Thursday 19 January 2017

Stormont (a rant)

 I really did not think that my first post of the new year would be about politics. Yuck. I apologise in advance. So, to soften the blow, here is me, looking unusually less than loathsome and somehow quite skinny. That's my currently favourite navy, wool dress. So far, so not entirely yuck.
 And this is a beautiful, incredible sky sometime over the holidays. Breath-taking evening, that was, with no trace of yuck. Not a filter used at all- not least because that would be well beyond my ken, like Northern Ireland politics.
And here is photographic proof that the figures of wisdom and creativity have been seen at Stormont. They may be only thirteen and twelve years old, but there's more potential in those boys on their way in to our Parliament building  than I would vouch for in the whole "Assembly" of what we call politicians who made their ineffective way out of it this week.

I think I only talk about politics when I hear us mentioned on Radio 4, feeling I must apologise for my nation. A wonderful English journalist was talking yesterday about how he had lived here for three years and loved the place, but felt that everything he wrote about us needed to be prefaced by a brief introduction to the whole gammut of Northern Irish history before he could try to explain any current issue. We may not have become a people of inept political choice if all our own news bulletins were prefaced in much the same way.

So, good luck, America, for tomorrow and beyond- here is my situation, for anyone still reading:

My devolved government is not going to govern anymore as the republican second minister has resigned and his party is not nominating a replacement because, under our peace terms, this forces a new election for the whole Assembly.

He has resigned in protest, reflecting the whole little country's feeling, republican or not, of disgust that the First Minister's loyalist party has covered up money made by many, family members included, through loopholes in a previously exciting renewable energy heating scheme. The First minister refused to resign, see above.

There was also annoyance that the loyalist minister in charge of cultural things had withdrawn funding from an Irish language school but given lots and lots and lots to flute etc bands, which may sound innocent to you, but try walking through Belfast on 12th July, and then we'll talk.

All my democratically elected representatives, mostly polarised green and orange because of the way my country insists on voting, then went home, on full pay of £70,000 per annum. They are currently in nice hotels up and across my little country re-nominating themselves to stand in March's election, and posting self-congratulatory photos on farcebook.

Before they left to go home and get changed for their nice hotel dinners, they neglected to put a budget in place for the next financial year, thereby stalling all negotiations with our GPs, many of whom are now dating their resignation letters from the NHS and preparing to go private.

Welcome to the Frozen North. Yuck.




4 comments:

Lisa Richards said...

Politicians...my brain refuses to even try to comprehend. I'm sure you're right about your boys having more on the ball than the whole lot of them! God bless you and yours as you follow Him. :)

Fat Dormouse said...

I think politics everywhere is in a mess - it seems that (almost) all politicians are basically outr for what they can get of what they want - power, money, whatever - and two fingers up to the rest of us. Goid help the world - because I don't see the politicians doing it!

With the mess that is the UK withdrawal from the EU (which I refuse to call "Brexit" as I loathe that word!), DTrump in the USA dismantling Affordable Healthcare (seriously, who wouldn't want that?!), the possibility of Marine LePenn getting in power in France, Putin hacking systems left, right & centre, and other places that I don't know ebough about in meltdown I think the shit is going to hit the fan fairly soon.

I feel helpless, and have resolved to keep my head down & do what I can to make my little bit of this earth a little bit kinder, loving, better...I think it's almost all we can do.

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Well, there's no joy in knowing politics are the same all over the world with the, possible, exception of N. Korea. Yes, I do love it when politicians vote themselves (huge, big, any) raises then need slings to hold the arms they've thrown out while patting themselves on the back.
Meanwhile, across the pond, President Trump begins and I believe it's virtually, or any other way, impossible for him to do any worse than we've had the last eight years. Dear old Obama and his family had to have yet another vacation as their most recent 17 day vacation of only three or four weeks ago is but a dim memory. Not so dim in my mind as it cost taxpayers $35 million. His family has cost me, as in the American taxpayer, more than $100 million in the last eight years JUST in vacations. I am SO glad to see the back of them! Although, taxpayers will pay him more than $200,000 annual pension not including perks and benefits. yuck as you say.
President Trump (yes, I am enjoying saying it...) is taking an annual salary of $1.00.

M.K. said...

The one word in your post that really resonated with me over on this side of cesspool called politics ... is polarized. Countries' politics seem to be more and more polarized -- the people are polarized. On opposite sides of the square with raised fists, screaming but no one listening. It is horrible when the people we've elected to represent and govern us, just go home without doing any of the necessary, practical work that must be done for the government (indeed, the nation) to keep running! What a waste of time and money! I'm sorry for your country. I'm sorry for mine. We are moving our feet, but I'm not convinced we're moving forward.

Time stands still

 Hello! Sending you all lots of love from Northern Ireland, where nothing much changes just as everything changes, as usual. Time has stood ...