Not to long ago I got chatting to a friend about the Governments latest drive to get more people off of Unemployment and Sickness Benefit. He was saying that a lot of people are unemployed simply because there is no jobs to get. He went on to say that back in the good old days there were plenty of jobs to go round. Now…I am from the back-end of those so called good old days, I’ve been in work since I left school, The only job I could find when I left school was cleaning windows for a living. Not my idea of a living, and the wage was lousy, but hey… you have to start somewhere.

I spent 2 years in that job before another job opportunity came along. What I suppose I am saying is a job is very much like getting your foot on the bottom rung of the property ladder. These days, and back in the supposed good old days, you needed to get your foot on the bottom rung of the job ladder and take it from there. So I was not surprised when I told him I was not to sure he actually knew what he was talking about.

You need to know why I told him this before you judge me. My friend, we’ll call him Dave so he becomes a person rather than a thing, has not held a job for more than 30+ years although he trained and qualified as Arc Welder, since then his main cry has been “I have been for many interviews but the job was not the right kind of work for me.” So he has spent the last 35+ years going between sickness and unemployment benefit.

When he is summoned to undergo a Government Health Medical the doctor there finds nothing wrong with him and takes him off of sickness benefit, he then waddles along to Social Security and registers as unemployed, accepting unemployment benefit for six months. When the six months run out, and before they force him into a job, he waddles back to the doctors where by clever deception he ends up back claiming sickness benefit, although after 30+ years they know him well. And so the circle starts again. So you see that last question is very relevent I know by experience that there are a lot of individuals who go out of their way to avoid working for a living. They would rather sponge off of the Taxpayer than do an honest days work and add a little respect/self-esteem to their lives. To these people I would say enjoy it while you can, your days are numbered no matter which Government is in power.

Thats my little rant out of the way lets get back to the Government and Unemployment. I do not believe there will ever be a scenario where there will be no unemployment, and thats not because of the individuals who do not want to work, and its not because of the particular party in Government at the time. If you really think about it… How many people would you say up and down the country work for The Department Of Unemployment? My guess would be more than several thousand people. Well, what would happen to these individual if all the unemployed workers on their books were found full time employment. My guess would be the Department Of Unemployment workers would then become the unemployed paying out their own unemployment benefit while they sign on as unemployed, sending themselves for training in some other form of work.

So to me it seems like it has gone full circle and is starting again with workers who probably think even today they will never be out of work. Sadly that is not true especially if you work in the forces or the public sector.

Have you noticed the recent advert looking for those individuals who would like to make a career of the T.A. (Territorial Army) Do you smell a rat? The Government is cutting the size of our Army, yet they still advertise for recruits to join the T.A. I am willing to bet that the pay in the T.A. is nowhere near that of a full time service man or woman.

Me thinks a lot more of these recruits will start to spend more and more of there time being sent abroad to troubled spots around the world to replace those that have been sacked., and at half the wage of a full-time service man or woman I bet… That’s life…

Image: Sujin Jetkasettakorn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It goes like this. Tory policies have in the past, and it will never change, been good for the working individual that is unless you sit on the board of directors, own your own or some piece of another’s company or looking to reinstate Fox Hunting. As far as Joe Soap is concerned, no matter how much The Tory leader Mr David Cameron tries to be seen walking to the shops for a bottle of milk and his daily paper, or embracing a Hoody or Chav, remember it looks good for business, but when his guard is down, his concerns for poor Joe Soap fly out the window.

If you put the Tory leader or any other party leader (if it comes to push or shove) in to office this time around believing he/they will do a better job for this country, then you are still getting your Christmas presents from Santa Clause.

I ask you. One idea put forward by Mr Kit Malthouse of the opposition party is to scrap all tax completely with the exception of VAT. and move taxes over to being on VAT. One report I read estimated it would raise Value Added Tax to around 120% percent as opposed to the 17.5% percent at the moment. Stop and think about it for a second 120%, an Item costing £1.00 which could buy you maybe two loafs of bread would cost you £2.25p at the low end, and here is something for you gamers out there, if you take an average price for the Play Station games machine around say £300.00 and add your VAT. to that price, allowing for the 17.5 that is already on the games machine, that would add another 105.5% percent to that particular product doubling its price.

You can’t eat drink and survive on the Play Station so lets go back to that loaf of bread, if it will more than double the price of bread what is it going to do to other life essentials. This is just one of the pre-election ideas from the Tory Party and you still want vote for a party that has no idea on how to get our country back on its feet.

So you see I have a bit of a dilemma. While I am unhappy with the labour party at this moment in time, do I still vote Labour? when the time comes, if not, then who do I give my vote too. I need to vote for someone. (don’t I?)

I believe a vote for the other parties will not work either, because in truth it would appear that they’re as bad as each other. You just need to look at the expenses row across all parties. Labour may have a few right wing policies and have been seen as naughty boys (they’re all guilty), but at the end of the day they have done more for the pensioner, the working man/woman and yes even the business man has little to moan about over their time in office than any other party ever has.

If you put one of the other parties in to office pensioners and working individuals will suffer as they take back if they can, that which Labour has given to workers and pensioners. Is that not also known as bully boy tactics stealing from the most vulnerable in society, which in truth have no teeth to bite back, broadening the gap between the rich and the poor even further.

No one has proved their worth more than Gordon Brown. If anybody can pull us out of a recession it is him. Do not vote in someone who has no track record, is unable to stop jumping on band wagons, does not know is own way home and thinks VAT is away to put this country back on her feet. Don’t vote a none starter in or I feel that the hole we are now crawling out of, thanks to a man who knows money problems backward and a proven track record to back it up, will suddenly collapse and we start again. That is those of us not at the top of the Tory money tree.

Some Labour party members are saying Mr. Brown does not communicate to well… It would not bother me if he only spoke gibberish… he is the right money man for the job to take our country out of this mess and put us back at the top of the tree again. If I remember rightly our and other countries problems started in the good old U.S of A so do not use it as an excuse to put an unsuitable party with no experience into office… Well, I guess I do know who to vote for after all (when the time comes)… Don’t leave it to others… Don’t moan and groan if the Tory party do get in and you don’t like their policies… If you do not vote you have no right to moan about party policies…

Remember! whether you are a Labour party supporter, a Tory party supporter, a Liberal supporter or an Independent supporter, which ever party you vote for this is not about who’s wife looks best in what dress or who loves a Hoody. It’s about getting this country back on its feet… O’ and by the way don’t blame the recent Greece and Spain money problems on Gordon Brown either… When the time comes use your vote. If you are enjoying the extra bonuses the Labour party have put your way then vote to keep them. As sure as apples grow on trees, if an other party gets into power at this particular time one, our country goes back down the drain. Two, you will loose those extra bonuses or they will have a good try to take them back and three, better the devil you know and not a pretender.

From what I understand the Economy Bill they are trying to get through goes against the Digital Act (breaks the law ), was rushed through parliament, and passed its third run by the Tory party when few MP’s were present, certainly if not all the members that voted have no idea how internet policy operates.

What they suggest is foolish and is just not workable. Apart from being full of holes and unlawful it is spearheaded by uneducated web fools.

If the piece of information I read about is true it would appear the Government can be dismissed by the people they serve, on the grounds that they are going against the people who hired them with an unworkable Bill put together by uneducated web fools, all it takes is enough people and a spokesman to go before the Queen. Her Government was hired to serve and protect the people this Digital Bill does neither. Having said that there is no Government at the moment… is there…

We can not make up rules to suit our selves so why should the Government be allowed to make themselves exempt when they break the law to get the information they require to prove people have uploaded.

Researchers from across the pond (United States Of America) studied the lifestyles and diets of 142,605 men and 335,873 women between the dates of 1992 and the year 2000. The outcome was a weak association between a high fruit and vegetable intake and reduced cancer risk.

If you are a heavy drinker then a high fruit and veg. diet could stand you in good stead when it comes to related alcohol and smoking cancers, however, do not stop your five-a-day of fruit and veg. just yet it may not offer much help in the fight against cancers but as far as your heart goes it is still a high deterrent against heart disease and stroke.Other research into the five a day and cancer risks.

St Albans Cathedral - See footer

On the 29th, October the men left Luton and journeyed to St. Albans. St Albans is the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans, around 22 miles (35 km) north of central London. The city’s one of several places that, by repute, has the most pubs per square mile in the country. It also claims to have the oldest pub in England, in which Sir Walter Raleigh is said to have stayed, named Ye Olde Fighting Cocks. St Albans area has a long history of settlement. The Celtic Catuvellauni tribe had a settlement at Prae Hill a mile or so to the west. The Roman town of Verulamium, second-largest town in Roman Britain after Londinium, was built alongside this in the valley of the River Ver a little nearer to the present town centre. The local economy is made up mainly of offices, small enterprises, retailing and tourism -based enterprises.

The centre of the city suffers significant road traffic congestion because of the city’s many small surrounding streets, high car use, inadequate roads, poor take-up and provision of local public transport, to persuade motorists to drive around rather than through the centre. The council estimates that 75% of traffic entering the city is through-traffic. The Pic shows the Abbey Church, now St Albans Cathedral formally the Cathedral & Abbey Church of St Alban but still known locally as The Abbey.

Friday found the marchers entering Greater London here they would rest up over night at Edgeware. As a road, it runs north-west from Marble Arch, and as the A5 road, it passes underneath Marylebone Road, through Maida Vale, Kilburn and Cricklewood (as Cricklewood Broadway). It is joined by the North Circular Road before West Hendon at Staples Corner. After this, the road continues even further north, through The Hyde, Colindale, Burnt Oak, and finally, to Edgware. The pic is of a piece of Sculpture known as “The Window Cleaner” by Allan Sly outside of the tube station.

The Window Cleaner - See footer

The southern most part of the road forms part of the London Inner Ring Road and as such is part of the boundary of the London congestion charge zone. It is principally a shopping and residential area and is known by those who regularly use the London Underground as being one of the northern termini of the Northern Line. It has a bus garage, a shopping centre called The Mall, a library, a large hospital, Edgware Community Hospital, and two streams, Edgware Brook and Deans Brook, which are tributaries of the Silk Stream, which in turn merges with the River Brent at the Welsh Harp.

Finally on the morning of Saturday the 31st October the men had reached their goal, Marble Arch, almost one month after leaving their home town of Jarrow. There they were met by Alderman William Thompson, The Mayor, Mr. Charles Perkins, the Town Clerk, and a number of Jarrow councillors who had arrived overnight by train. Apart from a few poor days the weather had been on the marchers side for almost the full month. Sadly here at the the end of the line it let them down. London was in the grip of its worst downpour for months. So much so, that the men had to use their ground sheets as capes to protect them from the elements.

This then was the journey that has gone down in our history books. Some people are of the opinion that the march did little good. My own opinion is it gave standing to a town that had been crippled by loss of the very industry that England had depended on. So the way I see it Jarrow had nowhere else to go but up. The towns people did the one thing no one else had done. A march where there was no politics involved a whole community (town) was represented by 200 men who’s only crime was a need to work. This then was the Jarrow March. What ever you make of it?.

For those individuals among us who like facts and figures the Jarrow Appeal for donations brought them £1,567. 0. 5p old English pounds shillings & pence, before decimalization. If you do have an interest in who made donations to the marchers see bottom of page.

Marble Arch London - See footer

I have tried to re-create what it may have been like to march 300 miles in only the clothes you stood up in. These men/women knew what hardship and deprivation was all about. My version of the Jarrow March was inspired by The Jarrow March 1936 compiled and organised by Bede Gallery (1936)/ Bede’s World Jarrow. Text by: David Dougan, Photographic Interpretations by: Irene Reddish.

If you hold an interest in bygone days this book makes an emotional point and sticks to it. If you think the here and now is tough I would recommend you read this book.

“It reminds me of rough justice, a blind Government, and a I’m all right jack, to hell with you attitude.”

As for poverty it still exist today… will it ever be stamped out. I doubt it very much, not in my life time anyway”… Jal Jineseyo… Thank you for your visit.

This YouTube link will take you on a journey of the River Tyne, showing a slide-show of both old and new images. The background song, The Big River, is sung by Jimmy Nail.

Just like natural-tys no-longer exists neither do the shipyards… Its appropriate to use their words. “Its a song of forgotten Memories and tremendous pride and the right to be so…superb song…brilliant video.. Never forget your roots and be proud of who you are.”

Note:

• St. Alban’s Cathedral Image: Webshots
• Marble Arch Image: Webshots
• Edgeware Road The Window Cleaner Image: Wikipedia

Unemployment, what does it say about you?. Is it a means to an end?, a better future for self/family?, are you disabled and would love to work?, a necessary evil?, something to be afraid of?, or maybe to be avoided at all costs?. Which ever floats your boat it will say something about you…

I was chatting to a friend about the Governments latest drive to get more individuals off of Unemployment and Sickness Benefit. He was saying that a lot of people are unemployed simply because there is no jobs to get. He went on to say that

“back in the good old days there were plenty of jobs to go round”.

Myself, I am from the back-end of those so called good old days. I’ve been in work since I left school. The first Job I had was as a Window Cleaner, why, not exactly what I had envisaged for myself, because jobs at the time were hard to find I needed to start somewhere. So I did and now some years later I have ended up in Warehouse Management a far cry from window cleaning. Hopefully I have made my point unlike my mate who I am not to sure knows exactly what he is talking about… (and yes I have told him that)

You need to know why I told him I felt he was talking out of his backside. My friend, yes he is my friend the guy is nice enough, he just does not want to work for a living. We’ll call him Dave so he becomes a person rather than a thing. Dave has not held a job for more than 32+ years although he trained and qualified as an Arc Welder, back in is supposed ‘good old days’. since then his main cry for as long as I have known him, has been

“I have been for many interviews but the job was not the right kind of work for me”.

He left me wondering how many different types of arc welding there is, for it not to be the right one for him.

He has spent the last 34+ years going between Sickness and Unemployment Benefit. When he is sent to undergo a Government Health Medical the Doctor finds nothing wrong with him and takes him off of Sickness Benefit, he then waddles along to Social Security and registers as unemployed, accepting unemployment benefit for six months. When the six months run out and before they force him into a job he waddles back to the doctors where by clever deception he ends up back claiming Sickness Benefit, although, after 34+ years his local doctors surgery know him well and so his circle starts again.

Challenging his work or won’t work attitude is very relevant. I know by experience, there are one or two members of my own family who have gone out of there way to avoid working for a living. they would rather sponge off of the taxpayer than do an honest days work and add a little respect/self-esteem to their lives, and you can forget the there’s no jobs attitude. These phantom jobs are there they’re just low paid like mine was, but if I taken the attitude I’m better off receiving benefits I would not have ended up with a rather pleasant managerial job… get the picture… To these people I would say enjoy it while you can your days are numbered, no matter which Government is in power.

That’s my little rant out of the way lets get back to the Government and Unemployment. I do not believe there will ever be a scenario where there will be no unemployment, and that’s not because of the individuals who do not want to work, and its not because of the particular party in Government at the time.

If you really think about it. How many people would you say there are up and down the country working for The Department Of Unemployment? my guess would be more than a few thousand. What would happen to these individual if all the unemployed workers on their books were in full time/part employment?, my guess would be those working for the Department Of Unemployment and Sickness Benefit would then become the unemployed receiving their own unemployment benefit while they train for some other form of work, So to me it seems like it has gone full circle and whether you are in work hoping never to be out of work, the bread winner in your family, or someone who thinks the Government owe them a living there will always be unemployed people and a risk of becoming unemployed, and if you really do want to work then you need to get on the ladder were ever that may be.

Apparently he had been invited by a member of Parliament’s upper house, the House of Lords, to show his 15-minute film “Fitna,” which criticizes the Koran as a “fascist book.

The MP’s far-right views on Islamic affairs were a threat to “community harmony and therefore public security,” the Government commented.

The MP told The Press he had no regrets about the trip, attacking what he called “the cowards in the UK government,” and accusing British Prime Minister Gordon Brown of having a servile attitude toward Islam.

I’m in two minds as to whether the MP should have been allowed into the country.

If he had been allowed in I suppose he could have put his views across in the presence of Islamic and other faith leaders, were a debate on his beliefs could have been tested. Instead I feel we have given him a pedestal to shout of British injustice, to the rest of the world.

The present Government have made two or three mistakes but I honestly believe they have done more to help the homeless, put money where their mouth is for the elderly, have tackled a mammoth job with the health service, schools, charities, have done a fair job on unemployment, and remember there are a lot of people out there who just do not want to work no matter how much money, time, and opportunity they’re given.

Hopefully the results in the local elections is a shot across their bows just enough to let them know they seemed to be deserting the people they are supposed to represent. If you do choose to vote against Labour at the next general election be aware no opposing party has said anything about keeping any of the policies Labour have brought in. I reckon the first thing to go will be the revised winter payments, maybe a reduced pension credit, education maintenance allowance etc. Could their recent U turn on tax seen in the light of day be a genuine mistake and not a climb down as a lot of people in the other camps, seem to think it was. I would rather give them the benefit of the doubt, and listen to the man/woman that can hand on heart say I made a mistake than those that would try to brain wash you.

My views go a lot deeper, and I hope the people of this fair land are only making a point… play the game or loose the General Election.

Big Brother say it will not have a knock on effect, and I should not be concerned about my local surgery closing its doors for good, or for that matter anybody’s local doctors surgery closing down, as this will not happen. Well, I sincerely hope that they’re telling the truth, Why I hear you saying?. Well, it goes like this Tory policies have, in the past, never been good for the working individual either that, is unless you sit on the board of directors, own your own or some piece of another’s company. As far as joe soap is concerned, no matter how much David Cameron tries to be seen walking to the shops for a bottle of milk and his daily paper, or embracing a Hoodie or Chav, remember it looks good for business, but when his guard is down, his concerns for poor Joe Soap fly out the window. If you put David Cameron in to office believing he will do a better job for the working man then you are still getting your Christmas presents from Santa Clause.

Back to the question in hand poly clinic’s. Government tell us that these poly clinic’s will fit in to the hub, and our doctors surgery’s will be the spokes correct me if I am wrong, but I thought the hospitals were, and always have been the hub of our health service, and the doctors surgery was the spokes referring people to the hospitals when, and where it becomes necessary. So when I am informed building these Poly Clinics will not have a knock on effect of closing our doctors surgeries I am having a hard time believing it.

So you see I have a bit of a dilemma do I still vote Labour? when the time comes, if not then who do I give my vote too. I need to vote for someone. (don’t I?)

Voting for the other parties will not work either because in truth it would appear that they’re as bad as each other. Labour may have a few right wing policies but at the end of the day they have done more for the pensioner and the working man over there time in office than any other party has and probably will always do so. If you put one of the other parties in office it will be the pensioners and working individuals that will suffer as they take back what labour has given to workers to get the country out of debt.

At the moment the law allows the 16′s to 18′s to order a drink in a restaurant, only if it is consumed with a meal, and only if adults are present at that meal.

This age old argument generally ends up with someone pointing the finger at France, or Spain, and how they do not appear to have a problem of under age drinking as we here in the UK do.One argument on this centers around the French having a more relaxed look at alcohol.

The legal age, for drinking alcohol in France is 16 years of age however, I believe this comes with exceptions. To drink *beer on the Premises the age limit is 16 years. *Beer would include non-alcoholic beverages and those with an alcohol level under 1.2%. Fermented, non-distilled beverages (wine, beer, cider, perry), natural sweet wines under the fiscal system for wines, black-current concentrate, and fermented fruit or vegetable juice containing 1.2 to 3% alcohol. However, you would need to be 18 years to drink *spirits on the premises.<

*Spirits would include natural sweet wines other than those mentioned above, liqueur wines, wine based cocktail drinks, and strawberry, raspberry, black current or cherry liqueurs that titter under 18 degrees pure alcohol. Plus all other alcoholic beverages. Basically put: The 16′s to 18 year old would only be allowed to order beer, or some wines, hard liquor requires the drinker to be 18 years, or older.

In a NHS survey, here in the UK, it was reported that one in five secondary school pupils admitted to consuming alcohol the previous week to the amount of being drunk, and nearly two-thirds of them had stated they drink at home, at friend’s houses, or at parties. If the law was changed to harmony France would this have any effects on the under 18′s drinking culture here in the UK.

Some argue yes it would while others argue, no it wouldn’t. The argument, for looks at removing the mystery around what goes on behind the public house door. Many feel our teenage population in the past have been groomed to accepting that at 18 you would be allowed to enter this secluded past time, or should that be boy’s club. Perhaps this past attitude its-self has fuelled the fires.

Those individuals who argue no it wouldn’t say it would only makes things worse as it would only bring the problem indoors, adding more fuel to our binge drinking problems, which in turn may turn our streets into no-go area’s at night. “No matter what you believe I am sure that this age old argument is here to stay, for a little while yet”.