Homelessness, and the obvious solution

Homelessness is a plague. It costs everybody money, and leaves all of those subject to it in destitute misery. It leads to pain, which leads to addiction, which leads to further ostracisation, which leads to more pain and more addiction, and you can see how this becomes a vicious, merciless cycle, can't you?

Homelessness, however, is actually blamed on these things, rather than these things being blamed on homelessness - as perhaps they ought to be, a little more than they are now, at least - and this leads us to some rather frustrating problems.

Person A is homeless. Person A doesn't want to be homeless. Person A goes to Person B, a person of some money and authority in the community, and asks for help, be it in the way of temporary accomodation, or in the way of somewhere to work, for a source of income.

Person B, however, is a Tory.

Now, regardless of whether or not Person A is actually addicted to any illicit, controlled substances - or indeed, to any of the legal ones, whose legality should really come into question when you realise how much damage they really do - there is a stereotype about the homeless that they are all addicts, for one reason or another, and that the reason they are homeless is because they are addicts.

Person B tells them to sod off - more politely than that, perhaps, but it amounts to the same - and only come back when they've cleaned themselves up and been off whatever they're using for some time. Only when they're presentable, respectable members of society can anybody think about helping them in any meaningful way, thus allowing them to... become presentable, respectable members of.. society...

Yeah. The logic starts to break down there, actually.

But really, homelessness is good - for the Right Wing, at least.

Because it provides an example for the working class of what will happen to them if they stop rolling over and doing as they're bloody well told. It provides them with a class of people lower than them, so that they don't have to feel as bad - so that they have someone to take out their anger at their own lack of progress on. Homeless people get burned alive, and for what? Because they're homeless, that's why. Thugs on the streets go out after dark, and kick the homeless to death for no reason. They're arrested - sometimes - yes, but that's mostly to give everyone the idea that they don't enjoy it when the workers focus their rage on something other than the people who are really holding them down.

Yeah.

I mean, come on, have you ever given some money to a homeless person - someone like Person A - and seen people turn their heads and walk away, or murmur something about how they'll probably just use it for drugs? Surely you have, because I know I have.

So Person A? They're fucked. Another human being, just like you or me, made of the same stardust, made of the same kinds of dreams, hopes, and desires, is fucked because they screwed up once, or because someone else screwed them up, or even just because of bad luck.

And nobody is going to help them up.

Well, except Canada, it seems.

No, seriously, have you seen this?

Housing First is a Canadian initiative that has allowed one fairly large town to completely annihilate the problem of Homelessness. 

How? By simply giving every single homeless person a house. Nothing too big or fancy, but somewhere warm, safe, and registered. From there, with safety worries mitigated, they can start getting work done. They can become presentable, respectable members of society, even by a bastard Tory's standards - and this is not to say all conservatives are complete bastards, remember, there were three Tory MPs who rebelled in a vote for more cuts, and voted against, and they've won my respect, truly - and then everything is fine.

And get this.

Housing them costs much, much less than dealing with their presence on the streets! It reduces A and E costs, it reduces costs for police teams investigating drug problems - as the clientele for the dealers is diminished - and it reduces the unhappiness of not just the homeless, but the whole city.

This is Socialism at work, people! It works and it does real, tangible good.

To hell with our opposition, because they might be The Right, but we're IN the right!

And I have to say, before I go... I am very excited to see what cool things Canada is going to do next - after all, they're basically Gandalf the White to America's Saruman, right?

They're America - as they should have been.

With more snow, and the French language thrown it.

~ Baxster Brand 

Another Division

This Tory thinks that those with mental disability should be paid less

Now, to be totally fair, what he actually said was that they should be able to seek work for less than the minimum wage, so they can remain competitive in the jobs market.

But of course, that would mean that they would all inevitably end up with less than the minimum wage, because it is only rarely that employers pay more than they have to out of the kindness of their hearts - this is a capitalist society, after all. Who cares about other people?

I mean, this is ignoring the fact that the minimum wage is not nearly enough to have a family with anyway. This is ignoring the fact that the minimum wage is not survivable on for homeowners with a mortgage. This is ignoring the fact that only a single, childless person who rents a small flat, has few aspirations and no notable hobbies, and who puts in at least 40 hours a week, would be able to live with even a modicum of comfort on our current living wage.

This is ignoring that this man wants to make some of our more vulnerable brothers and sisters, who deserve no more pain than they almost inevitably go through, given how judgemental and asshole-ish our society tends to be.

I should also make it clear that at no point did this bastard Phillip Davies MP clarify whether he meant those with learning difficulties, or people with mental health problems generally. Mental health disability could be taken to mean a variety of things - I certainly know that I initially took it, if incorrectly, to mean anyone with any mental health issue, such as depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, or any of this.

Which, by the way, costs money too. 

You'll get some help from the NHS, yes, but they're stretched thin against the fat belly of the Tory Party's greed as it is, and so anything else you're going to need will cost extra, from private therapists and private psychiatrists.

So actually, even the regular minimum wage isn't sufficient enough for these unfortunate individuals either, let alone a reduced one.

God damn these monstrous Tories.

~ Baxster Brand

The Right Honourable Assholes

Ok. First things first, I must apologise profusely for my absence. I have no decent explanation for it, and I've genuinely missed a lot in terms of politics - for example, Super Tuesday, in America, and other such things. Don't worry though, I'll be making another post about that later tonight, if I don't pass out from exhaustion first.

Now, onto business.

Fuck the Tories.

I see this kind of thing on my facebook feed far too often. Tories, fiddling with their campaign expenses. It's no big secret that the money you spend does have an impact on how many people you can reach, and how convincingly you can reach them - it is, after all, why we have limits on electoral spending in the first place - and yet here we have the outstanding Tory party, fiddling their expenses to make it look like their electoral campaigns are within the law.

I've also seen this proposal, right?

It's a proposal to cut down the number of constituencies in the UK. This means less MPs. It's essentially a cut from 350 to 300, and you can bet - you can fucking bet that it's mostly labour constituencies being cut down.

God damn.

Oh, how I hate the Tories.

They know they won't win another General Election fairly, so they're trying to play it as unfairly as they possibly could, so they might get another five years after these to scrap the country for the benefit of their own wallets.

And did I mention that they don't even extend protection to family any more? David Cameron's own mother has been axed, because they've just cut the Children's Centre she works in.

Oh man, fuck these guys.

~ Baxster Brand

David Cameron is NOT a Pie

Jesus, this man is the best! I wish we saw more like him, seriously. Aggressive, loud, and strongly opinionated. I don't even know if he's particularly left wing, but Jonathan Pie's defense of the NHS is absolutely, without a doubt, badass.

Just listen to him, will you? That anger, that seething rage at the Conservative Government, and all those who would see our country run in all but official name by private corporations, is what I live for.

Go on. Watch the video. If you have already, watch it again! He's the only guy I've ever seen with a job in the media who actually says the right thing.

Which is to say, the left thing.

All in all, I think we can safely say that 'Tim' is talking shit, not Jonathan, and that the clever hacker who took control of Jeremy Corbyn's twitter was absolutely wrong.

David Cameron's not a Pie.

Not by a long shot.

Greg did it

Just thought I'd let you know, he totally smashed that goal of £1M.

Yeah.

The People of Britain still care.

Thanks, guys.

~ Baxster Brand

Radio 1, and the Gregathlon

Radio 1's Greg James recently undertook a frightening amount of physical exercise - 5 Triathlons in 5 days, without interruption - in order to raise money for Sport Relief, who will be using it both to help the homeless in the UK, and to lend aid to the refugees in Calais, and those still made victim by war in Syria.

This man... has really, really impressed me.

They said they'd have been happy with £50,000, that that would have made them content that they had done their part for the world this year, and that there would be no guilt on their parts after that.

They were estimated to get only slightly more.


They have since raised over £900,000.

I... I just... wow. No, really. I'm not joking around here. I didn't think that any part of the BBC still had this level of good left in them, and as I listened to him on the way home just now, he was frantically urging the good people of Britain to help him - to help Sport Relief - reach £100,000,000.

He said that he was the only person at the studio who thought it was possible, and that everyone else had always doubted him, but by God there was passion in his voice, and there is determination in the People, and I am so fucking proud of us.

See, this is proof, isn't it? The People of Britain are not bastards. We do care about people other than us, and we do put our backs into it when the time comes to do something. Our government might be comprised of shitheads, and our 1% might be less active than any chemical process at 0 degrees Kelvin (which is to say, literally not at all, as there is no particle movement at 0 Kelvin) but the People are the Power, and the Power is still strong.

I'm so happy.

This is my evidence, my friends, that we do not have to be bad people, and that the world does not have to be cruel. This is my evidence that the whole world, and its apparent nature, is entirely up to us. Yes, there will be tragedy, because we don't know how to stop Earthquakes, and we don't know how to hold back the winds of a Hurricane, but this is my evidence that even in the face of what must seem like all the hatred of an angry, angry God, Humanity can stand together. Humanity can help the fallen to regain their feet. Humanity can take everyone aboard, and carry them forwards, unto progress, unto the light, unto the future.

This is my evidence that hope is not lost.

This is my evidence, my reason, for being even slightly optimistic about the future of the Human Race.

Because we can still love unconditionally.


And yeah. I donated too. I could only afford to do so once, but I can still say that no matter how small a part I played, I still played a part in helping people. What kind of Socialist would I be if I could, and didn't?

I do hope dearly that you do the same, because it might sound a little mad of Greg to think we can get to £1M by 7 O'Clock this evening - which is when they're calling it all in - but you know what? I think so too.

If you can - and only if you can, I understand if you can't - please, please text GREG to 70703. It'll cost 3£, plus your standard network charge for a text. You need to be 16+ unfortunately, and you're gonna need the billpayer's permission, but we can do something good here, guys.

For once, we can actually do something good.


Come on.


Let's do it, shall we?

~ Baxster Brand

Europe, and the Youth

So I saw something rather interesting on a Left Wing group I frequent, today.

A 17 year old girl was getting rather angry indeed about how she was not only not allowed to vote in the EU referendum in Britain this year - which could seriously affect her future, depending on the outcome - but how nobody seemed to be talking about this scandalous exclusion of the young people from politics.

And... for a moment, I thought "Pfft. She clearly isn't looking hard enough. All us left wingers care!"

But...

Well, she's right.

Nobody is talking about it. No newspapers, left or right. Nobody at all.

At least, not now.

In November, 2015, the Guardian took a bit of a look at the idea of those aged 16 and 17 voting in the EU Referendum. Why did that do this? Because Parliament was doing this. In fact, the House of Commonds was voting on it, and - get this - they voted that 16-17 year olds would get the right to vote.

So... why hasn't it been done?

Why isn't it law?

Because of the House of Lords.

As far as I understand the situation, the idea of 16-17 year olds voting is currently being tossed between the Commons, who are now voting Aye, and the Lords, who appear to be voting Nay.

So yes. In fact, there are - or were - some people talking about it, but unfortunately for you, my dear, your dreams are now caught in the machine of bureaucracy, with nobody decent enough who has the power to save them, thanks to the unfortunately aristocratic style of government the House of Lords appears to subscribe to.

"YOUNG PEOPLE? WITH OPINIONS? NOOOOOO. NOT AT ALL."

Bastards.

In fact, the Guardian article (which I shall leave a link to in the post script) did mention that one of the peers - Lord Faulks, our Civil Justice Minister, of all things - argued that "... 16 year olds might be overwhelmed by the challenge of voting."

What? I'm sorry, what? This sounds like a man who simply cannot believe that those younger than him could dare to have opinions, much less want to voice them.

Now, don't worry, because a Liberal Democrat peer then verbally thrashed him.

"Can the noble peer tell us whether he has seen the film Suffragette? The argument he is just advancing was one of the reasons that was given for not giving women the vote until after the first world war and then not extending it beyond those under the age of 28. Those arguments were deployed by his contemporaries, as it were, of that period.” - Lord Tyler, the Liberal Democrat peer.

I was stunned when I read that, actually. I've never heard of the Lib Dems actually... well, doing anything. But this gentleman appears to have proven me - if only slightly - wrong.

Good on him. Really. It'd be nice to have a few more people in Parliament who actually said the right things at the right times.

Maybe then our Youth's votes wouldn't be in sodding Limbo.


Good evening.

~ Baxster Brand

PS: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/nov/18/lords-back-eu-referendum-vote-for-16--and-17-year-olds