My name is Geoff Le Pard. Once I was a lawyer; now I am a writer. I've published several books: a four book series following Harry Spittle as he grows from hapless student to hapless partner in a London law firm; four others in different genres; a book of poetry; four anthologies of short fiction; and a memoir of my mother. I have several more in the pipeline.
I have been blogging regularly since 2014, on topic as diverse as: poetry based on famous poems; memories from my life; my garden; my dog; a whole variety of short fiction; my attempts at baking and food; travel and the consequent disasters; theatre, film and book reviews; and the occasional thought piece. Mostly it is whatever takes my fancy.
I avoid politics, mostly, and religion, always. I don't mean to upset anyone but if I do, well, sorry and I suggest you go elsewhere.
These are my thoughts and no one else is to blame. If you want to nab anything I post, please acknowledge where it came from.
Jolly good try, Geoff, but it really wasn’t you…
In my estimation –
mulling on the nation –
It’s clever? MPs, all full of need,
with no common sense, but plenty of greed;
with short-sighted goals…
‘Rule Britannia?’ Indeed?!
A happy, warm (?) and healthy New Year. Cheers! Joy x (from sunny Spain!)
I find it oddly encouraging, when I look at other nation’s politics to find they have as many numpties and ne’er-do-wells as us. There’s something universal about the inevitable corruption of well meaning newbies entering politics only to end up as self serving… anyway, enough. HNY!
OK Yes, I’m happy to blame you. I’ll write a letter to a trusted newspaper and start a campaign. I shall ask for a public enquiry led by a trusted elder statesman. Maybe they will manage to start it before the ambulance gets here!
Well, we should keep tabs on how our MP votes; what they say in the Commons; any publicity they’re involved in; we should draw their attention to important matters inside and outside the constituency; get involved with local party political activity; keep checking what the Government is or is not doing and take action if unhappy; etc etc. It sounds like a full-time job but I’ve found my friends who are actually involved locally are a useful source (although they are biased, of course!).
The world is rather broken, Geoff, and if we find a place that isn’t broken, we’ll stir up some frivolous drama there too. Neither the dog nor I think it’s your fault. 🙂
Yes! The media have a lot to answer for. People believe what they are told to believe.
Not long ago, Prince Harry was a hero. He fought for the country on active service in the army. Then he was praised for his work with soldiers who had become disabled during their service. Suddenly, he married a woman who is an American, an actress, a divorcee and has a black mother! 😲 Now he’s almost the anti-christ.
I’m not saying he hasn’t made an error by writing his autobiography and making things public. I’m just pointing out how easily people are made to think what the media, and whoever controls them, want them to think. And how the public can so easily be made to change their minds.
Apologies for joining your conversation! Re Harry, the vast majority of people didn’t know Meghan had a black mother and certainly didn’t care much. His biggest mistake, and what has generated most of the anti feeling, is trashing his family in public and then trying to play the media at their own game. The media always call the shots, it just isn’t worth writing books, giving speeches, going on cheapo chat shows and Netflix – they’ll get you anyway and you just give them more ammo, and you end up being the one who looks the worst. You’d think he’d have learned that by now! I completely understand leaving Britain but that should’ve been the end of it.
Like you say, he was doing such brilliant work with the injured soldiers and so on and could really have made a fabulous contribution to our society. His public life is what counts as a Royal, forget the rest of it. I agree the media are probably to blame, though, and really make this country feel like a depressing place.
They condone (and sometimes support) astonishingly high levels of incompetence and unkindness in return for governments promising not to raise taxes on the every rich.
Dog clearly isn’t having it. Like you, sometimes I’m reassured that everyone else is a mess, too, except for the rise of right wingers/fascists, which is scary.
TanGental 
I think they all are responsible. Plus those who elect/ support them
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yep, and then another lot come in who are differently bad…. and on it goes.
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Oh yes, the musical chairs of bad management and corruption
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Superb. And Dog nails it
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Dog understands…
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Jolly good try, Geoff, but it really wasn’t you…
In my estimation –
mulling on the nation –
It’s clever? MPs, all full of need,
with no common sense, but plenty of greed;
with short-sighted goals…
‘Rule Britannia?’ Indeed?!
A happy, warm (?) and healthy New Year. Cheers! Joy x (from sunny Spain!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I find it oddly encouraging, when I look at other nation’s politics to find they have as many numpties and ne’er-do-wells as us. There’s something universal about the inevitable corruption of well meaning newbies entering politics only to end up as self serving… anyway, enough. HNY!
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This doggo looks thoroughly unimpressed with the state of Britain.
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he is indeed; I think he understands how inept we have been
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OK Yes, I’m happy to blame you. I’ll write a letter to a trusted newspaper and start a campaign. I shall ask for a public enquiry led by a trusted elder statesman. Maybe they will manage to start it before the ambulance gets here!
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I’m shifting my focus to keeping the strikes going…
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Good move!
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I have a friend who says we are all to blame if the only time we engage actively with politics is at election times… (e.g. me!)
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Bit harsh, that. Anyway isn’t that why we have MPs so they can fill in between elections?
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Well, we should keep tabs on how our MP votes; what they say in the Commons; any publicity they’re involved in; we should draw their attention to important matters inside and outside the constituency; get involved with local party political activity; keep checking what the Government is or is not doing and take action if unhappy; etc etc. It sounds like a full-time job but I’ve found my friends who are actually involved locally are a useful source (although they are biased, of course!).
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I suppose so. Can I watch the cricket first, though?
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It’s a bit heavy-duty, isn’t it!
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Dog is looking at you. But you are not alone in blame.
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No, I guess there are other candidates
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Indeed.
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Dog clearly isn’t concerned.
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Nope, he’s bigger fish to eat..
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The world is rather broken, Geoff, and if we find a place that isn’t broken, we’ll stir up some frivolous drama there too. Neither the dog nor I think it’s your fault. 🙂
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V kind; I’m just playing at being the martyr
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🙂
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In answer to your final question: No . . . but I don’t think it was you. I blame everything on certain newspaper proprietors and editors.
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Yes! The media have a lot to answer for. People believe what they are told to believe.
Not long ago, Prince Harry was a hero. He fought for the country on active service in the army. Then he was praised for his work with soldiers who had become disabled during their service. Suddenly, he married a woman who is an American, an actress, a divorcee and has a black mother! 😲 Now he’s almost the anti-christ.
I’m not saying he hasn’t made an error by writing his autobiography and making things public. I’m just pointing out how easily people are made to think what the media, and whoever controls them, want them to think. And how the public can so easily be made to change their minds.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Apologies for joining your conversation! Re Harry, the vast majority of people didn’t know Meghan had a black mother and certainly didn’t care much. His biggest mistake, and what has generated most of the anti feeling, is trashing his family in public and then trying to play the media at their own game. The media always call the shots, it just isn’t worth writing books, giving speeches, going on cheapo chat shows and Netflix – they’ll get you anyway and you just give them more ammo, and you end up being the one who looks the worst. You’d think he’d have learned that by now! I completely understand leaving Britain but that should’ve been the end of it.
Like you say, he was doing such brilliant work with the injured soldiers and so on and could really have made a fabulous contribution to our society. His public life is what counts as a Royal, forget the rest of it. I agree the media are probably to blame, though, and really make this country feel like a depressing place.
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Ah yes the meeja! Who else
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They condone (and sometimes support) astonishingly high levels of incompetence and unkindness in return for governments promising not to raise taxes on the every rich.
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Very clever, and true! I wish I’d written it.
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Very generous. Feel free to steal as much as you’d like!!
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Dog clearly isn’t having it. Like you, sometimes I’m reassured that everyone else is a mess, too, except for the rise of right wingers/fascists, which is scary.
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I cling to the hope that however grim things seem we do generally get back on track. It’s necessarily uneven though.
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