Elderly folks

Thanks S.H. but what an endightment for this Country.
Lincoln .7

I think many of us would share your last couple of comments, Linc.

Yes Pete your mother was very lucky. As you know, I live “In the sticks” and the only work in the main is on the land, however, we have a plethora of Care Homes around here, and it’s just a job for 18, 19, 20 yrs olds, and some middle aged, however the emphasis, is money orientated. The “Client” as they are now called comes way down the pecking order. You will also find around here, many of the homes are owned by Asians.
I think I would sooner top myself rather than go into a home. I worked B***** hard to pay for my house, and would like my 3 children to have it when I pop my clogs, not having to sell it. Seriously it may be a good reason to make euthanasia legal in such circumstances, I just would hate to be a burden on my family, should I not go into a Home.

Lincoln .7

I don’t doubt it, Linc, but we can only speak from personal experience. The point is of course that all care homes should be at the same level of quality as my mother’s. Bumble Bee has commented about her father’s care, I believe.

Yours is the exception rather than the rule S.H. My Father In Law, was moved 3 times into differrent Care Homes, mainly because he was elderly and as such, recieved terrible treatment, so bad in fact his 3 daughters complained to the relevant authorities. He died in a care home, I saw his body, and he was covered in bruises, yet all he did all day was to sit in a chair stareing into space.

Lincoln .7

Just a footnote as I do not want to get re-emboiled in this, but the care home in which my mother spent the last 10 years of her life had 2 formal inspections a year and a number of unannounced inspections, when the inspector literally turned up unannounced. I have to say it was a good home which we were lucky to find but I’m sure there are many which fall short.

No one is held accountable for their (or their CHILDRENS) actions anymore.

Probably it’s because both parents are at work, trying to make ends meet, and their children are left to their own devices. As the saying goes, “The Devil makes work for idle hands” :diablo:

Lincoln .7

OK, you asked for it…..!

To my mind, we are faced with a situation where rights have become uncoupled from responsibilities. Our rights as individuals should go hand-in-hand with our responsibilities to our families and to the rest of society – whether we are talking about parents on housing estates taking responsibility for the behaviour of their children or about rich individuals and companies paying their fair share of tax.

It is all too easy nowadays for people to abdicate their personal responsibilities with little or no consequence for themselves as individuals. Indeed, some individuals even gain celebrity status from their fecklessness.

Some would even have us believe that there is no such thing as society, that we should all look out for ourselves and the Devil take the hindmost. So what to do about it?

There should be a basic principle running throughout the governance of this nation from the top to the bottom: actions and choices have consequences as well as benefits. Let’s look at some random but specific applications of this principle, so hopefully you’ll understand what I mean.

If a care home is found to be neglecting residents, then the management and ownership of that establishment should face criminal charges and the establishment confiscated and placed under proven responsible management – whether in the public or the private sector.

No public official (including Cabinet Ministers) should benefit from their holding office beyond their contracted salary and pension. No more “gifts”, no more “hospitality”, no more kickbacks, no more “jobs for the boys”.

Anyone who is able to do so but refuses to support themselves and their families will be made to work on essential infrastructure renewal (eg, replacing sewers) for minimum wage. By compulsion, should it prove necessary.

All child maintenance payments will be directly deducted at source from wages, salaries and benefits. 100% of these amounts (minus a minimal handling charge) will be paid directly to the parent who cares for the children.

Single parents will be expected to find work once their youngest child is in full-time education – but only once cheap and reliable childcare is made available to them.

I could go on…. but hopefully this gives you a taster of what life would be like under my benign dictatorship. 🙂

OK. It’s someone else’s turn now.

G.A. Had I taken a step back. and given it more thought than I did by rushing my posting, I would have come up with exactly the same ideas, many of which have been mooted in Westminister by one M.P. or another, but thats about it, all talk and no do. As regards Care Homes and their standards etc, they are warned when some bod is coming to visit and report back. I would love to know how Care Homes in Scotland are free, but we have to sell our houses to pay for our keep, should we be unfortunate to reside in one.Thanks for letting us know your views.

Lincoln .7;)

Lance, you left out the bit about declaring yourself President and disbanding Parliament.:D

I assumed we’d all take that as read, Robbo. 🙂

No one is held accountable for their (or their CHILDRENS) actions anymore.

I am not being sarcastic, but a lot of what you say, I agree with, so, not trying to be a clever s** can we please have your views, as I see you have your civvie hat on at the moment, even as a Moderator you are human and entitled to give your opinion, which on this subject I would like to hear please.

OK, you asked for it…..!

To my mind, we are faced with a situation where rights have become uncoupled from responsibilities. Our rights as individuals should go hand-in-hand with our responsibilities to our families and to the rest of society – whether we are talking about parents on housing estates taking responsibility for the behaviour of their children or about rich individuals and companies paying their fair share of tax.

It is all too easy nowadays for people to abdicate their personal responsibilities with little or no consequence for themselves as individuals. Indeed, some individuals even gain celebrity status from their fecklessness.

Some would even have us believe that there is no such thing as society, that we should all look out for ourselves and the Devil take the hindmost. So what to do about it?

There should be a basic principle running throughout the governance of this nation from the top to the bottom: actions and choices have consequences as well as benefits. Let’s look at some random but specific applications of this principle, so hopefully you’ll understand what I mean.

If a care home is found to be neglecting residents, then the management and ownership of that establishment should face criminal charges and the establishment confiscated and placed under proven responsible management – whether in the public or the private sector.

No public official (including Cabinet Ministers) should benefit from their holding office beyond their contracted salary and pension. No more “gifts”, no more “hospitality”, no more kickbacks, no more “jobs for the boys”.

Anyone who is able to do so but refuses to support themselves and their families will be made to work on essential infrastructure renewal (eg, replacing sewers) for minimum wage. By compulsion, should it prove necessary.

All child maintenance payments will be directly deducted at source from wages, salaries and benefits. 100% of these amounts (minus a minimal handling charge) will be paid directly to the parent who cares for the children.

Single parents will be expected to find work once their youngest child is in full-time education – but only once cheap and reliable childcare is made available to them.

I could go on…. but hopefully this gives you a taster of what life would be like under my benign dictatorship. 🙂

OK. It’s someone else’s turn now.

i think the french fighting because their told their retirement age is going up to 62

and the british rolling over and accepting retiring at 67 says it all

no one has the balls to stand up and fight anymore

i don’t agree with everything in the students protests but at least they had backbone and fight in them

britain is now a country of i’m alright jacks and sod everyone else till it effects them and they start crying because no one will fight for them because they’re alright !!

I would love to be around when the 50yr olds on this forum are fast approaching retirement age, I can guarantee their attitudes will change.

Lincoln. 7

i think the french fighting because their told their retirement age is going up to 62

and the british rolling over and accepting retiring at 67 says it all

no one has the balls to stand up and fight anymore

i don’t agree with everything in the students protests but at least they had backbone and fight in them

britain is now a country of i’m alright jacks and sod everyone else till it effects them and they start crying because no one will fight for them because they’re alright !!

“……..bring about a change in the attitudes and morals of the society in which we live.“

Exactly, Kev it and summarises what I was saying in an earlier post. Scratching about at the surface will achieve nothing, and probably make it worse.

But I can add nothing more, either to my comments or to the thread so I will bow out before, as Anna so deftly put it, it revolves completely.

Kev, I think you have made some very constructed observations in your opinion, I am NOT licking your backside, but I do agree with what you say.
I honestly beleive the answers would be so radical, that they couldn’t be put into place.
I think as far as our Polititions are concerned, they are between a rock and a hard place, however, they only have themselves to blame, by not keeping a stronger check on things.

Lincoln .7

What needs to be done is a radical revision of how decisions are made in society. These are just random thoughts of what might (or might not) bring about a change in the attitudes and morals of the society in which we live. How such might be achieved I cannot possibly imagine.

1) Political Reform. – AV a possibility? Proportional Representation? Would that allow the population eligible to vote to feel more a part of the Government of the Country? Part of the decision making process?

2) Terms under which MP’s are elected. Perhaps 5 years is too long without them having to justify their position. Perhaps MP’s should be elected more frequently though how that would be done without disrupting a 5 year Government term I cannot imagine. MP’s and Government should be more accountable for the decisions they make, as should civil servants.

3) Education. A radical overhaul to ensure that pupils either achieve the standards required through their own efforts or receive sufficient help to enable them to acheive those standards. Make teachers accountable for their teaching but give them the support they require to allow them to teach to the best of their ability, without threat of violence and disruption.

4) The benefits system. Make it fit for purpose. This Government are right when they suggest it shouldn’t be more profitable to remain on benefits unless it is absolutely necessary. However, telling people their benefit is being cut and that they should find work is preposterous when this Government are responsible for the loss of so many of those jobs.

5) Encourage a work ethic which encourages people to stand on their own two feet rather than one which punishes them when they can’t.

6) More money needs to be spent on the preparation of people for parenthood. Obviously, the majority are fine but there are those people in society who, for whatever reason, are the children of, for want of a better name, bad parents. It is they who will need help and dupport to ensure that the cycle of bad parenting is broken.

I could go on if I thought about it longer but I won’t. How this can be achieved I don’t know, but perhaps some of the points I have made may be a starting point towards something better.

Then again, they may not.

Regards,

kev35

So, once again, what do you think should be done about it?

This applies to everyone, not just Lincoln 7. Instead of having yet another moanfest about the ills of society, how about some constructive thought for a change?

There are some good minds in here. It’s a pity to see them wasted on serial Victor (and Victoria!) Meldrew impersonations.

In all truth G.A. there is no answer. you can’t stop these families benefits etc, as knowing of some, they would turn to crime, and as there is, it seems to be a lot of Police Officers who are going to lose their jobs, I cannot see things getting any better, although I think the loss of Police Officers will be due to natural wasteage anyway.If they did stop these families benefits, that would only add to the 2.5 mill currently unemployed.
I think this posting has managed to go way off track.to my question
I am not being sarcastic, but a lot of what you say, I agree with, so, not trying to be a clever s** can we please have your views, as I see you have your civvie hat on at the moment, even as a Moderator you are human and entitled to give your opinion, which on this subject I would like to hear please.

Lincoln .7

So, once again, what do you think should be done about it?

This applies to everyone, not just Lincoln 7. Instead of having yet another moanfest about the ills of society, how about some constructive thought for a change?

There are some good minds in here. It’s a pity to see them wasted on serial Victor (and Victoria!) Meldrew impersonations.

I see another thread going 360 Degrees. 😀

#14, in case you missed it.

I agree with what you say, up to a point, as regards what the answer is, I take it your referring to the family/ies who have never worked, Have not the Government plans drawn up to stop them from their benefits they are claiming?.and get them back into work, but with unemployment running , the last time I looked was 2.5 mill, I doubt if even that will work. I like yourself would like to know the answer.You pay Income Tax the same as I, and millions of others, why should we subsidise their way of life.

So, once again, what do you think should be done about it?

This applies to everyone, not just Lincoln 7. Instead of having yet another moanfest about the ills of society, how about some constructive thought for a change?

There are some good minds in here. It’s a pity to see them wasted on serial Victor (and Victoria!) Meldrew impersonations.