Have you ever wondered who really shapes the rules and ideas that govern our lives? It’s often a group of people who seem completely out of touch with everyday reality.
Let’s call them the “Ostrich Class” — a bunch of self-important decision-makers who, despite knowing very little about real life, somehow end up controlling our fate.
They mostly share the same popular opinions, so their lack of true insight doesn’t stop them from climbing to influential positions.
Meet Lord Falconer, a Perfect Example of the Ostrich Class
Take Charlie Falconer — better known as Lord Falconer of Thoroton — a man who once held the powerful post of Lord High Chancellor under Tony Blair.
He’s exactly the kind of figure I’m talking about.
Years ago, he was recognizable as a jolly chap on the political scene, but now he’s transformed into a serious, bearded man who could easily pass for a university administrator.
Interestingly, he used to share a flat with Tony Blair in Wandsworth — yes, that area known for its prison — and was rejected as a Labour parliamentary candidate because he wanted to send his kids to private schools.
Instead, he ended up in the House of Lords, and now his son, educated at Westminster School, is a Labour MP. Talk about privilege and connections shaping careers.
The Strange Case of David Kelly and Political Cover-Ups
Lord Falconer also played a role in one of the most controversial moments in recent British politics — the death of scientist David Kelly.
Kelly, who leaked doubts about the government’s Iraq War intelligence to the BBC, was found dead in a field in Oxfordshire.
Falconer decided there would be no formal inquest, instead relying on the Hutton Report, which many saw as a whitewash.
This kind of decision-making shows how detached the elite can be from transparency and accountability.
Pushing Pro-Marijuana Policies Without Real Understanding
Recently, Falconer surfaced again promoting a lengthy report commissioned by London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan that pushes for the decriminalization of marijuana — a policy already informally in place for decades.
Yet, despite the evidence piling up against the drug’s social harm, Falconer and others like him seem blissfully unaware or uninterested.
He appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Today program for what was more of a friendly chat than a tough interview, with the presenter happily showing off his knowledge of different types of cannabis.
Unsurprisingly, the BBC rarely challenges these soft drug reform ideas seriously.
The Reality of Drug Use on the Streets and Mental Health
Falconer suggested that byelaws could stop people from smoking weed in parks, but anyone who’s seen London’s parks recently knows that’s wishful thinking.
Every year on April 20 — the so-called “marijuana day” — parks fill with users openly smoking with no serious consequences.
The smell is everywhere, and enforcement is practically nonexistent.
What’s more worrying is how many young people suffer from mental health problems linked to marijuana use.
Studies, including one led by King’s College London, are still awaited, but anecdotal evidence and books like Ross Grainger’s Attacker Smoked Cannabis show a clear connection between habitual use and violent, psychotic behavior.
The Ostrich Class Refuses to Face the Harsh Truth
Despite all this, those in charge — the Ostrich Class — refuse to learn or change course.
Unlike countries like Japan or South Korea, where drug possession still carries serious penalties and public figures are held accountable, the UK elite ignore the problem, even as it worsens.
The media, musicians, and public figures continue to glamorize marijuana to the youth, while the decision-makers stubbornly stick to their safe, conventional opinions — often shaped by their social circles rather than facts.
A Broader Pattern of Ignorance and Complacency
This ignorance isn’t limited to drugs. The same lack of insight applies to policing, prisons, schools, housing, and other vital public services.
For decades, the narrative pushed by political leaders and commentators has been shallow and disconnected from reality.
For example, police numbers today are higher than in the past, yet officers don’t perform many of the tasks they used to, blaming lack of resources instead of admitting a lack of will.
Schools have been damaged by the abolition of ability-based selection in 1965, replaced by a system that favors wealth instead of talent — wasting the potential of countless children.
The Lost Opportunity of Personal Responsibility and Proven Solutions
Across public policy, from education to family support, workable solutions exist but are ignored because the post-1960 generation running the show has embraced ideas of equality and social work while dismissing personal responsibility and opportunity.
Even when the facts suggest otherwise, this group won’t reconsider.
They turn a blind eye to what worked in the past, like grammar schools or tougher drug laws, preferring to stick to the tired conventional wisdom that keeps the status quo intact.
Remembering a Time When Britain Was Different
It’s easy to forget that Britain wasn’t always this way.
Back in 1970, the Conservative manifesto declared that “Britain is still the best country in the world in which to live.”
There was a sense of pride and practical solutions to problems.
Now, however, those days feel distant. The Ostrich Class continues to run things, not by innovation or understanding, but by complacency and adherence to familiar but failing ideas.
And unfortunately, there’s little sign of change ahead.