Raising the Standard by Trevor Plumbly
Fall in and Follow Whatever their moral and political limitations, those aspiring to control our welfare have a deep-seated need for adulation and obedience from lesser mortals. Historically, in the ‘developed countries’, this was achieved by assassination, chicanery, or good old fashioned nepotism. Nowadays though, such tactics are either deemed redundant or given a more palatable label; somewhat sadly, it seems we live in an age where obfuscation conquers all and politicians just love it! Few, if any, seem capable of simple dialogue, preferring instead rambling monologues, touted as ‘statements’. A recent… Read More
I’m Not One to Moan, But . . . by Trevor Plumbly
My Day in Bite-sized Chunks At 70 odd, pretty grumpy and more than a bit blind, I find it easier and more pleasant to divide my day into little manageable sections. It’s fairly basic really: a spell on the Exercycle to kick start the moveable bits, then on to the cryptic crossword to let my brain know that I haven’t croaked overnight. After that, an hour or so of general household chores, followed by preparing lunch. The afternoon usually slides by with a couple of hours reading, another crossword and some computer… Read More
My bucket’s got a hole in it by Trevor Plumbly
It was a new one on me when I first heard the term ‘bucket list’. Apparently it’s a list of things you’d like to do or see before you kick it. Does that make sense? It does till you try to make one! I don’t know if there are any rules regarding length and feasibility for the list, but I decided to keep my list reasonably short; I’ve thumbed my nose at fate a fair bit recently and didn’t want to overdo it. I look forward to my fellow bloggers baring their… Read More
Think On by Angela Caldin
UK Treasury minister David Gauke has said it is morally wrong to pay tradesmen such as plumbers and builders in cash in the hope of avoiding tax. He argued the practice came at a big cost to the Treasury and meant other people had to pay more tax. This made me think about all the times many of us pay and accept cash: for cleaners, baby sitters, window cleaners and lodgers, thinking little of it. More than 2000 years ago, the poet Ovid penned these prophetic words: How little you know about the… Read More
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