British riots

I enjoyed reading the quote from Silver Birch, Zerdini. He always sounds so sensible.

Hi Z,

I don't read newspapers for anything about Spiritualism, they rarely give us a fair go. However I am not a Spiritualist for the news. You just try to get the best you can in each arena, The Guardian plus Observer have always been at the top of my list for many many reasons.

Equally the words of Silver Birch are wonderful, probably could be applicable but less than 1% of the UK population will be aware of them and/or of Spiritualism.

The riots are a complex problem as is the relationship to a welfare state. Universal care for others is part of Spiritualism so a welfare state is a necessity in my belief. The problem is rather like the old story, feeding a man with fish or teaching him to fish, just keeping them alive hoping it will stop them turning to crime is only ever a part of the answer. For 20 years social issues have been thrown out because of dry economic theory. In that time the inequality of wealth distribution has reached crisis proportions.

Dry economic theory has seen worthwhile jobs exported to countries with cheaper labour, poor occupational health standards (I visited a Chinese factory making spectacle frames with a press knocking out bridge parts which was automatically recycling, I asked what happened if the operator misjudged, to be told he lost a finger and his job over in Aus I would be fined and imprisoned for that managerial recklessness ) and minimal welfare.

This is what society seem to have craved and at the bottom there are people who have no hope of work and nothing to do. I saw it when I worked in Liverpool, 50% unemployment in 1982 when Toxteth burned while I was there. It is a repetitive pattern that costs money and requires ideas to fix. The current crop of politicians lack either the will or the way.

It is not a new thing either, or limited geographically, the good people of Scotland were abandoned by the South when mines closed and ship building left; to fight and rebuild their own world thank God they are on the way to Independence.

As a member of the idealist 60's, protest songs & social change I look back at the hedonistic 70, self absorbed self satisfied, indulgent and the 80's/90's becoming a time of me me and to hell with the rest as epitomised by the film Wall Street with considerable horror because at heart I remain idealistic. We now have the Tea Party with similar groups to the right in the UK and Australia wanting to disband all welfare and cut taxes to rebuild the world. Cutting taxes at this stage would just see more demand on offshore manufacturing plus a greater imbalance in wealth distribution in the so called "developed" countries.

Neither Spiritualism nor the traditional Christian Churches seem to be able to suggest to the world that it has lost the moral and ethical plot. We also seem far more worried about other issues as a movement (like each SNU church nominating a chosen Minister). The free thinking movement that was Spiritualism, fighting for womens rights, abolition of slavery and even being involved in the foundation of the labour movement is long gone.

To the world that is now, where there is widespread acceptance of psychics /mediums who have little understanding of what they do, or even any ability and no idea of Spiritualism , we stand at the very great risk of being totally irrelevant. In numbers we are too few, what we offer can often be too poor to seem attractive, especially to thinkers and we are unable to get a consistent valid message out to the world, a message it can resonate to. If the best we can do is to go back 50/70 years to Silver Birch, however great the words are, then we are lost. We need thinkers and a strong current message from the philosophy.

I am at the moment working on a piece called Spiritualism Out of Time and Out of Step. It is a tough piece to write but will be finished

I am at the moment working on a piece called Spiritualism Out of Time and Out of Step. It is a tough piece to write but will be finished

I look forward to reading it in due course, Jim.

Good and insightful accurate article Jim.

Sadly, it will fall on deaf ears, however.

I remember the 1960's well.
1960 I migrated to Australia with my family because mines were closing down and my first husband was a miner so we were afraid he was going to lose his employment.
Unfortunately we had to return to Britain in 1969 because of personal reasons and it hasn't inproved much since those days.

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense,
who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he
was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red
tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable
lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend
more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not
children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but
overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old
boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens
suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher
fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his
condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing
the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their
unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental
consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but
could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to
have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became
businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their
victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a
burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed
to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a
little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust,
by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his
son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If
you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and
do nothing.