What can we do to change the minds of decision makers and people in general to actually do something about preparing for the forthcoming economic/energy crises (the ones after this one!)?
When I saw on the news last night an MP complaining about the lack of police protection when a group of Brexiteers heckled her my immediate thought was "Tough, we've got to put up with fewer police to protect us and longer response times (if you get any response) so the same should go for you MPs too. If you want more police, increase the budget."
My second thought was "Have a whip round in the office and get a private firm in and see if they are any good!"
His almost instant reply was "Nice"
So I sent him this reply
What happened to "We're all in this together", Richard?
We have to suffer the inconvenience and danger of a lack of police. Why should you, who have inflicted it on us, not suffer the same inconveniences and dangers?
Whilst no-one should be subjected to that sort of abuse, there is some irony here, I'm surprised that the police didn't step in as this area is probably the most heavily policed in the UK.
I suspect we're going down the route of http://www.mylocalbobby.co.uk for the wealthy and a smaller more stretched police force for the rest of us which is probably exactly what the Tories want.
Now is probably a good time to call a spade a spade.
Anna Sourbry really is the fascist she was called in that demonstration since the central definition of a fascist is someone who believes in the undemocratic rule by the few of the many, on the basis of an underlying assumption of their inherent superiority. By openly espousing the desire to overturn the largest democratic mandate in British history on the basis that she and those like her know best, Anna Soubry is unequivocally showing herself to be what she really is. Which is a fascist. And it doesn't matter that her fascism is hidden behind an oh so polite, oh so parliamentary, oh so British, passive aggressiveness. It is fascism nonetheless.
As for policing more generally; in my home town, we have set up a local group where a couple of local men patrol every night every street in the town (it's a very small town - more of a large village really). But, where there are about 20 other local men who are signed up and can be called on their mobiles at any time of day or night and can turn up in force to deal with any shit should the necessity arise.
Serious anti-social behavior and robbing have dropped like a stone since it started.
Soubry has consistently voted to cut disability allowance, and many other key benefits of the poor and vulnerable resulting in an indisputable increase of unnecessary early deaths (including suicides) in this country and an untold level of misery and degradation.
But, you come on here and you clutch your f***ing pearls in horror on her behalf because she was called a few nasty names?
I can't remember there being any fuss when Remainers verbally abused Jacob Rees-Mogg's children. No police intervention then either.
As to whether women MPs deserve any more protection than male MPs, I don't think that they do. By becoming an MP you are setting yourself up for criticism by the opposing parties and their supporters. Women want equality of treatment in parliament so if they can't stand the heat stay out of the kitchen.
That is not to say that any MP deserves of should get intimidatory treatment. Abusive treatment was perpetrated and accepted in Rees Mogg's case so why shouldn't it be OK for Soubry?
George Galloway gets the shit kicked out of him in broad daylight. Where was the baying for the law to be changed by the press and political class then?
Nigel Farage has had his car written off, his family personally attacked and has been assaulted himself numerous times over the years. But, not a single prosecution has ensued.
But, Anna Soubry get called a few nasty names, one of which - "fascist" - is an entirely apt description in my opinion given her stated desire to have the democratic will of the majority overruled by a minority based solely on a presumption of her's and those like her's inherent superiority of judgement, and suddenly the political class, cheered on by the mainstream press, want a police state to protect their sorry arses.
What puzzles me is that a supposedly ultra right wing mob was calling her a "Nazi". It is more likely to be an ultra left wing mob saying something like that.
They weren't "ultra right wing". Though, as ever, I would not be surprised if extremists from either side of the political spectrum are not trying to get on any bandwagon they can find and so are to be found at the fringes of any protest.
The fact is, I know lots of ordinary, working class leave voters who really do regard what the likes of Soubry are getting up to as a kind of very British fascism.
"Nazi" seems to have become a generally insulting term, rather than having any specific political meaning.
The hard left have for years called anyone they don't like "a Nazi" and this practice has now become more common with right wingers also calling those whom they dislike or disagree with "Nazis"
"Installers and owners of emergency diesels must assume that they will have to run for a week or more"
