English Opinion

The Labour government has yet again demonstrated just how much faith it has in our educational system… the very educational system that it was supposed to improve and make into the cornerstone of society. Now FE (Further Education) and HE (Higher Education) institutions have been told that they have to deter extremism. Short of actually coming out and accusing Britain’s universities of fostering an extremist minority, the government could not have made a more obvious attempt to control the minds of tomorrow!

Gordon Brown and his Labour cronies have decided to put into force a set of guidelines that will essentially regulate what students can discuss within the lecture and seminar halls. In other words, they are effectively developing “Big Brother” and using the education system tospy on ordinary citizens in yet another blatant abuse of the system.

The BBC said that “The guidelines will address how staff and students can create space for free and open debate and break down segregation between different student communities.” In fact, it will only heighten segregation if it is to put barriers in the way of education and single out certain lines of conversation as subversive and extremist.

I am all for stamping out terrorism. I abhor it and cannot understand why people feel the need to needlessly murder so many innocents in the name of a god that surely would not approve of so much bloodshed. Before getting into the Qu’ran interpretation debate though, I cannot see how restricting what students are talking about will help to stamp out extremism. Surely it will drive potential terrorists further underground because they will not be distingushing themselves from law abiding citizens in the classroom. Those hell bent on becoming suicide bombers will become terrorists no matter what but only by learning from past events and present occurrences can we move beyond them and learn from them. Restricting discussion is only restricting the civil liberties of people that will never break the law in such a way. If we haven’t broken the law then why are we going to be the ones that get punished yet again?

The news shows I watch every day have been all doom and gloom for some time now thanks to knife and gun crime, drugs, the government and the world economy but this week it’s seemed worse than it has been for a while. With the bank bonuses under scrutiny and allegations of fat cats lining their own pockets before thinking about us little people, the February Blues have well and truly kicked in. It’s become apparent that it’ll take a lot more than is being done right now to survive the credit crunch in one piece!

One thing I have noticed though is that the local communities don’t seem to be pulling together as much as they used to. Certainly around here the message from most people seems to be pull the ladder up Jack and sod the rest! I don’t like that at all. After all, in the good years we become more selfish  and introspective because it’s human nature to make the most of it while the going is good. When times get rough, people should be able to rely on each other.

As we head further into this “depression”, I think we all need to pull together as bloggers, readers and members of the world community to make each other smile, to offer tips that could help others out (saving money, how to find work, surviving on a budget etc) and to generally comment to form a community for support. Leave your comments, jokes, poems etc here and help someone smile if nothing else!

When the credit crunch hit the UK, it was only a matter of time before the unrest that the country has been experiencing for some time manifested itself in a more demonstrable way. There have been mutterings here for some time about foreign workers that have arrived in the UK since the unification of the European Union taking the jobs of British workers. In some cases they have filled job vacancies that Brits neither have the skills necessary to fulfil or those vacancies that far outweight the number of people that can fill them. Medical professions are prime examples of that. However, in manufacturing industries it is a well known fact that foreign labour is cheaper than British labour and so companies have chosen the former rather than the latter. In years gone by, when the economy was booming, this did not matter that much as unemployment rates were low, but it did cause some resentment. However, now that resentment has turned into bitter emnity.

The wildcat strikes that have been going on for a little under a week started at Lindsey Oil Refinery in Licolnshire because a major new contract was awarded to an Italian company by plant owners Total. This in itself is not significant but the fact they brought Italian labour over to fulfil it was. After all, they could have employed British workers to do the same job at the same price given the number of people unemployed at the moment. In the past week, people from all over the country have walked out in wildcat strikes in solidarity. Now it appears that half of the jobs will be awarded to British people in a compromise stemming from the talks that have been in progress for a couple of days.

I wasn’t at all surprised to see the wildcat strikes, especially when Gordon Brown had been spouting on about British jobs for British workers. He has since hypocritically condemned the action but opened the door to begin with. It was bound to happen sooner or later because very little of Britain is left as it is with stupid PC laws and those removing our identity because it may offend someone. Well, I hope the workers of the wildcat strikes do get their own way. I also hope that the government starts taking notice because enough is enough. We have all had enough of being dictated to by Brussels. Anyone that was born in the UK has a fundamental right to work here unimpeded and bringing workers in specifically to do jobs that we can do is not on. People have the right to keep a roof over their heads and support their families. This country should look after the hard working as much as it looks after the benefits cheats it is supposed to be cracking down on.

I am British and proud of it and it really is about time that we all started making our presence felt again. I’m with you boys!

As a former nursing assistant in a care home. I absolute hate all the news stories that come out about the lack of care in nursing homes. The news stories usuall generalise quite badly, tarring all care homes and the people that work there with the same brush. Don’t get me wrong, I have seen colleagues talk to residents in a horrible manner, which is completely unacceptable in itself, but I have never seen violence towards any of those in the care of the home I used to work in. To hear about the new story that has emerged today about the murder of 3 residents by a nurse is absolutely shocking and dispicable in equal measure.

Former nurse Rachel Baker was the co-manager of Parkfields Cesidential Home near Glastonbury. Under her charge, three elderly women died in suspicious circumstances. In fact, there were investigations into the deaths of 11 people in total but Baker was only charged with the murders of  Francis Hay, Marion Alder and Lucy Cox today. Although full details of the investigation have yet to emerge, Rachel Baker is believed to have misused controlled drugs to kill the elderly residents. Her husband, Leigh Baker (the co-owner of Parkfields), hs also been charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Rachel Baker, if she is guilty of these charges, is an absolute disgrace to the caring profession. I’ve spoken a lot about child abuse in recent weeks but abusing the elderly is just as bad. When you are placed in a position of trust and have the lives of the vulnerable in your hands then you absolutely cannot justify harming, abusing or defaulting on their care in any way. Murdering them is something else though. It is a dispicable act that should never occur in civilized society. Regardless of her motives, taking someone else’s life is just plan wrong. We may hear Rachel Baker say that those at Parkfields had no quality of life and that she was on a mercy mission. We may not, but if that ever does leave her lips then we should not judge her any differently.

From experience, it is difficult looking after the elderly, especially when you see their health, both mental and physical, deteriorate to the point at which they are a shadow of their former selves. No matter how much you would like to take away their suffering, all you can do is make them comfortable and there is an incredibly rewarding feeling in that. You have to be made of stern stuff because it can be a heartbreaking job, but you know that before you take it on.

Rachel Baker had no right to take the life of another. She was trusted and responsible for the welfare of those women at Parkfields. I sincerely hope that the families of the women can cope with this major blow and eventually come to terms with it. I also hope that it will help to improve regulation and processes within the care home industry. With the elderly population growing, something needs to be in place to stop this kind of thing happening. After all, we all have to get old some day and I would not want to think I am putting the lives of my relatives in the hands in others only for those people to take it away

I’ve been surprised and even shocked at some of the marketing ploys that some companies have released in recent years to get a bit of publicity but I have to say that I think I heard about the best one yet today. It certainly made me smile. In fact, it made me want to book a holiday immediately! Activites Abroad, a company offering husky dog safaris, sent an email to their mailing list stating that they were offering chav-free holidays. Absolutely awesome!

Now for those of you that have no idea what a chav is, it is defined as: “is a slang derogatory term applied to certain young people in the United Kingdom. The stereotypical image of a chav is a white aggressive teen or young adult, of working class background, who wears branded sports and casual clothing (baseball caps are also common) who often fights and engages in petty criminality.” Basically they are the scourge of society at the moment. Chavs are renowned for causing trouble, drinking in the streets, perpetrating acts of violence and claiming benefits. It may be a stereotypical term but one that really is warranted given that the people falling into that category seem to revel in the description.

Activities Abroad have defended their advertisement of chav-free holidays as many have critisized the use of the term. Those that describe themselves as that and enjoy being labelled as such, and I came across plenty in my former job, would laugh about it. The company stipulated that they were standing up for the middle class, which also came under fire, but I want to kiss them all! I’m most definitely working class and am by no means middle class, but everyone has a right to a holiday without drunken teenage louts ruining it. The middle class frown on the behaviour of those youths and so do I. You cannot tar all teenagers with the same brush so teen-free holidays would be unfair on those that are just out to have a fun, relaxing break. However, why should we put up with the chav population when we work hard to pay for their benefits whilst they sit around doing nothing but smoking weed, drinking cider and beating up family men for bottles of wine?

A father of five called Mick Eccles was killed in Lichfield yesterday, which is very close to my home and not somewhere you would expect a murder to happen. He was beaten to death by chavs because he wouldn’t give them the bottle of wine he had just bought from the local off-license. One of those boys was just 15. It really is disgusting that these people think it’s OK to take a loving and hard working family man’s life for a bottle of wine, so why not label them? In fact, it’s about time that someone started standing up for the rest of us. Good on you Activities Abroad - keep up the good work!

I’ve been ridiculously busy the last couple of days so apologies for missing two posts in the last three days. It’s highly unlike me not to write on here but our economic situation is a little precarious so I’m having to take on any and all work that comes my way and look for more. Keeping a roof over our heads is the most important thing at the moment and, being a freelance writer, I have the luxury of looking my own schedule so I’m working about 18 hours a day at the moment. Unfortuantely, all of the above means that I’ve missed some really interesting news items in the past few days so I’m going to write a little about several of them now! 

Mother Allowed 3 Year Old To Smoke

Thie news story really disturbed me. A mother has been charged and found guilty of child cruelty because her 3 year old child lit a cigarette butt and started to smoke it! Yes, the child was 3 and lit the cigarette himself before begging to smoke it. Kelly Marie Pocock’s excuse was that she didn’t notice her child do that but I don’t see how the court didn’t charge her for perjury as well! A family friend was so disgusted by it that she filmed the incident at Pocock’s Merthyr Vale home in Wales on her mobile phone. This was of course used as evidence and backed up by expert testimony that the child was smoking the cigarette far too easily for it to be the first time. The child actually had a habit! God only knows what its done to his tiny little lungs but for a 3 year old to be able to do that even once is absolutely disgusting and Pocock, age 24, deserved far more than the suspended sentence she got!

Jonathan Ross Returns

I was so so so happy last night to see Jonathan Ross back on TV! I’ve missed his Friday night show and apparently I wasn’t the only one. 5.1m viewers watched Friday Night With Jonathan Ross last night and no doubt more will watch the replay later. Of course, Ross being back on TV has dragged his critics from under their Mary Whitehouse stones again but for goodness sake people let it lie! Ross and Russell Brand were wrong to call Andrew Sachs and leave those answerphone messages and have apologised but enough is enough. After all, Sachs has benefitted off the back of it as well. He’s back on TV thanks to his agent capitalising on the publicity. For someone that was really hurt by the whole incident, he was awfully quick to sign several lucrative contracts!

Taleban Nursed Next To UK Soldiers

British soliders that are serving in Afghanistan complained to the BBC this week because they were visiting injured friends in the Camp Bastion hospital only to find that they were being nursed next to the very people that they were fighting… members of the Taleban! I couldn’t believe it when I read this. Although the UK troops have to treat every individual that is injured under the Geneva Convention, it just adds insult to injury to find the very people that are trying to kill you in the bed next to you! I’m not saying that these people do or do not deserve treatment because none of us have any knowledge as to why they are fighting for the Taleban. Some are brainwashed, some are forced to fight and some are sold into the ranks of the terrorist group. However, they should not be treated in the same hospital let alone the same room. I think that it’s an absolute disgrace to our brave troops, who very often do not get th respect they deserve in any form anyway. They deserve much better than this! 

Oscar Nominations Announced

I only have a couple of things to say on this… I can’t wait to see the battle between Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at the Oscars this year. Secondly, I love Kate Winslet and think that she is a fantastic actress, and throroughly deserving of Oscar this year, but please please please don’t make everyone cringe as much as at the Golden Globes. Be happy, be joyful but don’t forget Angelina Jolie and don’t sound as if your triumph is giving you an orgasm! Cynical I know but I really hate displays like that!

Karen Matthews Jailed For Kidnapping

Karen Matthews has been jailed for 8 years after being found guilty of kidnapping her own daughter, Shannon Matthews. You might expect the family to support Karen Matthews but they’ve actually come out in the media and said that they believe the sentence is not harsh enough. They wanted her to be sentenced to more years in jail and I agree with them. The police search and investigation to find Shannon Matthews cost over £100 million, which is money that I and every other tax payer in the land will have to contribute, and for what? For a selfish mother that had drugged her own daughter in order to get her hands on a £50,000 reward. I can’t believe that any mother would put her own daughter through such a nightmare! Well, to a certain extent she deserves what she got but I don’t think it went far enough. If Karen Matthews is capable of doing all of this to her own daughter then what else is she capable of?

Barak Obama Restores Women’s Rights

Barack Obama has taken strides for women everywhere and retored the woman’s right to choose within days of being in the White House. George W Bush invoked a global gag rule when he was in office as the President of the United States that halted the flow of funding to any institution that offered advice to women about or the facilities to perform abortions. This left many health facilities with a much tighter budget throughout the world so they were unable to offer the best health care to women. I understand that many people are against abortion but I am all for a woman’s right to choose. As a woman, I would absolutely not enjoy being forced into having my rapist’s baby. I would abhor being told what to do if my baby would have no quality of life as a result of genetic abnormalities, and I mean those far worse than Downes Syndrome. I would resent being old what to do with my body by men that do not know me nor care what I am going through because of what is “morally right”. Giving women the right to choose is morally right and I challenge anyone that says they know what they would do if pregnant with a rapist’s baby or as a result of incest. There is absolutely no way you couldknow until you are in that situation. As a result, I applaud Obama and the return of freedom, human rights and common sense!

I have to say that I’m sick of seeing Gordon Brown’s face on the news every single lunchtime and evening at the moment. Every day he seems to be giving the green light to new initiatives that will ultimately lead nowhere. Every day he makes promises that any fool can see he can’t keep. Every day there is another news story about redundancies and absolutely nothing is being done to halt the credit crunch at all. Well, it’s time to put up or shut up because the credit crunch got a whole lot worse when economists asserted today that not only is the economy at its worst level since the 1970s but also that it is heading towards meltdown not seen since the end of World War II. Then there was a major excuse. Now all we have are sorry excuses for politicians and bankers that got us into this mess in the first place.

In the last couple of weeks there have been numerous companies announcing redudancies - JCB, Nissan, Marks & Spencer, Barclays, Wincanton, Wedgewood, Land Of Leather, Woolworths, Adams, MFI… the list goes on. All are massive companies, but small businesses are faring just as badly. All this points to the next set of unemployment figures that are published exceeding the 2 million mark and there is still no end in sight. The banks still will not lend despite the bail out being paid for by the people that need to borrow money. The High Street is still suffering via falling sales. The national economy is now expected to fall by 2.4% rather than the previously predicted 2.2%… and still there is no national recovery plan. The future is bleak and cold and incredibly scary, and yet that idiot of a Prime Minister continues to make promises and initiatives that are useless to us.

None of the politicians in charge of this country know what it feels like to go to bed early to save electricity. They have no clue what it feels like to toast bread that is stale to try and save on the food budget. They are not huddled in their living rooms wrapped in blankets rather than putting on the heating. They have no idea what it’s like to trawl free samples websites to find stuff that they can use instead of spending money. They don’t have to do any of the above and so simply patronise us when they say they know how we’re feeling because they don’t. If I sound angry it’s because I am angry… and I’m fed up of seeing hard working people ground down by life, losing their homes and struggling to feed their children when this is none of their fault. The credit crunch is down to the fat cats that took one too many risks.

The worst thing about it is that I can’t see any end to it and neither can economists. It’s going to get a hell of a lot worse before it gets any better. That, aside from death and taxes, is the only thing that is certain in British life at the moment.

Anyone that has since the news today will know that Prince Harry, third in line for the throne, has once again made a huge mistake. First he attended a fancy dress party in a Nazi uniform and now he had been caught calling a member of his Army regiment a “Paki” and another a “raghead”. Both are obviously considered racist terms and have the potential to offend millions. Prince Harry has apologised since and explained that both were said in the context of joking with friends, but the entire thing as captured on video and has rightly caused uproar in the media. Unfortunately he has already used both terms and cannot take it back, thus opening the age old debate as to whether “racist” terms are ever OK to use and whether racisim has really been wiped out of institutions like the military.

I have to say that I absolutely abhor racism of any kind. I am sure many will disagree with me but I fully believe that we are all the same underneath and the colour of our skin should not make a difference to the way we are perceived by others. I am a British white woman so I have never experienced institutional racism of any kind, although a black girl once tried to beat me up in Birmingham because I was standing in her way and was not “one of us”. To be honest I didn’t even class that as racism because she was just looking for a fight but I suppose it’s the closest I’ve ever come to being a victim of it. However, I have witnessed it and it is the most vile way of bullying because it is the one thing nobody can escape from.

Having said that, I like Prince Harry and believe that it was an in joke. Call me naive, but it happens. Take the N-word that African Americans use amongst each other. They have taken a derogatory remark and turned it on its head. A woman my husband works with refers to herself as a “Paki” and is from Pakistan. She has also done the same thing. If Prince Harry’s friends were OK with it and they were close then I don’t necessarily think it’s much of an issue but the public outing of the whole incident has now made it an issue and one that must be dealt with. Although he is like any other bloke underneath, Prince Harry’s status dictates that he should avoid situations like this and anything that could be perceived as reckless and racist.

In jokes are just that, but if it is made public and someone as famous as Harry says it then it is automatically a major issue because some people are stupid enough to look at the words and think that it is OK to use them when talking to anyone. I can see why Muslim groups are outraged and why the Army is investigating, but it was a 3 year old video so why the hell is the government adding their opinions? It really isn’t any of their business.

However, racism will never go away no matter how hard some of us try because there will always be people that hold onto it and use words like those above in a derogatory manner and mean them to be that way as well. I wish it would but that just is not human nature and to ignore its existance is a mistake. Words like the above should not be used in any contex by anyone of any race then there would be no room for debate. As such, if you use the words then you’re a racist, but it cannot work both ways in various contexts… not if the world is to get any better and more equal

Anybody who happens to read this blog on  regular basis will be fully aware of the fact that I welcome any and all comments on every post that I publish. Unlike some others that refuse to publish comments that disagree with them or that actively challenge what they have written, I welcome such comments because hopefully it creates debate and makes people think. After all, we all have to work together to create a better world for future generations. This is why I published a comment from a Miss Shoesmith that was made on my last post about the Baby P case and Sharon Shoesmith appealing over the decision to sack her. It can be found here.

Miss Shoesmith’s comment is on that post for all to read and I encourage people to read it because, far from making me think again about what I have said regarding the Baby P case, I am more resolved than ever in my beliefs. I’m sure that the rest of the Great Britsh public will be as well because it displays the same sort of attitude that Sharon Shoesmith has displayed throughout. Instead of appealing to me, it simply got my back up because it went on the attack immediately and effectively called me both a liar and uneducated. If it is from a member of Shoesmith’s family and they have been receiving death threats then that is wrong because nobody deserves that. I can’t imagine that anyone else would stick up for her though so it must be!

Let’s get one thing clear first though. I research my posts and respond to my findings. I offer opinions as a result of that. I also worked in a caring profession for 6 years before following my dream to be a writer so I am qualified to comment on how hard it is and how the system works. Furthermore, I have a Masters degree so am highly educated. I hate having to say that because it does not make me any different to anyone else, with or without any educational qualifications. In this world, we should all be equal but the person that made the comment obviously made some quick assumptions about me and acted on them. Unfortunately, this has made her appear to be a little snobbish in a number of ways.

The whole response is based on the idea that I read The Sun. I like the sports pages as a season ticket holder at Aston Villa but I watch the news on many major stations for my news information. Like any writer, I research several sources before putting my fingers to the keyboard.

I know what I saw in interviews - arrogrance and nothing even resembling remorse from Sharon Shoesmith. That includes entire press conferences so I listened to what she had to say and responded to it. In fact, I didn’t even write about Baby P until the report had been issued because I wanted to make sure that I had all the information necessary to make judgements. I have read the report and know exactly what it says. I also know that the whole system is criticised in it. However, special criticism was reserved for the management at Haringey and Shoesmith was a key member of that. Miss Shoesmith obviously has a vested interest in defending Sharon Shoesmith, but I do not. I’m a member of the outraged public that do not want people that allow a baby to die with over 50 new and old injuries alike when it could have been prevented. All were highlighted in the post mortem. Old injuries are noticeable don’t forget so the abuse must have been going on for quite some time. That actively contradicts the comment I received, but then I am a little perplexed as to how Miss Shoesmith would know the exact state of Baby P unless she had been there.

As for many Baby P’s occuring week after week, I know it does but it should not do and the entire system does need an overhaul but it cannot do so with people that wave figures at the general public in charge to justify her job. I am sure that Sharon Shoesmith is a loving mother to her own children but she was paid to protect those that are not loved nor treated well asn she failed to do that. The fact remains that her actions in press conferences demonstrated little care for Baby P at all. You cannot take away from the fact that she highlighted statistics and graphs in the press conferences afterwards and that immediately made her a target for the press. Others may believe everything that is written in the tabloids. I do not, but that does not mean that I am incapable of forming my own opinion based on evidence. That is what I have done and I stand by what I said - Shoesmith cannot be allowed back into her job. A child’s life was lost as a result of mismanagement (as per the report) so the management should pay with their jobs, including Shoesmith.

I believe that Miss Shoesmith’s comment will offend most people and cement their views but please feel free to leave you opinions here as to whether you think she has been treated badly or not.

Sharon Shoesmith, the now renowned former Head Of Children’s Services at Haringey council, is to appeal against the decision to sack her in the wake of the Baby P child abuse case. It has been well documented that the report into the death of Baby P as ordered by Children’s Secretary Ed Balls was incredibly damning and criticised Shoesmith’s department for the whole affair. We all rejoiced when she was fired, but now it appears that se wants her cushing £110,000 a year job backand intends to appeal.

Just one question - has this woman got no shame?

Sharon Shoesmith and her department failed to act upon indications that horrific child abuse was occurring in Baby P’s home. They were more concerned about ticking boxes. Shoesmith and her department failed to do what they were paid to do - protect children from such child abuse - and yet she had the gall to release a statement that she was happy with the way her department acted and that everyone had done their jobs. Baby P died the most horrific and tortured death so she was lying. They all obviously failed. Sharon Shoesmith effectively only cared about one thing and that was covering her own backside and saving her own job so she could live in her cushy apartment and enjoy her life. It is a shame that Baby P will never get that chance.

Shoesmith did not apologise once for her Haringey department. She simply waved graphs and statistics in our faces as if Baby P’s life and tragic death did not matter. Well, it is not good enough. She may appeal the decision but if ever she gets her job back or the large payoff that she thinks she deserves then the government will face a huge revolt. Shoesmith may not have been the monster that killed that little boy but she is just as guilty of neglect as anyone else involved in the whole sorry matter.

Sharon Shoesmith is an arrogant, self-righteous individual that should never ever be placed in charge of a goldfish let alone a child. Start the campaign again! Make sure that nobody ever has to suffer the same abuse through the same willful box ticking neglect that Baby P did. Keep Shoesmith out of work and away from the people she is incapable of protecting.