22/07/2008 by admin.

Someone must have been listening to my last post. Of course the Green Paper is welcome and makes a contribution to the thinking on lifting people out of a generational dependence on benefit but, in reality, is only one aspect of a necessary incentivised regeneration of the “deserving working class” morality. It comes at a rather strange time though, doesn’t it? One has to hope that there will be the jobs  to offer the mock-invalid population and also that Janet Daley is right when she asserts that the mere threat of reassessment will be enough to avoid the expense of medical assessment. We have yet to see the detailed forecasts.

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15/07/2008 by admin.

Since there is no obvious and easy solution it should be possible to get a consensus between the parties on a multi-layered approach. However the main culprit is ,to my mind, pretty obviously the cycle of deprivation which in turn is largely attributable to the legacy of workless families. Now what have we heard lately about earlier ‘initiatives’ to get people back to work who continue endlessly on dubiously-earned disability benefit or lurch from one job-seekers allowance to another, the main factor being, of course, that some people are worse off on low wages than they are if they claim the maximum benefits associated with large families. This must be broken but what has this government so far achieved. We only ask because we want to know.

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04/07/2008 by admin.

Wimbledon with its mixture of sunshine and (very occasional as yet) showers used to epitomise the English summer. Long days when cares fly away.

The dearth of real news at this time of the year used to be called the ’silly season’ in the media when stories of the ‘dog bites man’ variety pushed out the real news. Not so this year. Apart from the darkening view of the economy the dark side of our society seems to be laid bare - the dreadful murders of the two French students and the needless waste of life yet again in the murder of Ben Kinsella.

Is it really the result of the development of an underclass or just a manifestation of the lack of parental care and control and of any framework of moral values?  As Ben’s half-sister so plaintively and movingly said whatever it is it needs to be addressed  and corrected before more knives are used.

Our MPs might think about this as they vote against reforming their iniquitous ‘allowance’ system. There is little evidence to suggest that they do. Ministers continue to quote meaningless statistics on the alleged decline in knife crime and seem to imply that such incidents as Ben’s murder are an inconsequential blip on the fine New Labour society we have created. Shame on them!

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20/06/2008 by admin.

Someone said they found my last posting ambiguous. Just to clear this up, I was poking fun, admittedly a little wicked, at the C of E. I think it is monstrous that the clerics of this Church waste their time worrying about the sexual orientation of both their clergy and lay members when there are far more important things they should be concerned with. But it is important for gay people in all churches not to feel that they are being alienated just because of their sexual orientation. This would be a most un-Christian act; if those entering into civil partnerships want to seek a Christian blessing on their union I fail to see that this is to be deplored

Sexual behaviour is another thing, but this applies equally to homosexuals and heterosexuals and there is no reason to believe that heterosexual promiscuity is unknown amongst C of E members! Or indeed amongst Catholics in case you think I am biased.

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16/06/2008 by admin.

The Church of England is in turmoil again not because there is  a deep theological split over women bishops, though this looms (and keeps being postponed), but because one of its clergy has organised a service of Christian blessing of a civil union between two gay priests of the Church. Now the C of E, so far as I understand it, does not forbid such blessings, nor does it set down any special form of service, but seems to require that these celebrations are not “public” so, I assume, provided no one is invited and they are carried out secretly at dead of night, such services are allowed.

In this case an adaptation of the Prayer Book service of marriage was used, though the form of words used in the actual union was not used. It took place within a celebration of the C of E Eucharist.

I wonder what our Lord would have made of all this? Certainly he would not be passing the buck by asking the Bishop of London to ask the Archdeacon to ‘carry out an enquiry.

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13/06/2008 by admin.

If I were to be arrested and detained for six weeks without charge, and then released, it would have a catastrophic effect on my life; if I was working, rather than retired, supporting a young family and striving to progress in my career it might be fatal.

 It could never happen to me? Perhaps not but it could happen to younger more vulnerable people. And it could happen under any government, not just the present one, if the changes carried in the Commons ever pass into the statute book. If I were to tell you that every email you send, every phone call you make, can easily be intercepted, and probably are intercepted, for the most trivial of reasons and that your every action in most shopping malls, department stores and town centres are routinely recorded on CCTV cameras and accessed by many untrained and potentially unscrupulous observers then you will appreciate why I support David Davis’s brave and principled stand. It is time threats to our liberties were faced for what they are - potential tools for some future authoritarian regime.

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10/06/2008 by admin.

HelplineI have a friend - from school- who keeps me endlessly supplied with jokes both in cartoon form and, sometimes, as videos or sound files. Sometimes, as with all jokes, opinions vary on the real humour contained in these emails but I thought I would like to share his latest offering with you. Numerous disclaimers - it is not meant as anti-Irish nor is it making light of people with real problems but do listen to this wonderful spoof . Thanks to Terry for sending it to me. Just click on Helpline at the beginning of this entry.

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07/06/2008 by admin.

How did you do? I had some modest winnings but not quite enough to lead a life of luxury. Just hope it’s an omen for the Lottery tonight. In spite of my name I am not a serious betting man at all and I am usually a net loser on the Derby so it’s nice to be in pocket at all. Pity the sun went in for the big race.

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07/06/2008 by admin.

Well maybe but so far the ’silly season’ in the press hasn’t started. What with the Government’s troubles, the US elections and far more serious things like the atrocities being committed in Zimbabwe, the terrible tragedies in Burma and China, the newspapers have had plenty of things to write about. Not to say the undoubted increase in knife crime amongst younger people.

In normal circumstances one would say that some day soon all this will be swept aside in favour of a two-headed sheep but this year one doubts that. Of course  men, and women, are just as bad or good as they have ever been but we have been hearing so much bad news lately that the odd silly season story might be quite welcome so long as it is cheerful.

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25/05/2008 by admin.

Since I suffer badly from SAD I would love a long-term weather forecaster to tell me whether June/July/August are going to be sunny (and warm - not hot?). Today is coldish and gloomy. We were invited to a barbecue which I enjoy greatly from time to time but it has now changed into an indoor evening  meal. Lovely for us but a great deal more trouble for our dear hostess. I’m almost in favour of patio heaters (only joking!).

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