pippychick

Oh, sod it.. I am back! Kind of… as work permits.

No, I haven’t written anything, but I miss being able to post status updates, which technically should count.

Warning: personal politics

So… this week. The only thing sadder than Trump still being President of the USA, is Tony Blair, war criminal, telling a group of people with cameras pointed at him that if only the British people rise up against Brexit, the government will have to listen to them.

That’s a little optimistic of him. Why, I seem to remember… it must be nearly fifteen years back, when a million people “rose up” to say: “Please don’t kill innocent Iraqi children, Mr. Blair!” And at the exact same time as we gathered in Hyde Park, Tony Blair was explaining to parliament why he would be completely ignoring us.

He also talked a bit about ‘direction of travel’ with regard to Brexit. Direction of travel, aided in part by him, is why we are in this mess. In some ways, direction of travel, aided in part by democratic presidencies, is why we are all in this mess. Direction of travel can be directly illustrated by the ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor, that these generations (from mine onwards) are less well off than their parents, the rise in street homelessness, the breakdown in social care, charging for doctors’ appointments, the americans who had their homes repossessed and could not possibly be bailed out for a few thousand (or even a few hundred), while the bankers who caused the misery got billions… and billions. I could go on… and on.

Back to Blair, it’s almost as if he paid someone to find as many ironies as possible for him to add into his speech, though we shouldn’t expect anything less from a man who was somehow – inexplicably – made middle east peace envoy despite causing unimaginable terror and suffering there. This is on par with making Trump a leader on women’s issues, or electing him a spokesperson for an alliance against police violence towards minorities.

Yes, I do believe Trump and Brexit are part of the same phenomenon. I’ve got to. I’m no fan of Brexit, I voted remain, but as I listen to Blair and I watch the insincere wringing of his hands, I almost hope it happens. Just to spite him. Just because it will force people to either wake up or drift further into the nightmare we’re all heading towards. I’m in the bottom third (and probably in the bottom third of that). I’ve got nothing to lose except everything, and if things stay the way they are – if the direction of travel continues – I’ll lose everything anyway.    Right there. That’s exactly the sentiment that got Trump elected. It’s the sentiment that will see us leave the EU. I hope it’s not the sentiment that puts us (as I predicted a few months ago) on the wrong side of the next war in Europe.

People of Britain and the US, please, do wake up. You can be anti-establishment without being anti-humanity. It’s not hard at all. It’s as easy as putting yourself in someone else’s place and deciding you’ll stand with them. We’ve evolved for this.

Quite apart from all that, I don’t think the establishment mind Trump or Brexit at all, for all that people wish it. It kind of leads me to think they’re happy to use those things, as if the people have chosen their own diversion in a brand new game of misdirection, which leads to just one question…

What the hell are they trying to make off with this time?