i-Politics: More Austerity For Britain

reblogged from i-thorts' i-Politics

An Extra Of Austerity 

Foreseen For Britain

Alongside the statement on Wednesday, the Chancellor's Autumn Statement on Wednesday, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR - the independent fiscal watchdog) are set to tell George Osborne that the Government's efforts to reduce borrowing are in danger.

The OBR are expected to warn this week that the Chancellor looks set to miss his target for bringing down Britain's debt mountain; raising the prospect of more austerity measures.

Unless the Chancellor puts forward further hardship measures, Economists - alarmed by just how difficult it seems for the debt-ratio to begin decreasing in the foretold timescale of 2014-15 and 2015-16 (which Mr Osborne set to reduce GDP) - warn that Mr Osborne's goal for reductions to the gross domestic product were totally underestimated. This means the Chancellor's duel debt-reducing targets are more at risk because of the low growth-estimates and their knock-on impact on the Treasury's revenues.

"When the OBR was established in 2010 I said that the evidence of its success would come when a Chancellor of the Exchequer wished it had never been set up. I think that moment is approaching..."

Sir Alan Budd, chairman of the interim OBR, Sunday Telegraph 02/12/12

As if things aren't bad enough! The outcome being an extra year of hardship is foreseen for British citizens .

i-thorts' i-Politics: Welfare Cuts? - Not In Our Back Yard!

Reblogged from The Writing's on the Wall: i-Politics:

BBC reported (Child benefit 'nimbys' accused) that Middle-classes are fuming at the thought of losing some (or all) child-benefit one parent is earning from £50,000 to £60,000 and over. (Families of three children could loose £4,000.)

This comes after poorer couples (working under 24 hour a week between them) lost up to £100 week (£5,200 a year) in working tax from this April ... and no one battered an eye or even seemed to report it. These are families on minimum wage, earning under £6,000.

Why The Nuclear Deterrent Has Had Its Day!!

One year after the expected date of the next election - sometime in 2016 - the UK will be making the decision of to commit about £20 billion to replace the four Vanguard submarines (which will be approaching the termination of their service), each of which carries a Trident D5 missile.

A Trident missile armed Vanguard class ballistic missile submarine leaving its base in the Firth of Clyde. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Since 1994, these four submarines and their nuclear weapons system have provided the UK's main deterrent. The question is, is Trident really a deterrent - or merely a political insurance policy?

If a country like Iran or North Korea should launch a nuclear attack on Britain, then four Triden D5's wouldn't stop the barrage of weapons that would expectedly be thrown at us. So why do we have them?

The answer is a simple one. To strike back and cause damage to any aggressor that might think to wipe us out. Vanguard has the ability to take Trident close enough to hart any aggressor.

They doesn't really protect, they might deter slightly, but that are good for retaliation. "Wipe us out," they threaten, "and you'll regret it!" That's as bad a a dog that barks at a burger after he's robbed your house.

The truth about the nuclear deterrent is: it isn't one at all. No sane person wants to go down in history for pressing the button; and wiping out thousands of innocent individuals. Nuclear isn't like a missile that can take out a specific military target - it burns indiscriminately, men women and children alike. A Trident D5 is powerful enough to destroy a major capital city (like New York). There are no winners in a nuclear strike - not even the aggressor.

During the 1980's, Labour were commitment to unilateral disarmament. However, the 1983 elections put pay to their plans; and from the moment Tony Blair took on leadership of the party, Labour's stance on defence toughened.

English: United States Trident II (D-5) missile underwater launch. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Conservatives stance is to back full Trident replacement. The Liberal Democrats want something else, a policy that is distinct and radical; a less elaborate deterrent might suffice. (Whatever that less-elaborate-deterrent might be is still unclear.) Ed Miliband has not said where he wants to take Labour - concerning the nuclear deterrent.

£20bn in capital expenditure is a cost that Britain can ill afford.

We have a rare opportunity to make a radical change. The (British) Social Media Party was founded to overcome the sovereignty and national independence of singular governments, and form an all-powerful one-world government with the sole aimed of promoting disarmament and guiding peace. (The most powerful clique in history.)

I have but this one objective: to bring about the surrender of the sovereignty and the nationalism of countries. I want to end national boundaries and racial and ethnic loyalties to increase and ensure world peace. What I strive for will inevitably remove the dictatorship of governments and the loss of freedoms the people suffer daily.

The existing order is breaking down at a very rapid rate, and the main uncertainty is whether mankind can exert a positive role in shaping a new one. Or are we doomed to await for the collapse. I believe a new order will be born sooner than later and that the death throes of the old and the birth pangs of the new will be a testing time for the human species.

Outwardly, most governments seem democratic. However, operating within each government or political system is another body - representing another form of government - the bureaucratic elite.

It is possible to fashion unity while cherishing diversity; a common action is possible, despite the variety of races, interests, and beliefs we see amongst socialists. Progress and peace and justice are attainable.

What our intent is, is to create a worldwide economic power superior to the political governments of the nation-states involved. When we attempt to evaluate its promise, we have to bear in mind the distress of a generation or so during its construction by gallant and graceful people.

But before the new world order becomes an efficient and beneficent world system countless people will hate it (the fortune 400), some will even die protesting against it (the malcontents who never have enough). But the stability of the future peace of the world depends upon it.

By reluctant enthusiasm, the world seems to be definitely drifting towards a world social democracy. So I say to all governments and their people: Let's fashion together a new world order of peace in our time.

i-Politics: Camerons Empty Rhetoric

Reblogged from The Writing's on the Wall: i-Politics:

Labour says Cameron's 

'Need to Make Prison Work' 

is empty Rhetoric

Private firms, voluntary groups and charities will be paid to help offenders turn their lives around, the government have decided. This is a new drive to beat crime, put forward by the Conservatives.

David Cameron, Leader of the Conservative
Party, United Kingdom. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

David Cameron has spoken out in a fight against crime - his most intense since taking office. All but the most high-risk prisoners will be given help by 2015.

Cameron has warned though there isn't a "blank cheque" for this initiative; he expects "more for less".

Cameron invited that serious crime would hold long prison sentences. He is adamant that he's no going "soft" or being "liberal" in crime. Stating that "...we need to make prison work."

Labour's Shadow Justice Secretary, Sadiq Khan, accused the Tories of " empty rhetoric" yesterday. Adding: "After 29 months, this Tory-led government's justice policy is in tatters. Today's announcement.... is ... a weak Prime Minister who is pandering to the backbenchers..."

This comes after a week where Andrew Mitchell was forced to reign (after swearing at the police) and George Osborne was caught in First-Class rail with a none-First-Class ticket (and refused to pay the upgrade fee).

I hicks that if Mr Cameron wants to shoe he's tough on crime, then he need to start with his own MP's.

i-thorts' i-Views: Isn't 'Compassionate Conservatism' An Oxymoron These Days?

Reblogged from The Writing's on the Wall: i-Politics:

From a party that wants to cut Welfare by £10billion, isn't it a little two-faced for the Tories to claim they're policies are the best way to help thee poor, the weak and the vulnerable?

Conservative Party (UK) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

"It's not enough to know our ideas are right. We've got to explain why they are compassionate too." Cameron tells the Conservative party conference.

Rowena Holland with Conservative Party leader David Cameron. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

"My mission from the day I became leaders was ... to show the Conservative party is for everyone, north or south, black or white, straight or gay."

(Cameron, however, didn't include 'rich or poor' in this list; a distinction that is ominous by its omission!)

Observer via Guardian claim a need for a social democratic party in Britain

reblogged from i-thorts' i-Politics

The Observer via Guardian claims: We desperately need a true social democratic party. How can this be? When we have a new social democratic political party: the (British) Social Media Party.

SDP logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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The history of British politics has been linked inextricably with social and democratic parties. The one of the originals being the British Labour Party:

"The Labour party could be characterised as a social democratic party until John Smith's death, but it ceased to be as such in England with the advent of New Labour." - The Guardian

However, once New Labour took over from the Labour Party they lost their emphasis of social 'anything' - selling off state-owned or state-run industries and organisations. Leaving this country devoid of any central party, and a lack of social (and Socialist) democratic political parties.

"England has no major left-of-centre party."
- The Guardian

Some of the fringe parties including the greens and later the SDP itself (which was later swallowed by the Liberal party and became the Liberal Democrats) have tried to fill the void.

"This has created a large void that the Lib Dems under Kennedy and Campbell moved into slightly and Clegg has sped away from. Labour under Miliband shows little sign of promoting public service over capitalism or representing people as active citizens rather than passive consumers."
- The Guardian

But due to voter apathy - and limited media exposure - together with the current 'First Past the Post' style of politics have kept these smaller parties at the fringes of the political spectrum. Only the spirited little Social Media Party seems to fit the bill - and offer a more reasonable 'Proportional Representation' style of politics (which the Lib Dems got in on, but have so far reneged on). Where every vote counts - just as every 'like' and 'follow' and 'tweet or retweet' count in the Social Media realm.

To expose how unfair the current system is, if only 2% of the people who voted last time for the fringe parties (and also the Lib Dems) JOINED OUR PARTY and VOTED FOR US, then they could have HAD THE POLITICS they expected from the fringe parties and the Liberal Democrats.

You see, Britain doesn't need another SDP, just a correctly functioning political party (with the significant numbers of real people as members.)

i-Views: 51% Lib Dems Are Dissatisfied with Clegg as Leader!

Reblogged from The Writing's on the Wall: i-Politics:

Nick Clegg takes a battering in the latest (Mori / Ipsos) poll; 66% of those voting were unsatisfied with him.

• 
• • CyberPunk65
  • i-thorts' i-Views, Wednesday 19 September 2012

Nick Clegg and David Cameron. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This isn't exactly news for anyone that lives in the UK. Clegg's popularity has dropped steadily since the election.

From the moment the coalition was formed, and the Lib Dems took on some of the Conservative's policies, they were bound to be branded as 'wannabes' and 'turn coats'. And as Premier of the Lib Dems Clegg is the obvious target.

With just a couple of days until the annual Liberal Democrat Partry conference in Brighton, the News it pretty bleak. Because he's the only party leader to be ranked so low by his own party faithful; 51% were unhappy with him. (Whereas, only 27% of Tories dissed Cameron, and 34% of Labourites unhappy with Miliband.)

Even if there are no real pretenders to Clegg's crown; Lord Oakshott, the Lib Dem peer, seems to have his eye on Nick's throne and is quick to point out his foibles.

Nevertheless, when the party fateful hit Brighton, all back-biting will be put to one side to show a united front to the voters.

Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP (Photo credit: ThisIsDL)

That's the plan. However, good party conferences have a life of their own, and characters that surprise or shine. So we shall see.

Labour Ahead in the Polls - So Far - States Poulace Poll in The Times

reblogged from i-thorts' i-Politics

Ed Miliband. („Ed's speech on how we need fundamental change in the Labour party to win again.“) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are now whispers in the House about defeat (in the 2015 elections) for Cameron and Clegg, which could impact heavily on their party leadership, ahead of the conference season - due to new Poulace poll (in the Times) putting Labour ahead.

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The race to win the next general election is already on, and Labour has taken the lead. A 50 point lead ahead of Conservatives. (45% of those questioned would vote Labour in at the next general election; that's a five point increase since July polls.) This could (if the polls are right) put Ed Miliband on course for a masive victory in 2015.

The Tories are down to a 30% share of votes in a general election - a four point drop! Nevertheless, in the very same poll, 23% are happy with how David Cameron carried out the activities of Prime Minister; putting him is ahead in the popularity race. And 34% thought he would do a better job as PM than Mr Miliband. (That's more people would like to see Cameron remain as PM next time round.)

The voters branded Miliband and Nick Clegg as both: "out of his depth", "weak", and "indecisive". Cameron was branded: "doesn't listern", and "arrogant". Voters branded alll three parties: "out of touch".

Social Media Party - The British Political Party That Promise You More

Reblogged from i-thorts' i-Views:

Social Media Party
Launch!  

A new British political party launched 10/09/2012: The Social Media Party. “A cross-party party” designed to appeal to members from the full political spectrum.

generic multi-axis political spectrum chart (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We believe in a state that allows individuals to take part in the decision-making process that affects their lives, to contribute fully to that society (and their own communities) to attain these ideals. United by a common belief in respect, equality, education, and social justice.    -The (British) Social Media Party’s mission statement claims.

So why is this non-entity (unknown) taking on the big three? Because with the help of the social media world any party can!

To put it in their words: “We can out-campaign them. This is a social media world and the main three are still thinking mainstream. They Tweet and Like now rules the globe.”

It’s obvious that they’re switched-on to the technicalities of a digital environment, but is it possible for a non-entity to really take on these titans?

Well the Green party was once a non-entity and now they have a nice percentage of the votes. Labour too were once newcomers on the political scene (now they are major players).

Mobile web growth (Photo credit: Will Lion)

So how does the Social Media Party expect to go from zero to hero?

“We promise all our voters power. Power of autonomy, power to choose policies, power to decide how their vote will count.”

Is this a return to a call for proportional representation?

“In social media terms, every like and each tweet counts, so should every single vote! That’s true democracy in action!”

But can they win elections?

“I believe we can! Elections are all about numbers. Twitter and Facebook are our battle grounds. Once something goes viral theirs no stopping it! We just need to go viral. Lol.”

Why wouldn't you vote for the (British) Social Media Party?

Why the Social Media Party Could Win a British Election

.: social-media-party :.
(Photo credit: cyberpunk65)

Today is the birth of a new political party

(British) Social Media Party

If you look at the party-system we currently have, its obvious none of the major players seem to have a clue how to use social media for political gain.

Once they get to grips with it not being about mico-party-political broadcasts, then they might get somewhere. But with only a handful of MPs sharing the nouce or having the gumption to use social media properly, it makes the Social Media political party very threatening to the big three.

Say, for instance, that the MPs with social media skills had formed their own party (a party formed across the political divides) with the sole purpose of changing the political scene and really allowing the people to have their say; they would sweep the boards!

It would be a landslide win!

Their former parties wouldn't know what hit them!

Social Media can be that effective.

One of the reasons social media works is diversity. So they would have to put aside previous party squabbles with this realisation in mind.

Could it work? Yes. Would politicians put aside petty differences to gain the ultimate power? You bet!

Policies are easy: let the people decide. (Then there can never be a backlash. You wanted it you got it. It was your idea.) Who could argue with such logic.
Mass media would be part of the championing process. (The British press loves an underdog. And if they try to sabotage a campaign? Then the strengths of social media would batter their arguments with mass rebuttles. Even the press can't fight - all reader demographics - everyone!)

This is the beauty of the idea. Win on all levels. It's a win win situation! That really is the power of the tweet and the like.

All we need now is a few politicians to start the ball rolling.

Got to love the (British) Social Media political party.


Now that's something to Blogs about lol....

Would you vote for the (British) Social Media Party?
[join today on Google+]

Let Both Coalition Parties Do Battle

reblogged from i-thorts' i-Politics

Prepare for both coalition parties to commence battle.

At the Lib Dem conference (around the end of this month) the party will considers the proposals for wealth taxes. Earlier this months, Nick Clegg  attempted to shape that debate by floating the consideration of a new wealth tax (see Lib Dems Tax Unearned Wealth). 

Nick Clegg addresses the Conference Rally in Bournemouth. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne are under growing pressure as their flagship austerity plan fails to stimulate growth.

Osborne is dismissive of Clegg's proposal. He says the top 1% of earners contributes the most. So he will monitor their debate with almost detached interest.

All sides are now spoiling for a fight. Let battle commence.

The Curious Thing About A Coalition

reblogged from i-thorts' i-Politics

COALITION CABINET
RESHUFFLE  

Cameron is said to be reshuffling his cabinet early this month (September). The move is in the hope of rekindle his party's low spirits and appeasing the right. It's hoped that fresh faces will revive Tory standing in the poles.

Twitter   September 02, 2012 at 02:27PM

• Ray Burr @cyberpunk65
  @YouGov: Update - Labour lead on 6: Latest Sunday Times results 31st Aug-2nd Sep - CON 35%, LAB 41%, LD 9%, UKIP 7%; APP -36

The call for William Hague to replace George Osborne as Chancellor of the Exchequer is a tacktick to appear like a softening of the current hardline policy concerning welfare cuts. However, will this will be enough, with Britain in the current double-dip resession and our shocking ecconomic performance of late?

Rumours has it, that all the all the 'big guns' will be staying but there are to be promotions also.

He has a juggling act to perform: He needs to keep the grassroots Conservatives happy, while appealing to the voting public. To do this he has to keep on with his policies to keep the right incheck and also seem to be for the people. Something the even a master of spin, like him, will find difficult.

Having said that, it's a curious fact that in reality, as part of a coalition government, the Tories have to appoint Lib Dems to posts (a certain fixed number), so Cameron can't do much at all. That means that he has to keep them happy too...

How David Cameron is to achieve all this and keep everyone happy is total speculation so far. But we don't have to wait too long.

Lib Dems Tax Unearned Wealth

reblogged from i-thorts' i-Politics

LIB DEMs TAX
Unearned
Wealth  

Wealth TaxNick Clegg was revising an 'old Liberal' idea when he put forth Liberal Demercrat's intentions to tax the wealthy: by rewarding 'hard work' but levying unearend wealth.

This bombshell of the Deputy PM's temporary wealth tax has shook Westminster; upsetting both Tories and Labour MPs into from their summer hiatus. Both parties have poured critisism on Mr Glegg's plans for a "time limited contribution" from society's rich.

Liberals have for decades believed in focusing tax on wealth. In his interview he spoke of "an old Liberal idea that you should be rewarding initiative and hard work but you should be making people who have unearned wealth make a contribution".
   - Nick Clegg puts space between Lib Dems and Tories with tax bombshell - Guardian Politics 29/08/12

Differences?
Mid-way through the coalition's parliment, and as all political parties gear up for the 2015 general election, Nick Clegg's trying desperately to distance Lib Dems from their Tory coalition partners. Clegg wants his party to "start spreading ... wings more ... unencumbered and unrestrained by coalition."

Further cuts
Chancellor, George Osborne, is planning to target the poor with an extra £10bn in welfare cuts (to come into inergration 2016) which were introduced in the budget. Mr Clegg -although he accepts some cuts to welfare- would rather target the top echelon "than starts at the bottom."

However, it seem unlikely that the Chanellor will be swayed by Mr Clegg's proposal.

.: George Osborne's reply to Clegg's proposal? :.

What Price Gold Medals

reblogged from i-thorts' i-Politics

Surely
Not!  

I must be going mad, because I'm sure that this morning (21/08/12) I read that the Government want to hand-out Honours to Team GB winners!

The Price of a Gold?

Of the 412 grams that a London 2012 gold medal weighs roughly 6 grams are gold, 381 are silver and the remaining 25 copper. Giving a market price today of about $700.
       -Futures Magazine | Monday 6th August 2012

So that's the price of Olympic Gold!

It may surprise you to discover that it costs £9billion to host an Olympic Games.

So, forget the cost of policing (including bringing in the Army, Navy and Air Force)... Forget the national debt from hosting the 2012 Games... Forget even the cost of giving out all 302 Gold Medals (not to mention all the Silver and Bronze Medals also)... Forget how many starving children in Britain alone this would feed for a whole year! London is now certainly pathed with Gold -as it was renowned to be back in Dick Whittington's day.
A gong for every Gold Medal winner?

DAVID Cameron insisted yesterday that Britain’s Olympic heroes should be honoured by the Queen.
       -David Cameron, Prime Minister, in EXPRESS.co.uk | Tuesday 21st August 2012

The article above goes on to explain that Downing Street are cautiously advising that there are a limited amount of honours that the Queen can hand out per year, but Boris Johnson is pushing for each Gold Medal winner to be awarded an honour for their Olympic achievement.

However, stringent new rules this year have put pay to such things, so achieving Gold at the Olympics is not enough to ensure a place on the Queen's New Year Honours list it would seem! Four years ago, the GB Gold Medalists in Beigin were all awarded MBEs at least.

"It’s a shame we can’t recognise all of Team GB for what they did for the country. It’s what the public wants."
       -Clive Efford, Labour sports spokesman, in EXPRESS.co.uk | Tuesday 21st August 2012

Number Ten have been quoted as saying that honours are 'awarded on merit, not according to quotas'. So we will have to see!


Also this morning

"EUROPE is secretly preparing for the break-up of the single currency, a top Finnish politician let slip yesterday."
       -The Sun | Monday 20th August 2012

The Sun article tells of how Erkki Tuomioja, Finland’s foreign minister, let it out that it was now nearly impossible to keep the euro. This has come at a time when Greece is at a 'make or break' stage (whether they'd be the first country forced out of the euro). The Sun says that the "New Greek Premier Antonis Samaras is flying to Berlin and Paris this week to beg for two years’ more grace to repay the EU’s bailout money."

But things for Greece, and the euro, are not looking good -because Greek debts have not got smaller since the elections, but larger.


Putting this in context...
The Futures Magazine's article reported this information: (using the value of Gold Medals as a currency) to get the European countries out of (euro) debt, they would each have to win millions of Gold Medals.

To put it another way, every single person in Greece would have to win 56 Gold Medals to get the country out of its debt (that's 627,153,707 medals in total). That doesn't cover anyone's debt other that Greece's.

For 302 Golds per Olympics, that's equivalent of Greece winning Gold at every single event for well over two million Olympic Games (2,076,668 Olympics)! At that rate, it would take Greece 8,306,672 years!!

Now you know the price of Olympic Gold. Was it really worth all the cost?

Tory Titan

reblogged from i-thorts' i-Politics

Boris: 
Tory
Titan  

Next Premier? 
Is Boris Johnson heading for the Tory's top seat?

The other day David Cameron called Boris a 'Tory Titan' and stated that he had no wish to hold back anyone's ambitions.

"David Cameron has described Mayor of London Boris Johnson as a 'titan' of the Conservative Party who has 'a lot more to give the country'."
-- BBC News Politics 10 August 2012

That said, is Boris really a candidate for the Premier-ship? He isn't even an MP at the moment (although, his brother currently is) and he used to be the MP for Hackney prior to being Mayor of London.

He has turned into a very strong candidate in the last few weeks (with all the Olympic hype). And has handled the media with a strength of character that is almost statesman-like. (Almost! Except for the zip wire incident which made him look a complete prat.)


Tory Titan?
But is he a titan?

The Encarta Dictionary (English edition) defines a titan as:
(noun) a powerful person; somebody whose power, achievement, intellect, or physical size is extraordinarily impressive.

.: Boris gets stuck on zip wire carrying two flags 01 Aug 2012 :.

It's hard to view this man on the zip-wire (video above) or the guy on a bicycle seriously. His hair has a mind of its own -and there seems to be a madness to it that's perversely odd. Could you describe 'this' Boris as a 'titan' of anything other than blunders?

However, you can't sign Johnson off so easily. 

"Several Conservative MPs and donors have talked up the possibility of Mr Johnson being a future party leader."
-- BBC News Politics 10 August 2012

That means that they want him to be one. They have designs on him taking the lead chair. It's not unprecedented with the Tories. After Maggie was slung out by her party -knives sticking firmly from her shoulder blades- they elected a grey suit, John Major. He too was a long shot. But the long shot took Maggie's place all the same!


Boris the PM?
How could Johnson do it?

"A recent poll of Conservative activists found that he was the top choice to replace Mr Cameron, despite not being a serving MP and with four more years to run before his term of office as London Mayor comes to an end."
--By Rosa Prince, The Telegraph 10 August 2012

For Boris to become a giant-killer and take the king's crown, he's got a lot of work to do. His term as Mayor needs to come to an end; then he needs a seat to sit in Parliament; and then he has to stand for party leader and win. And all that without putting a single foot out of place.

(The Blunderer of Old London Town must stay out of trouble for more than four years!)

Personally, I can't see it myself. Then again... stranger things have happened!

Not a midlife crisis!

reblogged from i-thorts' i-Politics

Not A
Mid-life
Crisis! 

The world has become obsessed with age. Too young, too old, almost past it!

But who says that age is so important? And why?

What's the right age to start having sex? And when is it too old to want it? And how come you can never get enough between the two points?

Have we become obsessed by youth? Look around and tell me the average age of the Ad-Girls and -Boys. Or their models. Where are the older representatives?

No one wants to see where they're going, only where they've been. That's the thing.

I'm as bad as all the others. (Are you?) When I was young-er, I was quite vane. My hair teeth and complexion were all more important to me than anything. Smart suits, good shoes, impressive ties, sensible hair. That's who I was: Mr GQ. A god in a silk shirt.

Even my politics had a brand: true-blue Conservatism. (I aspired to be The New Statesman -the right honourable Alan B'stard MP -played by Rik Mayall.) My arrogance didn't quite reach the levels that Rik's alta ego reached, but I came close.
 

.: New Statesman title card :.
by @  Wikipedia.

However, life has a way of kicking you in the pants when you get too arrogant. And so it knocked me on my ass and out of my GQ phase.

I grew my hair long, sported an unkempt beard and lost all my self confidence. And as a result went looking for God. (And me being me, I didn't just find one, I found several.)

I'm compulsive and obsessive by nature and add that to a search for spirituality, and naturally I had to take it too far. My search put me on a path to the church -I wanted to serve the big G. I took courses at a local Methodist college on Pastoral Care and Islam and fell-out with the Christian faith.

I turned to Judaism, considered Islam and finally fell for Paganism. (Only because the latter didn't restrict my growing compulsion for anarchy.)

The arrogance of youth has been tempered by age but not fully extinguished. My arrogance these days connect to speaking my mind and looking how I please.

Over the past two years my hair has been all the colours of the colours of the rainbow and a few others: I was Goth with half-black and half-white. I hit emo with spiked pastel and vibrant hues. And finally, went retro with a punk half-Mohawk (which I currently sport), that changes colour once a month.

I do like to grab attention! Lol !!

Then, the other day someone asked me if I was having a mid-life crisis. I'm not having a mid-life anything! (I don't class almost 47 as mid-life.) Inside I’m still 18.

After I expounded how wrong she was, she walked awake nodding and muttering, "Thought as much!"

I don't care what anyone says, I'm not having a mid-life crisis. Inside I'm still young, arrogant and vane!