Today’s Music to keep me SsSSAAaaannnNEEEe in Isolation – Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band – Clearspot

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One of my favourite albums.

The Corona Diaries – Day 744

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It was a cold day in Yorkshire. It feels strange to have the house to ourselves again – kinda empty. Kids eh? Who’d have ’em? Not just for Christmas! Drive you mad but ……………….

After the exertions of yesterday I had a quiet day in. I’ve been writing some poems, listening to Gang of Four, watching the news, reading my Jasper Fforde book and sitting in front of a warm wood fire. Nice.

Meanwhile, out in Coronaland, our clown is still trying to be Churchill. The war has been his saviour.

Plenty of costume opportunities and, once again, he is safe from interrogation about all those lies and sleaze. Couldn’t have been better if he’d organised it himself. He didn’t did he? He’s not that close to Putin is he? Surely not?

Mind you, the Russian connection has thrown up another problem for him and the Tories. They now have to explain why they were so close to all those Russian Oligarchs, allowed all that dirty money into London, gave out peerages and filled their coffers with filthy Russian money. They don’t really have to explain though do they? We know why! To a Tory cash is cash wherever and however. Cash is the only thing that matters!!

The problems are mounting up aren’t they?

Lies about Brexit.

An inept Brexit deal.

Covid incompetence, panic and complacency (what a combination!)

PPE illegal contracts

Cash for meetings

Cash for peerages

Illegal lobbying

Scandalous second jobs

Partygate

Dubious donations for wallpaper, holidays, expensive wines and meals

Illegal prorogation

Let the bodies pile up

One rule for us, one rule for them

Lying to the Queen

Lying to the House

Lying about everything, constantly

Then we have the ineptitude, looking like Wurzel Gummidge, the silly soundbites, ridiculous dressing up, lack of leadership, lack of intelligence, lack of honesty, lack of scrutiny, lack of responsibility, lack of accountability.

I’ve probably missed half of it out!! The sleaze and corruption is endless. Have we ever had a worse government? I think not.

So, yesterday, in this pandemic that we pretend is over in order to save Boris Johnson, there were another 44,806 new cases with another 110 deaths.

The worldwide death rate passed 6 million!

Research is going on to find new treatments. The analysis of DNA of those who have had it badly, or died, show some genetic factors at work. It appears that certain DNA mutations are involved. This could lead to the rapid identification of those most at risk as well as the development of new medicines. That would be good.

Other studies have found that covid badly affects brains. MRI scans show shrinkage. Boris Johnson, who has had covid badly, of course, is immune to this effect. His brain cannot get much smaller.

Stay safe!!! Nuclear radiation kills microbes!

The Corona Diaries – Day 743

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Yesterday I was charging up and down the country running my youngest back to London. I’m not used to driving 550 miles in a day.

It’s quite a shock to be in London again. Gives perspective to life. The cosmopolitan atmosphere. The buzz. The crowds. The traffic. The greyness. And above all – the enormity of the city.

Henry is living in a part of the city that is mainly Jewish. There were a lot of Hasidic Jews going about their life. They were picking up kids and attending what looked like a school. There were security guards roaming the street. There was menace.

A couple of doors up from Henry’s there were a number of Muslim’s coming out of a large house. They too were all decked up in full Muslim gear. The contrast of tribal gear was fascinating.

I could never have coped with all that. Too much of an intrinsic rebel. I found it hard enough with my school uniform, cub and scout uniforms. Always in trouble. If I had been born Muslim, Jewish or anything else I think I would have been pushing the limits and questioning it. But then you never know. The power of indoctrination is very strong. I’m so grateful my parents brought me up with freedom.

I’m sure I shouldn’t but I find these religious costumes laughable and disturbing. I find it hard to imagine that anybody really believes that any god would really give specific instructions on how to dress. Surely these people realise that these things are cultural, tribal identifiers??

I find the way that women are meant to dress and act misogynistic. It reinforces their inferior standing for me. Why should they have to cover their hair? Why do they have to wear shape disguising robes? Are men that weak that they are incapable of dealing with their own lust? Isn’t it like blaming the women for the lust of their men? Or is it just another way of controlling women?

Mystery to me why these women are prepared to put up with it.

There is also the weirdness of people wearing clothing that originated in hot climates in the cold and drizzle of an English Winter. Bizarre! I’d like to see an Asian Arctic expedition! Or Asian Astronauts. But that’s just me. It’s no more hilarious than the British Raj all dressed up in their starched collars, jackets and pith helmets in the Indian heat. Equally risible.

On the positive side, I do enjoy the friendly clashes of cultures and the cross-fertilisation of ideas, cultures, perspectives, attitudes, foods, drinks and philosophies. Hybrids are always stronger.

London is a dynamo.

In the pub, watching the football, it was packed – as if covid had never happened and was now completely forgotten. So much so that a mask would have looked strange.

I drove back from London to my little village where they still wear masks in the local shops, where it is largely monocultural, where there is clean air, greenness and little traffic and I reflected on how predictable, mundane and boring my life has become. Everything here is so sedate.

Long ago, when I lived in London, my friends were much more mixed – Black, Asian, Jewish, Muslim, Greek, Australian……………. I never had a minute. People were always dropping in. There was always something happening. There were events, gigs, art, meals, friends…………….. Life was full and lively.

There was no time to get things done though. I was experiencing not creating.

It was only when I moved to the more tranquil regions that I was able to find the time to harness all that experience into creativity.

I enjoyed my brief visit and noted the shades of violence and tension that was present – close to a fight in the pub – but I don’t think I’d want to live there anymore.

I’m happy here in the village where trendy and hip are esoteric strangers.

Stay Safe.

Today’s Music to keep me SsSssaaaaaaNNNneee in Isolation – Gang of Four

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My kind of music!!

Today’s Music To Keep Me SSSsssAaaaNnnnEee in Isolation – Country Joe and the Fish.

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One of the forerunners of West Coast Acid Rock. These guys produced one of the most original and innovative albums.

I’m driving down to London today and I’ll be playing this!!

The Corona Diaries – day 741

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This coronavirus certainly hangs around. Even when you are over the worst the symptoms linger. Liz was up a lot last night coughing. It’s left her with a phlegmy chest. I feel pretty much back to normal, a slight cough, some phlegm, the odd sneeze and feeling more tired than normal. One positive thing is that I’m sleeping more and, according to my Fitbit, I’m sleeping deeper.

Today I’ve been storing all the wood that arrived yesterday. With the soaring prices of gas and electricity, due to our dependence on fossil fuels, I’m looking to use the wood burner more.

This government is an arse. They talk about the need for Green energy and insulation and, as with everything else, they do fuck all. At a stroke they could raise building regs to include triple glazed windows, thicker insulated walls, heat pumps, heat retrieval systems, inbuilt solar panels and make our housing stock extra efficient – just like they do in the Scandinavian countries. They’ve built 600,000 new homes with inferior regs. It’s so much easier to build these things in that to try and retrofit them. It would also save people a fortune in bills and pay for itself in no time at all. Usual double standards and lazy thinking.

Indoors I’ve been working on my latest poetry book – TOXIX TIMES – and playing some Doors!! I’ve even found some time to read my Jasper Fforde. Very clever writer.

This afternoon we popped out to Burton Agness to the stately home to see how the 1% live and have a look at some orchids. I’ll put some photos up!

My – how these days are going by. How predictable is life!! This isn’t quite the wild times that I imagined when I was young!

Meanwhile, out in Coronaland, things are hotting up. Putin’s war in Ukraine is proving much more costly than he ever could have imagined. There has been major resistance, death and attrition. It’s been slow progress with much disaffection among conscripts and complete bogging down of advances. The cost has been enormous and worse is to come. They have taken to barbaric pounding of cities, killing civilians and reducing areas to rubble.

This was supposed to be a liberation!! The Ukranians were Russian brothers!! This is all out war. The attack on the nuclear facility was just madness. But then all of this venture is madness. War is madness. How did he think anything good would come out of it? This war is going badly. Already three of his generals have been killed.

Putin’s aims are oblivious to put a buffer zone between Russia and NATO, to reinvent the USSR and make Russia great again. He’s failing miserably. The actions taken by the world will strangle the Russian economy. The poor display of Russian forces has shown them up for what they are – third rate. The cost is draining the cash he’d put aside for this invasion.

Couple that with the terrible suppression of the Russian people, the propaganda machine and draconian punishment for dissent and you have a nightmare scenario. Repression of this kind may have worked under Stalin but now, with the internet, the Russian people have access to life outside Russia. They can get alternative news and views. No matter how oppressive the Putin regime is they won’t be able to keep a lid on it. They might be fooling the majority of Russians now but as the body bags start flowing home and the cuts and shortages start to bite the dissent will grow. When it reaches a level it will explode.

The future for Putin and his regime looks grim. Their economy is being strangled. I think the West has had enough of Russia’s interference in Western elections, posturing and cyber attacks. They are going to do something about it.

The first thing is to turn off Putin’s cash:

‘The European Commission’s masterplan to escape Putin’s energy grip may involve boosting Europe’s renewable infrastructure and diversifying its gas supply, according to a leaked document seen by EURACTIV.’

Europe is seizing the nettle. It will diversify its energy supply and rapidly increase its green energy. Without the cash coming in from gas and oil Russia will be left high and dry.

These are dangerous times. Putin has already threatened a nuclear response. He is now calling the sanctions being imposed an act of war!

https://news.sky.com/video/ukraine-crisis-putin-calls-western-sanctions-against-russia-equivalent-to-war-12558219

Where is this heading?? World War Three?? A Nuclear Holocaust? Mutual destruction?? A regime change?? A negotiated solution for Ukraine? Further Russian expansion into other former USSR states??

Time will tell!!

I just wish we had a leader who wasn’t a clown and a government that wasn’t awash with Russian money. It doesn’t fill me with confidence!

The fact that we are shouting loudly and doing little is typical. Boris Johnson always makes silly statements about ‘Oven Ready’, ‘World Beating’, ‘Levelling Up’, ‘Care Costs Plan’, ‘£350 million a week’ and other garbage – all of which turn out to be lies and bluster!! The guy is well out of his depth and is nothing more than a greedy little conman.

With all these crises we end up with a leader unfit to manage a pub. A lazy, stupid man.

The only thing worse would be Trump!!

So, in this pandemic that everybody has forgotten about the levels are going up – another 44,800 new cases yesterday with another 110 deaths. Still no sign of scientists, no accurate data and no sign of our leader. He doesn’t like scrutiny or being held to account. He says it and it all magically happens – just like out world-beating apps and Track and Trace. What a moron. If he’s not dressing up he’s in a fridge!!

Stay safe. We might be able to harness the heat from a nuclear exchange so our energy bills go down!!

Today’s Music to keep me SsSSAaaANnNNNEee in Isolation – The Doors

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I don’t think we live on Love Street – we’re too far into Hate. The Unknown Soldier is still being executed. Nothing left to do but run run run.

The Corona Diaries – Day 740

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A miserable day here in Yorkshire – quite cold and drizzly rain all day. Suits the mood of the country!! Our recovery from Covid is not quite complete! We are both feeling lethargic and I still have some sinus problems and phlegm. Apart from that we are back to normal!!

I decided to stay inside, work on my latest poetry book and listen to some outrageous Fugs. A day not wasted!

Meanwhile, out in Coronaland, things go from bad to worse. The war in Ukraine is raging with cities being pounded into rubble with missile attacks and heavy artillery.

According to Putin this was a mission to save the Ukrainian people from slavery under a neo-fascist government (that they elected). It seems that Putin has the same philosophy that the USA had in Vietnam. These people need killing in order to save them.

The Ukrainians were supposedly brothers!! Now brothers can be quite competitive and they can even develop a jealous, haeful relationship but this is taking sibling rivalry to a whole new level. This is vindictive madness.

Did Putin really expect the population of Ukraine to welcome him in??

The trouble with these things is that once the genie is out of the bottle there is no telling where things will lead.

Putin is now a rat trapped in the corner. He can’t see a way out. He did not expect the rest of the world to utterly condemn his aggression and take these massive steps to isolate him and starve him of cash. As Lavrov said: ‘The West imposes sanctions and then a week later they are back crawling for business’. Not this time I think. Not only are they shutting the banking system, pulling out of Russia and freezing the cash supply, they are looking to break their dependence on Russia oil and gas. Hopefully this will accelerate the move towards green energy and do away with gas and oil altogether. Not only would it be great to break our ties with Russia but also those loathsome regimes in the Middle East.

Putin has bitten off more than he can chew.

Not only that, but the world can clearly see the limitations of the Russian military. One of the greatest powers in the world – not! Bogged down, blown up, logistically inept. Ukraine, with it’s limited resources is showing it up. They are reduced to using the same horrendous tactics they used in Syria – mass, long-range use of missiles and artillery to kill civilians and reduce cities to dust and rubble.

How long can he pour resources in and suffer these casualties and costs? We’ll see!

What it has done is to create a unity in the world and a renewed determination to make Russia pay for these atrocities. Hopefully they will.

But, like that trapped rat, Putin is dangerous. He is hitting out. In Russia there is extreme suppression of news, shutting down of criticism and legislation to oppress people. This is a return to Stalinist repression. No alternative views are allowed. And he dares to call Ukraine neo-Nazi? Incredible!!

He is threatening nuclear war and as an extreme act of stupidity actually attacking, shelling a nuclear plant. How can a nuclear power plant put up resistance?? How can that be a legitimate target?

Insanely, in true Orwellian double-speak, he is blaming it on Ukrainian subversives. He’s gone nuts.

Having an unstable madman in charge of the country is not a good thing. We know. We’ve got one ourselves! Johnson is quite on a par but he is an inept loony.

The one thing we can be grateful for is that we don’t have Trump in charge. He’d either be in there with his mate Putin invading Ukraine or we’d already be in the midst of a nuclear conflagration.

So where is this going? Who knows? It’s going to be one of a number of things:

A third world war nuclear madness in which Russia, Europe and the USA get wiped off the map

A protracted war of attrition (like in Syria) with the complete destruction of Ukraine and uimpoverishment of Russia

A negotiated settlement

We’ll see.

Meanwhile, while all this is going on, our useless clown is laughing his head off. Everyone’s forgotten about the MET report, parties, Sue Gray, the lies, sleaze and corruption. They are worrying about being instantly vapourised. Johnson, miraculously, lives to fight another day.

Mind you, another major problem has come along for this crime syndicate masquerading as a government: the public have found out that they are being funded by the Russians and are knee-deep in Russian sleaze. It has resurrected the whole Russian business – the sleazy deals, the donations, the meddling in elections (Trump, Johnson and Brexit), the oligarchs in the House of Lords, money laundering and dirty Tory profiteering. We’ll see where that goes. No doubt, with the media in their back pocket, it’ll melt away back uner the carpet along with everything else. The problem is that the carpet is now bulging up to the ceiling!! They can’t get much more under it!!

We’ve all forgotten we’re still in the midst of a pandemic. Johnson said it was over and everybody conveniently agreed. We didn’t need science or facts. All very Trumpian!! Just talk bollocks and everyone will agree with you.

We are now living with the virus – though there has been no debate, no guidance and no scientific input – Just Johnson sorting his own job out. The new cases have gone up to 45,683 new cases today with another 194 deaths. We are told it’s going down though!!

I’m OK. Having just had it I’m not in immediate danger of catching it and neithwer will I be spreading it for a while to come.

Stay safe!! Caught between a nuclear melt and the ventilator – not a great choice!!

Today’s Music to keep me SsSSsaaaAnNnnNeE in Isolation – The Fugs – It Crawled Into My Hand, Honest

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Raw, crazy, political and satirical. Wide Wide River!!

The Corona Diaries – Day 738

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I’m still not right. I have a slight muzziness, slight nasal congestion and, when it comes to doing stuff around the house I am suffering from long covid!

A gloomy day, thick clouds and drizzly rain. I went to meet up with my fellow writers. Sorted Johnson out. Sorted Putin and Ukraine!!

Back home I’m playing some Buffy St Marie and reading Jasper Fforde.

Meanwhile, out in coronaland, our resident clown is thanking his lucky stars!! Yipppeeee!!!! A war!! He can now go and practice being Churchill again. He’s already got the obesity and slouch to an absolute T. Forget Sue Gray. Forget the MET report and being a criminal. Forget the lying and incompetence. He can make up silly slogans again!! Putin Must Fail!! He can do lots of great photo opps. We’ll see in flak jackets, camouflage suits and at some time he’ll probably don a Busby and starts marching about with one of those big gold sticks!! He can be trusted to read autocues!! He’ll love it!! We might be stuck with him for years to come!!

Out in Ukraine another lying dictator is calling the tunes. The story differs depending on which propaganda you are partial to!

Our Daily Express tells the right-wing view of plucky Ukraine standing up against a ramshackle, spent Russian force. Starving Russian troops foraging in supermarkets. Russian troops surrendering on mass, abandoning equipment. A Russian army with no strategic backup, stalled on the streets. Massive losses of personnel and equipment. They crow about downed planes and blown-up tanks. There are protests in the streets being cracked down on by Stalinist-style bastards.

Other views have Russian troops advancing on all fronts, cities being taken, a 40-mile column or armour and artillery heading for Kyiv. vicious fighting, missiles landing and the capital being surrounded. More troops and equipment being held in reserve and the Russian people largely believe that Putin’s doing a good job!!

The truth is out there.

Zelenski is coming across as a ‘real’ leader. He’s not running away. He’s staying there with his people. He’s putting out broadcasts explaining what people should do and what is going on.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a leader like that?? You know, one who could explain things coherently. One who actually had a plan? One who knew what they were doing?? Instead, we have a clown!! I think Johnson, with three helmets on and seven flak jackets would have been out of there on the first plane!! He would have a string of sound-bites and blithered and blathered. We’d see him appearing in planes, tanks and trenches all hundreds of miles from the action!!

As for the Covid-19 situation – I don’t know but I’d really like to have had a proper leader, someone who consulted with scientists and experts, weighed things up with intelligence, talked it through with his cabinet, came to a reasoned strategy, went on TV to explain that reasoning and strategy and tell us clearly how to proceed.

Unfortunately, we don’t have that. We have a clot who made a decision based purely on saving his own skin, without regard to science and with no idea where it will lead. We are the first in the world!!

There has been no TV broadcast, explanation or advice. It’s just ‘YIppppeeee!!! Freedom Day!!’

A few days ago the rate was around 40,000 cases a day. Yesterday it was 83,000. Today it has shot up to 99,485 new cases with 269 deaths.

Nothing to worry about. Move on!! There’s nothing to see here!!

What is required is some good science and a leader capable of handing out great practical instructions. Why do some people not catch it? Does it infect the penis and testicles as it does in monkeys? Do we still need compulsory jabs for care workers and the NHS??

Shouldn’t there be a real scientific debate and sound political guidance rather than celebratory self-adulation and populist pronouncements??

All restrictions are gone!! Get on with it. We trust you to do the right thing even if we aren’t telling you what the right thing is!!

Hmmmmm 99,000 is a big jump. Are they sure this Omicron is going away? Are they sure it’s not as serious?

Stay safe!! At least we haven’t been blown up yet!! Not with a bang but a sneeze!!