Thursday 6 January 2022

Covid. Brexit. Eavesdropping. Weather. And more Brexit.

 Here’s a bit of Mr Rosen to start the day.


“Dear Sajid, 

Cases up, cases down. My head's spinning. What if the cases go down because people can't get hold of the bloomin' tests? Where's that Dido when we need her?  I think we ought to give her another chance. Think of Cleopatra and the geese. 

Equestriana heroica 

Boris”


And here’s something else I found on social media:


Imagine there’s no Brexit

It isn’t hard to do

Nothing to lie or cheat for

And no corruption too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace

You, you may say I’m a Remainer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you will join us

And Europe will be as one.


Overheard in the co-op: “Why are we stopping tests for people coming into the country when we’re already overrun with cases of covid.”


Also overheard in the co-op: “If this latest one had happened three years ago we’d have said it was just a bad cold. I wonder what the next variant will be.”


The crisp cold weather has given way to cold soggy weather, with something that is almost snow. We have had the smallest grandson with is this morning. At one point he said to me, “(C)ome on (gr)anma. (G)et in (pr)am. (G)o for walk.” He’s not good at initial consonants. So, as the drizzly wet snow had eased, we went for a walk round the village, seeking cornflakes from the co-op. Hence my eavesdropping. Of course, when we were half way round it started to snow quite seriously. By then the small boy was falling asleep!


Getting back to Brexit, regulations are starting to bite now. Here’s another little something on that subject:


'Like the gift that keeps on giving, Brexit has only just started. Yes, it has been five years since the referendum and a full year since the UK left the European Union, but we are yet to feel the full effect.

That’s not only because the economic and reputational hits are not going to stop but because the Brexit we have enjoyed so far is only the first wave. 

The UK government, despite having had five long years to prepare and insisting that the deal just had to be done, was strangely enough not ready for Brexit and so kicked many of its provisions down the road. But these are about to be introduced throughout 2022, meaning that all the damage of the first year will be just a taster for what’s to come. '


Meanwhile, many of my friends are holding their hands up in dismay as Starmer talks of his wish to “get Brexit done”. That sounds familiar. I wait to see where this leads.


And here’s something on the origin of the name “Tory”: 


“I think we should stop referring to the Conservative and Unionist party as the tory party and start referring to them using the original Irish word tóraidhe.

A tóraidhe is an outlaw, a bandit, an Irishman turned out of his house and his living by English overlords, who then had to turn to theft and banditry to keep his family alive.

I think that the Irish conferred the title tory on the party because they, truly, are the outlaws, the bandits, the thieves, the robbers, the overlords.

Despise them with all of your soul.

Never, ever trust a tóraidhe.”


Wikipedia confirms this, with a slight spelling difference:


“The word Tory originates from the Irish language. The Irish word toruighe is suggested as the origin for the term Tory, with toruighe being used in the 16th century to describe "an outlaw papist" or a "robber that is noted for outrages and cruelty". However, because later Conservative and anti-revolutionary parties assumed the term Tory, it has also been suggested that the word originated from the Irish word toir, meaning to give, grant and bestow; or toirbhearl, meaning efficiency, bounty or munificence.

The word Tory had entered the English language by the 17th century, with the term first being used to refer to dispossessed Irish Catholics in the 1640s.


A petition calling for Tony Blair to have his knighthood rescinded has now been signed by more than 500,000 people - even more since I first wrote that down. The former prime minister was appointed Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter in the New Year’s Honours list. Bestowed by the Queen, it is the oldest and most senior honour in the British system, with just 21 people currently holding it. Of course, it won’t work as that would mean those in authority accepting that he led us wrongly into war.


Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!

No comments:

Post a Comment