5 minute read
Telling It Like It Is
Telling It Like It Is ‘Let’s all do our bit in a troubled world...’
By David Hollister
BY THE time you’re reading this, Christmas will be upon us!
We’ll have enjoyed seeing Santa and his sleigh, Christmas markets, and all the other lovely things that the festive season brings to Purbeck – provided for so many by so few, such as the Rotary and other volunteer organisations, which I’m sure would welcome you with open arms!
How the year has flown by; a huge change in your Purbeck Gazette. New owners, new publishers, and new fortnightly publication, which would indicate to me that we’re going from strength to strength and doing something right!
So let’s go into 2023 knowing that we all have difficulties ahead but remaining determined that we will not allow ourselves to be overcome by the seemingly endless slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. My motto for 2023 is Nil Illegitimi Carborundum!
Wessex Water kindly returned the road to us and we can once again drive from Studland to Corfe. Their press release on re-opening a massive three days ahead of schedule read: “Along with the local authority, we worked hard to find a window for the project that would avoid disruption over a much longer period and we thank them, as well as all residents, businesses and the communities in the area for their co-operation, patience and understanding while this essential project was carried out. The B3351 is now fully reopened to through traffic at Corfe Castle.’’
Absolute waffle. Government-speak, neatly glossing over the fact that many of us were forced into “cooperation”, had no “understanding” and even less “patience”. What would it have cost them to put it off until January – or at least until the Ferry was back on? The same ‘government-speak’ that you can hear on almost every news bulletin, where critics of the Government are given a bland assurance that black is white, even when it so obviously isn’t. Who was it suggested that the only way to tell that a politician is lying is to see whether his lips are moving?
I’m sure that quite a few of the traders in Purbeck are actually glad the ferry isn’t running; a chance for us all to look at the benefits of shopping right here rather than venturing Across The Water!
And are we really supposed to believe that the allocation of the World Cup to Qatar wasn’t stimulated by obscenely large amounts of money changing hands? Was it really so important to FIFA that players wishing to express solidarity with oppressed minorities should be forbidden to wear rainbow-coloured armbands? If you remember, FIFA was the body that imposed the regulation preventing footballers from taking off their shirts in pure exhilaration when they’d scored a goal, on pain of receiving a yellow card. Because FIFA made more money from networking the football TV coverage into countries where such things as human rights were unimportant and took second place to Sharia Law?
The TV news bulletins always start with ‘Good Morning’ and then proceed to tell us why it won’t be. All across the globe, little men with lots of guns are imposing their will on the women and students who aren’t so well equipped. Look at the way in which the Taliban behaves. Look at the many countries in Africa and Central America who seem to spend most of their time persecuting their own masses. Look at China – just about to descend on Taiwan. China, whose human rights record is such that a large percentage of their population are under house arrest, aka Quarantine.
So at this time of peace and goodwill, we watch the human race destroying itself and taking most of the planet with it. Little men with guns and a care for nobody’s wellbeing except their own.
Continuing to erase the world’s forests and conveniently forgetting trees are the planet’s lungs, leaving conservation to someone else. Not enough Attenboroughs or Thunbergs to go round!
The world’s three leading polluters – Russia, China and India - wouldn’t even turn up to the ridiculous ‘COP27’ meeting in Sharm-El-Sheikh; maybe they were ashamed to face the rest of the world? Or could it be that they didn’t want to contribute to the pollution caused by the other members’ 400 jet planes? And what did COP27 achieve? A reluctant promise to pay money to the countries most affected by the pollution caused by the countries represented at COP27 – notably excluding the worst offenders! At the very least, China could have volunteered to donate from the £51m funds the UK Government is still giving them in ‘overseas aid’.
Now let’s reduce the COP27 decision to local levels. Many of us over 65s living in this beautiful land of Purbeck are blessed with a subsidy from the Government known as the ‘Winter Fuel Allowance’.
In many households that’s £200 they haven’t earned and will probably spend on a couple of good meals or nights out.
Have they considered that right here in Purbeck there are still families who can’t afford to heat their homes – if indeed they have homes - let alone feed their families or have even one ‘good night out’?
Same COP27 principle applies as in Matthew 13, vs 12 – “For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him”.
A few years ago, in this magazine and also on my radio show, I campaigned for Purbeck’s well-off pensioners to give their £100 Winter Fuel Allowance to their local foodbank.
A few did, a few more did so anonymously, and I hope that as a result, a few more families enjoyed full stomachs over Christmas than would have otherwise been the case.
This year, our allowance is going up to £250 each.
I close by asking you remember that for everyone who has two homes, someone else has none.
Christmas is coming, and the goose is getting fatter. And New Year’s coming too – but for the goose it doesn’t matter.
Merry Christmas to all our readers.
