Tis the Season

You’ll forgive my absence, dear readers, when I tell you that it was solely down to the various enforced preparations and visitations that have been made necessary by the festive period.  At this point in the proceedings I’m supposed to bemoan the expense, the inconvenience and that irritation at having to spend my all too rare time off with people I find infuriating “because it’s Christmas.”  However, I’m going to refrain from doing that because I actually like Christmas....

OK, I hate having to spend money on gifts that I know people will probably hate and promptly consign to the back of the wardrobe (just as soon as they’ve finished gushing over how they have always wanted an electronic tin opener shaped like Ken Livingstone’s face).  I have also never been a huge fan of making small talk with relatives who I barely know and probably won’t see again until next Christmas, when we will probably have the same conversation yet again.  BUT....

I like Christmas.  It is the one time of year when normality is suspended and you can just let your hair down.  There is also something rather spirited about this time of year.  Sure, advertisers are as infuriating as ever, trying to get us to buy their tat and masquerade them as gifts to our unsuspecting friends and relatives.  Aside from that, there is this air of excitement that seems to just pervade and not just amongst young children.

When you’re a child Christmas is all about that wonderful sense of anticipating what is in store for you on Christmas morning (and having time off school).  As an adult it becomes an excuse to share some time with friends who we have not seen nearly enough during the year.  Sociologists and psychologists are constantly telling us that we are far too unhappy and that this is due to the fact that we are terrible at prioritising.  We simply do not make enough time and effort with the things that matter most because we are much too busy rushing around pursuing things that, on balance, don’t matter that much.  British people apparently work some of the longest hours in Europe and this seems to be having an impact on the quality of our relationships.  Why is this relevant?  Well, whilst you are busy rushing about answering the telephone, typing letters, selling stuff etc you are not busy engaging with friends and family.  You can easily become cut off and it may even reach the point where you feel loathe to reconnect because, well, it has been so long.

Then Christmas comes and is in itself a reason to reconnect.  Suddenly you have an excuse to put away the laptop and go visit a friend that you have not seen in months.  Even though you do not have an excuse as such you can simply say that you thought you would drop in “because it is Christmas.”  Suddenly, you are sitting, chatting and wondering why you don’t do this more often.  Then you go round to your parents, aunt’s, in-laws, you name it....OK, so some people are just plain annoying and make you want to staple things to their heads but at least you are reconnecting with people.  You are making an effort.  You are, once again, part of it. 

Sure, you can sit there and moan about those “Morcombe and Wise” reruns and the fact that the turkey was just too dry for your liking but when it comes down to it, I bet you loved every single minute.  You loved watching your little nephew tear at the wrapping paper like a kitten tearing a baby mouse to shreds; you loved hearing your elderly grandfather tell you about what Christmas was like when he was a kid (for the umpteenth time!) and you loved having the excuse to consume your body weight in wine and novelty confectionary.  Complain as you might, you know deep down that Christmas just would not be the same without any of these things.  Indeed, life would not be the same without any of these things. 

If you are still doubting the truth of my words, I would urge you to consider those who have spent this Christmas alone and isolated.  Those who would have given anything to see a friendly face or share a laugh or two with a well meaning friend or neighbour.  There are many reasons why a person may have spent Christmas alone; family break downs, poverty, lack of transport, death of friends and loved ones etc.  I am not writing this article as a way of explaining why people are lonely because like many facets of the human condition, loneliness can be a complicated and very individual issue.  It is also beyond the remit of an amateur blog such as this one.  I simply write this entry to ask that you use Christmas and all of its associated messages to take stock and be thankful for all that you have because even if it does not seem to be a great deal, it is probably more than a lot of other people.

With love and good wishes for the New Year!

Class reproduction

It was bound to happen, wasn’t it?  And when it did it was bound to be plastered across the front page of every newspaper on the planet.  I am, of course, referring to the news that William and Kate have spawned.  On a human level, I am happy for them.  For most people, the prospect of having a tiny rug rat running around is a delightful prospect.  Finally, here is a miniature version of yourself that you can teach to hate everything you hate (Justin Bieber, racists, Tories etc).  Plus, there is always something unashamedly optimistic about being a small part of creating a new generation.  One that will hopefully be much less careless and much more educated than we were. 

On a political level I am horrified, embarrassed and somewhat confused.  I am horrified because, in spite of the fact that many ordinary Brits are struggling to keep body and soul together, we will still be expected to contribute to this little person’s lifestyle via our taxes.  Taxes that could and should be spent on better things, such as improving public services and getting us out of the financial mess in which we have now found ourselves.  The thing is that council services, the NHS and education have all faced huge cuts because we are apparently unable to support them.  However, we could somehow afford to pay huge sums of money for silly Jubilee festivities that had no discernible point other than to remind us that the queen has been successfully fleecing us for 60 years.  We also found money to pay towards security for a wedding of two people that we hadn’t even met and that the vast majority of us probably couldn’t care less about.  Then there are all the regular perks that we pay for: private education, goodness knows how many palaces, private health care.  The list goes on and incorporates things that most of us cannot even afford to pay for for ourselves, which begs the question: why should we pay for that bunch of scroungers to have them?  Thus, this latest addition will only continue the “work” of its family, which is namely taking money of the working people of this country and using it to fund a life of unashamed privilege.

My embarrassment and confusion have arisen as a result of listening to some of the sycophantic opinions that are being banded around.  Admittedly, it is mostly the deluded individuals from the Royalist fraternity but I have also overheard comments from people who should really know better.  The comments mostly centre around how wonderful it will be to have another royal running about.  Do these people not realise how much they are being exploited and how much better this country would be if we didn’t have to fund an institution that is essentially a pointless waste of money?  This latest addition will be just another pointless waste of money.  Furthermore, I have heard many of these same people talking about how the tax payer should not be funding non-workers to have children (I think they mean benefits claimants).  In their blissful ignorance they seem to forget that the royal family do not contribute anything to society (don’t you dare try and play the tourism card: Britain would attract tourism with or without the monarchy) and have a much easier time of it than benefits claimants.  How many benefits claimants do you know who can afford to send their children to Harrow or Eton?  No, many of their children are languishing in sub-standard state funded comprehensives.  It is the ignorance of these people that embarrasses me.  The ignorance and the willingness to unquestioningly hand money over to a bunch of people who are so much better off than they will ever be.

You have to question what impact this little brat will have upon your own life.  Will it, for example, be emptying your bins or tending to your sick relatives?  Probably not.  At best it will open a few hospital wards, whilst grinning at the assembled crowds in a condescending and mock sympathetic manner.  Meanwhile we will be working ourselves to death to pay for it to enjoy a swanky lifestyle whilst we languish in sub standard housing that we haven’t a hope in hell of ever owning.  If you do not think that this is a good enough reason for Britain to become a republic then there is clearly something wrong with you!