Thu, 17 September 11:08 2009

Back with a bang

Back_with_a_bang

One day. 24 hours.That’s how long I’ve been back from my delightful, all too short sojourn in dear old blighty. Exiting through one of the airport doors, I collided with another passenger, resulting in all my bags being strewn across the floor and the fishing rod, which had survived its journey in the hold, snapping off at the handle. I’ve had two altercations with the police. One for parking and one for having too many children in the back seat of the car. And last night’s storm has knocked my computer out. Welcome back to paradise Leapy – we’ve been waiting for you!

So here I sit in my local cyber caff, endeavouring to blurb, while all around me click, clunk and chat on their respective pieces of high tech. Life ain’t easy I’ll tell you. It is good to be back however (I think). The kiddies have finally returned to school. With the advent of September’s slightly older clientele, trade has picked up a bit in the bar, and, although it knocked out the old PC, the storm has finally cleared that oppressive heat we’ve been experiencing for most of the summer – so it’s not all bad. Think positive Leapy.

Did you catch the ‘Big Issue’ on the box this week? Once again Islam was at the centre of discussions. This time the condoning of the violence oft mentioned in the Koran. As usual the Islamic representative side-stepped all the leading questions, including an insistence that most of the media coverage of scenes that showed celebrations in a number of Muslim countries following the 9/11 atrocity, were actually ‘doctored’. Give us a break. I’ve yet too come across a Western media representative who could assemble thousands of people in the centre of Teheran or downtown Baghdad merely to take a few ‘doctored’ images. If it wasn’t so serious it truly would be laughable.

During my stay in the auld country a number of old friends managed to get in touch. I was pleasantly surprised how many actually browsed the blurb online. One of them told me a tale that just about sums up the state the country has got into. This particular friend runs a company which specialises in laying underground pipes for various reasons. His firm recently tendered for quite a big job in the south of England. He duly received a phone call from said company.

The first thing he was asked by the caller, who apparently spoke with a fairly heavy accent, was not one relating to his tender or letter of application at all. ‘What is the policy of your company regarding ethnic minorities?’ was the initial question that fell on his understandably incredulous ears. Somewhat taken aback my friend, who hasn’t a racist bone in his body, replied that if anyone applied to him and was capable of doing the job, then he would naturally consider employing them.

He then added, in a jovial manner that frankly, with some of the jobs his company was involved in, when they went down into the hole they were white and when they came back up they were distinctly black. This remark was met with a stony silence. The caller then coldly informed him that he didn’t think the remark was funny at all and promptly hung up. Needless to say he also didn’t get the contract.

Just a minute, isn’t there some form of offence in there somewhere? Certainly racism, also a faint whiff of blackmail comes to mind. Just how much of that type of thing goes on you may ask yourself? Well, have no doubt, far too much of it and it’s getting worse all the time. Jobs are being doled out by minorities, who have now gained positions of power, to other minorities with monotonous regularity. Try and get a mini cab job in Blackburn if you don’t believe me. Without the proper ‘ethnic’ background you’ve no chance. Don’t say I didn’t tell you so!

And with that its g’day from me, and g’day from him. I await the slings and arrows with my usual bated and beleaguered source of oxygen. Keep them corners up. Keep those minces twinkling. And whatever ya do.
Always keep the faith.
Love Leapy.
www.leapylee.co.uk

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