Guest rant
It has been suggested that WWPD is a one-man-and-his-cat operation. Well, to counter this accusation, I here present our first ever guest rant, written by the prolific-in-bursts pub_pooter. Enjoy:
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There's nothing like a positive experience or two, for rekindling your native faith in humanity. This evening, after a grim afternoon of viewing flats to rent, I chanced across an old-fashioned pub right in the heart of town. Snug underneath a motorway flyover, old men wore caps and talked fishing. When I left, sprinting for a bus, the driver waited, stationary, for at least 5 seconds (in Greater London, this is pretty damn impressive).
All the pleasant things that happened today were the result of arbitrary acts of good-feeling, and the bad ones were almost entirely due to the ongoing obligation we feel to barter our way to happiness. It did occur, walking around over-priced shoeboxes in the company of an estate agent, that things would be a lot simpler if landlords were not propertied blighters on the make, but individuals who got a kick out of, felt drawn to, creating reasonable spaces to live in.
So what, you prefer nice things to nasty things, you might say. But it's not that straightforward. My ongoing negotiations in real estate necessarily take place in the deal-making paradigm, since nearly all properties are let via estate agents. The landlord pays them to do their dirty work, they screw me for extortionate 'admin' fees, while I try to haggle down the rent, pathetically. This is the way captimalism, which we are encouraged to think of as the best of all possible worlds, works. Any fool can realise that the whole thing stinks - at least once they've experienced the business end of the cash-chain. Mainstream political parties, however, continue to embrace the "free market" without criticism.
I have no ready alternative to offer, and realise that the current state of affairs, whilst far from perfect, is, in general, a lot better than it has been in the past. But it is not a statesman's job to bask in the zeitgeist and claim that everything is as sunny as can be: complacent acceptance of the current economic system should offend every right-thinking person who isn't wearing blinkers. Politicians need votes, but should get them by identifying the profound flaws in the way things currently operate, and suggesting changes, rather than blathering about ID cards and public smoking. There's nothing wrong with setting high aims, and nothing wrong with criticising the way things are. I can't be the only one who'd rather believe in a gentle intangible then resign myself to capitalist dystopia.
SUBMITTED BY PUB_POOTER
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There's nothing like a positive experience or two, for rekindling your native faith in humanity. This evening, after a grim afternoon of viewing flats to rent, I chanced across an old-fashioned pub right in the heart of town. Snug underneath a motorway flyover, old men wore caps and talked fishing. When I left, sprinting for a bus, the driver waited, stationary, for at least 5 seconds (in Greater London, this is pretty damn impressive).
All the pleasant things that happened today were the result of arbitrary acts of good-feeling, and the bad ones were almost entirely due to the ongoing obligation we feel to barter our way to happiness. It did occur, walking around over-priced shoeboxes in the company of an estate agent, that things would be a lot simpler if landlords were not propertied blighters on the make, but individuals who got a kick out of, felt drawn to, creating reasonable spaces to live in.
So what, you prefer nice things to nasty things, you might say. But it's not that straightforward. My ongoing negotiations in real estate necessarily take place in the deal-making paradigm, since nearly all properties are let via estate agents. The landlord pays them to do their dirty work, they screw me for extortionate 'admin' fees, while I try to haggle down the rent, pathetically. This is the way captimalism, which we are encouraged to think of as the best of all possible worlds, works. Any fool can realise that the whole thing stinks - at least once they've experienced the business end of the cash-chain. Mainstream political parties, however, continue to embrace the "free market" without criticism.
I have no ready alternative to offer, and realise that the current state of affairs, whilst far from perfect, is, in general, a lot better than it has been in the past. But it is not a statesman's job to bask in the zeitgeist and claim that everything is as sunny as can be: complacent acceptance of the current economic system should offend every right-thinking person who isn't wearing blinkers. Politicians need votes, but should get them by identifying the profound flaws in the way things currently operate, and suggesting changes, rather than blathering about ID cards and public smoking. There's nothing wrong with setting high aims, and nothing wrong with criticising the way things are. I can't be the only one who'd rather believe in a gentle intangible then resign myself to capitalist dystopia.
SUBMITTED BY PUB_POOTER
3 Comments:
Sweden's just fine with me! Excellent welfare provison, high taxes to pay for it, and one of the most successful economies in the world.
I have a friend who moved to Sweden. He is happy with it, in spite of -30 temperatures in Winter. Seems to have no desire to return to the UK - a bit like you, really. I must do something on this score myself soon...
And get rid of that bloody picture that pops up whenever I post a message.
It looks like you! Sweet, but a little bit pissed off :-)
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