Sunday 20 October 2019

Over the past few weeks/days the papers and the television have shown us image after image of elderly men and a smattering of women sitting around tables discussing the whys and wherefores of staying in/leaving the European Union.  This throws up two questions:   first of all is there an optimum age beyond which people should be considered too old to take part in these debates?   Yes, I know we are all of differing intellects, but surely - apart from the few who are wise until their dying day - as we age our mental capacity does lessen, our thinking is not as quick, our ability to keep abreast of a sub ject which moves at considerable speed wears a bit thin.   Secondly are women so behind in the thinking stakes that only one or two make it through to the stage of appearing on select committees and the like?

Let's face it - the age group trying to deal with the problems surround our leaving the E U seems to be doing their best to complicate things (and I do realise how very complicated things are even if I don' understand them).   If I was a young person now I would feel a huge sense of frustration about the state of play.  Every day I turn on Breakfast Television to hear hour after hour devoted to talking about Brexit.   I feel like never switching the TV on again (and yes, Derek I did say I would stop mentioning it, but it is becoming too important to ignore)

Another question which arises in my mind is did we ever know enough about the nitty-gritty of life in the E U - its gains and its losses - to be in a position to pass judgement on whether it is wise to leave or stay in?   The idea that now should have another Referendum appals me  - another hold up, more thousands spent on it all, - to get a result which may or not be more or less the same and in any case is more or less based on what people who really don't know what they are talking about.

This has been troubling me today as I went out to my usual Sunday lunch and now I switch on to put my worries on line and find that I really can't stay awake long enough to make sure I have recorded my thoughts sufficiently well I do despair that we shall ever be able to find a complete answer to our problems - and in the meantime  the N H S, Education, The Police Force and the rest just have to stand and wait.

18 comments:

Sue said...

Here in America, the three leading Democratic candidates for president are all over 70. In fact one of them, Bernie Sanders, just had a heart attack, and yet, he is still considered strong in the running. I'm 69 myself, and each day grateful for my sound health. But I also know that at this stage of life, physically and mentally, I couldn't handle the high tech career I had in the 1990's. Age discrimination is a sad fact, but you also bring up a good point about which generation should now be the decision makers, handling these complex problems. This is their future world now, much more than ours.

Derek Faulkner said...

I know that with age comes considerable experience, but it also brings with it the kinds of hang ups that you mention, failure to understand the workings of the modern world being one. What I fail to understand is how successive MP's can or either create new Bills or keep going to the courts to get legislature that deliberately obstructs the passing of Brexit. I can't recall it being that easy in the past.

Heather said...

You and I may not understand all the ins and outs of Brexit, but assuming that those serving in Parliament do, why is it still dragging on. I agree that as we age we lose our capacity for dealing with complex issues, however, I do wonder if some of today's MPs are too young to deal with the responsibilities they undertake.

A Brit in Tennessee said...

I am totally burned out with all the twenty four/seven constant political banter, here in the USA. I'm trying to keep up with similar happenings in the UK, but I'm on information overload at this point.
I try and keep abreast of technology and whatever the younger generation is recommending, but an awful lot of today's generation are clueless when it comes to history, and the reasoning behind such laws and decisions.
Many days I try to bury my head in the sand lately.
Jo

Tom Stephenson said...

Re your second paragraph as to whether or not we were properly informed as to the consequences of a Brexit vote goes, I think it becomes clearer by the day that we were not. I really don't think that anyone can deny this.

At Home In New Zealand said...

All your Brexit woes have been on our television news as well. It does seem ridiculous that grown men (and women) cannot put the welfare of their country first and come to a sensible compromise. But I guess these are politicians, and they are pretty much the same the world over when it comes to not agreeing with their political opponents. Sad.

Joanne Noragon said...

And all those issues standing and waiting will do us in, in the end. The debt is running so high, it will all go smash, and not so far in the future.

Susan said...

Ronald Reagan regularly fell asleep in cabinet meetings and Mr Trump strolls into the office just before lunch. I have been spending at least an hour a day reading all I can about party platforms for the upcoming Canadian election. It has been a struggle but I'm finding each day my concentration and retention are improving. I'm sure people like us could step up if we had to and I'm very sure we would treat the job and the people we served with respect. Voting for our lot tomorrow, the posturing of the main parties has been ridiculous and I'm sick of the whole thing.

Cro Magnon said...

Most women have far more important things to do than endlessly discuss Br....ex....it.

thelma said...

The trouble is we see the same faces discussing our predicament, and I think it is very true that we have not had the 'workings' of the European Union discussed in our news. It is the competitive element of party politics that has brought us down to a level of helplessness.

Alphie Soup said...

Regarding your last paragraph, every day the House of Commons Hansard for the previous day is published on line. It's not an easy site to navigate but there are bills being presented and debated every day and it is not totally Brexit as you might think.
The media presents what it thinks will most outrage, divide and distract the British people and it mostly works.
Alphie

Derek Faulkner said...

Tom makes a valid point about not being properly informed about the consequences of the Brexit vote. As a Leave voter I assumed that there would be difficult months ahead as we tried to persuade the EU to let us go. But I wasn't informed that the major consequence would be having to sit back and watch a bunch of immature MP's spend nearly three years, gleefully, both ignoring the Vote and coming up with every wind up that they could, supported by a biased Speaker, to thwart the wishes of the majority.

Librarian said...

I shall repeat what I have commented on another blog about the same subject this morning:
I am in two minds about a second referendum. One part of me says, yes, it is necessary, as the votes at the first one were largely based on campaigns that ranged from misinformation to outright lies, and people had no real idea of what the outcome would really mean.
On the other hand, such is democracy; a (small) majority did vote "leave". They could of course keep holding referendums until the decision fits, but that would not at all help to bridge the schism that has opened between leavers and remainers.

the veg artist said...

Weave, you say "a complete answer to our problems"? - I don't believe that situation ever exists. It's like taking a bucket of water out of the sea. Immediately filled in by more. I believe in riding the issues, because there is always something, and always will be.

Gwil W said...

Here's the answer. It's been three years. Everybody is now better informed. Parliament has repeatedly failed to agree on any deals.

The people should now have the final say: Peoples Vote: Crash Out or Remain.

The Weaver of Grass said...

You all make such valid points - and we are largely in agreement - would that it were so in the place where it matters. Thanks for joining in.

Rachel Phillips said...

It is quite clear that we still do not know enough to vote on staying or leaving and neither do Parliament. Nobody can know because there is a risk always in something new and a move into the unknown. It seems beyond most remainers to take this chance and to have the confidence to believe in the small, medium and large businesses of this country who are the backbone of the economy, pay the most taxes and have the drive and the nous to succeed. All the hot air of remainers and their clichés, NIMBYism, and spinelessness is what has held us back for three years.

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