Let's Fight for a National Support and Care Service

More people are living into their 80s and 90s, and beyond. It is generally agreed that this is a testament to our NHS. Over the past half-a-century advances in medicine and medical practice has boosted the health of millions. This has given many people a longer lease of life.

While improved health care and practices lead to longevity, there is a down side. Longevity means that people may begin to experience more ill-health and infirmity. As a greater proportion of our population lives longer so the frequency in age-related conditions such as dementia increases.

Therefore, as a society we need to address the growing challenges to be met in areas such as social care and support for elderly people. However, it’s not only older people, but also disabled people of working age, and younger who require these services.

 Another, less publicised, aspect that impacts upon elderly and disabled people is social exclusion which can lead to isolation. With the social care and support budget being viciously slashed this problem is exacerbated. Loneliness is becoming a scourge within our society. People locked away in their homes devoid of any human connectivity, looking forward to a lonely future.

As a society, we need to push government and councils to address what is going to be the single greatest social malaise facing us. Imposing council tax precepts to deal with the shortfall in the social care budgets is not the answer. No, this will go nowhere near to properly funding support and care; and, it will create another postcode lottery.

Social care and support is important enough to become a stand-alone service. A National Support and Care Service (NSCS); an autonomous service independent of the NHS and Local Authorities, yet working closely with these bodies and others when called upon.  

This will be a service that meets the needs of everyone; is free at the point of delivery; and is based on social support and care needs, not the ability to pay.

As for who foots the bill. May I suggest our NSCS is funded in the same way as we fund the royal family, Trident and all those illegal wars we seem to enjoy entering. Yes, through general taxation. If it’s good enough to pay for great British establishments and cultural martial traditions, then it’s good enough to cover social support and care.

    

Hello. Where's my Pizza?

Was strolling along Brixton Road earlier today, taking my daily constitution, as well as my fair share our Capital's prized polluted air, when I espied Lily Law on the case of a young pizza delivery guy.  Three Old Bill, yes Babylon in triplicate, towering over a petrified looking little guy. 

I'm guessing that one of these burly PCs had a misfortunate experience when his order from Pizza Hut turned out to be a 9-inch Margherita instead of his fancied 14-inch Cajun Chicken Sizzler with stuffed crust. Today he spots a youngster delivering pizzas on a moped, and thinks: "GOTCHA!"

Anyway, the police ended up nicking the lad. This left the moped abandoned on the busy Brixton Road as kids were coming home from school. No doubt some little Herbert will spot the moped later. He’ll half-inch it and whizz around the street on which I live à la a born to be wild easy rider.

And, just as predicted, there he goes, an horrible little git. He’ll carry on until he runs out of fuel or the police happen along and pull him. Rather than the police making sure the moped was safely taken away, they instead help to create more problems.

So, if you were expecting a pizza at around 4 pm in the SW9 area, it’s probably being snaffled by three rozzers in the Brixton Station canteen.

Tebbit Droning on about Drones

They’re droning on about drones on LBC Radio. They’re blathering away at the dangers of misusing these boys-toys. Apparently, they are permitted to fly up to a height of 120 meters in cities such as London.

                                            

Iain Dale, in keeping with his true-blue Tory agenda, announced that he will be speaking to Lord Tebbit, an ex-airline pilot, on the dangers drones pose. On comes Tebbit and begins to lay into the misuses of drones.

The ultimate in toys for the boys

Aside from their intrusiveness, there are nutters who use them to interfere with commercial planes landing and taking off. Fair enough, Norm. I’m with you on that one. However, he reserved his real opprobrium for their use by terrorists.

With no irony intended Tebbit went on to say that terrorists could load drones with explosive materiel and fly them into crowds of innocent civilians. Yes, Lord Tebbit, the US and UK armed forces have been successfully using drones to slaughter innocent people in Afghanistan and Iraq for years. Though I doubt these were the terrorists that you had in mind.  

...and the craic was good

Hope for 2017

Yes, 2016 was a disastrous year, for far too many reasons to list here. I could, like so many of my Comrades have done, damn 2016 for the fuck of a year it was. Instead, I shall lay it to rest and pray for the repose of its soul and the souls of those it stole from us.

There is one way 2016 can redeem itself, and that's if it claims possession of and holds greedily onto the war in Syria. 2016, if you can secure peace in this benighted country, I'll forgive you all your other sins.

However, despite the carnage of 2016 it has not, and will not, defeat the power of the human spirit and its greatest characteristic, Hope. So, in this vein I offer Hope for 2017: The Hope for peace and The Hope that humankind rediscovers its humanity.

Here’s wishing all my friends Hope for 2017.