The Titanic disaster was 15th April 1912, 112 years ago. The ship hit an iceberg; warnings were ignored with priority to maintain the schedule.

Titanic sank quite quickly; the original design with many watertight bulkheads had been revised to allow an impressive central area and staircase. Approximately 1,500 people drowned; there were not enough lifeboats and a lack of crew training. A nearby ship didn't pick up the distress signal; it was night, and the lifeboats were designed to convey people to a rescue vessel rather than survive in the open sea. Following the disaster, regulations were tightened, monitoring arctic ice and requiring all ships to maintain 24 hour watch for example.

"Arranging deck chairs on the Titanic" is a phrase to describe working on incidental issues while ignoring real problems. Our national situation is a mixture of worldwide events outside our control and past errors that have caught up with us. Diverting rainwater into foul sewers, for example! Rain should flow in rivers; sewers are just for poo!

"Re-arranging Parliamentary seating" in an autumn election will change the people we criticise, but won't alleviate worldwide problems generating the cost of living crisis, nor immediately the financial dilemmas of the NHS, education and social care.

Re-aligning seats and egos in local elections is important to activists, though our own election is limited to a choice of Police and Crime Commissioner. Meanwhile, East Devon staff do a brilliant job in the low profile task of caring for the homeless.

National problems could be solved with a massive increase in taxes to bridge funding gaps, but that flies in the face of world economics and would push us into a worse dilemma. The huge cost of medical equipment is a burden on the NHS. CT and MRI are now a routine expectation for patients; they didn't exist 40 years ago. Hip and knee replacements have become standard issue; but were not available 40 years ago. Increased equipment costs present NHS management with challenges well beyond Aneurin Bevan's plans in 1948.

Electric cars are heavier than their petrol counterparts, make potholes faster and increase the weight in multistory car parks. RAAC concrete enabled quick and cheap buildings 40 years ago, but schools are now crumbling.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine pushed up prices of energy, wheat and other staples, triggering the cost of living crisis. Migration is a world problem; impoverished people are seeking a better place to live. Wealthy individuals and corporations relocate to lower tax countries; Ireland's tax income is hugely boosted by multinationals!

America is the elephant in the room, with its economic and military strength. Elephants have stability and strength, but a rogue elephant is dangerous! If the US fails to help Ukraine, the UK will become their chief supporter. We need our representatives to lead us in the world.

Politicians are hemmed in by world events and have limited choices between what is needed and what is practical. What we do for ourselves may be more important than whom we elect and decisions they might make; many important issues need local and detailed responses. National government can throw money at problems, but answers depend on how it is used and applied in each situation.

Good luck to all of us in the coming elections! Local solutions depend on us working together, combining our skills and ability, volunteers, professionals and activists!