Labour party membership handbook survey, YOUR VIEWS

So a quick break from emails to tell you all about the fact that my Labour party membership has literally just landed on my doorstep. Because as my letter informs me I was one of 30,000 people who became a Labour member after the election. I guess as a socialist mum I should have been a member before, but I was just a supporter. Ive always been socialist, just never sure Labour represented my views wholely.

But as I dried my real tears on May 8th (I had been somewhat hysterical since hearing the exit poll-simply out of fear) I vowed to start being more "active" and so joined Labour in the hope that by adding my voice to the party it would return to its socialist roots and stop pandering to the Blairites who want it to remain central or worse the Tory lite with their blue suits and red roses. The sheep in the wolf's clothing.

So today my membership has finally arrived and in the A5 pamplet there is a section for me to return.
One A5 page with 5 questions: YOUR VIEWS.

Firstly, Harriet, I dont think this page is big enough....

1. What prompted you to join the Labour Party?

a. Recieved email, call or letter from the Labour Party
b. Asked to join by someone you know
c. Sponteneous decision
d. Had been thinking about it for a while
e. A particular news story

Well, I did get several emails from the Labour HQ both before and after the election but this did not sway me. I guess it was a sponteous decision but if we are being honest what drove me was fear. Fear for my future, for my families future (nuclear and extended) and fear for the society in which my sons are growing up. I fear a lot of things for me and everyone else for the next 5 years. I fear this country changing in ways we cannot even imagine. But rather than sit at home worrying and doing nothing I wanted to act for real change. Labour and Harriet promised to listen to our voices so I decided to act, to join, to try and persuade the party that the left, that socialism, is what this country needs and what its people needs, not just the working people but the vulnerable members of society that the incumbent government seems out to destroy by any means necessary.

2. Tell us how you want to get involved

a. Generally support the party
b. Shape our local and national policies
c. Get involved in local campaigns and elections
d. Train to become a politician (councillor, MP etc)
e. Meet like minded people
f. Discuss party policy and current events

Honestly? The HOW hadnt actually occurred to me...I just knew I wanted to make my voice heard. But I have sat here since I sent off my application thinking about it and now I see it in black and white and the more I think the more Im sure I need to ACT. So generally supporting isnt enough- thats what I have been doing my whole life. But Im a single mum, with two very active children (both play a LOT of regular sport- ok well my youngest does, my eldest goes when he is able!) and Im self employed in sport as well as being an active volunteer. Im quite often told im Super Mum but I have yet to be able to be in two places at once (no joke, I actually TRY, regularly!) so I dont think training to be a politician would be a good idea- I just dont have the time. I already meet like minded people, facebook is brilliant for that, (why do you think Cameron hates us for using social media to mobilise!) and I actively engage discussing policy and current events (especially the ones the Mainstream media DO NOT cover) on facebook, and now here, because that is the only way we have to join our voices and to mobilise against the oppression we face. So being INVOLVED and ACTING more for Labour specificially means I need to get involved in local campaigns and elections. I cant convince enough people from a chair, I need to start pounding pavement and engaging with people face to face on the doorsteps like my mother before me.

3. What do you think are the most important issues affecting our country today?
a. Crime
b. Economy
c. Education and schools
d. Employment
e. Environment
f. Health
g. Immigration
h. Welfare and benefits
i. Cost of living
j. Other

Lets start with the fact that seriously, is that all you could come up with? I told you this sheet wasnt big enough. I could fill quite a few sheets with "other" but we will get to that in a moment.
Crime- well define crime, because crime is on the increase because so many go without. Is it a crime to steal from Tesco foodbins? Tesco think so, but thankfully the judge did not. It is a crime- a crime that the guy had to in the first place, and the fact that Tesco waste so much. I worked for Tesco while in sixth form. The waste is unbelievable. And unncessary. Most of it is caused by lazy staff who dont return items that customers change their minds about at the till, or place straight in the waste crate because its too much effort to put each item back. I remember the board in the changing room detailing the waste at the end of the tax year in fiscal terms for our ONE store. I cant remember how many houses we could have bought, but it was more than one. Crime is also going to increase if you change what the laws are. Its a crime, yes, for so many to be sleeping rough on Englands streets, but the criminals are the government not the people themselves who's only "crime" is to be poor or be the victim of circumstance or to have fought for their country. The sterotype is for people to assume only drug addicts and alcoholics sleep rough.

 "The proportion of veterans among London’s single homeless population is estimated to have fallen from above 20% in the mid to late 1990s, down to 6% in 2008. In terms of the number of veterans, this is a reduction from an estimate of between 3,000 and 4,000 down to approximately 1,100. This has been attributed to a combination of reduced output from the Armed Forces, improved Ministry of Defence (MoD) resettlement provision and better intervention from ex-Service charities. (http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/media/31582/LitRev_UKVetsHomelessness.pdf)

And thats just London. 1,100 are still homeless
What about the criminal tax evaders? The criminal bankers? Labour gets the blame for our failing Economy, which brings us to the next option: economy.

Lets have a crash course in econonmics 101 for a moment: if you bank outside of this country you are contributing to the deficit. How? because sovereign wealth (ie all the money that the banks hold right now) is offset against sovereign debt (all the money the country owes) so if you dont bank in the UK and hold your money "off shore" then you arent having your funds offset against what is owed. So to me, thats a crime that affects our economy. As is tax evasion. The incumbent government keep telling the country £12 billion is needed in cuts, but £120 billion is owed in tax. And not by people who claim tax credits. By corporations such as Starbucks. So to me, thats criminal, blaming those like me who claim tax credits, and those who are vulnerable and claim any form of welfare support as a result when £120 billion is owed by big business. So yea, crime and economy are important to me.

Education and schools? This isnt the same climate as 1997. Time to wake up Labour. You wont win 2020 with the mantra Education Education Education. By 2020 schools will no doubt all be privitised as accademys. Now I worked in one and I dont think they are ALL that bad, but I view selling off/privitisation of any public body with distain. Its False Economics. A bit like when a welfare officer would come to the house and tell a mother to sell her wedding ring, and when people find they have to sell the contents of their homes to get buy: its solves nothing long term. You cant turn every failing school around by making it someone elses problem. And you cant make mental health or social care part of a schools mandate either. I will always, always, always be eternally grateful to the schools my children go to. A part of me wonders If my children would have been subject to forced adoption or living with my parents to avoid this had they gone to school anywhere else. The primary school backed me every step of the way, with social services, with the police, with the LEA and LAs, with support for my eldest and in supporting me support my sister with my nephew (who is HFA and dyspraxic) and my old Catholic High School (for the most part) I cannot fault for their support of my eldest. No mother ever should have to hear their child feels suicidal, certainly not because their beloved dog has passed away and they have no idea how to cope with such a massive trauma. CAMHS offered no support whatsoever. Ineptitude or lack of funds? I reserve judgment for now-I could write a blog on that subject alone arguing both points. They instead placed the responsibility of providing my son with psychological support squarely on the shoulders of his school. I am grateful that they rose to and succeeded with this challenge providing him with Art therapy and a counsellor. However 18 months on, post election, the funding for his Art therapy has been cut, and my son is facing no support again. He is distraught. He quite enjoyed it and had a rapport with the therapist which if you knew my son would realise how challenging that is for him. But a school is a school and set up to educate my son. As wonderful as that support is, its not down to the school to provide and he misses out on lessons to attend the sessions. Education is important to me, otherwise I wouldnt have begun teacher training and I wouldnt have removed my son from his first primary school when he came home black and blue aged 5 because he was being bullied for being different, and I wouldnt have supported my sister in taking her son, my nephew, to my wonderful primary school, 10 miles from her home in order to give our children the best education we could in our circumstance. But quite frankly, it shouldnt have to be this way. I have lost count in my head trying to work out how many primary schools are in that 10 mile journey, its a lot though. They arent even a specialist school, just a small rural community school that are wonderful. My sister shouldnt have to get up at 6.30 to get a bus or train to where I can pick her up for the remaining part of the journey; her local school should be good, with teachers who know about ASD or are at least willing to work WITH not AGAINST parents and not overcrowded. Teachers shouldnt be overworked to the point where they cannot cope, and student teachers shouldnt be worked to the point where they (like me) have a breakdown 16 weeks before qualifying and give up all together. Again I could be here all day on this point. 

Environment? I live near the a SSSI national park, and several SSSI coastal nature reserves, I am a member of the RSPB and the WWT. I am opposed to fracking, and so should any socialist MP. We need more housing, but it needs to be sensible, sustainable and have the correct infrastructure. Yes in short I care about the environment.

Health? Thats pretty simple really isnt it? The NHS belongs to the people, and should not be privatised. MORE funding is needed. FUND mental health and A&E waiting times will come down and our overworked front line service personnel wont be having to respond to mental health crisis situations. Look after our vulnerable and dont take away welfare support and they wont be driven to self harm or suicide. Its not that hard to work out. Then doctors and nurses wont forget the 13 year old boy waiting for a paediatric neurological consult because he had a seizure and then, having come in at 8pm I wont be leaving at 4am with a desperately tired child who cannot stay overnight because the other children would overstimulate him and he has already had an anxiety meltdown because the other children in the waiting room are upsetting him by being too loud for his head which is recovering from a first seizure.

Immigration? This is Murdoch's Right Wing, Red Herring isnt it? Im not anti immigration but Im not in favour of too much of it either. With few jobs available is easy to see how everyone falls for the "stealing our jobs" argument.

Welfare and benefits? Its quite simple here too: £120 billion is owed yet the incumbent government want £12 billion cuts to the most vulnerable. The Welfare state HAS to be the biggest priority for Labour because this is YOUR legacy. Without it, millions of vulnerable people ARE going to suffer and ARE going to die. Support the vulnerable, stop ATOS medicals, stop looking for fraud that doesnt exist, stop wasting money on universal credits, leave child benefit and tax credits alone. They were all brought in for a reason. The cynic bangs on about fraud but two simple points: benefit fraud is 0.7% - more is lost due to error (most of which is DWP error) than fraud and if you do away with tax credits for the self employed then all that will happen is more people will go "off the radar" and not declare what they are earning. No one will cease training and "get a real job" the majority of us who are self employed are because we were either unable to find a job or were unable to carry on with the job we had for whatever reason (inc redundancy). Take away our self employment and you create more children in poverty (Gordon Brown wont be happy having got so many out of poverty) and you will create an even bigger mental health crisis for this country. Suicide is already on the increase, dont let it become a first world epidemic. That also means getting rid of sanctions. Sanctions do not help the situation. They make it worse. The DWP have been told they HAVE to publish figure on it. They dont want to. Because they know the truth.
Cost of living? Thats going up month by month because of the continuing problems. Two words: ANTI AUSTERITY. The country is crying out for a party who are anti austerity. REALLY look at Scotland to understand this. THIS is why you lost so badly to SNP.

Other? Again Scotland can tell you: GET RID OF TRIDENT. It is a huge waste of money and unnecessary. You dont stop a threat of war by stock pilling arms in an arms race. History should tell you that.

Housing? why isnt this on your list? Speak to Shelter for current stats, because by the time you come to read this post, the figure will have gone up again. its no exaggeration that homelessness increases significantly on a daily basis. Speak to the Focus E15 mothers. Rejuvenate deprived areas by housing people in the housing estates that remain empty. Put the cap on the landlords rent, stop insurance companies holding landlords to ransom, dont cap benefits! STOP selling off social housing and build some more!

And SAVE THE ILF and the Human Rights Act. I cant begin to explain how important these two are and how fundamentally linked they are but DPAC can explain better about ILF and Liberty can tell you everything you need to know about why we need the Human Rights Act. And if you are still not convinced, ask the UN why they likened it to the removal of Jewish rights before the 2nd world war. Thats no exaggeration either!

4. Would you consider getting involved with any of the following?
a. Speak to people over the phone
b. Speak to people face to face
c. Attend a Labour Party social event
d. Share a campaign online
e. Deliver leaflets
f. Make a donation

I dont deal to well with telephones because I have ASD myself but I will happily canvas people as I said before.
Social events? are you kidding me? Spend the money on a proper campaign to get into government for real change not just power grabbing before you start spending money on a knees up.
Share a campaign online? isnt that what Im already doing?
Deliver leaflets. Yes I can do that.
Make a donation? With what? I have no spare cash because thanks to the Conservatives Im barely keeping my head above water. Tell you what, if my ex husband ever coughs up any of that £12k in backdated child support you can have some - and I will give a nicer sum if someone from the Labour Party helps me get it.

 5. How would you prefer to be contacted?
 a. Email
 b. Post
c. Phone

 Harriet, you have my email address ;)