The beauty of an English summer has drawn crowds to the coast to enjoy the wonders of the sea air and a country seemingly at peace with itself.
A small family is sitting at a beach bar, where a four-year-old is grinning as he admires an ice cream. Innocently, he dips his finger into the bowl, a smile on his face and a gleam in his eyes as he watches the white cream on his finger being transferred to his mouth. His father gently rebukes him, telling him to use a spoon.
After finishing the dish, with some of its contents smeared across his face, the boy leans down to collect the bucket and spade at his feet. Guessing what he is planning, his mother attempts, with some difficulty, to clean his face as he repeatedly turns his head away. She finally succeeds, and he immediately rushes off to the beach.
With smiles on their faces, the couple watch their child laughing and running around.
However, they can both feel a dark cloud hanging over the country and spoiling the day. Turning, they look at each other.
He speaks first. “I am shocked that the British people allowed someone to become Prime Minister without an election. He reminds me of a school prefect who has some authority, but not enough to run the school, while someone in the background pulls his strings.”
She nods as they take a sip of their drinks before he continues: “When you see soldiers marching, they are all in line and in step. I cannot stop comparing them with the boat people, all sitting upright like soldiers on a parade ground—young men in line, dressed alike and looking the same.
“When a country is at war, its army sends paratroopers behind enemy lines to cause problems. What worries me is whether these immigrants are being spread around the UK in a similar way, all carrying mobile phones as though they are preparing and waiting for orders. The country is being swamped by fit young men, and it appears to be assisted by the offices of the two Number 10s.”
He then adds: “And, of course, Britain has the nuclear capability that the countries they come from do not.”
“Do you really think it could be that bad?” she asks.
Her husband looks serious and nods.
She turns and gazes across the sand at their child, tears in her eyes as she wonders what life will be like when he is ten.
Back in the Real World
It is obvious from the recent activities of this Government that it is not interested in elections and is behaving dictatorially, without the approval of the electorate. Mayors are to be given the power to overturn planning committee decisions and approve applications that have previously been rejected.
Currently, these mayoral offices are controlled by elected representatives. However, with an administration that ignores elections and the promises made during them, I cannot help but wonder how long it will be before mayors are appointed by the state and granted greater powers to override local decisions—or perhaps even broader governing authority beyond planning control.
I do not know how many readers have noticed individual tractor units—the cab section of a lorry without a trailer—travelling on motorways. It is possible that some are police vehicles, as their height allows the occupants to look down into cars. They are also level with lorry drivers, enabling officers to see anyone illegally using a mobile phone while driving.
Without doubt, using a mobile phone while driving is exceptionally dangerous. There have been many serious and horrific accidents in which people have died because drivers were distracted and failed to pay proper attention to the road conditions.
However, while laws govern the use of mobile phones in vehicles, their purpose is clearly to prevent drivers from looking at or programming devices while driving. Why, then, is it legal for modern vehicles to have similar built-in screens on the dashboard, requiring drivers to take their eyes off the road to find the correct control and change their driving settings?
Finally, how can it be that an immigrant receives money and facilities reportedly worth around £26,000 a year, while a pensioner who has paid into the system throughout their working life receives only half that amount?
Take care.
© Percy Chattey
