![]() OK, maybe not but it is May Day, the day of the worker, the day we traditionally celebrate the ordinary man or woman. Indeed, as I write this CNT - Valencia just marched down my street, complete with the usual bored looking Nacional de Policia escort, on their way to the main march. Immigration of course is intimately intertwined with labour, and one of the scapegoats used to try and explain why there is a lack of jobs, decent wages etc. Yet it is crucially needed, especially in the West with our ageing populations and native workforces often unwilling to do the jobs immigrants will do. The BREXIT debacle in the UK has highlighted this perfectly, with people voting for something based on prejudicial ideas the narrative of which has been pitched at the lowest common denominator. As the true repercussions of that decision now start to become apparent, the idea that immigration can be restricted is beginning to be seen as unworkable. From the NHS staffing to baristas in coffee shops, jobs simply will not get done. The problem is, there is no easy solution and we seem to live in a world where we expect everything to be solved by quick soundbites. I think that explains the rise of "populists" like Trump etc.; people cannot think critically or deeply anymore and gravitate to politicians who exemplify their shallow world view. Of course, they are exploiting this to their own ends, which in my opinion seems to be pointing towards some sort of Orwellian future mired in hate and division. But, today is a day where we can remember what drives this world - the workers not the bankers. There are more of us than of them and, if we look at history, when we come together we have enacted massive change. We can again, if we start thinking for ourselves and stop consistently voting against our own interests. On a side note, I really want this guy's shirt :)
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I am not the most diligent about updating this blog, mainly because there has been little to tell. The Jinn Palace is being developed, but it still in its embryonic stages. With the world going the way it is I doubt there will be any end to the current situation in the Middle East; in fact, I am sure it is going to get worse. But, as chaos keeps the rich getting richer then it's all good - for them, not so much for the rest of us. We will grumble amongst ourselves and keep voting against our own interests, growing ever more apathetic as our attention is diverted with celebrity news and Snapchat. Does that sound bitter? I know it does, but it beggars belief that we seem to be in a redux of the Cold War and the threat of nuclear war has become a very real threat again. But, on the plus side, creativity does flourish in a sea of chaos, sort of the primordial soup from which it can crawl. So who knows what may evolve. :)
Another year. Time flies by too fast! And time for a radical overhaul of this project, hence a new site. Actually, fate played a rather large hand in this. While cleaning up files I accidentally deleted the site. But, I think it was not an altogether terrible occurrence. Change was sorely needed. Sometimes we all need a little push to get us moving. :)
The fate that migration still looms so large in the media is depressing. The world seems to keep on turning, the years go by, but some things stay the same (or get worse). The migration routes from West Africa may have shifted slightly, but lack of opportunities at home still pushes more and more to desperately attempt the journey north. The war in Syria still rages, and people still flee. The whole world seems to be unravelling. But! It is too easy to get disconsolate about the state of the world we live in. This will be the year that the novel - The Swan Maidens - is written, based on research done in Lebanon about Syrian women refugees. It has been almost two years since I started it, even though it was not begun as a novel; sadly women's lives there have not really improved much in that time. |
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