Category Archives: current affairs

current affairs, history, thoughts

I Blame Harold Wilson

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This is an opinion piece (an op-ed if you will) which I’ve been thinking about for a long, long time.

Back in 2014 Roy Hattersley wrote in the Guardian …

[In 1964] Harold Wilson was elected prime minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Labour won because its leader caught the mood of the time. Wilson was the politician as technocrat, the man in the Gannex overcoat who complained that, in a world in which “even the MCC has abolished the distinction between amateurs and professionals, in science and industry we are content to remain a nation of Gentlemen in a world of Players”.

Maintaining the technocratic image helped him to keep a fractious party more or less intact. But nobody doubted that the pragmatism about which he boasted was, in truth, guided by a principle which he set out in the language of the time. “The Labour party is a moral crusade or it is nothing.”

Two or three weeks into the new parliament, he invited the dozen or so youngest Labour MPs to Downing Street. The most self-confident […] told him that the government had made a crucial mistake in not devaluing the pound. They were right …

Harold Wilson brought a paradigm shift to government in the UK, and to the functioning of society as it finally surfaced from the deprivations of WW2. Wilson took advantage of the changing mood of the times. As a consequence many attitudes in the UK, and thinking within government – not to say many of the current problems which afflict the country – have their roots in the actions of the Wilson administrations of 1960s and 1970s.

Think about the following …

Comprehensive Schools
Wilson said he wanted everyone to have his grammar school education and in an attempt to achieve this effectively all schools became comprehensive. But the law of unintended consequences meant what happened was that by mixing the bright with the dim, the brightest got dumbed down, given no incentive to work hard and be stretched, while the less bright gained nothing. Actually the less bright also lost out because the previous secondary modern schools had never been properly constituted (with good curricula) and consequently the change of focus meant there was no foundation to fall back on.

Expansion of the Universities
To be fair this was started under Harold Macmillan, but the expansion of the mid-60s was the first step on the slippery slope to the destruction of Technical Colleges, Polytechnics and apprenticeships. This has, in turn, led to a shortage of technical training for plumbers, bricklayers etc. – we didn’t need them: Wilson’s “white heat of technology” would do it all. But we do need them and so we have ended up importing them from places like Eastern Europe.

Another consequence is that we now have too many, low quality, universities running courses of little worth and awarding over-inflated degrees. Why? Because over time everyone has become entitled to a university education – and government wanted to keep the unemployment figures down. Not a direct result of Wilson, but built upon the foundations he laid.

Soundbite Government
Wilson was the first to blatantly use the media as a tool of government and to provide snappy soundbites. Remember “the pound in your pocket”, “the white heat of technology”, and “beer and sandwiches at No.10” to win over stroppy union leaders?

Media Freedom
It isn’t clear which is chicken and which is egg, but with soundbite government the media started to feel they had much more freedom and fewer constraints, and they became more available with the advent of regular TV news bulletins. News became more immediate; and the public started to see, and recognise, politicians when previously they had little inkling of the machinations of government, who those people were, and what they did. This inevitably (over time) led to the broadcasting of Parliament, with politicians being interviewed at every turn – and spinning every story for their benefit.

Government and Industry
The beginning of politicians and government obviously, openly and blatantly in cahoots with industry for their own benefit. Remember Wilson’s Gannex mac? This was doubtless nothing new, but it was now out in the open or at least much more easily probed.

Destruction of British Industry
Wilson’s watch saw the rise of unprecedented union power, which was allowed to cripple manufacturing (think cars, steel, shipbuilding) and which continued until Thatcher broke the miners in the 1980s. That’s not to say unions haven’t been a force for good in improving working conditions etc., but under Wilson they very much had the upper hand (which is now really evident only in the rail unions as most of the rest have been emasculated). This ultimately led to substantial wage rises, high inflation, wage restraint, and high unemployment.

British Rail & Utilities
The actions of Dr Beeching in massacring Britain’s rail network were, admittedly, started under Harold Macmillan, however the pressure was continued under Wilson with BR, and indeed many other public utilities, being subjected to unprecedented attention from government accountants – something which continues to this day – and threats of nationalisation. This was in large part undone by the privatisation policies of Margaret Thatcher’s administration which has left many of our utilities in a position where it would be almost impossible to fully renationalise them.

Financial Crisis
All of this led, inexorably, to a financial and economic crisis, a series of failed economic measures, and the consequent devaluation of the pound by 14% in November 1967. Arguably the economy and the country’s financial situation has never recovered from this.

Social Agenda
Under Wilson’s administration we saw the first Race Relations Act (1965), the Sexual Offences Act (1967) and the abolition of (almost all) capital punishment (1965); followed later by an expansion of the welfare state. Our current social policies (including welfare payments) are very much built upon these foundations and are, in my estimation, a large factor in the current entitlement of much of the population.

Corrupt Patronage
Patronage, and corrupt patronage, has always happened. But because of the greater freedom of the media and its availability to all, Wilson’s patronage of people like Marcia Falkender (his political secretary and alleged mistress) and Lord Kagan (of Gannex macs) became open knowledge, if not actually more blatant.

I’m not saying that all our current ills are directly attributable to Harold Wilson. Nor am I saying that Wilson didn’t do some good things (eg. the welfare state). But much of where the UK is now, at least internally, is built upon the foundations set by his administrations.

That, at least, is my assessment. YMMV.

There’s much, much more about Harold Wilson on Wikipedia.

current affairs, thoughts

#MeFirst

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I’ve been thinking recently about personal attitudes and the state of society. There has been a marked shift in the willingness of people to be active in the community, for the greater good of the community.

It’s been happening for quite a while, but has got worse since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. We now live in a world which has shifted away from community spirit to an almost ubiquitous focus on personal gain: “what’s in it for me?”.

People get angry about being inconvenienced. Their plans matter more than public safety, or the community. It’s selfish and ultimately destructive.

We’ve lost the civilising philosophy of “Do unto others as you would wish them to do unto you”.

As I say, this was happening before COVID; however the isolation of lockdown, the fear, and in many countries the indifference (or worse) of government have multiplied this “me first” attitude. Everything has become focussed on “how does this affect me?” rather than the broader picture of “how does this protect us?”, “how does this benefit the community?” or even “do I really need this?”.

Freedom has shifted from living peacefully with others in society, within the law, to “I can (and will) be allowed do whatever I want, regardless of anyone else”. That’s not to say that we should all be mindless, conforming drones. There is still, and always must be, a place for free speech, a variety of opinion, demonstration, and challenging the status quo. Nor am I saying that self-care doesn’t matter. But we’ve been brainwashed into a view that everything is a service we pay for (especially when it’s free!) and is therefore a right which must be provided here and now, or else.

This has not been helped by the political modus operandi which has become so polarised that there is no thought of compromise and common ground. Worse, what are people supposed to think when they see the politicians avoid any consequences for their lies, malfeasance and broken promises. The USA is demonstrating this in spades; and they aren’t the only ones. What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

We’ve gone from “we, we, me” to “ME, ME, maybe we”.

We’re seeing this in so many areas. One place I see it is as Chairman of my doctor’s patient group: patients are demanding to always have a face-to-face appointment with their GP – today! – rather than trusting the GP to make a decision based on the clinical need. Because if a phone call is sufficient (as it is in a majority of cases) it benefits everyone: it is less disruptive, quicker, and thus better for everyone as the GP can get to treat more patients (who may be at greater need). But no, I must come first; my desires are paramount.

How many these days voluntarily put themselves forward for community roles? For example: as school governors; as charity workers; as interest group newsletter editors. Judging by the number of organisations advertising (internally or externally) for people, the answer is “very few”. I don’t recall this being an issue when I was younger; there was almost always a volunteer willing to step up. And it is all levels of society, top to bottom, regardless of which method you use to slice the “society cake”.

The idea of contributing, even sacrificing, something for the community has pretty much disappeared. When enough people are putting themselves above the group’s wellbeing, things shift, trust turns to suspicion, every obstruction engenders anger; and the community starts to fracture. When “we” becomes “me” the community dies. Just as we’re currently seeing in society – worldwide.

It’s not so much #metoo as #MeFirst.

There’s a fuller exposition of this in the article When “What’s In It for Me?” Kills Community … . Ignore the naturist foundations to the article; it’s just as appropriate for any community, of any size.

current affairs, history, memes

June Quiz Answers

Here are the answers to this month’s six quiz questions. If in doubt, all should be able to be easily verified online.

World Affairs

  1. Which political figure became Baroness of Kesteven? Margaret Thatcher
  2. What year was the United Nations established? 1945
  3. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus became the head of which United Nations agency in 2017? WHO (World Health Organisation)
  4. Who was US President in the year 2000? Bill Clinton
  5. What was the name of the treaty signed between the Allies and Germany that officially ended WWI? Treaty of Versailles
  6. The border between North Korea and South Korea is about 257km long and 4km wide. What is this buffer zone known as? Korean Demilitarised Zone (DMZ)

Answers were correct when questions were compiled in late 2024.

current affairs, memes

June Quiz Questions

Each month we’re posing six pub quiz style questions, with a different subject each month. As always, they’re designed to be difficult, but it is unlikely everyone will know all the answers – so have a bit of fun.

World Affairs

  1. Which political figure became Baroness of Kesteven?
  2. What year was the United Nations established?
  3. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus became the head of which United Nations agency in 2017?
  4. Who was US President in the year 2000?
  5. What was the name of the treaty signed between the Allies and Germany that officially ended WWI?
  6. The border between North Korea and South Korea is about 257km long and 4km wide. What is this buffer zone known as?

Answers will be posted in 2 weeks time.

current affairs, environment, history, links, medical, natural history, nudism, science, sexuality

Monthly Links

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Welcome to the first “Monthly Links” of 2025, where we give you links to things you may have missed the first time around. And do we have a bumper crop this month!

Science, Technology, Natural World

Let’s start with a celebration … This month the Universe is 100! [LONG READ]

We do live in a special part of the Universe, don’t we? [££££]

It took Galileo’s new-fangled telescope to find these four objects which you can now see easily with binoculars.

And scientists continue to push the boundaries of the telescope … Hubble Space Telescope wasn’t supposed to ever look at the sun, but they did it anyway. [££££]

Twenty years ago there was a cosmic explosion which rocked Earth. [££££]

Slightly less dramatically, Pluto and Charon may have formed as the as the result of a kiss.

Meanwhile astronomers are hoping for a brief, but spectacular, star which appears only every 80 years. [LONG READ]

Also celebrating its centenary is the Pauli Exclusion Principle which underpins our understanding of subatomic particles.

Let’s get our feet back firmly where we can understand what’s going on … or not so firmly, as here’s a look at the strange fish which has historically struck fear into the hearts of mariners.

Still on oddities, a pair of birders in Michigan have been visited by an extremely rare yellow cardinal bird.

Why in 1926 in the USA was there a plague of mice? [LONG READ]

Going down another level in size, some caterpillars make deadly venoms which can even kill a human.

Even further down is size to our DNA, why are we all riddled with genetic errors? [LONG READ]

Health, Medicine

The series looking at modelling a pandemic has reached Part 4: Asymptomatic Transmission. [LONG READ]

OB/GYN Dr Jen Gunter takes a look at fibroids, one of the scourges if the female reproductive system. [LONG READ]

At the other end of the body, it seems the pupil of the eye can open a surprising window on the mind.

And here’s a real oddity … an 84 year old man in Hong Kong has turned grey due to silver poisoning.

Sexuality

Kate Lister says she spent a year telling men where they were going wrong in bed. [££££]

A sex expert suggests eight questions everyone should ask for better sex. [££££]

Environment

The expansion of London’s Heathrow Airport, indeed all airport expansion and air travel in general, will negate the UK’s attempts to reach net zero.

Social Sciences, Business, Law, Politics

Breaking with my normal position on politics … In what may be my only comment on the state of the USA, Ian Dunt at The I Paper looks at that Elon Musk Nazi salute and what it means for the future of the US. [££££] [These people have to be stopped, but how?]

How can we fix democracy? Ancient Greek philosopher Plato could suggest the answer.

Zoom calls and how to survive them in 2025.

History, Archaeology, Anthropology

A quarry in Oxfordshire has yielded the UK’s (and maybe Europe’s) biggest set of dinosaur tracks. (Aerial view above.)

Archaeologists have discovered that they can extract ancient DNA from dirt, so areas like cave floors are revealing yet more information about, for instance, Stone Age humans. [££££]

Meanwhile investigations are ongoing into how built Europe’s first cities.

In Egypt archaeologists have found the 4,000-year-old tomb of an overachieving magician.

An Iron Age site in Dorset is demonstrating that women were at the centre of some tribal communities, and exploding the earlier misogynistic narratives.

Excavations at Pompeii continue to reveal astonishing details of life there, including unexpected luxury.

Here’s a look at what five gold rings from Norfolk can tell us about the past.

Porch House in Stow-on-the-Wold claims to be Britain’s oldest pub dating from around 947. But is it really?

Leonardo Da Vinci always maintained that there were secret tunnels in Italy’s Sforza Castle. It now turns out he was right.

Excessively pointed shoes were the height of fashion in medieval London

Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs

Meet a sea captain who’s obsessed with icebreaking.

We’re losing the ability to write in cursive, and therefore also read it – and it’s all the fault of computers.

And finally … What do you need to start meditating? Nothing except your own mind.

current affairs, ramblings

Leadership

James Timpson (Chief Executive of the Timpson Group, Chancellor of Keele University, Chair of Prison Reform Trust) has been appointed Minister for Prisons, Parole and Probation in Sir Kier Starmer’s administration.** It is excellent that the new PM is appointing people who have some knowledge of what their departments are supposed to be about.

Even better is the fact that Timpson (who, by the way gets a peerage to be able t be a minister) also knows something about leadership and management – a skill which recently appears to have been woefully lacking. A couple of years ago he posted his guiding principles online, and of course the internet has just resurrected them.

handwritten note
Click the image for a larger view

We need a lot more of the appointment of specialists and people who know how to manage. Now let’s have it applied throughout the NHS.

** I was going to say “government” but I was once ticked off by the late Lord Gowrie for this usage. The administration is the monarch’s government, not the Prime Minister’s.

current affairs, thoughts

Does the UK need a Monarchy?

The recent death of Queen Elizabeth II and the Coronation of King Charles III has opened debate on whether the UK should have a monarch or an elected president.

This is essentially two questions: do we need a monarchy, and do we want a monarchy? And they are two very different questions. I can’t account for what people think they want – but I can point out some of the arguments.

First of all … Do we need a monarchy? Put simply, no, a monarch as head of state isn’t necessary. Many countries operate quite effectively as republics with an elected President – see France, Germany, Ireland – as head of state. What a country does need is a head of state, who is empowered (within whatever the constitution is) to make final decisions on ministers etc. and to represent the country at the highest level. The buck has to stop somewhere and, for the avoidance of factionalism, that has to reside in a single person be they a president or a monarch.

So should the UK have a monarchy? Well, just because there are more presidential republics in the world than there are monarchies, doesn’t mean they are necessarily better. Let’s look at some of the arguments.

  1. Cost. Monarchs are generally well off; presidents maybe not be so much. But in both cases the state will be paying much of the cost of maintaining the head of state. This will encompass their personal maintenance, the cost of state apartments/palaces, and duties performed as head of state (including transport and security). There are also, of course, state occasions like banquets (usually for other heads of sate) and ceremonial (like regular inaugurations, irregular coronations, opening parliament, state funerals). Whether you have a monarch or a president these costs are going to be much the same. A president will not de facto be cheaper.
    Given sufficient wealth a monarch or president may maintain their own private residence(s), staff, etc.; and this may help constrain the cost to the public purse. Monarchs, likely being wealthier, are perhaps more likely to do this.
    Result: a draw
  2. Appointment. Monarchs are in most cases hereditary, so the succession from one to the next is fairly assured, relatively smooth, relatively infrequent, and relatively low cost. The major cost is just that once in a while state funeral and coronation.
    By contrast presidents have to be elected every few years. Hence there is the cost of the regular elections and regular inaugurations. And the inaugurations may require just as much pomp and pageantry as a coronation. Additionally, past presidents are often paid huge “pensions” for life, and a country could be paying several of these concurrently – as the US currently is.
    Let’s look at this another way. Those regular presidential elections are a recipe for farce, charade, deceit and a completely overwhelming media and political circus. Just think about the US Presidential elections: do we want an unedifying circus, US-style, every four or five years? Because that’s what we would get; we have a track record of picking up bad habits from the US. We already have general elections, local elections, and in many places mayoral elections; aren’t they sufficient circuses?
    Result: win for monarchy
  3. Malfeasance. In general, these days, with constitutional monarchies the monarch doesn’t have their hands on the country’s finances. This is not the case with (a lot of) presidents. In consequence it is much easier for a president to have their hand in the till and to syphon off money etc. into their own pockets. Presidents are much more likely to become newly wealthy at the expense of the country. Another weakness of a republic is that it can afford too easy an inlet for foreign corruption.
    Of course this was not always the case and in times past many monarchs lined their own pockets via all varieties of taxation – but then in those days there was little differentiation between the state’s money and the monarch’s; something which disappeared with the separation of state and monarchy (during the 18th-century in the UK).
    In the UK, the royal family are super-wealthy, and much of that wealth has arisen via their ancestors, and not all acquired honestly. We may decry that, but whether right or wrong by our moral code, such were the “rules” of the day – and good legislation is not retrospective. But not all the royals’ money comes from their ancestors; much comes from business activity – whether that’s things like the Duchy of Cornwall or the late Queen dealing in racehorses.
    So yes, perhaps the royal family should not be so wealthy, but at least these days they have relatively little opportunity to have their hands in the till.
    Result: win for monarchy
  4. Property. Do not run away with the notion that everywhere the UK royals live is theirs. Many (most?) of the properties belong to the state (Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Holyrood House, Kensington Palace), and some belong to the royal dukedoms (eg. Highgrove is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, and hence is now under Prince William’s control but not ownership). Only a few properties are actually owned by the royal family per se: eg. Sandringham, Balmoral.
    Result: a draw
  5. Popularity. This is where having a president may be preferable. With an unpopular, inept or corrupt monarch it is almost impossible to get rid of them; although most monarchies are constitutional (or parliamentary) and the head of state can do relatively little damage. On the other hand an unpopular president can be removed at the next election; but in the meantime will often have more power to do untold damage – see events of recent years in the US.
    Result: a draw
  6. Tourism. The British Monarchy is well respected abroad, a profitable brand, and our pageantry is second to none. Which all brings in tourists – and hence money – from around the globe. This is much less likely to happen with a president: for instance, boring motorcades are much more likely than horse-drawn gilded coaches.
    Result: win for monarchy
  7. Partisanship. Most monarchs, and the late Queen was an exemplar of this, are above partisanship. Whereas presidents, almost by definition, will always be partisan. Monarchs are not involved in the day-to-day activity of government; by contrast a president is so often the head of government and has day-to-day control – so there is no-one outside government to try to see the bigger picture and provide impartial advice.
    Monarchs generally offer steady, self-effacing leadership, whereas grubby politicians come and go, they cut deals, and win elections by dividing their country.
    Result: win for monarchy

So in my estimation, a monarchy wins 4-0. But as always YMMV.

Sources

beliefs, current affairs

On Freedom of Speech

To paraphrase a comment I saw elsewhere …

A freelance sports commentator has been told by a company he works for how he may and may not make comments, unrelated to his work, on his social media; and he is not being contracted until he agrees. This appears to be an outrageous political stitch-up in which the spine-less company has kowtowed to an increasingly Fascist government in an attempt to suppress free speech.

I’m not going into the realms of who is involved (we all know the current brouhaha) nor who said what and to whom.

But we need to get one thing straight …

FREE SPEECH IS SACROSANCT

I am entitled to my opinion, and to express that opinion. If you dislike it, that’s your problem and reflects on you, not me. I am not, and cannot be, responsible for your beliefs, actions, emotions etc. We none of us can control the brains of another.

And vice versa … If you say something I dislike or disagree with, that’s my problem. I can choose to be publicly (or privately) annoyed or I can stop and think. Even if I fundamentally disagree with you, you are entitled to have and express your opinion. And, as I have said on may occasions, I will defend this right to the last.

If I believe, as I do, that the government are a bunch of pathetic, self-serving c*nts I have the right to say so. I don’t expect them to agree with me; that is their problem and their privilege; it does not entitle them (or any third party) to muzzle me.

How about we all just grow up!

current affairs

London Bridge

1 Comment

London Bridge is Down

Such apparently was the code to be used to announce Queen Elizabeth II’s death to court and government.

The Queen is dead!
God save the King!

OK, I’m not going to rehash any of the general outpouring of grief, reflection and remembrance that appears to be gripping the country – as regular readers know, such is not my style.

My comment is really just that this does feel somewhat surreal.

I’m old enough to have now lived in the reign of three monarchs. I was just a year old when George VI died, so although “I was there” I remember nothing of it. Nor do I remember QEII’s coronation in June 1953, when I would have been 2½ – although I’m told I was taken to a neighbour’s to watch the event on TV.

So effectively I have only ever known Elizabeth II as monarch. She was there; always; “part of the furniture” as it were. And it seemed she always would be there; like the Queen Mother before her she seemed immortal – and then suddenly she wasn’t.

What struck me as odd was how quickly it all happened. OK, so the Queen was frail, but on Tuesday she was meeting the outgoing and incoming Prime Ministers (admittedly at Balmoral, making them travel) and looking frail; and two days later suddenly she’s gone, with effectively no real warning. One had expected that her demise would be drawn out over maybe a week of final illness. So perhaps all was not as good underneath as it seemed, and her “mobility issues” were as much to do with (say) heart or cancer as just worn out joints. No doubt the truth will emerge – eventually.

There will, naturally, be a period of national mourning at least until the state funeral, which is unlikely before Monday 19 September (what a security nightmare that will be). Fortunately there are fairly advanced plans in place which can be rolled out – albeit with many final details to be resolved – the logistics are essentially already in place (this is one role of the Earl-Marshal and the College of Arms, qv. for items on protocol). It is going to be very interesting to see what gets cancelled, postponed or closed over the coming days.

So now we have King Charles III. I admit I thought until a year or so ago that he’d probably duck and we’d go straight to William, although I came to the conclusion that Charles wouldn’t pass. I’ve also come away from the view that Charles might abdicate in favour of William after 5 or 10 years; I now don’t think he will do that either, although he may reassess this if his health deteriorates.

Many thought Charles would not reign as Charles III, given the history of Charles I and Charles II. But I thought it unlikely he’d choose to be known as anything other than Charles (in the way his grandfather, Albert Frederick Arthur George aka. King George VI, had).

And so to a Coronation. It’ll be a few months away, they say. No, it will be many months away. The late Queen’s coronation took almost 18 months to arrange, and I can’t see Charles’s being any easier (if nothing else it will be an even bigger security nightmare). So it is very unlikely before this time next year, and they’d want to avoid the anniversary of the Queen’s death, as well as having left a suitably respectful period. They’ll also want to avoid the winter weather, as any coronation is a big display of pageantry. So my money is on Spring/early Summer 2024. We shall see.

A new monarch will mean a lot of work for quite a few businesses. All the printed copies of the national anthem have to be updated; potentially hymn books and prayer books; all government document formats and websites; all royal warrants; many flags (especially if the Royal Standard is changed). Not to mention commemorative merchandise, especially for a coronation. The list goes on and on and … That could well keep the country out of the otherwise impending recession – let’s not say the Queen didn’t always do her best for us!

And eventually our money and postage stamps will need to be updated. That though will take time; there’s no great rush as the precedent is for existing money to continue to be legal tender for years to come (basically until it has to be withdrawn through wear and tear). Stamps are likely to happen sooner; but again there’s no great rush and existing stocks can probably be used for some while – the challenge will be any upcoming commemoratives, including Christmas stamps.

Meanwhile …

RIP Queen Elizabeth.
God save the King!

We do indeed live in interesting times.

current affairs

Imperial Measurements Consultation

In a move typical of obfuscatory government everywhere, on Friday 3 June, a public holiday, the UK government slipped out a purported consultation on the suggestion of the UK reverting from metric to Imperial measurements.

I’m not going to rehearse the arguments here – I have better things to do, like cook dinner. However my polite response is basically: If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.

The current system isn’t broken; it doesn’t need to be changed; although it could be improved by removing the last vestiges of Imperial measurements which remain.

You can find the consultation at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/choice-on-units-of-measurement-markings-and-sales. The consultation is open until 26 August (which you also aren’t told except hidden in the documentation).

Anyone may respond: so please do.

H/T Martin McKee, @martinmckee on Twitter.