#LondonIsOpen (and toxic)

There is no secret that I find the Twitter feed of the current London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, very annoying. Constantly bleating on about things, then falling silent when questions are asked, or the tables turned.

One of the original things that really got on my nerves was the constant tweets stating how there would be less strikes and more negotiations under his watch, cutting the number of transport strikes drastically. Boris had called for them to be almost banned, Sadiq felt that negotiation was the way forward.
For days on end there were almost hourly tweets about his pledge and how there were less strikes. Until of course strike season hit, aka holiday season. Then the shit hit the fan and the strikes begun. On the odd occasion when agreement was reached, they would be cancelled or postponed, and Twitter would hear all about how HE had prevented travel chaos, and was so much better than Boris..

Then the tables turned, and strike after strike has hit various transport networks, and silence from the mayor. The occasional "we are disappointed" tweet, but nothing strong worded, demanding further talks or how out of order it was. Certainly no boasts about his involvement in the talks, in fact the opposite. Avoiding having any involvement at all.

Then there is the demand that TfL have control over Southern Rail. Again, another bandwagon jumped aboard before knowing the full story. Granted Southern is a joke, especially with their strikes also, but their services leave a lot to be desired too. Something needs to be done, but with the shambles that is under his control already, I am not sure that adding another pony to the stables is the right move. Again, we heard so much about "I want to take control" but no comments on the strikes that cripple London each time. Obviously the negotiating skills used with the tube unions don't work, so stay out of it. Wise move!
That said, when Southern rejected the idea of handing over to TfL, they DID say be part of our talks, and help us with your ideas on how it could be improved.
With London's best interests at heart, naturally Mr Khan said NO, I want nothing to do with it, and refuse to be a part of this. Nice one Sadiq!

Then my favourite bit of it all. As you can tell from the blog title.. #LondonIsOpen.
Put on most posts from the mayors office, this seems to be the favourite tag of the moment.
My only thought on it is summed up by this scene from Blades of Glory..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eRRab36XLI

I don't even know what that means
No one knows what it means, but its provocative
No it's not!
Quite simple, words!
Ringing back to the Brexit referendum, when people started somehow saying that the UK was shutting the world out and didn't want to trade with them, the mayors office coined the phrase and tag #LondonIsOpen
Somehow suggesting that the world thought we were closed for some reason. Not once has it ever been suggested that London didn't want to trade with anyone, or that London was somehow closed for refurbishment. Windows painted out, so no one could see what was happening.
Nope, in fact London has never been closed, and in some ways, suggesting it is open creates an air of negativity towards it.

After that was all done with, the tag remained, and is now used on absolutely everything, from business to events etc. Which when promoting an event which has already been arranged is a bit pointless, as the organisers clearly know London Is Open, or they couldn't have booked it ! Duh!

Speaking of events, that is my next and final grip, mixed in with #LondonIsOpen

Recently, along with being open, the mayor has also identified that London is toxic. Very toxic in fact. To the point of issuing warnings suggesting people don't go outdoors unless really necessary at times, and saying how we are failing, and people are dying each year in London BECAUSE of the pollution.
Now I am no neigh sayer here, I know full well that we live in a very busy city, packed with vehicles and other things churning out toxins all day long. I certainly notice the difference when I visit Wales or the Spanish Mountains. But there seems to be some confusion from the mayors office about how bad it really is.

Day after day, Twitter is flooded with comments about how the government need to give people thousands of pounds towards replacing their diesel car. The same diesel car they were given money towards in the last scrappage scheme. The government needs to act on the pollution, taxes levied and increases to the tolls for the congestion zone. Advising how many people die annually because of the air etc.

And then, in the nest breath (a very toxic one of course) we get told about events being held, in Central London, in the open air, and how people should flock to them, because after all #LondonIsOpen.

I have posted a few examples of the contradictions below. And before you say anything, I am all for London hosting events, I love cycling in London, and spending time in town, so have nothing against it. But you can't be the champion of champions for London, aka the mayor, and scaremonger people into believing we are living in a city which has toxic smog daily, air quality warnings and sirens, and environmental wardens walking around in high vis uniforms so they can be seen through the smog.
THEN expect your same audience on Twitter to flock to events you are promoting. That's just dumb. Get a story and stick to it.

Smog and toxic
https://twitter.com/MayorofLondon/status/831929385741668377

https://twitter.com/MayorofLondon/status/830718056959709185

https://twitter.com/MayorofLondon/status/830367140733714432
London’s dirty air is a public health crisis. I’m committed to tackling this. Read more about my plans here:
Older people & adults & children with lung or heart problems should avoid strenuous physical exercise, particularly outdoors.

Meanwhile... Positives
https://twitter.com/MayorofLondon/status/832198886102093825
On 26 Feb we're turning Trafalgar Square into London's biggest cinema for a very special Oscar-night screening of #TheSalesman #LondonIsOpen << There it is!!

https://twitter.com/TfL/status/831862211303845888

https://twitter.com/MayorofLondon/status/831823169858203650

So... #LondonIsOpen AND #LondonIsToxic

In short, I guess what I am trying to put across in this entry is quite simple.

Stop talking shit Sadiq. Do what is right for London and its people, stop scaring people with over exaggerated stories, and then contradicting yourself by saying we need to bring people to London for events, tourism etc. Don't you see that by bleating on about air quality, you scare people away, not bring them here. Its the exact same media channel and audience that you speak through and to, but somehow you expect them to be positive.

London IS open, London is proud. It is a diverse yet united city who has been and still is respected globally by millions of potential tourists. Walk in the streets in town and you will see just how open London is, without having to use a damn hashtag and believe it spreads a message of positivity. It really doesn't. London is not a convenience store which has an Open/Closed sign. It is a city right up there on the world stage, historic, respected, and a magnet to people around the world. Stop pretending that YOU are single handedly  making the difference, you really aren't.

#RantOver

The referendum... The loose ends!

Just thought I would type out some of the things about the whole event I really don't understand. Obviously this is partly due to me having my own views on things, which are clearly not on par with others. After all, that IS what makes us individuals, so I am kinda glad that we don't all feel the same way.

So first up, the count / majority.
Those voting remain - 16,141,241
Those voting leave - 17,410,742

Majority of 1,269,501 (One and a quarter million)

Now, I know that things were close (51.9% / 48.1%) Pretty darn close for 33 million votes, but it is also fair to say that 1.25 million people is quite a chunk of people too. I have seen calls to say that at least a 60% majority would have been considered "democratic" and that this majority is not substantial enough to consider it a win. I disagree. Where was the call for this sized majority before the vote. When there was greater confidence in the remain camp, these things were not raised, when the result went the other way, suddenly the rules and regulations were touted about and the vote called invalid.

Now from where I stand, this was a chance for me to have my say on something. However the vote went, I would be happy to carry on living the way I do. I have no interest in protesting, calling foul play, or getting into a name calling battle with anyone who voted the other way to me. So to me, it is very sad to see the utterly childish behaviour of people from both camps. Trying to discredit the other and damage the reputations of the people who stood on both sides. But more seriously for me, is the fighting between the public and groups who believe this is the beginning of the end.

The amount of stupidity I have seen posted on social media has resulted in me doing some unfollowing, as I am sick and tired of seeing the campaigns against others. Calling people stupid, racist, uneducated, blind, careless and so many other names... For having an opinion on something?! That is truly pathetic, and if you are one of the people pressing share share share on every piece of social media hatred against "the others" that you see, I will be unfollowing you very soon too.

In short, the people of the country were asked to make a decision. Lots of information was provided, most of which was hype and bullshit of course. Emphasis on promises which were badly worded and untrue, scaremongering about collapsing economies, bans on trade, eviction of immigrants etc. Both sides should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves, as should anyone who propagated this BS. Most of it was written in such a way that it was nothing more than click-bait but filled with hatred.
How many people were actually in any way impressed upon by this, or voted according to what they heard and believed is a mystery, and I really do hope that the number is small. There are plenty of things out there to read up on that can help the average Joe make a mildly informed decision.

Sadly of course, the media were VERY quick to highlight some people they had interviewed who said had they known the Brexit vote would win, they would have voted the other way, and are now wishing they had voted remain. Well, all I can say to that is, maybe we need to have an intelligence test before allowing people to vote. People making statements like that just goes to show the number of people who vote without thinking, and have an effect either way on the outcome of something important.... Then whinge and whine about it for years to come.

This reaction of course has been seized by the media, and thrown out there as wide spread discontent throughout the UK. As have speeches from Remain MP's , saying they will fight for fairness, and wont let this change happen.

First thing worth noting. The vote is a notice of intention at best, and not a full blown exit movement. No one has won or lost a thing yet. The plan for the road ahead is vastly under reported, and is very much unclear. But somehow, some fortune tellers seem to have the whole thing written out in a mystical book, and can tell you without any doubt that Britain is done for! Amazingly, the guaranteed vision for the future is pretty word for word what the Remain propaganda was. Such visionaries, these people are amazing.

Sadly, as these visionaries share their dread for the future, another group of people think they too have seen the future, a future they have dreamed of for many years now, and one they believe is about to begin. The mass eviction of immigrants, the closing of the borders, and the reclamation of the "English way" even though it was BRITAIN that voted, and that includes 3 other countries within it.
Yes of course the extreme right were always going to get their knickers in a twist. Remain would have triggered immediate protest and hatred, and it seems that Leave has done the exact same reaction.
Complete lunatics running around, showing their true racist colours (ironic term maybe) and openly abusing people who appear to be from a different background to the classic demographic of "white British"
Just to clarify at this point, anyone displaying this kind of attitude or behaviour can quite simply fuck off somewhere else themselves. The EU Referendum was NEVER about throwing people out of the country, hatred towards other races and religions, nor a way to get across the message of the tiny minded, racist bigots out there who believe they stand for the masses, but really just irritate the hell out of people with their thug like "Ugg, me man" like caveman behaviour.
If anyone needs deporting, or putting away somewhere, it is you lot, not "them lot" as you would say.

Now the big problem.... YOU!
OK not all of you, but I bet someone will read this blog, and be the same sort of person who reads a shock headline like "Facebook will make your profile and all your posts public at midnight tonight" , then not only believe it, but share it wildly, panicking at its implications, and wanting to warn other small minded people to do the same.
That said, to be reading this part of the blog entry, they would have had to go through quite a few paragraphs, which is not the way of the thicko. They just read the headline and make all their decisions based on that. Much like the winning whiners who regret their vote being the majority.

The future.
There are many opinions on the vision of the future, from the more grounded people out there, not the doomsday bunch. Anything ranging from the UK becoming a completely independent nation, and the EU dying a slow and painful death, to the UK invoking Article 50, and spending the next two years working out a way to remain, but under an entirely new agreement, with more freedom and control for the areas which the masses in the UK object to the EU having a hold over. The opinions range wildly.
It seems at the moment though that the future is trying to be decided by one man on his own, Jean Claude Juncker.
This man seems to speak with pure hatred in his mind. Demanding that the UK immediately start the exit process. To be honest, the way I have seen the man speak, with his sulky behaviour and fits of rage about the UK daring to decide they don't like the EU, it reminded me of this video clip.

Unhappy with what was being said to him, he spat his dummy and had a childish rant about the outcome. Even other EU members are saying he needs to calm down, and talk about this sensibly. I am sure that deep within his mind, the thought that other EU member states are now considering their own referendum, and the fear is growing that the EU will start to crumble faster and faster. The slightest sniff of Germany wishing to hold a similar referendum would provisionally mark the end of the EU as we know it.

What I take from all this, even with the other states only talking of referendums, is that the EU is finally being held to account, and feels vulnerable. Maybe time to have more open and diplomatic talks about restructuring are upon us. Maybe the results of the UK referendum do NOT mark the end of our membership of the after all. But instead give the government more clout and leverage to work with. Maybe this is the point where individual countries can fully negotiate their own terms of being a part of the EU, rather than the all in or all out approach which seems to be preferred.

Seeing the mass of support for the UK MEP's in the European Parliament is hardly surprising. A room filled with highly paid MEP's, most of which still believe in a unified Europe. Strange that most seem to clap loudly at those UK MEP's promising to fight for the UK to remain. But it makes a great story, and fantastic viewing on TV, so let us let the media once again propagate their own beliefs as facts, and put fear into the minds of those who have chosen to take a chance on the future of the UK.

Don't get me wrong. I am not calling the masses on either side right or wrong. We all had a say, and the majority of the 33 million who voted, did so with a clear enough mind of their own, to decide which way they wished to see the vote go. In my eyes, that is a democracy. In fact, letting the racist and moronic individuals have a say too, is also a clear sign of an unbiased democracy. To then try and redefine the word to best suit your cause is just sad really. Finding a translation or definition which suits the message you want to spread amongst others.... Well that to me is comparable to something else we see a lot of. Those radicals who retranslate any religious writings to those of hatred, to justify their beliefs and causes. Sad really, but true.

Right now we have a few issues. Mass hysteria being spread by the genuinely concerned expressing their educated guesses, and then the media who just want to see protests, riots and widespread unrest. Of course, the media are supported by a whole bunch of mindless thugs who think they have just been given a free pass to be an arsehole.
Dear thugs, the majority of 17 million did not vote Leave because you are a racist idiot. In fact, the majority voted with non of that in mind whatsoever. Please don't take the UK's vote as a sign that you are supported in being a small minded, ignorant, racist twat. It really wasn't

Then there is the EU itself. Clearly wriggling and writhing from the blow of the UK's vote. But instead of acting like the mature voices of the nations they serve, they are acting like spoiled brats. Throwing stones because the UK took its ball home. It might come back out to play later, but for now there is anger and frustration, and a whole load of feet stomping. Sadly the loudest and most outspoken of them is Juncker. Protesting, demanding, and waiving his hands furiously, ushering the UK  away, demanding Article 50 is invoked ASAP, and promising that the split will NOT be a happy one. Is this really the right man to head a union of nations. Representing so many different cultures with a voice of such childish hatred? I wonder how many other nations are cringing at the message that is being sent to the UK on their behalf.

Anyway, that is me for now.
I really do sincerely hope that all this "justified" racism, and petty squabbling amongst people ends soon. I know I have managed to have civilised conversations with many people about this subject, even with opposing views, and the outcome has been one of a respectful disagreement on the matter. Now if only the people who are paid and in a position to do this could do the same. Oh and if the racist twats could just go away somewhere, like a quarry!