Greenpeace

Given very little press coverage is the fact that the crew of a Greenpeace ship protesting Russian drilling in the arctic have been arrested and charged with piracy. (Ha!)

The issue is not just that the Russians have arrested them (such behaviour and worse has happened before to Greenpeace), nor the lack of press coverage (despite IPCC report today), but the lack of comment or action by our or other governments. And we all know why, because our oil companies are equally keen to exploit that part of the world.

The whole situation is a huge charade and evidence that for all the talk, nothing changes and the energy industry have absolute power.

Fight blackstuff club: The usual, avoid using carbon fuels - and as I am doing, donate to the most non political pro-active brave charity out there.

Update: Much coverage a few weeks after my post. They have all been released now.

Nasty Business

What riles me about having to blog is that it occupies time and mental energy that should be focused on work. So each time something comes up that will effect the quality of life of good people, I have to take a break to highlight an issue that cannot be deferred.

One can safely assume that readers are aware a large proportion of England's (currently) beautiful land is owned by the Church, the Oxbridge Universities and wealthy landowners, the latter who we have much to be grateful for, but that is another discussion.

Just this week, the Church hinted that fracking would be good for the poor.

1. How many of those residing near any refinery or mine live a high quality of life? Clean air? Quiet streets? Nice views? Silence 24/7? (As is the case in most English villages.) I don't think so. I drove past countless refineries in the USA and was shocked at the quality of life in the vicinity. Some even harken to the old days when dirty industries powered the economy (which they did, no denying that), but we're in 2013 now!
2. Do the poor want to warm their homes using clean next generation technologies, or be complicit in using fuels that are potentially carcinogenic not to mention above ground carbon emissions that damage the environment?

Then we discover that the Church may profit from making it's land available to frackers. Where there is smoke, there is fire. And the fire is that the current Arch Bish of C was a former oil industry exec. What's this from an organisation that is from my understanding supposed to put charity before self?

The National Trust HQ in Swindon, UK
Gorgeous sustainable healthy architecture all powered by 100% solar energy
(Which begs the question, why not build houses and other offices like this?)

This folks is how nasty things happen in this so called democratic world. People worm their way into and up the ladder at respected entities, only to then exploit their position at the opportune moment for the benefit of the few.

But there's more! The Church has admitted it has interests in Wonga, another dubious organisation that has recently corrupted some UK football teams through sponsorship to such an extent that yesterday on Radio 4 (UK), spokespeople for some football clubs refused to allow club staff to say anything!

(Have been fond of and defended the Church quite a bit so this is quite a kick in the teeth really.)

Corruption and threats from a nasty industry at the highest level. If Wonga sponsored Liverpool, who I have supported since childhood (still got my Kevin Keegan cigarette cards), well, my fandom would go elsewhere, with broken heart.

(Note that only dubious entities require spokespeople. Ideal when the perpetrator does not have the guts to show their face! Gun for hire?)

Consumer debt is evil, and any attempt to gloss over that fact is deceitful to vulnerable people.

Today we are defending our interests in Gibraltar (my history is rubbish, so no idea if we're the 'good guys' - although I understand we bank roll Spain to the tune of several billion £ a year for reasons associated with our mutual conflictual past), but beyond all the Royal pomp and Olympics, I cannot help but feel that along with all the jobsworth state surveillance, hospital parking fees (£7 for 4 hours at my last visit), life destroying politically correctness/health & safety, trash TV, dangerous dogs etc Britain is becoming a fairly repulsive piece of work, so we have no right to be telling others countries what to do or spreading our nasty ways around the globe either!

By the way, for those overseas reading Vision Aforethought, over here, if a traffic warden sees you doing something wrong (such as your car slightly poking out of a spot - yes, a crime in some locations), rather than walk up and politely inform you of your wrongdoing, they will wait until you leave and only then approach your vehicle and stick a penalty charge notice on your windscreen. Or they will walk up to it whilst you are still there, ignoring your pleas. The event I refer to happened to an elderly gentleman and was witnessed by a professional colleague of mine who informed me, without knowing I maintain a blog that highlights such repressive abuse of power.

There is so much nastiness going on in the UK right now, all hidden by intentionally generated superficialities. Give it 15 years, and beyond being a true dystopia, thousands will begin to be afflicted by the carcinogenic effects of fracking (not to mention how it will genuinely decimate our countryside), but those who run these large organisations will be laughing all the way to their remote pollution and flood free homes up on the hills.

F(l)ight back club: Emigrate to where it's nicer? Challenge the Church? Encourage your community to build solar powered homes, schools, town halls etc, and get yourselves off the grid to show those nasty middlemen you mean good business. Now that's liberty!