An Independent Scotland would be a by-product of the right

A broad statement, but if the UK wakes up on September the 19^th with one less nation within the United Kingdom, the blame will have to lie with the Coalition Government and their callous policies hell-bent on cuts. 

Will David Cameron be forced to go? Who knows? But he will forever be immortalised as the Prime Minister who oversaw the breakup of the union, and possibly the man who led Scotland to the door without even knowing, through his party’s obsession of austerity-led policies, Euroscepticism and hard line on immigration, that fails to resonate with Scottish voters. Watching him plea to staff at the Scottish Widows offices in Edinburgh today, was the face of a man who doesn't know what he's dealing with.

I’m firmly in the Yes camp, and even though I have no say in the referendum on September 18^th I do think that, in the long term, a Yes vote will result in more devolution not just for Wales and Northern Ireland, but for county councils across England. The North East of England flatly rejected the idea of having its own assembly in a referendum in 2004, but will there be more sympathy post-Scottish referendum?

English voters' recent shift to the right on the political spectrum isn’t as widely received in other parts of the UK, and inevitably, causing polarisation within. The years of wealth inequality (an economy focused on London), out-of-touch leaders and frustration that people aren’t being listened to are finally coming home to roost.

If we in England want change, then surely maintaining the status quo isn’t going to get us anywhere?

Scotland’s departure may just open a big door for us south of the border.

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Why I don’t care about the Royal Family

With the arrival of William, Kate and Harry on the scene, we've come to treat the modern day royals as some kind of celebs. Certainly, they've modernised the rotting-old stereotype of European royalty marrying each other, but, they still live in a world totally disconnected from the average citizen of the UK, Commonwealth, and the Crown as a whole.

I wish no harm, nor sorrow upon these people. They’re mere humans, beneath the camaraderie and pomp – but with wage increases and new mouths to feed (in particular, Kate’s new one) at a time when the politicians in Westminster are slashing welfare for the disabled, sick and most vulnerable in society is something completely beyond parody. How can I take seriously a family so disconnected from reality? When people tell me that the Queen is "just like us", I remind them that the woman is worth £240 million and the ruler of 16 nations and 14 British territories (colonies).

The argument for the Royal Family is usually led with the idea that tourists across the world flock to Britain to gawp at people dressed in Beefeaters outfits and talking like they’re fresh from an Oliver Twist production. After working in the tourist industry, and speaking to tourists, the general consensus I received is that the royals, whilst popular, are not the be all and end all of these islands.

The reason I believe that Britain should be a Republic is that I can’t believe we still live in a land where hereditary power is readily accepted by its subjects. Besides dissolving parliament in the wake of a General Election, the Monarch has no actual power over Government. But you still can’t call yourself a democracy when you have unelected heads of state, regardless of tourism benefits. This is the 21^st Century, is it not?

To put it in a blunt term, these are people living in palaces, grand houses and residences crammed with hundreds of millions of pounds worth of luxuries who are supported by the tax payer, whilst a third of our population live in poverty.

Royalists can dress this family up in all the wondrous benefits in the world, but it really is like polishing an overly-pampered turd.

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Do we understand the Caribbean islands?

The thing that seems to strike me when discussing the Caribbean with family and friends is the preconceived image that “once you’ve been to one, they’re basically the same” was that very sentence my mother quoted when comparing the Cayman Islands to St Lucia, more importantly, that she hasn’t been to a Caribbean island at all. 

I think the islands always seem to get bad press when fracas arise involving UK/US tourists, muggings and whatnot which 90% can be easily avoided when taking the usual precautions and the courtesy that you’re in another country as many of our visitors take their customs with them when they go there. Many Caribbean islands, albeit mostly English-speaking and part of the Commonwealth family have slightly more conservative views and a modest outlook on certain issues than we do in Britain. 

One island in particular, is Jamaica. I’m not going to defend the minority who do wrong to tourists, as the outright majority are upbeat and jolly people who want to show visitors the true Jamaica, and not some plastic ‘fly and flop’ 4-star beach resort on Negril Beach. People will respect you & appreciate it a whole great deal if you participate in homestays, stay in bed & breakfasts or locally run lodges, as the money goes straight into Jamaican pockets and not overseas companies that once promised ‘prosperity through tourism’ to the people with jobs, and then lined their own pockets whilst creating a host of westernized microcosms lining the beachfronts (many made private).

(All inclusives, almost fortified, give a sense of class distinction) 

I suppose what I’m trying to say is that you wouldn’t get this kind of degree of negativity on any of the other islands, because many have taken their own paths down the route of tourism, adding that many islands that haven’t partaken in mass tourism are funnily enough safer than our United Kingdom. Unlike Jamaica, Anguilla, an island in the northern portion of the Caribbean has effectively 99% local and/or family run accommodations with a more stiff upper lip than the historically African isle of Jamaica, a different topography and totally different mindset. 

The impression people get from the islands is that because of their close proximity to one another that they’re going to be little replicas of one another, and this mindset that we’ve attained is exactly because of the Jamaican example: Fly to an island, transferred to your beachside hotel/resort for a week or so and just fly back again, without really seeing anything else. I mean Christ, going to the different islands and hearing someone talk perfect English like we’re not even outside the UK is going to be a bit monotonous, seeing beach for the duration of a stay barring the odd coach-load excursion.

(Seven Mile Beach is a sought-after beachfront)  

No country is the same, and certainly no regions of a certain country are the same. I remember the first time I went to mainland Spain, after going to the Balearics and Canaries; you’d think driving from Santander to San Sebastian would be just same old semi-arid landscape with some decent beaches? Well you can tell by the way I wrote that last sentence that it’s certainly not the case.

(The verdant hills of the Basque Country, Northern Spain)

Places are different, for good or for worse. The Caymans, a British Overseas Territory, doesn’t seem overly British with its bursting traffic and duty-free shops huddled in close proximity to the cruise ports, in comparison to fellow BOT, Anguilla, with clapboard houses and live music jams. The idea that Guadeloupe is the same as Cuba is, well, preposterous. 

You may deplore the mainstream Caribbean as a nasty package holiday trap full of over-jovial Americans and classic Brits Abroad, but each one of those islands from Trinidad to the Turks’ have their own identities. I suppose in the case of my mother, you’ve got to see it to believe it.
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The Isle of Wight Conundrum

There are a lot of things I like about this south coast island, so before I start this isn't an attack on the place as I have a fair bit of family living there who enjoy many aspects of island life. Many say it’s England in miniature and in effect, it is, for good and for bad.

(Looking back towards Bembridge from the RNLI Lifeboat Station)

The Good

• The scenery is the epitome of picture postcard. From the winding Victorian streets of Brading and iconic chalky bumps of The Needles to the candy-striped deck chairs in Sandown and rolling downs to the south.
• The weather means growing season is considerably longer, the summers are like the English summers of old. Also it’s one of the last few places in the UK which is home to a native population of Red Squirrel.
• Being an island, it’s rich with naval history that plays right into the hands of our seafaring culture. And with places of interest like Carisbrooke Castle and Bembridge, it will always have that abundance in general history.

(Shanklin Chine, a wooded coastal ravine)

The Bad

• The traffic is by far the main peeve of the natives. I really fear that this 150 square-mile island can’t cope with the hordes of summer holiday-goers, not to mention the two summer festivals.
• Without sounding snobbish, but the ‘clientele’ that the island attracts doesn’t give it the rapport it deserves. Sandown Bay can be a sea of beer-bellies and football shirts in the height of late July & August.
• Which links me to my third point, sadly the establishments have really played to this ‘clientele’ with some dingy pubs & eateries that have popped up.

Then again, maybe I’m being harsh, as the island’s holiday appeal goes way back to the 1800’s. But then the critics would claim that it certainly isn’t the island they knew five or ten years ago. As much as I love this little English outcrop, I feel it’s slewed to the mass frenzy of trying to boost domestic holiday figures.

(The summit of Culver Down)

There are always talks of opening up an airport, and I for one hope they don’t. There’s approximately a mile and a half of dual carriageway road. Mainly comprising of minor A-roads, B-roads and the narrow village lanes, an airport would really run the Isle of Wight into the ground. Yes the ferries on average charge a bomb, but at what cost would you want to lose the attraction of this quaint place for a few more tourist pounds.

(Sandown Bay with the Pier to the right)

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Two '48 Hours' in Miami Beach

Today I was flicking through old reports & photos of my Florida fly-drive last October, constantly thinking to myself why I never blogged any of it but today, that changes.

We clocked up roughly 1,000 miles (a fair few of them include getting lost) going clockwise from Miami Beach to Naples, up the West Coast to Clearwater and across to the Kennedy Space Center via Orlando and back down the East to South Beach in time for Sleepless Night, a quirky night in which I remember seeing a Scotsman (the American take on one) on stilts and playing the bagpipes.

I could do a whole piece on my first trip to Miami Beach because there’s just so much to witness, and to state the obvious, this is an electric place with bars & clubs tending not to close until 6am. I remember walking down Collins Avenue at around midnight with people only just coming out to play, it’s certainly nothing like any city in the UK, especially when you spot the oversized Pineapples for $4 and Chihuahuas in pet shop windows on Espanola Way, buying one like you would with a pair of shoes.

My first 48 hours here included being woken by some music blaring from the next room at 7 in the morning, but jetlag meant I could head out and walk around town when only a handful were doing the same, so as any newcomer to South Beach (SoBe for short) I thought I'd see the beach. The hotel on Washington Avenue was opposite a Police Station, and as I was heading a few blocks to the beach, a convoy of the force headed out for their fitness training. I could only quietly whimper a 'morning officer' back as the burly troop of them marched past into the distance, but for all its late night party-going, Miami at sunrise is eerily tranquil… or possibly because it was midweek.

The second 48 hours, and my last in the States before heading home included ‘Sleepless Night’ where art galleries, restaurants and many other businesses stay open for a majority of the night. The whole night has become a haze to me; all I can remember is swivelling around taking quick snaps of anything that looked peculiar, including this car-bike-thing.

There was also someone with a couple of spray-cans doing some neat stuff on Collins Ave.

Unfortunately, Sleepless Night 2012 has been cancelled which is a shame because it’s an event that has something for all ages and tastes, and with the weather, it’s a place that’s feasible for majority of the year. Overall, this city is a microcosm of nightlife & beach, a Central and South American exclave of history, food and people. Miami is a must-go.

Thoughts on my 4 nights spent in Miami Beach in October & November 2011

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Does the US understand the European mindset?

(Tastes like you haven't done your research)

I remember a trip to the Sunshine State not too long ago (my first piece) that consists of my time in South Beach. I also spent a lot of time on the west coast and central Florida talking to the local folk, some born & bred and some from across other parts of the nation, who were all too happy to engage in conversation when they clocked onto my accent.

The most interesting chat I had with was Bill, a retiree originally from one of the numerous sprawling suburbs of New York City who was talking about the business him and his wife used to run before putting their feet up and buying property in Cape Coral. He sounded like an honest enough guy. He worked hard, paid his taxes and saved up enough to take it easy.

But when the conversation turned to Europe and in particular, the Eurozone, there were some interesting points he bought up, just a little example:

"These Italians sitting in their café's living 'La Dolce Vita' (Italian phrase meaning 'the sweet life') not working and now they're broke."

Blaming the people is the easy way out, but the blame doesn't not necessarily lie with the work ethic. The balance between work and leisure is seen all across Europe, not all in the Eurozone & European Union (including the UK). As an apprentice I get 22 days paid-leave a year, along with the usual stuff like a right to appeal for unfair dismissal, which is certainly no bad thing.

The European way would like, and as crude as it sounds to the American Puritan, to suggest that there is more to life than working. This mixture of work and down-time is beneficial to general health with reduction of stress, which in turn can bring on illness and mental complications.

Another plus is the paid-leave (vacation time) with the amount of days set in stone. One of the key points on why many Americans hold preconceived notions of other countries is the lack of time to travel overseas and witness, with their own eyes, how others live, instead of the media outlets telling them what's happening, usually filling the 'world' section on their respective websites with negative articles. It's not about being lazy, just appreciating other things than your job.
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