31st December 2018 - Round up of the Year

Thought for the day:"When I reverse Park it is Krap"

A recap of 2018 ...
January 
we started with a quiet New Year's Day with no additional guests
An article in the Local Paper about myself - and my father Eric Sewell
5th January saw the funeral of my mother
Flat Clearing
Official Business in the Order of Athelstan - acting Grand Organist
A walk along Burry Port Beach - of Turbines and Stormy Times
Youtube shuts off the money for small sites - I will never be rich..
Start Project Album - transferring my mother's Photo albums
Burn's Night - with translation and more Burns
Saga of the Gas Board

February
Gas Board and Street History - Water Troughs and Road Works
Enough is Enough - Grand Lodge becomes pro-active..
Parking and Paths
Crimson Moon Day Out - walking on the beach
More Gas Troubles
Change of Policies in Grand Lodge
When I'm 64 - Post Modern Jukebox birthday and Flaming Eagles
Great Swansea Earthquake survived
Of Parking and Paramedics
Confirmation of place at Mythodea

March
St David's Day - Crete Style
Grand Outing - Athelstan - Sussex
Bard of the Year
LARP AWARDS Bard of the Year full ist
Flu'
Pirates...
Winnie the Pooh - under the sign of Sanders
Vic stops Driving
On Bell-ringing
Founders Meeting in Bangor
Farewell to the Hoodies - Parlour Concerts

April
Surprise Visits - Exmouth and from Crete
On selling Vic's Car
Athelstan in Winchester
Green Moons and 420
Colonials and Bridgnorth Road Trip
On eating Cheese - Etiquette
Eulogy for Geoff Steel
Forgotten Force - Dyfed Powys commemorates 50 years and tells no-one

May
London for Scarlet Cord Promotion
Film of Crete with Family Stars
CP1 and Larp Book
Athelstan Photos
Barton and some Family History
Fan Videos and Purple People Eaters
Photos from CP3
Walk with the dog
Roof at the Warehouse leaking
Awaiting the Electrician
Hidden Masonic Temples and Dancing Girls
Of Jelly Moulds.. Jelly Art
Windy in Crete

June
Death of Malice
Of Crete and Food
A week in Crete is not enough
Bad Hair Days
Secret Monitor and Swords
Miss CP for first time in years - and shirts
On Father's Day - and commercialism
Ti a dy ddoniau - stage 1
Daffodils
Ambulances for the Country - Masonic Donation
Eulogy - Malice
Design Plans - Order of Athelstan
Open Mike - Kilkenny Cat
Profile for Mythodea - Vollsanger

July
White Rabbits
Euro-tunnel bought
Mythodea - a Retrospect
First Tracks Mastered
Consecration in Bangor
Terpsichore
CP Images and a Poorly Bothy

August
Mythodea
Travels to Mythodea
Pirate Hand fasting
Crete

September
Crete Photos
Renewal Photos
Birthday Celebrations - Scarlett
Food in Crete
It's a small world
Photos of Crete
Llanelli Pubs
Photos - Sitting in a field
Viking Weddings
Susie through the Ages
New Trust in Dr John Lloyd's Name
Carmarthen Cheese Riots
Pirate Weddings
Commemorative Jewel
Hy Brasil - House of Interest

October
Swansea Jack
Ronnie Biggs and Mary Jane Kelly - the Masonic Influence
History of the Mark Degree in Llanelli
T-Pac and Crime Stoppers
Mythodea Photos and Safety Issues
On Royals and Icing
Floods in Carmarthen
Harry Potter dance Off
Dining in Bangor
Surbiton and Heads of Order
A Bright Spark - Being an electrician
Grand Court Images 

November
Crete and Fishing
Crete and Sunshine
Crete and Fireworks
Remembrance and an Empty Chair
The Game - A Detective Story
Travelling Gavel
Medieval Banquet - Bangor
Fenrah - Thoughts after US Accident
Jean Payne - Memorial Service

December
Royal & Select Masters
A rare bit of political comment 
Severn Bridge Free
Parcels and Parking
Southern Road Trip
Susie UnWhamm'd
Best Bard Ever - Larp Forge Shout out
Jan's Photo Albums - Oberammagau in a Kilt
Pressing more CD's - Sleeve Notes Completed

and that was 2018

Cheers!

30th December 2018 - Days are Numbered for this year

Thought for the day:"The death rate on Mt Everest is Climbing"
A day to celebrate numbers and mathematics? Why not?
As they say : "Algebra! Stop asking about your X - and don't ask me Y!"

Well, it was all a long time ago - about the year 833 but this is the man that did it ...

( I did check and googled it )

And so we get to the penultimate day of 2018 ....

My elusive parcel for Crete has finally made it to Athens and says it is waiting at the delivering depot - which suggests that it could be in Crete.... and says it is scheduled for delivery which could mean anything... and that was the 28th so they have had two days to think about it... Oh well .. Things do not always work that quickly in Crete...

and thinking of things that are a long way away that you may need a plane to get to...

And so - another day and we can wish 2018 goodbye ...

Cheers !

29th December 2018 - CD's in Progress and Death of Becket

Thought for the day: "I think my chicken coop is haunted – it has a poultry geist"

May have been busy today ... pressing a few CD's and printing.

Managed to get the sleeve notes done at last to include in the CD...

So, ready to send out to a couple of people ...

In other news...

On This Day 29 December 1170 Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, was murdered in his own cathedral by four knights, believing they were acting on direct orders from King Henry II. He subsequently became a saint and martyr in both the Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic Church.

Upon hearing reports of Becket's actions of excommunication, Henry is said to have uttered words that were interpreted by his men as wishing Becket killed. Contemporary biographer Edward Grim, writing in Latin, who gives us "What miserable drones and traitors have I nourished and brought up in my household, who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born cleric?"

Whatever Henry said, it was interpreted as a royal command, and four knights, Reginald fitzUrse, Hugh de Morville, William de Tracy, and Richard le Breton, wielding drawn swords in Canterbury Cathedral, murdered Archbishop Thomas Becket in a spot near a door to the monastic cloister, the stairs into the crypt, and the stairs leading up into the quire of the cathedral, where the monks were chanting vespers.

This is an account from Edward Grim
of how the four knights murdered Archbishop Thomas Becket:

"...The wicked knight leapt suddenly upon him, cutting off the top of the crown which the unction of sacred chrism had dedicated to God. Next he received a second blow on the head, but still he stood firm and immovable. At the third blow he fell on his knees and elbows, offering himself a living sacrifice, and saying in a low voice, 'For the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church, I am ready to embrace death.' But the third knight inflicted a terrible wound as he lay prostrate. By this stroke, the crown of his head was separated from the head in such a way that the blood white with the brain, and the brain no less red from the blood, dyed the floor of the cathedral. The same clerk who had entered with the knights placed his foot on the neck of the holy priest and precious martyr, and, horrible to relate, scattered the brains and blood about the pavements, crying to the others, 'Let us away, knights; this fellow will arise no more."

And so we got the Commemorative Order of of St. Thomas of Acon.... Another Masonic Order..

-o0o-

Saw this little missive for those who are challenged in their approach to gender issues in language ...

Enjoy the end of 2018 ....

Cheers !

28th December 2018 - Of Elves and Kilts

Thought for the day:"It's not as easy to donate a kidney as you think. They ask all sorts of questions, like, " Where did you get it?" and "Whose is it?"'

As we are in the festive spirit - This is what happens when elves leave home ....

Fantasy Elves v Christmas Elves

Tends to make me think of the sad tale of Fittan Elfie....

(Der Vollsanger - Not all Goblins are Green)

Rest of the family heading up to us for a quick fly past for a day ....  

Spent much of yesterday scanning one my mother's photo albums.  Turns out to be 1949. The year that they go married and the year that my father decided to hitch-hike to Oberammergau for the Passion Play in his kilt...  He sent a post card almost everyday and I have managed to scan them for posterity - another day's work should complete that task...

A Scotsman abroad...

Should make an interesting little album.. 

And with those few thoughts ...

Cheers!

27th December 2018 - Another day towards the New Year

Thought for the day :"Today I am doing nothing, because I started yesterday and didn’t finish – and I am no quitter"

And your daily Trumpton

Meanwhile - on a surprise trip to Iraq to meet the troops he takes a selfie with a number of the officers out in Iraq, one of whom introduces himself  by name and identifies that he is the chaplain to the Seals team out there ...   

from Newsweek:

A pool report during Trump’s visit said the details of the trip were embargoed until the president finished giving his remarks to a group of about 100 mostly U.S. special operation troops engaged in combat operations in Iraq and Syria.

The pool report went on to say that Trump paused to take a selfie with U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Kyu Lee, who said he was the chaplain for SEAL Team Five, based out of Coronado, California. The chaplain said Trump told him: “Hey, in that case, let’s take a picture.”

After Trump left Iraqi airspace, the president posted a video to his Twitter account of his time spent with American forces during his visit to Iraq. Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,” plays over the video and shows the president and the first lady posing for pictures with service members that appear to be from SEAL Team Five. The special warfare operators are dressed in full battle gear and wearing night vision goggles

Revealing the identities of currently serving special forces is a breach of protocol and could endanger the troops, according to former and current Department of Defense officials.


“Operational security is the most important aspect of personnel deployments. The real names, faces, and identities, of personnel involved in special operations or activities, are usually a closely held secret in a combat zone,” Malcolm Nance, a former U.S. Navy intelligence specialist, told Newsweek. “Revealing them casually through an unusual media exposure ... would prove a propaganda boom if any of this personnel are detained by a hostile government or captured by a terrorist group. There would be no denying who you are and what you do.”

“The deployments of special operation forces, including Navy SEALs are almost classified events [sic]... to protect those men and women that are on the front lines of every overt and covert conflict the United States is involved in,” an unnamed Defense Department official told Newsweek. “Even during special operation demonstrations for congressional delegations or for the president or vice president, personnel either have their faces covered or their face is digitally blurred prior to a release to the general public.”

The Naval Special Warfare Command and the White House did not return Newsweek’s requests for comment. The Pentagon referred the reporters to the White House communications department.

Well Done Trump!!!

And so - a thought for the rest of the festive period...

Cheers!

26th December 2018 - Best Bard ever?? Why thank you !

Though for the day:"I saw a pet contest for the best feline backside… the prize was a catastrophe"

So Boxing Day starts with a real bonus...  Larp Forge decide to make Vollsanger the subject of a Video Pod - what can I say ??

Meanwhile in the Christmas Package from Germany and Rick & Anja we get our own little miniatures..

time to go sledding... Dog style

Must say that is a bright start to Boxing Day ...
Cheers !

25th December 2018 - And so it is Christmas..

Thought for the day:"If 2x2 makes 4, And 3x3 makes 9, How come 0x0 makes gravy?"

And Susie managed to remain unWhamm'd this year - I managed last year... but failed miserably this year ..  only managed about 13 days...

and of course a bardic Card

and a Green Santa

Have a good day
Cheers!

24th December 2018 - Christmas Eve

Thought for the day :"Apparently Marvel are going to put Christmas adverts on the Hulk – he is a giant banner"

So, welcome to yet another Christmas Eve. Best go out and get the Christmas Presents then !!

seems legit...

and for a friend..

Can I just ask everyone a huge favour? Those of you who are planning to put Christmas lights in your gardens, please can you avoid anything Blue and flashing? Every time I drive past, I think it's the Police and have a mild panic attack. I have to take my foot off the accelerator, slam on the brakes, put my seat belt on, throw my phone on the floor, hide my bottle of whiskey, swallow my joint, and shove the gun under the seat. It's a major drama. I really appreciate your cooperation and understanding. 😉 Thanks;-);-)

Have a good one

Cheers!

23rd December 2018 - Another road trip - Heading home for Christmas

Thought for the day:"As I was getting into bed she said “you’re Drunk!” I said “how do you know?” She said “you live next door”

Two days away from Christmas and Donald Trump has allowed a whole section of government to be closed... meaning no pay for a wide number of government employees. The reason? he would not pass a joint finance bill agreed by both parties because it did not include 5 billion dollars to build the wall between the USA and Mexico. Remember - "we are going to  build a wall - and the Mexicans will pay for it?"  Well they are not - and Christmas is a little worse for a number of Americans …

Meanwhile - a road trip from Barton to Llanelli today and see if we can dodge the rain showers that are meant to be heading this way...  First free trip across the Severn Bridge...

Christmas is Getting Closer...
Cheers!

22nd December 2018 - Just a thought

Thought for the day:" My grandfather always said “when one door shuts another opens” lovely man – terrible cabinet maker"

Down on the South again ..

No time for proper Blog

Happy Journeys to everyone - I get back into Wales free tomorrow 

Cheers !!

Well - my sorting hat says...

21st December 2018 - Travel day and Trump Sings

Thought for the day:"I went through a phase of wanting to be in a pantomime... but it’s behind me now..."

Busy day - Founders meeting for a new Court in Pembroke Dock, and then off to Aylesbury delivering presents ... so I thought I would leave you with some Christmas Music - did not know Trump had so many singing skills...

Yes !!!

and then there is ...

and jingle bell rock

Of course there was also Halloween

Cheers !

20th December 2018 - On Work Avoidance and Nativity

Thought for the day:"My friend sleeps on stacks of old magazines. He has back issues."

Sitting here while Susie does the housework...  doing lots of work for the Founders meeting tomorrow so we can go to the family and get away ...  feeling a bit..

Saw this little item about Crime and Punishment - it is not new but I still chuckle...

And in the world of Politics rather than Political Correctness - the day after the main news in Parliament is that Jeremy Corbyn may or may not have called Theresa May a "stupid woman"

Cheers !

19th December 2018 - Zoom, Parking and Postal Problems

Thought for the day:"I took some Milk of Amnesia earlier, and forgot all about my indigestion!"

I recently looked at some brilliant photographs showing 360 degree pictures of the Grand Lodge in London ... today I found this from Big Pixel in Japan - the ability to zoom in and look closely is quite frightening really .. This claimed to be a satellite picture but looks more likely to be a multi stitched image from the top of a building or drone - but still impressive...   see how close you can get !

http://sh-meet.bigpixel.cn/

I spent a lot of time yesterday chasing the parcel 2 go delivery to Crete for Christmas.  dropped off on the 7th December and the tracking showing clearly that it is at the depot and not moving. After two hours on the phone to both Parcel2Go and the actual courier Parcel Post no-one seemed to know where it was. Parcel Post seemed of the opinion that they had never seen it - so if it was in transit had someone else got it in transit....

Finally went to the post office and after some searching they found the parcel in the corner - un-picked up... Good thing that I paid the extra £1.75 for guaranteed delivery - I should be able to claim my money back after it is delivered - but sadly it may not get there by Christmas now - there only being a few days left. They do claim 3-5 days - but that is not a guarantee and I know how long it takes to clear things through Athens in the past... Oh well a late Birthday and Christmas present for the family I suppose...

there are other ways for delivering so I hear...
New Sports for the summer ?

Easier than taking packages from the front doorstep I suppose...

In other news it seems that Derwent Street is raising its head again over parking...  Another Newspaper trying the story this week ...  more little letters being put onto car windscreens...
Se the story ....

WEST WALES CHRONICLE 18th December 2018

I of course have responded to the paper...

I read your article in the West Wales Chronicle with a degree of Déjà vu..

I was a little surprised that some obvious research had not been done – but such stories always catch the imagination ..

Even if the previous occasions involved spreading of dog faeces under the door handles…

But as you mention in your article the problem persists..
I reside around the corner also – indeed within 25 yards of where I park in Derwent Street, nearer than many who actually reside in the street.

I have a nice collection of the laminated notices – I tend to place them in my windscreen when I park there – which is not always..

I have traced the source of the notes – it is to the angry gentleman who resides in 5 Derwent Street
He is the one who has told me that my car will end up down the lane, and has threatened to damage it, for parking outside his house.

He lives in the last house before the lane, and often parks his car upon the pavement, which in my book used to be an offence …  but there you are…

He is very aggressive, and I ensure that I have not wound him up – I do not want criminal damage to my vehicle..

I do not do personal conflict very well  -

I understand that people feel very possessive about space outside their house.

I sympathise with your source who lives in Pembrey Road – they have no parking

We are the same in New Road – our request for parking spaces outside having just been turned down by the Council.

We have also had our request to be able to use the resident’s parking in Harries Avenue refused – (quite under-used but a source of income to the Council)

I wish you well with your stories..  

You may be interested in my blog from previous days…

https://vollsanger.blogspot.com/2014/08/20th-august-2014.html

Good luck in your copy..

And so another day starts - still got a sore throat - but Susie is recovering from her bronchial cough. Might need to do some housework soon...   The rain is incessant - so will have to go and empty the buckets in the warehouse...  roof not sorted yet ... but I need the Bothy welded .. so quid pro quo I suppose...


Cheers !

18th December 2018 - Bridges, Ecology and Storytime

Thought for the day :"According to my chocolate advent calendar there are only two days to Christmas"

So Let's start with the good news.
Yesterday was the first day when getting to Wales is free - though apparently they have put new 50mph speed cameras in (there have been some at the plaza for years but they may have new ones) and the thought is that they are going for the £60 fine rather than the £5.60 toll

And in the world of ecology - I rather like this design idea....
A new house - it is  a Green One !!

But the old politics keeps cropping up

LEAVER: I want an omelette.

REMAINER: Right. It’s just we haven’t got any eggs.

LEAVER: Yes, we have. There they are. [HE POINTS AT A CAKE]

REMAINER: They’re in the cake.

LEAVER: Yes, get them out of the cake, please.

REMAINER: But we voted in 1974 to put them into a cake.

LEAVER: Yes, but that cake has got icing on it. Nobody said there was going to be icing on it.

REMAINER: Icing is good.

LEAVER: And there are raisins in it. I don’t like raisins. Nobody mentioned raisins. I demand another vote.

DAVID CAMERON ENTERS.

DAVID CAMERON: OK.

DAVID CAMERON SCARPERS.

LEAVER: Right, where’s my omelette?

REMAINER: I told you, the eggs are in the cake.

LEAVER: Well, get them out.

EU: It’s our cake.

JEREMY CORBYN: Yes, get them out now.

REMAINER: I have absolutely no idea how to get them out. Don’t you know how to get them out?

LEAVER: Yes! You just get them out and then you make an omelette.

REMAINER: But how?! Didn’t you give this any thought?

LEAVER: Saboteur! You’re talking eggs down. We could make omelettes before the eggs went into the cake, so there’s no reason why we can’t make them now.

THERESA MAY: It’s OK, I can do it.

REMAINER: How?

THERESA MAY: There was a vote to remove the eggs from the cake, and so the eggs will be removed from the cake.

REMAINER: Yeah, but…

LEAVER: Hang on, if we take the eggs out of the cake, does that mean we don’t have any cake? I didn’t say I didn’t want the cake, just the bits I don’t like.

EU: It’s our cake.

REMAINER: But you can’t take the eggs out of the cake and then still have a cake.

LEAVER: You can. I saw the latest Bake Off and you can definitely make cakes without eggs in them. It’s just that they’re horrible.

REMAINER: Fine. Take the eggs out. See what happens.

LEAVER: It’s not my responsibility to take the eggs out. Get on with it.

REMAINER: Why should I have to come up with some long-winded incredibly difficult chemical process to extract eggs that have bonded at the molecular level to the cake, while somehow still having the cake?

LEAVER: You lost, get over it.

THERESA MAY: By the way, I’ve started the clock on this.

REMAINER: So I assume you have a plan?

THERESA MAY: Actually, back in a bit. Just having another election.

REMAINER: Jeremy, are you going to sort this out?

JEREMY CORBYN: Yes. No. Maybe.

EU: It’s our cake.

LEAVER: Where’s my omelette? I voted for an omelette.

REMAINER: This is ridiculous. This is never going to work. We should have another vote, or at least stop what we’re doing until we know how to get the eggs out of the cake while keeping the bits of the cake that we all like.

LEAVER/MAY/CORBYN: WE HAD A VOTE. STOP SABOTAGING THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE. EGGSIT MEANS EGGSIT.

REMAINER: Fine, I’m moving to France. The cakes are nicer there.

LEAVER: You can’t. We’ve taken your freedom of movement.

In other news, and trying the Reset Windows facility on the laptop which has been playing up lately

Will let you know ...

Cheers !

perhaps we should turn to a greater source.

17th December 2018 - Santa, Starving and Satire

Thought for the day:"Someone just phoned me, sneezed and hung up – I hate cold calls"

Timely information - Sarah Jacobs..

Sarah Jacobs the 'Welsh Fasting Girl' died on 17th December 1869. 

Sarah was born in 1857 on a farm near Llanfihangel-ar-Arth in Carmarthenshire. When she was nine, she became seriously ill and was confined to bed for a considerable period of time. She passed the time by composing poems and reading the Bible, but then according to her parents, Evan and Hannah, she suddenly began to refuse food. However, she did not suffer any ill effects, and seemed to be thriving.

Word got about, and soon, Sarah became famous, with people travelling from all over Wales and England to see her lying in her bed, surrounded by flowers and reading the Bible. They considered themselves to be witnessing a miracle and were encouraged to give gifts and money to Sarah.

Some people, however, were obviously sceptical and Dr Phillips of Guy's Hospital decided to arrange for six nurses to carry out a 24 hour vigil, in which they would observe, but offer no treatment or help unless Sarah asked for food. This Sarah did not do and she slowly lapsed into semi-consciousness, before dying on 17th December 1869. An autopsy later found food in Sarah's stomach and tragically groove marks on her toes, where it was supposed she had been tried to open a stone water bottle in a desperate attempt to get water.

People were outraged when news of the cruel experiment and Sarah's death became public and her parents were imprisoned for manslaughter, however, none of the doctors or nurses were prosecuted.

In modern political thought ...

Seems to sum up today's news..

A festive thought...

and in other news - a Video capturing the last year in thoughts

Cheers!

16th December 2018 - Sunday Politics

Thought for the day:"Do you handle a redhead’s temper gingerly? asking for a friend"

A rare piece of pontification...

No-one really agrees with anything these days - people get too emotional and the argument goes off at a tangent...  However, I have stated in the past that I took the opportunity to examine Britain and its relationship with the Common Market (as it was then) during my time at Aberystwyth University, studying History and Politics. My approach was simple, I thought I was going to be studying International Politics which is the reason I went to Aberystwyth, but in fact found out that International Politics would have taken me into the political machinations of different political institutions, whereas my interest was in "how did we get where we are today?" in other words - taking the historical perspective to understand the institutions which govern us.

This often leaves me at a different place from those who are arguing either for or against Brexit - as they are arguing from emotion and often self interest - whereas I am tending to think about how we got here and how that affects those decisions.

I have never evaded my opinion back in the seventies that joining the Common Market not only ruptured our trade with the Commonwealth causing untold effects, but was always a badly disguised attempt to move further towards a united Europe governed from Brussels. We are horrified by the "deceit" exhibited during the referendum (on all sides I will add), yet when we went into Europe we were not given a say at all. And when we finally were able to have a say by changing the government who were advocating coming out, that government conveniently changed their policies after gaining power.  We were told that millions of pounds could be transferred from the money given to Europe and could be used to fund the NHS, this time around. Back in the seventies, many people voted to go into Europe as they thought a trading agreement would mean that the cost of a bottle of wine would be the same in London as in Paris. That never happened either.

All our current concern is to ensure a free border...  yet if I go to France I have to show my passport and wait in line. On  my last three trips to Germany - I have been invited to park up while my van is examined at the "free" Border.  When I get off my plane in Crete - I have to go through customs and show my passport... Are these free borders into Europe???

But today I saw an article which sums up many of my opinions so I relate it again today...
It is by a blogger called Joel Rodriguez - ....  Joel Writes He is clearly a supporter of leaving  - so will probably be discounted by many outright - but I find some of his points quite compelling...

Britain, Europe and decades of deception

Europhile politicians integrated Britain into the EU by stealth. Brexit was inevitable.After the British electorate voted to leave the EU in June 2016, the search began among the elite for someone to blame. Then prime minister David Cameron was singled out for allowing the referendum to take place at all. The leaders of the Vote Leave campaign were accused of misleading the public.

In reality, the 2016 referendum result was a natural response to decades of massive constitutional change, undertaken without the express consent of the British people. By the time Brits were given a vote on EU membership, they had long decided that enough was enough.
To understand this, we have to cast our minds back over how Britain came to be in the EU in the first place.
In 1972, the UK, Norway, Ireland and Denmark sought to ratify the Treaty of Accession and join the European Community (EC), the forerunner to the EU. Norway held a referendum, but the public rejected membership. The UK, under Edward Heath, brought forward legislation to accede to the EC without consulting the people. Heath did so partly because he knew he would lose: polling following the accession showed the people were against it by almost two to one.
As the European Communities Bill passed through parliament, several politicians acknowledged that the public was opposed to going into the EC. Nicholas Ridley MP said at the time: ‘There is an opposition from the people, a lack of full-hearted consent to the terms, which makes it wrong for the government to drive on into Europe.’ Despite such reservations, the bill passed. The UK joined the European Community without the expressed consent of the public.
In 1974, the Labour Party won power with a manifesto promising a referendum on EC membership. The vote was set for 5 June 1975. The Yes campaign was aware that it had to change public sentiment towards the EC, and set about trying to do so in a variety of ways.
Project Fear was deployed for the first time. Labour MP Peter Shore summed up the Yes campaign lines in a speech at the Oxford Union: ‘Fear that we won’t have any food. Fear of unemployment. Fear that we have somehow been so reduced as a country that we can no longer totter about in the world independently as a nation.’
The fearmongering was accompanied by persistent dishonestyregarding the true aims of the EC. It was presented as nothing more than a ‘Common Market’. Government advice was that ‘there is no question of Britain losing essential sovereignty’, despite ‘ever-closer union’ being one of the stated objectives of the Treaty of Rome, which Heath signed in 1973.
The British voters chose to stay in the EC by an overwhelming 67 per cent in the 1975 referendum. It would be the last time we were directly consulted on the issue until 2016.Although voters in the 1975 referendum were promised that British sovereignty wouldn’t be compromised, work began to integrate the UK further into Europe. 

In 1978, Labour PM James Callaghan eyed joining the forthcoming European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM), the EC’s system for linking the values of different currencies. The UK did not join the ERM initially, but in the late 1980s the Treasury started a similar policy of ‘shadowing the Deutschmark’. 

In 1990, then chancellor John Major signed the UK up to joining the ERM, in the final few months of Margaret Thatcher’s premiership.
It ended in disaster just two years later. On 16 September 1992, ‘Black Wednesday’, the UK government was forced to withdraw, after it was unable to keep the pound above its agreed lower limit.

The European Community became the European Union via the Maastricht Treaty in 1992. Many member states, including France, Denmark and Ireland, held referendums on Maastricht (as was required by their respective constitutions). 

There were calls for a referendum in the UK as well. At the time, the constitutional expert Vernon Bogdanor made the case that the public should vote on the Maastricht Treaty: ‘MPs are entrusted by the electorate with legislative power, but they are given no authority to transfer that power. That authority requires a specific mandate from the people.’

But such appeals were ignored, and Maastricht was ratified in 1992, without public consent.
During the New Labour years, the European Constitution, which would consolidate Brussels’ power, arrived on the agenda. In April 2004, prime minister Tony Blair told parliament that it should debate the European constitutional question ‘in detail and decide upon it. Then let the people have the final say.’ He made a referendum a 2005 manifesto commitment.
But the constitution was rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005, and so the British referendum never took place. The Constitutional Treaty was simply repackaged as the Treaty of Lisbon, and was pushed through in 2007. Although the Lisbon Treaty was almost identical to the Constitutional Treaty, it was presented by the EU as an amendment to the Maastricht Treaty. The position of the Labour government was that national referendums on ‘reform treaties’ were not required.
Parliament ratified it in 2008. Further integration with the EU was agreed, and the primacy of law transferred from London to Brussels.
Ever since we joined what we were told was a Common Market, pro-EU politicians have sought to avoid direct consultation with the British electorate regarding the EU. The UK was integrated into the EU by stealth. The 2016 EU referendum was the first time the British people were given a chance to vote on Europe since 1975. In the intervening decades, British sovereignty had been diluted time and again — precisely what politicians said would not happen.
Is it any wonder the UK voted for Brexit?

I leave it to yourself to consider ...  but I have always contended that Brexit was nothing to do with immigration, borders, customs and trade, it is about being given the opportunity to say "No" after so many years of never being given a say...  We can still be bloody minded..

And for those who demand the People's vote and another referendum .....   What possible evidence have you seen over the last couple of years that suggests that the vote would not be as split as it was last time.  Theresa May made the mistake of calling a general election when points ahead in the polls and got a sore nose and lost her majority...   Are those calling for the Referendum also those calling for a Yellow Jacket Revolution in the UK ??  I fear they are.....

Must be Sunday - pontificating again

Best get back to humour and cartoons and birthday cards
Cheers