Image:By Cemg - Own work CC
The New Year has started off with a bit of a squib with arguments raging on social media about the politicisation of London's fireworks display to putting EU symbols in the display. Didn't notice anything at the time as I looked out the tower block I live in towards the Thames and the Eye at midnight. Quite a good view.
I haven't and am not going to enter into that pointless debate but rather concern myself with the warning of ever present terrorism as a Somalian man launched an attack in Manchester on New Years eve. The BBC described his attack as " frenzied" and questioned his mental health. Why? Witnesses say he shouted the usual slogans and if in all probability he is a religious fanatic why does that automatically make him mentally ill?
No one ever called the IRA terrorists mentally ill when they bombed and shot people. They were quite sane. The threat from the Islamists is real and such individual attacks are part of their strategy to scare us in the West. Not insane but quite considered, vile and inhumane as it is.
We must remain ever vigilant as the year unfolds since there is a major event shortly to send this country into a frenzy though I doubt the kind of crisis some think. A "civil war is so unlikely. We'll just have a few distribution problems for a short while, if that. The companies trading with us from Europe are not about to lose their income from trading with the UK.
And no I'm not a "Brexiteer", just someone who voted remain but accepted the outcome of the vote. Whether we should have had a referendum (I am not in general in favour of such things) is a moot point. We did and despite a close vote, Brexit was the outcome. Live with it.
For us in the UK there is little to cheer in the world of politics. Another new political party has been launched claiming to be for the centre and reason. I've forgotten it's name already and with it not attracting any publicity even in the social media circles I inhabit I hold out no hope for this iniative.
The far left have captured the Labour Party. The anti-Semites control investigations into anti-Semitism and Labour has become a party that continues to wander further from the hopes that it's founders dreamed of. It's actually not a workers party, The Corbynista movement is very much that of the privileged middle classes. People who can afford to be socialists.
Corbyn & McConnell's economic and social policies are dangerously unworkable. We've seen how this type of socialism has failed everyone across the world and inevitably leads to dictatorship and death when mass social engineering is undertaken. Capitalism may be far from perfect but there has been a workable compromise. One that needs to be revived for the 21st century against both left-wing and right-wing populism.
One can only live in hope, because that at the end of day is all we have left.
Democracy is under threat both here and across the West from a variety of sources. Not just the far-left and their reflections on the far-right but also from religious fundamentalists, mainly Islamic but not entirely. Christian Evangelists still cause problems in the developing world particularity in Africa over abortion, contraception and homosexuality.
At the same time Christians are now the most persecuted faith. Jeremy Hunt has finally recognised this but there is an elephant in the room. The bulk of oppression is in Muslim countries (and yes I am aware of China) the so called left will ignore this as they do with anti-Semitism in case it upsets their absurd world overview that these countries are or will become anti-imperialist and help bring about the overthrow of capitalism.
Whats the fate of a few Jews or Christians in this process? The left has a blind spot when it comes to Islam and is obsessed with defending even indefensible (usually by ignoring it) and wonders why there is a growth of what they call Islamophobia and call even ex-Muslims racists if they dare criticise the religion of peace.
The far left is as dangerous as the far-right and the need for new politics has never been greater. This blog will continue to fight against political and religious extremes including the self indulgent identity politics movement.
Join the fight at Howie's Corner.
It won't be all politics by the way. There is always time for music a little humour and other distractions over the coming months. I'm only human!
Happy New Year and a song from 1974 the year I left school!
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