Well..

Well, it's been some time since I fed this blog with some random thoughts and reflections. Since there aren't likely to be many avid Faulkstalks blog readers, that 's no great loss to mankind. Nobody has petitioned me for new updates, so the obscurity continues. Nevertheless, things have been happening since I last wrote.

For a start, I've gained two more grandsons, which brings the tally up to 4. They are lovely little dots, born within 6 weeks of each other. They are giving their mothers plenty to think about.

I've come to a fuller understanding of the mess of our society and institutions - mainly thanks to the video lectures of Canadian comic Rob Menard and John Harris of www.tpuc.org. John is a Freeman of the Land - a self-employed plumber who through researches of his own has come to a realisation that the society we live in - and the legal system that maintains it - are based on some long-perpetuated lies. For example, statute law and statutory instruments can only have the power of law behind them when they have the consent of the governed because they are contractual by nature. This means that a man arrested for driving without road tax or insurance has not been engaged in a criminal offence, and if he refuses to submit his name and address and refuses to acknowledge that he understands (ie stands under) the charge, he can get away with this alleged offense. Of course, it's not as easy as that - the police are well-trained and savvy when it comes to dealing with offenders - but that is the general idea. The central thesis is that the United Kingdom is a corporation - not a political entity. And corporations exist to make money. In the same way, the courts of justice and the police are also corporations which have the same purpose, i.e. to make money from the public through fines and PCNs. There are various surprises in store when we look on Dunn & Bradstreet's website - including some of our political masters, who are listed traders in the name of whichever party they belong to. It doesn't take too long to realise that if this is indeed the case, our political life is a well-co-ordinated piece of theatre; the real interest behind the veneer of politics is commerce.

John Harris' solution is to opt out of society by formally declaring through an affidavit served on the queen that he withdraws his allegiance to Her Maj on the premise that she is surrounded by traitors who have betrayed the nation into the hands of foreign hands (through admission into the EU). Others simply declare in their affidavits that they are real, flesh-and-blood human beings - not the legal fictions created through the birth certificate upon registration. It is these legal fictions (known as 'persons') to whom statute law applies, and providing the offence is not a breach of common law (i.e. causing death, injury, damage or loss), a well-thought-out argument can win.

But to opt out smacks of dishonesty; to renounce one's citizenship (the reality of which is also aguable) on the one hand and yet to expect (for example) medical treatment through the NHS are hardly intellectually and morally consistent. The only way to derive benefits from the host society while maintaining integrity would be to pay for services as a private individual.

So, while I accept that our politicians are vassals to the corporate state, and the proliferation of draconian laws is designed to screw more money and exert more power over long-suffering and law-abiding people, I also see that for the time being at least, we have to put up with it. Eventually people are going to get fed up with being spied on, controlled and manipulated by a nasty state.

But what is society for? According to Black's Law Dictionary, in so many words its purpose is to maintain the position of the socially dominant group. And that doesn't include me. And if you're reading this, you can bet it doesn't include you either. Stay tuned.

The Story So Far

During the time of my unemployment - between last November and February - I submitted regular blogs, but since I've been back in employment the frequency has been less. Nevertheless, I don't forget about my blogspot - perhaps someone somewhere even reads it..!
I've been working as a temp for the same agency - and in the same department - since I started in February. The work involves creating instruction documents for cosmetics display units, which are used by various well-known cosmetics manufacturers in equally well-known chain stores and supermarkets. What worked in my favour in being selected for this work was my previous experience in an engineering environment - especially my prior knowledge of CAD (computer-aided design) and work with technical writing. My interest in language certainly helps, as I'm sorting out documentation for a variety of European languages and liaising with a translation agency.
When I started the job, we carried out all our work in Microsoft Word, and these documents were converted to Adobe Acrobat pdf files for the clients. Embedded Autocad images and coloured graphics were used in the illustrations - along with general instructions pictures for standard procedures. However, Word isn't primarily a desktop publishing application, although it was used as such. So now we are working with new Apple Power Macs and doing the work in Adobe InDesign, which is powerful and quick, though rather quirky. I've soon discovered that Macs and their applications have their own idiosyncrasies.
So, what's the future as far as employment is concerned? I've been told that I will still be here for the rest of the year (where has it gone..?), and there may be a permanent position opening up. Naturally, I'll believe it when I see it. I may working for a pittance - but that disadvantage is counterbalanced by the fact that I'm working with likeable people in a workplace with a relaxed but hardworking ethos. We'll see what develops.

Oh, yeah?

I read in today's Telegraph Online that MPs are urgently wanting to interrupt their all-too-brief summer recess to discuss the development concerning the possible release of Al-Megrahi, the jailed Libyan who has terminal prostate cancer. It looks as if the outcry from some quarters in the United States has provided them with an ideal opportunity to draw more expenses. Times must be hard for our parliamentary betters. Plus ca change...

More deaths in Afghanistan

Yet again we've had reported over the media that more soldiers have died in Afghanistan: this time one of the deaths has been of a high-ranking officer. While I've never disguised my opposition to UK troops being in these places, I've always respected the men who have been sent there to endure the deprivation, heat, flies, muck and the bullets (unless they engage in sick murderous or sadistic games with unfortunates who get in their way). What angers me is that these men who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan were sent to do a dangerous job by politicians who for the most part have proved themselves lacking in even the basic credentials of honesty and integrity. How many military people are asking themselves why they're risking their lives every day (and the eternal heartbreak of their families) for the political reputations of a self-serving clique of mealy-mouthed politicos? If our institutions carried with them some dignity and the gravitas that comes with trustworthiness and honesty, perhaps they would be worth fighting (and dying) for.

Message to Richard Dawkins et alia

There is a God who designed the entire created order and before whom you are responsible. Get over it.

Expenses and all that jazz

It's been a while since I last posted a blog here, but sooner or later I had to - there's been so much going on in the political scene for me to keep quiet!

The present scandal of MPs expenses has been given a great deal of attention by the press - nothing new there - but what has come clearly to light is the depth and breadth of antipathy and mistrust the public bears towards politicians - as well as those avaricious bankers who precipitated the present financial crisis. Those who merely dismiss this whole episode as media hypocrisy are missing a vital point; this expenses scandal has been the latest and biggest nail in the coffin of public confidence in our political leaders.

 We've seen Government pledging untold billions of credit to bail out profligate banking interests, while so many people's lives have been adversely affected by this credit crunch. The bill for this will take decades to pay off. We've been conditioned to expect lean times for the forseeable future by the same elite class, many of whom have been content to milk the lax parliamenary expenses system for all it's worth to maintain a standard of living that many ordinary people can only dream of. Furthermore, many of those whose "mistakes" have been uncovered have either been defensive or have failed to understand what the fuss has been about. Such is their political awareness and empathy with the public they purport to represent.

But this isn't the only cause for anger and indignation; there is an increasing resentment for the additional burdens of legislation and taxation which have been steadily imposed. The issue of immigration is never far from the public mind. We were conned by politicians into membership of a European project (remember the EEC?) which was held out as a promising free trade arrangement; over the years it has come to light that this was only a part of the picture: we are actually in the process of being subsumed into an emerging European super-state - without any public mandate. Any promises of a referendum on the part of this present government have mysteriously fallen silent - and they will in their sucessors as well.

We've been accustomed to seeing cabinet ministers on both sides parrotting the party line when they have been asked searching questions on the radio or TV, and we have seen the usual evasions and half-truths we have come to expect.

All of these factors - and doubtless many more - have contributed to the impression in the general public that politicians don't represent them - they're in the business for their own slice of the pie - whether that be the lust for power and influence, financial rewards or some vainglorious political kudos.

We need more independent-minded people in politics. I'm not against the concept of the Tory/Labour divide, but I feel that too much power rests in the party machines on both sides.When an MP joins the cabinet, he/she surrenders any vestige of independent thought. The withdrawal of the whip has been a Sword of Damocles poised over the heads of mavericks and dissenters. This mustn't be allowed to continue.

What should be done? After the last unscrupulous freeloader has been dismissed, the government should call a general election. Upon the accession of the next government, the issue of MPs' pay and expenses should be given immediate attention. 

In the meantime, the misdemeanours continue to come to light. The level of public discontent will in in some measure play into the hands of more radical and unscrupulous political interests - but nevertheless this whole scandal could - if handled correctly - serve to advance representational democracy. 

Working!

For 2 weeks I've been in employment as a temp in a local company; it's been nearly 13 years since I've worked in my home town, and I must say that it's a novelty to walk a mile to work in the mornings - and all the more pleasant because there's plenty of birdsong to hear along the way. And it's a boost to the sense of self-worth to have some kind of employment to go to!

The work is updating spare parts documentation for product display stands - these are for various companies (chiefly cosmetics manufacturers) and are used in various retailers, varying from large chainstores and supermarkets to pharmacies. I'm working with 3 other men, and they're really nice guts to work with. It's great to be able to listen to music or the radio as you work. Music is certainly something we all have as a common passion. The job may only be for a month, and the pay doesn't compare with what I was earning in IT, but I'm grateful for it nevertheless.

I contacted my friend and former Zeda and Alliance & Leicester colleague Peter, who's still out of work, having applied for more than 100 jobs. I feel for him - and hope that despite this current recession he finds something soon. There's work out there, but with huge numbers of applicants chasing one position, employers can cherry-pick.