The Dying Ant Continues to Feed

The Dying Ant Continues to Feed.

Entomologists have described seeing dying ants, their bodies severed in two parts, continuing to make feeding motions, despite having no abdomen left to receive food.

Evolution has programmed them so to extract the last ounce of hope from their situation; to allow seconds more of their existence, or perhaps even to cover the hopelessness of their plight by having the tiny creatures performing normal actions.

In any event, it just shows how man - with his obvious struggle to overcome injury, death and disease - and the ant has been programmed to keep going at all costs.

It seems, looking at Great Britain “Keeping up appearances” that countries, too, have this ability to ignore their demise and kid themselves that all is normal, even going to greater lengths to fool their own citizens and the rest of the world that the UK is the place to be; to open businesses, come as a visitor, to keep a Triple AAA credit rating!

Britain, far more than Europe, continues with this giddy, zenophobic dance. Germany, France and others seem far more able to admit they are hurting and seek help for one another. Britain, however, says, “Hey, we are far better off than them.” Cameron, the British Prime Minister, Nero-like, keeps up an optimistic mien and dialogue despite all obviously collapsing around him. Yes, he has the poor tightening their belts, but Britannia, bless or curse her, is still spending like a drunken sailor!

Just take the Olympics (please take the bloody things!). Everyone is silent on cost at the moment, but I estimate 30 billion pounds might be about right for the final tally to get the country ready with all the facilities. (That’s about 50 billion buckaroos, cousins!). You’d think the suckers who are paying for it could get tickets to see it! Hey, dream on.

Then, last week, we were hit with the news that this asinine High Speed Rail link is going to be built. They say nine billion, so you can safely say 20 billion pounds might be more likely.

Hey! That’s T.W.E.N.T.Y. B.I.L.L.I.O.N. P.O.U.N.D.S! Stop just throwing these sums off as if they are nothing, that’s what our looney government does.

Then we have good old Liz., our high maintenance Royal Icon: It’s her Diamond Jubilee celebration this year.

Apart from the fact that many could care less about the old fossil, why doesn’t she pay for her own bloody celebrations?

Not on your nelly, mate, if the Palace had to pay, they’d be thronging in the local McDonalds! (Yes, you and I paid for most of the royal wedding).

This means another HUGE expense for the British taxpayers. She has to take a trip up the Thames, of course, requiring a special Royal Barge and all the escorts: police and armed services personnel lining every inch or her route, the banquet for all the crowned heads and politicos, film stars as well as the 200 or so that can claim to be part of the royal party.

As if this were not enough, the Daily Mail, a power-mad London paper, has started a fund to restore the Royal Yacht, Britannia - an “exhibition ship” for 20 years - and give it back it to her as a present from the nation!!!

Restoring a ship of this vintage that has been de-commissioned for so long will cost nearly as much as building one from scratch! The ‘Mail says the 100 million or so (plus!) will be paid for by private contributions and not by the tax-payer. But even if this is true, who do you think is going to pay for maintaining this huge vessel and underwriting the cost of her trips?

I was on the Britannia in the 80’s in Acapulco…it has a crew and staff of about one hundred and costs around a million to maintain per year, plus many millions more to use. The Britannia is an anachronism anyway, a 157 meter long sailing ship built 58 years ago.

And this is all because her majesty had a dampened eye when the yacht was taken from her…the first time she had teared-up in public…poor dear! (dear as in expensive).

It was revealed this week that Prince Philip and the queen are privately backing the plan and that the government hasn’t ruled out government (our) money. They point out that the yacht can be used as a training and hospital ship when the queen isn’t aboard…hospital ship? What, for the next series of wars?

Add all of the above to our “regular” expenses of foreign wars, charity to staving Africans (and space-race minded Indians!), as well as providing funds to keep Greece solvent (barely), our contributions of billions to the failing banks so their directors can keep drawing multi-million pound bonuses….

This writer has no idea what it will take to finally bring Britain to its senses and put into perspective the true vulnerable position of the nation.

One thing is SURE. We CANNOT afford this bloodsucking panoply of royalty. If they want to continue to act like celebrities, or they want to cruise around in a galleon like pirates, let THEM pay for it.

Cameron talks of belt-tightening: David, the loosest belts are yours and the other millionaire toads with one fat foot on the neck of the other 99%!

The British rain falls gently as I write, the cobblestones gleam wetly in our courts and narrow lane, I hope they are not being loosened by the downpour!

That stalwart elastic, the stuff of the ordinary, decent, humble British working man and woman is stretched to the point of breaking this time; those who hold and wield power would do well to keep this in mind as they ratify each new excess.