Oligarchy or Democracy - Which do you Want?

Oligarchy - A form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These may or may not be distinguished by one or several characteristics - nobility, fame, wealth, education OR corporate, religious, political or military control.Throughout history, oligarchies have often been tyrannical, relying on public obedience or oppression to exist.

Sounds familiar?

Double Down News just posted a piece on Facebook by Peter Jukes:- https://www.doubledown.news/watch/2021/november/16/theres-a-sickness-at-the-heart-of-british-democracy-its-called-oligarchy?fbclid=IwAR22utlghFhMwRzmfafNiRVhdnO8vDFW5RiyaHdVJeJtIV0E76I9K51tJcg

It seems to me that in the UK today we are well on the way to being an Oligarchy. The State is corrupted by an admittedly small group of wealthy, largely privately educated, entitled men. 41% of Conservative MPs elected at the 2019 General Election attended a fee-paying school. (Only 7% of the general population go to fee paying schools).

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jul/25/two-thirds-of-boris-johnsons-cabinet-went-to-private-schools.

 

We need intelligent & educated politicians, who come from diverse backgrounds, with a wide range of experience & qualifications. We need representation from all adult age groups. We don't need a cabal from any group. We certainly don't need people whose only experience of life in the adult world is the incestuous political world. Going from being gophers, to researchers to advisors. Or from local politics into the House of Commons.

Afghanistan, Yemen & Syria - Man made Human Catastrophes

I want to cancel Christmas! How on earth can we celebrate, giving gifts, many of which will be unwanted. Eating & drinking too much & wasting even more food than usual. Being hedonistic while the world literally burns around us. 

I really don't want to be a part of it. "Putting ones head in the sand" really doesn't cover it. 

Current Emergencies

• Afghanistan emergency
• COVID-19 pandemic
• Democratic Republic of the Congo emergency
• Haiti emergency
• North Eastern Nigeria emergency
• Sahel emergency
• Southern Madagascar emergency
• South Sudan emergency
• Syria emergency
• Yemen emergency

https://www.wfp.org/support-us/stories/families-afghanistan-need-help?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=14487154511&utm_content=127541781598&gclid=CjwKCAiA1aiMBhAUEiwACw25MXxcs5BuyJ26Fo62HbNOYLESHLoOpQuPiY3gW0czAytxXmGU6lixBxoCpf0QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Afghanistan - Around 10 million children across Afghanistan urgently need humanitarian assistance to survive. Without urgent action, almost one million children could be severely malnourished by the end of the year. 1 in 3 people are hungry and 2 million children are malnourished. With drought, pandemic, and conflict, the food security situation will continue to worsen; and hunger will rise. 

Yemen - 16.2 million people are food insecure. 1.1 million women and children under 5 receive World Food Programme nutrition support every month. 20.1 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in 2021

Syria - 12.4 million people are food insecure. 4.8 million people receive lifesaving food from WFP each month. WFP’s funding requirement until February 2022 is US$ 479.7 million.

These situations are directly brought about by Western Government policies. By our actions or lack of action. We voted for our governments who seem to treat these people as "collateral damage". Then the NGO's have to go in & try to pick up the pieces.

We should all be angry about this. An accident of birth means that we are relatively safe & secure. We have spare money to spend on Christmas & New Year. We are going to celebrate. 

What the hell is there to celebrate at the moment? 😪

 

 

10 Practical Ways You can Save the Planet

People power has brought in seat belts in cars. It has changed attitudes to drink driving. It has stopped smoking in public places. Each individual action is important & together we do have huge power. It's the Butterfly Effect.🦋

Unless everyone does something the Climate Emergency will get worse. It's no good trying to pass responsibility on to someone else. YOU have to ACT. You have to take responsibility for what you are doing or not doing. LEAD by example.

This is my simple list of what everyone can do.

 

Practical Ways to save the Planet in the face of the Climate Emergency

1. Leave the fossil fuel Car at home. If you must drive, reduce air pollution by driving an Electric car.

2. Rethink how you travel for shorter journeys – get a Bus. Boost your physical & mental health Cycle or Walk.

3. Reduce aviation growth. Fly less - Train not Plane.

4. Reduce Energy use & save money. Change your lightbulbs. Turn down heating thermostats.

5. Insulate your home.

6. Eat less Meat & Dairy to also reduce the risk of health problems.

7. Reduce, Reuse, Repair & Recycle.

8. Help to make your Garden or Local area wildlife & pollinator friendly. Grow your own food.

9. Lobby politicians – they need to know how much you care.

10. Donate to support the climate.

 

And AVOID PLASTIC.

Just think what we could achieve. There is no Plan B. There is no Planet B.

 

Your Choice.   

 

 

Climate Emergency & Individual Action

 At least 13 years ago my husband, now departed, foretold the consequences of our unsustainable way of life & destruction of the planet. He was a "glass half empty" person & thought that our selfish lifestyles would result in consequences so grave that there would be public unrest & rioting in the streets. He wanted us to consider what we would do if he was right. He thought we should be prepared to commit suicide in extremis.

I was not that negative.

At the time I was working with a man who was possibly a genius. (Also a manic depressive). But he knew far more than me about climate change & had the skills to design & build a "passive haus" & develop  technology to deal with no fossil fuels.

Now I know far more having been closely involved with NGO's like Greenpeace, Client Earth, Population Matters, Plantlife & Shelter Box......Now I really fear for the future of my 16 year old grandchildren. They are going to inherit the depleted world we have created since man started to till the earth & went on to create the Industrial Revolution.

There is nothing more important than this. Although we are intelligent & inventive & probably have the skills to put right a lot of the havoc we have created, there is very little time. 

There isn't time for "talking shops" & posturing. There isn't time for signing pledges & not fulfilling them. There isn't time to carry on with "business as usual" for a bit. 

This is a question of survival - for every living thing on this planet. 

Once we are gone, unless we are daft enough to bomb ourselves out of existance & contaminate the whole world, the wonderful world ecosystem will regenerate itself. 

Then, just possibly, this beautiful world will evolve & survive. Without the contaminating hand of greedy, self serving, money obsessed humans.

https://www.facebook.com/greenpeaceuk/videos/418528783160273