It's All About Me!!!!!

Afternoon Mugs

You could be forgiven for thinking that the blog is always all about the writer, at least their views and opinions. But this time it's in relation to the apocalyptic vote to leave the EU. I use the word apocalyptic but in my mind I want to use the word catastrophic. Of course that opens me up the Leave brigade accusing me of willing the UK to fail. They may be right! Perhaps it's time for seismic constitutional changes such as Proportional representation, republicanism, devolution and leaving the EU is the trigger...but that's for another post.

I'm in a fortunate position of having been in continuous employment since the age of 17 ...that's ahem....several decades. I've worked in fact since the UK has been in the EU nee EEC nee Common Market. Prior to working I remember a UK that was somewhat racist...not far right racist...but distrusting racist. The kind of memes would 'they're not like us'....'they like all that nig nog music' ...'the food stinks of nothing but curry' . Did the EU change that. To some degree it did. Acceptance of new cultures always takes time and distrusting racism is normal as it's borne of unwitting ignorance forthe most part. As people learn, they adjust, attitudes soften and more often than not acceptance turns into an embracing of aspects other cultures bring. Just look at the popularity of Indian food as one example. Black music has ingrained itself into our culture as 'white man rock' has fed into black culture. All for the better in my opinion. 

The same for homophobia. This was far more prevalent in the 70s where it was ostracised as abnormal, an illness, deviancy and even evil. I should know, because I believed all of those were accurate. Of course enlightenment comes through education and opening your mind to facts and experience. Nowadays my only issue with homophobia is the constant need for gay people (can we have that word back please...Gilbert O' Sullivan would be very happy) to state their sexuality as part of their being. Straight people don't state sexuality as the default, why should gay people? But it's getting closer. 

There's so much to say about how things have improved since the 70s in social attitudes to all sectors of society (gender, disability, creed, religion etc). None of this was due to the EU alone. But that EU membership and close relationship with so many neighbours helped the cross cultural spread of tolerance and commonality. We were no longer an island but a hive. The centre of a continent where people could breathe and be who they wanted with little bother. 

Over the last decades since Thatcher though, society has seen globalisation expand. Huge faceless corporations featured everyday in our lives. Politicians stopped working and came straight from university with degrees but no real world experience. Over the years we were dragged into wars caused by others or allowed to happen so that politicians could save their skin (yes Maggie, thats you) and so people became more and more disenfranchised and disenchanted with the politicians. Not forgetting the expenses scandals. And on Thursday 23rd June all of that resentment rose to the top as the people voted in protest against an unelected elite as they saw it in Brussels. They did this so that they could be governed by ...an unelected elite! The House of Lords! The Royal Family! Lord 'Daily Mail Rothermere (who lives abroad), Rupert Murdoch! 

They say you reap what you sew and the UK has just done that. The EU had its faults but it was not the root of the evils people were led to believe. That was successive governments enslaved to big business and media barons. Now the UK faces the start of its own painful break up. I truly hope Scotland and Northern Ireland go their own way, after all the Brexit brigade could hardly argue the logic of those countries was any different to their own. 

As for me, well my plans took a dent yesterday. But we'll plough on because I think I'm in the few who can withstand the economic impact of leaving the EU as long as I keep my job...and even if I didn't I could start something to tide us over.  I will cash the DC pension fund in, pay stupid tax on it but be debt free and have a shiny new holiday home to last me 10 or more years until I retire with my new DC pension and my lovely maxed out final salary index linked one. 

I will work as long as I can until 65 and look for any tax avoidance mechanism possible for savings and shares. Charity now starts and stays with me and my family. No-one else will get any sort of free money from us. That's what cutting your cloth does. I will also claim my Irish citizenship by descent (Mum was Irish) so I have my safety net for retiring to France, Ireland or the independent Scotland. 

You see, after yesterday it's all about me.

Later Mugs.