Living in the UK is like living in some monsterous ongoing confidence trick.

My partner thinks the current credit crisis is simply another device of Government to keep the proletariat down.

I however, think it exemplifies exactly why extremes never work because the people who operate from extreme perspectives, rarely have the competence to manage matters properly and so end up managing from fear.

Money doesn’t matter to them because they are always using somebody else’s and voting themselves large salaries and pensions ‘bomb proofed against things like the credit crunch so is really doesn’t matter to them as it won’t affect them.

Cutting services doesn’t matter to them as few of them are disabled and even those who are will always get what they want because they have common purposes with people in similar positions or use ‘funny handshakes’ effectively or sometimes of combination of the two.

And of course, they are members of the right clubs so adding to their networks or the correct religious groups.

And if there is ‘dissent’ from the prols then we can be imprisoned or spied upon and generally kept down in a variety of increasingly extreme ways………………..

But eventually we will hopefully all catch on and vote the politicians responsible out and then do away with the cult of power of the Officer/Common purpose clan before it is too late and in the UK it will never be too late - we are all too savvy……………

Remeber the Poll Tax?????????????????????????

Sometimes Local Government gets it right but more times than not they get pushed into making daft decisions by Central Government which affects local people disproportionately and which leads people to vent their ’spleen’ against the Council when it is Central Government at fault.

So it is with so called ‘Fairer Charging’.

These were “guidelines” brought in by Central Government which enabled Councils to charge people for services ‘if they wanted to’ in a climate wherein Councils were having their core funding cut by Central Government.

So in essence in a situation where local Government had less in a climate where people were needing/demanding more, local Councils were given the ‘choice’ to charge or not to charge!! 

Some choice!!!

Of course, this was entirely at the ‘discretion’ of Councils!!!!!

So better performing Councils, who could make money elsewhere did not have to charge or could limit it.

In places like Darlington, however where underperformance and mismanagement are ‘Essential’ requirements apparently in job descriptions for Senior posts, Charging became a ‘given’ - however for several years they have not even been able to work out how to charge money to people.

Finally, ‘Cabinet’ (so called because most of the members brains are apparently made of ‘Teak’)  ’decided’ to impose charges on the disabled from 1st January 2009.

However this had to be ‘means’ tested and financial assessments needed to be done so some people are now being charged and others are not.

Some people are being charged for ‘Day services’ and some are not because they are on so called Employment schemes which are in essence anything but.

There is a ‘blanket’ charge for Day services of £10 per day for the dubious sort of day service such as ‘having a nice sleep’ - listening to CDs for half a day - a healthy walk in the Town Centre - joining a ‘Book club’ know to the rest of us as a Library.

The underpinning falacy to all of this is that ANY of these charges are enforceable.

They are not - there is no legal basis for charging because Central Government knew that by giving Councils legal powers to enforce, they would be dead in the water politically.

No they gave Councils guidance not powers.

So if people have the cohones to simply ignore invoices and front up to them the Councils are completely stymied.

So I am advocating civil disobedience by people with learning disabilities and their Families to refuse to pay these ridiculous charges and to advocate that we join together to force Central Government to adequately fund disability services and to stop them using local Government to bully the weak and the vulnerable.

I will happily represent anyone who is bullied by these people and take counter action for the discrimination this policy represents because it is taking advantage of people being vulnerable to bullying.

No Pay Jose’!!!!!

The Thursday group drew my attention today to the movement of some day services away from South Park into the place known as “the Grange” right on the Town main ring road - which is where the “Drama Group” will now be based and which is made up of people with less complex disabilities.

If this is correct then it is a direct contradiction of what they were told before their day centre closed.

People who use wheel chairs however, are now placed well away (from sight) in South Park - how accessible is that?

Above is a representation of how this has made them feel………..

Mind you at least the animals look happy!!

Consultation in Darlington appears to consist of “this is what we have done and you should just put up with it” - yes sounds par for the course!!

I wonder how many of either the people themselves feel ‘consulted’ and how many of their families or carers?

Valuing People NOW - don’t make me laugh.  Only it’s not funny.

Wednesday Group decided to develop a Community Cafe today………..

“We all have kitchen skills and now we have a kitchen - so why not?”

Indeed.

Funding plan needed.

And kitchen equipment.

And money.

“we used to work at the Railway Cafe but then Darlington ‘ditched us’”

We then discussed what we had actually come to do which was voting, elections and democracy.

Lots of good stuff, led mainly by the people who had done our life skills programme funded by Connexions.

S was ace at current affairs.

We did voting systems.

Ballots - we developed our ballot paper for who would be the Biscuit monitor.

Then we moved onto separation of powers.

They demonstrated an understanding sadly lacking in current politicians.

They know about the Executive(Cabinet) the Parliament and the Judiciary…

A lesson to learn for our “betters” perhaps?

When we talked about funding they were angry about our lack of funding which they blamed on ‘that bully’ Cliff Brown(Paul C is in this group}.

They said “Maxine would like to work with the Speaking  up Groups but Cliff has stopped her”.

This made them feel small.

They feel the ‘parliament’ is tokenistic and picks less able people who cannot express their views.

The autistic members of the group felt this was bad.  Reps tend to be people

with Downs Syndrome who do not understand what Autism is?

members with Downs agreed.

I found this story on the internet released on Christmas eve so not many might have seen it……..

The controversy over the arrest of Tory frontbencher Damian Green took a new twist today after it emerged the arresting officers were wearing sound recording equipment at the time.

Police arrested and held shadow immigration minister Green for nine hours last month in connection with a Home Office leak inquiry. It prompted Tory accusations of “heavy-handed tactics” by Scotland Yard and piled pressure on the officer in charge of the probe, Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick.

In a statement today, the Metropolitan police said a tape recording of Green’s arrest was made “without his knowledge”.

The issue had now been referred to the UK’s covert surveillance watchdog “for their advice”, the force added.

The Met said: “A tape sound recording was made of the MP’s arrest and subsequent period in police charge, without his knowledge, prior to arrival at Belgravia police station from Kent.

“This was authorised at superintendent level to provide an accurate record of anything that may have been said by officers or the MP over a period of nearly two and a half hours.

“This was done with the best of intentions but to ensure total transparency this matter has been voluntarily referred to the Office of the Surveillance Commissioners for their advice.”

“The Crown Prosecution Service are also aware of this information which would be fully disclosable if any proceedings were to take place.”

Green’s arrest and the subsequent search of his offices in the houses of parliament provoked a furious exchange between the Conservative party and Quick, who is the UK’s most senior counterterrorism officer.

He was forced to make an unreserved apology this week after he accused the Tories of trying to undermine his inquiry.

Acting Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson yesterday backed his assistant, saying he believed a “line had been drawn” under the row.

Last week the leaks inquiry came under fire after an independent review questioned the “proportionality” of the manner of Green’s arrest on 27 November.

The Cabinet Office originally alerted police in October to alleged leaks of Home Office information.

The Israelis are war criminals.

Why is no-one saying this in the West?

They are acting like the Nazis.

The Gaza Strip has been starved of food etc. for at least a year - why is our ‘brave independent press’ not broadcasting this?

Blair, Bush and the Israelis - War criminals.

click on this link to take action

http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/Aejan/yY6h/Dtu.

Feels like we have not been off at all.

A series of crisis occurs virtually from the off this morning.

Nothing changes.

Redrafted some guidance today on training people with learning disabilities about voting.

Perhaps if Darlington is such a marginal we may be able to educate people enough so they will realise Labour is not working!!!

Mind you, we do not want to be political because we have no evidence that any of the other lot are any better!

Perhaps it is time for a new political party without the politics but with the focus being firmly on the people…………………………….

Actually they have all reinvented themselves from time to time, claiming the same thing!!

The person who wanted my voting guidance is deaf and she asked me which newspapers were ’slanted’ towards whom as in the the old “The Times is read by the people who run the country”  etc. etc.

All I could think of was that they are all now right wing because so are most of the politicians so there really isn’t anywhere to send them for independent advice!!!!!

Happy NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Link: <http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Cleveland%2Bhall%2BDL1+2PE&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=7.427302,17.929688&ie=UTF8&ll=54.538663,-1.543064&spn=0.007121,0.017509&z=15&g=Cleveland%2Bhall%2BDL1+2PE&iwloc=addr> 

Well we  are in situ and relatively happy. The above link shows you a map of where we are now based.

The Troops have established themselves in their base on the Ground floor.

I am looking to refurbish the kitchen with some decent units/utilities to use as a Training/work base.

Possibly a community cafe run by people with ld facilitated by me(alongside my other skills, I am a trained Chef).

All are happy and looking forward to the New Year kicking corrupt ass!!

Good luck to Maxine Naismith in her new job which begs the question - What are on earth does Jane Robinson actually do?

As for Sharon (Clipboard ready) Brown - what does she do exactly apart presumably from Cliff?

Seriously, though all the Best to all of you in the New Year.

Chris and the Team

Hi “Stephen Winship”

stephen.winship@durham.pnn.police.uk

I took from our conversation today that in

essence you are saying the matter has been

referred to the IPCC so they can give you

effectively permission not to investigate my

Complaint(?).

I understand that this Government has given

basically permission for the Police to do what

they will to the people of this Country and that

the Police and New Labour have a ‘Common

Purpose’ in shafting the rest of us.

I will not however, allow this to happen to me.

I will not be ’shafted’ by anyone.

Michael Banks used two police officers to try to

harass me in 2004 and to try to frighten me at a

time when I was engaged in a struggle to maintain

my organisation which was being attacked by

corrupt officers of Darlington Borough Council.

The allegation made was ridiculous and he allowed

police time and public money to be misused to

attack me.

I could not at the time understand why but now I

know he is a member of Common Purpose

alongside

Barry Keel formerly CEO of Darlington Borough

Council, it all begins to make sense.

You will stand alongside him, if this matter is not

properly dealt with and he should be suspended

pending this matter being investigated.

please see link

 which includes an update on us.

http://www.independentaction.net/newsletter/article.33