Yesterday I received my copy of Presence. It’s always nice to appear in print. However, because it’s in print you will have to wait a bit until I can post it. It’s not that interesting anyway, so you aren’t missing much. I have to say that I find most haiku, even good ones, to be wearing in quantity.
Today I tried to write about my frustration at the way the world is going, but I don’t really have it in me to be political, so it didn’t go well and I ended up with nothing to show for several hours of work.
Then I had an email about an article I had originally submitted back in November. I’d already agreed to make the alterations the editor wanted a couple of months ago and was wondering what the hold-up was when I got an apologetic email telling me he didn’t think it was the right fit and couldn’t use it. I’d already resigned myself to this, so I’m frustrated rather than downhearted. It is, after all, only words. I have an unlimited supply to draw on and am unlikely to run short.
After that I was able to watch a riot in Bristol, as protestors besieged a police station, set fire to vehicles, threw fireworks and put at least two policemen in hospital. The protest? It was about the new bill going through Parliament, the one about giving the police more powers to deal with demonstrations. My current thinking is that this is not the best way to ensure you have public support for your concerns.
And on that note I will leave it before I begin to get political.
Which one – the imaginative leap of faith that involves decriminalising low level drug use or the one that ends the postcode lottery on life-saving NHS drugs?
Organisations just like rules, and every time a rule doesn’t work they increase the penalties. This, I believe, is a discredited way of law enforcement, but is still very popular.
Anyway, better stop now before I become serious.
Mrs Tootlepedal is of the opinion that if you want to get something changed, pitchforks may well be required to concentrate the minds of the powerful. Look how much the wonderfully well attended (I was there) but extremely peaceful Iraq war protest achieved, Compare and contrast with the Poll Tax riots.
Protesting is a funny thing – it needs to be an inconvenience to the Government without totally clogging things up. I really think we have too many rules already and I don’t like the sound of the new Bill, but I don’t want super-spreader events and riots either. And on some things the Government won’t shift anyway. They won’t scrap nuclear weapons and they won’t jail their school chums for shooting hen harriers.
It is their failure to radically reform their drug policy that bugs me the most.
Nasty aggressive oafs – that’s my polite version
Couldn’t agree more Derrick. And idiots. Who in their right mind would throw high powered fireworks in a crowd?
Yes, more robins! So cheerful and jaunty looking. Our robins are lovely, but elegant and aloof.
We need to form a pressure group – Robins Reclaim the Blog, followed by Robin Riot (dare we call that the Extremist Wing?) and a serious discussion on whether the term “redbreast” is objectifying Robins. After that we can actually get on with making the world a better place.
Love it! Especially Robin Riot. What a terrific name for a group or a blog or something!
I did wonder about keeping it for future use but my plans and good intentions tend to be wasted. Sounds like a character for a YA fantasy…
Sure does!
🙂 I await developments…
Hang in there, Quercus. More robin photos. 🙂
Good idea!