By John Sullivan,My name is John Sullivan I am a Barnet resident and along with my wife Ida a carer for our nearly 49 year old disabled daughter Susan, I am not a member of any political party or trade union. However I am so grateful that trade unionists exist and have a great deal to be grateful to them for, they have cared for Susan and her peers for more than 40 years. They are special people, they are caring people, they are the rock on which we and so many other Barnet families have relied for so many years. They are not the ogres the right wing press or local Tory councillors choose to blacken their names with, they are just like you and me, many are Barnet residents and hard working human beings, with rights, opinions, feelings and genuine concerns.
I am a founder member of a group called CADDSS , Campaign
Against Destruction of Disability Support Services run under the umbrella of
Baps. Which caters for all folk with a disability or an injury or age related
illness that rely on public services for support, and have seen those support
services decimated in the name of austerity cuts, and profit margins. Which is
an integral part of the One Barnet Programme, that is aimed at maximising
profits whilst minimising support services and staff employment rights.
I am
also chair of a small group called TSG , a group that acts on behalf of Adults
with a learning disability. Both these groups have sadly had to take a back
seat in recent weeks due to so many things to do, so we need your help.In the past 2 years elderly people and those with a
disability and or an injury or age related illness coupled with many that have been medically
retired from work due to ill health, have been transformed by the Coalition and
our local Tory councillors from being poor dears to scrounging bastards. This group
have been put in the same pigeon hole as the minority of layabouts scrounging
on the system , the fact that so many of them are incapable of working or
fending for themselves through no fault of their own, is ignored in the most
callous fashion.
Cameron & Clegg
have broken the promise they made in the run up to the general election , to
protect the NHS & front line services for the weak the vulnerable and the
disabled. They have supported huge sums
being taken away from these vulnerable
folk in benefit cuts, coupled with recently introduced "excessive "support service charges
by Cllr Cornelius and his crew, whilst
supporting millionaires getting a tax cut. Cllr Cornelius chooses to
mislead the people of Barnet about the benefits of the One Barnet Billion Pound
Gamble, he dishonestly claims there is no alternative, and laughably if it were
not so serious "no loss of democratic control ". This smiling
assassin who smiles to your face whilst sticking a knife in your back has the
gall to use the word democracy, when he leads the most undemocratic council in
the history of Barnet. A council that denies Barnet residents the right of
lawful assembly in a public park that their taxes help to upkeep and maintain,
even the smiling bullies can be unseated, we did it with Coleman and we will do
it with Cornelius and the rest of his motley crew and return true democracy to
Barnet politics. We all know, had we applied for permission for our rally 5
months ago never mind five days ago, the answer would have been the same.
When adult services
go the way of commissioning of public services which I am convinced is the long term plan if
the One Barnet programme is voted through, the freedom of information act does
not apply, so we will have no idea what is happening to our loved ones and no democratic
means of finding out the real truth for at least ten years. Unlike right now ,when
these services are up to a point and in the most dodgy and questionable of
circumstances still kept in house and still to a degree the responsibility of our
local councillors, and not some big corporation . The full commissioning of public
services affords us little or no transparency, and denies us the democratic
right of challenge for change and improvements that still in a very small way
we enjoy now, and is just one reason why
we have to stop this One Barnet madness.
My final word on
Barnet councillors is "Contempt". Barnet councillors have shown a
complete and utter contempt for Democracy, for the dignity, self respect and opinions
of the weak and the vulnerable , along with their parents , carers and all in house staff. With their ongoing farcical charades
and box ticking exercises they dishonestly refer to as consultations, when the
truth is there has been " no meaningful or democratic consultation " on any outsourcing issue
to date.
Finally a poem sent
anonymously to the Sunday Mirror newspaper recently, that speaks for so many of
the folk that are being with such evil relish,trampled underfoot by both local and national government we at CADDSS
& TSG under the umbrella of Baps try to represent and protect from this
evil.
The net is slowly closing in, for us there's no escape,
they take our care and dignity and wrap it in red tape.
We've kept our heads above the tides and struggled to meet
the costs.
But no one seems to understand the freedoms we have lost.
Eyes long since dry and lost for tears, but still our hearts
feel pain.
When dignity and care decay, life's just a waiting game.
SAY NO TO THE " ONE BARNET BILLION POUND GAMBLE ".
DOES SOMETHING STINK IN THE ONE BARNET PROCESS ??, WATCH
THIS SPACE.
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John Sullivan is a Barnet resident. Guest blogs are always welcome at the Barnet Eye
Strong and powerful - every word true!
ReplyDeleteWe are privileged to have you amongst us, John, such clear sighted man. With people like you around I feel confident we will eventually succeed in reinstating the dignity and freedoms disabled people are entitled to, like anyone else.