Thursday, January 31, 2019

In the bleak Midwinter

      We really are in the grip of a bleak Midwinter right now - or it is threatened hourly if you turn on the radio or the TV. Actually it's not too bad here, if you don't mind zero temperatures and wearing extra layers. But here I still am, blocked from moving in any direction until my house is actually sold. I say actually because firm offers are no good without a sale to back them up. Two very nice ladies are each keen to buy this house, but still have houses to sell. Stalemate. And meanwhile I haver and twist and turn, changing my mind in every possible direction while waiting for the dreaded Brexit to strike us all down.
      God knows what we will all be doing in a couple of months time. Running out of everything if some people are to be believed, and stockpiling cans of beans. Heaven knows I don't want to go back 40 years, which is what Brexiteers apparently find so attractive.I can actually remember what it was like; there were strikes and shortages and power cuts galore, and we hadn't long been free of War and Rationing. Oh yes, we still had our Empire, and all the ill-gotten gains that went with it, but surely we have come far enough to see that it was generally awful? I won't be one of the people gaily jumping off the white cliffs in a couple of months time. I'm just hoping we come to our collective senses before then and chuck Teresa May, Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, Michael Gove and the horrible Jacob Rees Mogg over the edge instead - oh and let's include Mr. Ghastly May too and may he take his Hedge Fund profits with him. I'd also chuck Jeremy Corbyn over with them - let them fight it out as they fall. Corbyn has missed his moment and his chance, all of us who want a say in our futures now that some of the facts are known, have been royally stuffed by the lot of them. In fact, let's tie them all together so that they go down with a proper thump. And good riddance.
      I'd have David Lammy for PM (I know he's MP for Tottenham, but that's just a coincidence), or Caroline Lucas - at least they each have an honest approach to politics. But my best candidate would be Gareth Southgate, England Football Manager and a man of Integrity with a capital I. As far as I can see, he would be our best hope: he thinks before he speaks, tells the truth in tricky situations and loves this country while appreciating the contributions made by people from around the world. The fact that he is not a Politician is, as far as I can see, a real advantage. That means he's not greedy, corrupt or dishonest. Bring him on..