A sharpening of focus on health and social care.

One minute I'm recovering from an operation and writing about the needs of "older people" and the next minute, I've become the head of the oldest generation in my family, with the loss of my much loved mother.
Readers of this blog will understand that, in this time of sadness and reflection, personal issues will dominate my time. However, the human condition should always be at the forefront of any politician's thinking and I will return to my campaign and to this virtual diary - sadder but wiser - as soon as I can.
Thank you to those colleagues who have already sent their condolences to my family and myself.

Well the flesh was willing....

but the technology let me down! My laptop took exception to the smell of disinfectant and flatly refused to work in hospital. It's now receiving TLC in the hands of Dr Steve - my friendly computer man. I'm home again and feeling better than I expect the laptop does!!



While in hospital and bereft of technology, I read every newspaper that I could get my hands on - particularly the EDP - and was horrified to read of the closure plans for day centres. Apparently, closing well used day centres is all part of offering "choice" to older people throughout Norfolk. I protested against the privatisation of home care services while I was a County Councillor and now I find that day care is going the same way!! I'm sure that readers will remember the nightmare stories of elderly people sitting in their own excrement in bed, waiting for home "care" to arrive - of 24 hour gaps in the administration of medication or hot meals - often the only meal that person would have for the day! I am now registering my serious concern that providing individual budgets is all very well but if the infrastructure available for "choice" is piecemeal and of variable quality, all the money in the world will not improve the lives of vulnerable people.



I would like somebody to tell me what the choices are for older people and, for that matter, very disabled people, for whom consistency and high standards can mean the difference between a life worth living and one of pain and confusion.



The Conservative control of South Norfolk - whether it be District, County or Parliamentary levels - is failing the most vulnerable people of our society and it can't go on!

By the Way

My next post will be from my hospital bed - you can't keep a good Liberal Democrat down! Watch this space for my views on health and social care issues!

The Beginning of the End

Summertime is officially over and I for one was glad of an extra hour in bed this morning, while wondering at the same time if it was worth the effort of altering every clock, phone and piece of IT in the house!
It's always a time of reflection for me - the start of the winter months. I am doing a lot of driving around beautiful South Norfolk at the moment - talking to people. We are surrounded by the wonderful colours of Autumn but for many people Winter is already here. If you are unemployed, getting older or struggling to raise a family, the costs of cold weather are truly terrifying. If you are running a retail business, you are probably pinning your hopes on the pre-Christmas rush - will it happen, when people's priorities are more to do with keeping warm and/or eating at all?
How has this happened to Great Britain? We are not a Third World country - indeed China and India are developing at a stunning rate. The much vaunted "recovery" may well be happening in the Stock Market, or the Banks of the City (Tory heartlands both) but it certainly hasn't arrived in our market towns and villages!
Time for an election Gordon - don't hang on to the bitter end. Talk to the people of South Norfolk as I do - their bitterness is growing by the day!

Let's talk about the "E-------" word!!

Yes, I do mean expenses - MP's expenses that is. In my working life, if someone is recruited to undertake a full scrutiny and to report back, their brief is carefully prepared so that all areas of concern are dealt with. Nick Clegg is right to point out that the main issue - "flipping" of homes to bamboozle the tax man - has not been dealt with. If the review has not been thorough then it must continue - the centre of Government must not be as difficult to clean up as the Augean stables of old.
Senior Tory backbencher, Douglas Carswell MP this week declared that those who believe that climate change is happening are part of a "lunatic consensus" - how green are the Tories really? Watch this space!

Appealing?

I'm sending out my first letter asking for your help shortly - be warned! What I'm asking for is not the usual sort of support requested - although money is always useful of course - what I really want is for people who want to see a different sort of politics in South Norfolk to come out with me, or telephone people for me so that I can find out what REALLY matters to people in the constituency. You don't have to be a committee member, or even experienced as an activist - you need to want to be part of a winning team and I can't win without you!!!

I intend to make campaigning with me fun - at the same time as hard work - look at my profile on here to find my contact details and give me a call - I'll be looking forward to it.

A new policy!

I don't know about you but I think this is really interesting - and long overdue! Add credit card companies to it or increase their regulation and people will really notice that we a serious alternative to "red blue, red blue"!

http://www.libdems.org.uk/news_detail.aspx?title=Liberal_Democrats_back_radical_plans_to_give_power_back_to_consumers_&pPK=a71d2347-6c23-47f8-a6d7-9f0967e824b0

Fascinating!!

Is it me? Was the Labour conference disturbing? I think we all knew already that the Labour party would be approaching the next election as the underdog (we are now 2nd in the polls after all!) but to use "underdog"as a conference buzzword seems bizarre. The British people are generally kind and will support an underdog in some contests but, at a time when people are struggling to make ends meet, will they support a cringeing, whining creature begging for affection and offering its' belly for a scratch? I think not!

I do think however that Lord Mandelson's much vaunted phrase "If I can come back...we can come back" was a freudian slip - don't you? Surely the phrase he was thinking of was "If I can come back, anyone can" - bearing in mind his reputation, an insult to the electorate at the same time as insulting his own party!! Something of an "own goal" My Lord!

Another great speech attached as promised - this time from David Howarth MP - showing how our civil liberties are being undermined daily. We have the right to peaceful protest but , under Labour, we are "kettled" i.e. herded into contained areas

http://feeds.libdems.org.uk/~r/libdemnews/~3/MJdllzehyb4/news_detail.aspx

Wasn't it great to hear that our MPs were in the midst of the G20 protest?