I'm giving it a go.............

I'm on a 'diet'. There I've said it. I've said it out loud too. That makes it real.

I haven't officially told anyone. Not even my husband. I think I am scared that if I tell people and I then fail, or eat something perceived as 'bad', then they will look at me in a different way.  

Now just look  the words I have used in those few sentences.....'diet', 'bad' and my words even suggesting people will look at me as a failure if I don't stick to food that will help me lose weight! I know these are all words and impressions that I have picked up over the past years. When I was younger my mother cooked beautiful meals, and she still does now. Her father used to entertain clients in the home so she was used to providing good food. As I grew up my parents took in foreign students and we had fabulous meals and desserts, and cakes. But mum and I were often on a diet too. It was the fashion years ago. We tried them all. The hard boiled egg diet, the cabbage diet, the cottage cheese diet, the eat nothing but soup diet, and on and on. In fact I can honestly say that I have had, and still have, a very food orientated life. I think about my next meal frequently, and food is a great pleasure to me. I have been known to dream about food!

The problem is that 'diets' become all consuming. Really what I need to do is start thinking of what I put in my mouth and what it does to my body, and then actually following it up. I know I am overweight, and I have made plenty of excuses for why I am like this. I have rheumatoid arthritis and it's difficult to exercise. My knees are shot away and the fibromyalgia makes me ache, so I rest often. I walk a lot at work so get my bit of exercise there. I like cooking. My husband isn't overweight, and so when I cook for him it's not right that I eat different food at our meal times. Oh the excuses go on and on and I know deep inside that they are exactly that, excuses. 

I've lost a substantial amount of weight before. Three stone in fact. My son needed to lose some too, so I followed the Slimming World meal plans and it helped me to practice portion control. My son lost lots of weight and we actually found it easy. I haven't been in the right frame of mind to change my meal planning for a long time, and that's what has been wrong. I just bought larger clothes, threw away the ones I couldn't get in to any more, and slobbed about. I don't really know what has changed, but the last four weeks I've been eating totally different from before. I have lost ten pounds and my trousers are not so tight. Something must have clicked in my head and this week brought it home to me why I am doing it too. 

My father had a big fall and ended up with a serious head injury and gashed arm. All week I have looked after him and my mother, and it's made me realise that I need to be fit to do that. They will need my help far more as the months go on and I am determined to be there for them. So carrying extra weight is not an option. Cue the Daily Mail featuring a week long introduction to the Fast 800 Summer Diet and it's piqued my interest. So I am following it. I will still have a treat meal once a week though. That was what kept me going the last time I lost weight and I suspect it will do the same this time. So far I am 'in the frame', ready to do this. I am also ready to get in to a pair of moss green jeans I have set my sights on for some reason. Always have a goal!!

I have one problem and that is boredom. It tends to hit after a couple of weeks, so I am going to trawl the internet for recipes and hopefully that will help? It's easy to do a healthy eating plan (see what I have done there? Change around the emotion, and avoid the word 'diet' because of the connotations for me) for a few weeks but harder to sustain it. Writing it down makes it real, and let's hope that will help me to keep going until I fit in to those jeans...……..

Life in prison should mean life?

The news that Kenneth Noye has been released from prison makes me sad and angry for the injustice. It makes a mockery of the words 'life in prison'.

In 1996 Kenneth Noye stabbed to death twenty one year old Stephen Cameron in a road rage incident. It happened on the M25 in front of Stephen's seventeen year old fiancé. I cannot imagine the horror of witnessing something like this. There has been one murder in my family many years ago, a stabbing. The repercussions still resound today. Not only that but, although it was an aunt, I recall the agony of the family when the murderer came up for parole each time. I have no idea how someone in prison is assessed for release but do wonder how anyone can tell that someone is 'contrite', has good conduct (in prison?!), and 'maturity' as is in the case of Kenneth Noye. The environment of prison is completely different to that of the real outside world as you are cocooned, and in a false state of reality. Everything is provided for you, and you have little interaction with anyone except those keeping you there, those assessing you and other inmates. 

There are degrees of murder, first and second, and also voluntary and involuntary manslaughter. All result in the death of a person. As a result the sentencing of those that carry out these crimes are subject to the interpretation of the law, and it is hard to categorise when people who commit them should be rehabilitated on the outside of prison. 

The case of Kenneth Noye is indisputably that of murder, witnessed and proven. He was given a life sentence with a minimum of sixteen years to serve. Personally I think that when a sentence states life, it should mean exactly that. A lifetime in confinement with no access to the outside world. Kenneth Noye will have restrictions to his release, but the parole board have decided he is ready to return to the community. Previous requests in 2015 and 2017 were turned down. He is now seventy one and has been deemed to be no threat to anyone. 

Do I think his restrictions are enough? Well he has to see a probation officer regularly, has restrictions on oversea travel, exclusion zones, and live in supervised accommodation. No, I don't think they are enough. The family are devastated at his release, and I can understand why. To know that someone is walking around living their lives freely is harsh when a loved one has been murdered by that person. To know you may accidentally see or meet them must be even worse. Kenneth Noye committed another serious crime before his murder of Stephen Cameron. He handled stolen bullion from a Heathrow Airport heist. Kenneth Noye also stabbed ten times and killed a police officer, Detective Constable John Fordham, at his home in 1985. The Detective Constable was investigating Kenneth Noye's links to the heist. Kenneth Noye was imprisoned for handling the stolen goods but cleared of murder or manslaughter on the grounds of self defence. I suggest stabbing someone ten times is not an act of self defence, but an act of deliberately wanting to stop someone permanently. 

The fact that he has stabbed and killed two people on separate occasions suggest to me he should not be released at all. He is a murderer twice over, and as such should be staying in prison, locked away for life. He should not even have been allowed to live in an open prison, as he has been since 2017. Neither should he have been allowed to visit his home unescorted since last year, as has been reported. Kenneth Noye should not be allowed out with the general public at all. In fact I have no idea why I am mentioning his name as it only adds to his notoriety, so all I want to say is how long before he does it again? How long?

My sympathies go out to the family of Detective Constable John Fordham and Stephen Cameron.

I have a secret crush, though it's not so secret now!

I've got a secret crush on Professor Brian E Cox. It's only just happened, but I can feel myself going all silly when I watch him on tv. For a woman of fifty nine this is somewhat disconcerting!

Obviously I've known about him before now, after all he is well known in the media, but I've never actually listened to him until last week. He is presenting a new program all about the planets in our solar system, and as I find that sort of thing interesting I recorded the first episode. Well what a revelation. Not only was the episode interesting, but the presenter, Professor Brian Cox, is rather charismatic. 

There is a short bio telling you who he is -
Professor Brian Edward Cox OBE, FRS is an English physicist who serves as professor of particle physics in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester. He is best known to the public as the presenter of science programmes, especially the Wonders of... series and for popular science books, such as Why Does E=mc²? and The Quantum Universe. He has been the author or co-author of over 950 scientific publications.

So a very clever man, and yet he doesn't appear condescending at all. The program waltzed you along on a trip through our solar system with measured gentle persuasion that this was all perfectly normal. Perfectly normal to have professor not look like something out of Back to the Future! I didn't realise that Professor Brian Cox was a pop star at one point. Yes indeed he was. But now he presents umpteen programs about physics, science, our world and worlds beyond, in a gentle voice that lulls you in to a kind of trance. I was naff at physics at school but Professor Brian Cox makes me think I could actually understand it now. 

I have no idea how I could have missed this man? One thing I have never liked about our media and society as a whole is that we focus on looks so much. I'm afraid I have a confession to make. While listening to his voice and what he was saying I did notice that Professor Brian Cox is rather, how shall I put it, nice to look at. How embarrassing. I can feel myself go red at this confession, but it seems I am not the only one. I picked up an article from 2010 and found out all about 'Brian Cox the Fox'. Good grief where have I been? How did I miss this? How did I miss learning so much from someone who clearly finds it all fascinating and actually wants to teach people? It's probably the way he imparts the information to us. He's not excitable in a wild abandoned way at all, but rather confident and assured. This makes you feel like you are part of his journey rather than an observer. Always a good way to make people want to learn more.

I'm recording tonight's program so I can actually try to listen to what he says rather than getting distracted. You see life shouldn't be about looks, but I do think it helps that he is nice looking. You find yourself really wanting to understand and learn when he is speaking. So I have decided I shall embrace this crush, as it's a long time since I almost fell on the floor drooling at Harrison Ford as Han Solo in Star Wars! Professor Brian Cox long may you help me learn all about science, and long may I listen with bated breath. Now where is my remote control?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1262449/Brian-Cox-pop-star-turned-pin-professor-series-solar-sent-career-orbit.html

Is Boris Johnson the British Donald Trump?

There is definitely a sense of 'lets get Boris Johnson' right now. I've notice a sly movement going on to discredit him. Someone doesn't want him to be the next Prime Minister.

I have to be honest. Boris hasn't been my first choice for Prime Minister as he has ended up with a reputation for being a buffoon, but recently he seems to have shown a different side to his usual clowning around character. He reminds me of Donald Trump a bit. Puts his foot in it, speaks before he appears to think, and seems to get caught on camera in the most unlikely of poses and positions.  He also has charisma, is popular with a lot of people and strongly believes in this country. Like I said, a bit like Donald Trump is to America.

The reason why I say someone is gunning for Boris Johnson, is the amount of recent anti Boris media news articles since he announced he is standing for Prime Minister. Take today for example. Donald Trump has recently tweeted his support for Boris. So what have the anti Brexit Led by Donkeys campaigners done? They have projected a video of Boris Johnson criticising Donald Trump in 2015 on to Big Ben. It is huge! Now let's get this straight. It's clearly a sabotage campaign. Considering Donald Trump and Boris Johnson's recent mutual admiration the video will be an embarrassment. Boris Johnson will also look a bit of an idiot to those who support his stand to be Prime Minister. I always say that you should be careful what you speak, tweet or post out in to the public domain. If it is derogatory it will come back to bite you in the bum (to coin a phrase) at the worst possible moment. So it was silly of Boris to say what many people were thinking, after all he is a well known public figure. But it also was four years ago and people are allowed to change their minds about a person. Boris Johnson and Donald Trump have met, and maybe they actually got on? 

So you could say the video is a nasty piece of work, or you could say it's all fair in love and war. To me it's a bit of both. The video is a real dig at someone who has stated exactly where he stands with regard to Brexit, and who wants a future trade deal with America. But as I have said, if you are in the public arena you need to watch what you say. Maybe Boris Johnson is like Donald Trump who doesn't seem to care a fig about what anyone says about him if it's negative? To be honest if everyone with such a public profile read everything that they considered horrible about them it would soon start to have a negative effect. So I would say that the best thing to do is ignore the bad and stick to the good. You may be under a false illusion about how great you are, but you certainly wont be depressed or get a complex!

I haven't seen much negative press about the other candidates who put themselves forward for Prime Minister, but maybe I've been reading the wrong newspapers or social media pages? Then again it does seem like Boris Johnson has become a target  at the moment. That means one of two things. Either he is in with a real chance of becoming Prime Minister and therefore a big threat to some people, or some people just don't like him! Wonder which it is? 

Americanisms and Englishisms

Donald Trump's visit to us is imminent. I await with bated breath what he will inflict on us, accidentally or otherwise!

Now I am no fan of the man. I admit to laughing at some of the things he says and does, but there is no doubt he has a lot of America behind him. He appears to have a charisma that inspires a lot of people, and also he appears to speak the language that people want to hear. He very often says it how he sees it, and really doesn't seem to care who he upsets. Donald Trump is also passionate about America and that resonates with an incredible amount of people. Maybe that is what we need here? Someone who feels so strongly about our country that he or she fights for us, rather than tries to pander to what other countries want? 

Still, this man does court controversy wherever he goes. People have already marched against his visit, and will no doubt march against him while he is here visiting. I do feel we all have the right to say how we feel, but I also feel it should be done with respect. Bandying that 'baby Trump' balloon around is ridiculing and disrespectful, however you may feel about the man. But then I feel respect is important whoever you may be, whether rich, poor, famous or just someone like me!

Anyway with Donald Trump's visit almost here I did get to see a newspaper use a few 'Americanism' today. It was deliberate, but what can I say? Some of the words they use for things we have are rather strange indeed. I mean how about a 'fanny pack'? Guess what that is? A 'bum bag'. It seems rather an eyebrow raising American name for it, but then maybe a fanny means something different over there! Egg plant? Why do the Americans call an aubergine that? I suppose it could be considered egg shaped but it's purple! Cookie? Now here in Britain a cookie is a particular type of round flat sometimes chewy biscuit with chocolate chips in, or raisins, or such like. In America a cookie is a biscuit not a type of biscuit, so is a cracker. A cracker here is generally savoury. Suspenders? Well Americans call braces that. I am not sure how to explain to Americans what we consider suspenders are, but suffice to say it's part of a certain type of underwear! Jumper? Would you believe that's what they call a pinafore dress? A jumper or pullover in America is called a sweater. That could cause confusion if you want to buy a jumper in America then. Closet? That's a toilet in English and a wardrobe in America. That could be very awkward if you get that wrong.

Some of the words American's use are easy for us to understand as they make total sense. Parking lot. Potato chips. Pacifier. Wash cloth. Vacation. Dog house. Oven mitt. Dish towel. All easy enough to interpret, but it could be interesting when Mr Donald Trump chats to the Queen. I foresee a few interesting eyebrow wiggles happening, let alone scope for misinterpretation. I wish I was a fly on the wall at the meeting...……….

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/usage/british-and-american-terms

Our amazing A&E

Quick blog today. My father has had a traumatic head injury after a fall in the garden. He is home but being monitored carefully.

I just want to say that the A&E department we went to was hugely busy, and yet through all the upheaval every single one of the staff were amazing. I want to say thank you.

They treated each of us with respect and dignity. Every patient was assessed professionally, and as if they were the only one. After five hours there we were all exhausted and yet as we left there will still (tired) smiles from the staff. We are so lucky to have the NHS. Long may we support it, and long may people understand a cold is not a reason to visit A&E!! 

Am I the only vodka drinker in a crowd of gin drinkers?

Ever felt out of fashion? That's me right now. I'm a vodka and tonic drinker. Gin is in fashion, so pooh to me!

It's been a while now since the gin movement started, and boy has it taken off. There are so many flavours and types around that, if you like gin, it's a dream come true. Everywhere I look there are magazine articles, tv programmes and internet sites all about this drink. I look at them all and think yummy what better on a  hot sunny day than a gin and tonic. The idea, the mystery, the fashionableness of it all, makes me aspire to be a gin drinker. Who wouldn't want to drink a gin flavoured with blood oranges, or maybe wild berries? Just add tonic and ice, maybe a slice of lemon, or heck go the whole hog and add a slice of cucumber, and away you go. The image of some cool person in large sunglasses, floppy hat and not a lot else, sipping a nice gin and tonic is bandied about all over the place. You are that person if you drink gin. You are that cool, fashionable person. In fact you can even look cool while drinking non alcoholic gin too. Imagine that. A gin that doesn't give you a hangover and still tastes like the real stuff, apparently. 

The problem is that I have tried to drink gin but I really don't like it. Honestly, I have tried. The only 'gin' I like is sloe gin, and I have to be in the right mood to drink that, and only in the winter. I've never liked gin, let's be honest. Years ago when I used to go out clubbing with my girlfriends I would drink wine or vodka while they would drink gin and tonics. My over-riding memory of those nights is my best friend delicately crying in the taxi after consuming vast quantities of gin muttering 'It's the gin. It's mother's ruin. It makes you cry, It's the gin'. More sniffles. I used to pat her on the shoulder and mutter 'It's the gin, don't worry'. I think that made me decided not to drink the stuff anyway! 

In my own 'cool' days I would sip vodka and lemonade with ice and a slice of lime. In fact when I think back I even drank vodka at college. Vodka and lime was my tipple of choice, introduced to me by a mate of my then boyfriend. I suppose I've never looked back after that. I like the purity of vodka and prefer to drink a barley version called Finlandia. I don't like any of this rye grass stuff either! It's a pity that you don't get the choice that you do with gin. I trawled an on line supermarket site and found five pages worth of gins and only two of vodkas. Rather disconcerting when you are attempting to get the drink of your choice. I must admit I've tampered with flavoured vodkas but always go back to the simple clarity of a pure unflavoured type. I have had a go at all those flavoured vodka Christmas pressies you see in the magazines every year (don't mention Christmas ahhhhhh). I've bought pretty cheap vodka, added skittles sweeties and watched the colour go day glo, and it does indeed taste rather good. One tip. Either use one skittle sweetie colour only, or stick to yellow and green OR red and blue, just don't add them all because the colour ends up rather weird. I've also done citrus peel infused vodka, and that was just as good. In fact I may just make some again this year.

So I think I will just label myself as 'different'. I like to stand out from the crowd and so why would I drink gin just to follow what everyone else is drinking? Nah. That's what I tell myself. Mind you, don't tell anyone but secretly deep inside I really do wish I liked gin because it does all sound so good when you read the label...…….but nope I just don't like it and that's that! I'll stick to vodka please. 

https://www.candystore.com/blog/recipes/sweets-with-an-adult-twist-our-favorite-candy-infused-vodka-recipes/

When you realise you sound like a ten year old.....

I listened to a recording of my voice the other day and was horrified! I sounding exactly like my aunt! I was all carefully spoken and quite high pitched, and my laugh was awful. This is not what I thought I sounded like!

I'm hoping that a recording distorts the voice a bit. I thought my voice was lower, and if it isn't I am going to have to practice speaking in to my chest a bit more. The voice I heard was rather poncey, and sounded more like a young child than someone of my age. My laugh was quite low though, not the fabulous peal of sound I thought it was. My illusion of myself has been shattered quite dramatically. 

At work we have to make tanoy announcements sometimes, and I really must try to lower my voice a bit. When you make the call you can actually hear yourself in the background. It's rather disconcerting, and sort of makes an echo as you speak in to the telephone microphone. The first time I heard myself I thought 'who the hell is that'. Then my next thought was 'oh my gosh it's me. Do I really sound like that?'

I wonder if other people hear your voice like you do yourself? How would you find out? I think I sound rather pretentious actually, and that is not how I want to come across. You know, that 'little miss know it all' that you want to shove in a separate room so you can't hear her. Don't deny it. We all know someone like that!  I listen to my colleagues at work and their voices sound more measured than mine. On the recordings I've surreptitiously made of my parents they sound just like I hear them anyway. Maybe my mother's accent is a little more pronounced, but apart from that they sound just as I expect. It's their voices that I love and want to keep alive. My brother sounds the same on the recording, and so does his laugh. The only conclusion I can come to is that I do actually sound like a slightly nasal ten year old girl! How horrific! 

In desperation I've returned to good old Google to type in the search bar 'does a recording of your voice sound like you'. Sad isn't it? Still the initial answer was what I wanted -
...........when you hear your voice on a recording, it usually sounds higher and weaker than you think it should. Don't worry if your voice sounds funny to you on a recording. Everyone experiences the same thing. Just because it sounds funny and different to you doesn't mean other people hear it that way.

Phew. That's okay then. But hang on, maybe not. Maybe I do actually sound like a recording, because the next information on google said this - 

The good news: There's evidence that suggests that while you may prefer the sound of your voice as it sounds in your head, the people around you probably prefer the sound of your voice as it exists in the real world. The mere-exposure effect, after all, works both ways. 

Oh dear. I really do sound like the recording. Apparently it's all to do with our bones in our head. That's why our voices sound deeper than other people hear. But how does that work when I can hear other people around me with deeper voices than I have? Gosh I really don't like my voice now!  wonder if I can practice speaker deeper. Right now as I write this I am actually speaking out loud in a deep voice! It sound weird but maybe I will try it on a recording, ha ha? Watch this space...….

Mr Bercow please butt out..........

Mr John Bercow is the Speaker of the House of Commons. The Speaker of the House of Commons is supposed to be unbiased. Mr Bercow is anything but unbiased.

Wikipedia explains that the Speaker 'remains strictly non-partisan and renounce all affiliation with their former political parties when taking office and afterwards'. Mr Bercow has been constantly accused of allowing his own beliefs and feelings to come in to play when he makes a decision in the House of Commons, and I agree. Don't get me wrong. He is clever, informed, and manages to pull little known laws out of the hat when he needs to, but that is not being unbias when you can be seen to thwart certain motions consistently. The important word here is 'consistently'.

Much as I don't want to harp on about it, I seem to be consistently writing about Brexit recently. It's become my bête noir. I honestly never thought my blog would end up so full of it, but then my bio says my blog is all about what I think, and Brexit seems to be on my mind a lot recently. It's very therapeutic to get it off my chest! 

So back to Mr John Bercow. He was a Conservative Party member, but his election to the Speakers Chair depended very heavily on the support of other parties. His election was also unpopular with many of his Conservative colleagues. I can see why. He has been a controversial Speaker, and to a layman's eye he meddles when he should be silent. Today he is in the news for two reasons. One is that he has announced he will stay on as Speaker of the House of Commons because 'it was not sensible to go while the momentous events of Brexit are happening'. To be honest that's rubbish. We're having a New Conservative Leader, we'll probably have a new Labour Leader soon the way things are going, so why not have a new Speaker? He has clashed with Tory MPs consistently and has been accused of  making up rules as he goes along. He certainly has been the most outspoken and involved Speaker for a long time. The second reason he is in the paper is that he has openly stated that he will make sure that MPs have a say over whether we leave the EU with No Deal or not. 

At the moment the current law says we will leave on the 31st October 2019. It isn't clear whether Parliament could stop a No Deal but Mr Bercow has proved to be rather 'flexible' in his Speaker approach recently where Brexit has been concerned. It could be that Parliament will have to rush through a new law to get another postponement if a No Deal seems inevitable. What the MPs and Mr Bercow believe the EU will do about that is beyond me. As I have stated before, the EU have totally and categorically said they are now getting fed up with the dithering and will not tolerate another delay. All the other EU member states would have to agree another delay. It would only take one member state to say no extension and that would be it. The cost to all of the countries is growing, business wise and economically wise, not to mention that everyone's nerves are getting fraught. They will not allow another extension, and it appears they could turn round and say that we cannot leave if this carries on. I suspect that is what some people, some MPs and Mr Bercow want. I cannot imagine the mood of this country if that would happen, but be it on their heads. 

There are a couple of scenarios possible if Mr Bercow starts this action. The MPs could pass a resolution rejecting a No Deal but that would not be legally binding, and so it could still go ahead. MPs could call for a no confidence vote in the Government and bring it down. What a mess the House of Commons would be in then. 
This is Mr Bercow's statement - 

'My reading of the situation is that legally the default position in the absence of an agreement is Brexit on October 31.  'There can, however, be a difference between what the law says and what political movements between now and then decrees. 'I'm not saying that Brexit without a deal will happen and I'm not saying that it definitely won't. I am saying that Parliament and individual parliamentarians will have strong views about these matters. 'There is a difference between a legal default position and what the interplay of political forces in Parliament will facilitate.'The idea that there is an inevitability of a No Deal Brexit would be a quite wrong suggestion. There is no inevitability whatsoever about that.' 

Mr John Bercow denies impartiality. He says that he has allowed both sides to be heard, but he also admits he voted to Remain. I have accused MPs before of doing what they believe in, rather than doing the will of the majority of their constituents. I would suggest this is what Mr Bercow has done, and is doing. This is my opinion from my observations and my prerogative to think this, but I am not the only person to feel this way. The media is full of his statement today.

He also mentioned who he admires 'for their capability for answering urgent questions in Parliament'. Quote 'In the present Government, if I may say so, I would cite Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt as very good examples of extremely capable ministers who have got the intellectual self-confidence as well as the communication skill and the dexterity at the despatch box to cope at that which is thrown at them'. That smacks of unbias where the Leadership of the Conservative Party contest is concerned! He knows he can influence MPs and as such should keep out of it all. He is there to keep the order of the House of Commons when it is sitting, and as such should do his job rather than meddle. But Mr Bercow has always done what he feels is right. So maybe I should admire him for his stance. Actually all he does is irritate me for bending the rules of his job, and allowing himself to get involved when he should be neutral. 

Mr Bercow please will you butt out, be quiet for once, and let MPs get on with their job!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaker_of_the_House_of_Commons_(United_Kingdom)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bercow

Please let's have some respect.

One of the Guardian newspaper's headlines today is 'The Remainers won these elections and they'd win a second Brexit referendum'.

Nigel Farage's Brexit Party has won the most MEP seats in the European Parliamentary elections. The Brexit Party is a political party that wishes the country to follow the original referendum result and leave the EU. The Guardian newspaper wishes for a second referendum because the sum total of the other MEP political parties, with the Conservatives and Labour divided up how they think it would be, would tally up to more Remainers than Leavers. We have a First Past The Post system for most of our elections. That sort of system means that the Brexit party would be an all out winner as they had the majority of votes. If we had a General Election and they had received the most votes, they would become the ruling party in Parliament. But, and it's a big but, you have to have an overall majority above those of the remaining parties because otherwise other political parties can overrule what you want to do. As a result a political party will often have a 'coalition' which is made up of a couple of political parties (trying) to get together and run the government. I haven't a clue who the Brexit Party would enter in to a coalition with as they are a new political party. It could be very interesting if it ever happened. 

The Guardian newspaper says that if you add up all the MEP results you will see that there are overall more Remainers than Leavers, but it's close. It was close in the original referendum too, but you cannot keep choosing to have more voting on the same thing over and over again until you get the result you want. The Guardian is a pro EU newspaper so they want another vote. But we have already had a vote! People will come out in their millions to vote on something like that again, and again it will be a close result I am sure. So would we end up in the position of a reversal of winners, the Remainers, if we had another vote? Probably. But then what could happen is the Leavers could turn round and say 'hang on' it was a close result, people don't really understand and so we better have another vote to check and see what people really want. Then we could have a third referendum and the result could be different again. You cannot keep going on and on. How many votes should you have on a subject? A lot of people didn't like the result of the original EU referendum. I was shocked too. I didn't realise how strongly people felt. The EU was shocked. But the decision was clear, if by a small majority. People wanted to leave, and so we have been trying to do that for the last couple of years. 

Anyway the Guardian Newspaper has been rather derogatory about the people who voted to leave and I just get very fed up with all the disrespect happening everywhere. It's happened over the last couple of days after the MEP results, too. The vileness and bitterness on Social Media is perplexing to me. I hold my hand up and say I voted to leave originally, and would do the same again. I object to it being suggested that most of the people who did that were 'ill informed', 'lied to' and 'didn't understand what they were voting for'. Other descriptions have been used, many seriously derogatory, about the sensibility of anyone that voted that way, and particularly their age. Believe me, I did a lot of research before I chose the direction of my vote. I am sure a lot of people did. Why would just the people who voted Remain check out the information? Why couldn't the Leavers have done the same? To suggest that somehow anyone who voted to leave is 'mentally impaired', 'stupid', 'crass', 'old' and so on, is an affront to anyone. There has been nastiness on both sides. Some who voted to leave have called anyone voting to stay that they are 'under an illusion', 'unpatriotic' and 'ill informed'. Equally bitter and vile words have been used. It has got incredibly unpleasant, and leaves a nasty taste in my mouth. I can honestly say that had the result been that we should remain in the EU I would have been sad because that was not how I voted, but I would have accepted it and got on with things. I would not have shouted out that as the result was so close we should vote again, just incase the result was different. I certainly would not have been so rude and obnoxious to those that voted differently to me. In fact, while I would have been irritated, I would have got on with trying to make this country the place I know it can be. A united place, where anyone and everyone can live, freely, and that can happen whether we leave or stay. 

I have my reasons for why I voted, as does every one. I do not have to justify why I voted the way I did. All I and many other people wish for, is that we get on with it. Move forward instead of stalemating. The MPs in Parliament stalled and argued amongst themselves instead of doing that. We relied on them to honour a vote result, as they have in the past. It hasn't happened and that is why I am looking very carefully at what is happening around this country right now. We are so in danger of becoming what we hate in other countries. A directorship, (not dictatorship), where you are told what is going to happen, however you voted.We have a democratic system, and as such it should be followed through. 

I implore people to calm down. We need to agree to disagree in a respectful way. We need to be nice to each other! We can argue until the cows come home, but you cannot expect to sway people if they have made their minds up, and most of us have. The other people are simply fed up with it all and have stepped back. Maybe we should watch out for those people, because they are the ones in the background who may just creep up on us all while we are bickering with each other?

https://www.nriol.com/uk-visitors/politics-in-uk.asp

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-past-the-post_voting

Let's show the world what we are made of..........

Just as I thought. The MEP results shows a split in this country again. I suspect it will be the same when we have our next General Election too. There will have to be a coalition, and that is how the decisions will be made. It will be interesting to see if we end up with another referendum, though the outcry will be huge. After all another referendum will prove our democracy is not all it makes out to be.

So the results are -

East of England (7 MEPs)

Brexit Party 38%, Lib Dems 23%, Greens 13%, Tories 10%, Labour 9%, Change UK 4%, Ukip 3%

Brexit Party 3 MEPs, Lib Dems 2, Greens 1, Tories 1

East Midlands (5 MEPs)

Brexit Party 38%, Lib Dems 17%, Labour 14%, Tories 11%, Greens 11%, Ukip 5%, Change UK 4%

Brexit Party 3 MEPs, Lib Dems 1, Labour 1

London (8 MEPs)

Lib Dems 27%, Labour 24, Brexit Party 18%, Greens 12%, Tories 8%, Change UK 5%, Ukip 2%

Lib Dems 3 MEPs, Labour 2, Brexit Party 2, Greens 1

North East (3 MEPs)

Brexit Party 39%, Labour 19%, Lib Dems 17%, Greens 8%, Tories 7%, Ukip 6%, Change UK 4%

Brexit Party 2 MEPs, Labour 1

North West (8 MEPs)

Brexit Party 31%, Labour 22%, Lib Dems 17%, Greens 13%, Tories 8%, Ukip 4%, Change UK 3%

Brexit Party 3 MEPs, Labour 2, Lib Dems 2, Greens 1

South East (10 MEPs)

Brexit Party 36%, Lib Dems 26%, Greens 14%, Tories 10%, Labour 7%, Change UK 4%, Ukip 2%

Brexit Party 4 MEPs, Lib Dems 3, Greens 1, Tories 1, Labour 1

South West (6 MEPs)

Brexit Party 37%, Lib Dems 23%, Greens 18%, Tories 9%, Labour 7% Ukip 3%, Change UK 3%

Brexit Party 3, Lib Dems 2, Greens 1

West Midlands (7 MEPs)

Brexit Party 38%, Labour 17%, Lib Dems 16%, Greens 11%, Tories 10%, Ukip 5%, Change UK 3%

Brexit Party 3 MEPs, Labour 1, Lib Dems 1, Greens 1, Tories 1

Yorkshire & Humber (6 MEPs)

Brexit Party 37%, Labour 16%, Lib Dems 16%, Greens 13%, Tories 7%, Ukip 4%, Yorkshire Party 4%, Change UK 2%

Brexit Party 3 MEPs, Labour 1, Lib Dems 1, Greens 1

Wales (4 MEPs)

Brexit Party 33%, Plaid Cymru 20%, Labour 15%, Lib Dems 14%, Tories 7%, Greens 6%, Ukip 3%

Brexit Party 2 MEPs, Plaid Cymru 1, Labour 1

Scotland (6 MEPs)

[Official results declared 11am, but nearly all votes are already counted]

SNP 38%, Brexit Party 15%, Lib Dems 14%, Tories 12%, Scottish Labour 9%, Greens 8%

SNP 3 MEPs, Brexit Party 1, Lib Dems 1, Tories 1

Northern Ireland (3 MEPs)

Full results expected Tuesday afternoon

Overwhelmingly the Brexit party have the most MEPs. What would happen if the Liberals and the Labour party formed an alliance would be anyone's guess, but to be honest their manifestos are far apart except for Brexit. The results were just like the EU referendum and no-one expected London to have any other result but 'remain'. As for Scotland? Well the SMP have always done well ,and it will be interesting to see if they go ahead with their threat to have a vote for  independence if we leave the EU. I think that would be a travesty though. To see if they can go it alone, and it wont be as easy as they think, will be a sad reflection on what people think of our United Kingdom. We need to be pulling together not splitting up. 

So what is the media making of the results? Well they are saying just what I said a few days ago actually. The country is still split on leaving the EU. The Conservative Party and Labour have paid the price for their messes on Brexit. The results in most areas were similar to that of the original EU referendum. It's interesting to note that we will still obviously have a difficult time ahead. Nothing has really changed and I'm just waiting to see if the Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow will put his finger in again and get involved, even though he is supposed to be unbiased. 

So I think the future for this country is going to go one of two ways. We will either leave with no deal on the thirty first of October this year, or we will have a second referendum. A second referendum will split the country again, and to be honest the argument will go on and on because of it. We need to end it once and for all to be frank. Accept the decision of the majority. If the EU wont give any more concessions we leave with no deal, and move forward with our heads held high. Our country, as I have said before, is resilient. We have fought our own battles with and without the help of allies. We have shown we can be leaders, and can manage our own affairs. It is time to stop all this messing about and move on. Let's get back to business, let's get back to being Great Britain, The United Kingdom, and getting this country on the road to what it deserves. We have a great place to live in, whatever you may think. We have freedom, we are liberal and we are forward thinking. Let's show the world what we are made of...…….