KazG

I think I should belatedly clarify my last post by saying that, whether you believe that striking and picketing are right or wrong, that’s not the point I was making. The fact remains that the Labour Party was originally founded to represent the trade unions in Parliament, so Starmer’s action was a betrayal of everything the party once stood for.

No, I can’t say I’m impressed with Starmer’s ‘Labour’ party. So little so, that, given that we live in a rock-solid Labour seat and that it was plain the Tories were going to get hammered anyway, I was quite glad we were in the far West of Ireland on polling day and so had an excuse not to vote. How can a party leader who disciplines one of his…[Read more]

You’re quite right, and I made an over-generalisation instead of a point! What I was trying to say was that even though the superficial details of policy may change from government to government and party to party, the underlying assumptions are adopted almost intact. To borrow a cliche, the playing field remains the same. It may develop over…[Read more]

Interesting that you should say ‘since 1951,’ because I was remarking only the other day that the last government we’ve had that could truly be called socialist was Atlee’s. But I don’t think it’s true to say that governments since then have been pursuing the same, even more or less the same, policies, and indeed your second para gives the lie to…[Read more]

Thank you Knicks – Seagreen’s prompt really did its job!

Congratulations @sandradavies!! Well deserved!

I loved each dragons – real, metaphorical, and felt. This was a delicious prompt to sink teeth into. Thanks lotsly, @seagreen 🙂

“The country needed someone like her” is one of those things people say when they vaguely recall the 60s and 70s through the prism of relentless rightwing media. It’s as though the fact that you could buy your own telephone with better features than a Post Office one after the GPO was broken up for sale was a sign of Liberty leaping over the…[Read more]

There’s a couple we exchange visits with once or twice a year. I’ve known them both since we were all teenagers, longer than I’ve known MrsB, but whatever has kept the friendship going for all these years it’s not common political ground. About the only thing we agree on is Brexit, so most of the time we avoid talking about politics. The last time…[Read more]

I remember as a young child of nine or ten learning about the coal mining industry in Britain. The teacher confidently predicted that there was enough coal to keep Britain self-sufficient for as long as the next thousand years. Most sane, or I should say morally-sane people know that exploitation of fossil fuels in a way that releases pollutants,…[Read more]

Fabulous! I loved each and every one of these. Sandra, very well done. I’ll remember this as I tuck into my light supper tonight.

Thanks for the prompt Seagreen.

This is my second attempt – lesson learned in posting too hastily without allowing time to edit (not that this one fared much better). Please feel free to disqualify if this is outside of the rules.

Snuffle and the Tylwith Teg

Brittle scales fell from his body as he staggered to the edge of hanging rock. Laughter rang out all around, but I…[Read more]

Katherine is typing…

JohnG91 19:44

Hi Kath. I’ve been thinking about what you said. You know, about being decisive. I’ve made a decision. You’ve bullied me into it.

JohnG91 19:57

Just read that back. The bullied thing was supposed to be a joke. Well light-hearted anyway. You’re not a bully. I know when you talked about people who don’t mak…[Read more]

A Draconian Call in the Dark

(400 words, excluding title)

“I don’t want anything. That’s how I survive. I will never want anything again.”

I wring my head, trying to force the memories leaking out of me back down my spine. I hate the wet upon my face, the ache in my throat, the hollow in my chest. I hate so many, many things.

“YOU WILL NEVE…[Read more]