Yesterday the coal-man delivered 10 bags of smokeless fuel in the traditional way, loose, in bags, carried over his shoulder. On one of his trips outside for another one he apologised for having taken a bit longer than usual - a passer-by, struck by this unusual scene, had wanted him to pose for a photograph. He was delighted. He is proud of his craft and also of his beautiful truck, gleaming as when it started work 50 years ago, which he maintains himself. It announces that he delivers products we don't hear about these days - anthracite, stovesse. It must attract attention wherever it goes. Because it is loved it looks so much younger than its years.
He says that his father was a coal-man and he used to help him deliver, and never wanted to be anything else. The difference from his father's time is that he has to travel far and wide across London as there are not so many open fires these days, but he sees that as a plus, and was happily setting off from here in Croydon to Richmond for his next delivery. One day he delivered to a pub in Putney which had just been taken over by new owners who were starting to re-introduce coal fires. He was asked to stay and show them how to light one!
Mr Price is a contented man. He must be getting near to the end of his delivering days, it is such hard manual work, but he doesn't look forward to retirement. He'll carry on as long as he possibly can - he says the happiest people are those who actually enjoy the work they do. He always has time for a chat and says that is all part of the way of life he has chosen.
This blog is a plea for common sense in public policy. Our leaders don't seem to have any. They just make daft rules for us to follow. We need to assert our right to use our own good sense instead of ticking boxes which can only say 'yes' or 'no'.
Sunday 29 January 2012
Friday 27 January 2012
Women in Prison
I have been to see a play, or, rather, a series of very heart-rending but also entertainng, monologues by 5 members of the amateur South London Theatre Group in West Norwood.
It is called "5 Women" and highlights the fact that the system does nothing to help the prisoners out of their drug or other addiction back towards a productive life in society. Poverty, childhood neglect, finding no other way of living beyond petty thieving, finally the wearing-down of the individual so that being in jail is the most pleasant place for them to be, all this points up the uselessness of the prison system when it is heavy-handed on people who start off by being only weak and unsupported and end up knowing no other way of making a living.
It was interesting to find in the theatre a booklet published by an organisation called "Women in Prison" whose founder, Chris Tchaikovsky, has written:
"Taking the most hurt people out of society and punishing them in order to teach them how to live within society is, at best, futile. Whatever else a prisoner knows, she knows everything there is to know about punishment because that is exactly what she has grown up with. Whether it is childhood sexual abuse, indifference, neglect; punishment is most familiar to her."
If prisons are not fit for purpose and yet very expensive to run, isn't this the moment to look for alternatives?
"Women in Prison" has plenty of suggestions.
It is called "5 Women" and highlights the fact that the system does nothing to help the prisoners out of their drug or other addiction back towards a productive life in society. Poverty, childhood neglect, finding no other way of living beyond petty thieving, finally the wearing-down of the individual so that being in jail is the most pleasant place for them to be, all this points up the uselessness of the prison system when it is heavy-handed on people who start off by being only weak and unsupported and end up knowing no other way of making a living.
It was interesting to find in the theatre a booklet published by an organisation called "Women in Prison" whose founder, Chris Tchaikovsky, has written:
"Taking the most hurt people out of society and punishing them in order to teach them how to live within society is, at best, futile. Whatever else a prisoner knows, she knows everything there is to know about punishment because that is exactly what she has grown up with. Whether it is childhood sexual abuse, indifference, neglect; punishment is most familiar to her."
If prisons are not fit for purpose and yet very expensive to run, isn't this the moment to look for alternatives?
"Women in Prison" has plenty of suggestions.
Tuesday 24 January 2012
Renewing your passport? Do it now.
I am just recording this because we so often complain that our contacts with the authorities are not satisfactory.
I discovered my passport needed renewing, got a form from the Post Office, filled it in, took it back to the P.O. with new passport photos, they checked that all was in order and sent the application and old passport off for me and my new one was delivered just five days later. It was only luck that I looked at the old one just now and not when I was preparing for a holiday, but if anybody reads this and is nudged to do the same it could save them a lot of anguish later on.
The NHS card entitling me to medical care in Europe had also expired. Renewing that was even easier. You phone the suggested number, a very clear automated voice replies, you answer its questions, it could understand what I said, and the new card came in the post three days later.
A good news day!
I discovered my passport needed renewing, got a form from the Post Office, filled it in, took it back to the P.O. with new passport photos, they checked that all was in order and sent the application and old passport off for me and my new one was delivered just five days later. It was only luck that I looked at the old one just now and not when I was preparing for a holiday, but if anybody reads this and is nudged to do the same it could save them a lot of anguish later on.
The NHS card entitling me to medical care in Europe had also expired. Renewing that was even easier. You phone the suggested number, a very clear automated voice replies, you answer its questions, it could understand what I said, and the new card came in the post three days later.
A good news day!
Monday 23 January 2012
Why is Frankie Inglis in prison?
Today, as so often, the question of why we put so many people in jail compared with other European countries is being raised.
The reason is that there are plenty of people in there who should not be.
A case in point is Frankie Inglis. I suggested mentioning her in this blog, but making it anonymous, but she was keen for me to put her name in.
Frankie had a much-loved son, Tom, a very active sportsman, who, after an accident, could no longer move or talk - he could just look at her and his eyes pleaded with her to put him out of his agony. He knew that she could, for she was well into her nurse's training. She tried, but was interrupted, and did not succeed the first time. She had the huge courage to try again and this time was able to carry it through. That was
treated as murder, and she is serving a 5-year sentence.
To me, this makes no sense at all. If it is a punishment, it doesn't compare with the agony she went through, first of all seeing her son in this terrible state and then stirring herself up to perform this courageous act. It is obvious that punishment had no place in this case. If it is to protect the public, it is equally nonsensical, for nobody else's son is in danger from her. On the contrary, she is a splendid person who put the well-being of her son above her own. She knew there would be a penalty to pay, and she faced it for love of him.
It is not as though public opinion would demand a stiff sentence. She writes, ".. I have only ever had kindness and understanding from people. There may be those who feel angry towards me, but I have never encountered that attitude, and, to be honest, if I did, it wouldn't bother me. I've always said that it was Tom's wishes, which were paramount, so if anyone disagrees, that is their opinion and it doesn't affect me".
A trial was necessary, anything more than a suspended sentence defies reason.
The reason is that there are plenty of people in there who should not be.
A case in point is Frankie Inglis. I suggested mentioning her in this blog, but making it anonymous, but she was keen for me to put her name in.
Frankie had a much-loved son, Tom, a very active sportsman, who, after an accident, could no longer move or talk - he could just look at her and his eyes pleaded with her to put him out of his agony. He knew that she could, for she was well into her nurse's training. She tried, but was interrupted, and did not succeed the first time. She had the huge courage to try again and this time was able to carry it through. That was
treated as murder, and she is serving a 5-year sentence.
To me, this makes no sense at all. If it is a punishment, it doesn't compare with the agony she went through, first of all seeing her son in this terrible state and then stirring herself up to perform this courageous act. It is obvious that punishment had no place in this case. If it is to protect the public, it is equally nonsensical, for nobody else's son is in danger from her. On the contrary, she is a splendid person who put the well-being of her son above her own. She knew there would be a penalty to pay, and she faced it for love of him.
It is not as though public opinion would demand a stiff sentence. She writes, ".. I have only ever had kindness and understanding from people. There may be those who feel angry towards me, but I have never encountered that attitude, and, to be honest, if I did, it wouldn't bother me. I've always said that it was Tom's wishes, which were paramount, so if anyone disagrees, that is their opinion and it doesn't affect me".
A trial was necessary, anything more than a suspended sentence defies reason.
Friday 20 January 2012
What our prescriptions actually cost
It is a common belief among old people that they have paid National Insurance all their lives and, therefore, aren't getting anything more than their just deserts from the NHS.
Because I have lived abroad and remember how hesitant I was to seek any kind of medical help (insurance never covers the whole cost, and, anyway, you have to provide the money up front and then claim it back) I am very conscious of how lucky we are to be unhesitatingly ready to look for medical care for the least sniffle.
My mother, once, years ago, lost some valuable pills and had to pay to have them replaced. She was shocked and amazed at how much they had cost, and was more careful afterwards. I've never heard of this happening on any other occasion and, short of sending everyone off to the USA for a while to begin to understand what life is like without a Health Service, I don't know what could be done, but there must be a way in which we could be made aware of, say, the cost of an average course of antibiotics, or of calling out an ambulance or of a hip replacement, or of a night in hospital. The result might be more of a counting of blessings than the constant complaining that is the conventional behaviour. I am sure that the public could, if better informed, do a great deal to save the Health Service from its constant state of penury.
Because I have lived abroad and remember how hesitant I was to seek any kind of medical help (insurance never covers the whole cost, and, anyway, you have to provide the money up front and then claim it back) I am very conscious of how lucky we are to be unhesitatingly ready to look for medical care for the least sniffle.
My mother, once, years ago, lost some valuable pills and had to pay to have them replaced. She was shocked and amazed at how much they had cost, and was more careful afterwards. I've never heard of this happening on any other occasion and, short of sending everyone off to the USA for a while to begin to understand what life is like without a Health Service, I don't know what could be done, but there must be a way in which we could be made aware of, say, the cost of an average course of antibiotics, or of calling out an ambulance or of a hip replacement, or of a night in hospital. The result might be more of a counting of blessings than the constant complaining that is the conventional behaviour. I am sure that the public could, if better informed, do a great deal to save the Health Service from its constant state of penury.
Wednesday 11 January 2012
Old People in Hospital
Just because our old relatives are in hospital it doesn't mean we can shift all responsibility for their welfare onto the NHS and their over-worked nurses. We aren't caring for them at home - therefore we can surely afford some time and/or money to keep an eye on them. If we don't live anywhere near, and they don't have any friends/neighbours that drop in, then, shock-horror, we should pay somebody to visit them and report back to us This wouldn't be a luxury, but a necessity.
Monday 9 January 2012
Less money in 2012, but more valuable TIME.
There is such a hopeful article in yesterday's Observer by Heather Stewart on the ideas of an economist, Robert Skidelsky, under the heading "'Cut working week to 20 hours', urge economists". This philosophy is being propagated by the New Economics Foundation which aims to change the situation in which some people have too much paid work and others too little. We have used our increased wealth over recent decades to buy more stuff we don't need, to throw out perfectly good bathroom suites because they are the wrong colour, to over-invest in too-expensive housing.
It is obvious that a better use of that wealth would be to give us more time to enjoy our pastimes, preserve our physical and mental health, look after the environment, and, above all, spend more time with our children. Since there are fewer jobs around, let's share them out and all enjoy a less frazzled way of life. For one thing, just as a start, more hours spent in the office to impress the bosses don't necessarily mean more productivity. Even super-women and men don't keep up peak performance over 10 hours a day.
To those who could not contemplate such a change because of enormous mortgage payments the answer must be to rent out some of that space and at the same time help to reduce the agony of the housing shortage.
This way we could stop destroying our beautiful planet at such a speed and, what's more could offer to the BRIC countries an example of greater leisure rather than greater consumption as an aim for their growth-oriented economies.
The great god Growth is a false one. It destroys our well-being, doesn't nurture it. Let us give maximum attention to the event being organised at the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion at the London School of Economics on Wednesday when these ideas will be explored.
It is obvious that a better use of that wealth would be to give us more time to enjoy our pastimes, preserve our physical and mental health, look after the environment, and, above all, spend more time with our children. Since there are fewer jobs around, let's share them out and all enjoy a less frazzled way of life. For one thing, just as a start, more hours spent in the office to impress the bosses don't necessarily mean more productivity. Even super-women and men don't keep up peak performance over 10 hours a day.
To those who could not contemplate such a change because of enormous mortgage payments the answer must be to rent out some of that space and at the same time help to reduce the agony of the housing shortage.
This way we could stop destroying our beautiful planet at such a speed and, what's more could offer to the BRIC countries an example of greater leisure rather than greater consumption as an aim for their growth-oriented economies.
The great god Growth is a false one. It destroys our well-being, doesn't nurture it. Let us give maximum attention to the event being organised at the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion at the London School of Economics on Wednesday when these ideas will be explored.
Thursday 5 January 2012
Retail Therapy
A friend of mine was feeling sorry for people who are now feeling the pinch and can no longer resort to their retail therapy.
My thought about R.T. is that it isn't therapy at all, because therapy is meant to get to the root of your problem and help you to deal with it. At the very best, it's just a palliative, making you feel better for about the same amount of time as a stiff drink does.
But on top of that, buying stuff we don't need is very bad for the well-being of our planet, but no governments can afford to put environmental issues first on their list of priorities because they want to get re-elected, so they have to put the great god Growth first. To save the planet, it is necessary for us all to change our minds about what is most valuable to us, and we are very far from putting Green issues at the top of our desires.
I once wrote to Professor Brian Cox, that extremely attractive, persuasive and enthusiastic proponent of space exploration and suggested that he, above most people, is in a position to understand what a wonderful and unique planet ours is, surrounded by lumps of rock that are either too hot or too cold, too wet or too dry, which have gravity that could not support human life. If he could put his weight behind initiatives for preservation of Earth, instead of so energetically favouring expensive space exploration, he could persuade young scientists of the necessity of preserving the world. He has already, it seems, encouraged more young people to consider studying science rather than the easier options, so he has power. But he didn't even answer. Of course no politicians would want him to say that - "we have ways to keep you quiet".
My thought about R.T. is that it isn't therapy at all, because therapy is meant to get to the root of your problem and help you to deal with it. At the very best, it's just a palliative, making you feel better for about the same amount of time as a stiff drink does.
But on top of that, buying stuff we don't need is very bad for the well-being of our planet, but no governments can afford to put environmental issues first on their list of priorities because they want to get re-elected, so they have to put the great god Growth first. To save the planet, it is necessary for us all to change our minds about what is most valuable to us, and we are very far from putting Green issues at the top of our desires.
I once wrote to Professor Brian Cox, that extremely attractive, persuasive and enthusiastic proponent of space exploration and suggested that he, above most people, is in a position to understand what a wonderful and unique planet ours is, surrounded by lumps of rock that are either too hot or too cold, too wet or too dry, which have gravity that could not support human life. If he could put his weight behind initiatives for preservation of Earth, instead of so energetically favouring expensive space exploration, he could persuade young scientists of the necessity of preserving the world. He has already, it seems, encouraged more young people to consider studying science rather than the easier options, so he has power. But he didn't even answer. Of course no politicians would want him to say that - "we have ways to keep you quiet".
Monday 2 January 2012
2012, year of NEW solutions to our problems
How lovely to see the happy crowds enjoying the splendid fireworks on the Thames on New Year's Eve! What I hope for 2012 is that we can be innovative in facing the problems it will certainly face us with.
We seem to hear of new scams all the time. Today it was that some people are buying up council flats and sub-letting them and making their pile that way. This is a criminal offence and those found guilty will face jail sentences.
Surely this is the time to stop using imprisonment as a punishment for this kind of thing? Every prisoner costs the taxpayer a great deal of money, and, what's more, when released, finds it harder, with such a record, to earn an honest penny. They should be fined, or do community service or some other punishment to fit the crime. Prison just doesn't make any sense except for dangerously violent people.
We seem to hear of new scams all the time. Today it was that some people are buying up council flats and sub-letting them and making their pile that way. This is a criminal offence and those found guilty will face jail sentences.
Surely this is the time to stop using imprisonment as a punishment for this kind of thing? Every prisoner costs the taxpayer a great deal of money, and, what's more, when released, finds it harder, with such a record, to earn an honest penny. They should be fined, or do community service or some other punishment to fit the crime. Prison just doesn't make any sense except for dangerously violent people.
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