Ed – Part 1 was published yesterday on Independence Daily.
In their world, somebody having a shouting match with another adult is news, goodness who knew? It’s like listening to the ramblings of a primary school teacher talking to ten-year-olds, ‘ Now Connor’ we’ve had talks about this before, it’s not nice for you to talk to Emily like that, you may upset her and hurt her feelings, now come along with me and we can go to the quiet room and talk about it.’ This is no joke or exaggeration it’s life as many see it and live it, let’s all be friends all the time and for god’s sake don’t rock the boat. Until of course life hits them hard in the face, as it has a habit of doing and then it’s ‘like well I’m thinking like that is so unfair.’ If the middle-class voters still wedded to the mainstream media are still hooked on this drivel, they either need to take a look at their own lifestyles, those of family and friends and then join what others call the real world and not the make-believe one of the media.
This though is life outside of the ‘middle class’ bubble, the advertising hype, the fashion and comment pages of the broadsheet press in the suburbs full of expensive executive style identikit houses where Connor and Caden and Poppy and Mia don’t play and where the children don’t have parents on the school governors or leading lights of the PTA.
This is where you will find people, some by choice, some through no fault of their own, living a life of totally different values to what many of us would find hard to imagine in our worst nightmares. A place where the BBC and Broadsheets along with glossy magazines don’t feature in their living space but where breakfast T.V and rolling 24/7 news does.
It’s a lifestyle where money is short, where mobile devices are bought on credit, where a 40-inch T.V rules a living space which is often filthy and smells of dog, vomit, drugs, and neglect. Where food is bought from the cheapest outlet and takeaways. Where kids often have different mothers or fathers and various siblings related or not. Where mom can be heard asking Kyle (after she has bought a packet of fags and ‘twenty quid’s worth of scratch cards and a euro lotto card please’) what sort of crisps he wants for breakfast. Where clothes are bought from the cheapest market stalls or on the ever-present credit cards (often ‘maxed out’). Where jobs are often cash in hand to bolster the ‘bennies’, where often no work is a lifestyle choice. Where sitting on the wall outside the ‘offy’ at ten in the morning with a can of larger is normal behaviour. Where the ‘tallyman’ calls weekly sometimes more often to collect the payment for the money borrowed to buy whatever somebody has been sold on ‘terms’ Where often all that is asked is not the price, but what’s the monthly? Where domestic disputes are settled in a house, the only evidence being the broken door, the smashed furniture. Where the black eyes and bruises, on mom or dad, goes un-remarked, and the neighbours certainly don’t record the noise or call the police. The children often run away, display aggressive behaviour, won’t go to school, and certainly have little trust in adults, particularly teachers, social workers, or the police.
Then there is crime, some petty, some not, some drug-related some not. There are health issues, both medical and psychological, caused by neglect, social issues, substance abuse who knows. Who cares? you may say, there are agencies aren’t there to deal with this, isn’t this what we pay taxes for? Anyone who thinks that has never worked or has scant knowledge of life in an area of social deprivation’ whatever they may tell you.
Try explaining to the ‘middle classes’ living in twenty minutes away in Conspicuous Consumption Close behind electronic security gates , or Audi Avenue that their ‘values’ have no resonance with people who don’t live in socially popular areas, who don’t have two leased cars on the drive and two holidays each summer in warmer climes or don’t have the benefits of a ‘good education’ – whatever that is supposed to mean- or the benefits of early retirement and two pensions and you will get several responses, ranging from ‘oh surely not’ to well it’s their own fault’ or it’s the government’s fault, don’t local services have millions of pounds of ‘government funding’ to deal with this why don’t ‘they’ do their job?
That, though, is life for many in our ‘one nation’ Britain, one that unless we get our act together and, in my view, is one that will come back to bite us all irrespective Brexit
‘These people’ (what sort of condescending patronising description is that?) often heard in smug professional chattering class circles, are totally fed up, to put it mildly, of being ignored by the political and social elites. They have sat back silently while their communities have been devastated, worthwhile jobs (to them) in Industry have been destroyed, services neglected, police never in evidence, complaints about levels of immigration, drug dealing, and theft ignored. Education is not seen by many to have any relevance to their lives. Patronising politicians of all parties actively calling them Islamophobic, Homophobic Europhobic, Bigots, Racist, and too stupid to know why or for whom they voted, and then driving off to one of their two leafy suburban homes and their pad in Islington prior to yet another interview on T.V telling everyone that has the time and patience to listen, just how clever and intelligent they are. ‘These People’ to use their phrase on them are not the solution; they are part of the problem, maybe we should start to tell them louder because even after the council and euro elections they still have not, as Cameron said, ‘got it.’
It’s laughable that people who have little knowledge of the other side of the tracks, feel stressed or frightened and in need of support and counselling when they have to experience a little of the stress that thousands endure on a daily basis and who just have no choice but to get on with it.
Perhaps the middle-class voters who still seem to think Boris or Jeremy H (note “Jeremy” not “Jezza”) are going to save Brexit or the Conservative party, need to ask in the case of the Conservative Party, why and what for? The people told you what they wanted, and you chose to ignore it, to most people it’s immaterial, and of no consequence who runs the Conservative party or for that matter who runs the country, you have let the cat out of the bag.
Little people are not so stupid now are they, now that Jeremy and Boris, want their support, but you know who they are, don’t you – the descendants of Tommy Atkins – and you are still treating them the same as Tommy was treated. Could that be because, well, you know they are not really one of us, not middle class?
Excellent schooling is what it is all about. Mine was poor up to the age of 15 in my home town. Somehow I managed to scrape through the entrance exams and interview for HMS Conway, in 1960. – What a shock ! I was an Officer Cadet under the discipline of the Navy, and at 17 became a qualified Midshipman, with a good executive report and decent GCEs, but what was much more valuable, was the clear cut view of life and sensible set of values.
I was not unusual, as nearly all Conway Cadets have prospered from just two years training. Those who joined Merchant Navy Companies, are now retired Masters or Captains, but some joined the other Services, and some into businesses. Starting my business with my Father, worked well for nearly twenty years. In the 1970s the Merchant Companies decided to end their financial support, and Hansard records the plea for HMS Conway to continue, due to the proven record of its young men in all walks of life, including the Armed Services.
Two very large Sales Accounts went bad in my business, and my Company went to the Receiver. I went to work for a large Multinational Company, only to find that promotion was never to be offered. Instead, those I worked with wanted me to be their Shop Steward, and eventually I agreed. I stayed as such for more than a decade, but found that I enjoyed doing the job of a Representative, with a decent degree of advocacy thrown in.
Upon my retirement, I realised how I had covered both political extremes, from Capitalist to Socialist. I still had time for Church membership, and aided by Christian faith, brought up a Son and Daughter with similar values. ….. Now if I can do this, upon only two years of real quality schooling in my teens, surely it is possible for most people. Values of Christian belief will make Families better, as well as conversations by a family, without TV or Mobile phone distractions. It should be possible, as going to my Grandkids schools now, what they have today totally eclipses my own experiences !
The cause of most of this is the destruction on of both the traditional family and organised religion. (Hence moral values.)
Deliberate lefty policy to keep people dependent on government and hence voting for them (if they can be bothered to get off their ar5es.)
The only new thing is that in earlier times these people had the ambition to better themselves which doesn’t seem to be the case now even though opportunities are immeasurably better.
Things can be right, and things can be wrong.If it works it’s right. Is it right because it’s not left, or because it’s correct. Unless they’re educated, they’ll never know.
When Tony Blair said Educate, educate. He actually meant “Indoctrinate, indoctrinate . And that is what we have had ever since. Because they think it’s working. Which it is for him, because what he wanted was destroy, destroy for education.
And there it is . We have young mothers not knowing how to bring up kids. We have teachers ,well meaning semieducated and doing best for 5 and 6 year olds but already trying to cope wuih the children of the failed mothers, Then we have Junior teachers equally uneducated and unable to see the basics in their bid to leftify their charges.By secondary education they are spoilt for anything life can give them. It isn’t right. Job done …Votes for 16 year olds
A good clear out of Offsted and all the other civil servants, hangers on, experts etc and throwing away their computer-crutches ,should free up substantial sums to cure the missfits.I am not an expert in education, but I am an expert in watching people avoiding everything that they should be doing.