Is It Just Me: Asking Why Women Seem Intent on Destroying Other Women?

So, this post comes from two separate causes but its a situation, as a fully fledged female that I’ve encountered many times in the past.

Why, as women- and it seems most are guilty of this in varying degrees, feminist or not- do we seem intent on destroying, bad mouthing, and darking off (down with the kids term there) each other?

Is it not enough that we already, despite having a (questionable in my view but there none the less) female PM, and despite having a female sovereign, have to fight against male dominance in the work place and beyond?

And what happened to the 70s emerging ideal of all girls together, fighting for what is right? It seems we have lost it.

I started to get the idea for this post a few weeks back, but as I am currently after the title of “most laziest blogger who barely manages to blog at all these days”, I never quite got round to it.

I saw a post on Twitter from someone I follow who was calling out Zoella for her latest video.

Now, I know of Zoella. I’m not someone who watches her, it’s much more Mini’s thing (although she prefers Gamers like Pat and Jen and Dan TDM). To my mind, as someone shit at fashion who has basically dressed more or less the same for the last 20 years, I’m not her target audience.

I can admire that she has done incredibly well, I mean, bow down to her and her millions of subs and massive house, all off the back of being engaging and opening boxes of clothes on camera with a smiley disposition I’ve never been one for a camera in the face, and have left that firmly up to my far more confident daughter.

The video in question was where her boyfriend- also a very successful Youtuber- had been tasked with buying her an outfit. I think it was to show that guys are good at women’s clothes too and wont dress us like strippers (actually, Elder has always been good at this, far better than me in fact).

My issue with it- and I was far from the only one to voice this, was her use of “oversized” about a size 8 jumper.

Now, as I say, Mini is ten, and many of her viewers will be of an age where hearing their idol, and this can be anyone, not just Zoella-suggest a size 8 can be “oversized” could have a negative effect. Especially since in itself size 8 is tiny (I think one of my thighs may be a size 8 alone. I was once, for the record, a size 8, but I was incredibly unhealthy at the time and now I’m curvy size doesn’t fuss me anymore as much as it sadly did then).

My comment though had nowt to do with my size, or jealousy of her being tiny of size, or anything else other than a Mother’s concern that perhaps, certain terms should be thought out before being used. Even myself as a blogger has to be careful what I say and I know from bitter experience that sometimes words you intended in good faith can be taken very much the wrong way and cause murder.

The issue I had, was that, (and this is looking back a couple of weeks later after pressing mute and finding it’s still being retweeted now), and with Zoella’s seeming to back it, that she spotted my tweet- despite there being many others, perhaps down to my follow number or the fact I blog, I don’t know, maybe she saw it as a blogger attacking a pesky Youtuber and proceeded to be rather off with me.

That I could handle and tweeted her back saying you know, just be careful what words are used, there surely would have been a better word than over sized.

She very much, I felt, played up to this awful blogger (me) daring to call her out, and her fans, and I thought Directioners were feral and despite my over a week saying, you know, you are aware my point was intended well and there was no malice in it, please call off your attack dogs love. She didn’t. She ramped them up.

Now, she is far, far more successful than me. As I say, good luck to her on that. But you can’t help now wondering if this success has been on the back of setting out to destroy others who dare to differ from her narrative? If I was to see a follower of mine tweeting me included in a dialogue that their child should be removed from their care as they are clearly a shit mum who is damaging their daughter, I know for a fact I would not be impressed. But Zoella ignored it, choosing instead to carry on bitching me.

The result? My daughter has now removed her Zoella posters from her wall and peeled off the stickers from her bed, no easy task as the bed is covered in them. She lost a fan because my daughter sees her as being anti girl. And surely that is not the message and persona she wishes to portray?

Another phenomena is the Feminists on Twitter. Not all of them, some are great, they live for rights for all women and they are a joy to watch using social media to further their voice where once their only option was marching here and there with a loud hailer.

It seems some though feel that to be truly, 100% up the wimin, they have to be disgustingly rude and abusive about anyone with a penis being on twitter and doing well at it.

One such Femi-nazi is so disgustingly anti male that, should anyone in possession of a fanny back up a bloke, we too are raging against the wimin sent to protect us and should be scorned, Handmaid Style. Or told our son, who is 8, might turn out to be gay and what would do then? (With a heavy emphasis on snark).

WHAT?

I had to laugh as did others at this one. They really do need to put down the Female Eunuch and take a heavy dose of good old reality. That or get off the booze.

For the record, as I told this tit, I would not give two hoots if my child, either of them, were homosexual. They don’t stop being my child because they decide to fall in love. I can’t speak for all of humanity as I am sure that even in this day and age you still get twats who feel its wrong. However, I’m not one of them.

You know, what with, I don’t know, being bi myself. Being involved with a radio station run by a lesbian couple (married and everything), with one DJ who dresses up in drag quite often. To me, I care more about what tunes they are playing this week and where I can get my mits on them, not what way they swing. And likewise, I doubt very much they give a shit about my preference either.

They then suggested that “Only men can rape”.

Which really made me and others cross. What a crock of shit. Easily disproved shit too.

As I said, this no mark is far from the communal voice of Feminists, no doubt, and she has now, as all good twats do when they get beat for making ridiculous statements, blocked us all.

Yet how can you proclaim to be for women, but bemoan women having males they get along with, or for being pro-LGBT rights? Why seek to be on message for women’s rights by destroying the rights of women. Ironic or what?

In fact, I put it to her, her type of Feminist has done more to ruin women’s rights than men have.

Which leads me on to my final point, Taylor Swift and her “reputation”.

Now, I’m probably not a classic T Swift liker. I know some probably think being a DJ I would be the last person to appreciate some (not all) of her tunes, but actually (sorry RA Family) some are classic, well written and intelligent pop and of all the shite my daughter listens to, her’s is far from the worst.

However, the new song is great, its a bit dance led in the bassline (look at me, getting all technical). The video? Not so much.

Why? Why does she have to set out to be such a bitch about other females?

Taylor, like Zoella, is successful, probably one of the most successful in her field. She has money, fame and fans a plenty, and she is good at what she does.

So why on earth does she have to try and slag off Katy Perry (who I’m not so keen on musically, to me she’s more tits and arse and bubbly persona but again, my daughter loves her) who isn’t in the same popularity league as her? She makes her into a supposed threat that she is paranoid about snapping at her expensive and talented heels. Surely , if she’s not keen or they fell out big time, the better, more intelligent path to show she’s not bothered is to ignore it and let Katy do daft shit songs about it like Swish Swish? Be classy. Rise above?

As for her clearly slagging off Kim Kardashian- someone very few people take seriously despite basically being financially sound off the back of having a big bottom (more power to a fellow huge bum girl), using something which was horrifc whether you like her or not in the Paris robbery is just completely out of order. Especially when it’s to score points.

All she has succeeded in doing is making me feel like she needs to grow up, and again, rise above. Don’t play the victim (as she points out herself in the video). I’m all for self expression and the fact she does show differing versions of herself over the years saying she’s moved on is fine. Self awareness never hurts anyone and will gain you respect.

But the whole doing it to others? Nope. Not on board with that one.

Women, we are so much better than this. I see it in blogging all the time. I have seen it in the playground. I dont see it with the Dads though.

What gives?

We will never be taken seriously if we don’t promote each other, if we don’t respect each other and by default ourselves.

Stop being bitches!

How can we fight the power if we are too busy fighting amongst ourselves?

There are plenty of people just waiting to bitch us for it. Let them find something else to moan about.

And leave the back biting, snipping and lack of respect in the bin.

 

 

 

 

Is It Just Me: Who Think’s May’s Vanity Has Fucked Us All?

Been a while hasn’t it since I’ve written a post tagged in the “Is It Just Me” series, but today’s latest fuckwittery in UK politics meant it’s come out of semi-retirement.

Fuck. Sake.

As if the situation after the Election could have gotten any worse, it has, thanks to Calamity May and her band of, oh yes, lets not pretty it here people, TERRORIST HOMOPHOBE AND SEXIST PIGS that she has signed up to prop up the government that we didn’t want but she now says we have to have so there *insert raspberry blowing here*

I shall now feel totally justified in:

1. Calling her a Terrorist Sympathizer since she threw that at Jeremy often enough, and
2. Asking her poxy “I’m OK so fuck you poor people underneath me” supporters whether they are now just as happy to shout that about May as they were on her say so about Jeremy and see if they can actually stand up and be counted for the shite they’ve mired us all in.

What was it? Was she really that pissed off about Jeremy’s amazingly well put together speech at Glastonbury?

May now acts like a petulant child. If we point out that we think she’s a useless PM who we don’t want and the polls show that she would not have a chance if they held the election now, she goes and stamps her feet and ramps the bad times up a notch to teach us a lesson.

And where, prey tell, has this Billion quid of practically a bribe come from?

In the course of the election campaign, she pretty much belittled everyone who voiced how much they struggle down to her unfair austerity measures by using the excuse there is no “Magic Money Tree”. Homeless soldiers, hungry nurses, kids in schools that are teaching them nothing of any worth, families in situations where they heat or eat and the country living in shit due to terrorism and a lack of fire services and police cuts were all excused via her suggesting we have no money in the country and hard choices must be made.

So where has this vanity bribe come from?

Maybe it’s because this year councils wont have to pay people under the table to turn a blind eye to the appalling lack of safety in buildings clad in death trap making plastic? Seen as Grenfell is now a visible monument to our government’s contemptible lack of care towards people who can’t afford their own homes. 100% of the buildings tested thus far have failed miserably, yet last year and in the years prior, they passed. How? How is that bloody possible?

Someone, somewhere, fucked up. And now it seems the Government is eager to lay the blame at the door of Hotpoint, the Tory supporting press after slagging off the poor guy who’s fridge is said to have started the blaze and getting a rollicking now quick to pass the buck onto them.

However, there is little chance of that being at solely at fault- survivors had long since complained of power surges in that block, and power surges and electrics don’t make good things happen.

Regardless of how the fire started, blocks of flats were built so as any fires in the individual homes would burn out within them but not effect anyone else. That didn’t happen with Grenfell. It burned, and despite being put out, the whole block went up. That was why at first tenants were told to stay put, it was on safety notices in the block too. That was what went wrong- the things that should have been checked and sorted clearly were not.

I live in an area that now has one of the highest number of homeless people in the country. The thing is, Berkshire isn’t a “poor” borough. May is the MP for one of the areas of the Borough. She lives ten minutes from my house.

Yet on Saturday, walking through the High Street, we saw tents pitched in shop doorways at what was a Shopping Mall, the only shelter found by homeless people. A homeless community in my town centre. There are several of these now, and plenty of homeless who don’t have the “luxury” of a tent too.

I feel guilty and ashamed that it has come to this.

May and her party took part in Armed Forces Day on Saturday, yet there are currently estimated to be 7,000 homeless ex-service personnel in the UK. How she dares show her face is beyond me.

We don’t live in the developing world. We do live though in a country where people feel no shame in ringing up a radio show to bitch and complain that Grenfell survivors are being given- or rented cos I doubt they’re given them for long- a new home in a luxury block. I’ve even seen tweets suggesting that the blocks will end up “covered in graffiti”.

Where has the care and compassion gone? And why has it gone?

My view is the blame comes from the propaganda used by the Tories to justify the cuts made to some of the most vulnerable. These divs who read Murdoch and papers like his are happy to be spoon fed the reassurance that those who have their money cut, or work for a pittance deserve it as they are scum and scroungers with twenty kids by 10 dads and have better mobiles and full Sky Tv.

I have to justify my belief that Corbyn isn’t some drippy hippie saying things could be more fairly attributed in the country to people who genuinely think that anyone poor fits the chav stereotype touted above.

It doesn’t make you a “hippie” or “daft” to give a shit that we live in a country where people have to live in a tent on the street. That people can’t access health care, or jobs, or homes. That kids are going hungry and have little chance to better themselves as they can’t afford Uni.

Please, please, lets not stop until she quits. We don’t have to live like this, we do have options. I pray the peace process doesn’t end in Northern Ireland for something as petty as May wanting her own way.

This PM feels vanity is far more important than the will of the many.

And that’s exactly what Corbyn wanted to prevent in the first place.

 

Is It Possible to Find the Right Words When They Seem so Useless?

I am writing this after I joined a comment thread on a local Gossip site.

Now, this group, until just prior to the election was announced, was very much a group like any other, where locals could ask for recommendations of plumbers, or nursery places. They could sell the odd item, or arrange meet ups for Mums. There was a running joke regards the large squirrel population in the area. It was mundane, to be specific, but not in a rude way.

Sadly, the minutiae of the local Duck pond being overgrown has given way to politics, to discussions on the current wave of terror attacks, and, frankly, it’s got really quite nasty.

This morning, I once again woke up to the news of a terror attack- because lets be honest, this wasn’t an accident and the div responsible, although clearly as mentally disturbed as the rest, knew what he was doing when he drove a van into people- and of course I am despondent that now it’s seems we have idiots who are going to fight attacks with attacks.

Which is not the way to deal with it, I condemn them for it whatever race they are. How we do tackle it, well, I’ve said previously I actually don’t know, but it’s not by seeking “revenge” on innocent people who probably were as angry as we all are that Manchester, Westminster and London Bridge have happened.

What has caused a massive discussion this morning on the residents group is that despite when there is a Terror Attack perpetrated by Islamic Extremists there will be a sympathetic post on the board swiftly. This time- none was forthcoming.

It has caused a massive debate actually that leaves a few of us shame faced that we could be called out on it. After all, as the original poster said, is it not so sad or deplorable if the people targeted are not white?

I have seen a few idiots post outrageous responses that actually made me respond with an apology and an assurance they aren’t speaking in my name.

But I also now wonder if we have reached a point where words seem useless? Where we don’t know what to say? Or, worse still, that we really have just become so immune to it as its so regular now, that we just carry on and breath a sigh of relief that we weren’t involved?

Is it down to the amount of recent tragedy- we are only a mere few days since the Grenfell Tower fire, which is set to have killed many, mostly poor, mostly immigrant or mostly poor immigrant residents.

We seem to be living in possibly the most uncertain of times this country has seen since the War.

There is political unrest in that we still don’t officially have a parliament, coalition or otherwise. The fact remains that even if we do end up with one it wont be what many of us want to see, and I count Conservative voters in that as I’m sure many wont be happy to join up with the DUP who want a hard Brexit and no rights for most at all.

People who aren’t the well to do few are disillusioned and waking up to the reality that their government really doesn’t care what happens to them, as long as they don’t have to view the poverty that is under their noses. The people are angry and are ready to march, or have marched. They may have always harbored a possibility that they were of little importance to the Government, but now the Tower stands as an eerie monument to that fact and its an uncomfortable thing to realise.

When I have found myself having to justify myself to the “angry white people” who blame Labour “hippies” and “bedwetters” (two of the politer things thrown at many of us) as well as the angry ethnic people too for saying I feel that the guy responsible for last night’s attack is clearly mentally unwell, and being told I am daft for saying that is the case for the Islamic Terrorists. But if these people- whatever side they are on- are carrying out these attacks whilst fully aware of the destruction and death they will cause without a care, then that truly is even more unpalatable.

I do not even know what to think anymore, and, as is constantly pointed out to me as a g Blogger- one who was previously seen as the mouthiest in fact- then we are screwed.

If we apologise, we seem to cause offense in that we are acknowledging the system is screwed against people.

If we acknowledge that the people we voted in- and thats Blair, May, Cameron, even further back- have caused this by interfering in things they did not understand, is that an acknowledgement that we are all partly responsible for not doing more, for being sheep who let out politicians guide us. Are we gullible? Are we too caught up in the media and what it tells us to believe and ignorant of what it doesn’t tell us? Is it blissful ignorance?

I truly wish someone could tell me.

I ache that this is such a constant thing now, that it’s unusual to wake up to a day not filled with horror of some sort of another.

But then again, horror is something that is a daily event in the countries that some of these terrorists feel they are sticking up for.

For all the songs, the candles, the posts on twitter. The condemnation. They are words, gestures.

They do not stop the flow of these attacks, and now the revenge attacks have claimed a life too.

I feel we should dwell on the simple truth that, either side of the cultures, we do condemn, we are horrified. The media may not report it but the Million Muslim March against terrorism happened and shows that the majority are united with us like we are with them in condemning this attack.

Do we ignore it and carry on, in the hope the lack of reporting and sorrow makes it pointless to carry out attacks if they don’t get a reaction? Who knows?

And there in lies the problem. We are not like these people. We do not behave as they do. For the most part, we go about our daily lives, we live in the same towns, and we may have differences in the way we dress, or worship. But we fundamentally agree that these attacks must stop.

Please feel free to comment, I am happy for debate but please be aware any racist comments will not be posted.

 

The Grenfell Tower Tragedy and Why Now is the Time for Action on Scum Lords

I want to start by saying how my heart goes out to each and everyone, either resident in the block, fire fighters who tried desperately to get people out, and the everyday people who stopped what they were doing to try and offer whatever help they could, who have been directly affected by the absolute horror of the Grenfell Tower fire.

I am utterly bereft that despite promises that “lessons were learned” after the Camberwell Lakanal House tragedy, we are here, yet again, with a fresh batch of politicians standing, with faces set to suitable look of sadness with their hands ringed, next to a smoldering building,  next to another appalling incident that could, with the easiest processes in order, have been prevented.

I also want to say how much I admire, yet again, just how us normal folk answer a tragedy, by pulling together and raising funds, and putting collections of clothes, bedding, toys and other essentials for the victims, how places of worship opened their doors to those who have lost all their possessions, and cafes and restaurants fed them in their hour of need and beyond. We are masters of taking control in a crisis, and no matter how bad the situation, someone, somewhere, will see you as right as they can, will give you their last ten pound note, and will try and make things a little more manageable.

Now, I am angry. I am disgusted that we live in, maybe not the richest country in the world, but we’re not so bad that 300K for a sprinkler system wasn’t obtainable. Especially when the same people who refused this most basic request was allowed to wrap 10 million pounds worth of toxic plastic that went up like tissue paper round the exact same block. To make it “look pretty” and appease the people in the more gentrified homes down the road who weren’t happy their view was obscured by sub standard poor houses. That poverty was on their doorstep in pleasantville so they had to put a metaphorical screen round it so they could feel better whilst sipping their lattes and eating their Waitrose dinners.

Don’t let the government tell you different.

The residents had been tirelessly warning that this could happen. That it would cause mass amounts of avoidable death. That they lived in piss poor conditions and you know what? They were ignored.

They wanted to bring a lawsuit against the people responsible for the block- both Kensington and Chelsea council (which until last week was a Tory stronghold) and the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation. They couldn’t. People in the block, despite living in what is a very well to do borough, were not in a position to pay for solicitors to bring their case. Nor could they- as people could previously- get Legal Aid to bring their case, because Legal Aid is now largely an outdated institution that was removed for “costing too much”.

I have long said, as a longterm renter since the age of 17, that there are simply no rights for tenants. If you can’t buy your own gaff, you are beholden to a person, or group, to take your rent and pay you the courtesy of keeping you safe, of doing repairs in a timely manner and with registered tradesman, of not cutting corners and of giving respect.

Whilst volunteering with the Salvation Army, I was shocked and appalled at some of the stories fed back by service users.

Of Landlords who refused to give the standard 24 hours notice before entering a property. Who let themselves in when they saw fit. Riffled through cupboards. All sorts for no reason.

The intimidation I have heard about- and sadly experienced myself- is unreal.

The power balance for tenants is unfairly pitched towards the Landlord.

Yes, you will hear politicians and Councillors say that Tenants can complain. There is the Environmental Health. They can give notice and move somewhere else. They can go on the council list and get a new home that way.

All utterly wonderful if not totally inaccurate.

Twice we have had cause to complain about substandard, unsafe property. Twice, as a result, we were threatened, abused, and then given notice to quit. One Landlord refused to allow us to put a handrail up the staircase, and, as a result, one evening- thankfully and mercifully after I put Mini to bed and before I was pregnant with Littlest- I fell down and over the side of the staircase and am still suffering pain in my back and neck ten years later. We complained and on that occasion the Environmental Health team came out. They found several high level faults with house, and placed an order on the owner to fix things- things we hadn’t even been aware of. That cost her a lot more than the £50 that we wanted to pay ourselves to fit a handrail.

And I’m sure those of you who have read this blog for years will remember the Landlord who left us, for five years, living in a frankly inhumane dump after promising verbally to fix the home swiftly after we moved in.

The water feature indoors, the black and white thick mold that made us all ill, the staircase that collapsed under Littlest (and which he left with no banister on the landing for months before we paid for it ourselves despite him telling us we weren’t allowed to without his permission). The windows we couldn’t open as they were literally falling out the wall. The electrics that were unsafe and had no trip switches, and the boiler that was twice condemned and leaked gas and continuously had to be made safe by British Gas.

We went to the council then. We went to the Housing department, who refused us help as we were “adequately housed”. Their budgets are such that no new homes are being built, so those in houses- even shit shows like that one- are housed and not in need.

Refuse to pay rent as some charities tell you to and that leads to a notice to quit. We tried that with the Handrail Landlady and all that happened was a Magistrate told us we were out of order and to leave- siding with her and her unsafe home. The councils will then say they find you “intentionally homeless”- meaning you have done something which has made someone kick you out and thus they wont even offer temporary accommodation.

The lines on “Intentional homeless” are blurred by borough too.

In Maidenhead (Theresa May’s Constituency), if you leave before you receive a Bailiff Order, they will not help. You have moved out in their eyes before you should. What they don’t mention is that this leaves you open to court costs into the hundreds of pounds levied by the Court. And more costs associated with the owner going to Bailiffs to get you out. You wont know exactly when these Bailiffs will come either- leaving you in danger of losing your worldly goods.

In Reading, when our last Landlord out the blue decided- despite signing new contracts months before- to kick all seven families including ours from his properties to place them for sale, we asked where we stood should we not be able to find new Private housing, expecting to be told to not move until the Bailiff order.

In this borough, you are expected to go no later than the last day on the notice to quit or guess what? No help for you!

And what if the Landlord wants you gone because they’ve screwed up financially and the Notice you have is no fault of your own? Tough. Deal with it and move.

What if they put the rent up by a ridiculous amount you can’t afford? Tough. Deal with it and move.

The only safety net now is the much lauded “DPS” or Deposit Protection Service.

This is seen as fairer to Tenants and Landlords, but when you leave a property, you need your deposit to secure the next one. All fine if you are lucky and have a good Landlord or Agent who knows fair wear and tear and who doesn’t argue the toss unless you’ve wrecked the place. Then you should receive it within days of moving on if not on the day.

Enter into a disagreement though, and it’s 30 working days of to and fro until the DPS makes a decision. How many people have time to take photos in case of when they move in and move out? Not very many. And once you’ve left the building you can’t then gain evidence that the owner or Agent is lying through their teeth.

It is a warped system.

For years, action groups, charities and, dare I say it, Jeremy Corbyn himself have campaigned for improvements and legislation to protect the rights of Tenants. But very few have made it through parliament.

In fact, the last bill that went up for consideration was outvoted by 312 Tory ministers (and none from other parties).

It is this self serving attitude that is yet another reason why this out of touch party should not be allowed to be the decision makers.

The very fact that May couldn’t give a few scant minutes to speak to the victims says it all. Yes, they would have shouted at her, they would have been angry. Quite right too- they’ve just lost their homes and everything they owned down to negligence and poor planning. Did they not deserve that outlet? This is the Political figurehead of our country, and she hid. She took the cowards route.

That suddenly there are unsubstantiated stories relating to the owner of the fridge said to have started the blaze tells you that clearly the party machine is in full whirl to stop blame going where it should and corporate Manslaughter charges being brought against those who damn well deserve them.

This latest showing of May’s ineptitude, her lack of care for the many again, now with the people living in these substandard hell holes due to a lack of money, and previously with the electorate giving her a strong message that we don’t want her mandate, not to mention the people of Northern Ireland and their now shaky peace treaty, its time for her to resign. In fact, the time for her to bow out was last Friday.

May those affected in the blaze find peace and strength, and my prayers go out to those who lost their lives.

And this time, please, will lessons really be learned.

WTF May? WTAF?

For fuck sake.

The country has gone bloody mad in the last few days.

Usually, after an election, you get the calm after the storm of electioneering. You either feel hopeful as your chosen party got in, or a bit miffed they didn’t.

Now after Thursday, I’m even more angry than I was before it, before Cameron resigned, before all of it.

I know the Conservatives are a bunch of morally bankrupt, self serving arseholes, but never have I ever encountered a leader who would go so far to fuck us all in more ways than we ever felt possible than Theresa, Fucking Idiot, May.

Yes, I am aware that I am waving a metaphorical pitch fork here, call me anti feminist to slag off my fellow female if you please.

But I can’t be the only one to suggest that at this point, the only thing us females have in common with her is a vagina?

Yes, she did “win” the election, but not in the way she set out to- she herself said that if she missed a majority by 6 seats, she would immediately resign. She missed that majority by more than that and she’s still littering up the place with her dodgy helmet hair and her questionable taste in clothing.

But now, to ramp up the fun times that she seems to think we all need so desperately, she’s decided to completely screw up Northern Ireland into the bargain, for shits and giggles.

Now, I don’t doubt that the same bunch of you who had no clue about the finer points of the batshit craziness that is Northern Irish politics and the history of the aptly named “troubles” and thus felt it fine to call Corbyn a “Terrorist Sympathiser” (you know, I can’t quite think who spent two years calling him that, can’t think at all… cough Theresa May cough) before the election may not quite understand the horror that her signing up with the DUP brings.

I also don’t doubt that, if Jeremy had of linked up with the DUP, the shit he would have quite rightly received would have been unreal.

These are not nice people.

We may have been 20 years into the Good Friday Peace Agreement. But after at least a hundred years of very violent unrest and atrocities on both sides, 20 years is simply not long enough. We’re talking the foundations have been made but they’re still laid on sand and liable to collapse.

When Kensington and Chelsea, and other constituencies votes (cough, Amber Rudd and the questionable 300) had to be recounted several times last week, we were all raising our eyes and asking how hard can it be to count some crosses. In Northern Ireland, it’s the norm to stop people going and showing their displeasure by shooting someone.

The DUP was started by Ian Paisley Snr, and it wasn’t started with the same scruples and good faith as the SNP in Scotland. Paisley was more than aware that the Ulster paramilitaries (erm, can I be the first to say I hate that term, we don’t call ISIS “paramilitaries” they are fucking terrorists pure and simple) were going around and killing innocent people, he was a disgusting human being who turned a blind eye to the shit that was going down in his parties name.

And yes, so were Sinn Fien. They were all reprehensible. I don’t doubt those who are still alive amongst them or who have been raised to believe the troubles were a legitimate political statement and fight, don’t still harbor the same dangerous views.

Which is why despite Northern Ireland still being very much part of the Great British political map, they are several decades behind us in terms of how we live, what our politicians do and so forth.

And yes, it is hard to imagine politicians worse than those in Central Government, but how about, oh, I dunno, one’s who are vocally opposed to Homosexuality?

Vocally opposed to the point it is normal for these politicians to voice it in the press and live on TV that homosexuality is a “disease” and means those who practice it are “perverts”.

Via @LGBTLabour on Twitter

Are we keeping score here- shooting people for disagreeing on political points based on religion and a border- good!

Loving someone who just so happens to be the same sex as you- disgusting and bad!

As for women’s rights- what rights? Women still, still in 2017, have to travel over to the UK if they wish to exercise their right to choose not to be a parent. Now, I don’t like the idea of abortion, we do have contraceptives over here which are easy to pick up along with your salad and ice cream in the supermarket. BUT I am not so off as to suggest it’s anyone’s right to have one other than the woman having it, and doubt it’s ever an easy decision.

In the whole women’s rights and anti LGBT thing they may as well be Islamic Extremists frankly as they seem to have so much in common with them.

What is their view of what we should on LGBT? Throw them off a building? How very progressive of them.

It would be funny if it wasn’t so immediately true and about to be in our own bloody political chambers.

And what of the aforementioned Sinn Fein?

Part of the Good Friday agreement was that no party from either side would have more sway in Westminster than the other. In fact, Westminster was to stay neutral between the two sides at all times. This was a fundamental keystone of the signing of the agreement (that Corbyn helped forge- just thought I’d remind you of that one again).

So what will happen if the DUP do shore up May’s woeful minority government?

Sinn Fein are, quite rightly, going to wave that agreement aloft and ask what the bloody fuck May and the Conservatives think they’re bloody up to.

Already, the DUP are suggesting that a key change they wish to chuck through is a resurgence in the Orange Parade marches, especially through Drum Crae.

Again, most of you probably wont know why this is such a contentious issue. You wont remember the violence that followed, the days of unrest, the Police wagons on fire and the kids who had to be kept home from their school for fear of being caught in crossfire or because a bomb had been found in a bush next to their school.

What a lovely vision of Britain in 2017.

This is all stuff that has bubbled under, waiting to explode. We all thought the country had gone mad during the London riots a couple of summers ago. That was a few days of divs with heatstroke looking for an excuse to rob some Huaraches in the name of Political freedom, or some shit, innit.

Imagine that all the freaking time, throughout your childhood, into your teens, following you to the pubs (that you can’t go in certain ones or you’ll be beaten (at best) or killed (at worst), into who you choose to fall in love with (can’t be a proddie if you’re Catholic and vice versa) and right up until death. Walls everywhere, Police and Troops with guns, check points, houses burned down, you name it, this wasn’t a vision of Kabul, or Syria or Iraq. It was and could well be again down to May Northern Ireland.

The big concrete barriers that have returned to our streets recently due to a wave of Islamic Terrorism. Ever wondered why its said they have returned? It’s because at the height of the Troubles, we too used to have bombings and shootings. Coded warnings which either turned out to be nothing, or worse, something appalling. We had them then too.

I see a Northern Ireland until last week that was growing, that was getting better. Tourism was beginning to pick up- I don’t recall adverts for Northern Irish stays as a kid but they were growing in number. And so they should- it’s a beautiful part of the world.

Sinn Fein are already saying that they are sending representatives to Westminster as early as today to voice their strong opposition to this link up.

At a time when we all know how many of May’s party- herself included- voted to oppose rights for the LGBT community- it is vital that May does the right thing for once and resigns.

The very fact she went to ask the Queen’s permission to form a Government with the DUP before actually finalizing any such talks or agreement alone means she should be forced to go. I mean, she already shows no respect to the electorate, her party or Corbyn, but to dark off Liz? Off with her head I say.

Whether that means another bloody election or Corbyn taking his rightful place at the Westminster table, I’m down with either right now.

Anything that doesn’t mean a bunch of backward, outdated, actual Terrorist Sympathisers getting any form of political platform has to be better for Northern Ireland, for Westminster and for us all.

Anonymous Post: Why I am Voting Today

I haven’t had an anonymous post on here for a while, but today I am handing over the blog for a post which is heartfelt and emotional. Please be respectful of the content in comments guys, and remember, go vote today!

As I write this, it’s election day and it’s an emotional one for me, because when I cast my vote, I will be thinking of a special friend, who cared passionately about her vote too. Not just for her own sake, but for other’s. She would have voted today and she would have put the needs of the people she saw suffering at the forefront of her mind as she cast her vote.

My best friend didn’t have an easy life. A single mum to a teenage boy, she was also a carer to her mum for many years, until she died in 2013. As soon as she died, my best friend was expected to get a job and she wanted to get a job. After spending many years dedicating her life to her mother, she was looking forward to making a life for herself and making her son proud. But it was hard, because she had been out of work for so long, that her experience and qualifications were out of date. So, the government gave her barely enough to live on to ‘encourage’ her to try harder. She kept on trying, visiting the Job Centre every two weeks, where she received very little help with her job search. She even tried setting up her own business, but it was too hard to go from benefits to self-employment with no support, so that failed. Eventually she found a job in a local retail establishment, and a second one cleaning, because the first one didn’t pay enough to live on.

Shortly after, she slipped on the dangerous steps at her workplace on an icy day and broke her leg. She ended up back on benefits. Then Concentrix arrived and stopped her benefits for 7 weeks for ‘random checks’. Nothing was found, but in the meantime, she was relying on food banks and hand-outs from friends, sending her spiralling into depression. She ended up struggling with stress-induced asthma, which made her so sick, that she was taken into intensive care.

When she was released from hospital, she received woefully lacking follow-up care from the NHS. She lived in constant fear of further attacks, which became a regular thing, but when she rang her doctor, they couldn’t give her an appointment or made her wait for hours and feel like a nuisance. She was too sick to work and should have been able to claim a sickness benefit, but the system is complicated and demanding, not easy to navigate when you are trying to raise a son and survive day to day, because that’s all it was; surviving. By now her benefits had been reinstated, but the weeks of having nothing to live on had left her with crippling debt.

Her benefits were still barely enough to live on, though, as the government’s ‘encouragement’ strategy continued so, despite still having frequent asthma attacks and living in constant fear that each one would be her last, she found herself another job. Some days she had to take her nebuliser to work with her, but she kept going.

Then, on Sunday, she had a final asthma attack, which put too much strain on her heart and she died.

If the NHS wasn’t crippled under so much pressure, if the Government provided better support for the sick, if the unemployed were helped into work, instead of just being signed off each fortnight, if any agency had been able to support her, I firmly believe she could be alive today.

The above definitely gives something to think about as we go and cast our vote today. Thanks to our anonymous post author. And I send my fullest sympathies on the loss of your friend.

If you want a safe place to write, whatever you have to say, the feel free to send me an email on familypanel@yahoo.co.uk- mark your email “anon post” and I’ll post them here. No names needed.

I’m Voting Labour- And Here’s Why You Should Too

I’m hoping this post is more successful than my previous Labour V Conservatives post of the last general Election, and more like my Brexit Vote one 🙂

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you can’t help but notice that there is an election going on tomorrow.

I always think elections are mental, but this one has really been very much an “I’m voting Labour because I agree with their manifesto and quite like Corbyn”, an “I’m voting Theresa as she’s already delivered on the task of triggering Article 50” or an “I’m voting anyone tactically whether or not I agree with them or have ever considered voting for them before, purely because I would rather see anyone other than Theresa get back in again”.

Which are all things I’ve not seen before.

No disrespect to the Lib Dems, Greens, SNP and UKIP, but this is very much it would seem a two horse race.

I don’t know about your local gossip groups on Facebook, but my local one has seen people have massive, almost daily, rows with one another, which have gotten worse with every terrorist attack and speech by either candidate. And these are middle class people, not your local common and garden chavs who vote the way Murdoch tells them to and then wonder why they have their housing, benefits and hospital appointments cut as a result.

So,  I’m voting Labour but for the reason that I actually have a lot of faith in Jeremy.

I was lucky enough to go to one of his rallies in Reading last week.

I’ve never even considered going to anything like it before, but to be fair I felt I should go to make up my mind once and for all on whether in my heart I was putting the right X in the right box come polling day.

I’ve seen him be called a ditherer, and not great at public speaking, but clearly someone’s been giving him lessons. This to me wasn’t an exercise in the usual kissing babies and hugging grannies. He was personable, he set out what he plans to do and why and, all in all, I can happily vote for someone with that much passion and conviction in his beliefs.

I’ve seen a lot of misinformation doing the rounds on Jeremy. He’s a terrorist sympathizer, apparently, as he had the audacity to sit and have a conversation with the IRA at a time when, although not on a par with ISIS, they were the terrorist du jour and, love the Irish and have an understanding as I do of the Troubles through educating myself in the finer points as part of my GCSE History coursework, it was bloody appalling.

Being that I lived in Kent, where there were still many Barracks around at that time (they’ve all but gone now), it wasn’t unusual to go into Maidstone or Chatham for a weekend mooch, only to be evacuated down to a bomb threat. Such was the threat back then- and I think this is forgotten now as they’ve been replaced by utter nutjobs in ISIS and Al Qaeda- that none of our local shopping precincts had litter bins in the streets.

Yes, Jeremy sat down with them. Yes, with the wrong dialogue this could look like he was bestie mates with Gerry Adams and Martin McGuiness and their bomb happy mates.

But, question yourself if you will;

Who recalls Mo Mowlam? Remember her? The wonderful, almost saint like woman who, despite battling aggressive cancer, also sat down with the IRA, and tried to broker talks that someone had already started in the nineties.

That someone?

Corbyn.

She may have gained, quite rightly so, as a kick ass woman back then who is much missed after her death, the credit for the fact that for the most part the IRA have disarmed and now are more likely to argue in Stormont than via blowing up a precinct to get their message across.

We don’t call her a terrorist sympathiser, or question her motives and lets hope no one ever does.

Likewise, Jo Cox went out into her, mainly Muslim, community and tried to get to a stage where she was on side and was able to council over a community without divisions. We don’t slag her off for it.

Does the fact these two are women and no longer with us make the difference to Murdoch and his ilk or have we just yet to stoop that low?

I want to live in a country that is safe, and if that means the difficult choice of trying to engage those who seek to destroy us in talks, then despite it being difficult to breath the same air as these people it needs to be done. I don’t think we have this opportunity with ISIS, unfortunately, but I like the idea that instead of holding hands and blindly sending more troops who have not enough weaponry and equipment over to a foreign land with the USA, here is a guy who wants to do things another way that doesn’t end up with mass civilian casualties and more attacks on our streets.

I have two children. I would love them to be able to go to University. I don’t want them to not have a choice in the matter. If they go, then that’s cool, but if they choose something else that is cool too, but I never want them to let go of their dreams because the fees and costs run into the thousands per term.

My Niece, who I’ve mentioned before, is going to be one of the wonderful people in the world who care for others as a Doctor. She is currently at Bristol uni and she has and continues to work hard as fuck to train as a doctor. She amazes me with how smart she is too. However, every month, my sis and brother in law pay a thousand pounds for her tuition, her accommodation and everything else that it costs to train to be what makes this country great.

The NHS is on it’s bloody knees due to lack of staff and funds, crumbling buildings and computer systems that are wonky to say the least. Kids like my niece should be paid to train, not the other way round. In the long term, my niece and everyone on her course and others like it, will contribute so much to the country. They will buy homes and have to pay taxes on these, buy cars, and holidays and shopping and they will pay tax off their wages and, more importantly, they will be building a brighter future for our country full stop. Why discourage them from education and miss this?

I am sick frankly, if hearing from a Prime Minister who we didn’t elect, who called a snap election after promising she wouldn’t, and yet has the lack of respect for us all- whether you vote for her or not- of not taking part in debates. Of not giving clear ideas of what she plans on doing for the 5 years she would be in power other than she will legalise fox hunting again (yes, because that benefits so many of us). She hasn’t taken part in open rallies, more over she has only allowed a chosen few to hear her promise “strong and stable” leadership over and over like a parrot.

She had the audacity to suggest that the Police were “scaremongering” after the Manchester attack, that they make up how understaffed and funded they are and that the threat isn’t significant.

And then London happened.

But it’s OK for May, isn’t it- when the Westminster Bridge attack came a bit too close to her subsidized self, she was very quickly driven out the back way in an armoured car with bodyguards a plenty. Fuck all those who were hit on the bridge and lay dying and injured, or had to witness that (and I can’t even think how you begin to get over that), as long as Theresa was fine and dandy.

We do not live in a fair society under the Tories, they have no idea what it is like to just about manage, they ignore the fact that people in work now have to claim benefits just to pay their rent, and are still suggesting benefits are a luxury and should be cut and cut and cut, and how dare people be disabled, they are all shirking if you read between the lines of May’s Nasty Party.

They make it harder for people with long term illnesses to claim what pittance they dole out after having to practically jump through hoops. Yet the big businesses and bankers, who caused all the horrendous debt in the first place can happily get away with paying what they see fit, not paying a workable wage, keeping zero hours contracts and basically taking the piss.

We need housing, we need school places (she says, knowing my kids had to leave school and be upset because their Headteacher knew she could excuse her lack of action against the racist bullying within her school by saying she couldn’t expel them down to a lack of places), we need an NHS that works. We need to encourage kids to further themselves through education and we need a better standard of living through a workable wage.

These are things I firmly believe Corbyn will give us.

Please, a vote for May and her Tory chums is a vote for increased poverty, the likes of Branson getting richer by buying the NHS to do with what he likes, schools being unable to teach properly and more of what we’ve already seen from a weak and wobbly woman who despite suggesting she will win as she is so much better than Corbyn, would’t debate against him. Is this who we want to oversee we get the best deal there is for us on Brexit?

Lets hope we see an end to the Tories after tomorrow.

#ForTheManyNotTheFew

 

Fuck This, It Needs to Be Said.

There are lots of things that need to be said people.

Lots of shit that I don’t usually say for fear of the namby pamby snowflakes who believe the garbage churned out on behalf of Theresa and her useless lot by Murdoch moaning and pointing the finger and bitching at me for voicing what even they probably deep down know is spot on.

When did it become OK to bomb, stab, drive at and create fear in the entire country, if not Western Society? Because looking at my twitter feed last night, and the excuses made for the lacklustre, half arsed, soft approach, it’s deemed worse to speak out that something really does need to be done now of some actual merit.

How dare you say that, actually, I am sick to back fucking teeth of hearing yet again that people, going about their daily business, going out for a drink, with their mates, have been ruthlessly and sickeningly murdered. That its not even two weeks since the last atrocity, we’ve not even had the bloody benefit concert for it yet and they’ve struck again.

And by they, no, before you right on twats finger point and call me racist or liken me to an EDL member, or a skin head or any other such bullshit you want to throw (personal fave last night- I’m self important and a twat- for saying bloggers really should think before they tweet out fluffy shit before we’ve even heard the murdering scum have stopped). I am fully aware that this is not all Muslims, all immigrants, all male or female or old or young.

It is fucked up, crazed, mentally unbalanced fucking scum who does this.

What would you rather we call it? Misdirected?

Or would you rather- as again was chucked at me last night- shrug and say “life goes on” (until clearly it doesn’t and then watch when it hits one of their loved ones or an area they have mates or they actually grow a sense of reality and get their heads out their arses and realise this is not fucking on).

I am sick, of apologizing, for wanting to being able to take my kids to concerts, to days out, to anything, without feeling like it’s not a good idea. I want to be able to not have to dive across the living room before they turn the TV on and hear about atrocities happening an hour from our front door where their Dad grew up. I want Mini to have tuned into the Manchester Concert today without me fearing the worst after last night and bare faced lying to her that there has been a technical fault and it’s not showing live, so I can record it, just in case.

And frankly I am disgusted that in a country where we have battled in some of the worst World Wars there has been, that our Agents, our Police and our Government will no doubt say all three of these animals was “known” or one of the 25,000 (so you can almost certainly double that figure) on the Terror Threat list, that they watched and did nothing and have now killed 7 and injured many more.

They call this law the “Prevent” law. Pardon me, but doesn’t prevent mean we, Oh I don’t know, fucking stop shit like this from happening?

It should be at this rate be renamed “well, we sat with binoculars and watched them plot and fuck off back and forth to a known Terror training country, but hold on, now you’re burying innocents again, we’ll go and catch some others so we don’t look completely fucking redundant”.

At this rate, these little “oh you’re a racist” brigade would have balked at what people like my Grandfather did in World War Two- they’d have asked us to just sit tight and wait and see how many death camps Hitler had erected before asking them nicely and gently to stop.

Christ people.

None of you, none of you, like living like this, do you?

Yes, it’s an uncomfortable truth. But in previous times when there was a threat against our country, we interned people who could be a threat. The difference is these days we actually know who is a threat– there are fucking lists, actual lists, of these wankers. And those with dual nationality who hate us so much they plot against us, all whilst using our free NHS, our schools, our benefits and what have you- you know- the best of Britain- should be told times up and sent back.

You are either with us or against us. And when I see what boils down to white apologists bemoaning even other Muslims who say this is not in our name, this is not what we stand for, then the whole system really is cocked up.

Stop making it easy for the Government to pussy out.

I am British.

And I am ashamed to say I am afraid.

Enough is enough.

And to close- love and respect to London once again.

Stay strong.

 

 

 

Is It Just Me: Wondering What We Can Actually Do To Stop the Constant Attacks?

I’ve thought very hard before I’ve written this post. I didn’t write it yesterday as, like most people, I was angry and heartbroken at the sheer level of destruction and death caused to youngsters in Manchester.

I was angry as a Mum who has children who are getting to an age where they want to go to concerts, and indeed, have been to festivals to see all manner of bands since they were in nappies in Littlest’s case. I know the excitement before, during and after a longed for concert that these kids would have experienced as I’ve experienced it myself and seen my kids experience it too.

I am angry as a woman. Its widely been discussed that this was very much a targeted attack- it was the fourth anniversary of Lee Rigby’s brutal and very public murder, this was a concert by an American female singer known for her skimpy costumes and her female empowerment message and her support of LGBT rights, and the audience was mostly young, Western females of different ages who wear the types of clothes that the Extremists would see outlawed.

I am angry as a Britain who, time and again, hears the same nonsense from the Politician of the day. That yet again, this was a male known to Authorities, who was allowed to leave the country and enter a known hot bed for Extremist training, come back here and walk into the Foyer of the Arena. Why? Why do we just simply watch and wait? When did we become so scared to do something to stop these nutters seeing through these campaigns?

So, what do we do?

I know the consensus is we carry on. We don’t let them win. We don’t stop going about our daily lives because of one bad penny.

But this is a multitude now of Extremists, the threat level is critical. We must, as parent’s, make a judgement call.

We can’t trust the Authorities to protect us- elsewise this guy would not have been walking the streets, jumping on planes and then coming back and killing 22 people.

Its an uncomfortable truth now, but we aren’t safe. We aren’t safe at concerts. We aren’t safe on holiday. We aren’t safe in our capitals.

Instead of, yet again, voicing he was known (without the added, but yet we know it’s true “but we did nothing because we are too scared to offend anyone in case we get it wrong and they sue the backsides off us), it’s time our Police and courts are given powers to tag people. We need to bring in a “Persons of Interest” law, which enables the authorities to monitor the activities of people just like the Manchester Bomber.

No doubt, you would tag the odd person who has nothing to do with any of these people who seek to ruin our freedoms. Yet those with nothing to hide would submit to it, without fear.

We need an outright ban on these watched individuals being allowed to travel. And an outright ban across the board of any travel to any of the known countries where these types of attacks are planned and practiced. And anyone using gateway countries to go needs to be put on the banned list and not allowed back in under any circumstances.

We aren’t fighting a war the way we have in the past. It’s not a situation where we can, as many were stupidly voicing yesterday “nuke” or “bomb” the shit out of one country and hooray, peace is restored. They are everywhere. They are across Europe. They are in America, and, as we’ve found out to our cost, in the UK.

So, whilst I’m sure many will react to tell me I am wrong, I shouldn’t stop going out to gigs and places I’ve formally gone to without a second thought, I wont be going, and, definitely will not take my children.

As a Mother, it is my job to keep my children safe.

We haven’t had the TV on since the attacks. I don’t understand it myself, so I can’t begin to explain it to an 8 and ten year old who look to me to keep the bad people away.

I have cancelled a planned trip to London.

If Reading go up to the Premiership, I wont be watching the parade in town.

I wont be catching a train anytime soon.

And sadly, it will continue until someone in power actually does something other then watch and wait until these thugs blow themselves up.

Strength is needed, but it needs to come from the law makers, not us citizens.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families, to the injured, and to children who, instead of going in to school to brag about an amazing concert by an artist they love, full of happy stories of music, and dance and lights and a naughty school night late night to bed, are shocked and silenced by visions their young eyes should never have seen, and screams their ears should never have heard.

Whilst the threat remains amongst us, where crowds of people gather, I will not.

And yes, it is sad. And yes, it is uncomfortable to feel I have to take that stance.

But I see no other option until our Police, our secret services and, most importantly, our politicians, do what we all know they should and take direct, full and no nonsense action against those they currently take a soft approach on, and merely watch the odd time.

Yes, we are strong.

We will hashtag, and start funds, and hang our heads in reflection.

But are we strong enough?

As awful as it is, I fear the answer is no.

Don’t Be The 33! Register to Vote!

I’m joining up with a social media campaign to ask you, quite simply to be part of #NotThe33 come June 8th.

TODAY is your last to chance to register to vote in the coming General Election in the UK, and whatever way you vote, don’t sit on social media come the big day, get out, put an x in the box and have your say.

I see so many people with opinions online about politics- some of them don’t even realise that the thing they are complaining about could have been changed if they had of voted in any of the elections that we’ve had in the last ten years alone.

Don’t like the crisis in the healthcare system?

VOTE!

Don’t like the fact that children are going hungry?

VOTE!

Not a fan of bonuses and tax avoidance for big name companies?

VOTE, VOTE AND VOTE!

We are so lucky that in our society, so long as you are:

• 18 years or over
• A citizen of the UK, the commonwealth and Norther Ireland
• Have a registered address in the UK or you have been a UK resident in the last 15 years but are now living abroad
• and be REGISTERED TO VOTE BY THEN END OF TODAY

…. then you can fill in a very quick, very simple form online, receive a voting card or ask for a postal vote and your little mark in a box can change the way things are done politically for the next 5 years.

So, how do you register?

You can go to gov.uk/register-to-vote and fill out the form there (and don’t worry, it’s as simple as asking where you live in the UK, your name and date of birth).

But be quick as you only have until 11.59pm TONIGHT to do it.

I’m not going to tell you who to vote for, I know who I am voting for (Labour, which I think is obvious), if you aren’t sure then go online, look for the Manifestos of the parties, or you can fill in a few questionnaires online which will tell you which way you lean to from your answers- it’s like Tinder but for something really bloody important to the entire country!

As you can see, in 2015, if the 33.9% had of voted, they could have completely changed the whole outcome. Maybe they didn’t think it mattered. Maybe they didn’t think their voice would be listened to? Perhaps there was a Game of Thrones boxset they’d meant to get up to speed with so they did that instead? Whatever the reason, your vote can make a massive difference.

I’m especially talking to the under 25’s here, you all love voting for singers, dancers and the like on any number of shows like The Voice, Britains Got Talent and I’m A Celeb. But it’s you guys who are the most directly effected by the outcome from the last general election.

So, if voting for a has been eating kangaroo bits is worth a vote, so if voting for a party that wont continue with zero hours contracts, university fees, and no housing benefit for under 21s, then you especially need to make sure you register. If Stormzy can do it, you can too.

I shall be bringing you some of my thoughts on why I’m voting Labour this time around, and I’m sure plenty of other bloggers will be giving their thoughts on all the parties too.

Get informed, but first, say no to being the 33% and go register to vote!

And a big thanks to @Helsieboo and @every1PR for setting up this word spreading initiative amongst the UK Blogging community 🙂