on the news just now, energy companies in the UK have been confirmed to be making 8 times more profits per person than they were four months ago.
they’ve put our bills up twice this year so far. this comes at a time when the conservatives are punishing the most vulnerable in our country instead of the bankers and corporations that they serve (if you think they serve the people, you couldn’t be more wrong)
as someone who is just about scraping by, having to juggle bills on sickness benefits (contrary to the daily mail’s belief, we don’t live in a seven bedroom mansion and live the lap of luxury, just fyi) this fucking infuriates me.
Sign this petition to protect the NHS: Healthcare is a right, not a privilege.
Please take a moment to sign this petition in support of protection of the NHS. If you’re not in the loop about what’s going on in the UK at the moment with healthcare, do read this article published in The Guardian last month: The NHS Reforms Still amount to Privatisation. I’ve included some interesting sections below:
“The public should have no illusions: beneath the veneer of the listening exercise, the core substance that constitutes the bill remains contentious. The NHS reforms remain driven by pure market ideology, without a shred of evidence that they will benefit the English population. On the contrary, the evidence shows that if you create an American-style healthcare system the result will be denial of care and huge costs for the taxpayer. If the bill is passed, coming generations will not forgive us for taking the “National” out of the NHS.
The latest proposals remove the cap on private patients being treated by NHS hospitals. Waiting lists are already growing, and will get worse as more capacity is used for private patients. The situation becomes desperate when hospitals in financial difficulty make up the deficit by taking on more private treatment.
Let’s set the record straight: we are not against private healthcare. We simply object to private hospitals being given priority over NHS hospitals, putting the NHS at risk.
Over time, all hospitals will have to become Foundation Trusts (FTs), effectively commercial bodies. They would have the power to close services without public consultation, and caps on income from private patients in NHS hospitals will be removed, tempting many to increase their income at the expense of NHS patients.
As in any commercial organisation, the main objectives for these FTs will be profit generation. This might be achieved by methods not universally approved within the NHS, such as competing for patients from other areas (threatening local hospitals with closure), by treating private patients (at the expense of NHS patients), and by reducing the priority of treating chronic and complex conditions (which are generally more costly).
A profit driven model will undermine all that is precious about the NHS. Furthermore, it will produce an underclass of patients with chronic, debilitating illness, who will be seen as pariahs by those organisations who seek financial benefits over and above good health”
i implore each and every one of you to sign this petition. the tories’ dismantling of the NHS impacts each and every one of us and it must be stopped before it’s too late. the first lords vote was on wednesday but we still have time to turn this around if we all fight the privitisation of our healthcare system.
you’ve seen what private healthcare has done to the working classes in america - that is what we are heading for if this doesn’t get stopped.
…under the proviso of something comfy to sit on and an unending supply of painkillers.
See, I’ve been avidly watching the Occupy movement happening over in the States and I’m crossing my fingers that it will take off here. The government here, much like many others, are only interested in you if…this was too long too put in a reply, sorry! but that’s so awful. my mom has fibromyalgia and a couple of other associated pain disorders and has had to deal with a lot of similar problems here in the states with health benefits and all of that. she has pre-existing conditions so she can’t get health insurance, and to qualify for disability she would have to be out of work for what adds up to two entire years before she would actually see any money. it’s depressing that there are so many of the same kinds of problems there as there are here. so much for governments giving even the slightest shit about their countries’ citizens, right?
first off, i’m sorry about your mum. it’s a shitty illness and it’s made even shittier by the fact that there is nowhere near enough cash going into research for treatments and cures.
they don’t give one tiny bit of a shit - and that’s the problem. they seem to have this messed up reverse robin hood thing going on where they want to conserve all of the wealth for themselves and leave nothing for everyone else. the problem is, where do they think all of their luxury items are going to come from if the working people just down tools and tell them to go fuck themselves? honestly though, i am under no illusion that we are slightly more privileged than folk in the states - the poverty problem there is even worse than ours, largely thanks to (thank fuck) the NHS (that the government are attempting to dismantle as we speak despite protestations to the contrary but that’s a whole other post) - if it wasn’t for free healthcare, a lot of us would be even more fucked than we already are. i genuinely couldn’t live in the states. i’d be broke and on the streets within a week. As feeble as the gesture was, i have to give kudos to obama for acknowledging the Occupy movement - i think people probably need to bear in mind that he’s often tried to put valid legislations through that would help people in bad positions but he’s been opposed and barred by the stranglehold that the GOP currently have over the house. I know Occupy has no political affiliation but that’s just a fact. He’s a lesser of two evils, in my opinion.
as i said earlier, EVERYONE should be entitled to free or affordable healthcare. that isn’t a ‘socialist’ thing, that’s a human thing. EVERYONE should be entitled to a little help when the shit hits the fan. Without exception.
oh don’t even get me started on the cries about socialism somehow infiltrating the country. never mind that the police and fire departments, public schools, and postal service are all government run “socialist” amenities that everyoneneglects to decry the same way as the idea of universal healthcare. it’s absurd that something like the basic health and survival of the people gets so easily pushed aside for the sake of greed.
it seems ridiculous to me that obama shoulders all the blame for the lack of progress in this country, when it’s just a complete lack of cooperation between parties. the issues that have been made a priority in the media and whatnot are such insulting bullshit. like, really? let’s not address the complete failure of the socioeconomic structure in the country, but OH MY GOODNESS gay people want to get married! and OH NO there are ladies who don’t want to have babies and stay in the kitchen! it’s ridiculous.
i hope the occupy movement does take off there, and i really hope it ends up doing some good all around. either way, things obviously can’t continue how they are for too terribly much longer.
oh jesus, we could go on forever about that - things are ‘socialist’ when it doesn’t fit in with their world view. ‘they’ primarily being the radical right-wing end of the GOP and the tea party. it astounds me that more people don’t see their hypocrisy. not to mention that working class people are willing to vote for them when they’re the people they want to fuck over. they prey on people’s fear of god to win votes when god shouldn’t even factor into the business of running a country.
the mainstream media only report on things they can sensationalise, or things they can use to keep people fearful of what’s around the corner - a fearful populace is easier to control and they fucking know it. what they (and the powers that be) haven’t banked on is the fact that now a lot of people, mostly the younger generation, are getting wise to it and don’t want to see their country fucked to hell in 20 years (or less) by people who will likely be dead by then or too old to give a shit once they’ve retired to their plush little country homes. i think (or at least like to think) that a good percentage of people can see that the GOP should take their fair share of blame for the lack of progress in the US in the last 3-4 years. not to mention the fact that it was bush who left the country in such a mire in the first place with his illegal wars and such.
i really, genuinely hope these people start to listen because eventually, something has to give and then they will have even angrier people on their hands who are willing to do more than just protest. after all, what has anyone got to lose when they have nothing to begin with?
if it’s not complaints from the far right about whatever insanity they’re shouting about, then it’s the far left complaining about obama being too conservative and not pushing issues hard enough. it’s like everyone just wants someone to blame when it’s just a flawed system. or a system that’s been made flawed by people twisting it to their advantage. i don’t know. the whole state of the country (both here and there, it seems) is just discouraging.
what gets me the worst is the people who are talking shit on the occupy movement, like it doesn’t matter because there wasn’t immediately a list of demands. i have a couple of friends who are financially comfortable enough to not really feel the full effects of being poor as fuck and unable to do anything about it, and just won’t shut up about how pointless it is to be protesting, but offer no productive alternatives. i feel like protest is the first step, you know? you protest, increase awareness until enough people inform themselves and get mad enough that the government has no choice but to address their concerns.
i just really hope that change comes a lot sooner rather than later, once things have gotten even worse than they are now.
this may end up being the longest post on tumblr lmao (sorry for your scrolling finger, everyone else) but let’s face it, the only reason the current administration is behaving in such a centrist way is that they are being held to ransom. anything too ‘liberal’ doesn’t have a cat in hell’s chance of getting through when you’ve got people like the tea party opposing it every step of the way, so they have to put in little ‘appeasers’ for them to even have a chance of pushing anything remotely progressive through to law.
but you’re right. the system both there and here are flawed and have been flawed for a long time. i have a friend in social work and the amount of red-tape they have to cut through just to give someone the help they need would have had me running for the hills a long time ago. it seems that just to assist people who need assistance, you have to negotiate a ton of roadblocks that have been in place for years - not to mention the fact that the current government are cutting funding whilst decrying the lack of people going into social work. can you blame them? it’s not a field i’d like to enter into while it’s in it’s current state.
the thing is, it isn’t that Occupy hasn’t got any reasons, it’s just that there’s so many reasons to protest that it’s bordering on the ridiculous. truth be told EVERYONE should be out protesting right now. that’s how bad it is. and then you’ve got people like herman cain complaining that people who are successful shouldn’t have to help out people who aren’t - but you know, if he gave a shit about anyone but himself and his rich buddies, surely helping out, the rich taking tax cuts that would be nothing but a drop in the ocean to them just to give the most vulnerable a helping hand would be the RIGHT thing to do? where’s the concern for his fellow man? it’s that kind of blinkered attitude adopted by the wealthy that forces people out to protest.
(via camembertlylegal)
…under the proviso of something comfy to sit on and an unending supply of painkillers.
See, I’ve been avidly watching the Occupy movement happening over in the States and I’m crossing my fingers that it will take off here. The government here, much like many others, are only interested in you if…this was too long too put in a reply, sorry! but that’s so awful. my mom has fibromyalgia and a couple of other associated pain disorders and has had to deal with a lot of similar problems here in the states with health benefits and all of that. she has pre-existing conditions so she can’t get health insurance, and to qualify for disability she would have to be out of work for what adds up to two entire years before she would actually see any money. it’s depressing that there are so many of the same kinds of problems there as there are here. so much for governments giving even the slightest shit about their countries’ citizens, right?
first off, i’m sorry about your mum. it’s a shitty illness and it’s made even shittier by the fact that there is nowhere near enough cash going into research for treatments and cures.
they don’t give one tiny bit of a shit - and that’s the problem. they seem to have this messed up reverse robin hood thing going on where they want to conserve all of the wealth for themselves and leave nothing for everyone else. the problem is, where do they think all of their luxury items are going to come from if the working people just down tools and tell them to go fuck themselves? honestly though, i am under no illusion that we are slightly more privileged than folk in the states - the poverty problem there is even worse than ours, largely thanks to (thank fuck) the NHS (that the government are attempting to dismantle as we speak despite protestations to the contrary but that’s a whole other post) - if it wasn’t for free healthcare, a lot of us would be even more fucked than we already are. i genuinely couldn’t live in the states. i’d be broke and on the streets within a week. As feeble as the gesture was, i have to give kudos to obama for acknowledging the Occupy movement - i think people probably need to bear in mind that he’s often tried to put valid legislations through that would help people in bad positions but he’s been opposed and barred by the stranglehold that the GOP currently have over the house. I know Occupy has no political affiliation but that’s just a fact. He’s a lesser of two evils, in my opinion.
as i said earlier, EVERYONE should be entitled to free or affordable healthcare. that isn’t a ‘socialist’ thing, that’s a human thing. EVERYONE should be entitled to a little help when the shit hits the fan. Without exception.
oh don’t even get me started on the cries about socialism somehow infiltrating the country. never mind that the police and fire departments, public schools, and postal service are all government run “socialist” amenities that everyoneneglects to decry the same way as the idea of universal healthcare. it’s absurd that something like the basic health and survival of the people gets so easily pushed aside for the sake of greed.
it seems ridiculous to me that obama shoulders all the blame for the lack of progress in this country, when it’s just a complete lack of cooperation between parties. the issues that have been made a priority in the media and whatnot are such insulting bullshit. like, really? let’s not address the complete failure of the socioeconomic structure in the country, but OH MY GOODNESS gay people want to get married! and OH NO there are ladies who don’t want to have babies and stay in the kitchen! it’s ridiculous.
i hope the occupy movement does take off there, and i really hope it ends up doing some good all around. either way, things obviously can’t continue how they are for too terribly much longer.
oh jesus, we could go on forever about that - things are ‘socialist’ when it doesn’t fit in with their world view. ‘they’ primarily being the radical right-wing end of the GOP and the tea party. it astounds me that more people don’t see their hypocrisy. not to mention that working class people are willing to vote for them when they’re the people they want to fuck over. they prey on people’s fear of god to win votes when god shouldn’t even factor into the business of running a country.
the mainstream media only report on things they can sensationalise, or things they can use to keep people fearful of what’s around the corner - a fearful populace is easier to control and they fucking know it. what they (and the powers that be) haven’t banked on is the fact that now a lot of people, mostly the younger generation, are getting wise to it and don’t want to see their country fucked to hell in 20 years (or less) by people who will likely be dead by then or too old to give a shit once they’ve retired to their plush little country homes. i think (or at least like to think) that a good percentage of people can see that the GOP should take their fair share of blame for the lack of progress in the US in the last 3-4 years. not to mention the fact that it was bush who left the country in such a mire in the first place with his illegal wars and such.
i really, genuinely hope these people start to listen because eventually, something has to give and then they will have even angrier people on their hands who are willing to do more than just protest. after all, what has anyone got to lose when they have nothing to begin with?
(via camembertlylegal)
…under the proviso of something comfy to sit on and an unending supply of painkillers.
See, I’ve been avidly watching the Occupy movement happening over in the States and I’m crossing my fingers that it will take off here. The government here, much like many others, are only interested in you if…this was too long too put in a reply, sorry! but that’s so awful. my mom has fibromyalgia and a couple of other associated pain disorders and has had to deal with a lot of similar problems here in the states with health benefits and all of that. she has pre-existing conditions so she can’t get health insurance, and to qualify for disability she would have to be out of work for what adds up to two entire years before she would actually see any money. it’s depressing that there are so many of the same kinds of problems there as there are here. so much for governments giving even the slightest shit about their countries’ citizens, right?
first off, i’m sorry about your mum. it’s a shitty illness and it’s made even shittier by the fact that there is nowhere near enough cash going into research for treatments and cures.
they don’t give one tiny bit of a shit - and that’s the problem. they seem to have this messed up reverse robin hood thing going on where they want to conserve all of the wealth for themselves and leave nothing for everyone else. the problem is, where do they think all of their luxury items are going to come from if the working people just down tools and tell them to go fuck themselves? honestly though, i am under no illusion that we are slightly more privileged than folk in the states - the poverty problem there is even worse than ours, largely thanks to (thank fuck) the NHS (that the government are attempting to dismantle as we speak despite protestations to the contrary but that’s a whole other post) - if it wasn’t for free healthcare, a lot of us would be even more fucked than we already are. i genuinely couldn’t live in the states. i’d be broke and on the streets within a week. As feeble as the gesture was, i have to give kudos to obama for acknowledging the Occupy movement - i think people probably need to bear in mind that he’s often tried to put valid legislations through that would help people in bad positions but he’s been opposed and barred by the stranglehold that the GOP currently have over the house. I know Occupy has no political affiliation but that’s just a fact. He’s a lesser of two evils, in my opinion.
as i said earlier, EVERYONE should be entitled to free or affordable healthcare. that isn’t a ‘socialist’ thing, that’s a human thing. EVERYONE should be entitled to a little help when the shit hits the fan. Without exception.
(via camembertlylegal)
Why I Want To Occupy…
…under the proviso of something comfy to sit on and an unending supply of painkillers.
See, I’ve been avidly watching the Occupy movement happening over in the States and I’m crossing my fingers that it will take off here. The government here, much like many others, are only interested in you if you’re a ‘productive’ member of society. According to them, I am not. See, over the last 4 years, I’ve been diagnosed with CFS, anxiety, depression and more recently, Fibromyalgia. All of which are ‘invisible’ illnesses. Meaning the key catchphrase for anyone that meets you is ‘but you don’t look ill’.
People with illnesses like mine are often used as a scapegoat, referred to as ‘scroungers’ and ‘workshy’ by people with little to no knowledge of any of the conditions, just the fact that someone doesn’t ‘look’ ill. Obviously I attempt to make myself appear slightly more human when I leave the house - What they don’t see behind closed doors is the constant pain and discomfort, the panic attacks, the struggle some days to get around the house, let alone anything else. Not even the strongest painkillers (excluding the ones that would put an elephant to sleep) help, most of the time.
As it stands at the minute, I am currently attending college (one and a half days per week) to get a foundation degree in Graphic Design. This is the second time I have attempted the course. The last time I tried it, I got sick in January and ended up barely able to drag myself around the house, never mind the mile to my local college. It was decided by my tutors (with reluctant agreement from myself) that for the sake of my health, I suspend my studies and re-take the following September. Currently, I am managing for now but such is the nature of the illness, I never know when things will flare up again. The pain is constant, but I am forcing myself through it - the ends justify the means.
So there’s the background - but here’s the problem. I am currently in receipt of state benefits for my myriad illnesses but I know, at any time, I may get called in for a medical, run by ATOS origins (look up information on them - fucking frightful organisation). Who are currently under instruction (not explicitly stated, but fucking true) to remove EVERYONE off benefits unless they are literally bed-bound, and in some cases not even then. So thanks to the government, next time I get called to go, I will more than likely get my benefits taken away. Do you know why? Because I am attending college to try and get myself into a position where I CAN work for myself and manage my hours AROUND my conditions - something that a 9-5 job cannot give me. Being able (or at least forcing myself) to attend a 1.5 day-per-week college course, to them translates as me being perfectly healthy and able to work 40 hours a week, which is just ludicrous to anyone sane - but alas perfectly rational to them. Essentially, I will be punished for doing something to remove myself from the welfare system.
The only reason I am even able to go to college is that my tutors are fully aware of the situation and give me maybe a little more leeway than I would be given than if I was a regular student. I get disabled student privileges, which means I can use the lifts, and get a little more time to complete certain things. They’ve been so good to me but the fear is that without my housing/incapacity benefit, there will be nothing keeping us afloat. If that goes tits up, I have nowhere to go, no means to pay for my home/food/utilities and essentially i’ll be up shit creek. I get a loan from Student Finance but that will cover my course fees with little left over - so what’s the point of being able to pay for college if I’m not going to be able to afford to live?
Thankfully, I have family who are helpful and understanding - but what of the people who don’t have that kind of support network? David Cameron, in his big speech to the tory conference yesterday, had the nerve to say that the rich were bearing the brunt of the government cuts. It’s a lie. It’s an outright lie but who will listen when any of us point that out?
The ruling party is in bed with the bankers and won’t dish out the punishment they deserve - so the rest of us have to fucking suffer. I also noticed he went to great pains to point out that people’s ‘hard work’ will be rewarded - which is great, good for them. But what of us who are unable to contribute in such a way? What of us who would very much like to contribute but can’t? Do we not matter?
To them, I don’t think we do. So, on the proviso of a comfy seat and all the painkillers (ALL THE PAINKILLERS) I would very much like to occupy.
It has come to the point where the government are deaf to us - and we must make them start listening, by any means necessary.
