A Chaotic time of year...

I'm still not commenting too much right now, certainly not in any detail, but I have to write about this sooner or later, before the window of opportunity closes.

In fact, you would have to be blind not to have noticed, but the political situation in the UK right now is in a state of flux which brings up all sorts of interesting and potentially amusing future scenarios.

The cause is simple. The Brown government, like every other government in history, is useless and corrupt. However, it fucked up because it showed itself to be both at the same time. You can get away with one, or the other, but not both. The Northern Rock nonsense was more a symptom of the underlying problems with the current incestuous nature of international banking and American economics that would have hit regardless of policies here, but since when does public opinion care about that? There was also no need to ensure the shares - both the left and supposed right in this country seem more than willing to back failed businessmen and women with taxpayers money, while spouting free market mantras to keep everyone else out of the game. Very naughty.

Secondly, there was the missing database stuff. A perfect example of why we cannot and should not entrust our security to the government. Well, pushing one's security beyond a certain level is pretty much a waste of time anyway, but this...well, in addition to opening up 25 million people to identity fraud for the rest of their lives, just proves the government cannot keep vital information safe at all. Just think about the implications of the loss of your ID card data, NHS central database, or genetic information the police seem intent on having. DNA in particular could be bad...I have a sneaking suspicion tailor-made, targeted genetic weapons will be big business one day, and genetic databases worth a lot of money.

There is the cash for loans scandal, ongoing of course. Everyone is on the take with this, but since the Tories managed to bury most of the evidence, and Labour are in power, Brown will take the hit for this. Guido has been taking notes on the Donorgate scandal, so you can go this site for the particulars.

And we have the slowdown in the economy, the refusal to allow a referendum on the EU Constitution-lite, problems with the Cabinet, the drift in overall policy and direction adding up to what looks like a Labour re-run of the John Major years of Government.

Through into the mix new anti-terrorism legislation (increasing detention to 42 days), the Lib Dem election race, the Tories taking an 11 point lead in the polls, the SNP making some interesting noises re: independence and a continuing uncertain international situation and...well, the possibilities are endless. Any number of things could tip in so many different ways, the outcomes are many and varied.

And chaotic periods always make for a good time, even for a low level player of the game like myself. It might be time to once again take up my role as an Agent of Chaos and stir some mischief and confusion among the ranks, perhaps even to my own own benefit. Things will invariably die down for the next 4 weeks, as a mass consumerist/party rush descends on the nation, but the underlying tensions wont go away, and the new Lib Dem leader will likely want to make an impact and so start asserting himself too.

Yes, 2008 is shaping up to be what a certain Chinese curse would refer to as "interesting times."