Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. Lao Tzu
As they counted the local election results, I sent a silent prayer that a tall, gangly woman was applying for vacant positions somewhere she could do no more damage to my city.
Wishful thinking?
Stupid Is As Stupid Teaches
The Welsh Government are facing legal action from disgruntled parents who oppose the plans for children as young as five to receive compulsory sex education. See here for the full story.
If ever we needed to teach our kids something valuable for life as an adult it is now, but sex education for five-year-olds?
Daily the media has stories of people struggling with rising prices and the surge in food bank users. I accept many will be struggling but surely there is a solid proportion of people who could do better?
Are food bank users universally hopeless? I do not believe it.
And if we taught kids something useful in school – such as basic cooking, healthy lifestyles and how to manage money – then we might turn out more useful adults.
Tales From The Allottment
It has been a chilly few weeks recently, enough to prove our caution at getting overly giddy with our dibbers. Huddled around HQ – Greenfinger’s shed – Bombastic, Greenfingers and I mused on the comings and goings.
Gregarious George had commandeered the hose again to water The Swamp, his recent garlic plantation looking like water lilies. Meanwhile, we had a visit from committeeman, Beethoven, his wild hair catching the cool breeze.
Bombastic, believing Beethoven has a direct line to Boris, waded into the poor chap, only on-site to water seedlings in the adjacent Tropical House, its owners away to catch some real sun.
Beethoven took it all in his stride as Thommo arrived with his salivating golden retriever for mid-afternoon snacks. We stamped our feet in unison; surely warmer days lay ahead?
The £50m White Elephant
Against all logic, the wannabe property speculators are proceeding with One City White Elephant – see here.
Still clinging to the original estimated cost of £35m several years ago, a final bill of £50m is likely closer to the mark. Which would mean that the rent per square foot needed to make this a viable investment would be stratospheric. Even now it is hopeful.
This is why there is not a penny of private money here with Hapless Hinchcliffe happy to sanction this blot on the landscape to massage her ego.
Bang in the middle of some of the finest architecture in the country they drop in a steel and glass carbuncle. Hinchcliffe Towers will be a lasting legacy to a period Bradford will look back on with more shame than the corrupt carnage of the sixties and seventies.
A National Scandal
I remember reading about the Post Office Horizon IT scandal well over a decade ago in Private Eye. At that time I was staggered at the clear maltreatment of ordinary people.
Remember this organisation was headed up by an ordained priest and the coalition Government was trying to steer it to eventual privatisation in 2013.
Hundreds of innocent people were fed to the wolves and yet, now exonerated, how many of those whose obscene greed perpetuated this scandal have faced justice? None.
Watch BBC One’s Panorama – The Post Office Scandal; it will make your blood boil.
Is It Me?
Out delivering The Trumpit, there were several kids from the local secondary school milling around. Thinking it might be a good idea to establish a link, I approached a group and offered a copy.
“Would you give this to your English teacher please?” I asked. The girl looked at me dismissively.
“I ant got a Englush teacher!” she hissed as she walked on by. Then you bloody well ought to, I thought.
How do they go to school in shorter skirts than I remember in nightclubs? If I was a dad I would have kittens if my daughter dressed as they do.
Way back yonder I remembered a gorgeous girl called Bev causing several of us hormonal boys to stare like morons as she walked past down the corridor in a v-neck sweater.
Adolescence was far more fun then.
In PC Corner
With the pub near-deserted, we sat contentedly in our favourite non-woke corner putting the world to rights. Patch was talking about a gay couple he knew.
“Honestly they’re all right!” he said as we listened on. “It’s not like they ram it down your throat or anything!”
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