The meeting is about to begin so many world leaders in one place, Glasgow

COP 26, they will all sit around and devise a plan without argument or malice to save our world

The Chinese won’t be there because they are too busy building new coalfired power stations

And making plans to take back Taiwan who don’t want to be part of China what a surprise

This is a triple purpose threat because they have now upset the Americans and Japanese as well

Probably a good thing they are not going we wouldn’t want to detract from COP 26

The French will be there if they are not too busy capturing our fishing boats and cutting the power cable to Jersey

While at the same time trying to get support from the EU against us to stop us protecting our fishing grounds

India is going to be there they are only producing 70% of their electricity with coal so all good

Australia one of the worlds biggest coal exporters is going and will not put net-zero into law

America will be represented of course they don’t seem to be able to decide whether climate change is happening or not

On the one hand, they are fighting against clean air legislation still digging coal-producing oil but want to be leaders in saving the planet, I do love a V8 though

And then, of course, there is us we are talking a good fight but how well are we really doing we have a lot of old poorly insulated houses, and our new houses are being built with gas boilers for heating

Uptake of new technology is slow because it’s expensive we need more subsidies to help people go green, in the town that I live in there is not one public charging point

You could drive here for a day out but unless you live nearby you can’t drive home

To summarise COP 26 is promoting itself as the answer lets hope the attendees can keep their hands off one another’s throats and not start another war long enough to do something useful.

Death where is your fear you creep around nipping our ankles like a farmers collie dog

It gets to a point when we say oh just shut up, I’ve heard your stupid threats and sometimes I was scared!

But now I don’t care you can threaten me with covid, cancer, flu or the common cold or maybe a car crash

You can take your scythe and put them where the sun doesn’t shine, you’ve lost your edge

I’ve had my fun I’ve done the things I should have done and several I shouldn’t

I’ve married had children I’m proud of my only wish is that they become proud of one another

I’ve cohabited badly and I’ve cohabited very well I have no regrets my life has not been easy but it’s been an education 

Probably an education that’s been wasted on me I have learned many things but are they worth knowing I will probably never know

I will probably not see the end of gas-powered boilers or the failure of battery-powered cars what a shame

I will surely not see this country levelled up and everyone having all that they need or desire

I will probably see a world that is struggling to contain a virus that has the potential to destroy our civilisation

Does that make me sad? I suppose it does I worry for my kids and grandkids but am powerless to protect them

All I can do is try to be a kinder man than the kind man I thought I was before I dive into a hopefully peaceful oblivion

Incompetence can become endemic if it’s left to its own devices

It leads to a culture of poor performance and poor outcomes

It takes us to a place where that is nowhere anyone wants to be

Incompetence leads nowhere except to a tissue of lies to hide itself behind

Some people take their incompetence and wear it like a badge of honour

Hopefully, most people recognise their own incompetence and try to correct it

It’s not hard to ask for advice or seek the training that’s required

Unfortunately, there is no cure for stupid and some turn it into an art form

Wind-powered generation and solar produce less than 50% of our electricity needs. Where does the balance come from nuclear- and gas-powered stations and some imported from France? Is it possible to double the number of wind farms in the time needed to meet our targets? I don’t know but I don’t think so. Can we build nuclear power stations fast enough to meet our targets? I don’t know but I think not.

Energy suppliers going bust because they are not allowed to exceed the fuel cap so lose money on every customer, nine have gone so far, is this sustainable? Diesel and petrol prices going up I suppose logs will be more costly for the lucky ones that have fires or log burners.

We have become dependent on the Russians for our gas. The poison dwarf Putin must be rubbing his hands with glee that he is in control of our energy needs and Europe. As the result of not having a long-term plan for our energy needs we seem to have thrown the baby out with the bathwater. Reducing our gas storage facilities has helped to put our population onto a cliff edge of huge increases for our domestic energy.

On top of prices rising in our shop’s extra taxes and cuts in benefits, for those on fixed incomes pensioners and those on benefits, this is a disaster. The removal of the triple lock on pensions has not helped the increase that they should have got would have met the increased cost of fuel. The increased level of universal credit applied during the pandemic if left in place would have helped to offset these extra costs. Many people will be hoping we have a very mild winter, or they will be having to make hard choices about eating or staying warm. And putting on all your clothes is not the solution to this very real problem.

Stress in older age I don’t understand it

When I was young, I had a couple of dozen reasons to be stressed

I just didn’t seem to know I should have been

Now I shouldn’t be stressed but it seems that I am

Is it down to perspective now if I look forward I see I don’t have long?

Back then when I looked forward, I could see endless possibilities

I had time to put plans into operation and complete

Now I think is it really worth planting a walnut tree I may never see the fruit

Back then I could be reckless because I had time to correct my mistakes

As a young man, I would squander time lying in bed till late

As an old man, I feel pressure to get up earlier because I’m burning daylight

I still have things I want to do that may seem harebrained ideas I want to complete

If only we could combine the unrealistic optimism of youth with the knowledge of experience

As September ends autumn begins

The wind blows the temperature drops

The prospect of dark evenings and dark mornings

Go to work in the dark come home in the dark

As I get older I miss the light more than ever

It’s cosy to sit by an open fire but not compensation enough

Six months of cold and damp weather fills me with dread

No more shirt sleeves just big warm coats

No bad weather only bad clothes the saying goes

Only true to a point bundled up in duck down filled jackets

Muddy shoes that always need cleaning

To a desert dwelling I am leaning

Oh but for the sand in your shoes and in your hair in your toaster and your telly

Ill light the fire and enjoy six months of watching flickering flames

I finished work on Saturday thought I would get diesel as I do about once a fortnight

Oh, dear, I thought I have enough for my shift on Sunday which I did

Finished Monday morning no diesel in Sudbury none in my local garage

None on the way home what a bloody disaster we are trapped in our town

Which to be fair is a nice little town but I need to go to work sometimes

Apparently, I am an essential worker but now I am a none working worker

People in receipt of care will only get support if the carers can walk to them

The government are making visas easier from next month that doesn’t help now

Are eastern Europeans going to be queuing up to come and work only till Xmas

Then get told to leave I don’t think so apparently, they don’t feel welcome

In the meantime, those of us who cannot get public transport to work are screwed

Yet another problem being messed up by the inept reactive government

A situation that should have been addressed two years ago if they had been proactive

I will make some bread kneading should be good for stress and be good to eat

Danish brother-in-law says he is enjoying watching the collapse of society

All we need now is the zombie apocalypse and another lockdown and life will be complete

We all need to go green everyone tells us it’s the only way to save the planet

Get rid of coal stop burning gas heat our homes with electricity

Don’t you dare burn wood you reckless hippy

Can’t afford the electricity put another jumper on

Want to go to work you can’t drive a petrol car, can I use diesel? wash out your mouth

You must use a battery-powered car even if it won’t get you home again

Put it on a non-existent charging point and catch a bus

Live in the countryside you will have to walk get fit save the planet

Buy a hybrid car that is less economical than diesel and looks like it should be in a circus

Buy a mild hybrid that allows the manufacturer to carry on making petrol cars what a con

A nonsense that allows manufacturers to circumnavigate the rules

And is less fuel-efficient than a petrol or diesel car, who made these rules?

We have not got enough electricity to power all our houses and our transport systems

The infrastructure cannot cope the national grid will need an enormous upgrade

Can’t afford a new electric vehicle buy a second hand one for about six grand

Great you may get sixty miles if you don’t use lights heater unplug the clock

We are being sold a crock of shit being lied to and pushed into a corner

Trying to save the world while China builds coal-fired power stations

America still builds cars with seven-litre V8 engines, I want one of those

My Audi will do fifty plus to the gallon I travel in comfort and safety, you save the planet  

When we have all been conned into going electric how will the government recoup the 80% fuel duty

Do you really think charging your car for a fiver will continue, oh so you still believe in Father Christmas?

Hydrogen power is easy to fill up doesn’t take hours produces water doesn’t use precious metals like batteries do

Why not

Are we all dancing to someone else’s dodgy tune?

Running around trying to appease or please like a loon

Hoping to gain some praise or acceptance while losing our self-respect

Our self-worth is diminished in this pointless exercise what else could we expect

Hoping to be valued for who we are is unrealistic optimism over common sense

Expecting to be treated as an equal in this world of inequality is unrealistic beyond reason

Standing up for our rights and fighting for our rights gets us branded as troublemakers

Accept the status quo and be led by those with the power, no thanks I’ve had enough

Every day we hear someone telling us to do this do that next week they will have changed their mind

Buy an electric car oh dear they are too expensive for the poorer in society, they will have to walk

No more gas boilers to heat our homes more expensive electric boilers more old people will die

We need to be levelling up as they call it but no it’s a catchphrase trotted out meaninglessly

We should know you can’t get very rich unless you have very poor people to exploit

The richer in society can go green they can afford the higher bills to heat their homes

They can buy the best electric cars with the longest range put solar panels on their roof

Sadly it seems that global warming is going to speed up levelling down while the waters rise

I remember the Russians being defeated by Afghanistan I remember when we went into Afghanistan, and I don’t understand why things have turned so bad. I am an avid listener and watcher of news, so I suppose I am as well informed as most ordinary people. So why is there such a lack of knowledge about how and why the resurgence of the Taliban has happened so quickly?

All we see on news now is terrified people trying to get out of their own country because they are being ruled by tyrants that rely on fear to keep control. Some parallels with several other countries in the world including some alleged democracies in the west. Fear is the tool most often used to control the populations and allow these people to remain in power.

I have vivid memories of watching the news of the Vietnam war eating my dinner as filmed footage showed an American soldier throwing a hand grenade into a Vietnamese machine gun post and seeing limbs being thrown into the air by the blast. It was so unreal to me as a child, but the image has stayed with me for about 55 years. I suppose it could be called a mental scar I have no idea, but it gave me a feeling on reflection as an adult of the awful reality of war.

It seems that there is only one area that has an effective resistance movement that the Taliban have not been able to defeat. Why is this surely those that don’t want to live under the rule of the Taliban would form some sort of opposition? There seems to be no shortage of weapons in the country, and someone shot with a thirty year old gun is just as dead as someone shot with a new one. Perhaps the country’s that are pulling out should be promoting some sort of rebellion amongst the population. And helping them to help themselves as most seem to be too frightened to resist. It seems to be falling to the Panjshir valley region to lead the resistance movement perhaps support for them will be the only hope for Afghanistan. And its beleaguered population.

Of course, there will be many who will welcome the return of the Taliban and the subjugation of its women but not all. They have had twenty years of educating the young and these are the people who will need to be challenging the return to what appears to the west as the dark ages.