So Labour Minister Caroline Flint thinks it would be a brilliant idea to chuck the unemployed out of their Council houses. You couldn't make it up!
How are you supposed to get a job if you are homeless? It's rich coming from a Government which has not yet eliminated the poverty trap and has invented a tax credits system so complicated and unable to cope with changes in circumstances that in itself is a great disincentive to employment.
This has to be one of the worst examples of scapegoating and pandering to the Daily Mail I have seen recently.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
GP Phone line Scandal
I was totally shocked to open my phone bill yesterday to discover that it was much higher than usual. Surely I couldn't have gone that mad voting for Alesha to win Strictly Come Dancing?
The cause of this high bill totally shocked me. Regular readers will know that both my husband and I have been ill over the holidays, Bob being quite seriously affected. We have spent more time at our GP surgery than we ever have before. Trouble is, the only way of getting an appointment is to ring on the day. If you don't ring early, you will simply not be seen that day and you'll have to go through it all again tomorrow. Bob was so ill that I couldn't take the chance of having to wait.
When you ring up the first thing you hear is "This is the Medical Practice, please wait until we connect you to the surgery." Most of the time, the next thing the artificial voice says is "We are experiencing high call volumes. Please call back at a less busy time."
This is just frustrating, so you would think - but for each one of those abortive calls, we were charged £0.095 plus VAT. The total sum wasted on calls to the surgery was £15.68. In two weeks. Now, we can afford to take that kind of unexpected hit. Many people who would be contacting the surgery could not. The other important point is that our phone deal gives us free calls to UK numbers as long as they don't start with 08 or 09. Our Practice has an 08 number which will be charged much more highly from mobiles. Having landlines is increasingly uncommon among those on low incomes because of the high connection costs.
GPs are usually the first point of contact you have with the health service when you are ill. It is an absolute outrage that people should have to pay such high rates to access this vital service. Again we see those on lower incomes being penalised more than the rich.
I think we should have a campaign for all GP's surgeries to be accessible by a landline with a local exchange number with no call charge if you are unable to get through to the queue. Wh ultimately pockets my £15.68? Is it the phone company or the surgery?
This scandalous practice must end and people have to be able to make appointments with their GP at minimal cost to themselves.
The cause of this high bill totally shocked me. Regular readers will know that both my husband and I have been ill over the holidays, Bob being quite seriously affected. We have spent more time at our GP surgery than we ever have before. Trouble is, the only way of getting an appointment is to ring on the day. If you don't ring early, you will simply not be seen that day and you'll have to go through it all again tomorrow. Bob was so ill that I couldn't take the chance of having to wait.
When you ring up the first thing you hear is "This is the Medical Practice, please wait until we connect you to the surgery." Most of the time, the next thing the artificial voice says is "We are experiencing high call volumes. Please call back at a less busy time."
This is just frustrating, so you would think - but for each one of those abortive calls, we were charged £0.095 plus VAT. The total sum wasted on calls to the surgery was £15.68. In two weeks. Now, we can afford to take that kind of unexpected hit. Many people who would be contacting the surgery could not. The other important point is that our phone deal gives us free calls to UK numbers as long as they don't start with 08 or 09. Our Practice has an 08 number which will be charged much more highly from mobiles. Having landlines is increasingly uncommon among those on low incomes because of the high connection costs.
GPs are usually the first point of contact you have with the health service when you are ill. It is an absolute outrage that people should have to pay such high rates to access this vital service. Again we see those on lower incomes being penalised more than the rich.
I think we should have a campaign for all GP's surgeries to be accessible by a landline with a local exchange number with no call charge if you are unable to get through to the queue. Wh ultimately pockets my £15.68? Is it the phone company or the surgery?
This scandalous practice must end and people have to be able to make appointments with their GP at minimal cost to themselves.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Strictly Come Exercise
I'm trying to ease myself gradually into a routine of healthy eating and exercising. I've done the yoyo dieting often enough to realise that going cold turkey on everything that is remotely pleasurable in life is not going to lead to anything good so I'm trying to make little changes, a step at a time.
If I was going to have a hope of losing the weight I need to without moderating my eating habits, I'd have to get on the treadmill now and stay there for the next 50 years, so there will have to be some progress on the food front at some stage. I have started reasonably well with the exercise, though - I've done a lot of swimming so far this year, and have Aquafit and Pilates classes booked for later this week.
Anna and I had some fun tonight having a go at the Strictly Come Dancercise DVD. I say having a go, but clearly it's going to take some time before I can cha cha cha like Alesha Dixon.
Given that I have no co-ordination whatsoever and that the presenting dancers, Erin Boag and Karen Hardy look as though they weigh the same as one of my arms, even buying the DVD might seem like insane and irrational optimism. It was actually great fun, though. I doubt I managed 10% of the steps, but Anna did really well and I think we'll keep doing it.
Just as well I'm doing this for my health. Gordon Brown's comments the other day about restricting NHS treatment to the likes of smokers and the obese made me so angry. If the Government had put sufficient resources into effective health promotion, invested in sport, done more to encourage breastfeeding which has been shown to prevent obesity and all sorts of things, then we might not be in the unhealthy mess we are in today.
If I was going to have a hope of losing the weight I need to without moderating my eating habits, I'd have to get on the treadmill now and stay there for the next 50 years, so there will have to be some progress on the food front at some stage. I have started reasonably well with the exercise, though - I've done a lot of swimming so far this year, and have Aquafit and Pilates classes booked for later this week.
Anna and I had some fun tonight having a go at the Strictly Come Dancercise DVD. I say having a go, but clearly it's going to take some time before I can cha cha cha like Alesha Dixon.
Given that I have no co-ordination whatsoever and that the presenting dancers, Erin Boag and Karen Hardy look as though they weigh the same as one of my arms, even buying the DVD might seem like insane and irrational optimism. It was actually great fun, though. I doubt I managed 10% of the steps, but Anna did really well and I think we'll keep doing it.
Just as well I'm doing this for my health. Gordon Brown's comments the other day about restricting NHS treatment to the likes of smokers and the obese made me so angry. If the Government had put sufficient resources into effective health promotion, invested in sport, done more to encourage breastfeeding which has been shown to prevent obesity and all sorts of things, then we might not be in the unhealthy mess we are in today.
The Best Laid Plans
I thought I would be writing this having just returned from 11 days over Christmas in Mallorca. In fact, I had wondered if I might be able to do the occasional posting from Mallorca.
However, we did not get there. My husband was the first to succumb to 'Flu in early December. I followed but mine was the Wimp's version, 'Flu Lite, if you like. It was deeply unpleasant, but not as serious as my husband's became. He ended up with a very severe chest infection and was very sick indeed. He is still off work and quite weak, but, thankfully, on the mend. I don't ever want to have to see anyone, even Tony Blair, struggling to breathe, ever again. It was so horrible for him and a wake up call for us both that we need to get healthier and fitter.
Christmas was very different, but we did have a relaxing two weeks at home. I didn't start to feel well again until the day after Boxing day - I ended up with my own antibiotics for Tonsilitis just before Christmas. It was so quiet that I even did some housework. The non public bits of my house are still pretty much a disaster, but downstairs is mostly organised and clean. I have turned into a domestic goddess who makes home made chicken soup.
It was quite a shock to go back to work again today, given that I hadn't been there since mid December, but it worked out fine.
The best surprise was finding a Christmas pressie from the boss - actually the only one I got that I hadn't either gone out and bought myself, or knew what was in it. A voucher for a spa treatment. Nothing could have been more appropriate or welcome. Just what I need to banish the stress of the Winter to come.
However, we did not get there. My husband was the first to succumb to 'Flu in early December. I followed but mine was the Wimp's version, 'Flu Lite, if you like. It was deeply unpleasant, but not as serious as my husband's became. He ended up with a very severe chest infection and was very sick indeed. He is still off work and quite weak, but, thankfully, on the mend. I don't ever want to have to see anyone, even Tony Blair, struggling to breathe, ever again. It was so horrible for him and a wake up call for us both that we need to get healthier and fitter.
Christmas was very different, but we did have a relaxing two weeks at home. I didn't start to feel well again until the day after Boxing day - I ended up with my own antibiotics for Tonsilitis just before Christmas. It was so quiet that I even did some housework. The non public bits of my house are still pretty much a disaster, but downstairs is mostly organised and clean. I have turned into a domestic goddess who makes home made chicken soup.
It was quite a shock to go back to work again today, given that I hadn't been there since mid December, but it worked out fine.
The best surprise was finding a Christmas pressie from the boss - actually the only one I got that I hadn't either gone out and bought myself, or knew what was in it. A voucher for a spa treatment. Nothing could have been more appropriate or welcome. Just what I need to banish the stress of the Winter to come.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Steve Webb is popular as well as real
Steve Webb's experience with Facebook has sent some ripples of laughter round the blogosphere. it is quite ironic that they booted out their biggest Lib Dem proponent. Thankfully he now appears to have been rightfully restored. I can imagine the Facebook press office groaning at the sight of 200 e-mails all saying "I know Steve Webb and he's really nice."
Anyway, it shows how popular he is because in just a few hours, the Steve Webb is real amassed almost 200 members.
Anyway, it shows how popular he is because in just a few hours, the Steve Webb is real amassed almost 200 members.
Commiserations to Chris Huhne
We all know how it feels to lose an election, particularly by a very small margin. I was very impressed with the graceful way in which Chris Huhne congratulated Nick Clegg this afternoon. It must have been a very difficult speech for him to make and he did so with customary skill and authority.
He ran a strong campaign and I am sure he will be given the chance to continue his excellent economic and environmental policy work.
He ran a strong campaign and I am sure he will be given the chance to continue his excellent economic and environmental policy work.
Confident Clegg vows to reach out
Unsurprisingly, since I've been waxing lyrical in his support for some weeks now, I am delighted that Nick Clegg has been elected leader today. His warmth and genuine and engaging manner will bring many to consider the Liberal Democrats as a serious contender. His intellect and sharp wit will be put to good use in debate against Brown and Cameron. His inclusive leadership style will allow all the talents in our party to be showcased so that people can see what an experienced and high quality opposition we provide at national level and how well we run our Councils up and down the country.
There's a lot of work to be done but I feel happy and confident about the future direction of the Party.
I was pleased to see Vince Cable have the chance to reflect on his brief inter-regnum, even if he spent longer talking about Strictly Come Dancing than anything else. Who can blame him for mentioning his dance with Alesha!
There's a lot of work to be done but I feel happy and confident about the future direction of the Party.
I was pleased to see Vince Cable have the chance to reflect on his brief inter-regnum, even if he spent longer talking about Strictly Come Dancing than anything else. Who can blame him for mentioning his dance with Alesha!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The Best Street in the World
The street I live in has to be one of the best in the entire world. Tonight 30 of us went to see Joseph in Edinburgh. On Saturday, we are having our street Christmas Party. This year we have celebrated four 40th birthdays and numerous other parties together, and we all get on so well.
In a country where many people don't know their neighbours, I have to thank mine for being such good fun.
In a country where many people don't know their neighbours, I have to thank mine for being such good fun.
Joseph opens in Edinburgh
This time last year, Keith Jack was working in Tesco, Dalkeith, directing irate shoppers to the sausagemeat and wrestling with huge piles of Christmas baubles and selection boxes. I can't imagine that he realistically thought that a year on he'd have a key role in a major production of Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat which opened at the Edinburgh Playhouse tonight to a wildly cheering 3000 strong audience, including 30 from my street.
We supported him all through "Any Dream Will Do" and were delighted to see him become runner up.
His role in Joseph is that of the Narrator, which is actually a bigger and much more vocally demanding role than Joseph. He did a marvellous job, and I think he will get even better as he settles into the 8 show a week routine. There were some points at the beginning when his vocal and his general demeanour was a little subdued, but the range in his voice is amazing. By the second half, he looked more comfortable. I remembered how the judges during "Any Dream Will Do" kept slating him for his diction. He perhaps over compensated in places tonight in parts but he's certainly been working on it and improving in the intervening months.
The role of Joseph was taken by another Any Dream Will Do finalist, Craig Chalmers. He did well in the role, bringing light, colour and humour in places. He made a little heartfelt speech at the end saying how proud he was to be playing in Edinburgh and introducing Keith and the other reality musical show finalists, Wayne from Grease is the Word and Chris Barton from Any Dream Will Do.
To have had such entertainment for £8 a ticket (albeit we did get altitude sickness from our position looking down on the gods) was amazing. However, my friend Anne and I have decided that we want to go back and enjoy it all from the Body of the Kirk. If you haven't got tickets already, book them now. It's well worth seeing.
We supported him all through "Any Dream Will Do" and were delighted to see him become runner up.
His role in Joseph is that of the Narrator, which is actually a bigger and much more vocally demanding role than Joseph. He did a marvellous job, and I think he will get even better as he settles into the 8 show a week routine. There were some points at the beginning when his vocal and his general demeanour was a little subdued, but the range in his voice is amazing. By the second half, he looked more comfortable. I remembered how the judges during "Any Dream Will Do" kept slating him for his diction. He perhaps over compensated in places tonight in parts but he's certainly been working on it and improving in the intervening months.
The role of Joseph was taken by another Any Dream Will Do finalist, Craig Chalmers. He did well in the role, bringing light, colour and humour in places. He made a little heartfelt speech at the end saying how proud he was to be playing in Edinburgh and introducing Keith and the other reality musical show finalists, Wayne from Grease is the Word and Chris Barton from Any Dream Will Do.
To have had such entertainment for £8 a ticket (albeit we did get altitude sickness from our position looking down on the gods) was amazing. However, my friend Anne and I have decided that we want to go back and enjoy it all from the Body of the Kirk. If you haven't got tickets already, book them now. It's well worth seeing.
Another Ten Reasons to vote for Nick Clegg
Linda Jack has given her 10 reasons to vote for Nick Clegg, all of which I can agree with. I doubt I can do it as eloquently as her, but I feel I should have a try:
He is a Liberal who knows how to communicate Liberal values to the very many people who have not yet voted for us; he has already done this on a smaller scale in the East Midlands and can do so now across the UK;
He is brave enough to risk prison to protect our civil liberties; he was brave enough to give up a secure job in the European Commission to go for a Euro-seat that was marginal to say the least; he then had the courage to give up that safe seat to stand for Westminster.
He will lead by inspiration, not diktat, bringing people with him. He understands the Party and how it works;
He is capable of listening to other points of view;
He understands what devolution is all about and how things work in Scotland and Wales;
He has a rare ability to connect with people, whether individually or as part of a greater audience; he is able to empathise and is made angry by injustice, poverty and abuse of power;
He can make the most complex policy come to life so that the listener not only understands what he's saying but can relate to it;
He has a very good sense of humour - great for PMQs;
He speaks with credibility and authority and has the intellectual capacity to very quickly understand complex issues; I can see him on the international stage promoting liberal values;
I like him and trust him as a person as well as a politician. He is a proper human and what you see is what you get with him. I honestly believe we would soar as a party with him as leader.
Just to balance things, he is not perfect - he, like Willie Rennie, has taken the mickey out of my driving and got away with it - just:-)
He is a Liberal who knows how to communicate Liberal values to the very many people who have not yet voted for us; he has already done this on a smaller scale in the East Midlands and can do so now across the UK;
He is brave enough to risk prison to protect our civil liberties; he was brave enough to give up a secure job in the European Commission to go for a Euro-seat that was marginal to say the least; he then had the courage to give up that safe seat to stand for Westminster.
He will lead by inspiration, not diktat, bringing people with him. He understands the Party and how it works;
He is capable of listening to other points of view;
He understands what devolution is all about and how things work in Scotland and Wales;
He has a rare ability to connect with people, whether individually or as part of a greater audience; he is able to empathise and is made angry by injustice, poverty and abuse of power;
He can make the most complex policy come to life so that the listener not only understands what he's saying but can relate to it;
He has a very good sense of humour - great for PMQs;
He speaks with credibility and authority and has the intellectual capacity to very quickly understand complex issues; I can see him on the international stage promoting liberal values;
I like him and trust him as a person as well as a politician. He is a proper human and what you see is what you get with him. I honestly believe we would soar as a party with him as leader.
Just to balance things, he is not perfect - he, like Willie Rennie, has taken the mickey out of my driving and got away with it - just:-)
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Snow Poem
As it's approaching Christmas, I thought I'd share with you a sweet poem written by my daughter Anna and her school friend Caitlin (both 8):
Snow Poem
You can......
Slide down the slippery slope
Sink in the soggy sllush
Smile at the splendid scene
Ski on the soft snow.
You can.......
See the splendid sight
Sing a song on the hills
Shake off the silver snow
Sigh at the silent mountains
and feel your senses tingle in the snow.
The fact that I like this shows how a mother's love is completely unconditional - I hate snow almost to the point of phobia, yet reading this made my heart sing:-)
Snow Poem
You can......
Slide down the slippery slope
Sink in the soggy sllush
Smile at the splendid scene
Ski on the soft snow.
You can.......
See the splendid sight
Sing a song on the hills
Shake off the silver snow
Sigh at the silent mountains
and feel your senses tingle in the snow.
The fact that I like this shows how a mother's love is completely unconditional - I hate snow almost to the point of phobia, yet reading this made my heart sing:-)
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Clegg v Huhne on Fatherhood
I've just watched this excerpt from the YouTube hustings.
By (reasonable) Decree of Borrowman, I am quite upfront about being a Cleggie and this exchange is one of the reasons why.
They both said pretty much the same thing - flexible working, supporting families, whatever shape they come in is a good thing, etc. However, Nick did it in 20 seconds, Chris took 1:42. Nick looked straight at the camera and was positive and clear, Chris was a bit wandered - and I now get to have a go at his tie, in the interests of equality, as I had a go at Nick's after Question Time.
It sums up for me why I feel that Nick is the best person to reach out and communicate our values and policies.
By (reasonable) Decree of Borrowman, I am quite upfront about being a Cleggie and this exchange is one of the reasons why.
They both said pretty much the same thing - flexible working, supporting families, whatever shape they come in is a good thing, etc. However, Nick did it in 20 seconds, Chris took 1:42. Nick looked straight at the camera and was positive and clear, Chris was a bit wandered - and I now get to have a go at his tie, in the interests of equality, as I had a go at Nick's after Question Time.
It sums up for me why I feel that Nick is the best person to reach out and communicate our values and policies.
What defines distress?
I am horrified at OFCOM's decision not to uphold more than 750 complaints against the Channel 4 programme "Bringing up Baby".
This programme compared different schools of thought regarding child rearing, including the ideas of self-styled expert Claire Verity, based on the ideas of Truby King. These practices involve not having eye contact with the baby, and as little physical contact as possible and not being responsive to the baby's cries.
Many viewers were horrified to see a tiny baby left in a room to cry, without its needs being attended to. This makes the OFCOM view that there was no evidence that children were being mistreated or in any distress pathetic and laughable.
No wonder we have so many mental health problems in this country if it is accepted that isolating and ignoring vulnerable babies is reasonable.
This programme compared different schools of thought regarding child rearing, including the ideas of self-styled expert Claire Verity, based on the ideas of Truby King. These practices involve not having eye contact with the baby, and as little physical contact as possible and not being responsive to the baby's cries.
Many viewers were horrified to see a tiny baby left in a room to cry, without its needs being attended to. This makes the OFCOM view that there was no evidence that children were being mistreated or in any distress pathetic and laughable.
No wonder we have so many mental health problems in this country if it is accepted that isolating and ignoring vulnerable babies is reasonable.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
David Whitton - what was his role in Wendygate?
The role of David Whitton, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden comes in to the spotlight after the alleged secret list of donors to Wendy Alexander's campaign mentioned him in connection with a donation for £995.
The facts, as reported by the Sunday Herald:
David Whitton was treasurer of the Alexander Campaign;
David Whitton, prior to his election, had First Group as one of his PR clients;
The document states that a "David" was responsible for securing a donation of £995 which was pencilled in against the name of Moir Lochhead, Chief Executive of the First Group. Interestingly, the name to be used "for Electoral Commission purposes" was that of John Lyon, former MP for East Dunbartonshire beaten by our own Jo Swinson in 2005 who now works as a consultant to the First Group.
Taken at face value, this could be evidence of a deliberate intention to misinform the Electoral Commission about the source of a donation, which is clearly against the law.
What a complete mess. And all for an unopposed election.
If Wendy Alexander is ultimately forced out, this will not be the end of the matter. We deserve to know the roles of all her key advisers in the planning or committing of any acts which were against the law.
The facts, as reported by the Sunday Herald:
David Whitton was treasurer of the Alexander Campaign;
David Whitton, prior to his election, had First Group as one of his PR clients;
The document states that a "David" was responsible for securing a donation of £995 which was pencilled in against the name of Moir Lochhead, Chief Executive of the First Group. Interestingly, the name to be used "for Electoral Commission purposes" was that of John Lyon, former MP for East Dunbartonshire beaten by our own Jo Swinson in 2005 who now works as a consultant to the First Group.
Taken at face value, this could be evidence of a deliberate intention to misinform the Electoral Commission about the source of a donation, which is clearly against the law.
What a complete mess. And all for an unopposed election.
If Wendy Alexander is ultimately forced out, this will not be the end of the matter. We deserve to know the roles of all her key advisers in the planning or committing of any acts which were against the law.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Vince Cable, Superhero
Isn't it fantastic that Vince Cable has received positive write ups in practically every newspaper over the past few days? The Sunday Times has a lovely series of photos of Stalin morphing into Mr Bean.
He has now blasted himself into the stratosphere of superherodom as far as I'm concerned by repeating his wish to be considered for Strictly Come Dancing
If Letitia Dean, Alesha Dixon and Kelly Brook, with their prior dance training, can go on, why not Vince even if he does have prior ballroom experience? He'd be the new Bill Turnbull who, 2 years on, still has a cult following on the forums.
Come on, BBC, offer Vince a place on next year's show. And give him Flavia as a partner.
He has now blasted himself into the stratosphere of superherodom as far as I'm concerned by repeating his wish to be considered for Strictly Come Dancing
If Letitia Dean, Alesha Dixon and Kelly Brook, with their prior dance training, can go on, why not Vince even if he does have prior ballroom experience? He'd be the new Bill Turnbull who, 2 years on, still has a cult following on the forums.
Come on, BBC, offer Vince a place on next year's show. And give him Flavia as a partner.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Sarah Brown and Reading
I see Gordon Brown's wife has called for children to be encouraged to read
Clearly this is a very good idea. I am lucky enough to have a complete bookworm of a daughter who loves to read a huge variety of stuff, from books, to newspapers, to blogs. This one is one of her favourites.
It's very important to encourage children to read more and play with the Playstation less.
However, I think Sarah Brown's efforts could just as easily be concentrated on adult literacy, and particularly those people in the Labour Party who appear to be unable to read and understand the law on donations to political parties.......
Clearly this is a very good idea. I am lucky enough to have a complete bookworm of a daughter who loves to read a huge variety of stuff, from books, to newspapers, to blogs. This one is one of her favourites.
It's very important to encourage children to read more and play with the Playstation less.
However, I think Sarah Brown's efforts could just as easily be concentrated on adult literacy, and particularly those people in the Labour Party who appear to be unable to read and understand the law on donations to political parties.......
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Vince Cable plays a blinder..........
Go Vince:-)
The Stalin to Mr Bean line must be one of the quotes of the year.
I have a great deal of time for Vince Cable - another fully paid up member of the human race. He came to the Livingston By-Election, worked like an absolute Trojan for 2 days and was modest, helpful and very friendly.
Note to new leader - please make sure that Vince continues to have a high public profile.
The Stalin to Mr Bean line must be one of the quotes of the year.
I have a great deal of time for Vince Cable - another fully paid up member of the human race. He came to the Livingston By-Election, worked like an absolute Trojan for 2 days and was modest, helpful and very friendly.
Note to new leader - please make sure that Vince continues to have a high public profile.
What's in a Name?
Quite a lot apparently, if you are in the Sudan. A teddy bear innocently named Muhammed has cost British teacher Gillian Gibbons her freedom and potentially could mean an extremely severe corporal punishment and further incarceration.
The worst thing she is guilty of is naivety. I don't believe for one second that she actually meant any disrespect to Islam, the Prophet Muhammed or anyone else. She repeated a simple activity that is loved in classes here all the time. It seems clear that the children she taught in the Sudan liked her too - and the little boy whose name was given to the teddy in question has spoken up on her behalf.
Personally, in that environment, I would have erred on the side of caution and gone for another name, but not everybody has that sort of awareness of a political situation. In fairness, none of her colleagues at the school seem to have warned her that there might be a problem and the chances are that they knew about it.
I do believe its politics, not religion or the law that is keeping Gillian behind bars and I actually wonder whether it would be better for David Miliband to butt out and find someone else who can intercede on Gillian's behalf and make the Sudanese authorities see sense.
The worst thing she is guilty of is naivety. I don't believe for one second that she actually meant any disrespect to Islam, the Prophet Muhammed or anyone else. She repeated a simple activity that is loved in classes here all the time. It seems clear that the children she taught in the Sudan liked her too - and the little boy whose name was given to the teddy in question has spoken up on her behalf.
Personally, in that environment, I would have erred on the side of caution and gone for another name, but not everybody has that sort of awareness of a political situation. In fairness, none of her colleagues at the school seem to have warned her that there might be a problem and the chances are that they knew about it.
I do believe its politics, not religion or the law that is keeping Gillian behind bars and I actually wonder whether it would be better for David Miliband to butt out and find someone else who can intercede on Gillian's behalf and make the Sudanese authorities see sense.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Fran and Molly Lyon - your chance to help
I have to admit that I initially thought that John Hemming was exaggerating when he talked about babies being removed from their mothers at birth for no good reason and being put up for adoption.
Now, the more I hear about the inhumane treatment doled out to women by various Government agencies (see the Janipher Maseko story below, I am very glad that victims of such injustices have him as a champion.
Yesterday's story about Fran Lyon in the Mail on Sunday made me angry. She has had to flee the country because social services have, against much expert advice, threatened to remove her baby within 10 minutes of birth because of a concern voiced by a doctor who has never met her, that she will harm the baby. This goes back to an episode of mental illness some time ago from which she has fully recovered and has since gone on to study for a neuroscience degree.
Although Fran has never harmed anyone in her life, she is being denied the chance to bond with her baby. She has said that she is happy to go a mother and baby unit where she can be fully supervised to satisfy the concerns of the social services, but they have refused permission for this.
Removing any child from their mother is an extremely serious matter. This step does seem particularly drastic. It's almost that an episode of mental illness is being allowed to stigmatise this young girl for life.
Every liberal instinct demands that she is given a chance to prove herself as able to care for her baby, for Baby Molly to be allowed to have her mother's milk. I was appalled to read in the story that social services were concerened she'd take poison to transmit to the baby via her milk. A far fetched concern which is easily countered should not deny the baby the immunnological, long term health benefits of her mother's milk. The hormones associated with breastfeeding also encourage bonding between mother and baby so it would actually be beneficial.
Please make people aware of this terrible injustice and put pressure on the authorities to reverse their decision and allow Fran and the unborn Molly to stay together.
You can sign a petition and if you are on Facebook, join the group Asking for a Chance - Fran and Molly Lyon.
Now, the more I hear about the inhumane treatment doled out to women by various Government agencies (see the Janipher Maseko story below, I am very glad that victims of such injustices have him as a champion.
Yesterday's story about Fran Lyon in the Mail on Sunday made me angry. She has had to flee the country because social services have, against much expert advice, threatened to remove her baby within 10 minutes of birth because of a concern voiced by a doctor who has never met her, that she will harm the baby. This goes back to an episode of mental illness some time ago from which she has fully recovered and has since gone on to study for a neuroscience degree.
Although Fran has never harmed anyone in her life, she is being denied the chance to bond with her baby. She has said that she is happy to go a mother and baby unit where she can be fully supervised to satisfy the concerns of the social services, but they have refused permission for this.
Removing any child from their mother is an extremely serious matter. This step does seem particularly drastic. It's almost that an episode of mental illness is being allowed to stigmatise this young girl for life.
Every liberal instinct demands that she is given a chance to prove herself as able to care for her baby, for Baby Molly to be allowed to have her mother's milk. I was appalled to read in the story that social services were concerened she'd take poison to transmit to the baby via her milk. A far fetched concern which is easily countered should not deny the baby the immunnological, long term health benefits of her mother's milk. The hormones associated with breastfeeding also encourage bonding between mother and baby so it would actually be beneficial.
Please make people aware of this terrible injustice and put pressure on the authorities to reverse their decision and allow Fran and the unborn Molly to stay together.
You can sign a petition and if you are on Facebook, join the group Asking for a Chance - Fran and Molly Lyon.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Government fails to protect parents and babies
I was disappointed to see that the Government has failed to take the opportunity to tighten up the rules on the advertisement of artificial baby milk. In particular, I am concerned that advertising of follow-on formula, for babies over 6 months has not been subjected to the same regulations as that for younger babies.
These follow-on formulas started appearing a few years ago, not because there was any great number of poorly anaemic babies around, but simply as a wheeze by formula manufacturers to get round the law. What annoys me most about it is that the advertising and promotion of this stuff erroneously undermines mothers' confidence in the ability of their own milk to satisfy their babies' nutritional needs. They are told that their babies need supplementation with iron as the stores they have at birth are running out and breastmilk is low in iron. True, there is a lower level of iron in breastmilk, but it is much more efficiently absorbed by the baby. In fact, only 4% of the iron in these follow-on formulas is similarly absorbed by the baby and it can actually undermine the efficiency of some of the proteins in breastmilk which protect against infections in the gut.
Another worrying feature is the Government's failure to force companies to warn consumers that formula is not sterile and give a few simple guidelines as to its safe use.
If you walk down any formula aisle in any supermarket, you will find a whole load of ways in which the Infant Feeding Regulations are being broken. The main thing is the similar branding of formulas for babies under 6 months and their follow on counterparts. It is often unclear which product is being marketed.
Recently Jordan was pictured in OK magazine feeding her weeks' old daughter a pre-packed bottle of formula where the logo of the manufacturer was clearly visible. The entirety of the opposite page was taken up with an advert for the follow-on counterpart of this particular brand.
Many people complained to the Advertisiing Standards Authority who were powerless to act even in the face of such a blatant flouting of the law.
This isn't a breastfeeding v bottlefeeding debate, it's about protecting the rights of parents to receive independent information free from commercial pressure. Clearly this Labour Government considers the large corporations who manufacture infant formula as more important than the people who elect them.
These follow-on formulas started appearing a few years ago, not because there was any great number of poorly anaemic babies around, but simply as a wheeze by formula manufacturers to get round the law. What annoys me most about it is that the advertising and promotion of this stuff erroneously undermines mothers' confidence in the ability of their own milk to satisfy their babies' nutritional needs. They are told that their babies need supplementation with iron as the stores they have at birth are running out and breastmilk is low in iron. True, there is a lower level of iron in breastmilk, but it is much more efficiently absorbed by the baby. In fact, only 4% of the iron in these follow-on formulas is similarly absorbed by the baby and it can actually undermine the efficiency of some of the proteins in breastmilk which protect against infections in the gut.
Another worrying feature is the Government's failure to force companies to warn consumers that formula is not sterile and give a few simple guidelines as to its safe use.
If you walk down any formula aisle in any supermarket, you will find a whole load of ways in which the Infant Feeding Regulations are being broken. The main thing is the similar branding of formulas for babies under 6 months and their follow on counterparts. It is often unclear which product is being marketed.
Recently Jordan was pictured in OK magazine feeding her weeks' old daughter a pre-packed bottle of formula where the logo of the manufacturer was clearly visible. The entirety of the opposite page was taken up with an advert for the follow-on counterpart of this particular brand.
Many people complained to the Advertisiing Standards Authority who were powerless to act even in the face of such a blatant flouting of the law.
This isn't a breastfeeding v bottlefeeding debate, it's about protecting the rights of parents to receive independent information free from commercial pressure. Clearly this Labour Government considers the large corporations who manufacture infant formula as more important than the people who elect them.
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