Today I find myself in absolute turmoil, like many others I live in such constant pain it drains me into fatigue and stupor; I also survive in fear and terror of that envelope which might sever my financial lifeline. Because of this I write blogs, I share information via social networks & I take part in local events courtesy of an array of pain medication.
There are two specific reasons for my disarray, yesterday I doped up and with my partner/carer went into town to the People United bus; whilst there and being me, I decided to ‘get stuck in’. There was amongst several other activities, a cardboard cut out of the PM along with post-its & pens to collect the views of people on Government Policies; so armed with said equipment, I began to try and collect opinions. Politely I approached people and asked if they were’ happy with what was happening in the Country today’ and if ‘there was one thing they could say to the PM what would it be?’; the majority of people immediately responded NO to the first point, but then to my astonishment most refused to add a comment, despite total anonymity! In 35 years of community engagement I can honestly say I’ve never come across such responses as this.
The second reason is for my confusion was my immediate response to one line in a blog – “Our forebears were prepared to give their lives to stop this sort of thing. What are we prepared to give?” The blog in question was written by Jonathan Kent and debated who had instructed the Police to infiltrate groups and gather data, from left wing protesters like Greenpeace to so called “militant Islamists”. He concluded by suggesting that maybe it isn’t Governments that were responsible but private corporations.
Without thinking my reaction was “A tweet, a post on Facebook, maybe even a blog – & what will this stop the pervasive withdrawal of our Rights & ultimately a return to Serfdom?“; and virtually as quickly, I realised my instinctive retort really bothered me. I’d unconsciously linked the fact that these ‘private companies’, who are owned by the uber-rich, are the same people who have since society began, believed they ‘owned’ the majority of the people; and that we of the 95/99% have yielded and ‘given up’ the struggle for freedom.
I am particularly disturbed because on even reflection, I can’t find good reason to ignore either my astonishment at yesterdays responses, nor my instinctive reaction to the blog. I fully acknowledge how many of us are fighting back through sharing information, and attempting to tell the truth through our multitude of social media outlets, I’m also aware of the wide range of groups coming together via The People’s Assembly, and Left Unity, but I do not believe this is enough. as I write this I have thought bubbles floating around of invisible men smirking as they watch us, striving to share the Truth.
Osborne’s Spending Review yesterday demonstrated how major negative changes are insidiously slotted into long, tedious speeches they get overlooked. The inclusion of Personal Independence Payments (formally DLA) into the Benefit Cap will mean that those of us fortunate enough to actually be awarded this life saving element of Social Security; which is supposedly granted to cover the Extra Expenses of being ill, may actually see no benefit from it. This vital payment will from 2015 no longer be excluded from income when calculating Tax, or Housing Benefit, and could therefore become void! For a fuller explanation – http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/the-cruelty-in-osbornes-csr.html?spref=fb
To return to Kent, he said People have died in the fight for privacy and freedom and I share his query, just “what are we prepared to give?“. I am in no way advocating for people to martyr themselves, there is more than enough death as a result of this Governments Reforms as it is but; I do believe people have to temporarily leave their PCs, Laptops & Phones and actively take part in something more than social media.
History, both that written down by the victors or the other sort, that passed down to us via our community elders, clearly indicates the only way ordinary people achieve positive change is to fight for it together; and I’m afraid that people generally are so caught up in the multiple webs of deceit they don’t understand this, or worse they just don’t give a damn.
I’m as guilty as anyone of not ‘giving enough’; but this time I can’t afford either morally or financially to allow my constant pain, fear, or pressure of those who care for me, to prevent me from fighting. If I truly want things to alter from the current course of destructive Policies based upon Lies , and the covert removal of my rights that my own grandpa was blown up for, I have to ACT and it has to start NOW.
The only way for me to do this is to not only join organisations actively taking up the challenge such as DPAC, but to take to the streets with them; and to engage with new projects including PPP which aims to meet with small groups/individual & link them with other groups arranging peaceful protests.
Because personally the alternative is to concede and accept I’m in thrall, surviving only at the whim of my Rich Elite Masters – and that is worse than Death in my book.
jaynelinney 