PROGRESSIVELY RESTRUCTURING FOOTPRINTS IN THE COLD

There are a few of things that I feel keenly today.

A selfish concern: today I have been cold. I put thicker outdoor wear on this afternoon as the temperature dropped lower than it was in the morning. I think there was an attempt at snow, but it was just too cold. The wind chill made it feel even colder. I may turn up the heating.

I heard a mature man's heart rend today, the sound of loss and grief, because of the Government announcements which will affect the community in which he has made his home.

The Moray coastal towns in Scotland have been hard hit with the defence cuts that were announced today. A report highlighted that this area was the most militarily dependent one in the UK. 1:6 people (and attendant businesses) are going to be severely affected by the announcement. I am still trying to work out what the fancy terminology of 'reforming and/or restructuring the defence footprint' is supposed to mean. It sounds like another political attempt at re-framing the English Language with home made definitions concocted to suit.

That other overused political use of vocabulary... the positive word 'progressive': I don't know about you, but I am switching off, it has become progressively jaded. The positively progressive spin that is being placed on every action initiated by the government is anything but progressive.

The chill wind of harsh politics will be keenly felt by the vast majority of the UK population.