Where life is never lived in the sunlight

May 13 2008 by Our Correspondent, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

‘That is why many ruthless dictators live like kings and have millions of pounds hidden away’

‘Mugabe is now threatening to deny water to his citizens unless they vote for him next time’

ISN’T it surprising how much the state of the weather affects our mood?

If it’s dull and raining we feel down and miserable, especially if it occurs over a weekend or during a holiday period.

Whereas beautiful warm sunshine and clear blue skies lifts our spirits and we feel much the better for it.

You can sense the difference in people as you walk around the town; everyone appears to have a spring in their step. Overcoats are replaced by T-shirts and shorts; hamburgers by ice cream and ladies’ boots by open fronted shoes and sandals.

There is also much more laughter and friendly banter between people.

The nature of our streets also changes. Although during the cold damp snap I observed a few brave people sitting outside the cafés hugging their mugs of hot coffee to keep warm they were few and far between.

I suspect some were there solely because they like to smoke cigarettes with their drink and they are now banned from doing so inside, but they were not the only ones.

Contrast this with last weekend where it was difficult to find a place to sit in any of the fast food outlets or coffee bars with outside seating in the town centre. The same was also true for our public houses.

We appreciate the warmth and sunshine because we get so little of it – but that is not the case for countless millions in other parts of the world who get too much of it.

Their joy and celebration comes from rain which they so desperately need, not merely to lift their spirits but to survive.

It is heart rending to see the devastation that a failed crop brings to whole communities. Millions of men women and children at this moment face famine because of drought. They live in pitiful conditions on barren dusty earth trying to eke out a living for their families. When their crop fails they have nothing.

Our charitable contributions help enormously as does money set aside from taxes by government to provide them with aid. Sadly this does not always reach those in most need. Corruption among those in power siphons off a substantial part of it.

That is why many ruthless dictators live like kings and have millions of pounds hidden away in Swiss bank accounts. They and their acolytes will hold onto power at any expense because it is so lucrative.

President Mugabe is a wonderful example of this. Not only did he rig the election he is now threatening to deny water to his citizens unless they vote for him next time.

But corruption is not the only reason people have to suffer unnecessarily because of the ravages of nature.

Burma is a case in point. There a totalitarian regime refuses to accept the help of any nation which does not share its political philosophy and today it would be very difficult to find one that did as the Burmese generals are so extreme and isolated in their thinking.

It is criminal the way Burmese politicians have delayed food and medicines, given by well meaning nations, landing on their shores. Even when it has they refuse to allow experts in dealing with the disaster they now face from entering their country. Their dogma is causing the death and suffering of millions of their own citizens. They are self centred evil dictators who are beneath contempt and it is time the world leaders recognised this and did something about it.

Yes, the climate does affect our mood. So a summer day brings happiness but that is not the case for everyone.

When the sun shines we should think about those families who face hardship beyond our imagination.