Can I have a refund on summer please ?
Current mood: aggravated
Category: Life
OK, OK - I've been very ill of late - yes, even more ill than usual - nothing life threatening, just a debillitating chest virus. But, hey, things ARE getting better.
The Rising Hope has been camped at number one on Neil Young's listing for the past couple of weeks AND our eldest daughter got married on the 9th AND I celebrated (sort of) my 54th birthday on the 6th AND it's Sue' birthday on the 22nd.
Summer of course is one HUGE damp squib - it seems like the UK has been towed out into the worst weather that the Altantic Ocean has to offer. It's raining so hard at the moment that the raindrops are BOUNCING off the pavement.
I've managed to avoid most of that five-ring circus that passes for the olympics these days. What a charade !!!! Human rights abuses continue unabated in China (not that the UK has any right to crow) - Russia is screwing Georgia - let's face it, we're all screwing each other. And what's all this nonsense about PROFESSIONALS competing ? Olympic ideals ? Phooey. But what REALLY sticks in my craw is people banging on about sport having nothing to do with politics - really - pray tell me what part of the olympics isn't political ? The unsavoury horse-trading that goes on for who gets to host the games. The cost of paying for the games. The sponsorship. The TV deals. OK, if we want to cut politics out of the olympics then let's have it in Greece every four years - ban professionals - ban national anthems - ban sponsorship - have every competing country pay towards the games - have the TV rights equally available for everyone. In other words let's just have it about the SPORT - about taking part - NOT profits.
Still raining, still dreaming.
Love
Steve
Currently
listening
:
Siren
By
Roxy Music
Release date: 1989-10-20
Links to my music .......
Current mood: hopeful
Category: Music
I've set up a music page on iLike.
It allows me to post a lot more songs - already there are quite a few there that people won't have heard - so if anyone is interested here are the links:
Steve Kelly’s Idiots Guide To Politics: No2. Political Correctness
Current mood: exasperated
Steve Kelly's Idiots Guide To Politics
No2. Political Correctness
All of this political correctness is driving me mad.
I see. What do you mean by political correctness ?
You know, where you can't say anything about anyone anymore.
No, not really. It's perfectly possible to frame a critique about anything.
No it's not. You can't say what you really want to say about anything anymore.
Er.... are you a Conservative per chance ?
What has that got to do with anything ? I suppose that's wrong now.
Well, it seems to me that people of a Conservative persuasion have subverted the meaning of political correctness into a distorted, all encompassing shorthand for their dislike of the fact that they can't express their opinions in bigoted or offensive terms.
I don't know what you're talking about. All I'm saying is that this political correctness is stiffling free speech.
No one is stiffling your freedom of speech.
Yes they are. You can't say what you want to say anymore.
Hmmm. Let's see if I can clarify this. To be politically correct originally (about 20 years ago) meant that one was being precise with ones explanations. To make sure that you said precisely what you meant to say. It essentially took issue with the vagaries of language - for example, that it seemed ridiculous to call a woman 'chairman'. But nowadays a lot of people seem to think that it means they can't be, say, racist, sexist, ageist or just downright rude - when that is precisely what they want to be.
See, you can't say what you want to say anymore.
Let's put it another way. If I object to racism I am not be politically correct, I am objecting to racism. It is not my being politically correct, it is my being non-racist.
In other words I can't say what I want to say.
Yes you can. It's just that not couching your opinions in an offensive way is not to be politically correct - it's just being civilised.
See, now you're being politically correct.
Yes of course, how silly of me.
Currently
listening
:
Back to Basics
By
Billy Bragg
Release date: 1990-10-25
Steve Kelly’s idiots guide to politics. No 1 - tax cutting
Current mood: ashamed
Category: News and Politics
Wow !!! I'm gonna vote for him 'cause he's gonna cut my taxes.
So you don't feel that there could be a downside to such a policy ?
What downside ? I'll be better off.
Well some people might contend that cutting taxes always goes hand in hand with cutting services. That tax cutting always hits the less well off.
But I'll be better off.
Can I take it that you don't view policy initiatives in the context of what is best for the country as a whole ?
Er .... I'll be better off.
Yes, you've said that. What about the concept that, whilst you MAY indeed be better off, the country could be damaged and divided by such a policy ?
What are you on about ..... I'd be better off.
Could it not be that to cut taxes will inevitably mean that education, health and welfare will also be cut quid pro quo - that the fabric of society will get frayed - that poorer communities will suffer - that the net effect will be to stagnate the economy ?
But I'll be richer stupid.
OK, let's try another notion. What if the economy does stagnate and wages get squeezed downwards whilst the costs of goods in the stores rise - wouldn't a lot of folk be worse off ?
But they would be paying less taxes.
Right. So you can't see any correlation with the huge gap between rich and poor, crime rates and the size of the prison population.
I won't be in prison and I'll be better off.
How about the idea that poverty of opportunity, crime rates and prison populations could be reduced by RAISING taxes for all but the poor - and to use the revenue to improve services and provision. In countries where this is the policy there is greater social cohesion through increased opportunity, less waste of human resources, less crime and vastly smaller prison populations. Which costs the state less.
Are you mad ? I'd be worse off.
Of course, silly me.
Currently
listening
:
Dust Bowl Ballads
By
Woody Guthrie
Release date: 1992-02-14
Number 1 on Living With War chart !!!
Current mood: happy
Category: Music
OK, OK, I know, more self promotion - but I think this is worth noting:
That's the top 10 from this weeks 'Songs Of Our Times' listing from Neil Young's Living With War webpage - there are 2,710 songs on the list this week.
Check out this video: fire poi daniel kelly
Category: Life
Here's a video of my son Daniel doing his Fire Poi routine - it fascinates me how he manages to do it. Why not send him a message and a friends request ?
aggravated
artistic
embarrassed
obsequious
hopeful
ashamed
happy
