I usually avoid reading the monthly crime-watch correspondence as it makes for worrying reading at the best of times as the number and frequency of crime locally continue to rise. But this week I had a flick-through and the rate of reoffending was shocking. A murder was committed in the neighbourhood next to mine and the offender had 41 previous court appearances and had committed 117 crimes. Each time he came out of prison his next crime was worse than the previous.

Society could shrug and say: lock them up and let them rot in prison BUT who faces the brunt of it each time they are released back into society?

By now there should be clear and consistent guidelines for sentencing criminals and all non-violent offenders should be sent to separate prisons and in each prison, prisoners should be separated into groups based on years left to serve, so that those near to release are together and reform together, to give them half of chance. Mixing violent criminals with non-violent criminals and overcrowded prisons is likely leading to the current situation of high reoffending and the steady increase in the degree of crimes committed by reoffenders.

Apart from the obvious waste of public funds, it is really difficult to imagine the grief of the families of victims murdered by a reoffender who started out as a petty thief, went to jail, came out and became a violent robber, went to prison, came out and became a murderer. Society is losing out.

America has imprisoned hundreds of thousands of its citizens on drugs related offences. They are locked into a system they will never get out of. Locked up in prisons with all sorts of criminals and dismissed by society and abandoned by their government to continue in the vicious cycle of coming out of prisons, shunned by society, reoffend, back to prison and on it goes. For the sake of their victims (if nothing else) this system needs an urgent overhaul! If offenders are separated out into prisons with those who have committed non-violent offences in separate prisons, the rate of reoffending will reduce

We cannot continue with the present day arrangements with criminals going in and out of prisons, becoming hardened and destined to commit graver and graver offences. The entire system needs an urgent rethink

Over several decades and it has gotten worse in recent years, with 2019 being the worst in the past decade, football (soccer) authorities have stood by, done very little to combat racist abuse of players by some sections of fans at matches. With every new incident there were ready-made excuses and the usual ineffectual attempts to ban the offenders. Well, we have just completed a season and started the 2020/21 season without fans in the stadiums and it has been an effective end to racist chants at matches. Covid-19 has essentially done what footballing authorities failed to address for nearly a century. It has allowed for an environment where footballers can go to their jobs, get it done without exposure to abuse (which they are surely entitled to) and go home happy. This makes it quite clear that the solution has always been there: zero tolerance of racist behaviour. Banning all fans from any stadium where racist chants are heard, for a few weeks will ensure that the next time a fan standing next to you decides he/she wants to shout out racist slurs, other fans desperate to avoid a closure of their stadium will step-in to remind that fan to behave. It is a very simple and obvious solution that has always been available but instead, footballing authorities repeatedly choose to do nothing year on year.

One can just imagine how those who have never been able to afford jet-setting, expensive restaurants etc. feel about the past 7 months of Covid-forced equality?

Ok, long term impact and detriment will still hit the poor worse and the usual affluent excuse of: “well, if we don’t let you clean our hotel rooms and carry our bags you won’t have jobs and will starve” still applies and that age-old mechanism used to keep the poor in check and dependent will be back thriving soon enough. Nothing is going to change (just like the football analogy above) because those with the authority to make real change choose repeatedly to do nothing and that will always be the state of affairs because we are all complicit. We each want our holidays in exotic countries and we want them to serve us and fetch & carry for us and we have our pre-prepared reasons why it is ok (afterall we are paying for such service and have worked hard to deserve such pampering, so, surely it is our entitlement?). Well, it is one big mechanism and change is never an isolated matter that others should sort out for us all. Hence, nothing will change, BUT for the moment, the poor can have a momentary laugh and witness a world where rich or poor have had to bow to Covid-19 to an extent!

We want to visit Machu Picchu, the Himalayas and various places but we don’t want to see those local people over here; BUT WAIT, we have the usual excuse: well, we don’t go to those places as economic migrants, we go there to give them a chance to survive off our tourism spend on their country. OK. But what is wrong with trying to fix the rest of the world so that nobody has to depend solely on tourism earnings to survive? Oh, that’s going to spoil our fun and make those holidays too expensive for us? EXACTLY. After all we have made the $, €, £ so strong to ensure we can saunter off to those countries and enjoy ourselves right? (this is the reason the rich world is terrified of the concept of cryptocurrency – imagine a global currency where people get similar value for their hard work! Of course we don’t want that!) I ask again: what is so wrong with trying to fix the world’s problems, create an equitable society for all, so that nobody needs to be an economic migrant and Africans, Latin Americans or South-East Asians can choose whether or not they wish to visit England or the US as tourists on holiday, without the desperation of seeking economic benefit or safety (or whatever reasons currently lead migrants to put up with the trials & pain of attempting to migrate)?? When politicians ask this question they are immediately called SOCIALISTS, DO-GOODERS or LEFTIST. Well, if capitalism and the current form of toxic democracy is now the virtuous or RIGHT, then we need more LEFTIES! The world belongs to no-one, none of us own it. We will all depart with nothing in the end. So, why not try to do something useful with our lives? Making the whole world great is what our collective aspiration should be. And the solutions are there to be had, BUT will we ever have leaders who will decide (similar to my football analogy above) to take action? UNLIKELY

If only we can learn some real lessons from this?

The global economy

How “global” is it?

For decades we industrialised on the back of a number of highly questionable means: from forced labour to excessive use of fossil fuels (for which we now condemn countries like China) and a lopsided monetary system that has condemned many countries to unending debt and dependence

We continue to maintain a system that strangulate those who need advancement. They remain tied-up in a tangled web of IMF loans and other borrowings that will keep them in desperation indefinitely.

It won’t take a financial genius to work out the need to restructure the global economy, wipe the slate clean, provide funding to harness solar energy in countries that have that potential, mechanise agriculture, educate and grow. Will this ever happen? NEVER. Why? We say: why should we be our brother’s keeper?

We all want cheap holidays to those exotic destinations where the local population is dependent on tourism to survive. So they can clean and carry for us, while our currency is like gold dust when we get there and the average individual becomes a king upon arrival at those destinations. So, why would we want to see them industrialise and lose their dependency on us?

The world has the means to eradicate poverty globally. We have the means of ending conflict. We can end inequality and ensure religious tolerance. We can do it all and achieve all. But we choose not to

As we go from one era to the next, we continue to utilise the same reasons, the same excuses…..

Self deprecation is one of the strongest weapons we have as Brits. As a child, attending football matches in north London was a Saturday morning excitement and we witnessed a fair measure of abuse hurled at players of all variety: Irish, red-heads, blacks etc. The unfortunate aspect of it all is that we assume others can take it. It is not an assumption that should be made, especially if there is a century of hurt attached.

However, racism is not the same as the history of slavery or other bias such as those arising from sexism as an example. Racism is now also mixed up with religious intolerance and other forms of bias. The overwhelming confusion out there is causing more problem than the evil of racism itself. Racism is not the sole preserve of a single race. As we saw recently in several parts of the world. Black people can be racist, so can Whites and we have seen the situation in China, India, South Africa and many other parts of the world where non-whites are the culprits.

I can never understand it when folks have an issue with the addition of a colour to an abuse: if you’re called a “black bastard” why not retort with “white bastard”? And why is ‘black or white bastard’ so much more potent than just “bastard”? or why is “black bastard” supposed to be so much more hurtful than “white bastard”? The satisfaction abusers derive from hurling abuse is a direct measure of the hurt expressed or felt by their targets. The world needs to move on. We must normalise colours. There will always be colours: white, black, brown etc. Addition of that, to abuse should not lend an extra dimension to such abuse.

Racism is not just about racial slurs and abuse. Those at the receiving end of racial slurs and abuse must rise above it – the more you exhibit distress the more those seeking to hurt you gain satisfaction and will persist. It is similar to bullying. And it is always a numbers game as you see on school playgrounds. However, the disadvantage-ing of a race i.e. seeking to suppress or keep one race at a disadvantage through any means possible, including the most potent means: POVERTY, is a different matter altogether and one that receives little attention as the world conveniently fixate on trivial matters.

If the world wants to get serious about eliminating racism and other bias, first step is to eliminate inequality and poverty. Then address racism across the board instead of the current fixation on whites. This is about all races. When you lift the lid, you find caste systems in south east asia, you find issues in Latin America, you find different tribes in Africa prejudiced against each other etc. Inequality is the main problem that needs addressing and that is decades overdue. Address inequality and then, the elimination of racial bias will be possible.

We need to ditch triviality and focus on policies, laws and deliberate attempts to prolong inequality. The supposed ‘third world’ or underdeveloped countries need to be brought along and forward, so that standard of living is improved across the board – no excuse should be acceptable

We live in a ‘Not In My Back Yard’ (NIMBY) world, where we all want great public transportation but nobody wants trains passing through their back garden, we don’t want the bus stop outside the front of our homes and we don’t want the airport flight path directly over our homes

It is the same with immigration, integration, multiculturalism and race-related intolerance

Governments must prepare to INVEST. Not just in settling and integration of immigrants BUT improving the communities into which they are to be settled. It should be a hugely beneficial move to have immigrants settle into your community: there should be a set stipend (benefit) paid to those living in those areas, new facilities should be built: schools, hospitals etc. And a heavy investment in social workers working with not just the immigrants BUT existing locals in those areas, such that it becomes a massive advantage if your area is selected to settle newcomers in. It should be a means of overall community improvement such that anytime a community is selected, it should be like a lottery win to those already living in those areas, so that they and the newcomers benefit hugely and that togetherness is what will aid integration.

Yes, hand-in-hand with the above, is the need for a robust immigration system or the whole world will empty out to try to get to the same country and such systems can be exploited, but if handled with care, it is achievable and it will mean that immigrants fully integrate and begin contributing to society quicker BUT most importantly, it removes intolerance that currently brews from envy and a perception by some, that handouts are given to immigrants while locals struggle to obtain the same. The reality is that immigrants do not have existing support networks and alienating them is generally detrimental to everyone in the long run. The key is to incentivise not just the immigrants (so that they choose to integrate properly) but more importantly, to incentivise their hosts: the communities in which they are settled should benefit immensely. As a taxpayer, I would be happy to pay more to provide the proverbial ‘handout’ to not just the newcomers but to the communities they are settled into, instead of ending up with areas that feel they are at a disadvantage when immigrants show up

And a small explained above, along with all that, should be a robust system and in the long run, such an expensive approach (and it will be, as the heavy investment in those communities where they are settled must be truly transformational and not just some superficial tweaks. Cash should be given out to those host communities, schools, hospitals, sports complexes etc. built) will totally change the present situation and society will be a lot better for it

We can’t keep dumping immigrants or asylum seekers in deprived areas where the existing locals are already in dire need of assistance that they feel they are not getting and then hope for tolerance, integration and cohesion. It really is a no-brainier. Heavy investment must go in and must be for both the newcomers as well as the existing locals in those communities so that the introduction of the newcomers bring in that massive advantage all round. Will this ever happen? Unlikely, as our decision-makers do not live in the impacted communities and they have achieved their NIMBY status and as such, do not believe they need to listen to the communities who feel impacted by the dumping of newcomers and have to cope with those new cultures etc. We tell them they just have to get on with it, and when they complain, we call them racists and right-wing fanatics, while majority of us enjoy our posh areas and retain NIMBY, BUT we talk about wanting to see immigrants settle into society etc. (provided their not next door to us of course!)….

Things must change. We can effectively eliminate intolerance, racism etc., if we innovate. Develop society together. Those directly impacted must receive that heavy investment so that it changes their lives and those of the newcomers all together

We have seen the outcome of elections in the UK, Brazil and the 2016 shocker in the US. But for some dumb reason, progressives and free-thinkers like myself still sometimes believe these are irregular occurrences and there will soon be a return of civility. Well, wake up folks!

It wasn’t some fringe minority or a handful of people who voted Trump into office. It was the complacency and dismissive attitude of those who think they are prim & proper, while achieving very little and making very little progress that riled a good chunk of the American population who had had enough of “being presidential” and the prim & proper semi-elitist behaviours of the same people they voted into public office. Ironically, they turned to someone who has had the same privileges as the elites they say they want to rebel against, but in him, they saw a means of rebelling and for that, they were (and still are) prepared to condone the rest. If Joe Binen was to come out today (11 Oct, 2020) or in the coming couple of weeks prior to November 3, to firmly state that he does not believe Trump supporters are stupid and that he can see what has riled them over the past 20 years of “prim & proper” politics that ignored (instead of seek to understand or at least listen) a chunk of the country (and they don’t have to be correct: demanding a control of immigration etc.) – if he could come out to acknowledge those mistakes and seek to engage, he will win this election by a massive margin

As we saw with Boris Johnson v Jeremy Corbin in the UK. The hypocrisy in assuming anyone who associates with conservatism or a demand for a change of policy relating to immigration, the EU and other such matters, is a right-wing fanatic or a racist and just dismissing their complaints simply galvanises those people and what you end up with, is what we now face in the UK with Brexit. Over the years, if politicians had made an attempt to listen to those complaining about those issues and even if those complaints are just an unfortunate perception as they largely are, discussing and engaging with them would have avoided exiting the EU and some improvements could have been made all round.

I am a firm believer in the fact that none of us own the earth we live in, and the coincidence of some of us being lucky to have been born in developed countries should not mean we lockdown our borders BUT, if some parts of the population claim they are unhappy, the correct thing to do is engage with them and explain the details to them. For example, there are millions of Brits living and working abroad and they are not all educated or highly skilled, but those countries welcome them. We can not return to a Britain of the 1940s or 50s that many seem to want. To begin with, we no longer have all the unchallenged wealth from the commonwealth coming in. We are part of a global economy. But, we could have initiated a points system or a similar assessment that Canada or Australia use, to reassure those who complain about immigration that at any point in time, the government is in control and we will only bring in those that will fit in with our society and improve it as well as providing solace to those fleeing persecution and helping to integrate into our society. Anything to demonstrate our leaders listen. Instead, for decades, politicians dodged the question and the folks who live in communities where immigrants are dumped (and dumped is the correct word as efforts to help immigrants integrate are simply not well coordinated) get that shock and clash of culture, with hatred and intolerance being the end-product. As such, it is not that difficult for some to exploit this lethal cocktail by whipping these unhappy folks into a frenzy. While those that know better, refuse to explain the challenges to them. Instead, we label them as uneducated and intolerant and we dismiss their views. YES, it is sometimes difficult to listen to or engage with people who use racial slurs and push ridiculous conspiracy theories, but decades of failing to engage with them and to explain the dynamics of today’s world, where our food, energy etc. come from and why Britain can no longer be an isolated entity (and why it doesn’t matter if London is 20, 30, 40 or whatever percentage non-white: provided everyone integrates, keep our values, avoid crime, improve the country and all contribute) has led to the current situation and the aftermath of exiting the EU will impact the same people who voted for it, than the elite who will always be ok

It is the same everywhere you look. We make the same mistake in dismissing an initially small cluster of the population who believe immigrants are the only thing wrong in life and that they are poor thanks to immigration. The more we ignore them, the higher their numbers grow. Those who should have explained the real reason they are poor or struggling to them (demonstrating to them that it has nothing to do with foreigners and that the government will get a grip either way and integrate newcomers, improve the lot of communities that are chosen to accommodate newcomers etc) have for decades opted to ignore them and dismiss their concerns and what you end up with, is a galvanised rebellion that falls into the hands of those who then exploit it to their own advantage, while failing to make any tangible improvement, which is down to the fact that they largely do not know what or how to improve the situation

Other than a few TV moments (showing children in cages, separated from their parents) has the Trump administration over the last 4 years improved integration of immigrants or helped the impacted communities that have to live side by side with those new immigrants? Is America better off now in terms of cohesion? These are the real issues that governments should spend energy and money on. I doubt even the numbers have shown any improvement over these past 4 years. Society have given io to despair. Intolerance has risen to an all-time high! Government is no longer there to represent and work for the people. The very cornerstone of our democracy has been ripped apart!

There will be no end to the misery until we start listening to each other, regardless of who is right or wrong.

I am not a huge fan of politics and less so when it comes to modern day politics of fanatical base over policy. I had a Canadian friend on the phone today who was ranting and raving about their Prime Minister and I reminded him of the last time I saw him in 2013 and he was ranting and raving about their last Prime Minister (Stephen Harper).

Now, I know next to nothing about Canadian politics and probably less about a Justin Trudeau, but in my circa 10 years of living & working in Canada (left there and moved back home nearly 8 years ago) I experienced enough of the government before Trudeau’s and much of the criticisms now levelled against him were similar to those levelled against the previous government. Perhaps it’s a little easy to criticise?

Trudeau’s present critics must be certain they can do better? talk is cheap….

I am not for a minute excusing any of Trudeau’s missteps, BUT, we need to accept there are probably no messiahs out there. If you can find a politician who at least attempts to discuss policy and try to put policy out there like Trudeau has done over the past 5 years, is it perhaps worth overlooking some of the foibles? My friend disagreed and nearly bit my head off, but for me, I accept nobody is perfect and talk is cheap…….

It is quickly becoming obvious that the world lacks the capacity to learn! The supposed “new normal” is starting to resemble the old normal. Commercial property owners in cities want governments to “encourage” workers to return to offices and no thought has been given to how they get there? In a few weeks’ time we will be back to standing on crowded trains and buses, with pollution hitting the roof yet again, in our “new normal”

Over 6 months of ample thinking and re-thinking time appear to have drifted by. I recently read some articles suggesting measures that could keep our city centres vibrant without a return to pre-Covid conditions. Perhaps some commercial buildings could be repurposed as residential to allow for short walks or cycling to offices, more mixed-use neighbourhoods in city centres – accepting there are other challenges that brings. But my point is: where is the leadership? where is the innovation? a week or two from now, employers will demand workers return to offices (no doubt the usual ineffectual phrases such as “only if safe to..” will be bandied around, but essentially, you will likely lose your job if you don’t) and the next time anyone mention crowded trains or pollution, we will all be too busy forcing our way onto the next crowded train to pay any attention.

Attention has shifted to installing glass screens and floor markings, wall-mounted hand sanitisers etc. Those bold, ambitious statements from back in April 2020, when we all witnessed the drastic reductions in pollution resulting from Covid-19 lockdown are all a blur. Yes, the economy and getting people back to city centres and jobs that can’t be done from home, is urgent and it is the right thing to do, BUT could we not have used the past 6 months to come up with innovation that will achieve that while retaining some of the benefits (to the environment, to mental wellbeing etc) that the elimination of overcrowding of public transportation (as a single example) has shown us? Employers should have come up with new ideas e.g. formalising home-working (with occasional visits to offices) for roles that clearly do not need to be present in offices or creating new shift patterns that shifts peak time commuting to drive down the numbers needing to stuff themselves on trains and buses each day of the week. ANYTHING REALLY, anything that demonstrates we have learned something from this pandemic other than a waiting game to then return to a “new normal” that no one can differentiate from the old pre-Covid normal (other than masks becoming fashionable or elimination of handshakes….)

What a missed opportunity!

Many in the UK would have slapped you if you suggested not visiting the hairdressers in 5 months or not travelling abroad on holiday. Well, that has now been the reality for the majority over recent months, thanks to Covid-19. Many are now beginning to realise they can actually survive and exist without fortnightly trips to the hairdressers

Yes, some religions believe there is life after death and although I am yet to meet anyone with proof of that, I do not judge those who choose to believe they are heading elsewhere when they die and will reunite with old friends and family etc. Each to their own, people can choose to believe whatever they choose to believe. One thing is certain: nobody has yet been able to empty out their bank accounts before dying, to take along with them or take their mansions with them; we know that for a fact, as those mansions are still here. So, if the reality is that we take nothing with us, why on earth can we not achieve an equal society, where we all simply strive to have a little and ensure others (regardless of where they are on this planet) also have a little?

Is it so difficult for the United Nations (or an equivalent) to mandate that no nation can rise up against another? No wars. Is it so difficult to mechanise agriculture in third world countries, build schools, educate, fund facilities such as homes, healthcare, water, renewable energy etc.?

What is the point of becoming a billionaire? Yes, we are not our brother’s keeper and it is every man or woman for themselves, but to what end exactly? I guess some like to create dynasties and the rich want to see their lineage remain rich and there has to be a number of poor people or the rich won’t stand out? Would it not be better if the entire world had a basic minimum standard of living? The rich can still be rich, the elite can still stand out and enjoy special privileges; that’s all well and good, but surely, we can achieve a basic minimum for all…

It isn’t liberal or socialist to seek empathy and consideration for others. If indeed, all is vanity and none of us gets to take anything with us when we die

Wasted words of course. The world prefers a dog eat dog environment where we watch poverty-stricken countries suffer and we blame them for their stupidity, laziness, corruption and lack of candour or enterprise. Most unfortunate……

If you are too young to have seen the film Spartacus, you may at least have seen the more recent gladiator movie starring Russel Crowe and aptly named Gladiator?

That concept of a ruling elite satisfying the baying and restless mob (i.e. society) with blood sports that utilise unfortunate commoners like themselves (albeit in the unfortunate circumstance of being on bondage), who have to fight to the death, in front of their peers as a means of entertainment, sounds crude and historic, but that is indeed exactly where we are today!

The internet was created with good intentions but the minute the money-making potential became obvious, everything else is just collateral damage. That seems to be the overriding pattern for everything in today’s world. You read about online trolls and a bunch of their victims committing suicide; we click on the next news and 2 minutes later, that news is already on page 30 and is old news.

Everything is now a money-maker. It is all about driving online traffic to a website, a blog, a u-tube page or an online post with someone pulling the strings behind the scenes and billionaires being declared on a weekly basis, while we all ignore the solid line of collateral damage building up.

25 years ago, if you picked up a newspaper and the front page has a report of 2 people killed in a robbery, the reader will be appalled and spend several minutes reading the article over and over again, feeling pain for the families and friends of the victims etc. Today, people click on the internet and there’s a report on 57,000 dead in the UK from Covid-19 and as you read that, you also have your iPhone on another article on how to make bread and a third article on your iPad with cat jokes. And the news keeps coming……

Publishers are under pressure to keep on churning out one sensational headline after the other. Recently in the UK, two teenage footballers purchased homes for their mothers, one was made out to be a wasteful idiot who hasn’t even achieved footballing glory yet, but is splashing out on a house for his mother, while the other chap was made out to be such a caring young man who cares so much for his family. An individual (Raheem Sterling) picked up both articles and asked the UK public to guess which of the two chaps is white?

The public have grown totally indifferent to human suffering; not that society was ever any different nor was there ever a past generation that was caring, tolerant, peaceful and strove to create global equality and societal harmony, but the amplified thirst for any kind of satisfaction, without a second’s thought for the implications, is defining now at an all-time high!

A UK television personality (Caroline Flack) recently committed suicide. She had been in an altercation with her boyfriend whom she allegedly suspected of being unfaithful and she struck him in his sleep. The police were called and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided to prosecute her. Now, whether or not she deserved to be prosecuted or the fact that she took her own life, fact of the matter is that the young lady is no longer with us and it is a life lost. Online trolls persecuted her endlessly and even after her death. The CPS were clearly correct in prosecuting her and her suicide was tragic, but will society learn?

We see bodies of refugees and asylum seekers floating in the ocean and that hS somehow become a comfortable image that online trolls still willingly and freely disparage! Regardless of whether or not these are economic migrants or genuine refugees, they are human beings for goodness sake!

Those profiting from social media must be made responsible of coming up with technology that can eliminate online abuse, trolling or misuse of the internet. There ought to be a 30 second rule for anything offensive to be removed. But some will argue that nobody can determine what is deemed offensive or not. Well, that is where human decency has to come into it. There’s a great deal of bad behaviour not covered by law or not deemed criminal, society (decent society) find the means to address.

You read about ethical products but it is like descending into a bottomless pit! Few decades back there was the emphasis on conflict diamonds for a short period of time. Disarmament for a short period of time – quickly replaced with “guns don’t kill, people do” – yes, but perhaps making weapons of mass destruction could allow people to mass destruct? And to the more mundane matter of inhumane conditions for workers producing cheap products that we all want to buy, cheap food etc. Climate change campaigners voicing support for non-fossil fuel engines but when a documentary showing children forced down cobalt mine shafts in Africa, to supply non-fossil industries, the world looked the other way and very little was said about that.

What is achievable? What is practical? What is hypocritical? It is not for me to say, as I honestly do not know. It is easy for some to challenge ownership of guns in countries like America and for those selling them to duck behind the constitution, but we are all taxpayers and governments are highly unlikely to stop making and selling weapons and as such, we are all arms traders? There is also, a very murky world out there: it is easy to sit in the comfort of our homes and complain about the cost of things like nuclear deterrence, but is it possible to have a safe world without such deterrence?

Avoiding purchasing products from one brand in favour on one we deem to be more ethical, not knowing both are owned by the same organisation anyway (through share ownership etc.)…..

It is indeed a bottomless pit!

Who is right? Who is wrong?

One thing is certain: we are in an insatiably gladiatorial world! Humanity is lost without empathy! We can change…..

Less about who is right and who’s wrong. We just need some empathy and common sense…

You read about the “Power 100” list or “Most powerful 40 under 40s” and numerous other power lists. Humankind is obsessed with power…

Power should come with responsibilities and the need to wield power responsibly. But we find ourselves in a reckless era, where people fail to see the end-point. You see many leaders ending up at The Hague or other International Criminal Courts or in their local prisons. Yet, none appear capable of learning. If we are such temporary creatures, clinging to power is never indefinite: you either succumb to age or the next upcoming power-hungry underling

Nothing wrong with wanting to rise to the top. But what happens when you get to the top? It will be temporary. Aspiring to be the best we can be, is a lot better. If you’re a doctor, be the best doctor, engineer, be the very best engineer…..

The folks who create those power lists believe that is the distinction that many crave. But what is power?

Having control over others (be it hiring and firing or just having authority to impact others significantly) is always temporary as we are all here for a temporary period of time. Even those who live to the ripe old age of 100+ years like Kirk Douglas, begin to lose control or have to cede some control from a certain age. Ultimately, we are as powerless as the next human being, when we are on our death-bed. It doesn’t matter at that point in time how powerful we used to be or how many lives we impacted or how many people we hired or fired. Rising to the top should only ever be about being the best we can each be at whatever we do and that should never include a moronic thirst for power or authority, as it is never indefinite

The world can easily create a new world order of tolerance for all, climate and social responsibility, indifference to differences (sex, religion, race, affluence etc.) and collective responsibility – where we make every location on earth conducive for those living there. Anything else is moronic. We’re all only here temporarily…..

Since time immemorial people kneel in front of a monarch to be knighted or pardoned or as a show of respect right?

So, how come the same action is suddenly said to be disrespectful?

Imagine being furious with someone who has wronged you and whom you really wish to disrespect and you march up to him/her, kneel in front of them and yeah! you’ve really hit them hard with such a show of disrespect? erm, I don’t think so folks!

So, you know there is bias and racism, when a very humble show of protest (afterall there are other options like raising two fingers or mooning that could be very obviously disrespectful if that was ever the intent) by taking a knee during an anthem is suddenly put out there by biased individuals, to be a show of disrespect to the flag or anthem. It clearly isn’t

The UK’s Foreign Secretary (Dominic Raab) who is himself the son of an immigrant (his father moved to the UK from Eastern Europe in 1938) decided to deride the symbol being used by protesters to speak up against prejudice, inequality and bias, by stating he will only take the knee to his wife (when proposing) or the Queen. Well, he can do so the next time the national anthem is played then? Given the anthem is played as a respect to Queen & country, and the words are “God save the Queen…”. I shall be expecting him to take the knee at the next event he attends, whenever the anthem is played.

When you encounter individuals who come up with those excuses, you know those are folks who haven’t sat down to ask themselves the all important question: am I biased? would I be raising the same issues if those are white people taking a knee or protesting?

We all have some soul-searching to do…….

Couple of years back, the then head of IMF, Christine Lagarde, provided some statistics demonstrating how daft it is, for an economy to lose a huge workforce (women) due to discrimination. There are at least as many women on earth as there are men. We don’t have to like that fact, but the reality is that getting women working across all sectors and holding positions of responsibility simply mean we are using all the resources available, which is great for any economy

We must look past our differences; be it sex, race/colour or anything else, to ensure we get the best out of all available resources. It should not be a threat that given just half a chance (and with many racially motivated obstacles in their way, every step of the way – feel free to google each), out came: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Pele, Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, Barack Obama, Lewis Hamilton, Tyler Perry, Michael Jordan and the list goes on and on.. Now, imagine if we provide equal opportunities and end racism, end systemic racism, end bias, end inequality. Adding just half of black people currently incarcerated in America or those we say do nothing other than deal drugs etc., if we solve that conundrum and add to the workforce in America, it will not only eliminate dependency but it will drive their GDP through the roof!

The same for the UK, Canada & Australia with the indigenous people there. Discrimination makes absolutely no sense in the 21st century. There is no need to continue to try to prove the supremacy of any race! We’ve already been through all that, fought wars and moved on! Now is the time for every decent human being to speak up! Silence isn’t helping. Now is the time for us all to support the present and coming generation in creating a lasting, endless, level playing field, where everyone has access to the same facilities, education, opportunities etc. Not out of love, but out of economic common sense! Let’s get everyone into the workforce (out of jails or deprivation) and drive productivity to an unprecedented high, so that we can eliminate poverty across the globe and enter a brand new age for humanity

May sound like a homily, but set the preaching aside and face the hard facts

What has unfolded last week and is ongoing, lay bare the meaning of bias, privilege and lack of understanding or even the willingness to try to understand

I do not personally know anyone who is a direct descendant of slaves or a direct descendant of the holocaust to ask how they feel. The world expect descendants of slavery and those affected by the aftermath to just move on, forget about the past, not seek reparation etc. BUT when it comes to the rest of history associated with all that e.g. statues, we want to keep them: “afterall, you can’t undo the past” people say. So, are we saying it is ok for Germany to stick up statues of Hitler and that the swastika can become a popular pattern on Christmas wrapping paper? Afterall, it’s all part of their history and we shouldn’t try to rewrite or undo history? Why do we hurriedly knock down locations of mass atrocities? to avoid some turning them into shrines right? Otherwise statues of Pol Pot and others will be smiling down at us..

The argument that history should not be rewritten or undone is a daft argument. History that remains harmful or negatively impactful must be addressed and if part of that is to remove some statues, that is what needs to be done. How it is done, is what must be addressed respectfully. Defacing statues or monuments is disrespectful regardless of what we think or what we feel they represent. They may mean something different to others e.g. relatives of those individuals. There needs to be a visible process in place, to listen to argument and where accepted (by independent committees with fair representation) those statues need to be moved into museums, where those who like them can visit and those opposed to them can avoid them.

If it embarrasses us to teach the history of slavery, leaving the younger generation to only learn about such brutality from movies such as ‘12 years a slave’, we end up with societies that lack an understanding and the outcome of that, is exactly what is happening in America right now, with lopsided laws that lead to mass incarceration of one group and situation such as George Floyd’s killing, which is quite rampant out there. If you look at it, for every other type of crime, we are told if you cut out the demand, you deal with the supply e.g. if you catch the ‘fence’ (i.e. the guy who buys the stolen painting etc.), you kill off the need to steal paintings. But when it comes to drugs in America, they only target the drug-dealers (perhaps because they are predominantly….) and fill their prisons with those folks, but we all know the colour of the folks who can afford to buy those drugs and they are the demand; they are the only reason drug-dealers exist. But we look the other way and the war is always on the cartels and dealers. Any guesses why?….

As for relics such as merchandise named with connotations of slavery e.g. uncle ben’s or aunt jemima, if these are deemed to cause offence, what is the debate about? Keep the photos so that those attached to the brand can remain attached, but rename them using the real names e.g. if Uncle Ben was actually Benjamin Smith, change Uncle Ben’s to “Benjamin Smith” and the same for Aunt Jemima. If we are unable to establish their names, run a public competition to find new names for them, get those new names on and move on!!!! It is absolutely baffling that anyone would argue against such a simple process: if people are offended, we sort it out. It is that simple. Thousands of similar renaming have been done over the years to ease the pain of adverse historical events such as the holocaust. Over the years hundreds of pubs and other establishments in Britain have been renamed even though those who named them thousands of years ago could not have assumed that those words would cause offence hundreds of years later. If/when they do cause offence, the common sense action to take is to rename them. We cannot be so bloody insensitive!!

Things change and we change with it. Retaining tradition is great, and we have means of doing so. But common sense must always be brought to bear: if you look at the very simply matter of names: years back many men were happy to be addressed as ‘Dick’ if their name is Richard as back then, association of the word ‘dick’ with what we now see it to mean today, was not the case. Many would refrain to call ‘cats’ pussy-cats these days, but look back a few decades and the word ‘pussy’ was more associated with puss in boots and cats than otherwise. We move on, we adapt to today’s reality and get on with it.

None of us is going to be here forever! Learn to let go!!

The hypocrisy of it all, is what is most staggering! The number of native burial grounds and monuments that meant a great deal to people in places like Egypt, which today’s civilisation casually bulldozed to build roads, towns, cities etc. But now we are so precious about dropping the name on a can of pancake mix or rice sauce, when some may find such names offensive?

Seriously???!!

Enough said!

Here’s a short excerpt from a renowned UK journalist: Ian Cobain, author of The History Thieves: Secrets, Lies and the Shaping of a Modern Nation, in The Guardian 

on the destruction of Britain’s dark historyLying about our history? Now that’s something Britain excels at 

“It was inevitable that some would insist that ripping the statue of slave trader Edward Colston from its plinth and disposing of it in a harbour in Bristol was an act of historical revisionism; that others would argue that its removal was long overdue, and that the act itself was history in the making. After more statues were removed across the United States and Europe, Boris Johnson weighed in, arguing that ‘to tear [these statues] down would be to lie about our history’. But lying about our history – and particularly about our late-colonial history – has been a habit of the British state for decades. In 2013 I discovered that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office had been unlawfully concealing 1.2m historical files at a highly secure government compound at Hanslope Park, north of London… The operation – and its attempts to conceal and manipulate history in an attempt to sculpt an official narrative – speaks of a certain jitteriness on the part of the British state, as if it feared that interpretations of the past that were based upon its own records would find it difficult to celebrate the ‘greatness’ of British history.”

Years back when we looked around as our High Streets in London began to change from what we were used to seeing when growing up as kids, I used to say that immigrants should follow the age-old “when you’re in Rome, act like the Romans” but over the years we have seen immigrants who have tried to integrate face difficulties from both their communities as they get ostracised for deserting their roots as well as difficulties from locals as they are expected to act as second-class citizens and stick with their own (what some now refer to as the ‘Downton Abbey effect’)

What followed in the last 20 years is what some describe as a switch to the ‘Chinatown approach’ where immigrants huddle up in their groups, within their communities and try to maintain their culture and be less adventurous in terms of mixing

Poverty and manipulation for political gain has led to an increase in intolerance and various groups ending up at each other’s throat, with the hard-hit local communities, particularly in the rural areas seeing immigrants as unwanted extras even though those immigrants do all the menial jobs that locals deem beneath themselves.

Many now see multiculturalism as a failed experiment as the regular clash of cultures and failure to integrate have come to the boil. The 90s was a decade in which integration was on the verge of success. It was so, so close. People mingled and most of the bands were diverse and everyone got on with just living and enjoying life. By the end of the 90s, the new wave of immigration that was solely based on multiculturalism was kicking in and by the end of the 2008 recession, the societal divide and fragmentation had reached its peak and we are now facing those consequences across the board, including recent protests etc.

I will not sit as a judge of multiculturalism or integration, that is for politicians to answer to, but our conscience will continue to poke at us as a society.

The minute immigrants arrive, be it as legal, illegal or refugees seeking asylum, as a society, we have to be prepared to give them some preferential treatment and hand them more than the average locals as need that extra help to get started. Tough as that is, for locals who see themselves as being below the poverty line, to accept, in the long run, it is the only way to avoid problems. The better immigrants integrate, the more useful they will later be to society and the more useful their offsprings will be to that society. We do not have to love them, but for our own good, we should care for them and help them integrate, given they are here to stay

What we currently have is this melting pot of cultures that incessantly clash and neither side is prepared to compromise!

This was a sign that was hung outside many rental properties in the UK in the 50s and early 60s. Many returned from the Korean War and couldn’t find a place to rent in London

The fact that we are still talking about racism in 2020 is a global embarrassment but a friend presented me with an analogy today, which I will share below, which explains the reason why we are still in this mess and why people like myself (who do not see colour and choose to treat everyone equally) are a big part of the problem due to our silence. Here is the analogy:

When you attend a football match in a stadium with 70,000 fans in attendance and players on the field can hear racist abuse and we say: “it is the action of a handful of idiots”. Well, if the voice of 5 individuals can be heard as 69,995 others remain silent, therein lies the problem

It is that majority who need to stop being silent and get our voices heard and we will succeed in drowning out the racists, bigots and idiots out there. But if you look at social media today, instead of the majority standing up to be counted, we accuse Facebook, Twitter and others for not doing enough. We accuse owners of football clubs for not doing enough, we accuse governments of not doing enough. Well, that is the reason this problem is never going to end

When we find our voices as a majority and weed out those few, drown out their hateful voices, we will make progress as a society. This starts with each individual and that is the reason I have addressed this matter this week. A topic I never spoke about prior to now as I always believed the real issues are those of poverty, illiteracy and inequality

As Lewis Hamilton said last week: WHERE’S THE REST OF US?

Silence offers no solution…..

Human beings are supposed to be intelligent creatures but if you speak to marketing or advertising experts, they will explain the vulnerability of humans to you. We are easily manipulated. That is why you see your neighbour’s car and you suddenly want one or you look at fashion trends set by celebrities, even when they simply do not make any sense whatsoever

But when scientists and statisticians begin using forecasts in a manipulative manner as we have seen during recent elections or to support spurious positions, that is when we have big trouble on our hands. And that is exactly where we are today

‘Conditioning’ is the key word

If I grab a group of 10 privileged children aged 15, who have travelled around the world with their parents since they were babies and have seen and done a number of things and set them an IQ test that asks them to describe what an aeroplane looks like and how it lands etc. They will no doubt have a fair idea from several instances of sitting at an airport watching planes take off and land and from chatting with their parents about it as they watched. If I then grab 10 children raised in poverty, who have never been to an airport and their parents only discuss how to get the next meal on the table at home, and I set the same questions before them and they score low, how on earth can one state that they are stupid and of a low IQ or infer that they are of an inferior race?

Well, that indeed, is what some super forecasters would have us believe. That some low IQ folks are simply inferior

I am not a scientist but would be surprised that if you pick 10 babies (2 week old babies) up and put them in the exact same environment, expose them to the exact same conditions: parents without stress who have well-paid jobs and can relax when they get home and talk to their children about fun stuff, plan holidays, travel etc. You will find those children (ceteris paribus) will develop at a similar pace and their level of intelligence is highly unlikely to be miles apart

There is a huge combination of factors that contribute to what people know as they grow up and the environment around them and what they are exposed to in terms of daily experiences form a huge component of that. So, when we want to begin crafting these daft narratives about which groups have a higher IQ and all that trash, it needs to be qualified and within context. It’s like saying rural children are daft because they can explain how a traffic jam happens or what a pileup of cars on a 12 lane highway feels like! And crediting children who grew up in London or New York with being smarter because they can explain how noisy traffic is and what a traffic jam feels like. Unfortunately, those who seek the narrative that suits them will continue to do that and unfortunately, the more they put out there, the greater the chances of some beginning to buy into those ideas

The era of hunting around for natural resources such as mineral resources, fossil fuels and gems such as diamond & gold need to be conscripted in history

Sustainable self-sufficiency is not so improbable if organisations such as the UN, IMF and others can get their acts together for once. Solar power, wind farms and other amply available forms of sustainable energy can drag continents such as Africa and South America out of darkness.

Huge swathes of Africa can benefit from mechanised agriculture but of course, conflicts will need to end first and western countries (developed nations) will need to enact laws that will make it totally impossible for funds embezzled by corrupt leaders in developing countries to make its way to banks in developed countries. Before corruption can be eradicated at least if the embezzled funds are forced to remain in those countries, the embezzlers can invest those funds locally.

To have half the world in dire need of portable water and food in 2020 is a global embarrassment or should be!

We put man on the moon several decades back and I was reading about the $billions SpaceX and others are currently spending to attempt commercialising space travel, something Richard Branson and Virgin also explored for years, expending $billions. Whereas, here on earth, we still see TV commercials showing kids in Africa, Asia and South America foraging for food and walking miles to get often disease-ridden water to drink. I know appealing to humanity is a waste of my time as nobody is going to listen, but surely, we have the resources to address these issues and to get the world on a slightly more equal footing

You go on Caribbean holidays and witness entire nations at the mercy of tourism and one can only imagine what the impact of the ongoing Covid-19 travel restrictions will be on those countries. Entire populations living in seasonal servitude, when industrialisation could open up alternative prospects and opportunities for them to become less reliant on tourism

Very complex world we live in!!

It is hard to imagine what society want as an outcome?

Can we all agree that no unarmed person of any colour should meet their death with their face to the pavement and a knee on their neck?

Great! If we are all agreed on just that single point, we can move forward. The rest is neither here nor there and we need to avoid digression and attempts to solve every possible problem out there in one clean swoop as that is never going to happen

I have travelled extensively across Africa and Asia, I can readily say that the racism I witnessed amongst those populations (Africans on Africans and Asians on Asians) was shocking. This is not a phenomenon being sole perpetrated by just one race on another. But when we use phrases such as “Land of the free” and “Developed World” then the burden is indeed upon us, to live by example and set the tune for the rest of the world or all is lost. As such America, apologies for the world (including countries with a much worse record) turning the spotlight on you! You do not have to love your black population, just make sure the next time your police needs to arrest a black person, they just arrest him/her and your courts can pass sentence. And given you still have the death sentence as an option in some of your states, go with that due process and if that is the sentence of your courts, that a guy caught with a fake $20 bill should be put to death, fine. At least he’s had his day in court

The rest of the world need us to serve as leaders. We must end the death of unarmed persons (all colours) at the hands of cops. I am sure the vast majority of cops are extremely frustrated to keep seeing these awful situations as all the great work most of them are selflessly doing week in week out gets tainted by these situations. We have seen some truly astonishing footages in the past week that are simply impossible to comprehend. Citizens employ public officials and the fact that a citizen is caught with a fake $20 bill or is protesting or shoplifting doesn’t mean he/she have stopped being an employer (they are still paying their taxes) and as such, roughing ‘em up or kneeling on their necks simply cannot be an acceptable way of treating ones employer!

As for the rest and all the other “isms”, the world is never going to get to a point where they all go away. We just have to continue to do our best to address them.

A Member of Parliament in the UK today stated that the UK is one of the best countries for black people and I am not sure many can logically argue against that statement, as I am not sure I can name many other countries out there (including those in Africa) where black people will say they are having a ball! And although the UK has got a long, long way yet to go, her statement is accurate

As explained in my previous post; addressing poverty and inequality is the first major step that we need to try to take as a global society

It is difficult not to look at what’s gone on in America this week and not feel sad. Sadness that it has gone on for this long and even while they had a black president and with many of their police chiefs black. Sadness that in a few weeks’ time it will happen again and protests or no protests, a few months after that it will happen again

The value of human life is determined by what the consequences are if you take that life. It really is that simple. That is why countries hold on to nuclear deterrents. If there are no consequences to the repeated taking of black lives in America, by the very people who are paid and employed by the citizens they continue to kill, then it will never end. The reason why white people do not have police kneeling on their necks in public or punched in the face is because of the consequences, not because some in the police would not want to.

So, how can you up the value of black lives in America and create consequences?

The answer lies in finances. Affluence.

Set up a $trillion Black fund and hire the smartest investors, start new industries, businesses, educate, train and employ black people in America. Drag them out of poverty. There must be at least 1000 black millionaires in America (plus a few black billionaires like Oprah Winfrey, Dr Dre and Jay-Z), and if the government want to end the matter of reparations for ever, throw in an additional $trillion: provide fixed pensions for all 40 million or so blacks in America from that fund. Then invest heavily in several key sectors in America: automobile, energy, health etc., so that there is heavy dependence across the country, on the Black Fund. Get lobbyists in, lawyers (recruit indiscriminately: whites, blacks etc.); the next time a black life is taken by police or a white woman calls the cops needlessly on a black person like the dog-walker in NY, come down on them like a ton of bricks with legal and heavy financial consequences. The next black person to be arrested will be treated with dignity and humanity. Nobody is saying people should not be arrested if and when they break the law, but to dehumanise them by laying them on the tarmac, kneeling on their neck or tying them while riding a horse (last year in America) with the black man walking behind the horse, should meet with severe consequences: instant dismissal and long term inability to secure another job (financial ruin) and other significant measures are good deterrents

Few would disagree that there’s a good number of white people out there in America who are appalled by what they have seen (George Floyd videos) and there are many police men and women in America who are not out to get black people but simply wish to do a decent job and go home after their shifts. So, this is a matter of making sure the deterrent is in place so that ALL American lives are valued and all citizens are afforded the “employer” status by their public services e.g. police. None of us would march into our employer’s office and place our knee on his/her neck would we?

Blacks in America continue to dream: new government, perhaps a messiah. Slavery is not something that only happened to blacks (even if the most recent mass enslavement did involve blacks). Every race has been enslaved at one point or the other in history. Others chose to move on and stop dwelling on it (I can’t recall a movie depicting barbary slaves for instance). Barbary slaves were whites enslaved by blacks. The Moors enslaved many whites. Romans were slaves, Greeks were slaves. There were galley slaves of all colour. And the seemingly acceptable term: “people of colour” never ceases to baffle me: when did white cease to be a colour? We are all people of colour: white, black, brown etc. All colours. And the whole classification of who is black: if it is visual, then surely half of Spain and Italy is black? (most of those folks are darker than Megan Markle!)

Create the $multi-trillion Black Fund in America, get blacks out of poverty with it through enterprise. Invest and create the dependency across sectors in America on that fund and you have your deterrent. Use that financial muscle to ensure swift consequences and you will end the brutality and inequality. People won’t necessarily have to love black people, but they will think twice before kneeling on their necks in public

The world can focus on America all we want (perhaps because they say (rather bizarrely) they are the land of the free and their leader is the head of the supposed free world) but where on planet earth are black people having a good time? Not even in Africa, thanks to centuries of being grabbed and bundled off as slaves, followed by decades under colonial rule, followed by the current and ongoing decades of manipulation and abuse. If corrupt leaders in Africa are denied the ability to stash $billions away in bank accounts in supposedly developed countries, perhaps they can be forced to invest those funds locally and Africa can industrialise (mechanise agriculture etc) and eliminate poverty and end the need for so many Africans suffering abuse and hardship in their sometimes fatal attempts to get to what they deem as developed countries. In all instances of black suffering (be it a George Floyd with a white knee on his neck or kids drowning in boats trying to cross the sea) you will find poverty, desperation and hopelessness (even if some try to depict it as greed or economic migration; not sure how many would be so keen to go and get their necks knelt on…). End the equality, drag black people out of poverty and you drive the value of their lives up (empty words won’t do it) and there will be hesitation before anyone feels willing to snuff their life out!

Thank you to those reading this blog. Majority of readers to date are from China, France, UK and Canada.

I started this blog just to have a means of capturing some of my thoughts and that remains the purpose. If along the way, we get to share knowledge and readers get to share knowledge, great!

Thanks for reading..

Money and what it represents (be it affluence, position in society, wealth, ability to do as one pleases, financial stability, privilege etc.) remains the root of all evil and has been for a very long time

Socialism may not be the answer or the answer people want, but the closer we get to an equal society, the closer we will get to creating a world that we can all enjoy and be proud of.

The insatiable human quest for domination is nothing new. There’s been conquerors and the vanquished for generations and the subtleties from one generation to the next is perhaps the only difference.

Some say you could trace most conflicts in history back to religion in a similar manner to tracing most human to human dispute back to financial gain.

A friend who is a prolific writer on social media recently wrote a very poignant article on the need for equality and extermination of poverty, particularly in developed countries. His article was read by 6 people. The next day he uploaded a picture of his home office, under the caption “working from home”, with no other text and within 12 hours it had attracted 42,000 views, 157 comments and 725 likes. That is a representation of the fickleness of the world we live in today.

Years back, aspiring politicians had to come up with robust ideas, policies etc. Today, if you want to win an election, all you need to do is hire a clever adviser who will find you a “one liner” and a divisive topic that they can use to whip up a frenzy and out comes your grassroot base and regardless of anything else, your victory is guaranteed. I remember the last aspiring leader who offered to level up society, tax the rich more to get the poor off the poverty block and assist the less fortunate; he lost by a landslide with those he was trying to help (i.e. the poor) voting against him and majority of the less fortunate in his society chose to vote for his opponent. That in essence, is the psychology of the human mind!

Today, people say whatever they have to say in order to pull the crowds in. Conviction means nothing. What do you believe in? anything to get millions of followers on social media as that now translate to hard cash; be it through marketing or other means.

It is always difficult to imagine how or why we have people living in destitution in countries like the UK, Canada, France, Australia, US and other developed parts of the world but we always find excuses: laziness, substance abuse, benefits culture, deterrent (to stop mass migration of people coming in if we demonstrate we have a gravvy train) etc. Is there any tenable reason for every adult in employment to struggle to make ends meet? Will there be an outcry if everyone is afforded a decent means to live and then those who want more or want to be billionaires can go the extra mile to achieve that, but the poorest family in any of these countries should have a decent home, be able to afford upkeep, education etc.

if you then look at the wider society, I am not sure many will choose migration (to face hate, abuse and intolerance) if they can have a decent life where they are: no wars, good food, portable water, education etc. Is it possible for the world to come together to make this a reality? NO.

Such a shame!

As a Brit it is hard not to reflect this weekend as we celebrate VE Day and reflect on those principles that led many to give their lives.

Theirs was not a perfect world and the brutality of what one generation’s done to the past is not lost on any of us, but today’s society must take an urgent step back to reflect on the sacrifices of those who gave so much to oppose some of the menace to society (e.g. intolerance) that have now slowly and comfortably made their way back into our social and political discourse. We appear to be heading swiftly and steadily back to 1939

There are no easy solutions to dealing with illegal migration, poverty, inequality, illiteracy, religious intolerance etc. all were problematic hundreds of years ago and still are today. Is it not now time for the world to try a different approach?

Einstein’s definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different outcome!

Yes, it is totally counterintuitive but until we all let go of our feeling of entitlement and accept that the world belongs to none of us (we’re all only here for a period of time and do not choose where we are born and neither do we choose where we go when we die), we will continue in this endless, vicious cycle.

As we show our gratitude to those who gave so much to preserve our way of life, a quick look around the world today and the picture is scary. It feels like 1939 instead of 75 years after 1945. The language, the hate, the intolerance, the selfishness, the lack of empathy and the desperation for power. Hope those who gave their lives (1939 – 1945) haven’t done so in vain. We must chart a different course to ensure their sacrifices wasn’t for nothing. Happy VE Day.

Much as we try, the concept of “us” and “ours” pervades that thin layer and it comes so easy to accept that concept of “others”

When news of the coronavirus in China began to make headlines, many felt a degree of comfort in that this was something happening over there, to others and the West was not duly concerned, when the steps should have been:

1. An immediate coming together of all nations to begin looking at how we can come up with a cure (even if the virus was only in China)
2. How to best avoid it spreading
3. Lockdown in the countries the virus initially spread to (Italy, US, Spain and the UK)
4. Collective mass production of PPE, ventilators and urgent creation of additional hospital beds and immediate ramp-up of testing
5. Establish the most vulnerable and begin phased return of the least and less vulnerable to work in order to avoid economic catastrophe that will claim more lives in the aftermath of Covid-19

Instead, the concept of “Others” set in:

a. Some thought the virus was a hoax (if only the loss of tens of thousands of lives could be fake news! Not to talk of the millions of friends and families such losses impact! How can we be so callous??)

b. We all saw photos of hundreds in the UK sunbathing in parks and at beaches last weekend and Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer (a lady who spent most of last month telling everyone to stay at home but failed to apply the same rules herself) forced to resign last weekend and New Zealand’s should have been sacked for the same reprehensible act. People appear unable to comprehend the simple fact that spreading the virus to those less fortunate (e.g. those with underlying illnesses) leads to their death and the fact that they are not our direct relatives shouldn’t matter (they are someone else’s grand parents or brother, sister, wife, husband etc.)

There’s a number of press releases of companies saying they are donating litres of hand sanitizers etc. Why are those gestures turning into marketing opportunities???

This is a pandemic that has claimed thousands of lives and is set to claim thousands more! It is not a photo op and should not be used as a marketing or business development opportunity!

The level/display of indifference is absolutely staggering!

When I started this blog a few months ago, I was convinced knowledge can improve the world and still am, but it has become very apparent to me that such a day will never come. Why?

The answer comes from a quick peek at history: it is easier to control and manipulate people if a few are educated and knowledgeable, while the majority are left illiterate or semi-illiterate so they can be told what to do. If you look at the British Empire and the history of monarchy across the world, a handful gain knowledge, close ranks and they have the less knowledgeable at their beck and call, to direct and utilise in the Navy, Army etc., with few questions asked. Try forming an army with a group of equally educated, knowledgeable people and you will see how impossible that is (as each will have a bright idea and none will want to subject to the other and there will be widespread insouciance to each other’s instructions), but bring together a group comprising of 2 or 3 educated with 50 illiterates or semi-illiterates and you will quickly see a pattern of the 2 or 3 educated ones take control and an obedient following who will be able and willing to follow instructions and be led.

The same applies today. Social media and other forms of manipulation is making it easy to galvanise what is described as “base”, unite them in a doctrine (e.g. that anything against is “fake news”) and they will never be swayed. It doesn’t matter what happens next, that “base” will remain faithful. The need for sound politics and political ideology is no longer relevant. Politicians worldwide have cracked the magician’s code; in today’s era of increasing illiteracy there is zero need for policy or nuanced responses and ideas; manipulation is the winner! Find what resonates well with a group of people, play it up, give them what they think they want and you have their vote all day long, regardless. Politics as we used to know it is gone and will never return. Those days when politicians have to provide well-considered answers, policies (even if they later fail to fulfil those promises) are gone and gone forever. What we have now and likely to have indefinitely is the use of “hot buttons” (i.e. find a topic that a large group of people are emotional about e.g. immigration, abortion etc., then whip them into a frenzy, through whatever means; including outright lies) and all that is required is for you to press those hot buttons and watch the “base” galvanise into a voting block that will find any excuse to remain loyal and you will win election after election. That is our reality now and this strategy has won virtually every election held in the last 5 years, including a number of key referendums.

So, I ask: why would anyone wish for a fully educated and knowledgeable society? Well, they don’t. That is why we still have schools for the rich (fee paying schools that offer better education, which guarantee progress to universities etc.) and schools for the poor (where the intention is purely to provide a basic education that ticks the box and only a few unique ones make it on to university from there and on to better lives); kids that end up in the poor schools are slowly led to believe what they have is all they need and their betters will rule and make decisions for them. Those on the rich lane are told their duty is to rise to the top and rule. It’s been the same from time immemorial and will remain unchanged, largely because each have accepted their roles and as Jeremy Corbyn found out in the most recent UK election, going around preaching equality and offering to help level the playing field and eliminate social injustice simply irk those you are trying to help as they have accepted their lot and do not wish to be told things can be better for them. So, they drifted towards those who are offering them solutions to their “hot buttons”. One can name several countries where the exact same has been the case and so will it continue

There is no point in trying to address this situation. Knowledge is great and can indeed change the world, but it just ain’t gonna happen!

Some folks were singing John Lennon’s IMAGINE earlier this week and if the Coronavirus pandemic has taught us anything, it should be a reminder that rich or poor, native or immigrant, locals or refugees, male or female, Caucasian or Asian or African, when death comes calling, we all succumb equally and leave with nothing. So, what is all the fuss about? The world, earth, Europe/Americas/Asia/Africa/others belong to no one; we all simply happen to be where we are and are all just passing through….

Unfortunately, nothing is going to change. As Coronavirus has shown; panic-buying, hoarding, people shoving the elderly out of the way to grad the last roll of toilet-roll etc. We (human beings) are made to be the way we are. As such, there will always be a few with knowledge and many without, and the few will continue to manipulate the rest.

Regardless of what you believe in, regarding the creation of evolution of human beings it would appear we do not all start off on an “equal” footing. Some are male, some are female, some are born to wealthy families, some to poor families, some in developed countries, some in impoverished locations. That initial choice of where we each show up, is made for us right?

As such, creating equal opportunities for all, could be a target we may stand a chance in achieving. Putting slogans out there and aiming for equality is a concept that is widely misunderstood. We talk about encouraging more women into science, but where does it all start?

Does it begin with how we treat female and male babies? the toys we buy the, the differing activities we expose them to (and that could be partly due to our perceptions of their physical build – we can’t change that “inequality” right?). Do female babies gravitate towards activities they see their Mums do and male babies towards activities they see their Dads do?

Young boys get taken to football games at the weekend and again, due to physical differences that are not of anyone’s choosing, the teams are separate and that separation leads to different kinds of discussions and the environment is different and what each set gravitate towards could be different.

In my humble opinion, what we must have in place, is a situation where influencers and in particular, early influencers: parents, teachers etc. avoid bias such as assuming males will prefer maths and females prefer history or that males should play with tractor toys while females should only have dolls.

The workplace is all about supply & demand. Global population is almost an equal split of men & women. We should see a similar number of boys and girls in classrooms for starters. Then we should see an equal number of boys and girls showing interest in all subjects, then that following through to similar numbers in higher education across all subjects. Then and only then, will we begin seeing similar numbers of men & women qualified to work across all fields of endeavour: post men & women, milkman and milkwoman, doctors, road sweepers, nurses, engineers, teachers etc. And then, we will begin to see similar numbers on boards etc. Unfortunately, at this point in time, there remains a very disproportionate supply but we think equality can be achieved by forced selection: an office of 100 employees with 90 men and 10 women will argue for a board of Directors that must include 5 men and 5 women. That is not how equality is to be achieved and sustained. Equality should never be an attempt to replace white middle-aged men with white middle-aged women as an example. It is about equal opportunities right from birth, creating an environment without bias, where everyone can secure a similar standard of education (you can imagine how far away we are, from achieving that; when there are still large parts of the world where women are still not allowed to make those choices e.g. go to school, drive a car etc.). And in our supposedly developed world, access to education is still by wealth and affluence, with private schools providing more than state schools offer and in any case, how do you force equality when a child from a poor background makes his first travel abroad at the age of 15, while a child from a wealthy background has already travelled the world (learning all sorts along the way) by the age of 15. Both cannot surely have an equal access to learning and one would have had a much better opportunity to learn more than the other. As such, the notion of ‘equality’ begins to unravel as you examine it and it is unlikely to ever be achieved. Whereas, the concept of equal opportunities can be, to an extent.

It is sometimes frightening to see what some deem to be equality. While trying to ram inequality through, in order to purportedly achieve equality….

Will a nation or individual stand up to be counted?

In history we have always found someone, when it comes to crunch: be it Winston Churchill or others. I wonder whom or which country or people will say enough is enough to today’s societal problems and lead the search for a fix!?

When you see images of dead children floating in the Atlantic Ocean or children being locked in cages in the name of controlling immigration, the question can no longer be whether the press photographer showed an angle of the floating body that will maximise reaction or whether the dead child belongs to an economic migrant or a bona fide refugee fleeing conflict. For goodness sake! How can we continue to say we are human, while we look away as fellow human beings suffer needlessly??

Recent images of people shoving old men and women aside in supermarket rush to buy up toilet rolls in a panic that coronavirus may end up quarantining vast numbers, shows you just how low today’s society has sunk and you can only imagine what would happen if this develops into a real emergency and we do indeed run out of suppliers: how long will it take for mass looting and chaos to ensue?

We cannot wait any longer to find today’s Winston Churchill, today’s William Wilberforce; we must stand up now for humanity and be counted.

The solution to the world’s problem is not mass-migration as many who have migrated will recount tales of generations of suffering and inability to integrate or fit in and many generations still suffer that effect. But together, we have to be disgusted by what society has become. None of us own this earth! We will all leave with nothing when we die. We have to find solutions that will industrialise majority of the world, end strife so that people can be happy where they are and only migrate if they choose to (and when they do, they are able to settle and integrate without fear of intolerance and generations of suffering thereafter). Majority of the population in Australia, Canada, USA, South America and other places are not indigenous; we all came from somewhere!

The common hysteria of: “if we’re nice to them, more will come”, which is fuelling the rise of populism cannot be ignored. If people have an anxiety of seeing new migrants come in in droves, ignoring their anxiety and just telling them they are stupid simply makes them more angry and more determined and we end up with supposed,y civilised governments creating “hostile environment” for migrants and being proud enough to state that as a strategy, when what we need to do as a society, is find real solutions that work for everyone. In trying to create hostile environments aimed at dissuading migrants, we are creating hostile environments for our own people and that is leading to the problems we have in today’s society with a gross lack of compassion and humanity. We shouldn’t have to create hostile environments here, we should help to create happy environments everywhere so that people will prefer to stay where they are and not have to drift around the world trying to find a better life: this is a much more effective and cheaper approach

The people we say we are trying to help are the ones we hurt the most, if we bring them into societies that do not want them. The outcome is generations of detriment to those folks. Governments are there to lead not dictate: governments must listen to their people (all their people) and not just the ones we agree with. We have to find peaceful locations near countries in conflict, to support those peaceful areas with infrastructure for their local people so they don’t hate on newcomers, and the provide infrastructure for the newcomers to settle them there, without people having to attempt crossing the Atlantic in bathtubs, only to get to their destination to be treated harshly and their children treated to years of not fitting in and abuse. We have to find solutions that work for all sides: those who are against migration, those who support it and for the migrants themselves (be they economic migrants or refugees; they are all human).

We must find answers! The state of today’s world is truly appalling. But first, we need people to stand up and be counted!!

Surely in the year 2020 we shouldn’t be talking about trying to get to a society that treat women equally as men right?

This is not a minority group matter right? There are at least as many women as there are men on earth. So, setting the physical differences aside, it is nothing of disgraceful, that women are still having to fight for equality

”Best woman engineer”, “best woman doctor”? Why????? If a woman is excelling and she is the best, she is the best engineer, doctor etc, PERIOD.

Unfortunately, we live in a world that sometimes baffles! Recently I read about a supposed “superforecaster” in the UK who stated that based on an IQ testing result in the US that showed African Americans with a low IQ, it is conclusive that they are not as smart as whites and that Asians are the smartest. To begin with, an average African American child will spend most of his/her formative years in poverty, trying to get decent food, while the average Caucasian child takes holidays around the world, seeing and learning. If all children grow up under similar circumstances, with a support network and society that see them as the same, the outcome will be very similar. In any case, only an idiot will seek to compare IQ along the lines of ethnicity or race, given the sample available in the US for instance, is weighted in favour of the predominant population

The same applies to women: globally, with fewer women being afforded the opportunity to go to school or live freely, it is reprehensible to denigrate the achievement of women.

We will only know we have made a difference, when women no longer have to fight for equal treatment. It has to start from the grassroots though: girls getting the same education, freedom, opportunities as boys and developing skills, taking up jobs and securing salaries without discrimination. Having an office of 100 staff with 80 men and 20 women but expecting 10 leaders of that office to comprise of 5 men and 5 women is not seeking equality but seeking preferential treatment. That has not helped the cause women have been trying to champion to date. A lot more needs to be done for young girls to ensure they progress unhindered (and not forced into roles society have decided to set aside for women. They must be encouraged to be whatever they want to be: engineers, lawyers etc.)

It is really sad that this is still an issue. A clear objective to eliminate ill-treatment of women, globally, needs to be championed by everyone and achieved urgently. We should not be talking about equality for women in the 21st century; we should be talking about how it was achieved and looking back to what the world used to be…

Collectively we are simply not doing enough! I see all the posts celebrating Women’s Day and all that. Fine, let’s celebrate it, BUT we need to act! We have to do more. Much more. Everyone seems keen on telling women what to do, what they can’t do with their body etc. (using all sorts of excuses; religion etc.). We must change. We all need to do more in order to achieve equality for women. Enough is enough!

I am not sure human beings are naturally cruel. However, not being a medical expert, happy to be corrected

Accepting that none of us own the earth. We are just passing through and regardless of how much or little we each acquire, we will all leave with nothing when we die. As such, what do we truly feel, when we see others suffering? Does it matter what they look like or what their background is?

When we look at those around us: street cleaners, homeless people, drug addicts, doctors, nurses, teachers, children, asylum seekers, anyone; what do we see? what are our thoughts? do we see a fellow human being and nothing else? or do we immediately label them and think the worst of those that are different from us?

The world can and should be a better place BUT only if we can each ask ourselves: what is it all about?

There is a great deal of talk about mental health and I do not believe this is reserved solely for one situation or the other. Before labelling individuals, we should seriously consider the state of mental health that could drive an individual to look at another and just automatically wish them ill. Help needs to be made available to assist.

We all need to try this from today: look at all those around us (and I mean anyone around us, regardless of what they look like and where they’re from, what the do etc.) and see them as a co-inhabitant of a planet (earth) owned by none of us. Look at them as passing through and none of us will take anything with us when we depart. Now, if you still find it difficult to let go and see everyone as fellow human beings then pick up the phone and seek mental health assistance today

At some point in future the world will learn to see human beings as citizens of the planet earth. Period.

At the moment, we forget that China Town’s been in existent in parts of the UK for example, for centuries and black people have been in the UK for generations. There is nothing such as a typical Brit. Brits are Caucasian, Black, Brown and other colours (including mixed race). They all belong. If we trace back a thousand years, those folks back then, look nothing like the folks here in the 19th century.

Going to China or Japan and asking a Caucasian: “where are you from?” is still a valid question, but asking a Chinese-looking person the same question in the US or the UK is very naive, as chances are, they as British or American as the Caucasian standing next to them

Society must learn that times have changed. There is no single definition of what a Brit or an Italian or a Spaniard looks like. They can be Caucasian, Black, Brown or other. They are not from anywhere else, same as Caucasians in Australia, Canada or USA are not asked: “where are you from? (given that the original inhabitants of those countries are not Caucasian), neither would one ask a Latin-speaking Caucasian in Argentina where they’re from?

There still appears to be a desire to produce more and period dramas on TV, but conveniently, the periods never date back further than when certain elements of society are in-charge…

The world must come together. Make all parts of our planet happy places for people to inhabit. We can afford to industrialise the whole world, educate, provide healthy conditions etc. And those that still wish to travel can do so. Those who wish to stay where they are can do so. But nobody should be made to feel out of place anywhere: none of us own the earth and we will all depart sooner or later (nobody is on earth and alive forever!)

I suppose it may well depend on the definition of ‘power’ we each subscribe to….

Why do supposedly powerful people require the adulation of those they deem irrelevant?

Why would an emperor lay on events to please his subjects?

If we look at the very simple example of music superstars: they have to run around on stage, give everything they have, to excite their audience. The audience would pay whatever they’re asked to pay in order to watch those superstars and groupies would scream their lungs out. The stars crave and feed on the adulation, the fans expect to be treated to spectacular performances….. do the maths..

Some would argue that in society, power belong to the people. But a few elected (supposed representatives) wield said power? On occasion (when they have to run for office and secure votes) those individuals are held accountable to an extent.

Ultimately, we all have a shelf-life. None of us are here forever. So, presumably we all face the same certain end. Legacy or no legacy…..

From time immemorial human beings have relentlessly sought ways to be divisive. Labels are a potent means that has allowed us to create divisions. Today you hear of “left wing”, “right wing” and with regards Brexit we have “leavers” and “remainers”. The various sides each want to be right. They dig in, get entrenched and FACTS become irrelevant and are cast aside. TRUTH is deemed irrelevant and we create a toxic environment where discussions are replaced by abuse, intolerance and violence.

In sports we now have labels such as GOAT or “Greatest of all time”; funny as I am not aware of anyone who has been around “for all time”. Records that are created today and deemed unassailable are certain to be broken down the road (same as those that are being broken today were deemed unassailable back in the 60s).

Everyone wants a label. In workplaces individuals who have never worked outside of their countries of birth take on delusional titles such as “Global Head” of this or that.

We are obsessed with labelling. Black, White….etc. It seems impossible for humans to just accept equality. There has to be distinction: Rich, poor, middle class, castes, believers, unbelievers, the list is endless. Put 5 people in a room and within minutes they will seek to label and divide instead of coming together as one..

Togetherness is deemed to be naïveté

Sad times…

Human life is a very temporary phase. Only a very few live to see 100 years. Majority of those who get past their 75th birthday depart between 80 – 99 years old. So, what is all the hate, intolerance, excessive wealth accumulation, quest for legacies all about?

Mental Health has a lot to answer for. We tend to ignore the fact that it probably isn’t unusual for human beings to wish ill/harm on each other. History sheds light on the various excuses human over several generations have come up with in order to harm each other: be it in the name of religion (e.g. the Spanish Inquisition), rooting out evil or for profit (e.g. slavery; from the days of the Romans and earlier, to the most recent transatlantic slave trade and there are still parts of the world where it is still ongoing).

The value of human life should transcend whatever differences we have with each other. When I look at people around me, I do not want to look for reasons to dislike them; like myself, they are human beings who were given birth to by someone and they didn’t choose those circumstances: they pop out wherever they pop out and then have to put up with the circumstances that confront them and the world should be a place that provides support to all its inhabitants

We will all depart at some point and when we do, we take nothing with us….

Ok, let’s talk about Brexit and the current state of our politics, our democracy.
Clearly, the real underbelly of our society is finally out in the open. And the exploitability of democracy has again been aptly demonstrated. If a majority have an issue, politicians must try to address the issue, regardless of what they believe. If they believe that majority is wrong (and we know from history that the majority is not always right and when left unchecked, the result can sometimes be catastrophic e.g. WW2), it is their job to try to convince that majority otherwise and that was the opportunity made available ahead of the Brexit referendum held in 2016. That is how democracy should work. To go through that process, get a result (and whether it is a result we all agree or disagree with is beside the point) and then have mainstream political parties like the Liberal Democrats seeking to unilaterally upend that result or others being noncommittal and leading politicians past and present telling that majority that their opinion counts for nothing and can be overruled, is reprehensible 
Some of the lies told in 2016, which may have contributed to the result of the Brexit referendum do not necessarily address the fact that millions of people had reasons to believe we are better out of the EU. The onus was on those who believe we are better off in the EU to convince others. 
The saddest aspect of this entire saga to date, is that all the good work put in over the last 50 years to build a cohesive Britain in which all inhabitants of this great island – be it those who can trace their lineage back centuries or those born in recent years to immigrants, Nobody predetermines where they show up as a baby; it is a random occurrence. None of us chose where we were born or to whom we were born – has gone to waste. We are now firmly back to that era where some think they are more British than others and those who voted to exit the EU now see themselves as the real Brits and supposed custodians of a national identity. 
The referendum was held and won by those seeking to leave the EU (I was of an opposing view and still believe that forcing the EU to change, mordernise, cut the extreme red-tape and staying within the EU is a better situation for the UK – but given that view didn’t win the referendum, one must accept that result) and every Brit should work towards ensuring we can all forget our differences and move forward. If those forecasting doom are correct, then why don’t they (and everyone else) work together to see how we can collectively deal with any negatives that comes from Brexit? We are an extremely resourceful nation and I am certain that if we all come together, we will be able to address any negative impact of exiting the EU, instead of perpetuating this “leavers” and “remainers ” divide, which many on either side appear bizarrely keen to keep on flogging. 
Society has to move on. We cannot go back to whichever good old days some people can recall; be it days when the population was low and as such, the streets were cleaner, roads less busy etc. We are no longer in that era and cannot possibly travel back in time. The dynamics of global politics are now very different and those stuck in the past, hoping to get that past back are going to be repeatedly disappointed

Why has the value placed on human life gone down so low?

Few years ago, the level of public outrage and angst at the loss of life, a single life, was so high that people took notice and politicians are forced to take meaningful action to preempt recurrence. Nowadays we read about hundreds of lives lost and we turn to the next page. What has happened to the value of human life? Any human life; regardless of the continent, country, race, rich or poor. How have we become so callous?

In the name of getting what we say we want, we see children being separated from parents at borders (recently treated as a means to a justifiable end in America), we see needless wars and the resulting displacement of thousands (and we turn the page with ease), we read about famine and age-old problems faced by children in under-developed countries (problems that today’s technology can easily address; while we focus on driverless cars or low emission cars etc. – when we have the technology to go and mechanise agriculture across Africa as an example, harness the abundant solar power available there, make portable water readily available by sinking hundreds of boreholes within weeks). Humanity has lost itself and its conscience

We should not be reading about multiple stabbing in London, needless loss of tens of young lives in what is supposed to be a developed country. Talks and more talks….. decisive actions must be taken and we must stop at nothing, to up the value (and how we value) of human life!

It has become virtually impossible to ignore politics in the last 4 – 5 years for reasons that are most unfortunate: everything is being politicised. The terms “Civil Service” and “Public Servants” which we’re casually applied to those supposedly paid for by the taxpayer to work for the greater good of the public, may as well be discontinued as it has been a long, long time since we last had politicians who have put themselves forward to serve. You get a knock on you door during an election cycle, open the door and there in front of you, would be a very polite individual asking for your support, your vote. Few weeks later and once elected, the transformation from public service to Demi-god, inaccessible status will be in full flow. We vote MPs in to represent us in parliament but when big decisions arise, party politics lead to requests to put it to the people (via the increasingly popular phenomenon known as referendums!); what follows is a referendum without set parameters, with narrow victories that would not have been deemed conclusive under any other circumstance, becoming a seemingly immovable noose around the necks of our politicians. Divisiveness has become the most potently effective tool to win elections and the individuals who are supposed to serve, become cheerleaders of divisiveness through half truths and blatant lies, whipping populations into a frenzy in incurable loathing. It is difficult to see a way back to the days where politicians had a moral compass and debate facts.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to tell.

When comparing developed and under-developed countries, it is a fairly straightforward question to answer

But when assessing recent occurrences in so-called developed countries, it is becoming increasingly difficult to answer this question. We live in times where we are being constantly manipulated and it is not clear to see if educated folks are faring any better, given some of the positions that are currently being taken by supposedly educated individuals, when it comes to key issues that have recently taken over public discourse; be it issues relating to politics (and ongoing upheavals in the UK and the US as two good examples) or the viciousness of commentaries now rampantly made on social media (relating to a number of topics) and the apparent inability to implement very simple controls that will ensure any commentator on any online platform identifies him/herself and can be held responsible for their comments online. It is becoming more and more difficult to see what difference education is making in today’s society.

Why are we still talking about equal pay in the 21st century? It must be made illegal to pay a woman less than a man just because she’s a woman! But what I cannot understand is how a man is expected to play 4 hours of tennis, entertaining people at the venue for 4 hours and handing advertisers 4 hours to advertise but get paid the same as a woman who has played 2 hours of tennis? To achieve equality, surely both men & women should be paid hourly rates, which should be the same e.g. £500,000 an hour to both Roger Federer and Serena Williams so that if one spends 4 hours on court and the other spends 2, they get paid £2m and £1m respectively but at the same hourly rate.It is interesting that female footballers are happy to use the name of brand established over the past 100+ years e.g. Arsenal Ladies. I am fairly certain that if this group had started from scratch as North London Ladies, progress will be a lot slower than what has been achieved under the Arsenal Ladies banner

Let me know what your current pet-hates are.

Here’s mine for this week 1:

Billionaires pledging to give away all their fortune – is it perhaps more expedient to stop a amassing wealth after you’ve made your first billion? Not sure I get the need to amass 4, 5, 50 …. billion in the first place, never mind later pledging to give it all to charity. How much money can an individual enjoyably spend in a lifetime, bearing in mind most of us wish to be active and working till at least the age of 55. Assuming most people die by the age of 90, that only leaves about 35 years to spend money accumulated through all those years of hard work. So, why amass so much wealth? Perhaps they can just pay their employees a bit more for starter

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.