The Politics of Dancing

"We were the junior partner in 1940 when we were fighting the Nazis." David Cameron speaking in the US this week. This cringe making statement, replete with its multi layered levels of historical ignorance produces in me both contempt and the cliché I don’t know whether to laugh or cry!

I was, I thought, prepared for this budget; however the depth of its mean spiritedness, malice and sheer naked chutzpah take the breath away. The pain, we are informed is to be spread equally!(Incidentally how is it ‘fair’ for the pain to be spread equally, surely fairness would dictate that those who have should be asked to pay more). This from a man with an estimated fortune in excess of £4 million ponds who spends his holidays in Corfu rubbing shoulders with Russian oligarchs, whom you can be sure do not charge him for the use for the use of his swimming pool. [1] We are already being indoctrinated with the twin mantras that these savage cuts, with there savage impact on the lives of the most disadvantaged, are inevitable and that ‘there is no alternative.’ Now where have I heard that before? Of course both these statements are nonsense, this is an ideologically driven budget with the primary aim of reducing welfare provision and more widely the provision of services by the state. P...

I have been putting off writing this blog, a follow up to my manifesto of May 18 th , primarily because I do not enjoy writing about my daily life, it is not what I started blogging for. Yet to ignore my current experience and write about political and social developments in the wider world seems both incongruous and lacking in authenticity. The process of falling out of the world of ‘gainful employment,’ out of the world of a salaried income, of direct debits, standing orders, cash machine slips, mobile phone gadgetry, the world of credit cards and conspicuous consumption can be traumatic, but it can also be interesting and enlightening and more importantly it can be liberating. The important thing is to stay engaged with the process, which given the level of stress involved can be difficult. I am now attempting to live on less in one month than I used to earn in a week. The first lesson is that less can be more, I am now spending 50% less on food than I did before, yet I am eating be...

Liam Fox the defence secretary, said he wanted troops out "as soon as possible" and insisted that British soldiers were not there "for the sake of the education policy in a broken 13th- century country" [1] I hope the so called Stop the War Coalition are happy with their new comrade. [1] Guardian 23/o5/10

17/05/2010 With the threat of serious cuts in government spending it seems likely that unemployment, particularly in the public sector will rise. Others will find themselves in the same position as me. This is my manifesto of how I intend to survive. 1) Never become a victim, by accident or design you have now become a ‘resistant.’ You will now need to learn how to fight back. 2) Never allow yourself to be guilt tripped by the banks, utilities or other services like Vodophone. The banks make their money out of debt, in some cases from whole countries or regions keeping millions in continued poverty. More locally free banking is only possible because of the money they make from those in debt, in this way the poorer customers subsidise the better off. They are avaricious, mean spirited and lacking in anything resembling empathy. As for the utilities they constantly charge poorer customers more. For all its soft voiced commercials Vodophone cut me off without any prior war...

For reasons both too complicated and too private I have literally suddenly found myself in poverty and in debt. The thing about being poor is that you do not only suffer the depredations of loss of services and the continual humiliation inflicted upon you, the impertinent, patronising and threatening tone adopted by the banks and utilities, the continual telephone harassment, but you are also punished in numerous ways, if you cannot pay by direct debit you pay more for your gas and electricity, there are a range of services you simply cannot access.You pay more for train travel since you cannot pay by credit or debit card, the list goes on.Of course becoming non-productive, ceasing to be a consumer you have committed the ultimate crime against capitalism itself. .

Two reoccurring themes on Islamacist websites, one holds that 9/11 and 7/7 are conspiracies of MI5/CIA/Zionists, you take your pick, the other is that 9/11 and 7/7 are a direct consequence of US/UK foreign policy and we had better mend our ways. These opinions appear to be held by the same people at the same time!