Wednesday After-Lunch Thoughts

• Not going to name names, but people flitting between blogging platforms are starting to wear on my patience. Look, critique and experimentation are fine, but it’s getting to the point that I’m starting to wonder if finding something to complain about has become the whole premise of the blog…
• The paucity of debate — and anger — over how Boris Johnson’s government is handling Brexit mystifies me. In less than a month, we’re looking at the very real prospect of leaving the EU without a trade deal in place, and the pain is going to be felt everywhere in Britain. It probably doesn’t help that a large swathe of the UK press seem OK with this prospect, as long as they can declare it the EU’s fault.
• Meanwhile, Labour seems to be putting more energy into avoiding taking responsibility for anything than in challenging the government. They’re still paralysed over Brexit, and even their response to the mismanagement of the Coronavirus pandemic has been more about following behind public anger than leading the charge.
• The Liberal Democrats might as well have disbanded, they’re nowhere to be seen. Admittedly, that’s probably because the media find it easier to do Conservative vs Labour. At least at the local level here in Watford they’re visible, but I’ve now forgotten who’s in Ed Davey’s team. You did remember that Ed Davey is the Lib Dem leader now, didn’t you?
• I feel like I need to dial down the amount of tech coverage I receive, in the same way that I cut back on politics coverage about a year ago. Even without the presence of most of the clickbait-chasing sites, too many people are blogging about the Topic Of The Day, usually simultaneously. Far too few are pausing to gather their thoughts, consider the lessons from history, and look further ahead than their blog analytics.
• Listening to commercial radio more frequently and for longer this past year, it has struck me how much more diverse the voices are. Sadly, the retail messages don’t seem to have changed at all, which is particularly odd at a time when many people’s finances have been impacted by the pandemic.
• On a related vein, just admit that Christmas will have to be cancelled this year. I find the drive to encourage excess — and family gatherings — particular galling at a time when the Coronavirus is still not under control.

Okay, I think I’ve got everything off my chest for now.