A fabulous proportion of thinking people woke up this morning, or stayed-up last night, to the news we’d feared – indeed knew in our guts we would hear.

Harking back to another morning on 24th June 2016, when the same people woke up and stared incredulously at the radio – they’ve done what?

Having failed to get us then, thwarted by thinking people who had legal and political strings to pull, the 42 months in-between have been so mind-numbingly sad that so many just wanted it over. And the Conservatives knew it.

“Get Brexit Done” again and again, stated as if it was a foregone conclusion.
That Brexit was somehow an overdue chore, and not a seriously bad decision, based on media lies, white-van man type rubbish, pub talk rubbish – together with some thoroughly mistaken idea of what the UK’s place in the world ‘should’ be – or even what we’re capable of doing these days, especially on our own.

Nicola Sturgeon should really try and get Scotland away from the UK, and remain in Europe – but then, that’s been her plan all along. And good luck to them.

For us remaining, I wonder if I’ve missed some obvious point, somehow. Has no-one read anything even remotely serious in these past years? About land grabs, corporate lobbying, offshore tax havens, cheats, lies?

A lot of the Twitter stuff I’m reading today is revolving around Corbyn. Quite honestly there are two far, far bigger stories out there: one facing the other.

Either a lot of voters thought “get Brexit done” was worth ditching an excellent Labour manifesto for,

or: The country is SO FULL of mindless arseholes that actually had NO REAL CLUE what they were truly doing.

Neither is a stance I would have liked paraded across the globe on behalf of the UK. What a fucking mess.

Painted cycle lanes

On the 18th January 2010, I blogged here that cycling on Pavements was the only safe way forward at the time.  Just stand by a painted cycle-lane on a busy road (so, all of the UK then) – look at the speed, the vehicle sizes, the behaviour of the motorised traffic – what’s your first thought as a potential cyclist?  It’s “Noooooooooo . . . . . ”

“Dealing with a busy road” advice includes:  Assertiveness – ride with the traffic, not in the gutter, it includes wearing hi-vis, helmets, light yourself-up like a Christmas tree.

It makes me wonder if some drivers need to consider their eyewear options – isn’t a person on a bike big enough to see?

I remember typing – I wanted Mrs Jenkins to be quite able to pop onto her bike and cycle down to the corner shop – in normal clothes.  I wanted Toby to get to school safely, not secured down in an enormous fashion-wagon, spewing exhausts out as it sits in the jams of other Tobys and Melissas – all heading for the some Ofsted graded emporium five miles away.

You see, what happens is the Cyclists that do brave the streets adopt guerrilla tactics, they see the motorised road users as ‘the enemy’ and behave accordingly.  Consequently the motorised road users find these ‘Assertive’ cyclists much more of a nuisance – because they are!

Doing a deal with Europe

Notice the language – we’re trying to ‘do a deal’.

I wonder if the agreements collectively could be termed ‘a bundle’ – then we could align our aspirations with any damned BT TV advert.

It’s the same with Services in the UK, you get a Car Insurance quote, it’s a hundred pounds more than anything on a comparison site, call the company, and they magically find a ‘deal’ that’s three-quid less than the best quote online. Electricity, Gas, Internet, Bank accounts, Mortgages, Rail tickets – go online, find a better deal.

Dealers – Back-street spivs who open their overcoats to display rows of knocked-off wristwatches you can choose from.

Dealers – Young hoody types on dark corners leaning into cars.

Whatever happened to ‘coming to an agreement’ – or for that matter, what ever happened to costing services we all need so they’re affordable – no less, no more. No ‘Market Forces’, shareholders = the Public. Ooh dear – a little bit socialist eh?

And you know what? I’m 62 years of age, and since I was 15 I’ve known to my very quick that the only mechanism that could ever really work for the planet – is some form of socialism, of sharing resources, of collective responsibility.

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2019/01/under-fire-from-multiple-foes-jaguar-land-rover-to-cut-4500-uk-workers/

Dr. Ralph Speth, JLR CEO, called the cuts a response to “multiple geopolitical and regulatory disruptions as well as technology challenges facing the automotive industry.”

Let’s just read that again shall we?

• Regulatory Disruptions ?   You mean a few million of us are disliking the ‘huge vehicle / luxury crap / spew out noxious exhaust gases bit?
  Or do you mean pollution levels are killing thousands every year?
• Technology Challenges?  Surely not?  I’m certain every damned advert for these machines touted just how technologically advanced they were – didn’t they?
  Did you mean – “sorry, electric isn’t there yet?”

Join me in the fantasy imagining of a company that can read what is needed for the good of us all – planet-wide, and actually manages to be ahead of the curve, instead of citing rubbish in the news.