A Quiet Sunday
The telly's rubbish because it's Sunday. I've done two washings, dried and folded one and hung the other up and that's me knackered. I could watch some of the stuff I've recorded on my Skybox but my concentration is mince. So I've been surfing the net, dipping into bits and pieces here and there.
First, I found a clip of BBC street interviews in Ripon in Yorkshire:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-47847340/may-and-corbyn-brexit-talks-what-do-voters-think
The woman who described Westminster politics as 'like the playground' got it exactly right. So did the people who wanted some kind of 'national' unity, although, poor souls, they seem to have missed the point: Brexit isn't about 'national' anything. It's about the Conservative Party. And then came the well-fed elderly man who started (well, in this clip this is how he started but I know how editing works) by saying: 'I'm a Conservative voter.' And I knew what the BBC were punting here: the status quo - government by Labour or Tories - no change possible.
I've also been following a discussion on Facebook among Welsh friends, good people all, well educated, all looking for a solution to the Brexit problem. But they are still at the stage of dealing with the abstract: Can we get rid of the Tories? (Of course you can, but under the present system you'll just be replacing one set of people with a vested interest in keeping the status quo with another group hell bent on doing the same). Can we change the voting system at Westminster? (Frankly, no - too many people there like their jobs and the status quo maintains them). What can we do? (Honestly, vote Plaid. You may not like them. I don't especially like the SNP but I need them to exert some influence at Westminster - and if you don't think they've succeeded, just look at how many times their Westminster people have appeared on UK TV news recently: Philippa Whitford, Ian Blackford, Joanna Cherry - they can no longer be ignored).
At the other end of the spectrum, I came across a short video by Bella Caledonia:
https://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2019/04/06/permanent-sunshine/?fbclid=IwAR2Kz93uzb75DLAVdfdwkIQKWTOv4WvLcbwuCecOq8wrSl9tYfoxm7s1p4g
First, I found a clip of BBC street interviews in Ripon in Yorkshire:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-47847340/may-and-corbyn-brexit-talks-what-do-voters-think
The woman who described Westminster politics as 'like the playground' got it exactly right. So did the people who wanted some kind of 'national' unity, although, poor souls, they seem to have missed the point: Brexit isn't about 'national' anything. It's about the Conservative Party. And then came the well-fed elderly man who started (well, in this clip this is how he started but I know how editing works) by saying: 'I'm a Conservative voter.' And I knew what the BBC were punting here: the status quo - government by Labour or Tories - no change possible.
I've also been following a discussion on Facebook among Welsh friends, good people all, well educated, all looking for a solution to the Brexit problem. But they are still at the stage of dealing with the abstract: Can we get rid of the Tories? (Of course you can, but under the present system you'll just be replacing one set of people with a vested interest in keeping the status quo with another group hell bent on doing the same). Can we change the voting system at Westminster? (Frankly, no - too many people there like their jobs and the status quo maintains them). What can we do? (Honestly, vote Plaid. You may not like them. I don't especially like the SNP but I need them to exert some influence at Westminster - and if you don't think they've succeeded, just look at how many times their Westminster people have appeared on UK TV news recently: Philippa Whitford, Ian Blackford, Joanna Cherry - they can no longer be ignored).
At the other end of the spectrum, I came across a short video by Bella Caledonia:
https://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2019/04/06/permanent-sunshine/?fbclid=IwAR2Kz93uzb75DLAVdfdwkIQKWTOv4WvLcbwuCecOq8wrSl9tYfoxm7s1p4g
It was written by AL Kennedy and performed by the brilliant Scott Reid. It's about change and tells you in a few minutes the difference between Ripon and Scotland.
Years ago, the scales fell from Scotland's eyes where Labour and the Tories are concerned. These days, I'm pleased to say, Scottish voters are very often what I would call 'polling booth whores': we vote for the people who will deliver what we want. If they don't deliver, we move on.
I live in a well-heeled Westminster constituency that has been Labour, SNP and now Tory over the last 23 years. It's also the Scottish constituency that expressed most clearly the wish to remain in the EU - about 73%, I think. If the MP doesn't deliver, I suspect he'll be out at the next election...if there is a next election.
AL Kennedy's video puts it very well: voters are dangerous when riled. The elderly may not be, but the group to target is the 18 to 40 year olds. They have a lot to lose from Brexit - and a stake in the future which us oldies don't have. I doubt if the 18-40 generation care about political theory. You have get them into action. We know it can be done. We've done it a few times.
Comments
Post a Comment