All the world's a spinner

And so it goes on. The honourables' leaders are competing with each other on their views about how to reform parliament and our political system. They still don't get it do they? The monoi is one part of the dishonesty, but the greater part relates to the reason I started this blog. It is to do with treating people like they're STUPID! Now I don't understand why it is that they stupidly continue to use the same old ways of behaving that got them into this mess in the first place. Part of the problem is that they are 'career politicians'. their ambitions and raison d'etre is tied in with climbing the political ladder, not in representing the people. Roy 'spitting image' Hattersly was on the tele tonight prognosticating about what disappointed him about Labour, and how he simply expected the Conservatives to behave in the way they have. He denigrated the idea of "independents" standing for Parliament on the basis that they would not present policies nor would they represent a wider political view. He actually said that the honourables had lost touch with the electorate. Well he may be of the Labour Party, but he sure as hell misses the point of what it is really all about. That's because he has lost touch with what democracy and representation is all about. It is about the will of the people. It is about serving the people. This is not to say that greed rules - though many people vote on the basis of 'what are they gonna do for me (my back pocket)' - but that it is about aligning with doctrines of parties that gets you up the ladder to success. There's an old joke in that one.....

Anyway, I'm on three sleeps before I start me Coast to Coast walk and I'm getting dead excited. I have this confidence that I'm gonna meet some really interesting, really honourable people on me way across England's green and pleasant land. I'm sure there'll be no back stabbers, no spinners, and lot's of smiley faced people who simply get on with their lives with nothing more in their head than enjoying their day and the company of any honest people that cross their paths. That's what it can be like on the wander - like Ranulph Feinnes, you just plod and you reach the summits one step at a time without recourse to stepping on someone else on the way up. Life is simple really, why do so many people complicate it with spinning.

OMG I just thought of that folk group, "The Spinners". Beam me up Scotty! Get me out of here! It's the world Jim, but not as we know it. Ground control to Major Tom ....I'm sitting in me tin can so far away....."That is why" all the world's a spinner - it's down to gravity. There is no deeper sense of gravity that should be borne by anybody than our honourables. Why don't they get it?

Quiet Day ....

Yep, quiet day today with nothing and no one qualifying for the treating me like I'm stupid award of the day! Me new brush cutter arrived from Ryobi Direct (http://www.ryobi-direct.com/acatalog/index.html) - what a beast I'll be the Rambo of the garden - and what terrific service. It arrived in good time, it was a terrific price and it really does look like it'll be the business - need the 2 in 1 oil and some petrol and away I'll go. Also ordered some new shorts for me walk from Rohan (http://www.rohan.co.uk/)- again arrived in good time, terrific quality and great value for money.

All this makes me think that you need to mark up the good news stories. I'm always optimistic and expect the best until the worst happens. I spose that's why I'm a silly old git and are open to being treated like I'm stupid. I believe in honesty and trust at a basic level. That doesn't mean that relationships last for ever, but be honest when shit happens that's what I say. I've been involved in rugby for a long time, and found it to be a proper world wide fraternity. Then at two clubs in short succession there were back stabbers who couldn't be honest and act in a simple grown up way, just doing things straight forwardly. The people involved lacked courage to raise issues with people. We're back to the honoroubles in this respect in that they can't say anything without you thinking they're on the spin - there's an underlying motive and they're not to be trusted. They're experts at justifying their behaviour no matter what "mistakes" and "errors" THEY make, and the responsibility for their behaviour lies elsewhere. This pattern of behaviour is well recognised in sex offenders, alcoholics, habitual criminals, etc etc. Blimey where is that lot going?

On the bright side, spent today involved with sixth form students as a mentor during a problem solving exercise they were involved in. It was really nice to be around youngsters who could be role models for any number of adults. Let's hope they don't grow up so that as they grow old they keep their sense of fun, vulnerability, honesty and endeavour. We might then end up with some worthy honourables. Cameron et al want to reform the system - let's reform through better people is what I say.

Been away

Yes, that's right, I've been away. Not at one of Her Majesty's establishments but over in the Lake District. I was over in Wasdale in this B & B with no telly and I completely lost touch with the goings on of the honourables. Now given where I started when I decided to do this Blog, a strange thing has happened. I was staying at Wasdale doing some last minute practice for me Coast to Coast walk (Wainright) that I'm starting next Saturday. We did Great Gable in shite weather on Saturday, Scafell Pike railway station and Scafell - luvverly - on Sunday, and today we did Pillar. All luvverly walks from a wonderful B & B. So there shouldn't have been a problem should there? But you know what? Even up the hills you run into people who act like the honourables - they're complete **** heads! They're either stupid b*****s who where totally inappropriate clothing or who do absolutely stupid things - more later - or they're determined to race up to the railway station faster than anybody else thinking they're looking good in the process - a bit like spin really. Then we met some folk who were sort of having a "big game of tig" - they sort of sounded like the honourables who might tell you you're jealous of them cos they've got a big house. Probably doing these folk no good service at all cos apparently one of them finished 25th in the London Marathon!!

Anyway back to honourables. We were in this B & B http://www.lingmellhouse.co.uk/ and it was run by a proper honourable. You know what one of them is? Well let me tell you it is someone who lives an ordinary life but who does extraordinary things. That's what Tim does. He runs this superb B & B that he keeps immaculately, he does a good shift in the Inn up the road http://www.wasdaleheadinn.co.uk/home.html and then he goes out on the fells as part of the mountain rescue team and plays his heroics down. Now that's the sort of bloke I want in Parliament - a proper honourable. Nobody owes him a living he just gets on with shuvveling s**t and thinks nothing of it.

That Inn place does truly brilliant beer and the staff work themselves silly, and the odd person treats them like they're stupid!!

He'll save everyone of us ........

For some reason, that Qeen song "Flash" keeps popping into me mind - and that's not a good thing cos I keep saying to people "ere, can you hear music?" But that's where we seem to be now. I'm loosing the plot. Gordie is announcing measures and saying how important it is we get to grips with things so that trust can be restored in our politicians - was it ever there? is he out of touch with reality? Did I not say at the beginning that spin was a factor that governed the governors? It used to be used car salesmen and estate agents that weren't trusted but now it is the honourables. And it is not just about the events of these past few days. In fact, over these past few days we have seen all sorts of tactics and mechanisms in use that really inform us that the status quo of politics is alive and well. It's all about positioning really, and if one of the parties does this, it results in the other doing that, all following the rules of one upmaniship that THEY think us silly old gits will fall for cos they still operate on the basis that we're stupid! They really miss the point of their transparency in government and opposition. Her honourableness, Harriet, was saying this morning on Radio 4 that it was "all the parties' responsibility" but, she said, to sort things out, not because they were responsible for causing the mess. She just couldn't bring herself to say that. She was pushed on the moral authority of this parliament and asked whether or not she thought it was down to the people to 'expunge' parliament of it's incumbents so that new folk would know the basis on which they were elected. She just couldn't see the point and spun away merrily . Mind you, Gordie is bending over backwards to say he is listening. In Harriet's case, she like most of the honourables is expert at listening to herself regurgitating the soundbites that she has listened to from the spin doctors. They really do think we're stupid if they don't listen to each other repeating the exact same phrases in the way that we have to. "This is why we don't think it's right to have an election" bla bla bla bla. Why don't they just get one person to say it and reduce their expenses claims for throat pastils.

Any way, Gordie has proved he's a listening kind of guy cos he's reversed the decison on the Ghurkas. This is proof that he listens. Mind you, people had to SHOUT very loud to be heard - public opinion Gordie. Reverand and the Makers - great band - have this song "Cos you shout loudest don't mean that you're right" and it has a lot of relevance for anybody in POWER. They don't have to shout but they can ignore, and insist that they're right because they control the means of communication. Wake up Gordie and you honourables, you don't control communication any more - this is why I got started. I can put this stuff up and anybody can read it. The other thing about the Ghurkas is timing. Go to the earlier posts dear readers and see the reference to diversion - 'see what nice people we are, we're the honourables' we take our responsibilities very seriously "that is why" after not wanting to do the right things by the Ghurkas we have changed our minds just to prove it'. I'm SILLY NOT STUPID Gordie. Her honourablness said this morning that resolving the current difficulties was "now centre stage" - last week the Beckett woman said what was going on was a distraction from the honourables dealing with the really important affairs of government! Start listening to each other!

The Music's starting again, "Flash ahaaa he'll save everyone of us ........."

You tak the high ground ......

Well, the honourables have had their way and the Speaker has been shafted, hope that Black Rod was not too painful!! In his death throw he pulled the leaders of the parties - nudge, nudge, wink, wink - together and they worked out some urgent reforms based on the premis that self-ruling, self-regulating operations were unacceptable. Now while we can see the logic of this in many institutions, it seems to me, and bear in mind that I'm silly not stupid, that the whole point of electing the honourables is that they are just that, acting on behalf of the people that voted them in. They don't seem to realise that in this attempt (see the earlier post on the Lord of the Flies and the allegorical thingy) to be seen as restoring faith in them and Parliament, that they are actually saying that they cannot operate responsibly and honourably. They need somebody to make sure that they behave honestly, honourably, ethically, and responsibly. That seems to me to go with the turf of our democracy. I know history informs all sorts of stuff about exploitation of the working classes by the ruling classes, and New Labour moved away from socialism cos they wanted POWER so they would become the ruling classes, but they are supposed to be there to represent US, not to screw us.

In dealing out the Speaker and sacrificing him to the higher ground of "trust" Gordie seems to completely miss the logic of what has happened in terms of the honourables behaviour. 'Climb every mountain' to reach the high ground would be the anthem (remember "things can only get better") that Gordie should adopt cos he is certainly trying to demonstrate his squeaky clean presbytarian credentials through suspensions, damnations and the rest. It is if he has seen the way the honourables have been behaving for the first time in innocence notwithstanding his lengthy career in politics. Maybe that is the result of a Nelson-like affliction - yes I know its a cheap shot, but give me a break as far as him being the Ivanhoe of this mess is concerned - whereby he simply didn't know what his party members were up to. The honourables have been marching to the tune of the "self -preservation society" for donkies years and methinks Gordie has reached new heights in his attempts to distance himself from the "errors" of his honourable friends. That songster must have been quite a visionary when he penned "you tak the high road an I'll tak the low road", Gordie does both.

Trust is earned you honourable numbnuts. Stand in front of a mirror and look at yourselves one and all. Ask of yourselves 'What is my purpose?', 'Whose interests am I serving?' and then say nothing or you'll start spinning ....... Stand there long enough and you'll come face to face with the truth.

Lord of the Flies

I blogged off yesterday - went down to the missus' allotment and did some damage to some overgrown bushes - cutting out the deadwood you might say. Then after some lunch, bailed me daughter out after her expenses went pear shaped - she lost her bankers card! Then after getting home, went down to the local pub quiz where all the talk was about whether the Boro, Newcastle, Hull or Sunderland would go down - its all going to the wire. The last game of the season is where it'll all be decided in games of two halves wherein the boys will give it their best shot and managers will be proud and say things like 'we didn't score enough goals' and 'we let in some bad ones' and 'it was meant to be' and 'we deserved to stay up'.

All sounds like the honourables really. Different words but the same old diatribe to explain away inadequacies in basic performance. So where have we got to? In the midst of the "errors" and the "mistakes" and "oversights" it does seem there is also some systemic culpability in the way that the fees office works. It seems the honourables can submit excessive or what might be 'iffy' claims to the fees office who will then grant, deny, or pay up in part the claims made. On this basis the honourables are able to say we "operated within the rules". It seems the Speaker has some resonsibilities here and after the squawking about the expsoures of expenses, the honourables have ganged up on the Speaker. Now that they can't deflect attention from the issues of their "errors" through offers of pay back, nor can they pass the buck to the electorate for not allowing them to get on with the important issues of government, they've found a victim that they can chase down. It's all the Speaker's fault - he should have done something to stop them getting into the mess they're in.

Now as difficult as I find it to defend a bloke who me mates say shouldn't be trusted cos he wears stockings and funny clothes and sounds like a bumbling old goat (not old git) (merekat or market?), unlike secret agents, he doesn't work alone. No dear friends - and I'll come back to this phrase later - he is part of a House of Commons Commission that has responsibilities for things like payments and expenses and the likes. And do you know what, there are five other honourables on that Commission so its like a committee. Harriet Harman's in there and other folk nominated by the honourables' leaders. And do you know what else, they had a meeting on May 11 when "The Committee agreed to bring forward the publication of the scanned receipts and claims for 2004/05 to 2007/08 by several weeks."

(http://www.parliament.uk/about_commons/house_of_commons_commission_/hccfm110509.cfm)

Now I don't know about you, but I'm beginning to feel I might be stupid after all. I thought the Telegraph was being dead good by revealing things to us silly folk that we wouldn't otherwise see. But the Speaker's Commission thingy agreed to publishing all the receipts anyway and to do so earlier than was first decided - unless I've got that wrong somehow! But then I go back to the title for this post. Unless you're a silly old git you'll be too young to remember the Golding book and film, Lord of the Flies. But the current goings on including the role of the Telegraph are all there. To quote from the entry on the book from Wikipedia "At an allegorical level, the main theme is the conflicting impulses towards civilization (live by rules, peacefully and in harmony), and towards the will to power. Other themes include the tension between groupthink and individuality, between rational and emotional reactions, and between morality and immorality. How these play out, and how different people feel the influences of these, forms a major subtext of the story." There you have it!

So 'dear friends'.....I know two people have read me blog so far cos I had one post. If there are other readers out there in the blogosphere, it would be good to know, otherwise I'm really talking to meself! On the one hand this is OK cos the plan was to do something with me thoughts. However, if I'm alone on the planet with only the honourables to share it with I'm in trouble. I think I just heard an echo..........

Too many kooks spoil the trough

Well now they're really all worried. Gordie has written in that instrument of virtue, the News of the World, to say that, "Unacceptable behaviour will be investigated and disciplined". Ain't he a tuffy. At the end of what seems like a very long week in which they know they can't wriggle off the hook, they are finally getting round to facing reality. There's still more than a hint of spin and positioning but there's a bloke called Kenyon in the Labour executive (bet they fly business class) who now says, "Three types of transgression - possible fraud, MPs playing the property market for personal gain, and extravagant and unjustifiable claims for goods and services - had been identified." Whoopy do! Wasn't I saying just that in me first Blog. Still, I spose they got there in the end. Whose looking stupid now? Or perhaps they are just plain stupid - hence the title of this post. You'll have to look up kook - even now I'm being kind to the honourables, but the word applies simply because of their insistance on using words like, "unforgivable error in my accounting procedures for which I apologise unreservedly" (David Chaytor now supsended for claiming £13k for mortgage payments after the mortgage had been paid off!) instead of words that describe what they've really done.

Moving on cos I'm aware of me scrollers - I learned I could use Blogger set-up to just show the first paragraph of any post by the way. Still going for a scroll will keep you fit is what I say. RoboCop that fine upstanding citizen who managed a police CID force that was itself subject to investigations into corrupt behaviour that spiralled out of control. He resigned in the end. So no stranger to controversy and without any sense of a bad taste in his mouth that he hasn't been able to remove since he resigned, RoboCop rightly called for a police enquiry into the honourable behaviour - he can sniff out crime when others can't! Anyway, the BBC web site says Mallon wins MP expenses probe - I wonder if that's like a Golden Globe? The first thought that came into me mind was that the "MP expenses probe" was something, handled with rubber gloves, that you could probably make them spin on - wouldn't that be a wonderful end to any investigation.