opinion
'To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?'
Marcus Tullius Cicero 106 B.C. - 43 B.C. (Roman philosopher, lawyer & political theorist)
the internet today.....
Those of you, who may have tried to get in touch with me, through Social Media, might have found me going awol through the links to Facebook, Instagram etc.
At the outset, the internet seemed to have been a blessing. You could order something one day, and have it appear at your front door the following day. You could speak to a like minded soul, on the other side of the World, and yet, the younger ones amongst us seem to have been becoming more and more depressed. Social Media seems to have become anything but ’Social’. Especially amongst this group, there seemed to have become a generation needing ongoing therapy. The Internet had become anything but ‘freeing’, but had become a prison of sorts to that section of society.
Preaching from an old fool like myself had become counterproductive all told. Music is one therapy I would encourage any young person to take an interest in. My opinions don’t mean much in the great scheme of things. The ‘new left on the block’ have an agenda that claims to be Marxist, however, there are ‘hints of Stalinism’ mixed up in there. Marxism is a battle between the establishment and the people. Look up Lysenkoism, and you are nearing what has actually transpired during the last 5 years. A mixture of the two.
I stand by my opinions at this site (they haven’t changed at all), however, I do not like the young becoming disillusioned, so I am with you guys, not the bullies who have taken over Social Media. Look at the World and your fellow man and woman. The World would be a better place without Tic-Toc and all their like. I am leaving the links to the older articles here, below. Hope they help a little. Take care. You are not crazy at all. Just acting normally, in an abnormal situation. For myself, time to keep quiet I think. Best wishes, Toby.
toby walker
11th november 2024
chain of fools.....
The Covid-19 year since we agreed to be ‘guided by government’ last March has thrown up some interesting changes in the day to day routine.
Back in January last year, the World Health Organisation sent out a tweet (or should I say ’said’), informing the World that Covid-19 was ‘not a virus transmittable from human to human’. Quote straight out of the Kevin Keegan book of prophecies ‘I do not make predictions....I never have done, and I never will’!
sir kier starmer
Mid March and the new Chancellor was informing us of his exciting (depending on your disposition) post election plans, United were beating City in front of a full crowd, and Labour were only a few weeks away from choosing their new leader. Their choice was easy.....choose a woman....preferably a Black woman....and we should be amazed with whatever they would come up with. In early April, the best they actually came up with was a white bloke. Knight of the Realm….’Sir’ Kier Starmer. Hang on, he was a bloke, who voted to Remain in Europe (so against public consensus), and I couldn’t quite see him in his mining hat, hacking away at a coal face for 12 hours a day, giving him street cred. What had happened, politically, had been seen on the horizon since 2016.
nye bevan & jennie lee
In 2016, no-one was more surprised than I was to see a situation where the bulk of the country decided to leave the European Union. I voted leave when I was 19, in 1975, and my mindset hadn’t changed. Back then, us ‘anti-marketeers’ were worried about democracy and the sizes of holes in fishing nets! Many Labour MP’s felt as I did. Even Labours finest, Aneurin Bevan, expressed his doubts about that European institution. Open for financial abuse all told and so it was. What had become apparent was that the powers that be, who wished we would remain, seemed to reside within London’s postcode zone. Outside folks felt very differently. In a way, I felt I had been deceived by the party ‘who would do the right thing at all times for the working man’. Those who, supposedly, represented the working class, within the big cities, had decided to move house to a plot of land well to the right of the part we had just voted for. Those at the top of the working man’s party, were wealthier than their sworn enemies leaders. So we were looking at the Tories becoming very much a Centrist party, and the Labour party, whilst might be calling itself working class and ‘socialist’, in reality, saw itself transforming into a very different animal.
barbara castle
Where now are ‘my people’ today? The Liberals and the Greens are now sitting somewhere alongside Labour, and there is now a void where there used to be Tony Benn, Barbara Castle, Michael Foot, Tariq Ali, Chris Mullin, Dennis Skinner etc. The resulting mess saw the grass roots of the party voting for the unthinkable. The right wingers in the Labour party were now arguing over matters which meant little to the traditional Labour voter. Ask an ex-miner how many genders there are in existence today, and they will give you the thousand yard stare, and yet ‘our party’ held these matters as some of the most important issues of our time recently. The MP’s from the old left, now sit in the House of Lords. No Barbara Castle’s or Tony Benn’s in the Commons anymore. The tumbleweed that was the old left has long since passed (or transitioned). The working person had no-one to relate to, as ‘their tribe’ had, simply, gone bad.
With all that going on, what a fine time for a virus to come along to spoil the party. So we were stuck in doors, out of doors, and in again, probably more times than mentioned in the ‘okey-okey’. How would we cope, and what ‘is it all about’? Interestingly, the public coped remarkably well, for something that was a complete mystery many, months ago. What was more interesting was looking at who coped very badly. The scientists saw their ‘moment of fame’ beckoning, and they grew in the public eye with their new found fame. At best, they could be mildly amusing, at worst their prophecies caused a huge amount of distress. Some continued to make ridiculous predictions, and were consistent within these, never failing to ‘underwhelm’. The two huge casualties, however, falling at every fence along the way, were the Social Media Platforms and the national Broadcasting networks.
Social media allows anyone a platform to say just about anything. Great for free speech, however, as the year flew past, they increasingly decided whose speech should be free, and whose should not. Question I ask myself is, if you do ‘yay or nay’ peoples opinions and what they can say, you have become a publisher and you should be treated as thus. Social Media in 2020, should really be called ‘Social Influencer’. Right now I would look at pulling the plug on all political comment on the pages of these companies for a while until these confused people decide what their real role is in society.
richard baker - newsreader
The broadcasters followed a similar line to those platforms. They became ‘Influencers of opinion. The Sky News became very hypocritical in many ways, whilst the BBC News Channel became likewise. I used to have that station on all day at home. The network should be great, with a sum total of 5.6 billion (yes, ‘billion’) in licence receipts. No excuses. Nowadays I ignore that place like the plague. Why? Put it this way. These presenters. Moira Stewart, Michael Aspel, Jan Leeming, Richard Baker, Frank Bough, Angela Rippon, Kenneth Kendall etc. What do/did these people all have in common? Well, I never knew their political allegiances. They read the news and I listened. Last year, the BBC’s army of newsreaders seem to be encouraged by their owners, to put their five political pence worth in on any subject which they deemed fit. By the time Emily Maitliss expressed her views, I had developed a huge dislike of that company. So why the change?
Something very subtle had been happening since 2016, and had been creeping through the establishment. Great Britain had been a very three dimensional society before that 2016 election. There seems to have been a decision made by much of the media, that allowing the public to vote on matters, well that was fine, as long as the result was to their liking. The public seemed to veer to the right (and into the wrong), in their eyes in recent times. In truth, public opinion had become very static. Democracy was in progress, so what to do? When Jeremy Corbyn was put in front of the electorate, he was seen as these companies last best hope for remaining part of the authoritarian European family. Many in his cabinet had become millionaires. Jeremy Corbyn’s own financial ‘worth’ was twice that of Boris Johnson’s. The figures are in the public domain, go take a look. Therefore, if Corbyn was not elected, then it became the Broadcasters task to take on the democratically elected. Broadcaster set against viewer. The public didn’t trust Jeremy. His Cabinet had become very wealthy and had begun to look down upon those they professed to represent. The party was set up by working people, and their politicians now resided in the leafy suburbs of middle class England. The BBC’s own response was to make life as awkward as possible for the new government. Free speech was being controlled by the Social media platforms and the joint approach of both groups, was to turn a three dimensional country into a two dimensional one. Two sides of a fence. Yes or No. With me, or against me, Good or Bad. Right or Wrong. The British excelled at the disappearing third ‘disappearing dimension’ and it is that place where ‘the other person’s opinion’, ‘irony’, ‘tolerance’, creativity and ‘a sense of humour’ all have a natural home. Display any of these qualities and you will be shut down. All told, it is todays version of placing individuals into the public stocks and throwing rotten fruit at those they perceive to be guilty. The nuances that existed where we could talk about genders, skin colour, politics etc….well….woe-betide you if you stray far from those new no go areas. I hate the two dimensional fences which now exist. The broadcasters tell their own perceived truth’s, however those opinions are very far from being accurate and truthful and they do not apply to the people who pay their licence fees. The publics consensus will always endure, and people will correct matters at the ballot box at the end of the day, in time.
I have been very uncomfortable about the way race relations have progressed in recent months. The politicians who are attempting to address their perceived unfairnesses in society, have actually created so much damage to relationships between all existing groups in that same society. As you can see from this site, I have a huge affection for the Black community. I have felt indebted to these guys for their culture and the music it has provided. I follow, listen to and promote, what I consider to be, some of the best creators of music over the last 70 or so years. It is now, well and truly, embedded into my life. I write about these artists, and I have championed the injustices within music, where a Black artist receives much less reward for their efforts than their White contemporaries. Over the years I have made many friends in all sections in society. If, in non viral times, my friends and I hooked up at a gig, or an event, my natural impulse is to hug all of these people when we meet. They are my friends, and I do not want to be told that I am not their friend if I don’t get down on one knee to show respect that way. I don’t want them to do the same for me either. It is daft. This is not my way. I like to buy my friends a drink, I like to sit with them, ask them what is on their mind, listen to their worries, and they, in turn, listen to mine. I feel privileged to know them in my 3 dimensional world. I am not sold on this ‘lame new world’ on offer from Twitter, Facebook or the BBC. None of these institutions are more righteous than the next person. I think the world is a far better place than these people perceive it to be. The media to tell us that the way we have been living our lives, has been wrong for all of my 64 years, and I should now hate myself? Sorry but I am still going to meet people on a friendly basis, with some pride on my face, respect for those I meet, and even more so in my circle of friends, whether White, Black and every shade in between. The Social Networks and media are trying drive a wedge into long term friendships. Who am I going to listen to? My friends or some out of touch media ‘misstra-know-it-all’ businessmen with an incomprehensible out of touch agenda? I do not know, or would have any time for anyone who holds thoughts of hate towards anyone. If nothing else, it makes no sense and is an irrational and, all told, it is an embarrassing way of thinking. I will certainly not entertain any ‘life guiding-threats’ from the BBC, Twitter or Facebook regarding my friendships either. Their time might be better spent working out whether they are publishers or not, or, perhaps, making programmes people actually want to watch?
My hope is that this ‘new’ way of thinking is something that will pass, and we will return to a three dimensional society. Current generations have been badly treated by all sections of society. The future does not bode well for the young. They will need help to grow and develop. They do not need to be further confused by the faceless ‘wanabee-politico’s’ with distorted influences and belief’s within our lives.
Covid will pass, and we will move on to a better place. Nurture our ‘third dimensions’. It is where we express ourselves positively, love, create and laugh with each other. That space is priceless and makes us better people. Probably best not to discard something so valuable.
toby walker
8th february 2021
in the undoubted mess, that was 2020.....
...three personal heroes:
1. lauren victor
The moral here is, whether you are a believer or not, regarding the point being made, do not allow yourself to be bullied. She agreed with the sentiments, but not the way they were being presented. In life, try to 'be like this woman'.
2. kemi badenoch
The moral here is, speak your truth, no matter the pressure being placed upon you, quietly and clearly. Proof that decency can co-exist with politics. Huge respect to Kemi. In 2024, Kemi Badenoch was made the Tory leader. Be interesting to see how Kier Starmer deals with a Black woman in Parliament. Advice to Sir Kier? Stick to the point, not your narrative.
3. marcus rashford
The moral here is, fight your corner, and, if you can cut through the politics, you can achieve. A very decent human being, and completely unaware of that fact. A-political. Aspire to be like this person if you can.
toby walker
1st January 2021
jeremy corbyn
Jeremy Corbyn is a multi-faceted politician. I should have loved the man, however, there was something about his politics which left me uneasy. Since the decision in 2016 to leave the European Union, he suddenly became very quiet. An outspoken leader, who became hugely understated. Politics divided. Used to be you were a Labour Supporter, or a Conservative Supporter. Since I was a kid, Labour were always on the back foot. The United Kingdom has always leant to the centre right politically, so the left had to fight that much harder to make any headway. As you’ll know by now, Tony Benn was my political touchstone. I loved the man. I would check in with him, from time to time, to see wherever he was speaking, and, if I went along to listen to him, he was the voice of reason, in a parliament full of those speaking in forked tongues. I see many politicians these days, who try to aspire to be like the man. John McDonnell, Kate Hoey, even, Bernie Sanders in the States, and Jeremy Corbyn.
with tony benn in 1984
Jeremy, for myself, made a lot of the right noises, but without conviction. Tony Benn-lite in many ways. Tony Benn stood by his beliefs. He believed in socialism, believed in democracy, and wanted to leave the European Union. When I first voted in ’75, I voted to leave the Union as well. I couldn’t see how somebody in Brussels could understand what was going on in my neighbourhood, let alone I couldn’t vote any of these people out of office. Undemocratic bureaucracy all told. Tony once said to me, ‘if somebody wishes to take power over your decision making, ask them how do I vote you into power, how are you funded, and how can I get rid of you, if I think you are not up to scratch’. If they can’t give you an answer to any of these, then don’t lend them your vote.
We voted to leave the E.E.C. in 2016. Jeremy Corbyn, if he was to be believed in any of his previous speeches, he would have voted to leave as well. Instead he became very quiet on the subject, finally admitting a neutral position in 2019. He had fallen on his political sword, in order to gain power. In the Sixties, Tony Benn was urged to become a member of the House Of Lords. He could have been Viscount Stansgate (rejected by Tony in 1963) for a quieter life, however, he declined to follow a career on the Labour benches. His wife, Caroline, was better off, although Tony wasn’t. His political speeches, you can listen to on YouTube. A very moving one regarding the decision to bomb Iraq, with a younger Jeremy Corbyn sitting behind him looking on in admiration.
Jeremy became under the control of a new group called Momentum, who drafted his speeches, and constructed policy for him. Momentum represented a new movement within the Labour Party, who represented a very small section of the Labour party countrywide. The inner cities. Momentum had a viewpoint that celebrated the wealthy within the Labour movement (which included the likes of Emily Thornberry, John McDonnell, Sir Keir Starmer and, unfortunately, Jeremy, who was born into privilege & wealth himself. A Grammar school boy with an estimated net wealth of 3 million pounds). These MP’s all represented London Constituencies in 2019. They were fine with becoming prejudiced as far as the Jewish people were concerned, but represented a newer aspect to an upcoming movement of bigotry, which did not allow for a different perspective. If you were a ‘leaver’, say, then they encouraged voters (BBC and the rest of the media) to see you as somehow racist. This meant that, should you didn’t tow Jeremy’s line, you were also racist and stupid. O.K. to not like the Jewish people worldwide, but if your view varied in any way to theirs, that is your cross to bear. With that in mind, Tony Benn, Barbara Castle, Michael Foot, Peter Shore, Jeremy Corbyn (yes him)...and myself, were all now racists. Even Ernest Bevin and Clement Attlee said that a future union with Europe would be democratically undesirable. Jeremy went, politically quiet on the subject. Tony Benn wasn’t around, along with most of the left wingers who wanted to leave Europe in 1975. They were all dead, so anyone who was still left standing, would join the ranks of the leavers....the stupid racists.
jeremy corbyn in 2015 and 2019
To pour salt into the wound, those within the new Labour Metropolitan wealthy, would begin to make speeches about the outside London Labour grassroots, regarding the Labour ‘out of town’ constituencies and their lack of intelligence. A new Emperor’s New Clothes. Leave Europe? All bigots, and ignorant ones at that. Look at their bedfellows. Extremists back in 1975, and the same in 2016-19. The subtlety came with the reasons for the separation. Tony Benn’s position was down to a lack of democracy. Some of the others, simply didn’t like foreigners. All told, the day of reckoning came when the General Election arrived in 2019.
In fairness to Jeremy, the country was being asked two questions in one election. Firstly, question 1. ‘What is your political party preference?’, and question 2. ‘Do you want to leave the E.E.C.?’ The Labour party portrayed those who wanted to leave and racist and stupid, whilst, in reality, consensus of the majority were tired of the undemocratic way the institution ran itself. If there is any hope for Labour, the next election will be about the parties, and not about Europe. I would say, however, those in the North, West & East, along with the poorer parts of the inner cities, will not take kindly to being referred to as thick and racist, as many of these people are of many cultures and intelligences. Some building of bridges to be completed there, and they will need to deal with their own anti-semitism there. Jeremy Corbyn allowed Momentum to break up and re-gentrify the Labour Party, a party I still support, despite the strange excursion that the Momentum/Corbyn decided to take us on. I feel very let down by a party that has left me feeling accused of many things I am not, and I fought for the last 45 or so years to defend. A for instance, is I wanted nothing to do with a European Union, who entertains the membership of Bulgaria, whose country sees no issues regarding their football fans openly monkey chanting our Black footballers on the international stage, whilst Momentum referring to sections of their own party as racist.
Labour, any way you look at it, was taken to the edge of obscurity under Jeremy Corbyn. The Party is now run by the rich, the privileged, those who do not live in council accommodation, with Jeremy Corbyn sat in at Prime Ministers questions for the last four months, when he should have been ashamed at the size of the defeat and bowed out gracefully. A man living in denial, stating he won all of the arguments, all except the one about winning elections. Even stranger is the man moved the Labour Party so far to the right, as a result, that the country now sees the natural party of the working person.....is the Conservative Party! I lived through Thatcherism, so I know the humble pie that must have been consumed by the working class person in the street. Jeremy put some superb traditional Labour MP’s out on the street. Bolsover’s Dennis Skinner went. He of all people is working class through and through. Dennis was a ‘leaver’, so going by the new rules, he is now a racist. Lord have mercy. Then there’s Caroline Flint, Andy Burnham, the list of good people now wasting on the political rubbish tip, or into a second job.
'continuity momentum' candidate rebecca long bailey in 2020
Sir Kier Starmer's first task is to win back the working class voters who switched to, what they believed, was their only option last December. He has a spark of optimism, as the next election will not include 'that' question. So a typical scene (with the new Labour leader) is he goes to a typical northern town who now voted Tory last December, knocks on the door of a working class house, the door opens, and the man at the door says ‘who the hell are you?’. The new leader replies ‘I am the legal barrister Sir Kier Starmer’, to which the householder tells him two words......and the second one is ‘off’. Jeremy Corbyn’s lasting legacy here, is a that of a guy, who, started with the best intentions, became confused and obedient to his Momentum masters, and surrendered those intentions for four years at the helm of the country, and for that, the comrade sold his soul along the way someplace.
It will be a long road back for the Labour party, who need to convince their voters, they didn’t consider them ‘thick and stupid’, and revert to the, long established, ‘I trust I can count on your vote’. They need to, also, convince them that they did not believe they were racists, and that was the fault of Momentum. That will be harder. Personally, I will always be a Labour voter, but I think I might give the next election a miss next time round, as I don’t like being referred to being ‘thick and racist’ either. Labour need to remember they were set up by the Trades Unions to represent their workers, and not just those in the leafy borough's of Islington and Putney.
a reminder
toby walker
6th April 2020
postscript from the 2019 election
dennis skinner (mp who lost his seat)
Firstly, I hate to say 'I told you so', and I don't have to, as those texts are listed out below. This was, for a long time, a car crash waiting to happen. In many ways, all sides have something they wanted. The remainers have lost this battle, but their 'hidden victory' lies in the type of election that has just transpired.
If you believe that this election was all about us leaving the European Union, well you are correct. Sure, there were awful aspects of human behaviour by all the politicians involved. The ‘leavers’ have just seen a second referendum without really realising it. We leave. The remainers have comfort in knowing that the election was about that issue, and not a standard referendum as to whom your party political affiliation lies with. That means that the next election will be about other issues. Hope for Labour there. To be asked to vote on two entirely different issues all rolled into one, was an unfair thing to do. We chose Europe. Next time, the way we vote, may be down to political aspirations.
Where the parties went astray lay in the changing of the manifesto’s. The political parties thought they were all superior to the general public, and so they didn’t have to listen to them. The Liberals changed from leave to remain, at the drop of a hat. The public took away their leader, along with every other defector that relocated to them recently, during last Friday's outcomes.
tony benn
When it comes to Labour, failure to move forward, came from their divorce from the working person. The party was set up by the Trades Unions, originally. More recently, they became a party which didn’t do what it said on the tin. Even worse, the party became gentrified. Looking at those who are putting themselves forward for becoming next party leader, well the cupboard needs cleaning out before fresh produce is put into that particular pantry. The party’s next leader needs to reflect the needs of the many, and not the gentrified Metropolitan elite, who I do not recognise from the party I have voted for all my life. Abide by the democratic decisions. When you lose constituencies that have never voted conservative, there are two conclusions. One is those at the top have surgically removed themselves from the grass roots, and secondly, further proof that the election related to Europe, and not a political choice. Seeing traditional labour voters, voting for Boris Johnson? The message sent there is, simply, 'you are not listening to us'. This would never happen in any other election in my experience. Jeremy Corbyn transformed himself into 'Tony Benn Lite', and the result would be a forgone conclusion. If I could have told him......
The decision to leave or stay, was a ‘leave’ or ‘remain’ vote in 2016, and nothing more. People have tried to dress it up in the Emperors new clothes since that time, however, by this election, even the remainers in the populous wanted us to abide by the democratic decision of the many. That vote became even stronger this time round. If the country is to come back together, the remainers, sticking with democracy, should be the guys with the most honour in all of this.
It will, (and never was going to be) an easy ride from this point on. We will cope, however. Ups and downs, most of the time, but we will cope.
How did I vote? I am a supporter of Tony Benn. Although he is not with us any more, he would have voted to leave Europe on democratic grounds. When he was alive, he told me as much. He would have had the same dilemma, however, as I did. My decision was based upon the Labour party becoming undemocratic this time round.....but I couldn’t vote for Boris either....I will vote Labour in future...so my choice was simple. Which party had only one policy, to leave Europe, and would be non existent after the vote? All told, I vote for the working person. I don’t subscribe to the ‘party left me’ excuse held by those waiverers. Work within the confines of your original party choice, to make those guys truly democratic again.
toby walker
Below is the fall out for Labour, and another video from the Labour MP, who (amongst 59 other good socialists) lost her seat, Carolyn Flint. Scroll down further, and she was warning Labour about this tsunami, earlier this year. Might be a good choice for leader, if a seat becomes available......
caroline flint 15.12.19.
caroline flint 27.9.19.
gloria de piero mp on bbc's andrew marr programme, 4 days before the election
discussion 2020
Apart from being somewhat distasteful in victory, out of a matter of courtesy to our brothers and sisters in Scotland, I felt they ought to be made aware of a few stops along the way, before she attempts to lead her country out of the United Kingdom:
Nicola Sturgeon claimed this week that ‘Scotland is rich enough, strong enough and big enough’ to take its place ‘among the proud, independent nations of the world’
An independence referendum will mean:
Scotland will have to re-apply for membership of the EU.
Scotland would have to adopt the euro and become part of Schengen, both of which are non-negotiable for any new member states.
If an independent Scotland is un-able to join the EU, that would put the Scottish government in a difficult spot, given the country’s sizeable annual deficit.
Scotland’s deficit is higher than the U.K. average (an estimated 7 per cent of GDP)
The UK’s is currently 2 per cent.
Scotland’s annual deficit of 7 per cent of GDP puts it over the 3 per cent threshold that automatically triggers the EU’s ‘excessive deficit procedure’, i.e. the EU would insist on an austerity programme as a condition of joining.
In 2018-19, Scottish public spending was 13.6 per cent higher per head than the UK average and revenue collected was 2.6 per cent lower.
Scotland accounts for about a tenth of the U.K.’s population and a tenth of its economic output, however, Scotland accounts for more than half of the increase in total annual government borrowing in cash terms.
Thus the Scottish government could not sustain that level of expenditure in the absence of the UK subsidy (about £10 billion a year).
Scotland would have to apply to the bond market.
Scotland’s deficit would mean the interest rates would be far larger than those currently available to the UK.
Scotland would need to approach the IMF resulting in a cost of a huge reduction in spending on public services such as education.
Spain might veto any application by Scotland to rejoin the E.U., as it wants to discourage Catalans from applying for independence.
If the Spanish government waives its objection to Scotland joining, there would be the matter of the hard border with the rest of the U.K.
Nicola Sturgeon would have us believe that all Scots folks do not like the English and want away......all that is apart from every Scottish person I have ever met......except her, who I have yet to meet.....
At the moment I can barely turn on the television or listen to the radio. Everyone is absolutely livid, and they don’t know why! The political scene has descended to the lowest level I can recall in my 63 years. Parliament has become a version of the Keystone Cops (there’s one for the kids!).
I had to vote as to whether to stay or leave the European Union back in 1975. Only 19 then, so, being the second time I got to vote, politically, I spent a great deal of time listening to both sides of the argument. There were concerns about farming, the seas becoming over trawled at the time, and those who were the lesser amongst us, informed us we were about to be overrun by people from overseas. I hated some of those who argued that we should listen to the latter position, but they did remind me of where we once were, and how much better things had become since that time. The time I was referring to was the point just after 1945, when the World was working out how we should move forward, and, more to the point, avoid the mistakes of the past. The United Nations gathered and constructed a bill of rights, which guided countries as to a good way forward, and legislated as to how to avoid history repeating. Article 21 interested me as it showed people their rights regarding their own countries. The Article stated that all people should have a right to vote in who governed them in their own country, and, if they disagreed with the governments, how they could be removed. After all, imagine a World where Donald Trump could remain in office for as long as he deemed fit. Those United Nations points were designed to stop an atmosphere being created where fascism could raise its ugly head again. Very optimistic times back then. The World rebuilding, with the United Kingdom setting up a Health Service, and no-one would fall below a point in their lives where they would become destitute, or ill. The Welfare State emerged.
Anyone seeking power to have a say in your life needs to come to you with a proposal, after which you should be able to vote them into power, and if you didn’t like what they were doing, vote them out again. A mandate is exactly that. I hated Mrs. Thatcher, however, the country loved her, I accepted the decision of the many, and had to wait for a time when people would decide they had had enough. This is called being a democrat. Protest by all means, but accept the decisions of the many.
At the moment, no-one is accepting a majority decision, and the country has become divided. So what were the lessons of 1975, and how do they affect 2016-2019?
I worked on the ‘Get Britain Out’ campaign back in 1975. My feelings were that we had been removed from the voting equation, and it was now time for Europe to then re-democratise it’s institutions. We would vote in the European Parliament from our constituencies. If they do not perform, we should be able to vote them out of power. At the time, Europe told us that they were simply ‘tidying things up’ and we shouldn’t trouble ourselves as to who would be running the show. The difference between 1975 and today, is the acceptance that the European vote is an entirely different animal to a vote for a political party. People, by their nature, are capitalists, or socialists. I am the latter. A bit ‘Elizabeth Warren/Bernie Sanders’ if you are Stateside. When the ‘leavers’, back in 75, had their end of vote doo, I attended. It was held in the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. We were playing the background music! Looking around the room, I was startled at the mix of people attending. Tony Benn, Barbara Castle....alongside Enoch Powell! The vote, it became apparent to me, meant different things to different people. Mine was Article 21, Tony Benn’s was all about democracy.....and Enoch Powell didn’t like foreigners. Such strange bedfellows, and yet, all with similar aspirations and goals. You cannot mix the European vote with a vote for a political party. They are two completely different animals.
In 2016, I was dumbfounded that the country decided it wanted to leave the E.E.C. The campaign fought in London was so ‘remain heavy’, that I had forgotten about the experiences of the North and South West. My first reaction was, this is amazing, but it will never happen, as all the decision making institutions were all in the South East. Nice try though. The House Of Commons, the House Of Lords, and Tony Blairs High Court, the last two ironically, making decisions which affect us all, but we cannot vote them in, and cannot remove them either. They are elected by their political parties. The Liberals, Labour and Conservatives all have made one huge gaff, and that is they think you can merge the European vote into party political allegiances. It is this point that has enraged people so much. Divide and rule. Aspirations become confused, and people switch parties at the drop of a hat. Labour, I suppose, still has a hint of freedom of thought, which Jeremy Corbyn has ‘allowed’, but there are still the those who would merge remain into the manifesto. A mistake, which the Liberals have already made. There are many remainers and leavers in all of the political parties. Trying to merge all of these views into a manifesto is a thankless, and dare I say, useless, task. What we have now are three divided parties in a state of confusion, with the prospect of an Italian style parliament based upon proportional representation. Caroline Lucas from the Green Party forming government policy through confusion and with one seat in the house. The tails starts to wag the dog. All told, nothing would ever be achieved.
When the people voted, the question was ‘in or out’. It wasn’t anything else. Just that question. I have seen politicians, who I thought were principled suggesting we go back to the ballot box and think again. They hold the electorate in very low regard. People are not stupid. Most people voted for our right to have a say. Teresa May responded with her proposal, which amounted to ‘you will have no say’. So the shouting matched ensued, and most of the silent majority looked on thinking to themselves ‘and these people want our vote’? If you voted leave, you are not a lunatic. You are not racist. You are a democrat who would would like to get a word in edgeways. Because you live in London, does not make your opinion correct without saying. My opinion is as valid as anyone's in Manchester, Liverpool or Hull..
The High Court is Tony Blair all told. We all absolutely believed him as a politician, didn't we? There were tons of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq....they were just housed in a parallel universe, which is why no-one could see them! The High Court was a fail safe, set up by him, if things, politically, didn’t go his way.
darker areas showing the most deprived.....or a guide as to who will most likely still vote leave during a second referendum....london is the light part, bottom right
After three years of rhetoric, we are still none the wiser as to whether we will leave or not. We voted to do so, but ‘the public made the wrong decision, and could we go back and have a think about it again’. Keep voting until we get the answer we want. If we voted to remain, I would have accepted the decision. I certainly wouldn’t ask for that penalty to be retaken again. I fell for the ‘London effect’ where we think this is the view of the many, however, travel around the country and your eyes will be opened. Whilst the Liberals, Labour, and some of the Tories think they will romp the next election, (whilst fitting out more tunnel to that one we can currently see the light down just about), think very carefully about treating the electorate patronisingly. We have a habit of biting you in the rear. Myself? Can I go back to supporting my Labour party, and allow me to have the opinion we should leave the European Union at the same time? It was the way in 1975. We accepted the vote then. What has changed? Tony Benn was quite superb and we could do with him around today.
toby walker 27.9.19.
two months to leave....
...brexit - the handing over of power-making decisons to a small group of weak, hopeless, career politicians
Do you ever think that your head is about to explode? :)) There are so many day to day exchanges, between politicians, who, as far as I can see it, represent the worst group of MP’s I have witnessed in my lifetime.
To begin with, let’s be absolutely clear where we started on this journey. Let’s hear what David Cameron laid out squarely on the table for everyone to look at, and to vote upon.
Since that time, we have politically, drifted for a couple of years, with each side telling the other what they won’t do, but none of them telling us, what they will do.
Politicians are people we place in office, to carry out our wishes. Prior to the electoral process, most times, we look at the pitiful bunch on offer, and try to work out who is least likely to lie to us (none of the above!), and who might have a sprinkling of understanding, in carrying out our wishes. They are not given power, but loaned it. If we do not like any of them, we have the opportunity of voting them out of power, four years down the line. They should always be asked one simple question, in order to obtain that power. ‘How do I vote you into power, and how can I vote you out of power, if you do not perform?’ If they cannot positively answer that question, then you should not vote for them. Imagine a World where you could not vote out of power Donald Trump? Enough said.
The European vote had one aspect, which no-one has had the decency to address, and that is it is a non party political decision. You could be a knuckle dragging racist, or a Metropolitan elitist, and still vote one way or another. When we hear politicians protest about the Labour Party’s, or the Conservative Party’s......or for that matter, the Scottish Nationalists positions on this subject, it is an irrelevance.
When I voted to stay out of the European Union in 1975, my views on Europe were the same as they are now. The issue has always concerned democracy, and the lack of the ability to self govern within the system on offer. Whether I could vote in or out of power, somebody who had decision making powers over my life. Other folks voted this way because they didn’t like foreigners. I am not one of those. On a human level, I feel that my brothers and sisters are European, American, African, South American etc. Only two types of folks. Good or bad, (and the bad are, very much, in a very small minority, thankfully).
In 2016, people voted in this election for many different reasons. When the vote came in on a 52 to 48 majority for leaving, I was surprised myself. I live in the Metropolitan elitist half of the country, and this half is where our Parliament is situated. If you marched all of the political parties out of the House of Commons, took away their red, blue and yellow scarves, gave them all pink ones, and marched them back in, with Remain on one side, and Leave on the other, you might easily have a 90 percent remain block. Most Leave voters were based in inner cities and the North, who are poorer, and feel more disenfranchised and isolated.
So the country voted ‘Leave’. What should have happened next? This is (I can’t believe I agree with some of this, from a Sky News Reporter), however, the view from a non European aspect, I find fascinating.
If you are terminating a, say, mobile phone contract, you call the supplier and tell them you are leaving, and they should make arrangements accordingly. If your supplier told you, there is a cancellation fee of £20,000, you would report them, and leave anyway.
The original self governmental principles were originally agreed after World War 1, and were later embraced into the United Nations charter. These were set out, in order that, (as WW2 had just transipred in Europe), future politicians might take over and ignore the opinions of their electorate. The UN wording reads:
‘All peoples have the right to self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development’. As I said, this is all about democracy, and not about Norway or the workers from Eastern Europe. Whether people like it or not, we are all sculpted from the same DNA. We all breathe, eat, love and bleed.
'sir' vince cable - andrew marr programme - may 2019
The current situation is very much in danger of realising a further breakdown in the democratic process. I can see why Curtis Mayfield wrote about ‘If There’s A Hell Below, One Day We’re All Gonna Go’. This minority, of unimpressive self righteous politicians within the U.K. (who all seem to be leaning towards the ‘you public made a mistake’ position include the likes if Vince Cable, Teresa May, Nicky Morgan, Carolyn Lucas, Anna Soubry, Nicola Sturgeon, Arlene Foster, Chuka Umunna, and I am very sorry to name the man I voted for, Jeremy Corbyn) are all staring democracy in the face, and turning their back on it. We voted, and gave you an instruction, and you are patronising the people who loaned you the little power you now wield, and you are saying to us ‘You Made A Mistake’. I give the electorate a little more intellectual credit than these individuals seem to do.
Let’s take the current situation to it’s probable conclusion. These unimpressive people get their way, and we remain in Europe. What then? When the next party policy is under discussion, and your ‘colleagues’ decide you have made a mistake, you have now set a precedent. Anyone will be able to overturn your democratically decided decision. ‘We did it before, we can do it now’. Everybody loses, and the biggest loser of all is the democratic process .
So what now? If we are told me have made a mistake, and we remain with the unelected bureaucrats in Brussels, then there will be a small minority who will protest in the streets. The saddest aspect of all of this, is a situation where I look at a voter, in a polling booth, who looks at the options on offer, and decides there is no representative of their wishes, and writes ‘none of the above’ on their ballot paper.....and continue to do so in subsequent general elections. I struggle to find anyone in the House Of Commons, who deserves the loaning of power for a four year period in 2019. If there's a hell below....
curtis mayfield's wife, altheida
toby walker 22.1.19.
six months to leave....
In recent weeks, the upcoming departure of the U.K., from the E.E.C. in March next year, has brought one matter, well and truly, home to me. That is the fact that, wherever we are, at any one point in our lives, people are debating over the same issues, on a fairly regular basis. In 1975, I voted to keep the United Kingdom out of the European Union, and some 50 years down the line, I am still being asked to make a case for leaving.
During my life, thus far, I have marched against Apartheid, marched with CND, supported the striking Firemen and women, marched with Red Wedge, and marched against racism. I am a socialist, who at one time, was the a local Union representative for S.O.G.A.T. (Society Of Graphic and Allied Trades). I have always flown the flag of the left, and I was always proud to have done so. I have been informed that I am supposed to become more right wing in my old age, and yet here I sit as a 62 year old, still truly believing in my principles, as I have always believed them to be compassionate and considered. The European issue is dividing the left between, those torn by their beliefs, and those who stick with them. I form part of the latter. My beliefs have held firm all of my, politically aware, life.
I think this time round, the British and European powers that be are, intentionally, demoralising the electorate. A demoralised electorate is a controllable electorate. The recent meetings between Prime Minister May, and Mr Tusk in Strasbourg, involved several questions, none of which are the most salient ones. Mr Tusk wants to decide how our relationships between the North and Southern parts of Ireland should be arranged (perhaps with a change or two thrown in). Mrs May returned to her favoured Chequers agreement position, and a tedious stalemate followed.
In my experience, a political party or individual, seeking your vote, should be asked these important questions. ‘What power do you currently enjoy? Where did you get that power from? In whose interests do you exercise this power? To whom are you accountable? And how can we get rid of you, if we disagree with your decision making?’
The overriding issue with Brexit, leave, or however you decide to term the U.K.’s decision to leave the European Union, is, if you cannot get rid of the people who govern you, you are not being offered a truly democratic system.
In the U.K., we cannot, at the moment, decide who we vote in to be a member of the European Parliament, as the decision making is made by the political parties hierarchy, and not the electorate. What resides in the European Parliament at the moment, is a European version of the House Of Lords. We cannot vote in the individual members of that House, so we are left with nature’s natural selection (in the Lord’s case), as to when a member is no longer a member.
The stalemate/stand-off at present, is slowly removing the democratic process, where parties are now, seriously, looking at a complete re-run. We could be asked again as to whether we would like to think again, as the powers that be think we have made the wrong choice, so they will keep asking us until they receive the answer they wish for. We are, therefore, not capable in making any decision within the democratic process, so we will have to pander to the decision makings of the unelected.
I have been thinking a great deal about the United Nations regarding this matter, the reasons why the place was initially put together, and how far the place has come, since the original Declaration of Human Rights in June 1945. The Declaration came into being, following two huge World Wars, which cost the human race over a million lives. The intentions were that the World never made the same mistakes in the coming decades, as were undertaken in the recent past. Article 21 of that Declaration has stuck in my mind, whilst listening to the politicians debating as to whom is the most righteous, regarding Europe. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights/Article 21, goes like this:
quote:
(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedure:unquote
‘The people shall be the basis of the authority of government’. A very strong statement, which, in the U.K. means that, any politician, who seeks office in the United Kingdom, is loaned the position of political office for a finite period, by the electorate, after which, the politician has to hand back that power, in good order, until the people decide who is to next undertake the position of responsibility. In 1979, I hated the thought of Mrs Thatcher taking power for the next four years, however, the will of the people said she should have the opportunity to take power, which she took with open arms. I knew that, at some stage, we could vote her out. We lived in a democracy, and therefore accepted the democratic majority decision.
The Brexit vote has absolutely nothing to do with ‘I don’t like foreigners’. It is, however, all about democracy. It has always been about democracy. If a Politician does not have to hand back the executive power, then they become unaccountable to the people. Their electorate. The politicians in Brussels are not elected by their peoples. They are given their political powers by committee decision making, held behind closed doors. I would say to anyone, who thinks that electing politicians by these means, is somehow fair...two words. Donald Trump. If he was the European Commissioner, which of us would be in a position to remove his executive power?
The politicians know that real power, lies in three main areas of life. The Land, the Financiers, and the People. If you remove the People from the equation, you have unelected bureaucrats, who can do whatever they like. Businesses become the power brokers. The financial aspect, regarding controlling people, is an easy matter to organise. Keep the People poor, and they have to borrow to make ends meet. Once you have the poor tied up financially, then you have control over their lives. Not that hard to decipher, as the mystery of the ongoing financial crisis gives us the answers to those questions. Very few, who are fabulously rich, the vast majority, making ends meet....at times. Fall through the net, and those you borrow from, have ultimate power over you, and it is in their interest to keep you in that position. Bear in mind, we do not live in an impoverished Western World. The West is doing very nicely, financially.
The issues which affect the peoples of the United Kingdom, affect every other nation within the E.E.C. All of the European nations peoples, are left without a vote as to who runs their European decision making. Far from ‘hating all foreigners’, we are all brothers and sisters, trapped within the confines of the same constitution.
I hope that, besides having to share my political views with some strange ‘Brexit’ bedfellows (with different agenda’s to my own...which was also the case in 1975), the will of the people will prevail. The European Union's destination of choice is a United States Of Europe. I have a more Swiss/Canadian and Norwegian arrangement in mind....with a huge sprinkling of ‘The people shall be the basis of the authority of government’, not ‘we’ll do your thinking for you....and we’ll do this behind closed doors....look away now’.
Electoral power should be exercised by those who are elected by their constituents, who in turn, understand the needs of the relevant local districts, and who can, if need be, be voted out of office by their local milkmen, postmen, nurses, shop keepers etc. I am concerned that those in the search for political power, stop listening to those who they represent, if they don't require their vote for power, and seem to be currently, patronising, the electorate. People should stick with their belief’s, and not be afraid to make their concerns known, through public demonstrations or the ballot.....oh sorry, the last one is not an option at this point in time....
‘The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.’
United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. June 1945
toby walker 24.9.18.
libraries
'I wish people wrote better songs' Sir Elton John 2018
ella fitzgerald and herman leonard
There are many facets in different cultures, whether it relates to fine art, architecture, the stage, poetry or music. One historical consistent is, if a creation has any merit, it is usually preserved for future generations. Whether the containment vessel manifests itself as a museum, art gallery or national archive, well, that is very much down to the creators and admirers of that particular culture. When New Orleans flooded a few years ago, the photographer, (and resident), Herman Leonard’s photographic plates were held in the National Archive. In Egypt, a huge multi million pound museum is currently under construction, in order to house the antiquities of the Pharaoh’s. In London, we have a museum which holds Queen Victoria’s memorabilia, another dedicated to science, and yet another which contains prehistoric artefacts. Anything of any beauty or achievement, we cherish and preserve. In many ways, musically we have drifted into a similar scenario, however, this time round, we are preserving a certain library of music with the use of repetition.
In recent years I have been sent some fine examples of the repeated format, which I have enjoyed immensly. I would do, as I did admire these creations the first time round. The newer format comprises of ‘tweaks’ and subtle variations, that's all.
buddy bolden's band in 1905 (buddy is third from left, top row)
Providing you with some sort of explanation, it is my belief, that during the middle part of the Twentieth Century, artists were, unknowingly, creating a musical archive. A library which, as with all such institutions, people visit, and borrow from. Jazz artists in the early part of that century, laid the foundations, of a library, relating to a creative ‘exchange of idea’s’, which realised itself (approximately) between circa 1955 and circa 1985. The library had no enclosing walls, but standing back and tilting my head to one side, I think those timings are a fairly good ball park estimate. So, what of before 1955? The Jazz artists were predominantly Black, and for the most part, poor. In 1910, if Buddy Bolden had a few quid to spare, he could have received cornet lessons. Those would have given him parameters, regarding how, and how not to play the instrument. Because he had no boundaries (or money), he created boundaries of his own. There was no right or wrong way to play his cornet, so he developed his own technique, and that provided the rest of us with the foundations of that format.
Moving through those decades, it is the Black musician, who tore up the rule book, and the rest of the industry followed in their wake. Look at the titles of much of the music recorded by the likes of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Cole Porter, the Gershwins etc. Black music recorded by White folks. The Gershwins writings were hugely reliant on Black culture. By the time traditional jazz had had it’s day, the genre had mutated during the mid fifties, the library had opened it’s doors. Ideas flowed relentlessly for three further decades or so. Black music had always evolved. It had a life of it’s own, and in 1955, White audiences had relented, and allowed the music to take it’s own course.
stevie wonder, malcolm cecil and robert margouleff
For those three decades, the music we listen to today, saw it’s original foundations during this era. When I listen to todays music, I hear the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies. I hear the Beatles, the Beach Boys trying to outdo each other creatively. I hear Stevie Wonder working with a couple of computer geeks, circa, 1971, and hear some of the most creative pieces of music I have ever heard. The way the Mizells, who co-penned ‘ABC’ for the Jackson 5, influencing (and writing for) jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd, in the mid Seventies. Everything was up for grabs, and freedom of expression was embraced.
The library closed it’s doors circa 1985. House music was in it’s infancy. If you are honest with yourself, and listen to many of the dance tracks around today, it would not be an inaccuracy to state that the genre hasn’t progressed in any real shape or format since it’s conception some 30 or so years ago. That is not to say that I don’t like the music being recorded today. I love some of the tracks that arrive here, however, I would not try to convince myself that I am listening to revolutionary music either. The worst aspect of todays music, is that many people, who claim to love music, will have a hugely expensive set of wifi headphones on, but are prepared to listen to music of a lesser standard, and they should be demanding more.
I think my belief’s are born out, if you visit any of the major music retail outlets on your high street. Vinyl repressing’s are, by and largely reproductions of albums that came from that mid twentieth century library. Pink Floyd, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, the Beatles, the Stones etc.
Today, music has become stuck in a groove, created by the fascination many artists have with technology. I hear some folks stating they record albums in their bedrooms. For the most part, the music sounds like it has been! Now that library has closed, it seems almost amusing, in may ways, when we read about plagiarism disputes, which centre around who claims to have written a nonsensical lyric to a piece of recent complete garbage first! :))
House music is essentially, the Philadelphia International sound, with a computer banging out a back beat in the background. Some of that era’s offerings do have legs. I think about the likes of Blaze and Frankie Knuckles, however, when I originally bought those records, I didn’t try to fool myself that I was listening to anything revolutionary or innovating. The nearest a House track was to being anything game changing, was probably Dinosaur L’s ‘Go Bang’ in 1982. Best House track ever made, but released 4 years before that genre’s conception! This is why I think ‘the library’ was close to a 'creative closure' during the mid Eighties.
Libraries, eventually succumb to a sort of creative entropy, and as with many great discoveries and inventions, if you go back far enough in time, someone will have already thought of those inventions generations earlier. The Egyptians had a way of cutting stone, with such an accuracy, we cannot replicate their techniques today. We go round in circles as a species. I am very grateful I was alive during that creative era, and look back fondly on those times, hoping that the Black person will rescue us from our stupor, and show us the way again. We might even all start using the left hand side of our brains again. Pipedreams?
Back to the reviewing, which this week features an artist, who cannot write to save their lives, has a team of plagiarists who does all that for them, looks pretty, can’t sing, and has a chronic Christmas album of cover versions in the pipeline. Lord have mercy!
http://hermanleonard.com/index.php/biography
toby walker 11.4.18.
Not sure about you guys, but I am finding it more and more difficult to watch the news these days. The work ‘Brexit’ is a term that, if I never heard or read this word again (in what is left of my existence in this particular part of this polluted planet), I would be a very happy bunny! The Internet has become a place where many folks mindsets have become highly polarised, with the system in place, encouraging people to think of the most negative aspects of, just about,....well, everything....and we are getting very, very angry about, just about that 'just about everything'...
David Cameron agreed to ask the population to confirm, (what he was supremely confident we would do) which was seeing the U.K. remain as part of the European Community. Dave had, however, made a fundamental error. Whilst many elections are presented to the populous in a multi choice format, this one was not. By this I mean that, let’s say you are about to elect your local MP at a General Election. Political parties will present their ‘party political’s’ on the television, after which we are given lists of the other political ‘jobs for life’ we can choose from! :)) These governments presume, quite rightly, that we can all count to twenty, and can write an ‘X’, if we are given a pencil on a piece of string. If we don’t approve of the Tory, or the Labour candidate, there are many watered down versions of both, enclosed within this political left/right club sandwich. Those subtleties, which give the politics some texture.
The European vote was presented to us in only two flavours. ‘In or Out’. If I said to you ‘City or United’, ‘Celtic or Rangers’, ‘Liverpool or Everton’ or ‘Spurs or Chelsea’, on a footballing level, then it isn’t hard to see that this selection had the capacity to polarise the voter. I voted to leave, and yet so did Nigel Farage, and before him, so did Enoch Powell. I’d like to think that my political views have a broader and more reasoned disposition than these two individuals and their own personal tunnel visioned view of the world. This is, however, a true belief, as my vote was cast, based upon my own simple question to the candidates. ‘How do I vote you in, and how do I vote you out, if I consider you are less use than an ashtray on a motorbike’?’ Nigel Farage and Enoch Powell, both, don’t like foreigners. I am in favour of being part of the single market, and for the freedom of movement of the people throughout Europe. I am, however, not in favour of having people, placed into positions of authority, at the head of the European Parliament, who have not been elected in to power, by the people they are there to represent. Nigel Farage and Enoch Powell, don’t like foreigners. Their beliefs are self evident. There are fundamental differences between ourselves, and yet we both placed our ‘X’s in the same box. The vote didn’t offer us the textural shades within the system, which allows for some further articulation of an individual’s viewpoint. This was an intentional aspect of the Cameron imposition of his style voting platform. Put it simply, he had an agenda. 'The choices are stark' he told us. Why should they have been? We are all bright enough to understand the nuances within the system.
The political scenery was identical in 1975, when I first voted as a 19 year old. ‘If you vote no, then you are racist, and are just like Enoch Powell’. I am not of that mindset at all, yet those who held my political views, have seen ourselves transformed into ‘European haters’ by many (as were most of the population who are the same age as myself, or older). Problem with bundling people into the same corner, leads to something of a denial of democracy. As Charlie Booker's (above) video shows, in 2017, we are all either 'Metropolitan Elitist's', or a 'Knuckle Dragging Racist's'. Cleared that up then! :))
with tony benn in 1984
Now that Tony Benn had died, there were no Statesmen on the political stage to articulate my (or our side of the debate, unless you are prepared to trawl through old YouTube speeches). When Tony Benn spoke, even if you were of a different political persuasion, you listened. Statesmen have a way of making people do this. Nigel Farage is very much honed from the same mould as Donald Trump. Not much going on intellectually, thus the ‘single minded empty vessel’ begins to start resonating more loudly. We are silenced. People should not mistake ‘volume’ for ‘wisdom’.
In the coming weeks and months, with two so polarised sections of society, (created as a result of how this vote was presented to the people), we will witness, every week, ‘I told you so’ emerging from both sides of the argument. At the same time, both sides will be proven right, and both sides will be proven wrong. Nicola Sturgeon will try to divide the United Kingdom, in her attempt to try to embed a growing dislike for the English, which, to me, is probably the saddest aspect of the whole Brexit debate. I am not arguing for some kind of blissful Utopia between us as peoples, however, I think it would be a shame, in a world where the American President is intent on building walls between peoples, it might be worth taking time out, and thinking, retrospectively, of one of the great historical moments of the last 50 years? The bringing down of the wall between East & West Germany. Sure people have always built walls, however, they consistently have a habit of crumbling in time. By the way, I hope I don't upset anyone by saying this, but I really like the Scottish people.
'Dear BBC News, One thing I would like to see, (just as a suggestion?) If we are to have blanket coverage of every conversation piece, which comes out of these negotiations, could these confrontations be moved to a dedicated channel, so those who do not wish to follow people and politicians tearing themselves apart, then they can do so in their own time! :)) ‘BBC Parliament’ can take this mother lode, I think.' Angry Of Surbiton! (David Cameron turned me this way!)
Beware of those who shout their opinions at you, profess their righteousness, or try to drown you out with volume. More often than not, those who have things of relevance to impart in this life, have a tendency to articulate their truths quietly and clearly.
Toby Walker 3.4.17.
making do...
I hope you had a good holiday break. Good to have some time to take stock, enjoy the passing of the very dark, old year....and brace yourself for the coming of the new year.
Last year was far too ‘interesting’ for my liking. People changed, if not in person, certainly they did so online. Folks became hugely polarised, divided, and worse than that, became very, very angry. Social media became something I felt I had to take a break from, following the political decisions in the U.K. last summer.
One thing I always make a point of, over the holiday break, is watching the movie ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’. That film is not so much a ‘Christmas flick’, however, the depths of the messages embedded in the film, can be seen throughout most peoples day to day existences in 2017. Men like the film, as it empathises with the part of the male psyche, which asks itself every now and again, ‘Would the world be a better place without me in it’? I think most men, in varying degrees, ask themselves that question. Probably born out of the frustration that we all want to be remembered after we leave this place, want to make a mark, but also knowing the realisation that, as with all human beings, time deletes us from history eventually. The characters in ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ repeatedly duplicate themselves within society, none more so than with the imminent arrival Of Donald Trump within the White House. (If you haven’t ever seen It’s A Wonderful Life’, a) you need to, and b) the following comparisons might sound a little confusing! It is a great watch, all told)
lillian (1898-1980) and barbara randolph (1942-2002)
If you think that this film has no relationship to yourself, and if you are a Black person, well look up Lillian Randolph in your database. Lillian ran the household of the main character, George Bailey. She is the mother of Motown Recording artist, Barbara Randolph, who discovered many Soul artists, whilst at the label, including Ronnie McNeir.) I drifted off point there, however, one character who could be seen as a latter day Donald Trump, is Mr. Potter (played brilliantly by Lionel Barrymore). Potter was a greedy capitalist, who tried to break down the one institution in the local town, who helped the poorer folks find homes. Potter’s office was lavishly furnished, including a very grand chair, which almost became his throne, positioned in front of a huge table, where he entertained visitors/victims.Their chairs were lowered about a foot down in height, than his own. Everyone knows a Mr. Potter in their lives. Banker, lawyer, employer etc. They help benefit themselves, and leave a lot of damage in their wake.
Watching Michael Gove follow Nigel Farage into his audience with ‘Mr Trump/Potter’, reminded me of ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’. Only difference is James Stewart was trying to help those who were less well off. Gove was trying to insert his nose into a part of Mr Trumps anatomy, where the sun don’t show it’s face! Gove forgot his 'big red apple for the teacher'! If you follow on with the Potter/Trump comparison, then Mr. Trump will do what he knows best. Making himself richer, at the expense of the ‘other man’. Civil Rights? They mean nothing to this individual, so he will ignore them. If your nose is constantly brown with some of ‘Donald’s donation’s’, then you will be allowed to endure. Speak up, and your requests will fall on deaf ears, however, those that do so should remember, they do so with their dignity intact and some pride on their faces. At the end of that movie, the message is that, if you have friends, then you are truly richer than any Potter/Trump character, so worth bearing that in mind, I think.
Apart from catching up with James Stewart and Donna Reed, I spent a lot of holiday time checking what is going on right now in the arts. The David Bowie tributes were all worth catching up with, less so the year end editions of ‘Top Of The Pops’, a show I came away thinking that I was very pleased they don’t make that programme anymore. If what was on offer represented the ‘top’ in popular music, then we are in real trouble. In parts of the show, the artists are expected to perform ‘live’, which was nothing short of personally distressing! Call the emergency services, someone is in real difficulty here! The Jools Holland New Year Hootenanny is usually worth watching, if for no other reason, it is fascinating to watch the host trying to hold himself together whilst consuming bucket loads of rocket fuel throughout the show! Jools’ show mixes old and new. For the ‘new’, read ‘Top Of The Pops’. The more seasoned campaigners come from an era, where the technology wasn’t there to get them out of a tight spot. Chaka Khan illustrated perfectly, an artist who is in complete control of her vocal range. She used ‘volume’ sparingly’ and more importantly, ‘appropriately’. I think these artists, in a way, are responsible for the increase in todays record sales, which mainly comprise of ‘the experienced over the new’. The exceptions being the likes of Gregory Porter, who is also in control of his vocal range. The ‘talent’ shows that are being promoted on television right now, feature folks who want to hit every note in existence, however, leaving the listener with bleeding eardrums! Audible bull in a china shop!
On the visual front, I was dragged ‘kicking and screaming’ to see the movie ‘La La Land’. Wasn’t sure what I was going to make of the film, as one of my favourite Soul vocalists is definitely NOT Ryan Gosling! :)) The reviews have all been five star, and Hollywood seems set to award this film every Oscar under the sun. If you are Black, then a saving grace is the inclusion in the cast of John Legend. John’s one song was the best tune in the movie, however, I still can’t recall the tune right now! Ironically, John was portraying a character, who was stifling music, and showcased a negative influence. John's song, however, is about as far as I can praise this film, which dragged in places for myself. Throughout the film I felt one opportunity had gone AWOL. If a film is based upon a struggling musician, who adores Jazz Music, and is trying not to sell out, then why not cast a Black actor, singer, dancer? Nothing melodically of any merit in this soundtrack. Could have benefitted from the inclusion of a brother or sister. There were certainly no ‘My Favourite Things’ etc. in this musical. In many ways, I can see what they were trying to do. The cinematography was beautiful to look at, yet the film will probably win more Oscars than some of the greatest musicals released in the last century. For myself, every time Ryan Gosling was on screen, for some strange reason, into my head came an image of Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane! Make of that what you will!! I can see Susan Sarandon now, addressing the celebrity audience: 'The winner is Harry Kane, for his nifty footwork in the movie La La Land'!!
harry kane...works for me!
So what does this global artistical shifting all mean? I think we have lived through an era where we ‘celebrated stupidity’, and we have arrived in an era of ‘making do’. Artistically, we accept a great deal less, substantially, than we used to. Top Of The Pops, claimed to showcase the finest pop music released in 2016. Sorry guys, you are ‘making do’. Cinematically, we are served up ‘La La Land’ as 2017’s answer to ‘Singing In The Rain’. ‘Making do’ again. Hollywood’s finest will say that the movie harks back to the golden days of those Studio’s. Big budget B-Movie was the film I went to see. If people were honest with themselves, and imagined Gene Kelly in ‘La La Land’, it would become very apparent that you would be dealing with a completely different ‘kettle of poisson’! Music by Rogers and Frankenstein! :))l
We ‘make do’ in 2017. Donald Trump is a very ‘make do’ president. He sure ain’t no George Washington! :)) If he believes folks voted for his policies, he is at best, naive. He was the incendiary device his electorate hurled into the political system, in order to shake it up. People were telling the politicians ‘You are not listening to us!’. If you want to get Trump to do anything for you, well, employers don’t do things for their employees. You are either with them or you are on the highway. His hands are somewhat politically tied, which means his behaviour will become erratic, as he listens to ‘his team’ (which comprises of Goldilocks and the Two Bears....used to be three, but he fired one on order to keep the other two on their toes!). Certainly, Trump is a perfect example of ‘naming buildings after the wrong folks’.
In the U.K. we aren’t out of the woods either, as the U.K. and the EEC have separated, and, as with most separations, the fur is flying. ‘Go on, run to your sister.....you’ll be NOTHING with out me’!! etc.
My advice for 2017, is make your resolution simply, not to ‘just make do’. Just dig a little deeper. Bound to be someone, someplace, putting a shift in, oh, and if you see any Mr. Potters this year, cross to the other side of the road. They'd take the shirt from your back.
Toby Walker 17.1.17.
spoiled for choice
2016 will be the year that we voted for those we didn’t want in power....whilst we knew it...and yet still placed our ‘X’ on the ballot paper in the space provided!
Donald Trump’s election ‘victory’, amounts to the 12” remix of the U.K. original from earlier this year. Both elections have similarities, and the publics responses have been, urban and rural, and the apportion of the blame, has been designated to the wrong sections of society. I never thought Trump would ever become elected. Nobody did. No pundit, no newspaper reporter, as they were all in an audience watching a completely different play than the one the rest of us were witnessing, in a completely different theatre. No-one gave Bernie Sanders a hope in hell, and yet the prospect of a Bernie Sanders Presidency, doesn’t seem that far fetched right now, does it?
So why Trump? Why Farage? Why bother voting at all, if the winner of the popular vote receives a silver medal, whilst the guy who came second as a result of the political system, takes over the seat in the Oval Office? Well, to understand that aspect of that particular performance, we need to take a long hard look at the participants wielding power over the last decade.
It has been nearly 10 years since the financial crash. A lot of disastrous gambling with the nations finances, politicians with eyes on their careers (and not the welfare of their electorate), and, mainly, very poor communication on their part, which in turn took us down Austerity Street, and we still haven’t reached the end of that road to hell. Today we have many middle class men and women, who sit at home, pondering ‘whatever happened to that lifestyle we used to enjoy back in the Nineties? I am earning less in 2016, than I did 20 years ago’.
david cameron & george osborne (after saying he would stay on as tory leader, no matter the votes outcome, david cameron resigned office the day after the referendum)
In the decade that passed, no heads rolled, no-one held to account, as the financiers disappeared backstage into a dense fog, where they have hidden, only to show their faces occasionally, bark at us in self defence (‘arrest us and we’re off, and we are the only folks who know how to sort out the mess we created ourselves’!), and then retreat back into the wilderness again. The U.K. saw Blair & Brown, followed by Cameron & Osborne into a state of inertia, which was reflected in the States as Obama begat Bush, and, hells bells, the States were being offered Hillary Clinton as their next feminist saviour, forgetting that Bill and Hillary are part of the institution which kept the status quo, despite laying out the carcass of the American population on an operating table, and informing them ‘This is going to hurt you a lot more than it is going to hurt me’. In the U.K. the same ineffectual operation was already underway. Osborne had his scalpel, and Cameron had his bag of unfulfilled promises at the ready.
sir philip green & family (On 20th of October 2016, the House of Commons approved a motion to ask for the Honours Forfeiture Committee to recommend Green's knighthood be ‘cancelled and annulled’.)
So the decade wore on. The hurt became great within the populations of both countries. Ironically, the likes of Donald Trump, Rupert Murdoch, Sir Phillip Green, Bill & Hillary, were getting fat on the financial redistribution opportunity laid out on the table by the financiers before them. Both countries had their populations expecting lower wages, loss of employment and cutbacks in their local neighbourhood’s upkeep. Welfare became a dirty word in the U.K. as the disabled had their supportive finances severely reduced. The older folks were told they now had to work until they were 80 before they received back from the government, what they had paid for all their working lives. Try to get work as a 60 year old, and you are told by employers that ’their company are looking for someone a little younger (but I’m not allowed to say that am I?)’. If you are young, you are hit with a huge bill for University fees. Buying a house has become a thing of the past for many of our ‘hopes for the future’. All sections of middle, lower middle, and lower class people were all effected. The only section of society that performed well, are, (and will be for the foreseeable future), the wealthy, who took us to the edge of this abyss in the first place. Society is now not a pyramidical elevator to ascend up on, but a tall spike for the exclusive club residing in their ‘cloud base’ at it’s peak. This is where David Cameron and Hillary would not have us be. The long held belief is that wealth ‘trickles down’. That is a lie, and contradicts the fundamentals of human nature. In the picture I am looking at right now, with my head tilted to one side, is the wealth being sealed in a safe in the cloud base, and the key is now in a safety deposit box, which no-one can find.
So why vote for Trump, or Nigel Farage in these circumstances? Surely they will just compound the issue? Nigel Farage played to peoples lowest common denominator. Race. Donald Trump did likewise, however, the one beacon of hope they both did offer, were they were the only folks seeking office, who resonated with the disenfranchised. They both mentioned the working class in passing. In the U.K., if you asked most people who voted to leave the EEC, they speak kindly about the diversity of the public in the U.K. Those who sought to remain in the EEC sought the retaining of the status quo, and used the argument, that if you voted out of Europe, you thus hated Europeans per se. That was not the case. The enemy was the status quo. If Nigel Farage, (or Donald Trump for that matter), had stood on a platform of ‘Vote for us and we will execute the disabled’, people would still have voted for them, as they offered a way out of austerity, and offered change. Folks would deal with the rest of their unpleasant rhetoric at another time. To those demonstrating in the big cities across the States, or in the cities in the U.K., I would say that folks who voted for these clowns, are not voting for reasons of race or religion. They simply wanted to put two fingers up to an establishment, that has sought to feather it’s own nest, at the expense of the car worker in Detroit, or the Steel Manufacturer in Bristol.
Nigel Farage and Donald Trump are both egotists. The limelight was created for these people. In another era, they would be largely ignored, but they achieved their political goals as a result of financial malpractice a decade ago, followed by politicians who decided to do very little, and hope the issues of the working person would be kicked into the long grass. Unfortunately for them (and more-so us), the grass needs cutting every now and again. Trump is no politician. He is an insane businessman, who tapped into a nerve in the working electorate that no other political leader had addressed. Hillary Clinton, lucky enough for Donald, is less than truthful and is so entrenched into the same old, same old, political processes Stateside, that she was the ‘something that had to give’.
donald trump's views regarding women
Donald Trump Presidency? Well more like Donald the President of Trump Enterprises, U.S.A. Division. The body language of his family and close associates seems to indicate a climate of fear keeps everything in place in the Trump household. He doesn’t like women, his views on race are public. My opinion regarding racists is that, if you have that disposition, please do not take that opinion outside your front door. Those behind that front door, you all have my sympathies, and please do not take on board the idea’s of a mad man. Donny will run his country very much in the same way he runs his businesses. He will not tolerate opinions of others, unless they reflect his own. Putin likes him as the Russians understand business, but they have no time for those who hold political principals. Whether his wall will ever be built, well, planning permission allowing, four years is not a long time to get a project of that size off the ground. Look at the run in times for countries hosting the Olympics. I think Donald will take more and more of a back seat, as he realises the checks and balances are stifling his efforts in creating the ‘United Trump of America’. So there is some good news there.
jean claude juncker - the unelected (but appointed by colleagues) president of the european commission
Brexit was a word I have hated since the referendum in June. Those who voted to remain, are now trying to turn the publics voice into a glorified opinion poll, and carry on as before. No political party leader is currently worth listening to. They all have no ideals, (rabbits in the headlights if you will), and offer very little other than the continuing status quo, and a lifetime career of joyful employment for themselves. More fool them if they decide to oppose the voice of the people, however. I voted to leave the E.U. as I did so in 1975, on the simple principle that ‘if I cannot vote you in, or vote you out of office, then you are not offering a democratic system and you do not have my vote’. Nothing to do with the European people. It is why the EEC are so angry with the U.K. right now. ‘If the U.K. want democracy, they will all be wanting it, and we can’t have that can we’? I am happy for the free movement of people, and support free trade across the E.U., but alienating the British people will only serve to hurt your own exports. Cutting off your nose to spite your face, in many ways. It is always the politicians who are the root of any malaise.
Donald Trump used the disillusionment of the working person in the States, as a useful political tool, however, he will have to be very careful, from this point on, not to ignore his working peoples concerns. Many Americans voted in secret. Many were women. Many were the young. The States chose the lunatic over the liar, but most folks would have made a different choice, if there was one on offer. Shame that the best Presidential candidate was Black and married to the current resident at the White House. Bernie Sanders? Very much a missed opportunity, I think. See you guys back at the ballot box in four years time. Lord have mercy on us all!
michael moore was/is a supporter of hillary clinton
addendum:
Since the election of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton has laid the blame for her electoral defeat at the door of the FBI. Hillary has not understood the American electorate at all. It was the tired old status quo into which the people decided to throw a Molatov Cocktail. The status quo which comprised of the Kennedy's (old school), the Bush's and the Clinton's themselves. Highly paid institutions should look into their own backyard, as the people will not consent to those in positions of responsibility, mis-using their positions of power. The BBC are a good example. Owned by the U.K. Government, therefore, owned by us, the company are shortly going to ask the general public to dig deeply into the populations non-existent coffers (through the charity Children in Need), so, at this time of charitable donations, here are some figures worth looking at regarding that corporation.
Salaries per annum (gross):
The U.K. Prime Minister, Theresa May - £140,000
BBC staff annual salaries gross:
Gary Lineker, Match of The Day - £1.8 million
Chris Evans, Top Gear and Radio 2 - £1.6 million
Graham Norton, The Graham Norton Show and The Eurovision Song Contest - £1.3 million
Jeremy Vine, Eggheads and Radio 2 - £800,000
Will.I.Am, The Voice - £600,000
Mark Thompson, Director General - £622,000
Andrew Marr, The Andrew Marr Show and Start The Week, Radio 4 - £580,000
Claudia Winkleman, Strictly Come Dancing - £525,000
Matt LeBlanc, Top Gear - £500,000
Fiona Bruce - £500,000
Huw Edwards - £500,000
a salary of £200,000 is commonplace within the BBC
These figures are in the public domain.
A percentage of those salaries could go to help a great many 'Children In Need'.
toby walker 11.11.16
the day after we chose democracy
Just below these texts is a posting, which I placed on Facebook a day before the British voted whether to remain within the E.E.C., or whether we left. I still stand by everything that is contained within those texts. Bearing in mind, I voted the same way as a 19 year old, so have shown consistency in this matter over the years, and voted so with a (hopefully) long future ahead of me back in 1975.
Today? First thing this morning, to be honest with you, I was slightly in shock. That was quickly followed by a sadness. The shock was due to the fact I thought the Remain camp had victory nailed on. Politically, I had prepared myself for a good literal kicking, from friends and strangers alike. Once the news had sunk in, the sadness came with the realisation that the vote was achieved by means other than those outlined below. The infighting had become so vulgar, that race and personal insults became the reasoning people went out to vote. Those Tory elements are a million miles away from my personal beliefs, and yet, the extreme right had had their way, and, although we had arrived at a conclusion that I felt was the better outcome, it was arrived at by foul means.
The financial markets were always going to get jittery, but remember who sits within those markets, and remember what they have done to each of us over the last decade. If they suffer, they will be brought down to our level, with many of them lucky not to be working from prison.
One ugly aside to this referendum result, is the outpouring of anger, which has been blasted out of a shotgun of rhetoric, which in turn blasts all of those in it's path, myself included.
Cameron has gone, and to quote the man himself, 'it was the right thing to do'. I think that Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, and Michael Gove would do well to keep a lower profile. Sure the future is uncertain, however, it is a future in which we can remove those in power who become useless or arrogant, which means they have to be accountable to their electorate. The real truth has to come out now, and that truth is that, at this point, no-one knows the future. We have an agreement with the E.E.C. where we have time to organise ourselves, and plan for that future. Problem with human beings is we love the past, put up with the present, and fear the future. The future does not have to be doom and gloom. It is what we make of it.
Oh yes, just to clarify just who is writing these texts, well:
I am not a supporter of Nigel Farage & Co., I don't believe that I am anything other than an immigrant myself, I do not hate any race, and believe people should be able to live wherever they lay their hat, I believe that equal rights still has work to do, so the Black community still needs listening to and co-operating with, I don't want to send anyone anywhere, I am a socialist (and proud to state that fact), I despise prejudice, don't have much time for arrogance, have no time for terrorists, support gun control, support gay rights and love Black music.
I used to apologise for some of those convictions when I was younger, but with age and a little more awareness, feel O.K. regarding fighting my corner on all fronts. Do not believe I am anti-European. I am anti-Politician for the most part. Your everyday person in the street is the same whatever street they walk along. When you post messages of anger on social media, think about walking in that other persons shoes for a day or so.
It is a shame that Tony Benn, Michael Foot and Barbara Castle are not with us. They would have shown those raging right now, that there are some folks out there, who hold a more considered opinion.
The last six weeks have seen many unpleasant politicians in the media, each claiming to be more righteous than the next person. What is sure is 'If there is a hell below, one day we are all gonna go' Curtis Mayfield was spot on on that front.
tony benn (1925-2014)
dennis skinner in 2016
tariq ali in 2016
waste
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/
My Facebook posting:
'Tomorrow’s vote? My five pence worth. I wasn’t going to post this, (which was a draft I wrote for my website a couple of weeks ago). I am prompted now, however, as the media are now portraying people like myself as racists, and that saddens me a great deal, as there are two sides to the ‘No’ coin (as there were in 1975). My reasons for voting ’No’.....
In the last couple of months, the arguments regarding the European Union have become very childish, and in most cases quite bizarre. When I was first entitled to vote, the election at the time was whether we should pursue a deeper union with the Common Market. Back at the time, as with many members of the left in politics, I voted ‘No’, placing myself in the position of being described as an ‘anti-marketeer’. I was in some welcome company. Barbara Castle, Tony Benn, Michael Foot etc., and some not so welcome company, Enoch Powell, Roy Jenkins etc. The two unusual groups of people were common to both sides of the argument, as both sides were voting ‘No’, (or ‘Yes’ for their squad), for very different reasons. Enoch Powell’s position was ‘No, because I don’t like foreigners’. Tony Benn’s position was ‘No, because the E.E.C. is fundamentally undemocratic’. There were ‘Vote No’ Socialist Worker meetings, attended by members of the National Front, which did not proceed until all the fascists in the rooms were removed. Fights broke out amongst people on the same side of the No vote. 40 years, or so, onwards, the arguments haven’t changed much, so my position has remained consistent. Jeremy Corbyn’s has, and I feel a tinge of sadness about that. He was a strong ‘No’ supporter. I find that strange, and a little lightweight on his part regarding his ‘gut’ convictions. Childish arguments aside (and without using the words ‘Hitler’, ‘Swarm’ or ‘ISIS’), here are my reasons why I still am a ‘No’ voter.
The belief that all ‘No’ voters don’t like foreigners, I find a little uncharitable and depressing to say the least. My personal belief, is we are all immigrants. I don’t believe I know anyone, who does not have brothers or sisters in their family history, whose roots are from other cultures. I would encourage anyone to watch the excellent Julien Temple film ‘London, The Modern Babylon’, to see how interracial the capital has become over the years: http://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/aug/02/london-the-modern-babylon-review. London was once completely comprised of Chinese immigrants, with Chinatown being one of the last areas of London representing that era from the past. I believe I am a European (and Global) citizen, on a human basis, but I am not on a political basis. Whoever lives here, has as much right to live here as I do. Carving up land is, all told, semantics and games playing. Human beings are either good, or bad. What religion, colour, race, size, sex, it doesn’t matter. You will find good and bad in all people. I would add that, by far the largest majority of people are good. Bad folks make more noise, and have the ‘look at me’s’, as they have a void in their souls they are trying to fill with ‘volume’.
Politically, the European Union is expanding. Those that make the decisions on how we run our lives, are people I do not know. With any politician, I would ask them this simple question. ‘How do I vote you into power?, and if I think you are underperforming, how do I vote you out of power?’ If I cannot vote you into power, or vote you out of power, then they have received that power on an unelected basis, which means it is fundamentally undemocratic. The people who run Brussels are unelected. Appointed bureaucrats essentially. We are informed who will be running the institution, with some countries (Germany for instance), having no say as to whether this is a system that they agree to or not. Our voting system allows us to vote out of power, the dangerous leaders. Thatcher and Blair spring to mind. We have two different political systems, and I prefer the democratic process to the imposed process of progression.
The system that elects our politicians to the E.E.C. is also undemocratic. During a General Election, we use the ‘first passed the post’ electoral system. Not perfect, but when we disagree with a government, we know in 5 years time, we can vote out that political party. When it comes to electing our politicians to the European Parliament, the first passed the post system is dropped for the d'Hondt system of proportional representation.
http://www.europarl.org.uk/en/your-meps/european_elections/the_voting_system.html
When you cast your vote, you know the U.K. system which is in place for voting in your MP. Ever wondered why the likes of UKIP get so many M.E.P’s? The same ballot papers you are given for voting regarding the European system is completely different to the method of voting you think it is. The U.K. Parliamentary parties use their majorities (or minorities) to submit politicians of their particular preference from their own parties. The d'Hondt system means that, the access into the European Parliament has to have a preferred second choice candidate on the ballot papers. If the, say Tory, candidate is not voted in under PR, how do you think a Tory might cast their second vote, if asked for a preference? Certainly not Labour, or Liberal either. Lot of UKIP support within the Tories, therefore, we find we have more UKIP members of the European Parliament, than we have under our own system (or we voted for). I am sure most people would not vote for Nigel Farage’s party, or want them to have a voice on our behalf.
Fundamentally, the agenda of the E.E.C. has to be expansion. No-one can deny that. It is unfortunate that some World Leaders, who abide by a democratically elected system in their own country, are advising the U.K. to adopt an undemocratic position regarding our membership. If the same system was to apply to say, the United States, you would have leaders you could not remove from office. Any Donald Trump’s, George W. Bush’s, Sarah Palin’s anyone? I love being a member of the European public as I feel I am part of that family, but I do not trust Europe’s Politicians (or any others for that matter). They have a different agenda than our own, which is based around, well, ‘just getting on’. The Politicians hide behind their voters, and use them whenever they want to ‘divide and rule’.
In 1975, one of the concerns I had, regarding a Parliament based so far away, was how will they relate to the issues which affect us locally? Indeed, one of the great voices in 1975, came from the fishing industry. In the U.K., the nets these guys cast in U.K. waters, had to have nets with openings over a certain size. That way, the smaller fish could escape capture, and the stocks remained sustainable. The European nets were described as ‘tight’. Smaller openings, capturing even the smallest fish, and sweeping the seas of sustainable stocks (I feel a tongue-twister coming on!:)). We joined the Common Market and spent years fighting our corner regarding this issue.
We are, currently, being scared by Cameron and Co. into voting for staying within this undemocratic system. ‘You can’t expect to jump from a plane, and then try to climb back into the cockpit when it suits you’, Cameron told us this morning. This is the same party who jumped out of the U.K. plane into the ERM under Norman Lamont’s piloting, and then had to ‘climb back into the cockpit’ himself.
If this is a better arrangement, then why does our Prime Minister spend so much of his time, away from the U.K., ‘fighting our corner’, in a parliament which largely sees him (and the British public) as insignificant and irritating for most of the time. Mrs Thatcher was a high profile advocate for the ‘Yes’ campaign in 1975. 13 years later, she stood in the Houses of Parliament, shouting ‘No, No No’ regarding Jacques Delors attempts to set up decision making away from the U.K., as she quoted ‘I have not rolled back the frontiers of the state in Britain only to see them reimposed by a Brussels superstate’.
The expansion of the E.E.C. has no other destination than to lead to a one governing parliamentary super state, which you and I will have no say as to who is voted in, and who is voted out. Historically, Europe’s past record of people wanting to run the whole show, has not been a rosy one. Human beings never learn from history, as it is easily forgotten in time, unfortunately, and human repetition is an irritating trait. Always the person in the street who suffers.
Tomorrows vote will arrive, after the British people have been misled by both sides. People have had enough. I have had enough of the debate descending into an argument about peoples ethnic roots. At the moment it is all about who shouts loudest, and it is embarrassing for the U.K. I really don’t care about who comes from where, and what colour they are, or what language they speak, or even where they choose to live. We all bleed. If people want to contribute, what is wrong with that? Advice from world bankers that we would be worse off out of the E.E.C., well all I can say to that is ‘in your hands’? Like having an executioner advising us on improving our health and fitness! It’s my belief that on Thursday we will vote to remain, as people tend to grab mummy when they are in doubt, and this is what the election has all really been about. Their ‘order’ out of our chaos.
Whatever transpires, use your vote, as it means you can then have an opinion afterwards.'
Following the posting of this piece, (and the referedum vote), I received some very unpleasant personal messages on Facebook, which ultimately led to my leaving the group indefinitely....
toby walker 24.6.16
music...or sausage machine?
Below is a posting taken from a piece I placed on Facebook this week.
I had been looking at a David Bowie related YouTube link, which had me thinking. Last week, a new Beyoncé album hit the streets. I was astounded to see how many songwriters had been involved.
Bearing in mind that Beyoncé is portayed as an icon and hi-ranking solo artist in 2016, what would, say, an architect make of being asked to construct a beautiful building, and having forced upon them a similar amount of other architects, working on the same project? Who, then is the creative source? Blue plaque on the wall? I would think, personally, 'not in my name'. Check the David Bowie link here:
...amazing how this artist, can say in one minute, what it would take me several to do likewise! This is why this artist was so important to so many, and will be missed for many years to come.
It is the adventurous quality of many performers, which comes into question. The 'safe ground' that David talks about, is articulated via the likes of 'Britain/America's Got Talent, or 'the X-Factor'. When an artist wins the show, they are offered albums of cover versions for their debut release...'Great American songbook', if you like. This, however, brings nothing to the creative table, and wraps us up in a ball of previously utilised old cotton wool. Who inspires? Simon Cowell...or Curtis Mayfield? I know who I am going to put my money on.....here's the Facebook posting, before it disappears:
stevie wonder, todd rundgren & bebe buell
A photo of Stevie Wonder and Todd Rundgren (with his partner Bebe Buell at the time). Both songwriters took huge gambles in their most creative years, which led to innovative and groundbreaking releases, namely 'Innervisions' and 'Something/Anything'.
innervisions / something/anything
Neither albums were well received critically at the time, however, they are now regarded as works of genius. Both albums were penned by the artists on their own. If you want to know what has gone wrong in the music business since these albums hit the streets, check the writing credits for Curtis Mayfield's solo debut in 1970, and the new Beyonce album. I sat and listened to the whole of the latter album, and hard as I tried, that is an hour of my life I will never get back!....enough said.
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis (1970)
Songwriter - Curtis Mayfield (1 listed)
1. (Don't Worry) If There's A Hell Below We're All Going To Go
Written by – Curtis Mayfield
2. The Other Side Of Town
Written by – Curtis Mayfield
3. The Makings Of You
Written by – Curtis Mayfield
4. We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue
Written by – Curtis Mayfield
5. Move On Up. Written by – Curtis Mayfield
6. Miss Black America
Written by – Curtis Mayfield
7. Wild And Free
Written by – Curtis Mayfield
8. Give It Up
Written by – Curtis Mayfield
Beyoncé - Lemonade (2016)
Songwriters - Beyoncé and 64 others (76 listed in total)
1. Pray You Catch Me
Written-By – Beyoncé, James Blake, Kevin Garrett
2. Hold Shut Up And Sing
Written-By – Antonio Randolph, Beyoncé, Brian Chase, DeAndre Way, Doc Pomus, Emile Haynie, Ezra Koenig, Joshua Tillman, Karen Orzolek, Kelvin McConnell, Mort Shuman, Nick Zinner, Sean Rhoden, Uzoechi Emenike, Thomas Wesley Pentz
3. Don't Hurt Yourself
Written-By – Beyoncé, Diana ‘Wynter’ Gordon, Jack White, James Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant
4. Sorry
Written-By – Beyoncé, Diana ‘Wynter’ Gordon, Sean Rhoden
5. 6 Inch
Written-By – Abel ‘The Weeknd" Tesfaye, Ahmad ‘Belly’ Balshe, Ben Diehl, Beyoncé, Boots , Brian Weitz, Burt Bacharach, Danny Schofield, Dave Portner, Hal David, Noah Lennox, Terius ‘The-Dream’ Nash
6. Daddy Lessons
Written-By – Alex Delicata, Beyoncé, Diana ‘Wynter’ Gordon, Kevin Cossom
7. Love Drought
Written-By – Beyoncé, Ingrid Burley, Mike Dean
8. Sandcastles
Written-By – Beyoncé, Malik Yusef, Midian Mathers, Vincent Berry II
9. Forward
Written-By – Beyoncé, James Blake
10. Freedom
Written-By – Alan Lomax, Arrow Benjamin, Beyoncé, Carla Williams, Frank Tirado, John Lomax Sr., Jonathan Coffer, Kendrick Duckworth
11. All Night
Written-By – Akil King, Andre Benjamin, Antwan Patton, Beyoncé, Ilsey Juber, Jaramye Daniels, Patrick Brown, Ricky Anthony, Theron Thomas, Timothy Thomas, Thomas Wesley Pentz
12. Formation
Written-By – Asheton Hogan, Beyoncé, Khalif Brown, Michael L. Williams II
...when an artist, such as Curtis Mayfield, created his superb debut album, you knew he wrote the whole show, in order to have control over the sound and the content of the material.
When Curtis sang his songs, you knew he was singing from deep down, within his heart.
Regarding the new Beyoncé album, she will say 'Lemonade' is her '2016 personal statement'.
Just, exactly, whose 'heart' you are hearing is a highly convaluted, designed by committee, slice of something or other, with so many sources of diluted, creative input.
All told, anyone of the '76' might have been responsible. I'll stick with Stevie, Curtis & Todd, I think.
toby walker 13.5.16
europe - in or out?
I must say that, firstly, I am delighted to have the opportunity to voice my opinions, regarding British membership of the European Union, on a second occasion within my lifetime. Back in June 1975, came along my first opportunity to voice my opinions in the political system. At 18 years, I realised how important it was to vote, and it brought home to me how lucky I was to be asked my opinion on anything to do with my country and the way it was ran. I had seen how the larger part of the population in South Africa were denied their voice, and here I was, one of the lucky ones. I have always voted. It’s my own opinion that, if you do not do so, you lose your right to have an opinion further down the line, regarding the subject at hand.
The 1975 referendum ended up as a 2 to 1 defeat for the ’No’ campaign, and we (myself, Bangsy and another guy, whose name has slipped my mind. My apologies.) were called in the afternoon of that day, and asked if we could set up some music for the vote ’No’ campaign ‘licking of wounds’ post referendum get together. The venue was in central London, and all of the relevant political personalities attended. That evening I took along the Isley’s ‘The Heat Is On’ album, which I had just bought as an import that week. First run out for ‘For The Love Of You’ in the U.K.? Who knows? One lasting memory was being told that a female Labour campaigner had hit Enoch Powell on the head with her wine glass. I’d have bought that woman a drink if I could have found her!
In early 1975, the Labour party leader, Harold Wilson, was very much against that referendum. It followed a hard fought fight by campaigners just to get an agreement that the general public should have a say as to whether we remained in the EEC, or became self governing.
The No Campaign supporters included: Michael Foot, Tony Benn, Peter Shore, Eric Varley, Barbara Castle, Jeremy Corbyn and the former Conservative minister Enoch Powell. The campaign was supported by the Democratic Unionist Party, the Scottish National Party, and Plaid Cymru.
The ‘Yes’ campaign supporters included: Margaret Thatcher, Edward Heath, Roy Jenkins (the President), Shirley Williams, Jeremy Thorpe, Jim Callaghan, William Whitelaw, Reginald Maudling, Jo Grimmond and Lord Vic Feather.
I voted ’no’ in 1975, and in the 41 years that have passed, my decision to vote ’no’ has not changed. Sure, Jeremy Corbyn is now a ‘Yes’ campaigner. In any democracy, it is the right of the individual to vote according to their conscience.
...the author Frederick Forsyth's views on the 2016 referendum. Odd political bed-fellows....
Most of the time, there are two reasons why most people vote ‘No’, regarding this hugely important issue. The main reason, (as I have already stated) is many find the whole arrangement to be undemocratic. The second reason is simply that some people have a bigoted view of foreigners, which has the peculiar affect of conjuring up some ‘strange bedfellows’. Enoch Powell was 180 degrees away from Tony Benn politically. Tony Benn campaigned for democracy for all the British people. Enoch Powell simply didn’t like ‘foreigners’. Regarding the latter, my own view is that we are all foreigners. The lines that divide countries are not drawn in the soil. We all worry about the same things, love our children, live about as long as each other, and we all bleed. Voting against your fellow human being, because their address isn’t in your neck of the woods, amounts to voting against yourself, in my humble opinion!
Democracy is an often abused word. In it’s purest interpretation, it means everyone has a say in all matters that concern us. The European Union is a top heavy, non democratic organisation. When I am asked to vote for any political party, I ask those who seek my vote two simple questions. ‘Who is funding your campaign?’ and ‘If I think you have broken your promises, how do I un-elect you?’ In the U.K. we lend politicians their powers for a certain period of time. If the politician knows they could be voted out of office, then you have their attention and you stimulate them into performing well.
In Europe, all of the key positions of power are appointments passed down by unelected bureaucrats. These power brokers are given their appointments by the European Parliament. You cannot vote them in, and you cannot un-elect them. They have decision making powers which affect every country who is a member of the EU. The German people had no referendum at all, regarding whether they wanted to be a member of the European Union. The decision was made for them.
Governments only listen to the electorate if they know they could lose their political positions, if they let their constituents down. MP’s are employed by their constituents. MEP’s are not voted for by the people of the countries they represent. They are elected to the European Parliament by their own political parties. Do you remember voting for Glenys Kinnock for MEP? She was given her seat by the Labour Parliamentary party, on a huge salary, and for a working class Welsh girl, she has worked her way up the establishment ladder, and is now Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead. Hardly ‘getting down with the kids’ is it? All told, you and I do not have any say in who becomes an MEP, and who does not, and it is these individuals who we are informed are ‘fighting our corner’ in the European Parliament. If they are poor at their job, we cannot vote them out of office. This amounts to an organisation which contains positions of power, run on the same system that FIFA or the House of Lords function. An undemocratic system.
So what of the void between 1975 and 2016? Well, the very pro-European, Margaret Thatcher, stood up in Parliament in 1990 and told our MP’s she was withdrawing her support for the, then commissioner, Jacques Delors, who had suggested that the European Parliament become the Parliament for the whole of the EEC. Her famous ‘No, No, No’ moment.
In 1992, the U.K. suspended it’s membership of the Exchange Rate Mechanism. The then Chancellor, Norman Lamont tried to prop up a failing pound, withdrawing the U.K. from the monetary system the country joined two years previously. He went on to raise interest rates from 10% to 12%, then to 15%, and authorised the spending of billions of pounds to buy up the sterling being frantically sold on the currency markets. All this failed to prevent the pound falling lower than its minimum level in the ERM. The interest rates today are around 2%.
Whose heads rolled after that fiasco? Well the Conservatives went on to lose office, as within a democracy we have the ability to vote out the incompetents. The European project is certainly about reigning in control towards the centre. Great, imagine not having any of those really annoying general elections anymore. Problem is, if an MEP is useless, or worse, dangerous, who will be there to fire them? The masterplan appears to be for a United States of Europe, which could have it’s own President, eventually, but will be very out of touch with what is going on in your backyard, whether you are German, French, Dutch, British or Eastern European. If this plan continues on it’s merry way, my fear is the European Union will implode upon itself, and we will end up where we all started many decades ago.
David Cameron will try to scare people into ‘grabbing mummy’ at the ballot box. All told, he may well succeed. I think a ‘Yes’ vote, right now, is far more likely. Interesting to see Jeremy Corbyn and the Scottish Nationals switching allegiances. Nigel Farage is 'Enoch Powell Lite', and also doesn't like foreigners. All these cast members would argue that the EU has changed beyond all recognition. In 1975, I couldn’t vote in or out an MEP, and in 2016 I can't vote in or out an MEP. I do not dislike foreigners. I simply don’t recognise these people under that description. A preferred personal choice would be in using the words ‘all men and women are brothers and sisters’. Whatever way you choose, the most important matter is you exercise your right to vote. Remember the queues to the polls in South Africa when the people were given the right to vote. Democracy is a powerful thing, as without it, the politicians will more than likely ignore you.
toby walker 24.2.16
replacing the irreplaceable
Been a few days since the passing of David Bowie, and, as with many other folks out there, something just isn’t right about things generally. I have wandered around like a kid who has lost something, but he can’t quite work out what that something is! The journalist and presenter, Alan Baddiel, summed up my own feelings perfectly, when he said ‘Not just upset by Bowie's death but disorientated. The world is out of joint’. Alan said those words the morning after the singer’s death had been announced. As with the passing of important figures, it is important to remember that, although we may feel glum ourselves, his family, along with his circle of close friends and colleagues old and new, are feeling the impact that much more acutely, so self pity is irrelevant and unkind, all told. People such as myself, admired David Bowie from a distance. Musically, the cultural side of things I love the most, is the culture generated by the Black person. I think Bowie felt the same way (as his questioning of the MTV representative on YouTube testifies). White artists owe the Black artist everything musically, generated within the 20th century. Not an overstatement, but a belief derived from factual information. In fact, very few White artists can be described as ‘hugely influential’ on the music scene, which is why the passing of David Bowie is felt by all sections of society. He was an inspiration for every generation from the late Sixties onwards. His impact is still seen today, by the young, the middle aged, and the rest of us ‘of a certain age’.
At the end of the Sixties, those who were followers of pop culture, were left with a void. A void left by the curtains being drawn on the careers of the Fab Four. Successful careers are seldom achieved by design, but rather than the artist’s arrival being timely. The revolving doors that saw the demise of John, Paul, George and Ringo, brought in from the cold, the career of David Bowie, who was to become the King and Queen of Seventies Rock. Bowie was hugely appealing to those who felt they had lost their way, or those who simply were looking for something better. The mime artist and singer was a surreal arrival. His career in the previous decade was, to all intents and purposes, all over the place. Whether he was a campaigner for the right to have longer hair, a Mod or the Laughing Gnome, he was an odd sort of visionary. His use of dance and theatre, along with a desire to bring that aspect to his stage presence (throw in that strange dilated pupil, a result of an old fight over a flame to boot), he became almost unwillingly shoved onto the centre stage. He decided to act as a measure of self preservation, whilst he built his confidence. Those persona’s took on a mystical element, which many other artists hooked on to, and David became one of the greatest idea’s men of the twentieth century.
It was not simply the recording artists who saw themselves in Ziggy Stardust, the person in the street saw a way out of their own mundane existences. I overheard a radio interview with Sean Bean a few months ago, who said to the interviewer, that he was one of many younger folks, who adopted the Ziggy look in their daily lives. Glam rock became a genre that was almost David’s own vehicle. T-Rex were a hippy band, who were considered ‘persona non grata’ by the radio stations, as Marc Bolan adorned his stage outfits with glitter and stars. Ditto the group The Sweet. Roy Wood’s group The Move, became the group ‘The Wizzard’ with Roy adopting very similar facial make-up to that of David’s. Slade became a ‘glitter’ group, after a career as a skinhead band. There is that other glitter bloke who became a monstrosity, and those who were less subtle with their plagiarism, simply added the surname ‘Stardust’ to the Christian name ‘Alvin’, and you had the full monty of David’s inspirational influenced.
David Bowie was a very clever man. When he saw that his Ziggy Stardust creation had run it’s course, he pulled the plug. Unwittingly, he was pulling the plug on Glam Rock genre at the same time. There was something else, of a more subtle nature going on at the same time. The Ziggy closure was the second ‘closure’ of his career at that point. When the hippy Sixties Bowie was at an end, his character was reborn. When Ziggy departed, Bowie was reborn again. The effect of these changes were to introduce a new Rock Star to a generation which was becoming interested in music. With every change of persona, came an upcoming new audience. David Bowie was putting away some professional insurance, which would eventually give him longevity. This system worked a dream. I overheard a record company promoter talking about her love of David Bowie, and how the single ‘Let’s Dance’ introduced her to the singer, when she was a child back in 1982. This is something that might raise a smile, to those who were 16 years old back at the time Ziggy Stardust ruled the roost, and yet there is something hugely comforting that our own children were being given the same cultural touchstone that we had available back in the early Seventies. Even today, in a record store, I often hear the students from the local schools or universities, coming into the place, asking the retailer ‘if he has any Bowie in stock’? Most of the time he doesn’t.
Bowie's next ‘stop along the way’, as with many of my contemporaries, was a personal favourite part of David’s own career journey. The Soul boy. Along with Carlos Alomar, Robin Clark, Ava Cherry and a certain Luther Vandross, the team created the biggest Blue Eyed soul singer of the Seventies. Ziggy and Aladdin had departed, and David was at his most creative. The Gouster (old school gangsters). He utilised William Burrough’s techniques of cutting up articles and rearranged texts. He did the same with some of his music. He was free of the reliance other artists had unfairly loaded upon him, during the glam era, and he could now work with the musicians and singers he seemed to admire the most. Whilst he once ‘hung Andy Warhol on his wall’, I hung the sleeve to ‘Young Americans’ on my wall. That is not to say that he took over the music on my stereo. I almost solely (pardon the pun) purchased Black music. I bought and played Punk music when it was irressistable to me for a short while. The Punk scene would not have happened at all, if David Bowie had not fashionably (and musically) shown them the way ahead. The trousers, the ripped shirts, the hair styles were literal rip off’s of what had been before. The prime difference between David Bowie and the rest of the cultural scene, is he recycled ideas which people did not recall. Many of these ideas were non musical parts of culture, but those honed from the stage, whether mime of acting.
Following the ‘Young Americans’ era, the need to ‘characters’ seemed to become less necessary, whilst experimentation became more of the order of the day. I guess that the excesses of the States, which Marvin Gaye ran from as well, led to a sabbatical, which endured for 4 years or so, until, arguably, his last great album release was realised in the form of ‘Let’s Dance’. Always aware of the passing of time, he hid, then performed, and then hid again. His personal life, in recent years, resembled that of Greta Garbo. Heading out in disguise and hiding from the media.
All told, if you were looking for ‘the new’ in music in recent years, you would look to see what David Bowie was doing. Sure, there are those who like to think they are todays ‘pop innovators’, not realising they are actually todays ‘pop elevators’. Innovation comes from inspiration, and the use of the inspiration, to develop the innovation. it’s hard work, and we all like to do as little of that as possible these days. The passing of time did not seem to hold back the eternal search for the new, in David Bowie. As he said himself, ‘I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring’. So how do replace the irreplaceable? Truth be told, you do not. David Bowie was a king of reference library for those who are forward thinkers. When your point of reference library closes, especially, if it is a particularly good one, there will follow a fallow period.
To begin with, those who utilise the left hand sides of their brain will begin inspiring the younger ones to ‘break some proverbial eggs’ in the search for the new. That search will be without David Bowie now, and, although, personally speaking, I feel a part of my own culture has died, the journey will continue for those who are willing to run the risk of looking foolish, in their attempts to break new ground. Better to be a fool than a bore I think.
The inevitable mistake people will make regarding David Bowie, will be in looking at one aspect of his character. Elvis Presley could arguably be a bigger icon. Lennon & McCartney or George and Ira Gershwin or Cole Porter could arguably be better songwriters. Frank Sinatra could arguably be the better vocalist. It is the cultural influence of David Bowie which will be the defining aspect of this artist. Did Elvis influence generations in a fashion sense, inspiring further generations to follow suit (pardon the pun)? To a minority. Did David Bowie write songs which are considered classics? Yes he did, but David Bowie classics in all truth. Was Bowie a better singer than Frank Sinatra? No, but he was a different singer to Frank. David provided counterpoint to the likes of the classic crooners (Bing Crosby etc.)
So we are left with the legacies and influences of each said artist. I could not say that the Fab Four still influence the development of fashion today, since their heyday. Elvis likewise. David Bowie’s legacy was to give the disenfranchised a template, which enabled people to articulate their own expressions in daily life. Punks could paint their faces, without being given the treatment metered out to Quentin Crisp, say in the early part of the twentieth century. Gay people were extended a greater appreciation and acceptance as a result of the existence of David Bowie. He gave all us that acceptance that the previous generations had denied those who felt they were the proverbial square pegs in the system’s round holes.
Something within all of us is now no longer there, and we have lost a cultural touchstone. We will now witness conspiracy theorists telling us that he is not dead, but living in South America. We will be told that the industry has found ‘the new David Bowie’, whilst they present us with a poor excuse. His recorded material prices are already going through the roof, and that will continue. When that essential part of the overall jigsaw goes missing, it is not a time to try to fill in the missing piece, but it is time to put together a new jigsaw. On Monday I felt a little lost. Today I believe that we have lost one of the great public figures of the last 70 years, and the initial outpouring of adoration was indeed, appropriate and proportional.
toby walker 14.1.16
vive la france
'A gun can't go off by itself; it is the hatred that makes people want to use them... THAT is the fuel of war!' Tony Benn
...pray for the rest of the world...
The image above, is likely to become the enduring photograph regarding the massacre at the Bataclan nightclub in Paris, just under a week ago. A pregnant woman, clinging on for dear life, with a mothers instinct to protect her unborn child, foremost in her mind. A courageous man, helping her, with no idea what was happening behind him. True courage in every aspect. Speechless was a good way of describing the mood of most people out there, following the barbaric attack. These actions were so alien to the way of thinking of the largest part of humanity, that people are left angry, confused and, most of all, suffering a sense of helplessness. After all, that nightclub could have seen any of our own children in attendance, and it is this aspect that makes the horror of that night, a thing that is completely incomprehensible.
Abdelhamid Abaaoud (1987 - 2015 - currently accounting for his actions to Allah)
Apparently it is the bloke above, a Mr Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who is said to be the mastermind of the attacks, which were spead across that capital last Friday evening. There is something that stuck me about the selfie of this individual. The words 'Master' and 'Mind', aren't the first words that would spring to mind. Perhaps 'completely controllable brainless fool' might be a more appropriate description? If you asked most folks if they fancied tying a bomb to themselves, travelling to a far off land to kill innocent people, and then blowing themselves to kingdom come, you would think, well, perhaps the village idiot?
Whatever these individuals think they are doing, they do not represent the Muslim faith, let's make that absolutely clear. Most Muslims have to bear the double whammy of, firstly, their God being used as a tool for murder, and secondly, that as these killers have a slight resemblance to some people within the Muslim faith, they are now potential victims of others insociety, who are as bright as the killers, and will suffer the bigotted consequences of those who cannot seem to put two and two together. We should not only be standing side by side with the people of Paris, but we should also be standing side by side with those who abide by the teachings of the Quran.
Quran 5:32 'Whoever kills an innocent person, it is as if he has killed all of humanity'.
Congratulations Abdelhamid. I think you have just lost your ticket into whatever your version of heaven is, and the only way from now on, is down.....
Been a lot of postings on Facebook from folks from all sections of society. Nice to see so many adopting a French flag background to their profile pictures. People feel helpless, so anything they can do to show solidarity, has to be a positive thing. So what now?
If I was the parent of a child, who had been murdered on a night out watching their band, I would hope that I would be removed from any decision making, regarding the responses to this atrocity. I would be building my own guillotine and dragging the killers kicking and screaming to meet their maker. This is what the 'Daesh' troublemakers are looking for. Murder begats murder, hate begats hate, the list is as long as you want to make it. Please watch this video:
We do have to do something, however, and that appears to now represent a change in society. During the Seventies and Eighties, in the U.K., we lived with the threat of the bomb makers. The responses were, we got on with our lives, but were careful if we saw unopened packages on the tube, say. If one of these killers decides they are going to try to empty out their weapons in public places, we need to find where the weapons are being marketed. Of we have idiots, such as our main suspect Abdelhamid being controlled by his seniors, we need to find these 'senior' people. Most of all, if you really want to put these guys noses out of joint, you need to take their money away. Trace those in charge back to their funders.
To begin with, we need to understand why these 'controllers' have got to this place. Others explain this better than I ever will, so here is a very good explanation by Ezra Klein...
It is, also at time like these, I really miss the explanations and reasonings (in the House Of Commons) of Tony Benn. Jeremy Corbyn has all the right intentions, however, I am sure he would agree himself, he is not the greatest of orators. 'Tony Benn lite', if you like, but a 'lite' version is better than no version, I guess. Here, in 1998, is Tony Benn making an impassioned plea regarding the oncoming war in Iraq. Interestingly, Jeremy Corbyn sitting behind listening intently.....
Often, the first responses to appalling atrocities, provide the free-flowing fuel which further leads to the appalling sufferings of more innocents. The world is full of good people. Whether I am one, that is for you to decide, however, those who carry out the ideologies of the fascist minority, are almost insignificant in numbers. Occasionally, one gets through, and when they do, they run riot. As I have said, the world is full of good people. I truly believe that. Look at those who lay flowers in Paris, or colour their Facebook profile images with the French flag, or stand outside their mosques for a silent minute....in union, whether Muslim, Jew, Christian or whoever your God may be. Good people.
more good people, some of those who lost their lives. deepest sympathies.
tommy sims - which way (album 'peace and love' 2000)
tommy sims - new jam (mix)
...pray for the rest of the world...
toby walker 17.11.15
a very dark night of the soul
I don’t know about yourselves, but I am finding watching the World News a very difficult thing to do right now. Yesterday’s news especially so.
I watched Barack Obama, very eloquently, try to explain to the people of the United States, why the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church was of such importance to African Americans, and why a second look at the Second Amendment, regarding the possession of firearms, might be worth reconsidering. Barack knew, in all reality, that, a law drafted by White Americans circa 1875, along with a church (which meant little to most White Americans), was a plea likely to fall on deaf ears. The right to bear arms in the U.S. is non-negotiable. It is written in stone, and perceived as somehow being ordained by God. So no ‘can we just talk about this?’ on the table....for ever.
The Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in 1816. In 1962, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. attended a church meeting there, with the aim to encourage church members to register and vote.
Following the assassination of her husband, Coretta Scott King led a 1969 march to the church in support of striking hospital workers in Charleston. 1500 marchers were met by members of the South Carolina National Guard. 900 of the marchers were arrested, along with the churches pastor. As you can see, this place of worship played a key role in the civil rights movement. If you are a racist, with a particular dislike for African Americans, no wonder that Dylann Roof decided to cherry pick this particular house of worship. Dylann decided to pick on the vulnerable. Those who respect the rule of law, hurt nobody, and carry no weapons. Easy target for a weak minded individual, who has been easily turned, but turned by who?
Parentally, if you cannot see that there is an issue with your child spending all of their waking hours in a bedroom, it is a pretty piss poor idea to cheer them up, by giving them an arsenal of weaponry as a birthday present. If you own a gun, and you hate a section of the population, in the States, well, according to 2013 figures, if you are a white american, your section of society were attacked around 700 times as a result of a race hate crime. If you are a black member of the same society, then 2,250 similar crimes were committed against your ethnic group in society. Awful when you look at statistics in the cold light of day, but whatever your beef is, with whoever your particular choice of irrational dislike, facts are facts.
Personally, I cannot shout from the rooftops the phrase ‘I am Black and I am proud’, because I am not. I am just an oldish white male in the U.K. collating historical information regarding African American singers, who for my own reasons, I feel indebted to for the music they have ‘sung my way’. For nearly every one of the 1,100 or so resume’s at the site, each could almost have a single template constructed, which starts with the words ‘they were born here, and then developed their voices singing in their local church’. Usually, if I cannot locate a singer from the past in society generally, I can normally find them preaching or working in their local churches. African Americans are some of the most religious people on the planet, and yet every day, somewhere in the news, a police officer is beating the living daylights out of some young black man or woman, for attending a party, standing someplace, or simply just existing. Dylann Roof was treated with the utmost respect and consideration by law officers. No struggling around, being beaten by batons. This cherub had just shot young and old churchgoers, whose skin colour he simply didn’t like.
Are police officers all institutionally racist? Well, without singling out individuals, society reflects the interests of the majority. Policing reflects this. Without our consent, then the police cannot do their job. If we consent to policing, the police must reflect the opinions of the many, wherever they are asked to police. Most of the ‘quiet majority’ in society keep their opinions within the walls of their own homes. If white folks do not like African Americans, then they are, out of common courtesy to the rest of us, probably best keeping their opinions within their confines of their own home.
During the latter days of the Civil Rights movement, and Freedom Summer, we were told that African Americans were to be allowed all of the rights in society, previously only extended to the White population. That was a good first step, however, if those rights and opinions were to be heard, there would be little gained by those in power burying their heads in the sand. That was always going to happen. ‘Sure you can have your say, but I exercise my right to listen or not as the case may be’. The struggle continued.
As for Dylann Roof, well, he wore the flags of Confederates, along with the apartheid flag of Rhodesia, so the signs were there. Those signs were provocative signs. It would be my legal right to say whatever I wish in society, however, as with those who speak about ‘knowing all the right buttons to push to upset this person or that person’, it is down to the individual articulator to show a level of restraint. Not to do so is to ask for a negative response (and says everything you wish to know regarding those who wish to push those particular buttons). ‘Avoid loud and aggressive persons’, it states in the Desiderata. Amen to those sentiments.
that is 'toulouse' in france, and france is not in turkey!
If we are honest with ourselves, it seems to this scribe, that there has always been an undercurrent of dislike for the Black person in large parts of the United States (and that extends to these U.K. shores as well). I am no more righteous than the next person. One common factor that covers both continents, are the influences of the Rupert Murdoch empire. In the U.K., it is the Sun newspaper (and it’s sizeable circulation). In the States it is Fox News. Fox is almost comical in it’s own inaccuracies and perceptions of how the world ought to be, if it were to be run by it’s own commander in chief. It is Fox News and the Sun in the U.K., which gives breathing space to those who are, let’s say, very right of the centre politic. The right of centre do not have any place within this breeding ground, for the Black person, so the virus grows. If the media are behind those who exercise their gun rights. Fox News is reflective of the worst aspects of American Society, and takes overall citizens rights in general back a century. No longer are women employed as equals to their male counterparts within these institutions. With women, it is more important the size of your chest and your youthful age, than whether you know where Toulouse is in France, or what the Civil Rights Movement represented! We seem to be taking retrograde steps in society, and not saying anything.
Since the election of Barack Obama in 2008, it was, and still is, my own belief that, at that time, the economy was so shattered, that the first Black President of the United States ‘was allowed’, by the right wing, to be given keys to the White House, very much as a poisoned chalice. The first Black American President presiding over the disastrous collapse of an economy? No chance he would ever come to terms with that scenario, (so no further Presidents of Colour)....however he succeeded, and then some. The media machinery, therefore, set about, not going for the President himself, but set about that section of society. At a time when African American parents ought to be solely, talking about faith and working hard, African American parents are telling their kids to ‘keep their hands down by their side’ if being arrested by the police on the streets, or to ‘keep their hands on the steering wheel of their car’, if pulled over by the cops.
We all talk about racism, in the media, with a watered down, middle-class version of derision, and yet, large sections of the media promote division, whether subliminally or out in the open. I have experienced a different set of policing behaviours, when I am out with Black friends of my own. I am in no position, however, to articulate what it is like to be Black in society. All folks like myself can do is listen, empathise and hope things will change for the better. In my 59 years, this has not transpired to date, but I do live in hope.
I would like to, personally, extend the hugest amount of respect to the Charleston African American Church community, for their loving responses towards a despicable individual who took so many worthy members of your community. You are much better people than I am, and you always have been.
gun - gil scott heron
circa 1955
toby walker 19.6.15
...now, the fall out...
Been a week since the end of the last ‘window of democracy’, after which we all get back to the usual series of broken promises. ‘One for you, nineteen for me’ (thank you the Fab Four), so what happened a week ago? All told, pollsters cannot forecast the way a floating voter are likely to cast their vote. If anything was predictable, it is the likelihood that an undecided voter was more likely to vote for what they know, rather than ‘the other lot’.
Currently, those whose vote diminished (or disappeared!) are staring at their navels, wondering whether to try to ‘newly....out-middle ground’ the party that is in power. The vast expanse, that comprises the ‘middle classes’, have been suffering from depression. Prior to the financial crisis, their bank accounts swashed around capital, however, when the money men threw a nuke into the financial system, the effects would transfer to all of us, and that included ‘Mr. & Mrs. Chiswick’. Only the very few at the top of the food chain would intentionally be spared. This was a service provided by George Horse-Drawn and those behind the scenes, who by and largely, fund the right of U.K. politics, which in turn incorporates the richest people living in the U.K.
The political parties that suffered, suffered through, most of the time, incompetence. That incompetence came as a result of Labour and the Lib-Dems presuming the electorate was stupid. The Tories thought the electorate was stupid as well, so their attacks on the political opposition, were attacks based upon fear. The main threat, regarding Labour, was that, during their last term in office, ‘look at the mess they left us with’. Labour’s stupidity came with not getting the message across, that it was the City, that fund the Right in the Country, that positioned Gordon Brown’s party within a monetary crisis we had not seen the likes of for a hundred years or so. It was easy to trace back the initial causes to the housing loan system, set up in the States, where money was intentionally lent to folks who simply could not afford to repay the loans. The Real Estate agents knew full well that that was the case. This was the snowball at the top of the financial mountain, which gathered up everything around it, as it gathered momentum, leading to the global crisis, which ‘Labour inherited from the financial markets’. The thought that Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling were sitting on a powder keg of their own making is insulting to all our intelligences, yet it was this assertion that doomed Ed Moribund and his gang, to a lame second place in the eyes of a confused electorate. The letter left at the Treasury, stating ‘there is no money left’, was never the fault of anyone, other than those who would play with peoples pensions and savings, most of whom have never been called to account for their actions. Ed Moribund allowed Cameron and Clegg to repeat the ‘after the financial mess we inherited from Labour’ message to be shouted from the rooftops from Conservative Central office, without the public been given the full facts. The only truth in that ‘slogan’ was that the Labour Party were in power when it transpired, but they were not directly at fault, and Cameron knew that, but it was a great soundbite, wasn’t it?. Many bad things happen when governments are in office. Very infrequently are they a direct result of a political parties manifesto. Where Labour go now? Well, the party would do well to remember that the Labour Party was set up as a mouthpiece for Britain’s Trades Unions. Separate the two, and you have, in effect, a new political party. If that is the case, I would lose the name ‘Labour’.
lest we forget
The Lib-Dems were hit hardest at last weeks elections. I said that the electorate were not stupid, and this aspect of the election, is the true manifestation of that position. In my piece before the election I pointed out that I felt this party were probably the worst of the crowd on show. They fell on their political sword, back in 2010. Proportional Representation was always their rally cry. When the opportunity came along for them to slip into Downing Street on the coat-tails of the Tories, they grasped the opportunity with both hands. They became a second party in office, who became a poor third at the time of that election. They ditched PR, however, all the Liberals could do in office, was block the Tories more right wing ideas being put into place. They succeeded in many ways, however, with power came arrogance. One of the least attractive aspects in human nature. Whilst Ed Moribund thought he was a ‘shoe-in’, and Nick Clegg thought he was already in Downing Street, the inevitable ‘political fall’ loomed on the horizon in 2015.
The Labour party and the Liberals were both fighting for the same political part of the electorate. Things now came down to personalities. Who could look the smuggest, whilst avoiding the attacks by the right wing media. The press can decide who we vote for, if we decide to allow them to. Nick Clegg was portrayed as a loser, whilst the real venom was targeted at poor old Ed. ‘He looks like Wallace & Gromit’. ‘His brother was a better bet, and he really hates him’. Jeremy Paxman asked him if ‘he knew that the public perceived him as a ‘geek’. All very superficial, however, if Cameron and Horse-Drawn could portray the man as a jester, they could garnish the attacks with their evergreen ‘the mess that we inherited from Labour’ message, and those whose votes remained undecided, well, the the likelihood of a voter ‘grabbing mummy’ became all the greater.
What Cameron, Clegg and Miliband all failed to do big time, was actually state what they were going to do, when they got in office. All the messages, from every orifice of all three politicians exuded the same portfolio’s of similar commitments. The cigarette papers I spoke about last month. The fact that the messages are confusing, is an intentional ploy by all of the political parties. You can confuse the electorate and mould the voter into any position you wish to, if you provide mixed messages. Tell the public one minute, that the recession requires further cuts, in order to pay back the national debt, but at the same time, tell the electorate that the economy is strong and we are in recovery mode. What is it? Strong economy, or massive debt? If you are in a polling booth, you are bound to be confused. No polling organisation can predict the unpredictable, thus the ‘shock’ when the exit polls were first examined.
The U.K. had a population which was living in fear. Cameron would threaten people with huge monetary cuts, and then congratulate himself on how strong the economy is, and how we are heading for full employment. The real truth out there is no-one is feeling the ‘benefit of recovery’. When the financial crisis hit, we looked to governments of all political persuasions, and we were met with a wall of indifference. ‘You will all pay for what you...sorry the City, did’. Heads were going to roll, but no guillotine was ever built. The City went into hiding. What has, actually, been the case, was a decision made by all of us, that they get on with doing whatever they think they are doing, and we would simply get on with running our own lives. Very poor political decisions were made. Bedroom tax. Tax those who were the victims of the City, but not take any criminal action against, what amounted to robbers. Black and come from Brixton, and you steal a Mars bar? You will be sent to prison. From Canary Wharf and lose a Trillion? Well how does a bonus sound?
Cameron is as confused as the rest of us right now. His message relating to ‘the mess we inherited’ seems to have worked for him this time round. Up to Labour to correct this assertion. Good luck with that one. Labour should point out that George Horse-Drawn borrowed more money from the Treasury, in the last five years, than Labour did in a three term, 15 year period, previously. That particular message never came through during the election, and it should have done.
My feeling is Cameron will get out when the going gets tough. His likely replacement doesn’t bear thinking about! DC will, probably, try to ignore the Scottish Nationals, who will get increasingly frustrated with the English system, and press for another independence vote. Labour will probably vote alongside the SNP, in the meantime, giving a few bills a good run for their money.
tory defector, mark reckless
People are confused in the street. Cameron’s party is now bound to lurch to the right. They have a mandate to do so, so why not? For the next two years, not a lot will be achieved politically, as he will become immersed in a long, drawn out referendum which will decide whether we trade with Europe or not, at which juncture he will discover his ‘enemy within’. There are many, within the Conservative Party, whose politics are UKIP by another name. Waverers who will voice their concerns regarding the intentions of ‘Johnny Foreigner’. UKIP have sewn the seeds of discontent in the minds of many. They will have their day, which is a shame. At a time when society needs to come together, these people seek to divide us and fill us with fear. Seems to me, the more society mixes, the less likely we are to become bigoted. The more frightened politicians make us, the more likely we are to live in fear of the next person. The truth of the matter is, there are only two types of human being. Good and bad, and thankfully, the good massively outweigh the bad. Unfortunately, the proportion of bad to good increases within the political system, statistically. Makes you and me better people, all told. Hold that thought and brace yourself. This will be an interesting period in politics.
probably the best thing to emerge from the 2015 general election
toby walker 12.5.15.
one day we all gonna go...
'Politicians and diapers must be changed often......and for the same reason'. Mark Twain
We are about one month away from the 5 yearly political circus here in the U.K., which pits the least amongst us, against their ‘so called piers’. This is an attempt to find an honest person in amongst all of those who feel we cannot run our own lives ourselves, so we should have our lives run by them instead, as they know what is best for us! The last 5 years have been a post financial crash personal battle, which most of us have undertaken on our own, as a result of politicians placing too much trust in the gamblers and robbers that run the City of London, particularly towards the end of the last decade. The robbers were mostly allowed to get away scott free (some of whom were financially rewarded very well for that matter in the ‘afterglow’), whilst we got on with our lives, the politicians in turn, ran around looking like they were REALLY busy, but were about as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike. This election has generated so much interest, that most of the voters out there, wonder what is actually happening. The politicians congratulate each other in their handling of the economy, whilst we have been running our lives, pretty much, without their help, and completely independently of them. Truth be told, if you have had kids, it feels a little like opening the door to the garden, and letting the kids go out and play, keeping an eye on them sporadically, but only involving yourself in their affairs, if they need feeding. The politicians need feeding right now, and the choice of contenders looks pretty pitiful. If you are in a place away from the U.K. right now, I envy you. The T.V. is full of 7 or so individuals, trying to prove themselves more righteous than each of the other six. Who are these guys? Well, here’s a quick run down. Set the alarm if you think you might fall asleep at one point!
barack obama with ed miliband (above) along with a low point in the presidency, with david cameron (top)
The two main party contenders have been traditionally Labour and Conservative. The Conservatives (or Tories) traditionally believe in the furthering of the individual. The more money these entrepreneurs amount in their coffers, the theory is the money permeates down to the poorest in society. This sounds as if it might work, however, human nature being a predictable animal, we all revert to type. History shows us that the more wealth an individual accumulates, the less trusting of the rest of society they become, resulting in less generosity, born out of a fear of returning to life’s ‘home base’, so those at the bottom of society remain firmly in that place. The Tories represent the better off in society.....or used to...
Labour are a political party set up by the Trades Unions, in order to represent those who were considered the lower cast in society and stood up for these guys working rights. The Labour Party gave the country the National Health Service. Labour were the voice of the working person. The problem with the Tories and the Labour party are neither do what they say on the tin. The Tories suffered from the Thatcher effect. Huge political lurches to the right. People had enough of her, and her party, so they eventually were voted out, with the populous choosing Tony Blair, who had decided to rename Labour, ‘New Labour’. ‘New Labour’ decided to ceremonially dump their allegiance to the Trades Unions, in favour of planting their flag in Liberal territory. The Tories decided they were going to have none of that, so they planted their flag in exactly the same place, leaving all of us with two nearly identical parties, separated by name alone. Sure, David Cameron and Ed Miliband both would argue there are huge differences between each party, and they both have a cigarette paper to prove it. These two clowns are fighting over 30 percent of the overall vote right now. Neck and neck, as you would expect from two folks offering to, what amounts as, the same ideal and agenda.....so what of the other five?
Well, these other guys are interested in the current state of affairs. Fearing that Britain might become a ‘Stag-Nation’, they offer very marginal differences between the two major powers. The great thing about being in a minority, is you don’t really have to think too greatly about any manifesto commitments. If you are never going to achieve a majority, you could put forward a commitment to giving all pensioners a million pounds a piece from the treasury, along with a firm commitment, granting everyone over the age of 80 the unique ability to ‘fold space’. That would be very beneficial to any elderly person who wishes to cross large sections of the universe in mere seconds!! Never going to happen, so why not promise them this. Most of that generation wouldn’t be able to grasp the concept anyhow, however ‘it is our firm commitment’!!
clegg makes it to number 10 in 2010...'worst passed the post'
This sorry band political misfits include one party, who has, actually, had a say in the running of the country during the last 5 years. The Liberal Democrats. They are headed up by Nick Clegg, who helped David Cameron cross the finish line at the end of the last election, by offering him his colleagues to do with whatever he pleases. After a couple of months in office, Cameron put Nick in a toy cupboard, letting him out sporadically, just to let the press know Nick was still alive. For myself, the Lib Dems are the worst of the political bunch in the current scheme of things. The reason for this is historical. The Lib Dems, for as long as I can remember, hated the British first past the post electoral system. They fought and bored us all endlessly for a proportional representation system, where everybody had a say in running the country. After all, it works beautifully in Italy!! P.R. formed the DNA of their party, as it was a way they could have had a say in the running of the country. When the opportunity presented itself, Nick threw away his life long held political beliefs in a smash and grab for power. Sure his party walked through the doors of 10 Downing Street in 2010, but without any real moral backbone. If they could ditch the thing they most believed in, for a quick political fix, then are they good to their word? Not for me. If proportional representation was their political bag, then Gordon Brown should have had a greater say in the running of the country during the last five years, and Nick should have said so. Truth be told, Cameron should have tried to run the country with a minority government, or gone back to the electorate with the message ‘must try harder’.
nigel farage
So what of the other four contenders? Two have very provincial political agenda’s. The Scottish National Party voted last September, to cut the umbilical chord with the rest of the United Kingdom. They very nearly had their wish, and appear, today, to hold the balance of power should the polls become reality. Plaid Cymru are the Welsh version of the SNP, but without the scalpel at the ready. The SNP in power would be like giving Guy Fawkes a guided tour around the Houses of Parliament! Both the Welsh and the Scottish would scare the life out of a certain Nigel Farage, who is the UK Independence parties main man. No-one in the U.K. knows any other member of this party, unless they are politically anal. So what does Farage stand for? Well he says the party are not a racist party. He has Black and Asian members of his party, whom are all given day release once a month, and let out into the rest of society from their care homes! Quite why anyone from any ethnic group would want to associate themselves with this group of individuals, who knows? I am White and I don’t want anything to do with them! Nigel, by the way, especially hates you if you come from any of the old Soviet republics. Anyone with a hint of ‘the east’ is not welcome in the U.K., unless they are prepared to do all the jobs that the workers in the U.K. refuse to do, for no pay, no housing and when they have finished, they have to commit suicide in order to become good U.K. citizens.....at least that is the impression he is giving me! Enter men with white coats stage left!
That just leaves the Green Party, whose leader, Natalie Bennett, appeared on daytime radio to put forward her parties policies, and forgot what they actually were! Nurse! We all have days like that.......’did I really push that red button?...what am I like!’.
So to sum up, here are the contenders:
David Cunning-Plan - (what used to be) Conservative...........Liberal
Ed Mini-Milk - (what used to be) Labour.............Liberal
Nick Legg (we used to believe in proportional representation) Liberal (in truth ‘I’ll be anything you want me to be, my darling’)
Leanne Wilt (Plaid Cymru, I think)........we hate the English
Nicola Bludgeon (Scottish National Party).......we hate the English, too
Natalie Gordon-Bennett (Green Party).......quite frankly, I haven’t the foggiest idea that there was an election even on?
and
Nigel Old-Barge (UK Independence Party).......we hate the English....oh sorry, that’s the other two....we hate anything beyond the point where land turns into water and becomes foreign!
What a choice! All told, we will, probably, all vote for a party from a different generation, or for long held political ideals, which have long been discarded by the political roadside. In those times there were real divides, not just cigarette paper widths in play. This current selection from this political chocolate box, has to be the blandest uninspiring selection of careerist politicians I have come across in my 59 years.
the state of u.k. politics is just about summed up below:
toby walker 8.4.15.
blurred fines...
The Robin Thicke/Pharrell Williams track, ‘Blurred Lines’, was sent here around a year ago now. When I first heard it, I presumed they had approached Marvin Gaye’s family, in order to obtain permission to use ‘Got To Give It Up’, as a matter of course. It was the same melody, with an adjusted vocal overlaid over Marvin’s classic. To learn of legalities, regarding the song’s ownership, coming into focus, well, it beggared belief. I wasn’t too keen on ‘Blurred Lines’, as a track. In most cases, the original track was always the ‘sweetest’ version, and as for the Marvin tune being subliminally placed into the writers hands, well, Pharrell was 4 years old when the original was released. Don’t know about you, but when I was 4, the ‘wheels on the bus’ were well and truly going round and round! So why did this matter ever reach the courts? The defence are still protesting their client are the true originators of the tune. I’m sorry guys, if it looks like a dog, goes ‘woof, woof’, and it chases cats....it is probably a dog! Out and out plagiarism is one thing. Influences are something very different.
Take a scenario that, say, you take 10 two year olds, put them on the floor in a big room, and give them each an identical box of lego bricks. You them ask them to take those lego bricks and build a castle out of them. Some of them would randomly stick the bricks together, hoping that something magical would happen. Others would be more logical, and build from the base up. The most creative would do likewise, however, they would observe the others, and adapt parts of the latter’s constructions, in order to make a bigger and more attractive structure. If you placed a partition between each child, not a great deal would happen. Humans work better as part of a team. We become too introverted working on our own, ending up ‘living our lives in our heads’ and not in the real world. Now, let’s say we take those lego bricks and turn them into musical pieces, with older teenagers. David Bowie, rightly said at one stage, that ‘nothing is original. The trick of ‘borrowing’ is to borrow things people cannot recall’.
Not all musicians (I am sure they would admit), are not as innovative as the Thin White Duke, or Stevie Wonder, for that matter. Bobby Parker’s ‘Watch Your Step’ was one such building block, placed in John Lennon’s ‘I Feel Fine’ castle.
The late Beatle borrowed the lyric ‘Here Come Old Flat Top’ from Chuck Berry. The difference between Lennon and Thicke, is the ‘steal’ was a part of a different creative structure, which John was turning into his own piece of creative expression. One brick in the wall, to quote Pink Floyd.
All music is, almost totally, constructed from other peoples work, interpreted, and recycled back to us lot. If the arrangements are changed, that helps in the construction, therefore we should not ever confuse ‘ borrow’, with ‘plagiarism’ per se. Two very different animals.
Over the years at this site, whenever a new artist sends me their latest offerings, age becomes my biggest enemy. With age comes long teeth, grey hair, and also ‘recollection’. You begin to hear and dismantle some tracks, knowing exactly where the original building blocks are to be found, which went on to form the musical construction of this latest melody. To be honest, I have become very used to this, and I have learned to ignore the loan, by and largely, (especially if the end result has taken an idea, and elevated it onto another level). To me it is no different to you looking at something your neighbour has constructed in their garden, liking the inspiration, and thinking to myself ‘I wonder how I can use that idea, and adapt it for my own place’. If you run out of ideas, musically, and simply, want to utilise, say, a piece of Curtis Mayfield’s repertoire in your melody, then do a Mary J Blige, and add a credit, pay some royalties to the great man’s estate. You never know, you might spark an interest in someone much younger, who will in turn go out and buy the relevant original release. (In Mary’s case, that would be the Curtis album ‘Heartbeat’ for ‘You’re So Good To Me’). Mary has shown Robin the correct path forward.
‘Blurred Lines’ is a piece of karaoke, by any other name. To claim sole ownership of the song is despicable. To then threaten the originator’s family with legal action, is, well, nothing short of criminal. To add insult to injury, the accompanying video comes very close to being pornographic, which doesn’t sit well with Pharrell certainly. I had him down as ‘the guy who wrote music for the animated Disney Soundtracks, and sometimes made a record or two of his own’. One thing that will certainly transpire over time, is, whenever anyone asks in the future, who was Robin Thicke? People will say ‘Oh he’s the bloke who nicked that Marvin track, portrayed women in a very poor light in that awful lewd video, and told us all ‘his’ song was an original’. As a performer, that will hurt more than an financial deal the highway robbers might be forced to come to with the Gaye family.
below is nona gaye's own take on a bobby womack gem.
Toby Walker 12.3.15.
religions...
stéphane charbonnier (1967-2015)
‘It is better to die on one's feet than to live on one's knees’
Isidora Dolores Ibárruri Gómez (1895 – 1989)
Spanish Republican leader of the Spanish Civil War
The above quotation was, yesterday, a phrase credited to Stéphane Charbonnier, one of the cartoonists slaughtered by three weak, despicable individuals, starting off 2015 on a very sour note. Not an original quotation, but one that will generate a huge amount of empathy within most people. The murderers declared they had taken revenge for some artistic lines on pieces of paper, sketched by an illustrator exercising their right to speak freely. Newspapers are there to be read or ignored. Satirical newspapers are there to bring humour to some very dark subjects, thus diffusing fear and concern in people. All told, however, there is nothing harder to find than yesterday’s newspaper. Whether the pen is mightier than the sword, well, much as I warm to the sentiment, in the cold light of day, it is very much a case of rock, paper, scissors, and in this case, murder.
The worry with these attacks, are not the perpetrators, but the true concerns come with the educators of these frightening, sad and weak minded people.
Religions are much of a muchness, globally. Most ‘people of the cloth’, whether they are based in Europe, the America’s or Asia, are peaceful religious teachers imparting to those prepared to take time out to listen, how we might run our lives on a day to day basis. Global Speakers Corner in Hyde Park, if you so wish. All religions have a series of do’s and don’ts, however, the commonality comes with the more positive teachings. ‘Do not kill’, ‘love thy neighbour’, ‘help the poor’, ‘feed the starving’, ‘do no wrong’ etc. Aspects of religious teachings do change with the times. Women becoming Bishops, the acceptance of homosexuality, the breaking of barriers regarding race, creeds and colours. A very positive ‘park the religion in the heavenly garage for a quick tune-up’. I am not a religious man, myself. I respect those who are, as they have found their way, and if it is a way of peace, then it is to be celebrated. I try to be a good person, and I try to interact with my fellow residents of the planet in a polite, courteous and complimentary manner. Perhaps I have my own religion, however, the staples of Christianity, Islam, Buddism etc., all have aspects in their writings that most folks cherry pick from, as a guide, for interacting with our fellow human beings.
With the likes of any negative aspects, permeating within any religion (and I do bear in mind the religious crusades which my own country became involved with a few hundred years ago do apply here), some folks have their own negative agenda’s. These people hide in the shadows cast by the good orators within any religion. Slavery was a crime against one section of humanity. Women have suffered throughout history, at the hands of the X-Y chromosomes of society. The good, peaceful, teachers re-educate ourselves regarding what is downright right, and what is downright wrong. We learn from from our burns historically, and are wary of any future evil that does raise it’s head from time to time. We have seen that beast in previous incarnations.
Entrance to Ploetzensee Prison. Here the Nazis executed hundreds of Germans for their opposition to Hitler.
The last World War showcased how those with their own negative agenda’s, educated the most fearful in society, that their way was THE way. Those native German citizens, who were brave enough to speak out against the unspeakable, were in time, executed. Some 100,000 German nationals were executed in specially constructed execution venues in Berlin, for not towing the party line. We should remember these people. The folks that come up with these negative perspectives on society (blonde haired blue eyed young folks are all very fine, but what if those blonde haired blue eyed young folks were Jewish?). That regime ‘dictated’ you could cherry pick your own fruit from the store of prejudice. The truth of any mis-education is that, whatever your agenda might be, it will be short lived, as the public at large will put up with so much, after which, there is revolution. The silent majority will state, ‘enough is enough’ and will always prevail.
Those who look for differences in our species, deny the undeniable aspects of commonality. We all breath, need water, require food to power our carcasses, pro-create in the same way, fall in love, have families, fear death, and wonder about what will truly be there following our own demise. Above all, remember, we all bleed.
The educators of yesterdays gunmen might want to go read the books that they refer to as justification for their actions. Those books are not simply there to have words cut out with scissors, and pasted together, in a random order, creating some sort of poorly translated ethical ransom note. They were written to guide those, who wish to believe their respective teachings, regarding how to interact in peace with their fellow man, woman or child. That is true for all of your Gods, so may your God go with you in peace.
Following the massacre in the coffee shop in Australia, a very positive use of social media led to White Australians posting messages on social media, notifying their Muslim brothers and sisters, that, if they were fearful of reprisals following the acts of one misguided murderer, they would be prepared to meet-up and ride on public transport with them, in order they might feel safe on a bus or train from reprisals. This is the silent majority, flexing it’s peacemaking muscles, making society stronger. The French could do the same as their Australian brothers and sisters for those Muslims who follow the peaceful teachings of the Quran? Not a great leap of faith, but more like, ‘faith leaping’ in to intervene.
It was pleasing to see gatherings of people in silent protest, in cities across the planet. 2014 felt like a year we lost the true value of life. It is now up to ourselves to turn our existences into precious commodities. Three gunmen do not voice the feelings of the many. They voice the emptiness of the scared, the confused and the weak.
Toby Walker 8.1.15.
interesting...
(thanks tim)
nelson mandela
It has been just over a week since the passing of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. In the last hundred years, he, along with Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, are probably the three greatest spiritual political leaders. When I use the word ‘spiritual’, I refer to the elevation of the individual to a higher level than the rest of us. Some folks call it the moral high ground, however, all told, these are the people our teachers educate our children to learn from. They are the barometers of struggle, morality and decency, which will prevail no matter the suffrage they have each had to personally endure, and it is this fight against injustice that binds these individuals, thus giving them their greatness.
Nelson, Mahatma and Martin were all from varing backgrounds. None of them were ever financially motivated, or sought wealth, they just pursued justice for each of their humanitarian concerns. I look at myself, and wonder what my contribution to society might be? Pretty pitiful all told, in comparison to these guys, who spoke their peace, quietly and concisely, and their people listened.
Nelson, Mahatma and Martin will have their names written onto the walls of history. Others who have their names carved alongside these great people (the likes of Margaret Thatcher, Harold Wilson, Ronald Reagan etc.) are far lesser individuals as their 'fame' is based upon the foundations of mistrust and conflict. Their names will be overshadowed by those people of peace. Those who achieve a spiritual level of existence, will have their words or teachings wriiten into many a scholarly curriculum. The preachers of peace make the rest of us better people, by showing us a greater way forward.
george osborne
The happenings since Nelson’s passing have been fascinating within political circles. Our own David Cameron was keen to be the first to pay tributes to the ex South African President. In his eagerness to ‘get in there first’, he inadvertently highlighted how lightweight he is as a human being and a politician. He isn’t even half the man Nelson was. Worse still were the ‘heartfelt’ tributes of his chancellor George Osborne. Cameron makes Osborne look lightweight, so you have an idea of the stature of the individual in concern here. Problem with George is, only a few months ago, he was shedding tears at the funeral of Margaret Thatcher. Her government had a policy of dealing with the ANC as they did with the provisional IRA. Viewed as terrorists, all told. I have heard politicians trying to backtrack on the woman’s political standing, however, history is unmovable. If it looks like a dog, sounds like a dog, chases cats and licks the marrow out of a bone, it is probably of a canine disposition.
spot the states-person (she is on the right)
Jesse Jackson fought back tears when the American people voted in Barack Obama. The first Black U.S. President. Barack certainly has a more statesmanly way about him, however, the photo opportunity of him, good old ‘I got in there first’ David Cameron, and the Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, showcased the lot of them in a very unstatesmanly and negative aspect, especially regarding the funeral ceremony taking place at the time. When was the last time you attended the funeral of a loved one? Can’t imagine any of you thinking to yourself ‘what a great time for a selfie’. How very bizarre. Nelson Mandela was a greater human being than all three of those fools. Barack should have known better. It would appear that Michele Obama was the only person with any respect and dignity to come out of this sorry episode. If I was American, I would watch this woman. Something about her that would bring something to the political world stage, that is lacking in 2013.
basil d'oliveira
I grew up during the Sixties. I have memories, even at that early age, of Dusty Springfield refusing to tour South Africa due to the treatment of the Black majority. I remember the cricketer Basil D’Oliveira being refused entry to the country, to simply play his sport, due to the colour of his skin. Although many of you may think the world is a terrible place in 2013, it was worse in many aspects some forty or so years ago. The British government supported the South African regime, during the Conservative periods in office. Labour deliberated over the system down there, but it took some twenty five further years, for the Afrikaans to see the error of their ways. David Cameron’s government portray’s themselves as the caring face of capitalism. 'Caring' and 'Capitalist' are contradictions in terms. Look up the definitions in your dictionaries.
For U.S. site visitors, a couple of facts regarding our David and his deputy Nick, here in the U.K. In the last general election here in 2010, no-one won a majority which gave them the right to form a government. If Nick Clegg had decided to throw his hat in with Gordon Brown, it would be Gordon having a quick ‘selfie’ with Barack and Helle. Cameron is there by chance, and not through the will of the British people. Nick Clegg’s party’s main policy in their constitution is proportional representation. If they had their way, Nick ought not be in power either, as his party came in third, behind Gordon Brown. He currently leads a liberal party, making policy within the U.K., without a mandate, and is against their political party’s belief’s. Gordon Brown came in second, but Cameron did not get enough votes to form a government. So, all told, the British people did not want anything on offer back in 2010, so we are being run by a goverment, comprised of a party that believed Nelson Mandela was a terrorist (‘but we think he is really cool now’!) and a party which is prepared to drop anything it stands for, in order to get into power. It is exactly this which makes Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi better people than the rest of us. You believed in their teachings, because they believed in their teachings.
george w. bush
A quick question now? When did the United States government take Nelson Mandela off their most wanted international terrorist list? The Eighties? After his release in 1990? The answer is 2008. Five years ago. When Nelson was the South African president, he was also wanted in the U.S. on terrorist charges. Now, even more surprising, who took him off the aforementioned list? Barack Obama? No. It was George W. Bush. I take my hat off to the man on that front, as, for the most part, I believe the guy not to be the sharpest knife in the political drawer, so to speak.
All of these issues showcase one thing, in my own mind, and that is that we should all ask ourselves ‘who is the wisest of us all’? ‘Who has the right to stand up and proclaim themselves to be more righteous than the next person?’ Certainly not me or you. Should we take guidance from those who ordain themselves into high positions of public life? What of those parents, who inform their children that ‘they should listen to their father’, or ‘mummy is always right’. After all is said and done, it is the belief of the individual that they should fight for what is right, protest peacefully, and believe in themselves that, to quote Martin Luther King, that their ‘truths should be self evident’. If someone tells you they are great, or hold some ficticious position of authority over you, as an equal human being, question that assertion. Who has the right to look down their nose at their fellow human being? An insecure soul, perhaps? Nature dictates that we are all created equal, and, as Nelson said himself, ‘No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite’.
Nelson Mandela was a truly great human being. We will see his like again, as we said the same things after Martin Luther King died, and Mahatma previously to that great man. Problem is these people don’t come along like London buses. London buses are all the other politicians, who tell you they have all the answers, but are, in truth, truly the King's or Queen's Court Jesters.
‘Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth’ Mahatma Gandhi
‘Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter’ Martin Luther King
‘For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others’ Nelson Mandela
Toby Walker 14.12.13.
the middle classes
Wimbledon Tennis is a sporting event I look forward to each year. Why so? I am not a great fan of the sport. Soccer is my game. Wimbledon watching is not to witness the first Scotsman (not British, but Scottish) in 70 (or so) years win the tournament since Fred Perry. Not to see if Serena Williams can out growl Sharapova enough to make all our ears bleed? No it is more subtle than that. The Wimbledon Tennis tournament showcases the best examples of the middle classes ‘day out’ in the U.K., no matter whereabouts in the world your roots are based. Those who say there is nothing elitist about the whole event should ask themselves ‘would you imagine a young male from a council estate attending one of the days during the Wimbledon fortnight, let alone queueing up all night for tickets’? I can’t imagine one of the ‘treasures’ from the Jeremy Kyle shows leaving the studio and telling a friend they are going to one of the outside courts at Wimbledon to see how Laura Robson is getting on? No pints of lager top in Wimbledon. Strawberries and cream are the order of the day, and why not? You have a good, well paid job in middle management, and you have earned your day out with the best of the U.K. celebrities attending this year. Only problem is, the recession has hit these middle managers fairly cruelly in the last few years, so who is it who really goes to Wimbledon in 2013?
john cleese, ronnie barker and ronnie corbett - upper, middle and lower classes
The British have a fascination with class. The basis of this fixation is beautifully showcased by the Peter Cook, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, classic class sketch, showing the tallest, looking down on the middle, in turn looking down on the lower. In the last 25 years, from Thatcher to Blair to Cameron, the powers that be have tried to make all U.K. residents feel ‘classless’. This transition may have begun with the best intentions, however, it has failed miserably. The Cleese, Barker, Corbett sketch highlights that society is fundamentally prejudiced. Doom and gloom? I think that you only have to look around you and cherry pick one of several examples. A good test are the powers of ‘stop and search’ utilised by our police forces across the U.K. Talk to any Black U.K. resident, and a 99 percent response would be, ‘yes the police are institutionally prejudiced’. I think there are many White U.K. residents who would agree with that conclusion. I am one of them. The police operate with the consent of the U.K. population, therefore, it is not a leap of faith to deduce that, if White folks consent to the police’s methods, then we condone all methods in the police’s functional capacity. We may be met with a chorus of ‘nonsense’ from the middle classes, however, if it looks like a dog, goes ‘woof woof’, chases cats, and does its ‘business’ wherever it wants...it is more than likely to be a dog.
the great john cooper clarke
So we have one standard set for one aspect of society, another set for the rest of us. The middle classes are, by and largely, those who look to better themselves, at the cost of those who are deemed to be lesser persons in their own personal perspectives. If you believe that you are superior to another person, it follows that you will feel you occupy a more senior standing within society. I spoke to a woman a few months ago now, who informed me I was middle class. I, personally, don’t feel that I am. Why not? Well, I am prepared to get my hands dirty to get a job completed, and from my own perspective, someone who is middle class does not do that. They ask another (perceived) lesser member of society to do the dirty work for them. I asked her who she believed was working class. She cited the women who protested at Greenham Common, against the installation of Nuclear Weapons in the U.K. back in the Eighties. Those she spoke to believed that the working classes could be classified as ‘those who have never read a book’. Surprised me that comment, as these women were supposedly empathising with ‘the little person’ in society. A class based perspective if ever there was one. Made me wonder if I described John Cooper Clarke as middle class, to his face, whether I would find myself picking my carcass up off the floor! He certainly would perceive himself to be a working class man, whose writings are now part of the National Educational Curriculum in the U.K. Must have read a book then!
So, is this society classless? Not as long as human nature showcases it’s enduring behavioural characteristics. All humans want to better themselves in society, whether it is at a base level, of bigotry, based upon sex or race, or whether it is through a personally perceived superior intellect. The latter live their lives within the confines of their skull. It is a shame, however, given a lack of human contact, a few papers and a computer, we can all become a self ordained Ayn Rand. ‘When I die, so does the universe’, that woman believed. After she died, she would never know, but I can still kick a football around my backyard, so the world is undeniably still spinning.
wimbledon 'celebrities'
The aspect of classlessness did our younger folks a disservice over the last quarter of a century. We told our children that the comprehensive school they used to attend, is now a ‘centre for excellence’. They would be leaving school and going straight into university (even the poorest kids), which would give them armfuls of qualifications for elite jobs within industry, and the menial tasks would be carried out by ‘others’. So, we built up ego’s within the new younger elite, which have not served the cherubs well when going out into the big wide world. Problem was, the money men in the States and the U.K. were operating an uncontrollable get rich quick system, which would ultimately, fail our ‘stars from our centres of excellence’. Those who looked for employment in the higher earning sectors would find their certificates of excellence, worthless in the new millennium. Moreover, we lost the plot regarding the basic necessities of life. No longer are the essentials, shelter, food and a warm place to live and wash your clothes, vital life requirements. Today, you can add the iPhone. I see the homeless with iPhones in Britain today. Phone before food. Yikes!
boredom and peter laundry
So whilst we were informing our middle class cherubs their future would be bright and shiny, how would we convince those in the Ronnie Corbett sector of society that they are the new middle classes? Well, before the money markets went pear-shaped, we would celebrate the class from which these kids were born into. The Jeremy Kyle shows (him again!), Boredom and Peter Laundry’s day to day real life experience T.V. series, would celebrate, to all intents and purposes, ‘stupidity’. Stories that ran through the soap operas of the late nineties and early 2000’s were constructed from those who sought notoriety through suspect behavioural characteristics. Those who behaved badly, became celebrities. We had successfully relocated those from the poorer backgrounds of society into celebrities, which in turn, found many asking the perfectly reasonable question ‘what are these guys famous for’? The old working classes now did not have to work anymore. The worse their behaviour, the more famous they became.
So who now were going to fix our fridge if it broke, or rewire our electrical circuits? The same rules were applied to the job sector, as those rules previously adopted by the educational system. Tell these people that these are working in ‘positions of excellence’ within society. Problem with this thinking is, if these guys began to believe the hype, up would go our domestic bills, however, this would not be a problem as we are all now middle class and can afford it! Nurse! Where is the cheap labour from the old ex Soviet block countries when we need it? Oh, here it is!
The economic mess has placed the middle classes on the spot. Those who did well before the crash, probably had enough to get by on. Those who had not geared up and gone along with the hype, would probably get by as they always have done. Those who had extended themselves, financially, were in trouble. These last few years have relocated the poorest back into a place of ‘less than excellence’. We now have a middle class comprised of those who are, either, well off, but complain about how poor they are (annoying when a couple earning £60,000 a year think they are suffering when half the population get by on less than £20,000 a year for an annual income), or those who are simply living a lie. The latter group worry me. They show themselves, by using peer comparisons a great deal. Comparing yourself with your peers leads to vanity and bitterness.
One ‘life observation’ I make from time to time, is to go to a supermarket which is regularly frequented by those who perceive themselves to be middle class. In these places, the dispositions of many of the customers are showcased by looks of depression and, at times, anger. Go to the working class person’s supermarket. You pays your money, you makes your choice as to which establishment is which. In these places, you hear much more banter. Sure folks are buying less, however, they are content with their brief wallow in the class system, but have decided the ‘whispering classes’ are not for them.
young hawkin, wilde and bowie
All told, unless you have been born into aristocracy (which may not mean you have been born into wealth for that matter) or you were the child of a pit worker, class is all about your own personal perception of where you stand in the great scheme of things. You might think you have the wit of Oscar Wilde, the intellect of Stephen Hawkin, or the style of David Bowie. In your head you can be all these things, but do bear in mind, that the world exists outside your head, and one person’s poverty are another person’s riches. To me Stevie Wonder is rich, whilst Ayn Rand was concerning, (and was one cent short of a full economic recovery!)
wimbledon 'fans'
These guys at Wimbledon (above), would, probably have told Andy Murray he was Scottish, if he had lost the final at Wimbledon. British if we won. Everyone loves a winner, even if we don’t fully grasp the sense of occasion! Next week, these guys wouldn’t be able to tell you who is the world number one tennis player, or where the next major tournament is being held. Wimbledon is all about social standing. It is why we see no young tennis players, who, say, were once part of a gang associated with street crime. After all, why would a young thug aspire to seek a nod of approval from a section of society who would smile in your face, but crucify you once you had departed Centre Court. The final at Wimbledon sees an audience comprising of celebrity, the BBC journalists (news readers for the middle classes) congregating en-mass, along with those who have a disposable income, which allows them to mix with the rich and famous, giving the individual a feeling of ‘societies approval’.
Over the years I have felt alienated from these people. Square peg etc. I attended a grammar school, but had little or nothing in common with those who sat in the same lessons that I attended. Very plain looking young men and women (at the girls version of the boys school), who seemed to believe they had ‘arrived’ in society, therefore, they had suddenly become hugely attractive people, hugely in-demand, yet all I could see were some rags once the attire of an emporer in a tale from my childhood! Happy to leave the place, and mix with the ‘real world’.
Your own position in society is down to you. One word of warning though. In your ongoing efforts to improve your standing in society, bear in mind that ethic groups, religious folks, proud people of colour, gay people, women, residents of other countries etc (all sections within the scheme of things, utilised by many of the middle classes as stepping stones, in order to elevate these particular folks perceptions of their own personal status within society), none these guys should be viewed as any lesser person, or greater person than yourself. Truth be told, there are two sections of all society. Good folks and not so good folks. The former far outweigh the latter, thankfully. A fact I believe to be undeniable. Preoccupation with class leads to disenfranchisement within many sections of society, which simply serves none of us well. We would all miss out in the long run, in time, and waste the vast proportion of our lives (which could be better spent mixing with like minded folks, and listening to great music!).
Toby Walker 12.7.13.
baroness margaret hilda thatcher
In 1990, the world saw the distant figure of Nelson Mandela, walking from his prison on Robben Island to freedom, a man who came to represent all of the positive aspects of humanity, and the fight against the wicked apartheid regime in South Africa. People sung about the freeing of Nelson for the larger part of the previous decades. In Britain, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at the time, Margaret Thatcher described the man, walking into the light of the media some 23 years ago, as a terrorist. Pro-Thatcherite politicians might point out that it was the ANC the Iron Lady referred to as a terrorist organisation. ‘Semantics’ might be an appropriate term in dealing with that particular subject, as Nelson would almost certainly tell the world ‘if you label my colleagues as terrorists, then you label me the same’.
1990
As for Mrs Thatcher, well she presided over a very dark era in U.K. politics between 1979 and 1990, in my humble opinion. Her passing I regret, mainly for her children’s sake. Carol Thatcher is a good person. I would wish that Mrs Thatchers children not be upset. Therefore I would wish mrs Thatchers children have their parent around them to give them company and comfort for as long as possible.
If I said I was devastated at the passing of the Iron Lady, I would be a hypocrite. All told, I feel somewhat indifferent. I saw the first female prime minister as a hugely positive development in 1979, even allowing for the fact that she was a Tory. Personally, I have always carried the flag of the working person. Fair days pay, for a fair days work etc. Very quickly Mrs T began to let the stature of women down immensely. Those women who would support the Iron Lady, would, by and largely, be those over the age of 65, with a sizeable amount of disposable income, a blue rinse, with a political leaning far to the right of most of the U.K. populous. ‘Better during wartime’ type of generation.
jim callaghan
Almost one year after appearing on the steps of Downing Street, she had quickly declined into becoming the least popular Prime Minister of the twentieth century. This was a a very speedy decline, bearing in mind that the clumsy Labour government, led by the Labour right winger Jim Callagahan, had led the country to ruin in a very short time period in the late seventies. Good old Jim was never elected into power at a general Election. he was elected leader following Harold Wilson’s resignation in 1976. All told, the job was too big for Jim, so everything, progessively, went pear shaped, ending up with the Winter of Discontent. What saved Mrs T’s skin, shortly after coming to power, was something of a ‘happy accident’ for the Iron Lady. It came as a result of a cost cutting exercise introduced shortly after she was elected into office.
In the late Seventies, the British foreign secretary, Dr. David Owen (yes he soon to create the SDP at the time) was overseeing the dealings with all of the U.K.’s oversea’s territories, one of which were the small islands in the South Atlantic, namely the Falkland Islands. Fairly regularly, across this time, the Argentines, who long claimed the islands as Argentine owned, would despatch a boat or two towards the islands, as a show of interest in bringing the Falklands under Argentine rule. The usual protocols across this period were, they send their boats, we send down a warship, they back off, the status quo is maintained. When Mrs T came into power, this despatching of vessels became discontinued. Galtieri, another politician, with a weak agenda and standing, sought political capital by sending out his small fleet again, however this time, no British ships to usher them away. The Falklands were landed on, and two political careers were laid on the line. History is now written, that Galtieri had to back off eventually, and the Iron Lady went from zero to hero overnight domestically. She won election after election, and made Middle England feel great about themselves. Great if your situation was a wealthy white one, however, if you stood for the working classes, you became described by the Iron Lady as ‘the enemy within’. ‘The Enemy?’
Mrs Thatcher was the darling of the media. Whilst managers and wealthy employers were described in the media as ‘offering and proposing’ during disputes, the working classes were depicted as ‘claiming and demanding’. The Sun newspaper was the comic for the working person, where you would read just how greedy and demanding you really are, so here is a woman without a t-shirt on to cheer you up. That ought to advance the profile of women in society!
Perhaps the biggest misadventure of Mrs Thatcher's reign, manifested itself in her crusade against the Trades Union’s. If they could be broken, then you would break the Labour Party, who were set up by the Union’s to represent the working classes. Employers could employ workers for much less money, and without Union intervention. Whilst Mrs Thatcher concentrated on the Mining union’s, the other union’s suffered, spooling into decline in the mists of conflict. Mrs Thatcher put hundreds and thousands of working people out of jobs. This was largely funded by the proceeds of North Sea Oil. That oil brought in 17 thousand million into the coffers of the treasury. The large part of that sum would be spent on keeping people on the dole, thus breaking the working classes rights, and more importantly, their will. The rest of the funds were blown on a huge party held in the City of London. Greed is good, unions are evil.
The banking institutions always used to be the financial fortresses in which we kept our hard earned finances, some to, perhaps, to pay for life long medical treatment, some for pensions later in life. The banks roles were turned around. The way we looked at these institutions were reinvented by the ‘Iron will’. The monies held within these institutions were now released into the hands of financial gamblers, who played on the stock markets with peoples lifelong savings, in the hope that they might reap huge rewards for the treasury, and more so, themselves in bonuses. ‘They don’t need to know what derivatives are, they sound reliable don’t they?’ (the taking out of a loan, whose collateral is another loan of an unknown stability). We are told by those on the markets that stock values can go up, as well as go down. Still, it did not matter, whilst the oil flowed, so did the champagne. We were all encouraged to be greedy. Ayn Rand rules. Savings turned to borrowings, and we forgot about our fellow human beings. It is this aspect of Thatcherism, which led to a more selfish society in the Nineties and into the new Millennium. The Labour Party stumbled into reinventing itself, divorcing it’s links to the working person, thus becoming a watered down version of the conservatives. The conservatives blame ‘what they inherited from the previous government’, which is fundamentally an inheritance invented within the money markets, under the tutelage of the Iron Lady, Alan Greenspan, Ayn Rand etc.
Whether you believe that Mrs Thatcher left us as a better nation is very much down to which part of the U.K. you currently reside. In the less affluent north of the U.K., Mrs Thatcher is a dirty word. In the more wealthier southern shires, she is seen as something of a saviour, as many were able to get rich quick utilising her ‘put yourself first’ agenda, however, I would ask you to look at the nation as it stands in 2013. Was this the view of the U.K., which, if we are led to believe by some sections of the media, we have been led into the promised land from the sorry state of affairs in 1979? This morning, one of the right wing journalists in Fleet Street stated that ‘Mrs Thatcher rescued the country from one of the worst depressions of the 20th century’. Right now, the current recession isn’t quite the ‘after party’ I, personally, had envisaged following on from Mrs Thatchers ‘salvation’.
I recently listened to a radio commentator telling his audience that he ‘is sick and tired of people blaming Mrs Thatcher for making us that much more selfish today’. ‘Sick and tired’ seems to indicate that he is being told that viewpoint on something of a regular basis. Lot of folks think the same way I do? Perhaps. Sure, single handedly, Mrs Thatcher could not have made everyone in the City of London greedy, however, I would strongly suggest she played the mood music very loudly, and the guys in the red braces listened in high definition.
I will not miss Mrs Thatcher, not through any vindictive aspect of my own personality. Truth be told, I never knew the grocers daughter from Finchley. Those who did said she was great. I am sad for her children, but sadder for those who lost their lives under her watch, and more so those whose communities were obliterated by her political posturing. Those ‘big ideas’ became a ‘big odours’. The ex conservative Prime minister Ted Heath was once asked ‘what do you think will be Mrs Thatcher’s place in history’? Ted was on the David Frost programme one sunday morning several years ago. I remember him telling Sir David, he believed she would be remembered as a ‘political aberration’. He was a real statesman. I would never have voted for him, personally. I am a Labour man (old school Labour, by the way).
The sight of David Cameron proclaiming Mrs Thatcher's name from the rooftops posthumously, does resonate with something of a hollow sound. Something of the worst aspects of a sycophant in that man. It was Mrs Thatcher's own party that stuck the political knife into the woman, after the debacle which was the Poll tax, circa 1990. Now there was another of her policies which led to the Iron Lady’s final demise. Us? Well we have three of the weakest party leaders I have ever known today, leading each of the parties to the same political destinations, the financial markets in chaos, the European Union creaking under the weight of debt, but we still have Meryl Streep around to give us a dose of ‘what we all know is very good for us’! The good old days? Perhaps a few more statesmen might be the order of the day, statesmen along the lines of the ‘terrorist’ leaders in South Africa!
Margaret Hilda Thatcher....The Iron Lady....'Rust' In Peace...
Toby Walker 9.4.13.
diehard-drive
For the last 23 years I have worked, on many design related projects, using the Apple Computer system. This was by way of an architect (called Ron Heron, who was famous for his concept of Walking Cities in the Sixties) bringing the machines into the design company I was working at at the time. The Apple interface was a great deal less threatening than the PC machines, which took over half of one section of the company, that already existed at the place. Bear in mind, during the late Eighties, the Internet was not widely available, and people were still being admitted into hospitals as a result of injury's dragging their 'mobile' phones around their hometowns. I used to get a lot of grief from families and friends, as the PC machines were seen as the 'serious' computers around. Apple computers were for the design community, but not much else. We all lived through Bill Gates assuming the role of 'God' for a while, then Steve Jobs took over the mantle, and life without an Apple this, or an Apple that, would soon become intolerable for many folks. The computers, thanks to the British designer, Jonathan Ive, have somewhat become works of art, which, (as works of art have a habit of becoming), are quite collectable thesedays.
In recent years, Apple has transformed itself from being a company, who were al also ran, to becoming one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) companies in the World. As with Microsoft, Apple's predecessor, these 'machines' become, very much, money making concerns. They, if they are not very careful, can begin to stare at their proverbial navels, and this current issue with Bruce Willis, his music, and leaving this stuff to his kids, is a good example of just that.
Here, I am in a peculiar place, in as much as, my generation bought hard tactile copies of musical product in the past. We loved the artwork, the changing of the playing sides, and the smell of a new record. My shelves here are full of vinyl albums covering a span of some 50 years or so. I use my music thesedays, in part, to help some stations get this music out there, music which hasn't made CD just yet. Still only around 50 percent of all of the music on vinyl, has ever made it to the digital disc. Those tunes, on the smaller labels, which appeal to the specialist market, may never see the digital light of day. So here I am, working with my tiny section of this product, digitising the music for the radio stations. This is great for the artists. Many of them get in touch with me, here. Charles Drain's grandchildren had never heard their Grandad's music before, so they got in touch here, I CDR'd the album, and returned the disc to it's originator.
john lennon & charles drain
Sounds like a nice story that one, however, I broke the law in doing so, so I was later advised. The act of archiving the analog to digital, made the medium transferable. In theory, I should have paid for the music a second time, although, doing time in San Quentin for doing this seemed a little harsh at the time. Oddly, if I had downloaded a series of mp3's of the album, from someone's blog out there, that is O.K., as I own a copy here on vinyl. So O.K. to receive, but not to give. Well, the digital arts folks caught me bang to rights, I'll pay for what I did, and society is to blame!
Bruce's position is in a place where he will never win any legal cases against Apple. If they can defeat the might of Samsung, it will take a little more than John McClane, and his trusty ripped T-Shirt and wit, to have his way. Oddly, Bruce's argument is a correct one. He has bought all of the music, legally, for his computer, and he wants to leave his music as a legacy to his children. He should be commended for doing so, as I know the man has better taste in music than many folks out there. Apple tell him that he is only 'borrowing' the music for the duration of his life, after which, his kids will have to re-buy the product. Shame as his children's lives would be culturally enriched by the legacy. Just briefly, let's look at another aspect of our day to day lives, and ask ourselves if the same argument should apply in that field.
When children leave home, after falling in love, getting married, and saving for a mortgage, they go looking for a property to live the rest of their lives in. In a similar scenario, the couple would speak to an Estate Agent, who would arrange a mortgage on their behalves, they would move in and begin paying for the place over, say, a 25 year period. What would be the reaction, if the Estate Agent was asked, 'when we pay off the mortgage, we would like to leave our house to our kids', and the response came back, 'I am sorry, but the property will revert back to us following your demise'. Rioting in the streets? Certainly, the government that implemented a policy such as that one, would never move into the halls of power again. So why is the digital medium any different?
The tit for tatting over Charles Drain's album 'digitisation', in theory, may open up the door for a sending in of the bailiff's? Would this mean that my entire record collection could be relocated back to the owners of the rights for the relevant songs? Sure, bit of a long shot, so I spoke to a friend of mine, who used to work for the computer company, and the conversation went round in circles as to who was entitled to do exactly what, and who should be reimbursed for their music. All told, the conclusion did not involve the artist or the customer, but it did involve that huge ocean of finance swashing around out there in the coffers of Apple. We came to two conclusions. One was a kind of Utopian dream (which to be honest with you, I didn't quite comprehend!), or my own way forward, which involves getting as many artists out there, performing live, and that is how the musician will benefit in the long run.
In the Apple stores in my home town, it is interesting listening to the conversations between customers and the staff. I overheard one young girl telling a member of staff how great it will be when she takes her Macbook home, so she can plug it into her best friends computer and download all of her iTunes. The face of the store staff member was a picture, however, there is a serious point here. If this young woman happily does this, thinking she is doing nothing wrong, then the message is not getting out there, is it? I believe recent figures put 'illegal' music downloads at over 90 percent of the music being downloaded at any one point in time. Oddly, if you do the right thing, and pay for the music, as Bruce does, he becomes something of a victim. If you talk to any 'suit' in the industry, you are guilty before any conversation begins, which is odd, as you are trying to behave in a decent and legal way. Do you know where you stand regarding that box of cassettes in your loft? You know, those one's that had stickers telling you that 'home taping was killing music'. In truth, time showed it never did, as music is as perennial as the weather.
As far as the argument, put to Bruce Willis by Apple is concerned, well I would suggest any prosecution lawyer that he has dealings with, he should suggest that they follow their own arguments by handing over their keys, of their own properties, to the Estate Agents after their demise, and their kids go live on the streets!
One artist, who Apple have heavily featured in their marketing in recent years, a certain john Lennon, once stated:
"Music is everybody's possession. It's only publishers who think that people own it."
Toby Walker 7.9.12.
music losing it's way a little?
The two images above don't quite work together, do they? One is of the last great Mississipi Delta Blues players, Pinetop Perkins, the other, the logo for the company, who currently have 61 billion pounds in their petty cash account, and aren't sure what to do with the money. Decisions, decisions! Pinetop passed away in the latter part of last year, as did the previous owner of the said computer company. Both people had a huge influence in the direction of music in the last century, along with this current one. One with creating a piece of enduring musical culture, another making the music available to all. Which of the two had the greatest credibility, all told? One thing they did both have in common, was their contribution to aspects of this culture. I sit at this desk, typing away on the guy from the corporate companies computer, whilst listening to the music of the Mississippi Delta Blues brother on another piece of the computer guys kit. So why are so many folks becoming pre-occupied with the death of the musical ideal in 2012?
A good friend of mine. A guy called Kirkland Burke, sent me a copy of a posting by the excellent Bob Davis, whose Soul Patrol website is held in very high regard by Soul folks across the globe. I hold both of these guys opinions in the highest regard. Bob was writing about the funeral of Whitney Houston. I found myself agreeing with many of the sentiments Bob was expressing regarding a pivotal point in music, which ocurred circa 1990, whereupon some of the younger generation of African Americans dropped their allegiance to the Civil Rights agenda, and seemed to accept some depreciation in the quality of Black culture, accepting a lighter, and more disposable standard of the media on offer to the public. Rap certainly did become less provocative, and more about the abuse of women and the 'length of a person's family jewels'. Public Enemy became 'Public Look at Me'. Arrogance certainly did seem to become the order of the day, although something else was going on in the early nineties. The web did not become a major influence until the latter part of that decade, however, one side effect showcased a change in emphasis, with the MTV generation evolving the look over the substance in the musical environment. The stage became the catwalk, and thus those who had something to say, were suppressed in order for those who had 'the look' to predominate.
kirland burke and bob davis
Whitney Houston's funeral may have seen one of the last of the Civil Rights generation's great Soul singers, heralded as individuals who have made a contribution to Black culture. For myself, I think Whitney's finer moments lay deep within the vinyl walls of her album product, and not so much in the singles format. I am sure I am in the minority with this view, however. Sure the Reverend Jesse Jackson did look tired at Whitney's leaving service. He has completed his own service to the cause, now who will take up the flame and run with it? Rhianna? Beyonce? Chris Brown? Not sure about that. Those who have something to say thesedays are making their voices heard in churches, not on stage. The singers of today, who the suits seem to really want to push center stage, are those who have 'the look', are karaoke singers, or those who have voices like butterflies. That is not to say that music has died. Music has been supressed, that's all.
Culturally, anything which involves creative expression is cyclical. That is to say, what is todays garbage, is tomorrow's high fashion. The tower blocks of yesteryear, are today's luxury high rise apartments. Things are continually being reinvented. The older we get, the more we recognise new fads, as water starts to pass under the same bridge for a second time. I once thought stacks and flared trousers had seen their last days, only for that fashion dinosaur to become ressurrected again in the new millenium. The great operatic dancers of today, move in the same footprints their predecessors used to in decades gone by.
We criticize the musicians of today for doing the same things that our parents used to. Davy Jones of the Monkees recently passed away. His band were artistically supported by Carole King and Neil Diamond in their songwriting capacities. A group formed in the response to the Beatles, who in turn copied the songs from the early Motown artists of their time, and released them on their 'With The Beatles' long player back in the early Sixties. I was a kid then, so I wasn't aware of the R&B roots of the material. These were just great original songs to me, as, I guess, are some the songs of today, which my daughter hears and likes. In turn, I find myself saying to her 'they nicked that from Stevie, or they nicked that from Smokey'. I have just been around long enough to remember the songs from yesteryear, and, as the folks a couple of years older than myself, would have told me about those Beatles songs...'they nicked that from the Isleys and Barrett Strong'. Cyclical as I said. When those older guys were kids, their older siblings would have listened to Elvis and said to their kids 'they nicked that tune from Big Mama Thornton'. Elvis begat the Beatles begat the Monkees etc. I am sure Pinetop would have found a few guys out there, back in the day, who would have begged, borrowed or stole some riff from some other brother...which brings me along to the root of today's issues regarding music, as I understand the genre.
Copying is different from borrowing and developing. How many artists do you hear saying today 'I have been hugely influenced by Donny Hathaway, Aretha or Etta James'. I know Adele likes the latter sister. If you get a moment, go to You Tube and listen to her take on the song 'Make You Feel My Love'. Hugely popular on the 'America, or the U.K.'s Got Karaoke' shows. Then go take a listen to Johnny Bristol's 'Love Me For A Reason'. It is the same melody, in large sections of the song, and in Adele's case, she is probably completely unaware it sounds like any other song other than the Bob Dylan 'original'. The development of the musical medium has to involve the influence of other melodies past. The trick is not to mimick and then add your name to the writing credits. Anyone can do that. Todays charts are full of nursery rhymes set to a disco beat. The trick is to take influences from several points of origin, and then develop those traits. Michael Jackson is a singer who worked this system beautifully. Just his dancing styles borrowed from James Brown, Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly (with a dash of West Side Story thrown in for good measure). He took those influences, adapted them and created something that folks appreciated, crafted from all of those roots. His own recipe.
Music ought to be something that has several aspects, interpreted by the individual, merged into a part of the singers personality and love for the roots of the point of origin, in order to create a whole. If the artist is clever, those roots will be borrowed from places most folks can't remember. It does strike me that the wit and wisdom within the music around today, has been lost somewhere along the line. It does require finding again, as the current musical story is becoming a little repetitive and tedious, and this is where the pundits are beginning to become a little worried. There is an element of 'the comfort zone' which lies within the music. Whether the artists are grouping together for a little 'safety in numbers', who knows? One thing that is very often ignored, is the point that, for any progress to be made culturally, a) you need to know where you have come from to know where you are going to, and b) most importantly, you have to take a few chances. By this, I remember Stevie's 'Innervisions' album being released back in 1973. 'Talking Book' received some great reviews, as it was a fairly safe album of songs, with a hint of the politic ('Big Brother'), however, the papers hated 'Innversions' with a vengeance on first listenings. I took the album out of it's sleeve and put on 'Too High'. A chill ran right down my spine. 'He can't do this. He has ripped the heart out of a Jazz based track and turned it into a Soul Dancer.....this is fantastic'. When was the last time a Modern Soul artist ripped up the template and made folks sit up? Not recently. Could Chris Brown write a song along the lines of 'Too High'? Not a lengthy debating matter.
If you are starting your musical education, I would urge you to listen to as much music as you can, and think laterally. If you create any response to your music, be it positive or not, you are headed in the right direction. Listen to the music in your mum and dad's and friends collections and keep an open mind. Do not mimick. Listen and develop. Gamble. Understand your roots.These are the foundations of your career, and without those, tall buildings have a habit of falling down. Use the new technologies available, and do not dismiss the analogue versions of the music on offer. By a deck. Records are solid state. They will last, as do Compact Discs. Cassette's and Video tapes do not. They have moving parts, so invest your money wisely. Take American Idol and Britain's Gone Barren for what they represent. Light entertainment, not a creative way forward. There lies much of the malaise in today's market. Susan Boyle will never write the likes of 'Living For The City' or 'What's Going On'. She sings other folks songs, that's all. So does my milkman!
where is the love in soul music? - john blake @ cnn
http://www.soul-patrol.com/bd_elmore.pdf
Toby Walker 22.3.12.
not on the outside
I think it was the ancient Japanese warrior Sun Tzu, who one stated that a leader should 'always keep their friends close, but their enemies closer'. Wise words, debatably, although the general jist of the phrase meant that, conflicts could be averted by staying close to those who you felt might do you harm. Winston Churchill stated that 'jaw,jaw, is better than war, war'. I would add that the term 'enemies' is an unhelpful one at the best of times.
The most annoying thing regarding Cameron, Sarkosy and to a lesser extent, Angela Merkel, are they appear to be currently influenced by their domestic situations, at the cost of the bigger picture. They have fallen out with their best mates. The image below is embarrasing for everyone concerned. The Camereon/Sarkosy 'love-in' of a few months ago, both couples sitting almost wife swapping (:)) has seemed to have become a playground spat. Two naughty little boys 'not talking to each other'.
Cameron came to power a year and a half ago. He didn't have enough votes to get in to office, so the Liberal Democrats had the say as to whether they got into bed with the Labour Party, or the Tories. They chose the latter, when it boils down to it, viewing the situation along the lines of 'a change is as good as a rest'. Sarkozy on the other hand, has an election to fight in six months time, and his ratings are not great domestically, whilst Angela Merkel has her own election a year later. She has to fight off two candidates, who are also performing pretty well, currently.
What transpired a week ago in Brussels had nothing to do with the current economic crisis for a couple of very good reasons. Firstly, Britain has no say in how the Euro functions at any time. We sit in at these meetings, but don't say much for most of the time. Sure, the decision making will affect the markets, but bear in mind, we had no say in the sub prime market fiasco in the States, yet we had a very friendly relationship with our special friends over there. Secondly, these talks in Brussels didn't amount to a huge hill of beans, anyhow. The finances Europe were proposing to place into the Euro slush fund, (remember, to help 26 countries within the EEC), amounted to some 200 billion. The financial markets had hoped for a figure nearing a Trillion Euro's. This meeting drifted. It became nationalistic, at a time Europe needed to come together, however, our leaders drifted us further apart.
As a U.K. citizen, I deal with many companies and folks within the E.E.C. What has become apparent in recent times, is the malaise that has spread throughout my own country, has spead across the E.E.C. Politicians are the problem, and they have the solutions, but none of them have the backbone to deal with the pressing issues that affect many ordinary working people, walking the streets of London, Paris or Berlin. We are concerned about finances. Jobs, Education, the sense we are being governed. In the U.K., for a long time, I have felt segregated from our politicians. A sense of not being governed. They go to the House of Commons or House Of Lords each day, take a good sized holiday (at which time the country goes through periods of civil disobedience), and look at their positions as a job for life. None of them have any conviction. No Statesmen or women anymore. Just a person with the letters 'MP' after their name.
everything is going so 'swimmingly'
In the U.K., David Cameron and Nick Clegg are in power by default. No majority voted for either of them. We have the bizarre situation where a Labour leader gets a sizeable chunk of votes more than his Liberal Democrat opponent, and the minority candidate gets political power, from within a party, whose political policy of choice is proportional representation! A U-Turn in policy no matter which piece of political clothing you take from the manifesto wardrobe. Nick Clegg is furious with his political bed mate, as he wanted to be sat at a table, quite rightly, along with the rest of Europe, taking part in putting the system back in order. Cameron decided to appease his own party critics in 'standing up for Britain', at the tables of decision. Sure a few lunatics in his own party think he has done the right thing, however, he has distanced himself, and the U.K., from the decision making process. We now have no say, Sarozy can rightly say 'there I told you so..those fish and chip eating English...', whilst scoring a few domestic political points of his own . Angela Merkel is the cat that got the cream right now, as her own domestic standing will have improved, whilst she also has the bonus ball of another year to wait before she goes to the German people.....but hold on a moment....jingo-ism aside, we are ALL in deep financial 'shirt'!....
...stepping backstage a little, lets look at the bigger picture. This crisis was born out of greed. The bankers in 2007-2008 we high on finance. Addicts if you will. Out of control, strutting around the financial institutions, without regulation. They took and took and became the unacceptable face of capitalism. Was the decision to loan to folks who couldn't pay the money back, for folks to buy their own homes in the U.S. a sensible one? If you and I haven't enough money in the bank to buy a new car, we make do with the old one. You and I know how to balance our own books. At the time, here in the U.K., we had bundles of letters daily dropping through the mail box telling us we should borrow this, and borrow that, in order that the interest on the monies could be placed in the hands of criminals in the city, who lent money using bad debt as collateral in the first place. Nurse! When the financial institutions went belly up, their employees carried on regardless. The U.S. had to be bailed out. The Japanese and the Chinese gave the U.S. a trillion dollars each. They were about to lose a market they could not afford to lose. The U.K. loaned the States 360 billion. No-one could allow the home of the capitalist system to fail. The sum the U.K. gave to the States has funded Barak Obama's 'get the people back to work' project, so I guess that is something.
Europe is a series of 'States', each of whom have their own political system. In the U.S. the geography meant that pulling the States together would take time, however this was not an insurmountable matter. In Europe, for the system to work, we have to all have a say, and we all have to compromise. This means that, in the current state of affairs, those who have, have to help those who do not. The French and the Germans have, the Italians and the Greeks do not. Those who have, need to ask themselves a couple of questions. Do we truly want closer Union? Are we prepared to pay for that Union? The U.K. is a problem in as much as the U.K. is inherently 'conservative'. Notice I wrote 'conservative' with a small letter 'c'. Sure we flirt with 'the left' from time to time. Historically we used to swing from the right to the left, politically, every four years, therefore Europe did not know what to make of us. Thesedays I have never seen such a weak bunch of party leaders. You cannot put a cigarette paper in between the three leaders. Hell, it is hard to make out who is who at times! This, however, could help Europe, as there has never been a better time to bring the U.K. on board. Essentially, the U.K. has three Liberal parties at the moment. Coke, Pepsi and Sainsbury's own brand! What transpired last week was a fall out over not a great deal. Sarkozy and Cameron behaved in a very juvenile manner. They should grow up!
The solution to the economic crisis is simple. Those who have (including the U.K.) need to work out a strategy between themselves. Bring calmness to the economic Euro Zone. Look at it this way. If I build up a huge bill on a credit card, what is the most helpful way forward? Jumping up and down, screaming at the neighbours? Might make me feel better in the short term, however, I will at some stage have to pick up the phone and talk to the institution to work out a way I can afford to pay back the money. It would be nice, in the U.K., to perhaps see more co-operation within all parties. Treat the financial crisis like any other crisis we have been though over the years. Get the best brains together from all of the parties, bring in the governor of the Bank of England, and sit in the 'war room' until the markets have stabliized. These people in power should look at the civil disturbances from last summer here. Hell, the Statesmen of years gone by, would have addressed the nation right now. Cameron, Miliband and Clegg could 'dither for Britain' at next year's Olympics, if they included 'dithering' as an event! People are fearful and are looking for strong government. All that there seems to be on the table right now are 'Cops out of Keystone' who won't talk to each other.
Toby Walker 12.12.11.
Received some e-mail this week from some folks oversea's, by and large, supporting and empathising with the folks living in the U.K. at the moment. 'Empathy' is a word which should be taught to children from a very young age. The dictionary definition reads:
'empathy: noun - the ability to understand and share the feelings of another'
Speak to most folks and they would say they thoroughly empathise with their fellow humans, and I, in my 'gold coloured spectacled' view of the World, do truly believe that the silent majority of us do just that. Curtis Mayfield said that most folks he met anywhere in the World, were pretty much the same. They 'had so many fears, shed so many tears, and died in so many years', a sentiment imparted on 'No Thing On Me' from the 'Superfly ' soundtrack. When we get bored, we empathise less. When we are not busy, the idle mind becomes the devil's workshop.
These last few tragic days this August were supposed to be all based upon the controversial shooting of this man.
mark duggan
His name was Mark Duggan. He was 29 and was shot by the police in Ferry Lane in Tottenham, North London a few days ago. Mark's shooting left a lot of unanswered questions, and the Police admitted as much. A complaints procedure was in place, and Mark was used by many folks involved in the rioting, as the reason why the troubles had transpired. It quickly became apparent that the man's family wanted nothing to do with the troubles, however, those with anarchistic intentions thought otherwise.
Yesterday evening the courts were in session throughout the night, dealing with a huge backlog of arrests, in an attempt to free up the jails of those who were less likely to recommit a crime. Overnight, as the procession of the guilty ones left the courts, it became apparent that there were those involved, whose places within the community made the public wonder. Not groups of young feral youths, but assistant teachers, graphic designers, parents of children, daughters of millionairres, ex-military, the list was surprising.
To undestand the mix of people involved in these riots, the groups by and large polarize into three sections in these particular troubles. Firstly, there are the individuals mentioned above. Secondly, there are those who are represented by the individuals shown on the television pictures above. This particular situation was very disturbing. A young Asian man had been knocked from his bike, hit and the two individuals above, helped him to his feet, and then when he was on his feet, proceeded to rifle through his bag and took away his belongings, leaving the dazed man on his own. One of these individuals has now been arrested, thankfully.
On an average day in the U.K., the general public in this area would have aided the injured man, and made sure he had reached the emergency services. During times of civil unrest, the residential population, by and largely, is made up of those without empathy. Those who are the 'behaviourable buffers' to the unruly vacate the scene. What remains are opportunists who are unshameable, and society would struggle to find a useful role within day to day life for these people. They are allowed to behave in this way, as the silent majority move away from the vicinity, and the worst aspects of human nature gravitate towards each other. No one can understand what goes through the minds of these individuals, because, by and large, not a great deal does at the best of times. The act as a single cell organism.
So who are the third group which comprises 'the whole'? These are the organisers. Hard to catch as, back in the Fifties and Sixties, these people whould gather in one place to discuss a robbery, stakeout etc. In 2011, you do not have to arrange these meetings. Get togethers can be conducted on mobile phones or online. The spread of the troubles indicate that the venues for the destruction were pre-arranged. Who was aware of the shooting of Mark Duggan in Manchester or Wolverhampton? Which rioter in these locations even knew who Mark Duggan was? These people are anarchists, who, as with the lone gunman in Norway attempted but failed to do, wanted to destablise the status quo. They try to make the issues race related, or of a religious nature. Smash the system? Possibly, although the system is propped up by the silent majority, and the silent majority's wishes always prevail in the long term.
Responses to the riots were put forward by politicians and pundits alike. In order for any of these matters to be dealt with, the numbers at the centre of the riots must be thinned down. Perhaps a different arrangement for a potential riot than at other times regarding the policing role might be an option? If, perhaps, a message was sent out that the police might be a little more 'active' in their responses to possible upcoming hot spots, those who are millionaires daughters, graphic designers or teaching assistants, might re-evauluate any involvement in any further 'evening activities'. That would leave the organisers and those without empathy out there for the police to deal with directly. Those who wanted water canon to be used, well there is only one in the U.K. It is Northern Ireland right now.
As usual, the political responses have been woeful. London had 16,000 policemen on the streets of London last night. The exact number who will lose their jobs in political cost cutting in London over the next three years.
David Cameron stated that Britain was 'broken' when he (partially) came to power. He then said Britain wasn't broken, and now he tells us that parts of our society are sick. Perhaps he might like to make a choice of political standpoint right now? What exactly are we? 'Broken' or 'sick'. He may be making the noises of a Statesman, however, his rhetoric is very childlike in many ways. 'Stop rioting, or I will hold my breath until I am dead'!! He told us we were 'all in this together'. No we were not. He was in Tuscany at the time the riots broke out, and it was there he had his George W Bush/9/11 moment. Stayed there 'monitoring the situation' before deciding to run the country. Very easy to say that a government is going to be tough on the unruly. People would like to know how, and how this enforcement will be funded. For instance, how can a government lose 16,000 policemen, and still maintain a constant level of performance?
Cameron's Home Secretary, Teresa May, was also on a continental break, and so was the London 'embarrassment', Boris Johnson. They all had to come back from their respective breaks, (that are out of the current financial reaches of certain teaching assistants, parents etc), proving they are all in it together, but it is a slightly different 'togetherness' than the rest of us. Nick Clegg's response was shock followed by tough talk from a political sheep. Ed Milliband's response was far too late and contained nothing radical, and it should have done. Parliament was recalled, and they were told that they could claim for any expenses incurred in the recalling of the rest of the sheep to the House of Commons! Nothing changes there.
The one voice of common sense, in all of this, came from this man:
Tarmiq Jahan
His name is Tarmiq Jahan. The picture he is holding is a photo of his son. One of three men killed when they were run over, intentionally, by those from the section of the rioters who are those without empathy. He spoke quietly and clearly about his son, what a great person he was, how terribly he was hurting, and how we are all living in the same country and asked the question 'why are we doing these things to each other?' Certainly not in Mark Duggan's name. The true perpetrators are those who organise the anarchy. They will turn one brother against another. Ghandi wrote a book entitled 'All Men Are Brothers'. He stated that 'Western civilisation was a 'very good idea'. It is an idea which has not yet reached fruition. Personally, I am very proud that we have people such as Tarmiq living in the country I was born into.
The causes of the riots are almost certainly related to the austerity measures, and the anarchist mindset that emerges during similar periods in our history. Society does not get assistant teachers, graphic designers and young mothers out stealing from broken retail outfits, without there being a yearning for items that they cannot afford on a day to day basis. Greed is a part of the problem, but not the sole reason. This is formed out of a tapestry of peoples perceptions of injustice's, mainly born out of fear and worry about the future (especially if the government is weak).
Folks are also finding the recession deeply depressing. Carte blanche to do whatever they wish for those rioters without empathy, I guess. What we do with these guys is anyone's guess. It seems that in jails, to keep the prisoners from rioting, we give them phones, televisions and computers to keep the peace. In the wider society, if a person can steal from a badly injured man, then who will save his soul? I have no solutions, although I would not stoop to their level in retribution terms either. Are we living in a wider national jail, where some of the inmates need chattels in order to keep them peaceful? I would suggest that some of the computer 'games' involving graphic violence be removed from the shelves, and I would ask every school to teach the word 'empathy' to every child up until the age of 14. We may have lost the souls of part of our current generation. No need to lose the souls of the next one.
A cold wind blows through the U.K. right now, although the good folks out there do form the huge majority, and the huge majority comprise of very good 'empathic' people. We should always remember that point.
Something for the government and the Olympic organisers to ponder over:
Toby Walker 11.8.11.
Above are three people who have, undisputedly, had a huge influence on the planet over the last century. One whose arrogance was terrifying, the dude on the bottom left...one of her disciples, (who was and is a dangerous individual), and the one on the bottom right...the media realisation of the concept of Rand's Objectivism. The unacceptable, the anarchist and the greedy.
The Unacceptable
Ayn Rand is the woman (who looks as if she may be a bit of a control freak). She is at the top of the three images. That is because she was a control freak. Many capitalists look to her writings, and see these as the template for the advancement of the individual. Ayn wrote the book 'The Fountainhead' in 1943. A Russian born 'philosopher', whose movie was turned into celluloid in 1949, featuring Gary Cooper as an architect called Howard Roark. The book was a controversial novel at the time, as it put forward the idea that people should place themselves above all others, with those who 'lived through others' are essentially, as she described them, 'second handers'.
Rand authored another novel in 1957 called 'Atlas Shrugged', which also dealt with the pursuit of the individual above all else. An anti-matter Mr Spock from Star Trek if you so wish. 'The needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many'. Personally, I believe that she was, whichever perspective you take on her writings...an immense snob! I have always believed that the individual should care for those less fortunate (if they have the wherewithal), and we should always treat others in the same manner we would like to be treated ourselves.
In a strange way, Ayn Rand's philosophies affected many of those who worked on the newer technologies in Silicon Valley from the early eighties onwards, with many even calling their children after the characters in her novels, or even after Rand herself. In a society run with the same values which Ayn Rand promoted, we would not currently be helping those in immense difficulty in drought ridden Africa as I write. Ayn would be instructing us to ignore the rest of the World and work on our own self promotion. Ayn Rand was a very dangerous individual. Control freaks do what they do best....control people. One of her 'disciples' was instructed by Rand to leave his wife and have an affair with her, telling the follower that 'it was the right thing to do'. The man followed Ayn's instructions, left his wife, but soon found a younger model, and left Rand, which only goes to show that you can control folks for some of the time, but you can't control......
In an interview with Rand in the Seventies, she was asked about another of her philosophies. The belief that when she died, the Universe would end at the same time. She stated 'that is correct'. Ayn passed away in 1982, and left us with one of her circle, working his way through the political system, until he became the most powerful man on the planet. Alan Greenspan.
The Anarchist
Greenspan was very close to Ayn Rand in his youth. He attended her funeral. She counted on him to be her most ardent follower. He did everything he was told to do. Her followed Rand's own philosophy of 'Objectivism' which stated that 'man is a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute'.
Greenspan ran with that one from the outset. He persuaded Bill Clinton to reverse a fundamental principal of his own mandate, when he was in office, that being that the U.S. economy would grow, if finances were made available for business to thrive. Instead, Greenspan instructed him to make huge cutbacks in the U.S. economy, strangling the business sector, which resulted in an economic recession. Problem with Alan is he got cold feet whenever he tried to implement any of Rand's teachings at their purest level, primarily, as they were the belief's of a barking mad woman!
Greenspan believed that in 2007 that the U.S. was about to enjoy a financial surplus, which would endure, at least until late 2008. These figures were based upon computerised statistics, which enabled bankers to borrow finances more readily, and more importantly, at a far great speed, and these sums could be offset against other loans. These are derivatives. Money borrowed against other loans. Everybody has a loan someplace or other, so money would be available, freely and in just about any place you could think of. Fundamentally, money that doesn't exist in reality. Figures on a hard drive program.
This money was borrowed against debt, which gave the economists the wherewithal to loan finances to individuals they would never have given the time of day to in the past. Namely the poor. In a true piece of anarchistic financing, Greenspan put his hand in the magicians hat, but there was no rabbit to be found. He was caught with his financial trousers down, and, as is the way with all crooks in the markets, the hedge fund company Paulson & Co. hired Greenspan as an adviser, on a huge salary. So if I go rob a bank, I will be congratulated and offered a prominent position in a bigger band of gangsters on the posh side of town. It is at this point where I normally reach for the telephone and call the nurse for my medication!
The Greedy
The likes of Alan Greenspan and Ayn Rand, rely/relied on, what another bizarre character, Mrs Thatcher, once called 'the oxygen of publicity'. Rupert Murdoch is an individual whose newspapers I never buy, and whose television channels I would not subscribe to either. His recent actions, regarding his own staff members, are very much the behaviourable aspects of the man which simply do not appeal in any way whatsoever. The closing of the News Of The World newspaper, is the action of an owner who is shooting the messenger, rather than the perpetrator.
millie dowler's family
millie dowler
The bugging of phone lines are one thing, the disgusting aspects of some of these actions leave me speechless. The tapping and deleting of phone messages of a child who is missing, and was later found murdered, were the acts of a despicable individual, leaving the parents of Millie Dowler (the victim of the crime -above) believing their child might still be alive, due to the activity on the handset. The proprieters stated they were disgusted by the activities of the person involved, however, who instructed the reporters to undertake these actions? Who created the marketplace for this information, and, most telling of all, the tone invariably comes from the top in most workplaces. That family have been through hell and back.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millie_Dowler
Those workers who lost their jobs at the News Of The World were not even employed by the newspaper at the time of these crimes. These were other less reputable employees, although a certain editor, who was there at the time, still seems to be holding onto her position. Rebekah Brooks is her name. Murdoch likes her. Very good hatchet woman. Murdoch represents the unacceptable face of journalism. An extension of the Rand/Greenspan pursuit of the individual over the needs of the many. 'The Right thing to do?' Seen as weakness by these individuals. Money is God.
All told, Rupert Murdoch views all of the newspapers, which currently fall under his ownership, as small fry when pitted against the might of the BSkyB organisation, which he wishes to increase his ownership from 43 percent to 100 percent. Of course he does. BSkyB made a profit of 1 billion pounds last year. 'having a very good recession', as one middle manager stated on television earlier. So what of the U.K.'s political response? Our politicians are there, but that is all they are....there. They will ultimately do whatever Murdoch bids them to do because they are weak, and sadly none of them are Statesperson's either. Rupert will probably believe that when he dies, the Universe will end as well! It can't, it ended when Ayn passed away in 1982! Great, 9/11 never happened! Nurse!
The prevailing aspect of all of the three protagonists here, Ayn Rand, Alan Greenspan and Rupert Murdoch, highlights one of the least attractive sides of human nature. That is the presence of arrogance. Arrogance you can see in many area's of society. As the recession deepens in society, the arrogant are surfacing, showcasing an insatiable need to present themselves to the world as successful and how somehow the financial demise is not hitting them in the same way it is affecting the 'failures', as they perceive them in society. The 'failures' are a fundamental necessity in the lives of the arrogant, however, as without those who are perceived as lesser mortals in their eyes in society, they would have no benchmark to illuminate their own success and position in the pseudo intellectual upper middle classes that emerged when the financial going was partying in it's heyday.
The recent series presented by Dr Brian Cox, relating to the formation of the Universe, contained many facts, which, are quite humbling, and fly in the philosophical facets of the Ayn Rand's, Alan Greenspan's and Rupert Murdoch's of this world. Much of this planet is composed of recycled material. The Himalaya's are constructed from limestone, which is in itself, is constructed from ancient marine life. Although we are laid to rest, physics tell us the planet will eventually recycle everything, including you and me. The possibility of the remains of Osama Bin Laden holding up the same mountain as parts of Ayn Rand...or even George W. Bush, ought to send out a message that we are all the same, and no-one should look up or down on any other individual. That initial thought brought a smile to my face.
ayn rand
the temptations
Here is a thought. We have for many decades now, been trying to find out whether there are other forms of life in the universe. Imagine for one moment that we were visited briefly by a passing 'visitor' in the early Seventies, who thought they would tune into the airwaves of the planet, in order to find out what sort of inhabitants reside on this small ball of rock and water (inhabited by some carbon based species). They hear one of two broadcasts. The first one is that presenter interviewing Ayn Rand. They overhear her telling the presenter that the universe will end when she dies. The second broadcast is from a music station. The deejay is playing 'Just My Imagination' by the Temptations. On listening to the first broadcast, if it was me, I would think the planet was crazy, and fly on very quickly, placing a marker buoy to alert any other extra terrestrial visitors not to go near the place, as it is full of lunatics!. Eddie Kendricks' vocals, however, would make me very curious. Beautiful planet, and these occupants seem to be able to create something of genuine beauty. Let's go take a look.
Treating others in a manner you would like to be treated yourself may not always work. Lot of troubled folks out there, but it can be rewarding. The rewards are always worth the odd disappointments. Arrogance leads to bitterness, loneliness and disappointment, and in Ayn Rand's case, isolation, as this is the only environment in which the individual can live out a life of false superiority that has no base in reality, all told.
Toby Walker 12.7.11.
a year on...and a decade on...
It's been almost a year since we didn't (absolutely) vote in either of these guys into Parliament. One got more votes than the other two (he's the one on the left). The other dude on the right, came third, however, under the first past the post system of voting, which is part of the current electoral system here in the U.K., the only way either of them could step into 10 Downing Street, was to do so together. The guy on the right wanted to change the voting system. He saw it as unfair. In his opinion, a much fairer system would be something called A.V. (alternative vote), which meant he (and his band of merry ditherers) would be part of any government for the foreseeable future. Odd that his party got into a position of making that governmental piece of constitution through a system that he believed was morally untenable. All told, he sold his political soul in order to force the British people to vote for his version of democratic governement. Oddly, the voting population used their opportunity to voice their democratic rights, by passing on the message to him and his liberal cohorts, that he could put his A.V. voting system someplace where the sun doesn't shine! The bloke on the left didn't like A.V. either, so he now looks like a credible leader, with no mandate to run a government on his own, whilst the liberal guy is licking his political wounds, whilst coming to terms that, if a politician sells his soul, we are not a stupid electorate, and he should learn from his burns.
A.V. sounded like a much more democratic way of electing a politician. If you don't vote in your first choice, you vote for your second, and so on...until you have lost the will to live! P.R. / A.V., call it what you will, in practise makes for weak government. It always has done wherever it has been adopted as a voting preference. Italy is a good example. Whether you liked Mrs Thatcher, or as I wanted to, place her in an asylum, if she said she would do something, you knew that she would do it. Folks vote for people with strong belief's (albeit lunatic ones in her case!). First past the post works in most countries, which it is why it is the most widely utilised system globally.
So how have Ant and Clegg fared in their first year? Well not a great deal has changed all told. The economy is still bumping along, interest rates are still on hold, and Clegg has seen his political credibility wane, along with the rest of his political associates. They never believed they would ever get into power. Now they have slipped in through the side door, all of the radicalism has been left way behind, and they sit around, picking up their pay cheques, and once in a while saying something along the lines of 'the great financial mess the last government left us in'. Cameron's street bandits also say the same thing. Does make me laugh. I thought it was the banks. Maybe I was in a parallel universe over the last couple of years? Does anyone remember 'derivatives' or the 'sub prime market' disasters. The latter involved selling property to people who had no ability to pay back the loans they were falsely sold in the first place. Derivatives are, fundamentally investments which are loans secured by other loans. People who should not be in the position of handling finances, as they are irresponsible, handling insurances, personal savings, pensions and anything else that is based upon capital, largely owned by you and me. So who got punsished for all of this? In the U.K., Labour have been the fall guys for everything from the financial crash to who killed who in this weeks episode of 'Emmerdale'!
So what about the rest of us in this glorious first year of political romance? Well, my original suspicion was that we would carry on, basically ignoring the politicians, and try to make ends meet somehow. You can tell if a politician has run out of idea's, when they say something along the lines of 'we believe that we should listen, and talk to the people, find out what the man in the street really wants'. Well, if they haven't worked that one out by the time they have gotten into a position of political power, then what the hell have they been doing with their time? From a personal perspective, it is my belief that every political party that has had anything going for it in the past, has been successful for having one central idea in it's manifesto. The Health Service is the best example of a fundamental idea that people liked and have been very pleased with (despite Mrs Thatchers attempts to privatise it by flooding the place with overpaid middle managers during her reign of terror). What of the political opposition at this point in time?
Here is the answer to all our problems...Ed Miliband......oh dear.....I can hear many women out there thinking to themselves 'Not another one'...a suit that looks like the last one...which is this one's name?! Yes, Labour have chosen Ed 'The Steve' Mili-band. The answer to all our prayers! So what does Ed stand for? A.V.....oh dear.....Truth be told, Ed will not interest people at all. He is another politician produced from the political production line of blandness. In fairness to Ed, there ain't no more statesmen or women in Parliament anymore. Statesmen/Women were the politicians who came up with 'the big idea's'. Politic's today is very much 'same as it ever was', to quote David Byrne and company. If Labour wants to get into power, with a strong mandate, they should put forward a manifesto which contains a big idea. 'No more tuition fees' springs to mind. 'Education, education, education' was Tony Blair's war cry. That cry turned into a whimper, as by the time you got to the third 'education', it was barely audible. Another idea? Sure 'free dental care for all'. If bombing poor people in Libya or Iraq, or killing shepherds in Afghanistan is a money no object mission, then why spend all this money on war? We end up killing our own soldiers, and to what end? We had to talk to every 'enemy of the nation' throughout history. Why should peace suffer in preference to conflict?
On the other side of the Atlantic, my friends tell me that the economy is in just as a precarious position as it is here. Bush and the Bilderberg Group decided to 'let the Black Man' run the country, after Billy The Kid had screwed the economy. In my humble opinion, I believe they thought Obama would be a fish out of water in the Oval Office, although, his hands may be tied by the money men, and those who hold true power on Capitol Hill, from where I stand, he seems to be getting on with cleaning up the mess that his predecessor left him. He will never be allowed to have the freedom to do everything his heart would want him to do. The situation is similar in many aspects, to the time during the period the Civil Rights people achieved equality for all of it's national citizens. Sure Black people could vote, but what is the point of having a say, when, all told, the white majority chose not to listen. Thus the struggle went on, and still does to this day, which is a shame as, being a white man, there are still periods of my own cultures past that I am ashamed of, but to not blame for, I would add.
Barack and his team did, eventually, track down Osama Bin Laden, whose biggest crime is, probably, creating a fear of all Muslims around the World, which is unfair, and has created a great deal of animosity. Religion is a funny thing. Nearly all religions are peaceful at their purest. The Muslim faith is not a great deal different to many others. It attracted the likes of the singer Cat Stevens many years ago. I don't remember him being any different to any other Muslim I know. Most are peaceful. Same with any culture all told. We have far more in common with each other than we have differences. The differences are cosmetic, but certainly not fundamental. The lessons we learn from Bin Laden are the same that we learn from anyone who wishes harm on another person. They are in the minority. Should I hold every Irish person responsible for the crimes of those who bombed us in the Seventies? Of course not. In the same way that all White folks are not the same as Peter Sutcliffe. Human commonalities are to be celebrated. After all the O'Jays once sang of a 'Family Reunion', stating that 'we all bleed'. Indeed we do. If we see differences, thay are usually born out of fatigue or depression. Proverbially, walk in another persons shoes before you criticse them. What goes through Osama Bin Laden's, Peter Sutcliffe, Fred & Rosemary West, Saddam Hussein..anyone who feels as desperate as these guys obviously did? Arrogance, certainly. As with all criminals, a belief that they would not be caught. But more importantly, a deep inbuilt fear fed by a lack of empathy. The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
The resulting 'depression' going around the World, due to the global financial collapse at the hands of the gamblers, has kicked in with all of us. We all feel the pinch. People are getting more depressed. Understandable, and quite annoying when those in power tell us 'we are all in this together'. That is quite obviously not the truth. David Cameron is very wealthy. He tells us we need to economise. Touch of the Marie Antoinette, coming from his perspective. I do wonder about these politicians. If we have a huge amount to pay back to the IMF, then surely a longer repayment timescale ought to be the order of the day? Four more years of cutbacks and I worry greatly about the pscychological state of the nation. Still we have Ed Miliband around to save us.....oh dear......
Toby Walker 11.5.2011
...the state of the art...
Today I was taking a quick look through the new releases that have arrived here over the last couple of weeks. I've been busy on my design work, which I do love working on, however, it's nice to be taking a look at the newer musical material around at the moment.
Soulwalking can get quite morose at times, as many of the artists I grew up listening to, get their tickets delivered for a journey on to a better place, so a great deal of research and correcting misinformation (quite often my own!) has to be gone through. Can get a little depressing, however, those who have been in touch at the site, are pleased that some of these great people, who have gone to meet their maker, are not forgotten by those of us left down here on the ground.
The new music? Well, I have worked on an Apple Mac for nearly 25 years now, so iTunes, Peak, Toast and all that stuff are some work tools that feel like home to me, which is how it ought to be. Means that the technology isn't distracting the listener from the music. When new music arrives, I dump it all in a 'New Releases' section of my iTunes, and I take a listen to the newer albums when I feel at my most receptive. Each morning I check the main page at the site, as I like to switch the covers around, mainly to let you guys know I am still alive, and I am still finding some great material around the World! It dawned on me this morning, that the sleeves at the site had been in place for a couple of weeks now, so I figured it was time to recommend some new stuff.
I think 2010, for myself, will be remembered as the year of the one or two track album releases. The better, overall, albums have been compilations of the newer material out there. Sure there have been some great songs, but albums? Perhaps 3 or 4 at the most, which is a shame, as much of the year, I have to confess to listening more and more to retrospective material. I wondered why this should be? During times of recession, much of the creative juices get flowing in all area's of the artistic field. Nightclubs are usually buzzing, albums are remarkable, as folks feel the need to express themselves either artistsically, or in the form of letting their hair down on the dancefloor.
The four albums above are illustrative of times gone by, and recent efforts left unrewarded. Marvin and Curtis's albums were essentially concept albums. Records that dealt with War, Poverty and Urban Decline. I write those words with capital letters as they are important and still with us all told. Stevie's album showcases another lost format. That of the double album release. For myself, this release marked an album too far for Stevie. I think there is a single album within the walls of this double album, struggling to get out. Janelle Monae's album is a very bold attempt to move music on somewhat. Whether it works on all levels is doubtful. I mentioned that I disliked much of this set, loved parts of it, but recognised it for what it is, which is something challenging. Boy do we need more albums like this one around thesedays.
When the newer material arrives here, I pass on to a couple of radio deejays, anything I believe they, either might appreciate, or I believe is of note (pardon the pun). Those who are passionate about music will recognise a tune as being a bit special, as soon as they hear it. It usually comes from 'left field', hits you like a bolt from the blue, and you bore people about it for many weeks to come! This year, this has been the case here only a couple of times. Tracks like the Al Olive track from the Soul Togetherness compilation, are a different form of the same beast. Don't strike you straight away, but do grow on you until you love them. That song is his re-working of Luther's 'My Sensitivity' (in my humble opinion), however Al has added something of an era to the sound of that song, which is quite charming.
This morning I worked my way through the newer releases, and, although some were O.K., nothing really merited even a two star rating. Lot of music out there, which can be a little all engulfing, however, even with the best will in the world, I didn't want to mail out anything which I didn't feel was of the highest standard. So, I looked at the main page at the site, and added some albums I really appreciated from previous decades. Billy Stewart, who died far too young, Chairmen of the Board, with a nod to General Johnson, and Keni Burke, who I was fortunate enough to see play live last month. A genuinely lovely man, who made my favourite Soul Album from the last 60 or so years, in the form of his 1981 release 'You're The Best'. 'All time' is a bit of an irrelevant term. Few million years ago, a man living in a cave may well have had an 'all time' favourite dinosaur for a friend, but it doesn't mean diddly-squat thesedays, does it!
So where did the great music go? Probably folks from my generation to blame all told. I see a lot of promise in the Janelle Monae's of this world. Somewhere in the last quarter of a century, we lost our way, burying ourselves in technology, which has improved our lives in many ways, but try to get past someone in the street texting on a mobile phone, and you'll find yourself walking into them! Positives and negatives. The drum machines of the Eighties forced musicians to look for better ways of reproducing that particular instrument. Whilst they were at it, why not work on the rest of the orchestra? All that time saw the creators working on technology at the expense of content.
Stevie lost a lot of the warmth in his music, when he built his own drum machine. His real drum playing was superb. The songs were still great, but the drum machine 'took' rather than 'gave' to his melodies. I remember skipping tracks on his Eighties albums, in an attempt to get to a tune that was relatively drumless. This was the artist that gave us 'To find a job is like a haystack needle, cause where you live they don't use coloured people', but also gave us 'Well, I thought the bill was passed that said you could not discriminate, but I know some excuse you'll find'.....you will probably know the first lyric, but which song did the second line come from? Both great pieces of writing. 'Living For The City' and 'Cash In Your Face', the latter being a lyric lost in the technology enveloping the melody.
The recent releases in my iTunes here, are not bad. Some I like very much, and I have posted them at the site (and in the chart here). I really do recommend these. There is however, a definite feeling I have right now, that the likes of my generation have been uninspiring to the younger generation of musicians coming through. We were lucky. We had Marvin, Curtis and Stevie to inspire us. Who inspires the younger Marvin's and Stevie's of this generation? Thesedays anyone can make an album (and a great many folks do). The trick is not to duplicate your peers, but take a source of inspiration (from several sources if necessary), and utilise that source as a foundation for a personal musical concept of some description. Something you feel strongly about perhaps. Take a gamble. Stevie's 'Innervisions' album received some terrible reviews when it first hit the streets. After 'Talkng Book' I read one review that described Stevie as having 'lost direction', and being 'a spent force'.! The record scared people, as folks had never heard anything quite like it. 'Too High'? What was that all about? It was a change, and most folks resist change, forgetting that change can be a positive thing as well as manifesting a negative element. By the way, at no time during the writing of that album did Stevie brag about how great he was, and how women were second class citizens. 'Prospective songwriters...are you taking this all down!'
Toby Walker 5.11.2010
charity begins at...well....someplace
Charity shops are undoubtedly, and conceptually, a very good idea. They have occupied shopping outlets on every high street in the country at some time or another over several decades now. At the outset, the idea was brilliant and simple. There are people in the World who, either suffer some of the time, or all of the time. There are many westerners who collect chattels which clutter up our lives, when we realize we don't require them anymore. We give these items, for free, to the charity shop. If the pieces are in good condition, they can be sold as seen, or refurbished. The money then gets paid into one big account, which then provides the poorest on the planet with the neccessities of life, aided by volunteer workers, who work for free in order to make themselves feel as if they are doing something worthwhile, and in doing so make a poorer persons existence more bearable in one way or another. Brilliant idea, which no-one could question was a bad thing in any way. The Charity Shops, in those days, occupied the retail moral high ground, and so they should have.
As the decades have passed however, the moral high ground has become the territory of the better off in society. Let me explain.
I have just returned from staying with relatives in Cornwall over the last fortnight or so. The family are based in Camborne in Cornwall here in the U.K. Not the most picturesque part of Cornwall, but the central route which most folks pass through in order to get to the prettier parts of that great county. Camborne is much like many towns in the U.K. thesedays. The place has several Charity Shops, of which, probably about three, are true to the core charitable values illustrated above. The shops which occupy the more prestigious parts of the high street, are the usual suspects. The British Heart Foundation, Oxfam and Dr Barnado's amongst a chosen (wealthier) few. Thesedays these stores are well fitted out, with new floors, fixtures and fittings, along with state of the art lighting systems. Beware anyone who seeks to criticize these financial charitable outlays, as you will be viewed as the scum of society by those who work in these establishments, all enhanced by the smokescreen, which is the word 'charity'. How often do we hear on the news thesedays, that the charities are not getting the much needed supplies and medicines to those who are truly in need around the world (Pakistan being the latest to speak out)? If the charities don't respond quickly enough, the public are blamed, as 'they have been slow in donating'.
Personally, I have two friends who both work in a managerial role for one of the charities mentioned. When I bought the subject up in conversation regarding being salaried for the charitable work, I was astonished at the amounts my friends were earning. There are some odd anomalies within the overall charitable structure within these stores. Sure, there are those who give their time freely to these places, and they should be commended for their efforts. How does it transpire that a pensioner might work for free for Oxfam, several days a week, for an Area Manager who receives a six figure salary for doing likewise?
These salaries do require justification, and more to the point, how are they funded? Well the answer is simple. Describe your shop as a charitable institution, but to all intents and purposes, become an upmarket retailer for whatever type of product you are retailing. If it is china, you become an antique department with price tags to suit. Selling records? Buy a catalogue and become a high end version of eBay. The store would say to me, the more we charge, the more we give to the charity concerned, however, what is in front of the customer cannot be denied. These stores are very favourably viewed by the tax man, therefore the store does not receive the same financial restraints as a small retailer, therefore the profits are substantial. Sounds like a good thing well, look again. Prime retail space, well fitted out stores, and highly priced goods, all of which turn the original concept of the store on it's head. Remember, we give for free in order to get money to those who are most in need. We do not give to supplement a managers income, or provide a store a unit in a nicer part of town. Personally, I walk to the outskirts of places, to where the stores are situated in old disused, undecorated, shops, to buy something at a reasonable price in the knlowedge that the monies are 99.9 percent going to those suffering in Pakistan, for instance.
Everyone will have their own tales regarding their experiences within these establishments. Mine, of course involves music. In Kingston, which is the nearest big town to Surbiton, where I live, they have a few charity shops. In some of those, a book will cost you more in the Oxfam shop, say, than it will do in the discount book store on the high street. I went into the local Oxfam shop a couple of months ago, and in the glass cabinet, there was a copy of the Beatles album 'Sgt Pepper'. Those glass cabinets are the purveyors of bad financial news in most cases (pardon the pun!), and this was no exception. I must confess to liking the Beatles albums (apart from the childrens songs on some of them 'Yellow Submarine', Octopusses Gardem' etc., and besides, the early albums are pretty much R&B based recordings), so I do have a good grasp on what an original is worth. A mint, 1st of June, Mono, 1967 copy of Sgt Peppers should cost about £100 or thereabouts. It would have to be mint, mind you, to be worth that amount, and this copy was. As you can see from the ticket, this copy was on sale for twice that amount. For this LP to be costing this amount, you would think that the album was on sale in a specialist store. Instead there it was sitting in the Kingston branch of Oxfam. What is perverse about this are two things. One is that the album must have been donated by an individual for free. They must have thought that the overall amount would be going to Haiti or some other needy cause. Secondly, the folks who work in these stores appear to have received a directive from head office, to go get a valuation manual, look through the book and stick on a figure which is printed next to the listing. That's fine, however, after visiting several charitable stores, and seeing hugely inflated prices for albums which would have sold for a couple of pounds a few years ago, it would seem that these people do not read the ratings sections at the rear of the books. On one trip to Penzance, the local Oxfam store there had a Beatles Best Of, which I looked at, and the condition was average. The album had been priced straight from the Beatles page in the book (£20). The Sgt Peppers eventually sold for £150, which is still £40 above the rating in the Record Collector book shown at the start of this piece.
Camborne has it's own Record Store called 'Lost In Music'. It's run by a guy called Art, who is from Birmingham. Art loves his music and knows a great deal relating to album values etc. I go to his store and a great little record shop in Falmouth, whenever I am down in that part of the World. Up in Kingston, there is a great little shop in the London Road in town called The Record Collectors Centre, run by a guy called Keith, who really knows his stuff as well. Art is more into his Rock Music, whereas Keith knows more about Soul and Sixties material. The thing that struck me about all three of these stores, Kingston, Camborne and Falmouth, are they are all now cheaper to buy music from than any high street Charity Shop. Odd that, isn't it? The Charity Stores seem to have cut of their financial noses to spite their faces. All told, charity seems to start in a middle class home thesedays. If you do not think that is the case, well, it is interesting to note that the charity stores in my neighbourhood are now having stock shoplifted. Big price? Must be worth something!
This is Lost In Music. Odd place. Been there for many years. Art doesn't make a mint from the place, but I always go and buy an album or two from him, just helping to morally support his cause and empty my bank account! You go into the shop, and you'd think you were in a CD store, which also sells DVD's. Walk out to the back, and there is an Alladin's cave of vinyl. Most of the music is Rock stuff. Art sells Beatles albums for half the price Oxfam do (as does the store in Falmouth), and he has a Soul Section of sorts. It's the highlighted area below. You end up falling over boxes looking around, and you definitely do get 'lost in music', literally! I told Art about the Beatles album in Kingston. He stared straight into my face and stuck two fingers up! Thought he was angry at me! Just felt the same way I did, that's all. He has folks who pop in to see him. One guy worked for a production company back in the early Seventies, who fitted out a Four Tops show, and was given free tickets to see the band on the night.
The Falmouth store has many reasonably priced old Soul albums, some rare, wonderfully displayed, around the picture rail in the store. Jackie Wilson and Coasters originals I had never seen anywhere else. Heaven!
Keith's store in Kingston is very much the same. He sells music at a non inflated price, which is why we need these guys around. Keith displays his rare albums in the shop window. Old Roy Ayers albums, Donna McGhee etc., that sort of thing. I can envisage a day when people work for the charity stores for free, in order to be first in line to pick up the rarities which came into the shop to be retailed. If you get a moment, and have a few pounds or bucks to spare, this is a great film regarding the demise of the music store in the States. Absolutely essential viewing for any vinyl junkie.
http://www.ineedthatrecord.com/Site/I_Need_That_Record%21.html
So what did you pick up when you were away then, Toby? This stuff here....
Sure, not all Soul Music, and not hugely rare, however, in my humble opinion, everything that goes under the title of Rock, Blues and R&B, has roots in the music of the Black Artist. That is an undeniable truth. The originators, who genuinely deserve the word 'respect' through their groundbreaking endeavours. These albums would have cost me a small fortune in a High Street Charity store. The independent stores are now cheaper, as perfectly illustrated by Arts store, where the income hasn't been spent on the retail store cosmetics, but on maintaining the specialist interest, ensuring some longevity.
Charities? If you are curious, I send money straight to the dedicated charities thesedays, and miss out the high street retail middle managers. Soulwalking has allocated webspace (as you can see from the main page at the site) to various charities, including Haiti and the fight against breast cancer. I am not rich, but give when I am in a position to do so. Last time I gave money was to a charity helping people who suffer from Lupus. A good friend of mine passed away last year from the illness. Most donations are made to charities by folks who have lost someone to one cause or another. Long may the kindness of the individual endure.
Toby Walker 26.8.2010
'it's all up to you' - the dells 1971
That polling day back in May, in the U.K., 'the nation decided'! Well, in truth, we all leapt into a state of inertia and voted no-one into power! Could we make up our minds? There stood three men, with little to choose (as I mentioned before the election) between them, so none of them received a vote of confidence. If the Liberal Democrats were true to their belief that proportional representation meant just that, then they would not have a say in how we are governed today. But they sure do now. We forget however, that politicians are compulsive liars, who have lost their stature as statesmen thesedays. Instead they have become careerists. In truth, today we could still have Gordon Brown running the country, propped up by the party which came third (and a poor third at that). The Tories received the most votes, but not enough for an overall workable majority, so we were faced with the proposition of two lookalikes, the Ant and Dec of politics if you like, eating humble pie after deriding each other during the election itself, running the country. Vote for one, get one free! We are used to that scenario, aren't we? Hell, we've had 13 years of New Labour. It's time for a change!
13 years of New Labour......quite a lot of time to formulate what you would do, as a politician, if you got into power. For the Liberals it was Christmas time. No hopers with a say. Who'd have thought it? 'We never thought we'd actually have to carry any of this out.....oh Hell'! So, with Ant and Dec running the country, what were the big idea's? Stanley, I have a policy, but you won't allow me to put it into practice. Ollie, I have a policy, but you won't allow me to put it into practice either'! 'Another fine mess! David Cameron's big odour, sorry idea, was to 'ask the people'! Sounds great doesn't it, but if a plumber came to your house to fix your boiler, and looked at it, turned to you and asked you, 'what do you think I should do to fix it?', it wouldn't instill a great deal of confidence in the guy, would it? In many ways, asking the country what the country wants, is asking the question a second time. The answer was forthcoming during the election. You had a manifesto, you stumbled over the finishing line, being pushed over it by a bloke who looks remarkably like yourself, so get on with it. Politicians ask us, when they want a get out clause, that's all. 'Well you asked for it, didn't you'? Of course, we are not politicians. We have opinions, but opinions are like backsides. Everyone has got one. You have had 13 years to decide what you are going to do. Two things. Don't ask us. You are the politicians. We vote you in to make decisions on our behalf, not ask us to do your job for you. Secondly, don't blame the previous administration for the antics of those who sold property to folks who could not pay back their loans half way across the planet three years ago. You knew that there was a recession. Tell us what to do and we'll try to accommodate your wishes.
If Mrs Thatcher and Tony Blair had nothing else, they had blind belief in their own madness. Thatcher wanted to destroy the unions, privatise the health service and become a Sith warlord, Tony Blair thought their were stockpiles of weapons held by a bloke in Iraq, that we helped put there to destabilise the region, so he became paranoid that, within a 45 minute period we would all be exterminated. Advice from a Baghdad taxi driver! If you can't believe him, then who can you believe....and by the way 'you'll never guess who I had in the back of my cab this morning...'! Tony and George W, went to Iraq to find a guy, who was in Afghanistan, or possibly Pakistan. Sat Nav system must have been on the blink! Bit of a diversion, but through the madness, we voted for Maggie and Tony, who, if the pair of them told us, unequivocally, they were teapots, we would believe them, and thus vote for them. We knew that Maggie was crazy, and with Tony, things would definitely NOT get better, but we believed them that, if they said they were going to do something, by and large, they would do it.
Ant & Dec are very different 'kettles of poissons'. They dither a great deal. They are not strong in their beliefs and communicate poorly. This is why we don't comprehend Cameron's version of 'give power back to the people'. Sounds like watered down Thatcherism...I think! Cameron is very similar to those pundits, who categorically told us that England were going to win the World Cup. Strongly delivered rhetoric, delivered by a so called expert with no overall grasp of the situation. The government is not clear, and is still within it's first 100 day honeymoon period. The economy is, understandably, high on the agenda. The banks have accepted our bale outs, with very little grace. They are angry with the public and are not moving currency around the economy in the way they were instructed to do so by the prevoius administration. We are being charged interest rates which are currently well above three figures, for the smallest of overdrafts. Sure the likes of Vince Cable are telling them off, however, it was Geoffrey Howe who was once described as being as 'savage as a sheep'. Vince and his parties desire for proportional representation, makes for weak government. There is no consensus regarding how the economy ought to be handled. Those in the financial 'know' state that the economy needs an input of currency in order for growth to seed. Instead we are seeing a dithering at the edges, which is shrinking the economy. Higher unemployment is promised. Cameron seems to be saying to us, we should undertake the responsibilities that are currently under the control of the local councils, and perform these tasks ourselves. Great if everyone pitches in, but I would rather have someone who knows exactly what they are doing running the show rather than a few locals who actually can be bothered. They forgot one salient factor in this great unknown field of political dreams. That factor which is human nature. 'Build a community and 'they' will come'! But who are 'they'? Three chavs and a pitbull? What a mess. Perhaps we should run the Parliamentary seats as well? Lots of expense savings to be made there!
raoul moat / derrick bird
Truth be told....and all told....I don't feel as if I am being governed at this point in time. I don't now which direction the country is headed. I think the general population are confused and are preparing for austerity. Those who are desperate in society are easily tipped over the edge. When the financial support net is removed, those who have finances tell us that they will help the rest of us, although human nature would suggest that is rhetoric, and the assistance will be provided by that unknown, 'the other man'. In the U.K., in the last couple of months, two incidents have transpired, both of which involve guns and both involve murders. Raoul Moat and Derrick Bird were two men that, folks who knew them stated, 'they were just ordinary guys. The type you might have a drink in the pub with'. Can't think what tipped them over the precipice. Raoul and Derricks actions were those of two cold blooded murderers, however, both killed themselves after their actions. The publics responses, however, were most enlightening. Moat was given a tribute page on Facebook. Derricks' immediate family were less charitable, however, both incidents received huge televisual coverage and in the printed media. Subliminally, perhaps we are watching a soap opera unfold in front of our eyes. The results of someone else's lives being in a worse state than our own, thus making ourselves feel a great deal better about ourselves. During times of austerity, it is comforting to know that there are others who are feeling the pinch as well. I wonder whether we are losing our own self worth's. If it's O.K. on Eastenders, it doen't take a great leap of faith...except we are dealing with people's lives. Lot of hurt, however, as a species, we have a great deal of compassion within us. Time for some reflection, I guess.
Meanwhile, Ant and Dec's answer to crime seems to be that we need less paperwork for the police to undertake, but also less bobbies on the beat. This will probably not happen however. Politicians 'test the water' with controversial policies. If they want to cut the real values of pensions by more than inflation, they will leak a story about huge cuts in pension payments. When the final figure comes along, which is a cut above the rate of inflation for pensioners, we say to ourselves, 'thank heavens, it wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be'. Bit like a Union putting in for a 10 percent pay demand, knowing they will settle for half of that amount. Happens everywhere. Frighten, and then control. Seperate and conquer. In defence of Trades Unions, when was the last time you heard of a Union 'offering and proposing', or the management 'claiming and demanding'? Role reversal, but part of an interesting investigation by the Glasgow Media Action Group a few years back.
cameron being reminded he wasn't too kind to 'Dec' during the election, by the media
With my best Kevin Keegan-ism 'I don't make predictions...I never have done and I never will' hat on...I think that Ant and Dec's form of government will become untenable. Truth be told, the Tories should have been allowed to run the country as a minority government. No-one has any true belief that two men who stated they disliked each other during the election, have had a complete change of heart overnight. Human beings, after their teen years, are pretty much the same people throughout our lives, until we get the call to go meet our maker. Lovers beware of the prospective partner who tells you 'I have changed'. The fact that they have to tell you, is an admission that they haven't! Change is for others to decide, not the individual. When Cameron tells you 'he has found a soul mate', he really means 'he has found a cell mate'! The fact that we are being asked to help make the decisions in how we are being governed, is pretty sad, and pretty much a done deal. With or without Ant and Dec's help, we will, probably, be running our lives in one way or another from now on. It is how good our relationships with our colleagues and friends are which will see us either 'do' or die'. Personally, I'd rather do. I'll leave the other part to the politicians, who are in Parliament, but not placed there by the majority. Presently, as I have already mentioned, I do not feel as if I am being governed right now, and that is a cause for great concern if we are to perceive ourselves as living in a democracy....
...in the meantime, here's a calendar for 2010, entitled 'Goats In Trees' which Bangsy gave me at Christmas. Makes more sense than David Cameron....and it works for me!
Toby Walker 20.7.2010
'go back to your constituencies and prepare for government'
'Go back to your constituencies, and prepare for government'. Spoken by (the then) Liberal leader David Steel back in 1981, according to Wikipedia, although I can't remember there being an election that year. Perhaps he was talking about government two years down the line, still the phrase came to haunt the man, as with many politicians, what you see (or hear), isn't always what you always get.
The three current political stooges on window display right now are (left to right) Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg (David and Nick seperated at birth?), who all go to represent the U.K. political parties Labour, Conservatives and Liberal. In the U.S. this breaks down to Republican, Democrat and 'Pinko Commie' (Brown being the latter, but, when all is said and done, he is another Democrat!)
There really isn't a fly paper that you can slip between either of these guys. All a pretty boring bunch all told. They all speak about radical change, but in truth, they are all in agreement that we will have to tighten our belts, and the poor will suffer. They won't admit that, of course, but that is what comes out of most political rinse cycles if history is to be repeated. The Tories protect the better off, Labour try to protect the poor, but have repositioned the party to protect the middle classes, and, as the Liberals never seem to get into power, then they can promise anything they wish. Free trips to see the rings of Saturn is something I would vote for!
The economy is, as Bill Clinton once remarked, the bottom line during polling times. Folks vote for the party which they feel will work for them personally and financially. Human nature. What frustrates me as a voter, is the party which has one big idea, such as forming a Health Service, seem to be the ones worth voting for. They are seldom put up for election for some strange reason. Sure, no-one can be all things to all men, but, if you can promise to get one major facet of the economy ticking over, folks will usually vote for you. We all have family members who get seriously ill from time to time, so health seems to be a pretty good choice. This time round, these three super heroes will sort out a trillion dollar debt, whilst making our own lives more humble and uncomfortable. This is their big idea. As they all are in agreement about this, then the only political way forward is to insult each other until we have our next Parliament. That Parliament looks like it may well be a hung one.....now there's an idea!
The economy? O.K. 'Mr Know It All', what's your plan? Well, being a 'man with a plan', I have my own ideas regarding how to deal with this, which I will throw into the political hat for what it's worth....
The images of Cologne and St. Pauls, during the blitz and following the Second World War are now confined to the history books. I had to go to Cologne about 15 years ago on work. The place has been tastefully rebuilt since the blanket bombing, which left that wonderful cathedral intact, but not much more as you can see. There's a memorial outside the cathedral, which is worth looking at and taking in the gravity of conflict. The Allies had an agreement back then. You don't bomb our beautiful buildings, and we won't bomb yours. After all, both sides wanted the spoils of war, when either of them won. The problem with war is no-one ever wins. Everyone loses. Germany was, to all intents and purposes, flattened. The U.K. was made bankrupt. Germany was fed before the U.K. and Russia, as there were fears of reprisals. I guess a full country was a happy one, who knows?
St Pauls? Well that is a very famous image, which is taken not too far from the economic centre of the financial markets today. The Second World War costings vary, although one sum quoted in several sources puts the overall figure at 1.5 trillion dollars. That cake had to be divided up into many portions. Japan, France, Germany, U.S., Italy, Poland...the list is endless, however, you can guarantee that the U.K.'s share of that bill came to at least a third of that sum. Dollars translated into pounds, with inflation thrown into the pot, puts us into the same level of debt today, more or less, that we faced following the last major global conflict. The difference thesedays are there aren't the rebuild costs, however, the world is a very different place today. Oil reserves peaked three years ago. Now there is less and less oil in the ground.
That 1945 debt had to be repaid, and the country began reimbursing the relevant institutions as the economy kicked back into gear. A trillion pounds is an amount of money I cannot imagine. The number 1 with twelve noughts after it, I believe. Here is a question for you. The bill we owed America for their involvement in the Second World War? When did we complete our final payment on that sum? The Sixties? When Mrs Thatcher sat on the throne? The actual answer is 2006! 61 years after the end of the Second World War. In that time, we have squandered North Sea Oil revenues on keeping people out of work, and were advised to loan huge sums of our money to gamblers masquerading as bankers in the City of London.
The bankers took the U.K. to the brink of bankruptcy. Sucessive governments (Labour and Conservative) capitulated in this scenario, as the Labour left became the New Liberals, and the Conservatives became....well the New Liberals! Political Statesmen became a dying species, with only Vince Cable of the Liberals, being seen as any figure bearing political substance in Parliament at the moment. All told, 40 years ago, Vince would have been seen as a political lightweight. Todays politicians fiddle their expenses and appear to have no empathy with anyone other than themselves. Whilst they dithered, the bankers got on with their charade, and now we are left with a dim future.
Those that argue we need to keep those in the City, who took us to the edge, are fooling themselves. The guilty parties should be shown the door. Make that a revolving one which has an accountant on their way in, and a gambler on their way out (without a bonus!).
So what of this main political financial football, and why the references to the Second World War? Well it does seem to me that the 61 years we were paying the debt back, didn't seem to launch us into a long period of austerity. Far from it. 'Boom and bust' is a phrase often imparted in recent times, indicating a period when we had money to burn, and burn it we did. We were paying back our debt during the booming Eighties, the Winter of Discontent, the Swinging Sixties, and the housing boom of the last decade. My point is, perhaps, not avoid looking at this incomprehensible figure, but look at the duration over which we pay back the sums. Normally, when you buy a house, you go to an Estate Agent, they agree to find you a house, you find one, you go to a bank and arrange a mortgage. What doesn't happen is, you go to a bank and they inform you that the £300,000 loan they will lend you is only for the short term, and you will have to pay it back in a years time. They lend you the money, arrange a period of around 25 years, in order for you to pay back the sum, so you can use the rest of your income living your lives. The sum owed is a manageable amount. We hate owing money on credit cards, but are happy with owing bank a sum over a 25 year period. Owing is owing, it is just the interest that varies.
I wonder sometimes whether I am being a complete dumbo here, however, the U.K. owes a trillion dollars/euro's/pounds. The banks got us here, we didn't. Is it beyond the wherewithal of our species that we might arrange a timeframe, similar to the period we paid back the loan for the Second World War, with an option to pay back sooner, should we discover oil under Milton Keynes? The feeling I am getting with Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg is the economy is becoming a bit of a red herring. These guys all have a self confessed agenda. ' The money has to be paid back now....all of it!' Sure, none of us want to owe such a huge sum of money, but the problem could be addressed more creatively? Their political posturings would seem to indicate that they are more interested in using a serious problem in order to score political points. It is no wonder that the electorate are disillusioned. We are the innocent parties overseeing a group of people running our lives, who are proven accounting fraudsters, who are about to make us pay dearly for some poor decision making taken at the highest level of government, without our say so or knowledge.
The last year has been a very difficult year for many people I know. The climate is for change, however, economically, there seems to be little choice between a group of MP's who are at best, careerists, and at worst, fools. The innocent victims, as always, are you and I. If we had falsified our accounts claims, we would be up in court. If we had gambled away the total cost of the Second World War on loaning poor folks, who couldn't repay the loans in the first place, money for purchasing their own homes, and brought to country to it's knees, we would be imprisoned. These guys are looking at a vote of confidence from an injured animal, whilst being hugely rewarded for running the country into the ground. As voters we are left with voting for personalities rather that politcal parties, and that cannot be right in anybody's books. Vote for Simon Cowell or Ricahrd Branson? Wouldn't put it past them. Lost Michael Foot recently. Real shame. I would have voted for him. This time round I am not sure change will be a good thing, as the country is still in 'three wheels on my wagon' mode at the moment! I guessd by that I mean, vote for any of them, as nothing much will change who ever is in power!!
political poster circa 1979
Toby Walker 11.4.2010
one year on
Lot of water has gone under the global bridge since last Christmas. In the U.K. we were looking at the demise of the high street company, Woolworths. That retailer had the proverbial writing on the wall well before the financial crash, which has now taken the country to the brink financially. The real financial rescuers of the whole debacle have been you and I, all told. The politicians mentioned fiscal figures, which none of us could really relate to. The bankers proved themselves to be, what we knew all along, that is, the employees of the greedy within our society. We knew we loaned them our savings for a scant return in interest in the past, and we knew that, when it came down to the crunch, they would cover each others backsides, pay themselves huge salary increases, and pay themselves huge bonuses additionally and unashamedly. Our money all told. Who coined the term 'you can bank on that one'? Not anymore. The vibe these guys are sending out are, yes the country is in the deepest financial pit we could have ever imagined, we got you into this place, thanks for bailing us out, and can we have another huge payout, so we don't have to work again for the rest of our lives? Now if Jesus was in this particular marketplace today, he would be throwing the banking stalls across the shop floor all over again, and who could blame him? Their defence (if you can call it a defence at all) is that, to keep the best, you need to fabulously reward these individuals in order they stay in the country and not leave for greener monetary pastures. Does beg several questions. Whereabouts are these greener financial pastures? Why do we need to hold on to these individuals, who have 'gotten us all into another fine mess'?, and, if it is only reward that keeps these guys here, and not performance (which is hugely suspect at best), why don't we open the departure lounge right now? I think even I could have run the economy better than those on the current teamsheet. I remember being in hospital 3 years ago and talking to a nurse, asking her simply, 'why do you do this job?' Her answer was 'I want to help people and make them better if I can'. Bless her heart. At that time we were being informed that, if we didn't fabulously reward some senoir members of that profession, they would also all go abroad for richer financial rewards. These bankers and doctors need to take a deep breath and ask themselves 'just who am I serving?' The customer, patient.....or myself? When all is said and done, if it is the financial rewards that motivates these people, I don't want them running my bank account, let alone operating on me!
Woolworths days were numbered, way before the crunch hit us all, as I mentioned previously. 'Hit' is the operative word. What seems to have transpired regarding our reactions, are similar to those which might have been developing during previous disasters throughout history. Lets take the example of the Titanic, following the collision with that iceberg some century or so ago. Some of the passengers reactions might have been to run for the lifeboats, demand they be launched, in order that those individuals would have rescued, themselves, before any others on board that ill fated vessel. A second set of passengers would have told themselves that the boat was unsinkable and headed back to the bar, listened to the band, whilst downing a strong brandy. The last set of folks would have all looked at the situation, turned to each other, and began co-operating in trying to find a solution to the oncoming disaster. It is the latter folks, who adapt to these changing set of circumstances, who will eventually prevail. Those at the bar will perish, but convince themselves there was nothing that they could have done anyway, and, hey, what a way to go. The selfish may survive, however, they will be held accountable should they survive, and there is always that 'conscience' thing going on for the rest of their lives.
The financial crisis has changed things for the foreseeable future. Whether that is a good or bad thing will largely be down to your own disposition regarding your fellow man or woman. The balance of resources is something that will become an ineviatable issue over the next century. In truth, population has risen extraordinarily since the prospectors first struck the 'black gold' in the ground in the latter part of the 19th century. Sure oil was used on a much lesser scale prior to those times, however, the industrial revolution has affected everything radically, in a very short space in time, in the great scheme of things. Money may have been sloshing around the economies of the World over the last 50 or so years, almost to the point that the bankers have become drunk with the stuff! We have lost touch with reality, and the credit crunch will make us more human in the long term I believe. Look at the two graphs below. The top one is a population graph indicating the huge rise in population due to the massive increase in the use of oil. The lower graph indicates that we have just passed the peak of highest production. As Lenny Williams once sang 'There's Only So Much Oil In The Ground'.....
population growth
oil production
You may have also become aware that the untouchable Gulf States are now seeing the recession hit them. Dubai is beginning to look like a huge financial dinosaur. I was there a year ago. Manic building, in an almost panic buying mentality. Ironically, it has had the effect of distracting the attention from the fact the many of the oil rich countries are now sourcing their product off shore. Drilling in the sea? Imagine the overheads involved. I think they are now realising that the long steep climb to the year 2000 production peak, is now becoming a slow decline. How does this affect us?
Well, the cost of crude oil affects the markets. We all know that. What we miss on a day to day basis is the reliance on oil which all of us are a party to in our everyday lives. We have become so used to the material status quo that, well, look at yourself right now. The machines which sowed the clothing you are wearing right now, were made with the help of oil. The engines which drove those machines. Plastic is made from oil based products. The materials in your shoes, your make-up, the printed paper you write upon and read, the bus you travel to work in, the train, the airplane, everything relies on oil. The computer I writing on right now is made from plastic, The wiring within the computer the same, the wiring in your house, the internet, mobile phone, even sending man to the moon would not have been possible without oil. Oil is incredibly useful....and incredibly polluting. The decline in oil ought to cause a trigger effect, which should have us looking at utilising the oil we have left, over the next century or so, with a mind to manufacturing wind and solar alternatives in order that we leave our children the tools to exist to a reasonable standard of living, rather than throwing a huge party and following the example set by the banking community and those who ran for the lifeboats, selfishly, on the Titanic.....or your senior doctor for that matter!!
I think we are a resourceful animal as a species. I don't hold with the feminist Rebecca West's assertion that 'all men are lunatics and all women are idiots'. We need to beware of generalisations. They are counterproductive and I think they undersell us as a species. Today we need visionaries and not those who take advantage of oncoming social depressions. When we are depressed we can look for scapegoats, which is something we should be aware of when listening to the empty vessels which make the loudest noise at times such as these. Comparisons just make people lesser individuals. Let the bankers run for their own proverbial lifeboats. We should begin by looking at our own lives and see what we can do to lessen the imapct on the environment and those directly around us. We shouldn't lecture the emerging economies regarding matters which we are ourselves hugely guilty of in the past. We should be honest and say, those we elected to serve us, served themselves and we are truly very sorry for that. We would like you not to make the same errors we did, how can we help you? Tell, us what you need, we have learned from our own burns and we would like to help you avoid being burned yourself.
Heavy, heavy, heavy? Sure, but being hit by a bus is not pleasant. If we can see that bus coming from a long way off, we can do something about not being hit by the vehicle.
Personally, in our lives here, what has changed in the last year, is any spare money we have had in the home (not a great deal), we have spent making the house greener and more cost effective. It will cost us now, but will save us hugely in the long term. When the house is handed over to our daughter, her bills will be lessened, and she will be affecting the environment is a much lesser way, additionally. The car has gone, the boiler updated, all the windows have been doubled up and the domestic waste has been halved. All small things, however, governments will have to do likewise, either willingly, or eventually dragged kicking and screaming! My real faith is in people. My fear is that, as oil becomes scarcer, governments will use every method at their disposal in order to obtain the material. Personally, I am grateful for oil. If it wasn't for oil, we would have not seen a vinyl album, thus none of us would have heard Stevie at his finest.
Here is one scary statistic. For every tyre on your, or your parents car, the manufacturer has to use 8 gallons of oil to make that one tyre. 32 gallons for the whole car. Remember the wiring, circuit boards, steering wheels etc....which all have to be taken into account well before you drive into your local gas station to fill up.
Society is a long way away from going pear shaped just yet, so enjoy the Christmas break, and afterwards do think about getting the grey matter moving regarding things environmentally. Looking at this funny little meter the gas/electric people provided for us for free here right now, we are looking at an energy saving of one third overall by making these small changes. Money you will be investing in yourself, which will help with the bills, and will go to make your local street a little more of a nicer place to live. Doesn't make you a eco-warrior. It just means you are not a banker, a politician, or a lifeboat hog on the Titanic! Not a bad place to be.
Toby Walker 17.12.09
august 2009...how are you doing?
recession
'a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in GDP in two successive quarters.'
Thought I would undergo a 'wiping of the clean slate', now the dust has settled regarding the exploits of the British politicians, and we can now begin to get a clearer indication of just how severely the global recession has affected people. The Opinion page was bulging at the seams here, so the previous page has been archived, but is still there if you follow the links below.
Alan Greenspan (above) and his 'de-regulated bunch of cowboys' hit town, big time, last year. We borrowed so much money to prop up the banks that, the twelve figures which go to make up the written 'trillions' (on paper) our governements borrowed, also go to make up the number of individual cells in one person's body. It is a useful illustration which gives the individual a benchmark as to how to come to terms with the numbers handed over to these corporate institutions in order to 'correct their mistakes'. To see a human cell, you need to look through the lens of a powerful microsope. Those small pomegranite seed like objects that float across the glass on the viewing slide each represent the same number of pounds or dollars the banks have been given in order to get us all out borrowing and spending again. One cell equals one pound or dollar. The truth of that set of circumstances is that, the banks misbehaved, and should have been punished. Those that had consciences, well they apologised (after a fashion). Those that chose not to do so, still award themselves huge bonuses, which, at best, is completely distasteful, and at worst, ought to be seen as criminal, and treated as such.
I watched the head of Barclays Bank yesterday explaining how it is important for banks to take risks. Barclays had just make a 3 billion pound profit. Nice for those who receive their £100,000 half yearly bonuses, however, the gap between their world, and the real world outside that industry has become so immense, that the scene has become almost Dickensian. Upstairs Downstairs, if you wish. Speaking personally, I have witnessed the design industry collapsing to a point where, if there is any work around, it is short term and all payments have become negotiable. It is commonplace that the biggest burger retailer on the high street, now requires a prospective employee to work for 8 weeks, unpaid, after which it is up to the employer as to whether a permanent position is then available. If not, well they have had an employee for two months for free.
In the real world, the employment market is declining, whilst those still lucky enough to be in full time work, have seen their working conditions suffer, and their management adopting positions which utilise whatever draconian measures they desire, in order to achieve whatever they see fit for those in positions of power. To put it bluntly, the folks I know who are in work, are unhappy at their companies, and are 'treading water' until something better comes along. That 'life bus' will be one which will take a long time in arriving, it is my belief. Whatever a politician tells you, will be in contrast to your own experiences right now. Look out of your window and see what is developing in your neighbours households at this point in time. I would bet that many household bread winners are seeing more of their families than usual, as part time employment is becoming very much the norm. Costs cut in order to maintain the salaries of those who are at the helms of each relevant institution. Their biggest mistake, which is manifesting itself at this point in time, is this. If a work environment has become so unpleasant for a skilled individual to function within that place of work, when the time arrives that the institutions need to re-recruit, as the garden is looking more financially rosy at that particular time, those who have been mistreated, will remember the recession, and will not return to the fold. Many people of my age (fifties) will hold out for retirement. Many younger employees will be advised by those who previously left workplaces, just exactly how things once were at these companies, and warn the younger folks should the economy begin to suffer again. In many ways, recession is a good time for a company to sow the seeds of loyalty within their staffing ranks. People have long memories, and they will support the companies which support them when things got a little tough going out there.
In the U.K., we are headed, erratically, towards a general election next year. Our current unelected Prime Minister and his merry band of benefit cheats, are telling us everything in the garden is rosy, and that the worst of the recession is now over. The actual figures contradict that viewpoint. 5 years before those in negative equity can begin to get back onto a level playing field. Odd figures which come out of the recently privatised Northern Rock Bank in the U.K. state that they made a loss of £750 million in the first six months of 2009. Apparently all due to people defaulting on their mortgages. In the real world, people are hurting. The pound shops have never seen such a boom. Those who buy there, who used to be the unemployed or those of a modest disposition, now are shopping alongside people with posh voices and suits. There seems to be a shame, which many folks are carrying around with themselves, born out of wanting something better for themselves and their families, working toward that goal, only for the Alan Greenspan's of this world to remove that optimism and hope and firmly reposition individuals back in their ill-considered, wrongly perceived places.
There are those who look to apportion blame at the doorsteps of groups such as the Bilderberg elite, who seem to have their own mysterious political agenda's. I must say that I find it strange that Mr Greenspan has been placed in charge of righting the wrongs of his previous conceptual ideologies. Bit like Adolf Hitler being placed in charge of ensuring there would be no further rise in fascism post 1945!
I speak to many business people on a day to day basis. Working for myself, I have to. This past 6 months or so, have brought very few new projects to my front door. All of my work colleagues are experiencing the same. It is as if we are all in some sort of suspended animation, waiting for the green light to be turned on again, so we can all get back to work. My fear is that, when that green light is turned on, in the same way the banks were slow to begin lending again, the green light will be a gentle flicker and the companies out there will be slow to begin ordering and employing again. If I was a student right now, I would take a year out and go help a charity or travel the World. Recessions are very hard on the young. We teach them to work hard as they will achieve a decent position within a company if they do so. We make promises without proviso's. Right now we lied to them. Not our fault, or our teachers either. Just a series of unfortunate events, which were instigated by those who sought to lend money to those who had no wherewithal in returning those funds at a later date. You and I both know that situation was untenable, should have never been allowed to happen in the first place, however, those in the know thought they knew better, and they obviously didn't.
So what of the rest of 2009? Predictions? Well, by the looks of things as they stand, I would imagine that the days of, even just two years ago, will never arrive back again. Perhaps that is for the best. Recessions can be dangerous, as the far right can 'make hay' with the weak minded, however, if any good will come out of all of this, well, I would hope we would all become more public spirited, less materialistic, and try to be as optimistic as we can. One thing for certain is we have all been cast adrift in the same lifeboat. What didn't kill us will make us stronger. We will have to reside in this state of supended animation for at least another year, I believe, and after that, I am hoping a slow crawl back to some sort of dignity for all of us. At least we are not alone in this mess, and we can console ourselves that the mess is not of your or my doing.
Toby Walker 6.8.09
... or go to the opinions page from 2003...
... or go to the opinions page from 2004...
... or go to the opinions page from 2005...
... or go to the opinions page from 2008/9...
...or go to the opinions page from 2001 - 2002...
