George Osborne - A Hopeless Chancellor?

George Osborne - A Hopeless Chancellor? *


Been thinking this out over the past few weeks. It is quite possibly rubbish, but bear with me.

First a bit of background. We have the phenomenon of global warming. Fresh water shortages are beginning to occur around the world. More violent storm events. Cheap energy is coming to an end. Pollution. Soil erosion. Salinification caused by over irrigating. Population growth. New competition for commodities caused by the rise in affluence in India, China etc. Will that do to be going on with?
Those in power have been nay-saying all this stuff for years.


Story One.
So George Osborne is incompetent as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Look at the mess he is making of the economy. All the cuts and nothing has really improved. A simple view, but attractive. Is the the kind of thing The Scum, sorry Sun prints in order to stay in touch with the ordinary 'hard-working family'? I don't know, I don't read it. It would not surprise me.


Story Two.
Maybe George Osborne is not quite that incompetent. He is is doing crap things to the economy, but he is directing a lot of cash to his rich mates and the Conservative Party's already rich backers. Typical Tory. 
Yes, that sounds very plausible. But the cuts are so deep. And aren't they rather vindictive?


Story Three.
Hey! Here's a scenario for you. After all the cuts the Tories are not likely to get back into power. So maybe George Osborne's actions reflect this. Perhaps he is enacting a combination of grabbing what he can for reasons of pure greed, and also selling off everything in sight so a future, non-neoliberal administration could not possibly be able to afford to rebuild a civil, democratic society. Yes, it fits!

And the above has been my personal opinion for months. In discussions at work etc I have tried to get my point of view across to purveyors of views one and two. I have really been convinced that this was the nearest to the truth.


Then I began thinking about all the world's problems, some of which are listed above. I thought about the powerful people in the world. They don't get to be, and remain, rich and powerful by being stupid.
So do they really believe that all the doomsday warnings are nonsense? They can afford all the best advice and intelligence. They must know that the wheels are going to come off very soon. Sure it is their short term interest to repudiate warnings. But are they just public refutations that conceal private concerns; private actions intended to gain time for self-protective actions?


Story Four.
So what is George Osborne doing? I think he realises that civilised society, within which all people are able to take an active and useful part, is incompatible with the coming shortages. There is no longer enough to support the kind of consumer culture that has developed since the early 20th century. We have run out of cheap ways to keep the populace satisfied. Commodoties and energy are increasing expensive. We can not dig our way out using ever more expensive technology. All the economic tricks involving credit, deregulation etc have been tried and served their useful lives. 
Ordinary people can no longer be bribed to be good citizens with mortgages, Electrolux and the church. Rule Britannia, gassy beer and page three have served their purpose.

Capitalism no longer has Communism to fight. Therefore it no longer has to pretend to be the virtuous option. It can show its claws to all and sundry and is powerful enough to not care.
There are no more solutions left except the old one of the powerful stealing from the weak. The rich will increasingly be retreating to their gated settlements and their country estates. They will still have the oil, the gas, the wholesome food. the good education. The rest, the majority, will not be able to afford these things and will be too busy scrabbling for the meagre crumbs that favoured members of the lower classes may be allowed.

So. you need to be rich to be powerful. You need the weak to remain that way. Keep them ignorant. Keep them afraid of terrorism. Keep them fighting each other. Set them against strangers. Keep them one pay-day away from starvation. Demonise them.

I used to think that the neo-liberals (yes, I'm looking at you too New Labour) had US society in mind as a model. Then I thought 'oh Shit! Its the Russian model'. Now I am convinced that it is the King William I model that we have to look forward to in fifty years.

Unless there is a revolution.



* George Osborne is used here as to represent all arrogant, greedy, sociopathic scum who, by whatever means, have found themselves at the top of the heap.

Trip to Harperbury.

Although I live and work in Stevenage I often have to go out of town to access training. 
As a health care assistant in the NHS (wonder how much longer that will last) I am subject to a whole raft of mandatory training, which has to be repeated at set intervals. Some is obviously essential, some is useful and some, like today's, is practically irrelevent to an employee of my grade. Still I attended on my day off and have not claimed back the time, so very little taxpayers' money was wasted.

Anyway, I don't have a car and there was no space to spare in my colleague's car, so I got a chance to cycle! My destination is a site near Radlett. It is about 70km for the round trip.

I planned to use a new route. This was so that I could avoid London Colney High Street during the rush hour. 
It was essentially the same as my usual one until I reached the Alban Way. Here, instead of leaving it at Smallford and using the A414, I stayed on it as far as London Road in St Albans. A bit of wiggling took me to the Napsbury estate. This is an old asylum that was sold off for yuppie homes (showing my age). Here the tall, mature hedgerows and plethora of paths soon had me going around in circles, and time was running out. Despite leaving Stevenage in good time, I walked into the training room with just one minute to spare. 
Afterwards, looking at my cycle computer, I discovered that my new rout had added 5km to my journey.

In future I shall reserve this route for homeward travel at my leisure.

Old Parkbury Farmhouse.

Napsbury, I missed most of the estate on the way back so this is the only picture.

Sopwell Mill, much restored.

And I did. I returned through Napsbury, then headed for Sopwell. What looks on the map like a quiet backwater unfortunately turned out to be a rat-run.
I stopped in Verulam Park for my lunch, then wandered past the Abbey and up the High Street. 
I was enjoying myself so much that I stopped again in Sandridge for another sandwich. Here were house martins, a species that is visibly less common each year.

Roman Wall. Take that Northumberland!

 I returned to town via Coleman Green, Water End (one of several in Hertfordshire) Codicote and Knebworth.

Verulam Park.

Awkward view of Abbey. The tower, and much of the central structure is built with Roman bricks re-used from the town of Verulamium.

Mediaeval town. 

St Leonards Church, Sandridge, including more re-used Roman bricks.

Remains of cottage, Coleman Green. John Bunyan stayed here.

Water End.

River Lee at Water End.

This is how I imagine Devon to be.

Sunny Tuesday Stuff.

Just been to Marshall's Cycles in Broadwater Crescent for a new front lamp. Yes, I know its summer, but I finish work at 21h15.

The very nice chap there gave me 10% off after seeing my bike and saying that I looked like I was a member of the CTC.

I've had very good service there on my previous visits too. So if you live in Stevenage and need bike stuff, go to Marshall's.

Thats : http://marshallscycles.co.uk/


Also I have just reported a driver to his (big, local) employer for driving a very large motor vehicle while talking on a mobile. I'll let the police know later.

South of Hertford (that's London isn't it?)

Thursday 23rd May 2013.

Off again with the bike. She still has no name. Black, female, wanderer, tough. Any suggestions?

I caught the ten o'clock train to Hertford and rode straight into town. I walked through All Saints churchyard then rode up Mangrove lane. There were no mangroves, but I saw lots of English spring loveliness.

At this bend a car was driven in the opposite direction by a man using a mobile phone. As I recorded his details another came along; driving a Ford Ka. They had both come from the mangrove Farm industrial estate.

I entered the Broxbourne Woods complex. The main ride is undergoing some resurfacing work. I didn't really have a plan so I just bimbled eastwards. I walked where the surface was too rough or steep.

Eventually I encountered the sculpture trail. I had read about it on the internet, but had not anticipated going that way, so it was a pleasant surprise. I suspect the sculptures all had a local, historical relevance. I shall have to look into it.
Some were obvious, but the mediaeval lady and the block and tackle puzzle me.

I left the wood and cycled anti-clockwise around the perimeter, past Paradise Park, to where Ermine Street met the forest. This was the Roman Road from London to the port of Kings Lynn. 
It is represented in modern times by the A10.
I stopped at the Danemead nature reserve for refreshments. I could not explore too far as there was nowhere safe to leave my bike. Take note HMWT; all your visitors arrive by car!

I rode north along Ermine Street until I reached Hertford Heath and then went east, through the grounds of Haileybury School down to Stanstead St Margarets. Here I just followed the Lea towpath (again!), stopping at Amwell for a while, then slowly on to Hertford and my train back.
By now the sun had come out. I missed both the heavy rain which fell on Stevenage, and that which fell on Enfield, where my wife is!

South of Hertford. That's London isn't it?

Amwell HMWT nature reserve.

The natural River Lea, as opposed to the Lea Navigation, at Amwell.
The bridge in the background rests on the supports of the old railway bridge. 

Gazebos at Ware. How many times have I photographed this scene?

It might be yours. I want a sailing dinghy.

Ware Park Mill. I will write about this in a future blog.

Hertford Lock.

Two views of Hartham Park.

This ride had two particular highlights. At Amwell  saw a lapwing chick. It could have been only a few days old. I am sure that there was only the one; what happened to his siblings?

Later, in Hartham Park, I observed swifts mating in flight.

This was the first time I had ever observed either of these things.

Wednesday 23rd May 2013. Astonbury Wood

Classroom / visitors centre.

This is a 56 acre wood south of Stevenage. It was part of an estate that was presumably monastic as the 'big house' (built between 1540 and 1545) is on a site of a monastery building.

The house was privately owned until the 1960's and my grandfather was one of the last employees on the estate. I lived there for a short time in about 1969. 

The woodland itself was bought by Hertfordshire County Council in 1972. It was used as a nature reserve. 

It now appears to be almost abandoned by HCC, perhaps owing to lack of resources? I think I must contact them to enquire.

It is a pleasant, quiet place to visit to see birds, butterflies, plants or just for some quality quiet time.

Bluebells.

This stream cuts through the north of the wood and feeds two ponds.

The course of an old road to Datchworth.

Early purple orchid.

Time to cast those clouts! ie hawthorn in flower.

I love bluebells. They are one of the few things that Hertfordshire does well.

The big pond.

Another view of the old road to Datchworth. It is far more obvious on the ground than in a photograph.

The big pond. It is held by an artificial dam.

Decay. A pole lathe used for demonstrations to school groups and on open days. The remains of a greenhouse behind.

There is the remains of a second greenhouse under these brambles. I remember these structures  in all their glory, as a child

Rye House Marsh RSPB (and HMWT)

Today I took a train to Hertford station and rode along the River Lea towpath to Rye Meads RSPB reserve.

I wasn't really in the mood for walking around a reserve and I only came across two species of bird in the reserve that I had not already seen during my journey. I should have just gone as far as Amwell gravel pits.

Anyway it was a pleasant way to spend a few hours, and I took some photos:

Lea at Hertford.

Olympic legacy?

Amwell gravel pit. I am old enough to have visited this place when this view would have contained a giant excavator.
Today the view included redshank and a little egret.

Rye Meads RSPB reserve x 3.

Rye Meads HMWT reserve.

Fresh otter dropping in HMWT reserve. It smelt like Shippham's anchovy paste.
I have my suspicions about the taste too.

Trying to be arty with Rye House gatehouse remains, but failing miserably.

Moat.

Lunch companions.

Rye House.

Hardmead Lock. The towpath here is paved with dinky little bags of dog poo.