Rage on Sunday

No nice picture today, I have nothing appropriate that will express my anger.

What I describe is true and happened today in my local town, Stirling. For the sake of geographical clarity, Stirling is in Scotland, midway between Glasgow and Edinburgh. It has a lot of history, it has a castle, an ancient castle that used to the home of the Kings and Queens of Scotland.

But that was a long time ago.

What I now describe did not happen hundreds of years ago.

I was waiting in the town centre, calmly standing with my dog, waiting on my wife exiting a shop. You will be familiar with the scene. What happened next might not be so familiar.

I was approached by a male. I had spotted him walking through the town centre and sensed he was anxious about something. He was quite well dressed, in his late 30’s I jaloused. I guess he must have caught me looking at him as he diverted course and walked up to me.

In a low, breaking voice he said, ‘I have no money and have nothing to eat and cannot feed my two children. I was put out of work during Covid and have not managed to get work since. I don’t even have anything to pay for electricity, nothing. Can you help me?’

I gave him all the small change from my pocket. He seemed embarrassed and upset. He thanked me and walked off clutching my meagre offering.

I stood for a minute and pondered. I was upset and I was angry. Not at him. I was angry at a succession of Governments and more. I followed him down the street. He had not stopped anyone else, he was just walking, as though in a dream. As I walked I opened my wallet, took out all the paper money that I had, crumpled it into one hand and put my wallet back in my pocket.

When I caught up with him, he was crying. I stopped him and pressed the crumpled paper money into his hand. He did not speak, he was too upset and distressed. When I looked back he was on his knees, staring down at the crumpled paper in his hands. I did not ask his name, I have no idea who he is. But I do know one thing, he is a human being in what one may describe, a ‘civilised’ country.

I do not tell this true story so you will think, oh, what a nice man, or perhaps, what a fool, he will spend it on drugs. You know, I don’t give a fuck what he spends it on or what anyone will think of me.

I do however give a fuck about successive Governments, red, blue, yellow and people in power and fucking banks and all the rest of the untouchables who cry crocodile tears whilst picking up their next bonus or hooky expenses claim or taking a ten percent rise in their wages, whilst not a cent can go to anyone else, ’cause we are in a recession and now we have to suffer a bit’. They are not fuckin’ suffering.

And you know what makes me even angrier, they keep lying to you and me and we, like sheep, keep going along, year after year and voting them back into power, the reds, the blues the yellows or whatever other colour they come up with. And we fight amongst ourselves about which is the better. Are we sane?