Urgent Need to End Reliance on Oil.

The decision by the oil cartel OPEC and its allies to cut oil production in order to force up the price for consumers and businesses is a stark reminder that we are still far too reliant on oil. We have an urgent need to close oil fired power stations; Thatcher’s project to close coal fired power stations with oil fired stations was a step backward; we need to enable the expansion of clean coal fired power stations using British coal. There needs to be also a commitment by British car manufacturers to increase the supply of cars that are fuel efficient or electrically driven. Before taxpayers money is given to Jaguar or Land Rover we need to see a plan to develop fuel efficient vehicles. Government should fix a a yearly target by which we can measure the decline of imported oil.

Abuse of Vulnerable Elders.

Now that the “Baby P” , we are still denied his name and he is still denied dignity even in death, has received serious attention in media and government circles we hope that the same tenacity to get things right will be applied to the elderly in care homes.   There have been and there still are documented cases of the abuse of the elderly in care homes.   Vulnerable, elderly adults need protection from abuse as much as children do.

The government really needs to address concerns in regard to vulnerable elderly people.   Not only are some elderly in homes daily abused but some families also abuse their vulnerable relatives.  There needs to legislation to extend the same rights to vulnerable adults as has been done for vulnerable children.

“Devastating report” – “Baby P.” Case.

We now  know the result of the ‘inspectors” report into the failures of care concerning the children’s ervices department at Haringey Council. The appears to have been an appalling failure in regard to the duty of care for “Baby P.” who is still denied a name.  It is alleged that “agencies acted in isolation”; there was “poor gathering recording and sharing of information”; “there was insuficient management supervision”.  These were obvious failings that should have been avoided; it means the lessons from the Climbie case were not learned.  It is essential that not only is there new leadership but funds are earmaked for the further training for staff and adequate funding is made for staffing.

It is highly likely that there are more “Baby P.” type cases around and no social service department should ignore the warning signs.  Every social service department everywhere should immediately examine its procedures and ensure children under their care are protected. We as citizens should also be alert to any suspected wrong doing by adults towards their children and be prepared to report, ensuring complaints are logged, suspected abuse to the authorities.

The Tragedy of Baby P.

It seems we are unable to give some dignity to “Baby P” because he is even denied in public a name, the abuse continues in death.  

Last time we wrote about this topic we probably wrote in anger but we felt angered by the Haringey Director of Children and Young People’s Services stating in public no one would be sacked for any failings; it seemed arrogant and ill judged. The government has taken the correct step of ordering a thorough inquiry and we await the result of that.  We also feel the lynch mob having a go at the leader of the council, who has given a proper apology, was alarming and gives rise to the belief there are sinister political undercurrents active on this case and using “Baby P’s” death as a means to have a go at a Labour authority; it is the senior professional(s) who may have let the council down not the Labour leadership.  But we should wait for the report before making any judgements.  

Ofsted has announced that four children die every week from the result of abuse and we are sure this goes across political boundaries. Inspections of 44 local authorities have indicated according to Ofsted a fifth being found at fault.  This is very alarming. There needs to be a thorough check in all local authorities to ensure that they are conscious of the importance of duty of care for vulnerable children and corrective measures are employed.  It is very sad that out there in our modern society there are people who think of nothing in abusing their children- this is very distressing.

DOOM-MONGERS GALORE.

We grow weary with countless assemblies of doom-mongers that queue to publicize their prophecies for economic doom: CBI: Chambers of Commerce various specialist agencies; experts from the “City” . yes, we know we are in a recession, so starkly obvious, yet do we really need these predictions;  we know unemployment will increase; companies will shred jobs or close. What we want to know is what will they do help the economy back to its feet; we don’t want doom-mongers; we want positive contributions as to how the economy will recover. So far Gordon Brown and the Labour government are the only people putting economic recovery on the agenda.

MEDIA HYSTERIA 2 – “BABY P”.

The next story has a more relevant familiarity.  Did  care and health professionals  fail in their duty of care towards baby P.  Baby P. was 17 months old and had suffered from constant abuse from it is alleged his mother, her partner and a lodger.  Over 60 visits had been made to see baby P.  by professionals, they had been involved in monitoring baby P. who was under the Haringey child protection scheme.  Unfortunately, it is the same Haringey Social  Services  that faced criticism from the Laming Inquiry on Victoria Climbie’s death. Lessons were supposed to have been learnt – clearly they were not. On this occasion press criticism has some validity and care and health professionals failed to see the signs of abuse – constant abuse. 

Some apparatchik from Haringey social services was  interviewed on TV news programmes assuring the general public that no one would be fired for this crime. She indeed went on to claim lessons will be learned – those same lessons that should have been learned after the Victoria Climbie case.  No doubt the social workers concerned work under great pressure but in this case as before someone in management authority let them and baby P. down, If anyone should be fired it should be the most senior personnel  in Haringey social services.  Something has gone seriously wrong, this case should never have happened there should be an inquiry; firing someone senior may not bring baby P. back to life but it will make the minds of senior care staff concentrate on ensuring this never, never happens again. There has been a catastrophic failure of duty of care.

New Social Housing.

We accept there is a need for social housing, we believe that any social housing planned should not follow the old model of whole streets and wards composed of rented property.  Any new project ought to avoid the mistakes of the past and new social housing should include a majority of shared ownership and or property for sale.  We hope that this would lead to socially mixed neighbourhoods. They should include facilities for adequate vehicle parking, general clinics, youth and entertainment centres.  Above all, we need to avoid the drab council owned estates of old.  Tenants should be tied to renewable contracts so that a check can be kept on their needs and that they are socially responsible.

Racism & the Labour Party.

Is Trevor Phillips right?  Would President-Elect Barak Obama if he had been a UK citizen  found it impossible to achieve the prime ministership here?  Leaving aside the totally different political and constitutioonal set up here – does Trevor Phillips have a point?  Are  constituency Labour parties applying institutional racism?  Trevor Phillips thinks that the Tories have proved recently to have been more enlightened  on selection procedures!  We fear Trevor Phillips may have a point, racism is still well embedded in our society and the Labour Party is a reflection as indeed are other political parties of British society.  Perhaps a party list system through proportional representation would be a fast way of dealing with this but we fear that electoral reform is just not on any agenda at the moment. Meanwhile, if Trevor Phillips is right then we will continue to have what we have.

Fiasco & Farce at the BBC.

We hope that in the near future the morons who govern the BBC will act to end the hiring of like minded infantile morons “entertainers” with high bonuses and salaries. It is a gross misuse of public funding for the BBC to pay such high salaries and bonuses to people who are basically nobodies and who would otherwise be obscure, lesser beings such as R. Brand & J. Ross.  We hope the moronic bosses at the BBC will not only sack these individuals, these particular miscreants but learn that overpaid entertainers belong to the past. The license fee is now £139.50 per annum and that monies raised should now be focussed on digital radio and tv development; high quality drama and programmes of general public and scientific interest.

Reduce the Basic Interest Rate.

We urgently need a substantial reduction in the basic interest rate and this needs to be passed on by the banks to their customers. The economy needs a boost; it was a fundamental error that the Babk of England Monetary Policy Committee allowed an increase in the basic interest rate in the past which has contributed to our current problems. We also need a dash of Keynesian economics we must at all costs combat this recession.