Unreliable time

The acceleration of untrustworthy time

Other units of measurement seem more vague and transmutable. Take length. The metre. Measures length (hence my distaste for the LM or linear metre non-unit many like to use – the metre measures length, linear length, and therefore the 'linear' is entirely redundant and unnecessary, and, well, a bit on the dim side if you ask me). But it will happily be squared, and then used to measure area. It will equally happily be cubed and then used to measure volume.

Time seems more simple.

Unless we're going into cosmic scale measurements, lightyears and the like.

But at basic human level, time is unreliable. A couple of minutes ago (so it seems) the fleeces and sweatshirts were mothballed for the summer. Now it's cold in the evenings and they're back in play. Just when, time, did that happen? That's supposed to be a season, a quarter, three months, not three minutes.

Time tells us there's a later. We say to each other “another time”. “We'll meet up another time”, “let's just get this done, then we can relax”. “Never mind, another time.”

Experience tells us different. There's no later. There's no another time. “Another time” means “forget it, it 'aint gonna happen”. There's a never ending succession of just one more things to get done. These are capable of seeing you through to your natural end. An unreliable enemy, time.

Politicians and firemen

Apparently, it's all well and good for already massively overpaid politicians to have second jobs. That's on top of all the expenses (fiddled) expenses (genuine) paid travel, secretarial support (genuine) and secretarial support (teenage family member). Having a second job does not detract from their commitment or ability to perform their jobs. So they tell us. They decide the rules, after all.

Similarly, politicians have long ago ruled to make it difficult for firemen to have second jobs. Most don't need a second job. The pay is a national agreement. Most serve where property prices are such that they can afford to live within reasonable distance of their place of work. Same pay in Cumbria and in Camden.

Despite clearly having to do two jobs just to survive in the south east, the politicians decided to make it extremely difficult to do so.

Jack Straw was one of those. He earns £160,000 a year on top of his MP's money + dodgy (and otherwise) expenses + house flipping gains + subsidised (by you and me) food and travel and perk after perk after perk.

They all drone on about a 'fairer society'. They wouldn't know one if it was on couch next to them.

All three parties spouted evil, lying, deceitful, spiteful, factually incorrect drivel during the fire brigade strike. All aimed at the Mail readers that were buying their filth. Big hairy miners? Protesters? Get the police to give them a good hiding. Brighton bomb? Big hairy heroes, please rescue us. We should've left them to rot. When there's a Guy Fawkes tear it down and start again party, then maybe I'll vote.