C21 - Bright and Bleak Prospects

The death of an MP in England is hugely sad. A time for grieving first; a time for sympathy with her  family and friends and a time for reflection about life in  C21 now and in the future.

The reactions of all of the major political parties to: Suspend the arguments about the EU, have a special session of the House of Commons on Monday in her honour and not to oppose her political party (Labour) at the parliamentary by-election in due course, are a clear recognition by all concerned that politics is  secondary to life and mutual respect by and of us all.

The fact that the last murder of an MP undertaking his ordinary duties was 25 years ago signifies that such appalling acts are thankfully rare in the UK. Nonetheless it could be said that life in C21 does appear to becoming rather more aggressive and difficult as the century progresses.

For example, the ban on Russian athletes participating in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio  followed by the  negative reaction of the Russian President to the same is the first such official ban of a nation that I can recall. In 1980 there were individual national boycotts of the Moscow Olympic Games resulting from the Russian invasion of Afghanistan but there was no official national ban.

Yet there are positive signs for C21 also. The rehabilitation of Cuba for example following the visit of Pope Francis in 2015 and his work behind the scenes, compares with my childhood memories of the dispute between the USA and UK in 1963 when British Leyland sold 400 buses to Cuba against American wishes at that time. That had been preceded by the horrendous prospect of nuclear war arising from the Cuban Missile Crisis. Then President John F Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.

Today too British astronaut Tim Peake has just returned to earth landing in Kazahstan after a successful 6 month mission in space with joint Russian  European and American support.

The brutal killing of Jo Cox MP reminds one of how narrow the path to human respect and progress can be and of the need  for all individually and together,to keep to that path. May she R.I.P.