Uncle Mort Ethos

For years people have depend on seeking the advice of friends to help with their problems. There was also an alternative what appeared in the Agony Aunt or advice column in a newspapers or magazines. These were the places for people to consult the oracle aunt and ask questions about anything in life. Uncle Mort's blog is the home of an agony uncle and is where you can also ask questions on any subject. The answers you get may or may not fulfill your wishes.

Thursday 10 January 2013

What did you do in the War!


Rupert and Glenda Asked: "The country is in a very bad way, is there anything that we can we do about it?"


Since the start of the second world war, we have had a unsigned agreement to do the American nations bidding. Well, it was possibly contained in a codicil to the lend lease document. We were once the greatest nation on earth - we had an empire that the sun never set on. The Romans also had a similar empire before us. All the great empires of history have one thing in common - each has a sell by date. I'm not aware of any empire that came around spontaneously, all of them came around as a result of some kind of conflict and war. If we wait long enough - we might get a second chance to be great once again.


Currently its the American Empire that has take centre stage As the Americans go out to bomb other nations into submission. But now, there is an old twist on a new problem. The Americans before they withdraw  put in place a puppet government made up of local people that does its bidding. The problem is that puppet governments never prosper. Quisling proved the point during the second world war. But is the United Kingdom actually a puppet state of Uncle Sam.

What we need to do is address our own problems by declaring all out war on the problem itself. We don't need to go out declaring war on other sovereign nations. We need to declare war on our problems.  The UK has had a first attempt at this with "War on Want" which is an anti-poverty charity based in London. It seeks to highlight the needs of poverty-stricken areas around the world and lobbies governments and international agencies to tackle problems. I don't think they are going to lobby the con-a-lib government any-time soon.

War on Want's slogan is "poverty is political" and its stated focus is on the root causes of poverty rather than its effects. WoW places importance on enabling people in poverty to solve their own problems. The problem is, can we as a nation that is riddled with inequality and seemingly as much want as many other nations, be effective if the problems at home continue to persist.

We had a war on drugs, we got very serious about this. So much so that we even created a drugs Czar. In the Britain, Keith Hellawell (a retired senior police officer) who was a former Drugs Advisor to the Labour government and was later confirmed as the drug czar. Differences in opinion with the government over strategy towards tackling drugs were common during his tenure of office.  When Hellawell resigned the title passed on. In drug taking circles the chief supplier is now referred to as the local drugs czar. 

What about a war on the housing shortages. Whoops, no joy in that one either. There is a huge shortage of affordable housing, in many areas of the UK. Including Tonbridge Wells. However, there is also nimby-ism. (Not In My Back Yard) Yes, disgusted of Tonbridge Wells supports the idea of affordable housing - but Glenda and Rupert want it building somewhere else.

Affordable housing would bring with it single parent families into the area. Their grand children, Peregrine and Cressida would have to share the playground swings, with the lower classes. I can see the protest march passing through the centre of Tonbridge Wells. Rupert on the loudspeaker shouting "What do we want?" and Glenda replies "Affordable housing!" Rupert shouts "Where do we want it?" Glenda replies "Not here!"

We need to get tough, a popular political mantra is "Crime, and the causes of crime" combined with "Zero tolerance."  David Dickinson, an economist writing for the Institute for Public Policy Research, examined long-term trends in great detail and, among many other things, demonstrated the simple fact that most criminals are unemployed. No shit Sherlock!

Gwyneth Boswell of the University of East Anglia, reported on the backgrounds of children who kill, rape and injure. After looking at 250 juveniles in prison or in care for the most serious crimes, Dr Boswell found that 40 per cent had been beaten and bullied before they turned to crime and another third had been raped, buggered or otherwise sexually assaulted by a relative or family friend. Monkey see, monkey do!

Sir Michael Rutter of the Institute of Psychiatry at London University and Professor David Smith of Edinburgh University. Their findings on Psychosocial Disorders in Young People were radically different. Forget about poverty and sexual abuse, they seemed to say, the real cause of social and psychological disorder was post-war freedom and individualism. Shit that makes it all the fault of Rupert and Glenda then.

Yet, there is a war going on, it's the war over where the blame lies for what is going wrong with Britain. Various governments subsequently blame each other or the political party currently in power. Yet, they do very little about unemployment, other than use it as a battering ram. Put people back to work, the crime figures will fall. Address in a meaningful way the drugs culture, crime will fall. It is however, only a couple of steps amongst many that will be needed.

Do you think this government will make a start?


Regards.

Uncle Mort.

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