200 years ago ( more or less) our ancestors were building the Stockton to Darlington railway line and fighting the first Anglo-Burmese War.

We’d smashed French hopes of domination a decade before and we ruled the seas.

If we wanted something, we took it, by trade or force or both.

The greatest empire the world has ever known.

All from this tiny island.

We brought an almost universal language, education and modes of government that still exist in many places.

We weren’t very nice but we were driven.

A hundred years later and despite the immense losses of WW1, we still ruled a vast empire and the country was a hothouse of scientific and cultural progress.

Coal exports ( exports ) had slowed and this would cause issues but our impact on the world stage was still immense.

A hundred years later and we’re importing coal from Japan to feed the last remnants of a shattered steel industry.

Hundreds of third world, fighting age men arrive every day and instead of pressing them into service or sending them straight back to mainland Europe, we give them housing, phones and money.

They want for nothing while our people are taxed more and more and more.

People have been locked up for YEARS for words on a screen that challenge this new normal and the robbery, rape and murder increases that have followed.

In 1985, 1800 rape offences were recorded.

In 24/25 it’s 68,000.

And nothing is done.

We’re continually told that diversity is our strength, a lie on a par with Arbeit Macht Frei.

We’re bigots for noticing, for complaining, for protesting when little girls are butchered and our own government colludes in a cover up of the facts because they’re so scared.

Of us.

Our ancestors were barbarians, they took what they wanted by force, held it by force and gave zero fucks.

We’re not that far different, we’ve been indoctrinated with a drip-feed of how they think we SHOULD behave, but the walls are crumbling.

They’re worried about what comes next.

They should be.

They’ve done nothing to fix this for years and I have a bridge to sell you if you think that ANY party is different.

I’ve used a photo of Milo lying in the sun with some beer that I took a few minutes ago deliberately.

This is my land, my England, my way of life.

I’m fucked if I’m letting it go without a fight.

Let’s be Barbarians again.

Tomorrow will be day ten since I left my job behind, waving a teary farewell and leaving things behind.

A new start.

A clean slate.

Well.

Sort of.

One of the reasons that I left was the introduction of a new senior management team with the emotional intelligence of a wasp nest, they didn’t even wait for me to leave before they made a move on one of my offshore people.

He made the fatal mistake of not bouncing around like a hyperactive puppy when the MD and COO visited the country and office that he works in.

That was enough to seal his probable fate, he’d already raised a bullying case against an in country senior manager (that he didn’t report to).

I tried really hard to show the seniors just what a good boy I could be if I wanted to – and that it was a conscious decision to do so.

More of this later.

I picked up a new car on day one and also got my nomination papers in for the local elections, we’re unopposed- so I’m a councillor again.

I had a call with the RAF Cadets to become a trustee and security checks notwithstanding ( amusingly I already hold an above TS clearance via MOD but they have to do the checks apparently) I’m in.

I’m looking forward to that.

And I’ve spent almost every day working outside, building things, repairing, painting and oiling, cutting, shredding and burning, digging and moving wood and earth.

It’s been lovely.

The doglets have spent every day outside with me and watched with interest when I measured, cut and fitted new aluminium trim for my office decking.

Cairo helped me dig over the earth in the wildflower area and Milo is as fit ( if not as young) as he’s ever been.

One of my neighbours may have some occasional work for me to keep the bank balance topped up and I don’t miss work at all.

One of my major gripes when I resigned was that instead of backfilling me, they dumped my whole team onto my best friend – she already had half of the staff and this gave her nearly everybody for no more money, a change in grade or anything material at all.

She then inherited the issue with the offshore guy that they’re stitching up.

So, I’ve found him a lawyer and when they make a move on him in a week or two, he’ll be ready.

He’s also already shortlisted for five jobs.

As for me.

Being nice was always a conscious decision, I hit them with a DSAR on the day that I left, I suspect that I’ll find some interesting communication between a few people.

And more importantly.

It’ll have pissed them off.

Really pissed them off.

Not as much as when the offshore guy does it in conjunction with his lawyer of course.

Or when my friend resigns tomorrow morning as she has a new job outside the toxic shitshow that things have become.

I’ve got people coming for Easter so this week will be a blur of preparation, shopping and picking people up.

It’s going to be busy.

But fun.

And on my own timescales.

I’ll probably only write about the ex-job one more time. When my DSAR comes in ( if it’s interesting, otherwise I won’t bother)

I’ll stay in touch with the Feral Pony Club

https://smallthunderdog.blog/2025/03/30/feral-pony-club/

Because tomorrow (or whenever they find out that my friend is leaving) will sting.

And I’ll help them with whatever they need.