The Great Parliamentary Swindle: How the System Hoodwinks Us From the Cradle to the Grave

The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons 1835 - J.M.W. Turner watched the fire of 1834 in London and depicted it in several paintings, including the one above


We are all born equal only in the fact that we are innocent and pure babies (we can all usually agree on that unless you believe that some are born evil) but that is another matter. We live out our lives as best we can in the country we happen to be born into, and we die usually in the same place. The main aspect of all our lives is how we live our short lives. There can be very few (if none at all) who do not face some struggle and strife and suffer some unfortunate circumstances somewhere along the line. I hope that up till now we can all agree on that. However, what mainly concerns me in this piece is the way of life which is unfairly foisted upon us as innocent babies. Born, as we all are, unconsciously into the time and place in which we all come into this world.

We enter into life without having asked to be born; but once we are here we have to live our lives in the circumstances and with the personal assets that we have been dealt. That is why the way of life we are born into and foisted upon us is unfair, as mentioned earlier. Unfair because of the inequality which still exists within society in Britain in the 21 century. Some of us are born into privilege and some into poverty and social oppression. We are lead to believe, by the aspirational machine which exists in full force in the Capitalist country we live in, that if we strive hard enough we can move up if we are on the bottom rung of the ladder. However, if we really think about it this applies only to the few. Most of us will never move significantly up or down the social ladder. The few exceptions that we know of personally or are shown in the media are just that, exceptions to the rule.

Yes we can strive by acquiring a good education and eventually a good career and in turn sending our children to better schools etc.  However, the status quo will remain in place. And it is set up to remain so; the system is in place to ensure that the social structure remains in place and that the few own the real assets. It is no coincidence that only a handful of families and a handful of powerful people run the world. Most crucially the government, and in Britain, Parliament. This is the inequality and the unfairness to which the innocent children of the poor are born into. They, through an accident of birth and no fault of their own, suffer a life of drudgery when they could have a much better quality of life. In Britain today, the social inequality is growing much wider, the poor are getting poorer and the wealthy are growing the pile they have amassed over the centuries.

The swindle that Parliament perpetuate is the illusion of democracy. We are made to believe through the media (which is run by the wealthy and powerful who are the elite) that we are in a democracy in which we can vote in the government which has our best interest as a country in their hands. We are under the illusion that the government is running the country for us. However, the poor are getting poorer and getting the blame, and the rich are getting richer and getting all the pleasure. Anyone old enough may know that reference, it seems it will endure because it is true.

When will society eventually wake up to the fact that this life is precious for all innocent babies born into it. That no matter what circumstances they are brought up in, they deserve better than poverty. They deserve much more than to be made to feel second or even third class in a the class based system they happen to be born into. When people wake up from the delusional life we are made to experience now, then the revolution should come about. Then the majority poor of this country should take back the assets that their children deserve. Just like the powers that be who run the country and perpetuate the status quo, took the power and the assets over the centuries. Power is never given over freely, it has to be taken. A fairer society can come about because it exists in other countries.        

Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting: Killing The Children - The Monster Who's Afraid to Look In The Mirror

Who is the monster who's afraid to look in the mirror?

My heart goes out to all the victims who tragically died last week in a senseless crime that took place last week in Sandy Hook elementary school in Ridgefield Connecticut in the USA. That also includes the murderer and his family members. Why? Because it might help the families of the victims come to terms with this tragedy if they realise that the murderer is a victim too.  

Why is there the increasing phenomenon of mass shootings of young children occurring in recent years in various countries in the developed world? I ask this in response to the tragic shooting in Sandy Hook elementary school in the US state of Connecticut just a week or so before Christmas.

This hugely tragic event not only has America reeling, it has the rest of the world asking why? The next knee jerk reaction is to point the finger at the gun culture that is rife and embedded within the culture of the USA. From there, the next question seems to be what can be done about this. The all consuming reaction is to take some sort of action. President Obama is taking a measured response and at least asking about mental health issues which are obviously part of the equation in this scenario.

However, I would like to look at the picture in 3D so to speak. Above, I mentioned that this was a phenomenon which seems to be increasing in the so called 'developed' world. I believe that this is not only due to the ready availability of guns and arms in these countries; but that it is undoubtedly inextricably linked to mental health, especially of the young men who are more often than not the perpetrators of these acts of violence. Also to the society in which they live and it's fundamental issues concerning the modern world and the youths place therein.

As I referred to above, there is a monster who is afraid to look in the mirror. Who is that monster? You might have a knee jerk thought or reaction and instantly think of the perpetrators of the murders of these school children - the murderers. Who are labelled by the media variously as evil, deranged, and indeed sick and mentally ill. Not many will show or voice any sympathy or ask any deeper questions about these young people. Why? for instance instead of how?

Indeed, they might briefly ask themselves why and instantly think it is because any of the above labels conveniently given to them by the media. Then, they might add the label of mentally ill and hopeless. Or they might go a little further and conclude that if the murderer had had some help from any of the mental health operatives in the community that this would surely have prevented this.

This is of course valid and indeed true. But I would like to go further and as I said above, try to see the picture in 3D. Yes, these young murderers have committed a heinous crime against humanity and the society in which they live(d). I will call them murderers, not in any way as a value judgement or as a label  but because that is what they have done and therefore what they have become. However, they usually only become a murderer for a short time because they usually turn the fury on themselves and kill themselves too.

I ask in all earnestness that we ask the question, who is the monster who can't look in the mirror? Is it the murderer who can't bear themselves any more and must kill? But I ask also, why do they usually pick the most innocent and vulnerable targets for there self-loathing and shame? Why do I think the murderer is a victim too? Because, although I think they have become a monster who can't bear to look in the mirror any more, but crucially they are also a victim of the society they live in.

Why at the beginning of this did I mention that it seems to be that this happens more frequently in the developed world? Well, because I think that the real monster who can't bear to look in the mirror is the sick society that most of the so called 'developed' countries have become. We cannot bear to look closely at our selves and how our way of life has driven these sick young people to act out and take their own lives in such a tragic way.

Maybe they always choose the most innocent and vulnerable to murder, not only because they are an easy target, but because in a twisted way they are killing that part of themselves that they have lost. By murdering these untainted and innocent children, they are avenging that part of themselves that was killed within them. Now, I realise this might seem like far fetched psychoanalysis and that they might just be evil. But this cannot be the case. The case is clearly one of mental illness and as mentioned above one which is increasing and therefore consequently must have it's roots in the modern world.

I submit that we are bringing up the next generation in a world which does not examine itself enough, but feels that it must look outside itself to seek answers to ugly questions. I submit that individually and collectively we look in the mirror to face the ugly truth and not point the mirror away from ourselves. I think it would be a good thing to mourn for these victims and their families and the murder and his family too, over the Christmas period. But also to look deeper into the causes of the sickness that is growing in the modern developed world and in particular the youths who feel alienated within these societies.

After all, it cannot be incidental that this happened in the week before Christmas when we are supposed to celebrate the birth of the Saviour. The One who was the ultimate example of selflessness and love of all mankind. Whether you believe in Christianity or not, the message is to love all mankind regardless of there sins. To love and try to understand one another however hard that is. I believe this cannot be truly undertaken if  we cannot look in the mirror as a society and examine ourselves.

Don't Believe The Novel Hype!

Don't believe the hype!

Below is part of a review I wrote about a novel I read recently. I won't name it here but it is real and you can see it on Goodreads if you have a mind to. I post it now as a blog because it contains some truths which the reader of fiction novels might find interesting. ...

"I didn't finish this novel (the paperback edition) because I couldn't even get half way through it. I found it mediocre at best and full of clichés concerning the therapist/patient relationship. Please don't believe the blurb on the covers of novels as they are full of praise from critics who are usually in the pay of the publishing houses. The object is to sell the novel at all costs because if they did put any negative comments on the back of the cover or in any review at the launch of the book, it simply would not sell."

Just imagine the first part of my review on the back of the cover; would it entice you to buy and read it? Have you ever read anything approaching a negative comment on any novel printed by a publishing house? I would guess it's a 'no', because I've never seen one. The blurb on the back is so overly hyped in order to entice the reader to buy that it often bares little resemblance to the novel's literary content and can be said therefore to delve into the realm of fiction itself. It is so expensive to print and distribute a traditional novel, that these publishing houses need to build the reputation of their writers and recoup their money. Therefore, any negative comments, reviews or articles written by a journalist or reviewer would not be published because they would lose their job. The media are all linked together in order to serve a common purpose and that is to create interest in the market and sell.

I had to have a rant about this because I know how the publishing world works. I hope that some of the unsuspecting readers who swallow the hype will wake up to this and not lose their hard earned cash on believing the blurb on the back of novels and being disappointed. Also, they may feel that their disappointment is not valid when compared to these comments by so called "respected" journalists and reviewers. But if they knew the reasons why this might be, they may well be angry too.

I don't know the answer to this, because how is anyone to know what is good to read if not by the so called "respected" critics. Maybe the answer might be to know your critics better and find an independent that has some integrity. Good luck with that these days. Choose wisely!



The picture above is thought to be a portrait of Jane Austin.