Fact and fiction

10 March

There I was sat on the loo and something came to mind that I hadn’t thought about since I was kid. Regularly I would dream about going off on a bus trip somewhere, but when I got back to the bus for the return trip I would stand and watch as it pulled out without me. What made it worse was that nobody seemed to know, or even care that I was being left behind, including my parents. I’ve never understood what it was supposed to mean, nor have I had the dream since childhood. Now I wonder why it has suddenly been dredged up from my memory. Strange that.

At one time I used to read most of Tom Clancy’s books (but not the Netforce and other series books he co-wrote). His first one I read was a second hand copy of Debt of Honour which had Jack Ryan as the lead character. In a number of his books, Clancy had Jack thinking about his children and the way they always smiled when they first woke up. He would then ask the question, ‘When do they stop doing that?’ It’s not a bad question is it? At what point do any of us stop being happy at being alive and well? I’d love to know how kids do find something to smile about when they first get out of bed. We could perhaps all something from them if knew the answerers to those questions.

How many times have you heard people saying that all politians are the same? I have no idea how many times I have heard, in fact how many times I have said it too. It seems that they are the same doesn’t it; they make promises to get elected and then run into the brick wall known as the Senior Civil Service. No matter who wins the next general election, they too will have to find a way to work with the non-elected morons who do actually run the country. So what can we do about it then?

Mr Clancy came up with one idea; and that was a disgruntled Japanese 747 pilot who stole his 747 and crashed it into the Capital Building killing all or most of the then sitter US Senate and Congress. In the follow up the new Ryan government was elected and began work in sorting out all the problems that the USA have. And Ryan too came up against that same brick wall of lobbyist and civil servants. In a way we are fortunate that the UK hasn’t had to deal with anything like that (yes I know, Clancy writes fiction not fact), and the one time it was tried it failed miserably.

But you know something? There is merit in having a permanent body of civil servants. Yes, politians are all the same in that they make promises that they can’t keep. At the time the promises are made though, do they actually know that they are not going to keep them? Surely those at the top of tree do know they won’t or can’t keep their promises. To my mind they are liars, every one of them. The main role of the civil servants, in addition to their role in implementing the laws passed, is to keep politians feet firmly on the ground and explain that things don’t happen with a snap of the fingers.

Today’s photo then … 

One of two otters we saw on Sunday.

And today’s funny …

 Religion is generally a verboten topic for everyone at work, except 
for Larry. Recently, after he steered yet another conversation toward the subject, a co-worker whispered to me, “That Larry—he always has to put his two saints in.”