From The Mind of Merc - Extinction Rebellion

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 Extinction Rebellion.

Let me just say that I have no objection to what they are trying to achieve – I am all for it. The planet is doomed if we don’t stop destroying it – absolutely.
What I don’t understand is the method they have chosen – namely to inconvenience the everyday man in the street.

Yes – I get that they are trying to cause a disturbance in order to be noticed but surely they are causing a disturbance to the wrong people.
Is it the everyday man in the street who is obstructing change and working to actively prevent the necessary ruled and regulation changes that the group is campaigning for? No. So why on earth does it even to the slightest degree compute that the best thing to do is annoy those people? All that will do is cause antagonism, resentment and even greater opposition to what they are trying to achieve.
It’s like saying you want to stop people chopping down trees so you go and inconvenience Greenpeace.
Or saying you want to put an end to veganism and annoying meat eaters. 

Above all, it is fundamentally contradictory to their desired outcome.
What is the key thing they need to make change happen? Support
How do you get support? By winning people over to your side
How do you not get support? By annoying the people you need to support you. And yet what are they doing?

Please can the movement make the decision to turn their efforts towards disrupting the lives of those in power who have the influence and authority to make the change they want to see happen.
If they’re going to inconvenience someone, it should at least be the people to blame for the inaction. These are the people they should be aiming for and not the other people around them - their fellow victims.
Also, given the current catastrophic state of the government and the increasing antipathy being directed towards this would be a practically guaranteed way to garner support – win-win.
They have the drive, they have the method, all they need now is the direction.

From The Mind of Merc - Common Sense

Sometimes I find my mind wandering over various eclectic topics and occasionally I am inspired to write some of them down. Today I thought I'd keep it simple:

STAY HOME

STAY SAFE!

From The Mind of Merc - Decision Making

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 decision making – specifically those related to the UK government.

I used to think that maybe this was how it works:

But I’m not starting to think it’s like this:

How on earth did we go from the term ‘Prime Minister’ being an insult (Robert Walpole – the first person to technically hold the position from 1721-1742 – objected strongly to being described thus)

to the Prime Minister himself being an insult – referring to black people as ‘picanninies’ with ‘watermelon smiles’ #notmypm

I mean, come on:

Maybe overall it’s a case of:

And until then the best of British to all!

From The Mind of Merc - If I Ruled The World

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 an old Tony Bennett song.

Given the upcoming election, I found myself wondering what I would do - If I Ruled The World (this will no doubt be an ongoing list that I’ll continue to add to in the future):

- Anyone wanting plastic surgery would be given therapy instead to help them realise the beautiful person they are already

- If someone who is ill or diagnosed with a disease needs treatment that will help them and that treatment exists then it should be given to them (no question of cost – life comes first)

- If someone needs subsistence then it should be given to them (not taken away)

- Politicians would be on a performance related bonus – to be evaluated by the public (ergo no giving themselves pay rises (after all politicians used to be paid absolutely nothing)

- University education would be free (it was doable before so it should be again)

- Double jeopardy would be abolished (if you committed a crime there should be nothing to stop you being held accountable

- There would be no glass ceiling (or fast track)

- Education would teach everyone to treat everyone equally

- No tax cuts for the wealthy – tax would be a percentage

So I guess that would be my manifesto