Category: Politics

Chariot U.N. resolution #1

Ever fancied being a high flying diplomat?

How about having your children’s education at one of the best colleges in the world paid for, a Caribbean holiday perhaps,  a Maserati or one of these Rolex watches that Tiger Woods promotes?

Now’s your chance!

We are voting on:

a no fly zone over some tinpot dictators country but wait, theirs more we can also decide if we should allow “all necessary measures… while excluding an occupation force”, to be taken to protect  civilians.

There’s a whole load of waffle first and a load more at the end but the above paragraph is the important bit! You can read the other stuff here.

Vote now, too late I’ve closed it 🙂

So, what do we think?

Education or Instruction?

Some time ago I posted a piece with the title It’s Hell For Democracy. Based on the writings of C.S. Lewis, part of its intent was to show that contemporary thinking and criticisms on society are rarely the outcome of original thought. In the post Lewis’s thoughts on education are truly contemporary and yet he published them some 40 years ago. While researching something else I became distracted by a reference to an article on education. The attraction was the in the title Knowledge is not a shovel – Universities and democratic society.

The primary aim of education, however one understands it, must be to nurture the ability to reflect, to develop new ideas, and to implement these collectively, writes Gesine Schwan. Cognitive multilingualism is the only way to prevent the specialization of knowledge narrowing our horizons to an extent that results in structural irresponsibility.

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Blasphemy – For and Against

Firstly, I’ll declare my own stance – I’m all for it! But as a Douglas Adams card holding athiest, I would be!

I was driving all the way to Peterborough this morning, not something that inspires Godly thoughts on the best of days, when I listened to a debate on Radio 5 Live that nearly had me apoplectic with rage. It was a serious debate caused by the assasination of a christian minister in Pakistan. If I was technically adept I would insert a nice BBC news hyperlink here, maybe Bearsy can oblige?

A serious issue of course, and my thoughts go to his family. But really, what did he expect in such a medieval country? I thought Christians grew out of being martyrs a couple of centuries ago, when common sense kicked in. Did he really think he’s made a difference? It would certainly stop me wanting to be one! Continue reading “Blasphemy – For and Against”

Identity – where is one from and where does one belong

Firstly, my apologies for taking so long in making my debut blog. You are all so impressive and deal with this phenomenon of internet communication so easily that I am a little scared of looking silly, stupid, naive and not worthy. But, you are a kind lot too so I shall try!

I have always been fascinated by national identity and migration – it one of the few things I actually studied with interest at QMW in the early 90’s. I have often asked myself the same question and the answer seems to differ as to the context and timing and where I am at the time.

In the Chariot we have a wonderful collection of well travelled and well educated people, including many who no longer reside in the same country as their birth.

I am also a ‘typical’ man in my love of sport this passion often links in when people who know me ask “for whom did you cheer in last night’s game?”

The Norman Tebbit test doesn’t seem to apply to me which I find odd as I was born in England, live in England and have one of the hideous purple EU UK (EUSSR for Bearsy!) passports.  I have a wonderful home counties accent, a grammar school education and work for Her Majesty (I crossed my fingers behind my back when I started – I revel in being a hypocrite!)

Does that still make me English? It should but it doesn’t seem to. I don’t feel English, and I dislike an awful lot about this country and would love to live elsewhere, which I would were it not for my children. I’m certainly not a European, although I adore so much of it as I was lucky enough as a child to be shown so much of it.

Another useful and interesting debate I often use in conversations concerns human nature. I, living in the East Midlands, would naturally support a fellow east midlander in a theoretical debate that was location based against another part of England, say Manchester. However, I would be on the side of the Mancunian in a debate with a Scot. Then, I’d support a Scot over a Frenchman (or woman), then any European over an American. What is it about our psyche that causes this?

So I ask all of you ex-pats and succesfully mobile people here in the Chariot – is where from now more important as to what your identity is? Do you still introduce yourself as your birth identity?

I’d be fascinated in your thoughts as to who we all are!

Two Political Quizzes

Click above to take the worlds smallest political quiz

Clicking on the above takes you to worlds smallest political quiz (10 questions).  This a site run by The Advocates for Self Government .  It’s a reasonable conclusion that these advocates are ‘libertarians’ and yet there is little evidence that any political administration is capable of being anything but ‘authoritarian’.

Clicking on either of the two graphics below takes you to a more detailed test devised by  The Political Compass .  In theory both tests should produce the same result.

The problem that I have with such tests is what I see as a naïve transposition of views into contemporary society, when they were not even valid in the historic context claimed for them.

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Our Australian Prime Minister is a Liar

We have our very own Tony Blair.

Julia Gillard said before the election, on TV (video clip here), in words of one syllable, that her future government would not introduce a carbon tax.   In the last few days, she has introduced a carbon tax.   Worse than this, she is entirely unrepentant about doing what she said she wouldn’t, and she further claims that “the Australian people support her”.   Which, naturally, they don’t. Continue reading “Our Australian Prime Minister is a Liar”

The Political Wife : Going back

Part One can be found here.

Going back

She drifted in New York. The first week away was a blur and she alternated between frantic socialising and staying in her room at the hotel and cutting herself off. She did not allow herself to think too deeply about anything, and her future was just that, the future; something to be considered but not just yet.

She felt no guilt whatsoever;  no emotional turmoil, no regrets, no self- recrimination. Nothing.  She just lived for the moment and slept when she felt cut off from humanity. She refused any contact with home and moved through New York in a disconnected way. She enjoyed it but despised the shallowness whilst acknowledging her inability to connect with humanity in more than superficial and selfish sort of way. She slept off the excesses and did not dream.

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Cognitive Teasing or Quantitative Easing?

Quantitative Easing supposes to improve the economy through purchase of British Government bonds (gilts) and high quality (investment grade) bonds from private sector companies (banks, pension funds, insurance companies and non-financial institutions). By doing this the Bank is able to inject money directly into the economy and the companies that need it. This is in the belief that printing money and rising prices mean that they are creating value. But wait a minute ‘purchase government bonds’? That is, buy gilts to provide the exchequer with money that the government needs to meet a budget deficit! Gilts that creat more debt that the government needs to honour in terms of returning any capital invested plus any promised interest. A debt serviced through taxation. An article by Frank Chodorov with the title Don’t buy Government Bonds puts it this way: –
Continue reading “Cognitive Teasing or Quantitative Easing?”

Assimilation depends on a shared sense of national pride

If we radiate no sense of pride, no community of identity, we make it much harder for settlers to want to belong. If we deride and traduce the concept of patriotism, if we teach that the nation-state is finished, if we affect to believe that British history was a hateful chronicle of racism and exploitation, if we insist that we’re all Europeans now, we can hardly be surprised if people – whether long-settled or the children of immigrants – begin to cast around for alternative identities.

Article here

Continue reading “Assimilation depends on a shared sense of national pride”