Tag: Tanka

Giving back

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If I were wealthy

would I, could I pay more tax

you’re darn right I would

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I am not wealthy nor poor

and would pay more now to help

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by Scooj

I am sickened by some of the wealthy and super-rich who will stop at nothing to avoid paying taxes. What is wrong with these people? Don’t they understand where their wealth comes from? As my grandmother used to say, ‘you can’t take it with you’. Greed and selfishness are alive and thriving in an ever-divided and messed up world. Oligarchs hold influence and power to protect their wealth… to what end?

How much money does a person actually need?

River Fowey

River Fowey at Lostwithiel, Cornwall, October 2025
River Fowey at Lostwithiel, Cornwall, October 2025

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At Lostwithiel

stannary barges of old

brought prosperity

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ravaged by the Civil War

its status much diminished

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by Scooj

  • Lostwithiel, on the banks of the River Fowey is a wonderful Cornish town with an extraordinary history. You can find out more about Lostwithiel history here.
  • Stannary – relating to tin

The sickness

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Politician’s lies

influencers, feeble minds

division and hate

difficult times to live in

social media pollutes

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by Scooj

Discovery

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Brother and sister

girl: you know we’ve a brother

boy: don’t be silly

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and in that tender moment

the world felt complicated

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by Scooj

Making friends

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Two boys overheard

a cyclist and a scooter

“you are really good”

one boy says to the other

“I’m not really, but thank you”

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by Scooj

  • This is how young boys make friends, it was heart-warming to see. I wanted to stay and listen a little longer, but of course, that begins to look a little bit peculiar, so the dog and I went on our way.

Liz Truss

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No self-awareness

no conscience or dignity

misplaced confidence

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once disgraced Prime Minister

is attempting a comeback

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by Scooj

  • I never thought I’d ever be writing about Liz Truss again in Natural Adventures. She was a busted flush, or so we all thought, but such is the arrogance of the right wing tory politicians in this country and their lack of self-awareness, that they will do anything for power. Jaw-dropping – this is the woman who single-handedly crashed our economy only a few months ago. Who does she think she is?
  • I predict that this might well be the straw that breaks the Tory camel’s back, and sincerely hope so. They have systematically destroyed our country, kept a kotowing working class in their place, dismantled our public services in preparation for privatisation and benefitted only the rich. The re-emergence of Truss will cause chaos in the party.
  • I predict a May 2023 general election.

Lies, obfuscation and deflection

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Some civil servants

says Attorney General

are responsible

for undermining Brexit

because they are remainers

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by Scooj


Oh Dear, where do I start?

Our Attorney General is thick as two short planks, in that she is driven by doctrine/ideology and not truth, not a very good starting place for a lawyer really. This week, to deflect from more allegations of sleeze in the Tory party, she tried to create a dead cat story, saying:

‘Some civil servants are resisting post-Brexit reforms because they cannot imagine “life outside of the EU”.’

I’m not sure that she understands how the civil service works, but if you do not do your job as directed or do not do it well, then you are moved on or out, unlike the politicians who make the laws that civil servants deliver on. If Brexit is a complete catastrophe, pointing the finger at civil servants is utterly misguided.

Suella Benjamin’s unprovoked attack is also unbelievably cowardly as she knows Civil Servants are bound to remain silent on such matters and are unable to answer back, so the assertion is uncontested and pedalled as truth by the right wing media.

Michael Rosen’s (a British author, poet and political columnist) response to this despicable claim was:

Suella Braverman’s attack on Civil Servants: hands up who can think of any govt anywhere anytime attacking its own bureaucracy and/or professionals in order to appeal ‘over’ them in order to win allegiance from ‘the public’ or the ‘people’…

And he is right. What is happening in our country right now is madness. The current far right Tory government, propped up and facilitated by Rupert Murdoch, and Viscount Rothermere, is leading us down a very dangerous path. I only hope that the British people come to their senses and realise they have been duped and conned on a wave of false patriotism, orchestrated by a self-serving elite who care only about money and power.

History will see this period of Tory rule as one of the darkest periods of modern times, in which we have witnessed our own decline and fall.

Abuse

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Tory government

pathological dislike

of public sector

abusive relationship

bullying, undermining

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by Scooj

As someone who has spent most of my career working for the public, I am sick of the abuse this government hurl at public sector workers, the very people who are ‘delivering’ Brexit , who teach, who heal, who care, who got this country through the pandemic, who protect the environment and regulate those who would do harm to people and nature, those who keep our streets safe and run fair courts, local service providers… the list goes on.

How dare they?

Human condition revisited

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Most people are good

leading normal, decent lives

with love and respect

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The greedy lying bastards

deceive and line their pockets

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by Scooj

Teflon-coated

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Surely, surely now

Boris Johnson should step down

worst Prime Minister

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But there is no chance of that

and everybody knows it

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by Scooj