CRISTOBELL - VIEWS ON NEWS
Homeless families in London are being housed in shipping containers. That's the top trending news in the UK today. August 2019, not August 1919 or even August 1819, here in one of the richest most advanced nations in the world, in the 21st century, human beings are being housed in shipping containers. How does any tory politician go into any negotiation with leaders of more advanced countries, without being beetroot red with shame! 18 years of the nasty party and this is where we are.
And we are here, because the masses, all those of us not in the top 2% of high earners and billionaires, are stupid enough to believe that that these entitled, privileged, greedy, blood thirsty (foxes!) upper class dotards know what is best for the rest of us. The idea is ludicrous, but for many, those upper crust inbreds are preferable to a kind, honest, incorruptible man who wants to change the UK just as dramatically as the Labour Government of post war Britain. Imagine a Britain that invests in science, technology, the arts, a Britain that welcomes talent from all over the world and builds on our collective knowledge?
The myths about Jeremy Corbyn are created and circulated by those with vested interests in keeping honesty out of government. And to that I would add a potential Prime Minister unwilling to turn a blind eye to atrocities that are going on in Palestine. It is not anti semitic to condemn the actions of Israel, and from what I have observed, most Jews do. I saw today that 79% of American Jews voted for the democrats, Trump's pro Israel stance is not winning them over. Whatever, it is absolutely crazy to suggest Jeremy Corbyn is in any way racist. It's kind of like Trump projecting all his crimes on, well everyone else. Honest broker Jeremy is being accused of all the despicable traits usually associated with the right wing of the tory party.
Harry and Meghan. I have confessed, I think, to having a soft spot for Wills and Harry, and now too Kate and Meghan, despite being a socialist. Harry and Meghan will be pounced on whatever they do, because, mostly because, schhhh, Meghan isn't white. And that's quite a lot for a Daily Mail reader to take in. Quick pass the smelling salts. That they make a beautiful couple and it's high time the royals married outside the family, should boost their approval rating, not lower it. I love both of them. Harry for being a cheeky chappy and Meghan for being her own woman. I know we should all be concerned with our carbon footprint, but it's a bit much to demand a Duke and Duchess should set off on a bicycle made for two or, heaven forbid, a rowing boat. I think the young Royals are doing a terrific job on the popularity front, much better than their predecessors. Except maybe Princess Di.
It's incredible to think that a President of the United States could be so easily be taken in by what started out as an inter office prank. He actually believed he could buy Greenland, just as easily as he could buy and build a luxury condo in Azerbaijan, no occupants required when you are merely money laundering. Rather than admit he had been pranked, he went along with proposed purchase of Greenland idea as if it were a real thing. The world meanwhile were rolling on the floor laughing, as the great eejit in chief dug himself deeper into the hole. Now he has been further humiliated by the President of Greenland pointing out that the whole idea is absurd, but all he's got is 'we are the United States you can't speak to us like that'. Sadly for the citizens of the US, he uses the collective 'we', when he personally is being insulted.
And back to Boris Johnson. Gawd 'elp us. More specifically, gawd help the island of Ireland and everyone who makes their living hauling goods from one country to another. Are we going to see ships queuing up in the Irish sea, lorries backed up from the border with Ulster? Jeez, the loonies are officially now in charge of the asylum. The outlook is good for those who want to make a quick few billion and run, but for those who depend on ongoing trade for generations to come, not so good.
So happy that one of the more odious members of the Royal family could be about to have his collar felt. I doubt he is popular with anyone, least of all the press corps, so they will all be digging away. I once read, it may have been in the fawning butler's book, that HRH Prince Andrew was bad tempered in the morning, known to throw whatever came to hand at the hapless servant with the task of waking him. I like to think said servant spat in his tea. The US happily, does not rule out felons on the grounds of their royal blood, so let's hope gropey old Andy is called to account for himself.
On the topic of Greenland: It might seem laughable to some but the ploy by Trump to buy Greenland was not such a bad move.
ReplyDeleteThe Danes were happy enough to ask for and get the protection of the United States of America during the second world war after Denmark was rapidly overrun by Nazi Germany. And even today the USA is the de facto protector of Greenland from foreign threats, I'm thinking Russian or Chinese incursion through the Northwest Passage.
Whether the 80,000 indigenous population of Greenland is in on this I don't know.
They were probably happy enough when the descendants of the Viking settlers of the 12th century had mysteriously disappeared due to climatic change. And were probably surprised to see them back again in the form of Danish people a few centuries later.
Let the chips fall where they may.
Trump is a wheeler dealer and I guess to him it follows if the US could negotiate The Louisiana purchase from France, and Alaska from the Russians, plus chunks of the American Southwest from the Mexicans it might in his mind be a done deal.
Just a thought.
jc
"Military and Security Developments
DeleteInvolving the People’s Republic of China 2019"
https://media.defense.gov/2019/May/02/2002127082/-1/-1/1/2019_CHINA_MILITARY_POWER_REPORT.pdf
"Arctic border countries have raised concerns about China’s expanding capabilities and interest in the region. The government of Denmark has publicly expressed concern about China’s interest in Greenland, which has included proposals to establish a research station in Greenland, establish a satellite ground station, renovate airports, and expand mining. Civilian research could support a strengthened Chinese military presence in the Arctic Ocean, which could include deploying submarines to the region as a deterrent against nuclear attacks. In September 2018, a Russian expert at the Russian International Affairs Council stated the Russian Federation was strongly opposed to foreign icebreakers operating on the Northern Sea Route, including U.S. and Chinese icebreakers. Outside potential friction over the Northern Sea Route, the Arctic region is an area of opportunity for Sino-Russian commercial cooperation, in addition to energy development and infrastructure projects such as the Yamal liquefied natural gas project."
Sorry to bother you Rosalinda but I can't agree with your opening few paragraphs about the homeless.
ReplyDeleteI read the article by Victoria 'Vicky' Spratt about the homeless woman and the shipping container housing tragedy.
It's not very nice but it doesn't address the real homeless issue because in the western world real homelessness does not exist except in the minds of self promoters and housing rights campaigners like Ms Spratt.
I would advise her to go to the favelas of Rio the slums of Nairobi or Mumbai or walk past ten year old kids sleeping at night in shop doorways on the Avenida Juarez in Mexico city, and notice how disturbing this is compared to her own country. This is real homelessness.
As for the reported 210,000 homeless children in England I just don't believe it.
Unless you count feral runaways in their teens who still qualify as children. How often do you see kids abandoned and homeless in Great Britain. The answer is never.
In my experience of a lifetime of watching "Homeless" adults and street beggars; they seem to all have a mental or drug problem and most prefer to live on the streets.
It's naturally a terrible tragedy in the Western world where in some areas mental institutions have closed; this is not a happy outcome.
But before thinking I'm a heartless cynic, you should watch the Youtube video/movie
"Streets Of Plenty"
Made by two Montreal film maker brothers about homelessness in Vancouver.
It absolutely nails the problem down to drug addiction and mental health issues.
When interviewed at the end of his month long stint on the streets living and filmed every day with the diverse population if he had actually met a really homeless person that wasn't an addict or had a mental problem Misha Kleider (writer and director)said he honestly could not.
"Streets of Plenty" is a 2010 documentary but hasn't aged as conditions in Vancouver are apparently just the same or worse.
jc
I'm not sure homelessness is actually defined by living on the streets JC, I would interpret homelessness as not having a permanent home of one's own. That is most of these families are living in unsuitable temporary accommodation. They are perhaps living in one room or in overcrowded unsanitary conditions.
ReplyDeleteI am a child of the 60's, that is, I and my generation enjoyed the sweeping benefits of Clement Attlee's socialist government in 1945, ie the introduction of the NHS and the Welfare State, the promise of the State to care for every citizen from cradle to grave. People from my generation and my working class background were given Council houses, and they were a plenty, due to a previous government building thousands of 'homes for heroes', soldiers returning from the War.
Tories see Housing in the same way as the see the NHS and everything else that is for the good of the people, as a means of profit for themselves and the billionaires who fund them. In a nutshell they are not interested in providing homes for those who cannot afford to buy them. It is because the tories have failed to invest in social housing that we now have this crisis. Council house waiting lists have gone from 1 year to 7, 8 years plus, which is appalling as well as inhumane. All these years of tory austerity has hit the poorest the hardest. Not only has it taken us back, literally, to Victorian times, it is shameful that as an 'advanced' nation, we are going backwards instead of forwards.
I am very much in favour of the Keynesian economics idea of breaking a depression by pumping money into the system. Ie. investing in the country, be it infrastructure, the roads, the railways, the public services, it creates jobs which increases public spending which leads to more jobs and more spending. It is the economic plan of Jeremy Corbyn, and it known more familiarly as Roosevelt's New Deal - the financial plan that rebuilt the USA after the Great Depression.
I hadn't intended to wander off onto a lecture on socialism JC, but sadly, homelessness is the major problem it is today, because of lack of investment in housing, mostly by the present tory government. They are simply not providing for our growing population. There are other factors too. There is much social engineering going on with our Nation's capital. That is, there is a long term plan to price the poor of London, out to the suburbs (or tent cities), by taking away the cap on rent.
Our population is growing, but not the facilities that support a growing population. There are many social factors that also contribute. For example, the fastest growing demographic is single person households. More and more people are choosing to live alone. All these factors contribute to the growing demand.
To those who would cite immigrants taking all our affordable housing, that is a moot argument. People who are in need of housing are people in need of housing no matter where they came from. And the 'face' of the general population is constantly changing, as it should. All the Tommy Robinsons in the world can't and won't change that.
I will take a look at Streets of Plenty JC, and will let you know my thoughts.
Rosalinda Hutton 23 August 2019 at 16:09
Delete“I'm not sure homelessness is actually defined by living on the streets JC, I would interpret homelessness as not having a permanent home of one's own.”
Homelessness data: notes and definitions
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homelessness-data-notes-and-definitions
Amber Rudd's daughter flies the nest - to a £3m apartment with library and wine cellar
ReplyDeletehttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/07/05/amber-rudds-daughter-flies-nest-3m-apartment-library-wine/
Hi Rosalinda.
ReplyDeleteHope you’re well.I believe I can see that you are.
I’ve read most of what you’ve been publicising this summer. Unfortunately, I haven’t had time to go deeper into the complexity of all the issues, that you’ve brought up here, but as far as homelessness in our European countries is concerned, I’ve a few words to say.
We’ve had beggars here in Sweden in almost every town for more than a decade now, most of whom come from Bulgaria and Romania. Many of them do not even have a container or a place to rest at night. Besides, we’ve a lot of teenagers (boys) coming from Afghanistan, whose asylum applications have been rejected and they’ve therefore chosen to hide from the authorities, as do many other immigrants in similar situations. Yet they must be said to be just as homeless as all other people without a place to call home, as we don’t really know where they’re at night. As far as these categories are concerned, the cause of their misery can be directly “attributed” to political decisions and circumstances, while in many other cases, as jc points out, there are various psycho-social mechanisms such as drugs and mental deceases excluding people from normal life and a decent home.
However, in the 90th, I remember reading articles in the French “Réverbère” (distributed by homeless people in France) by a few eloquent and insightful people, who had never had any social problems, let alone any drug problems, and still, despite their awkward situations by living in constant distress after having lost both jobs and housing, hadn’t given up the hopes about a better life.
So what I’m getting at here is that the voice of the excluded and homeless people, no matter where they’re in the world, may depict reality much more accurate than the political rhetoric does, if we would just listen.
Hi Bjorn, yes I am indeed well, tentatively finding my way back to reality and that has to be a good thing :)
DeleteAs I read your post I found myself singing (in my head), 'I was born under a wandering star' - Lee Marvin I believe. A great old song, and a glimpse perhaps into the minds of many who end up sleeping on the streets. I've always kind of related to the song, being a commitment phobe, in that I have always struggled to set down permanent roots. 'I've never seen a sight that didn't look better than looking back', is one of my favourite lines from that song.
The homeless population I am sure, is made up of many 'wandering stars', they used to be called tramps, elderly men (mostly) who simply dropped out of society and lived rough, through choice. Like the poor they will always be with us and every nation has them.
I am concerned with the homelessness of young families and vulnerable people who need safe, secure homes where they can establish roots in the community. People who need affordable housing, not sky high rents. Housing needs foresight and planning, pricing those on lower wages such as essential service workers, out of the cities, makes no sense.
Does Sweden have the same housing problems that we have Bjorn? I always consider Sweden to be far more advanced than the UK in it's humanitarian approach to governing, universal health care, free school meals etc. It is certainly known as one of the safest countries in the world, perhaps because it does not have the abject poverty that leads to crime. But I am guessing here Bjorn, and interested to hear your views.
What incenses me the most Bjorn, is that over two centuries on from Charles Dickens, there are children in the UK still going hungry and still living in poverty. It's as if our country has taken giant leaps forward under socialist governments, that are then walked back or stripped away by tory governments. If it were a building, Labour refurbishes it, makes sure all the essential services such as plumbing, electrics and heating are in perfect working order, and tops it off with a fresh lick of paint. Then the tories come in and run it to the ground, using bubble gum and sticky tape to cover the cracks and leaks until it eventually becomes uninhabitable.
Thank you so much for writing in Bjorn. I am experimenting with lots of different ideas at the mo, still a bit hesitant to put forward me especially subversive views, lol. I'm not a fan of #metoo for example, and I have much to say that would upset the motley bunch of feministas who currently purport to speak on behalf of all women.
Always great to hear your views Bjorn, kindest wishes.
It would have been much more interesting if you had told your readers how many homeless people you have taken in to the spare rooms in your house Ros - that would have been news.
ReplyDeleteSo " gropey old Andy" made some mistakes in choice of friends did he? You seem to have found him guilty already! We all make mistakes in friends don't we Ros - remember your lunch with Bennett?
It must be an absolutely massive white charger that you expect your hero (hear no evil speak no evil) Corbyn to come riding in on.
"And so with the girls in the stories that swirl around Epstein and his circle, which includes the Duke: either broken, or yet-to-be-broken. But ultimately, breakable. They are all daughters, too, your Royal Highness. The Russian masseuse on your feet, the 17-year-old runaway on whose bare hip you have your hand in that fateful picture in London, the terrified 14-year-old who ran screaming from your great friend’s house in her underwear, who you must have read about at the time, because I did, and I didn’t even know the guy. And all the others. They are each someone’s daughter, or they were once. They all once played at princesses and castles and imagined their own fairytale weddings. Funny how dreams die, isn’t it – and who helps to crush them."
Deletehttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/aug/23/prince-andrew-appalled-epstein-royal-wedding
Thank you for taking the time and trouble to post 12:41, and for clarifying that these young girls could have been any of our daughters who had the misfortune to fall into the hands of predators. Andrew, I refuse to call him 'Prince', behaved like Billy Bunter let loose in a sweet shop, the look on his smarmy face is sickening.
DeleteHe has no saving graces, he has been an over privileged, self entitled, greedy, grasping ignoramus his entire life. I hope the creep is extradited to the US to answer questions.
The title clearly says VIEWS on news, I don't actually make the news 01:03.
ReplyDeleteWhy must I personally take homeless people in, in order to express concern for the homeless? A ridiculous comment as I am sure you are aware.
I don't like gropey old Andy, and I have the freedom of speech to say that. I don't have the power to find him guilty, but I do have the power to choose who I believe, and I believe the girl.
As for Bennett, let me set this straight. I met him for a drink, out of curiosity and because of interest in the Madeleine case. And it was just a drink, not lunch. I wanted to know what it was that 'drove him'. It was a bizarre meeting it must be said on many levels. My son, terrified that I was meeting a 'strange' man, organised a covert system of 'watching' with his friends, so that I was never out of their sight. We only went to a local pub so it was not as complex as it sounds. I found it funny, I was never going to go anywhere with him, but Bennett was spooked.
To be fair, he was well mannered and charming, not quite so boorish and unambivalent as he appears in interviews. I did more listening than talking, he is a very curious character, Freud would have a field day. My main take away was that he [Bennett] did not believe 100% that the McCanns were involved in their daughter's disappearance.
That troubled me deeply, if he had any doubt, why was he driving such a hard hitting campaign? For me commenting negatively about the parents, was a long hard struggle with my conscience. I had to be at that point of 'beyond reasonable doubt' before I could do it.
Yet again, reductio ad absurdum, no I don't expect a 'massive white charger', those are your own inner fears.
Hi Rosalinda
ReplyDeleteOhh I see that you've moved on, but hopefully you'll see my text anyway.
No, we do not see physical poverty among citizens so clearly in our society as we do in many other Western countries. Yet, injustice in general, exclusion and contempt of weak people is a process, that has been going on since the post-war period in our country, but unfortunately unnoticed by the outside world.
It’s true that Sweden became a welfare state after the war, but all the reforms that were carried out were mainly aimed at creating a large prosperous social class, that was supposed to share the same values and do whatever the state demanded of it. People were supposed to adapt to a kind of social life, which had been introduced in a patronizing way from up above.
The utopia of the perfect social-capitalist society had to be kept alive at all costs. We created the myth of the perfect society and the world around us was duped by the self-assured attitudes of our officials and our intellectuals, as it could only see the real economic upswing, but not the increasing alienation among people, leading to early retirement, social exclusion, institutionalization etc.
Our fear of conflicts, due to what I’d call, our states “obedience indoctrination” still makes it so difficult for us to discuss immigration or other social issues in a sensible way. The dark sides of our Swedish society have been taboo to discuss until very recently. However, one Swedish author, Kajsa Norman, has now published a book, trying to shed light on what’s behind things that look so good and seem to be so perfect in our society. “Sweden’s dark Soul” (The unravelling of a Utopia) If you’ve time Rosalinda, read some pages in it. I have just discussed the book with friends who’re now reading it and I’m of course familiar with what the author writes about, but I haven’t yet bought or borrowed the book.
I have now done a crash course in Swedish politics Bjorn, and as usually happens when I dip a toe, I found myself completely engrossed. I had indeed bought into the idea of Sweden as the perfect society and was astonished to see that Sweden has pockets of fascism and unrest, I laughed along with the rest of the world when Trump suggested there were riots in Sweden.
DeleteI wonder, have we all forgotten where extreme patriotism and extreme nationalism can lead? I immediately lose respect for people who guard their little piece of land as if they can take it with them when they pop their clogs. Better they more concerned with their behaviour as human beings. They misinterpret scriptures from the bible and verses from the Koran to justify their greedy non sharing philosophy. The opposite in fact of what the holy books teach, I guess we have to face it, spin began over 2000 years ago.
I would be interested to know Bjorn what your thoughts are on the rise of the Right in Sweden? How do ordinary Swedish people feel about it? I saw clips about Sweden having 'no go' areas inhabited mainly be refugees. I wonder what has gone wrong with the integration? I saw a documentary about Germany and the way in which they treat refugees. Most Germans were welcoming, they came from towns and villages where their own young had moved on. In a nutshell, they needed young people and new people in order to keep the wheels of society turning.
I don't know enough as yet to comment on the Swedish system Bjorn, but my interest is aroused. Sadly, I fear it is all part of the rise of the Right not only in the USA but in Europe too. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sweden, like the rest of the world it would seem, is seeing a rise in the Far Right. The Swedish Democrats are similar I would think, to Britain First and UKIP, though it would seem they are disclaiming racism and fascism. I am sure you can explain far better than I Bjorn.
I was not aware that Sweden had taken in 600,000 Syrian refugees, maybe because Sweden did not make a fuss about it, or maybe it just didn't make world news. I suppose for a country that is predominantly white (the Swedes really can call themselves Aryans) it was bound to make an impact. Just to mess with Trump's head, the Syrians should apply to the U
SA with Swedish Citizenship. Trump is happy to accept Scandinavians.
Thank you for your reply Bjorn. It is interesting to hear what Sweden is really like from an insider. I have, admittedly, always looked on Sweden as a kind of Utopia, but I suppose, as usually happens with Utopias, there are underlying flaws. I remember studying Utopias and Dystopias at University, all the principles may be set in place for a perfect society, but it never quite works out. Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World' was compared to George Orwell's '1984'. The dystopias of Capitalism and Communism.
ReplyDeleteThose who fear socialism fear the government intrusion into their lives. The 'Nanny' state, and there are some points here where I would agree with them. People don't like being told what's good for them, and being denied, or priced out of, things that are bad for them (and the most fun).
There is an obesity crisis in the UK and the only solution being put forward is to raise the sugar. Why should the poor kid be denied the same treats as his rich friend when they go in the sweet shop? Because that's what it boils to. Ditto raising the price of alcohol to stop poor people drinking. Rather than deal with the underlying causes of obesity and alcohol abuse, they simply put it out of reach.
As much as I admire and endorse Jeremy Corbyn, he has the vision and foresight to raise the standard of living for everyone, I fear those who focus on political correctness and the cleansing of our language, not to mention topics we are not allowed to discuss, like the McCanns. Jim Gamble, an appointee of Tony Blair for example, would like to police the internet and shut down subversive sites and put bloggers in jail. All for our own protection of course.
I still believe however, if Jeremy Corbyn, who is most definitely not a Blairite, as PM, we would enjoy a period of prosperity, and for a while we could live like the Swedish :) I have not yet checked out the Kajsa Norman book but I will. JC (such cool initials), would bring in the kind of sweeping changes that we last saw in the 1940's. He has real plans and real policy. While Boris never does any homework, JC and JM (John McDonnell) have been doing their homework for over half a century!
Oops, apologies for getting up on my soapbox there, though in retrospect perhaps I should do it a bit more often. Right now, the sunshine calls, but I look forward to reading Sweden's dark Soul, I'm afraid I am among those who always see Sweden as far higher up the evolutionary scale than we are, so it will be interesting. :)
Hi again Rosalinda
Deletejust a short comment on what you said regarding JG
”Jim Gamble, an appointee of Tony Blair for example, would like to police the internet and shut down subversive sites and put bloggers in jail. All for our own protection of course”
Yes Rosalinda, I know too well who Jim Gamble is. He lacks both self-understanding and reason and nothing more needs to be said about him.
As for the “dangerous” internet, our famous former prime minister, and now internationally known and respected UN official Carl Bildt, spent a lot of time about two decades ago in trying to find out, who was in charge of the INTERNET. He seriously believed, that there was one physical person and that he/she could be fired and replaced by some “charismatic” leader, like “himself”, who could make the internet a political instrument in the service of our society. We're living in an absurd world Rosalinda. It's better to laugh at it than being annoyed or disappointed.
It amuses me no end Bjorn that wannabe despots and tyrants, not sure if that includes your Carl Bildt, want to somehow control social media. JG for example thought the British government (under Blair) could somehow get a slice of the action from Silicon Valley, that is he wanted Zuckerman et al to pay him and his hoped for agency to police the internet. Naturally, the owners of the social networks told him to go sling his hook. His dreams of having access to everyone's accounts remain dreams.
DeleteI imagine the 'powers that be' in every nation are terrified of the social networks and mobile technology Bjorn. The Arab Spring showed how quickly massive crowds can be called and organised into a revolution, a similar thing happened in the UK with the riots in 2011. Everyone has a mobile phone, everyone has a camera.
It is fortunate that the new 'Masters of the Universe', the owners of the social networks, are enlightened philanthropists rather than money grabbing capitalists who would charge us to be in touch. It must incense the money grapping capitalists on a daily basis that they cannot have a slice of the pie and that they can never be 'one of the cool kids'. I especially laugh at the odious Donald Trump Jr (animal killer) who whines constantly about Google, twitter etc, because all results point to his dad being a disgusting piece of shit, unable to comprehend, that that is what happens when you ask the audience.
I think we should thank whatever Gods there may be that Bjorn. For now, at least the internet belongs to people who are forward thinking and who believe information should be available to EVERYone. This is the first time in history where the masses have direct access to news as it is happening. Nothing can be distorted by a biased news agency with photographs taken from a strategic position to show either support or hostility to a political cause. Demonstrators can no longer be beaten senseless without hundreds of pictures from bystanders. The world has changed dramatically, but I am not sure we are fully aware of it because we are actually living in these times.
As long as the 'good guys' own the social networks, we the masses, for the first time in history have the power to make changes. And we should make the most of it, because I have a niggling fear that somehow in the future, the power of the internet may fall into the wrong hands and future generations may not enjoy what we enjoy now.