Back from a sunlit cove and into a country caught in a loop of fear, protest, and distraction - this is the summer of just about managed chaos. And it’s not by accident.
Britain is not, I repeat NOT, a ‘crime ridden hell hole’, as the Far Right would have anyone outside of the UK believe.
There is no doubt there is a ‘two tier’ Country - the ‘Haves’ and the ‘Have-nots’; and those who Have Not find the UK a very different experience to the Haves. But that is not what the Far Right would have you believe. They believe the Have Nots are the ones who are causing all the problems. So the problems for the Have Nots just keep on getting worse. Access to health care on the NHS being rationed or denied; access to Social Care support; access to Education for the severely disabled; access to food for the disabled and elderly on welfare; having to choose between heating or eating in the winter, or cool air or food in the summer heat; access to adequate, well maintained mould-free or indeed any housing for the poorest and most vulnerable. Millions of disabled and carers are STILL ‘sheltering in place’ without any support in a Post-Covid world. There is no doubt that ‘going outside’ now, has become a ‘middle class luxury’ for many.
BUT even with all these privations, the UK is still NOT what the White Supremacists and Farage-led Reformers would have you believe.
The UK is OK.
Britain is not, I repeat NOT, a ‘crime ridden hell hole’.
It's a sh*t show isn't it? Every development in the media seems to include an interview or the thoughts/ pronouncements from Chairman Farage. Thos is certainly by design. The media aren't interviewing any spokespeople from the Lib Dems or Green Party, no they go to Reform & regurgitate the sh*t spewed from that bottom feeder. Death penalty 'ask Farage' law & order 'ask Farage' small boats 'ask Farage' Why is Reform being given such prominence & air time, why is Reform being normalised? Who does it benefit? It's certainly not the ordinary person in the street. Its very worrying that our news and views seem to be through the prism of Farage & Tice. We need to push back against hatred & division
After reading this new missive of yours Bear it brought to mind the song the I'm Tired song that the wonderful character of Lilli Von Schtüpp sang in Blazing Saddles, although not the 'I'm not a wabbit' main hook of the lyrics but I know that you'll understand.
Collectively there's a majority of us that are extremely tired of all the shite that's happening on these septic islands AND in the world as well. Personally I think that it's a feeling of impotency that as individuals we are screaming AT the voidness of empathy that seems to be all too apparent in far too many people because we can't truly change these people's minds.
I apologise for giving you a long response Bear but the heartache I suffer from the situation of the present world is nearly as debilitating as the chronic pain I permanently have to endure.
Welcome back Bear. We have missed and needed your astute insight to what is going on. Things feel so fragile and vulnerable. It’s really worrying. We can’t have a summer like last year again 😞
Spot on as usual. I'm tired of hearing Fagash's followers, I'm pretty choosy these days which channels I watch. I'm so disappointed that the BBC haven't been taken to task over their obvious bias. What is Lisa Nandy doing, where is she? The hate put out by Fagash is exhausting. I see so much that I regard it as incitement yet nothing is being done to deal with it. I'm glad I'm 72 and not 22. I have to believe there are more decent and caring people in our society.
I wonder if they'd like living in the country they'd create if they got their way? If the government was overthrown, all the immigrants deported, small boats sunk in the channel, no deals with the EU, no vaccines, segregation of non-whites, a trashed relationship with ROI, etc etc. Would it be a happy place to live? Would they sit back in peace and contentment?
I mostly stay off Twitter now, because all I seem to see now is a list of far right lunatics, hell bent on sowing division and discord for their gain. Are they taking their cues from what's happening in the US? Do they think that they too can destroy democracy and decency?
And why, WHY is the Temu Mussolini given so much air time? Cui protest?
I know the country is better than this.
On other news - attempting a Mississippi pot roast, because I found a chunk of meat in the freezer I forgot I had. Will report on the results.😁
Recent home office figures show that the irregular arrivals for the year up to March amounted to 44,125. This is just 4% of the total arrivals 947,000. However, Reform would like you to believe that the opposite proportion is true. So when we see a foreign face on the street or hear them speak in a cafe, there is a 96% chance that they are in the U.K. with all the necessary paperwork and are in their rights to be here. The irregular number of course couldn’t fill a premiership football stadium!
As Ever you sort out the confusion on how we've got here and frighteningly where our destination will be if more people do not wake up & take note of whats happening here and in US. A shrug of the shoulders even a change of PM next week won't change this right wing agenda because they have too much to lose in terms of future power & money accumulated along the way. Because X, Facebook & Tiktok etc are overseas owned & global I can see the complexity in any government attempting to control it & realistically damn well impossible
I'm all for a free broadcasting media & even though it may not align with ones own opinions it needs to be free but our biggest problem right now is that our broadcasters are lazy. it seems they have a daily scout around X looking at what Reform, Yaxley Robinson & guys like EssexPR who has followers just few days ago saying "We need to go & catch them all & go hang them up" Our media reports these rants almost word for word at times & even going so far to entertain them on air daily. The pub landlord for example has by the way gathered over 40k extra followers in Just over 2 weeks from his endeavours so its lucrative. Proper governance of broadcasting with rules saying they must do research from secure sources before broadcasting what they call News & a more balanced approach of guest interviews would help greatly & I believe it should Quickly be addressed as this is only going to get worse.
Sucking up to the British media will never have a good outcome, it's irresponsible & extremely dangerous as these peopledon't only not want Labour they dont want Torys either. The media have identified Farage as their man just as American Media moguls made Trump their man & look how that's panned out
Great piece yet again. Farage and his cohorts, asking lots of questions mostly shite ones, creating division and laying the foundations that will lead to trouble. Then walking away, just like the football hooligans, shouting from the front then when it all kicks off, the fighting starts and they are heading to the hills getting as far away as possible.
So glad you're back, so eloquently writing and putting into order and perspective the jumble in my head about what is happening to our country. I am so exhausted with all the disinformation, misinformation and game playing that constantly goes on by those who are meant to work for us, serve us, and protect us. It seems to me our own press/media/"politicians" etc are our enemies, never mind any threat from the outside.
My anti-Farage anti-right wing claptrap speech:
Britain is not, I repeat NOT, a ‘crime ridden hell hole’, as the Far Right would have anyone outside of the UK believe.
There is no doubt there is a ‘two tier’ Country - the ‘Haves’ and the ‘Have-nots’; and those who Have Not find the UK a very different experience to the Haves. But that is not what the Far Right would have you believe. They believe the Have Nots are the ones who are causing all the problems. So the problems for the Have Nots just keep on getting worse. Access to health care on the NHS being rationed or denied; access to Social Care support; access to Education for the severely disabled; access to food for the disabled and elderly on welfare; having to choose between heating or eating in the winter, or cool air or food in the summer heat; access to adequate, well maintained mould-free or indeed any housing for the poorest and most vulnerable. Millions of disabled and carers are STILL ‘sheltering in place’ without any support in a Post-Covid world. There is no doubt that ‘going outside’ now, has become a ‘middle class luxury’ for many.
BUT even with all these privations, the UK is still NOT what the White Supremacists and Farage-led Reformers would have you believe.
The UK is OK.
Britain is not, I repeat NOT, a ‘crime ridden hell hole’.
Welcome back. Glad you had a gorgeous holiday. Thanks for your astute analysis. We need it x
It's a sh*t show isn't it? Every development in the media seems to include an interview or the thoughts/ pronouncements from Chairman Farage. Thos is certainly by design. The media aren't interviewing any spokespeople from the Lib Dems or Green Party, no they go to Reform & regurgitate the sh*t spewed from that bottom feeder. Death penalty 'ask Farage' law & order 'ask Farage' small boats 'ask Farage' Why is Reform being given such prominence & air time, why is Reform being normalised? Who does it benefit? It's certainly not the ordinary person in the street. Its very worrying that our news and views seem to be through the prism of Farage & Tice. We need to push back against hatred & division
Boycott all things BBC. You don't need to pay your TV licence then. It will be gone by 2030 any way.
https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2022/12/broadband-woes-as-bbc-plan-to-switch-off-terrestrial-uk-tv-by-2030.html
After reading this new missive of yours Bear it brought to mind the song the I'm Tired song that the wonderful character of Lilli Von Schtüpp sang in Blazing Saddles, although not the 'I'm not a wabbit' main hook of the lyrics but I know that you'll understand.
Collectively there's a majority of us that are extremely tired of all the shite that's happening on these septic islands AND in the world as well. Personally I think that it's a feeling of impotency that as individuals we are screaming AT the voidness of empathy that seems to be all too apparent in far too many people because we can't truly change these people's minds.
I apologise for giving you a long response Bear but the heartache I suffer from the situation of the present world is nearly as debilitating as the chronic pain I permanently have to endure.
Welcome back! Are you a Brown Bear now? :o)
Welcome back Bear. We have missed and needed your astute insight to what is going on. Things feel so fragile and vulnerable. It’s really worrying. We can’t have a summer like last year again 😞
Spot on as usual. I'm tired of hearing Fagash's followers, I'm pretty choosy these days which channels I watch. I'm so disappointed that the BBC haven't been taken to task over their obvious bias. What is Lisa Nandy doing, where is she? The hate put out by Fagash is exhausting. I see so much that I regard it as incitement yet nothing is being done to deal with it. I'm glad I'm 72 and not 22. I have to believe there are more decent and caring people in our society.
I wonder if they'd like living in the country they'd create if they got their way? If the government was overthrown, all the immigrants deported, small boats sunk in the channel, no deals with the EU, no vaccines, segregation of non-whites, a trashed relationship with ROI, etc etc. Would it be a happy place to live? Would they sit back in peace and contentment?
Glad to have you back, Bear!
I mostly stay off Twitter now, because all I seem to see now is a list of far right lunatics, hell bent on sowing division and discord for their gain. Are they taking their cues from what's happening in the US? Do they think that they too can destroy democracy and decency?
And why, WHY is the Temu Mussolini given so much air time? Cui protest?
I know the country is better than this.
On other news - attempting a Mississippi pot roast, because I found a chunk of meat in the freezer I forgot I had. Will report on the results.😁
Recent home office figures show that the irregular arrivals for the year up to March amounted to 44,125. This is just 4% of the total arrivals 947,000. However, Reform would like you to believe that the opposite proportion is true. So when we see a foreign face on the street or hear them speak in a cafe, there is a 96% chance that they are in the U.K. with all the necessary paperwork and are in their rights to be here. The irregular number of course couldn’t fill a premiership football stadium!
Welcome back!
Welcome back Mr Bear. I hope you enjoyed your holiday. I’m in UK at the moment too, and I’m not sure what to think so far.
As Ever you sort out the confusion on how we've got here and frighteningly where our destination will be if more people do not wake up & take note of whats happening here and in US. A shrug of the shoulders even a change of PM next week won't change this right wing agenda because they have too much to lose in terms of future power & money accumulated along the way. Because X, Facebook & Tiktok etc are overseas owned & global I can see the complexity in any government attempting to control it & realistically damn well impossible
I'm all for a free broadcasting media & even though it may not align with ones own opinions it needs to be free but our biggest problem right now is that our broadcasters are lazy. it seems they have a daily scout around X looking at what Reform, Yaxley Robinson & guys like EssexPR who has followers just few days ago saying "We need to go & catch them all & go hang them up" Our media reports these rants almost word for word at times & even going so far to entertain them on air daily. The pub landlord for example has by the way gathered over 40k extra followers in Just over 2 weeks from his endeavours so its lucrative. Proper governance of broadcasting with rules saying they must do research from secure sources before broadcasting what they call News & a more balanced approach of guest interviews would help greatly & I believe it should Quickly be addressed as this is only going to get worse.
Sucking up to the British media will never have a good outcome, it's irresponsible & extremely dangerous as these peopledon't only not want Labour they dont want Torys either. The media have identified Farage as their man just as American Media moguls made Trump their man & look how that's panned out
The news media, largely, are now an entertainment industry.
Farage is a rabble rouser who provides a non-stop circus of poisonous nonsense. He is intent on stirring up violence so he can justify his agenda.
All these folk are culpable and I fear it is only a matter of time before there are deaths.
Great piece yet again. Farage and his cohorts, asking lots of questions mostly shite ones, creating division and laying the foundations that will lead to trouble. Then walking away, just like the football hooligans, shouting from the front then when it all kicks off, the fighting starts and they are heading to the hills getting as far away as possible.
So glad you're back, so eloquently writing and putting into order and perspective the jumble in my head about what is happening to our country. I am so exhausted with all the disinformation, misinformation and game playing that constantly goes on by those who are meant to work for us, serve us, and protect us. It seems to me our own press/media/"politicians" etc are our enemies, never mind any threat from the outside.