In Praise of Europe

Well, this may not be the greatest photo I’ve ever taken but sometimes what I want to say is the most important thing!

Her Maj The Queen may have had her "annus horribilis" in 1992 but, for the rest of us, 2016 was, to put it mildly, no great shakes…

The world seems to be going to hell in a handcart. Across the globe we’re holding our breath about the imminent Trump presidency, the situation in Syria remains heartbreaking, the environment is struggling under the strain of our lifestyle choices, our politicians seem incapable of recognising the role their decisions have played in creating and maintaining the refugee crisis – whilst refugees and migrants continue to get the blame for all the world’s ills and, of course, we’ve recently said goodbye to some beloved public figures – David Bowie, Prince, Victoria Wood and Leonard Cohen amongst them.

Meanwhile, the catastrophe that is Brexit continues to play out like the monumental farce it is…

My biggest fear is that 2017 will be even worse…

BUT – I’m determined to keep celebrating all that is positive about my world.

I like being a citizen of the world and I like being a European. I like living in a diverse community, on a diverse planet. I don’t ever want to be a Little Englander or to be so inward looking that I fail to see the bigger picture. This feeling was underlined for me today as I sat in a meeting surrounded by friends and colleagues who, like me, have migrated to Liverpool, made it their home and contribute to it in all manner of ways – from the taxes they pay, to the creativity and skills they use to make the city a better place.

I’ve blipped portraits of all of these women at one time or another over the years – but here they all were together today in one place and I wanted to celebrate them! From left to right, Malou (from Luxembourg www.blipfoto.com/entry/2230243343999173988 ), Minna (from Finland www.blipfoto.com/entry/4144751 ), Kaya (from Norway www.blipfoto.com/entry/2010402445426952384 ), Sarah (from deepest Gloucester www.blipfoto.com/entry/2227742443506239449 ) and Nici (from Switzerland www.blipfoto.com/entry/2117971567626423940 ).

Europe looks pretty good to me!

Here’s Kraftwerk with ‘Trans Europe Express’... www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBGNlTPgQII