UN Report On British Hate Crime

The Brexit campaign fuelled  racism and lied on an industrial scale. I think Farage and his racist barrage did a great deal of harm and that the whole thing was appalling. I'm not unhappy that the UN has reported on the issue BUT the UN needs to look to its own laurels in a range of areas, something I've been blogging about here.

0.01% A Rate For Savers!

NatWest have just cut the rate on my 'savings account' to 0.01%, won't be saving a lot then! Mark Carney is trying to stimulate the economy by making it pointless to save and cheap to borrow. Spend now, suffer later. One might have hoped for greater creativity, balance and wisdom from the governor of the Bank Of England, but who knows what political pressure is applied?

Of course Mark Carney might have hoped for greater wisdom from the British people too. When no one has any savings left and the vast majority have unsustainable debts and China owns everything, then perhaps we'll wake up. Well maybe.

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Plastic Microbeads

I'd never heard of plastic microbeads until this week when the media told us about the harm they're doing to the environment and ultimately we end up eating the damn things! Apparently these little plastic balls, well tiny really, are put into products like toothpaste and shower gels and skin cleansers to make the product mildly abrasive. Well, that's dubious in itself, I mean exfoliation might have a case, but wearing the enamel off your teeth, putting them in your mouth and maybe swallowing a few, ugh.

Most of course get flushed away down the sink or shower, into our rivers and into our oceans. They are ingested by tiny sea creatures and plankton, clogging their guts and probably killing off part of the food supply our fish and whales depend on. However, moving on, many of these smaller creatures, containing the plastic balls are eaten while still alive by the fish we then catch and eat, see where this is going?

And why do manufacturers include them? I don't know, but I'll take a little wager they're cheaper than other ingredients, that they are fillers to make the product more profitable and health and the environment be damned. It's all about money until they're found out, which they have been so ban the damn things pronto I say.

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What Really Goes On Behind The Scenes?

When the recent attempted coup took place in Turkey there was a lot of anti American sentiment expressed, but now the USA is providing air cover for Turkish tanks crossing into Syria. Ostensibly they are there to attack IS, but we all know that President Erdogan's government really wants to attack the Kurds.

The Kurds have actually been very effective in combating IS and they are a distinct people with a distinct culture. Their rights have long been paid scant regard. The USA and the West choose to recognise the right of Israel to exist as a homeland for the Jewish people, the USA and the west chose to recognise the sovereignty of Kosovo, surely the Kurds, who have done as much to help us as to help themselves deserve a homeland too.

One wonders what goes on behind the scenes and it gets my goat that yet again politicians seem to do that which they see as expedient and not that which is plainly ethical and right.

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But What Do The People Think?

A member of the IOC has already said what a success the games in Rio were, which they were from a sporting perspective, despite half the Russians being disqualified for cheating before the get go and some dodgy judging decisions.
He suggests Africa soon. Did he not notice the empty seats, did he not hear the voices of people who couldn't afford to go, did he not see the protests from people living with open sewers and seeing their money spent on a one off event they had no interest in? At least not compared with a healthy environment for their kids.
Then there's the insult Brazil has thrown at disabled athletes who've trained just as hard and just as long as the able bodied, what is the IOC saying to them?
It would be great to see the games held in Africa, it would be even better to see everyone there have adequate clean sewers, healthy drinking water, a healthy diet, security and effective policing without corruption and access to education and healthcare. Learn the lesson from Rio, don't crow.

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Sports Mad Brazil

So the Team GB 4 x 400 metres relay team won their heat in the third fastest time but got disqualified. Footage of the race shows no infringement AND the organisers have not offered any explanation. This now allows the home team to advance, well they love their sport in Brazil - so long as you're not disabled. Whiff of corruption anyone?

Malcolm Snook is a writer and photographer.

Ever Thought the Government Is Out Of Touch?

The TV ads for the so called workplace pension have resumed. The same old message 'don't ignore the workplace pension', now it even features nannies or child minders, whose 'employer' could well be a working mum.

Yes, we need pension provision, yes Gordon Brown destroyed the pensions we all invested in years ago, yes there was a baby boom after the war and yes the economy is in chaos following the lunacy of Brexit.

BUT, there's a reason people are ignoring the 'workplace pension', because the government got it all wrong!

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