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Welcome to my Monday Magazine post.
The economic downturn goes on and on in the UK, and a rather malign element is beginning to creep in. There is talk of another 40% rise in gas prices yet to come, leaving one in 3 pensioners unable to afford energy.
The government is talking of ‘help’ in this area.
Yet it never actually talks of real financial help. And then, with the number of people facing repossession of their homes increasing rapidly, lawyers are being swamped and turning people away.
The upshot of this is that the ‘system’ is slowly turning its back on those facing difficulties, leaving them out in the cold – literally. So much for the political party that radically changed the shape of Britain in the 1940s, guaranteeing assistance from cradle to grave.
Britain loves its scare stories.
Particularly regarding its refuse collection. The latest is that bin men may refuse to take your rubbish if they require more than two fingers to pull the wheelie bin. Now, this may seem ridiculous, but it comes following fines for putting in too much rubbish, and the threat of smart cameras in the bin to make sure you put the right rubbish in the right bin.
It is indicative of how far officialdom has come in Britain. No longer are people individuals in their own right, but serfs to be ordered about by petty officials who have got the idea they have power. And even more shocking is the fact that people are taking this rubbish.
I’ve often said that modern western society is moving towards totalitarianism, and increasing petty power in the hand of petty officials is the main indicator of such a move. Totalitarianism, you see, is maintained by petty little Napoleons in every community who feed their inadequacy through enforcing ridiculous detail.
Is it happening in your local community? The jack-slipper marches on!
…
Hope you enjoy the selection below. The prompts have turned me paranoid today! Tomorrow, an essay on the more malign aspects of the Grail. Don’t forget to call. My Magazine post will be back Wednesday.
© Anthony North, June 2008
EVERYTHING IS UNDER CONTROL
A comforting statement, it does console,
everything is under control;
Situation normal, nothing wrong,
all is going nicely along;
But there’s another meaning, another way,
to define those words, without delay;
Nothing is right, freedom stole,
‘cos everything is under control;
Whatever you do, wherever you go,
forces cram in, give you vertigo,
shaping your life in mysterious ways,
society, a frightening, controlling maze;
So which is right, the sublime or malign?
Which is the way, mysyerious or all’s fine?
Well, if you can see there’s nothing wrong,
begin to worry, they’re working you along,
the road they want for their ultimate role,
‘cos everything is under control
(c) Anthony North, June 2008
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THE OVER SHADOW – Fiction
He was balanced on the edge. ‘You’ll fall.’
‘Don’t care,’ he said.
‘All you have to do is say sorry.’
‘Won’t!’
‘But you know it was wrong.’
He put his fingers in his ears. Sang: ‘Da, da, da, da, da …’ over and over again.
‘So it’s like that is it?’
He took out his fingers. ‘It just isn’t fair,’ he stormed. ‘Always you try to stop me, like this big shadow always over me. “Don’t do this, don’t do that,” well I’m fed up of it. You’re always overshadowing me.’
‘Maybe that’s because you always do wrong.’
‘Says you!!’
‘And I’m right.’
‘Don’t care. If I want to do it I will, so there.’
‘Oh well; going to have a little tantrum now, are we?’
And he did. He jumped up and down on the edge, and it was inevitable that, this time, he fell off. He fell down and down through the sky, and hit the ground with such a force that he continued down and down, and it took him a thousand years to get out of the pit.
Of course, little Lucifer was the first to fall off the cloud. And we’ve all been falling ever since.
© Anthony North, June 2008
CAMERA-DERIE
Watching, always, two by two,
seeing, exactly, what you do;
One on the corner, another down the street,
some you can see, others discreet;
But those cameras are certainly always there,
not bothered if it brings you despair;
You’re watched, so get used to it,
Even if Orwell would have a fit;
We’re the voyeurs of society,
happy with invasive technology,
To know what goes on gives us a thrill,
so scream as you like, no matter how shrill;
We’re here to stay, with all our new techs,
‘cos watching = power = sex
(c) Anthony North, June 2008
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