Whingeing Separatists

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I’ve just returned from a trip to Canada. Nice country, Canada, open spaces, clean air, exciting cities, decent people and they’re very friendly to us British. They have a problem though.

It’s called Quebec or more accurately it’s called the Quebec question since the province of Quebec – six times as big as the UK with a fraction of the population – is a beautiful place and the people are generally as friendly here as anywhere else in this vast country. The problem is that Quebec was originally French but when the British defeated France in the Seven Years War (1756- 1763) French involvement in North America was ended.

Very generously, the British Government allowed the French speaking Canadians to govern themselves in return for a declaration of loyalty to the British Government. A hundred or so years later, in 1867, Quebec became a founder member of the newly created Dominion of Canada and was allowed to maintain its French identity within the new country. Since then Quebec  has continued to exist as a French speaking province with road signs in French, French speaking schools and all sorts of privileges granted to French speakers. So much so that at times you’d think you were in France.

Every once in a while Quebec separatists gain power in the province and they invariably agitate for a referendum on whether or not to leave the Federation and break up Canada. So far, every attempt at independence has been voted out but still they keep trying. Elections took place in Quebec earlier this week and the winners, the Parti Quebecois, are now pressing for another referendum.

The rest of Canada, rightly proud of their beautiful and unified country, are getting sick and tired of all this and sick too of the constant whingeing emanating from Quebec. The people of Quebec have many privileges and concessions, probably more than anywhere else in Canada but it seems that the more they have the more they want and further concessions by the Federal Government only result in further bouts of whingeing.

Very interesting eh? Does any of this remind you of somewhere else, somewhere a little closer to home, a place about three hundred miles north of London?

Acknowledgement

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Today is the anniversary of the outbreak of World War II. On September 3rd, 1939 the British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, made a radio announcement that in view of the fact that Adolf Hitler had ignored the ultimatum for Germany to withdraw from Poland, which it had invaded two days previously, our country was now at war with Germany.

The war was to last for nearly six years costing the lives of millions and causing the unprecedented destruction of cities and towns throughout the world including, of course, virtually every city and many towns in our own country.
Will there be any commemoration of this date? I doubt it. Some of the broadsheets may make some reference but probably not the tabloid press and mainstream television, obsessed as they are, by footballers and the antics of so-called “celebrities”.
 I know that we should try to forget the past, forgive our enemies and get on with the future but the Second World War is still recent history and there are millions of people in this country, living still, who were affected by that war. Some may be surviving servicemen and women and others may have been children during the war years. Some will have suffered greatly and others not so but the point is, for as long as there are those who remember should we not, as a matter of simple respect, make some form of acknowledgement?

Dogs and their Owners

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In today’s news was a report that the owner of two out of control dogs was jailed for 12 months after the dogs savaged ten people in an “horrific and nightmarish” street attack. The owner of the two Staffordshire Bull Terrier crosses, an unemployed father of one aged 22 years (says it all really), had a string of previous convictions for various offences and the dogs had already attacked another person several weeks earlier as they “marauded around the area” of St Leonards on Sea, Sussex.

It’s good that such an objectionable example of our underclass has been jailed and good too that the Government has recently put in place stronger punishments for crimes committed by owners of dangerous dogs though in my view it is nearly always the fault of the owner rather than the dog – Staffordshire Bull Terriers, if well trained and looked after, are no more dangerous than most domestic dogs. However, the Government has not, in my opinion, gone far enough and has missed an obvious opportunity to limit this kind of incident.
Years ago dog owners were required to have licences to own their pets. The licence cost a nominal amount and had the effect of registering ownership and creating some sort of responsibility for dog ownership. Now, I’m not normally one to advocate an increase in bureaucracy but dog licensing is an exception and should be brought back immediately. A fee of say £50 (with certain exemptions for the elderly and disabled for example) would encourage responsible dog  ownership and would also act as a deterrent to some of the more undesirable members of society.

So What!

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So Prince Harry has been photographed naked at a private party in a private hotel room in Las Vegas. So what, is it really a newsworthy event of relevance to our lives?

I personally couldn’t care less what happens in a private place between consenting adults. It’s frankly none of my business and the only time for concern would be if children were involved or if an adult was forced to do something against his or her wishes.

Prince Harry is a young man, exuberant, yes and possibly immature, but he is entitled to enjoy himself just as we common folk are. He may be third in line to the throne, but again, so what?

It really doesn’t matter and besides, he’s simply carrying on a royal tradition of excess and debauchery promoted throughout history by such ancestors as Henry VIII, Charles II and Edward VII to name but three! For goodness sake, can’t we just leave him alone?

Regardless of the British predilection for titillation and smut there really are far more important things happening in the world.

Healthy Eating

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There was a report on the BBC News yesterday that Italians are reverting to traditional recipes and homemade food in order to counter the effects of the recession. It makes sense because, if times are hard and you are strapped for cash how can you afford to spend money on dining out or creating exotic dishes at home? The town of Gioninazzo is evidently a step ahead of the rest of the country and holds an annual festival of food, set up 17 years ago by teenagers anxious to preserve traditional recipes which were in danger of being eclipsed by fast food and pre-prepared supermarket meals. The emphasis is on simpler eating and a greater use of local produce. What a great idea!

It seems to me that in this country too we have become so overly dependent upon fast food, takeaways and supermarket meals that many people have simply forgotten how to cook, even if they knew in the first place. Apart from the fact that regular consumption of fast food is clearly bad for you, full as it is of fat and salt, it is also expensive. Good healthy food is not expensive and all that is required is some imagination and failing that some education.

All state schools should feature cookery, or Domestic Science as it used to be called, in the school curriculum so that children of both sexes have the opportunity to at least learn the fundamentals of cookery. Evening classes for adults provided by the local authority would be a good idea too. It’s quite appalling that so many people are unable to even make an omelette let alone bake a loaf of bread. These basics were second nature to our grandparents and we need to bring them back (the cookery skills that is, not the grandparents!)

We need to open our eyes and as I said earlier to use our imagination. For example, last month I noticed some wild raspberries growing not far from my house. I picked the equivalent of about a dozen supermarket punnets and not only did I enjoy some delicious fruit but I also saved about £20! The amazing thing is that nobody else could be bothered to pick them whereas thirty years ago you’d be competing with about half a dozen rivals!

It is now the blackberry season but just count how few people actually pick them and how many blackberries simply die on the bushes. The same is true of apples. How many people harvest the apples in their gardens and how many people will pick the mushrooms that begin to fill our fields in September? How lazy and foolish we have become and how blind we are to the world around us.

Right to Die?

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In the news last week was yet another story of a seriously ill British man, living in a virtually vegetative condition with no realistic chance of recovery, being denied the right to end his life. The case went before the courts and the decision was that, no matter how much he was suffering, no matter the lack of any decent  quality of life and no matter that he fervently wanted to bring his life to a close, the  State would not allow it. Suicide or assisted suicide is not permitted by law.

There are many who feel that a person who has no chance of recovery and who suffers constantly and who wishes to end their own life but is physically incapable of doing so should be able to call upon medical assistance to end it for them. That seems to make sense provided that  person is of sound mind and has reached his or her decision without duress or interference from a third party  (an unscrupulous relative benefitting under that person’s will for example).
Questions then arise over proof of sanity and lack of duress and also the incredible responsibility on the person or persons asked to make that decision whether they be in medicine or the law. Some cases may seem obvious, for example where there is no possibility of a medical recovery and no chance of a return to normality for the patient (whatever that is) but other cases may be less clear cut.
The situation at the moment is that terminally ill patients, and their loved ones, either carry on suffering to the bitter end or risk breaking the law and a sentence of imprisonment. If they are wealthy enough they could book a flight to Switzerland and take the assisted suicide route provided by Dignitas but, whichever way you look at this tragic situation, the law is in a mess. The courts weren’t wrong to make the decision they made last week, they were simply upholding the law. That law needs to be reviewed  and, almost certainly, to be amended. Most of us have a choice as to how we live our lives, shouldn’t we also have a choice as to how we end them?

Bungling Police?

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In a civilised society all responsible and law abiding citizens have a right to expect the full support and protection of the State. It’s an unspoken social contract; we obey the law and in return we receive that protection. The State’s agent of protection is its police force and the prime function of any police force is to protect and to serve its citizens. We should all support and respect the police, but what if the police force proves to be less than competent or ineffective?

Over recent years there have been some disturbing examples of unacceptable policing in this country. A few years back we had the dreadful killing of an innocent Brazilian tourist by armed police officers on the London Underground. Last summer police failed to respond adequately, or in time, to street riots  in some parts of the capital where innocent citizens were attacked and their property destroyed.  A couple of months ago a coach was stopped by police on a motorway which was then closed for several hours and the passengers made to disembark individually with their hands in the air. They were then searched Guantanamo Bay style until the police found – an electronic cigarette. The list of bungling goes on.
Last week,  police searched a house three times in the hunt for tragic 12 year old, Tia Sharp, only to find her dead body on the fourth attempt. These events are quite alarming and we are entitled to ask whether or not our police are competent or to use a modern expression “fit for purpose”.
It seems to me that our police are poorly led, stifled by political correctness and are overwhelmed by unnecessary bureaucracy and form filling.  It’s a wonder that anybody would want to join the police at all, especially when, in addition, they lack the support of large sections of society and even when criminals are correctly apprehended they are dealt with far too leniently by our liberal leaning courts. That, of course, is another story.
I think our police force requires an urgent overhaul and certainly need some more quality at the top. If this sounds harsh just think of the senior policemen and women who appear on our television screens every time a serious crime is publicised.  Do they strike you as intelligent, articulate, sharp and incisive? Some, maybe but mostly not. Many appear to be out of their depth, probably over-promoted and not up to the intellectual level of some of the criminals they are trying to apprehend.
The time has come, I think, to model the police on our armed forces and to have an officer class of intelligent, well educated and highly trained young men and women. An elite able to face up to the demands of an increasingly complicated and sophisticated world.
It  must be hard being a policeman at the best of times, with long unsociable hours, time away from families and loved ones and regular risks of personal danger. The police need and deserve our support and the country needs a strong effective police force. Without one the road to anarchy lies clearly ahead.

Olympic Legacy

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The Games are over, ending with another gold medal for Team GB, a closing ceremony showcasing our country’s musical talent (an area where we have consistently produced world-beaters) and a firework display to warm the hearts of all who stayed up to watch it. For a few more days perhaps we can continue to bask in the glow before life reverts to normality.

There is talk of the legacy of the Games and what we can take from our country’s success. Here are a few –
·         Pride in the success of our athletes .
·         Pride in the London Olympics organisation led by the indefatigable Lord Coe (also one of the greatest athletes we have ever produced), his work colleagues and the thousands of volunteers who sacrificed so much of their time and energy to ensure that all ran smoothly.
·         Pride in our country’s organisation and, yes, its efficiency.
·         The image of a country confident in itself and with a smile on its face.
·         A superb stadium and infrastructure established in East London to be used for the benefit of the community at large and to receive continued national and international use.
·         Encouragement for our youngsters to take up sport and to try and emulate the achievements of the heroes of 2012.
·         Encouragement for our Government to prevent the disposal of school and local community playing fields and to create new sporting facilities in all state schools and in our inner cities.
Before the Games began just over two weeks ago we lived in a society where the dangers of terrorism, economic depression and the collapse of the European Union were ever present. None of that has changed but we have now seen a different side to our country. We have a great opportunity to build on the success of the London Olympics 2012. We must not waste it.

Happy and Glorious

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Turn on the television news and so much of it makes such grim viewing, the economic crisis, civil wars in far off lands and hideous crimes committed on our streets, that you could be forgiven for turning it off again in dismay. But, the Olympics are still with us, for a couple of more days at least, and the news from the Games seems to get better and better with each new day.

Those who doubted our ability to stage the Olympics and those who doubted the abilities of our athletes (and there were quite a few) have, no doubt,  been pleasantly surprised. The Games have proved to be a  great success for the whole nation on both counts. Yes, it’s true that, politically and economically, we are no longer the nation we once were and, yes, we are now no more than a bit part player on the world’s stage but we can still put on quite a show.
Perhaps more importantly we have shown that we can produce young men and women of supreme skill with the ability not only to win but to win with dignity, courage, determination and grace. They have shown pride in their work, dedication to the team’s cause and respect for their opponents, win or lose. At last, some truly wonderful role models for our youngsters; a pleasant thought, particularly with the football season almost upon us!

Sporting Glory

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What a difference a year makes! In the summer of 2011 our televisions were bursting with images of burning cars and buildings, masked youths trashing high street stores and lines of police trying hard to restore order. By contrast, the summer of 2012 has seen television screens brimful of beaming young British sportsmen and women proudly clutching Olympic medals, earned with blood sweat and tears, as their country shows a much more positive and joyful side to the watching world.

Our Prime Minister has been prominent on our television screens praising our fine young athletes and hoping, no doubt, that some of the reflected glory and pride will fall upon his beleaguered government. I hope he learns the lesson well because if any politician was ever in any doubt about the power of sport to move and to generate such widespread happiness and joy then these Games will surely have dispelled it.
Sport is a vital part of life and, indeed, is a microcosm of life displaying as it does all of life’s realities. Life, like sport, is all about competition.  It is, whether we like it or not, about winning and losing and it is about joy and despair. We just have to convince the politically correct liberals who govern us of these facts and ensure that sport is made available to all and, most importantly, that adequate funding is provided to establish proper sporting facilities in all state schools.