More Ramblin'

Quote of the Week

"No matter how they enforce Brexit, the British identity is dwindling.It's really theidea of English Identity that needs to be addressed now. That English colonial racism is still there. Look how Enlishness presents itself at the World Cup. They are always convinced that they are going to win and immediately start singing Rule Britannia. It's crazy. The colonial racism is still there. It's embedded."

More Ramblin' across Borders

Well my old darlings, I’ve been away for a while blowing through the jasmine of my mind!

Yes, I know that’s a line from an Isley Brothers song but I’ve been angsting about how to start this piece for ages and it’s the best I could come up with – lovely song by the way.

Anyway, anyway, having re-entered the world so to speak, I rather wish I’d stayed wherever it was I went to (Sorry, that’s really clumsy and no doubt breaks all kinds of grammatical rules – bear with me I’ll get into my stride in two shakes)

So,(Christ, I really hate this modern obsession with starting every sentence with “So”, and what with that and parroting the Australian preoccupation of finishing every sentence with a question mark, no wonder the world’s in such a state!)

I know that’s a bit of an overstatement, but the world is in a state.

So(!) let’s start with Brexit. No, let’s not start with Brexit. Let’s start with the fact that that as an individual with little or no influence about what’s happening in the country, I am sometimes overcome with anger and a sense of hopelessness; which, by the way, aptly describes, at least up to the suffix –ness, the ineptness of the current crop of politicians!

So(!), I have to admit that, even so, I’m a politics programme nerd; Politics Live, Newsnight, Marr, Peston, Prime Minister’s Questions. I watch the lot.

So(!), the only one I recuse myself from watching (a touch of Jeff Sessions coming in there!) is Question Time; the reason being that I always end up screeching at the telly No, not because of the fatuousness of the panel, although that’s a given, but because of the audience.

So(!), yes the audience. I am constantly bemused by the ignorance and sheer bloody mindedness of my fellow citizens to consider developing evidence that points to remaining in the EU as the most sensible, logical and rational decision, and then acting on it.

So(!), I have long thought that human beings – and perhaps most especially English ones – have a surprising ability to ignore evidence in favour of belief systems based on the desire to hold to a position no matter how untenable; prime examples of this, in relation to Brexit (shit) negotiations, is the oft heard comments “Just get on with it” and “Why don’t we just leave?.

So(!), these seemingly worthy burghers refuse to countenance the legitimacy of contractual obligations and presumably stop paying their rents or mortgages when they’ve decided they have been “…told what to do once too often”. Duh!

Or, (I’m getting really fed up with that”so “word) they take the view something akin to saying:

“I’ve had enough of my right hand not knowing what my left hand is up to so (whoops), I’ve decided

the left hand has got to go.

And then:

“But that will lead to all kinds of unwanted consequences. You’ll be unable to do anything that requires two hands; you won’t be able to hold a fork; you won’t be able to do an authentic Mexican wave and, finally, you are, of course left handed!

“I don’t care, I’ve made my decision and it would be undemocratic of you to persuade me otherwise”

SOME LATER

“Ooh, I didn’t realise that I couldnt……………..”

So(!), I’m feeling just about rambled out. But before I go let me end with a quote from John Maynard Keynes who said on changing his mind:

“When I get more evidence, I sometimes change my mind”

 

Evidence, citizens, evidence!