Brave new scary world of profit and greed

This caught my eye regarding the buying, selling and addiction of prescription drug Oxycodone in the US. One woman said that the drug “numbed you, made you feel like you were in a bubble”. With all the misery being heaped on people then it’s no wonder many seek a quick fix to anaesthetise you from the horrors of life… But with this drug comes addiction and exploitation.

Together with the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians it is battling to persuade the state to introduce a monitoring database that would allow police and medical authorities to identify where the oxycodone is coming from, and in turn identify and shut down the pill mills. Though Florida is the epicentre of the oxycodone epidemic, with 98% of all the nation’s doctors who handle the drug located here, astonishingly the state has no comprehensive database recording prescription histories.

Even more astonishingly its recently elected governor, the Tea Party favourite Rick Scott, has blocked the introduction of a database on grounds of cost.

What also made me think is with all the attacks on the NHS combined with privatisation, the motive for many won’t be public need but private greed. unscrupulous doctors and a powerful pharmaceutical companies will make profits on the backs of misery feathering their own financial nests while inducing massive pill popping and endless addiction. This is the future this is unregulated private enterprise who cares not about you but about pound signs and profit!

Defend the right to protest! Defend Alfie Meadows!

I was outside Westminster City magistrates’ court today as it was Alfie Meadows’s hearing. Alfie was appearing in court charged with violent disorder. Apparently, he will return on July 19 for a hearing date to be set at a crown court. The fact that Alfie was even charged with violent disorder is utterly ridiculous. The man had to have emergency brain surgery after being struck by a police baton on the Dec 9th student demo. But there has been a whole tradition of charging people with criminal offences who have been injured by police violence.

Mr Meadows, a philosophy undergraduate, said: “I exercised my right to protest against something I feel strongly about. I ended up in hospital after being struck on the head with a police baton. I am now being prosecuted for violent disorder at that protest.

“I strongly deny the charge. The outcome of the investigation of my complaint against the police is due shortly.

“I hope it results in lessons being learnt by the police for the future policing of protests so that no one will ever endure what my family and I have. I am extremely grateful for all of the expressions of concern and support for me by members of the public.”
Tomorrow there will be further protests outside the court. Please come along and show solidarity.

Fairy jobmonster

I took a deep breath and pressed played. Indeed I was watching Fairy Jobmother. The language from the start including the voiceover stated that there was £87billion spent on welfare that was a “burden” on the tax payer… Well, I’ll tell what really is a burden is tax evasion and avoidance by the wealthy but I don’t see any programme encouraging 4 rich tax thieves resplendent with a fairy pay-your-tax-mother  patronising and irritating them with psycho-babble all the way to coughing up the cash.

But no….. we get the usual bilge from the bourgeois media regurgitating Dail Mail headlines, “Workshy” and going on about “unemployed who can work do work”… Yada, yada, yada and so on.

So out of the ether pops Hayley Taylor …. fairy jobmother at your service, a former A4E boss. All perky, pushy, peppy ……..  and a pain. She goes to Bootle armed with tough talking with a mission to get 4 unemployed people jobs in 14 days. Bootle has 64,000 residents, quarter of them claiming benefits.

Taylor’s MO comrpises of tough talking, tough love, oh, tough sh*t if you dare to be selective cos fairy jobmother believes that the unemployed are far TOO selective in choosing jobs. Four individuals (Dave, Louise, Sue and Alex) come up against Taylor’s intensive training as it is all about “structure and routine”. The four of them have different expectations and ideas about work; some have worked before, some have qualifications and so on. Alex wanted to be a cop but dropped out of training due to his mum dying bereavement made him go off the rails, Dave had the measure of Taylor and saw it for what it was while his daughter Louise had never had a job and had very little confidence. Similar to Sue as well.

Taylor gave the 4 challenges which, supposedly, built their confidence and self-worth. Also the experience of work (such as working for free cleaning cars) and pretending to be a town crier where it was all about better communication yet it just seemed like pure humiliation. Then putting Louise onto a checkout which culminated in her bursting into tears. I think no-nonsense Taylor thought it would be useful in throwing Louise into the deep end, one size fits all, no specific tailoring Louise’s needs because fairy jobmother believes as the tax payer is paying the benefits then you shouldn’t have the choices. Any old bloody job will do… oh, and there’s loadsa jobs out there. I suspect there are, but what of the quality? I bet they pay just about the minimum wage. Why can’t unemployed people be allowed to be selective and able to choose what job they want along with qualifications and experiences. But hey, fairy jobmother thinks we are all cogs in the capitalist machine, drones for exploitation.

Eventually, after cajoing and bullying by no-nonsense Taylor combined with the psycho-babble the 4 had interviews. Some successful some not so. The reason I believe, specifically, Louise and Sue had gained self-confidence and self-worth was more to do with the solidarity of the group. The group dynamics showed the lack of belief in themselves but that exposes how many in this society perceives themselves. A society that demonises, vilifies and stigmatises the powerless and this is translated in annoying programmes like “Fairy Jobmother” where unemployed people are given the no-nonsense and bullying treatment. Get a job, any old job, you don’t have the right to choose…..

The jobs they did get were based in the private sector. But ask yourself, how long will these jobs last? Sue seemed happy with her job while Louise got work experience in a garden centre (again she seemed happy), Dave got a job in security and Alex got the job with a cleaning company (though it seems he later got a job in a pub).

What I despise about these programmes and the ethos of Hayley Taylor with her A4E bullshit is the bullying. People already at a low and frustrated ebb psychologically and here comes fairy jobmother to cheer you into the low paid job market. But hey, you can’t be choosy!! It’s conveyor belt one size-fits-all “help”… It’s not based on the terms of the individual but on the terms of the establishment. It’s ideological bullying forcing people into dead-end jobs. Taylor mentioned to the 4 that the changes in welfare would mean that they would be sanctioned if they turn down work and she says that in a serves-you-right tone of voice. The system has failed people but they are blamed, it’s degrading telly. Not so much kindly fairy jobmother but more fairy jobmonster…

If you can stomach it you can see the programme here.

Stop the deportation of Betty Tibakawa

Trigger warning

Betty Tibakawa, a young lesbian living in Uganda, had gone for a walk on the beach when she was approached by three men she did not know, but who knew her by reputation, who began taunting her about her sexuality. They took her to a disused building where she was violently assaulted. The men kicked her in the stomach, pinned her down and branded her inner thighs with hot irons. She lost consciousness and when she woke up, the men were gone. Her injuries were so severe that she could not leave her home for two months.

In February, Ugandan magazine Red Pepper outed Betty as a lesbian, publishing an article about her illustrated with photos, and the claim that she is ‘wanted’ for being a lesbian. It has become incredibly dangerous for her to return to Uganda, where she has been disowned by her family and faces the risk of violent persecution for being gay. As a named lesbian, she is at risk of being targeted for her sexuality, experiencing further violence, imprisonment or even death. Betty has gone from being a bubbly young woman with a bright future at university, to being withdrawn, feeling worthless, frightened and depressed.

Betty Tibakawa has had her asylum application turned down and is facing deportation back to Uganda, where homosexuality is illegal. Gay women who are deported to Uganda risk being raped and assaulted whilst they are in custody. We are petitioning the Home Office to overrule this decision from the UK Border Agency, to give Betty the chance to live a life free from violence and fear. No one should be deported to country where they will be persecuted for their sexuality. We owe those seeking asylum in this country better than this.

Please sign the petition to stop the deportation of Betty here

Why I support Slutwalk

You know, I think we’re beating around the bush here,” he reportedly told them. “I’ve been told I’m not supposed to say this – however, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised.

I hate the word slut it’s just a continuum of the repertoire of sexist words flung daily at women. Neither am I supportive of reclaiming oppressive language. I have thought long and hard about this (and do have much sympathy with Cath Elliott on this).

But on this occasion I totally support Slutwalk. Why? Because the political message and meaning behind Slutwalk exposes the hypocrisies, contradictions and double standards women face. Taking the word “slut” by politicising the words of PC Sanguinetti.
Along with the message that if a woman dresses like a slut don’t be surprised if she gets raped and furthermore …. don’t expect any support from the cops or the courts. Simply, it’s your own fault… Blaming the victim is a favourite in this society it’s also easy as it takes away issues of accountability nor responsibility of the oppressor rather the spotlight and onus is on the oppressed. Always blame the powerless. Neat trick and it works unfortunately.

I saw, briefly, a discussion on Channel 4 News between 2 women, one was a journalist and the other organiser for Slutwalk. The journalist (I can’t recall her name) was wrong when she said that the police officer who originally made the remarks was a kind of one off. He’s not, the views espoused by Michael Sanguinetti is prevalent in this society. They shouldn’t be but they are. Women who have been sexually assaulted or raped are held to account over what they were wearing whether high heels, short skirts, thongs….and also her sexual history will re-surafce with the…..well, she asked for it! I always hoped that these ignorant and oppressive ideas would die out, disappear into the ether, banished into the dustbin of sexist myths… But no, these myths are as strong as ever. Women’s bodies are objectified and commodified under patriarchal capitalism. Women are damned if they do and damned if they don’t.

It’s not about how a woman dresses, behaves or condemning her by putting her sexual history under the miscroscope. It’s about power and control. It’s about only 6.1% of rape cases end in conviction, it’s about destroying the misogynistic myths that victimise and blame the woman, it’s about  1 in 4 women in the UK will experience an act of domestic violence at some point in her lifetime, it’s about the uphill struggle women encounter when they have been raped from the police to the judiciary along with the myths that exist to condemn rape victims/survivors.

That’s the realities of rape not how a woman dresses and that’s why I, as a Socialist feminist, will be there on Saturday 11 June from Trafalgar Square, 1pm as part of Slutwalk. Seems as well Slutwalk has proliferated globally.

Wherever we go, however we dress, yes means yes and no means no!

Surge in women apprentices

Now that I am gainfully unemployed I was considering a change of direction employment wise. With the economy in dire straits there has been a sharp increase in wages for the top 10% over the past 30 years while the rest of us have been thrown a couple of financial crumbs to allow us to exist. A rich elite who is shafting the rest of us. Yes, all in it together with the rich dictating the terms.

What also caught my depressed eye (and also made me remember my own meanderings about changing job direction) was that surge in the number of women apprentices. I had an idea myself of maybe training to be a plumber or something similar. Just a thought. Women, traditionally, have entered jobs such childminding, care workers, hair dressing and beauty therapists etc. which are also very low paid. Yet traditional male skilled manual labour jobs such as welding, plastering, plumbing and so on is higher paid. This highlights the gender divide between traditional male and female jobs yet with the present economic situation these divisions have become a little blurred. Why are women specifically going for these jobs? Better paid and a specific skill. Also, I would be interested in what social class these young women come from.

But what also should be explored is the possibility of you people living school and seeing just how expensive higher education is. Not only will you be in debt but you will be paying off significant amounts of debt. And of course, there will be people who just can’t simply even can’t even entertain the idea of a degree due to the money factor or just choosing not to do a degree, as uni isn’t for them.

“The labour market for the under-24s looks grim. We’re finding that our students are becoming more entrepreneurial, they want to be in charge of their own destiny and these sorts of vocational courses allow them to set up their own businesses. They can be self-employed and self-reliant.

“In the current climate, without getting a high-level qualification in a trade like welding, they don’t think they will get a job,” says Dawson.

So it seems that men and especially women are reacting to the economic meltdown by seeing their future in vocational courses, small businesses and self-employment. Women are still having problems becoming employed in these trades but appraenttly…times they are a-changing:

However at Newcastle College, Colin Stott, director of the National Construction Academy, says that in his experience, companies are more interested in the someone’s competencies than their gender. “Many [women] have had success as finalists in national competitions and the majority have found employment following completion of their course,” he says.

…Particularly in motor vehicle, females are as good if not better. And their work ethic is often very good. They seem to be more rational about doing the tasks and, particularly in the 16-18 age range, a bit more mature. They’re more methodical and are very keen.”

….They have proved to be more competent decorators than the boys — often their drawing skills are better, their attention to detail, and they’re much calmer. Girls tend to get to a higher level. They who have done particularly well in the last three years.

 

Panorama, abuse and institutionalised violence

I watched the Panorama programme which involved a reporter going undercover in a home that “cares” for people with learning difficulties. Abuse, violent and humiliation was rife. Restraint was used to torture these people. And one professional who watched the video described it Guantanamo style “care”. Indeed. Sometimes I am skeptical of these undercover investigations but this one truly shocked and distressed me. How can these workers treat people like this? Part of me isn’t shocked though vulnerable and powerless people are fair game violence is institutionalised in these settings. Support workers and nurses used their frustration and boredom by creating situations where they could torture and abuse (physical and emotional). People were subjected to physical restraint that blocked airways and put people into dangerous situations. What these workers did amounted to assault. Indeed I hope there will be a police investigation not just the behaviour of these individuals but also, on more general issue, the structures of these care homes.

As the excellent post from DPAC illustrates, many of these care homes are private therefore profit before need. Possibly as well the wages will be low. Becuase of the privatised environments of these care homes abuse will be a looming factor.

A further example, is of private companies running secure training centres where young people, many vulnerable have been subjected shocking levels of physical restraint. It led Adam Rickwood to commit suicide. Gareth Myatt was restrained by being held down by 3 members of staff where he choked to death on his vomit. Apparently there have been changes to the way physical restraint has been used now primarily as a “last resort” . Personally, I believe that physical restraint should be outlawed, even when properly used.

Also, in the Panorama programme, workers were shown lying about their reasons why they used physical restraint encouraging others to follow. There were pecking orders in the staff regime, one of them was a bully to other staff and there seemed to be fear of this specific members of staff. Protocaols, procedures, accountability and responsibility weren’t integral to the running of the centre. The whistle blower wrote countless letters to the management of the home and the CQC (Quality Care Commission) where he got no reply. The talking head from CQC admitted, rather defensiviely, that procedures had failed this man. You can say that again!!

Is this commission fit for purpose? It let down these people and it let down this whistleblower. humiliation, abuse and violence was the day-to-day experiences dished out by paid thugs.The programme also reminded me of the investigations that gave the viewing world a glimpse of the violence in the special hospital regime, case in point Rampton, horrific abuse and violence were regular occurrences. Another example institutionalised violence. The behaviour went unchecked and ignored, I mean, these are dangerously mad people, aren’t they…I mean, who cares? Fortunately, the documentary caused a storm of protest which led to an investigation into the practices and state intervention.

Again, violence against people with learning difficulties, disabilities and mental distress or just anyone vulnerable and powerless in this society is accepted in some form or another. Along with the constant vilification and stigmatimatsion and demonisation.  And that powerlessness renders you into nothing. One woman in the Panorama programme said that her daughter told her that she was being beaten yet she didn’t believe her. Watching this woman’s expression change when she saw the support workers and nurses attacking her daughter was upsetting in itself. Her daughter was telling the truth but nobody believed her (and certainly in the past as a mental health advocate I have come across that time and time again). Who wants to believe the powerless in this society? Out of sight out of mind. The kind of dog-eat-dog society we live in defines this kind of savage, alienating and barbaric behaviour. The level of brutality truly scares me. And with this Big Society con trick things will get so much worse without the state’s checks and balances, people will be at the mercy of private charity based “care”…. I kinda imagine a Dickensian future.

Finally, as Eleanor eloquently writes at the end of her post about privatised care: What we want to know is when is this austerity driven government going to see that this privatised, institutionalised care is not cheaper but that it costs disabled people and their families dear in depriving them of their human rights to live independently with support in the communities that includes them.

Swans, cygnets, geese and cheeky squirrels……

Some “aww cute” pix from the local park especially the swans and cygnets. Though there was a lot of young wildfowl on the pond. And I got stalked by a cheeky squirrel who, wrongly, assumed I had some food on me.

Pix from the zoo