How should the DPF commemorate our one-year anniversary?

[Peter Presland]

I suppose we must al be fortified by that and do what we can to keep the flame of truth and honesty alive as best we can.

David. Yep; 'hope springs eternal' as they say. Seems to me our species is endowed with a profound NEED to 'Always look on the bright side of life' no matter how hopeless the circumstances - aka the ending of Monty Python's 'Life of Brian' (with apologies to anyone of sensitive Christian beliefs who may be offended by that linked clip which I believe it is still banned in parts of the US).

I didn't mean to sound despondent. I do in fact rather enjoy life in my dotage but I remain consistently amazed at the credulity of most of my peers who seem to think that a change of government has real significance and potential. Most do claim deep scepticism and distrust of government but, almost in the same breath go on to trot out one or other or many of the hoary old shibboleths that governments depend on (and surreptitiously feed us all) to main control and promote their hidden agendas. Things like "The immigrants are taking 'our' jobs", "Deport all Muslim terrorist sympathisers", "The UK is desperately trying to do good in the world" etc etc etc ad nauseam. IOW they appear incapable of framing their existence and its problems outside the terms and conditions that their manipulators dictate, all the while remaining oblivious to being manipulated at all - "manipulated? ME??? - No Way. I'm much too smart for that" Ho Hum. Whistling past the graveyard I call it - but who the hell am I to criticise?

Anyway, next week I am spending an hour or so reciting AA Milne and Hillaire Belloc poetry to my grandson's primary school class of 5-6 year olds. I can still do the lot from memory after endless recitations to my own daughters when they were tiny and I get a real kick out of seeing youngsters chortle at grandpa's silly contortions. I like to think it imparts something useful but the thought of what the future holds for them still gnaws away at me.