I was going to give you a piece on courtesy and good manners today but the Wartime Housewife is angry and must speak her mind. 

It would appear that anyone who has prolonged contact with your child, more than three times a month, will soon have to be CRB checked.  My friend, whom I have known for the past 5 years, and who regularly brings Boy the Elder home from Scouts, should now be CRB checked. I should be checked because I bring her daughter home from Art Club.  My sister, who works as an usher at a local theatre, should be CRB checked in case she finds herself in the company of a lost child.  If your child has a sleepover, the parents must be checked.

I can perfectly understand that a driver of a minibus company, for example, who is not known to a group of parents and who  takes children to fixtures or events, should be checked.  Teachers, social workers, sports instructors – I get this. 
 
But by insisting that our friends be CRB checked before they can be in the company of our children is suggesting that we have no judgement as to whom we trust, and that we should be suspicious of absolutely everyone.  The burden of proof is shifted to us to prove that we are not child molesters.  This is a deeply dangerous culture to engender in society.

I was not allowed to help out in my son’s cookery class (in the presence of two teachers) without a CRB check, despite the fact that 75% of that class had been to my house at some time, unsupervised.  The check cost the school £35 and took four months to come through.  After two months from application, I contacted the CRB to ask where my certificate was and they told me there was a problem and that I had not passed.  It turned out that they had lost the original paperwork and that when they found it, they were unhappy because I had a different surname to my son. I filled in the form again, with a covering letter, and two months later, my certificate arrived.  I never helped out (it was too late by then anyway) and I have refused a request to help out again.

This country would collapse without its volunteers and I am quite sure that this new system will put off a great many people who just want to quietly get on with doing their bit.  I have spoken to many people over the last few days, from many different social and economic classes and everyone agreed that it was an unacceptable invasion of our private lives.

There is also the risk that we will become complacent;  “Oh he must alright, he’s been checked”, even if instinctively we’re not happy.  A CRB check is only as good as the day on which it was conducted and there is a good deal of room for error.  Are we happy that yet more information about us is being kept on file?  Who sees it?  How often is it reviewed?

One of the unspoken tenets of British law, is that it takes a hands-off approach to the private lives of its citizens.  Laws are passed to protect the vulnerable and to ensure an ordered and civilised society.  Before I go any further, I wish to make it known that I am not party political any more, on the grounds that I have no conviction that any party is any better than another. 

However, the current government seems hell bent on micro-managing the lives of individuals, despite the fact that its members are in no position to make judgements on how we conduct ourselves.  I suspect them of doing anything they can to distract us from the realisation that they have failed our country and should be deposed.

This legislation is coming in the wake of the Soham murders, a situation that was not caused by a lack of CRB checking but by the failure of the relevant police forces to communicate effectively with one another. If the amount of effort the government is putting into this law was to be channelled into making Social Services better resourced and more effective, we might just start to make some serious inroads into proper child protection.  The Victoria Climbiers, the Baby P’s and all four of those boys near Doncaster – all were failed by an underfunded system in chaos.. 

Our personal power is, yet again,  being eroded, and when a nation feels disempowered, the government can do what the hell it likes, because it knows full well that no-one will stand up to them.  We must not lie down and tut loudly when they pass these stupid, invasive laws. 

We have political power and we have a responsibility to use it.  When the government fails us, passes pointless laws, tries to distract us from its impotence, we must write letters, make ‘phone calls, sign petitions, turn up at the polling booth.  Make them accountable.  When a new government is elected next year (as it surely will be) let them know that we will hold them to account, that we are watching them, that we care enough to say ‘Not in my name’.

It was, in fact, the queue to cast my vote for the President of the European Parliament.  Having seen Griffin at the end of the queue in which I was due to cast my vote, I truly felt I couldn’t voluntarily go anywhere near the man.  I therefore did that very un-British thing and jumped the queue, insinuating myself further up the line.  My small discomfort at pushing in was far less than the anger and rage I would have felt had I had to share the same space as the leader of the racist, fascist BNP, now elected to the European Parliament to our great shame.   

Just to explain how I came to be in this position.  The ballot for the President of the European Parliament is done by hand with MEPs filling  in their forms then placing them in the ballot boxes.  A number of these boxes are distributed around the Chamber alphabetically and each box typically takes ballot papers from MEP surmanes beginning with three lettes per ballot box, eg “A -C”.  I therefore cast my vote in the F – H box, the same box as Griffin.  Queues form to put the ballot papers in the boxes as each vote, which is completely secret having been put into an envelope, has to be ticked off by Parliament staff.  Hence  the queue and Griffin. 

The BNP presence is not going unremarked.  Far from it.  The “Not in Our Name” campaign organised by the anti-fascist “Searchlight” magazine is very acive and presented a petition yesterday to Michael Cashman, the outgoing Vice-Chair of the Petitions Committee.

Pictured in the photo are Nick Lowles from Hope not Hate and my fellow London Labour MEP Claude Moraes.

Hope Not Hate’s petition to be delivered to the European Parliament currently has  more than 84,000 signatories. While the petition isn’t going to get the BNP de-elected, it will send a strong message to the BNP and, more importantly, to the rest of Europe, that the BNP do not represent Britain.

If you haven’t already signed it then you can do so here:

http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/page/s/notinmyname

If, like me, you’re horrified at the BNP having seats in the European Parliament, sign up to Not In My Name to add your name to the petition that will be presented on the same day the new MEPs take up their seats.

Not In My Name

1. Sign this to express your disassociation from the BNP http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/notinmyname.

2. Laugh at this:

3. Laugh at this: http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1810&Itemid=28

4. Cry, because the hate and laughter have caused an emotional rollercoaster.

5. Vomit, because the emotions are getting too much (and Nick Griffin’s face has just popped into your head).

6. Grumble a bit about northerners.

7. Get a cup of tea.

8. Continue with your day.

Well done to @stopsatgreen for the photo, hope you don’t mind me using it?!

So the BNP did it. They got two MEPs elected. For a slightly more detailed discussion check out The F Word. Or to see it broken down by region go to BBC news.

Minutes after the Yorkshire and the Humber result came in I had an e-mail from Hope not Hate. They had prepared for this eventuality. So they’ve been elected. At least we can show that they don’t represent Britain.

So people, sign the petition. Not in my name.

ormai in Irpinia siamo in pochi ad essere rimasti a dare contro il Mago di Oz ed il dislessico di Nusco.Ormai annoverano nelle loro liste anche le persone migliori. Come disse Allen Ginsberg in “Urlo”:

«Ho visto le menti migliori della mia generazione, distrutte dalla pazzia, affamate nude isteriche, trascinarsi nelle strade, all’alba in cerca di droga rabbiosa.»

ed i matti sono gli arianesi che voteranno  Zecchino e De Mita con l’avallo dello psiconano di Arcore.

Con una PDL irpina senza dignità , incapace di liberarsi dell’UDC e dei Popolari ad Ariano, partito ignoto oltre il ponte di Melito. Incapace di una proposta originale e forte per il rinnovamento.

Io mi astengo a queste amministrative, e lor signori governeranno ma “NOT IN MY NAME”.

Emergency Protest for Gaza in Philadelphia. December 30th, 2008. Free citizens who made that protest before some Arabs even knew about it. Thank you Philadelphia. And thank you Philly Jews who mentioned that this war should not be in their names.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Cittadini dell’Impero, provinciali, federati, alleati o nemici che voi siate, finalmente è stato proclamato il nuovo Imperatore: Obanana ha battuto McCthulhain. Il primo imperatore provinciale e seguace di una religione pagana si insedia sul trono e l’Impero tutto, e con esso il mondo, trattiene il fiato. Il veterano di mille battaglie Senatore McCthulhain è stato sbaragliato dal giovane prodigio Senatore Obanana per 364 electoral votes a 163, per quella che sembra una differenza abissale, in termini di preferenza da parte dei cittadini dell’Impero. In realtà le cose sono diverse da quel che sembrano e basta rilevare che solo il 6% dei voti complessivi divide i due canditati al soglio imperiale. In un sistema elettorale peculiare, in cui gli electoral votes di uno stato vanno al candidato che raggiunge la metà più una delle preferenze, il Senatore Obanana, adesso Imperatore, gode di ampia maggioranza al Senato e alla Camera (rispettivamente di 55 a 39 e 254 a 173). Siate quindi attenti, provinciali italiani, quando i nostri parlamentari per designazione feudale inizieranno a decantare le virtù di sistemi elettorali maggioritari a liste bloccate perchè la Democrazia Americana è la migliore… Ricordatevi del principio di Rappresentatività.

A quanto pare, dunque, questa volontà di cambiamento e di rivoluzione pseudo-socialista, non ha affatto contagiato come un’epidemia i cittadini imperiali, ma lo scettro del comando è ora saldo tra le mani di Obanana (e qui non indulgo in doppi sensi come ben altri hanno recentemente fatto). Il cuore dell’Impero è pronto per questo Imperatore col colore sbagliato, con la religione sbagliata, col nome sbagliato?

Il bread-and-butter-no-nonsense-kansas-farmer è pronto? Ha avuto più peso lo sconfessare apertamente l’Imperatore precedente, burattino guidato dalle lobby? In ogni caso sembra che l’Impero, quantomeno, volti le spalle agli ultimi otto anni di pax americana e scelga il candidato meno interessato alla guerra (eh sì, perchè l’Impero è in guerra nelle province asiatiche e 150.000 legionari sono lontani da casa da troppo tempo) e che ha impostato la campagna prevalentemente sui problemi interni di corruzione e carestia.

Ma il dado è tratto e varcato il Potomac, Obanana adesso risponderà delle promesse fatte in campagna elettorale: riorganizzazione della Sanità, corposo finanziamento dell’Istruzione superiore, politica energetica progressista, riassestamento delle infrastrutture, rilancio dell’economia, riforma del sistema fiscale, ferrovie ad alta velocità, ritiro dall’Iraq, aiuti all’industria automobilistica et cetera. Mi sorge una pazzesca sensazione di già visto, già sentito, già vissuto… … e quindi non posso non notare che lo spettacolo più penoso, come sempre, lo hanno offerto i nostri feudatari, tra esaltazioni per vittorie che non li toccano minimamente, vanterie di rapporti personali di amicizia col nuovo messia, rivendicazioni di svolte epocali e proclamazioni di “c’è aria di cambiamento” (ci sarebbe se ve ne andaste tutti, dico io), battute a sfondo omosessuale e razzista, virtuosismo leccaculistico al vertice dell’italica maestria. Le solite piccolezze di una provincia periferica dell’Impero.

Ma anche questa periferia guarda al centro con speranza e un misto di timore, perchè le soluzioni ai mali dell’orbe non vengono trovate dalla collettività, ma solo da esseri superiori, Imperatori con la spada della guerra e quella della giustizia, mistiche guide verso un futuro migliore. Nel frattempo iniziamo a preparare la statuetta di Obanana da mettere nel Presepe: così abbronzato farà un figurone accanto ai magi col cammello.

volevo fare un piccolo cenno ad un’idea abbastanza carina.. come al solito nata dal web come fenomeno underground..

clicca su: not speaking in my name..

come sempre, ogni volta, le figure di sahidfbis spettano a noi..

il potere dei blogs..

D’accordo o no con quello che dice Silvio Berlusconi manifestazioni di questo genere sono fra quanto di più controproducente si possa fare per il proprio paese.

E attenzione. Non mi riferisco alla lecita manifestazione di dissenso che qualsiasi essa sia costituisce uno dei fondamenti della democrazia.
Mi riferisco a quell’atteggiamento non troppo velato di dissociazione e discredito quotidiano gettato contro un Presidente democraticamente eletto e quindi Presidente di tutti e non solo di chi lo ha votato.

A questo proposito darei una ripassata alle parole di McCain dopo la sconfitta, parole che ci devono fare riflettere sul rapporto che ci deve essere fra un Paese e il Presidente che lo governa:

Raccomando a tutti gli americani che mi hanno sostenuto non solo di unirsi a me nel congratularsi con lui, ma di offrire al nostro prossimo presidente la nostra buona volonta e i più onesti sforzi per scoprire le strade che ci aiutino a trovare i necessari compromessi per stabilire dei contatti fra le nostre differenze, così da aiutarci a ripristinare la nostra prosperità, difendere la nostra sicurezza in un mondo pericoloso, e lasciare ai nostri figli e ai nostri nipoti un paese migliore di quello che abbiamo ereditato.

Magari la chiamerete retorica io la chiamo Lezione di Democrazia. Che molti in Italia devono ancora imparare.

Non nascondo poi il mio fastidio verso queste inziative di finto progressismo appoggiate da giornali di parte facendo finta che nascano spontaneamente “dal basso” (immaginiamo cosa si direbbe de “IlGiornale” se appoggiasse un’iniziativa speculare e contraria…) che fanno molto moda e molto poco impegno politico serio.

Il sito per dire quanto ci vergognamo del nostro primo ministro. 

Via Sofri, Zambardino, Savelli.

Se mandate una foto e avete già una delle nostre fantastiche magliette arancioni non dimenticate di indossarla!

What a world, what a world.

My 401K is in the toilet, and my van is dying.

And tonight I have to try to stomach the bullshit of a “Presidential Debate” on the ‘puterbox radio while keeping an ear out for some Hopeful Words.

I might think that things kinda sucked in my life, if it weren’t for the people I love, and the people who love me.

And for my appreciation of the fact that everything is relative, and for some people it sucks a whole lot harder.

We’re presently at war, and people are dying.  Decrying it is not enough.  We need to make it stop.

Stand against War, my friends, and Work for Peace.

  – I Heart Peace,   Sept 2008