Government (or an unreasonable facsimile of) by degree

'Insidious' is not a nice word. But by heck it is apt for what seems to be happening these days.

Hardly a BBC bulletin goes by without the latest 'could' being trotted out from those who claim the responsibility of governing us, but who will seek any and all ways to avoid any accountability, from announcement through to consequences.

Hence this 'could' will ooze into an 'is' and end up as a 'has', with little or no challenge from anyone, most especially our lazy media.

Just this morning I sat amazed as just two were dutifully trotted out, with the sofa set primed with just the right balance of warm and fuzzy to ease things in.

First up was the latest on mobile phones. I've blogged on this before. If it's illegal, then fine (and I don't mean that in the fiscal manner, as too much law seems to be revenue targeted than spirit or even letter of the law), I know where I stand. But now there seems to be yet another, and predictably more aggressive, though equally vague set of ways to hold 'us' accountable for something or other at the whim of a police officer, supported by a compliant justice system.

Then there was middle-age drinking. It seems that if you go over a daily 105ml daily, you are a raving alcky bent on self-destruction. Now this would be laughable but for the less than subtle between-lines message read out by a truly frighteningly smooth government spokeslady (she had a sense of humour and so charmingly trotted out her facts that even the already pliant blonde and bouffant felt it rude to do anything else but giggle). And this seems to be that if you can even remotely be deemed to have done something in your history that may or may not be proven to be in any way due to lifestyle choices, then 'they' can decide to opt you out of the health system you have paid into all your life.

There is a sickening predictability to all this, along with inevitability.

And what really gets me is that the vagueness seems only to work one way. By being guilty until proven innocent the doors are opened for institutional abuse at every level and across every branch.

And it all seems dedicated to one simple aim, and that is to divert money away from those who work hard and pay their way (because all those who do not will be exceptions to such rules, though withdrawing votes on the basis of self-harm, poor lifestyle, non-contribution, etc would not seem on the cards) to ensure a ready supply of the dwindling cash resources to ensure this bunch of breeding parasites keep their pay, bonuses (what the heck are a raft of government types on bonuses for?) and pensions.

Sorry, today has not been a much better day than yesterday.

Something rotten in the state of...everything, really

Though not actually about very much to do with the environment, I'd put this forward as a short, well-crafted analysis into how the state seems to be playing things 'on our behalves' - In the drink unaware

It is about a less than sympathetic industry, booze, but there are parallels to be drawn and lessons to be learned over here in eco-land.

To kick off, I am unsure as to how much of what is proposed is going to make a blind bit of difference to the reality of the situation. And, yet again a bunch of folk, from a legal industry to those who are allowed to use its wares, seem somehow destined to be caught up in a dodgy morass of competing do-gooding, revenue-generation (let's not forget that the less we drink, the more they need to make it up in taxes elsewhere) and official ineptitude, topped off with no actual responsibility or accountability at any stage.

Dealing with what goes into the system - namely people's desire and ability (and, with life the way it is now, some might say need) to drink - not being addressed very well (I really question how many million-£ campaigns it would take to stop any strata to go' that's a good ad; I'll give the beer a miss'), a failure for 'us' on a personal level to deal with it and, at the gutter end the state's inability to cope with the consequences, this seems a hiding to nothing that will cost a lot, do not much and probably make things worse. But will make a bunch more meddlers and consultants and officers of the state richer in ever more extensive empires of control.

A bit like most green 'initiatives' that I'm seeing of late.