Is that Britain now? Is Tory Britain a land of fair play anymore, where an unwritten social contract between individuals is kept, where we agree to treat others the way we ourselves would wish to be treated? Or is Britain a nasty bitter little group of islands, on the edge of Europe, populated by people who abuse refugees who are required to wear wristbands, so they can get a free meal at a homeless hostel in Cardiff ( 1930's Germany, yellow stars?). Where men driving vans spit at and abuse women because of the way they dress ( !930's Germany, yellow stars?). A land where dog excrement is pushed through the letter boxes of people who are identified because their front doors have all been painted the same colour (1930's Germany, yellow stars?), and who, when in fear of their lives, have already had to flee persecution once. A land where people question why refugees come to this country when surely they should stay in their own land and die. After all how selfish can you be to try to find a safe place to bring up your family when obviously you should get yourself killed whilst at the same time leaving your family destitute and unprotected, condemning them to a life of barrel bombing and starvation. A land where the suggestion to bring over orphaned child migrants is met with a moral outrage stoked up by the quisling right wing press. Thank god we didn't take the same approach to the Kindertransport. Especially when you realise what those children have subsequently added to British society. Although I recognise that the forebears of todays hatemongers were loud and present then as well.
Is Britain now a Toryland of 'I'm alright Jack'? A toxic swamp of hate filled nationalism where if you can't be monetised you are considered worthless. Where a week rarely goes by without the Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland making a speech demonising Muslims or coming up with a policy to cleanse the land of the feckless poor so the wealthy don't have to look at them.
Where a party of racists, bigots and homophobes receive 4 million votes in a General Election. A land where anybody who attempts to alleviate the suffering of others is dismissed as 'a bleeding heart liberal' because in Toryland, it is considered a crime against humanity to care about the plight of others.
So this is Britain in the 21st century is it?. A country that was once the vanguard against fascism is now the home of spitting fascist van drivers and dog shit deliverers. Bravo.
I wonder.
If Islamic State had let a dirty bomb off in the middle of London, wouldn't David Cameron be jumping up in Parliament, as well as appearing on various media outlets, shrieking how it was a terrorist atrocity and that it endangered the lives of hundreds or maybe thousands of British citizens and how it was his first responsibility to keep the British people safe and he would not rest until the perpetrators were brought to justice. So...........................??????
Slim Pickings.
Are we seriously expected to be grateful that Google have offered to pay £130 million in back taxes, to cover the last ten years. Really! £13 million in tax a year on THEIR PROFITS! Is that how it works now with the revenue service? You ring them up and tell them what you will be paying and they agree. Is that really how it works now?
Trump and Palin: The Scream Ticket.
What in Gods name did I witness when Sarah Palin gave her endorsement of the shredded wheat balancer, otherwise known as Donald Trump. I think she must have mainlined some Alaskan moonshine into a major artery before her speech. If she had been black I swear an American cop would have shot her. There's a part of me that hankers after the idea of Trump and Palin running on the same ticket until I remember that Americans have already elected George W Bush. Then it doesn't seem so funny.
" Call someplace paradise, then kiss it goodbye". ( Don Henley, Glen Frey).
