Thursday 30 June 2016

One week on - 30/6/16



It’s been a week since the European Referendum here in the UK and in my household we are still getting over the shock of the decision to leave.  (Brexit) The reactions have been shocking particularly the rise in racially motivated incidents and the backlash on social media.


I’m not usually one for standing up and speaking out but some of the things being said (and done) have made me angry enough to do just that.  Especially when people keep saying it will be alright when we don’t actually know that.  We don’t know how bad it may get before it starts to get better.


We were complaining before the vote about being fed up with all the news coverage of it, most of which was either misleading or certainly not helpful.  The lack of information available did not make it easy to decide which way to vote. 


In some ways that is understandable when this is an unprecedented situation.  No country has left the EU so of course there will be a lot of unknowns.  Personally I voted In.  I don’t regret that decision.  I thought we would be better being part of a solution to problems rather than causing them.


It’s been a long week and although the stock exchange and currency have settled a bit after the horrendous falls immediately following the result, it seems that we still don’t have answers to the questions people were asking before the vote and now there are more questions:


Who will be the new leader of the Conservative Party?

Will that person continue as an unelected Prime Minister and begin negotiations with the EU or will they call a General Election?

When will Article 50 be triggered?

Who will continue to lead the Labour Party?  Jeremy Corbyn is hanging on by the thinnest of threads.

Will Scotland move to have another Independence Referendum in a bid to remain in the EU?

Will there be real attempts to unify Ireland and what impact will that have?


How long will it take for Immigrants to feel safe and wanted in this country following some of the awful incidents this week?


How long before ignorant racists realise that many of the people they’ve abused are probably British citizens and have as much right to be in this country as they do and that if we did boot all the non-British people out our public services would probably collapse?  (And how long before the knowledge sinks in that if we do negotiate a decent post Brexit trade deal with Europe it will probably come with strings attached like free movement?!)


BIG questions.


We probably will be ok in the long term.  As in years.  Not days or months but years. We may not remain a united kingdom and I don’t think anyone will consider us great but of course our British spirit will see us through.


I accept that this is democracy in action and although I may not like the decision I have to accept it and look forward.  We can’t change the present by looking back although we can learn from our mistakes and hopefully make the future better. 


However, like it or not, we are part of a global community.  Big issues like global warming, the continued threat of ISIS, migration issues etc will not be solved by cutting ourselves off from the outside world.  These issues need to be tackled globally.  We need to be part of discussions and negotiations involving these issues.
 
We also need to accept that, despite the colour or our skins, the languages we speak, our beliefs and all the other things that make us individuals, we are all human, and if we don’t work together we could destroy this planet and the human race.

Wednesday 29 June 2016

Wednesday Hodgepodge 29/6/16



Wednesday's Hodgepodge is brought to us courtesy of Joyce at 
Pop over there to see other posts and if you want to join in add the link to your Hodgepodge blog post to the Linky List at the end of Joyce's post and don’t forget to visit at least your neighbours on the list.
Have fun!

1. It's officially summer (in the northern hemisphere anyway). Which summer month is best and why?

Well normally I would be tempted to say June as it’s my birthday and anniversary month but this June has been so wet I’m looking forward to better things in July and August.


2. Can you swim? How did you learn? June 27th is National Sunglasses Day. How many pair do you own?

I learnt to swim at school.  We used to go to the local pool for lessons.  I don’t own any sunglasses – my glasses darken in the sun.
3. What characteristic do you judge most harshly in yourself? How about in others?

I’m not very outgoing and don’t find making conversation with strangers easy.  I know this can seem to be a bit standoffish but it’s really more a lack of confidence.  I try not to judge others.
4. Robert Frost wrote the now well known poem entitled The Road Not Taken. What's a road (literal or figurative) you've always wanted to travel, and where do you hope it takes you? 

Hopefully one day we’ll be on the Grandparent road and who knows where it will take us but I’m sure it will be fun finding out!


5. Popsicles-yay or nay? If you answered yay, what's your favourite flavour? 

No thanks.


6. Brexit-on a scale of 1-10 how knowledgeable are you on what's involved here? (1=very knowledgeable and 10=what's Brexit) Is this news you'll follow or is it something you think won't impact your life in any way shape or form? 
Oh don’t get me started.  I’m way up there, probably a 3 given that even the politicians who led the Brexit campaign don’t seem to know what’s going on so I don’t think anyone can claim to be a 1.  It is definitely going to impact my life.  I voted in and now have to accept the fall out.  I have been horrified at some of the attitudes displayed since the vote, particularly on social media.  There is very little certainty about anything at the moment and it’s very unsettling.
7. Share a favourite song on your summer play list.

Hello by Adele.  Not particularly summery but I have her latest album which I love.  I also watched her Glastonbury performance today.  She is amazing.

8. Insert your own random thought here. 



Poppy is home!  She’s doing really well but still being fed every 3 hours around the clock so it’s hard on her parents.  For the time being they have moved in with the Grandparents so at least they have additional support.  That’s also nearer for family members to visit and help out.  The power of prayer is a wonderful thing.  Thank you.  I’d love to post a picture but they have stayed away from social media on this so I have to respect that decision but looking at her now to when she was first admitted to hospital is like looking at a different baby.  She looks so much better.

Friday 24 June 2016

Friday's Fave Five

http://susannesspace.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/fridays-fave-five-383.html

It's Friday so it's time to join in with Suzanne's Friday's Fave Five.  
It's a place to come on Fridays and think back over your week and just post about 5 favourite things from your week. It can be anything that tickled your fancy over the week. Favourite quotes, posts, happenings, scriptures, recipes, pictures, great internet finds, etc., etc.

If you want to take part or visit other Fave Five posts, click on the picture above to go to host Suzanne's site and check out the linky list.
 
I'm really struggling to find Five Favourite things this week.  It's been quite an uneventful week.  My hubby was away for work from Monday to Wednesday and then yesterday and today, despite supposedly being off work in lieu of Monday and Tuesday he's been working on a case.  To say that's frustrating is putting it mildly.  Especially since I spent quite a long time yesterday setting up his work tablet and getting him connected to his work network.  His IT skills leave a lot to be desired.

Despite all that I guess one of my favourite things is my hubby.  Despite all his flaws I'm still glad I'm married to him and that he puts up with all my shortcomings too.

Another fave this week has been Netflix and the Good Wife.  Ironing is much less boring when watching TV.

Another thing I am thankful for this week  is that we didn't get flooded despite the awful weather we've had.

But the thing that I'm most grateful for this week is that Poppy (our niece's baby) is home!  She has improved so much over the past week.  She is still being tube fed (through her nose) every 3 hours but hopefully within the next month they will insert a tube directly into her stomach as she will need to be fed around the clock for the forseeable future.  But to see her now compared to just a few weeks ago is such a blessing.  The family will be staying with Poppy's grandparents for now as they need to have work done on their house but I think it's a good thing that they will have extra support as they get used to coping at home.

And I'm thankful for all the other Friday's Fave Five participants, especially Suzanne, for stopping by and leaving comments.  I do try and get around to you all but I find keeping a thread of comments on Blogger is nigh on impossible.  Wordpress is better at that but I'm not ready to move my blog again.  Well not yet anyway.

Have a great weekend all.  We'll be celebrating my birthday on Sunday with all the kids and their partners here.

Friday Five News 24/6/16



                



Well Local and International news can be combined under the EU referendum.

Yesterday will be forever etched on this country’s history.  We The country voted to leave the European Union.  Some say it was a decisive decision.  I don’t feel that 51.9% v 48.1% is particularly decisive.  However statistics can be manipulated and many arguments could be made about the way the vote went.  Here in London the majority decision was to remain.  Many young people voted to remain while it was older people who wanted to leave.

I’m disappointed.  I believe people used this referendum to hit back at the Government and didn’t really consider the consequences of the leave decision.  In the long term it may prove to be the right decision but it is going to be some time before we can reflect on the long term effects of this decision and see if we really can be better on our own.

Already there have been short term repercussions.  The pound and shares are suffering and the Prime Minister has resigned.  There is going to be, at least in the short term, a period of uncertainty.  The overall decision in Scotland of remain will probably trigger further debate on independence for Scotland.  Wales was also predominantly leave.  Questions around the situation in Northern Ireland will also be raised, particularly as it has a border with Ireland that is an EU country.

It will be interesting to see who the main players in our future will be.  I’m not convinced that some of the main Leave supporters in the Conservative party (e.g. Boris Johnson and Michael Gove) are the best people to negotiate our exit with Europe.  I’m also not convinced that the Labour party is in a good enough state to take on running the country if and when we have the next general election.  The danger with this is that it opens the door for parties like UKIP to take advantage of the situation.

One of the reporters on TV likened this to divorce proceedings.  There will be anger, upset, protracted negotiations and, inevitably, it will get messy.

SPORT news also defers to the referendum as questions will now be asked about how our exit from the EU will affect football players.  Good to see we have our priorities sorted!

I have to question whether attending the Glastonbury Festival counts as ENTERTAINMENT given this story about the difficulties people experienced getting there (traffic jams that lasted for hours) and the state of the site given the recent weather conditions! (Mud, mud and more mud!)  It’s not something I’ve ever wanted to experience.

Getting away from the referendum this MISCELLANEOUS  article reports on rumours that the next iPhone release will not have a headphone socket.  There is a lot of speculation about this.  Something different to think about.

All links are courtesy of the BBC website. Opinions are my own.

Have a great weekend.