Apathy

Last updated on June 6th, 2023 at 07:23 pm

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Dictionaries define Apathy in the following ways, but they’re pretty much all in accord;

  • Lack of interest or concern, especially regarding matters of general importance or appeal; indifference.
  • Lack of emotion or feeling; impassiveness.
  • Absence of interest in or enthusiasm for things generally considered interesting or moving
  • Absence of emotion
  • Absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement.
  • Lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting.

Recently I have been detecting, what seems to me to be, an overwhelming flood of Apathy.

Before you all start beating me up (metaphorically I hope) I should make it clear that I’m not necessarily referring to my friends in Twatterland, more like the Great British Public at large, bless them.

My first encounter with Apathy was after Tom Winsor published his wonderful work; the Independent Review of Police Officer and Staff Remuneration and Conditions, This fine work, in 2 volumes (much like Harry Potter only real) recommended sweeping changes to Police Officers’ pay, pensions , terms of employment etc.

Faced with such monumental reforms, how many of us wrote to our MPs to register our views? I did and I know at least two others who did, but Parliament should really have been awash with such letters.

Sgt Thompsett launched an on-line petition in a bid to protect Police Pensions. It required 100,000 signatures to be debated in the House. It really struggled to get over the line, and only did so due to a monumental effort by some of you in Twatterland, you know who you are, and you should rightly be proud of yourselves.

Sgt Thompsett is not suffering from Apathy and neither are the stalwart few who tirelessly promoted the e-petition, but these petitions are an official document that can record for posterity the number of people who oppose or are in favour of a certain issue. There are approx 135,000 serving officers, countless Police Pensioners plus an unquantifiable number of ‘supporters’, so why did it take so long, and so much effort to get past the 100,000 mark? Apathy?

@J_amesP, now there’s a lad who’s not suffering from Apathy, and look where it got him. Whatever you may think of James he’s not been afraid to stand up and tell folk the reality of what’s happening, and THE ESTABLISHMENT DIDN’T LIKE IT. There’s a big fat clue. The establishment rely on their old friend Apathy.

Fire and Rescue Services across the land are being hit with Fire Stations closed down, Fire Engines being sold off or mothballed.  Apparently they can put out fires just as efficiently with less Firefighters, less Fire Engines and further to travel to get to the fire because there’s less Firer Stations. Where is the public outcry? Apathy?

Her Majesty’s Marine and Coastguard Agency are being decimated. Coastguard Stations closed down, jobs under threat and Search & Rescue Helicopter Services being sold off to an American company. There are those in the MCA that are doing a fine job in publicising this travesty but where is the public outcry? Apathy? Well let me tell you I have been aboard a fishing boat that was sinking off the Isle of Wight, it was not funny, and I for for one will NEVER begrudge the Coastguards a single penny. If you swim in the sea, allow your kids to go on the sea with airbeds, fish from the rocks, surf, scuba dive, cross the Channel on a ferry or any of those other water sporty things, you have no place to be apathetic, the sea is a dangerous place and if you get into difficulties at Great Yarmouth you really don’t want your friends and family to be explaining your problem to a Coastguard Control Centre in Hampshire or wherever. Local Coastguards for local emergencies.

The Probation Service are under threat of the P Word – Privatisation. Probation Officers have allegedly been ‘Gagged’ threatened with disciplinary action if they dare to speak out about it. Where is the public outcry about this? Apathy? I have seen a few blogs on the subject, and very informative they are too, but honestly, I’m not sure the public have even realised.

Gagging Orders at Scotland Yard. Word reached Angry Towers that a few serving and former senior officers at New Scotland Yard had been made subject of Gagging Orders for a variety of reasons. A Freedom of Information request to the Mayor’s Office (MOPAC) and the Metropolitan Police just received so Refusal to Confirm or Deny the existence of any Gagging Orders, so I was left to reach my own decision. Where was the public outcry? Do we REALLY want our senior police officers, serving or retired, to be prevented from telling you stuff? Apathy?

Police and Crime Commissioner elections – the national turnout figure was approximately 14.5% and at least one ballot box was found to be completely EMPTY at the close of the polls. Apathy? If this was a means to register a Protest Vote I for one don’t think it’s the effective method, but that’s just my view. In any case it was an unmitigated disaster and we are beginning to witness the consequences.

Local Council Elections last week – turnout across the country ranged between 25% and 50%. Some elections were cancelled due to insufficient candidates and the sitting councillors elected unopposed. Apathy? I can’t quite think what might have given rise to insufficient candidates.

Reform of the legal system – scrapping of Legal Aid in certain circumstances, particularly for challenging government decisions, proposed ban on the access to your own solicitor of choice if you happen to end up in the cells, and a compulsory reliance on the Duty Brief, Why? Where’s the public outcry? Apathy?

And I’ve just remembered, how could I possibly forget, the overwhelming lack of reaction to the peculiar appointment of Blair Gibbs to the position at MOPAC. I am an ‘outsider’ I agree, but all did not appear to be well with that particular appointment, a subject that I have blogged on previously. Where was the public outcry? Apathy?

I’m sure these are just a few and that you will each have your own examples to add. Make no mistake – Apathy will lead to the destruction of this country as we know it and all that we are rightly proud of. We may not win the fight, but why should Camoron and co get away with it unopposed. Write letters to your MP, I have and I know at least 3 others who have, email them, make their inboxes overflow. Go and see them at their surgeries if you wish. The Great British public has a voice, please use it before your voice box is removed #andtherestissilence.

Thank you.

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12 thoughts on “Apathy”

  1. Yes there is Aperthy about.

    But there is also a concerted effort by the establishment to keep as many FACTS and REALITIES out of the media.

    Therer is also the fact that those hit hardest by all these lost services are already suffering under the economic climate which is making life so difficult already.

    There are stalwarts out there trying to make a difference and places like Twitter are proving to be the only way of making a stand.

    Don’t write off the General Public yet! I’m one of them and have no ties to any of our emergency services being cut…. but I’m campaigning for as many as I can.
    CJ

  2. Yes there is Aperthy about.

    But there is also a concerted effort by the establishment to keep as many FACTS and REALITIES out of the media.

    Therer is also the fact that those hit hardest by all these lost services are already suffering under the economic climate which is making life so difficult already.

    There are stalwarts out there trying to make a difference and places like Twitter are proving to be the only way of making a stand.

    Don’t write off the General Public yet! I’m one of them and have no ties to any of our emergency services being cut…. but I’m campaigning for as many as I can.
    CJ

  3. Apathy and silence while you watch what is going on, thinking the other guy is going to fix it. We all end up being someone elses other guy, the only ones not able to sit back and watch are those stuck in the mire that need the public to participate for their own benefit…before they lose what they thought couldn’t be lost.

  4. Apathy and silence while you watch what is going on, thinking the other guy is going to fix it. We all end up being someone elses other guy, the only ones not able to sit back and watch are those stuck in the mire that need the public to participate for their own benefit…before they lose what they thought couldn’t be lost.

    1. Thank you, but I’m not sufficiently qualified to speculate on what the root causes might be, I only know from my experiences of life that Apathy can ultimately be harmful.

    1. Thank you, but I’m not sufficiently qualified to speculate on what the root causes might be, I only know from my experiences of life that Apathy can ultimately be harmful.

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