yo lo ya lay lo lo hey a ya lol lo - my love is the wind as i race down a high wayI am still buzzing after the show at the Friars 40th Anniversary gig in Aylesbury on Monday. What a night! We hooked up with old friends from the Pretty Things and Groundhogs and our old mate Arthur Brown as well friends from way back when and from all over. One of the high lights of the night was having some time with Peter Jenner from the old Blackhill Enterprises days when he was our manager. Great to see him and all who turned out for what proved to be a very nostalgic ( I don’t do that much) and emotional evening. Many thanks to David Stopps and his team who made it a night to remember and thanks for the award guys.
I’d like to say a huge thank you to our crew Andrew and Rick who always work extremely hard to make it all happen for us.
So, while we were “fiddling” in Aylesbury Westminster carried on burning and the drip drip of rats afraid to drown with their leader has now turned into a steady stream leaving the sinking ship that is New Labour. After a great deal of thought I have decided not to participate in any election until the opportunity to support real change exists. I used to believe that it was every one’s duty to vote in order to participate in and to maintain the democratic process.
While I feel there is no obvious nor indeed any likely credible candidate to replace Brown in any party, there must be a change that will herald some real and radical reform. I think I can just smell the faintest scent of new possibility some where on the winds of change but I am not sure where it is coming from. What do you think?
Some of you will remember the post I wrote about the disgraceful de-registration of nurse Margaret Haywood for whistle blowing about maltreatment of patients at The Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton. Perhaps it is no surprise that she is not the only one who seems to have been badly treated by the medical regulatory bodies.
Dr David Southall the UK’s leading Child Protection consultant has been struck off the register by the BMC for misconduct. A mother interviewed by him in the presence of a senior Social Worker complained to the BMC that he had accused her of murdering her child. The medical condition of her surviving child had instigated the enquiry undertaken by Dr Southall. Even though the social worker recorded verbatim notes of the meeting her evidence that the doctor behaved appropriately and made no accusations of any kind were ignored by the BMC and by the High Court at his appeal. I recommend you watch the current Panorama on BBC for the details. I hope you will agree this a shocking injustice. In my opinion David Southall epitomises the kind of Child Protection officer that we desperately need and while his methodology might be considered controversial his success in saving children from the grown ups is self evident. I believe what ever can be done to save the children should be done. Please check it out. I’d very much like to know what others think.
Peace
So, while we were “fiddling” in Aylesbury Westminster carried on burning and the drip drip of rats afraid to drown with their leader has now turned into a steady stream leaving the sinking ship that is New Labour. After a great deal of thought I have decided not to participate in any election until the opportunity to support real change exists. I used to believe that it was every one’s duty to vote in order to participate in and to maintain the democratic process.
While I feel there is no obvious nor indeed any likely credible candidate to replace Brown in any party, there must be a change that will herald some real and radical reform. I think I can just smell the faintest scent of new possibility some where on the winds of change but I am not sure where it is coming from. What do you think?
Some of you will remember the post I wrote about the disgraceful de-registration of nurse Margaret Haywood for whistle blowing about maltreatment of patients at The Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton. Perhaps it is no surprise that she is not the only one who seems to have been badly treated by the medical regulatory bodies.
Dr David Southall the UK’s leading Child Protection consultant has been struck off the register by the BMC for misconduct. A mother interviewed by him in the presence of a senior Social Worker complained to the BMC that he had accused her of murdering her child. The medical condition of her surviving child had instigated the enquiry undertaken by Dr Southall. Even though the social worker recorded verbatim notes of the meeting her evidence that the doctor behaved appropriately and made no accusations of any kind were ignored by the BMC and by the High Court at his appeal. I recommend you watch the current Panorama on BBC for the details. I hope you will agree this a shocking injustice. In my opinion David Southall epitomises the kind of Child Protection officer that we desperately need and while his methodology might be considered controversial his success in saving children from the grown ups is self evident. I believe what ever can be done to save the children should be done. Please check it out. I’d very much like to know what others think.
Peace
copyright e d g a r b r o u g h t o n 2009
Damned if we do and damned if we dont. The film of the doctor struck off has made me so angry. I am a senior social worker and for 14 years worked in children's services. That was several years ago and during that time I was also involved in interviewing parents and carers suspected of harming their children. It is a terrible job and frequently we had complaints made about the way we asked questions. Many of the doctors I worked with were too busy "playing god" and being impressed by slick answers given. I would have been proud of being in the room when Dr David Southall lead the interview. I no longer work in children's services, partly due to the lack of higher professionals putting children first. "Every Child Matters" as the governmant says.......how about us all demonstrating it in our professional practise and in all our dealings with children and young people? Rather have to apologise to innocent adults than have yet another Baby Peter hitting the headlines.
ReplyDeleteLike Edgar I am also waiting for a credible alternative to appear before putting my cross in the box. Hope someone of both good sense, reasonable intellegence and decent moral standing appears soon.
Glad the gig went so well.
Well,I think that there already has,but you have to look further than the labour party in my humble opinion!
ReplyDeleteIf we survive into the next century I don't think that it will be because of the policies of New Labour either,not that I wish to single them out.
Blessings,Adrian.
I think we have to be careful regards not voting when once we did. My great fear is that of the BNP vote gaining momemtum and the ignorant flag waving herd having thier ranks swelled as is happening elswhere. Whilst I agree that there is nowhere to put ones X in anger, I think it's at least important to try to cancel out any of the nazsty voters.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion is that maybe the best thing for our democracy at the moment is a 3 party split vote hung parliament, lab/con/lib-dem - thus I'll be voting lib-dem even tho' very few of thier members impress me (Mr Cable is pretty sharp).
It took me too long in my life to get off my arse and join in with the 'democracy' so I've got to keep at it. Far too many people suffered so in order to get us here - gaffer taped together society that we are. I can't realistically see any other way to get the demons out other than voting about it and taking to the streets in great number again.
Haven't watched the Panorama yet.
Peas
ramblinmad x
Brilliant gig, the EBB stole the show by a country mile IMO. Great out front sound and I could hear all the words to a couple of songs I don't know the words to!!
i didnt vote, nobody to vote for.there hasnt been anyone to vote for for at least 30 years,now look what happened,2 seats for BNP.need i say more.
ReplyDeleteShaky ground in my opinion, not voting, but I can see the point being made as to who the hell to vote for. It leaves me in a quandry personally. I've never been a great Labour supporter anyway, even less so once Tony Bliar (not a spelling error!)got his dirty hands on the country. The Tories made themselves pretty much unelectable in the late 90's, and the Libs should really remane themselves 'squibs'! So do I vote? I dunno. But then comes in the argument that not voting leaves the door wide open for the BNP, and I certainly want no part in making them electable in any way. They are an abhorrent stain on this already damaged country and giving them even the slightest wiff of any power in my mind shows just how weak this country has become.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Rob should stand as an independant and go in there and kick ass big time!? He'd get my vote! lol
Phil R.
I want to comment on the BNP success if it can be called that. Now we see the cause of our predicament in the shape of the main parties who are morally bankrupt and we clearly see the face of our enemy the BNP. Better that way. We know what we are up against and the BNP, who should be reviled - will be by most decent folks. The tiny group in the North east and North West who put them in are scum but they do not represent the majority who did not vote at all.
ReplyDeleteHold fast, don't be afraid. I take Ramblin's point that people suffered to get us here ( suffragettes etc ) but do not falter and do not join in the game just because it seems there is nothing else to do. Ignore them next time around. The BNP will not make any inroads in the general election. Any fragile credibility they may have now will dissipate in the face of the critique they will accumulate.
We need to send the message to all parties - We are better than you - we deserve better and demand it. In my opinion this can't be achieved by voting for them.
As for taking to the streets in numbers Ramblin' is right. It will come.
It's a tricky one. I tend to subscribe to my mate Howard's school of thought. He says that most people, with honourable exceptions, who want to be in Parliament are tossers. What we have to do, therefore, is vote for the tossers who are most likely to give us some of what we're looking for. The other bit of that particular philosophy is that we should vote to make sure the tossers we don't want don't get in. So I tend to hold my nose and vote not always with my heart. If that's seen as a cop-out, so be it.
ReplyDeleteI also remember staying up all night to watch the 97 election in which the highlights were seeing the self-styled mighty falling. the look on various Tory faces was well worth my vote. Like everybody else, I feel totally let down by the so-called New Labour experience, but if the system tells me that we're going to have councillors, MPs and Euro-MPs, I'll carry on holding my nose so that no BNP member can claim to be representing me. I too await the credible alternative but, in the meantime, see the recent election of 2 of the unacceptable as reason enough to compromise.
This doesn't mean, however, that I won't be singing along to Up Yours should you include it in the Leamington gig in August. Very much looking forward to that and glad to hear that Aylesbury went well.
Yours saving up for a moat so that my MP can come round and clean it,
Storyjohn
Tell us about the Chesford gigs in the 1960s please! The beginnings of feedback guitar and your hero at the time, Hendrix. I was there!!
ReplyDeleteDid you know John Lennon's father worked at the hotel at this time? and Brian Epstein arrived at the hotel one Saturday night to sort Freddie out. I was there!!
Does anyone remember Mayall and the Bluesbreakers at the hotel, as well as Screaming Lord Sutch and Buddy Rich (Steve remembers Buddy) I was there!!
Regards - I was there!!