Bish bash bosh! Rowan Williams speaks out!

Released today in the New Statesman, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams  has attacked the coalition government, warning that it is committing the country to “radical, long-term policies for which no one voted.”  With specific reference to the government’s health and education reforms, Williams says that the government’s approach has created “bafflement and indignation” among the public.

In the article- http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2011/06/long-term-government-democracy he also criticises the use of “seductive language of “deserving” and “undeserving” poor”,  and ”the steady pressure to increase what look like punitive responses to alleged abuses of the system.”

Then again speaking  out against perceived injustice in Christianity isn’t new, starting with the founder Jesus, and more recently Archbishop Runcie’s attack on the Thatcher government  in 1985′s  Faith In The City.  To those who criticise Williams today, I feel he has every right to speak out and speak up for those who are suffering under coalition policies.  With this he is not pontificating, not forcing religion down people’s throats but using his influence to speak up for those who who may not be able to and most importantly to start a debate. He also isnt partisan, with constructive criticism as well for Labour, stating that “equally, the task of opposition is not to collude in it, either, but to define some achievable alternatives. And, for that to happen, we need sharp-edged statements of where the disagreements lie.” So interfering in politics he isn’t, just airing people’s grievances and suggestions for a better future. He is free to do this and whether you listen or not is your own decision.

Yet can we really condemn a good samaritan who rather than walking on by, he tries to help?

In His footsteps, he speaks out,

Against notions of deserving and undeserving poor,

Against those who have no compassion for their fellow man,

In His footsteps he speaks out,

Not afraid of the tongues lash,

Not afraid of the mockery,

For those who cannot speak,

For empowerment, for hope,

As He in the dust of Judea did so long ago,

For a ‘green and pleasant land’

In His footsteps, he speaks out!

Be prepared- 2011 election?

 

Election 2011? Does Dave want a divorce?

First of all, I hope you all had a great easter in the sunshine and I’d like to thank you for spreading the word on my previous post, my poetic plea to Cameron. I really do appreciate it.

I was originally going to refrain from posting today, but as ever, I found a really interesting post on LabourList which I feel I must pass judgement on. In the post- http://www.labourlist.org/a-2011-election-is-highly-unlikely—but-miliband-should-be-read , Mark ferguson states that with the recent cracks emerging in the coalition over the AV vote and Huhne’s public criticism, a possible 2011 election may be possible, however unlikely.

Stating that whilst realistically there may not be an election as Clegg would try to hold on as long as possible, and such an election result as last time may endanger Cameron, he states that maybe Cameron may risk it in order to gain a majority. However, he states that whilst a 2011 election” seems unlikely… that isn’t the mindset that Ed Miliband should be adopting,” and this is something that I agree with. As the scouts always say, “be prepared” and I think Ed needs to start making plans for this eventuality, create a clearer sense of his idea of an alternative. WE MUST ALL BE READY, as however unlikely this may be, stranger things have happened, haven’t they…..

Be prepared my troops,

For war may erupt without warning,

From the darkness, a new sun may be dawning.

Be prepared, my comrades,

For they tear themselves assunder,

Can you see the clouds, can you hear the thunder?

for this may not be the apocalypse, yet ready me must be,

For in the darkness, show the people the light should we,

Show them a better way, open their eyes to see.

For they may not come, they may not advance,

Yet be prepared my brothers, don’t miss our chance!

Dear Mr Cameron – my poetic plea

This is my poetic plea to David Cameron asking him to consider what effect his cuts are having and hoping he may slow down. With your help, lets hope he gets to see it!

Dear Mr Cameron,
I speak with the upmost honesty,
Though not a millionaire or famous man,
I hope you still listen to me.
Take a walk into the real world, let the muck stick on your feet,
Take a look at all the homeless struggling to make a living on the street.
How can you claim to fight for fairness in foreign lands,
Yet you place a heavy burden on the poorest with your other hand?
How can just walk on by,
When the jobless, the hopeless of your creation just break down and cry?
To the youth who want a better life, the ladder you kick away,
With no support, no job, no prospects, no hope of a better day.
 ”We’re all in it together” a line you always say,
Yet you know nothing of worry, no job and bills to pay.
I plead with you slow down with the axe swung highly in the air,
Think of those with rash action you condemn to the pit of despair,
Slow down your onslaught Mr Cameron, show us that you care.
Dear my honourable friend,
I speak with the upmost honesty,
Though not a millionaire or famous man,
I hope you still listen to me.

Reaping what you sow- Clegg get over it!

 

 

 

This week saw the cringeworthy interview in the New Statesman, where when asked about public attacks on him after joining the coalition with the Tories, he claimed media representations of him were outlandish “cardboard cut-outs”. He also came out with this line- "I’m a human being, I’m not a punchbag – I’ve got feelings."

What a turn around from this time a year ago when Clegg was the darling of the television debates and his call for an end to broken promises seemed like a breath of fresh air for many. Now for many, the name Clegg is synonymous with betrayer and Judas in especially student circles.

I for one have ABSOLUTELY NO SYMPATHY for him. He has brought public ire upon himself, with his betrayal of students by supporting a RAISE in tuition fees, standing idly by when EMA was scrapped. And with this whining outburst he doesn’t seem to get that people hate whiners especially when they bring their problems upon their selves. Even his plan for social mobility with plans to outlaw unpaid internships, a noble goal I must admit, were brought into disrepute when it was revealed he had an unpaid intern and as Harriet Harman rightly stated, he cannot “pontificate” about social mobility when his policies are doing much to worsen it.

Clegg you may not be a punchbag and you may be human, but so are WE! Why should we be punchbags for your policies that will rob many young people like me of aspiration, of hope? You made your bed, now lie in it!

Why Judas, why is it you cry?

You who charmed a nation with your lies,

You who kick away the ladder for us to climb,

You who sold yourself for power,

Yet you smile when the axe falls, you stand by,

When you rob us of hope do you hear our cry?

As the proverb goes, you reap just what you sow,

False messiah your lies have weighed you down to an all time low!

Clegg- how things change! Protests at the LD conf!

How things change eh? This is probably the feeling Nick Clegg is facing with the massive protests that prompt his retreat behind the RING of STEEL replacing the adulation before the election. I wonder if he remembers this video he filmed- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTLR8R9JXz4 , where he promised ’no more broken promises’ only to break this promise and about every other promise he made, such as on tuition fees, the list really does go on as we know. Well if he did forget, I’m sure the 5000 protestors would have reminded him.

As a defiant statement to attempt to shrug this off, Clegg has told his party that “You can’t do everything when you are in power, but you can’t do anything when you are not. With power comes protest. We need to get used to it.” Yes Mr Clegg you cant do everything whilst in power but to completely abandon your principles and to betray the students who you so cynically targetted with your job is’nt just one of those things. It is a shameful betrayal.

At the conference, a vote held by delegates sent a message to the Conservatives that that many Lib Dems are opposed to market reform of the health service, any fragmentation or destabilisation of NHS services by new private providers or the lack of accountability for the spending of public money envisaged in the model of GP commissioning promoted in the government’s health bill.

So where does this leave the coalition then? Possibly not in a different position than before I think, however discontent from the public remains at fever pitch, and with many of their members seeming to disagree profoundly with the government, it will be choppy waters ahead for the good ship coalition. So where does this leave us? We should not rest on our laurels on this, as a woman I spoke to on the doorstep stated to me that whilst Clegg and Cameron are instant turn offs for many voters, Labour still needs to fight for every vote, to give people a real and hopeful alternative and many do not seem to have seen this as of yet. We still need to fight and fight hard for what we believe in like the NHs which is under threat. Many have signed this petition on 38 degrees calling for the Gov to rethink its plans for the NHS, and I urge you who read this also to sign to send a message- http://www.38degrees.org.uk/Save-our-NHS . Only together can we send a message to this government that enough is enough!

Clegg’s feeble attempt to shrug off genuine anger and protest shows us how out of touch the coalition are, and how in his opinion, he has done nothing wrong. What a difference a year makes, how things change!

My defence of my history education- Pre GOVE!

 Writing in the Daily Telegraph on Thursday, Michael Gove lamented the absence in the curriculum of figures such as Winston Churchill, Florence Nightingale and Horatio Nelson, and he wants more “facts” in England’s national curriculum, as he launches a review of what children are taught- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12227491 .

He called the current curriculum was “sub-standard” – Mr Gove, I beg to differ. At high school in history we studied many things ranging from the Middle Ages, the Tudors, Slavery, Industrial Revolution and the cold war. We did a depth study on Germany bewteen the wars and saw first hand how people can be manipulated by media, by fear into believing a horrid racial ideology that culminated in the Holocaust. We learned about how in Britain at the early 20th century, the suffragettes gained the vote, and how in the 16th century how the reformation created religious turmoil for many people.

A theme running through all of these is the lives of ORDINARY people, of how they influenced change and how they were caught up in it. To me this is a more valuable history than solely learning about so called IMPORTANT figures such as Churchill and Nightingale. To me, learning about the treaties after WW1 is vital due to its consequences which still plague us today (the middle east, the Balkans etc).

I urge you Mr Gove, do NOT sacrifice such a rich story in favour of teaching solely about so called important figures. These issues such as ideology, nationalism and equality still have relevance in todays world and by learning about the above aspects of history has allowed me and will allow others a greater understanding of the owrld around them and how it was shaped. I went on a history trip to Auschwitz and I witnessed a place that bore witness to how evil humanity and hatred can be. THOSE WHO DON’T LEARN FROM THEIR HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT!

You wish to change,

Change the way we learn,

Change the things we learn,

To you dates and figures reign supreme,

Nelson, churchill on their pedastals reign supreme.

What about how we fought for fairness, for equality,

How our neighbours were enslaved by ideology, theology,

Intertwinned we are, their story is our story, is also YOUR story,

He who forgets is doomed to repeat his own history!

Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it!

We shall remember this day..

Last night saw Labour being defeated on the bill to stop the axing of EMA. The government won by a majority of 59 votes – having argued that the allowance to keep teenagers in education was poorly targeted. I, like many, am dismayed at yet another blatant attack on the youth of this country and I agree with what Andy Burnham said,  that social mobility would be “thrown into reverse”.

Stephen Twigg MP summed up the horrid ideology saying:

“The Government have talked about all of us being in this together. They have talked about deficit reduction and the need for fairness. There is no fairness in the abolition of EMA. It will hit the poorest parts of the country hardest. It will hit the poorest people in the poorest parts of the country hardest, and once again it is another cut from the Government that will hit young people and children harder than the rest of the population.”

Yet again, the coalition has broken a promise made to the young people of this country and yet again the lib-dems have failed to stand up for them. We will never forget this day, what you did! We shall remember your betrayal and we will never fall for your lies again! We will never forget how you have robbed aspiration from us and let this be on your conscience (if you still have one!)

Shame on You

Shame on you,

You liars you charlatans who seduced the youth,

Seduced with your promises, false words from a forked tongue,

Shame on you!

Shame on you,

Another betrayal, have you no shame,

You attack us again, relentless,

The flame of hope and aspiration cruelly snuffed out ,

Our support to help us better ourselves robbed from us,

We will never forget this, our curse be upon you!

Mp’s do the right thing- Save EMA!

The d-day on EMA is today, the day the fate of EMA is decided.  The EMA that helps many stay on in education by giving up to £30 a week is being debated and voted on today. This comes on the day that it was revealed  that 1 in 5 16 to 24-year-olds are now out of work, after a rise of 32,000 to 951,000 without jobs, the highest figure since records began in 1992, thus underscoring why it should be retained as a means of keeping young people from the misery of the dole queue and giving them a way out of poverty.

My friend Aaron Kumar wrote a blog about this, featuring a letter he wrote to his MP,  Angela Watkinson asking why the government are going back on the promise to save EMA- http://aaron4labour.wordpress.com/2011/01/18/save-ema-letter-to-my-mp-angela-watkinson-conservative/ , in which he cites the story of a Havering Sixth form college girl who spoke at a Save EMA rally in Parliament, saying that if the EMA were to be abolished, she would
have no other option but to leave college.

I am from an underpriveliged background and EMA helped my sister and me stay on at college and make something of our lives. I saw how vital it also was to my friends, one of which wasn’t lucky enough to get a part time job, who had to spend much money just to get two buses to college everyday. The argument to scarp EMA is flawed as many depend on the payment to allow them to stay on at college, many like myself and my friends who would have found it hard wthout it. This government seems intent on unleashing an onslaught on the most vulnerable in society and with the raising of tuition fees, the potential axing of EMA seems yet again to kick the ladder of aspiration from young people from underprivileged backgrounds.

To all you Mp’s out there, today I urge you to vote with your conscience. I urge you not to remove this one flame of hope for the youth of our nation who face a lack of jobs and a lack of hope. Invest in your future as a logical route to growth. DO NOT THROW A GENERATION ONTO THE SCRAP HEAP. On your hands today the future happiness, the hope of the young people of this nation rests. Let that be on your consicence! SAVE EMA, do it today!

Today is the day,

On your shoulders lie the weight of the world today,

The hopes of the youth rest with you today.

Vote with your heart today,

Don’t kick away the ladder today,

To an escape from poverty from deprivation, do not close the way.

From an purgatory, to a void of hope, save us today,

Don’t abandon us to the dole queue, to the scrap heap,

Devoid of self esteem, despair fills the void of hope.

In your hands lies the  hope of the youth, slender,

Let that be on your conscience today, vote with your heart today

Do not abandon us to the dark days of despair today!

#SAVEEMA

“Deceit about the past”- Ed’s article!

The previous post I did- 100 days of the reign of steady eddy! was a poetic appraisal of the 100 day reign of Ed Miliband. Some have asked me to define what my view leadership would be, and i have thought about this. The answer came to me like an apple falling on the head of Newton right from the man himself today.

On his website, Ed has featured a piece originally published in the Times – http://edmiliband.org/2011/01/06/deceit-about-the-past-endangers-our-future-times-article/ , stating that “in their politically motivated desire to propagate a myth about the last Labour Government, they (Cam and co)  are ignoring the real lessons of the global financial crisis… my concern is that a great deceit designed to damage Labour has led to profoundly misguided and dangerous economic decisions that I fear will cause deep damage to Britain’s future.”

I’m not going to feature the whole article, however I completely agree with Ed here, especially when he uses FACTs’ such as the fact that the Gov’s ”deceit ignores the evidence from around the world that a global credit crunch caused deficits to rise on every continent. The US and Japan face deficits of the same scale and for the same reason, airbrushing out the fact that Britain’s debt at the outset of this crisis was the second-lowest in the G7; lower than it was under the Tories in 1997.”

He is completely bang on here as the myths pedalled by the government ARE MYTHS, seemingly propgated by ALL corners of a media that is determined to box us in this narrative. For a person who is fed up to the back teeth of all the ills of the world being blamed on the “previous labour government” , its about time someone came out and challenged this narrative for what it is, “a massive deficit of truth”. You ask me what me vision of leadership and this is the answer, a major challenge to the government’s lies like Ed has being doing today in this article and in previous days about VAT. I like this change in tactics, this visible presence that has recently emerged- Keep it up Ed!

This poem I previously posted in ref to Kate Green MP’s inspiration seems to fit here in this context too! Hope you like!

The voice

How do we get our voice heard,

Across the cacophony,

The town crier cries against thee,

Untruth, we are the scapegoats,

Blamed for the ills of the world are we,

We can’t rely on the herald,

We must speak to the masses ourselves,

Tell a new story ourselves,

An alternative, hope in the face of despair.

We steadily build the foundations,

We don’t build this house on shifting sands!

Cablegate- this time we do mean Vince!

Hmm an interesting development just occured, where Cable was caught a bit with his pants down by a a Daily telegraph recording in which he states “bring the Government down” if he is pushed too far.” The full transcript can be seen here- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/liberaldemocrats/8215501/Vince-Cable-the-full-transcript.html , but to abbrieviate, he goes on to state “Can I be very frank with you, and I am not expecting you to quote this outside. I have a nuclear option, it’s like fighting a war. They know I have nuclear weapons, but I don’t have any conventional weapons. If they push me too far then I can walk out of the government and bring the government down and they know that.”

In response to the report, Mr Cable had to make an embarrasing climbdown, denying he planned to quit. He stated “Naturally, I am embarrassed by these comments and I regret them. I have no intention of leaving the Government,” he continued. “I am proud of what it is achieving and will continue to play my full part in delivering the priorities I and my party believe in, which are enshrined in the coalition agreement.”

Well what does this mean, for starters it yet again shows that Cable is two faced, saying one thing to one person and the complete opposite to other people. He turns more times than Brendan Cole does illegal lifts (sorry for Strictly paralance there). It remains to be seen whether the government will tolerate such a liability and whether the voyage is over for St Vince. Will he be dancing his last waltz? My opinions are no secret, yet watch this space!

Is this the last waltz for Cable?

Is this the last waltz,

We wonder as he slivers about the floor,

Snake, his forked tongue strikes again,

Critical he claims to be the nuclear option,

Yet his mouth a more destructive force,

What is truth what is lies, give us another twirl,

A perfect 10 for duplicity, 10 for stupidity,

Vince forktongue, is this your last waltz?