Owning a car keeps one busy. Yesterday Ernest and I took it down the local autoclub to have it checked out and get some papers with which we can get some more papers to then get the papers. While waiting on the mechs to do their job we gone for a walk, after the playground we nipped into Szeged Plaza, by far the largest shopping mall in south-east hungary. around the size of Stockman downtown Oulu. We were thrown out of the sport shop, in fact not allowed in because I had a backpack and weren’t willing to give it up. Never mind that we were the only shoppers in the sportshop probably due to the early hour while there was a security guy and two other shop assistants on duty besides the cctv. regulations are regulations.
We spent the rest of the day with shopping. Ernest slept trough the market for which I was thankful, was not up for chasing him around there. We also spent the day in anticipation of the Scottish election results and following the news of the UK results somewhat, mostly the referendum.
We parked the car by the way, fairly early yesterday and haven’t bothered with it since so my opening statement isn’t so true for this last couple of days at least
Liliom has the habit of jumping of her bed far as she can onto a matrass and some giant inflatable coushin. Ernest copies her although he hasn’t gathered the courage to actually jump yet. Probably due to the relative weight of his head. He still gathers their duvets and pillows right next to the bed and after dutyfuly counting to three, as seen from Lili, he steps out of the bed onto the pile.
Last night we had some wine celebrating the Scottish election results. Although I am cautious to celebrate the SNP. The interesting development is there nevertheless. I believe if we cannot just yet do away with the state, at least government should be brought closer to people and the smaller a state is the easier this task can be. For me it’s about locus of control.
In the UK people generally voted down the idea of a more representative electoral system. The argument to support such decision that through a more proportional system (the current first pass the post is one of the least) there would be a greater chance for a ‘hung’ parliament and coalition governments that are unstable and yara yara.
The past four years the Scottish government was a minority government (which is an unimaginable notion in Westminster) yet this gov managed to now gain such an overwhelming swing of seats that the SNP controls more than half the seats in Hollyrood. This has happened in an electoral system which is practically designed to prevent it.
The arguments against changing the UK voting system are false as in Westminster there is an unstable coalition government contrary to the disproportionate electoral system and in Hollyrood there is a majority government contrary to a far more proportional system. Maybe voters voted the proposals down cause they annoyed with the Libdems, but surely; punish other, smaller parties?
Looking at the developing political culture in Scotland I came to realise that unlike most central europen countries Scotland will go on its separate way – prob in a couple more elections – once it’s ready, it has a tradition of a democratic process well developed. A culture of parliamentary politics.
I wonder if a political tradition is a reason for the no vote on the referendum now. A more proportionate representative system would get parties such as UKIP into Westminster in numbers. And look at Finland to see where does that get you. What if that seemingly idiotic no was a very well calculated no?
Naturally, I am critical of it nevertheless. Even bogyman nationalist must be confronted in a dialogue (ok, this is told by me who half the time runs away from such confrontations) but more importantly, here comes the Marxist, maintaining the status qou benefits the structure that is already in power; economic, or corporate fascist. They are only really a step away from hard liner nationalist and nationalist-fascist, besides, in the current system the electorate is also robed from choosing someone else. In such system many probably just opts to take the least worst, as the result of the referendum shows.
Tomorrow we should go to the zoo or something like that, take plenty pictures – if we find the camera – and have a photo blog entry. It takes a lot more composition to write photo on electoral systems
Ant the whole point mentioning the wine was that being drunk after the second glass I realised that I have dropped my thesis topic. Looking for a new one. Then Jen told me that she thinks I have dropped my topic quite some time ago and only my stubbornness kept me on it but she didn’t want to say, just in case now I don’t quite remember what.
Showing posts with label Marxism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marxism. Show all posts
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
March 9th
Spring cleaning. It's spring now. Of course locals don't quite call it a spring when it's regularly around minus ten in the mornings but we know better. I got an urge to spring clean. Maybe it has nothing to do with spring but the regular cleaning and tidying just cannot go on any longer. All the corners are full with clutter that is regularly or at some point some time ago has been shoved there so when we try to shove things away they just instantly flow back out. Lili's desk is like that, we clear and clean it sometimes than agree that she shall tidy away what she works on and with after finishing, for it is impossible to keep Everything there. Then things start to gather till only a very tiny worm or caterpillar could just wriggle there a little.
Yesterday I had a go at their room and now the desk is clean. Finally it is ok for Ernest to work there too and he does love it. While Liliom is in school we gather some paper and very nicely play with the felt pens. I am surprised how long he manages to play 'nice', putting the tips back on and the pens back in their holders. I think soon grandparents and other volunteers can start receiving sophisticated pictures from Ernes. Lili really liked the one I put up in the kitchen today, she liked the colour coordination.
In the afternoon when everyone was at home already I was in the kitchen while Ernest in the kid's room was drawing at the desk. Lili was reading. And Jen in the kitchen too when Ernest started shouting 'Apa, apa...' didn't stop. It turned out one of the lids fell on the floor and he needed help, someone to pick it up for him! He by the way also said Mum today. Lookin at one of Lili’s drawing he almost said cat, ‘cica’ but bother only with the second syllables. He might turn out a mumbler like the rest of us.
Liliom wasn’t so keen on Ernest enjoying some drawing at Her desk. And the two of them cannot really handle it together. I think they both think that the other is just an extension of their own will and it is unbearable and unprocesseable to realise that it isn’t so.
I have been having a somewhat moody day. Had a nice day, yet, I feel a bit unexplainably not so good. Perhaps worried about something although we finally managed to get access to our bank account so we can re-engage with the money system. Yet there is still something. I spend a lot of time with Ernest and as he is not quite well (some diarrhea) I have plenty of time to worry about him. probably that's it. Or maybe somehting else. Can't quite put my figner on it. It's a shame though. Maybe it is just a lack of sleep and rest when spring is coming ( so I sit up blogging). I wanna do a spring cleaning, hang out with the kids all day, do a couple of online course and about a dozen other things. Silly. Anyways, I sit in a café while Liliom was in her ballet class and Jen prepped dinner with Ernest. Started reading a book.
I got through reading much of the introduction of a book collection of existentialist writings. The book was published in 1966 in 'communist' Hungary. It eagerly provides a Marxist analysis and critique of existentialism explaining in detail how it is nothing but another example of the crisis of capitalist societies and a half-hearted reaction to the imperialist expansionism of capitalist states, to the fight for hegemony in the international system.
The critique however seems to forget to maintain its own Marxist analysis and critique. But of course in '66 free speech was even more an issue in Hungary than nowadays. Or actually less an issue as there was not much to go around. Anyways, the Marxist criticism of the so called Marxist reality of the revolution would be that the personal cults were not the only immoral, damaging, unnecessary and false aspects of these regimes. After all 60s Hungary was also playing, and playing big time on nationalism, proto-fascist militarism and bourgeois greed. Besides, the so called communist countries while had a degree of barter system at the end they were also integrated within the international state system, an inherently capitalist system and they were also engaged in the same game of hegemony and imperialist expansionism as those evil capitalists.
Funnily the editor of the book, writing the introductory analysis seemed to have difficulties placing some French fellows, Camus and Sartre who happened to be more or less Marxist themselves, Sartre convicted that existentialism was merely a critical development of Marxism, arguing similarly to Guevara (yes, that guy with the same first name as Hemingway) that drinking milk these days doesn't require one to declare himself to be a Pasteurian
, it's just simply how it is now, thus Marxist analysis isn't 'an' alternative to capitalism for instance, just this is how it is and would be foolish and inconsistent to think otherwise. (or something like that, can be googled). Camus was probably a syndicalist and few get more communist than them.
Have you noticed my amasing list of tags?!
Jen thinks they are stupid
Yesterday I had a go at their room and now the desk is clean. Finally it is ok for Ernest to work there too and he does love it. While Liliom is in school we gather some paper and very nicely play with the felt pens. I am surprised how long he manages to play 'nice', putting the tips back on and the pens back in their holders. I think soon grandparents and other volunteers can start receiving sophisticated pictures from Ernes. Lili really liked the one I put up in the kitchen today, she liked the colour coordination.
In the afternoon when everyone was at home already I was in the kitchen while Ernest in the kid's room was drawing at the desk. Lili was reading. And Jen in the kitchen too when Ernest started shouting 'Apa, apa...' didn't stop. It turned out one of the lids fell on the floor and he needed help, someone to pick it up for him! He by the way also said Mum today. Lookin at one of Lili’s drawing he almost said cat, ‘cica’ but bother only with the second syllables. He might turn out a mumbler like the rest of us.
Liliom wasn’t so keen on Ernest enjoying some drawing at Her desk. And the two of them cannot really handle it together. I think they both think that the other is just an extension of their own will and it is unbearable and unprocesseable to realise that it isn’t so.
I have been having a somewhat moody day. Had a nice day, yet, I feel a bit unexplainably not so good. Perhaps worried about something although we finally managed to get access to our bank account so we can re-engage with the money system. Yet there is still something. I spend a lot of time with Ernest and as he is not quite well (some diarrhea) I have plenty of time to worry about him. probably that's it. Or maybe somehting else. Can't quite put my figner on it. It's a shame though. Maybe it is just a lack of sleep and rest when spring is coming ( so I sit up blogging). I wanna do a spring cleaning, hang out with the kids all day, do a couple of online course and about a dozen other things. Silly. Anyways, I sit in a café while Liliom was in her ballet class and Jen prepped dinner with Ernest. Started reading a book.
I got through reading much of the introduction of a book collection of existentialist writings. The book was published in 1966 in 'communist' Hungary. It eagerly provides a Marxist analysis and critique of existentialism explaining in detail how it is nothing but another example of the crisis of capitalist societies and a half-hearted reaction to the imperialist expansionism of capitalist states, to the fight for hegemony in the international system.
The critique however seems to forget to maintain its own Marxist analysis and critique. But of course in '66 free speech was even more an issue in Hungary than nowadays. Or actually less an issue as there was not much to go around. Anyways, the Marxist criticism of the so called Marxist reality of the revolution would be that the personal cults were not the only immoral, damaging, unnecessary and false aspects of these regimes. After all 60s Hungary was also playing, and playing big time on nationalism, proto-fascist militarism and bourgeois greed. Besides, the so called communist countries while had a degree of barter system at the end they were also integrated within the international state system, an inherently capitalist system and they were also engaged in the same game of hegemony and imperialist expansionism as those evil capitalists.
Funnily the editor of the book, writing the introductory analysis seemed to have difficulties placing some French fellows, Camus and Sartre who happened to be more or less Marxist themselves, Sartre convicted that existentialism was merely a critical development of Marxism, arguing similarly to Guevara (yes, that guy with the same first name as Hemingway) that drinking milk these days doesn't require one to declare himself to be a Pasteurian
, it's just simply how it is now, thus Marxist analysis isn't 'an' alternative to capitalism for instance, just this is how it is and would be foolish and inconsistent to think otherwise. (or something like that, can be googled). Camus was probably a syndicalist and few get more communist than them.
Have you noticed my amasing list of tags?!
Jen thinks they are stupid
Friday, 21 January 2011
January 21st
We had steak.
I’m glad I can write it down. I think, I feel no shame. Even if our dinner means another nail in the coffin of our lovely climate. It was worth it. I can’t remember the last time I have had such a piece of meat on my plate( I think we may have had some at Christmas 2 years ago), and I am sure it was a first for Ernest. I got some pretty good meat at my local butcher – well sort of local, the market is 5 minutes away but serves half the county. The price was a bit under a euro for every hundred grams. I shopped till around 700gs and I thought Jen and I will eat ourselves to death on beef tonight but my children surprised me. It was a delight watching them chewing and sucking away on small chunks of meet slowly, comfortably. They looked like eating just cooked meat is in their genes, carried from the times of prehistoric days (and odd concept, prehistoric).
A new hobby has taken off in the house as I find some help in putting away the laundry. I fold up the clothes and Ernest continuously shuttles them to Liliom who then puts them away or puts them into their right places when Ernest gets carried away and thinks he knows where to put them. And now you shall go aawh, that’s so cute! But remember one thing or two. Yes I do involve them around the house, in the house work in a playful way learning about living and all that stuff that is so nice. I also am teaching them about industrialised life, breaking up processes into small, mindlessly or more or less so manageable pieces where time is of the essence and efficiency is the key. Perhaps one considers me a pretty miserable person for having a Marxist analytical spin on hanging out with my kids. No comment.
I would like some feedback on an entirely political issue. This will be the eating of the pudding actually because i was receiving messages about these blogs but I sometimes wonder – here is the Hungarian trust none, especially not yourself logic – so I wonder if Jen asked you to do so therefore I can feel important and loved again because... let’s not go there.
So the question ir around the event on Wednesday in Strasbourg in the EU parliament, were you aware that Mr. Orban was there, do you know who is he and if yeses are for these two than what do you think of his reception? It was fascinating to watch if you ask me – here goes the stay at home parent, loaded with background tv time. Altough I didn’t understand most of it considering only now and again someone talked in a language I do.
We have moved in on 15th August 2010. At some point this week we finally got around to have a curtain. I feel very civilised now. But you know, we do have some awesome views so maybe this is the delay
I have mentioned about river cottage before, how it has become a family event in the evenings. The other day after dinner they were for some change quietly playing away in the other room when just out of curiosity I leaned in the door and in a calm, easy going tone said the apparently magic words ‘river cottage’... within thirty seconds they were sitting on the sofa, organised, ready to go, I mean watch. It’s a nice show to watch with them perhaps for there can be something in it for everyone and thus the perfect relaxing together as a family achieved. A friend once argued with me that there is some point to TV. I remember I was not accepting her point, we just got rid of our tv maybe a month before. Now I see that at times, in ways perhaps there is.
I’m glad I can write it down. I think, I feel no shame. Even if our dinner means another nail in the coffin of our lovely climate. It was worth it. I can’t remember the last time I have had such a piece of meat on my plate( I think we may have had some at Christmas 2 years ago), and I am sure it was a first for Ernest. I got some pretty good meat at my local butcher – well sort of local, the market is 5 minutes away but serves half the county. The price was a bit under a euro for every hundred grams. I shopped till around 700gs and I thought Jen and I will eat ourselves to death on beef tonight but my children surprised me. It was a delight watching them chewing and sucking away on small chunks of meet slowly, comfortably. They looked like eating just cooked meat is in their genes, carried from the times of prehistoric days (and odd concept, prehistoric).
A new hobby has taken off in the house as I find some help in putting away the laundry. I fold up the clothes and Ernest continuously shuttles them to Liliom who then puts them away or puts them into their right places when Ernest gets carried away and thinks he knows where to put them. And now you shall go aawh, that’s so cute! But remember one thing or two. Yes I do involve them around the house, in the house work in a playful way learning about living and all that stuff that is so nice. I also am teaching them about industrialised life, breaking up processes into small, mindlessly or more or less so manageable pieces where time is of the essence and efficiency is the key. Perhaps one considers me a pretty miserable person for having a Marxist analytical spin on hanging out with my kids. No comment.
I would like some feedback on an entirely political issue. This will be the eating of the pudding actually because i was receiving messages about these blogs but I sometimes wonder – here is the Hungarian trust none, especially not yourself logic – so I wonder if Jen asked you to do so therefore I can feel important and loved again because... let’s not go there.
So the question ir around the event on Wednesday in Strasbourg in the EU parliament, were you aware that Mr. Orban was there, do you know who is he and if yeses are for these two than what do you think of his reception? It was fascinating to watch if you ask me – here goes the stay at home parent, loaded with background tv time. Altough I didn’t understand most of it considering only now and again someone talked in a language I do.
We have moved in on 15th August 2010. At some point this week we finally got around to have a curtain. I feel very civilised now. But you know, we do have some awesome views so maybe this is the delay
I have mentioned about river cottage before, how it has become a family event in the evenings. The other day after dinner they were for some change quietly playing away in the other room when just out of curiosity I leaned in the door and in a calm, easy going tone said the apparently magic words ‘river cottage’... within thirty seconds they were sitting on the sofa, organised, ready to go, I mean watch. It’s a nice show to watch with them perhaps for there can be something in it for everyone and thus the perfect relaxing together as a family achieved. A friend once argued with me that there is some point to TV. I remember I was not accepting her point, we just got rid of our tv maybe a month before. Now I see that at times, in ways perhaps there is.
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