The International Writers Magazine Editorial MAY 2019

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Welcome to this MAY 2019 edition of Hackwriters. 20 years on-line, 7600+ articles - reviews - stories - travel - share any feature you like and pass them on using the links.
Once again celebrating Hello travel.com - Hackwriters Best Travel blog 2018:

Editorial: Election Madness in the UK and elsewhere

27.05 .19 European results are in. Farage's Brexit Party swept up 29 seats to the Lib Dems 16 with Labour triling on 10 and the Conservatives a mere 4. This pretty much leads us down the path to No-Deal on Oct 31st whoever becomes the Tory Prime Minister. Results in Europe aren't pretty either with Le Pen winning in France and Salvini in Italy taking the lion's share there. History repeating itself perhaps?

24.05.19 Mrs May resigned at last. How she withstood the pressure for so long is amazing. Now the media will obsess about who will become Captain of the Titanic. Worse, we won't know until the end of July. Then Brexit negotiations begin all over again. Remember 'Edge of Tomorrow' with Tom Cruise. This is that movie for real.

It was tactical voting day on May 23rd. If you wanted a second referendum or to revoke Article 50 - vote Lib Dem.
If you wanted madness, mayhem and bankruptcy for the entire nation - you voted Brexit. There are no other choices that make any sense. * Dog and me went to the poll at 8am. First there. It was weird voting Lib Dem for first time in my life.

Mid-May and life just gets a little worse each day. Iran, China, now Women's Rights over their bodies. Under Trump we are slowly unravelling all civilisation back to the 1950's. In the UK the political opposition who stand every chance of coming to power very soon wants to take us back to 1945 and nationalise everything and bankrupt the country. Meanwhile Earth and our climate is getting ready to deliver real life changing events that will transcend politics. Some like to think this is a long way off yet but it isn't.

South Africa went to the polls in early May. The ANC has won again but with a smaller percentage in a lower turnout. The ANC vote gives them 57%. And will Ramaphosa, the current President have enough power to fire, arrest, jail the corrupt ministers that still dance to Zuma's tune? (The FT thinks around £21 Billion was looted by Zuma and the Gupta's). That could have built a lot of hospitals, and schools, provided hundred of thousands of jobs, not to mention kept the electricity on. Corruption kills national economies as they have discovered in Caracas. The Mugabe apprentice, Malema of the EFF, wants to nationalise banks, land, everything and has done well.

SA is discovering the same disillusionment with politics and politicians that we are experiencing in the UK, Europe and North and South America. Once you poison the well of Democracy you end up with situations that once prosperous Turkey is now suffering under. Many black voters in SA have fallen for Julius Malema's lies and foolish promises and he has almost doubled his vote to around 12% - particularly in Zuma's backyard. It's easy for him as so many of the population are unemployed and unskilled. His solutions won't help them but they don't know that.

The DA (Democrative Alliance) has won the Western Cape but it's vote has been chipped away by the Afrikaner party FF+. (Quite why SA can't come up with proper names for parties, EFF and FF+ are so similar, but so different, it must be confusing for voters). The main thing is that it has been a peaceful election, SA is a good natured country and one wishes Ramaphosa good luck in fighting corruption and restoring the economy over the next five years.

Meanwhile - results of the UK local elections are in and the Tories have lost 1300 + seats. Labour lost almost a 100 and the party of Remain, the Liberal Democrats gained 700. It's quite a political earthquake. We know how unelectable Mrs May is, but now we have proof that Corbyn is also toxic to the electorate. Both main contenders Conservative and Labour polled 31% of the votes and that pretty much writes off a General Election in the near future. But perhaps this is bigger than that - a generational shift. The people have spoken and in the main rejected Bexit and want to stay in the EU. In three weeks time we will have the Euro Elections (May 23rd) and in this the Brexit Party led by Farage will either do spectacularly well or perhaps the young will come out for the Lib-Dems now they can see they are winning again and change everything.* See above Brexit Party wins big. What I believe is that Change UK is too late to the party and too disorganised. With the Tory ground workers supporting Farage’s Brexit party, it could sweep the board in the Euro elections and I suspect in this Brussels deserves the rabble that will turn up to make trouble and stop up their ears when Mrs. Widdecome speaks (Who won her seat).  Ironically Farage and his troops might just tip the balance and make Euro Commissioners be more reasonable about the ‘Irish Back-Stop’  - anything to get rid of Widdecome and Farage. I suspect May 3rd 2019 will be day we look back on when all the dinosaurs died. Let's see what happens next.

Embarrased to say that my sister is a rabid Brexiteer – and would have England towed to the middle of the Atlantic if she could. (But I note her best friend is German, who is coincidentally equally extreme in her views and would have preferred if France left the EU rather than England).  I think Scotland should go free if it wants to (and accept the consequences of being ruled from Brussels.)  I also think the whole of Ireland (North and South) should have a referendum to explore if there is a majority to join together under the auspices of the EU.  I can’t believe the young Northern Irish don’t want this.  It makes economic sense, if not to a small minority, who I might remind them, have lived in peace since the Good Friday agreement so need not fear domination from the south.

Some people won’t accept reason.  They want Full English Brexit and consequences be damned.  What I fear, as the Tories self-destruct, they’ll get Full Marxist Corbyn, McDonnell and Putin on a red carpet in the House of Commons.  No doubt Corbyn will turn up to that State Dinner.

The state of politics worldwide is a mess. (James Skinner’s report on the 2019 Spanish elections here). Trump has upended the world and common sense has drained out of it.  His latest complete economic war on Iran pitches China (who needs their oil) against the USA and Chairman Xi will not want to bow to Trumps threats of complete sanctions. If that plays out to the full is the USA really ready for war? Huawei will probably shut the USA down before they can get a missile launched. Ha! The irony. Now with 25% tarrifs on Chinese imports to the USA those costs will have to be passed on to the American consumer. Now Huawei is banned entirely in the USA (16th May) and we are MUCH closer to war with Iran. What price oil if that all explodes and is everyone ready for the worst recession ever? Ask the older folks what it was like when oil doubled, then tripled in price and industry ground to a halt. As James Campion says this month, if we are ever to be rid of Trump, Mueller needs to step up and go very public with what is really in his report.

Freedom for Venezuela seems elusive – which is a terrible shame for those living under Maduro/Putin’s regime. On April 31st, the true leader Guaido attempted to topple Maduro and bring out the Army. It was a miscalculation. It seems the Russians have taken over and made Maduro stay. (Russia has leant billions to Maduro because of the oil and want to protect their investment). There are possibly more 'Generals' in Venezuela than all of NATO and Russia combined - everyone damn one of them bought and paid for. The police and officer class are clearly not shifting allegiances - as Guaido's deputy and others have discovered and now lanquish in jail.

But mostly all eyes are on the twenty - three (so far) Democrats running for President in the USA. Some seem extreme and others, like Biden, so old it can only be vanity that makes them do it.  Trump probably can’t believe his luck and he knows already that he’s assured of four more years to destroy everything of value in the USA. And he will.

As for climate change, as Antartica melts (Ross ice-shelf in particular) and the Artic shrinks, we are all in a panic about Extreme Climate change. I have one question. Around 1550 AD there was very little ice in the Artic. So much so Icelanders and others were able to sail right around Greenland (Vineland) and even established settlements and vineyards there it was so warm.  The sea level in Europe and the then 'known world' seems not to have risen as a consequence of the ice melting.  (Venice was not swamped for example).

So why are we so sure that it will swamp us now when the ice melts? (Yes the world population has somewhat changed since then (going from less than half a billion worldwide in 1550 to seven billion now) and there were no coal fired power stations in 1550, but the ice still melted without that pressure (possible sun spot inactivity I suspect). I ask this because this money pit I own is at sea level on the North Sea coast and I have a vested interest.  *The ice came back big time by 1600 and they were roasting Oxen on the River Thames in winter ... but that is another story.

Enough already.  I hope the month of May bring the changes you want and Mrs. May will find a scintilla of humility and resign after these disasterous elections but I have my doubts. More to post as the month progresses...
© Sam North May 23rd 2019
Author of Magenta - A chilling story of kidnapping, burning and strangeness set in the wilds of Lincolnshire

*As ever Hackwriters is supported by sales of our books - so do buy, print or kindle, we aren't picky.
The Sam North Novels - still available to order on Lulu or Amazon
** The Heaviness, Another Place to Die: Endtime Chronicles are recommended also read
The Repercussions of Tomas D -'best time travel WW2 story in a long while'

Girl with Cat (Blue) - Shortlisted for the Rubery Book Award 2018 'a funny, bloody, colorful narrative that never fails to surprise the reader. Girl with Cat (Blue) provides great entertainment'.

'This book was amazing! I was hooked from the first few pages and couldn't put the book down.' Judge, 26th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards. 2018 - Honorable Mention

J&K 4Ever - Love and Devotion in the Wastelands Sixty years after the end of everything the city of Bluette survives, controlled by a malignant sect.  A place where men rule, girls receive no education and are matched at 16 to the highest bidder.  No one is ever permitted to leave the city and outside is a murderous wasteland of despair. Orphans Kruge and Jeyna have been devoted to each other through all the years of terror in this harsh regime and sworn never to be parted.  But the beautiful Jeyna has been betrayed by the Warden. Kruge has been swiftly banished to the Scraps, under the control of the Keeper. Jeyna is heartbroken; she will not accept her fate and escapes to find Kruge.  She is pursued by ruthless Enforcers on horseback, whose task it is to bring runaways back, dead or alive. 'A genuine romance in a bleak but plausible and terrifying setting'.

J&K 4Ever

MARIKKA- exclusively on Amazon Print and kindle 2 Based on a tragic real life event, Marikka flees from an arson attack on her home to the sea, where she meets Starfish boy – a runaway working for Jackson, a scarred man hiding a sinister secret from the world. Meanwhile her real father searches for her with the aide of Anya, ‘the girl who can read objects’. More about the writing of this book ‘Long after my tears dried, my heart stayed with Marikka, Starfish Boy and the strange girl who reads objects.’ CT You will smile, you will gasp with shock, and you will struggle to read the words through your tears. Gemma Williams - Amazon.co.uk 2015

The new edition of 'ANOTHER PLACE TO DIE: ENDTIME CHRONICLES By Sam Hawksmoor & Sam North Could you live in a world where antibiotics no longer work? Print & Kindle Q&A interview with the authors here A city gripped by fear as a lethal virus approaches from the East. No one knows how many are dying. People are petrified of being thrown into quarantine. Best friends Kira and Liz once parted are scared they will never see each other again. Teen lovers, Chris and Rachel, prepare to escape to the islands. Do you stay and hide, or do you flee? Review from the First Edition: 'Beautiful, plausible, and sickeningly addictive, Another Place to Die will terrify you, thrill you, and make you petrified of anyone who comes near you...' Roxy West - Amazon.co.uk

Spy/Romance thriller set during the Blitz in WW2 - Kindle download All proceeds go to keeping Hackwriters going The Repercussions of Tomas D A Hero? Or Englands Greatest Traitor? USA Paperback here 'Disturbing and very poignant YA love story that presents a chilling alternate future for an England that lost the war.' Marcel d'Agneau 'A brilliant imagining of living in the Blitz, well researched.' Amazon UK 'This is Man in the High Castle for teens and scarily plausible with alternative facts ' *download the Kindle version or buy the paperback from Hammer & Tong

'The Heaviness' for any reader who likes to think about such things as betrayal, revenge, relationships and the laws of gravity. An original Genie Magee story Genie & Renée have just 36 hours to save Rian or he dies 'Without a doubt, one of the best YA Sci Fi series out there.' Evie Seo Bookish Kindle & print Thanks to readers who have been buying this title. . * Also published as Rüya by Marti Yayincilik - The Turkish publishers of TOZ & Golge

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