Noise Pollution

 Driving around greater Christchurch (but not in the central city) yesterday was fraught with unusual challenges.

Dodging the piles of Covid victims left out for collection while also avoiding the typical (very, very bad) Christchurch drivers made things interesting indeed.

One thing that really annoyed me was the incessant, obviously electronic, bell sounds and calls.

I understand the need for modern equipment to replace the old and inefficient but surely the almost-pleasant hand-rung bell ringing out melodically and the human voice, with it's imperfections are far nicer for the audible environment, even when the calls emanating from the slowly driven flat-decks is the time-honored "Bring out your dead".

For Life!

 Block roads with a large group of traffic-law ignoring scum; fantastic, go ahead.

Ride small(ish) motorbikes through suburban and city streets seriously concerning residents; No sweat mate.

Take over and block public roads; Hell, We'll help.

Hold or attend a small social gathering of fit young things, in reality immune from the virus, and we're going to lock you up!

Damn!

 The headline started: QUEEN ELIZABETH II USES CANE

I immediately thought "Finally Andy gets what's coming to him".

But no, apparently the old lady needed assistance to walk into Westminster Cathedral.

.

Andy, of course, is guilty of lying about his use of a young prostitute some years ago.

Don't Vote Then.

 On Unherd.com there is a subheading asking "How long can I vote for a Government I don't like?"

This question raises a point I have attempted to explain several times in the past: Does one have to vote to be part of democracy?

The answer, of course, is NO.

Deliberately withholding your vote if there is no one offering a set of policies (or trust) acceptable to you is as important as any other part of the democracy process.

The old "You didn't vote, don't criticise the government you got" is bullshit. 

I include in that the bone-idle lazy who find it too hard to get off their arse and to a polling booth - if they were forced (or induced in some other way) to vote they are unlikely to have put the energy into considering which team to back, which erases the point of electing representatives in the first place.

You'd probably end up with the Current New Zealand Labour Party or lying fraudster racists (or both) in power.

What a complete and utter shambles that would be!