RE: Getting fed up with this country
Hi V, yes I thought some of my points would beup for further discussion:)and I did say "relatively" on one or more occasions.
To elaboratea bit more on my points, a coup to me conjures up the military tanks rattling through the capital of a country with curfews and a horrible feeling of unease.
Free speech - in my experience, where you have a Radio Station and Newspapers owned by the Military which are the first things taken over during a coup is unsettling.
Corruption is not unknown in our police force but is inherent over there - it's the only way to get on.
Relative safety at nights I appreciate is a big problem over here but you would be mad to walk out on your own there where guns are bandied about over the silliest of things. I saw a man kill another because the other guy wouldn't give way at a t junction:eek:
I'm not undermining what you say and you are an experienced traveller so I would value your thoughts more than just a "our country is going up the spout" message.
Love
RE: Getting fed up with this country
Yes, I'm sure we understand each other, Sue. Places differ. I'm just off to India, and any place there I can think of, I'd be safer at night than in the estate I grew up in here and still revisit.
I appreciate your meaning of coups etc. LOL I lived through the 1974 Greek coup in which the military junta was overthrown. It was bloodless but very noisy as the whole population of Athens were out on the streets and going mad.I thought it was a festivity (!), and only many years later read what happened that day. 😀
But you know me and conspiracy theory. I see, for example, several coups having taken place in the USA during my lifetime. 1962 and Dealy Plazafor example. So in the West they can occur but have a sheen of acceptablility.
V
RE: Getting fed up with this country
Hi
Venetian:
It's about what WAS good about Britain being eroded away so startlingly quickly.
This is exactly what I was thinking about in my previous post, of course not every person is going to be happy at anyone time with the situation our country is in - yet I still fell as if we are letting the things that make living and growing up in the UK great, slip away.
Every country has problems, and I realise that and I do feel fortunate that I have been able to grow up in a relatively safe environment - yet it is nice to rant sometimes about the things that annoy me!
🙂
RE: Getting fed up with this country
Original:Lotusflower
I'm not undermining what you say( Venetian ) and you are an experienced traveller so I would value your thoughts more than just a "our country is going up the spout" message.
Hi,
I have to admit to not being much of an experienced traveler, Tenby is about as exotic it gets for me and my family these days. ( as good a place as any when the weather is fine )
They do say though that the past is another country and as I approach my 50th birthday, after 10 years of this government I can say that I have some experience of that other country and, to a certain extent feel somewhat uncomfortable in this one.
Modern Britain doesn't have the liberties and freedoms that we used to have. Much of our liberty has been eroded in the name of public safety or in order to protect some or other minority interest from the trauma of criticism or perceived discrimination.
Racism can go completely unchallenged by the Police if it's perpetrated by a gang of youths against the Asian owner of a corner shop. ( this will be familiar toanyone who watched Panorama on Monday night )An ASBO is the most theyare likely tobe given which isn't much of a deterrent when you are 15. However, when a pub landlord called his car park the 'porking yard' he received an ASBO because the local Muslim community felt insulted.
This is how politically correct and useless our laws are becoming, irrelevant to ordinary citizensbut a powerful weapon in the hands of of those with the campaigning zeal and determination toimpose their own narrow interests on the rest of us.
Part of our problem is that there is no longer an effective opposition in this country. The liberal putsch that placed Cameron in charge of the Tory Party was all consuming and now means that there is no longer an official conservative voice in Britain today.
Dunkirk
RE: Getting fed up with this country
This is how politically correct and useless our laws are becoming, irrelevant to ordinary citizensbut a powerful weapon in the hands of of those with the campaigning zeal and determination toimpose their own narrow interests on the rest of us.
Part of our problem is that there is no longer an effective opposition in this country. The liberal putsch that placed Cameron in charge of the Tory Party was all consuming and now means that there is no longer an official conservative voice in Britain today.
I couldn't agree more, Mark. It is the present government who have made a farce out of political correctness, something you rarely find in a developing country! Yes, a voice from the opposition would be good. I had faith in Cameron when he came into leadership, I thought we had at last got a charismatic figure to challenge Blair - nothing has convinced me of that yet though.
Going back to the bad points of Britain, yes I'm not blinded by my sojourn abroad not to see our weaknesses. Our infrastructure leaves a lot to be desired - I expect we shall see that all fail tomorrow when the expected snow hits our shores. No trains, icy roads, total snarl ups ...... can't wait. (At least snow wasn't something I worried about in Thailand!):)
Love
RE: Getting fed up with this country
I am sick and fed up too . . . i visited my best friend the other day and her 6 year old daughter is upset by all the "bad men" on the television. She is worried that someone will come in and shoot her. Her 4 year old cousin said "Don't worry I'll shoot them first". This upsets me and my friend. . she does so much to make her daughter's life safe . . and then there are these nasty outside influences.
I also know a guy who works with "delinquent"teenage boys who are not in school. He gives them gardening work to do. He says the teenagers are so angry with the legacy the adults have given them. They are so disgruntled with things it's like they've almost given up. But one night he put on a really nice lantern parade for the local community and these boys served tea to us all and they were so nice and polite. If people give them a chance they can feel good about things.
I try and do my bit to make things better in my own way. I complain lots about things, butoften that's just whinging at the telly! I try and turn that whinging intoaction, if i don't then I go mad! I won't pretend I do a lot. .but I tree plant. . recycle. . write letters to my councillors and politicians . . go on demos. I feel I have to vocalise my protest somehow . .if I don't then I feel like people in government will just get away with it because they believe no one will stop them or question them.
I have no faith in any politician any more. The man I know who works with teenagers every day does more than any politician ever will . .actions not words! I was moaning about things to him one day. He said to me "yes, I know, but what can we do. What can YOU do?."
I had to challenge a student today on my college course who made a racist comment and then said "Not that I'm being racist" And i said "But you are being racist" He didn't like it, it was akward, but I couldn't let it go unchallenged. That's the point I am trying to make. I try to challenge in really small ways day by day.
RE: Getting fed up with this country
If I win the lotto, id be off to New Zealand, why?. Because NZ is like Britain was 4o yrs ago thats why.
If you were around then ask your family and friends what the sixties were like.
Oh stop whinging!
Come on lads...
CHEER UP FOR GODS SAKE!!!
Tell me what - exactly what - complaining will achieve; apart from bringing everyone's focus on how rubbish everything is?
Isn't it obvious that by focusing your attention on negative aspects you're actually supplying that negativity with energy? And now you've got everyone thinking about it, we're all adding to the problem!
I'm not suggesting we bury our heads in the sand, but surely the point of holistic lifestyle is to make things better by the integration of mind, body and soul? If your mind is focused on how s**t this country is, your body and your soul will follow. If you're really passionate about this, you should be doing something about it instead of wallowing in the issue. It might be that the problem is so big you can't see how you could possibly make a difference. But you know you can, however small it is! It will make you feel better doing something towards what you believe in. If the state of the environment is bringing you down, go out and pick up litter in your local woodlands. It might be a drop in the ocean, but you'll feel good for it and the planet will thank you for it.
Now go and make yourselves a cup of tea and think about something more positive.
Love and light and sparkly things to all of you.
TJ x
RE: Oh stop whinging!
Ha ha, you have a point their LemonBird. You have to admit though, it is the Englishman's lot to have a moan. The weather, the trains, the motorways ....... we love it really!
Good idea, I'm going to have a nice cuppa tea.
Love[sm=smilie_flagge3.gif]
RE: Oh stop whinging!
Hi LemonBird,
I think that the point that many if not most have made is that there is a lot to be positive about life in this country and that we inBritain are a lot better off than many others in the World.
In order to keep things positive we need to be vigilant about it and recognise that when the people who govern this country on our behalf make changes there are consequences.
On a current affairs forum people tend to discuss changes made by government and the consequences of those changes.This isn't necessarily 'whinging' but voicing opinions which is what current affairs is all about.
The point is that if things really are rubbish then people need to discuss it and to discuss it you need to form an opinion on it.
Dunkirk
RE: Getting fed up with this country
ORIGINAL: streamsofstars
He says the teenagers are so angry with the legacy the adults have given them. They are so disgruntled with things it's like they've almost given up. But one night he put on a really nice lantern parade for the local community and these boys served tea to us all and they were so nice and polite. If people give them a chance they can feel good about things.
... 6 year old daughter is upset by all the "bad men" on the television. She is worried that someone will come in and shoot her. Her 4 year old cousin said "Don't worry I'll shoot them first".
I totally agree StreamofStars, I think the world that todays youngsters are born into is such a scary one that kids make themselves 'hard' in order to cope with it, they create an outer shell which is aggressive and tough so that they don't get hurt themselves.Ithinkkids are basically scared and the tougher they've made themselves themore scared they are inside.I can't see any other reason why a child would make themselves so hard, children are born open and trusting. Hence your friend's 4 year old saying she'll shoot the bad men first. How terribly sad our children should feel like this.
RE: Getting fed up with this country
ORIGINAL: streamsofstars
I am sick and fed up too . . . i visited my best friend the other day and her 6 year old daughter is upset by all the "bad men" on the television. She is worried that someone will come in and shoot her. Her 4 year old cousin said "Don't worry I'll shoot them first". This upsets me and my friend. . she does so much to make her daughter's life safe . . and then there are these nasty outside influences.
One has to ask why your friend is letting her 6 yr old daughter watch "bad men" on television? Watching the over hyped and generally depressing news (and other programs) on TV is something that effects adults in a negative way, so it really shouldn't be something that a child is watching. They should be watching CITV or something like that.
Love and Reiki Hugs
RE: Getting fed up with this country
ORIGINAL: Energylz
One has to ask why your friend is letting her 6 yr old daughter watch "bad men" on television? Watching the over hyped and generally depressing news (and other programs) on TV is something that effects adults in a negative way, so it really shouldn't be something that a child is watching. They should be watching CITV or something like that.
CITV is no better than the news really as so many of todays supposedly kids cartoons, have guns and violence! I know Tom&Jerry was violent, but nothing like todays TV.
RE: Getting fed up with this country
Ok, I meant CBeebies I think, (I don't have kids so I'm not that familiar). The one that has Tellytubbies and the like (although I have to say I find tellytubbies scary! :D)
RE: Getting fed up with this country
Hi Dunkirk,
That's a fair point and I agree that things need to be discussed and explored in order for opinions to be made. There have been some good points made in this discussion, I was referring more to the posts that have been made by people who just seem to want to moan for the sake of it.
Here are some links I found which I thought you might like to check out:
To make a stand against ID cards (DEADLINE 15TH FEB):
[link= http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/IDcards/ ]http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/IDcards/[/link]
And for the yoof of today:
[link= http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/C2414 ]http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/C2414[/link]
[link= http://www.timebank.org.uk/volunteer/cmp_whatif.php ]http://www.timebank.org.uk/volunteer/cmp_whatif.php[/link]
More love and light,
TJ x
EDIT: Title line