September 17, 2025 by oscardiamond

The Rise of the Deplorables: Part 1

On Saturday, September 13th, in London, up to a 150,000 people responded to Tommy Robinson’s call for a mass protest against immigration, the Labour government, the censorship of free speech and condemnation of “the great replacement”, the belief that migrants outside of Europe are in the acendency and are being given resources, privileges and preferment over indigenous white people, particularly Muslims. Tommy Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) is a well known extreme right figure who is widely described by media, charities, campaign groups and courts in civil findings as anti-Muslim and Islamaphobic and as having spread racist adjacent rhetoric. He has served time in prison for mortgage fraud and possession of a false identity document with improper use. He has numerous convictions for violent assault and contempt of court. In 2024 he was sentenced to 18 months for contempt of court. Robinson was one of the founders of the English Defence League, a far right street protest movement, notorious for anti-Islam demonstrations.

Most of those marching will reject the accusation of racism or xenophobia and will wave thousands of Union Jack and England flags to indicate their patrotism and commitment to British values. They will not appreciate that their march has been organised and coordinated by a convicted thug and career racist. They will not be able to articulate what they mean by describing themselves as patriots other than by acting because they feel their community is threatened. Threatened by foreigners with whom they feel no sympathy and designate a physical menace.

The baleful influence of Trump, Putin, Netanyahu and other hardline Nationalist leaders and their enablers has normalised hate speech and encouraged blatant prejudice. Social media has promoted and intensified aggessive feelings, hostility against groups and individuals, encouraged conspiracy theories, and given widespread dissemination to misinformation and disinformation. This very disappointing UK Labour government has capitulated to the Brexit mentality and right wing populism and generally runs scared of calling out right wing rhetoric, fearing political backlash .

Why are large swathes of populations so susceptible to extreme views and charismatic, seemingly convincing politicians? Why do people believe so easily and uncritically? Why do evidence and fact often lose out in debate? In recent months, the UK media has focused on illegal small boat immigration from France, crossing the English Channel and landing on the UK coast. The UK has a backlog of asylum applications and many of the asylum seekers are housed in small hotels across the country. In some areas this has caused friction and has been the focus of protests. One such incident occured in Epping, Essex, following reports of an asylum seeker being accused of approaching a 14 year old girl and trying to kiss her. The hotel was beseiged by protesters, many from outside the local area, demanding the hotel be closed down. Following a court case, it was ruled the hotel should be closed and a number of local authorities also made similar applications. The ruling was later defeated on appeal. The media continues to concentrate on illegal immigration organised by gangs across the Channel.

Interviewed protesters cited they were worried about the safety of children and women and strongly felt asylum seekers should not be accommodated in hotels in the general community. They were concerned about possible criminality, the proximity of the hotel to several schools and a care home, that residents in the hotel are not vetted and stated local residents did not feel safe. There were clashes with the police.

The asylum seekers were regarded as an existential threat to the local people and a drain on housing, the NHS and other resources which they felt should be directed to the local community. There was no expression of concern, compassion or charity for people who have gone through dreadful experiences. They singled out an incident that involved an asylum seeker but were oblivious to the several hundred reported cases of violence and sexual offences, in the Epping and Ongar area, in April and May 2025, as shown in published data.

Despite their protestations and self serving explanations, I believe that the vast majority joining in the Unite the Kingdom march and shouting outside immigrant accommodation hotels are racist and xenophobic. Large numbers also espouse fascist views. It’s a moot point to suggest, in mitigation, they have been manipulated and inflamed by far right media. At best they are dangerously credulous. Flags in the UK, depending on the context, are now synonymous with racism and far right values, not a love of one’s own country. These flag wavers are not patriots. They bring British values into disrepute.

How is my running going? Quite well. I’ve kept free of any further episodes of atrial fibrillation and I’m injury free at present. Currently running around 25k weekly, sometimes more, and regularly doing 5k parkruns. I’m massaging my knee, calves, foot and toes each day and my legs feel much better for it. Occasionally I try to do a few plyometric exercises but I am wary of my right knee suddenly snapping into a hundred pieces, I exaggerate, of course, but arthritic changes have made it feel stiff and weak. I can still run up to 16k easily enough but plyometric exercises may be a demand too much unless I go carefully.

January 5, 2025 by oscardiamond

The UK General Election : a fine example of all parties appealing to the lowest common denominator

The above strapline, composed in June 2024, was intended to head my next blog, following on from the previous one in April 2024 (no-one can accuse me of being prolific). I’ve decided to retain it because I feel it’s a fair comment and this current Labour government continues to run scared of populist right wing criticism and bigotry.

The removal of the winter fuel heating payments for previously eligible pensioners and restricting the allowance to those entitled to pension credits, was badly handled and the rise in National Insurance contributions for employers resulted in a spectacular, well organised backlash. Add in the own goal of Starmer and others accepting gifts and freebies and the hostile press and social media had a field day.

The UK Labour government clearly feels boxed in by an aggressive right wing agenda and is being targeted by the openly neo-Fascist duo of Trump and Musk. It is such a dangerous time. Populist politicians and rabblerousers with no moral compass have learnt they can say anything they like, however damaging or untrue, without consequences but with the intention to harm. The truth becomes what you believe or what you feel. The UK government has to negotiate this terrain.

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My running is going okay. No further health problems since my last April 2024 blog with the exception of an episode of high blood pressure. I’m already on cardiovascular and anti hypertension medication so this was a disappointment. The sense I made of it revolved around getting too cold, both in the cottage and out running. I have now remedied this and also apply some simple breathing techniques to relax.

I’m currently running 25-30k a week which seems to suit me. I have given up going to a gym unfortunately, so upper body strength work has taken a hit. Perhaps in the future.

How lucky am I to have access to a polytunnel? Very lucky and profoundly grateful. I’m able to grow flowers and vegetables from seed and overwinter tender plants. I lead a little gardening group, Green Minds, and if the weather is poor we can sit inside. It’s in the middle of a small allotment which is situated in a field. So many people do not have access to a garden or a nearby park or green space which are recognised features substantially contributing to good mental health and reducing stress. To non gardeners sowing seeds, tending to their care and watching their growth may strike them as uninteresting, boring or irrelevant. Or the activity of old people. That’s a pity because they miss out experiencing a sense of wonder and achievement. Don’t miss out on the the feelings and emotions that accompany creating living plants and observing nature work.

Breaking news: Elon Musk has just posted on X stating Nigel Farage “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead the Reform UK party, presumably in response to Farage distancing himself from Musk’s support for Tommy Robinson, a far right “activist” who is presently in prison. What a crew!

November 11, 2023 by oscardiamond

Running,Tory cruelty laid bare and King Charles 111 nearly expires from boredom delivering the King’s speech to parliament.

It’s been nine months since I had my cardiac ablation and, so far, my atrial fibrillation has not returned. I’m running around 20k a week, sometimes 25, with no ill effect, doing parkrun regularly, and an occasional 10k race. I can run 10k easily and have done a 17k in training. I did intend to do the Cambridge half marathon. Unfortunately I delayed registering and it was full. How stupid was that? So I can’t complain? Well, I can actually. My speed has fallen away somewhat and I’m wary of pushing myself too hard. I keep an eagle eye on my Garmin as it tracks my heart rate as I run. I would like to increase distance but I have slightly lost confidence. Nevertheless, I’m pleased to be able to continue to run at a reasonable level, despite having heart disease.

Those nasty, self serving Tories have an excellent role model, Home Secretary Suella Braverman. Fresh from opining that homelessness is a lifestyle choice, she has been busy inflaming tension and division concerning the Metropolitan (London) police’s decision to permit a pro Palestine march to go ahead on Armistice Day on Saturday, November 11th. She described the protesters as a hate mob, predicted that they would interrupt commemoration events at the Cenotaph, called on the police to ban the march and claimed that the police gave easy passage to left wing and #MeToo demonstrations compared with right wing events.

Sir Mark Rowley, Chief Constable of the Metropolitan Police, has resisted Braverman’s demands to ban the Pro Palestine march, citing they have received no intelligence suggesting the protesters are planning to disrupt the Cenotaph commemorations. The march was scheduled to take place later in the day and its route was some distance away from the Cenotaph.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED? Police estimated the size of the Pro Palestine march at around 300,000. It went off peacefully and was attended by many families with children. There were scuffles and arrests of far right demonstrators who chanted “Your’re not English anymore” directed towards the police near the Cenotaph commemoration. On the route of the march a group of right wing demonstrators were confined to a pub by police and missiles were thrown. There have been over 90 far right arrests.

WHAT CONCLUSIONS CAN WE DRAW? The Home Secretary, Suella Braverman’s concerted attempts to vilify peaceful protesters and foment violent disorder by tacit encouragement to far right groups has not succeeded. Those same far right groups, deprived of their chosen targets, will tend to turn on anyone, including the police. Braverman is not fit to hold office, even in a Tory government, devoid of a moral compass and compassion. The Tory government, as a whole, are not able to recognise what is palpably obvious to the huge majority of the UK population, that the current massacre of over 10,000 Palestinians and the complete destruction of their homes and infrastructure is not a proportionate response to to the outrageous atrocity perpetrated by Hamas. The government, and particularly Braverman, is happy to conflate legitimate support for the Palestinian people with hate, anti semitism and violence.

Here’s a picture of a number of my models to possibly lighten the mood.

King Charles delivered his King’s speech in the Lord’s Chamber on the State Opening of Parliament a few days ago. Written by the government it sets out the programme of legislation that the administration will pursue in the forthcoming parliamentary sessions. It’s worth watching to appreciate the full horror of his boredom and ennui which saturates his delivery. Charles is credited with various green credentials and had to read out policies which ride roughshod over measures to minimise climate change. These included decisions to grant more licences for gas and oil extraction. You almost felt sorry for him unless you remembered his extravagant lifestyle.

Dominic, I replied to your message in the last blog plus I sent you a private Facebook message.

Ablation, Am I Being Unfair?, cardioversion, Difficult cultural issues, evil Tories, Exercise and heart disease, Fascism, Heart disease, Heartless Tories, KIng Charles111, mobiles, Palestine/Israel war, parkrun, Racist politics, rightwing mindset, Running, running races, running with heart disease, Suella Braverman, Uncategorized

climate change, evil Tories, exercise, far right politics, fascist politics, heart disorder, KIng Charles111, King’s speech, London Metropolitan police, Palestine/Israel war, Palestinian peace march, parkrun, Politics of cruelty, running, Suella Braverman, war crimes

February 25, 2022 by oscardiamond

Winter running. The cold, the wind, the mud. It’s predictable, like Tory sleaze.

Two daughters and one boyfriend ran the Cambridge 10k the day before I ran the half last October. It all went very well. It’s satisfying that all my five children have been running at some stage and will return to it when their circumstances allow. Running. Who wouldn’t want to do it, huh!

I’ve managed to run consistently since my last post in November 2021, without injury, and covering 30-35k weekly. I now have a new running chum whom I meet weekly in an adjacent village. This has resulted in new running routes, which is very welcome, since I have relied on just two for years. It’s also added a new dimension to running, namely, chatting. Having been a lone runner for decades, I wouldn’t have guessed this would be conducive, but it is. Of course, our weekly runs aren’t competitive. My strategy in any races we do together is to encourage chatting while I listen attentively and then pull ahead towards the finish, using the reserves of breath I’ve held back. It’s a fool proof wheeze. Possibly.

I’ve also returned to parkrun on an occasional basis. Occasional because of the covid risk but also, since the sad demise of Cambridge parkrun at Milton, because of the travel involved. Storey’s Field, Eddington, a new town on the edge of Cambridge, is my chosen parkrun at present. It’s very well organised and there are plenty of familiar faces, yet I still pine for Milton.

Under two weeks until the Cambridge half marathon. I’ve now done two training 21k sessions and feel set to go. The last Cambridge half was in October 2021, deferred from the previous March, so now it’s back to its original time of year.

Prime Minister’s Question time, broadcast live on the BBC each Wednesday, never fails to be an education. Boris Johnson, having won the last election with a vast majority, has proved that you can fool most of the people, most of the time. Huge swathes of traditionally Labour voters were persuaded to leave Europe based on government cultivated xenophobic anxieties regarding immigration, loss of British jobs to foreigners, loss of British sovereignty and jurisdiction and the assertion that the haemorrhage of tax payers money to the EU would cease and go directly to boost the NHS. What is it about the British electorate that provokes them to regress to uttering simplistic demands about “wanting their freedom back” and instancing minor examples of European law and bureacracy?

The Ukraine crisis has proved to be a get-out-of-jail card for Johnson, allowing a diversion of attention away from the government’s handling of Covid and the scandal of numerous social parties organised by the government during the lockdowns, egregiously breaching their own rules, and showing contempt for ordinary people. Johnson clearly revels in playing an inflated role as the elder statesman on the world stage. He does this well, with confidence, conviction and powers of persuasion instilled in him by his class and education. That’s how the Tories excel. They project and amplify emotions that target the electorate’s fears, anxieties, prejudices and sense of being disadvantaged. They shamelessly use their own statistics to demonstrate success, relying on a credulous electorate to be impressed. Think about the thousands of extra nurses, doctors and billions going into the NHS. Don’t think about the previous lack of investment and cuts to services and loss of hospital beds. Do be awed by the repetition of billions of PPE items obtained during the pandemic and regular announcements of further billions of pounds being expended on the NHS. Don’t mention the government reacted slowly to provide equipment, or abandoned care home residents to die in their tens of thousands. Or that a a large scale excercise concerning management of a pandemic a few years earlier pin pointed exactly what was needed to meet such a contingency, but had its findings and recommendations ignored.

This is what the Tories do best. They are, collectively, a master class in expert, nuanced manipulation directed against a softened up, beguiled public in thrall to posh boy politicians and hard nosed, cruel female counterparts.

November 28, 2021 by oscardiamond

Still running and still shocked by Tory bigotry

First post since last January. I’ve remained well, avoided covid and continued to run consistently. Parkrun returned over four months ago but I’ve only attended one so far. Unfortunately our local parkrun in Cambridge, Milton Country Park, decided not to host the event any more, a controversial decision that was extremely disappointing and taken for unclear reasons.The loss of Milton parkrun means I don’t meet up with running chums consistently and I’ve reverted to being a lone runner . I have, however, had more contact with a person I previously saw once a year at a local school run, which is good. They say friends and socialising is essential for robust mental health. I agree but I’m an introvert at heart. I did do Cambridge half marathon and three local 10k races and I’m currently running 30-35k each week. The Cambridge half took place late, in October, and I’ve signed up for the next one in March 2022.

Perhaps it’s a positive and protective behaviour that we don’t generally share our views and beliefs lightly with acquaintances, or that we do, much more whole heartedly, with people we know better or have reason to understand we will receive a sympathetic response. On the other hand, the unavoidable views of people who express clear opposition and animosity to our core values and standards produce a baleful effect and constant dismay. The Tory party, and Boris Johnson in particular, are the obvious examples. They have clearly demonstrated that elitist showmanship and entertaining guff can win hearts and minds. Unfortunately these skills and abilities are used to gloss over aggessive and cruel policies, blatent corruption and an obvious appeal to their credulous electorate. Their supporters thrive on the Daily Mail diet of fear, outrage, condemnation, predjudice, xenophobia, sentimentalism, thinly disguised racism and anti wokeness. They don’t appear concerned about sleeze, financial irregularities with tax payers’ money, the cavalier and fatal disregard for care home residents in the first covid wave or the plight of refugees dangerously crossing the Channel. Boris Johnson got Brexit done, they crow. We can be in control of our own affairs, stop immigration and forge our own way ahead. We can consider new ways of doing things, like pushing inflatable boats back to France and transporting illegal immigrants to centres abroad to be processed out of the public eye. The supine electorate laps up the big numbers the Tories claim to be spending on the NHS while fogetting that they ran it down in the first place. Rant, rant, rant. It’s not easy taking the moral high ground but this government of doesn’t make it hard either. What can you do when the Tories daily prove they possess no humanity and a sizeable chunk of the population just shrug their shoulders.

November 29, 2020 by oscardiamond

British Understatement : 2020, a funny old year

Or rather, not funny at all. Certainly not funny ha ha and funny peculiar hardly describes it. But humour is a complicated thing and frequently misunderstood. I tend to spontaneously half gasp, half chuckle when I hear something outrageous or emotionally upsetting as related to me by others talking about their own unfortunate experiences. Surprisingly, no-one has ever found this response disrespectful or upsetting because they recognise my empathy and sense of outrage on their behalf. I reacted strongly because of my sense of unfairness and appreciation of their emotional hurt. Professionally, when I was working, I did a great deal of half chuckling, half gasping, sometimes even laughing out loud. I heard many accounts of emotional suffering, often spoken with sadness and resignation and they were never less than shocking. My responses never caused offence.

And now, in 2020, I’m still unable to stifle grunts, gasps, sharp intakes of breath, groans, sighs and bewildered expressions. I spend a lot of time feeling incredulous and disbelieving. While I’m at it, throw in pained expressions and open-mouthed shock as well.

Am I exaggerating? Of course, but not greatly. The events and behaviour, provoking these reactions are all around. Boris Johnson’s UK and Trump’s America provide countless examples of right-wing cultivation of people’s fears and prejudices which produce unkind, cruel and partisan policies .Both are populist governments heavily reliant on the populations’ deep reservoirs of anger, resentment, xenophobia and sense of betrayal. Lip service is given to the needs and welfare of the community and individual vulnerable groups. Maximum emphasis is placed on loss, damaging cultural change and ethnic groups or countries taking unfair advantage.

Brexit is a prime example in the UK. Another was the UK government’s determination not to fund free school meals for the children whose parents lost income during the pandemic restrictions or would normally be eligible if schools were open. The government, in the first pandemic wave, was responsible for the wholesale neglect of the elderly in care homes which resulted in many thousands of deaths.

The Trump administration demonstrates that absolute power can corrupt absolutely and how the normal checks and balances embedded in a democracy can be found wanting. He has wantonly and effortlessly degraded the office of the President, given succour to racists and the extreme right wing, run rough shod over normal and decent values, crudely whipped up violent and disruptive groups and lies without compunction. Trump is a single individual who has contrived to prove fascism is not only alive and kicking but can also accrue widespread support. A shameful, vicious and extremely embarrassing episode in American politics.

On the positive side, Covid 19 vaccinations are over the horizon, crazy anti vaccinators notwithstanding, and my running is stepping up. Despite my right knee remaining puffy and a tad stiff, I can run every other day. I can do 5k and 9k without obvious problems and I recently did 15k successfully. That means a half marathon is within range and I’ve pre-registered for the Cambridge half which is scheduled for October 2021. I’ve got high hopes that parkrun will recommence by the Spring when the vaccination programme is up and running.

May 27, 2020 by oscardiamond

Covid for the credulous? Take your pick: Tory daily media briefing or Johnson speaking at the Select Committee on the Impact and Science of Coronavirus

This handsome fellow wanders about in the fields behind our cottage, in nearby gardens and recently into the road, luckily depleted of traffic. He’s very self composed, curious and doesn’t alarm easily. You can come across him anywhere. I’m thinking of dressing up as a pea hen so he fans his tail feathers.

And so to running. I’ve managed to consistently run 8.3k every other day for five weeks. My dodgy knee has held up (just). It remains swollen and stiff and unfortunately this really hasn’t changed much in the last year. I had an video assessment by the musculo-skeletal clinic and the physiotherapist took me through my knee x-ray. He showed me areas of mild to moderate age related arthritic changes which would account for the problems I’m experiencing. He suggested strengthening exercises, rest, cross training, cycling and perhaps a steroid injection in the future. I’m still hopeful the swelling and weakness will subside and I will try to expand my excercise regime as suggested. Update: I’ve had a rest from running and did a bit of cycling instead, one 18k and one 31k. I could still feel my knee but less so. I went for an 8.4k run this morning and it felt much better. Who could possibly have guessed that a rest and some cross training might be helpful?

Due to the covid lockdown the roads are relatively traffic free and a lot more people are running and, particularly, cycling and walking. Being required to essentially stay at home except to exercise and forgo work and a social and cultural life forces a change of perspective. The sudden drop in pace has given an opportunity to think about how we conduct our lives and prompts us to think more critically. It can help us to appreciate what we hitherto took for granted or take up activities to express our creative potential. That’s on the positive side, of course.

Unfortunately the pandemic has shown how precarious our lives and livelihoods can be, how quickly we can fall into a financial crisis and how dependent we are on economic stability and on strong government to plan for and manage in a time of crisis.

This Tory government, brought to us by Brexit supporters, is truly the government they deserve. Inept, short sighted, mean spirited, intoxicated by spin and slick presentation. The daily Covid updates are a masterclass in political embroidery, designed to give a confident presentation of the government response to the crisis followed by an equally confident question and answer session wherein the right questions are posed only to receive answers to a soft questions the politician wish they had been asked.

These briefings are clearly intended to convince the credulous and the critically unthinking, that is, the Brexit demographic. The litany of statistics is not particularly enlightening to most people and the emphasis on so many millions of personal protective equipment (PPE) provided by government, in the face of so many reports of shortages, in the early weeks, was shocking.

The government clearly left the care homes to their own devices. They received little assistance with PPE and hospitals discharged care home residents back without testing for covid infection or didn’t admit them in the first place. For weeks the daily number of covid deaths did not include those from care homes or outside hospitals.

The government was recently shamed into dropping the National Health Immigration Health Care surcharge, currently at £400 per person annually, rising to £624 in October. Boris Johnson defended this surcharge at Prime Minister’s Question Time, despite the thousands of frontline health workers working in the NHS and dying in their work.

The goverment dropped testing and tracking in March. They failed to heed the findings of the Operation Cygnus simulation exercise carried out in October 2016 which showed a pandemic would cause the health system to collapse from lack of resources.

They delayed a comprehensive lockdown.

Their emphasis on “following the scientific advice” has more resonance if we read it as “following the political science”.

As for Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s chief adviser, and high profile breaker of lockdown rules, I can’t really get too incensed. What else would you expect from this amoral, self serving government.

Johnson at the Select Committee. More waffle, more bromides.

And to top it all, my good crop of gooseberries have got powdery mildew.

March 4, 2020 by oscardiamond

Covid 19 has changed everything

The Cambridge half marathon took place on the cusp of more Draconian measures to combat the corona virus, on March 8th. So quickly have we been conditioned to self distance to protect ourselves, it feels unsettling to see these images.

Cambridge and Coleridge come in first and second (middle and right side C and C’er respectively). There should be a law to ensure they are putting in maximum effort and suffering at all times. I know this is the start of the race but they still looked composed at the end of it.

No family member took part this year. I’ve still got a dodgy knee and my eldest son was unwell and had to forgo his place

In the UK, at present time of writing, we are allowed to exercise once daily, outside our homes, and appropriately observing social distancing requirements. My knee is still problematic, and my referral to the muscular-skeletal clinic has probably fallen into a black hole but I’m able to run short distances each day. The roads are very quiet and lots of people are walking around who wouldn’t normally be on the streets. Plenty of us are running. Personally, I feel the fitter I am, the greater resilience I will have if I contract the virus. I’m in one of the vulnerable categories because of heart disease so I am particularly careful. I feel fit and my lung capacity must be good. I don’t feel at risk but, of course, I risk others’ health if I become ill.

The middle class are about to discover the cruelty of Britain’s benefits system

The coronavirus crisis ignites a bonfire of Conservative party orthodoxies

Coronavirus exposes society’s fragility. Let’s find solutions that endure once it’s over

It takes a whole world to create a new virus, not just China

The above links are to Guardian or Observer articles and offer analysis to these drastically changing times. It’s ironic that the Labour Party’s manifesto, before the last Uk election in December 2019, was roundly criticised for its profligacy on spending plans to transform British society. We are in a crisis now and there doesn’t appear to be a shortage of financial help. This may be vital to maintain confidence in our economic system and prevent societal unrest and civil disorder. But the same Tories have presided over swingeing cuts to the NHS, education, social services, children’s services and local goverment for well over a decade I had an argument with an idiot in a hospital outpatient clinic who kept on repeating “Where’s the money coming from?” The right wing have done such a good job in subverting the concept of public good and replacing it with fear and condemnation and personal threat, a large number of people can’t see the wood for the trees.

So galling seeing the Tories and their scientific and medical friends, standing at lecterns which proclain” Protect the NHS”, during the daily press briefings. As if they believe that.

I believe there will be a reckoning when this present emergency subsides and hopefully the evil Tories won’t succeed in spinning their own version of events.

Pity the poor Americans. Trump living on another planet and unable to string a coherent sentence together and suffering wholly inadequate health care and social benefit systems. Where’s the humanity?

January 3, 2020 by oscardiamond

UK renamed Mordor by Johnson government as Tory-orcs run rampant

This is a pic from the top of the Tor at Glastonbury, overlooking the Somerset Levels and taken last summer when the evil Tories weren’t so blatantly evil.

The Bridge of Sighs, St. John’s College, Cambridge, taken just before the UK General Election, and prior to the onset of Perpetual Shadow Tory Rule.

With the self destruction of the Labour Party, I should be running frantically and often to contain my fear and anxiety concerning an extreme right government. Unfortunately I remain injured, not seriously, but sufficient to impair speed, distance and frequency. I have been doing parkrun consistently but my knee still feels uncomfortable and weak. On New Year’s Day I did two parkruns, ninety minutes apart, 5k each run. On the last kilometre of the second race my right knee felt very odd and my left calf started to hurt. For the rest of the day I could only walk stiffly and gingerly. Nevertheless, I’ll do parkrun again tomorrow and probably walk most of it.

So Brexit, xenophobia, racism and outright stupidity won the day. The Right don’t really think, they feel. They feel anger, resentment, hate contempt, fear, sentimentality and prejudice. They tend not to have any arguments. The emphasis is on keeping what they’ve got, increasing it and making sure there’s minimum sharing or redistribution, particularly to the vulnerable or economically unproductive.

The Left tend to have arguments and explain, often with a historical perspective and with nuance. They employ concepts like inclusiveness, empathy, fairness and a sense of community. They look outwards and are not threatened by all and sundry. I could go on but I’m watching Shrill at the moment.

Hopefully I’ll write a few more blogs before Trump causes a nuclear war.

November 15, 2019 by oscardiamond

Would you Adam and Eve It*? UK General Election and I’m still injured (but not quite as much)

My first attempt at kokedama (moss balls fashioned around a plant and bound to keep the moss and growing medium in place.) I’ve bound it crudely, with thick green garden wire. This will be replaced by less visible finer wire.

My first open top terrarium. My daughter has made a succession of closed terrariums and has give me advice and equipment to make my own. Better get on and do it then!

My relation with house plants has dramatically improved. Like many people I have tended to neglect them and their overall health goes into a slow decline. This is no longer the case. I find I’m much more motivated to care for them properly. I suppose nurture wouldn’t be too strong a word. Why is this? Well, plants enhance the environment. They’re natural, alive and respond to attention, creating a sense of being in control and achievement. Fascinating in themselves and their various forms, they give enjoyment and a feeling that you have a small bit of nature in your own home. Much less demanding than pets but more difficult to take for a walk.

I wasn’t running when I wrote my last blog two months ago. I am running now, tentatively, but my knee is weak and I’ve lost a lot of fitness. The NHS physiotherapy assessment appointment came through eventually, and was thorough. It was established I had a mechanical, not structural, injury and I was given a set of physio exercises. By the time of the assessment, my knee was improving very slowly. Despite being theoretically highly motivated to do physio exercises, in practice I didn’t take them up. I started parkrunning again (5k) but didn’t run during the week. My knee has continued to be problematic. There is continuing slow improvement and I want to run during the week. Strangely I am now motivated to do the prescribed physio exercises. Doh!

Regretfully I’ve missed a number of half marathon and 10k races and I won’t be doing the Cambridge half marathon in March 2020. I think thirteen miles of hard road won’t be good for my knee. Possibly the following year. I’m pleased my son Dan has got a place so I’ll be able to spectate, cheer him on and hopefully keep my envy in check.

The UK general election is set for December 12th and party electioneering is in full swing. The evil Tories and the Brexit party are in bad tempered alliance, Labour has failed to gain the upper hand ( riven party and too many Brexiteer voters) and the Lib Dems, somewhat in the ascendancy, but probably not enough to make a difference. If Labour and the Lib Dems formed an alliance, there mght be some hope but that is not likely at the moment. Possibly the SNP might help labour keep the Tories out. It’s all up in the air! I don’t feel Jeremy Corbyn has put any effort into being personable and attractive to voters. He’s clearly anti European and the party is dangerously split. A substantial minority of Labour voters are xenophobic, racist and anti semitic. It’s not looking good.

*Cockney rhyming slang. Adam and Eve = believe it. (American readers might associate the London cockney accent with Dick Van Dyke playing Bertie the chimney sweep in Mary Poppins in the 1964 film. This would be a grave mistake) Of course, Brexit is the modern version of the biblical Adam and Eve creation myth. When the evil Tories agreed to a referendum, the period of debate and day of voting was akin to eating of the Tree of Knowledge. It brought forth all manner of lies, deceit, self advancement, bigotry, xenophobia, nationalism, prejudice and hatred which hitherto had laid dormant. To mix metaphors, the genie was out of the bottle, Pandora’s box was opened. I’m sure you get my drift. On a daily basis we hear ignorance, anger and plain stupidity being voiced by people with the narrowest of interest for society at large but possessing a large range of cliches and jingoism to support their unkind, aggressive views. The Brexit debate has been very revealing and wholly disturbing.

Why do the Europeans seem so much more sensible than us Brits? Probably because they are.

	Julian on Juneathon Day 15
	oscardiamond on Returning to Alive and Running…
	dominic on Returning to Alive and Running…
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