Choir of Kings College, Cambridge - England my England

Last week I mentioned that I had reached the milestone of a thousand odd posts, (on Bignews Margate Blog) and thought I'd mention that you are not alone in reading my blogs which chronicle petty politics and middle-aged angst, I get quite a few emails from readers informing me of local events, which I mention or not, depending on my random memory, some stuff of coarse is of a campaigning nature, sometimes I get invites, I've even had the offer of money from a PR company, which stupidly I turned down, still I'm always interested in info as well as offers of freebies etc..

A couple of weeks ago I was offered a complimentary copy of new CD "England My England" a collection of familiar and intrinsically English music sung by the King's College Choir, Cambridge. The 40 tracks on 2 CD’s consisting of hymns, psalms not exactly party music, but the sort of stuff I might listen to and do as I hammer these posts together (as, at the time of writing).

If I have a regret on being an atheist, it’s the absence of music associated with the English Church. For my generation the music on this CD is evocative of a time, as kids when the church was a greater influence in society than today.

Still irrespective of all that malarkey, there is nothing more inspirational, than the sound of a good choir, and although looking at the titles, I haven't a clue with most, till I listen, like the first track "Zadok the Priest" one of Handel's compositions, still had I not heard it, I would taken a guess based on the title, as maybe belonging to Hawkwind, another tough one, was this track 2 "Lux aeterna", no I didn't have a clue, till I listened to it, the music is by Elgar, it’s describe as a choral setting of Nimrod, which will be familiar to many, generally encountered at funerals, often as the curtains close in crematoria I think.

Some of the music you can listen to in a detached sort of atmospheric way but some of it like "Abide with me", "I vow to thee, my country" connects you, in a spiritual way, with your Englishness.

Music can be a powerful emotional catalyst and they don’t get anymore potent than "Jerusalem", in engendering English pride and or inspiring patriotism , as I listened to this particular hymn this morning I'm not entirely sure what caused the lump in my throat, the music or the bank statement I was reading at the time.

Perhaps the best and most distinguishing feature of being English is understating national pride, which explains why we don’t take St. Georges day off and are more likely to get drunk on St. Patricks Day drinking Guinness rather than Bitter. We are losing our traditions, still we’ll always have our musical heritage.

Anyhow this CD is Available from today, details are available by clicking here.

Shame all round

I chanced upon Alastair Campbell’s Blog yesterday as a result of visiting the generally prolific Mark Nottingham’s site and following a link.

Now before I go further this bit is necessary background, 90% of the population do not follow politics in any depth myself included and its likely that most of the population get their political insights from life and popular media the Star, Sport, Sun, Emmerdale or Corrie.

Its a fact that most of us don’t write blogs, ask local bureaucrats to explain themselves or attend local meetings.

Most of us just have a blind faith, that those who make the big decisions or control our lives, actually know what their doing, give a damn and will act in a vaguely benign manner.

At this moment in time, we’ve come to one of those points in history when us the public, have, had a rude awakening, the economy is shot to pieces, were losing our jobs, the banks are as bankrupt as are our politicians.

The credit crunch has divided country between those who are trying to hold on to what they’ve got and those who haven’t got a clue.

Much of our economy is made up of the public sector, I understand in Scotland half the workforce are paid courtesy of taxpayer, so far no one in the public sector has been effected by the economic downturn least of all Gordon Brown.

Gordon Brown lost his grip on the economy, reality, and public opinion sometime ago, unfortunately his grip on to office is stronger, in what is to me, a spiteful and belligerent attempt to prove that he is capable Prime Minister which clearly he isn’t.

Alistair Campbell probably typifies Labour thinking in a posting on his blog referring to the Euro elections “those who say it was a day of shame for Britain, and for Labour, that the BNP one these seats, are right” his solution is to engage with those “stayaway voters” you wonder why they wouldn’t do this anyway.

I just wonder whether senior Labour figures are just so aloof that they haven’t thought of the blooming obvious, coming back to the fact most people don’t do politics, Labour might consider that the majority do not take kindly to losing their jobs to recent migrants and their schools and medical facilities being stretched which could explain why so many voted BNP.

Labour have drawn some comfort in the fact that in real terms BNP didn’t get more votes carefully ignoring the fact that UKIP have also made gains.

Its certainly a shame that anyone should consider voting for BNP, its a bigger shame that Labour are so aloof that they would no longer understand why ordinary people voted for a fascist party, even more a shame since as the party of government for the last eleven years, they actually engineered the situation where ordinary people felt more comfortable voting for nazi apologists than Labour.

Last nights pitiful display of loyalty by craven Labour MP’s to Gordon Brown who is trying to prove the point he’s not as bad as he clearly is, serves to confirm that Labour are finished.

Brown’s happy to take his colleagues into the wilderness and we’re going to pay the price, us the electorate delivered gift wrapped to a bunch of lightweight Tories lead by David Cameron and the BNP picking up more disillusioned voters.

Labour have yet to explain the benefits of mass migration, to British workers, until they do so they’ll lose support, I consider myself to be reasonably informed and I don’t know why a Labour Government cannot protect their own people.

Its easy for Labour MP’s to criticise those who voted BNP, as I mentioned earlier most of the population don’t get too deep in to political subtleties, they see jobs going and wages being cut and BNP fascists are offering what they want British jobs for British workers.

Made In Britain and Teabags

How often do you suddenly see a rash of stories in newspapers and magazines about some obscure TV programme, celebrity or product and think about the mechanics of it all.

Right now forget about that bit, on to the Made in Britain thing, anyone my age 50 plus will be only too familiar with the gradual decline of manufacturing, the short lived perception that products manufactured anywhere but the British Isles were cheap and cheerful.

Sometime around the mid seventies, the masses started to realise that things like cars and consumer electronics were a damn site more reliable if coming from anywhere but good old Blighty.

As I type away on my Chinese manufactured computer with blimin “intel inside” on my desk which came from anywhere but the UK, and my backside sat comfortably in my “Managers chair” again from China, I think just what the hell we do make in Britain.

My family owes its existence, in this country to manufacturing as my great grandfather came to Britain from Germany at the end of 19th century, sought out for his technical skills in glass manufacture.

With manufacturing being at an all time low, I was prompted to think about the subject and this is conclusion, although we no longer make much, in the way of manufactured products, we are still creative and we make things like, TV programmes, Music, art and Britain still influences the worlds thinking through the Media.

Right what prompted me to get all nostalgic well I see that a new TV programme “Made in Britain” starring Dom Joly, comedian and journalist who in the show, has his family home stripped of everything not made in the UK. Each episode a room in the house has to be refurbished with British goods and cameras follow his quest to buy British from the inevitable quirky, eccentric and ingenious manufacturers who wont give up.

This show is to be aired next week on Blighty (the digital channel that celebrates unique Britain Sky 534 VTV 206) it starts at 8.00pm Monday 8th June through every night till Friday.

Oh the teabags yes, well, the arts, media and PR are strong parts of the British economy and well it would be a bit dishonest for me to not mention, what really prompted me to waffle on this subject, I received an email from some public relations wallahs, seems if I give this a mention they might send me a box of Tea Bags, how cheap do they think I am. I just hope they haven’t found some eccentric growing and picking tea leafs on the Welsh hills with someone hand knitting them into bags.

Bleary Vision spot on

Hazel Blears has been the subject of much interpretation over the weekend with Labour ministers and the like displaying a mixture of denial and spin, as they waffle on to the effect, that her suggestions that Labours performance was lamentable has been misunderstood.

The fact is any rational person, looking at Gordon Brown’s recent Youtube performance, would find it difficult not to jump to the conclusion, that its not just the country that’s in dire need of help, but Prime Minister also whoes in need of  help and a break and preferably a long one at that, which would be just the thing for him and us.

I’ve no doubt that come election night for the European and County elections, assuming Gordon Brown doesn’t have the good grace to step down immediately and save some of his colleagues from the P45, those MP’s who have nothing to lose like Stephen Ladyman might well turn on him anyway.

Talk of Browns successor range from Harriet Harman to Alan Johnson, which will be a waste of all the current crop of Labour politicians as its probably only Hazel Blears, that even remotely connects with the British working classes. Hazel Blears has in the last year or two identified with those issues, that most Labour MP’s don’t have the balls to mention.

Ageing Sir Michael Parkinson shows poor taste

Crikey you just wonder at the mind set of celebrity’s , why did Michael Parkinson feel it necessary, to make offensive comments about the late Jade Goody.

The professional journo, son of Barnsley, and in no way boring old Yorkshire git, decided to let the world know, his rather poor opinion, of the late Jade Goody describing her as a “wretched role model” has he ever taken an objective look at his own achievements.

Just what Michael Parkinson has contributed to the well being of mankind, I’m not familiar, unless its those seemingly sycophantic interviews with movie industry stars either seeking publicity or a last chance in the spotlight before they pass on.

Still whatever he’s done in his life, which I doubt is little more than earn a living as a journalist, somehow he has managed to get a knighthood, to me he just happens to be a wretched example of those the establishment, like to reward for just being famous.

Concorde 40 today

At least today is the 40th anniversary, of the first flight of the Concorde from Filton near Bristol, an incredible machine, which is made all the more remarkable, since all these years  later, no commercial airliner has been built since, to match its speed and it's unlikely, in the lifetime of anyone reading this, that another passenger aircraft will be built with similar capabilities.

Whilst it's a source of immense pride of what the British aerospace industry was once capable of, to me it's a reminder of the failures of Britain as a nation.

In common with a majority of air travellers, whilst we might have admired the thing from a distance it is rare that any of us actually had a trip on the thing.

The my first trip on the Concorde consisted  of entering at the rear of the plane, walking through to the front and after a quick butchers at the cockpit leaving via the front, I was in fact visiting The Intrepid Space Museum, In New York, where they have a British Airways Concorde, plonked on a barge, in the Hudson River (much recommended, credit crunch allowing (rules me out), if you tire of being drag round the shops).

Now I mentioned, Concorde being a reminder of the failures of the British nation, and it's for this reason, at the same time as France and Britain were developing this superb aeroplane with the assistance of the British & French taxpayer, Boeing in America were developing the 747 Jumbo Jet, which opened up long distance travel to the masses, something which Concorde despite being funded by taxpayers in Britain and France never pretended to do.

Concorde will be remembered fondly for a long time to come, but it's my guess that, passengers will be flying Boeing's 747 jumbo, for at least another 40 years.  Concorde built for the elite few could never have flown without massive taxpayer subsidies, so whilst it was a technical marvel and still is, it was also a resounding commercial failure.

Man dies shortly after police contact And Jacqui Smith talks about managed inquiry.

Sometimes you just wonder whether you live in a western democracy or some banana Republic, particularly whenever Britain's police appear to act in an aggressive manner towards those citizens, they are supposed to protect.

Anyway if you're unaware of the circumstances leading up to the death of Ian Tomlinson, you might wish to read this report from the BBC view the  filmed interview with Jacqui Smith and video from the Guardian newspaper showing policeman attacking Mr Tomlinson from behind.

It clearly shows a police officer, at last week's G20 protests knocking Mr. Tomlinson to the ground from behind for no apparent reason.

Now I suspect that had this been, any other identifiable citizen of this country, apparently knocking an innocent man to the ground, which preceded a man's death by minutes, they would, most likely have found themselves at least, interviewed and probably charged for either manslaughter or murder within hours of the tragedy.

However often as is in the case with Britain's police forces, what had been normal procedure for the general public, becomes strangely muddied, and non applicable it seems where police officers are concerned.

Anyway it's not for me to make your mind up, but I strongly suggest you look at the video of this incident, if also I would recommends watching Jacqui Smith referring  to a “managed investigation” overseen by police officers, myself I would hope that all investigations were managed etc.

What worries me is the fact that the police appear not able to confidently and briskly conclude their investigations.

And the Home Secretary's reference to the managed investigation, reminds me of all those enquiries that go on interminably over such things as ministers claiming for porno videos and barbecue sets, until the public lose all interest or politicians have had enough time to muddy the waters.

At the end of the day, a man on his way home from work, has been knocked to the ground from behind, by a police officer, and shortly after died of a heart attack, he deserved better and his family deserve a prompt and honest conclusion to this matter

the new mission statement

Yes I realize this has echoes of the 1980's, but just can't help myself, having stumbled across a web site yesterday that had such a thing. 

Anyway more than a statement perhaps a mood, in case this blog has any duration, let's just fix the starting point in context.

It's early April, 2009 and 12th months ago, few of us were barely conscious, of what is now known, as the credit crunch, which for many  would-be more aptly described as a crush.

Britain's MP's backbenchers and front bench ministers of the government, have in the past few weeks, been revealed for the weak and feeble money grabbing bastards that the British public, have often suspected.

The Economy is down the toilet, Gordon Brown has so far failed miserably to instil any sense of confidence, that he has either a grip or understanding of the current economic circumstances, we find ourselves in.

It seems every day the British public, is informed of ever increasing amounts of money, that we will need to stump up to cover the government's, ill judged gambles as it attempts to mitigate the worst effects of the global recession and fails.

Sums of money which are totally incomprehensible, are regularly quoted as having been given to banks to shore up, their business to what end, nobody has yet had the courtesy to inform the British taxpayer.

Anyway that's the starting point of this blog, where it will go I don't know.

Recession, what Recession?

Its easy for some of us to forget that large sections of the British public have yet to experience the recession and haven’t got a clue about the depth or misery this current economic downturn is proving for those in the private sector.

Still I for one wonder just how much longer, those in the public sector can remain unchallenged, in their for now immune lifestyle, which of course is dependant on those who are feeling the brunt of the depression.

I see in Kent that the trade union representing council staff reckon that whilst thousands in Kent, have been thrown on the scrapheap, they for some reason have a divine right not only to retain their jobs but screw the taxpayer for a pay increase.

Still is it any wonder that union representatives have such an unrealistic view of their self worth, when MP’s and even government ministers are blatantly robbing the public blind, be it paying for entertainment, scoring bogus claims for accommodation or sorting out fat pensions since many will soon be getting the P45.

Overall many in service or the construction industry have not seen any significant increase in pay in last few years. Those of us in unskilled or manual work have seen our earnings eroded, as well as our jobs disappear, as a result of Labour’s policy of attacking their traditional base and bringing in cheap foreign workers.

Labour under Blair completed the transition from being run by loony socialist cranks, into a comfortable, caring sort of Tory Party, which since 1997, moved further to the right, till today most Labour top knobs are every bit as corrupt and bent as their Tory counterparts once were.

Labour no longer needs or cares about working class voters for a couple of reasons, one that the Labour Hierarchy are mostly articulate middle class bods working in the public sector, and plus its the middle class that are more likely to go out and vote.

Twenty-five years ago the Tories were the big threat to the ordinary people of this country, as they systematically, destroyed industry and communities in their lunatic pursuit of low inflation, now the Labour party not through spite have done even greater damage to the people of this country, by allowing mass migration without any consideration to its consequences, because the only time their likely to notice the great social upheaval, is when they nip into a cafe or have some building work done.

I’d love to know what benefit this country derived by allowing uncontrolled migration and ruthlessly exploiting of both British nationals and East Europeans and why was this policy never featured in any Labour manifesto.

Not something that would bother your average public sector worker since their jobs are unaffected nor I would think most Labour MP’s who are appear content so long as they can claim bogus expenses, have a second job and take money from wherever its offered.

A lot of people are under the impression that Britain has had no option but to accept limitless migration, which is not so, since both France and Germany decided to protected their economies by opting out of a free for all migration policy when the EU was enlarged.

Gordon Brown’s performance as Prime Minister has been dire it will be interesting to see how he emerges at the end of this G20 charade, still apart from saving face which is unlikely at some time he will be able to walk away from the chaos created by his government, draw a fat pension and bore rich businessmen senseless by giving lectures.