A lifetime in politics

Passing on the benifit of a lifetimes experience in politics, which consisted of going to a few small meetings, my advice is to watch your biro. If you put it down and someone pinches it, the meeting is going nowhere. Some people you can do business with, some you just can't. Having lost an average of one biro per meeting, sometimes two, having learned much, I retired early from an unpromising political career.

Most life aspects contain some elements of politics. One is never far from the machinations of others. If there's one thing I learned early on it's either be fully in or fully out. There are no in-betweens. Either fully commit or put vast mileage. Out is quieter. In is vibrant and soul destroying. The choice is yours.

Kieth Vaz seems unruffled by the media acusations, and why should he be ruffled? he is accused of buying drugs, having chemsex with male prostitutes, dodgy financial and property deals. None of these are particularly unusual for someone in his position; are they?

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/104888/danczuk-defends-keith-vaz

Yes it's a strange world in which we live. Everything must be P.C. but if we cannot find criminality it's all OK. Morality seems to have gone to the wall. Political influence in order to satisfy one's own predilections seems inconsequential. Wherever next one wonders. For me. They can all go and resign for what good most of them are doing.

Whatever next? Don't know, always meant to read more of "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire". Apparently it explains these things. I seem to remember they were lying around in togas eating grapes with hordes of barbarians at the city gates. Can't remember what happens next.

They got slaughtered. Reasonable under the circumstances. Ignore the people at your peril. Withdraw into your own little comfortable world and get suffocated. No man is an island. No empire survives forever. Nothing survives for ever. Full stop - and start again. Simple really.

Which is why it was a fair idea to give away the British empire back to all the locals, quite some time ago. All we have left is the British Isles, and just a few island outposts.

Quite right. The way of all Empires and Empire makers. And so after this period of transition 1950 - 2000 we should have regrouped our resources and moved on. We did - but inside the EU which we joined for 'protectionist' purposes against the rest of the world. However there were those who said at the time it was a mistake and that we should have continued along the lines of the Common Wealth and free trade areas. Given what the purpose of the EU really was and still is I'm afraid they were correct. Bigger is not always better unless you have very strict controls over the 'big'. How you are supposed to accomplish that given such widely varying cultures and economies beggars belief.
And so we are here - looking forward towards what we might make, on our own, with the rest of the world.
I trust the rest of the world rather than the 'Empire builders'.

Little Englanders might be aware that England really is quite little. There's not much room really, perhaps that's why so many houses are built where it floods in the wintertime.
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_area

Never mind the width. Feel the quality.

A quality item needs looking after properly, it can be very difficult to replace.

Tell that to the troughing pigs in Westminster.

Don't they read this forum?

Why - can they read? Wow. There's a thing. Certainly not lips. Essential for the deaf - as most of them are.