GREENYGREY’S RAMBLES

Hi, it’s ML here.  It seems Britain has gone all blueyyellow, with the blue and yellow political coalition enjoying their honeymoon, and the sun and clear blue skies in the ascendancy; leaving the poor greenygrey all but forgotten.  Well, enjoy it while it lasts is all I can say, as it never sticks around for long!

Stone Circle Photos

The poor greenygrey has been left to search through photos for memories of the good old days to keep it going.

Century of Poems on FMPoetry

On a more upbeat note, the fmpoetry site now has over 100 fantastic Folding Mirror poems on it.  Thanks to all those who’ve contributed and supported the site.

Today’s blog features a Folding Mirror poem about the deal made between the Conservative (Tories) and Liberal-Democrat political parties after last week’s British general election as its topic.

The coalition seems to be going well so far, and so well in fact that the media have today been comparing the two leaders, David Cameron and Nick Clegg, to legendary comedy double act, Morcambe and Wise, after yesterday’s joint conference.

They do seem a good partnership, and seem to be talking mostly good sense at the moment, so I hope they can dig Britain out of its current economic woes while also preserving the environment.

The poem rhymes a bit and the subjects of each line (outer and outer etc) and the word count (7-6-7-8-4-4 (10) 4-4-8-7-6-7) mirror.

The Poem

British Electorate Reunite Long Lost Political Twins

David Cameron is the new Tory PM
the highest office of Great Britain
the blue flag moved into Downing Street
a most British revolution the media see it
coalition politics with commonsense
not sleazy scandal selfishness

the British public cross their fingers, one over the other

the people attended first
we’re over recession worst
nice to see you to see you nice
the yellow banner makes you look twice
the deputy job bartered for pact
Nick Clegg is Liberal DM double act

 For more Folding Mirror poetry visit the fmpoetry website

The Greenygrey website is sorry to be quite glad to see the end of the New Labour government, but there has been too much rubbish governing to be really sorry to see the back of Gordon Brown’s government.

Gordon Brown Was Never a  Proper Prime-Minister 

Those who know Gordon Brown on the inside considered him ruthless and desperate to become the British Prime-Minister.

That he was obviously not a great leader and communicator should have been obvious to a very intelligent man, but hubris seemed to have got the better of him, and he schemed the job for himself without the consent of the British people.

He said that presentation wasn’t his thing, but that was because he was naturally useless at it, because he was part of a government that thrived on spin.

Gordon Brown’s Big Mistakes Covered by the Greenygrey

Gordon Brown didn’t help the British poor unless he had to, bringing in a nasty little tax that hit the poor hardest.

Gordon Brown’s green initiatives were also usually more stick than carrot for the poor, such as planning to open a new Heathrow runway while threatening to tax supermarket shopping bags!

Near the end of his reign, Gordon Brown revealed his contempt for the average working class British person when he called Gillian Duffy a bigot for talking about a legitimate election topic. 

Gordon Brown the Family Man Redeemed

Having said the above, Gordon Brown probably tried his best in most ways, and is a good family man who has suffered tragedy.

As I listened to him saying he hadn’t liked the prestige of office in his farewell speech I thought that didn’t sound like the Gordon Brown who’d been trying to get there all his career, and I was thinking I didn’t need to hear a load more spin.

But then the BBC journalist pointed out that Gordon Brown had refused to bring his children into the election campaign, and was only now bringing them into the media glare, when he had nothing to gain. 

So maybe Gordon Brown isn’t as bad as I thought, and I hope he is truly relieved to be out of office, and enjoys the rest of his life.

I think the British Election 2010 will be remembered as being very greenygrey.  I may be biased, but that is my honest opinion.  Well, about it being greenygrey, not sure sure if that’s how it’ll be remembered by the majority of people.

Weather Was Greenygrey

Firstly, the weather was very greenygrey, with trees greening up and the sky its usual colour.

Britain Was In Two Minds…or More!

The hung parliament result also shows that the electorate was very undecided, and in two or more minds.

It didn’t really want Brown’s Labour, but didn’t want the Tories either.  Or the Lib-Dems by the look of the result!

First Ever Green Party MP

The British general election of 2010 also saw the Green Party get their first MP, with Caroline Lucas winning the Brighton Pavilion seat.  She campaigned not only on green issues, but also old socialist ideas.

I have written an article about the Green Party victory, other environmental campaigners in the election and the result so far at Suite 101 Politics and Society.

So it’s general election day in Britain, and tomorrow we will have another government.  The fact that little is likely to change, and that the traditional party of the ruling class is favourite to win in a time when the country is angry with those at the top that have creamed off the country’s money and profited while the majority suffer and struggle. 

Three Parties Vying for Leadership all Similar and Tainted by Expenses Scandal 

Of course, there is no socialism left now, not that can be elected to leadership anyway, so tomorrow we will be left with more of the same, but with some small changes, and they are more likely to favour the wealthy if the Conservatives win, although Cameron seems no worse than Brown in his policies on banking etc.  The Lib-Dems seem to be dropping off again, but may yet have a say in the next government.

Politics and Spin 

Cameron seems nice and genuine enough, but is that because he’s a spin doctor?  Labour have done a lot of good as well, although too much bad too.  Anyway, the election has been fair and interesting enough, and let’s hope it brings in a change for the better, whatever the results.  We can hope! 

Goodbye John Battle, my MP

My local MP, John Battle, avoided all the scandal and as far as I know represented the constituency well.  He is now retiring, so Happy Retirement to John Battle.

Rosa Parks was an African American civil rights activist who refused to give her seat up to a white person, and this action helped inspire the 1950s civil rights movement in the USA.  Gillian Duffy is a working class Rochdale grandmother who asked Prime Minister Gordon Brown an off message question and was labelled a bigot.

Comparing Gillian Duffy and Rosa Parks

While Gillian Duffy and Rosa Parks might not seem to have any close links at first, they are of course both women with strong views who felt the need to question the dominant culture’s view of them.

Rosa Parks was protesting against her social group’s persecution and feelings of helplessness.

Half a century on, and crossing the Atlantic, Gillian Duffy feels similar bitterness.

In its thirteen years of government, Labour has presided over the rich-poor gap growing, fuelled by two policies that have crippled the British working class: unregulated big business and banking using unprecedented immigration to keep labour costs low and draining the social services.

Now, working class voters are faced with the Labour government again, or the two alternative parties that have a hope of winning, in the Tories and Lib-Dems, who are even less likely to help them. 

So, although Gillian Duffy has a vote, unlike Rosa Parks in 1950s America, she has nobody to vote for, as she feels her traditional party has betrayed her, and nobody else offers her and her family hope for the future.

New Labour and UK leader, Gordon Brown, yesterday made a big gaffe when he called an old Labour voter, Rochdale’s Gillian Duffy, a bigot for raising immigration as an issue. 

Gordon Brown Showed the Political Class’s Contempt for the British Working Class

Brown did not know his microphone was still on, and later apologised after being made aware that his conversation had been recorded by the media. 

However, his remarks tally with the New Labour policy of ignoring their core traditional British working class supporters during its government.

I think Brown really thought what he said, but the recent political expenses scandal suggests the leaders of the other two main parties, David Cameron and Nick Clegg, have probably got a similar contempt for people like Gillian Duffy. 

Happy Voting! 

Russia and the US agreed a new nuclear treaty last week, whereby their nuclear arsenals would be cut by a third over ten years.  This can only be a good sign for the world.  Congratulations to the leaders who negotiated the deal.

Should Britain Scrap Plans for Trident?

With the US and Russian plans to cut their nuclear weapons, and in light of the difficult financial times we find ourselves in, should the UK scrap plans to bring in the new Trident system, or at least reduce the amount.

A nuclear deterrent seems less and less valuable in the current global conflict and financial situations, and the money would surely be better spent elsewhere?

At the height of the British political expenses scandal of last year, the nation’s revolutionary fervour inspired the BBC to move their Question Time political debate programme from its usual late night slot to peak time.  So, far from the BBC acting to hide the scandal, they worked to increase its exposure.  To me, this shows that they are not entirely state lackeys, as some people might think.

The British Velvet Revolution Now On BBC4

About a year later, the nation’s understandable wrath seems to have subsided, and democracy is stable again.  Did democracy work?  Has anything changed?  I don’t know, and only time will tell I guess.  Action has been taken, but whether it will bring real lasting change is unclear.

Last week, a doc-drama about how American journalist, Heather Brookes, tried to uncover the excess political expenses before the story was eventually leaked to the Telegraph newspaper (another sign of the media not being state lackeys), was shown on BBC4 (thanks to the Yorkshire Evening Post review for reminding me).

On Expenses suggested Brookes was a rebel who wanted a Watergate style story, while the establishment was defensive and secretive.  Commons speaker, Michael Martin, was shown to have rejected traditional protocol, but to have used expenses as much as possible with a kind of ‘workers’ rights’ rationale that was suggested to have been inspired by his working class roots.

It’s still available to watch until March 9th on BBC iplayer.

The Islamic Fundamentalist Revolution on Channel Four

If On Expenses reminded me of my rebellious youth opposing the system, the Dispatches documentary about those said to be working to create Britain’s Islamic Republic showed why my revolutionary zeal has subsided, and I’m thinking better the devil you know these days.

There’s a lot of debate about the programme on the above site, and how dangerous the Islamic Fundamentalists shown in the programme really are; but the sexism, homophobia, racism and fascism that these groups are known for was clearly apparent to all. 

This was evident in the actual footage of fundamentalists’ speeches; conversations with Islamist activists boasting about how they were using the democratic system to promote and finance themselves and their religion/beliefs/structures; and the testimony of moderate muslims who know how they work and have bravely decided to oppose them. 

It’s available to watch throughout March on the Channel Four website.

Also, congratulations to prominant Islamic theologian, Sheikh Tahir ul-Qadri, for issuing a fatwa against Islamic Fundamentalists carrying out terrorism, declaring those who do it will not go to paradise.  And the Pakistan army for having Al Quaeda on the run.

In the last month Ronnie Biggs and Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi have been released from British prisons on compassionate grounds, as both are suffering from ill health.  Moreover, that is not the only link they have, as both their criminal cases involved people dying, but doubts about their involvement in the deaths.

Ronnie Biggs

Ronnie Biggs of course took part in a train robbery where the driver was coshed and died quite soon afterwards; whether Biggs was involved in any violence or the driver died from the coshing has never been established.

Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi

Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was convicted of being involved in the downing of Pan-am flight 103 over Scotland in 1988 that claimed 270 lives.

Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi has always claimed his innocence and even some families of the victims in the UK question his guilt.  A  BBC documentary thoroughly investigated the case in 2008 and suggested that it was in fact Iran who did it; in revenge for an Iranian passenger plane that was accidentally (I believe evidence suggests) shot down by a US warship earlier that year.

Conclusion

I think that a combination of ill health and doubts about their involvement in the deaths involved in their cases mean that both Ronnie Biggs and Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi deserved their compassionate releases.