25 October 2011 (Tuesday) - Stuff

Last night MPs voted on whether or not we should have a national referendum about remaining part of the European Community, whether we should leave it, or whether we should somehow renegotiate a better deal.

The trouble with the whole European question is that it goes against the narrow-minded jingoistic attitude which the “tits and bingo gutter press” originally delighted in stirring up. And it made sense for the “tits and bingo gutter press” to stir up this attitude. If they could make up lies about Johnny Foreigner living it up at the British tax-payer’s expense, then it sold their newspaper.

And now newspapers of all shades are running down the European ideal for much the same reason.

What everyone seems to have overlooked is their history lessons. English history for the last thousand years has been (pretty much) a non-stop blood-bath in which England has been picking fights with every European country that was ever on the map. A history which has taken a rather different course since we joined the whole “European thing” back in the 1970s. And other countries who’ve done little else but fight each other for hundreds of years are now staunch allies.

The bureaucracy might cost, but surely it’s worth the cost of peace in Europe?

The obvious next step is to beef up the United Nations and give it some real power. However that’s not the step being taken. Instead, as the Scots go their own way, the United Kingdom looks to becoming far less united than ever it was.

Perhaps we might mount a pre-emptive commando raid on the people living on the next street. For no better reason than that they live on the next street, and not on mine (!)

I spent a little while looking at on-line car sharing today. Getting to Canterbury ain’t cheap, and I was wondering if I might share the costs. Kent County Council offer a car sharing scheme, so I’ve signed up to it. I suppose I’m running the risk of ending up with an axe-murderer, but it might save a few quid.

And then I saw this advert. I’ve phoned for more information. Money might be tight for a year or so, but I’ve all but decided to apply to become a teacher by “Employment based training”…