Tuesday 28 September 2010
Let us change the Political Landscape
Power is in the hands of the few, with not enough power at the grass root level; that must change; unfortunately, there is apathy towards politics in this country – in other countries also, because the ordinary citizen feels un-empowered. Feel politicians are corrupt - in the last government in any event - "are only in it for them, are only in it for the money, so why should I vote?"
We need a radical change in our Constitution, tinkering with an outdated system is not going to get us anywhere. Indeed, this government is rolling back the state, rolling back political correctness, rolling back the power of the state to control us, and a good thing too.
We need less government not more government, less interference in our lives, less control over our actions; less control over our every day affairs: but we need more (the individual - local communtiies, at micro level) control over our schools, more control over our councils, with a great say in our communities. In other words, people must be made to stand on their own two feet and not rely on the state for handouts.
It is not the state's job to grab and thieve, manipulate and punish the wealthy, for being just that WEALTHY, to take from one group and give it to another—to the lazy—to the work shy—to the alcohol—to the drug addict—to the overweight bloated eat too much; instead, it is the state's job to protect—the vulnerable—the weak—the minor from abuse; to crack down hard on criminals and to protect us against terror. It is the state's job to create a just and fair society, where reward goes to those who work, not those who shirk.
The Prime Minister should be elected directly by the people, the House of Lords should be elected by the people, have joint and equal power with Commons. Mayors should be elected - not just in London - throughout our country.
Our voting system needs revolutionising – radically - irrevocably, categorically, for trust must come back into the system, for large parts of the electorate feel disenfranchised, or feel their taxes are going towards keeping the work shy - genuine people, whether disabled, the old, the jobless, who are actively looking for work, those with mental illness, need state support, support to help themselves, not help ‘par se.’
It’s wrong when a parliamentary candidate, who gets less than 20% of the overall vote, wins the seat, whereby most of the voting electorate voted against the candidate in aggregate. There should be a fixed election date, and it should not be down to the Prime Minister to make the decision; this government, in fairness, is moving towards that target; that’s why many in the country are with them and give them support.
We need to hold our politicians to account, and not let them run away from us as soon as they are elected. Gordon Brown, from what Caroline Flynn has said, had run an oligarchic Cabinet (true or not it matters little, for he is past and gone).
We elect our MP to work for us, not for them to work for themselves.
Democracy must to be given back to the people. We, the electorate, must feel our vote will make a difference, our voice will be heard, our concern with be addressed, for we feel ostracised from the political system in this country, and that must change; indeed, MP’s must become more accountable to the people who elect them in the first place; again, a platform that this government is following.
The way to change the situation is to change the political landscape, and then the problem will dissolve. Spending cuts must be made, what we as a country make via taxation - our politicians can spend, but with restraint, always keeping a tight budget, always in control of our finances, never over spending for cuts must come – a fact of life – bleaters I have no time for, and neither should the government, nor anyone, for the state must be rolled back, and then we'll get somewhere.
http://roytomkinson.blogspot.com/ We need a radical change in our Constitution, tinkering with an outdated system is not going to get us anywhere. Indeed, this government is rolling back the state, rolling back political correctness, rolling back the power of the state to control us, and a good thing too.
We need less government not more government, less interference in our lives, less control over our actions; less control over our every day affairs: but we need more (the individual - local communtiies, at micro level) control over our schools, more control over our councils, with a great say in our communities. In other words, people must be made to stand on their own two feet and not rely on the state for handouts.
It is not the state's job to grab and thieve, manipulate and punish the wealthy, for being just that WEALTHY, to take from one group and give it to another—to the lazy—to the work shy—to the alcohol—to the drug addict—to the overweight bloated eat too much; instead, it is the state's job to protect—the vulnerable—the weak—the minor from abuse; to crack down hard on criminals and to protect us against terror. It is the state's job to create a just and fair society, where reward goes to those who work, not those who shirk.
The Prime Minister should be elected directly by the people, the House of Lords should be elected by the people, have joint and equal power with Commons. Mayors should be elected - not just in London - throughout our country.
Our voting system needs revolutionising – radically - irrevocably, categorically, for trust must come back into the system, for large parts of the electorate feel disenfranchised, or feel their taxes are going towards keeping the work shy - genuine people, whether disabled, the old, the jobless, who are actively looking for work, those with mental illness, need state support, support to help themselves, not help ‘par se.’
It’s wrong when a parliamentary candidate, who gets less than 20% of the overall vote, wins the seat, whereby most of the voting electorate voted against the candidate in aggregate. There should be a fixed election date, and it should not be down to the Prime Minister to make the decision; this government, in fairness, is moving towards that target; that’s why many in the country are with them and give them support.
We need to hold our politicians to account, and not let them run away from us as soon as they are elected. Gordon Brown, from what Caroline Flynn has said, had run an oligarchic Cabinet (true or not it matters little, for he is past and gone).
We elect our MP to work for us, not for them to work for themselves.
Democracy must to be given back to the people. We, the electorate, must feel our vote will make a difference, our voice will be heard, our concern with be addressed, for we feel ostracised from the political system in this country, and that must change; indeed, MP’s must become more accountable to the people who elect them in the first place; again, a platform that this government is following.
The way to change the situation is to change the political landscape, and then the problem will dissolve. Spending cuts must be made, what we as a country make via taxation - our politicians can spend, but with restraint, always keeping a tight budget, always in control of our finances, never over spending for cuts must come – a fact of life – bleaters I have no time for, and neither should the government, nor anyone, for the state must be rolled back, and then we'll get somewhere.
twitter@roytomkinson
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Saturday 25 September 2010
LIfe, Love, and Sadness
Life is a funny thing, yet it can be a little sad.
Life is a funny thing – strange words you might think. And you might question. Funny as in ‘Ha! Ha!’ or funny as in strange. Let me clarify. Funny in a sad sense; I mean it to mean a contradiction in terminology.
Our lives are filled with inconsistency; our emotions towards life are Jack in the Boxes, never static, always on the move, up and down, up and down, our lives are in constant motion, and each of us have numerous facets, many of which we hide even from ourselves, and yet, we are all very similar, for we are filled, every last one of us, with contrary emotions when it comes to love.
For some, love is like a butterfly, flutter, flutter, flutter and it is gone, and we move on, but that is applicable mainly to the love of a man and woman. With children, it is somewhat different. That love represents more of the chrysalis - cocoon type of love, for parents very rarely leave that spot – love of our children is unconditional, giving of ourselves to our next generation, but could that be classed as hereditary? Are we programmed to do it for the survival of our own genes? The way that nature surreptitiously disguises our continual existence and calls it loves.
I have questioned myself many times what love actually is, what are the ingredients that makes up the mix? You can’t eat, smell, hold it. Physical it is not, but an abstraction, a firing in the brain of wanting the object of that love to be near to you.
A longing for that thing or person that fills the mind with warmth, and to have the feeling reciprocated, makes it even better, the bonus, a payback if you like. Though, it is not essential to make love happen, for often love is but one way, but it does make the emotion that so much more powerful and deeper if there is reciprocity. And yet, often, we just fritter it away by our own actions and feel sad when it flies away from us, and often, we don’t know how to get it back, lost in a world of our own making.
Some believe love is a physical sexual feeling with a partner, a sense of belonging: to own, to control, to manupulate, that person (wrong, but on many occasions used). We can hold emotion towards things - animals - inanimate objects. Your home, car, money, prestige, fame, recognition, adulation, have all been loved in some degree over and throughout the ages.
From a surgical viewpoint, love is but a chemical reaction in the brain and little else, but for me that is a journey a little far, a too simplistic and naive view of life of love of sharing. A living thing – a person, an animal, a child, is more than a chemical no matter how complex the mix. With a person, love can be as deep as a touching of two souls. For those of you who have ridden that horse, you’ll know to what I’m referring - I've been there, the ride can be bumpy; still, it is well worth the trip - it is one of the great wonders of life. Feelings and emotions are real, as real as beaches, mountains, trees, and far more beautiful.
You wouldn’t give your life for a beach, a mountain or a tree, no matter how beautiful, but you would, and often give it with a glad heart for love, if it meant saving that person whom you love. We all have experienced these feelings, every one of us in some measure – more or less, most people wouldn’t willingly give their life for an object, but would for a person, but here again, nothing is that straightforward. Millions throughout history have given their life for an ideal, the love of democracy is but one example.
Some demonstrate only a love for money, - sad, but true - and place it above all else, and yes, they would die in the getting of it. Everything pales into insignificance when it comes to money for these people, and quite a few, who have won and lost it, can’t live without it and commit suicide rather than face a future alone without the crutch of wealth to ease their pain.
Can you start to see why I believe life is funny in a sad sense?
Now I’ll get to the crux of the matter - the wonder -to share with you what love means to me. To answer that age-old question, I will refer to my father. A far wiser person than I'll ever be, and what it meant to him.
But first, I need to set the scene. When I was young and in the garden with my father, with whom I spent a lot of time, he told me when he was young that once he found a thrush’s nest with five little chicks inside. The parents had been killed, and my father removed the nest and chicks and placed them in a box.
They belonged to him, he had given them life, at the least, he had certainly saved them from death, so he reared them, and then he let them go, and of course, they flew away.
“Did you not love the birds daddy?” I asked.
“Of course,” he forcefully replied.
"Why let them free?"
He looked at me and smiled. "Son, if you love someone let the love go free, to fly, to run, to jump; yet, make the staying that much more than the going away, and if love stays, that is love, for love is free, freely given, freely received and truely, it must be a synonym for happiness."
My father, indeed, was very wise.
Life is a funny thing – strange words you might think. And you might question. Funny as in ‘Ha! Ha!’ or funny as in strange. Let me clarify. Funny in a sad sense; I mean it to mean a contradiction in terminology.
Our lives are filled with inconsistency; our emotions towards life are Jack in the Boxes, never static, always on the move, up and down, up and down, our lives are in constant motion, and each of us have numerous facets, many of which we hide even from ourselves, and yet, we are all very similar, for we are filled, every last one of us, with contrary emotions when it comes to love.
For some, love is like a butterfly, flutter, flutter, flutter and it is gone, and we move on, but that is applicable mainly to the love of a man and woman. With children, it is somewhat different. That love represents more of the chrysalis - cocoon type of love, for parents very rarely leave that spot – love of our children is unconditional, giving of ourselves to our next generation, but could that be classed as hereditary? Are we programmed to do it for the survival of our own genes? The way that nature surreptitiously disguises our continual existence and calls it loves.
I have questioned myself many times what love actually is, what are the ingredients that makes up the mix? You can’t eat, smell, hold it. Physical it is not, but an abstraction, a firing in the brain of wanting the object of that love to be near to you.
A longing for that thing or person that fills the mind with warmth, and to have the feeling reciprocated, makes it even better, the bonus, a payback if you like. Though, it is not essential to make love happen, for often love is but one way, but it does make the emotion that so much more powerful and deeper if there is reciprocity. And yet, often, we just fritter it away by our own actions and feel sad when it flies away from us, and often, we don’t know how to get it back, lost in a world of our own making.
Some believe love is a physical sexual feeling with a partner, a sense of belonging: to own, to control, to manupulate, that person (wrong, but on many occasions used). We can hold emotion towards things - animals - inanimate objects. Your home, car, money, prestige, fame, recognition, adulation, have all been loved in some degree over and throughout the ages.
From a surgical viewpoint, love is but a chemical reaction in the brain and little else, but for me that is a journey a little far, a too simplistic and naive view of life of love of sharing. A living thing – a person, an animal, a child, is more than a chemical no matter how complex the mix. With a person, love can be as deep as a touching of two souls. For those of you who have ridden that horse, you’ll know to what I’m referring - I've been there, the ride can be bumpy; still, it is well worth the trip - it is one of the great wonders of life. Feelings and emotions are real, as real as beaches, mountains, trees, and far more beautiful.
You wouldn’t give your life for a beach, a mountain or a tree, no matter how beautiful, but you would, and often give it with a glad heart for love, if it meant saving that person whom you love. We all have experienced these feelings, every one of us in some measure – more or less, most people wouldn’t willingly give their life for an object, but would for a person, but here again, nothing is that straightforward. Millions throughout history have given their life for an ideal, the love of democracy is but one example.
Some demonstrate only a love for money, - sad, but true - and place it above all else, and yes, they would die in the getting of it. Everything pales into insignificance when it comes to money for these people, and quite a few, who have won and lost it, can’t live without it and commit suicide rather than face a future alone without the crutch of wealth to ease their pain.
Can you start to see why I believe life is funny in a sad sense?
Now I’ll get to the crux of the matter - the wonder -to share with you what love means to me. To answer that age-old question, I will refer to my father. A far wiser person than I'll ever be, and what it meant to him.
But first, I need to set the scene. When I was young and in the garden with my father, with whom I spent a lot of time, he told me when he was young that once he found a thrush’s nest with five little chicks inside. The parents had been killed, and my father removed the nest and chicks and placed them in a box.
They belonged to him, he had given them life, at the least, he had certainly saved them from death, so he reared them, and then he let them go, and of course, they flew away.
“Did you not love the birds daddy?” I asked.
“Of course,” he forcefully replied.
"Why let them free?"
He looked at me and smiled. "Son, if you love someone let the love go free, to fly, to run, to jump; yet, make the staying that much more than the going away, and if love stays, that is love, for love is free, freely given, freely received and truely, it must be a synonym for happiness."
My father, indeed, was very wise.
Religion: Who'd be Having it?
Well, Christians, Catholics, all other religions, God people generally - why is there so much abuse reported - mental, sexual, forced conformity, to name but three. Honestly, I just don't understand it. Many Christians-God people-turn to religion because they are not strong enough to stand on their own two feet, indeed, many-(not all)-need a crutch by which to get through life, to believe in the impossible, to believe they are immortal in their God, to believe in something more that just themselves, and for them to then be abused, is shameful; the strong preying on the weak.
There are more manipulators in the Christian School (I'm referring to all and every religion) as a whole, than in any other profession. For that’s what it is, a profession, pure and simple, nothing more, nothing less, in today’s world, God, call him what you will, shouldn’t be taken than seriously.
We are an enlightened people and we should start behaving as such. Throughout history, religious beliefs have killed more innocents, started more wars, changed more cultures, many for the worse, than anyone can count.
So I say, if you wish to practice religion, you should be free to do so, free to follow whatever path in life is your journey without interruption, without prejudice, without persecution, without trying to change other people, but perhaps that is asking too much of society. A little tolerance goes a long, long way, no tolerence goes no way, not even as far as to the toilet.
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