The Thamesmead Grump

 EASTER SPECIAL REPORT 

1960s Easter Egg

Every year, the tabloid end of our news media publishes tales of outraged gammons protesting the lack of the word "Easter" on the chocolate eggs that have been gracing our supermarket shelves since Boxing Day.

Every year we are treated to mindless rants about not offending Muslims although (as usual) they cannot provide any offended Muslims to say how offended they are,

A simple bit of research will show that most manufacturers have never had the word "Easter" on the box. Unfortunately, this requires some intelligent thought which is why it never happens.

As I pointed out in my previous post on the subject, which you can read here:-https://thethamesmeadgrump.blogspot.com/search?q=easter the only people who are likely to be offended by Easter eggs are Christians, unhappy about how their festival is being celebrated with offerings to the Pagan Fertility Goddes "Eostre".

If you would like to celebrate Easter the old-fashioned way, take a look at this excellent article on the subject. https://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-info/meet-the-goddesses/ostara/ostara-unabridged/

LOCAL ELECTION REPORT Pt 1.

On the 5th of May this year, Londoners will be able to go to the polls and elect their local councillors. Most, of course, won't bother. In the Borough of Bexley, for example, during the 2018 election, only 37% of people who were eligible to vote actually bothered to do so; much lower than the number of people eligible to vote who spent the next four years complaining about the way the council was being run.

So far, I have received three election leaflets and a leaflet advising me how to cast a postal vote: all of them from Labour. None of the three candidate in my ward are white so I suppose I am completely unrepresented by them, or that's what I would be saying if I was black and all the candidates were white.

As it is, the leaflet doesn't really tell me anything useful; they are going to improve things no end, but then, I imagine they will all say that. There is no information at all about the candidates themselves so if I am going to vote for them it will have to be on the strength of the party's fortunes nationally; something I have always tried not to do. Politicians, especially local ones should be chosen for their personal qualities and existing performance. In the past, I have voted for candidates I personally respect even if I'm not so sure about the party in general.

Anyway, let's go through what they call Conservative failures:-

1. Condemned for failing to build enough affordable homes for Bexley families.

Condemned by Whom? And please provide a list of local authorities who have built enough affordable homes for their residents.

2. Council Tax hiked by 21%, parking charges up, stealth taxes up and parking charges up. (They really are milking the parking charge rise).

They are on much firmer ground there. Bexley now has one of the highest rates of council tax in the country. Stealth taxes I suppose to mean charges for bin collection, those parking charges again and the yellow boxes at road junctions that stop the traffic from moving.

3. Tory councillor attended lockdown party and council missed 38,000 bin collections.

I'm not sure what the connection is between those two issues (I assume there must be one, only I can't see it). Taken individually, I don't know who the Tory councillor is, the leaflet doesn't say; it doesn't mention which lockdown party either: an oversight, I'm sure. Missing bin collections is something everyone is experiencing although the shambolic state the way Serco was running ours, I'm surprised it wasn't a lot more.

Anyway, that's all for now. In the spirit of fair play, I will write another blog about the local election when I have received information from the other parties involved.