La muncă în UK (9) [Working in the UK]

Unde-s joburile cel mai prost plătite din UK, acolo se aude limba engleză cu accent din România sau din Bulgaria… constată tocmai BBC (în română: aici şi aici).

Plătiţi sub salariul mediu pe oră, deşi trag din greu în activităţi care nu necesită calificare specială (de regulă la curăţenie), umiliţi şi imediat dispensabili, dacă au ceva de comentat.

Prin lege, au statutul pompos de angajaţi pe cont propriu (self-employed). În practică, sunt nişte sclavi lipsiţi de orice drept pe care li l-ar conferi legislaţia muncii.

Aceasta este soarta a mii de români şi de bulgari din UK. Cu câteva luni înainte să intrăm în Anul european al cetăţenilor, ei se află între cei mai de jos dintre cetăţenii UE.

Comisarul european Viviane Reding se arată mult mai ocupată cu proptirea lui Traian Băsescu în funcţie decât îi pasă de aducerea la acelaşi nivel a drepturilor pentru toţi cetăţenii europeni. 

Pe mine unul, recunosc, m-a cam păcălit să cred că se va bate pe bune pentru ca cetăţenia europeană să devină o realitate, nu doar un concept găunos.

Negreşit, or exista şi excepţii fericite, respectiv poveşti de succes (aici, aici, aici) între imigranţii români ajunşi în UK.

Totuşi, mulţi nu au altă şansă decât de a schimba mizeria ‘made in Romania’ cu una ‘made in UK’…

[Pentru toate episoadele din această serie şi toate postările de pe acest blog mergi la/For all the episodes of this series, and all the posts on this blog go to: Contents/Cuprins]

What makes Russia ‘great’ and what ‘belittles’ Great Britain [Ce face Rusia ‘mare’ şi ce ‘micşorează’ Marea Britanie]

Gone are the days when Napoleon Bonaparte was fearing Russia for being “the continental sword of England,” and so are the days when Winston Churchill’s Britain had to make use of the USSR as a continental sword against Nazi Germany.

Today, a general mistrust – whether polite or sarcastic at times – reigns over the relations between London and Moscow. The reasons for that are not entirely obvious.

London is no longer backing a moribund Ottoman Turkey against Tsarist Russia, nor is it offering a safehaven to thousands of White Russians, fleeing from the onslaught of Bolshevik Communism.

Neither are Britain’s and Russia’s conflicting interests in Asia so vivid as they were in 19th century, as there are is no British, nor Russian empire left.

The British armed forces are in their 10th year of what could be called a ‘Fourth Afghan War’, while London’s and Moscow’s views on Iran differ, but there’s no Great Game being played anymore. No longer British, India is rather close to Russia.

Therefore, why are Britain  and Russia are on so irreconcible terms these days?

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Of course that, beyond my above hypersimplistic geopolitical analysis, there are enough substantial differences to be found. But there are similarities even within those differences:

[1] Britain’s slow descend into a multicultural dictatorship seems incompatible with the nationalistic dictatorship of Vladimir Putin.

They are both doubtful democracies. The significant difference is that one has always been a democratic pariah, while the other has still got the BBC, which is worth several thousand bayonets, if we look at it from Bonaparte’s perspective.

Maybe Oliver Cromwell was no less of a villain than Ivan the Terrible, but it seems that only the latter’s country would forevermore be labeled as ‘undemocratic’.

On the other hand, it seems utterly inconceivable to put into question the paramount British democracy. Anyone who dares do that would be quickly dismissed as insane…

[2] Britain’s willingness to sell almost anything to foreign investors is different from the fact that Russia’s economy was handed to a bunch of oligrachs that are more ore less controllable (even when they reside in London :-) by Putin.

Either the capital is multinational or national, the sad truth is that both Britons and Russians are no longer in control of their natural resources and national economies.

Both the Communist paradise promised in the USSR or the Welfare State promised in post-WW2 Britain were illusions.

[3] Britain’s Armed Forces are facing one of their toughest enemies ever, the severe budget cuts, while Russia’s Military, in spite of a poorer budget, is rearming.

It would take some time before Russia closes all the technological gaps, however, it will always enjoy an advantage in numbers and strengths.

[4] Britain is not as alone as Russia is. Shielded by NATO membership, and thanks to the English Channel, the Perfidious Albion is relatively safe.

In no possible UK-against-Russia scenario, Britain would be forced to fight alone, as in the summer of 1940. As for Moscow, it has no true friends. Even the strategic partnership with India (a rich buyer of Russian defence equipment) could hardly be considered an alliance.

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Irrespective of visible differences like these, there must be a deeper explanation for the fact that former allies (against antichristic figures like Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler) are at odds with each other. Which are those?

Is there a true incompatibility between Russia and Great Britain? At a first glance, there are is a majority of atheists, hedonists, pseudo-Christians and abortionists in both countries…

UK’s population is growing thanks to immigrants (many of whom are Muslim), whilst Russia’s population is in decline because of poverty, corruption, alcohol abuse, which are just the visible effects of a dreadful moral decline.

But while Britain is sinking into a swamp of irreligiousness, at least for some Russians there is hope. There is nothing to hope for in the religion of political correctness of Britain but there’s everything a man needs for salvation in the Orthodox Church.

Just as Stalin did, when he desperately needed to halt Hitler’s panzers’ stunning advance, Putin is using the Orthodox Church as a counterweight to Western influence in his country.

However, he can only use some hierarchs and the human and corruptible side of the Church; neither Putin, nor anyone else could compromise or destroy the Lord’s true Church. None of Russia’s material and political assets are as valuable as the Orthodox faith.

Even after Russia will have lost everything (large territories, control of natural wealth, sovereignty, millions of people) – in a catastrophic world war, for instance – it will still remain one of the richest countries of the world in spiritual terms.

If only the same could be hoped for Britain! The more Britain has achieved in terms of civilisation, the more spiritually barren it is…

For generations, Russians have been accustomed with losing everything, and maybe only the bitterness of another devastating blow in historical terms will help them come to their senses and rediscover the meaningfulness of Orthodoxy.

For Britons, it is very likely that any earthly victory will inflate their delusions, while any defeat will push them into despondency. In either case, they seem doomed, as they’ve got not metaphysical lifebuoy in their inane quest for material prosperity.

[For all the posts on this blog go to/Pentru toate postările de pe acest blog mergi la: Contents/Cuprins]

God’s place in a humanist society (21) [Locul lui Dumnezeu într-o societate umanistă]

It wouldn’t be fair not to admit that followers of any religion who are teaching or studying at the University of Sussex can use a specially designated building (in the picture) for services, prayers or meetings of whatever kind.

From this point of view, the university is 100% politically correct, although not immune to a certain degree of pro-Islamic bias specific to some contemporary British institutions like the BBC.

Anyway, the university – which will be half a century old in 2012 – boasts itself with being completely secular, while also tolerant to all religious beliefs.

From another perspective, it’s strange – if not ridiculous – how such a humanist university uses as a motto a truncated verse from Psalm 46.

The moto says “Be still and know”, instead of “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Couldn’t have the humanist founders of the university found any other motto not reminding of this ‘mythical character’ (according to their views) Whose existence they deny?!

[For all the episodes of this series, and all the posts on this blog go to/Pentru toate episoadele din această serie şi toate postările de pe acest blog mergi la: Contents/Cuprins]

About public transport in the UK (21) [Despre transportul în comun în UK]

Keeping in mind that “grumbling about trains being late is almost a national hobby” in Britain, I noticed this kind of ‘worries’ reflected more and more often in the online editions of British newspapers…

…and not that they would have serious topics to discuss or gossip about :-) Thus, I find myself wondering (and simultaneously asking my readers): how serious is this issue?

Last June, a BBC report noted that “the proportion of passengers satisfied with train punctuality had gone down,” compared to the spring of 2010.

Three months later, in September, The Daily Telegraph issued a stark warning, claiming that “UK train puctuality worsens”.

And let us not forget that all these ‘worries’ have been expressed long before another Big Freeze which – to the great dismay of Global Warming hysterics – could befall Britain (again, and for the fourth consecutive year) any day now!

[For all the episodes of this series, and all the posts on this blog go to/Pentru toate episoadele din această serie şi toate postările de pe acest blog mergi la: Contents/Cuprins]

[EN] Not worth trying in the UK / [RO] Nu merită încercat în UK (21)

[EN] It may not be as awful as marmite (yeast extract – a clear DO NOT TRY!), still… [RO] N-o fi chiar aşa de groaznic ca marmite (extract de drojdie – un clar: NU ÎNCERCAŢI!), totuşi...

[EN] …I recommend a good dose of caution before trying some English mustard.  [RO] ...recomand o bună doză de precauţie înainte de a gusta nişte muştar englezesc.

[EN] It’s really not worth spreading a lot of it over something before tasting just a bit – to prevent nasty surprises! [RO] Chiar nu merită să ungi o grămadă peste ceva înainte de a fi gustat doar un pic – pentru a preîntâmpina surprize neplăcute!

[EN] I like mustard, even hotter versions; strangely, what I tasted in England really fit this BBC description: [RO]  Îm place muştarul, chiar variante mai iuţi, în mod ciudat, ceea ce am gustat în Anglia se potriveşte acestei descrieri BBC:

[EN] “It is a speciality of England and rarely seen elsewhere (…) a strong, sharp flavour that is somewhat bitter and pungent rather than hot.” [RO] “Este o specialitate a Angliei rar întâlnită altundeva (…) o puternică, acidă aromă care este cumva amară şi înţepătoare mai degrabă decât iute”.

[EN] Unlike French, Romanian, any other European or even Scottish types of mustard, I didn’t quite like this… speciality. [RO] Spre deosebire de tipurile de muştar franţuzeşti, româneşti, altele europene sau chiar scoţiene, nu prea mi-a plăcut această… specialitate.

[EN] I bet that Sainsbury’s or Tesco stores sell other kinds of mustard also, but anywhere I ate while in the UK, they only seemed to have the English one :-( [RO] Pun pariu că magazinele Sainsbury’s sau Tesco  vând şi alte feluri de muştar, dar oriunde am mâncat în UK, se părea că nu au decât din cel englezesc :-(

[EN] Or maybe my rather bad impression is due to the fact that I didn’t taste Colman’s, the best known brand?! [RO] Sau poate că impresia mea mai degrabă proastă este din vina faptului că nu am încercat Colman’s, marca cea mai cunoscută?!

[For all the episodes of this series, and all the posts on this blog go to/Pentru toate episoadele din această serie şi toate postările de pe acest blog mergi la: Contents/Cuprins]