It’s time to face the big issues

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I admit to feeling negative: six days into a bug I have not shaken the thing as yet, and being low on physical energy is not something I enjoy, especially when I have some important teaching I really want to deliver ahead of me today.

On the other hand, viewing the world through a different lens isn't a wholly wasted opportunity: apart fom the more than usual grumpiness in my comments yesterday (apologies) being less than typically optimistic because of tiredness and a resulting feeling of inability to do anything about the mess we're in provides an opportunity to stand back a little. And we are in a mess.

Drop the immediate for a moment: we will work through Brexit, eventually. And all governments come to an end, eventually. These are temporary, even if serious issues, we must suffer.

But global warming may not be temporary.

And human inhumanity to humans they seek to differ with appears to be ever ongoing, and becoming more extreme.

At the same time awareness is appropriately growing that financial capitalism is increasingly unable to meet our needs whikst fuelling increasingly trivial wants that add little to our wellbeing, a process abetted by its its obvious incapacity to distribute the rewards for effort in any way that approaches fairness. And, as yet, almost no politician has a viable narrative to address that.

Put the three together and we face a void that makes comments about inability to work with the LibDems because they voted for the Health and Social Care Act in 2012, however ghastly that was, seem almightily petty. I agree, that was a mistake. But the time has come when a lot of people need to recognise, as my elder son often says  'shit happens', and move on to the bigger stuff. So far I don't see that ability.

I guess if anything worries me it's that. In the face of a crisis the left is moving deck chairs instead of working out how to rebuild an economy that serves the  common interest. And whilst it can't see what it's got in common that's what it will continue to do, at cost to us all.


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