Equality – as if we haven’t heard enough of it!

There’s all this fuss going on in the media (and social media!) about this equality of women. All I can say is that I’ve recruited more women than men. There we are, I’m a feminist now! What on earth this might be I just don’t know – maybe someone in the press can advise me.

So there you have it, Ruck is on the side of women. So what’s all this bleating about anyway?

Every time you pick up a newspaper, every time you watch the television, there it is: Equality of women. I really am getting fed up with it and no doubt you are too. In the days when I used to work for a living, I was often sitting in judgement on an interview panel. Men, women and all sorts. There were the bright and attractive types and so on. All I used to do was look at the CV (I used to ignore the academic achievements, everybody’s got a degree these days), look at the person and see how she/he would answer my particularly awkward questions – it was a right royal interrogation! And do you what the answer would invariably be? The women were sharper than the men. They were more conscientious and reliable……well, they didn’t go boozing on a Friday night. Yes, yes I know this last point could be subject ‘to negotiation’!

All in all, I preferred women to men. They made exceptional employees.

And have you seen all this ‘What to say at an interview’ on the recruitment adverts? If I was recruiting again and someone came up with this garbage, they would be out of the door sharpish. The internet playing havoc again – I know I’m an old soak but something has to be said.

As I’ve said many times before, the chains have rotted away on the railings. Equality is here to stay and quite right too – apart from the child bearing element! No-one can do anything about the biological process, so be it. I wouldn’t like to carry a child in my tummy, so praise to be to women I say!

Hang on here, the equality brigade might want men to have the babies. Fat chance!

Advertisements

Artificial Intelligence and the EU

Politics is all in a mess – some would have you believe. The newspapers, the media generally and all in sundry play this tune for all they are worth. Labour, the Tories and everybody else is all in a Tiswas about the EU. Never mind about the Health Service, Education etc etc  But as far as I’m concerned this is just ‘politics’ with knobs on. Withdrawing from the EU was never going to be easy. Did we all think that the EU was going to see its founding principles go up the river without a paddle? No, I don’t think so.

It’s all a ‘mess’ and that’s that – well, some mess. The political heartland hasn’t changed at all. With Labour shouting the odds against the Tories (they can talk!) and vice versa. It is all predictable. The EU has said ‘No’ to everything, so politics as usual then.

Does anyone really care what’s going on? I do but then I’m a political moron so who is going to lose any sleep over this?

Ireland, the Customs Union etc is all very well, but I can’t see anyone having a scrap over it in the local pub. They might sling the odd punch or two over a darts match but the EU? In your dreams.

So that’s the EU out of the way.

What else is there that has hit the Media headlines? Yes, that’s it: Robotics and Artificial Intelligence. Algorithms is the answer to all human endeavour-it led to the financial crash so we never learn. Change is on its way (I’ve said this before!) and you had better look out! Life is controlled by a mathematical algorithm. What we say, what we do is all determined by a lump of metal sitting in a Company office. You can’t beat change can you? The problem is, what about empathy or the input of humanity? If you do without this, then the human brain becomes a thing of the past. Not likely – so I say, but I’ll be dead and gone by the time that society manages to work this one out. What about the people who are not well educated or who suffer from mental health problems? What will happen to them?

It’s all for you to decide and what a decision it will be! Better get your calculator out is all I can say – hang on, does anybody use a calculator these days?!   

Comments inspired by………?

For the first time in an age of common diversity, I’ve taken a look at the internet skulduggery on me!

Don’t the Welsh nationalists get fed up with pin-pointing me as the focal man of discernment? Self- published, can’t write etc etc. Wiki page taken down and its not going back up, defamatory pamphlets (that’s been taken down on the UK page) and comments appearing on the Amazon page.  All a load of old tosh but there we are, its a free society so be it. Everybody must be allowed to have their say, all be it that its a load of nonsense – makes me wonder about the internet…..again!

There is absolutely no point in my returning the insults – I leave the insults to them. But do they not appreciate that such an attitude serves them no purpose whatsoever. They’re a sorry lot of perambulators but that’s the modern world for you.

Carry on folks and good luck to you, of course you might read my ‘Media’ page on my blog!!! This would put your minds at ease – it shows what unmitigated rubbish you are spouting.     

Arriva Trains!

Arriva Trains – there’s a company to grind your teeth on! Two carriages, late and everything else you can find to moan about. There’s not even a First Class carriage on them, I wouldn’t use it but you get my meaning – well, I would use it  if I could find a penny or two in my pockets! I caught one the other day from Cardiff – at the rush hour- I couldn’t move my feet or my body in any direction. A mess of the first order!

Trying to decipher the Welsh language caused a few problems at the station, I’ve missed a few trains endeavouring to do this!

The fact is, Arriva Trains is a consummate fandangle of idiocy. Heaven help anyone who has to use them! They run late, they are full to nearly getting squeezed out and the Company doesn’t give a damn for the passenger. How about sticking a third carriage on? This would be asking too much wouldn’t it?

A disgrace.

You have to admit, this doesn’t do well for Wales. People come here to sight see (well, I know I’m exaggerating somewhat!) and what do they get – Arriva Trains. Bust up carriages to take you north to south and back again. This is Welsh Transport for you – we’re back in the 1960’s again. Wales will never learn.

Everything else is going toward Neverland, the Councils are still living in the Industrial Revolution, the economy is going backwards, Health is……..well, what can I say?

The whole system needs shaking up. The Welsh Labour administration has done nothing to benefit Wales in the past 20 years – apart from have Welsh cakes and a ‘nice’ cup of tea in Cardiff Bay. Carwyn Jones is off and who we’ll get next is a wonder to behold. The Welsh Labour Party would sit easily on my shoulders as long as they did something.

Anything!

We’ll see where Brexit gets us – we’ll have a long wait but who knows. It could be Monte Carlo or bust, where Wales is concerned. I know where I’ll be putting my money and wouldn’t you like to know!

The EU is for other political channels and I don’t want to bore you silly with it. A political commentator I may be but this is for other argumentative sites!    

Brexit

Wouldn’t you like to know how I voted – well, tough I’m not saying where I put my cross! It’s getting all messy. Ireland and the Customs Union are creating havoc but I say so what?

Doesn’t coming out the the EU cause problems and difficulties?

Fat

Why doesn’t anyone say “no” to a gargantuan hamburger, one may well ask? It’s all in the mind. Well, that’s the conclusion I draw anyway.

Anything?

Everybody goes on about a new car (well, make that fairy new), a Big Mac, a rented flat, a spanking lip stick……..there’s not much that the ‘anybody’ doesn’t go on about. So where do we  go to sort the problems of the world out. Nowhere that’s where.

Isn’t it a notion that has the word ‘depressed’ about it?

The Cruise

That’s the Cruise over and done with. Six lectures and everybody is happy – at least I think they are! All up-market (I’m not saying which Cruise company it is, might just set off the Trolls again – although they do amuse!), fanciful food and service that would do a Sheikh proud.

It’s back to scribbling now, how tedious!!!

 

 

Marks & Spencer

This isn’t just food…this is M&S food!

At least, this is what we were told for months on end, the advert drove the Matron round the bend, particularly when I said the voice was all sexy and mysterious. Talking about my darling wife, a few days ago I decided to have a day off from being the objectionable and demanding husband – it’s true, I promise you!

The Idiot’s Lantern (ie TV) had been plugging us for weeks about all this cordon bleu £10 job at Parc Trostre’s M&S (why we chose there is a mystery to me) – the truth is, somebody had bought me a multi-coloured rugby shirt for Christmas and I was taking it into M&S to get the money back. Rugby? Multi-coloured? Not me at all. Getting into ruck’s and sniffing other men’s backsides has never  been my style, apart from anything else, I’m a starched collar and double-cuff man myself.

Anyway, I cashed in the rugby shirt ie I was given a credit note and sauntered around for a few minutes wondering what to do next. As you know, ’shopping’ is not really my thing and frankly, I just get thoroughly confused with all the sparkling floors, shiny chrome clothes rails and sales assistants who look as if they’d do anything to work for John Lewis and have a slice of the action at the same time – I tried buying some sexy lady’s underwear in there once, that was an experience, believe me. I nearly started wearing the stuff myself, the assistant was so convincing. The Matron kept checking my drawers for months afterwards too!

So, pants or socks seemed the only way out of my M&S credit note nightmare. Off I went, looking here and there, hither and thither, when all of a sudden the Matron popped into my head. Why not do something all loving and appreciative for once, thinks I? Why not say ‘I love you’ without the words?

Inspiration struck! An M&S £10 supper for two! Different, imaginative, romantic, all for £10! This will put a smile on the wife’s face, I thought.

The following evening, I prepared a dining table fit for a Royal feast. Pukka table cloth, best cutlery (even proper fish knives!), candles, the works.

Guess what? The fish oozed spinach, which the Matron hates, the chips had crinkled passed their sell-by date, the wine was dismally mediocre and the cherries in the pudding, were a definite no-go area.

Now you know why, I don’t ‘do’ shopping and why I’ll never try and get on to a Mr & Mrs TV Show.

And to hell with a M&S £10 dinner for two!

Anti-Semitism

Jeremy Corbyn is having a bit of hard time at the moment – not that anybody in Wales will be put off by this, and rightly so! It’s all about anti-Semitism, that’s speaking ill of the Jews. Surprising really, I thought we’d sorted all this out a long time ago but there we are. I can’t say that someone who is Jewish makes any difference to me. I remember some Jewish friends in Law School (that’s a fair time ago!), they were really on the ball. Outpaced me at every turn! Good luck to them too.

Jeremy Corbyn was railed against for letting his far left leadership with ‘siding with anti-Semites’ again, according to Jewish groups around the country. The row is about a mural which is offending the cause of the Jews, a mural showing Jewish bankers playing monopoly on the backs of the poor  – Corbyn didn’t pay much attention to it at the time, it was just a mural and that’s that.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews said in a letter the mainstream majority of British Jews and their concerns are ignored by Corbyn and those he leads. Thus the Left wing are racist. Corbyn has apologised but is this enough?

Personally I don’t see what he can do, short of expelling those form the Labour Party he knows are racist – this would be a fine job, all the parties have people in them of a racist inclination! So I would say, there’s nothing much he can do.

Apart from this, this is a slur on his character. The Far Left is coming in for a trial by tribulation. Not good.

Corbyn needs to come in from the cold, try a different form of politics. Keep his Left of Centre to tolerable gains and surmountable achievement, this way he would gain a few votes. Running off to the far Left is not the way. He will lose. If he can keep his Party in line he may have a chance to gain power, if he can keep part of the Left restrained in its anti-Semite leanings. The racist groups may be forming but Corbyn please keep your politics to the Left of the Centre ground, not far Left. You may take this Column as unadulterated piffle but there’s some truth in it. A truth that you have to learn or sink without a hope.

It’s all about keeping the people on your side and anti-Semite deliberation (I know that you are not responsible for this but you are the Party Leader) is not the way to do things – not if you want to be Prime Minster.