Much was attempted to be made last week over Geoffrey Howe's suggestion of 'Managed Decline' and Toxteth, Liverpool, after the riots there in 1981.
One of our many thousands of Major Decline Managers over the decades: Lord Geoffrey Howe
I guess we could have all kicked off and been majorly outraged over this, quite a few were, I was...initially. But hang on a minute...this is a trend that was adopted by us and introduced much more widely into our society and way of life, we allowed this to happen, and have really encouraged a lot of it.
Since 1981 we have managed to allow much in our lives and culture to fall into 'Managed Decline'. Thatcher's destruction of the coal industry, unions, the selling of the family silver - privatisation - Tell Syd (British Gas) - has really worked wonders for our bills hasn't it now that these boards now have share holders to satisfy. We're quite used to allowing our senior citizens to die in winter now, used to scandals around care homes where loved one's are all but tortured in secret due to minimum wage attendants who should never set foot in these places other than to perhaps help clean them. Let's look further...
Jeremy Kyles wonderful new generation, we feed the airtime he gets for his weekly live bear baiting 'lie detectors' and 'paternity tests'. The absolute scourge of reality TV and false TOWIE Type Brief Celebrity Demigods, the WAG role models, the obscenely overpaid footballers with the morals of stray dogs, Freak of The Week documentary's, all part of a morally deficient media diet excess...we always want more, it's increasingly harder to shock us because we're Managing the Decline...
I can remember in the 80's having a reasonable wage where I could save for my marriage and mortgage because I had more than a fighting chance of getting a house. But as house prices grew to ridiculous levels, as the cost of living rose, as credit was dished out willy nilly the bubble just expanded and expanded, we were being shafted and seemingly screaming for MORE! OK so it's a few more years at home with mum and dad, we can Manage the Decline. It's now got to the stage where there are three generations living in that same house...or the next under generation is trying to get ma and pa to enter the potential torture chamber of a 'care home' as the rich decide where the nicest place is in the Lake District for their second home - the gulf gets wider...
Our education system where schools are terrified to expell the unruly due to Government Monitoring, they can Manage the Decline in standards of behaviour...not do anything CONSTRUCTIVE about it, just have an in school 'Sin Bin' managed by staff close to the edge of completely losing it. And let's not get started on having to pay for University Education now eh? We'll be here all day...it's Managing Decline isn't it?
I live in Bolton, a once proud town and I've watched, stood by I suppose as my council have Managed the Decline of the look of the place, every road into it is starting to look like something from a Zombie Holocaust film or the next Mad Max Movie. A lot of other towns are going or have gone the same way.
I could go on...the National Health Service, the Credit Crunch and the immoral behaviour of hedge funders, banks and the City...the MP Expenses Scandal, flipping homes, the Hacking Enquiry, the death of our Film Industry, the 'Foot Locker' and 'JD Sports' riots...we've done a fantastic job of Managing the Decline of our standards and way of life...so let's not just blame the Tories eh?
But it's a NEW YEAR, and I'm going to finish on a POSITIVE. Maybe a cliche but a POSITIVE.
WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
I know we're not all in positions of power, but it's the small differences that can start to make the more telling differences; this is a world where a fifty pence piece can tip over a fork lift truck...
I know that 2012 is possibly the worst financial time ever in a lot of our lives, it is in mine, I'm no longer keeping the wolf at the gate or the door, I'm fighting with packs of them in my own front room. But...
I WILL MANAGE MY RISE. My own personal space and contribution to the space and community around me, I won't take part in any further managing of the decline of it...and I'll start with ME.
I resolve to get at least ONE positive thing out of EVERY day. Eventually that will grow to TWO - so on and so forth, I'll feckin' diary 'em...
I will SMILE at as many people as I can, it's time to LOSE THE FROWN...I know I'll get a few smiles back, and I'll share this mantra with as many people as I can, maybe even YOU will :)
I will talk as regularly as I can with the senior citizens in my street, and help them where I can, yes...old fashioned but I'll get a bit more NEIGHBOURLY - can't do any harm eh?
It's not much but having little power to do much else at the moment I'll start with the small things, the things I CAN DO. I'm the fifty pence piece waiting to tip the fork lift truck up when it's not looking...:)
HAVE A HAPPY AND GLORIOUS NEW YEAR FOLKS -
DON'T LET THE BASTARDS GRIND YOU DOWN, whatever form they are in...
Joe xxx
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