So much for the big society.

It’s been announced that the 25th hour campaign will be scrapped. This was based on the idea that everyone can find an extra hour in their day to help others with voluntary / charity work, and to reward this behaviour 2,012 pairs of tickets for the opening ceremony  were going to be given to the ‘nicest’ people.

So we are all meant to be part of the big society and take over many government roles not only for free but also for no recognition. Nice!

Knew it was coming… but so angry

How can you lay off half a million people AND cut benefits at the same time?

Dave….. Do you really think this will work?

‘Cos all I see is the economy grinding to a halt.

 

Scientific evidence is evidence; Or why I had a glass of wine when pregnant.

So another scientific review published and ignored by the government. I’m begining to understand why the government want to cut Quangos and Science funding, it’s not like they take any notice of it anyway.

There was the badger cull argument, A scientific study showed that extensive badger culling actually increases TB incidence in surrounding cattle, but the government only read the bit it wanted to about it reducing where the cull was.

Now a paper (the second in a series) has been published that shows that very light drinking (one or two units a week) during pregnacy has no effect on child development. and the government respond with

“After assessing the available evidence, we cannot say with confidence that drinking during pregnancy is safe and will not harm your baby”

Urm…. yes you can. You can look at the evidence in the scientific paper and say that light drinking is safe.

When I was pregnant I looked at the advise, government advised not at all and hinted about fetal alcohol syndrome, NICE (a Quango made up of scientific experts and general public etc) said that 1-2 units 1-2 times a week was fine. Now, generally, when I want medical advise I ask the Dr not the doctors accountant so when I want scientific advise then I’ll ask a bunch of scientists, not a bunch of pencil pushers.

Some quangos are needed. I just wish they were listened too.

Tory cuts benefits…..Oh…wait…I agree.

What is going on in the world. I actually agree with the Tories? Or maybe it’s a Lib-Dem thing, yes that’ll be it.

In ‘the current economic climate’ (really, how long are we going to use this phrase) everyone needs to make cuts, the private sector has cut back, and very shortly the public sector will cut back 20-30%.  Presumably this included the benefit departments. And at a time where people are losing jobs left right and centre, I don’t really see how they can do that. So asking people earning £44K a year if they could manage without £20.50 extra a week seems like a sensible thing to do. I mean, I’d quite happily lose my child benefit (or family benefit as I’ve now learned it’s called) if I was taking home £550 a week. (assuming 65% net pay at £44). I think I could spare £20.50, it’ll be about 4% of my net wage.

OK, it’s not really fair that a couple earning £43 each are earning nearly twice as much as a single parent (hiss) or a stay at home mum with working husband (apparently we like stay at home mums this week), but nothing is perfect.  And DC actually made a logical argument saying that it didn’t make sense to ask people who are earning a lot to give more to help the poorer and then give it straight back to the better off.

And, actually, saying that, unless there is an issue like disability, then we should cap benefits completely at the average family income makes sense too. Especially as they already announced that they will put a cap on housing benefit at £400 a week for a four bed house.

Yes it’s a shame that people might have to move away from knightsbridge, but they would’ve had to do that anyway with the previously announced reforms. To be honest, socialist though I am, I was always a little uncomfortable that paramedics and nurses couldn’t afford to live in central london, but unemployed people could. A good way to get round this ‘ghetto’ problem is to have affordable housing everywhere. Bring back proper council houses I say, for everyone, not just the poor. Maybe if there is a government saying that to rent this house costs (insert affordable amount here) it may stop the buy-to-let scalping prices.

Anyway, no one was up in arms about the £400 a week housing benefit cap a couple on months ago, so why are they up in arms about the £500 a week total benefits cap?

Although, I don’t know where he got his figure of £26K for an average family income when according to the Student Loans people the average income for an individual is £31.8K (mortgage style loans like I’ve got have to be payed back when earning 85% national average income, currently the deferment cutoff is £27.5K). So he might need to re-think that £500 a week figure.

Please help me, I’m agreeing with the Tories on benefits reform. It’s true what they say, you get more right wing when you get older and when you have kids.

(fervently hopes that it’s a Lib-Dem thing)

Spend spend save?

OK. I’m officially confused.

Should we spend or should we save.

Last week/fortnight/whenever there was a thing in the paper saying how the average person needs to put a grand or so more into their pension every year.

Today there was a thing in the paper saying that the bank of England cut interest rates to stop people saving money, but to spend it and thus stimulating the economy.

Urm….. so should I save or not?

I read on in this article, and they said that there were 22 million people that will lose £30 billion in interest because of the cuts. Wow! that’s 22 million people earning over £1350 a year IN INTEREST. Actually, that’s £1350 less interest because interest rate cuts. OK, that’s a lot of money, but they must HAVE a lot of money to earn that much on part of their interest even full interest.

So, I guess the rich should spend and the poor should save.

Urm… yes, that makes sense. Not confused anymore Yay!

The poor don’t rack up debts but save for what they need (like food when they retire) the rich spend extra that they have to stimulate the economy, create jobs, ensure that there are fewer poor. Buy stuff, pay tax, help pay off the governments national debt, increase the wealth, increase the health…… somethings wrong there…..oh yes, the rich are meant to pay tax……

Urm….. no confused again……

Bobby comes to stay

I have a 2 year old. She is 2. she can’t really talk properly yet. She has no empathy. She has no attention span.

I’ve heard of the school hamster. Teaches responsibility, empathy etc to kids. Makes sense I guess. But why did I get giving a teddy bear to look after by her nursery. I got handed a bag with a bear (called Bobby) a scrapbook and a video camera.

The book had a nice introduction asking that Bobby got to meet all the family and play and read and eat and it was all recorded on the video and drawing made in the book.My daughter is at the scribble stage of art.

So I got the video out, and looked at what over people did, so I had an idea what I should do and my daughter was overjoyed to see her ‘best friend’ on the screen. That was it, everytime I tried to video them playing she saw the video, dropped the bear and cried ‘Rhys…..See Rhys’ and ran over.

And what can you do with a bear and video camera in Salford what doesn’t mean that you lose one or the other? I couldn’t really take a fluffy bear and camcorder to her swimming lesson now could I? Bobby watched from the car……. Maybe if she was older then she wouldn’t have stood for that and insisted?

I don’t know what it has taught my daughter about responsibility, empathy and the like, I know it’s taught me to never play videos around her.

It has also taught Bobby to speak in a southern accent.

buggybikes

When I was in Denmark I saw these bikes with the childrens trailer up front rather than behind. I thought that was cool. They were originally invented in Christiania, because there is a car ban there and the people who lived there had to get their fuel etc to their houses somehow, so they invented this http://www.christianiabikes.com/ which people then saw and converted to this http://nihola.info/en/nihola+bikes/cigar+family/ (all danish).

I thought these were a great idea, having been  cycling (on a rural bridle path) with my daughter in a trailer, I know how hard it is to know what’s going on back there. Especially in the towns, Chelsea tractor drivers are less likely to see a trailer and… well. So I saw these and thought what a good idea. you can see your kid, talk and it’s not much longer than a normal bike to not such a big target.

My folks disagree, they think that up front is the least safe place for a child and would have had a heart attack if I bought one. Luckily, I had a heart attack when I saw the price! £1,300-£2,500! About what I was thinking of spending on my next car! (http://www.kidsandfamilycycles.co.uk/?gclid=COagi9XDiaQCFUte4woduxw_JA for one supplier)

I was in two minds; would it get nicked in Salford…Yes, could I park it at work….Yes, but it might get nicked, how safe is it really…I have no idea, is it covered by the same car seat safety rules…again no idea.  I had thought, well if it’s got suppliers I can ask them all these questions and then buy one.

But no. I mean, it rains A LOT in Salford, and I would only really use it in good weather, so £1,300 is not a good price, even if, by a miracle, I used it every work day. I have a buggy and spend £1.30 a trip on the bus so that is 500 days that’s 100 working weeks, which is 2 years. It would take me TWO YEARS to pay the difference, more like 3.5 years, because I tend to only get the bus one way. She’ll grow out of it by then!

I’ll have to keep polluting the environment with my bus rides I guess.

it’s not what but who

Trying to find a jib in academia is great fun.  Especially in my rather small field. There are some on the go apparently, but they are not advertised.

I went to a conference and listened to rumours, that’s how you find jobs now, ‘oh, so and so has just set up, they are looking for people’. Where? Where are they looking, and why am I not looking in the same places. Hurumph.

And how do I know which jobs to go for? The one’s I have seen advertised, (which were not quite right to my eye) got distain…. ‘you don’t want to work with THEM, do you?’ or, for one I did apply for but didn’t get. ‘Why did you apply for there?’ ‘Urm…. because I need to have a job?’ not good enough apparently.

Is it just academicia or is the whole world shutting it’s doors?

I blame the bankers, there is NO money.

rant over.

Christiania

I was in Copenhagen recently at a conference, and among the conference trips was a guided tour of Christiania  (http://www.christiania.org/modules.php?name=Side&navn=linkeng).

The guide, who had lived in the community from the early days except for a 10 year break, gave us a good talk about the history, the organisation and the political (with Denmark) issues before showing us around the….. compound?

It’s rather odd, the place was set up, not as a hippy collony, but just as a place for the hundreds of homeless renters to live. It used to be a military barrracks, and had lots of empty houses at a time when there was a ten year (I think he said) waiting list for housing. Now, because of government restrictions, it’s not easy to get into Christiania either. He had to wait 2 1/2 years after he decided to move back to get a place, sleeping in friends houses etc.

But once in…… there is no rent, but a community charge of 1900DKK a month (about £210 / $330) to pay for things like rubbish collection, the on-site health clinic, and the huge legal costs, and you have to pay water and electricity on the outside. No tax.

We asked about medical care and education, and he didn’t even blush when he said that all Danes get free medical care, and the kids go to school outside.  I guess that’s paid with income tax rather than council tax though.

What is strange, but also good, is that when we asked about the ideology of the community, he was very vague, because there is no single ideology.  They are broken into smaller groups, of 30-85 people, that make decisions about that group, and each group of individuals have slightly different ideologies, resulting in a very democratic, but slow process of decision making.

He even said, it’s not utopia, and even when they are not fighting the government over their right to exist, it will not be utopia, even if they get rid of the pushers.

It’s too eclectic, which is exactly what the human race is.

Basically, 1000 people live in a free state, with co-operation, in rural looking overgrown paths, no cars, no hard drugs, no taxes, no police (except on pusher street) but lots of anthropologists.

Guessing games.

So Nick Clegg told the Today programme:-

“Sometimes I wish we could get the comprehensive spending round done in a day so that we could deal with all of the fears that are raised. It’s the middle of August. This is not going to be announced until October. And final decisions will only be taken much nearer the time. I think it actually increases anxieties in having this constant running commentary on decisions that haven’t been taken or might not be taken at all.”

But is that how the Con-Dems really feel?

Sometimes I get the impression that they are using this time to field ideas and see what the public opinion is. It just reminds me a little to much of New Labours constant reaction to the tabloids. Whenever they get het up under the collar a new law was brought in to calm them down again, and although it’s a different strategy, I see these ‘leaks’ and retractions in the same way. It’s a bit more proactive than the Labours policy, which was purely reactive, but everytime a ‘leak’ has huge backlash, the ConDems say…..’no no no, that’s not our plan at all….urmmmm, we cant tell you what our plan is yet but it’s not that’ and then a week or so later there is another ‘leak’.

It’s like they are using the population as a giant sounding board. Which let’s face it is great! That’s what they should be doing, they are meant to be representing us after all (or should be, but nobody voted for the ConDems), so why are they being so underhand about it? Would people really be that upset if they said, well, we are thinking of this way to save money, what do you guys think?’ and then listening. I guess it’s because they can’t really hold a true referendum on every decision, and so it’s not properly democratic, but the court of public opinion is so fickle, especially when you rely on the papers and news to find out what people think.

Honestly, think about it. The news is always very concerned about lower house prices because it effects investments, but I would guess that the average Jo/e on the street is more concerned about being able to afford somewhere to actually live. News is very much backed by business, well, it is a business, so it’s always going to be slightly bias towards that angle. So basing political decisions on what the papers say the people feel is not quite right, for the left or the….. urm….. where are they? Right-Centre?

I don’t know what the solution is. And yes I agree that “it actually increases anxieties in having this constant running commentary on decisions that haven’t been taken”, but I just don’t see that Clegg “wish(es) we could get the comprehensive spending round done in a day so that we could deal with all of the fears that are raised” because I honestly think that this is how they are formulating their plan.

Oh, and I would quite like to be employed next year,and if cutting jobs means I lose mine and can’t get another, I would like to be able to put a roof over my child’s head with the help of benefits. I don’t think that is too much to ask, and hope the Daily Hate doesn’t convince the ConDems to flush me and my child away with the bathwater.