How far have we come over the last one hundred and fifty years when it comes to work and life?

It’s a big question and I think one has to put perspective on it too.

Victorian Britain saw rich business types, mostly men, lording it  over the  population and influencing government and the same can be said for today. The only major differences are that today the massive profits stay in the upper levels of society and very little is given back to the people and government representatives are paid handsomely for their time.

We may have more things and have more choices today but the reality is that many people and families face similar problems that our Victorian forebears had to deal with as those choices and things cost us dear and are a necessity today.

Jobs are hard to come by and for most of us the employer exploits this. I would bet my bottom dollar that most people who work towards the lower end of the food-chain and have experienced work over the last thirty years or more will be seeing a similar story with those in almost every job.

The employer demands a third more output for very little extra gain. Once the little perks and incentives have been chipped away and the costs of getting to work have risen then the actual net income is probably not much more than it was ten years ago.

Yet the Chief Executives have seen massive increases with eye-watering salaries and bonuses. Who do they think they are? Most of these soft-bellied business types couldn’t even do half the tasks that they expect their minions to do and their annual wages wouldn’t cover the wine bill for the fat-cat for a week.

Society may have been very unfair for the Victorians but the Chiefs of industry did put something back. They built beautiful municipal buildings and created huge parks and open spaces for the unwashed to enjoy. They built an affordable railway envied throughout the globe. They Built houses and villages for the workers, who toiled in the factories, to live in and they are just a few examples. What have the Big boys given us today? A crippled and costly railway laughed at throughout the globe, dwindling open spaces, roads unfit for tractors let alone cars, a health system that is broken and national debts beyond comprehension.

Okay there were slums and a lack of education (ummm, some may say “don’t we see this in some of our bigger cities today, what with all the homeless, feral kids and broken schools”?) Incomes were pitiful and health was poor.

However, with the rise of the Unions, Co-operatives, Compulsary Education, Better Health and the development of these slums then life did get better.

Twenty or thirty years ago double or triple an average income for one person would have bought a two or three bedroom house in most areas. Those same jobs today would have to be multiplied by ten or twelve to realise the same homes. Individual space is becoming ever more cramped and we are now being forced to live cheek-by-jowl in our ever growing towns and cities in homes that are poor quality, small and inefficient.  The rich don’t care as they either live abroad or buy up cheep piles in the countryside and then turn them into gin palaces for themselves and their tacky mates.

Everyone I meet and talk to relates the same story and I do find it difficult to imagine or find anyone who isn’t in this situation. There must be as our society cannot be full of doom-and-gloom members. What I am saying is “are there any people out there who honestly and truly love their jobs and lives to the full and have a healthy work-life balance”?

Surely all most of us want is to be paid a reasonable income and be expected to do eight hours work for eight hours pay. Not ten hours work squeezed into an eight hour day.

If the senior management wanted to see real efficiency brought into their companies and corporations then they would look inwards to the waste that “Middle-Management” creates and the billshit jobs that come from it. Put a request in for equipment or services and its worse than the army. The request bounces around about a dozen departments who all seem to answer a different way before it lands on the desk of where it should originally be placed. By which time, when the item does turn up,  it is redundant but can’t be sent back as it would cost too much so it’s thrown away as rubbish. Trying to get the basic tools to do the job well is almost impossible due to the cut-backs and parring down of essential funds. Oh but there is always enough to pay for a boozy fact-finding jolly abroad, or a bonus for just doing the job that they are paid for. It is disgusting and very sad that society seems utterly unable to do anything about the destruction of our very being.

Soon there will be no full or part-time jobs and a zero hour contract will be the only option for the masses and then the power and lust of the few in charge will have no bounds. You may laugh and snigger but be warned.

Automation and Artificial Intelligence is on the rise and this in turn will mean fewer human jobs and the fight for what is left will get even harsher but just think how much more profit the shareholders and leaders in business will enjoy. It so warms my heart to image this.

We did learn from our mistakes and many of the issues were addressed for the good of all but sadly the last ten of fifteen years have seen all this washed away and what gains we did see for the better have been washed away and we are now back to suppression, oppression and exploitation.

These, once again, are my observations and opinions and they are not meant to be fact.

Music; we hear it everywhere we go and almost constantly if we wish to but have you ever stopped and thought how or who creates these sounds that fill our lives?

It is not like cooking a roast dinner or learning how to drive a car. It is hard and one has to follow rules and formulae or it just doesn’t sound right or sit well.

Yes it is very hard but new songs and pieces of music are written every minute. Without these masters of entertainment our lives would be so much duller and unfulfilled. Image a world of no dancing, no songs and no catchy tunes. Okay for some no dancing or singing would be bliss but even they like listening to other’s work.

It is relatively easy to write a poem or air one’s thoughts via a blog but to work a song or write a story is another world of talent. Being able to play an instrument by interpreting one’s rambles from the mind to the strings or keys is probably the first step but having the ability to write musical notes and understand and imagine their sound is the next but harder step. Adding words then is a walk in the park. However, if the former two steps are beyond your capability can a song still be written? I guess so. Singing the tune and accompanying lines would work but it is setting out the layering and structure of the whole piece of work that is hard. Yes, one can churn out mindless and meaningless pop trash but they hold no emotion to the individual singing or the audience that they subject this tripe to.

Of course the above is only my opinion and should be taken with a pinch of salt. All music will be loathed by some and loved by others.  Personal taste and influences will dictate what or how one interprets a score just as the pallet of food and ingredients will develop the dishes of cultures and countries around the world.

It is wonderful to listen to the workings and creations of songs as they are formed by the artists to become some of the most renowned tunes of all time. Equally, when a friend sends a sample as and attachment or you listen to a sound-bite of a song on their phone, it is  brilliant and exciting.

It is a God-send that we can record our workings so easily in our modern times so others can experience and enjoy those tunes at later times. Before this once a song was sung, a guitar was strummed or a piano was tinkled the sound was lost forever. We had to live every sound in the moment and any mistake was washed away with the river of truth.

Have a go at it and see how you fair. Then some respect for the art will be gained. I do not state this as a patronism but just as a bit of fun.

“I will see you at the crossroads to meet the devil for a swap meet”.

Ha ha ha……But beware the Devil will want payment……

The business of Britain leaving the European Union is a fiasco and I never thought it would be anything but. Nobody seems to have a clear agenda or even an understanding of how to move forward. The only solid fact is that it is costing us as a nation both financially and reputationally.

I really do think that if we were given the facts and figures in the first instance then there may have been a much different outcome for the Vote.

When our politicians signed up to join the Common Market it appeared a sound proposal but like today we were kept in the dark about the hidden agenda and made the wrong choice. I am all for free trade and communication with Europe but do we have to bow down to all the nonsensical agreements that spew out of Brussels? All Nations have their own particular cultures and customs and not every law or agenda will fit.

We should be in a position to write down what we want and how we deem fit to proceed and if the the Brussel Bullies don’t like it then we should just walk away completely. When their goods and services are put out in the cold they will soon come begging to sit round the bargaining table. Just look around and see how many cars we import from the Continent. Take a peak at labels on clothing and food and see how much is bought in from Europe. Many positions of work are filled by overseas people and there is a genuine need. However, none of this would change as it would cripple the European economies and the World Powers would not allow this as it would affect their ill-gotton Gains. We may even become a tax haven for their likes.

As we will never been told the honest facts about Political agendas then there is little point in trying to make an honest choice when voting. Take a pin and where it falls make your mark.

Whatever the World Leaders do you can bet your bottom dollar that they have no interest or investment in the needs or wants of the people. Their only  aim is to garner power, wealth and fame to feather the indulgent nests they call home.

I just cannot see this “Brexit” move ever being solved within the foreseeable future and the costs to our Nation will just increase as a result.

In my mind there should never have been a vote to leave and those energies should have been used to broker better deals within the system that was already in place.

Leave or remain? I have no understanding of the benefits for either as there is no understanding of the leaders debating the arguments.

For the  most part we were quite fortunate with the weather last week and this week we could have been in a new season or different country but this didn’t stop some major disasters occuring which have left many in despair and others hopeless to remedy.

I know we can’t all be everywhere all the time and to answer all the what ifs and if onlys would be futile and impossible, so maybe fate plays a part here or it is just what it is. I don’t know but one thing I do know is it is very saddening and heartbreaking to have to stand by and not be able to help.

Words of encouragement and support and empathy seem so hollow and utterly empty to the point or worthlessness. Without a magic wand what else can be done?

Last week I received a call to check on a friend’s home. So off I went through the snow and wind to see what the problem was. My knowledge of plumbing and electrics is very limited so I stopped of at a mate’s house who kindly offered to help.

I opened the door and was confronted by a rainstorm inside. Water was streaming down the walls, pouring through light fittings and any joint or hole it could find. It was dark, cold and wet like a disaster area. Luckily we managed to stumble on the stop cock and turn the water off but the damage had been done and sadly there was little we could do but sweep the water into the wet room and down the drain. All because a pipe joint was badly sealed and failed in the loft of all places. There was a little silver lining. The bed and most of the clothing were in an area that was dry do we lifted as much as we could from the floor and onto the bed.

If I was heartbroken then how would the owner feel? If my thoughts were of total hopelessness then I cannot imagine what a crushing feeling my friend would experience. I do not have the emotions to understand how they must feel.

In the subsequent days I visited the home the problem was not quite as bad as it was on that dark, cold evening but it is still a mess.

I just hope that somewhere down the line everything sorts out for the best.

Now this is just one problem and for some it may seem quite minor as the water was clean and it was stopped before too much damage ensued and my friend has somewhere to live. Many others have experienced days of homelessness due to flooding, blown electrics, failing heating and collapsed roofs. Others have been snowed in and some of the very unlucky have lost loved ones and friends.

My thoughts go out to all of these people and I pray that there is some fortune and hope to come for them.

It puts my own problem of a blown electric socket, which caused my dishwasher and washing machine to fail and stop working, as trivial at best. A quick trip to the local hardware store fixed this and all was well an hour later.

Please, please, please keep an eye on loved ones and property at this time of the year and act as quick as you can if you notice a problem. This is all I can offer as way of support but if we all work together then it can be a major defence.

Moving house is a stress. Starting a new job is often tough. Going to a foreign destination can be fraught with language difficulties and strange customs. Meeting someone new can be frightening.

Imagine being faced with all of this at once and more. Take time to think what it would be like to be faced with the enormous emotions and frustrations that would be placed in front of you every minute of every day.

Leaving loved ones and friends is a massive upheaval but add that to forgoing a job, financial security and everyday customs then the  picture evolves into one of immense confusion and heartache.

It is okay to travel on holiday either alone or with friends as most have the comfort of knowing that it is only a temporary state and, lets face it, it is fun to experience different things for a short period of time.

Moving to a country where one has little command of the language, customs, food and laws it is tough. Finding work is easy if one likes to be humiliated, used, worked like a machine and rewarded poorly. Favourite drinks, food and toiletries can elude one and the feeling of isolation can be crushing as communication is all but impossible for the complex social interaction us humans crave.

I, for one, cannot imagine how hard this is and why one would commit to such impossible terms but many do for numerous reasons.

I  guess that is why groups and small communities within established societies grow. Here one can meet like minded and culturally understanding patriots and the sense of belonging is shared.

Its not until one experiences circumstances and situations that views from the other side of the table can be seen and felt. It is all too easy to push away what we cannot easily get to grip with and beliguer their ignorance but life would be so much better if we all helped each other and were less self absorbed.

I am not a father. Phew! I hear the masses cry. One Lord John is quite enough for the world and the world is not big enough for another generation of this kind. But father I am  not and it is very hard to empathise with those who do have children. I struggle to comprehend what it is like to live separately from their children in nearby towns or streets so what it must be like to endure when those same idols are in a different Country is beyond me.

And all this is done so we can make new relations and lives together as couples?

It is ludicrous, harebrained, illogical and questionable but it goes on all the time in the hunt for happiness and companionship. Do I understand the reasoning behind this and why so many put up with such nonsense? No. All I do know is that we will experiment and see this trend repeating itself again and again, and again in the generations and years to come.

So spare a thought for the genuine immigrants who want to make a life in different Countries and also remember that emmigrants  are only so when they are leaving their own Country.