Where once an amen egalitarian
Round Table and Aston Martins galore
now just the detritus of a bygone
Camelot and bucket loads of ill will
small vices, flawless nightmares and
oh so fractured castles in the air
Indigenous self-exaltation abreast
home grown uninspired Cox’s Orange Pippins
antipathy toward coffee coloured anything
a kingdom that belittles undisciplined rainbows
has dullard ideals and ideas, so ‘rich’ in history yet
destitute in pith, lamentable in notion and deed
- MIKE STEEDEN - 
Well, the good news is we’ve done away with New Labour, and next the odious UKIP, then the crowning achievement, an annihilation of the Tories!
Oh alright then, yes, we’ve well and truly gone down the pan, yet racism, or the public face of it at least, is weakening by the year would you not think?
Not sure following Britain First visiting our town on Saturday, faces covered and violent intent yet hope you are right…it is said that the UK is an example of multiculturalism at its best so what the hell ‘at its worst’ is I can only guess at!
Also not sure about Corbyn’s decision to wear black socks when wearing shorts and trainers…panache man, panache plus the fact that come this wretched EU Referendum he’ll be voting with Farage…worrying indeed. Other than that he represents the left that never died; the left who merely seek a fairer future – proper socialism so good on him for that. His term at the helm will end in glorious tears yet he/she who follows him…well there is the key…that is when we see if the backward glance and the lessons of said glance mean anything at all. I hope they do!
As to me I can only vote for a party supportive of the EU as I believe despite organizational issues it to be the most important ‘thing’…could go on for hours as to why yet won’t bore you.
Ah, you see I live alone on the low fenlands of The Somerset Levels, where there’s nought but birds and the odd pagan or two for company, so am not subjected to such deep unpleasantness. I pick up the mood, to the extent that I do, somewhat vicariously and periphrastically, whilst acknowledging there will always be those of retarded sensibilities (a.k.a. racist klutzes) undisclosed to my immediate purview; yet in groupings they seem to self-destruct in short time – give ’em enough rope etc., same as with all such idiots.
I am of the left yet disagree with you on Europe Mike. You may very well posses a more sophisticated historical understanding of the continent, though I have always viewed the thing as empire building, and trying to fit square pegs etc. Greece is now effectively a debtor colony to Germany, and the EU project has failed its people as much as their past leaders’ own stupidity and cupidity. At best, it needs a reworking, and democratic accountability in its legislature might be a good idea. I probably do need you to ‘go on for hours’ about this, although this is hardly the medium.
If we pull out all will go to worms for both ‘us’ – hate that word when applied to the mongrels that we are! – and the rest of Europe…not just the simple things of free movement about Europe I selfishly enjoy yet within my myriad of reasons for supporting Europe is this main reason. Since the beginning of time the tribes and nations of Western Europe have been beating seven barrels of shit out of each other every decade (at most)…since those nations got together (a long time now) mothers have not lost sons; wives not lost husbands on the soil of these nations…Germany has not even cast its eyes toward Poland and that alone should be sufficient for anyone to disagree with toss pot, evil twat Farage and Co. I will predict if the EU breaks up within 5-10 years there will be a war of new alliances for that is the way of things. Apologies for minor rant but I’m feeling left of left this day…by the way when we lived in Dartmouth I heard more vile racist remarks there during the summer tourist season and directed at black visitors than I ever hear here in Hellfire Corner…the dreaded ‘n’ word with alarming regularity!
Well, I wonder if the Free Movement business will last, and Germany has, on Sunday afternoon, in effect exited the Schengen system by closing its borders with Austria, with the imminent possibility that will extend to the Czech Republic and Poland – a temporary measure? Perhaps, perhaps not. I daresay the flow of refugees will abate over the winter, but come the spring the same situation will present, and likely in greater measure still. It is just this tragic exodus that may force the hand of Germany, and other nations too perhaps. You may be facing border controls on your euro-jaunts ere too long Mike, like it or not.
Nation states tend periodically to war with one another, history shows. Yet war itself is morphing in nature, away from armed conflict to cyber and economic warfare. And what was/is the Greek crisis if not a form of intra-EU economic warfare? The E.C. will protect its banks far more readily than it will protect the jobs and welfare of any one member nation’s citizens it seems to me. This is shown by the exponential increase in suicides in Greece, and the brutal levels of unemployment there. All the so-called ‘bail-outs’ were of no use to the people of Greece, as almost all the money went straight to the creditor banks of other member states.
And now I am on a rant – forgive me!
That Greece was allowed into the EU on a bodged set of accounts; defying the rules of membership is a price the EU has had to – and has, paid. A disaster born initially of the collapse of the good old US housing market…quickly followed by other mature nations who had committed the same sins. In many respects a now irrelevant issue so long as all is done to keep Greece within the union.
That ‘nation states tend periodically to war with one another’ is a fact granted yet anything and everything that minimises that fact is worth a shot and the EU does just that.
As to refugees I am for Europe to let them all in…compassion alone should be sufficient reason…we are ‘Christian’ (well I’m not) mongrels after all. Our population per square mile is not even in the same league as Hong Kong and a whole list of other places. My own youngest son with his first degree and a year on still chasing a job…any job… holds no resentment toward the any immigrants ‘stealing’ ‘our’ jobs. Farage and his like would have it otherwise I know yet they are ‘evil…word I shall not say in print save that it is in the plural’.
The simplicity of the situation is clear to me and to date no single person has given me a single plausible reason as to why we should leave the EU.
Dover’s Western Dock redevelopment is being funded to the tune of £56 million by the EU yet it is in this town Britain First protest…do they really think our own government outside the EU would chuck money at this project? Answer ‘no’. And should we leave the EU we’ll simply go back to basics and blame the government of the day as we did in days of yore…it is the way of things!
Lastly, and probably why I feel so very pissed off today is that this very morning in my local newsagent run by a completely mad Asian bloke who chants call to prayer type songs quite loud all day long while listening to radio station somewhere well east of Dover was under a savage attack by some fat English cow who disputed the change he gave her after purchasing a fuselage of cider and a pack of tobacco. Having proven himself correct this ‘wonderful’ English woman (?) left in a flurry saying, ‘You’re wrong and I’m white’. Sadly the speed she departed at prevented me – still using a bloody walking stick after falling down the bloody stairs – telling her her fortune. I did however apologize for being ‘white’ to the proprietor.
I shall probably spontaneously combust soon – then nothing will matter!
Excellent rant! And here is your missing word Mike:
http://www.vdaysouthbay.org/originsofcunt.htm
I’m actually surprised – given the rich multicultural history of commonwealth, I always thought of the UK as among the least racist societies
Our town suffered the ‘faces covered, intent on violence’ march by Britain First with there racist chants bringing the police out in force only this weekend. It is the refugee crisis that is bringing out these ultra right thugs all over Western Europe presently…it’ll get worse before it gets better!
I was looking forward to seeing classic cars on the road. Imagine my dismay when I didn’t see any. Maybe five at the most. According to my hubby’s relatives, the govt had them all replaced by newer ones.
Oh we have classic cars a plenty in these parts…must be a Cornish thing they’re a funny lot down there!
Sounds like a poem about America. Sad this kinda shit just goes on and on and on.
I cannot believe the US is any where as bad as where Europe is now with the rise of the far right…I hope you’ll prove me wrong!
President Trump is a very real possibility. Need I say more. Seems like we defeated the Axis powers in WW2 only to become just like them ourselves. The Western world is behaving shamefully.
I read that Trump thing…discounted it as unlikely and thus hope you are wrong…the man is a buffoon!
Yes, well the downfall of another great society. They just don’t make them like they used to….or maybe it’s just an endless circle.
True
Wonderful poem and some very detailed comments. Don’ you dare spontaneously combust unless you are standing near these bastards and Shirl has a bucket of water ready for you.
I shall not combust today…hope not anyway! Today however there is a strange smell in the house…rotten eggs methinks…I wonder if one of the builders has stuffed his lunch of yesterday behind a radiator…must go investigate!
Oh dear…so long as it not drains…..
The vile fragrance persists…not the drains…odd!
ok…well…next best guess…dead mice……( ahem lived in the big Victorian hoose for years on the edge of fields…….)
Seems to be that our chap has fixed the new – awful phrase – soil pipe to the main drainage but has yet to affix the new loo. It is thus the pong is coming up from the drains and persists even as I write!
Oh dear. Need to mail you a clothes peg x
The loo should be in tomorrow…one lives in hope!
Well my fingers are crossed for you. But we won’t talk of the joys of Victorian houses when it comes to hopes x
What have the Victorians ever done for us…that’s what I want to know!
built fecking houses you can’t heat, have lousy plumbing and will eat your cash
As I part with another grand this very afternoon I can but agree!
My heart is bleeding, we have parted with many since buying this somewhat neglected place to save money……..
Best we never play ‘Snap’ as a team methinks!
.I guess it now long you are prepared to live in a place with holes in floor, insulation and wiring hanging out the roof, a garden like the jungle etc etce etc. But the costs mount
Good fortune has it the place is liveable yet what I cannot see is that many results for the outlay…fence here, fence there, new radiators where there were old radiators…stuff like that…I demand something mega! Lottery ticket perhaps a good idea…then again I won’t be here to collect the winnings!
Yeah… It is like you say. Talking fences, you couldn’t see the one at the back of the garden for the mess but when I did see it I saw it was falling down. Completely rotting. Even tho the other side paid their half it was still a quick 500 quid for us. While we were about it I got the guy felt the Loggia roof…. Another 300.. All money well spent and worth every penny but……
I like great big wobbly jubblies
I’m rather keen on them also…’Great Comment’ by the way!
Thanks mate. I put it down to years of practice! Have now switched back to this blog to see if my copy shows up on people’s readers. We live in exciting times sirrah 😀
You are the master of imagination 🙂
That is very kind of you Amber…I shall tell my wife forthwith that I’m the Master of Imagination and not the Master of Bullshit she often says I am…Shirley…listen to this, Amber says I’m the Master of Imagination not what you call me…you know when you say I’m the Master of….THUD.
Haha ! 🙂 ah, tell your wife you are much appreciated by your readers. And imagination is a frightfully good\useful thing. 😉
I shall pass the message on to Shirley when she unlocks the straight jacket so I can take breakfast…I do like the word ‘frightfully’ – brilliantly old fashioned!
What a cracker of a poem on the insipid nature of cultural life. Hope emerges though in your new leader of the opposition.
Cheers,
Laurie Keim
I do hope it does…left of left that I am I have a feeling he will not be able to hold the party together…still I would like to think I am wrong!