Author Archives: johnengland55

Thought for the Day

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Religion or lack of it is a very personal thing and people should be tolerated and respected for their beliefs or lack of them – provided, that is, they leave everybody else alone.

In modern Britain there are three main religions, namely (and in chronological order from when they were founded) Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Followers of all three are convinced that they, and only they, worship the true God.

This therefore means that two of them are mistaken and their followers are going to end up disappointed.

How unfortunate to spend your whole life worshipping the wrong God!

The Girl from Ipanema

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Yesterday, I took  a stroll along Copacabana beach, Rio, heading towards Ipanema beach – not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon, I’ll admit! – and almost inevitably, I suppose, found myself humming that wonderful classic “The Girl from Ipanema” written in 1962 by two local musicians and recorded by countless artists since.

It’s a truly lovely song about beauty and desire and I couldn’t help but think about the ephemeral nature of the former. The “Girl” in the song, will now be aged about 75 years and sadly, I imagine, the lyrics no longer apply.

The lines “Tall and tanned and young and lovely the girl from Ipanema goes walking……..” could now translate to “Small and wrinkled and old and tubby the granny from Ipanema goes shuffling….!” How cruel, but how cruel life can be for those obsessed by their physical appearance.

There is of course, a beauty far deeper than that limited merely to the  skin and, as they say, it is the beauty within that really matters. Or is that something with which we console ourselves as the years advance?

Probably, but personally I prefer to think of the “Girl from Ipanema” as ageing gracefully with style and class. If not, we’ll just have to console ourselves by admiring her granddaughters instead!

Paying the Price

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Earlier this week, I stayed in a town called Bariloche in the stunningly beautiful Patagonia region of Argentina. The town, built on the shores of a lake framed by the majestic Andes Mountains, was originally founded by Swiss, German and Italian immigrants and is famous for its chocolate. I didn’t try any but did enjoy a couple of pints of the excellent local beer.

The locals are warm, friendly and keen for their visitors to enjoy themselves and so I felt a little uncomfortable when I walked past a hotel called Hotel Islas Malvinas, the Falkland Islands to us. As I continued my walk along the lakeside my discomfort increased when I came upon a memorial to local sailors who had lost their lives on the General Belgrano cruiser, sunk by the British on May 22nd 1982 during the Falklands War.

The war began when Argentine dictator, General Galtieri, ordered an invasion of the British-owned Islands in an attempt to gain some popularity for his faltering government. It backfired spectacularly when the British Task force sailed half way across the world and drove out the invaders leading ultimately to the collapse of Galtieri’s regime.

But none of that is the point. The point is that here is another example of ordinary men and women on both sides losing their lives because of the policies of a corrupt, vain politician anxious to hang on to power. What quarrel did ordinary Argentinian men and women have with their British counterparts? None, of course.

It’s the same the world over and has been so since time began; innocents shedding their blood for ambitious politicians who are happy to send others to their deaths but never go anywhere near the fighting themselves. In a perfect world such politicians would be placed on a remote island, given weapons and left to fight it out among themselves while the rest of us just get on with enjoying our lives. If only.

Seeing the Good

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It is strange how some people never seem to have anything pleasant or positive to say, whatever the circumstances. People suffering from depression or other serious illness or conditions can be exempted since they can hardly be expected to be cheerful and bubbly. But I’m not talking about them, I’m talking about people who continually moan, groan and generally grumble about everything even when (and particularly when) they seem to have little cause for complaint.

Life is not easy and for some it can be extremely difficult but life can perhaps be made more bearable by stopping to take stock of what you have got rather than what you haven’t; in other words, counting your blessings. So, for those whose default setting is negative can I suggest a mental check list of positives. Here are some examples –

  1. It’s a beautiful day.
  2. I’m solvent.
  3. I’ve got food on the table.
  4. I’m healthy and so are most of my family.
  5. I have some wonderful friends.
  6. I’m alive.

Obviously, these can be ticked or crossed out as necessary but the last point should form a pretty good base for a positive outlook, particularly when considering the alternative!

Anyway, the bottom line to those whose glass is always half empty, open your eyes and see what a beautiful world we live in. Try a little harder to see the good rather than just the bad. Give the rest of us a break and……..stop bloody whingeing!

Growing Old Disgracefully!

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I’m staying in Santiago, Chile at the moment where, last night, The Rolling Stones began their tour of South America. I had no idea that I would be here at the same time as one of England’s finest bands but quickly became acquainted with that fact as I traversed a city full of advertising signs and billboards together with ‘Stones merchandise vendors selling their wares on many a street corner.

The band, often referred to as “The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World” (a sobriquet few would dispute, at least as far as bands still in existence are concerned) have been making headlines since they first hit the public’s consciousness in the early 1960s, meaning that they have been performing and making hit records for six decades. That’s no mean feat.

I saw them perform in Manchester in 1990 and even then, I thought they were old, and that was 26 years ago! The band members, now all 70 years plus, show no sign of slowing down and the Jagger/Richards axis remains as powerful as ever even though Keith Richards, the musical driving force of the band, must be at least 120!

The Rolling Stones remain a global band and a global brand recognisable across the planet and their fans span whole generations. I bet half the concert goers are younger than the band’s offspring!

Good, the ‘Stones longevity is a wonderful achievement and a demonstration to all who feel a little dated that age is no barrier to excellence and achievement. Provided the mind is active and the body willing surely all things are possible.

We must seize opportunities with both hands, holding on tightly until Father Time decrees that it’s time to let go. The Rolling Stones are a fine example of that philosophy. As they say in this neck of the woods, “Viva Los Rolling Stones”!

The Rise of Trump

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I watched last week’s television programme on the seemingly unstoppable rise of Donald Trump and there appears to be little doubt that he has a very strong chance of winning the US Republican presidential nomination and therefore a one in two chance of becoming the next President of the USA.

His campaign to win the Republican Party nomination has been extremely effective in spite of (or is it because of?) the fact that much of what he has said has been controversial and provocative. Indeed, it has been noted by political commentators that the more controversial he is the more his popularity grows.

It seemed, listening to the people interviewed in the Trump television documentary, that they are worried about losing their jobs, they are concerned about mass immigration and they are concerned about the security and safety of their families. That certainly strikes a chord across many parts of the West.

People who feel alienated and tired of the policies of their elected leaders will naturally look elsewhere, to politicians who say what they want to hear and promise them what they want, no matter how implausible. If Donald Trump does end up as President of the USA it will undoubtedly act as a wake-up call to many other leaders in the West.

Blue Belt

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Earlier this month the Marine Environment Ministry announced that twenty three new marine conservation zones had been created around our coastline in addition to the existing twenty seven zones created two years ago.

These fifty zones, in effect a marine national park comprising 20% of British coastal waters, have been designated “blue belt” (a bit like “green belt” on land) meaning that sea life will be protected from the excesses of mankind such as dumping, pollution and even uncontrolled fishing.

What a great idea and what a wonderful piece of news for one of the world’s finest coastlines. Let’s hope that there are enough Marine Environment personnel available to police and protect it from  over-zealous European fishermen.

 

Crisis in Europe

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To anybody possessing even a modicum of common sense, the crisis caused by  largely unsupervised mass migration to Europe can hardly have come as a surprise. Last year in Germany alone the country’s premier, Angela Merkel, authorised the entrance of over a million migrants and that’s not counting illegal immigrants. Here in the UK our Prime minister, David Cameron, was a little more cautious and was promptly and loudly criticised by liberal and politically correct idealists for (in their opinion) not doing enough to take in more refugees. Those critics have been rather quiet since the turn of the year.

The result of Europe’s naïve policies has been a crisis of untold proportions and consequences with EU member states turning on one another, passing the buck and blaming everybody but themselves whilst trying to cope with the virtually unmanageable influx of immigrants and refugees. Last week the French Prime Minister was quoted as saying that the EU is at “grave risk” and “our societies will be totally destabilised” without a change in policy.

Socially, the results of the EU’s policies have been even more disastrous with the New Year’s Eve attacks by mobs of young Muslim men on Western women in Cologne particularly but also in Helsinki, Stockholm and other European cities. Following incidents in swimming pools and other public places some cities have even set up classes to try and teach these men that in Western society all are equal and women do not exist merely to be exploited and sexually abused.

There has been a predictable response and backlash by right wing groups who have taken to the streets to express their opposition to the EU’s  immigration policies and numerous violent clashes  have occurred presenting the sorely-pressed forces of law and order with yet more problems.

Whilst Europe’s  politicians are now waking up to this alarming crisis and struggling for answers there is surely one question that needs to be asked. Why is it that they are undoubtedly careful as to who they invite into their homes but not so when it comes to their countries? For sure, the whole of Europe is now beginning to pay the price for their carelessness and stupidity.

Another Musical Great

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There was more sad news for the world of music this week with the death of Glen Frey of the Eagles fame. As always seems to happen on these occasions I was prompted to dig out some of his work, both Eagles and solo.

With the Eagles, the natural starting point has to be “Hotel California” which is generally accepted to be the band’s finest piece of work. The album, released over 39 years ago (oh blimey!) in December 1976, turned out to be one of the biggest selling albums in music history and contains a series of classics, not least the title track. Of course Glen Frey was only one of five great musicians who made the album but he was the co-writer, along with Don Henley, of much of the album’s finest work.

I settled down to listen to my original vinyl version of the album and rolled back the years thinking, firstly, what a wonderful piece of work this is and secondly, why don’t I play it more often? The music is outstanding and the lyrics both poignant and thought-provoking. This wasn’t disposable tat for the pop charts.

As I lost myself in the album I came to the last track, “The Last Resort”, a song written and composed by Henley (the main writer) and Frey about the greed of mankind (particularly the early American settlers in the West) the destruction of the land and those who inhabited it. The lyrics could apply to what mankind has done and continues to do to the world as a whole and these lines have a particular resonance –

“We satisfy our endless needs and justify our bloody deeds/In the name of destiny and in the name of God”.

Beautiful music combined with incisive intelligence. It really doesn’t get much better than that.

And Did Those Feet?

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Last Wednesday Parliament adopted a Bill, which, if it becomes law, will give England her own national anthem. Many foreigners would, I’m sure, be incredulous that this should be necessary in the first place, particularly since most people assume (including many in the British Isles) that “God Save The Queen” is England’s national anthem.

It is not, “God Save The Queen” is the anthem of the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) but since England doesn’t have her own national anthem the anthem of the UK is  used at English sporting occasions. This has always struck me as a little unfair. All other members of the Union have their own national anthems so why can’t England? Why should the English need to appropriate an anthem belonging to the UK as a whole?

The anomaly should be quickly corrected and England should have her own national anthem with immediate effect. The front runners seem to be “Land of Hope and Glory” (a throwback to music hall jingoism and more Hope than Glory these days!) followed by “Jerusalem” which, of course, is a hymn about our country’s Christian values rather than a foreign city.

Both are beautiful, moving and stirring anthems and if sung at English sporting occasions would, I’m sure, give us a huge lift. That alone would swing it for me since, let’s be honest, most English sports teams (with the obvious exception of our cricketers!) need all the help they can get these days!