This Blog is Resuming with Tarot Advice from Rocco (TAROCCO) on The Tower Card

The Tarot card entitled "The Tower" is one which merits respect. This card typically depicts two figures (a man and woman) falling headlong from a tower which is being struck by lightning. Commentators on the Tarot usually associate this card with the inevitable breakdown of structures which have come to pose an obstacle to individual or collective development. Such structures can include relationships, whether personal or professional, financial constructions such as stock markets (note increasing reference this week to a "real economy", whatever that might be !), ideologies and institutions.

One depiction of The Tower also has the ancient god Poseidon emerging with his Trident from a stormy sea, with said structure in front of him. Aside from his identification with the sea, Poseidon was also identified with tectonic shifts, of the kind now required in the human psyche to tackle climate change, or the need for peace on earth : time for the government to re-consider planned investment in nuclear armaments perhaps. The Tower is also linked to the Tower of Babel in some interpretations.

The figure of Poseidon may too be a timely reminder of the former deputy prime minister (DPM), with his maritime connections, and who is still a member of parliament for Hull (scene of recent floods) ? The weekend press heralded a forthcoming autobiography, which will no doubt re-emphasise the former DPM's role in international negotiations on climate change, his use of the expression "tectonic shift", and throw light (if not strike lightning) onto the relationship between former prime minister Tony Blair and the present incumbent of that office. Indeed it is possible that these may be the two figures thrown from the Tower, depending upon Gordon Brown's timing of the next general election.

Scotland's Alex Salmond (generally pronounced "Salmon" - and therefore a "Big Fish" - on the BBC) may be another politician with the power of tectonic shift, taking over that Prescottism "shifting of the tectonic plates" when he announced a forthcoming referendum on Scottish
independence

This Blog is Relocating

Due to Gremlins (of a technical or censorship nature, possibly both !) this and our other blogs (see below) are relocating for a time to http://www.witchofworcester.wordpress.com .

TAROCCO : Tarot Advice from Rocco

From next month, Rocco, "The Cat Oracle" will be offering advice based on readings of the Tarot. He will introduce the new service with a reading for the New Labour Leadership, including a prediction concerning the identity of the Deputy Prime Minister's successor.
Early indications suggest that this is likely to be Alan Johnson, with Gordon "Stalin" Brown as PM (see "The Court of the Red Tar" in our "Satyre" section), but the cards may have another story to tell.

Party Animals

I watched the the first episode of "Party Animals" (from the makers of "This Life") the other day. If this is what life behind the scenes in Parliament today is really like, then the sooner we have an English "House" in Birmingham the better. The characters seem to consist mainly of Randy Tories (including a couple of toffs) and Nasty New Labour types. Even the central characters - two bright young things and one nerdy type, who played their parts very well - were too cliched to be really interesting. Things might get better of course, but I shan't be waiting around to find out. No wonder one poor fellow unintentionally topped himself (Live Fast Die Young and All That) in the first episode ! All a bit too "Casualty" for me. Yes, the production had something of that same slick quality, but I want real politics and drama, not a sort of soap. Bring back "Our Friends from the North" I say (which was much better than "This Life" anyway) !