twisted logic

Of the political kind.

The insanely high youth unemployment in Europe is very disturbing. On one hand you have governments enacting legislation to increase the retirement age, on the other near 50% 18-25 year olds in Spain without work. Evidently it is cheaper to trash the lives of millions of young people than to pay pensions to millions of tired old men. But I am a hypocrit - give me the chance of early retirement and I would turn it down flat.

In the darker moments, I think that we have been coming to this for many years. Manufacturing and so-called blue collar work is in decline. What jobs there are are in places where labour is cheap. Automation has done its bit too, no manual work left. And it won't get better, new Phoenix industries arising from the ashes of the recession will be lean, and highly efficient. Jimmy Reid had it right 40 years ago. Spread the work out, implement a 3 or 4 day week, increase leisure opportunities.

An item in the news today - stroke victims are complaining that they don't get enough care after they are discharged form hospital. Isn't that what family and community is for? At some point we have to take responsibility for our own lives, the state cannot do everything. [See previous comments on communication, or lack of it]

And, on a positive note (yes, I do see them sometimes), this morning whilst eating breakfast I caught a segment of the BBC Breakfast news programme. A young woman who was recovered from anorexia was talking about body image and the problem of 'chopped pictures in glamour mags. So far, so good but they also had a magazine columnist who attempted to argue that 'everybody knows they are fake' so they are not important. Incredibly patronising and she caught the combined wrath of the show presenters. The end was an impassioned argument by the girl to the efect that, of course she 'knew' the pictures were fake, her parents and friends told her they were fake, but that did nothing to help. Images are incredibly powerful, that is why they are used and that is why they are 'embellished'. They go straight to the subconscious and insinuate themselves where we have our deepest identity, while rationalisation potters about in the shallows. The positive note? The young person who faced down the dragon lady with confidence and courage.