Happy Friday. It’s fair to say that this week completely got away from me. I’ve been swamped at work and have not had many conversations in me. In fact, I’ve spoken to Ma twice, Sarah once and Ben once and that’s as social as I’ve been able to be. However, the weekend is here as soon as 5pm hits and I’m out of the office and recharging my batteries! This week links…
1) Grace Dent on Elliot Rodgers. Yep..
2) Endangered English accents and dialects. None of them really mine but interesting anyway.
3) London is UKIP’s worse nightmare. There’s a lot being said about UKIP’s success in the local and European elections. There’s a lot that isn’t being said. Turnout was roughly 35% and than says more about what the people think that the rise in the UKIP vote. I also think that it’s time to stop calling the people who did vote for UKIP ‘racist’. Is some of UKIP’s support racist, yes but not all of it is. I think that the majority of it is about fear. This is the first time since the 1940’s where people cannot see that the lives their children and grandchildren will have will be better than theirs. UKIP says quite loudly that the fault is immigration. When you’ve lived somewhere for decades and you can’t afford to live there any more and you can’t get a council flat but you read about someone who does and doesn’t speak English, when the children of the nice Polish lady get into the local school and yours doesn’t, it’s easy to feel that you’re missing out. Then you read the stories in the Daily Mail about how we’re all being forced to eat halal meat and Nigel Farrage tells you that all Bulgarians are criminals, it’s easier to blame the ‘other’ for you not getting that house or school place or job.
4) The other thing that needs to happen is compulsory voting.
5) Service pensions from the Spanish-American and Civil Wars are still being paid. War has consequences that ripple through generations..
6) How to tell you are in a Jane Austen novel
Nic Dempsey 