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gloss80 · 7 years

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General Election 2017 - Man Like Corbz done good!

I am certain when the Exit Poll dropped on Thursday night shortly after polling stations closed there was a collective amount of jaw dropping across the nation and I can imagine several near heart attacks across CCHQ! I know Labour HQ were quietly jubilant but wanted to wait to see how the night transpired. No one saw this coming…. It was seriously a “where were you when you heard..” moment!! I stared at my TV screen thinking “Please, please, please let this Exit Poll be correct!” Why? Because it predicted a Hung Parliament and showed a brilliant Labour surge in the vote against all the odds. Many political commentators were urging caution whilst some remained steadfast in their belief that May would win the majority she needed to carry forth her mandate into the Brexit negotiations. I could feel something brewing in the air. Big crowds would turn out to see Corbyn at events across the country. He even packed out a football stadium with the crowd shouting: “Oooooh Jeremy Corbyn!” People wherever I went were talking about Corbyn and Labour’s Manifesto. On Thursday afternoon I was walking out of Wembley Park Tube Station and a group of School girls ran up to me and stopped me. They said “please vote Labour!” I answered “already done!” They cheered “Team Jezza! Bun the Tories!” and we all high-fived! That really warmed my heart! Young people engaged in politics and realising how politics impacts on every single facet of their life. I honestly felt like their proud Aunty! Anyway I digress….back to election night…. I could not sleep…optimism in my heart had me glued to my TV screen for the entire night. Was this really happening??? The results started to roll in and it was becoming clearly evident that the Exit Poll was indeed correct! Yes, I punched the air a few times as Labour Gains across the country materialised including Scotland where we took seats from the SNP. Canterbury went red after being Conservative since 1918! The Tory MP Jane Ellison was ousted in Battersea by Labour’s Marsha de Cordova! It was a stunning 10% swing from the Tories to Labour. The Tories dreadful manifesto author Ben Gummer gone! Nick Clegg gone! Amber Rudd was onto her 5th recount and almost had people rummaging through the bins for votes when it became clear that this was shaping up to be an extraordinary night for Corbyn and Labour! Long standing Labour activist Eleanor Smith made history by becoming the West Midlands’ first African Caribbean MP in a seat that used to be held by the racist Tory MP Enoch Powell! He of “Rivers of Blood” infamy. Kensington and Chelsea where the average house prices are 1.4 million now has the red flag flying high! The same constituency where Dacre’s Daily Mail HQ aka The Daily Heil sits in now has a Labour MP! Oh the irony…. Labour’s success saw it almost completely wipe out the Tories in London and more than double majorities in seats that were previously considered marginal. Remember that Theresa Mayhem had promised again and again that if she lost six seats, Jeremy Corbyn would be walking into number 10! On election night the U-turn Queen lost more than that yet is still desperately clinging on to power! Blaming everyone but herself for taking a reckless and arrogant gamble in calling a General Election that no one wanted. She has also lost the mandate for a hard Brexit and solidified just how weak and unstable a leader she actually is. British politics has suffered a Youthquake! Corbyn offered a real vision and hope to a younger generation who had often felt marginalised by politics. He connected with their aspirations and they mobilised and came out in force! Big up the #Grime4Corbyn campaign and all the Grime artists and rappers who helped inspire young people to go out and vote. This is just the start! Let’s build on what we have achieved! I am so proud to see the young voices rise up and just want to send heartfelt thanks to all the young people up and down the land who came out to vote. I am an actor and a movie geek so here is what I think: Corbyn in many ways epitomises Obi-Wan’s classic line in Star Wars - A New Hope: “If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” I’m serious. Why do I make this correlation? Well Corbyn has survived strike after strike! He has survived constant attacks and challenges from within the Labour Party as well as vicious, poisonous and relentless assaults from the Tories and their right wing media cheerleaders and he has always comes back stronger than before and with a bigger mandate than before to boot! It is clear in this election that the more people saw of Corbyn the more they liked what they saw. Calm, compassionate, dignified, principled and always on the right side of history. Also the Labour Manifesto with the vision “For the Many Not The Few” successfully resonated with so many across the country. Hope, a feeling last seen in British politics in 1997 is on the rise again. In contrast Maybot decided to base her election campaign around herself under the “Strong and Stable” robotic mantra. She ducked away from the TV debates like a coward, tried as much as she could to avoid the public and trotted out soundbite after soundbite to the point that she sounded like a Dalek. It was either “Strong and Stable” or “Nothing has changed.” Repeat!! She relied on the tabloid press to sing her praises and was in desperate need of reboot but it never happened. The more the public saw of Maybot the more they did not like what they saw and the more they realised how distant, insincere and indecisive she was. The Conservative Manifesto was a disaster and the U turns kept coming soon after. It was clear you could not trust a word uttered. So here we are. People will say “but the Tories won! They got the most seats.” The reality is Mayhem was humiliated! She called this election with a 24 point lead over Labour and was so arrogantly complacent that Tories would win a landslide and Labour would be demolished at the ballot box. Mayhem did not get the majority she needed so she went with her begging bowl to the hard-right, racist, sexist, homophobic, terrorist linked and thoroughly unpleasant DUP to ask them to prop up her tory government. This in itself reeks of desperation and is doomed to fail. It also highlights her blatant hypocrisy. Jeremy Corbyn is a ‘terrorist sympathiser’ we’ve heard the right wing tabloids and their sheep shriek. So what now do you call Theresa Mayhem getting into bed with the DUP??? This is a regressive alliance with potentially far reaching implications for Northern Ireland and progressive politics in general. Instead of clinging on for dear life it would be far better if she resigned with what little dignity she has left. I have my popcorn out watching this mess unfold! Recriminations, resignations and Tory civil war no doubt! No matter which way you look at it this is the beginning of the end for Mayhem. She is toast! Anyway I am very encouraged by Labour’s election result. My support for Corbyn has never wavered and for the first time in ages I feel optimistic about what politics can achieve. First phase for Labour was winning UKIP votes back, attacking Tory seats/votes and galvanising young people which has worked brilliantly for us as we out performed expectations at this Election. The next phase now is securing a Labour victory at the next General Election which may well be sooner than you think….. Time for unity within Labour, this is our time. We must continue to organise and be a strong opposition! We must be the powerful voice for the many that this country so desperately needs. @gloss80

#Corbyn #Labour #GE2017 #JC4PM #Grime4Corbyn

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gloss80 · 7 years

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General Election 2017 - Man Like Corbz done good!

#Corbyn Labour ForTheMany GE2017 JC4PM

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gloss80 · 9 years

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A Glossy Post Election Rant...

First up apologies for my blog silence! I’m back now though & will endeavour to update, enthral, inspire & possibly bore you to tears with my rants and Glossyisms!!

Ok folks, so the election happened…. I am still attempting to process exactly how this happened. So on Friday morning there was a torrent of misery on Facebook and Twitter over the election results. You see there was so much at stake in this election. On Thursday I stood in the polling station perusing the latest polls! Everything was apparently neck and neck. All polls pointed to another coalition government of some sort. Then the polling stations closed at 10pm and you could hear the collective jaws across the land hit the floor as the BBC exit poll was finally released which predicted the Conservatives would be the largest party on 316 seats, Labour on 239, SNP on 58, Lib Dems on 10, UKIP on 2, Green on 2 and Plaid Cymru on 4. Tories!! 316!! Surely not….we all thought……still optimistic that the night would herald Labour’s return to Downing Street! Oh how wrong we were…..

There were some stunning Labour victories and an increase in the number of BAME MP’s across the country: London is pretty much red now!! Result! It was a landslide victory for Dawn Butler in my Constituency of Brent Central with a swing of 20.9 per cent and majority of 19,649 votes! I am delighted she is my MP again. Then we had the fantastic win in Norwich South for my fellow OBV Alumni Clive Lewis with a majority of 7,654 votes beating the Lib Dems! There were also wins for Kate Osamor (Edmonton), Tulip Siddiq (Hampstead & Kilburn), Naz Shah (Bradford West) and Rupa Huq (Ealing Central and Acton).

There were some jaw dropping losses over night! I have never witnessed an election like it. The Lib Dems were rewarded for selling out for ministerial cars by being annihilated across the Land whilst Labour was wiped out by the SNP in Scotland and the Conservatives Held most of their seats and confounded incumbent expectations by winning a fair few too. Some like Boris were inevitable wins whilst others were unbelievable. The Tories now have the thin majority they need to govern alone (331 seats compared to Labour’s 232). The biggest seat lost by the Tories was Esther McVey for Wirral West which thankfully was won by Labour’s Margaret Greenwood. The Lib Dems took a brutal hit losing big-hitters Vince Cable (Twickenham), Simon Hughes (Bermondsey and Old Southwark), Danny Alexander (Inverness), Ed Davey (Kingston and Surbiton), Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey and Wood Green), David Laws (Yeovil) and Charles Kennedy (Ross, Skye and Lochaber) prompting Nick Clegg to resign as Lib Dem Leader.

The most shocking seat losses for Labour were that of the Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls (Morley and Outwood), Campaign Chief Douglas Alexander (Paisley and Renfrewshire South) and Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire). The one moment that provided unadulterated joy was watching that dreadful Nigel Farage lose the South Thanet seat! Now he has resigned! Good riddance but the fight against UKIP must continue!

This defeat hurts…..it really does because on many levels it is simply bewildering given the negative and downright nasty campaign that the Tories ran assisted by their cheerleaders in the right wing press. Establishment propaganda won this election! The Tories won as the nasty party - what on earth does that say about the public? It is astonishing because despite the level of suffering this Government have inflicted upon the most vulnerable in our communities and the danger to our NHS people still voted for them (although they clearly felt too ashamed to admit to pollsters - these so-called “shy Tories” have a lot to answer for!)

The 2015 General Election Vote share is as follows:

CON - 37.7% LAB - 31.1% UKIP - 12.9% SNP - 4.7% LD - 7.8% GRN - 3.8%

This election really is not a good advertisement for FPTP (First Past The Post). For example the SNP won 56 seats with 1.5 million votes however The Greens accrued 1.1 million votes that elected just one MP. UKIP (pains me to say it) attracted 3.9 million votes but it too resulted in a single seat. No matter which way you look at it something is fundamentally wrong with our democratic process. It truly is becoming an affront to democracy when it is clear that 63.1% of people who voted did NOT vote Conservative. The Tories are not liked, even by quite a lot of those who voted for them! In actual fact only 37% of people voted for them and consider this, the National turnout was 66.1%. Although a historic win for the Tories it is not the stunning, landslide victory their right wing cheerleaders in the press would have you believe. The impact of non voting in this election is startling too. If everyone had come out to vote I am pretty sure I would be writing a piece about Labour’s victorious return to Downing Street. Voter apathy is an alarming issue which must be analysed. Why are people not voting? Do they truly not understand the importance of having a voice?

Interesting article here on what the result would have looked like Nationally under the alternative system of Proportional Representation: http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/heres-how-the-election-results-would-look-under-a-proportional-voting-system–gJenQmaW2gW

Many people have criticised my reasons for voting Labour as being solely tribal but it runs much deeper than that for me. I take my politics extremely seriously and for me it is no laughing matter. Firstly I am a Socialist (still considered a social pariah in some parts - result!!!). Growing up I saw what the Tories were about! I read about the disgraceful racist campaign they ran in 1964 in Smethwick, West Midlands (not far from where I grew up). The Conservative MP, Peter Griffiths, had been elected in the 1964 general election on the slogan “If you want a n****r for a neighbour, vote Labour.” This even prompted Malcolm X to visit Smethwick in 1965 to show solidarity with the residents on the receiving end of such vile racism. Also let’s not forget the infamous “Rivers of Blood” speech given by Conservative Enoch Powell in Birmingham in 1968. I knew the Tories would never stand up for me. Alongside this I am an 80’s child and old enough to recall “Thatcher, Thatcher the Milk Snatcher.” and the desecration of the economies in the West Midlands and the North under the Tories. A toxic mix of Miners strikes, Steel Works closures, rampant Stop & search, Race related Riots in our cities, Poll tax riots and just so much civil unrest, misery and inequality.

Thatcher’s election in 1979 proved disastrous for many British workers, as Thatcher’s commitments to privatisation, the free market and muzzling the trade unions heralded a new era of greed and utter selfishness. These Tory policies were designed to destroy the very existence of ordinary men and women. Something the Tories still stand for today and mark my words David Cameron intends to preserve Thatcher’s legacy. In the end, the Tories’ problem is not what they do; it’s what they are. They are the party of privilege. They are the party of the rich for the rich! They are only interested in ensuring the coffers of the 1% increase and that the gap between rich & poor widens. The Tories are entirely focused on the City of London, controlled by the bankers, financiers, oligarchs and mega corporate tycoons with their vested interests and have little to no understanding, or desire to understand, what would be best for the rest of the country.

I never forget how the Conservative’s failed to challenge racism. They ignored Stephen Lawrence’s family after his murder and they were never on my side of ordinary people. It took Labour sweeping back into power in 1997 to order a Judicial Inquiry. The publication in 1999 of the resulting Macpherson Report (the report concludes the police investigation was “marred by a combination of professional incompetence, institutional racism and a failure of leadership by senior officers”. The charge of institutional racism in particular prompted a series of changes within the Metropolitan police) has been called ‘one of the most important moments in the modern history of criminal justice in Britain’ Jack Straw, Labour Home Secretary from 1997 to 2001, commented in 2012 that ordering the judicial inquiry was “the single most important decision I made as Home Secretary.”

History has illustrated to me that The Labour Party is synonymous with standing up for the Many and not the Few. The Labour Party has always fought for those facing discrimination. You only need look at the progressive strides made under Labour Government’s.   The Labour Party is a movement and it is one of the most successful movements for justice and social change in Britain. Labour has and will always be rooted in communities and it is a movement which is focused on empowering the many to stand up.

I grew up in a working class family in inner city Birmingham. I watched my parents work hard and sacrifice so much to give my siblings and I everything we needed growing up. To this day I truly appreciate the gratitude for things and the strong work ethic my parents instilled within me. I also learnt from an early age that knowledge is power and that I must know thy self and be confident in who I am, know my roots, know the sacrifices of those who paved the way, stand up against injustice and work damn hard! I realised early on in my life that no matter what I would always have to work that much harder and prove myself that much more because I would be judged before I even opened my mouth. Judged for the colour of my skin, judged for being female, judged for being a Christian, judged for my state school education, judged for the non-red brick university I attended & generally judged for being me….glossy fabulous! I didn’t attend some posh private school and have doors opened for me through “Daddy’s connections.” I just grafted, got my head down and worked hard to change the assumptions and stereotypes thrown in my direction! To this day I still fight to be judged by the content of my character. At no point in history have I ever looked at the Tories and thought they care about me. Never have I thought they would stand up for me. Never have I thought they would speak for me. It has been well documented that the current Tory strategist Lynton Crosby thinks reaching out to ethnic voters “muddies” the Tory message and one of the few ethnic Tory candidates has even admitted his party is still seen as “racist”. Labour, by contrast, has promised to put race equality “at the heart of decision-making” and looks more serious about addressing disproportionate disadvantage.

One of my motivating factors for entering into the Trade Union movement was that I knew if the Tories wanted to crush the unions then joining a union was definitely what I needed to be a part of to stand against the Tories. As a trade unionist I became a Shop Steward, sat on the Joint Consultative Committee and generally attended protest after protest. Fighting injustice as much as possible. Becoming a member of the Labour Party was a natural transition for me and I guess the rest they say is history! I have been a Member and Activist for 8 years now as well as Labour Link Branch Officer. By no means is Labour perfect! I do not view my party through rose tinted glasses! I was not a cheerleader for the New Labour era and did not support the illegal war in Iraq, getting into bed with Murdoch and not acting sooner to rein in big business and of course the banks. Many mistakes were made during our 13 years in power and we have acknowledged these mistakes.

I’ll be honest Labour’s manifesto didn’t tick all my boxes – I wanted the party to be even more progressive, radical, bold with a clear and coherent message that could resonate within communities across the land. I do not agree with pandering to the Tories and UKIP rhetoric on immigration. Plus I was deeply frustrated that we did not blow our trumpet enough about our vast achievements. When people say politicians are “all the same” that simply is not true. If we had elected a Labour Government on Friday these are just some of the things they would have done because they stand up for everyone, not just a privileged few:

1) Raise the minimum wage to more than £8.00 by October 2019 and promote the living wage.  2) Ban exploitative zero-hours contracts so that anyone working regular hours for more than 12 weeks can get a regular contract. David Cameron said he couldn’t live on one. If he can’t, then no one should have to. 3) Extend free childcare from 15 to 25 hours a week for working parents of three and four year-olds.  4) No tax breaks for millionaires (the Tories did give tax breaks in 2013, and they’re do it again now they have won). 5) Cut tax for millions of people on low and middle incomes instead.  6) Clamp down on tax avoidance and ban ‘non-dom’ status. 7) Cut the deficit every year and balance the books, sensibly and fairly, without the extreme spending cuts the Tories are planning to make.  8) Scrap the Bedroom Tax (from day one) that hits the disabled and most vulnerable in society.  9) Make it illegal for employers to undercut wages by exploiting workers.  10) Save the NHS.  Labour founded the NHS in 1948, it is one of our party’s proudest achievements, and we have saved it from crisis before. In five years of Tory-led government we’ve seen rising waiting times, increasing privatisation and falling standards.  11) Train and recruit 20,000 more nurses and 8,000 more doctors by 2020, paid for by tackling tax avoidance, a levy on tobacco companies, and a tax on the most expensive properties worth over £2 million. 12) Guarantee a GP appointment within 48 hours – and on the same day for those who need it.  13) Freeze energy bills until 2017 so they can fall but not rise, and give the regulator the power to cut bills when wholesale prices fall. No-one should have to choose between heating and eating.  14) Radically improve mental health provision, especially for young people, by prioritising investment in under-18s and making sure teachers are trained to spot problems early.  15) Stop Tory privatisation of the NHS and cap the profits private companies can make from providing NHS services.  16) Create opportunities for all young people.  17) Cut tuition fees from £9,000 to £6,000 (which will help students and is also good for our economy). 18) Make sure that there is an apprenticeship for any school leaver that gets the grades. Also improve technical education and careers advice in schools to help students prepare for jobs. If you chose not to go to university, your future should be as secure as if you do.  19) Deliver smaller class sizes for five, six and seven-year olds to give all children the best start.  21) Get a fairer deal for renters by banning rip-off letting fees and capping rents at the rate of inflation during secure three-year tenancies.  22) Freeze rail fares in the first year of a Labour Government while reforming the railways.  23) Tackle climate change and create a million green jobs. 

You need only look at some of the Labour achievements below also to see the massive impact these policies have made to many lives. Politics affects us every single day of our lives whether you like it or not so I believe that people should exercise their democratic right to have their voices heard. From the suffragette movement to The Civil Rights movement (anyone seen Selma?) many sacrificed their lives in order to enable us to mark an X on a ballot paper. Let me just remind you of some of the achievements under previous Labour Government’s:

• Created the National Health Service  • Introduced the National Minimum Wage and raised it to £5.52   • Funding for every pupil in England doubled  • Helped lift 3 million people out of poverty each year between 1997 and 2010  • Introduced NHS Direct offering free convenient patient advice  • Delivered 2,200 Sure Start Children’s Centres  • Introduced the Equality and Human Rights Commission  • £200 winter fuel payment to pensioners & up to £300 for over-80s  • Restored devolved government to Northern Ireland  • Inpatient waiting lists down by over half a million since 1997  • Introduced child tax credit giving more money to parents  • Scrapped Section 28 and introduced Civil Partnerships  • New Deal – helped over 1.8 million people into work

 • Overseas aid budget more than doubled  • Introduced the Equality Act and the Public Sector Duty  • Free nursery places for every three and four-year-olds  • Helped to get some 40 million more children into school  • Best record of any UK Political Party in terms of Black and Asian representation  • Over 36,000 more teachers in England and 274,000 more support staff and teaching assistants  • Devolved power to the Scottish Parliament.  • Devolved power to the Welsh Assembly.  • 2 Weeks Paternity leave for Dads for the first time  • Employment at its highest level ever  • Introduction of the Education Maintenance Allowance

Sometimes we just need a reminder of what can be achieved under a progressive government - A Labour Government.

Did I think Ed Miliband was the right alternative! Hell Yes!! Did I believe he would make a great Prime Minister? Hell Yes!! It was not delusion! For me it was fact! I am always hopeful and optimistic about the difference a Labour Government would bring to those who have suffered greatly under the Tory/Lib Dem Government. Most of those who have suffered are not the “scroungers” the right wing press hysterically scream about it’s actually the most vulnerable in our communities. It is an utter disgrace!  Ed Miliband is genuinely a man of integrity, resilience and principle. He has been mercilessly vilified in the right wing press by Cameron’s cronies and despite this he flourished in the lead up to the election! One only had to look at the front pages of the rag that is the Sun comic and the disgraceful Coverage in the Torygraph and The Daily Fail to see that Ed had indeed ruffled more than a few feathers and they were panicking at the prospect of a Labour Government. Ed had shown he was not afraid to stand up to those with vested interests e.g. Murdoch, Dacre, Energy Companies, Big Business, non-doms and unscrupulous landlords. He also proved he was willing to make the right decisions on Syria, Palestine, The Living Wage, and the NHS and was committed to bringing back fairness to Britain and abolishing the Tory/Lib Dem Government’s cruel, indefensible bedroom tax.  Ed’s action in the 2013 Parliamentary vote on Syria stopped Britain from making an armed intervention against the Assad regime, thus ending a very long period when British party leaders saw it as their duty to support American foreign policy objectives. One only need look at the hashtags #Milifandom, #JeSuisEd, #MilibandMustWin and #Ed4PM to see how the power of social media has been exceptionally instrumental in this election. Rupert Murdoch however like some real life Emperor Palpatine continued to delude the public through scaremongering front pages and vile bullying of Ed whilst ignoring the plight of ordinary people affected by disgraceful Tory-led Government policy. David Cameron and the right wing media played up fears that a Labour government, reliant on support from the Scottish nationalists, would drive the country leftward and risk the nation being splintered. They whipped up a politics of fear! They also portrayed Ed as some weird caricature! “If he cannot eat a bacon sarnie right then how can he lead the country?” the right wing press screeched! Front pages of Murdoch’s rags emblazoned with those unflattering images of Ed. Ed was unfairly judged by the media and by those who bought into the media lies on the doorstep. It is extremely superficial and disgraceful that Ed was judged on appearance rather than his policies and the good he wanted to do for the country. Very sad indeed.

It is a shocking indictment on the Tories that increased food bank usage by people in work is increasing rapidly. There has been a 19% year-on-year increase in food bank use, demonstrating that hunger and poverty continue to affect large numbers of people, including rising numbers of low-paid workers. The Tories are the master of spin and have successfully duped many into believing that somehow Labour caused the global financial crash and they inherited a country in dire economic need. To be quite blunt that is a lie. As for debt, The Tory government have increased the National Debt to £1.5 trillion. They have borrowed far more in 5 years than Labour did in 13 years. In 1997 Labour inherited a deficit of 3.9% of GDP. By 2008 it had fallen to 2.1%. A reduction of almost half and in 2010 the economy was beginning to pick up from the global banking crash yet by 2012 it had begun to dip again. I personally cannot understand why the Tories crow so loudly about their economic record.

Now that the Tories can govern with a Majority unrestrained by the Lib Dems this country is in for a deeply worrying 5 years. So there you have it folks, another 5 years of David Cameron & his Bullingdon Mafia holding the country to ransom……  It’s been 48 hours since the Tories won the election and already some of their worst nightmare policies have been confirmed: £12bn welfare cuts, Human Rights Act scrapped, fox hunting ban to be lifted, forcing through the Snoopers charter (New laws allowing the security services to monitor people’s emails, internet browsing, phone calls and text messages could be pushed through under a Conservative majority. This was thankfully previously blocked by the Liberal Democrats in coalition), and electoral boundary changes which would benefit them immensely by meddling with constituency boundaries to lock Labour out of power for a generation. This is one of Cameron’s top priorities and Senior Tories want the shake-up introduced at the 2020 general election in a move to boost the number of Tory MPs by about 20. Also Britain’s housing shortage is set to worsen under this Tory Government’s plan to extend right-to-buy to 1.3 million housing association tenants. Experts fear the plan will deter social housing landlords from building new properties and housing associations have vowed to mount a legal challenge against the plan. Let’s not forget the EU Referendum - the Tories will try and push through legislation paving the way for a vote on Britain’s EU membership which will be unveiled later this month. The issue is likely to trigger ferocious in-fighting among Tory MPs.

That brings me to our NHS - which will be finished as we know it under the Tories you just wait and see. You better get that debit/credit card handy when you find yourself in hospital. A limb could be hanging off but you will have to pay up first before treatment. This is not a joke. Interestingly yesterday (Day 2 of the new Government) hundreds of people gathered outside Downing Street to protest against the Tories! This is just the start. People are angry at the outcome of this election and are organising! Direct action against this Tory Government will increase over these next 5 years. There is a huge anti austerity/anti Tory protest going ahead on Saturday 20th June 2015 which I will be attending. Please see details below:

If you’re still not convinced by what this Tory Government will do then please read the links below! There’s a lot to read!

1) The Tories’ £12bn of welfare cuts could come back to haunt them: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/08/tories-12bn-welfare-cuts-mythical-scroungers-conservatives?CMP=share_btn_tw

2) Scrap the Human Rights Act and keep TTIP: Here’s what you voted for and will get with a Tory government, Britain: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/scrap-the-human-rights-act-and-keep-ttip-heres-what-you-voted-for-and-will-get-with-a-tory-government-britain-10235374.html

3) Human rights are at risk under our new Conservative Government: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/human-rights-are-at-risk-under-our-new-conservative-government-10238834.html

4) David Cameron will hit society’s most vulnerable the hardest as he finally begins to identify his £12billion of welfare cuts http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/pure-evil-bedroom-tax-hit-5670809

5) Snoopers’ charter set to return to law as Theresa May suggests Conservative majority could lead to huge increase in surveillance powers: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/snoopers-charter-set-to-return-to-law-as-theresa-may-suggests-conservative-majority-could-lead-to-huge-increase-in-surveillance-powers-10235578.html

6) Housing associations say they’ll sue if the Tories force them to sell off homes under right-to-buy: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/generalelection/housing-associations-say-theyll-sue-if-the-tories-force-them-to-sell-off-homes-under-right-to-buy-10175492.html

7) What Now for our NHS? http://www.sochealth.co.uk/2015/05/09/what-now-for-our-nhs/

8) Michael Gove is now justice secretary. God help us! Seven things the Conservative government will actually do http://t.co/ttFsWxjySa

9) Four reasons the Tories shouldn’t feel too smug – despite an incredible election result: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/generalelection/four-reasons-the-tories-shouldnt-feel-too-smug–despite-an-incredible-election-result-10234940.html

10) Labour has failed but it’s the low-paid and hard-pressed who will suffer: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/08/labour-failure-low-paid-will-suffer?CMP=share_btn_tw

11) DWP releases document on cuts to disabled work access scheme hours after election result: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/generalelection/hours-after-the-election-the-dwp-says-it-is-looking-to-cut-a-disabled-access-to-work-scheme-10237191.html

12) SPOT ON!! Charlotte Church says David Cameron’s win has ‘given reins to bogeymen’ in furious Twitter outburst: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/charlotte-church-attacks-david-cameron-5658479#ICID=sharebar_twitter

13) David Cameron may have won the election, but it’s for wrecking the Union that he’ll be remembered: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/cameron-may-have-won-the-election-but-its-for-wrecking-the-union-that-hell-be-remembered-10234742.html

14) Here’s something to make you laugh! If like me you’re considering leaving the UK then read this: How to leave the United Kingdom. For those less than thrilled about the prospect of a decade of Tory rule: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/how-to-leave-the-united-kingdom-10234980.html

Ed Miliband has taken full responsibility for our election defeat and resigned as Labour Leader and I am sorry to see him step down. He would have made a great Prime Minister. Now comes the dissection of where we went wrong and speculation as to who should be Leader and Deputy Leader of Labour is already rife. Labour lost touch with many of its core voters and became too isolated in the Westminster bubble. Many took for granted that certain votes were a given. We did not listen enough to communities up and down the country and we did not present ourselves as a real alternative to the Tories. Our message was not clear and did not resonate with people and our message could not cut through the Tory lies and spin. What now? Well this defeat is a real opportunity now to learn the lessons, rebuild, choose a New Leader and Deputy, refocus, organise and emerge reborn not as New Labour 2.0 but as Real Labour! Sometimes we need to lose our way to find our Way! The fight back starts Now! Let’s gooooooo!!! It has also been very heartening to see how many people have joined the Labour Party since the election! Like Ed said in his resignation speech: “We’ve come back before and this party will come back again.”

The fight continues will you join us?

https://join.labour.org.uk/?source=15_05_08_8May&subsource=labour_twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=labourUK&utm_campaign=15_05_08_8May

Ok I’m done! Let’s hope my other Reds - my beloved Manchester United secure top 4! Thank God for small mercies!

Oh, one more thing - here is some Additional useful Information for you to read!

1) Observer editorial: Britain now needs Labour to become a robust and principled opposition party: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/commentisfree/2015/may/10/observer-view-general-election?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

2) Latest piece by Chuka Umunna, Labour’s Shadow business secretary and the Labour MP for Streatham. Very interesting analysis. Is this the next man to lead the Labour Party? Where Labour went wrong – and what we must do to put it right: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/09/labours-first-step-to-regaining-power-is-to-recognise-the-mistakes-we-made?CMP=share_btn_tw

3) Petition: TELL THE GOVERNMENT TO KEEP THEIR HANDS OFF NHS UNSOCIABLE HOURS PAY. https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/tell-the-government-to-keep-their-hands-off-nhs-unsociable-hours-pay?source=facebook-share-button&time=1421166742

4) 63 REASONS NOT TO VOTE TORY! (Remember these for next time & thanks to whoever put this comprehensive list below together).

1. Food bank use up.  2. Tuition fees trebled.  3. EMA scrapped.  4. Zero hours contracts.  5. More people in part time employment.  6. Suicide rates up.  7. Benefit sanctions targets meaning 90,000 people a month are sanctioned for little or no reason.  8. A&E in crisis.  9. Longer waiting times to see GP.  10. Selling off Royal Mail.  11. Stagnant wages.  12. Closures to police stations.  13. Closures of fire stations.  14. Increasing the national debt.  15. Creating more new debt in 5 years than labour created in 13 years.  16. Increasing VAT  17. Scrapping meaningful statistics collection.  18. Cutting university funding by 80%  19. Cuts in public transport grants, 20% rise in rail and bus fares.  20. Making councils in poorer areas cut more than councils in wealthier areas.  21. Housing benefit cuts as rents continue to rise.  22. Reneging on curbing banker’s bonuses.  23. Loss of ‘AAA’ credit rating.  24. Double dip recession.  25. Treasury lying about what income tax is spent on.  26. Universal credit mess, this has cost the taxpayer over 200million.  27. The unlawful Workfare program.  28. The Health and Social Care Act - a top down reorganisation of the NHS with no mandate 29. Trying to scrap our human rights.  30. ATOS  31. Bedroom tax.  32. Cuts to social care.  33. Cuts to library services.  34. Cuts to the disabled students allowance.  35. Cuts to local council disability transport.  36. Changing DLA to PIP meaning thousands of people are no longer eligible. (Disabled people make up 10% of the population but face 25% of cuts).  37. The IFS says the average household has lost £1,127 a year thanks to coalition policies. 38. The IFS also say that the biggest group to lose out are single jobless parents.  39. Child poverty increased by 13% (after labour cut it by 50%).  40. Removing legal aid.  41. Privatising NHS direct.  42. Tax avoidance up by 13% according to HMRC.  43. Homelessness up 26% (despite labour cutting it by 41%).  44. Closure of sure start centres.  45. 30% increase in childcare costs.  46. Childhood obesity up by 16%.  47. Privatisation of the East coast mainline.  48. Stamp price hike by 50% since 2010.  49. Closure of 410+ schools.  50. Cutting the funding for connexions careers advice service for young people.  51. Overcrowded classrooms have trebled since 2010.  52. The Tories have presided over the closing or downgrading of 33% of NHS walk in centres, 66% of A&E/maternity wards and 16% of A&E’s.  53. 477 fewer GPs surgeries.  54. Mental health provision has been cut by 25%.  55. Closure of prisons  56. The number of millionaire bankers has climbed by 11% 57. 1,368 people died after work capability assessments wrongly found them fit to work.  58. Withdrawal of the subsidy for reemploy that saw the closure of 34 reemploy factories (that employed disabled people).  59. Water charges up 20% since 2010.  60. Raising the retirement age.  61. David Cameron decided to “cut the green crap” from policies.  62. Fracking  63. The UK statistics authority has repeatedly warned the Tories to stop lying over immigration, unemployment, benefits cap, debt and NHS spending.

Ok folks I’ve stepped off my soap box now! Thanks for reading and keep an eye out for my future blogs! xx

Finally………

Hahaha!!! 😂😂👏

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gloss80 · 10 years

Text

This is me....

Tuesday 16th October 2007. 7 years ago today. How can I ever forget a date which is eternally etched into my mind, body and soul? I even remember the time....5:37pm. I even remember small things about that day. It was sunny, eerily still & very mild for October when I heard the news which turned my world upside down. When I think about the contrast of that day it always seems so divinely surreal. After an urgent referral by my GP to the hospital I underwent a mammogram, ultra sound and fine needle biopsy and was now back for the results of the biopsy. "I'm so sorry to tell you that you have Breast Cancer....." Words like a dagger to my heart. Yep that metaphorical earthquake had just ripped through my life!! So many questions? But I was a young woman and how was this possible?? No family history whatsoever. What did this mean? Was I going to die? What treatment did I need? Turned out the Tumour was big at 50mm once histology on it had been done and unfortunately for me breast conservation surgery (lumpectomy) was not an option. There had been signs which unfortunately I was ignorant of as I did not think for a second breast cancer would affect younger women. There was frequent dryness and cracked skin around the nipple area which I had suffered with up to two years prior and the right breast became distorted in shape. I say to all women get to know what feels and looks normal and if there is anything out of the ordinary then go to your GP straight away. It’s as simple as TLC TOUCH your breasts. Can you feel anything unusual? LOOK for changes. Is there any change in shape or texture? CHECK anything unusual with your doctor. The following months after diagnosis were some of the most difficult and most painful days I have ever faced. I had to summon the faithful warrior within me because this was the fight of my life. I went through a right mastectomy with immediate reconstruction, axillary nodes clearance, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and then Tamoxifen. That was not the end of my journey though not by a long shot. On some level what came after primary treatment has been more difficult to cope with because fighting it initially there was an end point for the treatment. Plus I had sheer resilience to fight the disease but with every reminder of the cancer, that resilience diminished slightly. With every pain in my body, every infection, every daily tablet, every surgery, every glance in the mirror....however despite this there was no conceivable way that I would allow myself to feel like a victim when in my heart, soul and spirit I knew I already had the victory. You see as I sit here typing this, tucked under my duvet, 7 years a survivor, I am still battling with the harsh consequences of breast cancer, I have faced multiple surgeries over the years, with another to come, pain crops up all over my body on a daily basis, medication has frustrating side effects and currently I am trying to recover from a horrid infection caused by lymphedema. Yes folks, this has been a roller coaster ride and a half but above all else I held on tight to my faith. From the moment I fell to my knees in despair, incapacitated with fear, crying out to God after my diagnosis to when he told me to "Be Still" in that moment of deep pain to this present day, the peace of God has been the source of my strength and the strength of my life. I will proclaim it from every valley and from every mountain top. I have laughed, loved, cried a bit and ultimately grown into the woman you see now. Stronger, more determined, more focused and more faithful. The one I was always meant to be and it took me to be broken in pieces in order to find myself. It's so funny people have often said I "never looked sick" hmmm......seriously??? I guess on some level it would probably have satisfied their warped perception of what "sick" looked like if I walked around with a dry face, dressed in black and no lip gloss on!! Haha! I didn't "look sick" because in my mind I had already won the battle! I chose life. Many people commented that I glowed during chemo for example. You see the battle is either won or lost in the mind first! That is your choice. When my eye lashes fell out, my nails turned black and fell off, my gums turned black and the pain on the right side of my body was excruciating I smiled through it and thanked God for his mercy and grace upon my life. When I got horrendously burnt through radiotherapy I smiled through it and thanked God for his strength and for healing. When I face surgery after surgery I smile through it and thank God for his perfect peace and his comforting embrace because I understand anxiety and fear are not my portion. I am just blessed to be alive! In actual fact what was the biggest and most painful test in my life has turned into my greatest testimony and the making of me. My walk with God has flourished and my faith shines brightly from within. My journey has taught me so much both good and bad. You learn a lot about yourself in your darkest hour. You also learn very quickly the people who will stand by your side and on the flip-side those who will not. I guess the word "cancer" scares some people and I am better off without those particular individuals in my life anyway. True friends stay by your side whatever the weather. I thank God for blessing me with an amazing family and incredible friends whom without, I would not have come through this challenge. I thank God for the NHS too and the most wonderful Breast Consultant. I have also been so encouraged and inspired by so many strong, positive women and men who I have met along my journey. Many of whom have become life long friends. I guess the most ironic thing is that the cancer in a peculiar way ended up healing my life and my spirit. Staring death in the face showed me how much I needed God and how much I wanted to live and make a difference. I was given fresh zest for life and renewed ambition. It also made me realise that politics is indeed my calling! I must be mad but I am deeply passionate about the fact we need real people with real life experiences making decisions in the corridors of power that affect all our lives. So much unadulterated joy has come out of such heartbreaking pain and I have made it my mission to do whatever I can to spread the Breast Awareness message particularly for younger women. I have been very active in the media both on TV and in magazines/newspapers where I am very happy to speak candidly about my experience in order to help others. I have repeatedly met with various cross party politicians to keep breast cancer high on the political agenda and discuss the ways that they can support and improve breast cancer services, treatments, research etc giving them real perspective and encouraging them to support various initiatives. I have met with some of the most outstanding global clinicians and researchers and I have also been blessed to speak at various events both here in the UK and abroad....but I'm far from done...I'm just a woman on a God-given assignment right now! Watch me soar like an eagle!

For more information about Breast awareness the following links are very useful: http://www.breakthrough.org.uk/about-breast-cancer/touch-look-check http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/breast-cancer-information/breast-awareness/being-breast-aware/changes-look-feel

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