BORIS
You were my hero. Why did they turn against you? Why did they tell such lies about you? Why did they want to erase you? You always will be my star to follow. Words can hurt as deep as death. When friends let you down and Betray you like cowards in the wind. I will always be on your side, No matter what the world may say. Call on me and I shall be right here Beside you all the way. We can fight the Blues And cause the British nations To rock and roll again Like we used to when Cliff was young. Come back Boris. Your country needs you, To make us feel complete again. Fly the flag and make us feel proud again.
0 Comments
My latest album was released on Bandcamp without problems.
I decided to go ahead with the full release to music stores but have been told that "due to strict formatting guidelines from the stores, it is required that the release information (artist names, album/track titles) matches the text on the cover artwork. Currently you have text on your cover artwork that does not match your album title or artist name." My response - I have edited the artist name from Paul Boon Stewart to the Paul Boon Stewart band. In music recording history there have been several classic albums where the title or artist or both are totally missing from the artwork. Artist freedom! Ever heard of The Beatles white album? - just white with no title. The Partridge Family best selling album with no text just a picture of a partridge. The Faust Tapes - no text just a mesmerising design. Of course those albums were made when actual people controlled the music world and not everything was left to computers. Modern formatting guidelines are quite ill conceived and fly in the face of recorded music history and common sense. However, such rules do exist and we mere mortals must submit of be cancelled. Welcome to the unpopular and crazy new world order. When Boris Johnson resigned as Prime Minster, I resigned my membership of the Conservative Party. Leading Tory MPs had behaved disgracefully, stabbing their leader in the back. I wrote to my local MP, Rishi Sunak, telling him that he had behaved dishonourably and so I could no longer trust him and will no longer vote for him.
Boris's time as Prime Minster was cut short by the Covid pandemic. It almost killed him, and it did kill his mother. As with members of other families, he was unable to visit her when she was dying and unable to attend her funeral. There are those who blame Boris for the deaths of their relatives during the crisis but the restrictions brought in by Boris's government did save many lives. It is shameful that the majority of the mainstream British media exploited the situation and the emotions of the people. Rather than support the efforts of the government in the nation's time of need, they decided to support those trying to create chaos and anarchy. They saw the opportunity to get rid of a strong leader and scupper the will of the majority by sabotaging the result of the democratic Brexit referendum. Brexit will not be reversed, and the Conservatives will survive but my trust in British politics and politicians has been destroyed. I wish Boris success with whatever he does next. If he does continue in British politics then he is a stronger man than me. In his position I would wash the dust off my hands and wander off into a more peaceful world. The assumption of guilt is like a cancer eating away at the soul of society.
I think there have been so many wrong convictions in the UK that the whole of the system has gone into a state of protective denial, to prevent total collapse of public confidence. As Director of Public Prosecutions, Alison Saunders repeatedly claimed that the main question the DPP had to ask, in each case, was ‘is there a realistic prospect of a conviction?’. That is equal to asking ‘can we get away with it’. It would be better to ask if it is the right, and most just, thing to do. I have known lawyers and police officers scoff at the word justice, as though it is the most ridiculous idea but, surely, it is the main foundation of British Law. If it is not then we have certainly lost our way. In my opinion, British Criminal Law, as it is written, is fair and just. Viscount Sankey, in the case of Woolmington v DPP, confirmed that it is for the prosecution to prove their case, not the other way round. “No matter what the charge or where the trial, the principle that the prosecution must prove the guilt of the prisoner is part of the common law of England and no attempt to whittle it down can be entertained.” Yet we see, trial upon trial, cases where people have been put before a court with zero evidence to justify it. It is not the law which is at fault but the people who act in the name of the law. In the USA we saw the open disregard of facts and fairness in the trial of Michael Jackson, and a botched attempt to do the same to Cliff Richard in the UK. Thankfully, they each had enough funds to afford a decent legal team, but there are many who cannot afford such representation. Another shameful practice is to wait until ‘the accused’ is dead before making the accusations, knowing that the dead cannot defend themselves. We may never know if the allegations against Jimmy Savile are true or not but, in the eyes of British Law and fairness, he must be considered innocent until proven guilty. It is not just celebrities and high profile people who have been targeted. Another example is the New Barns Case (or as journalist, Margaret Jervis, once referred to it 'The New Barns Hoax'). It was a classic child care home case. In their determination to add more convictions, the prosecution pursued the case without any supporting evidence. No child had made an allegation but the police, by repeatedly asking the children to choose members of staff who they did not like, while at the same assuring the children that they would not get into trouble regardless what they said, encouraged false accusations in order to create more convictions. What prompted the police to get involved in the first case? A very loosely connected trawling operation. The only evidence in the resulting trial was the allegation itself. They offered no more. In law, a trial takes place to test the validity of an allegation. The allegation, itself, cannot be used as evidence to support the allegation, otherwise the entire procedure loses credibility. Yet, in this case, the prosecution gambled (with human life) and won the case, even though the legal system lost it's objectivity. Tittle tattle, half truths and gossip do not a fair society make. There will always be those who revel in the hurt and destruction of others. It is one of the worse examples of human cruelty. The ignorant always believe it could never happen to them, but nobody is ever safe from the roving finger. Whether you believe in The Bible or not, it was written many centuries ago and to texts from the book of Matthew show how long mankind has suffered from this same weakness. Matthew 7 – (English Standard Version) Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgement, you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Think about that. This evil tide will not stop until mankind makes it stop. (my new poem)
Do not masturbate on my behalf, You know that’s not my scene. Keep your dreams clean And I’ll meet you there. I wish I was the guy I wanted to be When I was the guy who wanted to be me, But something got lost in the mix. It takes more Than a spoonful of sugar Or a classic movie clip To unwind the coils of my wandering mind. So, I talk to you as yesterday’s me Because the other me Is a prisoner of tomorrow, Which never quite arrives. Leave me on my empty bed Of blunted nails, I’ll see the night through alone, With a hot cup of bitter coffee. Sleep might well escape me again, Like the ghost of a shattered memory, But I’ll still exist, always, Within my own peculiarities. (with a nod to 'FRASIER' - the TV show) A new poem
from a Brit in response to recent events in the USA The Devil Is Back In Georgia I might go to the inauguration Just to take a picture of the gun Which has replaced the reason and rhyme, And to ask why. I won’t take a bottle of wine, Just in case they think it’s something else. Abraham and Martin must be wondering What happened to the peace Which was supposed to surpass all understanding. Amen has nothing to do with gender. Masks are supposed to cover the mouth, Not blind foolish eyes. The truth remains the same, Even if its shrouded behind lies, Treachery and deceit. Fools say there is no god, and no consequences for evil. Donald held a hand to raise the people up But the devil is back in Georgia Spreading hate and fear Now that Charlie has taken is fiddle to Heaven. Dark days for the union But courage and faith rarely fail When brought together for good. If in God we truly trust * remembering Charlie Daniels and the old American way with thanks and acknowledgement to Suzi Quatro, here is my latest poem.
FIG BISCUITS Eating fig biscuits at 3am, Listening to Doctor and the Medics ‘Get what you want’ In the dim lights of Harry’s Barr. Suzi Q in the corner. Bass balanced on empty seat. Glass half full of unwritten lyrics As owls hoot in the foggy Autumn air. Still eating fig biscuits at half past three. Nowhere near Sleepsville yet. Suzi on the jukebox now And another coffee, dark and rich. Thunder booms and cracks. Dull purple skies as rain pelts against the window Headlights shine on headlines From yesterday’s paper, as crumbs fall on an empty saucer. Eating fig biscuits at 4am. Finishing the packet, except for one. Suzi on her mobile. A brief nod as the door swings and I step out. Wet and cold in the open air But the bus is due. Wheels on gravel. Suzi like a shadow within. Feet on the table, waiting for her ride. She sees that one last fig biscuit And the note, ‘thanks for The Drive’ Which almost makes her smile. The juke box plays again, as the road takes me home. During a pandemic or any kind of lockdown, it's important that the channels of communication remain open. In that way, it could be argued that postal workers and delivery drivers are as important as medical workers. Hospitals would grind to a halt without deliveries of fresh stuff.
The main question re the future of the BBC is ... does it have a future?
It's a national institution, but seems to have fallen off the rails. Where, once, it brought us neutral, non-bias news from near and far; now it takes unreasonable sides. Take Brexit, for example. The BBC, as the national broadcaster, funded by the voters, should have set an example of fair play and tolerance, but it chose to take a very anti-brexit stance. A curios attitude considering that the majority of voters supported Brexit. In some areas, it seems to have taken a solidly anti-British stance. No surprise that more people are turning away from the BBC. So, should we even bother to save the BBC? I think we should ... but it needs to be trimmed somewhat. Here is my suggestion. Keep the LICENCE FEE, but reduce it to £50 per year. Have 5 TV channels - BBC 1 for entertainment (drama, music, etc) BBC 2 for documentaries BBC News BBC Sport BBC Junior for kids Have 5 radio channels - merge Radios 1 & 2 Keep Radios 3, 4, 5 and the World Service. Make the entire BBC TV archives available on iPlayer, and make it so that it can only be accessed by entering the licence code. Cap the wages for BBC presenters and other staff so that it is reasonable and fair but not designed for premadonnas. Ensure a strict neutral / impartial news policy. Continue to allow funding through merchandising. It's a basic plan, but I think it might work. What do you think? Or do you just think the BBC has had its day? I'm always amused when experts talk about "unprecedented weather conditions", but go on to say things like "we haven't had rain like this for about 200 years". In the lifespan of the planet, 200 years is a tiny drop in a massive ocean. There has always been climate change. It's nothing new.
People need to listen to nature more than experts. Nature has it's own built-in alarm system. So far, there is no wide spread alert. All that is happening, has happened many times before. However, that is no excuse for mankind treating the planet as a rubbish dump, or wasting resources. We don't need to be as stupid as we make out. We do need to plant more trees and vegetables. That is something we do have control of. Stopping eating meat will mostly result is a surplus of farting cows filling the atmosphere with green house gases ... and that's just considering one species. If, as one so called expert suggests, mankind chooses to bring about its own downfall, we would still have the farting cows, creating uncontrollable levels of methane. Rain will still fall and cats will inherit The Earth. So toss another burger on the grill. Mankind is not the greatest power on the planet. Nature is. We have no control over wind, rain, earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanoes or anything which nature chooses to throw at us. Foolish scientists say there is no God, even though they cannot explain infinity. Sensible scientists keep an open mind, acknowledging that there is so much we still do not understand. Was there a particular reason why some ancient civilisations held cats in such high regard? I don't believe cats are gods, but maybe there is more to cats than we are prepared to believe. One thing that is sure is that humans are also not gods. Cats, along with most animals, listen to nature and follow its unspoken advice. Maybe the answers to all mankind's questions are right in front of us. We just need to assume less and listen more. |
THE BLOG THINGY |