Apathy, Atavism and the new Strasserites

Photo: By SchwarzerFront

For the first time since this long and tedious election began I finally saw a poster and placard in someone's house whilst travelling home through Putney. It promoted the Liberal Democrats which given the area wasn't much of a surprise but when I watched out for others but there were none. Not one other.

Given the ferocity undertaken by activists and others on social media this does seem a little odd until I think about those I work with. The election does not get much, if any mention. Other more "mundane" matters plus a little banter remain the order of the day.

The big debate on Sky/Channel 4 did not get a mention at all. Not once.

Most people I know would normally vote Labour if they bothered voting at all and it never ceases to amaze me how many people don't. Corbyn has changed that. People want a Labour Government but those I have engaged with do not want the man or his movement.

And yet the polls show a closing gap between Jeremy Christ and the vicars daughter. How can this be? Most voters think old Corbyn is a total twat.

Theresa May is responsible. She is losing the election at the moment through sheer incompetence.

"Strong & stable" she says and then backtracks every five bloody minutes.

At the beginning the Prime Minister had a huge lead in the polls. Labour was heavily divided (and remains pointedly so), with Corbyn having such bad personal ratings one wonders why he bothers. Only his twisted ideology kept him going.

All May had to do was concentrate on delivering Brexit, standing firm on defence and throw a few crumbs on the table for the proles and she should be romping home. No need to rock the boat by upsetting the grey haired brigade with things like the "dementia tax".

The Tories have just over a week to restore their fortunes. Theresa May could have had an easy ride, a big majority and Corbyn would have been shafted.

Meanwhile the Corbynistas are showing their true colours in attacking a professional journalist from the Woman's Hour programme on Radio 4.

"Are you Jewish" they ask.

New politics? No, Just plain old National Socialism.

Corbyn must be stopped.

Old Labour is finished. Come June 9th there must be a reckoning. We need an alternative to both Labour and the Tories.

RIP: John Noakes (Blue Peter)

The BBC have just announced the very sad news that John Noakes of Blue Peter fame passed away at the age of 83. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this tragic time.

John Noakes was famous for all the stunts he took part in going up tall towers and such. All pretty dangerous and probably wouldn't be allowed under the modern health & safety regimes. But entertain us kids he did.

Then there was Shep. Heh.

Rest in Peace mate and thanks for all the fun.

Jihadists prove Corbyn is wrong

Photo:By Sophie Brown

At the moment the main topic of discussion every time I turn on the TV is Corbyn's view that it is British Foreign policy that causes terrorism. Not just historically incorrect (Jihadism has been with Mohammedanism or Islam since it's inception) but flies in the face of what the Jihadists themselves say.

Here are four reasons given by ISIS from the online magazine Dabiq.

1. We hate you first and foremost because you are disbelievers. You reject the oneness of Allah whether you realize it or not...

2. We hate you because your secular liberal societies permit the very things Allah has prohibited.. 

3. In the case of the atheist fringe we hate you and wage war against you because you disbelieve in your lord and creator...

4. We hate you for crimes against Islam and wage war against you to punish you for transgressions against our religion. As long as your subjects mock our faith, insult our prophets ..... and openly vilify the laws of Sharia'ah we will continue to retaliate not with slogans and placards but with knives and bullets.

Got that?

The foundation of their theology is a violent one and it stems from the warlords Koran itself. Stop telling us it's "nothing to do with Islam".

A lot of Muslims may not think and act like this but the ideas stem from the religion itself.

It is not Islamophobic to criticise either the theology of Islam or the actions and beliefs of some, if not many Muslims around the world when women's rights and human rights are trodden on and ignored.

Bank Holiday Interlude: Siouxsie And The Banshees

It's been a few days since I last blogged here, though I have posted a couple of pieces over at my other blog Howie's World of Comics for those of you who might be interested . Normal service will resume shortly. I just need a break.

Meanwhile I discovered Siouxsie is 60 today! One of my favourite all time acts. A unique sound.

Here's a little number to help celebrate.

A war on life itself

When I sat down last night to write a piece about Trump's new found alliance with the Saudi's I suddenly found myself plunged into the dark. Outside sirens blazed as a serious incident cut the power to the block in which I live. A burning cable it turned out which has left me without electricity until this evening.

As a result I was oblivious to events in the outside world until this morning when I remembered where the wind up radio was stored.

Another terrorist incident. This time in Manchester at a pop concert mainly frequented by kids. Young kids and their parents, enjoying a night out with some American singer I'm not familiar with. Not one to keep up with the modern scene but then youth passed me by a long time ago.

Life is precious and those early days enjoying a good time with friends and family listening to the music of the moment is time well spent. The last thing anyone would expect is a fanatic blowing himself up ending so many young lives prematurely and in the name of a so-called religion.

My heart goes out to the victims, their families and friends at this awful time which puts any inconveniences I and others may face into perspective.

The perpetrators of this crime and so many others around the world are those who do not respect life or any vestiges of those things that make life worth living. It doesn't matter whether the criminals are ISIS, the Taliban or al-Qaeda the aim is the same.

Death to those who will not submit to the whims of the representatives of some imaginary deity and his warlord of a prophet.

When I looked at the Saudi's yesterday it occurred to me that their theology and that of the Ayatollahs of Iran were themselves only one step away from being like the Islamic Caliphate they claim to oppose.

Yet to speak out carries the "risk" or inevitability of being called "Islamophobic". Strictly that means having a fear of Islam.

When I see gay men caned in Indonesia, an unmarried couple stoned to death in Mali, women flogged for being raped across the Muslim world and  non-muslims subjected to brutal sharia and blasphemy laws I shudder.

And I care not for those who appease atavism whilst such barbarity stalks our world.

Election 2017: The Fringe

It's a weird old election. On that we can all agree. The far left nutters have mostly buried themselves in Labour to support old Steptoe and the far right has all but disappeared. As for the Lib-Dems, the sandal wearing community has had to resort to calling for the legalisation of cannabis to try and draw attention to itself.

There are as a result far fewer fringe candidates this year, but there are a few.

First off the remnants of the gang of fours party, the SDP has announced that:

The Social Democratic Party has announced a full slate of 5 candidates to contest the Sheffield parliamentary seats in the 2017 General Election.

The SDP has been steadfastly representing people throughout the UK for 27 years and can trace their roots to the original insurgent party of the 1980's.

As believers in true democracy, the Party campaigned strongly to leave the EU and members were fully committed to working harmoniously on a cross party basis.

Besides the fact they should change their name to the Sheffield Democratic Party, I was also surprised to see that they campaigned to "leave the EU". Then I noticed  their spokesman was none other than cross-party serial joiner Steve Winston, last seen quitting UKIP.

Then there is the far-left. Oh yes a couple of them are standing against the Corbynite revisionists. Firstly the Communist League (along with the Socialist Party of Great Britain) who are contesting Islington North, the hallowed constituency of St Corbyn himself. 

The Communist League is affiliated with the US based Socialist Workers Party (no relation to the Comrade Delta Cults) whose  version of third worldism led them to criticise Trotsky himself (shock, horror). A former faction of the old International Marxist Group they are so small that they do not even publish their own newspaper and can usually be seen flogging the highly turgid and unreadable US publication 

(again..).

Old Arthur Scargill is standing three candidates this time round. Not sure where the Socialist Labour Party gets it's money from, or whether it has many members but here it is:

 

Last but by no means least is the Workers Revolutionary Party publishers of the daily News Line (how is a mystery, no more Gaddafi gold these days) who are standing five candidates. 

How this group have survived the fallout of Gerry Healy's crimes is a mystery. Think Comrade Delta and multiply, add internal violence, selling details of dissidents to foreign regimes and you get the gist...

Where are the Spartacist League when you need some comic relief......

May the farce be with you

Regular readers will notice that I have cut back on blogging over the last couple of weeks. In part this has been due to general tiredness but is also down to the simple fact I am so disillusioned with politics. I mean what a farce this general election has become.

ITV screened a two hour leadership debate without either of the candidates who could possibly even become prime minister on June 9th, though in reality there is only one. Theresa May is on course to win and the only question is how big a majority she will have.

For Labour there are two questions. How many anti-Corbyn MPs will keep their seats and will Corbyn himself obtain a big enough share of the vote to try and stay on as leader. He won't automatically resign because he has a "mandate" from the people who elected him. There are two Labour Parties.

The remnants of the mainstream centre/left party and the politically vulgar Corbynistas.

The problem is the better Labour does the more likely Corbyn's ascendency will continue. A dilemma that will plague the centre left come June 9th.

For me the problem of how I vote locally is already resolved.

"None of the above".

I am not a Tory and want an alternative to their party, but Labour is no longer that vehicle. It also galls me somewhat to say I would prefer Theresa May to Labour under Corbyn. But I'm far from alone in feeling that way. The man is seen (rightly) as an incompetent and dangerous fool.

Nobody would feel safe with Corbyn in power. The man says he's not a pacifist. That's true. He has never condemned IRA violence and makes friends with terrorist groups like Hamas & Hezbollah. Corbyn only wants to disarm the West.

As for the Manifesto, there are some good policies when taken on an individual basis. Trouble is we all know this shopping list is not affordable as a whole.

Has anyone noticed the lack of solidarity with Venezuela recently? The now bankrupt socialist paradise?

A warning to us all of the folly of so-called socialism.

There are another three weeks of this near pointless jockeying to go.  Like most people I am resigned to its outcome and simply await what happens next.