From The Mind of Merc - The Cummings Conspiracy

Sometimes I find my mind wandering over various eclectic topics and occasionally I am inspired to write some of them down. Today I was thinking about the effect that Dominic Cummings still appears to have on UK politics.

What I mean by this is that, although he is longer a member of parliament it is still painfully evident that they continue to dance to whatever tune he cares to play.

Tbh, I really wouldn’t surprised to see him become PM in the future. To be clear, this is not something I want or would relish – it just seems to me that a man who holds as much sway in and over the UK government as he does and is capable of using that to his own ends must surely only have one destination in mind.

To explain what I mean about his clear and continuing influence, I present these 3 examples.

Example 1 – The Durham Debacle
He flagrantly and unapologetically broke the lockdown rules by driving to Durham with his family. What repercussions did he suffer for his lawbreaking? Absolutely none. Clear proof of the power he held as it Boris wouldn’t dare evict his loyal and experienced advisor.

Example 2 – Gone But For How Long?
Cummings’s enforced resignation coincided with a change in leadership in the USA. The new POTUS brought about a change in Boris and his strategies (particularly COVID) – a heavy suggestion both what Cummings’s influence had been and that it had (for now) been removed. 

Example 3 – Hancock’s H-exit
Last month Cummings emerged from the woodwork to take aim at Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, who was forced to resign after footage of an affair (which had to have been going on before this) subsequently surfaced – the government is still subject to Cummings’s machinations.

Clearly, Cummings is not finished messing with politics and, ultimately, I believe the main question is who will he take aim at next? And how long before the Tories to decide he’d be a good replacement for Boris? Remember: we do not need to elect him – he only needs his own party to choose him to be their leader. And when there’s little to no effective opposition within his own or from other parties…

Glitter Bomb - !!!NEW!!!

I recently found this brilliant video on Youtube which inspired me to pen the following parody. 

Cherry Bomb Glitter Bomb not by The Runaways
You’re not at home, the mail is here
Someone thinks "The coast is clear"
On the step it’s just sitting there
Finders keepers is only fair 

Not so fast you, your time is done
It’s a gl-gl-gl-glitter bomb
Hello thief the fun’s begun
It’s a gl-gl-gl-glitter bomb

Theft is wrong and it’s not yours
And because you stole from someone’s closed doors
Bad times now coming your way
So next time you think that it is ok

Not so fast you, your time is done
It’s a gl-gl-gl-glitter bomb
Hello thief the fun’s begun
It’s a gl-gl-gl-glitter bomb

Not so fast you, your time is done
It’s a gl-gl-gl-glitter bomb
Hello thief the fun’s begun
It’s a gl-gl-gl-glitter bomb

Grab the box, run a mile
Soon put an end to your wide smile
When you open up that parcel
You will soon find you have unleashed hell

Not so fast you, your time is done
It’s a gl-gl-gl-glitter bomb
Hello thief the fun’s begun
It’s a gl-gl-gl-glitter bomb

Glitter bomb
Glitter bomb
Glitter bomb
Glitter bomb
Glitter Bomb

Anne Boleyn - !!!NEW!!!

I'm not going to comment on the furore surrounding the casting of Jodie Turner-Smith to play Anne Boleyn. Instead I'm going to post this new parody song using an Adam and the Ants classic.

Prince Charming Anne Boleyn not by Adam and the Ants
Came from nowhere, now everywhere
She met the king and now it seems he’ll wed her
Came from nowhere, now everywhere
She met the king and now it seems he’ll wed her

Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
He wants her and she will make him prove it
Came from nowhere, now everywhere
She met the king and now it seems he’ll wed her

Came from nowhere, now everywhere
She will be queen and will accept no other
Came from nowhere, now everywhere
She will be queen and will accept no other

Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
He wants her and she will make him prove it
Came from nowhere, now everywhere
She met the king and now it seems he’ll wed her

Now or never, hell for leather
Waited so long – but now for how much longer
Now or never, hell for leather
Waited so long – but now for how much longer

Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
He wants her and she will make him prove it
Came from nowhere, now everywhere
She met the king and now it seems he’ll wed her

Came from nowhere, now everywhere
She met the king and now it seems he’ll wed her
Came from nowhere, now everywhere
She met the king and now it seems he’ll wed her

Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
He wants her and she will make him prove it
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
He wants her and she will make him prove it

From The Mind of Merc - The NHS (Part 1)

Sometimes I find my mind wandering over various eclectic topics and occasionally I am inspired to write some of them down. Today I was thinking about the NHS.

My Facebook profile picture currently features (and has done for a long time) a border with the tagline ‘Thank You NHS’. This is something I feel passionately about – after all, were it not for the NHS, the Coronavirus fallout would have been considerably higher, millions would be in debt and we could even (shock, horror) have lost our Prime Minister! Consequently, in addition to a myriad of other reasons*, I believe it deserves saving. However, probably like a lot of people, I am unsure of what I can do to help so I thought I’d compile a list of some of the ways I’ve found that individuals can help support (and hopefully save) the NHS.

(To be clear, I’m not going down the route of how the government is failing the NHS and what they can do to help it as that is a huge and very complicated post. I started going down that rabbit hole and it took me a while to come out. Although I may look into it in a future post.)

So what are some simple yet effective ways that we as individuals can help save the NHS?

1)   Stay up-to-date and informed – not just to what the proven and demonstrable liars that are our government say but what the facts and figures say.

2)   Speak up – not happy with what’s going on? Say something about it. Use writetothem.com to find your local MP and tell them what’s happening is not acceptable.

3)   Join a campaign – you are not alone – find others who also feel the same way you do and add your voice to theirs.

4)   Stay healthy – while poor health isn’t always avoidable, if you do what you can to minimise your health risks, you are massively helping the NHS.

5)   Don’t abuse the system – only go to the A&E if you need to go to A&E. If you’re not sure, use this handy chart. Misuse of the services costs millions every year.

Conversely, if you do need the NHS, do not be discouraged or avoid using it – that’s what it’s there for.

6)   Don’t miss appointments or cancel at short notice – this also costs the NHS money, which could have been spent elsewhere if you weren’t going to use it.

7)   Show you care – the NHS has its own charity to which you can donate to show your support and appreciation for their tireless devotion to duty.

8)   Also, obviously, don’t be abusive - NHS staff devote their lives to helping others. Directing your anger or frustration towards them is not acceptable behaviour.

9)   Volunteer – you can support the NHS physically through any one of their many volunteering initiatives.  

You might think that some or even all of these are a lot of effort but:

a)      It’s a lot less than the effort the NHS workers put in to keep us alive

b)      It’s be a lot more effort in the long-term in you don’t

Also, these are important as the actions we take, aside from their main aim of saving the NHS, they demonstrate undeniably to the powers that be that you believe the NHS deserves saving.

 

*Before the NHS was instigated in 1948 following a doggedly determined campaign headed by the late, great Aneurin Bevan (and which was vehemently opposed by the Tories), people unable to afford to pay for a doctor (which accounted for the majority of the working class) would not have access to medical support and supplies. This very nearly led to my not being here as my grandmother contracted diphtheria at the age of 6 and it was only due to a fortunate coincidence that this was spotted, correctly diagnosed and treated. However, it could so easily have had the opposite outcome.