For "Justice" read "Financial Compensation"

Every day it seems there are folks being interviewed on the news over some issue announcing in sombre terms that they are only doing whatever in pursuit of justice. Supine journalists nod wisely and move on. Not a one seems ever moved to ask the proper question. "How much are you looking for in compensation?" That is the normal response from you or me but journalists it seems have not thought of that. (They could at a stretch say that they got the interview on condition that they did not ask that question). Think about it.

Historians not Idealogues

Today Eric Hobsbawm died at the age of 95. Good Innings. However - while practicing as a historian and writing many history books he was first and last a Marxist. This undermines and nullifies the content of his writing. We can not be expected to take seriously history writing from persons who start out with an ideology which distorts everything they write or say. The problem is widespread and there are all sorts of historians at work whom we should ignore. On the right we have the likes of Niall Ferguson and Michael Burleigh. Do not read work by any historian who is noticeably attached to an -ism. Historians should end by making some useful suggestions, they should not begin by having a fixed view of what they are about to explore.

Sad Sight

Walking through my university campus today I came upon a very sad sight. Two young students with all to explore and investigate before them  manning a stall giving out religious literature! Why? Or alternatively why go to university? If you buy in to some supernaturally infused world view clearly a university has little to offer you. Poor kids.
Point was amplified in the library where I spotted a book entitled Catholic Bioethics. How can complex practical issues be helped by a uniquely sectarian supernatural world view?

A Sad State

The USA are agonizing over healthcare. Most states already have reasonably affordable provision. USA has about 300 million citizens represented nationally by several hundred congressmen and women and 100 senators. These folks it seems might come to a decision to join the rest of the world in recognizing effective healthcare as a citizen' natural right - or not as they might choose. But not so. Having thought that they had made a decision the matter is now referred to a tiny group of party politically partisan people who will second guess the decision of the people in the light of an ancient text written by and for a small group of plutocrats over 200 years ago. How sad is that?

Think Tanks

A contradiction in terms, close to what is often called an oxymoron. Think tanks by and large don't think. They write reports and come up with novel wheezes to support the views of the folks who pay the bills. They can't afford to think or they might come up with something the funders would hate. All supposed think tanks start out knowing the answer and avoid troublesome thinking. If a think tank tells us something it is because they were paid to. It is just like advertising and in way that is exactly what it is. It would be nice to have an actual think tank looking at problems but we never will get that.

This is the Country we Live in!

Quote from Neil Lennon Manager of Celtic football club. The quote came when security officers told him he could not sit in the stand at a football match - advice given in the light of recent would be bomb attacks on Mr Lennon. This is the country we live in. It is the country in which the supporters of his current football club routinely fly the flag of an alien country. A country it should be noted harbouring the ambition to annexe significant parts of my country. Mr Lennon needs to look around.

Live TV News

What a waste of time. Most events are not visual. Most events are over before the News Media start reporting. Most TV news systems insist on having "live" coverage by putting a reporter and a camera where something happened some time ago. They keep doing it for every bulletin. Hapless reporters are seen at 1030 pm stood wherever giving a live report to camera about something that happened long ago. Sometimes it is from somewhere nothing actually happened. In the UK they send TV crews to stand outside the Prime Minister's official  residence to speculate on possible political events. The PM does not even live there and at weekend is far away at his country retreat yet still those poor reporters are required to stand solemnly come rain or shine and bring us the latest "news".
This is plainly expensive nonsense. Most of such reporting can be done from a studio at less cost and with less stress on the reporters. I suspect the reporters are in line with this view so why don't we get it stopped. Email your local TV station and tell them this is a nonsense. Get others to do the same and we might put an end to this crazy practice.

Incentives

In times of economic difficulty we are all urged to pull harder to get us through it. It seems we are slow to take this on and we must have incentives.
If we are poor, the great majority, this is best achieved by reducing wages, cutting benefits and raising unemployment. That will urge us to greater effort.
If we are rich, the tiny minority, incentives mean higher salaries, dividends, bonuses etc for only if we get paid (lots) more will we contribute more. One law for the rich and another for the poor. What about democracy - government of, by and for the people - well at least the majority? Democracy sadly went the way of the Dodo. It is extinct. We now have plutocracy, government of the people, by the rich and for the rich. It does not need to be so. We are the majority and we can have our needs addressed.
This insight is not new or original but it is true and I thought I would share it with you. You know what to do to fix this.

Would you join?

Groucho Marx once famously said something to the effect that he would never join a club that would admit the likes of him. This rings true when we consider political parties. I would advise against joining any political party that let its current membership in. Political parties are tiny organisations which have got a stranglehold on government.  But who would join a political party? No-one who had real contribution to make. To steal a phrase - those who can do and those who can't go into politics.  Which leaves us in the mess we are in. What we need in government are people  with a reaL contribution to make based on an examination of the issues. Party politicians start any issue with their party's view which inclines to know the answer from the outset.
Let us ditch political parties. Write your CV get online start emailing, stand, get elected and do the thing properly. The vast majority of us do not belong to a political party - let us consign them to history.

An "ist" with no "ism"

Spare a thought for the predicament of one John Gray. He is a philosopher and writes endlessly all over the place. The principal thread in his writings is a contempt for anyone who ever tried to write anything about how we might better live together. He shows utter disdain for all and every "ism" under the sun. Now I am as reluctant to subscribe to an "ism" as anyone and happily live with that, but poor Mr Gray, (perhaps from being a philosopher) has to be an "ist". His huge problem is that he is so destructive and disdainful of so many that he has nowhere left to go! He must have a system but can't find a system to suit!  Another argument against being an ist.

The American Revolution?

Is getting closer. When will it come? You thought it had happened? Sadly not. That thing back in 1776 or whenever was a war of independence but not a revolution. Rich Americans grabbing control from rich Brits does not make a revolution. The rich are still firmly in control and getting more ruthless exploitative and even richer. But - they are a tiny minority and if sensible people get together it should be a breeze. Being American it will of course be violent but that aspect fades with time and in any event if enough join in the thing might be a walkover - think Tunisia not Libya.
As Leonard Cohen sings: "Democracy is coming - to the USA" It will make great TV.

Paying Taxes is Good for Us

Countries differ in the levels of taxation. In general higher tax countries are healthier. No surprise. If we argue and debate and agree on something useful we might agree to fund it from taxation. In general then the things we buy through taxation are well considered and worthwhile. Contrast that with private spending - impulsive, ill considered purchases of largely trivial goods and services - the vendors of which laugh all the way to the bank. Higher taxation encourages us to spend a higher proportion of our income on worthwhile commodities and less on ephemeral nonsense.
Think about it!