quote

years ago, back in the days of employment, i was counting out copies of a comic called “v for vendetta”, it was the first issue of the dc comics reprint of the series. there was an introduction from the writer, alan moore, he went on about how bad it was in britain (it was the time of thatcherism) and how change was needed, but he was thinking of buggering off to the states. nice one alan, get the proles fired up, get them wanting to make a difference but leave them behind to go somewhere else.
admittedly alan moore never left these shores but i think that was the day i took against moore and after that his work never quite impressed me in the same way.

it is not that i think britain is a utopia, far from it. britain, as with all countries, has a range of problems. some of the problems are of the making of the country while others are foist on it because of the global situation. some are solvable; others will just have to be adapted to.
i doubt that there is anywhere that the situation isn’t similar.

what irks me is the moaning for moaning sake, and the willingness to complain but to leave it to someone else to clean up, while sitting back feet up and relaxing.
you see it a lot on the daily mail’s website where lots of ex-pats whinge on about how bad it is in britain while sunning themselves in australia (though obviously it is not all that good in oz because they are still reading the mail).

so imagine my ire when i read a short interview with john cleese, one of those puff piece page fillers that promotes something or another.
for some reason the interviews goes on about the american election, cleese describes where he watched the election from he talks about “feeling the tears” he goes on to say “there was a real feeling on election night of reclaiming the country.”
this was followed by a statement that was met by cleese’s response.

“we could do with a similar injection of enthusiasm here.
the most depressing thing about this country - more so even than the weather - is that nobody i meet ever thinks it's going to get much better.”

cheers for that.
of course one of the main characteristics of these sorts of moans is just to throw the complaint out there. not to offer suggestions or solutions. not to offer to help. just sit on the sidelines and carp.
i suppose it is easy when you are comfortably rich.
even worse is that is such an aimless criticism, not that the “injection of enthusiasm” point was much more focused. the implication is that the place is crumbling down around us and that no one cares. there isn’t a specific complaint just a feeling of ennui. from what cleese says britain is a depressing place, but that isn’t the reality. it is a vibrant and exciting place that has large numbers of people who are making a difference in all walks of life from the scientific to the artistic and all stops in-between.

still cleese also said “i supported west ham for a while but then one day i looked at the team and they were all czechs and slovenians.” so perhaps we shouldn’t take him too seriously.

even worse is the recent outpourings of ray winstone. ray’s words of wisdom are that britain has gone to the dogs. “we’re a mess” he says, he talks about the poor state of the nhs at how people go into hospital and come out with mrsa, he worries about crime kids in gangs with knives and what is being done about it? nothing.
perhaps more telling is that winstone also points out that there is high tax. oh right. so ray tell me how do you want to see a better nhs or more bobbies on the street (or improved education facilities) if you don’t want to pay for it?
so ray is thinking of emigrating to the usa. last time i looked the usa has it’s own problems with crime and violence and it is not a place of universal healthcare. oh not to worry ray the taxes are less there.

if there is a plus point to celebrity it is that you can influence people, that you can get access to change-makers, that you can campaign.
ray and john appear not to worry about that aspect of celebrity.

so fuck off and good riddance to both of you. if you have to come back to britain for any reason then do us all a favour pimp whatever it is you are selling, but keep your complaints and moans to yourself, unless of course you are going to pitch in and help make a difference.