Something better change

I feel sorry for the people who voted leave.

Not the ones cheering with union jack flags outside Westminster this morning, who are by now probably downing the final, tobacco-scented, backwashy dregs of their 14^th celebratory pint of ale. Not the floppy haired, fop-voiced, dark suited, faux-somber ones either. Not even the ones who are now trying to defend their half-hearted support for the remain campaign, and cling to their leadership of the Labour Party. I don’t feel sorry for those leave voters at all. But the 17.4 million others? The ones who did it to take back some semblance of power – not reinforce power they already had, at whatever cost? I feel very sorry for them. And I think those people are feeling a little sorry for remain voters now too. Cause there's only a few people celebrating. 

Jeremy Corbyn was not inspired by remain

The people who voted leave did not vote against freedom of movement, or more confusing trade deals, or a weakened economy. Based on the downright misleading messaging from the leave campaign, they voted for immigration to be curbed, reduced pressures and extra funding for the NHS, and less bureaucracy. Many in our country are feeling very desperate, and who can blame them for seeking hope – I mean, ‘Leave’ is a much more action-packed, exciting prospect than ‘remain’. Noone has ever shouted rousing chants of ‘Remain!’ from a picket line. It’s not a gift of a message. Action often feels better than inaction. It was obvious that people were sick of being told what was best for them by disconnected elites. The sad thing is, they will now probably have to sit and watch as Boris Johnson foppishly guide a slew of slugglish laws through parliament in order to implement this change, privatise more of the NHS, and continuously shout down any debate on immigration by refusing to admit that we can still do nothing about it.

I feel as though this is an emperor’s new clothes moment. Politicians can no longer blame the European Union for all the issues disenchanting the people of Britain with politics. They can try for a couple more years, but I hope the electorate don’t let them get away with it.

I am disappointed with the referendum result. Intrigued by the statistic that our economy was at its weakest since 1985, I asked some of the people in my office today what it was like in 1985. "Worse than this". was the broad conclusion. It was in the wake of the miners’ strikes, severe dismantling of the unions, and people were angry. Now that it’s here, I hope Brexit does help people regain power and combats the shocking inequality in this country. But I fear it won’t. What I really hope is that when it doesn’t, the people who demanded their voice be heard today keep speaking up, and direct it at the people who really deserve their scrutiny. Prime Minister Johnson, or Gove, or Corbyn, or Leadsom, should not be in for an easy ride. 

Resolutions

Welcome to 2016 everybody!

That’s how this post opened when I wrote it, back in January. Now that midsummer is approaching, it’s a bit of a weak opening. Doesn’t scream up-to-date and must-read. But, given that the post written below is about New Year’s resolutions, it is kind of fitting. Allow that ridiculous opening sentence of mine to place you, like any good author should, in a vivid, suitable context for what’s to follow. I present to you here my thinking from the tenth of January 2016:

I started the new year off not with a bang, but with violent fit of coughing and the feeling of vague mystification as I sat under a duvet with a lemsip, watching Brian Adams sing a rock version of Auld Lang Syne to the crowds of people gathered for the fireworks in London. (He was indoors, but they all could hear?!) But I hope you all had a good time.

Since then, my life has followed a strict regime of duvet-time, Netflix-binging and teddy hugging, overseen by a devilish triumvirate of stubborn cold symptoms, PMS and back to work blues. All of which has really dulled my enthusiasm for new years and new beginnings and all that.

My approach to resolutions has been swinging erratically from enthusiastic list-making, dreaming of all I can do in these next 12 months to make me a successful human, and the dull, angry conviction that resolutions are the faux empowering tool of a harsh capitalist system, fooling us all into becoming more subservient citizens after spending 2 useless weeks valuing friendships, family and food over economic productivity and diets.

Buddy the elf doesn't need resolutions or diets.

When the Head of Department invited us all to share our resolutions at the team meeting this week, I shared nothing but a weird, anguished animal-noise, before monotonously telling my wide-eyed colleagues that “my new year’s resolution is … ugh … to, er, make one …” Which was pants. But I was put on the spot, and something about the meeting room and the spreadsheets and the jam-packed agenda told me that “I HAVE NO RESOLUTION BECAUSE I’M NOT CONFORMING TO YOUR EXPLOITATIVE CAPITALIST IDEOLOGY” would not have been an acceptable response.

Cosy and warming as angry defiance can be, I also don’t think it’s a feeling I’ll look back on and cherish. It’s only useful if you do something about it. Otherwise you’re just a moody girl freaking everyone out by making inhuman noises in business meetings. And while I’m happy to be that girl, I would also like to be proud of myself in 2016. So, in short, the blog’s coming back.

2015 was a really good year for me, but because I was so busy, this blog got neglected, something I said I wouldn’t do. Now that I’m lucky enough to be working normal 8 hour days, am no longer commuting into London, and am just beginning to miss the brain-stretching reading and research of uni, there’s no excuse not to go back to it.

I haven’t got official plans, or themes, or timetables, but it’s always been a bit of a miscellany. Humans hold many contradictions, so some random, unpredictable content, splatted straight out from my brain will, I’m hoping, still be entertaining, and of value. I’ve started a new notebook for the new year, and it’s already filling up.  So, see you back here soon!

Ha! Soon! That must have been the Lemsip talking. Six months later, and I am feeling a little flat about my lack of consistency with this resolution. One might say I have completely failed, but the way I see it, I still have six months left to come good on it. So, I say again, see you back here soon! What is it they say about people who do exactly the same thing and expect a different result?