Politics in Northern Ireland continues to puzzle me.
I am in no position to say whether or not Gerry Adams was in any way, shape or form involved in the murder in 1972 of Jean McConville. In many ways I hope he was not.
There is a kind of uneasy peace in the province. In many ways, the sectarian violence of a few years ago has gone, yet the fundamental sectarian bad feelings are still there simmering just beneath the surface. A visit to Northern Ireland still has reminders of the past: the barriers between Catholic and Protestant areas are still there in Belfast, the police stations still have huge barrier fences etc. The politics is divided on sectarian lines even now, not politics in the sense we know it elsewhere in the UK.
It seems to me very little would be needed to change the current (uneasy) peace back to violence.
Why cannot the ordinary folk of this most beautiful province cast the past aside and really embrace peace? True peace can only come when forgiveness has a chance to flourish. We are still some way from this.
Friday 2 May 2014
Max Clifford gets 8 years sentence
See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-2725931 .
So PR guru Max Clifford gets a sentence of 8 years allegedly for sexual assaults on women. With good behaviour "inside" he will be out again in 4-5 years' time. What do I think? No real views, but he was tried on the evidence before a judge and jury and found guilty, so he must serve his time according to English law.
This is one of the Operation Yewtree trials that has led to a conviction. I assume the evidence must have been convincing, whereas in many other trials it depended on very old, and somewhat hearsay, evidence that was never going to convince a jury, beyond reasonable doubt, of the defendant's guilt. In English law a man is innocent until proven guilty: the onus is on the prosecution to convince the jury of the evidence beyond reasonable doubt i.e. it has to be good and solid evidence.
My view is that a lot of people are getting on the compensation bandwagon now and many cases should not be brought to court. If the evidence is strong and recent, then yes, but hearsay evidence that is 50+ years old, when our public morals were very different is not on. In my place of work 50 years ago, the moral climate was quite different. Many a girl had her bottom pinched or was wolf whistled. I am not saying this was right, just that our standards today are different. What was acceptable then may not be by our standards today.
I also have a problem that it is only now these cases are coming into the open. Surely if a person was a monster 40 years ago he should have been brought to justice then and not in 2014? The argument that people would not have been believed then are not that convincing in really serious cases
My views - you may well hold differing views.
So PR guru Max Clifford gets a sentence of 8 years allegedly for sexual assaults on women. With good behaviour "inside" he will be out again in 4-5 years' time. What do I think? No real views, but he was tried on the evidence before a judge and jury and found guilty, so he must serve his time according to English law.
This is one of the Operation Yewtree trials that has led to a conviction. I assume the evidence must have been convincing, whereas in many other trials it depended on very old, and somewhat hearsay, evidence that was never going to convince a jury, beyond reasonable doubt, of the defendant's guilt. In English law a man is innocent until proven guilty: the onus is on the prosecution to convince the jury of the evidence beyond reasonable doubt i.e. it has to be good and solid evidence.
My view is that a lot of people are getting on the compensation bandwagon now and many cases should not be brought to court. If the evidence is strong and recent, then yes, but hearsay evidence that is 50+ years old, when our public morals were very different is not on. In my place of work 50 years ago, the moral climate was quite different. Many a girl had her bottom pinched or was wolf whistled. I am not saying this was right, just that our standards today are different. What was acceptable then may not be by our standards today.
I also have a problem that it is only now these cases are coming into the open. Surely if a person was a monster 40 years ago he should have been brought to justice then and not in 2014? The argument that people would not have been believed then are not that convincing in really serious cases
My views - you may well hold differing views.
Stroke progress
When I came out of hospital in January I was expecting to get better very quickly. That was early January and we are now early May, almost 4 months later.
Although walking is much better I still have major balance issues best described as feeling like I've just had 8 pints of beer. My eating and drinking by mouth are not that different, especially drinking which I still find hard. However, I have much less liquid feed directly into my stomach and am eating a larger variety of foods by mouth though. I must be making progress without realising.
The lesson seems to be to measure progress in many months and not weeks and to be very patient. Progress is slow and in fits and starts. I have to "hang in there" and not expect to get instantly better. All in its own time. This is not as I expected. Some days I feel I'm actually sliding backwards and this can be disheartening. To be honest, I am very frustrated with the progress.
.
Although walking is much better I still have major balance issues best described as feeling like I've just had 8 pints of beer. My eating and drinking by mouth are not that different, especially drinking which I still find hard. However, I have much less liquid feed directly into my stomach and am eating a larger variety of foods by mouth though. I must be making progress without realising.
The lesson seems to be to measure progress in many months and not weeks and to be very patient. Progress is slow and in fits and starts. I have to "hang in there" and not expect to get instantly better. All in its own time. This is not as I expected. Some days I feel I'm actually sliding backwards and this can be disheartening. To be honest, I am very frustrated with the progress.
.
Thursday 1 May 2014
Peaches Geldof
See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27242721
What a sad loss of a young life. Heroin was found in her body so she may have died, like her mother, from an overdose? Whatever, it is too young to die for any reason, especially with a child. Sir Bob Geldof lost a young wife and now has lost a daughter. My heart goes out to him in his pain. It must be dreadful for him, especially with a world watching, when all he wants is to be able to grieve in peace.
What a sad loss of a young life. Heroin was found in her body so she may have died, like her mother, from an overdose? Whatever, it is too young to die for any reason, especially with a child. Sir Bob Geldof lost a young wife and now has lost a daughter. My heart goes out to him in his pain. It must be dreadful for him, especially with a world watching, when all he wants is to be able to grieve in peace.
Carbon Capture
See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27063796 .
We seem to be sleep-walking into the future with no real attempts to move away from a carbon based energy economy. Oil and gas are very heavily subsidised I believe in many western nations, so there is no imperative to make a switch to more sustainable energy sources. This being so we need to either change (fast) or move to measures that will mitigate the effects of high carbon use.
The UK looks to have been granted EU money (300M euros) to support a pilot project (see BBC report linked). This takes CO2 from coal power station emissions and buries it under the North Sea. If successful, CCS could be a useful technique as we make the switch to a lower carbon energy economy.
We tend to forget the positive side of EU membership.
We seem to be sleep-walking into the future with no real attempts to move away from a carbon based energy economy. Oil and gas are very heavily subsidised I believe in many western nations, so there is no imperative to make a switch to more sustainable energy sources. This being so we need to either change (fast) or move to measures that will mitigate the effects of high carbon use.
The UK looks to have been granted EU money (300M euros) to support a pilot project (see BBC report linked). This takes CO2 from coal power station emissions and buries it under the North Sea. If successful, CCS could be a useful technique as we make the switch to a lower carbon energy economy.
We tend to forget the positive side of EU membership.
Just chilling
Yesterday one of our sons and a granddaughter came and this morning neighbours came for coffee.
This afternoon we are expecting no-one so we are just relaxing - chilling - in our cosy lounge. I am getting blogs up to date and my wife is reading her book. Perfect on a rainy day.
This afternoon we are expecting no-one so we are just relaxing - chilling - in our cosy lounge. I am getting blogs up to date and my wife is reading her book. Perfect on a rainy day.
Salt of the earth people
A couple of our neighbours, Margaret and Brian, came over for coffee today. When I was in hospital they were very kind indeed and supportive of my wife.
Strange how a serious illness brings out the worst, and very best, in people. A couple of our "Christian" neighbours (regular churchgoers and the wife a Sunday school teacher) have hardly wanted to know me - they have called to see me once since leaving hospital (we invited them) - whereas others have been totally and genuinely concerned and kind.
Two such are Margaret and Brian - genuine "salt of the earth" people, kind to the very core. Thank you.
I am not seeking kindness, but I can easily tell genuine love and kindness from "sham" kindness (doing good because it is a duty).
Strange how a serious illness brings out the worst, and very best, in people. A couple of our "Christian" neighbours (regular churchgoers and the wife a Sunday school teacher) have hardly wanted to know me - they have called to see me once since leaving hospital (we invited them) - whereas others have been totally and genuinely concerned and kind.
Two such are Margaret and Brian - genuine "salt of the earth" people, kind to the very core. Thank you.
I am not seeking kindness, but I can easily tell genuine love and kindness from "sham" kindness (doing good because it is a duty).
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