M’aidez-May-Day protest! Rally against economic disparity & financial oppression.

Join the protest. Share your voice, make history by helping use the internet to impart change. Between 20:00-21:00 GMT, post the following tweet into Twitter and tweet repeatedly! Make it a trending topic, make it a top tweet, and show the world that the time for change is now!

M’aidez-May-Day protest! Rally against economic disparity & financial oppression. http://bit.ly/kxKHFo #changetheworld

Tomorrow, on May first, there will be the annual May-day protests. However the sad reality is that if the protests are marred with violence they will be vilified and dismissed; if they are not, they will be ignored. Neither is acceptable. Furthermore, large-scale social protests are swiftly forgotten and there must be an alternative to the violent unrest currently spreading across the Middle East. It’s time for change; it’s time to use the internet to vote for change. To this I propose volume, not violence. United we stand, divided we fail. So spread the word en masse via Twitter. This is a global problem and one which requires a global solution. So let’s put an end to economic repression. No one needs to get hurt, everyone can have a chance to join the protest and the message won’t rely on the whims of global media for dissemination.

I propose a peaceful global online protest burst against economic disparity. Join the protest: copy and paste the tweet highlighted in bold at the top of the page and tweet freely and repeatedly between 20:00-21:00 GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) tomorrow May 1^st. Retweet my tweets to your followers, or this tweet by any others who may also be tweeting, thereby boosting the chance for the tweets to become top tweets and for the hash-tag notes to become trending topics thereby making the protest global. Share this opinion to the world. Let the world leaders know that the masses are becoming united and desire action to impart change that benefits the majority of the globe, not just the affluent minority. The time window is chosen to enable as much of the globe to take part as possible. This is a global challenge and one which must be voiced as widely as possible. If we all shout in unison, maybe then the governments will hear and recognise that change is imperative.

Reports in the media, tweets, blogs and protests clearly show the global volume of discontent with economic disparity and the impact of the investment banking disaster. Yet now investment bankers and usurers who were primarily responsible for the global economic meltdown appear virtually unscathed and billions will suffer the consequences from the fallout. For most, business is not booming, life has not returned to normal and the future of an entire generation remains at risk. But independent protest will not be sufficient to impart change. We need volume. Make demands for change the trending topics on twitter!

Westminster is populated by a weak inexperienced government. Blinded by privileged upbringings and cowed by threats from the city and the affluent, we cannot count on our leaders for common sense or foresight. Although Britain is currently under threat from social unrest as well as both internal and external terrorism, the Lib-Dem coalition are responding by imposing cuts to the NHS, the police and education. Clearly the coalition would rather risk the safety security and future of Britain on a misguided policy which reeks of class-based oppression to impose the economic burden of recovery onto the masses rather than impose increased economic burden onto those who benefitted most from the years of plenty. The wheels of government are greased by the halls of commerce which in turn feed on the poor and oppressed.

Challenged by the public, bankers remain recalcitrant. To quote Bob Diamond ‘The time for remorse and apology is over’. Bonuses are back in season. When challenged by the government, bankers threatened to leave the UK. In response to shareholders angst at reduced dividends contrasting with current massive bonuses, Bob diamond claimed ‘We have made a good start to 20-11 in a challenging external environment’. Bankers have become the ultimate bullies, using financial oppression to maintain their hold on power and are arguably equally as guilty of causing human suffering as any dictator currently in power. Financial speculation on commodity markets can result in price-spikes resulting in hunger for millions of people. The recent revolt in Tunisia originated by a rise in food prices and led to the downfall of the government. Bankers are clearly out of touch with the importance and impact of their actions and are in complete denial of their role and responsibility in maintaining global peace. Yet economic disparity hurts everyone, although obviously the impact is most keenly felt by those who have the least financial security. Only by showing the combined strength of majority opinion will the threat of accountability be taken seriously.

And change will not come quickly as behaviours have become too deeply entrenched. Moreover, better cannot mean better for everyone, it can only mean better for some. By my argument, it is far better to impose an increased burden onto those who are affluent to spread the wealth to benefit the majority. In ancient times, Roman senators were obliged to fund civic buildings, ceremonies and public entertainments. Sadly, now the rich seem to view affluence with a sense of entitlement to act with impunity and belligerence.

Although the current situation may not feel quite like war, it certainly isn’t peace either. Either way, the time has come to pick sides and take a stand. We live in democracies and our governments are accountable to the majority. Yet, with Cameron stacking the House of Lords, ever increasing strategies for the rich to evade or minimise their personal burdens of taxation, and economic recovery funded by a highly controversial strategy of cuts to social services, democracy has never seemed so fragile. Yet the first step to recovery is to acknowledge that there is a problem. Democracy is broken; currently it is for sale to those with money and power. It is time for the voice of the masses to speak in unison and impose democratic change for the good of the majority, the good of the world.

98% of the world’s wealth is held by a mere 2% minority. Today, bankers, footballers and movie stars earn staggering wages whilst academics and scientists are reduced to practising as professional beggars in an attempt to maintain funding and job security in addition to performing research which benefits humanity. This is insanity!

As a final note; following the recent Facebook purge (http://j.mp/iUDmnI), censorship and political oppression is now clearly being mediated within regions which were formerly democratic. The time to act is now, before Big-Twitter steps in to silence the dissenters further. Tweet freely. Tweet to your friends, tweet to your enemies, tweet to the world while you still can that we, the majority, want change!!!

NHS hospital closures and closure of St Mary's Sidcup

Following on from the global economic downturn resulting from reckless banking strategies and years of poor economic strategies by the Labour government, obviously changes were necessary in public spending to revamp public finances. However, what the Coalition government are implementing is clearly flawed. Cuts to NHS services, policing and education will cost lives and impact on recovery by future generations. The Coalition may not have been responsible for the banking disaster, but this is what they’ve inherited and they need to find ways of financial resolution which imposes the burden onto those who benefited most from the years of plenty to ensure Britain remains a first world economy. With current strategies, the UK will rapidly spiral into chaos and the current state of affairs will look positively utopian in hindsight.

Looking at a recent report, and sadly one which is likely to become only too common; a woman and her unborn child both died due to unacceptable standards of care at a hospital in Romford. Highlighted in the report is the fact that there was only one paediatrician looking after 39 patients at the time. Staff shortages and cuts to healthcare lead to increased mortality. This much is an obvious outcome, a lesson which should never have happened, should never be repeated and I extend my sympathy to the grieving family.

Sadly, it seems that things are going to get dramatically worse for the borough of Bexley. The Conservatives promised to halt the closures before they were elected in May.

[From the Conservative Party election manifesto: ‘We will stop the forced closure of A&E and maternity wards, so people can have better access to local services.] However, shortly following a ‘temporary’ closure of the A&E in November 2010 due to staff shortages, the A&E ward of Queen Mary’s was stripped of its beds and equipment. As a result, Bexley is the only borough in London without an A&E department.

http://www.sidcupcommunitygroup.co.uk/#/queen-marys-hospital/4544201379

The populace of Bexley are now being re-routed to the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Woolwich 8.5 miles away. Despite protests by Bexley residents, this closure has been allowed to proceed by the coalition government. On March 7^th, even the residents of Woolwich staged a protest at the increased burden on their own healthcare system arguing that the Queen Elizabeth hospital will not be able to withstand the increased burden due to the closure of St Mary’s hospital.

The truth which is beginning to emerge from this fiasco is another example of the greed is good culture and a complete disregard for public safety. Plans are being drafted for the sale of the Queen Mary site for housing. Great for business and development, so sorry some people will need to die as a result. Will the hindsight of history show a money trail of corruption between politics and big business to fast-track the closure of St. Mary’s hospital? I would personally bet my life on it. Will anyone ever be held directly accountable as a result? In the UK, are you kidding me? The one guarantee of life in Britain is the complete and absolute lack of accountability of politicians, business people and the upper classes for their actions.

So with an aging population and an increasing maternity rate, Sidcup has become a ticking bomb for healthcare. The government was quick to bail out the banks; argued against increased taxation of bankers bonuses; is slow to impose further economic burden onto the rich and affluent. Yet the majority will face hardship, poverty and social decay to fund the selfish greed of the ruling class. This is an untenable strategy. Britain is on course for disaster. God-speed to those who are able to emigrate and escape the collapse, God bless those who can’t.

Will there ever be common sense in public spending decisions?

Legalisation of drugs – Drug abuse is a health problem, not a crime!

Enough is enough. There has been ample discussion on this topic. It is now time for action. Drugs need to be legalised. Not just decriminalised, not just ‘soft drugs’, but all drugs.

Criminalisation of drugs has been the policy for decades yet current usage shows this is clearly a broken strategy. However Holland and Portugal have clearly demonstrated that not only do alternative strategies exist, but they are also far more effective at tackling this age old challenge.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/8106689.stm

And even more controversially, supply of illicit drugs must become the responsibility of society, regulated by the government or the healthcare system, or better yet, both. If the government takes on the role of supplier, it would reduce crime, it could ensure dosage consistency to reduce overdoses thereby reducing mortality and health care costs.

Also, controlling the Market would also free up police to target other serious crime. It would also reduce uptake as the supplier will no longer be encouraging the behaviour. Moreover, education, social and medical help could then be targeted directly to the vulnerable population to ensure current support systems achieve greater success. And perhaps with a stable supply for current addicts, there would be less incentive to identify alternative options for illicit escapism such as experimental use of as yet unclassified drugs, further reducing the impact on public health. And with social control, education can be placed alongside the supply. It could impart change and benefit all of us. How much crime is associated with the criminalisation of drugs? Arguably, we are all losers from the current policy so this proposed dramatic change in policy isn’t entirely altruistic.

Furthermore, criminalisation of drugs is also simply a recipe for social decay. Criminal gangs supply the drugs. At best this is a passive process of immoral capitalism by criminals, at worst, active public denial of the exploitation and expenditure of the portion of society at greatest risk.

If the social shame from last century was how the mentally disadvantaged were treated by society, then arguably for this century it is how we treat those who abuse psychoactive chemicals. Drug abuse needs to be treated for what it is; a health problem, a cry for help. Choosing escape from a current unpleasant reality shows hope for better days (as opposed to simply committing suicide). Society has clearly recognised that denigration of the mentally disadvantaged in unacceptable. Yet the social stigma of drug abuse remains as strong as ever. And as long as it remains both illegal and a behaviour of the rich and successful (e.g. rock stars & bankers) it will be an irresistible temptation for some. However punishing an individual for drug abuse is counter productive. And too often this behaviour is only identified once it has become habitual. Once entrenched, often other behaviours have often also been acquired – theft, violence, prostitution. And all of these individuals have been failed by society. Yet each drug user is someone’s son/daughter/lover/partner/mother/father/brother/sister. We should feel equally ashamed by failing to help them as they likely do from their habit.

Yet another objection to criminalisation of drugs is the casual classism that it represents. If you’re rich, you go to rehab at Harley St, the Betty Ford or the Mayo clinics. If you’re poor, you go to prison on the taxpayer’s dime. It would seem that drug criminalisation also represents just another opportunity for the upper classes to claim moral superiority by bullying those less fortunate. Even in 20^th century Britain, poverty and class remain the final prejudices that retain tacit social approval. "let he who is without sin, cast the first stone". Sadly it would appear that age old biblical quotes remain just as topical today as they did two millennia ago.

Finally, the first response to news of suicide usually involves belated intimations of willingness to support. Well if drug abuse is the cry for help, then we should put our energies into action and offer help where it is needed. It may not be pretty. It may require unknown resources of courage. This is a deep routed social problem and resolution likely requires exposure of ugly demons indeed. But it is high time that society stands up to the challenge of helping the unfortunate, not simply attempting to ignore them.

Rest assured, I abhor the use of drugs. This is not an essay to suggest that drug abuse behaviour is acceptable or ok. It is a self-destructive, immature form of self-harm. No solution will be perfect. Sadly there will always be a minority who are beyond help; those who don’t want to be saved. We can’t save everyone, how many people commit suicide each year? Nothing is perfect, but clearly the current system is broken.

The time for change is now. If we want a better society, we need to make it, it won’t just happen!

Anarchy in the UK?

At the foundation of Maslow's hierarchy of needs are basic physiological needs: food, water and sleep. The next level up focuses on safety: security of body and health. Yet the youth of Britain face dismal prospects for their future; prospects which are only becoming significantly worsened by the current initiatives of the current government. And the reaility that the youth of today will struggle to achieve even the second rung on Maslow's hierarchy is rapidly becoming a likely reality. First time buyers have been priced out of the property market. So instead of having any possibility of establishing a foothold of security, the youth of today will rent for longer. Possibly never own property. Without stability or free cash, save less for retirement and the downward spiral of social decay will continue until the system is fixed. The next generation earn a proportionately lower salary than previous generations. They will work longer before achieving retirement and due to inflation, will struggle to achieve a level of stability that remotely resembles that enjoyed by previous generations. The increasing social inequality of the UK is untenable and this downward spiral will only lead to social instability and political unrest. And this is a brutally truncated version of the reality facing the next generation of Britain. Education prospects are dwindling, unemployment is increasing, whilst policing and healthcare are getting cut. By the time social unrest begins to peak, likely within a matter of years, the police will be insufficient to maintain order. Moreover, they may choose to join rather than oppose those protesting. Which would leave the British government in the position of maintaining order through military force. What we observe as history unfolding in the Middle East seems likely to be the probable future for Britain.

Clearly resolving the British economy is an urgent need and one which will impact significantly across society, but this burden must be imposed in some degree of equal measure. Necessary changes should not merely decrease the quality of life for the poor. The greater burden of repayment must be imposed upon those with money, not those without. This may require changing the rules and goal-posts for the affluent and privileged. But short term pain will bring long term gains. Imposing the burden of repayment onto the poor will only lengthen the time required to resolve current challenges and will destabilise society even further. The rich may hold sway with the power brokers of government, but beware the tides of change, because ill-advised strategies to spare the few today, won't be sufficient to spare them from tomorrow.