A Pig on the Wing

Let's all ignore the past six months in a very nonchalant manner. Good, now that that's over...

Here's a thought: lesbians.

Here's an altogether, much deeper and profound thought: at what point do two seemingly compatible ideals clash?

If you completely missed the title, I am a Socialist, and all that comes with it. I'm also a Welsh Patriot, and a Liberalist. All good and fine? Here's the problem:

I try not to use the word "extreme" to describe my Socialist beliefs; I'm not about to blow myself up in the hope of getting half a million virgins to join me in the Great Gig in the Sky, so "strong" will have to do. Either way, a tenet of Socialism is the nationalisation, i.e. state control, of banks (ha!), utilities and businesses. Sounds good so far.

But Liberalism, by its very definition, means that everyone is free to think, say, and do as they please. So would I, as a hypothetical Head of State, have the right to take control of a business, and prevent it from trading, for whatever reason, for "the greater good"? And I know this idea has been milked so much that the cow resembles my bedroom floor after my 18th (and please don't throw Harry Potter at me, those books are big, and likely to hurt).

The question of a state also comes into it, though to a lesser extent: this all makes the state much more powerful, yet I would see no national boundaries, and the reduction of state power. Though please note that I can get around the whole Wales thing by pointing out the difference between, what I perceive as "patriotism" and "nationalism": I'm a patriot, not a nationalist. I think I've explained the difference, to me, somewhere on here, if not, I'm sure I'll get around to it at some point between now and the inevitable time when I see a bucket and get the uncontrollable urge to kick it.

But I digress.

This is the underlying problem with all ideals: to what extent are they compatible? I've always said that we're all hypocrites, myself included; how else can you describe a nihilist or existentialist (Sartre and Camus eat your hearts out. Oh wait, you're both dead... Moving swiftly on...) who sees absolutely no point or value in suicide?

Who wins in the battle of ideals? What is more important? Economic and Social fairness, or total freedom (which, incidentally, could lead straight to Capitalism. Argh!)? My gut says freedom, within a society with no government, or bureaucratic red tape that stopped me from expressing my opinion properly for 18 years, in a sort of Marxist/Socialist state that works properly, i.e. a Socialist Utopia, which I'll get around to defining properly one of these days, even if it is essentially unworkable.

Of course, there is a total compromise between them all, it's called "New Labour," apparently.

Oh shit.


Anyway, to end on a lighter note, tune in in approx. 24 hours for the first ever Christmas Special! That is, if I remember to write it...

Come In Here, Dear Boy, Have A Cigar

What the? That's what, four days since the last one? Shit, I am bored...

Anyway, was reading Nick Robinson's (of "didn't know you cared," to George Bush fame) BBC Blog earlier, and he had an interview with that pompous git of a Shadow Chancellor, George Osborne. Most of what was said consisted of the usual Tory moaning and whining, but one phrase, surprisingly, stuck with me: "David Cameron and the modern Conservatives." Admittedly, it may have been used before, but I hadn't heard it. Then again, I don't like wading through shit.

Either way, there was something about the phrase that hit me. Ignoring the lack of a capital letter for "modern," which could make everything I'm about to say redundant, it stuck me as the type of stunt that we've seen all before.

Ok, New Labour really were "New," but only in the sense that that 19th century vacuum cleaner you bought to replace the aging, yet fixable old one, was "new." What we got was the same old fan propelling the same old shit down our throats, and the continued decline of socialism. So maybe not "'New' Labour," but perhaps "'Different' Labour."

Either way, they'd changed. So how are the "Modern Conservatives" (or "modern Conservatives," if you insist) going to change? A sudden sharp turn to the left? Yeah right. To the right, then? If they go any further right, as their hilarious actions in Europe are suggesting, they might as well merge with the fucking BNP. Wonderful.

Like it or not (I'd like to emphasise the word "not" as much as possible), the Tories are getting in, and we know what happened last time. Thatcher's continued murder of Socialism goes unstopped, and the island's fucked. Just as New Labour didn't win any votes in 1997, they just got the vote against the Tories, so too will the "Modern Conservatives" will the anti-Labour vote this time around.

This two party system pretty much sums up my whole distrust and suspicion of party politics. Until there is a strong, Left Wing party, my views will never be represented in that mad house. Society's too fucking big.

Which incidentally, makes Welsh independence all the more vital, neatly bringing every aspect of the title here.

Or something like that, I started watching Monty Python half way through, and completely lost track of my trail of thought...

You Never Talk To Me

Holy shit, it's a post!

... Or something like that. No, you're not getting a detailed life story of what happened in the however many months that I haven't posted. Even I don't give a shit what happened, so I see no reason why anyone else should.

Nor am I going to go on about the racist cunts getting in in those elections. To be perfectly honest, I don't know what to say that hasn't been said already. Eggcept (pathetic, I know...) a major congratulations to the guys who threw the eggs. They should make that a sport, National Throw an Egg at a Racist Day. I'm in.

Instead, let's talk about the other recent election - the Speaker of the House of Commons. I was sad enough to watch it, and got extremely annoyed at the incessant bowing and hat taking off. Bloody House of Lords...

Anyway, as soon as Jack Straw got tennis elbow and the event drew to a close, the real business began. The verdict? I don't like him. There's something about him that makes me uneasy, though I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's the lingering knowledge that he was a member of the Monday Club, and no matter how far left he's turned since then (though let's be honest, New Labour isn't exactly left-wing), having that type of history is an immediate cause for suspicion.

Or maybe it's the patronising way he conducted Prime Minister's Questions yesterday. He let that "debate" about public investment go on far too long, it was utterly obvious that both Brown and Cameron were just repeating themselves, and it ended up as pointless point scoring (yes, that was pathetic too...). Bring back Betty!

Still, give the guy a chance, I suppose - it's not as if we get a say. All depends on how far he goes to reform the place. Which, inevitably, won't be far enough.

On a related note, let's hope the SNP win Michael Martin's Glasgow (East? West? Does it matter? One of them, anyway) seat. Though they'll likely have another chance soon, with a General Election on the way. On the plus side, I'll finally get a chance to vote, on the down side, the Tories are going to win. Shit. Usually, in this type of situation, I'd probably advocate an election, but not if it means the Tories get in. I genuinely don't understand why anyone would want to vote for those slimy, bloodthirsty gits.

Oh well. Maybe I'll move to Switzerland and live as a hermit for the rest of my life.

Read more >> Options >>

Keep Talking

I won't lie, I doubt this will be any more regular than in recent months. Fuck it, I won't apologize, it's not as if there are any regular readers.

Anyway, death comes closer, stupid stuff happens, and nothing changes. Granted, a lot has happened since the last post, but come on. Do you really need me to tell you that the end of 8 years of total stupidity is nigh?

Wait! Was that a reference to current affairs?

Ok, I'm not going to go on about Obama - the blog title should tell you that I supported him over McCain and the Palin woman. I stayed up to watch it, yes, and I was happy with the result. I'm not one of those Obama worshippers, though. Oh no, those rallies you Americans have scare me. I mean, great public speakers holds massive uplifting rallies - what could possibly go wrong?

No, don't worry, I don't think Obama's going to invade Mexico. But I do think that people are expecting a bit much of him, and following him blindly. Let's be critical. Let's be cautious. But most of all, let's be patience. He's going to inherit one fucked up country - "change" won't come straight away. There are echoes of Jimmy Carter here, and look what happened after him.

Anyway, let's look at things more positively - Sarah "I learned my history from The Flintstones" Palin has been kept away from the White House. If you'll excuse the following terrible and hypocritical pun - thank god. If there is anyone reading this who can vote in America, know this - that woman must never be given power. Never. There is no justification to let those who ignore basic scientific fact in favour of upholding a made up story. Not to mention the whole pro-life/death penalty thing. Sorry, but that is just stupid.

Oh yeah, and the world economy is fucked. I think i'll finish by giving all the capitalists in the room a message -

We told you so.

Your Wisemen Don't Know How It Feels To Be Thick As A Brick

I'll be honest, I'd nearly forgotten about this. No problem, no regular readers. Anyway, someone at these forums I'm a member of drew my attention to this, and I thought "sod it, let's write again!"

Of course, like any good writer, I decided to look over my previous work. And what did I find? Stupid mistakes. I even spotted the cringeworthy their/they're mistake at one point. I can't be bothered to change it, but it does highlight a personality quirk, flaw, whatever you want to call it, that I have.

"Oh, I was thick back then."

I'm always saying it, or some sort of variation of it. And "back then" isn't even a long time, only a matter of months in this case. And in a few months time I'll look back over this and call myself "thick" (my word of choice for "idiotic" or "dumb", if only for the Jethro Tull reference). Is it embarrassment? I don't think so. I rarely, if ever get embarrassed; I simply don't care enough.

But I have noticed that I have a strange need to justify all my actions. That's not to say that I don't have my whimsical moments (who doesn't?), but I often find that everything I do needs some sort of excuse.

I don't think it's a guilt thing either, since most of these actions aren't anything to feel guilty over (that said, I am prone to feeling extremely guilty over nothing), but it's as if I never want to be in a situation where I don't know why I'm doing whatever I'm doing.

On the other hand, I fully accept that life has no purpose. I must simply be paranoid.

Moving swiftly on, GCSE results tomorrow, and to be honest, I don't really care. A Levels have taken a much moer important role now, and as far as I can tell, GCSEs are only good to make sure you can get into the right classes for the next year. And, without being arrogant, I'm confident I'm in already.

That said, I'll admit that I am curious about what I got, although I'll likely just say somthing like "I was thick when I took the exam." And that, other than bringing the post neatly around full circle, is the truth of it. Am I not the same person I was when I took those exams.

So do I really deserve whatever I get, be it good or bad?

"The Chances Of Anything Coming From Mars Are A Million To One," He Said, But Still They Come.

What an awful day.

Local election results released and, to my horror, the fucking Tories of all parties have done well.

Shit.

I'm completely baffled as to how anyone can vote for those swine. Labour have collapsed, which, while that would be a good thing in any other circumstance, I fear that this will just mean that the next General Election will be put off for as long as possible, and so we have ages with a weak government. Regardless of policy, a strong party is needed at the moment. With the global economic problem, having a government that's scared to act is pathetic.

And so we're left with the Tories. Thatcher-Mark-Two is ready and waiting to unleash his capitalistic bullshit upon the world. Any hope of peace that may have existed is gone, and if the American election goes the "right" way, nuclear war with Iran awaits. Great. We're all going to die.

Fiction has always loved the prospect of an apocalypse, and the end of civilisation. As I write this, I'm listening to Jeff Wayne's wonderful musical version of The War of the Worlds. Yet this isn't fiction. The Tories really are gaining power, and the only realistic candidate left in America who might avoid war - Obama - is being weakened by the stupid Democrat candidate race.

This may sound like hyperbole, but this may be the only way to convince some that something needs to be done. We are heading to a dystopia as bad as any described in fiction, and yet I cannot get the image of utopia out of my head.

Why is it that I find it easy to imagine a world without leaders, where people really are equal. Where the society is the only law and army needed. Where people don't discriminate for idiotic reasons. Where currency doesn't exist. Where there is no state, just a society that has no need for petty argument. Where help is genuinely offered with passion. Where everyone does their bit, because they want to.

The sad thing is that I know it will never happen. The futility is unbearable.

Overhead the Albatross Hangs Motionless Upon the Air

Well, hasn't this month been active? With exams coming up I'm working all the time to make sure everything goes well, and -

You can always tell when I'm lying, can't you?

Well, it wasn't all a lie. I have got major exams within the next few weeks, but try as I might, my sub-concious just won't accept it. It feels strange; I should be panicking, revising constantly, making sure I know everything, but I'm not. And I don't know why.

Is it a lack of motivation? I don't think so. I like to think that I'm a fairly driven person, more so at least than some in my classes. Having said that... I'm honest enough to admit that I procrastinate often - frequently, even. Yes, I get the job done eventually, but always perilously close to the deadline. And when there's no deadline...

Needless to say, I've reached, to use the cliché, the "quiet before the storm," and it, to be frank, sucks. Is there too much pressure on young people today? Despite this, I don't think so. Yes, the need to succeed is great, but I think the whole feeling just gets created by maturing teenagers, who are reluctant to accept they're new position.

I'll admit that I've been one of them, blaming the system when I think an essay is too long, or found a paper more difficult that others I'd taken. People really are reluctant to take the blame. No, you didn't get an "F" because the paper was hard, you got it because you didn't work.

So where does that leave me? I've just criticised my own attitude, my conciousness knowing what is "right," yet my sub-conciousness remains unchanged. I don't think any amount of revelations can truly change people's sub-concious, regardless of what the media may say. That may just be my own cynical view because I myself have never felt something I have deemed "life-changing," but I can't really speak for anyone else here.

And who will read this? No one, I expect. Certainly not those only interested in a political commentary, or those "close" to me. The first is obvious - why would a political analyst be interested in a rant about life? And the latter hardly know about this; I haven't exactly drawn much attention to it.

Is this a safe haven? Away from the eyes of locals the anonymity of the internet can read, scoff and laugh at some ranting. Isn't it strange that you cannot confide in one person, but can to six billion?