Tag Archives: dailyprompt

Modern Political Leaders are selected not elected.

Daily writing prompt
What’s a conspiracy theory you actually find believable?

Increasingly, I am forced to think that Countries with Power can no longer afford the unpredictability of their Leaders actually being able to think independently or act on their own beliefs and moral compass. Perhaps AI has already entered the fray and it will only get worse not better.

In the UK we have just had “Keir Starmer” replaced by ” Andy Burnham”. No election Andy ousted Keir in a drawn out process involving an election at a “safe” seat, resigning as Mayor of Manchester and then being appointed without contest , simply because he was Andy Burnham ( The man from the North). Democracy in action. No election just appointments.

Now Keir was born and bred to be the Labour Leader. Tony Blair was his progenitor, Blair was not perfectly formed although he talked like a robot and he certainly blazed a trail and showed those in control what could be achieved. Unfortunately his ego took over and it’s quite possible he began to believe he was in power because he was “Tony”. This did not suit the powers that be and he needed to be replaced.

Working as a Lawyer seems to be the chosen profession for “Leaders”, no need for a moral compass with that particular career. Enter baby Keir, whose father ran a toolmaking business and who chose to name his child after “Keir ” after Keir Hardie , the founder of the Labour Party.

I never thought Starmer was the brightest tool in the Political Toolbox, and always felt he was a fair weather politician who would agree to anything , partly because he didn’t understand the argument and also because he knew he was a puppet.

He protected Peter Mandleson ( The Black Knight of the Labour Party) and it led to his downfall. Starmer appointed Mandleson to be US Ambassador, despite many questions about his suitability and then argued the case that he was not given a full briefing on Mandleson’s status.

“Sorry my Lawd, I didn’t read the brief” ( an excerpt from one of Starmer’s early Court appearances).

“That’s alright , young Starmer, you’ll do better next time!” says Judge who is part of the Establishment.

Andy Burnham is no better, he likes to portray himself as a man for the northern people, but he has been chosen by those who decided on Blair and Starmer and Bandenoch. They are all middle class achievers with big mortgages and big aspirations.

America is no better, why Trump a lot of people hold their hands up and cry? Two words “The Apprentice” if he hadn’t been on that television programme then all of this would not have happened. He was chosen to be President and given the position to lead the Republicans even though he had never been a Republican and there were far better candidates. Thank heavens Alan Sugar ( the UK Apprentice ) retired to Monaco and didn’t want the hassle of becoming Prime Minister.

In other words it’s almost like The US and The UK have a cartoon strip of Political Leaders who were appointed by others and the electorate were given no choice. Selection not Election.

Chessboard separating a peaceful village landscape from erupting volcanoes
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Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

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If everything was certain.

Daily writing prompt
How do you deal with uncertainty?

If everything was certain and we always knew the end,

I think that’s something that would really drive me around the bend,

Variety is the spice of life and who knows what it will taste like?

Or if the next catastrophe will be a burst tyre on my totally trustworthy bike,

Our digital life would like to control us and know our every move,

But you can always turn it off and enjoy your crazy groove.

The mighty Physicists and Mathematics quest for the” big bang” beginning,

The prize for predicting the end doesn’t seem worth winning.

So there we are most of us get by,

My advice dear friends is give unpredictability a try.

Scientists analyzing gravitational-wave data in a room overlooking a burning city
Focus

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There are pressures upon us.

Daily writing prompt
What’s a moment when you realized you were officially an adult?

There are pressures upon us that seek to define our achievements based on parameters set by others. Even toddlers have milestones. They are up and walking very early or” my aren’t they walking yet?” ” Little Johnny isn’t sitting very well, he doesn’t seem to lift himself when he crawls”.

We worry sometimes with good reason and in the vast majority of cases we just have to accept for most will do everything in their  own good time with the right guidance.

I don’t believe in adult-hood; being an adult is a badge but we can all still behave like children, sometimes it’s funny , sometimes it’s incredibly annoying.

Some want their children to grow up too fast, some don’t want their children to grow up at all.

There is nothing glamorous about getting a job, paying rent, paying bills , paying , paying, paying. Some do it with aplomb, some every day is a crisis and some well they just don’t think it’s a good way to live and step off the ladder when they can.

Whatever, we all know childhood is precious and no I don’t think we need to admire adulthood or particularly aim to gain that particular badge. Take responsibility , well children can do that, count, design, work with others, play with others. Perhaps we should just throw away the badge.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

Paper boat floating on a stream through a sunlit flower meadow
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I don’t live in a city……

Daily writing prompt
Which is the best restaurant in your city?

And I can’t afford to eat in restaurant’s regularly; even if I had the additional disposable income, most restaurants make me feel uncomfortable. Even the most helpful staff seem intrusive, it’s such a shame you shouldn’t feel as if you are asking the World for an extra fork or stupid because you don’t understand the menu. Not to mention the inevitable question that is de rigeur.

” Do you have any allergies?”

Moan over for today, silly question anyway AI.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

Salmon dinner with labels: PEANUTS, WHEAT/GLUTEN, DAIRY, and SHELLFISH
A plated salmon dinner highlights four common allergens in a warm restaurant setting.

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Rev up the Time Machine

Human-shaped figure formed by glowing numbers on a dark background
A glowing human figure made up of scattered numerical digits floats in a dark space

If you had a time machine and could send just one message to your past self, what would it say?

It’s not so much that I know less than when I was young,

In truth all regard me as having fallen off life’s ladder rung,

And I may be wrinkled,slow and worn out,

But surely that was what life was all about.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading🙏

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There’s a few, I’d have to invite them all.

Daily writing prompt
Which author would you love to have dinner with?

As I’m really not much of a talker and wouldn’t just like to talk about writing, I’d have to invite a few to watch them interact with each other. (They are in no particular order) Sylvia Plath, Victor Hugo, George Orwell, Thomas Hardy, Mark Twain ,Douglas Adams, Stieg Larsson, James Baldwin, Daphne du Maurier, Ian Fleming Herman Melville. That would be a start and I’d have to check what they all enjoyed to eat and drink.

Four people seated around a wooden table eating and talking in a warmly lit restaurant
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Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

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Faith?

What’s a moment when a stranger completely restored your faith in people?

My faith in people does not need to be  restored,it is there and always will be.At the end of the day people know they need each other.

When it goes wrong there are many reasons,the reasons are not unfathomable we all know these too,they are usually related to  greed,envy or illness.

Human-shaped figure formed by glowing numbers on a dark background
A glowing human figure made up of scattered numerical digits floats in a dark space

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

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“Please leave no stone unturned”

Daily writing prompt
If your future self could send you one sentence, what do you hope it would say?

Perhaps I’m being morbid, but I think the prompt is really being polite, what it really wants to ask is what message would you write on your grave stone? I probably won’t be able to afford one never mind get it engraved.

If I was unlucky enough to be in one of those graveyards where Council’s are laying grave stones flat as they are loose or unsteady and therefore a health and safety risk then this is the message I would hope to say.

“Please Leave No Stone Unturned.”

Whether I was dead or alive it would seem appropriate.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

A glowing blue and gold rock floating above a mountain peak at sunset with a hiker watching
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Fresh Sardines

Daily writing prompt
What’s the best local dish you’ve ever eaten while traveling?

It’s always very tricky for me to have some fish,

But we were in Spain and the opportunity I could not miss,

On a motorbike tour we stopped at a coastal town,

There was a rustic restaurant on the pier,

And thankfully it wasn’t very dear,

We found a seat and looked around,

I noticed some boats sailing inbound,

As they reached the sandy shore,

I noticed there was a catch in the fore,

The waiter came I smiled and grinned,

And thought ” I’ve only ever had them tinned”,

We watched as the haul came up the steps,

I pointed and said I bet they’re fresh,

“Las sardinas por favore y una copa de vino blanco”

I was disappointed when the waiter said “Thank You”

My husband looked in horror and half dead,

You realise those fish will still have their head!

I cannot sit and watch you eat,

I’m going to find another seat,

So he stood up and moved and it was all quite fine,

He had his lunch and I had mine.

Grilled sardines on skewers with lemon wedges on a plate, bread with tomato, olives, and a glass of white wine by the seaside
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Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

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Protection and Nurturing

Daily writing prompt
What’s a thing you wish schools actually taught?

I could enter into the melee,

And ask should we be discussing sexuality?

At five it seems ridiculous,

At sixteen actually quite serious,

Perhaps it’s a headline grabbing subject,

Making humanity into an object,

Overkill can be one dimensional,

Acknowledgement and Respect are consensual,

Don’t dance around the subject it’s no shame,

Those Christmas Discos were not to blame,

A first kiss and a playground brawl,

Life is complicated that is all,

To understand is to get the fix,

Honestly it’s all just part of the mix,

To make a mistake is no shame,

To acknowledge and forgive must be our aim,

We must protect and nurture,

For these young people are the future

Empty playground with swings and benches outside a lit brick school building at dusk
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