Unfortunately, those fears are all too real. Ambition and greed continue to stalk the corridors of power in the west, the middle east and the far east. You’d think the world’s leaders would have learned the lessons of 1914-18 and 1939-45, but no, they continue to arm and train today’s youth to go and fight, shoot and kill in pursuit of a despot’s desire for more power, influence and riches. In response, the more ‘civilised’ nations have to train their own youth to go and fight, shoot and kill in pursuit of freedom from oppression. Crazy, eh?
We all must live and hope that those in whom we trust (?) to protect our way of life in Westminster, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast can summon up the resolve, strength and intelligence to keep calm and carry on!
And yet life goes on. Leaving the affairs of state behind we all have our own personal hopes and fears, albeit of a much lesser international impact. We are one of the most heavily taxed nations in the world and yet the pot holes multiply, the bins overflow and litter festoons our countryside. Even worse, GPs are in hiding, hospitals can’t cope and care homes don’t care. The homeless are still un-housed, veterans ignored and poverty is still an all too common childhood affliction. And don’t get me started on the price of petrol, diesel, electricity and gas not to mention the water companies whose priority is shareholders rather than customers – they get the bubbles and we get the sewage.
Speaking of fat cats, there does seem to be a trend whereby the bigger the company, the more greedy their directors become as they pursue profit at the expense of customer service e.g. the mobile phone companies and public utilities - happy to take the cash and enrich themselves whilst insulating themselves from their customers by making it ever more difficult to complain or make contact with a considerate and helpful human being. Artificial Intelligence? – Artificial Ignorance more like!
With regard to our own personal interests, motoring and motor sport, things are no less bleak. Soon we’ll all be gliding about in Chinese electric cars that are produced for half the price of a European equivalent. They are doing to our motoring industry what the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers did to our motor bike industry. We may be a nation of innovators but fail miserably when it comes to exploiting those innovations.
On a much more sensitive front we are currently at the mercy of Forest & Land Scotland. This organisation is staffed by people who are paid from the public purse to manage the land which we, the great Scottish public own, and yet ‘they’ determine who can use it. Someone needs to tell them that “access for all” includes us rally folk and not just the lycra wearing, boot shod, binocular carrying, dog leading, bird watching and nature loving general public. We are a paying part of that general public!
Already those long suffering stalwarts who organise special stage rallies on our behalf are experiencing obstacles, poorly maintained roads, limited choice and denials of access even as the F&LS folk seek to install electric vehicle chargers in the middle of the countryside!
Will I ever hear the bark of a BDA, the growl of V8 or the whoosh of a turbo in the woods ever again? I was intending to have a wee dram to celebrate the arrival of this New Year and new hope, methinks it will need to be an awfy big dram. Who was it who said “things can only get better”? Was it really ‘D:Ream’, or was it a politician?
May you all have a safe, successful and enriching 2026 - regardless of the limitations, penalisations and restrictions being imposed on us by those who are paid by us to keep us safe, housed, clothed and fed.
Happy New Year, eh?
