Difficult to know when to post this. The new calendar year was a month ago, the new financial year is a couple of months away. But a new year, whichever one you use, is generally seen as a time of reflection. What’s gone well in the last year, what hasn’t? What are the priorities for [...]
Archive of posts filed under the Serious stuff category.
Retard!
I find it staggering to think that there are some people who think that ‘retard’ is an acceptable descriptor for someone with a learning disability. It’s just not! I find it staggering to think that if I used a certain word beginning with ‘N’ I would be hit with the full force of anti-racist law [...]
Housing benefit fiasco
“A leaked letter from the office of Communities Secretary Eric Pickles warns the Prime Minister that housing benefit cuts could leave 40,000 homeless. The letter, written by the minister’s private secretary, warns that instead of producing a predicted £270million saving, the benefits cap is likely to ‘generate a net cost’ to the taxpayer as councils [...]
Dying with dignity
So, a day after everyone else, I watched the Terry Pratchett programme on assisted suicide. I found it very moving and very thought provoking. I’ve heard it criticised by people who fear it is the first step towards a system that will allow us to dispose of unwanted people – that’s putting it more bluntly [...]
