Well Darlings,

The time is fast approaching. Christmas. Peace on Earth and Goodwill to All Men. Perhaps I should broaden my circles, as it seems far from that wherever I go. We see our pensioners going without food and turning off their heating in order to pay their council tax. A tax that one in four of them has difficulty in paying. Help the Aged are campaigning for the government to reinstate the £200 discount for pensioners to help them at this time of year. I guess they must have more faith in the goodwill of our government than most people. This discount was given to older people before the 2005 General Election, and withdrawn afterwards. Not a lot of goodwill in that was there? It smacks of a pre-election bribe to win the pensioners' votes.

Never mind, perhaps some of our poor pensioners will be cheered up by an annual visit from their relatives over the Christmas, a chance to see their grandchildren again, or maybe an old friend might call on them to stay for a day or two. That would be nice, wouldn't it?

It would be nice, except the noticeable lack of goodwill by hundreds of workers on Central Trains may prevent that happening for some people. More than 550 senior conductors for Central Trains, which runs services throughout the Midlands, will walk out in separate attacks on travellers over the festive season. They have a dispute with their employers over pay and rosters and will go on strike for 24 hours on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, and again on New Year's Day, the repercussions of which may be felt on other days too. The strikes have the backing of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union. Not much goodwill from them, is there?

Where are some people's guts these days? Why do they always want to hit the general public in order to sort out their problems, and at critical times? Because it's the easy way out? Get a bit of backbone! There are countless ways they could "have a go" at their bosses to show their extreme displeasure without resorting to affecting the commuter. Why not use some of them? Is it because they're just a load of Bankers? Or some word like that!

Further south there's no more love of our fellow man. Last Friday the Dorcan postal sorting office was praised for being the best in the country by mail watchdog Postwatch. Now, you would think that was good news, wouldn't you? Something for all to celebrate? But, oh no! The fact that the Swindon Regional Mail Centre is so good it can deliver 97 per cent of its first-class letters within a day has upset postal workers in Reading. They are now calling for people to boycott Swindon by writing "Not via Swindon" on their Christmas cards. They have even had hundreds of stickers printed with slogans like: "Do not send my mail via Swindon mail centre", to be stuck to envelopes. What? Why?

Quite simply, it's because the "far better at their job" Swindon Regional Mail Centre is planning to double in size and to take over the offices in Reading. We're told the Communication Workers Union has backed the Reading mail workers' protesting against this eventuality. Union spokesman, Terry Jackson, talks of the quality of service suffering, of the environmental costs, and of workers' misery.

Misery? In what - doing the job they're paid to do correctly and efficiently? There's far worse jobs than being a postal worker, believe me! These people should be pleased and proud they were becoming part of a winning team. But then, perhaps, that might involve them having to do some work, mightn't it? And as for talking about "the quality of service suffering" - is the union frightened that the quality of service might improve if they are run by an already successful centre?

In several parts of the country there are postal workers' disputes, strikes called for - they're on, they're off, they're on again - and over many differing issues. What is going on?

Since the "honours for cash" allegations, and the police investigation into all that starting, it has been revealed that our strapped for cash (in debt up their eyeballs!) governing party has been helped out by the unions. Recently we've seen some quite bolshie activity from some unions. I do hope we aren't going to have to scream for the return of Maggie, or the likes of her, in a few years time!

Moving on, another one to add to the list of idiot ideas. Towns in Lancashire are to introduce pink lighting as a way of stopping teenagers committing crimes. Pink lighting is said to create a calming atmosphere. They say the pink lights also show up spots on the skin. "Oh, my God! I've got a zit! I shall have to run home and hide, instead of mugging that old granny!" Get real!

This joins the likes of giving out chocolate bars, patting police horses, and relayed high frequencies from lampposts - the yobs don't hear them with the stolen iPod in their ear! - and all the other similar crap. It makes the headlines, everybody thinks the anti-social issues are being tackled, a few encouraging reports are issued later - and then, when it can hold water no longer, another new idea (an "initiative") is produced to keep the public happy. If all the money constantly being wasted on these stupid "initiatives" were to be channelled into putting more police on the streets - where they belong! - then I feel we might see some REAL results!

There was a large and favourable feedback on the issues discussed last week. Mostly on the failing of our government to ensure the safer sex message, and the absolute need for it, was being taught to all children. Many felt the money being wasted targeting the smokers - a section of society already happy to be segregated, but not to be completely banned - could be better used for something far more important. More important to most is the fact that every day people are having unprotected sex, and risk inheriting a death sentence through their ignorance - an ignorance mainly due to the inability of the health service, the education service, and the government, to get the safer sex message across.

Knowing how people feel about huge sums of public money being used to target all the wrong issues, you can imagine my amazement when I learned that dance classes are to be provided on the National Health Service. We're informed that street-dancing, tango classes, abseiling, trampolining, and incredibly even kite flying are amongst a wide range of activities that will be funded by NHS trusts.

Excuse me! Is this the same National Health Service that can't afford to keep some of our hospitals open, and is closing them down all over the country? The same health service that can't successfully teach our kids the virtues of safer sex? The one that can't rid itself of the hospital bug MRSA (cases up by over 2,000% in a decade) that now annually kills patients in their thousands, and who has now possibly inherited an even more lethal super bug: clostridium difficile (c-diff)? Is this the same health service that wants to fund these dance classes?

Yes, I fully appreciate the dance classes and the like are intended to tackle declining fitness levels and to prevent a national obesity crisis - but a lack of exercise is something that people may suffer for in the long-term future. Our kids and loved ones are in danger today. Right now. This very instant. In their millions. And through flying their kite!

Fat people is a problem for tomorrow. Few will take up the offer of these free dance dates, least of all those who need them the most. This is just another "initiative" for public consumption to make us think the government and our health service wallahs are on top of things - when the reverse is nearer to the truth.

It's not the fat people, but the fatheads existing in the health service and in our government that is the problem for today. A big problem. People know why they are fat - but shamefully today they don't know that they could suffer a terminal illness through unsafe sex - tonight! How important is that on a scale of one to ten? Why is it not the number one issue to be tackled?

The governing party, New Labour, came into power to the tune of "Things can only get better," - in nearly a decade they haven't. Of the health service, Tony Blair now tells us: "The best is yet to come."

I leave you to your private thoughts on that one - whatever party you may support and might feel you need to publicly defend. Your personal, innermost, private, and otherwise unknown thoughts and truths.

The best is yet to come? A nation groans!

See you next week . . .

"The Bitch!" 8/12/06.

About the Author

"The Bitch!", a weekly UK News Review column, is hosted by the author and columnist Michael Knell. These articles appear on the Blackpool Gay Directory website, but are not specifically gay in content. More information on the author: http://www.michaelknell.com and on the directory: http://www.astabgay.com.