DutchEnery

The question of Brexit has yet another high profile critic. Perhaps I might be allowed to ask a question? These people who are elected representatives of the British people, what are they to represent? Yes, the will of the people. Hmmmm, pretty easy to deduct that I would say. Unfortunately, the reality seems to be that everyone of these elected representatives just follows their own ideas and desires! Now I have just listened to Lord Adonis, interesting chap but completely wrong. First of all he suddenly feels that we are going the wrong way. Well, maybe but is it not his job to see to it that the will of the people is carried out to the best of his ability? No, we now have just another sniper who is mumbling all sorts of untruths about the whole process. Secondly he was part of the government as an adviser.  Possibly his advice was not accepted because it simply wasn't good enough? So, another MP who is throwing his toys out of the pram? Oh Westminster is deluged by all theses

I do receive the posts of 'Unlocking Democracy', a pressure group. Sometimes they say what I can agree with and sometimes I do not. That's what democracy is all about. But as I have been saying in the past on another blog about politicians taking on outside jobs to pay for things like second even third homes, duck-ponds and more it was galling to read about the erstwhile Chancellor, puppy-eyed George Osborne having seven paid positions? One is apparently paying him £600,000 plus per annum for one day a week's work! Makes one wonder when in politics they already started to lay the foundations for their future. Is it not strange then that they are working for precisely these companies and organisations they benefitted from laws and rules they made during their Westminster Palace tenure? Just wondering. And he is not the only one of course, David Cameron also acquired a lucrative position. Perhaps it is high time to investigate these practices. Be aware though that it is n

One of the things about making decisions is the ability to enforce them. In the matter of the Brexit question - for those who do not know what that is ‘ the decision through a referendum made by the British people to leave the European Union’ - it seems that the decision was made but no-one really knew how to implement it or enforce it. Nor what the implications would be. To any sane observer a decision to leave means, open the door, exit, and close the door. No questions about how to open the door, how long to be spent crossing the threshold and no questions whether to close the door softly or give it a good shove. But of course politics is just that. Endless arguments over the ‘fine’ details. As a result the UK is in an almighty morass. To be fair so is the EU. If we took a good look at the judiciary I would say the UK is quite capable of law-giving and enforcement. For that we do not need the European Court. Also do not forget there was a time before the EU. Personally for me th

What amazes me is the inability of politicians to think about financial affairs. There is a simple truth. You cannot spend more than you ‘earn’. In government parlance that means you cannot spend more than you get in tax income. If you do, there is only one way to alleviate the shortage, you borrow. In the case of the UK the government(s) have borrowed close to £2trillion. By all accounts the debt stands at some 85% of GDP! All talk of reducing the deficit is just total idiotic and simply means just one thing, we keep on increasing the debt. The deficit talk just underpins the inability to reduce our spending. It also means any government, past, present, future has build up a society that vastly lives beyond its means. Who is to blame? We all are! Simply too many of us are walking along with closed eyes and cotton-wool in our ears. It is worrying to hear on the various news channels the continuing clamour for ever more money. NHS, Social Security. It must be obvious to all except it i

Looking at the various news broadcasts makes you think we are in a theatre much like the Apollo in London town watching a few comedians. Except these comedians are leaders of countries. Hearing interesting exclamations about mutual destruction, small nuclear warheads on rockets and possibly more. You might even think it sounds like a game of ping-pong. ‘I’ll fire a rocket at you just because I don’t like you’. ‘Oh yeah? I’ll flatten you with fire’. It could be laughable but it involves the most powerful nation on earth. We should be sure they have the capabilities to completely destroy a whole nation. But what is the reality? An impoverished smallish nation possibly backed with military hardware from China seems to have got it into its head it should take on the US. Much like Andorra having a go at Spain or France or even both! To me it just smells of another player pulling the strings. Publicly saying nice calming words and promising to be a middle man (peace broker) but inwardl

As I live in Wales (UK) I am rather interested in education. But I am worried the way the devolved government and its subsidiaries deal with it all. Being a governor also means I am a bit more in touch with the way inspections are carried out, the pressure being put on the whole system all in the name of increasing standards. Whilst I applaud the need for academic education, that is to say need for scientists of all kinds, I do not subscribe to the idea that everyone has to follow that path. First of all what you see in university studies is a numbers game. Pack ‘m in and fill it to the rafters. As a result we get an enormous number of students with ‘mickey mouse degrees’. A fact borne out by industry bosses. An accompanying problem is the degree person having expectations of earning capacity way beyond their knowledge and capability. All resulting in very unhappy bosses and indeed very unhappy students as they find their employability being virtually nil. This country is bedev

One of the questions nagging at the back of my mind is – is there no end ever to the stupidity of governments? Stupidity being a big word but let’s call it a lack of sensibility then. Suddenly without much warning we are told all petrol and diesel cars are banned from 2040. It is an interesting thought which will without any doubt generate billions of words, written and spoken. One might wonder why this bombshell now? Ah, now we are talking politics. Does it make anyone wonder what is this supposed to take the steam off? Just guess, it is not too hard! In any case as usual, these ideas are badly thought out, badly presented without any idea as to how it could be implemented or even work! Think of all the lorries, can anyone see how these are to be converted besides the cost of it? How will the National Grid be able to cope? Every house with a car will need a charging pole outside. In places like where I live (The Rhondda in Wales) with no other parking than outside next to the nar