By Deborah Hodge
Hilary Clinton is set to be the first female American President and Theresa May has snuck in from nowhere to become the second female British Prime Minister. I have to be honest, even though I stood for London Mayor in 2016, I had no clue who she was until recently but as I read more about what she stands for, my stomach is sinking.
It was very nearly a two woman race until Andrea Leadsom blurted out “I feel that being a mum means you have a very real stake in the country of our country” which was meant to undermine May who has no children.
As a mum of four I understand what she means in a way. My own particular driver is making the world a better place for my four children and motherhood is everything to me. I might perhaps be more passionate about my legacy than a childless twenty something? But then again, that twenty something could be born with a burning desire to save the planet. Age and number of children is completely irrelevant.
Andrea said it wrong though, she did not apply enough depth to her limp wristed argument: Women can be maternal without having children, in the same way men can be paternal. They can care for the future of humanity even if their own offspring will not populate it.
Caring about humanity cannot be restricted to those who have born children and in fact as a race, we are quickly outgrowing our planet so at some point, global population control is going to have to be put in place. Yes that is contentious, but David Attenborough himself warns of the human race growing out of our planet.
On researching May, I was shocked (or was I?) to read that in the early days of Westminster she was known for her exuberant choice of footwear. This has kept photographers interested for more than a decade. So?
More reassuringly she is also known for her political toughness. Then I was shocked to read of her personal desire to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights and that she voted against an outright ban on foxhunting.
For me though Theresa May represents a malevolent capitalist force that is growing in society. Public support of Trident is waning yet Prime Minister Theresa May said she wasn’t going to gamble on Britain’s safety, as she opened a commons debate on whether to renew Britain’s nuclear deterrent.
Instead of ruling out Trident’s renewal she opened it out to a vote and MP’s who have voted in favour of renewing the UK’s Trident nuclear deterrent by 472 votes to 117 – a majority of 355.
The result is a strong vote of confidence in the weapons system, renewal of which is predicted to cost £31 billion, with a £10 billion contingency fund also set aside.
In the House of Commons vote, 58 of Scotland’s 59 MPs voted against Trident renewal, with Scotland’s only Tory MP, David Mundell, being the sole supporter.
THIS is the crux of the mothering argument that Leadsom failed to get across. A maternal or paternal entity could not use nuclear weapons on their planet and would strive for them to be eradicated. In a nuclear war, who would be the winners on a planet that had been destroyed?
It shows a fundamental flaw in humanity to see life as expendable and this is what has me scared.
How can England and Scotland be so wildly different in opinions? SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon now once again pushes for independence: can you blame her?
As the dust clears, the public are beginning to blink into the light and realise that money was the driving force behind BREXIT as politics in England no longer serves the people as George Monbinot spoke of yesterday.
Our political parties are largely funded by millionaires, corporations and trade unions.
Interestingly, nearly half of Theresa May’s new cabinet could be female and with a significant background in finance. I swerve here from Boris Johnsons appointment of foreign secretary yesterday as words thus far elude me.
Except to say, it seems a desperate attempt by the government to stall for more time with the Chilcot enquiry so fresh out. I see deception, diversion and deflection once again as the media is swallowed up in shock at her speedy cabinet choices.
Her immediate decision to scrap the department for climate change screams the influence of the T.T.I.P which would effectively make corporations able to sue the government if they do not like their policies.
I listen again for a slow feminist clap rising to a cheer at the thought of more women in power in the future but instead, there is silence.
Having fallen head first into politics when we faced eviction in 2015 I have done an impromptu tour of political parties, beginning with the green party and then the Women’s Equality Party before standing as an independent candidate.
I can see clearly that politicians themselves do not control politics completely and I called for a huge audit. Who is benefitting from which deals. Relatives, friends, businesses, corporations?
I am deeply cynical of politicians I cannot help think Theresa (or those who control the government ) by bringing more women into substantial positions is in reaction to the Women’s Equality Party. This was the fastest ever growing political party in history and more appointments for women would appease the uprising of women who are demanding equality.
Either that, or Theresa May has already been promised a hefty six figure sum from Rupert Murdoch for agreeing secret terms of her appointment.
As a country we are in crisis. Reported incidents of racial hate crime increased by 42 per cent in the week before and after the UK vote to leave the EU on the 23 June.
Only last night, speaking at the Channel 5 live BREXIT debate, after listening to how one woman of colour was threatened with being burned alive and liquid being poured on her, I was cut short when I mentioned the T.T.I.P….
Why is mainstream media so quiet on one of the biggest trade deals in history?
We are in new and unchartered times and whilst I am terrified for my children’s future, I have to remain optimistic about what this could mean. Either that or give up and have a huge party.
Michael Gladwell in his book “The Tipping Point” defines the tipping point as “the moment of critical mass, the threshold; the boiling point”.
It is that moment when an idea, a trend or social behaviour crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.
I think we are there. 2016 is our Tipping point. It has already been a year where during the first months, some of our biggest and brightest stars passed away, the weather has destabilised and now politics are in chaos.
The time is now for action. It is an unprecedented time of change and my personal belief is that social media itself could be the undoing of the political parties and government and the dark omnipresent force.
Never before have politics been so heavily on every newsfeed. The fact that overnight people have become political experts could indeed backfire.
Social awareness that decisions are being made without our consent is raising exponentially.
Seventy per cent of young voters chose to remain in the EU. Young people are naturally more in tune overall with social media and the internet. Millennial’s have grown up with it whilst my generation and I reminisce about the time before mobile phones and the internet.
We imagine through our rose tinted glasses that everything was much nicer then and are afraid of the internet. But what if our young people hold the key to change?
Corruption has always been present though, we were just less aware of it. I grew up in the playground of the seventies, but what of our grandparents who grew up aware of Genocide during the great wars?
In 1620 the first slaves arrived in the new world. In the Victorian Era, 74 per cent of children born in London died before they were 5 years old. Workhouses were common place.
The world has not suddenly got more awful, it has always run on greed. Great Egyptian pyramids were built by peasants and workers for a Pharaoh who thought themselves representing God.
Americans killed millions of Native American Indians.
And, in one of the biggest ironies in history as we have voted BREXIT: Britain is the same nation that went out and invaded all but 22 countries in the entire world. There are 196.
Trillions are spent on the space race yet here on Earth human beings die daily because they do not have enough food.
The World is not the safe comfortable place we once thought and the social awareness will at some point become deafening.
Theresa May wears a posh suit and looks safe like your granny perhaps or older Auntie and I quite like her no nonsense approach and complete lack of small talk. But what she represents is far more malevolent.
I have had many messages through my Linkedin asking “what the hell is going on over there” by my global contacts. How they perceive Britain at the moment is that we are incredibly unstable. BREXIT backfired.
Millionaires and Politicians alike were surprised by the vote to leave. There is a feeling of dissent across the nation in the current state of politics and how the country is being run has manifested itself in a vote to leave. It is an indicator to me of frustration and the working classes wanting change.
It is more apparent now than ever that the top one per cent are making decisions and as Theresa May vows to unite Britain. I am with Frankie Boyle on this one: most probably against the poor.
American Philosopher Noam Chomsky states this:
“As Long as the general population is passive, apathetic, diverted to consumerism or hatred of the vulnerable, then the powerful can do as they please…”
And, as if on cue, those who were most angry about the BREXIT vote, have taken to Pokemon GO with gusto. The timing is uncanny.
Whilst we bitterly fight over our territory, borders and politics, one of the biggest trade negotiations in history is being carried out mostly in secret between the EU and the US.
The TTIP stands for the “Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership” and its purpose is to reduce regulatory barriers for big business, things like food safety law, environmental legislation, banking regulations and the sovereign powers of individual nations.
Once it has been signed, it is also permanent and cannot be undone.
Public services such as the NHS are in the firing line, food and environmental safety are threatened, banking regulations will be relaxed, jobs will be threatened and is one of the biggest assault on democracy in history.
Companies will then be allowed to sue governments if those policies cause a loss of profits. This thought alone is terrifying and makes me want to have my own plot of land so we can grow our own crops.
Haven’t heard of Monsanto?
Whilst we currently drink from plastic water bottles that if left in a car or heat in packed lunch boxes can cause cancers and I dread to think of the long term effects of genetically engineered and modified food with little or no regulation.
For me, Theresa May is worrying. In the same way that a wasp can be scary trapped in your car whilst you are driving at 70 on the motorway. Open the window or brave it out until the next service station and you will be fine.
The real white hot nightmare fear for me is the power pulling her strings. To already be so open about Fracking being a good idea and bringing back fox hunting feels like a diversion from things to come.
I do not care if the Prime Minister is a woman or a man. It makes no difference to me as men and women can care deeply for our planet and humanity with or without children. Equally they can be on a power mission as career politicians and have a disregard for human life and equality.
What they wear is irrelevant. What they believe in is everything and we as a democracy should be given the opportunity to vote for our own Prime Minister which we have fundamentally been denied.
I love Corbyn and all he stands for but I would feel a sense of relief if we pushed May out of the way and had Vivienne Westwood standing inside number 10.
She is absolutely passionate about our planet and an activist against Fracking and her views on the current state of Global Politics are something I intend to find out.
#BeYourOwnRevolution
