Bright Side of life

The  weather in the UK  recently has been dull and sunless hence the need in darkest mid winter to look on the bright side of life.

For the UK the predictions of Europhile politicians such as  George Osborne, that upon voting to  leave the EU, the country would enter an immediate recession and unemployment would soar,  have so far turned out to be the opposite of reality. UK industrial growth continues and there is almost full employment  which  hopefully is being enjoyed also by our European neighbours.

There is no major war in the world. That is not to say that thugs such as ISIS are filtering away but the absence of a major nation against nation war is given  the history of such occurrences in the lives of mankind, is truly positive.

The world's population is on average being lifted out of poverty - there is still much to be done and the poor will always be with us. Nonetheless the mean poverty line in the UK is far higher now than a generation or so ago.

World trade, despite barriers  imposed by groups such as the EU, is  still increasing currently at 4% or 5% I believe.

Looking back, recessions caused by bankers' or politicians' greed prove to be temporary with the wish of most individuals to better themselves soon coming to the fore to overcome these.

Education Education Education as Tony Blair used to say is very much part of society and though there still seems much to be done, every child in the UK  up to the age of 18 may be educated to a reasonable standard free of direct payment.  University education is then possible for those who  wish  and/or have the  aptitude  with no up front  cost for university fees being required. A far larger percentage of young people in the UK today attend higher education at University than was the case only a generation ago.

Freedom - to do much as one wishes provided that that does not impinge on one's neighbour overmuch, is so prevalent that it is almost taken for granted in the UK.

Rationing - wiped out in the distant past.

Small pox - wiped out in the past.

Tolerance within society has increased - thus for example, what one dresses in, when and how, rarely raises a negative comment whereas even in the 1970s  the absence of say  a bowler hat for gentlemen working in London, at least caused eyebrows to be raised.

Finally  and most importantly, one today  has complete freedom to adhere to any religion or none.

Long may the above continue.