Contempt triumphs over respect

The Cenotaph surrounded by pro-Palestinian demonstrators                                                                               Source: LBC

The Prime Minister has described the pro-Palestinian protests planned for London on Armistice Day as 'provocative and disrespectful'.

The government, the Metropolitan police and the majority of the British public are against it but the organisers insist it will go ahead.

What the march demonstrates is contempt for British values, values which many of the participants want to replace with an alien ideology so candidly admitted here. 

Closer to home, the Welsh Government recently paid out £300K Swansea's Sketty Mosque and Community Centre to aid Community Cohesion.

From the Swansea mosque on 17 October: " 'Victory to Islam'. 'Look after the mujahideen' in Gaza."

Pure contempt for British values.

"Good solid British common sense"

After camp                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Source: Twitter

"Today RSPB #Haweswater and @unitedutilities staff, and dedicated RSPB volunteers, spent 4 hours clearing more mess from groups camping on our reserve." - Twitter

"Boris Johnson told MPs that 'good solid British common sense' had worked throughout phase one [of the lockdown rules to combat coronavirus] and he had 'no doubt' it would work in the second phase of fighting the disease."

Despite the sterling efforts of the many, there are always a few who can be relied on to undo the good work done by those keeping to the rules.

Health leaders have warned that UK must prepare for a second Coronavirus virus wave.

Not only will there will be more litter for others to clear up but more people will have their lives put in danger adding more strain on weary NHS staff unless the thoughtless minority start showing the common sense referred to by the Prime Minister.

Postscript [25.06.2020]

Bournemouth beach: Major incident declared as thousands flock to coast

Source: BBC/REUTERS/TOBY MELVILLE                                      Bournemouth beach                                                                Source: BBC/MATT PINNER

BEAM: Help a homeless person to train up and get into work

Homelessness has increased by 34 per cent since the Conservatives came to power in 2010, partly due to benefit cuts and welfare changes PA/Independent

From The Independent: "More than 300,000 people – equivalent to a city the size of Newcastle – are now sleeping rough in Britain after the number of people losing their home soared in the last year, a report has revealed. The study, by housing charity Shelter, found that 307,000, or one in every 200, people are now homeless. Although the figure has risen by 13,000 in the last year alone, Shelter said the partial nature of government data means the real number of homeless people is likely to be even higher."

Shelter has estimated that 8 million people are one pay check away from being unable to pay for their home. Professional people in work are not exempt illustrating how precarious life can be in Britain today.

Seeing people begging on the streets makes many of us feel uncomfortable. It is 2017. We have the Welfare State. There are charities for the homeless. So why? Homeless people describe being hit, kicked, urinated on, and sexually assaulted while living on the street, according to the research from homelessness charity Crisis. Who would choose such a life?

Sadly there are abusers who act as a deterrent. Like the illegal street beggar in one British city earning up to £500 a day despite not being homeless. Consequently, donating to organisations which help vulnerable, homeless people to find shelter is often preferred.

As explained in an Express article, an innovative scheme has been started to help homeless people who lack the necessary skills or resources to get into work.

Welcome to the crowdfunding get-back-to-work campaign, We are BEAM.

The best of British.

In one ear and out the other?

"We've gone direct to the British people - some Labour supporters, others not.
And a lot of it wasn't easy listening.
People were blunt with us.
You've all heard it.
Because week in week out, you are out there on the doorsteps.
Talking to people about their concerns.
You know they were livid about the banks.
Worried about the squeeze on their incomes.
Frustrated that their concerns on immigration were not addressed.
Angry when they thought some could work, but didn't.
And you know we lost trust, including because of what happened in Iraq.
We must prevent this happening again.
And you know it's not just about policy, it's about the way we do politics too.
A party created by working people for working people lost touch with them.
We need to be honest about the way we operated as a party.
Because only by being honest can we rebuild.
We need to confront some hard truths.
And if we ever doubt why we need to do this, if you find what I say today difficult, think of the people in your communities suffering today as a result of this Conservative-led Government.
These truths may be uncomfortable for us; but life is more uncomfortable for the people we serve suffering under this Government.
It's not their fault; it's ours that we lost the last election.
We owe it to them not to shy away from any of the difficult changes we need to make."

- Extracted from Ed Miliband's National Policy Forum speech published in the New Statesman.

Time will tell!

Ministry of Chaos and Complacency: Update

Mr Hammond has suddenly become aware of someone else's problem (watch the clip) and is now determined to find out what has gone wrong so that he can learn lessons and apportion blame. People understand that bad weather has caused enormous difficulties; what they don't understand is why they are kept in the dark. For example, is it beyond the wit of someone on a salary of £825,000 a year plus bonus of up to £1.65m to organise a public address system to keep stranded passengers updated instead of having to twitter? The British people are treated like fodder by people on huge bonuses for jobs allegedly well done. Banker is a word that springs readily to mind.

Bedroom Farce

Pity poor David Laws, the latest victim of British stone throwing.

He sacrificed a lucrative career as a city banker for public service. In doing so has become the latest victim of the Thatcher government’s MPs Expenses scheme. The rules were open to interpretation and many MPs have already paid the price. In a statement Laws said "At no point did I consider myself to be in breach of the rules which in 2009 defined partner as "one of a couple ... who although not married to each-other or civil partners are living together and treat each-other as spouses".

Those with the great British gift of hindsight are already screaming for his scalp but here is a man with a Cambridge double first in economics and top level experience in the financial sector who was admired on both sides of the House for the mastery of his brief in the Queen’s Speech debate. In a time of severe national crisis should we sacrifice a highly competent Chief Secretary in response to another journalistic scoop by The Telegraph over a technicality? If the same attitude had prevailed during the war no doubt Churchill would have been ousted.

Any doubt over the interpretation of the rules could have been sorted out by having a quiet word to resolve the matter without its sensationalist accompaniment. In their exposure The Daily Telegraph claimed that there was no intention to disclose Mr Laws' sexuality, but in a statement issued in response to questions from this newspaper, the minister chose to disclose this fact”. How very noble of them.

The wolves are now in full cry. From Times Online: “David Laws ‘should step aside as minister’ after claiming for rent paid to lover”. The innuendo is clear when in fact David Laws is paying the price for being the model of discretion in his private life. Contrast that with the overt lifestyles of US Bps Gene Robinson and Mary Glasspool who have rocked the Anglican Communion by the open celebration of their sexuality. What people do in the bedroom is a private matter. Leviticus and feminism are no substitute for the Gospel. If the church and the media grasped that message many would be spared unnecessary heartache.

Postscript

So David Laws has resigned with honour and humility, a lesson not just for the Telegraph but for us all:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/10191673.stm

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