" And it was probably about time. Although I never considered  myself to be an "habitual speeder" I had probably been more wary of speed cameras, police cars and camera vans than I cared to admit. In fact, and I don't think I'm alone here and certainly not among people of my age and sex (I'm talking middle aged man, here), I may be able to have counted myself lucky that I had not been "done" before.

The offer was simple. 3 points on my licence for the first time ever and a fine, or 100 of my finest British pounds and a National Speed Awareness Course with AA Drivetech via which I kept my licence clean. There was no point arguing that it wasn't me, that it wasn't fair. It was me. It was fair. That was that.

So, I joined 24 other reprobates to discover the error of my ways. I also discovered that most of them had been caught doing a lot less than I had been, which was sobering in its own right.

I was expecting to be spoken to like an errant child or lambasted for my flagrant disregard for safety and the lives of others, held up as a danger and ridiculed for my stupidity and selfishness. I couldn't have been more wrong. The two course leaders were open, friendly, easy-going and chatty. Bryan Lennox and Aadam Malik weren't there to tell anyone off or make anyone feel bad. They were there to educate. That was it. We can all say that we know all this and we're all aware of the illegality and that we won't do it again. But if that was the case, we wouldn't be there in the first place, would we? It's an awareness course, not detention. And for all that some of the people on the course may have wanted to make a statement or attempt to state their case as if they were on trial, the whole point was that everyone would leave with a better understanding of the reasons behind speed limits and what to look for to inform our driving.

It's amazing what you miss when you look out of your window. Do you see that guy on the corner, the one who's always there? Did you notice that his shoes are a bit shabbier today and that his trousers are dirty? Can you see the shop on the end has changed its display - there are now 4 cakes on the shelf, not the usual 2? Do you see the zig zag lines near the traffic lights? Did you see the yellow lines on the side of the road, were they single or double… were they red? Did you see the girl in the short skirt, the guy in the sharp suit, THAT CHILD!

There are many reasons why we speed, but all of them are under our control, and one of the main things I will take from this course is the knowledge that I'm the one in control. If you're angry, take a breath. If you're tired, take a break or take it easy. If you're late, just be late. It's up to you to smile, sleep, leave a bit earlier. These are just examples, and they're exactly like the pressure that you might feel from other drivers to go faster. There's a reason for the speed limits in the UK. You might not think they're important, fair or even safe, you may have someone right on your tail, you might think your skill as a driver surpasses the road conditions or even your vehicle. (How many times have you heard someone say "my car/bike's so much more capable than I am". I know it's a joke, but you're in charge of it!) For all that bravado, we are all human. We all make mistakes.

This course is a refresher for the things you know but don't consider anymore. It's a reminder about the value of knowing the Highway Code. It's an education, actually. I have to say, though, that I was very worried that so few people appeared to know the National Speed Limits. I don't know what's worse, not knowing them and driving too fast or knowing them and deliberately not adhering to them. One of the first polls done on the day was about how dangerous people thought "marginal speeding" was. Just a couple of miles an hour over a speed limit increases your stopping distance, decreases the margin of error for reaction times and increases the likelihood of a mishap becoming something far more serious. It really is a matter of life or death. And no matter how desperate and extreme that might sound, it's true. Speed does kill. (Alright, for those of you who are pedantic enough, it's the metal, plastic, concrete and tarmac that kill you, but try falling over on it, rather than being hurled at it!)

My understanding of road conditions is more immediate now, it's more conscious. I have, in the past, commentated on my view from behind the wheel or on the bike, talking through what I'm seeing. But I've only ever done it as an exercise. It's a really good one to do, too, constantly reviewing what you can see, what might affect you, the hazards, distractions and road furniture. All of it. I just haven't CONSCIOUSLY taken it all in for a very long time. It's well worth doing.

I could have taken a very dim view of all of this. I could have decided that it was 4 hours that I'll never get back, that I knew it all anyway. Of course I did. That's why I was there, obviously, because I knew it all already! As it was, I became aware that I was learning how to use my skills more appropriately, how to better evaluate conditions and the driving environment. How to be a better, more considerate, more capable and more aware driver. It all began to feel as though I was investing in my future as a motorist rather than being punished for breaking the law.

I'm not going to go all bombastic and start shouting that I've seen the light, but I've come away from it all with the very certain belief that, actually, every driver should take this course. No matter how condescending or patronising any individual may think it is, they couldn't be more wrong and it would be very worthwhile. If it saves lives, calms drivers, reduces congestion (or at least keeps increasing levels of traffic moving) makes roads safer and more pleasurable places to be it has to be a good thing. Save the speed for where it's safest. Go to a race track. Pay your pounds to the guys there, rather than putting anyone else at risk and potentially costing yourself a whole lot more by doing it on the public road.

I am a convert. And if you're stuck behind someone doing the speed limit, just take a breath, slow down and give a little space and maybe, just maybe, you'll come away with a better awareness of what's going on around you. It took the threat of prosecution, some money I could ill-afford to spend on it and 4 hours on a course for me to learn what I should already have known. Imagine how much easier it would be if you could do that in the comfort of your own car, just by watching the road a bit more carefully.

If you're still sceptical about the benefits of this course here are a few numbers. Over 195,000 people were injured as a result of road accidents in 2012. Of those, more than 23,000 were serious (e.g. involving broken bones) and 1700 people died. In a quarter of the total number of accidents speed was a factor. That's pretty bad. Now consider who you share the road with; other cars, vans, lorries, buses, bikes, motorbikes, pedestrians. And now think who those people are.  They're not just "other" people, they're mums, dads, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands, wives, friends, family. Give them a name. Give them their names. They're your friends, your family. And now consider your life if they weren't there. If you make it personal it becomes even more difficult to turn away from it and think, it's okay, it's only me and it won't happen to me anyway. I'm not saying it will. But hey, if we all take our foot off the gas and become more aware of the speed we do, the limits of the road and our own skills, then maybe, just maybe, we won't have to worry about that anymore.

There are various courses that you can do that are not a legal requirement but that will enhance your enjoyment of driving and make you safer and more aware. You can find out a lot of it via your local council and police force websites as well as the national ones. (www.gov.uk) And if you want track advice, check out the reviews on www.motorbikestoday.com and search online for companies who organise track days.

Stay safe out there and just COAST along (Concentrate, Observe, Anticipate, give yourself Space and Time)

Cheers y'all.

M

Change is upon us. Let's wear it with pride!

Back in the olden times when there was sunshine and the right kind of snow; when decent law-abiding criminals shanked each other rather than innocent people; when individuals believed in what their governments were trying to do and National pride was something inclusive rather than divisive; when wagon wheels were a proper size and Cadbury's Cream Eggs tasted right; when a mud-pie tasted of dirt and wasn't filled with pesticides and steroids; when happiness wasn't judged financially and politeness really did cost nothing. You know, back then, before we got smug and selfish and isolationist and sexist and racist and anti everything that we couldn't fit in a pigeon's hole!

When did we decide it was right to leave a more dangerous, violent, angry, dissipated world for our children to inherit than we arrived into? When did we just let the scum float to the top and do whatever they damned well pleased, championing inequality in a search for financial nirvana for a "select" few (my bastardised, paraphrased precis from Will Hutton, The Observer, article about inequality in Britain).

When do we start to raise our heads and show the powers that be, the fiends, the dangerous minds that honour, respect, friendship, community, passion for society, tolerance, patience, long-term planning and a rich culture that doesn't hold finance as the only goal is an even stronger cause for a healthy society?

Or do we simply sit and watch while the increasingly angry few try desperately to fight against a system that progressively stifles anything worthwhile. I don't agree with violent upheaval, but I understand the anger and passion of those who cannot and will not believe that we are doing the right thing by doing nothing. We don't need the violence and riots, we do need the country, every community regardless of colour, creed or religion to stand together and say "no more".

There's a word we use for keeping people contained. It's "kettling". Weirdly apt, in many respects, because when things get hot in a kettle, they tend to boil. And whether we boil on the streets, caged in, or in the election booths or as a country sickened by the actions of the few for the few, there will be an explosion. I just hope that we get to do it with hurting anyone; that it is an explosion of reason and understanding; a tsunami of care and interest; a storm peace.

Come on, you media savvy script writers, journalists, broadcasters, where are the new words now? Where is the Peace-mageddon? What price a Care-apocalypse? Who'll champion a hurricane of respect and a tornado of understanding? Where is my Cataclysm of reason? Where is my wholesale change? We need to refarm and replant. Get a bit agricultural. Replace the seeds of doubt with seeds of togetherness and strength; of passion and love. So what if it sounds utopian, how high should we aim? Bloody high, actually. All the way to the top. Where the self-called "elite" build their ivory towers on our fear and anger, our apathy and disgust, our children and our forefathers. We don't need to batter them with fists. But they'll crumble when what they built their foundations on, the backs of the unequal, move as one.

Change is coming.

We have fewer than 3 months before we get a chance as a nation to stand up and make a proper difference. I can only hope that we have the courage of our personal convictions and make informed, not historical, choices.

We are better than we have become. Let's prove it. Wholesale change is a scary idea. But apathy and unchallenged acceptance are dangerous, potentially fatal.

Let us make our mark on history by changing the path of the future and resurrecting government for the people, not the banks. For humans, not computers. For society, not economy. Of course, financial stability is important, but not more so than EVERYTHING else.

I don't have the answers, but we all have ideas. Let's use them. Let's plant and plan. We can. We must.

Are you happy with a sick NHS donkey being beaten by an abusive government with a big stick?

I wanted to write something about how the figures have been used simply to prove a point. It's more than that, though. This is a disgusting misuse of public funds. Daily Mirror article - NHS Bonus Fiasco
The pay scales for nurses and health workers, ambulance staff and paramedics are so off beam. And when you think that the government instigated an international recruitment drive to get Australian medics into the NHS because they couldn't find the staff in the UK, you have to question the motives.

It's not just the Tories.

Every government, since its inception, has attempted to squeeze the NHS of funding and force the issue for private "partners" – yes, even Labour has attempted to re-route funding and reduce “waste”, but without actually having any real plan. Sticking plasters on suppurating sores don’t work. They don’t work on broken bones, either!

This is not a stealthy government plan. This is a very open abuse of what British people not only believe in, but rely on and cry out for. From a nation that cares we are rapidly becoming a nation that needs caring for; not because we are incapable of doing so ourselves, but because the governments that are supposed to provide the best available service for the majority of the population see the NHS as a massive drain on resources, rather than a supplier of health. As such we need protection from our own government.

Here’s a quick thought. The healthier the population, the stronger the economy. The lower the waiting times and faster the treatment, the quicker the available workforce gets back into the economy and the less money is required to make that happen. It's not rocket science. The longer something is sick or broken, the longer it takes to help it mend - especially where bi-pedal, carbon-based units are concerned.

Nobody wants to stay sick (alright, according to the Daily Heil there are millions of scrounger scum who want welfare benefits blah blah blah), nobody likes being ill. No, you can’t blame it all on parents and babies or the elderly, or immigrants. Sometimes people just get sick. That’s how it is. So help them to get better quickly and they stop being sick and get back to being, in the words of John Malkovitch in Con Air, useful mammals.

So pay the staff properly, give them the training they require and the benefits they earn. Provide nurses, doctors, health visitors and all the staff with the proper tools to do their jobs to the high standard that we all expect and you’ll suddenly find that waiting times will drop, sick people will get healthy faster, more people will want to work in the NHS, thus cancelling the stress and strains of overwork on the incumbents. I don’t know if anyone else can see the benefits. I hope so.

I’m not suggesting a blank cheque – do that and Jeremy Hunt and his cronies will be swimming in cash they don’t deserve. I am suggesting that rather than cutting the funding, a revolution is required in the NHS; a proper change in thinking; a refusal to continue with outmoded, outdated, extravagant and unnecessary policies and procedures.

If someone can’t do the job they’re doing, provide them with the training and support they need or move them on to something they can do. Not everyone can take charge. Not everyone can do everything. People with skills should use them. People without those skills necessary to do what they’re employed to do should be given the opportunity to learn or to move on. You cannot have people who can’t do the job in post. You wouldn’t expect a boxer to do brain surgery, so why should a crap manager remain in post? If they can’t do it, they shouldn’t!

Yes, I know, but I’m talking about a revolution in thinking. I’m saying it’s right, I’m saying it’s time for a proper change. Can we afford to pay for it all? Can the government take a chance on this? Can we? Well, in answer to that, I can only ask can we afford not to?

There are empty wards in hospitals that are closed because there’s, apparently, no money to run them. And yet patients are sleeping on trollies in corridors because there aren’t enough beds. MRSA and C-dif are now commonplace, rather than the rarity (or non-existent problem) that they should be. Why is that? Procedures that don’t work are being forced on a crumbling structure because no one will take the initiative.

Every single person in this country should be utterly disgusted with the treatment of public services by successive governments. The refusal to see the long term benefits of good public service has led us into a situation that requires not money - well, not on its own, anyway – but a radical change of approach.

Pay our nurses, firefighters, police officers, health workers, social workers etc a proper wage and give them the support they need. Don’t work them until they burn out. You won’t do it to a Turkish fecking donkey, so why is it alright to do it the basic working population (this goes for the whole country, actually).

Say no to the old ways. Kick out the rubbish; the policies, the procedures that confuse and deliberately make things difficult.

A healthy health service means a healthy population. Free health care at the point of need is a basic right in the UK and it should be. So we need to stop looking for a short term fix -cutting budgets certainly isn't it, it's a long term mistake. We need to stop looking for alternatives and actually make a go of it from the start.

We should be able to proud of our NHS, not spend our time grumbling that we can’t see a doctor; that waiting times are too long; being fearful that we might die because we can’t see a doctor. We should be proud of our nurses and doctors not berate them because we’re not being treated. They do an incredible job with little help or support. And it’s not like people spend their time saying thank you, either!

We all need to make a stand on this. I don’t know what the perfect answer is. But I know what it isn’t . And it is NOT the way our current government is taking us.

We live longer, but not more healthily. We are, in fact, the drain on the NHS. We are the reason the NHS is in such a desperate state, because we are the ones who require its services, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, from the cradle to the grave (and beyond, in some cases). So it really is up to us to force our policy makers to make the right choices.

And we have to start, as I have repeatedly stated, with a change to way in which the NHS is run and organised. We need to change the way it is funded – not on a profit and loss basis but on an extrapolated health benefit basis. A healthy workforce provides greater input to a greater economy. Thus providing more accessible funding and developing the health of a nation.

I know that what I have said is not to everyone’s taste. I’ve probably got things wrong. But rather than just close off and refuse to consider other views, I welcome them. But I start from the point of view that the NHS is not only worthwhile and, indeed, viable, but actually absolutely necessary to safeguard the health of the Nation. And I don’t really think it needs to stop there. What’s wrong with a strong public service sector, as long as it is run properly?

And that’s the crux, isn’t it? Run things right and they very nearly run themselves. Put a pillock at the helm and you’re going to hit rocks.

Long, wordy and heartfelt. (Probably should be my epitaph, that.)

The Braying Hordes of British Politics are in the House

Once again, I stupidly switched to Prime Minister's Question Time, expecting reasoned debate by those who do and those who would lead our country in Government. I wanted to hear our Prime Minister answer those questions and our Chancellor to explain the economic plans. None of which has happened.

Once again I am flabbergasted by the inane bickering and disrespectful baying of the most disgusting excuses for human beings that have ever been offered the privilege of life.

These braying loons are the people we are required to offer our votes for. They are the most abhorrent, selfish, wilful creatures on the face of the planet. At least a virus has a point. At least a virus provides a result. These pathetic multi-celled mistakes are an affront to all humanity.

They have elevated "ducking and diving" to an art form. Or, more properly expressed, they have utterly devalued everything worthwhile about politics; debate, reasoning, honour, respect and public service.

There can be no doubt that while they call for respect in society and understanding, tolerance and patience where people, real people, honest, hard working, desperate people are concerned, they are incapable of doing so themselves. Such that what they say and what they "stand" for can never again be trusted or believed.

More than ever before, I am disgusted by the Members of Parliament who deigned to appear in the House today. And even more appalled that not all did.

How dare they.

We live and profit in spite of them. They cannot be allowed to continue in this vein.

Revolution is a word that scares and inspires people. It scares people because of its connotations of violence and destruction. But it inspires because is intrinsically a method for change. And that is what we require. Not just a revolution within public services or the civil services, but a revolution in our thinking and our views for the future. And it must start with wholesale change within government. Our elected leaders must be held more accountable than ever. There must be more inter-party collaboration and more people in positions of responsibility and authority must be allowed and required to use that authority responsibly.

How can we be proud of our country when what our leaders appear to think makes it great and worthy of pride is exactly what is destroying it? You cannot have it both ways. We genuinely need change. And if that change is called revolution, then so be it. There need be no violence. There need be no destruction, except that of old, dead beliefs and unworkable policies.

We have the opportunity to say so much and yet do so little. We need more parity and an understanding that what we want is not necessarily what we'll get, but in the end, what we build will better fit the country in which we live and of which we will again be justly proud, than what we currently suffer with.

I am proud to be part of an amazing country, populated by fabulous people who enjoy incredible freedoms and expect their rights to be upheld and respected. I am not proud of the way all of that is manipulated by the minority for the minority in a country so, apparently, proud of its democratic history.

Do not lose sight of what we can achieve and work together to achieve better.

The only way to kill a virus is to starve it of what it needs. We need to starve this one of greed. That has to start with each of us. If you genuinely believe that what we have is what we must put up with, without ever doing anything to change it except voting for the same policies under a different party's name, then we are lost as a nation, as a people. If we change our own habits and expectations, then we can affect change everywhere.

I look forward to seeing what happens in the future. Let's make it a good one.

Scotland, The Teacher!

Scotland, The Teacher!

A random comment on the outcome of one of the greatest political debates I have ever seen and the impending lasting legacy of true national engagement. 

One good thing about all this is that I now know what the West Lothian Question is. No, I wouldn't want anyone else telling England what to do, either. 

And I know that a Saltire is not the rage that descends on you if you've had too much sodium. I know that clouds can be made to look like anything you damn well like. And I know that we, as a unified Nation of separate identities, have been taught a very important lesson: Apathy in politics is at least as dangerous as extremism. Mobilising a Nation from political lethargy and grumbling to driving extensive and exciting debate and getting people into polling stations to vote not only with hearts but with heads, about issues that genuinely affect us all. Now that's a lesson we should all learn. And that's why, regardless of the outcome, the referendum on Scottish independence has been so incredibly important to politics in the United Kingdom. 

This will, I genuinely believe, lead to much more engagement by many more people throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the issues that affect them not just locally but nationally and internationally. The British Government now knows very clearly that the "Nation" will not sit still and let it happen. Banks and other financial institutions, major corporations (international and home grown) should be very aware that their monopoly as decision makers is no longer as safe as it has always been. 

We can make change happen. It won't be good for everyone. But at the moment we have a situation where it's bloody good for very few, really bad for the majority and practically impossible for the rest. Now, I don't think that's really a way to continue. It's also not democratic!

I do believe that there's more good to come out of this. Much more. And it's not just a case of devolution or self-government. It's not just a case of how much will I get? How safe is my house? 

Now we look further because we have to. Now we see the biggest issue of all. Can you look at your government, wherever you are, and genuinely say with your hand on your heart that you believe that what is being done in your name (whether you agree with it or not) is actually for the benefit of the majority? No? Neither can I. 

Not In My Name could well be a rallying cry! This could be the start of a new age of political engagement. It will be uncomfortable to begin with; there will be no status quo. (Sorry, Rossi et al!) 

We have such a magnificent opportunity as members of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to genuinely change the face of politics in our great countries and rise to the challenge of a new era in a way I never thought would be possible in my lifetime. 

Thank you Scotland, for teaching me the benefit of proper mobilisation and engagement again; for reaffirming my belief that politics is individual, local, national, international; for getting me interested again. 

And I know that I am not alone. 

Good luck UK. It's going to be a heck of a ride!

Scottish Independence - A View From The South

Scottish Independence, yes or no?

Having now taken some time to look at both sides (and read what is actually some pretty racist and bigoted press from each view point,) it strikes me that it all comes down to 2 things: money or community.

Economically it'll be a disaster for a while (no idea if that's a long or short period of "while"). Forget the currency aspect for a moment and just consider that actually Scotland genuinely benefits from the wealth of the Union to a greater degree than it contributes. That's not to say that Scotland doesn't do its bit, but financially it doesn't do too badly out of the Union at all. It depends on how you wish to read the IFS reports on Scotland's ledger, I suppose, since you can do anything with statistics. But add the extra burden of cross border financing, exchange rates, tax and duties (which currently do not apply within the Union which is Scotland's biggest customer) and trade is going to become much more costly. There is no certainty that the EU will accept Scotland as an independent Nation, so any guarantees that Salmond is currently making to that effect are worthless. The economies of scale, special relationships and reputation of the Union to worldwide trading partners will also not be available. The generation of billions of (insert currency name here) of extra income from Trade will need to cover rising costs and paying the National finance requirements, including what is likely to have to be a vast start up debt. All of which, if your main criteria for a decision on Scotland’s independence is financial, points to a definite NO vote.

So, what about the emotional, social and historical impact that this debate has had? From that point of view, it appears, that Scotland has simply suffered centuries of allegiance to the crown and alliance with the Union, and certainly not gladly. “Anyone but England” is a favourite rant, and not restricted to Scots who live in Scotland, either.  The passion with which individuals talk about their national pride, their joy of being from Scotland, their sense of inclusion, socially and historically and their grounded belief in the power of their independent Nation is explosive, joyful, exciting, militant and celebratory and so it should be! That emotional attachment to independence is a strong enough reason to wish to separate from the Union to further the cause of Scotland; benefitting millions of Scots with an increased sense of Nationalism and community; standing out as a strong and exciting Nation, free from the adverse connotations of being part of a Union built on centuries of exploitation, murder, slavery and greed. That being the case your decision must be YES to independence, surely?

I read an article which talked not of giving anything up by leaving the Union but rather stopping the bad stuff; like going from being a smoker to deciding not to smoke anymore. You don’t think about what you lose, but rather what you gain, since you give nothing up if you stop doing something that harms you. The article (mirroring Alex Salmond’s last debate with Darling) spoke of no longer being forced into illegal wars, paying for unnecessary military hardware, making decisions about energy production and trade that only worked for Scotland rather than paying into the coffers of a wider Union. All of which is wonderfully emotive. Who wants to have to cowtow to a government that doesn’t have your specific interests at heart? And who wants to have to accept the corruption, game-playing, financial and political machinations of an elitist ruling class that has only the propagation of wealth at its heart? Does the voting populace of Scotland genuinely believe that their independent government will be free of any of that? God knows there are enough Scots in the UK Parliament and they’re not exactly looking to benefit the masses, are they! A Social Charter is only a name, unless it actually brings benefit. And that’s what the YES campaign is claiming. Alex Salmond’s rhetoric is forceful and jingoistic, as it will inevitably be, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing it’s just Nationalism. Can he and his party be believed? Is it enough for Scottish independence?

Hell, I’m English, what do I know about being Scottish (, or Welsh, or Irish)? And, even worse than that, I’m a Londoner, which even in England makes me an arrogant parasite, apparently. Lord knows I, along with all my other arrogant parasites in the Capital have been spun enough lies by any number of self-serving, self-interested politicians. Whatever happens on the 18^th September 2014, at least the people who should have the decision about their independence will have been given the chance to do just that.

Weirdly, I don’t have an opinion either way about Scottish independence. I did have. I was adamant that it was a stupid idea and would ultimately damage the Nation of Scotand, let alone the Union of Great Britain. Now, whatever happens on the 18^th, the debate that has been forced on politicians and individuals alike will, hopefully, produce wide ranging benefits.

I’ll just finish with 2 things.

Firstly, early on in his campaign, Salmond spoke of never getting the government we vote for in the UK, but that opportunity will come to Scotland if you say YES to Independence. Well, here’s a little something for the record, I’ve never actually got the government I voted for either. According to the statistics, only 39% of the UK got even close to what they voted for in the previous administration and NO ONE got what they wanted last time round, so what makes the Scots think they’ll definitely get it in the future?

Secondly, and this, I fear , is where I kick the hornets’ nest, there’s an awful lot of talk about Scottish independence from Scots living in the South. But they’re not resident in Scotland and therefore, as I understand it, ineligible to vote: yet they’re some of the most vehement voices in support of independence. Will they all be rushing off back up North as soon as the decision comes in or will they stay South and suck at the putrid teat of the UK’s corrupt, corporate, capitalist, greed-centred, mono-political, self-serving society; proud in absentia of “their” country’s independence?

I’d just like to say, Good Luck. If you don’t get what you want, Scotland, then I hope you get what you deserve. And I genuinely wish you success. (Not that what I say makes a blind bit of difference, but I just felt like saying it!)

Burning Oil on Freezing Water – (one person’s view of the extreme reactions to the Ice Bucket Challenge)

The Ice Bucket Challenge has led to a massive debate about whether what is being done to raise money is right. From champions of water politics to anti vivisectionists, more and more people are progressively militant with their reactions. So I thought , in the spirit of debate, I’d give my opinion.  And why not. Enough other people are giving their’s, I’ll just disappear into the background.

So people with MND / ASL should just die, with no help at all, is that right? Cancer. AIDS. Malaria. Would you have them stop research on those? More people know more people who have those than MND. Hey, there are more sufferers. But should those with MND have fewer rights to better treatment as a result of the disease they suffer from? You either condemn and stop research outright - which would please a few - but be accused of murder for not doing enough, or you develop the platform for research (you could pay students or those who choose to be tested - actually not a bad idea) away from the current methods, but they are the current methods. You're right, animal cruelty is an abomination. There must be better ways to do it. I don't know the answer.

 I'm not saying that this method of funding a charity is right, or that the charities involved are terribly well organised (because, of course, all other charities are BRILLIANTLY managed, aren’t they?) or that all the work the charities involved do is, as is now so regularly pointed out, ethical or moral, but if you really have met someone with MND and had a relationship with them that goes beyond merely knowing that they've got it, then you'll realise just how horrible it is and to be able to do something worthwhile to alleviate their pain, fear, loneliness, their progressive incapacity and enable them to live with a greater quality of life and die with dignity is a GOOD thing. Having said that, I presume I have now invited damnation and all the anti-vivisection vitriol you see fit to rain down upon me.

In which case I'll just pour oil on the fire and, without lambasting him because what he’s doing is great work, add that MATT DAMON did his challenge in a drought ridden area. So, of course, he will be careful with the water he uses (although taking water from multiple toilets isn’t actually using less water. He might just as well have poured it from the tap since it all comes from the same place!) He is also a champion of Water.org. Another GOOD thing. Although, taking water from the water table in a drought area like many countries in Africa, removes it from water holes and underground lakes that feed many other places, too, adversely affecting another ecosystem, so humanity destroys more in the search for continued existence. Yin and yang do not necessarily balance here, either. The arguments have many sides.  

However, in a country where water is available - and currently in abundance! - why shouldn't we? For example, in Gaza they've been doing the Rubble bucket challenge. In Egypt the Sand bucket challenge (albeit making different points!)  And before anyone really weighs in, the fact that we can even have this debate is because of where we live and the opportunities afforded to us. Not all of which have been built entirely on moral or ethical ground. Despite what some people think, I do not have a soap box to stand on or a high moral ground to mount, but there seems to be a lot of one-sided propaganda.

I’ll close with a response to people saying that this whole exercise is unethical, immoral and offensive.

The fact that we're all in a position to do something worthwhile and debate the efficacy of it is a good thing. I'm sure that most people haven't looked at the facts, or the financing. I'm pretty sure that most people don't do that any of the time, just think of the number of times you click on Ts & Cs without reading them. They just do what they think is right. And they do it, mostly, for the right reasons. And they do it because it makes them feel better.  That doesn’t make people bad.

There are as many sides to an argument as you care to propose and each of us has a right to our opinion whether everyone agrees or not (thank God we don’t, how boring would that be?) So could we stop the vitriolic ranting and the ritual, sanctimonious justifications, please?

Thanks

.

M