@Sawney_Mor Just another case of pretend jobs to keep pretend parliamentarians in power and profit. If you look at a lot of modern economies there is not only corruption of employment statistics but also contribution to GNP. A classic example in most countries is the rampant market value of housing. IMO housing is to shelter the citizens of a nation allowing them to safely raise (contributing to future generations) families and empower them to contribute to national growth. Instead the situation has arisen that housing has become a gambling chip mainly benefitting governments through tax imposition (to frequently pay for unneccessary council, utility and administrative wages), financiers interest profit on 90% imaginary lendings, insurance companies, construction industry and suppliers, and of course real estate agents. ... All have vested interests in ensuring that property prices increase.
Governments are generally bankrupt of genuine ideas to create employment except when it comes to warfare. Generally speaking selling a property does not create real benefit. The cost of changeover to a replacement property is frequently, after taxes and sales commissions, more expensive than is gained from first sale to fund the replacement or is accompanied by a downgrade. Despite supposedly improved building techniques property has a lower lifespan than that built a hundred or more years ago.
The level of homelessness in so called western civilisations has increased exponentially. I have seen reports that in Japan elderly people are committing crimes for the first time in their old age simply to obtain a roof over their heads and food each day together with medical, clothing and ablution facilities.
So yes I'm not surprised by your observation which of course is consequent upon the importation of American style prison operations which like some religions, adoption/ fostering organisations and prisons merely treats people as economic units to be profited from.

@FrayedBear Nothing there I disagree with Bear. All I'd add is that as we are all biology, reacting to stimuli, surely we can be explained in scientific terms? Most things suffixed by 'ism' can be explained in evolutionary, behavioural, sociological and ethnographic language. The fact it never seems to come up in political discussion, despite libraries of books having been written on the subject, suggests those at the top are not interested in change, regardless of what they say, and will fight to maintain the status quo. Using the people they manipulate as weapons. If we were to look at our behaviour analytically, the first man we'd prevent from taking charge would be the man that says, 'I want to be in charge.' I commented to a friend recently that there now appears to be too many capitalists and not enough capital. He immediately fired back, 'One capitalist is too many capitalists.'

@Sawney_Mor I grew up in the county that invented co-operatives, stuck my mother's receipt coupons in the "divvy book" for the annual bonus. I have seen unfortunately how co-operatives can create nepotism and capitalism steal a country's nationalised industries.

I have seen where I now live the working citizen become the capitalist through mandatory superannuation funds that are frequently just another vehicle to control and steal from the employed person.

I have seen people dispossessed of their homes because they owed mythical sums of money to financial institutions that invented the money lent. I have also seen the false premise of artificially inflating property values by failing to recognise the true benefit to the nation.

I have seen countries invaded because they had accumulated a few gold bars, had oil or mineral deposits beneath their land.

I have seen millions murdered for the same reasons as well as for political ideologies, religious beliefs and personal / national egos.

I have seen ridiculous wastage all in the name of artificial job creation.

Yes there are capitalists. They are not just confined to the mega rich but why are most psychopaths or sociopaths? Furthermore when will people remember that for one person to advance all need to do likewise in some form? The gap between the haves and the have nots proves that this has not been occurring.

[extremistvector.com]

@FrayedBear Thanks for the link. I planned to jot down a few lines before bed but it seems I've written a fantasy novel. I was trying to find a quote I recently read, along the lines of capitalist democracies creating the rise of a type that is suited to being elected. Not suited to governance, just good at being elected. Couldn't find it, but this Terry Eagelton quote fits my middle of the night musings: “After all, if you do not resist the apparently inevitable, you will never know how inevitable the inevitable was.”

I am a nurse among a family of nurses, dentists and doctors. They're all what I'd describe as intelligent people, more intelligent to my eye than the politicians and mouthpieces running the show. But they're phenotypes, just like me. Just so happens that their nature compels them to use their intelligence and learned skills to the betterment of others. But none of them have ever been particularly politically engaged.

Things are pretty bad from a healthcare perspective over here; our National Health Service has seen better days. Depending on which side of the fence you sit, this is either by design, or it's the result of disabled and unemployed people, immigration and migrant families placing extra pressure on the system. None of the facts point to immigration, disabled or unemployed people, of course, in fact the NHS couldn't function without staff from overseas and many disabled people are gainfully employed in the service. But there is a near two decade history of private enterprise sniffing around, buying up contracts left, right and centre. For me, the fact those other human beings can be blamed by the government boils down to manipulation, exploitation and nothing more. We have the internet; anyone can do some cursory research and see what's really going on. See the contradictions. But as the fifth law states, "a stupid person is the most dangerous type of person." And because they have a vote, they just need their buttons pushed by the wrong people and we're all screwed. Fear of the other makes it easy to manipulate when that other has a funny accent, is a different colour, has a wheelchair or sleeps in a shop doorway. Facts can go hang. But the manipulator forgets the fourth law and therein lies hope. And hopefully I don't sound flippant; I'm well aware of the destruction and havoc the imperial and colonial mindsets wreak around the globe (the way language is used to convince, manipulate, dominate and destroy is an insult to evolution if you ask me).

My wife runs a team of nurses, all working in the cancer field. They are a fantastic group of dedicated, altruistic people and it's in their natures to be so. As a result they tend to stay at work until the job is done. My wife, for example, works a good twenty hours, every week, over and above her contracted hours, as do the rest of her team. They don't get paid for this and they have been taken for granted for years. It seems that not everybody understands humanity and compassion but, again, many types can't. The ancestors of those in charge today created the political environment in which their descendants now govern. It's a bubble. They don't know anything else. They go to different schools, different universities and mix with different people. They literally have different realities and it could be their downfall. Note I don't mention the role the church has had to play in any of this, because if I did I'd be here all night. Suffice to say it's staggering that they got away with it this long.

The National Centre for Social Research published figures that state 52% of people will vote. 32% are politically engaged and 26% admit to prejudice against other people. By focussing on core voters the incumbent can easily manipulate, with a right wing press and unfounded claims about foreigners as their specious tools. But elections are won on the percentages and, as I say, they've taken the intelligent, vocational, potential voter for granted. With any luck it's set to bite them on the backside. I'm not suggesting that by kicking out the right the left will fix things, but things are quickly evolving, thanks to technology, current work in fields such as quantum physics, biology and the nature of consciousness. We're growing up. It is my genuine belief that conservative thinking can only end in disaster (I can only speak as a UK citizen here) so the most important thing is we vote them out. Then we might have a platform from which to effect change. We're a bit tied up with the Brexit situation here at the moment and, as long as that's the case, who knows what's going on under the table while people are arguing about it on Twitter. From a logical perspective, creating further division and more borders doesn't make any sense, particularly in the technological, nuclear age.

We can only move forward if we take people with us. I agree we can't underestimate the stupidity of humans, but with the right people at the helm, a serious analysis of the education system and so forth, we surely have a chance. People want to be led. The sheep blindly follow the shepherd, the one who protects them. The reason I think so is because people who once were happy to work free overtime, as is their nature, are beginning to get politically engaged. It goes against type, but for many they're seeing the results of political cause and effect. We literally have patients dying in corridors; dying while waiting for ambulances. This has happened as a direct result of swathes of cuts to staffing and resources, under the guise of austerity (what Noam Chomsky calls a class war - citizens paying for private debt at the expense of welfare). Emergency clinical leads from 68 hospitals this week wrote to the prime minister, saying enough is enough.

Of course, the NHS is just one area, one I'm familiar with, but from what I can see, it looks like people from other fields, who previously had no interest in politics, not realising how profoundly it affects them, are beginning to wake up to their power as individuals.

That was quite the rant there, but I have to maintain a faith in the potential for humanity for my own sanity. Looking back, we have never really looked after ourselves. In a survival of the fittest environment, we won already. There's been nothing left to fight but ourselves, not since we bludgeoned the last Neanderthal. It's time to stop now. Hopefully one day soon they'll realise the games up, hand over the keys. Only problem is, as well as holding the keys they are also violent by nature and hold the best firepower (and the men who know how to use it on their behalf). And they might be too thick-witted to realise that we got to where we are as a species, not because of them, but despite them.

I was going to sign off with a Carl Sagan quote about what happens when you give power to a charlatan, but I want to stay positive. And I want to be able to get to sleep. Cheers.

@Sawney_Mor I wish to thank you for taking out your precious sleep time to write your wonderful response. I think it will take quite a few readings for me to fully absorb what you say which includes the first glimmers of light that I have read out of the UK. I hope that you are correct in your prognostications. I look forward to many future conversations and exchange of ideas. My only U.K. contact these days is a classmate last seen at age 16. The last 8 years or so has seen an incredible telephone bond develop. Unfortunately he is a great admirer of Trump and cannot stand my "proof of the pudding will be the eating" scepticism.

@FrayedBear When I signed up I was hoping to have the opportunity of sharing perspectives in a mutually respectful way. Good to find you. I'll look out for your Trump supporting pal, alas there are many to pick from. Someone just posted a tweet from the man from 20013. An 'ugliest celebrities' poll. He went for Camilla Parker Bowles, the wife of Prince Charles. You couldn't make it up

Afternoon @Sawney_Mor you will not find my friend here.He is not into socialising other than talking to me on the phone and his own group of old friends. I'm just about to brunch and then hopefully respond.

@GypsyOfNewSpain I hope that the new profile pic of you is from your younger days and not one of your children. IMO you have grown much more handsome since your wild hirsute days but I have no experience in that ... just an artistic eye. Do you have any of your poetry posted anywhere?

Are you familiar with Professor Cippolla's 5 Laws of Human Stupidity?
[qz.com]

@FrayedBear I am now... My only issue with the article is that included a picture likely to be taken only in one place and time on earth. During the running of the bulls somewhere in Spain. Having lived in Spain, I am tuned to the custom and in that land is an artform. You put me or you in that situation we are not going to succeed but to them is a no brainer. Why? They know every little hole of the town, they know under what cars they fit. How long it takes from them to go from point to point b, where is every alley and every balcony they can jump to if in pursuit. They do it every year and get good at it. And they know what the professor may not had an idea.... bulls are nearsighted! An american working Torrejon that later worked for me in the states, came out of with a gash from thigh to his belly. A marine in my first med cruise also got gashed. It was forbidden and still is for sure to participate while a member of the armed forces. So I am a firm believer that Stupid depends of the point of view. I will let you know about postings of my poetry and music.

@sassygirl3869 according to the following blog particularly in its posts from 25/12/2017 you may be getting your wish sooner than later:
[benjaminfulford.net]