I AM 74; MATT GALLAGHER OF OPEN DEMOCRACY IS 24 - INTERGENERATIONAL SOLIDARITY - I'M IN TOTAL AGREEMENT

 

THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE - 'Io rescues Odysseus' (2016) - oil on canvas - by Claire Healey Dear Rob, For a sizable chunk of my 24 years, I’ve been witnessing Britain’s political decline. I’ve watched as our institutions faltered, our social safety nets were systematically dismantled, and our leaders grew ever more obsessed with their own power instead of their responsibility to the public. The worst part is that I’ve always known it doesn’t have to be this way.  My choice of an image to illustrate Matt Gallagher's statement that it doesn't have to be this way - there was an alternative - there was a socialist vision fit for the 21st century and I heard it in person outlined by Jeremy Corbyn at Heartlands in Cornwall in 2017 and 2019.    Not unlike millions of my peers, I want to build a positive future for myself and those I care about. I can speak for many in my cohort when I say that the optimism is draining, and the dread is setting in. We’re facing down environmental calamity, a broken and unequal economy, rising authoritarianism, and a political system ill-equipped to do anything at all about it. It would be nice if the people in charge were looking out for us, but they’re nowhere to be found.  I’d also like to live in a country with values I can get behind. Kids really shouldn’t be going hungry, we shouldn’t be price gouged by energy companies making record profits, people shouldn’t need to work multiple jobs to survive, we should probably do something about the destruction of the natural world, migrants shouldn’t be treated as sub-humans – I could go on. I know it could never be a straightforward task, but I’d do my bit to support a government if I trusted that they cared at all about any of those things. It’s quite clear at the moment that they don’t. A former PM behind bars - see this link for the case against the man - press here. The last year in particular has been particularly eye-opening. Boris Johnson finally resigned after an insane amount of scandals and a record of lies longer than the Bible. Liz Truss barged-in unelected and did decades worth of damage to this country (and my generation’s livelihoods) in just 44 days. Now, we’ve been blessed with the supposed “return to normalcy” that is Rishi Sunak. As you might have guessed, I’m not exactly convinced.  Rishi’s vision is not a hopeful one for me, nor I suspect for many others. For one thing, Sunak’s attitude towards environmental issues seems absolutely ballistic. As someone who studied climate science at university, I’m astounded that he’d opt out of even attending the COP27 climate summit, which is pretty much the bare minimum a leader can do anyway. Considering three quarters (75%) of adults in this country express concern about climate change according to the ONS, his complete indifference is insulting not just to me, but to most of the country.  Wake up and smell the collapse of the world we once knew. Then we’ve got the cabinet from hell. These are not the kind of people I’d trust to have my back, or even the kind of people I’d grab a pint with. People like Therese Coffey, who said Sunak can take a raincheck on COP27 because it’s “just a gathering in Egypt”. People like Dominic Raab, who is back in action and keen to remove our human rights. People like Michael Gove, who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Boris Johnson through every lie and scandal.  What about Kemi Badenoch, who fought valiantly to make it harder for people to vote, or Gavin Williamson, who was previously dismissed for leaking confidential information as Defence Secretary? Even ignoring Leaky Sue, it’s not exactly a super team of principled leaders.  What these appointments show me is that Rishi Sunak is completely unserious about actually solving any of the massive problems affecting people my age. These people only think about themselves. No matter how many times the revolving door spins, all this group can produce is a bunch of self-indulgent narcissists that care far more about their careers, titles, and promotions than the state of the country.  I’ve learned that if I want to live in a better world, I’m going to have to fight for it. These are not problems that can be fixed by asking politely. Another fighter - Greta Thunberg - August 2018  For that reason, I’m glad to be working with Open Britain to defend, strengthen, and renew our political system. I’ll never give up on the idea that we can build a system where people like me have an actual voice, and can elect leaders who fight for what we believe in. We know how to start: let’s get proportional representation, get the money out of politics, get our rights back, and begin the construction of something that actually works for all of us. All the best,   Matt Gallagher Open Britain   SUPPORT THE MOVEMENT It's your support that makes this movement possible. Thank you!

DID YOU REALLY THINK IT WAS ALL OVER?

TIME FOR MY MONTHLY COVID UPDATE 

TIME TO REMIND YOU THIS IS NOT A FLU VIRUS

TIME TO URGE YOU TO REMEMBER THIS VIRUS IS MUCH MORE LETHAL

SARS-CoV-2 - the virus in a variant form 

I bring you the latest graphs from my online searches and trust that you will read and inwardly

IN PRAISE OF NICK WILKINSON - CELEBRATING HIS FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION AT THE JUPITER GALLERY IN NEWLYN

 I have been publishing blogposts since January 2016 -  405, to date. This one celebrates my friend, Nick Wilkinson, and his art.

Nick Wilkinson creates an impact - and degrees of resolution - at the Jupiter Gallery in Newlyn, September 2022

Most of my blogposts have been political, but three score and more have been personal, concerned for instance with the role of art in both my life and Louise's - and our contact with Penwith artists, here in Cornwall. Here's one that looks at my own work as an artist when I was much younger:

http://robdonovan.blogspot.com/2019/11/coming-out-as-poet-and-artist-floreat.html

This one is the third in a series shining a light on my wife Louise's textile art exhibition at the Crypt Gallery in St Ives in 2019:

http://robdonovan.blogspot.com/2021/12/louise-donovan-and-her-textile-art_11.html

This one highlights the work of Lee Stevenson, a Penwith artist who painted my portrait in 2020:

http://robdonovan.blogspot.com/2020/04/me-and-lee-stevenson-my-portrait-in-oils.html 

And this one celebrates the work of other Penwith artists I know and whose work graces the walls of our home:

 http://robdonovan.blogspot.com/2020/02/celebrating-penwith-artists-and-authors.html

All of which brings me to the focus for this blogpost today - a celebration of the work of Nick Wilkinson. I first met Nick, a fellow dog walker, around four years ago. We talked well together. There was a sense we had things in common. I learned that he earned his living as a driving school owner and instructor - and that he had a passion for painting. I looked at - and liked - work that he showed on line. And then, this year, I learned that his first solo exhibition was being arranged for display at the Jupiter Gallery in Newlyn in September.

One of the effects of this pandemic has been to make me sensitive to unnecessary risk. Even as I write, the coronavirus is morphing into yet another wave to overwhelm our decimated NHS and end the lives of more UK citizens, prematurely. Louise and I have been avoiding travel and meeting others indoors for over three years. So my first reaction to Nick's news about his exhibition was to wish him well - but I was reluctant to attend. 

But I had second thoughts, thank goodness - and changed my mind. I travelled to Newlyn and saw the