Another local politician shows the kind of sure touch we’ve come to expect from the city’s leadership …
Wednesday found “award winning” blogger Kerry McCarthy breathlessly explaining to us “Why I haven’t been blogging.” Apparently the Bristol East MP had stopped hanging around local bus shelters long enough to make “a fascinating visit to Honda F1 Racing’s HQ in Northants as the token female amongst a bunch of MPs.”
Which was great timing because by Friday came the news “Japanese carmaker Honda today confirmed it would withdraw from formula one before the start of next season.”
But not one to let the complete collapse of a business detract from her admiration for it, Ms McCarthy still managed to wax lyrical on the marvellous economic benefits of Formula 1 for us, the people:
“Of a workforce of 690+, they have 60 Ph.Ds. Some of them might be working on race strategy, some on design…. there seemed to be a lot of intense young men staring at computers without moving or blinking, no doubt thinking very deep thoughts. You wouldn’t think of someone with a maths degree/ Ph.D. going into the F1 business, but that’s what they do.”
Gosh. It’s just like all those brilliant young mathematicians employed in the City of London to design those fabulous financial instruments that perform economic miracles – Oh, hang on a minute …
Staring at a screen without moving or blinking? Probably looking at porn.
p.s. like the snow, but it does bring the laptop to its knees and makes typing really hard.
Thanks be that they’re not wasting their time working on distributed energy generation, sustainable agriculture, more effective contraception or anything wicked like that.
Well I don’t like the snow, or anything else that reminds me of that obscene consumer fest about to engulf us. I’m surprised at you, BB. I thought this site might be a refuge from xmas tat in these dark days.
For other readers who prefer to indulge in gloom and doom, as befits the season, I can promise you an unrelenting diet of it on greenbristolblog.
Is there anything you do like, Chris?
Frankly you give green politics a bad name with your incessant negativity and misanthropic meaderings. Cheer up for gawd’s sake. Happy Christmas to you!
Misanthropic meanderings … that’s good!
OK Des, let’s see what there is to be happy about.
1. The world’s climate systems are on the brink of fundamental change brought about by global warming.
We may already have passed the point of no return, where some warming triggers off natural phenomena like the release of methane formerly locked up in the permafrost of the arctic tundra which in turn causes unstoppable global warming of a much higher order.
Since this is likely to lead to the starvation of a large proportion of the human population I suppose I ought to be pleased, but those chiefly responsible for bringing about the catastrophe are most likely to survive, so not much satisfaction to be had there.
Mind you, most of the world’s wildlife will be faced with extinction too, so at least we can enjoy seeing all those smug, globe-trotting BBC wildlife types running around in ever increasing circles desperately trying to find something to film apart from each other.
Items 2, 3, 4 ….10. Much the same story. Need I go on?
“To be conscious in our world today is to be aware of vast suffering and unprecedented peril… The feelings that assail us now cannot be equated with ancient dreads of mortality… Their source lies less in concerns for the personal self than in apprehensions of collective suffering – of what happens to our own and other species, to the legacy of our ancestors, to unborn generations… That pain is the price of consciousness in a threatening and suffering world. It is not only natural, it is an absolutely necessary component of our collective healing. As in all organisms, pain has a purpose: it is a warning signal, designed to trigger remedial action. The problem, therefore, lies not with our pain for the world, but in our repression of it.” Joanna Macy and Molly Young Brown
Come on Chris & Dona you miserable sods, there’s plenty to be cheerful about. Two good news items today:
1. Industrial output is going through the floor.
2. Young ladies are (so I read) becoming more promiscuous 🙂
Any chance of adding …..
3. In uncertain times young ladies are attracted to much older men who represent greater security (even if they’re as skint as everybody else)?
“Since this is likely to lead to the starvation of a large proportion of the human population I suppose I ought to be pleased, but those chiefly responsible for bringing about the catastrophe are most likely to survive, so not much satisfaction to be had there”.
Green facist alert!
Chris and co ‘… from the ashes we can build another day ‘ ??
Shall I apologise for the hippy lyrics now?