In the name of Coxits*

Let's begin in the before years. When the dynamic duo of iron & gipper more or less declared society was dead. Long live the individual, and all he/she (it was a time before gender pronoun liberation) can plunder! Knowing that it would be their mates, and every dodgy second hand used bank salesman out there, who would go on to pocket quite a pretty penny/cent, or two!

Everything in the uk was for sale. The americans had a bit of pride and in those days a bit more sense, so ensured some things had to remain off the sales ledger and in the cubbyhole of national silver; but since most of the stuff wasn't public anyway, it really didn't make that much of a difference.

Fast forward a few decades, and in the sunny slowly morphing dystopian uplands of the uk, many of your favourite companies have being hoiked off to the highest bidders, in a process known by that reverential title of: under new management. For example, superdrug is owned by a.s. watson, who are part of ck hutchinson holdings, a chinese company. Boots did a dance, to be finally consumed by an american company and is now a part of the megcorp walgreens boots alliance which had 2019 revenue of $137 bn, with 2020 potentially being a very nice bumper crop for them - which makes more sense after looking at the prices in their online store. A company which of course loves the nhs - just ignore a subsidiary being one of the top five american health insurers providing lovely affordable healthcare, which is lovely. Now do remind me why so many americans wish they just didn't need to go bankrupt to live?

The nhs is underfunded, over-managed, and dying by hundreds of ideological cuts; becoming ripe for the plucking – seeding growing public anger, which once sufficiently massaged and perceived to be no longer behind the nhs, will allow them (those in power) to deliver the coup de grâce and finally allow the vultures to heartily tuck into the spoils.

Holland & Barrett, a health food chain (akin to the usa’s whole foods but way smaller -  especially as it’s now part of amazon), is owned by a russian billionaire who bought it from the american private equity firm the carlyle group. BA is spanish, most of the uk’s utilities and water firms have overseas owners. Trains are run by the french and germans. Chocolates are owned by american, or swiss companies, with a light sprinkling of a belgian company, or two nicely shaken into the mix. The technological marvel that was arm was allowed to be flogged off to japan's softbank group which would be the equivalent of america allowing intel, nvidia and amd to fall into overseas hands, without giving more than a shrug. Even the quintessential dyson vacuum cleaner is manufactured in malaysia and headquartered in singapore, whilst the allure of his singaporean penthouse must increase his need to visit sunnier climes; far away from the wash, or the unwashed, now they’ve served their purpose! Newspapers are owned by non-domiciled billionaires, so it’s no wonder they want a neutered bbc. And the conservatives want to hoike nuclear reactors off to the chinese, whilst our strongest weapons (nukes on subs) actually belong to the americans.

And most of the above was before brexit and covid struck. So with all that in mind, precisely which sovereign bit of the UK did those who voted leave, believe they were saving?

Now, where’s the covid file...

 

* Take your pick: Cockup and Brexit. Covid and Brexit. Crapshoot and Brexit.

In alternate reality 45823...

The dust from three years internecine warfare across the Channel has finally settled. Birds are haunting as the morning quiet of an exclusive Parisian neighbourhood, is rudely broken by a national anthem ringtone.

“Monsieur Président. C'est lui, de l'autre côté de la Manche, au téléphone!”

“Sacrebleu! Que veut l'idiot blond maintenant?”

The return

Sometimes, there's nothing better than taking a little break away. To refresh the mind. Fill the lungs with fresh only semi-polluted air, and- Oh merde! Sommes-nous encore en train de parler de Brexit?!

Dreaded Drug Decriminalisation

For the majority of people when they hear the term drugs they are more in mind of those substances which alter consciousness and states of mind, and of course which may or may not be hallucinogenic, make us feel good, love our fellow species members, make us look better, question the bollocks we're fed on a daily basis and realise the nonsense of contemporary power structures and paradigms; and are subsequently banned, excoriated and war'd on.

In our modern society drugs are taken by the majority of people, in one form or another, at some stage or another, for things that are now so routine we forget that only 50 years ago, without them would either mean a certain death or being the recipient of severe life-shortening disability. We’re including vaccinations in that pantheon too, as vaccines are also drugs.

Drugs have had a bit of a mixed audience over the centuries, suffering ups and downs along the way. A way to keep the less fortunate sophomoric and their better offs giddy with delight. But who can forget wandering along the Thames river in the Victorian era and popping into an apothecary to get a vial of cocaine to help with that pesky cold?

Since Jenner and his smallpox vaccinations there have been problems with drugs along the way. With Governments (USA) doing experiments on their third class citizens with STDs, or governments (USSR/Russia) being early proponents of gender swapping, as long as it only (okay mainly) involved sports women! Of course it’s understandable why people would prefer not to have their children vaccinated in the hope of saving them from one of the many dreadful side-effects that may impact them, or saving them from deliberately introduced side effects just to see what impacts there might be. But apart from the few highly reported incidences regarding adulterated vaccines, the improvement in global improved life-span, over only a few decades, hasn’t just being down to improvements in food, nutrition, and improved water supplies, all of which played a huge part, but mainly the ability of medicine to bring to heel once terminal illnesses and diseases.

Getting through the blah blah on the war on drugs in the USA, we quickly realise that it’s not really a war on the perceived horrors that impact poorer sections of communities, but a war on many other fronts to ensure that power remains in the hands of those who believe they know better! A Nixon aide famously said that the reason for the war on drugs was basically to divide and conquer, with a healthy dose of racism thrown into the mix. Three of his colleagues have poured scorn on the whole idea, but as jailed prisoners are unable to vote, what better way of killing many stones with the one policy. That was before gerrymandering really took off, which makes imprisoning an unnecessary throwback to a more barbaric time. Make black people and hippies who consume marijuana appear to be the bogeyman of all that’s right and just, and those who support them being just as bad. So why not help such perceptions along by ensuring gang wars, supplies can get through, and the media reporting like the good boy’s that they are. Once people have a conviction for drug possession they become forever a felon. Felons are not allowed to vote. So the war on drugs disproportionately affects black men, many end up in prison as part of the money making venture that is the prison industrial complex of a privatised prison system. Then when they get out they are not allowed to vote. Which helps with gerrymandering, especially as they would only vote democrat anyhow.

In the 1930’s the drug war was against mexicans, Will Randolph Hurst was a politician, owned a lot of newspapers and also a lot of paper producing companies. The target was the evil hemp, “reefer madness” 1936, with white women being seduced by reefer smoking black jazz musicians. As that was so successful a similar war on drugs was enacted a few decades later, using crack as the weapon of choice for Ronald Reagan, ans targeting the black community because white people tended to do powder cocaine. Before reefer madness there was a campaign against opium because the Chinese were smoking it!

Of course in about 1900 you could legally buy cocaine, morphine, cannabis. Queen Victoria used cannabis for period pains.

Why do we care here in the UK? Well ever since the master and servant roll was reversed, the UK has slavishly followed whatever US policy they can get away with implementing.

Over the years, the US policy has helped limit and hold back research into the use of LSD or molly MDMA for sufferers of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Ergo, a lovely catch 22. No research, no proof that it works. So cannot (legally) be used for treatment. Even internationally, politicians prefer people (poor) to die of cancer in Africa and India, than for them to get morphine to relieve their pain.

Hypocrisy much? As society guzzles vast tankers of alcohol with terrible damage to individuals, and a community cost of pub fights hospital bills, prison, it is rarely viewed as a drug that shouls be banned, as it brings lots of money in to the chancellery, and those with power do enjoy the off tiple. Whilst prescribed opiods have more people becoming hooked on them, and deaths from their use increasing. But, have one person (out of millions that week) unfortunately die, who popped a pill to enjoy themselves and it’ll be plastered across the headtops for weeks to come.

That time of year already.

Happy 15 shopping weeks of Christmas!

In alternate reality 45823...

The latest edition of 'Democracy for The End Times', lands on the desk of the British Prime Minister. "Are you a PUSSY LICKING DRUGKING, or PROGRESSIVE LOVING DATER?"

The PM smirks, and licks his lips. He hadn't tasted the good stuff in quite a while. And with all those paparazites outside, it might be a while before he would again. As for the other stuff, his young fillies were doing rather well. Jeni even beat the bookies with a 100 yards to spare at the Goodgrove races

He looks down his to-do list and maniacally mutters. "Scuppering Parliament, check. Drowning the Speaker in a grab the apple contest, in progress. Hanging out promises of a better tomorrow without jam today, that's our mantra. In the record books, even as the shortest serving PM since 1827, by Jove still on track!"

As financial, social, and international storm clouds gather in growing intensity, the asymmetric flapping wings of destiny ferociously beat towards an approaching darkening maw.

Lounge of green borders

Ah good evening.
It is Tuesday.
Have a care.
Our army of beetles, spiders and exploding ants,
Vicious vipers, poisonous pythons and bristling badgers,
Are all ready to defend the borders of my fine realm!
Now leave me in peace.
Let me lounge.