Kettling

In the light of recent events in Whitehall, London, where grown men have been beating up children in the defence of democracy  I need to share a quote from Soviet dissident Boris Kagarlitsky:

"Globalisation does not mean the impotence of the state, but the rejection by the state of it's social functions, in favour of repressive ones, and the ending of democratic freedoms." 

I reckon this can equally apply to the idea of Small Government (aka Big Society).  The champions of Small Government imply it will mean less interference in our lives by the state. Events lead me to suspect the opposite will be true. 

For many of school age this was their first taste of how it goes if you use public places to exercise your theoretical right to express your opinions. When I was at school we were always told "if you want to know the time/are lost, ask a policeman." What are we teaching kids nowadays?

Inside the Whitehall Kettle - New Statesman article

Boris Kagarlitsky - Wikipedia biography

_

Swiss couple’s reality check in the Maldives

 
Caveat emptor!

If you were from, oh I don't know, let's say Switzerland, and you wanted to renew your marriage vows, why would you go to a palm covered island and have them renewed in a hotel that offers karaoke nights and rides on an inflatable banana as part of its suite of experiences?

Of course, most of the western press are on the side of the couple - falling for the irresistible combo of self-righteous indignation, fundamentalism and consumer rights - so I’m going to skip all the crap-du-jour that the papers are trying to whip up about this. I mean, there may well be hatred, but I would doubt it has religious fervour at its heart. If I was serving cocktails that cost more than my weekly wage, I would probably harbour some lingering resentment of those who lazed by the pool. 

What I wonder is how far removed folks like the Swiss couple are from their sense of place: their sense of home, of where they are in relation to everything and everyone else. Their sense of reality. How can they have thought that going somewhere far away from their homes, friends and family to renew their sense of their place in the world was a good idea? What are they lacking that they need some mystic mumbo-jumbo intoned over them in a language they don’t even understand on a private hotel beach in front of a bunch of people they don't even know? 

It seems as though one of the things that we most want wealth to do is remove us from our fellows. In regeneration projects, if you want to find out about a place you ask the poorest and most vulnerable members of the community as they tend to be the ones spending most time out on the streets, and have the keenest eyes and ears. As you climb the socio-economic ladder you find people more and more removed from their immediate surroundings with less and less knowledge of and engagement with their communities.

For folks like the Swiss couple, it seems the ultimate expression of wealth is the privately-owned island. Those who can’t afford an island go for two weeks in the Maldives, Seychelles or some other self-styled paradise and play make-believe. Make-believe millionaires, make-believe ceremonies, make-believe vows.

Don’t they have a favourite place within walking distance of their house where they could celebrate with friends and relatives? If not, why not? Find one. Get real.

Vilu Reef Beach and Spa Resort

The video - if you really need to see it. You will also get access to the comments... considered opinion from folks who spell Islam with a 'z'.