HAPPINESS PLUS THE POLITICS OF FOOTBALL

I thought that nothing would surprise me any more but I was wrong.  The Country has no money and great cuts are needed but there is enough to fund a survey to measure our happines.  Why?  Doesn't anybody listen to the news?  The students are the first to show their level of happiness and it doesn't take much intelligence to realise that the needle on the meter is not very high.  Hopefully they won't be the last.  Perhaps we need a rousing song to cheer us up; how about The Internationale "Arise ye starvelings from your Slumbers".  At least the youger element has woken up.   Perhaps the rest of us will stir ourselves.

And, what a strange pronouncement from our PM.  He is, apparently unhappy about the BBC showing a programme about the possibility of buying a World Cup venue.  Can this be a message that commercial necessity overrides morality?
The Internationale

REASONS TO CELEBRATE

What joy!  There is to be a Royal wedding and we are all to be overjoyed and sleep overnight in the Mall to secure the bet position to see the happy couple.  Am I being cynical if I think that there was just too much enthusiasm in the Prime Minister's congratulatory announcement?  All this happy news to give us ordinary people something to smile at so that the all the belt tightening and loss of public services will so much easier to bear.  We have also the diamond jubilee and the Olympics to take our minds off the miseries to come.  What's in for the sport hating republican?

Anyway, how are we going to get to London for all these festivities?  The train fares will be exorbitant and if we are able to find somewhere to park, we will have to pay for that; and the congestion charge.  Let the good times roll.

THE NHS, ME AND THE GOVERNMENT

A colonoscopy is not an inviting prospect, the preparations themselves are not pleasant, but, if necessary, the place to have it done is Warwick Hospital.  Notwithstanding the potential for embarrassment of the chic backless gown and the starting point of the procedure, the endoscopy staff, from Receptionist to consultant, dealt with the whole thing in with a professional and friendly manner.  They were helpful and informative and maintained dignity at all times.  I was offered the chance to watch progress on a monitor and my initial distaste was overcome by fascination.  I may, in the past, have spoken out of my backside but never before had I looked up it.

That's the up side; the down side being that many Health Authorities are cutting down on "non essential" services.  The Pain Clinic at Warwick (another great set of people) had offered acupuncture in an attempt to relieve back pain.  I have no idea whether it would have worked but it is no longer offered; some other body has dictated that it was "unproven" treatment.  So, it's back to the frying of the nerves - surely a more expensive procedure.  Perhaps even that avenue will be closed, after all, back pain is is not life threatening, merely bloody miserable.

So, as I get even older and the poor old body gives up bit by bit, I am wondering how many more ailments might be denied relief.  Any thoughts Mr. Cameron?

THE UNKINDEST CUTS

Our local paper reports that Warwickshire County Council must save gazillions over the next few years.  If you are old, poor, like reading, likely to catch fire or need to grope your way about the streets in the dark in the morning, be afraid, very afraid.  With nearly 2000 staff to be dumped, not only will there be fewer services but there will be fewer staff to run what will be left.  Truly we live in miserable times but, we ain't seen nothing yet!

However, there is some light in the gloom; even in these straightened times, our merry Tory councillors have found enough cash to award seven lucky members £2,000 per year to act as spokesmen.  That is a relief; now we know that our cash is safe in their hands.  Come on guys, it's your job to be spokespeople for our Council. But,hey, it's good to know that there is enough money left to bung yourselves a little bonus.  I guess that this has always been the Tory creed "Unto them that have it shall be given".

WE ARE ALL IN IT TOGETHER!

Yeah, right, we know it makes sense.  Or do we?  Is there anyone else out there who really finds it offensive to be told to tighten one's belt by a millionaire?  The true blue colours have been well and truly shown - we were subjected to the unedifying vision of smug Tories clapping and cheering at the news that nearly half a million people will lose their jobs and this directly engineered by the Government.  All this aided and abetted by the new right, the formerly self-professed radical and progressive Liberals who, by a quirk of fate, were able to achieve a power they could never have hoped to gain in their own right.  To think, A Libdem councillor - its you Cliff, if you ever read this - once told me that Tony Blair was a Tory. Oh, the irony.

I should however be grateful to Nick Clegg - he forced me to do something I should have done many years ago; join the Labour Party.

Just a thought, how much will it cost the Country in redundancy payments and future pensions when these five hundred thousand public servants are made to go?

I have always remembered the wise words of my mother as I started work, "Always keep your hair combed, your shoes polished and never, ever trust a Tory".

The Government's cuts and the media

What about today's news, then?  The Government's crass, ill conceived and hasty cuts - more economic than strategic, were, quite rightly well reported in the media.  Not much time given to the opposition's response but then, I suppose there wasn't enough time in the news programmes as they had to cover another story which was obviously of vital importance to the nation - Rooney is unhappy at Manchester United!  Oh dear, what a shame.

Not the first time has so much air time has been accorded to a set of cossetted prima donnas.  I guess that there are more people in the country who have no interest in football than are avid fans so why encourage the highly paid practitioners of what is, after all, only a game?

To all you guys in the entertainment - sorry news - business, look to the priorities.  We don't all follow the rise and fall of celebrities and their peccadilloes.

Motoring and the mature gent

Thankfully, I still have a good head of hair, albeit somewhat silver.  The latter description giving rise to some antisocial behavior by some elements of society; they assume that I am senile.  Although irksome, this does provide not a little amusement.  Recently I avoided a minor accident by using my surprisingly rapid reaction (or was it fear?) Instead of being grateful, the occupant of the other car leapt towards me shouting "Dickhead".  The irony was that he was completely bald - or should I, to be politically correct, now say folically challenged.  It is possible that I may have been challenged to a fight in Sainsburys car park, which was not a good idea, but, even if so inclined, I was too amused to respond.  But all this begs the question, where did this bloke's instant rage spring from?  (Sorry all my English teachers, I ended a sentance with a preposition).  There's a lot of this agresssion about; possibly low level but worrying.  Why waste it on a bloke like me, why not channel it into something useful like working towards an early general election so that we have a proper government again.