Christmas, Socialism and Chávez – an anti-capitalist Christmas? Sunday, December 13, 2009

You can always count on Hugo Chávez for a headline – if he isn’t creating a unique time zone,  he’s heaping praise on international despots or planning to ‘bomb’ the country’s clouds to make it rain. Now, however, he has turned Santa Claus, bulk buying in toys from China so his cash-strapped and increasingly frustrated electorate can afford to celebrate Christmas in a style similar to their North American counterparts. But, in a country with the highest rate of inflation in South America, and where many struggle to buy food, is enticing the population to spend half a month’s salary on toys really a sensible way to increase your popularity in the run up to an election?

At this time of year, it’s impossible to avoid the mass-marketed version of Christmas. A walk down any high street in December bombards you constantly with the secular images which have become synonymous with the season. Around you hurry people of all ages desperately running from shop to shop and gaudy displays fill the window, presumably designed to entice you to part with yet more cash. (Perversely even in South Africa, where temperatures regularly reach the high 30s during the festive period, shops are also dominated by these Western images of wooly hats, fleece lined boots and snow-laden landscapes). The traditional religious season has become corrupted by the capitalist elements of our society, and it so seems odd that Chávez (so famed for his Anti-American/ anti-capitalism tirades) is now condoning that the people of Venezuela also enter into this buying frenzy.

Of course, I understand the pressure to deliver at Christmas, and with Western media, images and lifestyles seeping into cultures across the globe, it’s unsurprising that families want to have “the perfect Christmas.” But whilst reading the article in the Guardian, I was reminded of one of my most memorable Christmas gifts.

One Christmas shortly before he died,  I remember my Grandad gave me a Frisbee and a pack of Kit-Kats. Not exactly memorable, but what made the gift special was the way it had been given. Even though I was still quite young at the time (11 or 12), I knew that financially he had been failed by the government in his retirement and, not being well enough to live at home, all his money was tied up in paying for board in a nursing home. Consequently, the Frisbee took on a bigger role because here was my Grandad spending some of the little money he did have, on me. It wasn’t flashy, it wasn’t expensive, but at that moment I knew exactly how much he loved me, and it was truly priceless.

I don’t remember anything else I received that Christmas, and I doubt very much if I’ve kept anything else. But I remember that Frisbee vividly and over 10 years later, I still have it.

Tomorrow’s World, Today’s Problem Saturday, December 5, 2009

# I feel like I was born for devastation and reform, destroy everything I love and the worst part is, I pour my heart out reconstruct but in the end it’s nothing but a shell of what I had when I first started.#

Devastation and Reform – Relient K

Next week, leaders from across the globe will travel to Denmark for the much awaited UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen. Over the course of two weeks, our elected representatives will discuss and debate ways to tackle the ever present threat of man-made Climate Change and, hopefully, broker a deal which will make significant in-roads into cutting the world’s carbon emissions.

Ok, so Relient K didn’t write this song about the environment, the message behind the words warns us not to burn the bridges between those we love because, once broken, they can never fully be rebuilt. But after listening live to MP Ed Miliband’s live conference call organised by 38 degrees this morning, it dawned on me that these lyrics are just as pertinent with regards our treatment of the world around us.

Back in August, I was given a copy of the Green Bible for my birthday, which includes an enlightening foreword by Nobel Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. In it he discredits all those who would claim to be Christian but fail to realise the consequences our wasteful society is having on the environment which surrounds us. ‘We must act now and wake up to our moral obligations,’ he writes.

We, who should have been responsible stewards preserving our vulnerable, fragile planet home, have been wantonly wasteful through our reckless consumerism, devouring irreplaceable natural resources

‘Irreplaceable natural resources.’ Just as Relient K point out, we are destroying everything we love and as much as we would like to turn back the clock, the damage has been done. All we can do now is to find ways to halt the destruction so that there is still hope for the generations to come.

And so we come to the crux of the argument. Offsetting.

I’m sure we’ve all seen the Simpsons episode where Bart finds the Bolivian tree Lizards, which then get loose and begin to eat all the birds in Springfield. In their short-sighted fashion, the town council then decide to release Chinese Needle Snakes to deal with the lizards and then snake-eating gorillas to deal with the snakes, and so they go on.  Yes, this may be a ridiculous and far-fetched anecdote, but it serves to demonstrate the danger of only thinking in the short-term.

Carbon offsetting is in no way a solution to the environmental problems we are facing. And any ’solution’ which enables us to continue to devour our natural resources and continue to emit immense amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, is too dangerous to even consider.

Tolkien wrote that it is not for us to decide what happens to us in our lifetimes, instead we must ” decide what to do with the time that is given to us”. It is no secret that Tolkien disliked the industrialisation of the English countryside and I would like to believe that he would fully support the move to ensuring real carbon cuts and a greener, more sustainable future. In this mindset, I use these words to urge our leaders and elected representatives to be fully aware that moments like this are unique. The next two weeks offer a real chance to commit to a lasting change and a safer environental future.  Of course cuts without offsetting will not be easy, but the old adage rings true and so, ‘if it is worth doing, then it is worth doing properly.’

And so, I am using my voice to petition Prime Minister, Gordon Brown to hold true to his pledge for an ambitious deal in Copenhagen and not to bow to the naysayers and agree to Carbon offsetting or trading.

Please take action to get an agreement which ensures real carbon cuts in rich countries of 40% by 2020 without offsetting.

From the Petition to Gordon Brown by 38 Degrees

Prime Minister, the public are angry about the failure to seriously address the issue of climate change and carbon emissions, and now is the time to raise our collective head from the sand and face our demons head on. Tomorrow’s world is Today’s problem.

Standing tall against the wind Friday, November 13, 2009

Change is afoot.

I’ve never stood eye-to-eye politically with the village I have called, for the last 24 years, my home. Whilst not outwardly party political, my family has always had a left-leaning outlook on life that is at odds with the traditionally Conservative views of the Majority. To add further flies to the ointment, I’ve come to realise there is an inherent distrust for Change amongst the movers and shakers of village life. And so, it shouldn’t really surprise me then that the reception to the proposals to build a windfarm on the old airfield has been less than favourable.

As far as I can see, their reasons for saying ‘NO’ are the stock complaints to the wind industry. Appearance, house values and noise top the list along with the general sense that it would lead to an ‘industrialisation’ of the countryside – a bad argument to choose when the proposed site sits opposite the Industrial estate!

Now for a little back-story.

Kimbolton is, with maybe the exception of Cape Town, one of the windiest places I have ever known. I understood the term ‘prevailing wind’ when I was still in Primary School, and soon after learnt that whichever direction you cycle in, you will always be going against the wind.

The village itself is in a shallow valley, but once you’ve climbed the ‘hill’ (and having lived in Cornwall, I use the term loosely), there are very few bumps in the landscape ‘til you hit the Wash. In other words, there’s no natural windbreak. So it’s hardly surprising that the area has been picked out by the planners – it’s perfect!

But what about the site?

Used in WW2 by the American Airforce, the ‘Stop the Bicton Windfarm’ group would like you to believe that it is a historic piece of ground, a cornerstone in the county’s history. Personally, I feel that this report by the BBC is slightly closer to the truth.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love the airfield. Currently training for a Triathlon, both my running and cycle routes take me up there on a regular basis. And walk up there on a cold, clear autumn evening when the mist rises from the ground, you’ll understand where ghost stories come from – it’s bleak and yet beautiful at the same time.

But the fact of the matter is it’s completely unloved.

I’m not quite sure now where this blog post is going. I fear this may lead to others and I have an unshakeable urge to make mischief building up inside me. My current situation won’t allow me to start a counter-campaign quite yet, but as a once active member of this community, I feel it is my duty to say it how it is.

It all started with a leaflet from the Stop the Bicton Windfarm campaign (which, incidentally is being run by someone I have never heard of (and lets recap I’ve lived here for 24 years!)). This led to a sneak peak at the website, which is, by the way, completely misleading. That photo at the top of the page isn’t the proposed site at all – it’s at the other end of the village. In fact, there isn’t a picture of the proposed site on the whole of the website. It’s truly ridiculous. If you say that the land’ll be ruined by the appearance of these monstrosities, show us the land that’ll be ruined!

I could go on, but I won’t……….. yet.

Gah! It’s the only word to describe the anger, the sheer closed-mindedness, the innate distrust for any sort of positive change and the Nimbyism! As a member of the generation who is going to have to deal with the climate fiasco, I’m standing tall with my convictions.

We, as a nation, nay, as a planet, are soon going to be facing an energy crisis. Wind, whilst it has its faults, is a clean, renewable, and constant source of power. Kimbolton, in this case, is blessed with a strong and reliable wind, which has a definite prevailing direction. Apart from two outlying farms, the proposed site is far away from all the villages stated in the website, and will help secure a greener future for the generation to come.

Something has to be done, because if the planet continues to warm and the sea-level predictions are true then, as I said before, the land surrounding Kimbolton is flat from here to the sea!

I am planning on writing a letter to our village magazine in support of the proposals, which I hope will lead to a reasoned debate of the issue.

Brave new world or evil regime? Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Last time I was in the States I came face to face with the failings of their health care system. We had been out celebrating our 21st birthday and my sister tripped over the front step in the dark. A friend of ours rushed forward to make sure that the storm door didn’t slam shut on her, but while doing so ended up cutting open his eyelid on the very same door.

Now, had the same accident occurred here, we would have packed him up and driven straight to A&E. Yes we would probably have waited a good long while, but at the end of the night his eye would have been properly seen to and on the way to recovery.

Unfortunately we were not at home and my friend (who’s American) had recently been made redundant, losing not only his job but his health insurance. Consequently he has a permanent scar underneath his eyebrow.

I have always, and will always be an advocate for a free National Health Service. Access to health care is a basic human right. Which is why this article in the Guardian today has made my blood boil.

For the self-proclaimed ‘leader of the free world,’ the US has a wholy inadequate 2-tier health care system – for those who can afford the premiums, you can expect the best quality care, but for those who can’t – well need I say any more.

At the very heart of any democracy is the idea that we are all born equal – we all have the same chance in life as any other person. Ok, whilst I am an idealist I am in no way naive. I know this is an unattainable ideal, but structures should be in place to at least assist these goals and at the very least a social welfare system which is representative of the country’s standard of living.

But this in no way means a decline in standards, and having a spending plan doesn’t mean you put a price on human life. If anything not having some sort of NHS devalues lives because it basically states that if you can’t afford the treatment you are in some way unworthy of continuing to live.  As far as I can tell the main argumment is that by having these spending caps in place, and  an octogenarian won’t recieve the same standard of health care as a younger person.

This is utterly ridiculous. Having seen the treatment all four of my grandparents received at the end of their lives, I never ever considered that the nurses and doctors were working any less hard to treat them, than any other patient.  They were, after all, as deserving as the next person to walk through the door.

Health care is always a contentious issue, and I will happily admit that the NHS is far from perfect. But despite its faults and its critics it remains a constant and for that I am eternally grateful.

Finally, to any who remain critical I give you this.

The World Health Organisation ranks Britain’s healthcare as 18th in the world, while the US is in 37th place

Says it all really.

And I danced the night away! Friday, July 24, 2009

First off, I’m sorry once again – this blog seems to have died a million deaths these last 2 months.. and rather than taking time to reconnect, I seem to be adding more and more to my plate – I am now officially a blogger for Review Artists and part of the Bright Young Folk admin team.So from having absolutely no experience at the beginning of the year, I now seem to have more on my plate than I can deal with.

Add to this that I have to create my audio-visual MA masterpiece and  find a job… life is a little busy. But who’s complaining!

I have a couple of blogs in the pipeline as we speak, but for the moment I would like to direct you to other outlets for my wisdom.

Why musicians are on twitter

We’re all going on a musical journey!

Festivals going ‘green’ - see how my MA project is progressing (I have photos and videos now!)

And I’ll be back on the ball soon, I promise!