Save The NHS - 1st April Campaign

Armchairarmy 1^st Chairborne Division (Twitter Campaign) supporting the NHS
 

·         Over 60 years ago the NHS was created during the aftermath of the 2^nd  World War, (see Archive video below including an interview of William Beveridge) in spite of the country having massive debts. It was started because of an ideal that good healthcare should be available to all, regardless of wealth. The central principles were clear: the health service would be available to all and financed entirely from taxation, which meant that every tax payer contributed to it.

·         Along the way there have been many changes but the changes that the present government are intent on bringing about will be huge and devastating.

·         Remember Cameron’s words before the election ‘I'll cut the deficit, not the NHS’ but already there have been more than 50,000 potential job cuts announced across the country.

·         This government like nothing more than using the words ‘freedom’,‘choice’ & ‘liberation’. But don’t be fooled. Just as they want to ‘free’people from the ‘shackles’ of public sector jobs so they can become entrepreneurs, their insistence that their changes will bring patients more choice, is just a cover for their ideological driven policies.

·         Everyone has benfitted in some way from this valuable institution so please join the Armchair Army on 1st April to email the media and fight for our NHS.

On Friday 1^st April the TUC have called for a day of action across the country. Our day of action will be online. Please support us in our online email campaign.

EMAIL CONTACTS: (You may need to copy and past these links into your browser)

TV PROGRAMMES

1 BBC mike.sergeant@bbc.co.uk

2 Have your say bbc.co.uk/haveyoursay

3 ITV Tonight mailto: tonight@itv.com

4 Channel 4 News news@channel4.com

5 Five studio@five.tv

6 Sky news@sky.com & newsonline@bskyb.com

7 Newsnight newsnight@bbc.co.uk

8 Politics Show politicsshow@bbc.co.uk

9 Andrew Marr show http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/andrew_marr_show/8379560.stm (Leave comment)

10 form for This week with Andrew Neal http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/this_week/contact_us/default.stm


NEWSPAPERS:

            11 The Independent
            News:newseditor@independent.co.uk
            Letters: letters@independent.co.uk 

12 The Guardian
News: home@guardian.co.uk
Letters: letters@guardian.co.uk

13 The Morning Star
News: lettersed@peoples-press.com

14 The Evening Standard
Letters: letters@standard.co.uk

15 The New Statesman
editorial@newstatesman.co.uk

16 The Telegraph
Letters: dtletters@telegraph.co.uk

17 The Mirror
Letters: mailbox@mirror.co.uk

18 The Times
News: editor@the-times.co.uk
Letters: letters@the-times.co.uk

19 The Sun
News: editor@the-sun.co.uk
Letters: talkback@the-sun.co.uk

20 The Daily Mail
News: editorial@dailymailonline.co.uk
Letters: letters@dailymail.co.uk

21 The Observer
editor letters@observer.co.uk

If you want to contact your MP and why not? Here’s a useful link to find your MP’s email address: http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/

Armchair Army: BEC CORN Guest Blog

I neednt say anymore.....wonderful guest blog...

Armchair Activism - My Story BEC CORN. 

I took a step for an alternative today, I joined the march against irresponsible, ideological, damaging, cuts to the social fabric of our society - and I didn't leave my armchair. I couldn't in fact, because I'm suffering from a debilitating auto-immune condition which makes me the ‘one in ten’, one of the 1.3 million disabled people in the UK. 

But I am angry and I will not let this get in the way of my voice being heard. I joined the First Chair-bourne Division of the Armchair Army and I am spending my day on a virtual march of e-campaigning - in solidarity, realising a vision of empowerment, part of the growing movement demanding reversal of this policy.

I am a postgraduate student, with a successful academic history, and the world at my feet. But I face an epic personal struggle with a disease that threatens my mobility and my life chances, and I am scared about what this will mean for my future. Since diagnosis I have applied for government support so that I can buy walking aids, employ carers, adapt my home, and use taxis to attend hospital appointments - so that I don't become isolated and at risk. I was refused at first try, even told by the Job Centre advice line that it is now normal procedure to turn down a first application, and I await a tribunal which will take place in the summer, to prove that my needs are 'real' enough to be worthy. I am being taught that my disability means that I am to be presumed a fraudster and must remain disempowered and excluded until I can prove I am genuine. This is a total reversal of the philosophy that used to be at the heart of our society. This is what cuts mentality does.

I used to be a student union president and I studied law. I know my rights and I will fight for them. But what about the next person of the one in ten, what about the next of the 1.3 million whose access to society is sidelined? When identity and potential is ignored, facilities for self-education closed down, transport services cancelled, how many will be excluded beyond view? We cannot let this happen.

I am marching from my armchair, to protest a structural adjustment policy akin to much of what the developing world has experienced over the last half of the last century; a removal of government subsidies in education, destruction of health and welfare services, decimation of access and advice services which support the excluded and incapacitated, which amounts to the most dramatic dismantling of the social justice framework since the second world war. I am part of a movement demanding an alternative.

Whilst between 250,000 and 500,000 are marching, more than 2,000 who can’t attend physically have committed to Armchair Activism, and this is just the beginning. The cuts are affecting those least likely to have the means and ability to be on the march, those whose voices are so often missing from the political dialogue - and this, the growing movement of virtual solidarity, is a chance for empowerment as well as change.

We are not fooled. We know this neoliberal ideology. We didn't vote for it because we don't want it. Please learn from the anti-war march – we were right then, and we are right now. We say "reverse this policy before you destroy our society, please".

Sent to: mike.sergeant@bbc.co.uk; tonight@itv.com; news@channel4.com; studio@five.tv; news@sky.com; newsonline@bskyb.com; newsnight@bbc.co.uk; politicsshow@bbc.co.uk; editor@timesonline.co.uk; news@mailonsunday.co.uk; editor@independent.co.uk; lette...rs@independent.co.uk; home@guardian.co.uk; letters@guardian.co.uk; letters@standard.co.uk; codone@newstatesman.co.uk; dtletters@telegraph.co.uk; letters@the-times.co.uk; nick.clegg.mp@parliament.uk; nickclegg@sheffieldhallam.org.uk; camerond@parliament.uk 

More of Bec can be found at   www.rebeccacorn.com/blog 

A Thank YOU for being part of Armchair Army

Thank you to all who took part from the information I was able to share on the First Chairbourne Division post on this blog.

That really is all I can say. Amazing numbers viewed the info, and personally I know that majority of those views DID take part.

Please I could help with the info hosting.

Jules.

Is There a difference? First Class or Second?

My Invisible Disability, sometimes makes me feel displaced, uncomfortable, contagious - that bit is called disphoria. My Illness is inside me. in my bloodstream, hurting my body. I have already been damaged inside by this thing that will not go. It hurts sometimes, it makes me tired, angry, depressed. Anyway SOMETIMES I may look "Odd" in public - " Uncomfortable" , or something like that anyway. It also really does do my head in sometimes too. I have secondary and tertiary problems. They come and go as they wish. All related to the primary.

I give you this:

Don't stare or worse turn away from a person with a disability, we are all human beings who deserve love and respect. Your ignorance, Is your problem. ~A.S

(That I think also means ignore or exclude)

If you would like to repost I would be most grateful it's so wrong that disabled people are treated like second class citizens!!

But Any re-post - please credit Virtualgherkin.blogspot.com 

Benefits of 40+

Perks of reaching 40, 50 or being over 60 and heading towards 70!

01....Kidnappers are not very interested in you.

02..In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.

03. No one expects you to run--anywhere.

04. People call at 9 PM and ask,"did I wake you?"

05. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.

06.There is nothing left to learn the hard way.

07. Things you buy now won't wear out.

08.You can eat supper at 4 PM.

09. You can live without sex but not your glasses.

10.You get into heated arguments about pension plans.

11. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.

12.You quit trying to hold your stomach in no matter who walks into the room.

13. You sing along with elevator music.

14.Your eyes won't get much worse.

15. Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.

16.Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the national weather service.

17. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either.

18.Your supply of brain cells is finally down to manageable size.

19. You can't remember where you saw this list.

20. And you notice these are all in Big Print for your convenience.

Tell people about this list, those that you can remember, anyway!

And never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night

 

The First Chairbourne Division.....

is a group set up for people who are unable to attend the march on 26th March, either because of
ill health, 
disability, 
lack of funds, 
event location being too far away, 
family/work commitments 
or other reasons.


The group is to provide a way for people to show their support for the TUC march. 


The group has been set up to demonstrate a virtual attendance, by making a pledge to bombard the media (TV/
newspapers) with letters/emails of support for the march and/or personal stories about how the cuts (all cuts) are
going to affect us and others around us.


If you think this is agood idea and would like to join in, you can either compose your own letters/emails or if you
prefer you can use a draft letter, which will be posted here before the 26th March, to edit and use for your own
message.


We are in process of composing a list of email addresses to various people in the media, which will also be posted
here.


We would like people, where possible, to send their emails while the march is taking place. If this isn’t possible,
just send when you can. The more emails, the bigger impact.


We do hope you will support this idea to give voice to our feelings about the cuts being imposed on us.




For people who do not use Facebook, we will blog with relevant updates here.


PLEASE HELP MAKE THIS A MASSIVE SUCCESS!

-------------------------------------

THE Media Contacts to email, and General Info 

• Clegg http://www.dpm.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/contact-deputy-prime-ministerSubject select (Contact the Deputy Prime Minister's Office) then press go.
• Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/nickclegg (please join before the event as we will all comment and @ the end of the event we will all leave his page)

OR nick.clegg.mp@parliament.uk / nickclegg@sheffieldhallam.org.uk

• Cameron https://email.number10.gov.uk/ Subject select (Contact the Prime Minester's office) Then press go 
• OR Camerond@parliament.uk
• Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/DavidCameron (please join before the event as we will all comment and @ the end of the event we will all leave his page)

TV & RADIO PROGRAMMES

• Newsnight newsnight@bbc.co.uk
• Channel 4 News news@channel4.com
• ITV Tonight mailto:tonight@itv.com
• studio@five.tv
• BBC mike.sergeant@bbc.co.uk
• Politics Show   politicsshow@bbc.co.uk.

• PM Radio 4 http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/pm/contact/

• Today Programme Radio 4 http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/contact_today/default.stm

 Andrew Marr..copy and paste letter to the form on his web site:-http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/andrew_marr_show/8379560.stm

•  Sky news@sky.com  & newsonline@bskyb.com
• Able Radio (Disability Radio) studio@ableradio.com

NEWSPAPERS:

• Guardian - individual journalists - Firstname.lastname@guardian.co.uk 
• polly.toynbee@guardian.co.uk 
• michael.white@guardian.co.uk
• Daily Mail - news@dailymail.co.uk
• Daily Mail Online - editorial@dailymailonline.co.uk
• Kevin Maguire at the Mirror no email but he's on Twitter
• Kevin Maguire @Kevin_Maguire

• The Telegraph – dtnews@telegraph.co.u
• The Sunday Telegraph -     stnews@telegraph.co.uk  
• Daniel Knowles is an Assistant Comment Editor at Telegraph.co.uk.  
• He writes about politics and economics and is @dlknowles on Twitter. 
• Telegraph andrew.gilligan@telegraph.co.uk
• The Independent -  newseditor@independent.co.uk
• johann@johannhari.com & Johann on Twitter johannhari101
• Independent Online - m.king@independent.co.uk
• Daily Star (spit!!) news@dailystar.co.uk
• Daily Star Online - geoff.marsh@dailystar.co.uk
• The Sun - exclusive@the-sun.co.uk
• The Scottish Sun (didn’t know there was one!) kennyangove@the-sun.co.uk

How Do You Sleep At Night Mr Cameron?

New Homes / Re- let homes and Affordable rents.

'Affordable rents' will increase costs to public purse

Housing association Family Mosaic has published groundbreaking research into the impact of reletting existing homes on new "affordable rents".

Family Mosaic welcomes the principle behind the government's plans, but commissioned the research because it was worried that rent levels of 80% of market rents would be too high for the people it wants to house in London. So the association asked independent researcher Mark Lupton to look at what would have been the impact had 50 new tenancies granted within its stock in November and December 2010 been relet at 80% or at 60% of market rent.

The research, published in 'Mirror, signal, manoeuvre: Our drive to provide more social housing' found that, had these 50 homes been let at 80% of market rents,  the housing benefit bill for these 50 tenants would have increased by 151%; at 60% of market rents the bill would have increased by 68%.

The research found that the impact on Family Mosaic's tenants will vary by location, with those living in inner London the hardest hit. At 80% of market rent, seven inner London properties in the study would have seen increases of over £200 a week. Outside London, however, these increases would have been less than £50 per week.

In contrast, most of the sample properties in Essex had social rents that are already at 60-80% market rates.

The report concludes that, for those tenants receiving benefits, the proposed new affordable housing model creates, or worsens, the poverty trap, acting as an additional disincentive to gain employment.

Family Mosaic CEO Brendan Sarsfield says, "We are determined to deliver more homes, but this look in the mirror tells us that the new model creates problems for our residents. Market rents per se are not the problem – we have used them in temporary housing for many years. The challenge now is can we make higher rents work as a long-term solution during welfare reform and public spending constraints."

____________________

Comment: There have been many discussions on this, and the extra revenue to be gained by the Landlords to invest into more homes. But if the differential, in the North, Is low between Social Rent and Affordable rent  1)The poverty trap exists even at Social Rent Levels for a LOT of people, and 2) In the North (and many places) The additional revenue would be negligible and the critical mass needed to generate enough to build one extra home would be difficult nigh impossible. This is what affordable rent is supposed to be for. To Generate investment into more homes. It Works in Affluent areas. The poorer or deprived areas are left out again, as the modelling of it requires a base product that frankly doesnt exist in most of the North of England.  - Jules

Take Time out NOT to forget How wonderful people can be....

   The  prize doesn't always go to the most deserving...

   

Irena  Sendler

There recently  was a death of a 98 year-old lady named Irena. During WWII, Irena, got  permission

to work in the   Warsaw Ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist. She had an 'ulterior  motive'.

She KNEW what the  Nazi's plans were for the Jews, (being German.) Irena smuggled  infants

out in the bottom  of the tool box she carried and she carried in the back of her  truck

a burlap sack,  (for larger kids).  She also had a dog in the back that she trained  to bark

when the Nazi  soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers of course wanted  nothing to do

with the dog and  the barking covered the kids/infants noises. During her time of doing  this,

she managed to  smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants.

She was caught,  and the Nazi's broke both her legs, arms and beat her  severely.

Irena kept a  record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a  glass jar,

buried under a  tree in her back yard.

After the war,  she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it and reunited the  family.

Most had been   gassed. Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes or  adopted.
 Recently, Irena  was up for the Nobel Peace Prize... She was not selected.

However, Al Gore  won, for a slide show on Global Warming and Barack Obama

won for a speech  on peace.

There are Six Life Truths. So SMILE.

Six Truths in Life

1.   You cannot stick your tongue out and look up at the ceiling at the same time, a physical impossibility due to the tendons within your neck. 

 

2.  All idiots, after reading #1 will try it.



















3.  And discover #1 is a lie. 















4. You are smiling now because you are an idiot.   
















5.  You soon will forward this to another idiot. 









6.  There is still a stupid smile on your face. 









I sincerely apologize about this but I'm an idiot and I needed company.