A TWO-TIER SOCIETY? THANK GOD FOR THAT!

                                       

                                   A TWO-TIER SOCIETY?   THANK GOD FOR THAT!

What is it about an international pandemic, the likes of which has never previously been encountered, that causes such a  swathe of vaccine scepticism and conspiracy theories?  Everybody I know has had their first, and in many cases, second jab.  They were pleased and not a little relieved to be informed of the date when they would feel more secure, more positive, more relaxed about just going out.  I realise that I'm referring to people in their sixties and seventies, but this does not give rise to suggestions by conspiracy theorists that our age has diluted our powers of individual thought and that we are easily persuaded by false gods and a herd mentality.

As discussed in previous posts, my views on protesters, be they anti-vaccination or anti-lockdown, are the same.  It appears that the subject or cause matters very little but confrontation, aggressive behaviour  and a destructive agenda remains their calling.  The problem lies in the knock-on effect that bad publicity engenders.  If everybody agreed to be vaccinated the following points wouldn't be up for discussion because we would have 'just got on with it!'

I understand that race, colour and religion have had a lot to do with the low take-up in certain groups of residents.  It is at this point the term 'Human rights' comes to the fore - as it does with boring regularity! Human rights co-exists alongside its bedfellow - Responsibility!  They go hand-in-hand, they are inseparable. If you wish to reject the offer of a vaccination designed to protect you and those you come into contact with then that is your right, But... and it is a big 'But', you also have to accept the limitations incurred by your decision.

As we leave what will hopefully be our last lockdown, the government is cautiously allowing venues to open up once again.  Trials with a limited number of spectators will be taking place at sporting and musical events across England.  These trials will experiment with numbers of attendees, the close proximity of attendees, the wearing and non-wearing of masks etc.  Those attending must also show proof of a negative test.  Where is the problem with this approach?  Surely it is a step in the right direction?  Not to some it seems.  Sadly a measured approach equals the introduction of state surveillance. 

I have to say that  up till now I have never been in favour of identity cards. I felt it was something that was probably needed for 'Johnny foreigner', as they couldn't be trusted anyway - certainly not the French - but that it would be an invasion of our privacy and more to the point, I wouldn't trust the government not to include personal information on the card that the individual was not informed about.  These, however, are strange times and what was good for our previously covid-free world  has changed society and the way we live our everyday lives.  It therefore follows that formerly held views and principles sometimes require a review in line with that change.

As with many aspects of life, the more the great unwashed, the minorities and the left complain, the more I am open to change.  Why should dissenters be allowed into a gathering of say... six or sixty... or six hundred?  I would much prefer to visit a restaurant knowing that all those sitting within the establishment have either been vaccinated or tested.  Surely it is is the 'right' of everybody to feel safe and secure when eating their meal, clapping their team or singing along with their singer of choice? Do I care if 'someone of colour' or someone with a religious hang-up cannot see the bigger picture? Do I care if they are refused entry because of their stubbornness or bloody-mindedness?  No, I do not!

It was not unexpected to note that over 120 church ministers from Anglican and Catholic faiths have urged Boris Johnson not to introduce vaccine certificates, saying they are an 'unethical form of coercion'.  This is  rich coming from a collective cult of like-minded saps steeped in a centuries-old history of sexual abuse. As of today, there has been an announcement of racism within its corridors of power - shock, horror, surprise!  I also note that non-disclosure agreements have been signed prior to 'compensation' being paid to the 'injured' party. This dubious and possibly illegal practice is doubtless implemented in order to prevent any heinous crime committed by one of its 'God-fearing fraternity' finding its way into the public domain.  Where is their god when they need him  - or her - huh?   The UK Equality Watchdog said passports could create a 'two-tier society'.  Well I for one am all in favour of it.  What a joy it would be, sitting amongst those that you feel you have something in common with, those you feel you could be with for a whole evening without the fear of being blown to bits by a suicide bomb detonated by a chap with a rather large grudge and sporting an anti-British shoulder chip to boot! 

Aaaaahhhhhh... I'm just basking in the thought of all the minorities, the misfits, the misguided and the logically-challenged retards who think only of themselves... And the more I think of it, the more I really would  welcome a two-tier society -  the 'Jabs' and the 'Jab-nots'! 

JUST YOUR AVERAGE FAMILY FUNERAL

                                                

                                          JUST YOUR AVERAGE FAMILY FUNERAL   

Before I start on the 'funeral of the day', let me say how glad I was to note that nearly 120,000 like-minded citizens also took to the phone or keyboard and complained about the total overkill of the BBC's coverage last Friday relating to Prince Philip's passing.  I won't go on... no really!, but I only came across the re-scheduled 'House of Games' by chance, before enjoying the final of 'Masterchef ' six days later than expected, the transmission date of which was thankfully announced in advance.

And so, eight days on and the public will be invited to watch the small family funeral take place from  the comfort of their own homes, not only in this country but across the world.  The public are also being discouraged from visiting the family's abode in Windsor.  As I said, it is a small covid-restricted affair limited to thirty people as against the eight hundred that would have attended the do, should that dratted virus not got in the way and buggered up the whole proceedings. 

One comment, made by someone who should know better, caused me a little head shaking prior to an 'Oh dear, oh dear' followed by 'What is the man thinking of?'  This referred to Jeremy Vine musing that the funeral will be attended by thirty 'white' people.  What does he expect, fifteen members of PP's closest to be replaced by Masai Mara warriors, Aborigines, Maoris  and Sikhs in order that the Commonwealth can be represented?  A totally unnecessary comment but sadly to be expected from someone working within the cloistered world of the Black and Asian Broadcasting Corporation.

The media, particularly the Beeb, are constantly dropping the fact that like any 'normal family' holding a funeral during these trying times, masks will be worn and social distancing will be adhered to.  I read that the whole affair will be conducted in an informal manner ie. no military uniforms weighed down by insignia, bangles, baubles and sashes handed out just for who the wearer is/was, though certainly not for genuine involvement with a regiment or service prior to attainment of high military rank.

It was with a wry smile - not the first and certainly not the last - that I noted around 730 soldiers will be in attendance.  730?  I wasn't aware the Army had that many soldiers to call upon, presumably we've brought everyone back from their overseas postings just to be there and make it a jolly good show. Note to Taliban: 'If you're thinking about attacking someone - anyone! - then this weekend would be as good as any, if not better than most I'd say...  'The Arsebishop of Canterbury will be performing the ceremony in the family chapel at the other end of the garden.  PP will be driven to his resting place in a converted Land-Rover he helped design - Oh, and haven't the media laboured that little  point of trivia!  Still, as has been mentioned, it is only a small family do.

What I find amusing is the planning that has gone into who walks alongside who in the cortege. The idea of cousin Peter equidistant between Princes William and Harry makes for mental playfulness!  Does the Lord Chamberlain, who I understand is tasked with organising this low-key, though not low-budget event, envisage a 'set-to' between Wills and H?  One can only imagine the conversation taking place as all and not much sundry make their way in solemn procession...   

W  (Sniffily) 'I see you came alone then, only enough money for one flight now your allowance has been cut?'

H   (Aghast)  'Certainly not!  Me-again... I mean Meghan was advised not to travel on medical grounds due to her condition.'

W   (Mischievously)  'What condition?  Do you mean the condition you've put her in so as to double the number of 'dubious heritage offspring' we'll have in the family, not that Jeremy Vine wouldn't be in chocolate covered clover, or maybe a condition she imposed before you left, just to make sure you abide by her Yankee rules - and the Yank does rule!'

H   (Pretty peeved)  'Good job I'm not wearing school... I mean military uniform or I'd shove my ceremonial sword up your Harris!' 

W   (Sneering mode)  'Netflix deal not looking so rosy Bruv?'

CP   (Enjoying middle, if not centre stage)  'Oh really you two, this is no time to bicker, it's bad enough having Uncle Andrew's little peccadillos  aired in public let alone allowing a Z-lister into an A-listed family...' 

I could go on but then it be called a novel!  CP by the way refers to Cousin Peter... And I am aware that there should be a 'whatsit 'over the first 'e' in cortege, but I'm buggered if I can find it on the keyboard and I've only got so much time left to live!

KEEPING FAITH WITH THE NATIONAL TRUST

                                        

                                      KEEPING FAITH WITH THE NATIONAL TRUST

As of last Monday, 12th April, shops, public houses, hairdressers, outdoor attractions including zoos and gyms reopened across England.  If all goes well and the Covid infection rate does not rise significantly we could be on track for indoor entertainment and leisure activities to recommence during May and June.

One of the major attractions for those with a feel for centuries-old 'grand design' and history will involve visits to a National Trust property.  Over the years I have spent many a pleasurable day or part-day walking around well-staffed buildings, well-kept grounds, exploring woodlands and reading the fascinating histories of various owners and founders who bequeathed their properties to the nation.  It is our heritage, our past that is there to be shared by all. 

Sadly, after the disgusting actions of the great unwashed, unemployed and probably unemployable, statues were torn down in Bristol while the police stood by and watched.  If ever there was a need to fire tear gas or dowse the protesting dross using water cannons then this was it!  But no!  We are talking about 'slavery'.  The very use of the word engenders such emotion - why?  Governments are frightened stiff of upsetting black minorities, police tread with such caution as to be totally ineffectual and the left-wing papers have a field day preaching to their own with articles written by journalists who show absolutely no empathy with the native white resident of these septic isles.

Last September, riding on a groundswell of minority unrest, the National Trust published its findings into its own involvement with slavery.  Anyone with a modicum of common sense - so not groomed at Cambridge, Oxford or the LSE - and a rounded education would be aware that capitalists made their fortunes on the backs of others and slavery was a perfectly legal way of keeping expenditure to the minimum  in centuries past.

The Trust's AGM produced some very heated discussion and a lot of that rarely found 'common sense' was on show for all to listen to.   The view of the average NT visitor was succinctly put by 'Diana from Leicester' who complained that the 'majority of members just want to see beautiful houses and gardens, not have others' opinions pushed down their throats'.   Hear, hear, Diana!  And that is it in a nutshell.  Peter Mitchell, a journalist with The Guardian wrote an article published in the edition dated 12 November 2020.   His piece is, as expected, one long diatribe citing government failings on a more general level, why a group of MP's are questioning the Trust's funding and why slavery is important to our history.   He refers to a fellow scribe by the name of Nesrine Malik. He or she  wrote that  some feel '... the culture of these islands is being stolen from the (implicitly white, native and straight) majority, or indeed the entirety of western civilisation... '  He or she is not wrong, in fact they are very, very right, and bloody fed up with it we are too!  In my opinion, it is the average visitor (mainly white and educated in my experience) who should be listened to, not some miserable hack with an agenda supporting minorities with their pseudo-sensitivities  and skewed ideology!

It goes to show just how trendy the NT has become, they no longer have a chairman, they are led by the cut back version, the politically correct 'chair'!  His name is Tim Parker and, according to The Guardian, he has acknowledged the importance of Black Lives Matters'.  I bet he has!  More than his career is worth to say anything else, but wouldn't it be a joy if he said:  'You know what? I really couldn't give a monkey's if we were totally funded from a family fortune founded on slavery.   We offer great afternoon teas and sell highly sought after plants, cakes and jams.   So stick that up your jacksy and bore the pants off some other like-minded tyke who displays little empathy with Britain or its native white, straight visitor, and who, just like 'Diana of Leicester' merely wishes to have a nice day out!

ANTHONY MANN BOOKS AND CD's

Anthony Mann is an author of books and narrator of CDs that appear under the auspices of Trouser Press Publishing at: www.trouser-press.biz

                                

Good morning, afternoon or evening and welcome to the Anthony Mann blogspot. 

To order books and CD's please visit the above website for details of delivery, postage charges and forms of payment. Thank you.

Anthony's Book and CD catalogue presently comprises the following in date order:

Books 

From Where I Sit   First published 1990, reprinted 2002 , 2009, 2017, 2023, 2024 and 2026.   Price £9.99.         NEWLY  REPRINTED

Written in the forlorn hope that we could have been able to send our youngest son to private school where he wouldn't have had to mix with council house children, unlike our daughter who, despite enjoying a high-ranking in English and geography, still cannot spell properly and hasn't the faintest inkling that Bradford could be in Yorkshire. She knows every street of the way to Nelson Mandela's house. Mind you, living in the Home Counties she hasn't had the benefit of learning traditional children's songs in Urdu.

'Set to become a humour classic... the find of the year' - WH Smith's Bookcase Magazine.  (WH Smith 'Book of the month')

'Liberals with a heart condition beware!' - Croydon Advertiser

As I Was Saying  First published 1992, reprinted 2017.    Price  £7.99            SOLD OUT

I  am indebted to all the newspapers, both national and local, who have provided inspiration to examine in detail certain stories upon which they have reported.

I am indebted to all who became parents and bestowed upon their children an array of imaginative names, not to mention those who ingratiated themselves to the point where I felt compelled to include them within this tome.

'Courageous enough to write what most of us think...' - Surrey Advertiser

'Rude, insensitive, arrogant, self-opinionated, sexist - he is also very, very funny' - Wandsworth Borough News (Author's note:  I particularly warmed to this review!)

'A humorous look at life as it really is' - Croydon Advertiser

The Further Thoughts Of Chair Mann  First published  1999.    Price  £5.99.    SOLD OUT

DO NOT proceed  if you are from the lower classes or a single parent or you are on benefit. Chances are, I'm paying for your copy, which defeats the object of the exercise, so kindly don't buy it and finger Jeffrey Archer instead. On second thoughts, take it. After all, I subsidise your cigarettes, alcohol, lottery tickets and children. Oh, and by the way, for those who are used to getting something for nothing out of life, try something novel - like paying for it on the way out! Who knows, you might just learn a little (there, hope that doesn't sound too pompous).

DO NOT flick through in the hope of finding a section of glossy pages of photos - it's all words, and although it is not joined-up writing, some contain more than one syllable. Thought you should know...

Last Mann Standing    First published 2010, reprinted 2013, 2020, 2023, 2024 and 2026.         Price  £9.99.        NEWLY  REPRINTED

' 

Welcome to the antidote to all that is politically correct.  Packed full of views, observations, anecdotes and jokes, there is hopefully something here for everyone.  Long words, such as 'pulchritudinous' and 'disesttablishmentarianism' for the educated, the highbrow and those who shop at Waitrose, and short words such as 'like' and 'stuff' for those who shop at Asda.  Not to be forgotten - for this is a very 'inclusive' book - there are also three-syllable words for the workshy who came upon them by default and the taxpayers generosity, words like 'ben-e-fit'!

This is an England in decline and whilst I cannot guarantee that by reading this book the country's standards will rise, I think one can say with some certainty that a few blood pressures will!

In Bed With A. Mann Part 1 Pre-Referendum  First published 2018.    Price  £8.99. Currently out of print.  To be reprinted  2026

The entire contents of this book is handwritten, similar in rustic charm to 'hand-battered cod', hand-cut chips and hand-finished pastry. At Trouser Press we pride ourselves on our green credentials.  The paper used for the printing of this book all came from trees that were old anyway and probably from a foreign country - or Yorkshire as some people call it!

The completed work shows no signs being genetically-modified and appears to be lactose tolerant, gluten-free, tallow-free, non-nut allergic, ceoliac resistant and 'ism' free.  You know, all those special needs we never knew we didn't suffer from during the fifties and sixties... happy days... Enjoy! 

In Bed With A. Mann Part II Post-Referendum  First published 2019, reprinted 2023.    Price  £9.99

Life can be likened to two lifts.  The one going up is crammed with political correctness, diversity and health and safety.  The one going down possesses common sense, justice and humour.  Join me as we cogitate, ponder and digest the effects of Brexit, gender reclassification, fridge magnets and the rise in sales of quinoa in Waitrose.

As someone once observed, we should all take a lesson from the weather, as it pays absolutely no attention to criticism!

Remember never to take life too seriously. After all, no-one gets out alive...

Of Mice And Mann  First published 2024, reprinted 2024 and 2026. Price £9.99.        

                                   NEWLY  REPRINTED

From politicians to stand-up comedians, a culture of fear pervades. Shoppers are afraid to discuss the lack of Toilet Duck in their local supermarket in case it offends.  And don't mention minorities, be they ethnic, vegans, travellers or transwhatevers!  Doing so plays into the hands of the anti-social media trolls, the influencers of young guns, who so readily judge with their pack mentality.

Millions of people lost their lives in two world wars so that we had freedom of speech.  We should not give up our right of expression in order to sate the needy, the closeted and the easily offended.  One can still have an opinion - it's called democracy!

CDs:     Please note, the CD's are  double pack (90 minutes play)

A Mann At Last  -  Released 2003 in Audio-tape form. CD in 2006, Re-pressed 2008.    SOLD OUT

A Mann For All Reasons  -  Released 2008, Re-pressed 2013.   Price  £11.99    SOLD OUT

From the under-stated to the over-staffed, the under-blown to the over-estimated, all human life is here - and there.

Enjoy listening as the CD unfolds and all human frailties are exposed. From the under-stated to the over-staffed, the under-blown to the over-estimated, all human life is dissected and reassembled.

'Refreshingly thought provoking'  -  A friend of the author...

It's A Mann Thing   -  Released 2012.   Price  £11.99    SOLD OUT

Anthony's most recent lament on the state of life in (Great) Britain today.

Equality! Political correctness! Tolerance!... You'll find none of it here. News, views and comments on life's little problems... like life itself...     -  The other friend

'A cynical view of these septic Isles'  -  A  friend of a friend...

Also....

You may also be interested in a further book by Anthony Mann's alto ego, Mel Rees:
 
 The Club - An Everyday Story of Trainspotters  First published 1995, Reprinted 2011. Price  £6.99            SOLD OUT

The story concerns a group of similarly dedicated individuals, brought together from many walks of life. The reader follows their every day trials and tribulations which are inevitably entwined with the world of steam, modelling, exhibitions, day trips and a yearning for the past. The result is their membership of the Surbiton Railway Club.

'There is humour found aplenty in Mel Rees's novel, The Club' -  Sunday Express

'There is an honesty about the characters that is refreshing... the story is highly entertaining, I struggled to put it down.'  -  Railway Magazine

'The author has discovered a rich vein of comic drama, a highly readable story unfolds. David Shepherd's appearance adds a further touch of authenticity to a believable story.' -  British Railway Modelling

I KNOW IT'S NOT HIS FAULT, BUT ...

                                              

                                                    I KNOW IT'S NOT HIS FAULT, BUT ...

Two days ago, Friday 9th April 2020, Prince Philip died at one of the Royal family's main abodes - I know not where nor care where.  As will be obvious from reading previous posts, my care for the Royals in general is careworn.  

He was  however, the British Queens husband and consort.  He supported his wife in her duties as monarch for the entirety of their marriage until a few years ago when advancing age and health issues forced him into a more retiring position within the household.  I have nothing against his loyalty to his wife, her status and our country. Indeed, I have a certain amount of admiration for his ability to be his own man and publicly make comments that have upset the politically correct, those obsessed with racial flippancy in speech and thought, and the poor saps who detest anyone who has the effrontery to think and speak outside the Royal box.

Whilst aware of the grief felt by members of his family and those close to him, the passing at some stage in the future by Jeff Lynne, founder of ELO and Alan Parsons of Alan Parsons Project fame, will have far more bearing on my sorrow than someone who lived a very privileged life at the taxpayers' expense and will be remembered in my books as a man who had the gall to be a 'founding father ' of the World Wildlife Fund yet took great delight in killing India and Africa's finest  not to mention several thousand grouse, pheasants and possibly a few peasants who happened to get in the way and bit the bullet - literally!  Mind you, those incidences are probably easier to cover up than that of his former daughter-in-law!  Joke!! See previous post 'Of Arrogant Red Coated Ticks And Other Killers' (27 Dec 2020).

What upset me on Friday had nothing to do with his passing but everything to do with the coverage by television companies, especially the BBC. It was wall-to-wall blanket overdosing on the man's life and times.  I am aware that to some misguided souls who flag-wave their way through Royal weddings and funerals this particular death is more newsworthy than that of Mrs Isla White late of Bonchurch, Isle of Wight, or a whimsically named Val Crow... or Phyllis Stein... or for the men... Ewan Mee... I know, I know, but it's fun.

I am also aware that unless you commit suicide you cannot really be in control of deciding which day you die. I attempted to miss the news about his passing through all media.  No radio, no television, no messages nor articles on my phone, I avoided the lot.  Imagine my surprise and utter disbelief when I switched on BBC2 at 6pm for 'House of Games' to discover that the episode, the final episode of the week, had been either cancelled or postponed.   If it has been postponed, there was no mention of when the recording will be shown. Bloody cheek!  The cheek became bloodier when I learned that 'Masterchef - The Final' (another final!) had also been shifted to another day, though probably not lost as in the manner of HoG!  

Both BBC1 and BBB2 shared/duplicated content of Prince Philip's death until late evening - and probably later if I'd bothered to look.  I tuned into channel 9 - BBC4  - only to observe a statement telling all those in search of something... anything unrelated to the Prince's badly mis-timed death, that services were suspended.   Why?   In all truthfulness, I was disgusted by the scheduling.   The ludicrous assumption that the world and its dog would be interested in PP's life and times for more than a cursory 'Oh he's gone, has he... ' is arrogance personified.  Yes, I rang the BBC and complained, no-one listened, but then it was a message left on the answering machine, but I felt all the better for making the call. I'm still disgusted by their stance.   Unbelievable!  I wonder how many others lost the will to live and follow his example?

I have noted that the funeral is to be next Saturday and that it will take place in private with the maximum 30 mourners.   Arranged for 3pm it clashes with football matches, so it is they that will have to change their kick-off times - more inconvenience, but hey-ho!  Prince Harry - is he still a prince or plain Mr Markle (Junior) these days? - will be flying over in his private jet - that's climate conscious of him - arrogant freeloader!   'Me-again' will not be joining him on advice from the medical authorities due to her being up the duff, a move that solidifies her access to greater and longer-term funding when/if he comes to his senses and finally finishes with she of little outlaw loyalty but great skills in guile and opportunism!

Someone made the astonishing comment, when discussing the Beeb's scheduling that I lacked 'Soul'!  Can you believe that?  Soul, or 'heart' is reserved exclusively for those you love, not those you've little time for or in common with. 

Note to Queen: Sad as it will be for a large percentage of the country's population, the day will come for you to make a move upwards, downwards or... who knows where or even if... But the day of reckoning will come, no-one escapes death, so just one tiny favour please...  Please...  Double please...  Pretty please...  Don't die on a Friday and bugger up my evening's entertainment.  Thursday is my preferred choice as there is generally little football played on a Thursday so disruption would be minimised. Thanking you in anticipation of not being as cavalier as your other half!   Signed 'Irritated of Ash Vale'.

COME FLY WITH ME... OR PREFERABLY - DON'T BOTHER!

                

             COME FLY WITH ME...  THOUGH PREFERABLY  - DON'T BOTHER!

Now I have to own up to the fact that I do not possess a passport.  I did, but it ran out sometime in the early naughties.  My last flight to foreign climes was 1999 or 2000 when I flew to Canada for a trek by rail, taking the route from Toronto to Vancouver before flying back home from the west coast to London Heathrow Airport.  My only flights since that time have been to the Isle of Man, the last of which must be ten years ago at least.   All the aforementioned proves is that I am not a 'Frequent Flyer'!

With the above in mind it is somewhat comforting to know that I am not out of step with the average Brit, or for that matter the average overseas chap or chappess.  It would appear that around one per cent of English residents are responsible for just under twenty per cent of all overseas flights.  The term 'English resident' does not infer that the the bloatedly rich traveller is indeed English, merely that he or she is a resident.  I do wish these surveys would reflect origin, race, colour, religion... oh and possibly if they are partial to Gala Pie, the latter statistic being only for personal interest.

Following on from the initial one per cent statistic, it appears that ten per cent of flyers took over fifty per cent of flights, twenty per cent took seventy per cent while all flights were taken by just fifty-two per cent. 

I have long advocated against the expansion of not only Heathrow Airport but any airport.  It is without doubt one of the most wasteful industries in the world.  Oh what joy it was to witness the whinging, whining  and wringing of hands of those involved in the aviation industry during the early days of the first lockdown.  The demands for government handouts, the call for international flights to continue, and if they couldn't, resume with undue haste? And for what?   To deliver more travellers around the world spreading covid faster than hospitals can play catch-up?  Those in charge of airports and airlines think only of the bottom line of their balance sheet.  It would have been seen as a much stronger government if we had stopped all flights in and out of Britain at the start of the pandemic and still not opened our borders to this day, and beyond. 

For once I am agreement with the Green Party.  I would introduce a tax on frequent flyers, they are contributing heavily towards the worlds pollution, they should pay accordingly.  I also agree with stopping the air-miles incentives, they are akin to 'Buy two get one free' type promotions available in supermarkets throughout the land on a daily basis.

It's not as if air travel, be it to exotic destinations such as The Seychelles, The Bahamas or Leeds/Bradford fills you with any sense of longing.  The very thought of spending three hours queuing at check-in some five hours before your flight is actually scheduled to depart, sipping undrinkable tea purchased from a licensed bandit who pays the airport's owners a fortune just to build his grubby little retail booth and then 'served' by some servile youth whose accent you can't understand fair blows the mind and no mistake!   

You then look forward to your flight, hoping that take-off will be without incident, you know the sort of thing, a suicide bomber, they can generally be relied upon to disrupt any airborne journey, not to mention the in-flight entertainment film that you've just got into as you never saw 'The Remains of the Day' first time round. Then there's those who should never be allowed to fly, the under 16's.  It gets worse as the age decreases, right down to babies - screeching, screaming screwed up faces with yet-to-be-formed social graces who constantly demand breast milk from mummy... well it used to be mummy,  I suspect any nipple will do in our unrestrained world of rights and bent genders. 

As if the above isn't enough, you spend the duration of the holiday hoping your wallet, phone and passport remain in your possession whilst you wander round the ancient streets of some dirty, decrepit, town masquerading as a tourist attraction, before the flight back to Blighty.  If only you could feel some respite on touchdown, but no!  You then queue to disembark after what seems an inordinately long time sitting within touching distance of home turf. Twenty minutes then passes before your luggage has been delivered by some uncaring set of oafs to the carousel.  Another twenty minutes ensues until your own hoves into view, but your wait has been so long, through that now-glazed weariness you miss it and have to wait for it to come around again, yours being the last off the plane - naturally!

And finally, finally the end is in sight, if not the exit.   This is where you push your trolley through customs hoping beyond hope that you are going to be let back into your country of birth by some bugger who doesn't originate from these shores and has the audacity to ask if you have anything to declare, other than your sanity, and that was doubtful once you'd made the decision to go abroad in the first place! 

Given the option, a six mile queue on the M25 at Clacket Lane Services would still my preferred form of  misery, at least there will be a Sainsbury's selling Gala Pie at the end of motorway rainbow be it Kent or Essex... aaaahhhhh... food heaven, and not a bazaar in thought or sight...

PASSPORT TO PIMLICO

                                                            

                                                            PASSPORT TO PIMLICO...  

During my now early morning habit of swiping my mobile phone for basic news, my attention was drawn to an article in The Guardian regarding an ongoing race row.  Written by a journalist called Nazia Parveen  it tells of unrest felt by pupils at Pimlico Academy in London.  Apparently back in September 2020 the little loves, you know, those with a chip on their shoulders the size of a plank, tore down a Union Jack that had been erected outside their school and took it to a large nearby housing estate and burnt it.  The reason for this vandalism was due to their fact that they felt the flag was insensitive and inappropriate and that  it should be removed.  Funnily enough, that attitude is exactly why if I had children of school age now I would move heaven and earth for them never to attend a school populated with oiks like that and work all hours to send them to a private school.  

Over half of the school's pupils are residents of this ghastly blot on anyones landscape.  I have viewed photos of the building blocks that make up the ironically named 'Churchill Gardens Estate', it is truly depressing.   I didn't see mention of it in the article, but surely there is, has been or will shortly be, a petition to rid the ghetto... sorry, sorry... estate of any reference to one of Britains finest?   One of Britains finest 'Whites', that is!  It's a hop and a skip, let alone a jump away from slavery when mention is made of Britains Second World War Saviour.  I do not look forward to, but expect the day when it is renamed 'The BAME Estate' or the 'The BLM Estate'... Perhaps 'Black Pride Gardens' might be more endearing to the residents.  I was going to say 'ratepayers', but I wonder how many do contribute to the services they so readily criticise?  Or what about the 'Windrush Estate'!  Now that's more like it, though I can just see some wag painting the following underneath the name board: 'Where were the U-Boats when you needed them!  

It was a month before the flag burning incident that the pupils started a petition against the schools' newly imposed and allegedly strict uniform policy.  No doubt seen as invoking their human rights, the sad saps were upset that hairstyles should not be full to the point of blocking the view of pupils sitting behind them. What on earth is wrong with that, other than being told to do something they didn't want to do.  More interested in their rights than someone elses ability to see the blackboard no doubt.  Did I just write the word 'blackboard'!  I'm so so sorry, I promise on Nelson Mandela's life - and not overly-recent death - that I will in future refer to all coloured  boards as just 'boards'!  Oh how cleansed I feel, purged of guilt, free from accusations of anti-wokery...  or it could be that I really couldn't give a monkey's and it will forever be a blackboard, though 'giving a monkey's' could be a vote-loser in parts of our once great capital and the main reason why, as a Battersea Boy, I rarely soil my shoes in that dirty, drug, knife, gun and generally crime-ridden hole that London has become.

Another of the schools' policies involved colourful hijabs and the management's desire to restrict the degree of brightness of this headgear. Another complaint centred around the lack of black and ethnic history being taught and focusing on British kings and queens.  Unbelievable!   An un-named teacher who resigned over the issue said, 'If you are only hearing the perspective of the white, middle classes - it becomes very restrictive and shuts off our ability to build empathy with those from different backgrounds - it becomes isolating for students from minority backgrounds.'   I'd love to meet this ex-teacher and very glad she wasn't teaching my children!   As is all too common in this country now, any request to an ethnic minority to conform to a traditional school theme  is immediately perceived as racist, pupils claiming that new policies penalise Muslims and those with afro hairstyles.  The petition shows exactly who has the say in school management, and it certainly isn't the managers, more a case of the monkeys being in charge of the zoo... what's that I hear you say?   You can't use that phrase for fear of upsetting somebody?  Tough!!

The petition, according to the quote in The Guardian reads: 'We as students have the right to express ourselves however we choose, and also have the right to have our natural hair whether it be big hair (or) small hair or loads of facial hair or no facial hair'.  Notice the use of the word 'rights' - twice it features,  and that is the crux of the matter.   No thought to smartness, pride in collective manner, discipline... OBEYING THE RULES!... oh no... its rights that count for the ethnic  not-so-small minority.  Deference to migrants decades ago has wrought havoc within what we termed 'British Society'.   Doffing our collective caps to every minority group that throws an anti-colonial tantrum leads to the slippery slope of change, and for what?  Surely there is more to running our third world country than spending/wasting time and money on placating and pacifying those that struggle with our culture and society.   If I was confronted by one of the baying hounds of self-serving cultural inadequacy I'd mention, very politely of course, that there is an alternative to the constant sneering and sniping that manifests itself from the likes of the pupils and parents who signed this petition.   The alternative is simple and appropriate to anyone of any colour or race - if you don't like it here you don't have to stay...  Bugger off to pastures new, they are always greener, so I understand.  Why are we so soft in this country?   Gutless, absolutely gutless!  

With such 'diversity' in south west London, I wonder just how much longer will it be before a passport is indeed required to visit the inner sanctums of the 'Republic of Pimlico' - twinned no doubt with Kingston, Jamaica!