The gap between reality and media soundbites is increasing
in the UK. This problem is compounded by the lack of a functioning opposition. Jeremy
Corbyn is less use than a teacup in a Tsunami. I’ve railed against the ineffectual
clown Corbyn while the left was still swooning over him. They are not so keen
now and it’s got much worse.
‘Turkeys voting for Christmas’ was a phrase used about
Brexit supporters. For the non-US or non-UK reader, turkeys are traditionally eaten
at Christmas / Thanksgiving. In the US, turkeys were given to European settlers
by the Native American Indians to keep the white invaders alive through winter.
Those same Europeans then wiped out the Indians, as we know, so there is a
whole other dimension there that I won’t go into now. But you get the analogy.
Here, as in America, fear and xenophobia triumphed. Many areas
of the UK which benefited most from EU membership voted heavily to leave the EU.
It’s done. But it is hard to swallow the sickly, repeated refrain that everything is fine.
It is not.
As the reality gap in the UK gets ever larger, people
are falling into the crevasse. And just as the formal opposition failed
miserably to provide leadership during the referendum campaign, the dysfunctional
Labour party continue whining from the side-lines while being 100%
ineffectual.
One beautiful result is the grass roots protests,
marches, huge displays of solidarity, defiance and anger against the fascist
populism infecting both the US and the UK. If you want to lift your spirits view
some of the marches, the numbers of them the extent of them, the mix and
wondrous variety of people taking part. The banners are sometimes personal, imaginative and
often downright hilarious. We need that.
But the people who were not
taken in by the vile propaganda and blatant lies and those who were are being let down badly.
I can’t decide if Prime Minister Theresa May is a
rabbit caught in the headlights or a headless chicken in a coop full of
headless chickens.
The foundations on which our economy is based are ephemeral. See blogs 202 – The Tat
Economy or blog 208. The Cannibal Economy.
Personal debt is an enormous partially submerged
iceberg.
Xenophobia is out of control (thanks Farage). This
matters because, for example, applications from the EU to our universities are down, massively cutting revenue. The NHS is struggling to recruit staff. And so
on.
Meanwhile, Uncle Jez Corbyn and his limp crew
repeatedly fail to not fail. They are worse than hopeless. Yes, Trump is a
dangerous, lunatic conman, elevated by lizard woman Kellyann Conway. But when
the leaders are bonkers or out of touch, formal opposition matters. As has
already been proven, the courts and the people can be trampled.
The UKs opposition party, led by another lover of
wedding cake, Jeremy Corbyn, is useless. Pathetic. And right now, not having an
effective opposition is dangerous.
So, I listen in the morning to some BBC news (in between
the sport and the bovine chit chat) and the people they choose to interview (when
they are not platforming Nigel Farage) are banging on about how well the
economy is doing. Then I go to my local supermarket and a single item that I bought
a few weeks ago, for 65 pence is now 89 pence. You clever people can work out
the % increase.
The disconnect is messing with my head.
I want to go and visit one of my daughters and I find
the ticket price, despite the appalling state of the UK rail network, makes my
eyes water.
A family friend who works in the banking sector and
who is facing redundancy, is currently training the workers who will be doing
his job when it is shipped abroad as the banking sector abandon a sinking ship. More of my friends, lucky enough to have
jobs, are doing increased workloads for ever decreasing pay.
Homelessness is at a record level and if you include
families living in insecure accommodation, it is epidemic.
One of the worst UK energy providers (and I should
know as I was once an N-Power customer) just announced a 10% price hike.
Yet, folk in-the-know keep telling us everything is
groovy. So, it must be, mustn’t it?
I hate to be a killjoy but I’ve been right about other
stuff that politicians – the media – even professional pollsters have got very wrong
– like election results. I see the Empire Zombies taking us over a cliff and my stomach is in my chest as I sense the drop.
There are one of two things going on here. Either I am
living in a parallel universe, which is always a possibility or we are being
fed dishonest shit by the government and the mainstream media.
Time will tell.
One thing is for sure – the turkeys who
voted for Christmas are being led by headless chickens and Jeremy Corbyn is a lame
duck...
*
THANK YOU to everyone who responded to the bandcamp shout
out last week and, by purchasing a download of Casey & the Surfmen, contributed to those attempting to oppose
Trump's hideous policies.
*
The Guardian published my letter on the Corbyn chasm on 5th Feb 2017 if you want to take a look.
My books can be found here - https://plus.google.com/collection/UNSKRE
My books can be found here - https://plus.google.com/collection/UNSKRE