The Edge of Sanity -- Call Centres in the Future

A (very!) short play, written for radio, by Sarah Horne. Featuring: call-centres, Alanis Morrisette, David Hasselhoff, red telephone boxes, and general strangeness. Is this the modern-day, Amazon?

On the Election Results and the Brexit Party

(Why did people vote for the Brexit Party?)

It’s pretty depressing to see the Brexit Party topping the election results. The Party with no policies, headed by a bloke who, according to a close school friend, allegedly used to like that his initials also stood for National Front; that he sang ‘gas em all’ at school — that an old College teacher had been informed by other teachers, that Farage had held “publicly racist and fascist views,” and that he had once “marched through a Susses village singing Hitler Youth songs.” (1). (Trevor Phillips (founding chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission) in an article for the Times earlier this year, defended Farage, saying ‘Farage is dangerous, but he’s not a racist.(2))

I think there is a silver lining to this dark cloud. As the results were announced last night, the political news editor, Laura Kuenssberg, said, that the votes strongly suggested what’s simply wanted is clarity over Brexit; staying in, or leaving. I agree. (I think Labour are missing a trick by keeping their stance set to leave.) I think Corybn is great but his stance over this reflects his stubborn nature too — inflexibility is not what’s needed here, but a willingness to step back and say ‘this isn’t bloody going to work, it is?!” We desperately need honesty, right now. (Theresa May’s inability to be able to show us her humanity also perhaps helped drive people towards the jovial Farage. Perhaps too, that will steer us towards Boris Johnson to succeed her. People are mistaking their personas for decency.)

I can understand that some people have perhaps been driven out of their minds by Brexit, but knee-jerk reactions are rarely good, and the Brexit Party have revealed no policies whatsoever. Who in their right mind would vote for a party with no policies, just to make a point? Or, can it really be that frighteningly easy? Is it all about the power of persuasive rhetoric, spin doctors, the cult of personality?

Information that’s easier to process is viewed more positively. Cognitive scientists refer to this as ‘processing fluency,(3)’ and it’s why people’s knowledge base can be filled with flawed ideas, without their believing this to be the case. This could help to explain why people voted for Farage — an easy way out that seems simple — especially as a knee-jerk reaction to Theresa May trying to present the same deal three times to the European Parliament, only for it to be rejected each time. People want to believe Britain can be Great Again, in the same way MAGA (Make America Great Again), worked —a hark back to times before, also appeals to nostalgia which seems to be more powerful as people get older. (In these instances, it could be said, both of these campaigns might refer to nostomania — a nostalgia for times which simply did not exist.)

Our system of politics has become muddied with additional popular parties recently, such as the Brexit Party, or Change UK. Change UK have no concrete idea how they would implement real change. (And what change? To whose benefit? They are being bankrolled by big businesses, which does not sound like fertile ground for freedom in innovation.) And Farage might seem more benign now he’s no longer associated with UKIP, with Carl Benjamin talking about such murky things as ‘rape jokes’, for instance. But as with UKIP, I’m sure the darker side of human nature absolutely will be lurking within Brexit, both in leaders and followers, too. Not all Brexiteers are racist or bigoted — but racists etc. absolutely will be drawn to this party like catnip. Brexit Party, former Tory MP and now MEP, Anne Widdecombe has won one of three seats for the South West; she’s a right-wing Catholic, ‘pro-lifer’ (there’s a term that I never get tired of hearing). “While serving as Prisons Minister under Prime Minister John Major, in 1996, Ms Widdecombe defended the practice of shackling pregnant women during labour.” [...]“She has also pressed support for so-called ‘gay cure’ therapy, according to PinkNews. (4). (I saw a recent documentary about a man who ran a ‘gay cure’ centre — he later came to realise the psychological harm it had done.)

What does she say of Brexit? That a “no deal Brexit should still be considered while also admitting that there may be “bumps along the road.” She insisted it was nothing compared to the price generations had to pay for freedom in World War 2.” (5). Well that’s OK then?! In truth, our freedoms would be artificial, trade deals would not fall magically into our laps, laid by a golden goose, and standards would have to be compromised. We are more protected under EU regulation; without this, I’d be worried for our collective future.

People need to stop and think, come election time. We don’t have amazing choices right now, parties are divided and there’s so much anger over Brexit. But — it still boils down to fairly straightforward choices. Who is the party who will demonstrate compassion towards those with the least? Who will look after the interests of the poor, or people with disabilities. (Not to strip everything from the rich, or raise taxes to the point that more business leave the country, but simply to recognise problems and be willing to help those in need.)

And who will take care of the environment? What about animals? The Tories seem to stand only for the elite these days. They are so out of touch, that most of them didn’t even bother to turn up to debate the UN’s damning report about 14m British people living in poverty. Only 14 MPs bothered to be present. Amber Rudd, the Work and Pensions Secretary, who has defended the Universal Credit system, simply did not turn up. The Tories do not seem keen on listening to the truth about poverty in this country. These are the deeper issues that we need to bear in mind when we hit the ballot boxes. Do we want a party who secures our NHS or destroys it? Who privatises companies at the detriment of our country? Who will try to represent your interests? Would Farage really be the man for the job?

Our choices are far from perfect. Most political parties are not perfect. Lord knows, the system needs tweaking. Voting is important, but it’s a responsibility. Voting for Farage as a defiant response, doesn’t even begin to address other, more important, issues. There are so many bigger concerns than the egos of people who feel thwarted and indignant over Brexit.

The Brexit Party have said in response to their victory: “it took the Labour Party 45 years to win the popular vote. The Brexit Party have done it within 45 days. This is a victory for the people.” No it isn’t. It’s a travesty. But it does show a flaw in how we can think. We want Brexit to be easier, so we backslide towards a party which paints it as not only being easier, but somehow a little bit heroic. If we are not willing to work on our own selves, and examine our reasons honestly and unflinchingly, is it any wonder history repeats itself?

(1): https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nigel-farage-fascist-nazi-song-gas-them-all-ukip-brexit-schoolfriend-dulwich-college-a7185236.html
(2): https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/farage-is-dangerous-but-he-s-not-a-racist-pj3cmsbfk
(3): https://www.fastcompany.com/3063319/how-your-brain-keeps-you-believing-crap-that-isnt-true
(4): https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/ann-widdecombes-political-views-surprise-many-celebrity-big-brother-viewers/
(5): https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1125162/Brexit-News-Ann-Widdecombe-news-update-latest-party

Godzilla Versus Meditation

(or 'How to Live a Spiritual Life when there’s good shit on at the cinema')

Sometimes the choices you want to make boil down to the ridiculous. A while ago now, I found myself wrestling with a choice of either going to see Godzilla at the cinema, or going to my meditation class. On that occasion, Godzilla won! Proving that sometimes options can be fun – and that the monkey mind will always find reasons *not* to meditate! Always! And, sometimes you can find that you’re standing at a crossroads and although the path to take seems obvious, there is still so much comfort from reliving old stories of who we are, whether these stories serve us or not. No matter how beautiful the meditation has been (which usually leads to my trying to cling on to that beauty). Sometimes, Godzilla wins. And maybe that’s OK – because meditation cannot be clung to. It’s the moments where you sit without expectation, where you can truly let go, where you will find what you need.

I can see the challenge in your eyes – and the tiredness. 'How do you live a spiritual existence,' you begin and gesture round, helplessly, 'when we live in this madness, this world of chaos, where death can strike without notice and sorrow is often intermingled with happiness; where the media and money are our new Gods and nightclubs are neon, plastic, places of worship. Where mankind keeps repeating the same old patterns of warfare and drama. Where some people are so caught up in pain that they can see no end. Where ego is king, and Trump is leader of the USA. Where on Earth do we begin?'

We simply begin where we are. There is no magic that need to be conjured. We don’t need to wait for life to be perfect. We can’t wait for our leaders to be ethical and the madness to stop. We just begin where we find ourselves. Leaders will continue to be idiots. We will be driven to the brink of madness and back again. The madness can never stop, when ego is king. Unless we have total nuclear disarmament, perceived threats to the ego will only cause the weapons to get bigger, with more ridiculous swagger – we’ve written defcon 1 into our collective DNA, time and time again (but love is on our side, and life is more than this physical body.  And love has already won).

 We can only watch as the Farage and Theresa May and Donald Trump all jostle for attention; as idiotic machinations become more ingrained; as the forest of thorns becomes ever more impenetrable. As religious people act without God present. (We can march, and sign petitions, but we can only do what we can do. After that, there are only the choices that you have, and the thoughts that inspire those choices and the art of life, because who you are is a series of choices, and who you want to be is built from your thoughts, and when external life is hard, you have your inner resources -- always -- to softly guide you home.)

 If you stand still and listen, you might hear your ancestors calling you.  Perhaps they're telling you to stand tall and dream your best version of yourself into being, because even though, like all of us, you’re imperfect and cracked, you're still beautiful. Every action starts with a single thought; all you can be is all that you are in any given moment. So long as you do your best, that’s more than enough. And when you're weary, and feel small and cold and alone in the splendour of the universe and the insanity of this world -- please know that you're never alone, they are always with you.  Sometimes the answers are not what you'd expect.  Sometimes the answers lie beyond conscious thought and are hinted at in dreams.  Sometimes the answers are something left-field and require only a willingness to participate, no matter how illogical.  The faith is the heartbeat within you, the ancestral call is your call, because you've been here before, my friend.  Perhaps many times.  You know these shores, you've felt this pain before.  You've born witness to the miraculous, the just and unjust; unfurling flowers and the truth from a pure mountain stream.

And sometimes.  Just sometimes, the answer is Godzilla.