Methinks, in Ireland, the Revolution/Rebellion or something part way inbetween, maybe a Revebellion, is about to start pretty soon...

Local people are off to Stormont today to talk to politicians, who have, perhaps wisely, invited them there to hear their worries, listen to what they say...and I'd imagine see if any of *them* can come up with the solutions, because, let's face, we all know the politicians don't know what the shite is going on!

The BBC took you to a local town, not far away, nestled amongst the Irish hills. There was Woolworths, boarded up and empty, same as in Sidmouth, Marks & Spencers Food Store about to close in a few days, same as in Honiton (5th March), and a whole host of other shops, now standing empty...the very heart of the town, gone. It panned into the local paper, just half a page of jobs now, not enough going for a whole one...

Meanwhile...back at the ranch....

In Scotland, they can no longer afford the drunks....so finally the politicians there are considering doing something about it. They want to raise the age of buying alcohol to 21, along with putting the price of it up to a basic minimum, I guess getting rid of 'Happy Hours', because maybe they're finally opened their eyes to the 'Unhappy Hours' that take over their towns and cities when the alcohol takes effect. Violent crime, fuelled by drink, is terrible up there, and liver problems are twice those of England...

And the beat goes on.....

An elderly couple coming back from Spain, as they can no longer afford to live out there, after 5 years of renting, rent almost doubled now, as the pound sinks against the Euro....They're lucky, their friends who own houses out there can't sell them, as the housing market is even worse than over here (Yikes!) The BBC followed them home to England, back to the Lake District, where they have family, and are now renting a small place in Carlisle..they interviewed a few others too, all of whom are fearful for the future, struggling to make ends meet, no longer able to live off their savings, as no interest is coming in, so their money is being eaten away.

And all the way through, people are muttering that it's almost as if those in power don't know what to do to stop it, as if they don't understand or aren't able to work out what to do, as if they don't even care.......

Yup.

Personally, I think the government should have bailed out Woolworths, because the huge damage that's followed has been catastrophic. Every single British High St, now has a huge empty shop in the middle of it, and the damage that's done to confidence has been immeasurable, let alone the job losses, not just from Woolies, but from those who supplied them, others who relied on those suppliers, such as Zavvi etc..

I guess the good news in all this, and there's always some, is that never again will politicians be allowed to be so damn irresponsible, never will people 'trust' in the same blind way they have been doing.

The entertainment industry will go back to giving 'feelgood' programmes, beautiful films etc, to cheer people up. The fashion industry will take a turn for happy clothes, we'll all learn how to cook again, make chicken stock, turn our gardens into allotments, make do and mend..and go back to the days of World War II, but this time without the bombs and bullets, save for those that have been fired into our society by the Bastard Bankers...

But hell, we're British! We can overcome anything! :0) And THAT is the one thing that is NOT being preached out there in the media, that the British are at their best when they have absolutely nothing, or are under attack.

So yes, another silver lining, perhaps a gold one, is that suddenly, our society may start to come back, people will start helping each other out, thinking about one another, caring again.

I recall way back, when I was 17 and working in Boots the Chemist (no longer owned by Jesse Boot's family, but by an Italian multi-billionaire who's taking the heart out of that company too).....standing in the shop one day, when an elderly gent walked in. We got talking, and he started on about the way of the world, something had happened in the news, can't recall what it was now...but he looked at me and smiled, sadly, then said:

"Do you know what we need, dear? We need a bloody good war!"

I stared at him, a bit shocked....

"Do you know what war does? It focusses the mind on what's important in life, that's why we need one, to get our values back."

Well, I don't want that to happen, ever. But I know that right now, we are facing a different kind of war, on a worldwide scale, one without armies, thankfully, but one where many are going to get hurt, nonetheless. However, just as that old chap said, our minds are going to become far more focussed on what truly matters in life. Big Brother and Posh and Becks ain't it. Bankers and *ankers ain't it.
Homes in the sun and the latest 'must have' house look, or new car, ain't it. Being there for one another is what this is all about. Helping each other wherever and however we can. Oh, and all getting back to having a bloody great sense of humour too, because that sees you through one helluva lot.

Someone bring back Black Adder, we need him! :0)



Glad you enjoyed the gig, Levells (knew you would!) ;0) And yup, Reg is a real sweetheart, isn't he. :0)