[blogfocus] the way forward in life

These bloggers are also concerned about the family:

David Farrer looks at the burden of an aging society, taxation and transparency: "An aging population implies extraordinarily high levels of taxation in the future. We should be treated like adults and be told the true size of the liabilities that are being incurred. The private sector must disclose almost everything. Why won't the government?"

James Cleverly approves of David Cameron pushing for age laws to be homogenised and for young people to earn the title adult rather than just hitting an arbitrary age point. He goes on to say that he’s pleased DC has looked to the charitable sector to run with this, supported by but not run by the Conservative party; this is very much in keeping with the ideas that he put forward here.

Tim Montgomerie agrees. "School leavers who prove they are good citizens could be allowed to drink in pubs and place bets earlier than their less responsible contemporaries, under plans advanced yesterday by David Cameron." Behave yourself earlier, then you can binge drink and gamble earlier as well.

Some bloggers feel other political solutions are the first priority:

Guido Fawkes says that for a start we can stop wasting money: "Couldn't the government have got a local adviser, someone who doesn't have to fly across the Atlantic to tell us, err, not to fly across the Atlantic? Just a thought."

Paul Linford rues political errors of the past: "When I went to bed at 2am on 8th November 2000 after watching the early results come in, Gore was US president-elect. When I got up at 7am and turned the telly back on, Bush was. There are very few people among my own circle of friends who do not think the world would now be a much better place had that reversal of fortune not occurred."

Minette Marrin refers to core conservative beliefs: "But there are two convictions that do almost amount to Conservative dogma: a belief in freedom, as far as possible, and a related belief in a small state, as far as possible. In my life there has been a truly astonishing growth of the state and its power to direct our lives and a concomitant loss of freedom."

Wat Tyler says: "As we've blogged many times before, Britain doesn't need politicos dreaming up yet more pie in the sky "policy" ideas and then walking away from the impossibility of implementation."

And Stephen Pollard questions the figures: "Gordon Brown says that carbon trading could lead to 100,000 new jobs. Don't you just hate those entirely spurious figures that get bandied about? Why not 98,000? Why not 102,000?"

Moving across the channel to Europe:

Dymphna writes of the French: "In Paris, Marseille, Lyon - it’s as though you are watching a large pot boil and all the frogs in the soup are claiming everything is très bien, merci."

Iain Dale considers what France [and presumably the rest of the sentient world] needs is in the Economist photo in his post.

And Prodicus despairs of Europe: "And yet... and yet... I am bloody desperate to get the UK out of the EU - and I would love to kick all Westminster's EU fellow-travellers up the backside."

On the wider issue of coming to terms with extremism and state terrorism:

Tom Paine says: "If we open our minds to what is going on around us, we can see that - for all our justified fears about Islamic extremism - many of our current problems are not a question of what is wrong with them, but what is wrong with us."

With which Melanie Phillips takes issue: "In both cases, the ending of occupation [Gaza, Palestine]merely facilitated even greater aggression. Instead of ‘land for peace’, the real deal is land for war."

And Oliver Kamm concludes, on the far-east: "Clarity is essential to deterrence. During the Cold War, on at least two occasions the world came close to nuclear disaster. [Cuba missile crisis in 1962, and the Soviet fear of a Nato nuclear first strikein 1983.] We can be still less confident that deterrence is robust when we are dealing with an irrational political agent such as Kim Jong-il."

Some bloggers are optimistic about the future and some are less so:

Clive Davis was cautiously optimistic: "I agree that Europe faces major challenges over assimilation, and that we've been lax about Islamist extremists. No question about it. What I don't care for is the way that certain American conservatives are so eager to forecast an imminent apocalypse."

Phil, at Existing Actually, waxes lyrical about the perfect world: "This isn’t a world where gains are wiped out by their cost, where dilemmas are unresolvable or where darkness means more than the absence of light. It’s a bright and mostly beautiful world, where external threats needs to be resisted because people matter - and people matter because of their capacity to love." Though he was referring to a film, it could equally have applied to life and our way forward … maybe.

Bryan Appleyard is a little less optimistic about our future: "Will we ever do anything? Can our reason overcome our tribal natures? This far from the Enlightenment and after the unprecedented savagery of the twentieth century, the answer would appear to be no."

Deogolwulf gives this a twist, in Fewtrill #137: "Perhaps the depth of our downfall should be measured by the number of sociological schemes for our salvation."

Which then brings us to climate change:

And Cllr Gavin Ayling is in no doubt: "Let's be quite clear. If we want to stop human-caused climate change we must make international agreements. Failure to do that makes any unilateral action pointless."

The Englishman comments: "My own quick reading is that Stern is a very clever man who has built a fantastic castle of recommendations and policy suggestions but that he has not felt it part of his remit to check the foundations he is building on."

The final word on this is from Tim Worstall, who struggles to wade through the Stern Report: "Indeed, it's repeated several times that whatever we do on our own will have no effect whatsoever, being entirely swamped by rises elsewhere."

Some feel we should just get back to traditional values:

The Canadian, Neocon, asks: "What the hell has happened to independent thought in this country? Let's get our priorities straight before we all drown in the muck of political correctness." This could apply across the globe.

On this side of the pond, Monty Lionheart demands: "But unless people stand up and demand that our representatives stop abusing the positions of leadership we entrust to them, this creeping surveillance society will be too big to roll back."

And Cleanthes [no doubt to a large chorus out there] feels that too many have forgotten what the Remembrance Day poppy really represents: "In fact, the poppy represents everything that we would seek to protect about the “British way of life” and everything that the ID card, by its very nature, is not."

Dave Hill takes a historical approach in asking us to learn the lessons of Sherwood Forest: "There is, of course, another way of looking at it: Know Thine Enemy is a sound military principle; saving the lives of children is a fine Christian tradition; and Robin's commitment to both helps explain why he was prepared to risk his life to see England ruled justly and well. Just thought I'd mention it."


Chris Dillow is far more Draconian: "So what would stop gun murders? This new paper (pdf) by Naci Mocan has a depressing finding - the death penalty. People respond to incentives. Of course, there's much to be said against the death penalty. But perhaps our opposition to it carries a cost, of murders that would not otherwise happen."

Next to last, a pot-pourri of suggestions for a happier life:

Duncan has the solution for the lads but is strangely silent about the lasses: "Whenever I’m busy or tired — like I have been for the past few weeks — there is a certain five minute long routine which is always the first to be knocked off the schedule. I’ve mentioned before on this blog that I really can’t be bothered shaving."

Jeffrey Archer gives a timely warning for those of us contemplating travel: "Flew to Amsterdam for the launch of the Dutch edition of False Impression. But what could go wrong? Returned the following day, to find that Australia were beating us up (cricket)." Always a danger if you go gallivanting around the world, Jeffrey.

Mr. Eugenides thinks a good Chinese meal is the way forward but that this can be fraught with danger: "I then discover, in the course of my googling, that [his favourite café] was not being renovated at all, but was closed down by the Council earlier this month because its kitchen was badly infested with beetles and mice, and food was at severe risk of contamination as a result." Strangely, this seemed to put him off.

For Johnathan Pearce, the answer lies, not in politics nor in the 80s mullet haircuts but in music: "In my 'umble opinion, you can keep your droning Coldplays, Travises and thuggish Oasises; for me, nothing comes close to the brio of Madness, the wonderful, cleverness of the Stranglers or for that matter, these dudes from Norway."

Reading! That’s the thing, according to L’Ombre de l’Olivier this week: "I spent most of the first week of October on the plane, in airports and / or suffering from jetlag. This gave me much time to read. And the fact that I passed through London on the way to Baahston meant good selections of English language books to read."

Vox Day agrees reading is the way to go but not the life of a scribe: "Writing fiction is one of the least efficient means of producing income known to man, so you might as well embrace it as an interesting hobby instead of an income-producing career."

Ellee Seymour has a novel solution: "Maybe The Times could start by offering walking holidays to readers instead of free flights, encouraging people to reconnect with their countryside and the environment they are protecting."

Serf suggests following the example of the great and famous offers benefits: "In the USA, Christians often ask the question, 'What would Jesus have done?' Those of us of a more secular bent are, however, not much different. We frequently read commentators claiming that some political philosopher or other would take some view or other." He’s sceptical about this.

The Tin Drummer considers the way forward is all in the mind: "England 'retain World Cup Belief'. In other news: 'Pigs 'retain flight belief''; 'Dawkins 'retains supernatural being belief'' and 'Bears 'retain egesting food in a lavatorial situation belief''."

Sam Brett asks, in her womanly way: "Would you flirt to get ahead?"

Sleep! That’s the thing, according to Norman Geras [or rather a catnap]: "Here's an article in defence of taking a short nap during the day. As if the practice needed defending. Just 10 to 15 minutes, without even moving from your seat, and you're the better for it. And don't let me hear you at the back there muttering about age. I've been doing it all my adult life."

Technology is the way forward, according to two bloggers:

Tim deLisle knows that cricket is happiness and preparation wins cricket matches and so: "Every England player has a Sony Vaio laptop. Does Pietersen just use his for watching DVDs of action movies, or does he study the footage that is routinely supplied to him of all opposing players?"

Close to my heart after all the Blogger woes, a trouble free computer would be a start. DK says: "Finding a fellow Mac enthusiast is a bit like overhearing someone using a Molesworth phrase (such as the one commonly used in letters to Private Eye: "as any fule kno"): you have an immediate connection."

A final thought:

Sometimes, it’s the little things which make us happy. Reactionary Snob is happier here than I can ever recall: "All too often I use my blog to berate, scald and insult - but someone, somewhere, has made me a wee bit happier on 'Clocks Go Back Day'. Incidentally, CGBD is one of the favourite days of the year anyway."

Currently inactive:

http://www.dailypropaganda.co.uk/
http://vented-spleen.blogspot.com/
http://indecent-left.blogspot.com/

More blogfocus on Saturday evening, at 21:00 [London time].

After I post, I always scour for rejected bloggers and sure enough, Blogger.com, as usual, has chosen one victim to reject, this time round: Black Quill. He feels that society's ills would be less if the bobbies went back to their traditions. "Yes, bobbies, dialogue, and a heavy clip round the ear should do it." [Unfortunately, Blogger.com refuses to accept any url for Quinlan but you'll find his site in my sidebar.]