Let me first acknowledge that I am aware Christmas 2022 is over, even for Orthodox Christians, otherwise you might think I am showing the early stages of dementia. Well I thought Christmas was over until we went through Terminal 5 at London’s Heathrow Airport last Wednesday morning, 11th January, for our flight to Rio de Janeiro. Catching an opportunity to have a pee before going to the gate, I popped into the nearest loo, to be serenaded by “On The First Day of Christmas my true love sent to me …”. Fortunately this wasn’t in ‘Arrivals’, when it might have given those travellers coming to the UK for the first time the wrong impression of this great country!
We’re now some days into 2023 and in previous years I have often wished people ….. “all of what you need and some of what you want” for the new year. The other morning, walking back in the dark from Rahmi the newsagent, I thought about what I might want this year. Of course the word ‘want’ and ‘Christmas’ bring to mind the song ‘All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth’, first recorded in 1948 by American bandleader Spike Jones and by others since, including Alvin &The Chipmunks and a group called the Platters; well, for those of us of a certain age. There’s another Christmas song that starts ‘All I want ….. ‘, ‘All I want for Christmas is you’ and the latest recording’s by Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber in 2009.
So what would be my idealistic wants of 2023?
We are beginning to accept, somewhat reluctantly, that societies need to do something to reduce the impact of climate change, whether man-made or simply in the cycles that define the universe. The mild climate of the United Kingdom is likely to experience more extremes, hot, cold, dry and wet. In the latter case there’s going to be more rain in shorter bursts. Already last year Shoreham, a harbour a few miles west of here, had more that 200% of its expected November rainfall. (Note 1) I want the Green council who run Brighton & Hove to ensure all the drainage systems in the city are cleared of debris and fit for purpose. Currently they are not and flooding occurs; it will only get worse.
And on that subject of our changing climate, I watched David Attenborough’s ‘Extinction: The Facts’, a 2020 documentary, on the flight out to Brazil. I want its message, that one million out of the eight million species on this planet, are at risk of extinction, to be part of mainstream education worldwide. In the west we recoil at the use of wild animals for traditional medicine in some parts of the world. I hope that education will convince current users that, for instance, the scales of the pangolin, made from keratin, the same material that makes up fingernails, hair and horn, have no proven medicinal value. Closer to home, you remember when driving, particularly in the summer, the windscreen became covered in squashed bugs and any attempt with some screen-clean often seemed to make it worse? The bugs have disappeared and that is extremely worrying given the vital role each species plays in natures’ food chain, from the smallest microbe to the largest mammal.
In the United Kingdom we are in the middle of wide-scale industrial unrest, covering most of our public services. The Union movement have rightly been agitating for better pay and conditions for their members; after all, that’s their role! I have never belonged to a union, but so often it seems they resist change, fight modernisation and are not really, in their heart-of-hearts, interested in the success of the company or organisation their members are working in. I want them to have a rethink, to stop saying ‘No!’ and to start making positive suggestions.
We had a strike by the Refuse Collection service in Brighton & Hove for weeks last year; people continued to throw out stuff, then simply on top of the overflowing bins. I want individuals to be more aware of what they discard, how they discard it and if they’ve had a delivery contained in large boxes, for those boxes to be flattened and put in the biggest recycling bin they can find, even if it means walking a hundred metres. I want the council to ensure such a basic collection service is guaranteed.
In the newspaper recently was a review of a book called “Sensational – A New Story of Our Senses” by Ashley Ward. James McConnachie found it ‘a serious and thoughtful book’ with some trivia woven into good solid scientific information, like how decibels are named after their inventor Alexander Graham Bell. But I want to know why ‘when dogs defecate they line up in a roughly north-south direction’? My lovely Labrador Tom is no longer of this world otherwise I’d be out with a compass to check out this claim. But if it’s true, I want to know why?
The Prime Minister here has recently suggested all school children should study Mathematics until 18, in line with some other forward-thinking countries. One newspaper gave some examples from Mathematics examination questions; all I can say it was a long time ago since I passed A level Maths!! But a great idea of Rishi Sunak, our current Prime Minister! I want something even more basic than the ability to understand percentages and statistics. What I really want is a promise from the Department of Education that all our children leave school being able to read and write properly. It’s disgraceful that in 2023 some will not and their lives will be hugely disadvantaged by that deficiency. For those within our prisons who can’t, reaching a certain standard of proficiency could be a condition of early release.
More thoughts to come ……
Richard 20th January 2023
Note 1 Somewhere on the Ghan railway line from Adelaide to Darwin in Australia had 200% monthly rainfall in five days sometime in 2022!
postcards 