MY PERSONAL VIEWS & BELIEFS

ECONOMICS

I favour the Command Economy model over that of Capitalism despite it's failure in what was the USSR.

Contrary to the popular western view expressed by politicians in the United States and western Europe and believed by most of the people, the experiment with Socialism as proposed by the German economist and philosopher Karl Heinrich Marx in Das Kapital - first published in 1867 and based on the economies of western Europe - and introduced by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin in Russia after the 1917 revolution, came to an end with his death in 1924. In the period following his death he was succeeded by Stalin, a ' fascist' dictator who ruled by fear and a succession of rulers who continued in the same, but increasingly more liberal vain until the USSR collapsed in 1991 - without any help from the west!.

Socialism - the name given to the Command Economy model in practical political application - was the basis of policies introduced by the Labour Government in 1948 after World War II. Based on the 1942 Beveridge Report, the National Insurance Act, National Assistance Act and National Health Service Act became the bedrock of the UK's welfare state until Margaret Thatchers Conservative governments started to dismantle it in favour of a US style Democratic Capitalist approach. Blair's 'New Labour' and the EEC have continued to erode the system.

Socialism's Command Economy is the more democratic and fair way to run a countries economy but is prone to the personal greed of citizens in a democratic society. I'm not sure that the two systems are compatible . . . . . . but on the other hand can Capitalism survive in a true Democracy?

 

ENGLISH - MY MOTHER TONGUE

The language of Chaucer, Shakespeare, Longfellow and Tennyson - now the most spoken language in the world. But Why, Oh Why do the bloody yanks always manage to mangle it so badly? And its not only Hollywood and the US television production companies recent offerings. The US government were actively engaged in the manufacturing their own version of my language as long ago as 1945, as this extract from a US War Department press release about the worlds first atomic bomb test in the New Mexico desert shows:

'Mounted on a steel tower, a revolutionary weapon destined to change war as we know it, or which may even be the instrumentality to end all wars, was set off with an impact which signalized man's entrance into a new physical world. Success was greater than the most ambitious estimates. A small amount of matter, the product of a chain of huge specially constructed industrial plants, was made to release the energy of the universe locked up within the atom from the beginning of time.'

 

HISTORY

Henry Ford is quoted as saying, in an interview for the Chicago Tribune on May 25th, 1916, 'History is more or less bunk. It's tradition. We don't want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that is worth a tinker's dam is the history we made today'.

As well as being a rabid anti-Semite, Henry Ford must be consigned to history as an arrogant, ignorant fool!

History, in part, is an area of philosophy concerning the eventual significance, if any, of human history. It speculates as to a possible teleological end to its development - that is, it asks if there is a design, purpose, directive principle, or finality in the processes of human history. It is also in part the study of an academic discipline, and thus concerns its methods and practices, and its development as a discipline over time. Professional historians debate the question of whether history is a science or a liberal art. The distinction is artificial, as many view the field from more than one perspective.

All that taken aside, history is our past and, more importantly, a source of lessons and a guide for our future - beware those politicians who forget that simple fact!

History is often perceived as that written by the 'victors', or that pushed on us by the 'politically correct' or 'recognized experts' of one sort or another. There is often another, perhaps more accurate or factual version. The accepted western European version of events concerning the 'discovery' of America being a case in point. Christopher Columbus may have the 'credit' but many Europeans actually landed on the continent before him - not Caribbean islands! Then there are Papal envoys to Greenland, Norsemen building and repairing their ships on Greenland - an island with no trees! - and Bristol fishermen on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland during the centuries preceding Columbus' 'epic' trip to take into consideration!

Suggested further reading:

Ecclesiastical History of the English People - Venerable Bede - c731.

A History of the English-Speaking Peoples (four volumes) - Winston Churchill - 1956–58

A History of Britain (three volumes) - Simon Schama - 2000

Amerike - The Briton who gave America its Name - Rodney Broome - 2002

 

MUSIC

Music has always played a part in my life. From being in the church choir as a boy soprano and singing in the chorus of the local operatic shows at the local cinema, to the explosion of Rock an' Roll in the 1950s, to being the organiser of a Jazz Club and Jazz Festivals from 1990 to 2005.

 

POLITICS

As of Now

How can you tell if a politician is lying to you? He has his mouth open! . . . . . . . .,

This applies not only in the UK, but in every country. I've heard it said that the art of politics is 'compromise' but that's another way of twisting the facts and doing nothing while giving the impression that all will be well.

The UK Labour Party was founded by socialists but Blair's 'New Labour' project forced the abandonment of Kier Hardy's ideals, and socialism, in favour of capitalism and the European conspiracy. The Conservative Party, originally the party of the landed gentry, has degenerated into a centre-right party which, so it claims, is anti-Europe, and the Liberal Democrat Party, the rump of the Whigs and a few 'pink and fluffy' ex-Labour supporters, make a lot of noise but promise very little in the way of reality. UKIP and the British National Party try - but not very successfully. They all seem to have one thing in common - their noses well and truly in the trough!

 

Local Politics

Avon County Council came into formal existence on 1 April 1974  and was abolished on 31 March 1996 when the county and the area was split between the Bath and North East Somerset, City of Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire unitary local authorities. Some public bodies still cover the area of the former county of Avon - Avon Fire and Rescue Service, the Avon Coroner's District, the West of England Strategic Partnership and Intelligence West. The Avon 'experiment', whilst favoured by self-serving local politicians with ambitious plans, it was a complete disaster for the people it was supposed to represent.

The former county, with it's political followers, still exists as CUBA - the Councils that Used to Be Avon - the four unitary authorities still cooperate on many aspects of policy, such as transport, housing and planning, but rarley in the interests of the local population.

North Somerset Council - the unitary authority that used to be the district of Woodspring under Avon - has its Headquarters in Weston-super-Mare. At The Town Hall Weston-super-Mare! Despite supposedly representing the people of North Somerset, which also includes the towns of Clevedon, Nailsea and Portishead as well as many large villages - Abbots Leigh, Backwell, Banwell, Churchill, Congresbury , Dundry, Failand, Felton, Flax Bourton, Long Ashton, Pill, Portbury, Winford, Winscombe, Wrington and Yatton - North Somerset's HQ is The Town Hall, Weston-super-Mare! What does that tell the world at large? Could there just be a grain of truth in the local saying 'Collect in Clevedon - Spend in Weston'?

 

 My Idea for the Future

I suggest we replace the present systems - often referred to as the Westminster System and the Local Government system - with a fully hierarchical system.

With the Monarch as Ceremonial Head of State without any political powers, I would suggest we have a Political Head of State - the Prime Minister - and an hierarchical system of 'committees' who would govern and legislate at various levels:

 

Terms & Conditions of 'Employment'

The Terms & Conditions of each post holders 'Employment' should reflect those of civil servants, and in addition be subject to the additional conditions set out below. All posts, with the exception of the elected members of County Councils & Unitary Authorities and Town, Rural & Urban District Councils, should attract an annul pension equal to 50% of final salary for life.

• All persons elected at each level should be under 65 years of age at the time of their election. Parliaments should serve for a maximum period of five years.
• At each level, at any time, a referendum of 60% of the 'electorate' should be able to pass a motion of 'No Confidence' in any member they elected to the next level and, if successful, that member should resign his post or office and forego any pension or any other allowances that post or office paid.
• The Prime Minister should be provide with two official residences - 10 Downing Street and Chequers - free of charge and a salary.
• The senior members of the Cabinet should be provide with an official residence and a salary.
• The elected members of the House of Commons - the MPs - should be paid a salary which, for those who normally live more than 50 miles away from the House of Commons, should include an element to allow for traveling and other expenses whilst spending time away from home.
• The elected members of the House of Commons - the MPs - who normally live more than 50 miles away from the House of Commons, should be accommodated in a purpose built, three 'star' hotel like 'hostel' with office facilities whilst Parliament is sitting.
• The elected members of County Councils & Unitary Authorities and Town, Rural & Urban District Councils should be paid allowances to cover their loss of earnings, traveling and other expenses incurred whilst holding office .

 

RELIGION

'Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people' wrote Karl Mark in the introduction of his 1843 work Contribution to Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right. A sentiment I tend to agree with.

It is said that more wars and hatred are caused by religion than any other subject and it has been used by many in the past, and still is, to exert control over their fellow men. The 'troubles' in Northern Ireland and the rise of fundamentalist Islam bear this belief out.

Although brought up in the Church of England, when I left home I came to understand that it was really 'smoke and mirrors' and not for me despite being married to a Roman Catholic for a time.

 

SCIENCE

Astronomy

The Big Bang theory seems to fit the bill nicely. The earlier Steady State theory now seems to suffer from similar problems that Creationism encounters. Since the 1950s, advances in optical telescope design, Radio Astronomy and telescopes mounted on orbiting space satellites have allowed us to see what the heavens are really made of and allowed us to look into the very distant past - micro seconds after the Big Bang itself!

We are surrounded by the evidence and can hear it clearly - the static heard on our radio and television sets is the vestiges of the Big Bang for all to hear.

Suggested further reading:

A Brief History of Time - From the Big Bang to Black Holes - Stephen Hawking  - 1988

Black Holes and Baby Universes and other essays - Stephen Hawking - 1993

 

Computing

The 'information technology' of the 21st century, but developed in the Second World War year's of the 20th from an idea Charles Babbage proposed  to the Royal Astronomical Society on 14 June 1822 entitled 'Note on the application of machinery to the computation of astronomical and mathematical tables'. Babbage's machine used the decimal number system and was to be powered by cranking a handle!

Despite failed attempts by Bill Gates of Microsoft, and both the Google and Yahoo companies, to dominate and subjugate use of the Personal Computer and the Internet for their own  financial ends, it is by far the most useful tool mankind has developed since the wheel!

Suggested further reading:

A Computer Called LEO - Lyons Teashops and the World's First Office Computer - Georgina Ferry - 2003

 

Evolution v Creationism

The Bible would have us believe that the God worshiped by the Jews and Christians created the world and all the fauna and flora upon it in seven days. In 1654 the Archbishop of Usher, Ireland, calculated from genealogical references in the Bible, that the Earth was created at 9am on October 26, 4004 BC. That would put the age of the Earth at 6000 years old!

The oldest rocks which have been found on the Earth so far date to about 3.8 to 3.9 billion years ago - by several radiometric dating methods. Some of these rocks are sedimentary, and include minerals which are themselves as old as 4.1 to 4.2 billion years. Rocks of this age are relatively rare, however rocks that are at least 3.5 billion years in age have been found on North America, Greenland, Australia, Africa and Asia.

It must therefore, be patently obvious to all that the Biblical 'creation myth' is just that . . . . a myth. Except that is to the 45% of the citizens of the United States of American who believe the Biblical version of things because it is the 'word of God'. They could be easily dismissed as 'misguided' . . . but for the number of 'believers'. And it gets worse. Many of these 'believers' are in positions of power - real power, Senators, Congressmen, State Governors and even Presidential candidates!

Suggested further reading:

On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection - Charles Darwin - 1888

The Origin of Species - Charles Darwin - 1909

The Voyage of the Beagle - Charles Darwin - 1909

The Last Whales - Lloyd Abbey - 1990

The Scares of Evolution - Elaine Morgan - 1990

The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis - Elaine Morgan - 1997

 

Global Warming

I'm slightly skeptic. I'm not sure if it's just the 'normal' climatic fluctuation over geological time or we really are 'buggering up' our home planet. I do know that I'm against unsightly wind farms blotting the landscape, politicians making capital out of it and the government raising taxes on the back of it.

 

Intelligent Design

What a load of rubbish!

 

Physics

In physics, I believe three men have changed our concept of the world completely.

Sir Isaac Newton, FRS, 4 January 1643 - 31 March 1727, physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, published 'Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica' in 1687 and established the groundwork for most of classical mechanics - universal gravitation and the three laws of motion which dominated the scientific view of the physical universe for the next three centuries. In mathematics, Newton shares the credit with Gottfried Leibniz for the development of the differential and integral calculus.

Newton's work was largely displaced by the theories of Albert Einstein, 14 March 1879 - 18 April 1955. From 1905 he produced theories of relativity and specifically, mass-energy equivalence, expressed by the equation E = mc². Einstein received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics 'for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect'.

Quantum Theory followed on from Einstein's work. It refers to a discrete unit that can be assigned to certain physical quantities, such as the energy of an atom at rest. The discovery that waves have discrete energy packets, called quanta, that behave in a manner similar to particles led to the branch of physics that deals with atomic and subatomic systems which we today call quantum mechanics. It is the underlying mathematical framework of many fields of physics and chemistry, including condensed matter physics, solid-state physics, atomic physics, molecular physics, computational chemistry, quantum chemistry, particle physics, and nuclear physics. The foundations of quantum mechanics were established during the first half of the twentieth century by Werner Heisenberg, Max Planck, Louis de Broglie, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Erwin Schrödinger, Max Born, John von Neumann, Paul Dirac, Wolfgang Pauli and others. Some fundamental aspects of the theory are still actively studied.

Stephen Hawking CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA, born 8 January 1942, has developed contributions to the fields of cosmology and quantum gravity, especially in the context of black holes. Hawking's key scientific works included providing, with Roger Penrose, theorems regarding singularities in the framework of general relativity, and the theoretical prediction that black holes should emit radiation, which is today known as Hawking radiation - sometimes Bekenstein-Hawking radiation.

Suggested further reading:

Einstein - His Life and Universe - Walter Isaacson - 2007