Nigel Farage – another bad choice!

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How come we always fall for the same trick? We love our leaders strong and right now Cameron and Milliband look rather weak. But Farage is really a bad choice. Just look at the policies behind the man. He stands for everything obnoxious. We seem to love appointing sociopaths, psychopaths and paranoid schizophrenics. We keep doing it. I’m not quite sure which of those Farage actually is – probably all three.

It was bad enough with Thatcher and Cameron but Farage is even worse – a rabid nutter!! With a bunch of even worse loonies in tow!!

The sort of person I am! Part 1.

Posted on by Opher

Anybody who checks out this blog will know exactly the sort of person I am. I hold nothing back. For me it has always been about communication. If you do not reveal your inner self you cannot really connect. It is compulsive and can be highly problematical. People do not like too much honesty.

I am an idealistic but not a perfectionist. I believe in making things better not perfect. I believe that we can and do improve things. History proves that.

I am green. I believe we have to care for this small planet. It’s a life-raft travelling through the hostile desert of space. It is fragile and only we humans are in a position to either act as guardians or destroyers of this paradise. It is in our hands. It is also in the balance. All the animals and plants are in our life-boat. We’re presently hacking through the bottom of the boat with an axe to get wood to keep warm.

I think that the biggest threat to the planet is the overpopulation crisis that is propelling the mass destruction of wilderness and plant and animal life. We are so prolific and stupid that we are wantonly destroying our own life support system.

I believe in people but they always let you down. They are capable of so much love, compassion, altruism and empathy but then they go and vote for Thatcher, Bush and Hitler, spend their lives watching crap on TV and buying Pop garbage.

I stand full square for equality, fairness, justice, peace, love, non-violence and political activation.

I stand for universal human rights in the face of religious fundamentalism, corporate greed, political extremism, tyranny and the on-going pressure to create blandness. I put my faith in the United Nations charter of Human Rights. I would like the world run by the United Nations and do away with the outmoded tribal nonsense of countries. That shouldn’t be too hard to achieve.

I love animals more than people. You know what their intent is. They are not so devious.

I believe in freedom but not too much. I do believe that we need laws. I do not believe in anarchy. Anarchy gives power to a small group of violent manipulators. I believe power should be restricted.

I do not believe most politicians have our interests at heart. Many mentally ill people seek power. Our board-rooms and political offices are full of power-seeking sociopaths, psychopaths and paranoid schizophrenics. Hence the world is being run for short term profit and long term loss. Hence we have warmongering, nuclear bombs, escalation, religious fanatics, political fanatics, genocide and assured mutual destruction.

I do not sanction endless expansion and economic growth. That is causing the destruction of the planet.

I do not think it is right that a tiny percentage of people own so much of the world’s wealth. These greedy people exert huge amounts of power to control, bribe, buy off and direct politicians. Hence the world’s mad dash towards apocalypse. I believe in fairness. It is not right that the world is ruin for the benefit of this small elite at the expense of billions. The Third World is deliberately kept in poverty and starvation because it suits the markets to do so. People make money out of it. They make money out of war. They make money out of misery. It needs to change. There is no reason on earth why everyone on this planet needs to starve or live in poverty. That is deliberately being engineered.

I do not believe that capitalism is the best model for creating peace, fairness and harmony. It promotes greed and selfishness. I do not see ‘trickle-down’ ever working.

I do not believe in God. I’ve seen all the arguments and I think it is all rubbish. There is a huge cultural indoctrination programme that ensnares children. Once they have been brain-washed they are stuck with it for life. All the vicious, misogynistic culture of the Arabic Judeo-Christian-Islamic philosophy has created misery, genocide, sexual repression, holocausts, Jihads, poverty, crusades and torture. Hinduism is just as bad. It is time we put it in the past with all the other superstition. If prayer had any value we would not see all the highly religious cultures around the world living in the most abject poverty. If religion was such a strong moral force for good we would not see such cynical misuse of power by supposedly pious individuals, involved in slavery, exploitation of workers, cruelty, torture, inciting violence, organising crusades and jihads, planting bombs, sex abuse, flying planes into buildings and generally relishing their power. Life is my religion. I have my eyes open to a wondrous universe. The world is full of beauty. Life is miraculous. I do not need a creator, after-life and mysticism to bolster that up. To live forever is a farcical notion. Heaven and hell is obscene. I miss my loved ones but I wouldn’t even want to live with them forever.

Part two of the thoughts of chairman Opher will follow when the urge grabs me.

Extract from Opher’s new book – Opher’s Art and Outpourings – pt 11

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IMG_0508Alien Vision in blue – 1972

Pete drew two of these. I coloured them in. I would not give it the grandiose description of saying that I painted them.

This blue alien seems more manic to me. The red one always looked benign and Buddha-like. This one has some potential to be a little evil.

Who knows what values aliens might have? They could espouse the same peace, love, happiness, tolerance, freedom, caring, helpful and humane attitude as me. On the other hand they could be warmongering fascists.

Whatever they are it will be quite a shock for mankind as a species when we do encounter them.

If they are more intelligent and more technologically advanced it could prove a fatal blow to our pride from which we may never recover. One only has to look at what has happened with human beings around the planet. When Europeans, with their belligerent attitudes, intolerant bigotry, religious fanaticism and superior technology encountered indigenous cultures in other parts of the world they decimated them. It was not merely the genocide that the arrogant invaders waged against the endemic populations so much as the debilitating psychological impact that was wrought. Despite the fact that the American Indians, Australian Aborigines, South American Incas and New Zealand Maoris were every bit as intelligent the impact of coming up against such superior technology made them feel substantially inferior and robbed them of their self-belief. Their cultures were all but destroyed. It has taken them centuries to recover from that impact. Their societies are still riddled with alcoholism and drug dependency.

The same thing may well befall all humanity when we finally become contacted by aliens. The best thing about it though will be the way it will blow all that religious twaddle into the air. The universe will no longer have been made just for our benefit. Who knows what aliens will believe?

That gives you an idea of the book. It is short and sweet with my paintings, philosophy and ramblings. It gives you an insight.

You can buy it from Amazon (along with all my other books):

Extract from Opher’s new book – Opher’s Art and Outpourings – pt 10

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IMG_0493Nuclear War Head – 1977

I’d grown up in the 1960s under the constant threat of mutual annihilation. This was the cold war era – the age of the Cuban Missile crisis. I remember going to school on that day not expecting to return home. The Russian fleet was heading for Cuba with missiles for the Castro. The USA told them that if they crossed a certain point it was an act of war. Kennedy may have been bluffing. We will likely never really know. The Russians steamed straight up to the line. We held our breath. They turned back.

We grew up with the knowledge that tens of nuclear warheads were pointing at us wherever we were in Britain.

America was using us as a forward base for their missiles. They had hopes of a nuclear war being confined to Europe. It would leave America and the bulk of the USSR out. We were the equivalent of a huge aircraft carrier for American planes. We were expendable.

When I taught in Beverley the great US Vulcan bombers took off from Leconfield directly over the school. The whole building shuddered as the giants clawed their way into the air. Each one of those huge planes carried a dozen nuclear bombs.

It was not a question of whether we were going to be consumed in a nuclear holocaust so much as when.

Britain was splattered with nuclear shelters for the politicians and civil servants. Under the House of Commons, far below the underground the politicians put their faith in a hardened shelter fully resistant to direct hits. I put my faith in CND and multilateral disarmament. I put my faith in CND and unilateral disarmament too. I felt it was better not to be a forward base for American whims. Too many of them were evangelical Christians who were looking forward to the end of the world!

I wanted to live!

That probably gives you a flavour of the book. I have put my paintings from the 1970s along with whimsical comment. It is only a small book but I think it works well. It is thought provoking and fun.

Opher’s Art & outpourings is now available

Posted on by Opher

This is a short book. An easy read that is hopefully thought provoking, amusing and sheds light on all aspects of life, society and the madness we live in.

The art is all the work I produced back in the early seventies. It is the material I used for my book covers. I like the way they’ve come out.

Hopefully you’ll like them too!

Nick Harper – That’ll do fine – Track off new album Nix exemplifies everything that is brilliant about Nick!

Posted on by Opher

The new album Nix is a great mixtures of new songs all delivered with pared down format – just Nick & his guitar with the minimum of production – raw Nick just like most of us love him.

The track ‘That’ll do fine’ really does sum up all the varied elements that make Nick such a brilliant and extraordinary singer/songwriter. To start with you have the brilliant guitar riffs. Then these are overshadowed by a series of amazing guitar runs. The voice is expressive and has the full range on display. The melody is really catchy and the lyrics blow you away. Nick is at his very best – observant, perceptive and witty. It’s a song full of meaning yet so accessible and delightful. The humour carries it into another dimension. This is the sort of stuff that should garnish the charts instead of all the flimsy Pop trash. It has intelligence and great musicianship all wrapped up in a great song.

There is no justice in this world. Nick is true quality. His day must surely come!

Opher’s new book – Opher’s Art and Outpourings. pt 9

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work
work

Work – 1973

I called this piece work with rather a tongue in cheek attitude. I have never minded work. I like working hard. What I resent is the time it takes. There are always a thousand more pressing things to be doing with my life than work. Work gets in the way.

On those days when there were poems to write, books to get out of my head and paintings clogging up the arteries, it was hard to become motivated by work.

On those days when you have been up to three in the morning getting into the flow of a novel it is incredibly frustrating when the alarm goes off at seven and you have a whole day of work ahead of you before you can get back to doing what seems overpoweringly important.

Work is prostitution. You sell your body and brain for a sum of money.

You were stuck within the confines of the workplace. Outside the universe raged. You were not free to experience it.

In 1976 I discovered teaching. I’d saved up my PGCE training as a year at college to escape work. I had no intention of going into teaching. I merely needed a year off. I found that teaching gave me a creative outlet. It allowed me to give vent to my passions. If I had to work at least I had found something I could be happy with. I was part of building a better, fairer, just world.

When you are doing something you enjoy it is not work.

The alarm clock still frustrating went off at seven and there were five days a week that were set in stone.

Extract from Opher’s new book – Opher’s Art and Outpourings. pt7

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IMG_6517Man with child – 1976

Caring for children is not just for females! I got immense pleasure out of looking after my kids. The love is absolute. Men do not have to be hard, cold and vicious. We don’t just have a female side that is soft and gentle; it can be the essence of our being.

All this macho posturing is bullshit. It’s not tough to smack each other in the mouth; it’s primitive crap. We don’t have to go out there pretending to be the big hunter/soldier. We can smile and cuddle. It’s allowed.

Being tough is standing up to injustice whatever the cost.

Being tough is taking the side of the weak and downtrodden and making sure they get a fair share.

Being tough is taking care of your loved ones without resorting to violence.

Being tough is saying sorry.

Being tough is doing what is right in the face of pressure from all those around you.

Being tough is being true to your inner self.

Men are happier in relationships and relationships require working on. You can’t bring up a baby without a million cuddles. Nothing is ever more fulfilling that the unconditional love, hugs and laughter of a child.

Words of love heal.

A laugh and a smile make life worth living.

Our children need their fathers every minute of every day; they need them happy, content and full of laughter and love. What could be more important.

In Africa they used to say that it takes a whole village to bring up a child well. In these days of confusion, violence and anxiety it requires a whole family’s love.

Extract from Opher’s new book – Opher’s Art and outpourings. pt 6

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Psychedelic Opher & Liz – 1973

I’m not sure Liz finds this very flattering.  I had this idea of fusing some of the characteristics of each of us in the other. Her partial beard does not really suit her and having my nose is not in keeping with her immense beauty. But I certainly get the better deal.

Love means that you always carry part of the other person round within you. We have shared so much we are bonded forever, beyond break up or death. We carry part of everyone we have interacted with but when you have been as close as lovers can, so that your mind and emotions flow from one to the other there is a melding that goes beyond anything else. We are no longer separate, nor can ever be.

It was another one of my attempts to show the energy at play within us. I also had this idea of light and shadow, good and evil – a duality at play.

Extract from Opher’s new book – Opher’s Art and outpourings. pt 5

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Peering round the edge from the void – 1974

The trauma of war has haunted human history. It is a tale of robber barons and power. Right from the beginning of the human story it has been a tale of aggression and violence. I wouldn’t mind betting that the first tool conceived by human beings was a weapon.

As humans grew in numbers so did the size of their violence. It went from intertribal conflict to full fledged warfare between nations. With the advent of technology we invented industrial slaughter. We now have the means for global destruction and the desire to use violence to impose our views has not diminished. Civilisation is a thin veneer over a seething mass of raging emotions and psychological confusion. It hides a barbarity not displayed by any other species. We are the most savage of all.

In the hundred years since the war to end all wars we have practiced genocide, torture and slaughter on levels unimaginable.

My abiding memory is of the little naked girl running down the road as an expanding boiling orange ball of burning napalm engulfed her and seared the skin off her.

My orange and red man is peering round the side of Lucy, the first mother, at the horror we have created. His face glows with the incandescent flames of a nuclear holocaust.