POPE'S  ESSAY  ON  MAN,  or  SQUARING THE CIRCLE .

Way back in the early 1950's the Parting Shot from my Headmaster as he sent me to flounder in the world was that, 'I was inclined to be too kind.' He was the same Headmaster who having dismissed an allegedly dishonest Storekeeper gave him the reference 'That he was inclined to take things too easily.' Though one understood the good intent of the latter reference, I was never sure what to make of his comment concerning me, indeed presumed it was not so much an accolade as a criticism. As if teenagers' didn’t have enough to worry about without being damned with feint praise, let alone in my case having to deal with my father's Trustee Solicitors who for another seven years liked to refer to me as' The Infant'. Only weeks ago a local Guru told me that he kept telling others that I was 'A Pussy Cat'. To whom had he been speaking, and what was it that they had been telling him of me, and why had any bothered to mention an asocial hermit such as I at all? Could it be that after all some people read my blogs or my interminable comments to the 'On line Press'. Indeed confirmation of the latter came only this week from one of my Blogsters who wrote by way of response to my conciliatory comment on 'The Thatcher Affair '

' I think you sound like a nice person but I must take issue with '..... surely all would respect her Leadership, and strength of character'. No all don't. I respect nothing about her. I have profound disrespect for her, everything about her brings on tears of anger. But apart from that, your comment reminds that a gentler and kinder Britain still exists. But no more Thatchers.'

'Oh dear in spite of everything seemingly ' I'm still too kind.' What a discerning person that Blogster must be. I suffer a quadrennial disturbance at Local Governance level, for I'd oft thought to try and become a Councillor myself, not because it was my ambition to be one, but because I was for ever bemoaning the efforts of others. Way back in the 1950's and 1960's I saw no reason to presume that I had anything better to offer than those who stood for election. It wasn’t until the 1970's that I presumed to voice my dissent. That was on the basis that though a long term Conservative Voter and member of not only the Young Conservatives since the 1950's, but later the Conservative Party, I really didn’t care for the path it was then on. But preferring it to anything else on offer, voted for it and have ever done so at every General Election. However I never disguised my feeling of dis-satisfaction concerning much of its policy. Despite being a one time member of a Branch Committee I found that one had no input . Year upon year the majority imported the next batch of superannuated personnel to fuel the committee I served. After having twice stood to be an Independent District Councillor, I threw the towel in on the day Mrs Thatcher was elected to Office. Being then still in my forties I had better things to do with my life, one of which has been maintaining a watching brief on Politics, both Local and National.

What of those superannuated personnel mentioned? Mostly they were Ex Military or Ex Colonials . Every man jack of them ' seemingly under ranked' my contemporaries, all be it not me. Are such persons responsible for the perceived inadequacies of some of those whom they cause to be elected to Office? Predominately our Committee Members had no interest in either Radical Conservatism, or saw any need to provide for the morrow, preferring as they did to maintain the status quo.

I recognise that in the forthcoming Hampshire County Council Elections The Conservative Party will undoubtedly be returning two New Forest Area Councillors, who have served as not only District but too County Councillors for circa forty years. Obviously men of great experience, but both are older than I, so their re-adoption must be bad news for the wannabes.

I have not the slightest doubt that the two referred to above are talented persons, as too are the Majority of Councillors elected, but do too many owe their initial emplacement to one of the Party Political Machines rather than their own efforts ? If so does the same thing apply to some members of Parliament, and does nepotism or its like still have a part to play in selection processes ?

Rather than becoming a Political Apostate, should I too have stood as a Conservative and mentioned that ancestors had spawned two Prime Ministers, and one of the Fathers of the Confederation of Canada; or that my father by his first marriage had been an Uncle in Law to Mrs T's famed 'Stalking Horse', well maybe not that. Possibly had one mentioned that my family had owned and run father to son the same business for two hundred years, or that one of my grandfathers had been a French Mining Engineer, at the time Germinal was written by Émile Zola or that one of my half brothers had actually worked down coal mines making films for the National Coal Board. What of my Kinship to Edith Cavell and more directly the splendid lady depicted in the Illustrated Five Dollar coin issued by the Canadian Mint last year.Georgina Pope. Probably not, for all such facts are as irrelevant to my capabilities as would be the running a Grocery Store or Wall Paper Factory, However as ones DNA will out , I'll have to carry on Blogging , for those who can do, those who cant Blog.