Thoughts for the Day

"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."

Charles Dickens
1812-1870, Novelist

What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?

Matthew 16:26 The Bible

We shall fly to the moon at noon
Scoffing raspberries with a silver spoon
They'll take our cares away
Surely by next May
And that'll be here very soon

An old fool from Felixstowe, 2005

I saw a play yesterday evening, East Meets East at the New Wolsey Theatre. Now rather dated, it is set in 70s and deals with the conflicts an Anglo-Pakistani family face. The father is full of male supremacy, love of God, and needs to be in control. His six sons and one daughter are a varying mix of cultures, while his wife is very English working class.

It remains a potent reminder of the tensions that can, and do, arise when cultures clash.

Great Britain (that's what we were once called) has a tradition of integration. We have accepted immigrants from all over the world for centuries. Today there is a change, for the numbers have greatly increased and too often, it seems, those that arrive are not grateful for our support but are really over-keen to exploit our generosity.

Young, second and third generation, settlers carry a huge chip on their shoulders, believing that we were the colonial oppressors and so must repay an imagined debt. White honkys are despised, and our social security systems are now overloaded with spurious demands. I've always wondered why asylum seekers are invariably young males; why aren't they protecting their vulnerable women and children?

The English peasant has been one of the most oppressed groups of people in the world. And that was the case for much of Europe, peasants did what they were told. Over one million white Europeans were sold into slavery in North Africa - but such facets of history are too often ignored.

It is the poor who remain exploited, regardless of race or creed. That must be addressed, and our capitalist system is not designed to offer much assistance.