Sunday 15 December 2019

MARXISM AND THE BBC



Labour may have fallen into the political abyss, but, fear not, the obscenely-rewarded Marxist attack-dogs at the BBC will continue to carry the torch for the hard left, as it corrodes the fabric of our democracy. The BBC’s glaring political bias and profligate funding of its global news output calls for an urgent root-and-branch review of its activities. In the meantime, Conservative politicians should not subject themselves to aggressive and tendentious interrogation by the BBC on its main news channels. If, as likely, the method of BBC funding remains intact until 2026, it should be a requirement that the Corporation adhere to the terms set out in its Royal Charter, including those of fair and balanced reporting. Although the proposed decriminalisation of non-payment of the licence fee is welcome, it will do nothing to address the question of the over 75s, losing their free TV licence, effectively cutting the connection of many with the outside world. Perhaps this could be avoided if the corporation were to eliminate the waste of taxpayers’ money. Here, the reported £32m spent by BBC Scotland on six new channels no-one watches, may well the tip of an extremely large iceberg. The most appealing part of the Andrew Marr Show this morning was a rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah -which is precisely how I feel about the result of Thursday’s election. Hallelujah! Boris, the Prince Hal of British politics, has delivered

Sunday 2 June 2019

IDENTITY POLITICS AND THE DECLINE OF DEMOCRACY




The deep divide between Brexiteers and Remainers signals the journey to oblivion
for traditional Left/Right party politics. Simultaneously, the growing dissonance 
between the political elite and those whom they represent is fragmenting the
electorate into an increasingly disparate array of identity groups, each demanding
amends for a particular injustice or cause in their community.

This does not bode well for the future of democracy and is making the country 
ungovernable. Politically radical elements are increasingly manipulating voters to 
vent their frustration at being ignored and thereby disenfranchised by career
politicians in the Westminster bubble, not through the ballot-box, but by other
means.

Monday 21 January 2019

FEMINISM SCREWS IT FOR THE BOYS



hle 
agenda. Divorce law, including financial
settlements, child custody and one-sided
anonymity in cases of alleged sexual 
impropriety are examples 

Endemic since the 1980s, it is a process
that has been given added impetus by
accelerating economic and social
change. It has happened at a time
when Britain has been transformed
to a mainly service economy.

The result has been the greater 
empowerment of women in the 
workplace over the past fifty years.
They have benefited from improved 
educational opportunities and the
ability to control their fertility. It has 
meant growing financial independence 
from men, not only for those in work, 
but also for young, single mothers who 
have been prioritised for housing and 
receive attractive state benefits.

Along with this has been the changing 
perception of what is meant by a 
nuclear family. It is a complex and 
fluid picture. Marriage continues 
to decline with 42% of marriages 
ending in divorce. 

Serial monogamy and cohabitation 
between single-sex couples are 
common. Gone is much of the 
stability and certainty of family life 
in the 1950s.

In its place are more fragmented 
environments, often devoid of the
influence of paternal role models, 
which are so important in the 
development of the male identity.

Feminist opinion-formers in 
politics, education, the law and 
especially in the media are not 
seeking a comapact between the 
sexes, but female preferment, in 
the form of positive discrimination. 

The impact of the corrosive influence 
that the feminist lobby has had on 
female attitudes to men has been 
profound.

In education, where only 12% of 
primary school teachers are male, 
the predominantly female culture 
cannot, nor in many cases would 
it seek to, encourage the 
development of the male identity 
as such. 

Female characteristics are seen as 
good, male as bad. Many male 
graduates are put off teaching 
by the threat of being falsely 
accused of improper behaviour, 
the consequences of which are 
often devastating. 

Gender bias continues into 
secondary education. Some ten 
years' ago, Jenny Murray, presenter 
of the BBC Woman's Hour, asked 
a guest why boys outperformed girls 
in GCSEs. She was told that boys 
responded better to the pressure of 
an examination, whereas girls 
preferred coursework.

Murray's reply was that if that was 
the system, then change it. It was 
and the result of less rigour has 
undermined the credibility of the
examination system in schools and 
further up the learning process in
higher education. 

This creates the backgound for the
the root causes of many of the 
chronic social problems relating to 
young men. They leave school with 
inferior qualifications, poorer job 
prospects and face unemployment. 
Dismissed as potential husbands, 
fathers and providers by young 
women who are supported by the 
state, they feel unwanted and 
express growing anger. 

Greater tolerance in society for 
generalised 'men are useless' 
statements, jokes, advertisements 
and so on, than would be used to 
refer to any other group, reflects a 
situation for which there is an 
increasing human and economic 
cost.