Thinking Cap

May – from 21 Quirky Designs by Kim Hargreaves in Rowan Cocoon

Two wrongs can make a very far right it seems. Strange times…  

I made this while mulling over incoming election results.  And not that I don’t concur broadly with anyone espousing objectives of justice and equality, or doubt some of the winners' commitment to their mission – In fact I think many will likely make excellent public representatives.

My problem is with the way some of the camp followers made their point to political opponents throughout this campaign.  I'd love to see any democrats who may have even inadvertently inspired this style of canvass publicly distancing themselves in a way that was very convincing ...

It bothers me because of the severe intolerance towards those with a different viewpoint, and because it's as far removed from justice and equality - let alone any kind of democratic expression - as is imaginable. It also bothers me because it's been a regularly recurring theme - there were umpteen instances in this campaign, and in a previous one I can immediately recall reports of threats by followers to a journalist who posed an uncomfortable question to a candidate.   And it bothers me yet again because serious trouble is often facilitated by apparently inconsequential small denials on the part of people whose own objectives may be served by looking the other way. 

…another example from this campaign…

Uploaded by Broadsheet Ie on 2014-04-30.

Happily the candidate was elected.

A friend - an academic - peripherally connected with someone on the winning side said:

“Oh...those..they’re just anarchists: as much an annoyance to the party as to anyone else – Everyone setting out into a new phase gets stuck with lunatics from time to time. They’ll bundle them away into some dark closet in due course…”

...and in a nutshell, that's pretty much exactly what really bothers me... 

Sorry

A representation of my pre-edited mind

For those on my RSS feed

Harry just explained that, the way I've been doing things, every time I change something on my blog my RSS feed gets updated, so I expect you now know that yes, I'm a great amender.   

Travel

Kilmanagh Felted Tweed Handbag by Carol Feller

in Donegal Aran Tweed 

for PJD

I associate early summer with travel plans or general shifting of circumstance, whether on the back of a bike, the front of a plane or... god forbid... a poignant long line. 

There's something vulnerable about personal paraphernalia in transit …about having our vital little stashes of vanities out on view. And sometimes I see my own life as a gradual honing of the definitive travel list filled with great aspirations such as respect, responsibility and the kind of wisdom gleaned from experience that will hopefully pull me up reprovingly by the subconscious at appropriate moments and intone:  "the longest way round is the shortest way home" and so forth... Whereas my actual life has often encompassed much less lofty ideals of skewering, dropping stitches and generally ripping to shreds... But needs must, onward and upward and "non, rien de rien"... and at least now I know broadly what I ought to have learned.  I think.

One thing I do know for sure about literal travel is that getting a good guidebook never goes amiss, and likewise for remembering your passport, money, pen, antihistamines, lip balm, something for sore feet and a very sharp nail scissors…  these items cover most eventualities.  Oh - and always have the name and address of the place where you're staying with you when you go out.