During debate in the Lords yesterday, the Government attracted criticism, not least from me, for its failure to distinguish what Lord Sewel said at the despatch box in 1998 from what has developed as the Sewel convention. I have written about the verbal gymnastics of the minister in a post on my own blog. What was interesting was the stance of the Opposition Shadow Advocate General for Scotland, Lord Davidson of Glen Cova, in offering his support for the clause in question (Clause 2). The Opposition are committed to delivering on the Bill and so supported the stance of the Government. The problem with this clause was that Lord Davidson had difficulty finding any substantive reasons to oppose amendments moved to the clause. He took the view that it was politically necessary to stick with the existing wording, but didn’t really get beyond that. Essentially he said nothing, but took some time in doing so. Perhaps his most revealing, and amusing, comment was made in response to an intervention from Lord Tebbit:
Lord Davidson of Glen Clova: The suggestion that I am waffling is one that I do not find wholly offensive.
How could we, the ordinary-public, clearly comprehend this ‘gordian-knot’, and its component parts,
an overall esoteric ‘obscurity’ to at least some of us ‘down-and-out’, ‘here on the ground’) ?
In short, of what is it composed ? How are its parts to be clearly seen, to ‘relate’, to be ‘prioritised’ ?
There appears to be no other Post whose heading might allow the following:
Possibly overshadowing, and/or underlurking, your heading-wording
“Avoiding The Issue”
and needing major scrutiny,
is the Longest-Term Strategy’s “full-of-holes-below-the-waterline”,
and our immediate “Fitnesses-For-Purpose” Insidiously Corrupt
Predicament:
Lord McConnell’s post is a key inclusion here too, “Keep Schools Safe”.
My [the] point is
Our Biggest-Problem is not the Schools nor any Buildings,
it is How they are being used and occupied.
Namely, our Problem is the Corruption and Unfitness-for-Purpose
of the People, both Workforces and Residential/Tourist populations,
who occupy these Buildings.
Much instantiation work is needed;
but here are a few ‘snap-target’ eye-openers:
1. Just one city council’s buildings, Plymouth’s are occupied by thousands of university-trained, relatively highly-paid, and power-protected, civil-service workers.
When I needed further life-educataion and carer-training, Plymouth had no such available (at any price);
but I found Totnes had.
Plymouth now said Good; you pay for all that,
and we’ll get you a Sitter for your caree on that one day per week,
but only from 9 a.m to 4 p.m..
{Plymouth Adult Social Care had got me to agree to be this caree’s 24/7/52 unpaid carer, cleaner, advocate, safety-minder, and general-life-companion – but PCC failed to issue confirmation in writing, and secretly reneged on that agreement, again without without telling us participants about that} .
The young woman was effective as the sitter; and a ‘nice person’ [We doubt if she was actually paid more than the minimum wage, ;though;
and I was returning from Totnes by 2 p.m.
Plymouth categorised this day as being “Respite for the Carer”;
and “invoiced” Westminster government
£500 for that 7-hours of Sitting.. [7 weeks – altogether £3,500 they grabbed].
[As registered carer no. P77099 I was granted an annual £250 for my needs and expenses; and I can’t now be sure that is being paid, either].
2. That is what I mean by “Insidious Corruption, and Unfitness-For-Purpose”
and this £500 ‘hit’ is only at this lowest-level of the British Civil Service and its disabled-citizens;
so what is the towering hidden-hierarchical Corruption that is surely going on and being totally covered-up ?
3. The Schools – from birth right up through to post-graduate levels, both children and adults are being denied the up-to-date advances in Individual and Collective human development.
——————
Thus, the buildings are being made “corrupt” and “unfit-for-purpose” too.
——————
Baroness Deech’s post, ‘blaming’ Poland for being “The Problem”, I have likewise asked for Clarity, Charity, and Self-Corrigibility,
along with the much-needed new establishment of the ‘No Lose’ Method III of Friendly Needs & Hows Recognition and Participatively-Cooperative Problem Solving, as bases and first-resorts from local-neighbourhood levels right up through to the biggest International Needs Situations.
—————————
Summarising a bit;
“Avoiding the issue…” is but one result of the much bigger “Avoiding The Issue”.
@ Miles JSD
I feel for your plight. However, take on board this government, colluded in by the Labour contingent who pretend otherwise, plan total poverty and much homelessness for the disabled. Remember the Blairites sit steadfastly on the opposing benches just waiting for a springback from their dancing PM who hides in the shadows waiting for his cue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6ooDdKBykc
Their friends and the aristocrats who were taxed appropriately under socialist governments want revenge on the poor and sickly. This weeks budget should open a few more eyes as their relatives and family members, they once had cared for by the state or us, the tax payers, will be on their doorstep.
You see truth is, our governments are hand in glove with the so called superpower across the big pond and they make individual fortunes from the selling of arms and military know how.
It means the average Joe, not conglomerates, have to accept the money they pay into the Treasury has now been assessed as fodder for war machines and is no longer used for what it was professed to do. Care for the sick and elderly, to educate, house and generally lift the country to a higher standard of living. It has been bagged for the New World Order, that thing that ‘eliminates’ those middle payers with their hard earned.
Perhaps I was off key in another post on the merits of the death penalty, perhaps burning at the stake is what’s called for after all. Starting at the top drawer. Amazing how quickly a sense of morality and principle returns when those who lost it find they are flavour of the month for that little assembly.