The weekend just gone was the annual Garlic Festival that takes place on the Isle of Wight when food with a garlic theme, entertainments such as Darth and his chums stomp about to light-heartedly menace children, bands play, people sell their wares and various crafts are on display. It's a good weekend and much fun is had by all.
This year as last, I took a small round table, a box of books and some paper flyers with the hope of drumming up interest for the project. Some old friends were met it's always nice to catch up, and some very interesting and at times fairly intense conversations were struck up with new faces. I found that most of the people spoken to of my own generation were pretty much onside the moment they knew what my project is about, which is in a nutshell, no faith at all in Britain's leadership to do the right thing by ordinary people and families, and the need to stop the rot for the sake of all.
Speak of the need to put the country back on its feet and the natural reaction is to ask 'what would you do about it?' At which point I would reach for my folder to show the person my 3 diagram depiction of a healthy versus an unhealthy economic model. It is the series that opens the SNM website and depicts a human body with the arterial system and vital organs, and the analogy with Britain and its economy. In a nutshell... fully functional vascular system pumping oxygen, nutriment and fighter cells to feed and fight off disease around a human body = good health. Within the analogy the UK landmass is the 'body' and the economy the 'vascular system' whilst cash flow is 'lifeblood' and the major institutions such as education and the NHS are 'vital organs'. In diagram three 'fiscal tumours and leaks' are added such as benefits culture and payments to the EU, and without exception, everyone I showed it to instantly got it and said it works. The analogy is just one amongst a host of devises and ideas promoted within the book and that demonstrate that this project is about walking the walk as opposed to merely talking the talk.
Two attitudes come across were especially interesting. I had the privilege of speaking with a number of students working towards various degree courses, politics and business studies standing out. They got it I'm pleased to say, and that is the most rewarding result of the weekend for me. Our young and what they are set to inherit from my own generation that has screwed up so badly, is the whole point of this exercise. Their generation is on the verge of taking control of the nation and they need to go forward with open eyes and minds, and if they do... (I was going to type 'things can only get better' but thought better of it) The reaction gained from switched on young people tells me where a prime target audience for this project is... students, schools, colleges and universities.
The other attitude encountered was less convivial. On four occasions I noticed someone skimming through or reading properly the flyer or back of the book and sought to strike up a conversation with them only to get the brush off. A man and woman strutting about wearing blue 'Team NHS' t-shirts were especially snotty which was mega disappointing as I would have expected such people to get it. Maybe they got the wrong idea, that my suggesting we ought to repair this broken country got interpreted as right-wing so maybe of the worst sort of nationalism? For the benefit of the dismissive to the point of being rude I'll state the aims of this project...
Not right-wing, not left-wing, but slap bang down the middle. A system designed to work for the majority. Unity, cooperation in the common interest, democracy and meritocracy. The word meritocracy speaks for itself. Gender, race, class religious affiliation not important. Plain enough?
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