Freestyle Muslims!
Rhiann Marie - Round the World
Stewart Graham
Wed 2 Mar 2011 02:21
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Phuket Tuesday 1st March 1940 Local time 1240
UTC
08:10.25N 098:20.38E
We have spent an enjoyable five days cruising round
Ao Phang Nga with my cousin Caroline and her boyfriend Glen. Each day there are
a few more things I can do and I use the chance to start trying some basic
"under way" activities that I would need to be able to do if we set off west. I
was ashore on remote islands a number of times took the wheel all the time. All
anchoring and berthing is now OK for me to do and I am able to set and furl the
sails myself. OK the conditions are benign. I understand only too well the
difference sea and weather conditions make. I didn't go up the mast but I shall
have to be able to do that and swim under the keel before I can say I am fit to
set sail. It could be a long time.......
We had another couple of maintenance issues while
we were out but I was able to talk Glen through the repairs. Our gear change
cable on the RIB broke, stuck in reverse, while we were ashore at a small
island. It must have been hilarious to watch me reverse the RIB back
to Rhiann Marie performing regular pirouets to bring us back on track
as the dingy tends to one side when in reverse. For day two Glen got to change a
failed grey water tank pump sensor. There are some small upsides to a
broken back if you think hard about it. However the pleasant period of being at peace
with myself was shattered when, while at a remote spot on Sunday, I
downloaded the sunday papers to the Kindle and almost burst my stitches.
Did you know that there are 2558 Eurocrats who earn, sorry not earn - are
paid, more than £185,000 pounds of our money per year? Well please
don't worry about their pay being excessive because in addition to their
Clepto-cratic tendencies, they have given themselves a basic 54 - yes 54 - days
holiday per year! Not only that they are now going to be able to take up to
another eight days holiday as 54 days is not quite enough time to spend the
money that they are, close to criminally in my opinion, paid.
So how about this. Baroness Ashton, a former Labour
minister, is paid £328,000 per year of our money (in addition to 60 day
basic holidays) which in itself is outrageous, but not only that despite having
1,400 staff in "Communications" in the European Commission she plans to spend
£8.5 million of our money on "PR Consultants" to promote the Foreign Policy
unit of the European Commission. Oh for crying out loud, can we stop
putting up with this and do something. One day we may look back and laugh at how
we were so nieve to think that it was OK to put up with this scandalous
abuse of our hard earned money - but right now I am not laughing. It is about as
funny as someone breaking into my house and saying 40% of this is mine and I
will spend it how I like - mostly on myself and my like minded
Clepto-cratic friends. OK? No it is bloody well not OK! How about a tax
strike? Set out the conditions, say one year in advance. If the savings and
abuse of our hard earned money are not reduced in accordance with our conditions
we withhold the tax equivalent to the savings we believe can easily be
made. For the record I believe that we could probably save about 25% of our
money that the government are wasting. In addition the government, after the
past 15 years are now doing a huge number of things that they have no business
and no need to be doing, could that be as much as another 25%. What do you
think?
This leaves more money for the lowest paid, those
that can't help themselves, for us to genuinely care for our elderly for us to
invest in infracstucture that is fit for future purpose. (We don't need more
money for Hospitals or Education we need the money that is already spent to be
used prudently and effectively). Less managers, less beurocracy, NO outside
consultants, less PC BS and more value for our
Pound......
Damn it! I keep forgetting I am on a round the
world sailing trip and that's what you are interested in. It's all this time
waiting, reading, simmering, seething. I need to find a way to get going again.
But how? When? Where to? Which way?
On our return to dock and internet connections
yesterday brought us the sad news of the capture now of ING a Danish yacht. We
met them a couple of times on our travels and we are deeply saddened and shocked
by them, with three teenage children and two crew, being taken hostage by these
Somalians. I tell you the counter piracy plan I blogged last week has
merit and is easy to implement. The International forces need to act
NOW!
Oh yes! I almost forgot the blog title! Freestyle
Muslims. The part of Phuket in Thailand where we are berthed in principally
Muslim as opposed to the bulk of Thailand which is Bhudist. We have been using a
taxi driver ( because I am not allowed to hire a motorbike yet apparently)
called Alee, his spelling not mine.His is a very friendly helpful guy but most
importantly his Toyota has the comfiest seat I have sat in since Brokeback.
So we have become quite friendly. Some times I tell him just to go once more
round the block because the seat is so comfy. Anyway going through the village
yesterday I was asking Alee why so few of the Muslim women here wore headscrves
compared to Malaysia where almost all women wore head scraves. Alee said,
"Muslims here .... half Thai, half Muslim. No problem. We freestyle
Muslims!
Excellent, none of that fundamentalist stuff. I
like Alee, I think his attitude may hold the key to world peace.
I'm off to find someone to X Ray my back to see if
that mish mash composite structure in my back is sticking together yet so I can
start making plans but mostly so I can get the craic with Freestyle Alee and sit
in his very comfy seat.
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