DON'T LET DEMOCRACY DIE

This article is a duplicate of my Pensioners Platform column in the April-May 2014 edition of the Torbay Times:-

PENSIONER alert! This will not only be of interest to you, but also to everyone else over the age of 18 years. On Thursday May 22, many of us have an opportunity, through the ballot box, to express our support for, or abhorrence of, the European Union. There is no fence-sitting, don’t know option here: you either love the EU or you loathe it, and May 22 will give you the chance to register your opinion in a secret vote. That’s what democracy is supposed to be about.

But, what does democracy actually mean? Don’t worry, I won’t bore you with too much history, but the term originates from the 5^th Century B.C. Greek word demokratia which, in fact, is two words in one: demos (meaning people) and kratia (meaning power or rule). Yes, people power! That’s what John Lennon was singing about in his 1971 chart hit Power to the People.  Even longer ago, on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address touched on the same theme when he ended his speech with, “Government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

While pondering the above musings by two celebrated thinkers, a searching question came into my mind. Is the “people power” known as democracy actually alive and well in the UK today? To be brutally honest, my response to that question was, and still is, a resounding, “No!” In fact, I’d even go as far as to say democracy is dying in Britain, and it has been doing so for quite a few years.

So, why do I believe democracy has fallen on such hard times? In short, I feel, we, the voting public must take much of the blame, because far too many of us have neglected our inalienable right to vote. For far too long, voter turn-outs have been allowed to fall to alarmingly low levels, even for general elections. The result is we’ve, all too often, ended-up with MPs and local councillors who are in-place thanks to the abject apathy of those who didn’t bother to vote. Indeed, that might be exactly what some of today’s politicians want. An irony, however, lies in the fact that it’s the very people who can’t be bothered to vote who are, invariably, the first to complain when legislation and cut-backs start to bite.

How, then, can we go about rectifying this problem? Well, the politicians could, perhaps, adopt the Australian system which compels all those entitled to vote, to do so, or face a fine. Alternatively, the powers-that-be could start exploring the wide range of technologies that might easily be utilised in the voting process: in particular our home telephones and mobile phones. But these are just floated ideas, because all we’ll have at our disposal on May 22 are the archaic polling station and rickety voting booth set-up, plus the postal or proxy vote. Not exactly twenty-first century is it?

Another stumbling block is voter apathy. Many of us will have overheard someone say, “I don’t vote, because my vote doesn’t make a difference.” But they’re wrong. Every vote, regardless of political motive, makes a difference by helping to keep democracy alive. Then there are those who think that not voting is a protest. It’s nothing of the sort! If you want to make a protest: get into the voting booth and deliberately spoil your voting slip by scrawling “I don’t trust any of you!” across it. Now, that’s what you call a protest. And that’s what underpins the democratic ethos … people power. Not voting is not a protest, it’s a cop-out, so get out there and exercise your right to vote on May 22, or forfeit the right to whine and whinge when the politicians tighten their grip on your lives.

For those of you who are genuinely unable to get out and vote … maybe through disability … if your name is on the Electoral Role, you have a right to request a postal or proxy vote. All you need to do is make contact with the Elections Office at Torbay Council on 01803 208008, and request an application form for a postal or proxy vote for the European elections on May 22. You will need to get your completed application form back to Torbay Council by 5 pm on Wednesday May 7, 2014. Your voting slip(s) will then be delivered to you approximately one week before the day of the election.

Please help to keep democracy alive. Vote on May 22. It’s your right!

SAFEGUARD YOUR MEDICAL HISTORY !

IF YOU HAVEN'T seen the above NHS leaflet, you possibly never will!

Why? Because the leaflet has been sent-out as an item of unsolicited mail, and there's a very good chance it will have popped through your letter box HIDDEN among other junk mail items. My copy arrived neatly tucked inside a pizza promotion leaflet and, had I not been aware that an important NHS leaflet was due to arrive, it would have been thrown-away into my paper recycling bag, without a moment's hesitation.

In short, the leaflet reveals a plan to allow your medical records to be shared with organisations OUTSIDE the NHS.

You can, however, opt-out of the plan by telephoning or writing to your local medical centre and telling them to mark your records as 'not to be shared'. But there's a problem. If you don't opt-out by 31st March 2014, the authorities will see that as your agreement for your medical records to be shared with ... to quote the lealet ... "approved researchers and organisations outside the NHS".

I believe this leaflet drop to be an ill-conceived idea, because junk mail is invariably discarded as unimportant. However, the 'essential reading' nature of this particular piece of junk mail cannot be over-estimated. It's about YOUR medical records and YOUR rights to privacy. I urge you to seek-out a copy and read it thoroughly. There's a 'dedicated patient information line on 0300 456 3531' where your questions may be answered to your satisfaction. You may even be able to obtain a copy of the leaflet by asking them to post you one.

In the meantime, I am doing all I can to get the powers that be to extend the above mentioned deadline by at least three months.

CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME?

THE RECENT typhoon in The Philippines was, of course, a human tragedy. However, I now find myself wondering whether I’m alone in having deep misgivings over the UK government’s response to the disaster? For instance, in this age of austerity, where did that £50 million Philippines relief package come from? Was it some kind of a conjuring trick?  Or was it carved-out of this year’s huge £10 billion overseas aid hand-out? All indications are that it was neither.

 Nor did it form part of the generosity shown by private individuals, manufacturers and other organisations who donated to the Philippines aid fund of their own free will, and all credit to them for doing so. No, that £50 million appears to have come straight from UK tax payers’ coffers, yet none of us have had a say its distribution to a land many thousands of miles away. Surely, while there are UK pensioners – and others – still going cold and hungry in their own homes this winter, the government’s primary consideration should be to put our own house in order first?

THE CHOICE IS YOURS !

IF YOU VALUE YOUR PRIVACY, THIS IS A MUST READ!

 

January 22, 2014: I have received the article below on my Facebook page:-

 

 

 

IMPORTANT CHANGES TO UK MEDICAL RECORDS

 

My UK friends may want to sign the form I've linked below. It notifies your Doctor that you refuse consent for your identifiable information to be transferred from your practice systems for any purpose other than your medical care. GP practices across England will soon be required to supply patients’ personal and confidential medical information, on a regular and continuous basis, to the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC). The information uploaded will be used for purposes other than your direct medical care (these are so-called “secondary uses”).

 

Medical staff treating you in GP surgeries, hospitals, A&E and out-of-hours centres will NOT use, or be able to use, this database. However, the uploaded data is likely to be made available to organisations outside of the NHS, such as universities and commercial organisations.

 

Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, GP practices have no choice but to allow the HSCIC to extract this information. Once the data has been extracted, the GP practice is no longer the data controller for that information, and cannot control or protect in any way how that information is used, shared or who has access to it. Although GP practices cannot object to this information leaving the practice, individual patients and their families can instruct their practice to prohibit the transfer of their data, i.e. you have the right to opt-out. If you do nothing, i.e. you do not opt out, then your medical information will be extracted and uploaded to the HSCIC. Once uploaded, you will not be able to get this data deleted by the HSCIC. So if you want to opt out, you need to act now. Click on the link below for more information:-

 

http://medconfidential.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/caredata_trifold.pdf

 

WE MUST REMEMBER THEM

IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE THE SOUTH DEVON AREA, HERE'S MY NOVEMBER 2013 "PENSIONERS PLATFORM" COLUMN ARTICLE FROM THE TORBAY TIMES.....

BY the time you are reading this, Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day 2013 will probably have come and gone, but that is no excuse for us to forget our fallen heroes until next November. Sadly, we in the UK don’t cherish and honour our armed forces veterans in the same way as some other nations do: in particular the USA. However, here in Devon, we may be witnessing the first stirrings of a change that has the potential to go, not only national, but global too.

First things first, you don’t need to have a connection to the internet to get involved in the project mentioned below. On the contrary, all you need is a telephone and a watch or clock that ‘saw’ military action at any time during the 20^th Century, or since. Alternatively, a photograph of a watch being worn by a member of the armed forces who saw action anywhere in the world over the past one hundred years would also make an ideal focal point. Similarly, photographs of other clocks that survived wartime bombardments and/or bombings would be worthy of inclusion in the project too.

So, what’s this all about? Well, on September 20, I received an e-mail at my BBC Radio Devon address. It came from Cathy McAnespie and her husband Steve, who run PrimeTime Ltd in Exeter. The content of the e-mail is self-explanatory, so I’ll reproduce it in full here:-

“Dear David: I’m really hoping you can help me. Both my husband Steve and I love your programme. Hearing you play the V-Disc wartime recordings recently made me think you would be the most suitable person to contact at BBC Radio Devon.

I am creating a horological online archive called “Time for Remembrance”.  The objective is to archive as many photographs and other images of timepieces belonging to all those associated with all conflicts locally, nationally and internationally. The timepiece may, for example, have been worn by a great-grandfather in the trenches of World War I, or saved the life of Tommy at the Somme, or been worn by one of the Land Girls, or be an image of a local church, high street or station clock that survived the Blitz.

We are inviting visitors to our website to post their pictures and stories or leave contact details in order to grow the archive, so that we can attempt to compile the greatest and most diverse compilation of timepieces associated with wartime or conflict ever archived. This is a unique concept, and driven not only by my love of horology but also in awareness that fewer people seem inclined to remember our heroes than used to be the case.

We would please ask that you back our campaign to archive as many timepieces for this Remembrance Day and leading up to the centenary next year.  Please help broadcast this and galvanise the county, the country and ultimately the world, to contribute in the success of commemorating our heroes, and all those associated with all conflicts by getting them to add their images of their timepieces to the website. If possible, it would be wonderful if you could also contribute some images, if you have any.  Please visit our website at www.timeforremembrance.com and also our pages at www.pinterest.com/timeremembrance or call us at PrimeTime of Exeter Ltd, Tel: 01392 207707. My e-mail address is cathymc67@btinternet.com.

It is an honour to be able to do this, and I would be delighted if you were able to contribute by helping to send the message out. Thank you and very best wishes. Cathy McAnespie.”
 

So, there you have it: an inspired innovation, and a permanent on-line archive of remembrance dedicated to all those who served, in whatever capacity, through the many conflicts of the past one hundred years. Congratulations to Cathy and Steve McAnespie on a truly wonderful idea. Call or write to them soon, and ask them if your treasured time-piece or photo would be of interest.

CONTACT

If you would like to make contact with me, you can reach me by e-mail at Davidlowecolumn@aol.com or via mail@torbaytimes.co.uk. Alternatively, you can call me on Skype at david.l.lowe.

SKY NEWS SCRAPS TEXT ON RED BUTTON

HEARING LOSS? Do you suffer from partial or profound deafness? I do. In fact my hearing aids are pictured above. Did you know Sky News has scrapped its text news facility on the red button? Over the past few years I've found that text service to be the ideal way to get my news first thing in the morning. Yes, I know the BBC has a similar service which (for a balance between Sky and the Beeb) I've also used every morning. But why has Sky TV scrapped its news text service in favour of video only? I am so annoyed over this clear-cut case of discrimination against those of us with hearing issues, I sent the following e-mail to Sky News on 1st November. Suffice it to say, I'm still awaiting a reply.
 

---------------------------------
 

Dear News at Sky

I suffer from severe hearing loss, and I'm appalled at the apparent scrapping of your text news on the red button, which I've been using for quite a few years.

If my suspicions are correct, I believe your actions are a clear case of discrimination against those of us with hearing issues. I have therefore copied-in Maria Miller MP, the Secretary of State for Media and Equalities, on this e-mail's circulation.

Yours faithfully
 

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

I have now copied the above e-mail to the Secretary of State and, if you suffer from hearing loss too, I urge you to do the same. Thank you. Best Wishes David (November 5, 2013)

 

 

AND IT'S ABOUT TIME TOO !!

JUST last month [September 2013], six British charities – including Age UK – formed an alliance to urge all political parties to recognise, and act upon, the challenges of an ageing population. The resulting Ready for Ageing Alliance immediately launched a public debate in London. That debate is now considering how the government should respond to the UK’s ageing society.

At last, some action is being taken. But what prompted the creation of the Ready for Ageing Alliance in the first place?  According to a number of media sources, the Alliance was formed in response to a report published in August by parliament’s Public Service and Demographic Change Committee. The contents of that report made it clear that all political parties must take action now, or risk a crisis in the future.

Indeed, the Committee’s Chairman Lord Filkin stated, “Health and social care need to be radically reformed; both are failing older people now. A big shift in services is essential so that the many more older people with long-term conditions can be well cared for and supported in their own homes and in the community, and not needlessly end-up in hospital. All health services and social care must be integrated to help achieve this.”

Lord Filkin then went-on to say, “This is not a distant issue. Our population is older now and will get more so over the next decade. The public are entitled to an honest conversation about the implications.” In addition to Lord Filkin’s comments, the committee’s report accused the government of “woeful unpreparedness” in relation to the UK’s ageing society.

While applauding the above-mentioned developments, I nevertheless feel compelled to ask the parliamentary committee and charities concerned one simple question. Why on earth has it taken such a very long time for these observations about our ageing society to come to the fore?

Allow me to explain the reasons behind my query: following the end of World War II, the government of the time made it clear that Britain needed to urgently restore its population to pre-war levels. That announcement coincided with the arrival home of many thousands of military personnel who’d served overseas through the war years. Suffice it to say significant numbers of them married soon after their return. Result? The Post War Bulge generation … the original Baby Boomers … who became the single biggest generation Britain has ever produced.

In 1948, soon after the first flush of Baby Boomers had arrived, the National Health Service was launched, thus improving universal health care overnight. In the years that followed, a wider – and more nourishing – variety of fruit and vegetables became more readily available to the public at large. That was followed, in turn, by the influx of immigrants from Commonwealth nations, many of whom brought with them their young children of Baby Boomer age.

By the mid-1950s, despite the lingering austerity and very large classroom sizes, the general health and longevity of Britain’s population had begun to improve, thanks in part to the success of the NHS and our healthier dietary habits and life styles. In some ways, those improvements have not only been maintained, but they have also been built-upon ever since. However, there is one notable exception to those improvements: the care of the elderly.

So, instead of blaming today’s government for their “woeful unpreparedness”, shouldn’t Lord Firkin and his committee have pointed-out that the situation we UK pensioners find ourselves in today is due entirely to a shameful lack for foresight on the part of successive governments and politicians in general since the early 1950s?

Over that same period, charities for the elderly have, almost certainly, been trying to awaken the powers-that-be to the dangers of ignoring one obvious fact: that the Baby Boomers would all be arriving at pensionable age in the early years of the 21^st Century. Clearly their warnings have been falling on deaf ears for a very long time. Hence the mess we’re in today.

 

A typical 1950s class size - 37 pupils (and all those who've survived are now pensioners)