May Day 2024

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Being the first of May I gathered wild flowers and green branches, picked up a garland or two and danced around the Maypole with similarly dressed strangers.  The great fire we lit kind of annoyed the neighbours however, not only was it just dawn it was dawning on them their house was on fire also.  Never mind.  Just like Rome in past times we celebrated the first fruits of Spring, bought from Tesco's clearance shelves, and danced the dawn away.

Such activity has little religious meaning, though it was added here and there, it is just that a proper Spring ought to be upon us, and Summer is around the corner.  Good times lie ahead and people naturally rejoice.  Usually they rejoiced so much the authorities had to clamp down upon the rejoicers!

During 1889 the 'Marxist International Socialist Congress,' mostly male middle class types, called for, among other things, the 1st of May to be a day of demonstration calling for an '8 hour day.'  Thus it has continued one way or another as a day to fly red flags and march with clenched fist against the oppression of the ruling classes.  

I added a red flag to my flowers, green boughs and garlands as I, with many thousands of others, marched through the town centre in the mist this morning.  We will stand up for workers rights, for individuals rights, and for a lawyer to clear up the mess left behind as we sit here in the local police station where the local Stasi have imprisoned us for 'Breach of the Peace.'  

Go celebrate...

A brief scan of the Online Mail this morning reveals just how much money is being lost there.  The page is filled with celeb stories and patched up with tales of US reports.  Actual 'news,' always slanted to suit the DM, is almost impossible to find.  The 'Daily Mirror' is of course no better, we know the writer has had his space reduced and is under orders to use 'clickbait' at all times.  

I feel no sadness at the death of these rags.  If they offered news, news with a sensible opinion it would be worth reading, however, in the desire to survive there is no chance of that, clickbait is all.  The papers that offer more reading either use paywalls and/or have dubious owners rendering their writers opinions somewhat slanted to suit the boss.  In the end I search Twitter to find the news, often from far-right or far-left organisations.  This is not always readable stuff!  

People require an easy to read fact filled open-minded free press, the UK does not have one.

 

Talking about oppressive governments I came across this the other day, a psalm/song that ought to be used at all the gatherings of the great and the good.  They consider themselves to be 'gods' even if they do not use that term, this psalm indicates their duty and their responsibility, and God will call them all to account, just as he will us.  

     A psalm of Asaph. 

1  God presides in the great assembly;

    he renders judgment among the ‘gods’:

2  ‘How long will you defend the unjust

    and show partiality to the wicked?

3  Defend the weak and the fatherless;

    uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.

4  Rescue the weak and the needy;

    deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

5  ‘The “gods” know nothing, they understand nothing.

    They walk about in darkness;

    all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6  ‘I said, “You are ‘gods’;

    you are all sons of the Most High.”

7  But you will die like mere mortals;

    you will fall like every other ruler.’

8  Rise up, O God, judge the earth,

    for all the nations are your inheritance.

May Day with Clouds and Scattered Showers...

Being May Day I looked out for the marching workers, red banners waving, storming the capitalist fortresses and freeing the workers.  Unfortunately the police had sent them back home, telling them to 'remain indoors and wash hands.'  The rich will continue to sleep safely in their beds tonight, unless a burglar passes through.  
I love these Soviet posters.  Always the people smile, always they are advancing, always the sun shines on the red flags waving as they parade.  Always missing are the millions of dead Stalin removed because he stubbed his toe against the door when he awoke in the morning.  The removing off the Tsar to aid the people sounds great, however when the Bolsheviks took over they replaced the Tsar with themselves, and Stalin soon removed them one by one.  This, in my view, is not what makes a sensible economy nor a decent society.  From the standpoint of aiding the poor Communism sounds great, human nature however always ensures some rise to the top, when there they wish to keep control irrespective of the wishes of others, equal to themselves.  'Equality' does not exist, we are all different.  A decent society aids and helps those without to have a chance to progress, it does not enrich the richest and have soup kitchens for the poorest.  When trying times came biblical kings stripped the temples and their palaces of gold to feed the needy, today the richest fail to do this, yet the richer get richer even during a pandemic!  No wonder some were attracted to Communism.  

I opened a new page on Facebook.  This is not because I am trying to hide from some people on facebook, no, no, not at all, however I am trying to avoid one or two...  In doing so I discovered I had another page, one I had made many years ago and for some reason forgotten about.  This I have adapted and made use off.  Now I have to collect the better class of people to my new page.  
All this is a result of the Lock Down.  A few days ago it affected me somewhat and I have still not quite recovered my equilibrium from that.  It will pass as will the showers that hammer down and soon become sun filled pastures.  
May Day is a Friday, that means tomorrow is Saturday a time for letting the hair down and having a good time.  I may just go out and buy some face masks instead...
Did you notice Sturgeon said Scots ought to wear face masks on public transport.  The Westminster unionists and press grumbled loudly that this was a disgraceful thing to say.  The next day Boris agreed and said it might be compulsory,the media immediately claimed this a wise move and bravo Boris.  Don't you just love having a 'Free Press?'

Sunday Scrawl

Coming home from the Kirk this morning the weather was almost warm so I deviated via the parks.  Here I came across the lads slugging it out each one fancying himself as a star of the future and revealing a body health that shows he is more a hospital patient than star of the future.  I even kicked the ball when it ran out of play and with my left foot I returned it to the ungrateful player.  This ball surprised me as it was so light!  When we played the ball always seemed heavy, and the legal weight is one pound, but this was as light as the cheap plastic balls we used ti use long ago.  The real ball was a brown leather brute that whatever weight it had increased as the game wore on when it gathered water which soaked deep inside and allowed players to rest for many minutes when it crashed of their nut, as I can vouch!
People wandered abroad dressed for summer knowing it was not yet upon us as we are desperate to find one.  Blue flowers filled many areas of parkland, yellow things shone among the grasses and a few beasties roamed the earth seeking whom they could devour.  Somewhat quieter as being a Monday holiday some folks managed to get away.  High above silver darts flew towards stronger sunshine in the Med while the poor amongst us (that's me) glanced enviously upwards.  As I look up now I see clouds forming and the weatherman tells me with a smile it will be wet tomorrow as it's a bank holiday.  Cheers pal, I was seriously considering making the bike work but that will not occur now.

Yesterday also as I returned from shopping for my feathered friends the sun shone brightly and lulled us into a false belief that it can always be this way.  Some hope!  However as both then and today I spent watching football, it is the weekend when many things are decided, I saw little of this bright yellow orb in the sky.  I doubt it noticed.  
Being the first of May this brings out the eejits as this holiday in the UK is now somewhat politically inspired.  The May Day event itself probably goes back to Roman times but in 'England it was seen as a day off for the weary farm workers (I canny spell agricultural labourers) as the ploughing and seeding had been done and everyone gathered round the maypole for dancing, drinking and producing children, sometimes with your wife.  No wonder Cromwell banned it!  The Labour government however introduced the May Day Holiday to coincide with left leaning celebrations worldwide and naturally the grubby Tories have been trying t change it ever since.  In 2011 they wanted to drop it and replace it with a United Kingdom Day in October but got nowhere with that.  Possibly they forgot about it while plotting to put their cash in foreign banks offshore trusts?  Anyway one thing is certain the weather will be bad, it always is.