Category Archives: Politics

A Brave New Start

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The British people have voted, in a fair and democratic (words unknown in Europe’s corridors of power) referendum to leave the European Union. Not everybody voted to leave, of course, but in the long term those who voted to remain, along with the rest of Europe, will thank the British (not for the first time in the history of this continent) for what they did on June 23rd, 2016.

As this blog has said regularly, since its inception 5 years ago, the European Union is and always was doomed to failure and even if the British had voted to remain it would merely have delayed the inevitable. We have now got our country back and there are millions in Europe who are envious of that fact. Let’s see if the politicians of France, Italy, Holland et al have the courage to offer their peoples a similar right to choose.

Inevitably, I suppose, there have been recriminations and harsh words spoken following the referendum result, perhaps the most insulting being that those who voted to leave are somehow racist, nationalist or “Little Englanders”. I’m sure there are some who fit that description but it’s no more accurate than describing Remainers as misguided, idealistic, condescending, self-deluding dreamers. Some of them are not.

Many of us voted out because we believe in democracy and in the right of a free people to choose how they are governed. It doesn’t mean we don’t like Europeans nor desire peace and harmony any less than our compatriots. That is ridiculous.

We must now move on, work together and find a government and prime minister in touch with the needs and desires of his (or her) people. There will undoubtedly be tricky times ahead and we will certainly feel some economic discomfort but, like a mill pond, its tranquillity shattered by a stone, the waters inevitably grow calm and life goes on as before.

A Message to the Undecided

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That the European Union is corrupt, grossly inefficient, over-regulated and undemocratic is beyond dispute. The fact that those in the Remain camp talk of future change from within the Union indicates that they are in agreement.

The question is do they really believe that, by continuing its membership, the UK will succeed in bringing about such change, having singularly failed to do so since it joined in 1973? If they do then it is, at best, a triumph of hope over experience or, at worst, an attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of those unable to see the truth for themselves.

However, irrespective of the EU’s inefficiency, corruption and lack of democracy, irrespective of the debates on economics, security and immigration, irrespective of the disgraceful bullying threats of our arrogant, condescending Prime Minister and his unprincipled cronies, we need to ask ourselves one question.

Do we trust ourselves to govern our country (as we have done for over 900 years) or would we rather pass on that responsibility to an unelected European elite?

If we trust ourselves we vote to leave, if we don’t we stay. Simple really.

Dirty Politics

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Politics is a dirty old game sure enough and our Government and the Prime Minister are past masters, not that it always does them much good. In fact both need to understand that the British people don’t take kindly to being patronised and tend to react contrarily when faced by scare tactics.

In the 2014 Scottish referendum, the Chancellor of the Exchequer travelled north to tell the Scots that if they voted to leave the UK they wouldn’t be able to keep the pound. This perceived arrogance and negative campaigning almost had the opposite effect since many undecided Scots, outraged at being treated like naughty school kids, evidently voted to leave, making an almost certain Stay vote a lot closer than it need have been.

During the recent contest to choose the new London Mayor the Conservative candidate, Zac Goldsmith, and his backers conducted a smear campaign against Goldsmith’s Labour opponent, Sadiq Khan (a Muslim human rights lawyer) by alleging that he had links with Islamic terrorists. I have no idea whether or not the allegations have any substance but the tactics failed and the electorate, clearly less than impressed by this negative campaigning duly elected Khan to office last week.

Now, our Prime Minister, in a sure sign that he feels he might be losing the EU referendum argument, is trying to scare the British people by telling us that if we leave the EU it could be a threat to peace in Europe and therefore to us in the UK, conveniently ignoring the facts that we are members of NATO, hold a seat on the UN Security Council and boast a nuclear deterrent.

It almost beggars belief that he and his fellow pro-European Union supporters are prepared to sink so low. Perhaps they should be equally prepared for defeat in June’s referendum when the nation sends out the message that, actually we are not all complete idiots.

Don’t Meddle

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During his recent visit to London, President Obama announced that the United Kingdom would be better off staying in the European Union and that if we left we would be “at the back of the queue” as far as trading with the USA is concerned.

This obviously delighted our pro-EU Prime Minister but certainly did the opposite as far as opponents of the EU are concerned, several of whom directed some pretty sharp comments at the President by way of a response.

It’s not really a good idea for a foreign statesman to meddle in the affairs of another country, no matter how well-intentioned his motives may be. I wonder what the response would be if a foreign leader stood before the cameras in Washington DC and, however politely, suggested to the Americans how they should run their country?

Actually, I don’t wonder at all, I know what the response would be; the speaker would be greeted with a not-so-polite suggestion as to where he could stick his microphone, and quite right too!

Message to the Undecided

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According to the media many people have yet to decide which way they are going to vote in the European Union referendum on June 23rd.

To listen to politicians both for and against the EU is to be bombarded by facts and figures based on speculation, surmise and, predominantly in the case of the pro-EU politicians, scaremongering. Nobody knows for sure what the financial cost will be one way or the other and frankly, the cost is irrelevant, as are the arguments on safety and security

The only relevant issue in this debate, and one that few have highlighted, is the issue of freedom. We, the electorate have to decide whether we want our country to determine its own future or have decisions made for us by a federation of European states.

As an independent United Kingdom we are governed by the political parties we vote into power and who we can vote out again after 5 years should we be unhappy with them. It is called democracy and accountable government. No such democracy or accountability exists in the EU where we are governed by unelected members of the European Commission accountable to nobody.

It may well be that we will be financially better off by staying in the EU (a moot point) but so what? You cannot put a price on freedom and, throughout history, peoples and countries (including our own) have fought to gain or protect their independence and freedom. We must not allow ourselves to be bought and sold on the whim of political idealists or fat-cat businessmen getting rich from trading in the EU. Freedom is price-less.

Here is a useful analogy for those yet to decide. If you were an animal would you prefer to be one which is fed, watered and cared for in captivity with a third party responsible for your welfare? Or would you rather be outside of the secure fence, free to come and go as you please, making your decisions freely and with sole responsibility for your own destiny? I know which one I would rather be.

Tennis Equality

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The thorny subject of equal payment for male and female tennis players has recently arisen again with words like prejudice, unfairness and inequality being hurled around like balls from a Novak Djokovic serve.

Of course women should be paid the same money as men for doing the same job. What rational person could possibly disagree with that?

At present however, at the highest levels of tennis, women’s matches comprise the best of three sets while men’s are the best of five sets. So clearly, men and women are not doing the same amount of work even if the remuneration is the same.

To be completely fair and just shouldn’t men and women play tennis under exactly the same terms and conditions? Shouldn’t their matches be identical both in size and structure? If so that would surely end all comment and debate.

Jackass

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“It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their own selfish purposes”

Those words, sadly so accurate, were spoken by Andrew Jackson, the 7th President of the USA, nearly 200 years ago. They are both timeless and universal in nature and scope.

It was the anniversary of his birthday earlier this week and if his name doesn’t readily stand out to non-Americans it really should, particularly as far as the British are concerned for it was General Andrew Jackson who led the Americans to a famous victory over the British at New Orleans in January, 1815. Personally, I prefer to think of him as the face that graces the US $20 dollar note, not that I’m a bad loser or anything like that!

Jackson really was a larger than life character, a lawyer, a soldier, a gambler, a politician and a serial duellist. Reports vary as to how many duels the fiery tempered Jackson fought but it was well into double figures and, following one duel in which he killed his unfortunate opponent, he spent the remainder of his life with the man’s bullet lodged in his chest. His nickname, a testament to his tough nature, was “Old Hickory”.

Born in the Carolinas of Scots/Irish parents he hated the British with a passion which wasn’t surprising since, as a 13 year old courier for the rebels in the American War of Independence, he was struck by the sword of a British Army officer, causing wounds to his hand and scarring to his face, following Jackson’s refusal to polish the officer’s boots. His two brothers and mother died in that war.

He did have a softer caring side and was devoted to his wife, Rachel, whose honour he defended in at least one duel and who died just before he was about to be inaugurated as President. It was said that she was buried in the dress she was due to wear at that inauguration. Her loss devastated him and he was once prompted to declare that “Heaven will be no heaven to me if I do not meet my wife there.”

He was elected President for two terms and his nickname, “Jackass”, which though clearly intended to be uncomplimentary, was quite agreeable to him since he admired the stubborn and determined nature of donkeys. It is through Jackson that the Democratic Party has the animal as its logo.

His pugilistic nature failed to desert him even in later years and, when a would-be assassin failed in an attempt to shoot him in 1835, with both guns amazingly jamming, Jackson attacked him with his walking cane! He died peacefully 10 years later, aged 78.

As we say in the north of England, a proper bloke!

Carve Up

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I recently read an interesting article on countries unlikely to survive due to the artificiality of their borders. Several countries were mentioned but three stood out namely, Iraq, Syria and Libya.

In the last two centuries Africa and the Middle East were carved up by European colonial powers, such as France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and Great Britain.

Tribes and groups of indigenous peoples, thousands of years old and with no cultural link were pulled apart or lumped together with no thought other than profit and how they would look on a map.

Iraq and Syria were created after the end of the First World War in 1918 by France and Britain and groups such as the Kurds, Sunni Muslims and Shiite Muslims were forced to live together whether they wanted to or not.

Libya formerly consisted of three separate regions called, Tripolitania, Cyrenaica and Fezzan. In the early 20th century Italy invaded North Africa and arbitrarily lumped the three regions together to form the new nation.

None of the peoples in any of those three countries wanted nationhood and until recently all were held together by brutal dictators, Saddam in Iraq, Gaddafi in Libya and Assad in Syria. The first two were removed by Western action and the last, Syria, is in turmoil as Assad desperately clings on to power with Russian backing.

What a mess.

 

 

No Middle Ground

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Like many Britons, I have been following the US presidential race with great interest and, in fact, probably more than most since I spend between 3 and 4 months of the year in the States.

I’m in the USA now and was fascinated by the reaction to Donald Trump’s latest success in the Republican Party’s presidential nomination contest and that of Hilary Clinton’s with the Democrats, earlier this week.

A significant number of Americans seem dismayed that their choice of president could very well boil down to one between Trump or Clinton and it seems to me that we have a similar situation in the UK.

In our country the choice is between a privileged former public schoolboy with little understanding of the wants and needs of ordinary people and a communist garden gnome stuck in a 1960s Soviet Union-inspired time warp!

If only there was something in between. How unfortunate that the choice is limited to that between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.

If ever there was a time for a common sense, middle ground, political party now is surely that time.

The Wealth of Nations

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On the back of the English £20 note is a picture of Adam Smith, the famous 18th century Scottish economist, philosopher and author, whose book “The Wealth of Nations” radically changed the way people thought about wealth and national prosperity.

Smith was a great believer in free trade and the economic and social benefits that it could bring to a nation and its people. However, he once remarked that –

“It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest”.

A statement worth bearing in mind when we hear of certain leaders of big business urging the UK to remain in the over-regulated European Union.

We must never forget that capitalist self-interest outweighs all other interests, including democracy and freedom, time after time.