Missing Tuesday

 Amazingly the last 11 weeks or so I 've been part of a group learning about Political Philosophy (a zoom class from City Lit).

 I like Philosophy ‘excursions’ but also the breaks from them,  a  few weeks of not scratching my head  is welcome – this week a class on Leonardo Da Vinci (3 of 3) and also yesterday  a talk on Japanese Woodcut  (which was very good too - more about this later).

Talking with a friend from my long ago school days on the subject of ‘Populism’ being a vehicle of both the Left and Right  he suggested that Xenophobia is  part of the Populist mix and that this is present too in some of the Corbyn support that remains within Labour  (this would perhaps rule out  U.S. Democrat/Socialist Bernie Sanders as he is more sharing of the fight & glory and is  welcoming of people from other countries).

The last week we were focused on Feminism and my contribution in a small group discussion was to seek to understand how much Simone de Beauvoir was talking from her own rather privileged lived ‘bourgeoise’ experience  (of course no conclusions were made  but possibility of plenty of debate) – I’ve attached the summary we were given ahead of the class showing some thinkers.

(Not so ) Smart Meters?

 

 

We had our Smart meters fitted without too much fuss this week - Ovo engineer  managed it well and they have been flexible with the work.

We got wo meters one Gas (outside) and an Electric one under the stairs to replace existing - promise is that I won't need to send off two  readings each month .

 I am a little disappointed that they seem to  have been designed with rather limited ‘ambition’,  when I was at BT Broadcast services  we looked at providing support to some solutions for  the remote metering (12+ years ago ) and it seemed the scope then was greater .

I can imagine some potential for clever stuff, being hooked up to thermostats and weather forecasts etcetera but perhaps that is in Smart Meter 3.0)?

 

Relation  in one of his more recent Government ministerial  jobs was involved with the Smart Meter rollout project and  don't think he yet has one.

I was told though  by the installer that  at least now compatibility ensures   mean a change of supplier does not mean a different meter as it once did. 

A friend of mine has had the meters installed at properties he rents out (saves him reading the meters), he's chosen not to have one in his home as he seems to think he'd like to avoid  a cut off at some point in the future, I would think knowing him he has given it some thought?  

 I don't know  if I believe the 21 million installed figure and have been given a meter that shows what we're spending, I don't really want to watch this while I can afford the bills!

It's never really over

 

 In communication with a friend  about knowing people who have succumbed to Covid virus, a local busker who I was on nodding acquaintance with got (and died)  he was late 50’s and probably underlying health conditions also watched Michael Rosen (mid 70’s) speaking about his time in hospital (an RSA talk) and it seems he still has plenty of ongoing issues (not sure if this is the  ‘long Covid’?) 

The point of where the numbers impact the majority of people know a death is I guess some way off and perhaps these will be in what might be described as  ‘marginal groups’.

 Political Philosophy 

Getting towards the end of class (CityLit via Zoom) on Philosophy ....

I am not certain that ‘Populism’ belongs to the left or the right, as you can imagine when a group of people who give themselves the highfalutin’ ambition to look at something that incorporates philosophy in it  they’ll spend quite a bit of time trying to define a term which they’ll then feel even less sure about.

 

Most of the group I am  part of on a Tuesday evening see Trump as the embodiment of Populism and I would tend to describe the group as largely towards the left - Recep Tayyip Erdogan is another who gets a regular namecheck, I can see that Corbyn (actually both of them!)  could be described as sharing some Populism characteristics but Boris Johnson far more so. I guess a positive spin could be that Populism has tendencies of re-invigorating the debates on live issues and removing some power from those bogeymen, the non-democratically accountable  elites but on the downside  it seems too often to become entangled with Xenophobia  and dismisses dissenters as non-combatants in whatever the particular skirmish  under consideration is.

Next week is the final ‘Political’ session and we’re majoring on Feminism as a non-combatant and a minority (on the course) I will be mainly in listening mode – I like the approach that course teacher Chris Horner  has used; being open to discussion but having a framework that has caught some of the big themes.

The Grandeur that can seduce us

 Very interesting to hear of James Hanley - there's a great BBC Radio drama production of 'Writing the Century' about him which you can listen to on BBC Sounds at present.

The production captures a sort of struggling British bohemianism here attached to a genteel aristocratic poverty  that continues to this day.

Oddly there's a sort of connection for me  on that Hanley's only son was at ITN at part of the same time as me- Liam Hanley is pretty much the focus of the drama and as well as a journalist he was an artist - I don't recall him but will check with others to see if they do.

Impression I have is that James Hanley appears to have valued his own writing struggle, seems  he felt that his work was formed from a struggle and that as something of an autodidact he perhaps was burdened by a chip on his shoulder - anyway I recommend the Radio play and will try and find one of his books to read.

 

Is It Fair?

 One of the things you often hear from an agitated  Child is ' THAT'S NOT FAIR', it's something youngsters latch on to.

And I'm not too sure when we stop bawling it out - is it a sign of more maturity, or a realisation that fairness is not always in our own short term condition?

In the developed world we are in a position where we can in many situations reflect on what's fair, should we abide by the rules and queue or can we use some advantage to circumvent our wait? 

What message do we get from our political leaders, can we anticipate UK PM saying that it's not fair that during ongoing pandemics some of the richest parts of society have actually flourished and he thinks that those people who can help those at the bottom of the pile should do so?

Signs are I think worrying for UK's freedoms and the inappropriate actions of the Police yesterday does not make me feel confident in the further powers that the Public Order Act (1986) amendments grant the Police I would not wish to be alarmist but many indications from the dominant and unchecked Conservative Governments' actions are centralising and restrictive - hopefully there are people in all parties (and none) who will resist  - Ian Dunt as is often the case puts the context of the changes that many see as part of ongoing culture wars. 

  

Reminders of Memento Mori and Mortality

 So for Londoners the anniversary of Pandemic and various Lockdown seems to be on or around now.

I wonder if Johnson's Government have taken a view that while many of the population have not been directly  impacted by multiple deaths they are still  able to dictate an  agenda and their response has been 'in the National Interest' ?

Well I am  certainly far more conscious, in the last 12 months  of mortality and have lost friends and relations over the year not necessarily from Covid but memorials and services were not as they would normally have been and it feels as if there may have been contributory Pandemic  factors in there as well.

What does this mean - does it make the profiting by some seem immoral, are we who have so far not been ill duty bound to acknowledge  the imbalance of those who have suffered mentally or physically from the onslaught?

Some Tory Ministers have signalled regret but none (that I'm aware of) have felt able to say that they should have done better and  that they regret that the Health service has not been funded as it should have been.  

I personally have felt uncomfortable with the appearance of so many 'Union Jack' bedecked  home offices, and I am pleased to see that these are no longer so common.

Post Truth Politics

 I have been on a weekly Philosophy/Politics course for the last couple of months and the topic we were taught and able to discuss this week was 'Populism'.

Ahead of the session I did a little independent research of my own, finding that the concept was something that had surfaced in the USA pre 20th Century and its reoccurrence was a sign of 'elites' becoming disconnected from the populace . 

Cas Mudde gives (I think) a good contextualisation here.

Populism at large currently seems to be mainly of the 'Right' variety but it is not always the case and some have labelled Bernie Sanders as a Populist (although this is disputed as much of what he has said is factual).

The two party system in the USA is it seems is prone to a Populist demagogue  becoming leader of either party - Donald Trump was by many accounts an embodiment of Populism dismissing other leaders as corrupt and identifying himself with the populace.

Even after an attempted Coup in Washington Trump  retains support from many in his (Republican) party and the message that he sends out of being undermined by Liberals, East and West coast elites as well as  the Media - this theme continues to resonate with those who consider they are dispossessed and side-lined.

If you were seeking to replicate a 'Trump'  type  Government in the UK Boris Johnson would seem to be a good vehicle for hijacking the Conservative party, much of what he has done to the UK is far from traditional Conservative and so far it appears his leadership has been Anti-business but perhaps pro Capital?

In the UK corruption is perceived to be on the rise and debate stifled ( contracts are awarded to those linked to the ruling party without open tendering processes) .

Much of what  the UK news has been reporting  on the Government has been giving a  positive spin even though it has soon  turned out that what they have said  are  untruths and lies.

Although there are in existence strong 'Codes of Conduct' for government ministers the present  situation in Westminster (Once  known as 'The Mother of all Parliaments)  seems to be showing that these are not enforceable (or rather the expectation is that the British  PM is the enforcer and if he chooses not to enforce them - or breaks them himself then there are no consequences to him), other Ministers could I suppose take a stand ( perhaps Michael Gove for example) but it seems unlikely in the current environment.

The Democratic countries  of the west  (if we can describe them this way) rely on institutions  beyond Government to ensure dissent is allowed , the rule of law ensuring a degree of 'fairness' and permitting exchange of views on various aspect of life.

I hope that it in a few months the British public become better informed and trust is rebuilt!  

ShowBiz for the Ugly

 I don't know if others recall the revelations that were aired when Professor Anthony Clare had his radio programme 'In the Psychiatrists Chair' ?

How I'd like to be able to listen in on a conversation between the Professor (or an equivalent), I fear some big issues would be revealed - 

What Trauma did Boris Johnson's upbringing create?

Why did Gavin Williamson think keeping a spider was a good idea? 

What causes Priti Patel to be so hard on immigrants to the UK?

Has Michael Gove come to terms with being an adopted child?

What went wrong for Robert Jenrick?

I ask these questions as I think back on George Michael commenting on his choosing to be a performer - Tories I think more than politicians of the left have a desire of belonging being outsiders and perhaps thinking that the way of acceptance is Money and/or important friends.

many of these people have had the benefit of Education lesser mortals would envy and know something of morality but what went wrong?

 

The challenge of a term like 'Creative Destruction'

 There's something about connecting two words that at first appear in opposition to one another.

Currently a peripheral look at Political Philosophy is taking an evening each week and it's great (via London's City  Lit) to be introduced to some analyses of what's informing government and big business thought .

The term Creative Destruction  much loved by Apple & Google types  for a while  'de rigueur; for leaders in the high tech sector to name check the man credited with the phrase (Joseph Schumpeter 1883- 1950) - I am now going to have in the back of my mind the search for two almost opposing words to make a term that describes the world we find ourselves in.

[What was it about Austria and more specifically Vienna in first part of the 20th Century]

Personal  Influences 

These days I sometimes notice how my behaviours remind me so much  of my own dad’s – amongst other things an example:

• he used to plan a job, get prepared and then diverted  -when he came back to it again he’d go and get more bits and pieces – this can be positive during lockdowns as I’ve invariably got things I didn’t realise I had.