Thread 4 Burnham: Be alert, the world needs more lerts

[DuncinToffee]

Welcome to our long running thread for political discussion, general chit chat, a friendly hug and taxes in kind. 💐🍦 for anyone who needs them.

Previous thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5561429-thread-3-burnham-receso-para-reorganizarse?page=39

Yy Mrs Jinks also rained here a bit in the night & we have a few spots this morning it feels less dusty already.
those of you caring, it’s so bloody tough & wearing both physically & mentally my heart goes out to you all💐

oh yes, the old 'force XYZ to work as carers' to fix social care.

Forced labour & the most vulnerable in society fixed as a double whammy - punishing the first group and freeing up real workers from caring too much about the second.

Yes, that gives me the rage.

It’s always the one solution that’s wheeled out first, followed by the forced voluntary work.

Thankfully <crosses fingers> we don't need/have never needed carers. Who knows what will happen as we age, though?

It really annoys me when people dismiss carers as 'unskilled'. Why do we demean their role/jobs, simply because the people they're caring for are ill or old or have disabilities? I know it's a job I wouldn't want to do/couldn't do, no matter how many qualifications I might have.

for all

Some positive news

London's ULEZ linked to improved lung growth in children, says study
https://news.sky.com/story/londons-ulez-linked-to-improved-lung-growth-in-children-says-study-13574518

That really is good news. However, it's noticeable that the BBC's reporting is much less positive, and - as ever - there always has to be a 'yes but' part of their report.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1l1r1zne1ro

e.g.
But independent researchers caution that other factors must also be considered.

...

Meanwhile, Kevin McConway, emeritus professor at the Open University, said it was important to take the full impact of Covid into account and argued that studying other cities could help tease out whether some improvements were due to unmeasured differences between London and Luton.

Why? I know that the BBC is supposed to be impartial, but why do they always have to undermine something that is positive with - frankly rather meaningless - 'opinions'?

I always imagine DS1 in that forced to be a carer group, as that's what people are asking for.

He can't even care for himself.

I think there always caveats to studies - but the Times is certainly more positive in its reporting about this story.

Shame on those politicians & constituency parties that had to be forced to condemn ULEZ related vandalism. Looking at you Chris Philp.

There is very little joined up thinking. It's all about punishment vibez.

Same with DD1, sadly. So many people have no idea at all.

On a positive note, it’s rained here as well, which we’re very grateful for. 😀

It's solving the solution with sticks and not carrots.

Some of the carers who looked after my mum were working and studying nursing in University.

To add it's rained here briefly every day since Saturday night.

We had overnight rain as well

We did too! My hydrangea is still looking very sad though :(

Carers get just over 50p an hour.

Does anybody mention the implicit removal of DBS checks in such a scenario ?

Apart from me, that is ?

Again, you can see how MN veers from real life here. Generally MN posters are obsessed with safeguarding and protections.

Like street cleaning for benefis making street cleaners redundant

It’s still raining here 😇

Been raining now for 6 hours.

Not that heavy blown in with a wind rain nor that damp air rain - just nice steady normal run of the mill rain.

It also has that lovely post rain smell. (Even though it’s still raining!).

I fear we will now have some wind and some sunshine and come the weekend we’ll be going on a bear hunt through the swishy swashy grass 😂

So sensible to create new benefit claimants. Make it make sense.

Exactly.

If there are jobs available because they need doing then they should be paid as employment.

I actually don’t have an issue with people having to do a job if there’s one available (obviously within the realms of it being possible) but if you have a job street cleaning and force it for benefits then force it for NMW as a minimum.

Good point 🤦🏼‍♀️

There's a similar attitude to forced voluntary work as there is to forced care work.
There seems to be this myth that the third sector are desperate to for the 'help' of those they have just condemned as being work shy scroungers.
No understanding that volunteers are not 'free'. They need training, support and supervision. Or that the primary duty of a charity is to its beneficiaries who are entitled to receive the service from competent people who are committed to helping.
So tired of seeing my sector framed as a combination of punishment for the lazy, dumping ground for the unemployable and free solution to unemployment.
I'm all for a well funded partnership that enables us to offer training and work experience to those who are keen, but to be expected to divert stretched resources from beneficiaries in order to mind and punish a mythical group of wasters is so reductive, and a great insult to volunteers.

Great post @5128gap

Rained a bit in t( night here too. That’s two nights running and more forecast tonight. Still not enough to help with the wild fires but better than nothing.
Im heartily sick of recycled non-solutions to unemployment. How May times has this come round now and the ‘forced work’ thing been proved -well- unworkable?
Last rehearsal for choir before tour tonight. @BestIsWest just about to DM you!

I feel you may be thinking (as many do) that in this future only one thing changes.

If you scrap benefits, then what's the worry ?