The Seward Chronicles.

Walking back from the bank this afternoon, I noticed a close neighbour of mine sitting on one of the benches near the Library, so I went and sat alongside him.

Cliff is seventy-seven, and an ex Policeman. We enjoyed a smoke together whilst desultory chatting about the weather and the general state of the Country.

Later, another Stalwart friend of mine, Eddie, who has a seat on our local Housing Authority Board, walked over and joined us.
I hadn't seen Eddie for over two years, since we last sat on the Housing Committee together.

After more introductions and general pleasantries the convesastion moved to Politics as per usual.

Eddie, being a staunch Labour man, and I, never exactly saw eye-to-eye on Politics, although off the Committee and away from the meetings, we were quite good friends.
He is also an ex Copper, and reached the rank of Sargent before retiring.

I just happened to mention that I was considering standing for the Council next year as a BNP candidate.  Whoops! Eddie visibly bristled, and said;
"So, if you had been able to vote in the American elections, you would not have voted for Obama then?

"Yes I would have", I answered, "why, whatever makes you think that?"

"Well, he's Black", said Eddie.

"Yes, I know, so what, what difference does that make?" I questioned.

"Well, you know" said Eddie, "the mans colour."

"Oh", said I, "I've got it now, so you think that because I mentioned the BNP that automatically makes me a racist, does it?"

"Well, doesn't it?" he replied, surprised.
"No", I responded, "it most certainly does not. I would have voted for Obama, simply because I think he was the best man for the job.

His colour wouldn't be an issue for me."

"No, you, and people like you think that because I talk about the BNP that makes me an automatic racist?"  I said.

"Well, I thought it did," he said.
"Eddie, my friend, you have been reading too much of Labours' propaganda again, haven't you, don't believe everything you hear or read. You know that your lot hate the BNP because you are worried about losing votes to them. Well, believe me, Eddie, whether you like it or not, it's happening right now, and is going to happen more and more in the future."

We left it there, and changed the subject onto education, and we all three agreed that no way would we ever want to be young again, in these troubling and uncertain times.

Halloween is over for another year, and we are facing some momentous events. Our American Friends and Cousins will soon be enjoying their Thanksgiving Dinners, and we, in the United Kingdom will be enjoying our Guy Fawkes night bonfires and fireworks.

Overshadowing all of this though are the Imminent American Elections, and the possibility of America having it's first Black President in it's History.

We, in the U.K., have the prospect of the Glenrothes By-Election, in which the ruling Labour government is trying to retain it's Parliamentary Seat from being lost to the SNP, (Scottish National Party).

Once the excitement of the Elections has died down, then we will be so much closer to Christmas, and, for many younger Familes, their first ever Christmas in a Recession.

Most people in Britain, who are under Forty, have never known an era where Credit is hard to get, and combined with the very real prospects of losing their jobs, and being plunged into Negative Equity, as the value of their homes drops daily.

The full impact of this Recession will not, of course, be properly felt until the New Year. Many shops and small businesses will close or downsize, and more and more people will have to rely on State Benefit Handouts.

Just what this will mean, many have, as yet, little or no idea, except that already people are cancelling expensive Gym Memberships, and Magazine Subscriptions, and shopping at Lo-Cost Supermarkets.

Two-car families, are selling one of their cars, sometimes at a loss to themselves.

Mark my words, this Recession is only just starting to have an impact on the ordinary man or woman in the street, and it has further to go yet, before it "bottoms out".

When this will be, nobody seems to know, but most financial "experts" seem to think that we won't turn the corner until 2010 at the very earliest. If this is the case, then I can forsee a grim year ahead, once the Christmas Holidays are over, and reality sets in once more.

Energy bills are higher now than at any time in our History, and the cost of living generally, is pretty frightening.

People will have to start leaning how to "make do and mend" instead of "throw it out, and buy a new one".

However, as grim as this scenario may be, it's not all bad. It may finally teach people to live within their means, and not to get themselves into massive debt with Credit Cards and Personal Loans.

The Banks will not be very helpful for some time to come, as they struggle to contain the damage done by thoughtless and greedy Speculators.

We may be heading for an extended period of Austerity, but, with a little care and some common sense, most of us should be able to take it in our stride, and come out the other side, wiser, and in a much healthier financial situation than before the Bubble Burst.

Dear Mr. Brown,

Many people are blaming you for our current economic problems, and, whilst I am certainly no fan of either yourself, or your quite useless government, I do not think that this is totally fair.

Yes, because you were Chancellor of the Exchequer for ten years before you took over the helm as an unelected Captain, you did allow the borrowing and credit to spiral out of control.

Year after year, house prices rose, to unacceptable levels, and the Mortgage Lenders were falling over themselves to let people have huge mortgages that they would never be able to repay.

Ten times their salaries, in fact. Now, surely you knew that this level of debt could never be sustained?

If you didn't, then what the hell were you ever doing as Chancellor in the first place?

Any Captain, is only as good as his Crew, and since becoming Captain, you have surrounded yourself with an inept and inexperienced Crew, whom you tried to teach their duties, but most of them were just not up to the job, were they?

You drove the good ship Britannia on a collision course among the huge icebergs of Bankers, Financiers, and other Global Entities who were just waiting for their chance to scupper you.

It was a long time coming. By pure luck, you managed to keep the ship afloat in a sea of debt and loan sharks.

It was like the ship of State was enclosed in a protective Bubble. Which it was. However, you must have realised that as the Bubble grew bigger, so, like all bubbles, it would meld out of shape, and finally burst!

It has now burst, and has left you and the good ship Brittania at the mercy of the storms and tempests that are currently decimating the Global Money Markets.

You, my dear Prime Minister, quite frankly, have no answer, and are totally out of your depth. You are floundering, Sir.
The ship is sinking, and many passengers have already jumped overboard into those shark-infested seas.

The sharks are circling, offering loans to the desparate at up to 184% Interest. Many of those drowning (in debt) passengers are clutching at any straw in desparation asthey jumped (or were pushed) overboard without a life jacket. and, there are not enough lifeboats for all of us.

We are clinging to the wreckage, using our silly and worthless bits of plastic to try to keep ourselves afloat, whilst the sharks are snapping at our feet and legs.

You ,your Motley Crew, and the Greedy Money Grubbers, have finally sunk the Good Ship Brittania.

Where do we go from here?

You tell us, Mr. Brown, because we don't have any answers, and, neither it seems, do you.

Yours sincerely,

Today is the Seventh Anniversary of the beginning of the Changing of the World. Seven years ago today, two planes hit the World Trade Center Towers in New York, and, killed over three thousand people.

Whilst the President sat, in a classroom, reading a story about a pet goat to a class of Primary School kids.

The whole of the Western World was shocked and saddened by this outrageous act of Terrorism.

The question of who was actually responsible for this calamity is still being discussed and dissected to this day.

There are many schools of thought about who was actually to blame for this shocking event.

The purpose of my article, is not to discuss who or what was to blame. There are many writers far better able than myself to write about this, the Web is full of them.

No, what I want to try to attempt here, is to tell just how much Society has changed since that Fateful Day.

“Homeland Security”, we never heard this term before nine/eleven, since then Bush has implemented many unpopular measures without either the consent of Congress or the People.

He has amended the Constitution which he, when sworn into Office, he pledged to “Uphold and Defend”.

He has renaged on this, made many changes to suit himself, and in one particular speech he called the Constitution “Just a goddam piece of paper”.

This is all the Constitution means to him and his Cronies. FEMA Camps are ready to accept their first intake of Prisoners. Just who these “prisoners” will be, is open to conjecture. However, use your imagination a little, and you don’t need a degree in Sociology to imagine just who they are waiting for.

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Also it’s a case of should there be anything that could constitute a “National Emergency”, then without consulting Congress, he can invoke Presidential Directive Fifty One, which would allow him to take control of everything, and become a virtual Dictator. The classified parts of this Directive, are so secret that even other members of Congress are not allowed to read it.

Is this what now passes as a Democracy? Sounds more like a Third World Dictatorship to me.

Since nine-eleven, there has been a hightened sense of impending “terrorist” attacks, both in America and Great Britain. This has changed our lives for ever, with more survellience cameras, tightened Airport security, and dumbed-down News Bulletins from the Mass media.
The hoops have been raised, and we are forced to jump ever higher to get through them. Our lives changed forever on that Fateful Day. I am not here to write about who may have done it, or for what reasons. I leave you all to make up your own minds on that controversial question.

All I know is, on that day, our lives did change, and, I don’t think they will ever go back to the way they were before it.

They are tightening the noose, and, you know the old saying, “Give them enough rope and they will hang themselves”.

Let’s just hope that the perpetrators of this evil deed, hang themselves first!

Here are the top nine comments made by NBC sports commentators so far during the Summer Olympics that they would like to take back:
Weightlifting commentator: 'This is Gregorieva from Bulgaria. I saw her snatch this morning during her warm up and it was amazing.'
Dressage commentator: 'This is really a lovely horse and I speak from personal experience since I once mounted her mother.'
Paul Hamm, Gymnast: 'I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father.'
Boxing Analyst: 'Sure there have been injuries, and even some deaths in boxing, but none of them really that serious.'
Softball announcer: 'If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again.'
Basketball analyst: 'He dribbles a lot and the opposition doesn't like it. In fact you can see it all over their faces.'
At the rowing medal ceremony: 'Ah, isn't that nice, the wife of the IOC president is hugging the cox of the British crew.'
Soccer commentator: 'Julian Dicks is everywhere. It's like they've got eleven Dicks on the field.'
Tennis commentator: 'One of the reasons Andy is playing so well is that, before the final round, his wife takes out his balls and kisses them... Oh my God, what have I just said?'
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[color=blue]I watched a very enjoyable programme last night on BBC 4.

It was called  "Our Hidden Lives", and starred Richard Briers, and Lesley Sharp.

It was based on the diaries of real people written just after the Second World War, when the Government of the Day, set up the "Mass Observation Unit", where they asked ordinary people to write down their doings and thoughts in a form of Journal and they were asked to submit these writings to the Mass Observation Unit.

The main things that featured strongly between all five of the people whose Diaries were featured, was the almost permanent hunger that they suffered, along with shortages of almost everything.  Also featured strongly was the Authorities attitudes towards homosexuality, how easy it was for "Agents Provocatures" to entrap unsuspecting victims at Public Conveniences, or "Cottages" as they were then called.

There were mentioned instances of men, in their seventies being sent to prison for "ten years of penal servitude", just for so-called indecent acts with another man.

By the early Fifties, most people seemed resigned to things never improving, and food being always on ration.
It seems that although we "won" the War, we still duffered chronic shortages and hardship for many years afterwards.

It also showed people, families. wearing their overcoats indoors, during the Winter, as there was also shortages of Coal and other fuels.

I, personally, can still remember Ration Books, and I think that sweets were the last thing to come off rations.

Things didn't start to improve until the mid fifties, and from then on, by the Sixties, the War Years were well and truly behind us.
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It is with deepest regret that I am writing this Obituary for one of the sweetest, kindest, and most unselfish people that I have ever had the honour to call "Friend".

In actual fact, we were more than just "friends"....we had been lovers too. We lived together for almost twenty years, only splitting up in 2000.

Still, we kept in touch and still saw a great deal of each other. Until three years ago, when her health took a turn for the worst. She had diabetes, (amongst other things) and she had stopped taking her medication. She ended up having to have a leg amputated.

However, thinking back to the early days of this lady's life. She was born to a single mother in 1928, and, in those days of the Workhouse, her mother had to fight really hard to keep her little daughter.

Then came the Second World War, and the little family was bombed out from their home in East London, three times!

Later, Eileen went into a Convent, where she stayed for about six years. Not as a Nun, but as a "uncontrollable child". In other words, after fighting and working so hard to keep her daughter, her mother eventuall (because she'd got married) let her daughter go.

Eileen walked out of the Convent on the day of her 21st Birthday. Caught a train back to London, and went "home".

In less than six months, she had met a man and got married. A baby daughter, Jackie, soon followed.

Jackie suffered from epilepsy, and died of a seizure after biting her tounge, at the age of Twenty Nine.

By this time, Eileen has had two more kids, a boy and a girl. The boy joined the Army after his father died, this left only Eileen and her youngest daughter, Sandra, alone again.

Sandra got married, Eileen was left alone to fend for herself. She "latched on" to a series of men, all of whom let her down.

When I met her, we had both taken flats in the same house, in Weymouth.  We became friendly, and after her current "Boyfriend" had stolen a couple of my Giro Cheques, and was sent to jail, we grew even friendlier, so much so, we both decieded to live together.

We jointly bought a little terraced house in South Wales, and moved in. We were happy for ten years, then her Mother had a terrible accident, and burnt to death in her kitchen.

I had the task of breaking the news to her. Not nice!

After this, she moved back to London, leaving me to deal with selling the house and all the pressures that went with it.

Anyway, I did, and we had more than doubled our initial purchase money.

I moved in with her in London, but by this time we were feeling the strain, as I had not wanted to sell the house.

So I moved in with a guy I had met at my local garage. This lasted a year.

By then, Eileen had moved, yet again, to Basildon to be nearer her eldest daughter and her family.

I visited Eileen, and she could tell that I wasn't happy about my current relationship, and invited me to move in with her.

I did so, gladly, and for a while we got on well together. But gradually, as Eileen's health worsend, she developed Diabetes and Altzheimers.

Once again, she had become very hard to live with, so I found my own place in 2000 where I still live.

Eileen went into a Care Home, and many stays in hospital, amputation, and eventual complete apathy. Last time I visited her, she did not even know me. It upset me so much that I never went to see her again.

Now, she's at Peace, a commodity she could never seem to find in Life.

Rest in Peace, Eileen. I'll miss you.

I was browsing the Internet (as you do), and was directed via another site to a site that has made a stand against Political Correctness.

To cut a long story short, I signed up to the Campaign and became a Member of the Organisation. Reading through Members Stories, I came across this one from a person whose wife was working as a Classroom Assistant with young, Primary School age children.

Have you noticed that when Newspapers publish pictures of certain youths who have been convicted of stabbings, shootings, rape, or other serious and anti-social crimes, one thing about almost all of their photo's is the "Dead-Eyed" stare as they face the photographer?

Eyes that seem to be devoid of any emotions or human feelings?

My Partner pointed this out to me the other day when she was reading an article about a couple of young men who had killed somebody by stamping on them until they were dead.

The following story poses the very same question as she asked me, namely why is it that most of these Feral Kids seem to have that same "dead-eyed" stare.

Perhaps the following piece may just have an answer.

" My wife recently took a job as a classroom assistant. I am shocked at what she tells me now goes on. 'PC' and 'worrying about everything' are now really taking a huge amount away from our children. A crying child can't be cuddled (my wife has brought up three children beautifully); a sick kid's runny nose can't be wiped (you have to just give them the tissue). Even more distressing, a reception class little girl went to the toilet accompanied by my wife. The poor mite, through no fault of her own (she probably had a tummy bug) covered herself and her undergarments. She was distressed, embarrassed and just stood transfixed. But all that is now allowed is the handing of tissues over the cubicle door and telling them to clean themselves. Either that or you have to 'call in parents'.

My wife ignores them. If a kid has fallen, or has a terrible home life and is just crying in the playground through sheer misery, they get a cuddle. Stuff them all and their stupidity - not the teachers mind you, who hate it as well, but the politicians, bureaucrats and hidden agenda merchants that force this stuff through.

Could this be a contributory factor to the sudden appearance of all these dead-eyed, uncaring, 'feral' children? They are all just about the age to have been young children when all this nonsense started to take hold. Could it be that in their hours of need they felt that adults abandoned them?"

Well, it is certainly food for thought, and could well be just one of the main reasons for the current crop of Feral, Dead-Eyed youngsters that seem to be so prevalent in Society.

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I am reproducing the first paragraph of the Mission Statement pertaining to the newly launched "Tony Blair Faith Foundation."

'The Tony Blair Faith Foundation aims to promote respect and understanding about the world's major religions and show how faith is a powerful force for good in the modern world.

Faith is vitally important to hundreds of millions of people. It underpins systems of thought and of behaviour. It underpins many of the world's great movements for change or reform, including many charities. And the values of respect, justice and compassion that our great religions share have never been more relevant or important to bring people together to build a better world.

But religious faith can also be used to divide. We have seen throughout history and today we still see how it can be distorted to fan the flames of hatred and extremism.'

Taking a quick look around the Foundation's Website, I notice the emphasis on Children, Schools, and Young People.

When Tony Blair was in Office as Britain's Prime Minister, he always laid a heavy premise on "Education".

In fact one of his punchlines on becoming elected was: "Education, Education, Education."

Another favourite word of his was "Respect".

This word, recently taken out of context by Street Gangs who accuse their enemies of "Dissing" them, means that they think that if a person "Disrespects" them, then that unfortunate individual is ripe for a beating or, worst case scenario, a knifing.

I'm pretty certain that our Tony did not intend this use of the word. But it was latched onto by the Mass Media and before too long, the Yobs and Hoodies and General Street Riff-Raff had got hold of it, (a new word added to their very limited vocabulary) and taken it as their own, and in doing so had inadvertantly changed it's true meaning.

This new "Faith Foundation" which looks like a force for good in the World at first glance, has, I feel sure, hidden purposes.

I would give any organisation started by this man, a healthy dose of sceptiscism. He was British Prime Minister for over a decade, and during that time, he led a Government riddled with corruption, lies, and spin.

I hope that this new Foundation will not turn out to be the same, but I don't hold out very much hope.

I felt really ill last night after I had watched the result of the vote from the House of Commons, so ill in fact, that I was in bed before Midnight! This from a person who normally goes to bed around Three a.m.

I am thinking about the far wider implications regarding this issue. Forty two days is a very long time. Six whole weeks of a persons life, where that person is shut away from their friends and family. The person will lose their job, possibly even their home. Even if, at the end of their incarceration, they are released without any charges being levied against them. What will happen to them then? Their lives will be ruined. Their reputation in tatters.

Paltry compensastion of £3000 per day over twenty eight days will never compensate them for the humiliation, interrogation, and loss of freedom they will have suffered.

The government “won” the vote by only nine votes. There are nine Ulster Unionist M.P.’s sitting at Westminster. Work it out for yourselves. What were they bribed with, how much was offered to them to throw their weight behind the government?

How much British Taxpayers cash was offered to these Ulster Unionists, still led by the “Rev” Ian Paisley? Gordon Brown said, in a Press Conference that the only “concession” offered to these M.P.’s was a veto on the Embryo Bill, or something. Frankly, I do not believe it. Nor should you.

Gordon Brown is desparate to score “Brownie Points”, and to be seen by the British Public as being “strong on Terrorism.” This whole issue had become a Crusade for him. Isn’t it somewhat ironic that his “crusade” is aimed directly at the Muslim population of Great Britain?

Make no mistakes about it, it’s the Muslims who will suffer the most if ever this draconian law ever becomes law.

It now has to go to the House of Lords, and Labour does not have a majority there. Most of the Lords are against this, and will, no doubt, give this Bill a rough ride when it comes before them.

On the same day, “Secret Documents” were “somehow” left on a train seat. These Documents were regarding very sensitive information regarding Iraq and Al Quaida.
They were “handed in” by another passenger to the BBC of all people.

This stinks! Put yourself in the place of that “passenger”. If you had found an Orange Cardboard envelope on a train, and you opened it to see what was inside, then, having skimmed through those seven pages, you realised that you should not be reading this stuff, and that it was, indeed, “Top Secret”, what would you have done with them?

The BBC would have been the last people that I would have handed in to. I would have taken it straight to the nearest Police Station!

Were these Documents left behind “on purpose”, on the day of that crucial House of Commons vote?

Make up your own minds.

Whatever, it is a very, very sad day for British Democracy.

copywrite 2008. Sandie Seward.

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