As you see, I am indeed proceeding with caution as I might be about to step into dangerous territory.   OK, I`m old school, old fashioned, out of time and being an elderly pensioner struggling to survive on a fixed income in harsh economic times,  I admit to being a bit lost, bewildered even, in what seems to be an increasingly Orwellian world.

And the latest reason for my bewilderment stems from a couple of reports in the last day or so concerning the teaching of `equality` in primary school classrooms -  there has been a lot of fuss about it in Birmingham - but today`s example comes from a primary school here in Kent.  Now a few posts back, I had a go at the teaching of health and safety issues and `relationships` to very young primary school children and compared their education with my own 70 years or so ago.   I ended up with the plea that children should just be allowed to be children, like me and my school chums were all those years ago.

Now we learn that today`s youngsters are having lessons about gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexuality and that it is perfectly normal for some children to have two `Dads` or two `Mums` and that however people may be as individuals they should all be respected and treated equally.

I don`t have a problem with that, however much I may be saddened by the loss of childhood innocence, but if that is the way children as young as seven are being taught then surely their tuition might also include the fact that straightness still exists as does the notion of having a Mum and a Dad?  If you take today`s school experience to its logical exclusion then I can see the day when everything else will be `the norm` except heterosexuality and that those who practice it will be having their own pride marches. 

I hope it`s not too late to redress the balance, to let precious childhood be just that, or for me to take a precautionary step backwards before the Thought Police come knocking on my door.

A CAUTIOUS RE-ENTRY....

OK.  I`ve been away from these pages for some weeks now and so it is with some trepidation that I make this cautious re-entry into the wonderful world of blogging.   The reason for my absence?  Well, in a nutshell I reached the stage when there was so much to rant about, grumble about, even rebel against that I frankly didn`t know where to begin.

In that regard, not much has changed - if anything the mad world we live in has become even more bonkers.  Despite which, I have been inundated with the odd enquiry as to my absence and a little encouragement to have another go, chiefly from my neighbour the well known error of judgement, Mr. Slightly.  But more on that story later.  

I have discovered that finding something to rail against is an almost daily occurrence and it`s difficult therefore to chose something  but I saw a report yesterday that seemed ripe for the attention it deserved, so here goes.

First, the illustration at the top is self-explanatory - not just Orwell`s classic but also the fact that there is something of a local connection - there`s a smart rather exclusive `development` up the road with just a few `desirable residences` which goes by the name of Orwell Spike as it sits on the site of an old workhouse - a spike - which Orwell frequented in his tramping around the countryside.

I was reminded of this when I saw a report yesterday that a school student had been suspended from his school in Aberdeenshire for insisting in his opinion that there were really only two genders and that anything else was the result of `social construct.`

The incident took place when the teacher logged on to a website and found only male or female gender types listed as options, which he claimed was ‘old fashioned’. When the schoolboy disagreed, he was ejected from the class. After being allowed back, he secretly filmed the teacher. In the video, which has been watched on YouTube more than 90,000 times, the teacher can be heard telling the pupil: ‘You’re entitled to your opinion but it is the policy of the authority to acknowledge inclusiveness."   

Seems that Big Brother really is watching you, at least in Aberdeen, although I suspect that the Orwellian Thought Police are pretty widespread in the daft age in which we live.   Time to update 1984 to 2019 and see if we can spot the difference?   I can imagine that the student in question probably goes by the name KZ6090 Smith, W.  But maybe it`s another case of `if you become a teacher, by your students you`ll be taught.`

CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS?..

It was once said that there isn`t a housing crisis in this country - it`s just a rumour put about by people with nowhere to live.  Well, it seems that even here in the sylvan paradise of the Garden of England, with its quiet lanes, its rolling landscape and its reserved solitude there are indeed people with nowhere to live.  Quite a lot of them.

Recent figures show that, at the last count, there were over 1,000 `households` on the waiting list for a property in the area covered by the local housing authority.  Housing charity Shelter has called the figures "chilling" and calls for the government to increase the funding to provide new social housing and local campaigners have increased calls for more properties to be built as soon as possible.

The local housing authority says it works in close partnership with housing associations who supply affordable housing in the area to meet housing need and that its housing register is prioritised depending on that need.  The Director in charge of these things at the local authority said - and I quote - "The required affordable housing from any scheme is laid out in planning policy and where there are any issues with the viability of a development the council ensures that is clearly evidenced and weighed against the benefits of bringing a site forward with at least the provision of some affordable dwellings rather than allowing schemes to stall entirely."

I`m sure that explanation will come as a huge comfort to those `households` waiting patiently for somewhere to live. 

A TIMELY REMINDER...

As a man of quality myself, I have been touched by the celebration of women`s right to vote being achieved 100 years ago.  Of course, that initial right was limited to women over the age of 30 and who owned property, but it was a start along the long and winding road to a much needed improvement in the search for equality between the sexes.

There is still a long way to go, of course, before true equality is achieved but I detect a seeming willingness on the part of society in general to eradicate any lingering gender inequality, as witnessed by the recent concentration on pay equality at the BBC and the testing of the water at Tesco`s concerning equal rewards for differing jobs.

And so, perhaps as a timely reminder of how things used to be, here is `an important public improvement film` showing just how far we have come in the intervening period.  Of course, it goes without saying that men of quality like myself would not dream of condoning the attitudes which were displayed in those times.   Here it is:-

TAKE A LOOK...

OK, I confess.  I`m rapidly approaching my 80th year; I get a bit flustered at times; I`m not too smart with smart phones - I just need a phone, that`s all;  I get confused with hi-tech stuff, which is why this blog is a touch on the simple side;  and I guess it`s just that there are so many things in the so-called modern world that I just don`t get.  Or maybe I don`t want to get.

The latest is this thing about `gender fluidity.`  I noticed a report yesterday about a maths teacher who is facing the sack after accidentally calling a transgender pupil `girl` rather than `boy.`  The student, who `identifies as male,` became irate after the teacher said `well done girls` to the pupil and a female friend for working hard.  Result?  Pupil lodges complaint, pupil`s family accuse teacher of picking on their child, teacher suspended and faces disciplinary hearing which could end up with him losing his job.

This is happening at the same time as `drag queens` are being asked to visit nurseries so that kiddies as young as two can be told about transgender issues.  Now I haven`t got a problem with anyone in the LGBT community or, indeed, anyone with a penchant for BLT, but I have a difficulty understanding why on earth children are being introduced to the notion of `gender fluidity` when all they have to do is glance down and take a look.

We are indeed heading for a snowflake generation, who seem not to be learning about life as it unfolds in what is known as experience but also being incapable of accepting any form of criticism, any form of setback (they`re not allowed to win or lose anymore, bless them.) 

Now I quite expect that my comments are out of place and out of time, politically incorrect and doubtless leading to a knock on the door before too long, but I look back to my grandparents and my parents` generations and thank goodness that I was brought up to face life and all its trials, its triumphs and disasters and just get on with it.  As the saying goes, you`ve got to learn to lose before you can enjoy the winning.

.....but you`ll only need one

A worrying development has come my way courtesy of the British Red Cross - of all things. One of their volunteers is reported to have been `dismissed` for having the temerity to protest against gay marriage.  The 71-year old was told he was no longer welcome at the charity because his views were incompatible with the British Red Cross values.  The volunteer in question has worked for the charity for 20 years as a senior Red Cross volunteer and he is is appealing against his dismissal, which he calls `unfair and without justification.  What have I done wrong?  I passionately believe in the institution of marriage between a man and a woman as the cornerstone of our society and I don`t believe Parliament was representing the views of people when it changed the definition of marriage.`

The letter sent by the Red Cross informing him of his dismissal accused him of breaching its principles as an organisation which remains neutral on political issues.   The Director of the Christian Institute which co-ordinated opposition to gay marriage and is providing legal advice in this case, said, "This is a shocking case.  His only `crime` seems to be that he was one of millions of ordinary people who opposed Parliament`s change to the definition of marriage.  What will disturb most people is that the Red Cross says it is not his actions but his thoughts and views that were the problem.   Is it now official policy of the Red Cross that any volunteer who holds traditional views on marriage will face the sack?"

For their part, the Red Cross are quoted as saying, "We are committed to and bound by our fundamental principles which do not take sides in controversies of a political, racial, religious or ideological nature.  We have to consider the compatibility of people`s expressed views in line with the fundamental principles."

Well, it`s good of them not to take sides despite dismissing someone who has given over 20 years of voluntary service by helping people and, as the case is going to appeal, it would not be right to comment directly on it.   However, the worrying aspect is the suggestion that it is not his actions but his thoughts and views that were the problem. 

Now I wonder if you can guess what I`m thinking.   I`ll give you three guesses......but you`ll only need one.

 MONEY TO BURN...

So, India have successfully seen its Mars Orbital Mission, launched in late 2013, now entered into orbit around the red planet.  It`s a remarkable technical achievement and those in the Indian Space Programme are rightly being congratulated on joining a select band of nations who have achieved the same goal.

The cost of the mission is put at $74 million - a small part of the £1 billion spent each year on the space programme by India.   And it`s this expenditure that is giving rise to criticism that a country with about a third of the world`s poorest people, surviving on just $2 a day, might perhaps not quite have its priorities right.

As an interesting footnote, in 2012 Britain gave India £280 million in `foreign aid.` As a result of questions at that time and given India`s commitment to its space programme, the UK Government decided to phase out future aid to India and it will cease altogether in 2015.   

I would just be interested to know which bit of the space programme has been financed by the UK`s generous contributions over the years and I suspect a good number of the world`s poorest people might be interested as well.  But I guess on $2 a day, they may never know.......

THAT`S JUST THE WAY IT IS..

It`s strange how music can influence the mind.....or maybe how the mind can conjure up some music to fit the mood.  Anyway, whichever it may be, recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, have brought back images from those days we thought were long ago. 

And I`m still not sure whether those images from Missouri instantly brought to mind the haunting lyrics of Bruce Hornsby or whether listening to his music again immediately conjured up visions of those distressing events in America`s mid-west. Maybe I should leave you to judge but either way here it is.   On one level the musicality is there to be greatly admired but dig deep into the words and you might just see what I mean.  I guess that`s just the way it is - some things will never change - that`s just the way it is - but don`t you believe them:-

TIME FOR A CHANGE..

`Responsibility` is one of those words that are very easy to define.  Here`s Webster`s Dictionary definition:-

The Definition of Responsibility (Webster’s Dictionary):

Responsible

2 a: able to answer for one’s conduct and obligations: trustworthy b: able to choose for oneself between right and wrong

3: marked by or involving responsibility or accountability

Responsibility

1: the quality or state of being responsible: as a: moral, legal, or mental accountability b: reliability, trustworthiness

Now today we have had the report into the tragic death of four-year old Daniel Pelka in Coventry after months of torture, abuse and neglect by the two people who should have loved and cared for him - his so-called parents who have been sentenced to life imprisonment, serving a minimum of 30 years for their appalling crime.   

The serious case review seems to be comprehensive and detailed in its assessment of the events leading up to Daniel`s death but we`ve been here before and again I`m left with the feeling that none of the various `agencies` involved had the courage to actually do something about it.   As ever in these things, there was involvement by the police who visited the home on at least 27 occasions, social services, doctors, school staff and the city council.   

Now you would think that at least someone in this chain of bureaucracy would have had the gumption to have seen that something was terribly wrong here and take whatever action needed to be taken.   But no.....and you wonder why not.   Seems to me we are living in a so-called society where those in a position to act and fulfil Webster`s definition of responsibility are frightened to do so.   They have become tremulous, nervous, terrified of criticism and in the end do nothing, relying on the usual outcome that no-one will be held personally  liable and that their careers remain unsullied by the default conclusion that `lessons will be learnt to ensure that something like this can never happen again.`

Trouble is, it does keep happening.  Now I know that those responsible for Daniel`s death are behind bars but those who might be held responsible for ensuring that his mistreatment was avoidable seldom seem to actually be held responsible by anyone.  I`m not sure we should accept this any more, especially as children are so very precious and perhaps the time has come to do away with the plethora of `agencies` and simply have one national child protection agency who will be unable to blame `lack of inter-agency communication` and all the other lame duck excuses for doing nothing.   They would be solely responsible for answering for their `conduct and obligations` and `be able to choose for themselves between right and wrong.`

Perhaps then, the Daniel Pelka`s of this world might have at least some hope.

ANOTHER QUESTION OF BALANCE ?

The demonstrations about the oil and gas exploration in the sleepy Sussex village of Balcombe are getting out of hand. It`s not just the cost of policing - now £750,000 and rising - it`s what they are doing to the quiet, dreamtime of a quintessentially leafy Sussex retreat.  Here`s a taste of what it looks like (or did until the last month or so):-

Of course, Balcombe is in the news because of the exploratory drilling going on and the resultant demonstrations against the disturbance of the peace and the prospect of fracking for new energy reserves.   Intriguingly, the name `Balcombe` may mean `Mining Place Camp.`   Bal is a Cornish word meaning a mining place and the word may go back to Ancient British Celtic.   And although Combe  can mean a valley, it can also come from the Roman `camp,` so the name of Balcombe could once have described a Romano-British mining settlement.  So maybe we shouldn`t be surprised that the area is being explored for its underground reserves.

I`m not sure I`m qualified to enter into the debate about oil, gas and fracking but I am interested in the gaggle of protesters who continue to descend on this quiet backwater.   I think it was the local villagers (pop:1765) who first raised eyebrows about the drilling proposals even though a licence had been granted after the usual consultations and bureaucratic hoops had been gone through, but their concerns have now been transformed into a bandwagon, onto which all the usual suspects are gleefully jumping.

They`re all there, of course, like Lenny Henry`s advert for Premier Inns - the well meaning ones, the scruffy ones, the professional agitators, the misguided ones, now even the rich and famous - Chrissie Hynde`s daughter, the absurd Dame Vivienne Westwood and any minute now I expect to see guest celebrity appearances from the likes of Stephen Fry, Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow, all hell bent on being seen to be on the side of the righteous, always assuming they know which side that might be.  

Now, being ever in search of equality and balance in all things, as witnessed by my call for a Straight Pride Parade to even up the gay one, I think it`s time for the mild-mannered silent majority of little middle-Englanders to set up their own alternative camp around Balcombe, as an evening-up protest against the protesters.   It would all be very genteel, of course, be quietly unassuming and would require no policing, but simply make the point that the great unwashed should not be allowed to run roughshod over private property, legal processes, rural tranquillity and police budgets.  There might just be another voice, an alternative view, to be heard. 

Tea and cake anyone?

STEPFORD RIDES AGAIN..

Here in the Garden of England that is Kent, we don`t have a housing problem - that`s just a rumour put about by people with nowhere to live.  

Over 20 years ago now, the `development` of Kings Hill on the former WW2 West Malling Airfield site began.   Since then the 800 acres estate has grown so that it now has 2,600 homes, 200 businesses employing 5,000 people, a supermarket, pub, schools, medical centre, restaurants and assorted leisure facilities.   It`s a big project but despite its size, the layout and the architecture, its convenient location and the generally high quality of life for the residents has made Kings Hill one of the `places to be,` being very high up in the league table of desirability and affluence.

Now, however, a dark shadow is in view giving cause for outrage amongst the majority of residents over a planning application to increase the housing element of Kings Hill by another 1,000 homes on land that was originally set aside for commercial development.  Even more worrisome for the Kings Hill mob is the inclusion of `social housing` within this latest proposal. The Stepford wives of Kings Hill aren`t happy and they and their menfolk turned out in their droves in the community hall to harangue the parish council and register their concerns about yet more housing and the `social housing` that might be included within it.

As one resident at the meeting has been reported as saying, "We bought our house here at an expensive cost and social housing will reduce prices.  The people who live in social housing have no care for their property because they don`t own it."   In other words, we moved into this relatively new area and object to anyone else moving in and we especially don`t want any riff-raff.

Now there are a million reasons why I wouldn`t want to move  to Kings Hill but if I were ever to even think about it then this reported reaction alone would be enough to put me off and move anywhere else but there.  If you`ve seen The Stepford Wives, you`ll get the picture.