Great title innit? This page came about when I found these words in my box of media clippings, and just knew I had to use it. I should probably issue a Health Warning at this point that if your politics are not broadly central to left, you are unlikely to enjoy what follows and should turn away now.
I'd already made a nice purple background and even used a few stencils - another thing I struggle to love, maybe because I prefer drawing/doodling. Anyway, having met my personal challenge to constantly try to work outside my comfort zone, I felt free to do whatever I liked with the rest of the page.....
And what came POURING out were my feelings about the unkindness of the present coalition government and its policy of protecting the rich and penalising the poor. Got some things off my chest here, particularly concerning the so-called skivers and shirkers ... I loathe how we are increasingly hearing the language of the Workhouse, and the re-emergence of the horrible idea that people are only poor because they are shiftless and lazy. Heck, don't get me started, I'm afraid this is going to turn into something of a rant. You have been warned.
The Christian faith I live by has (or should have) an inbuilt "bias to the poor", and it is a given that you help those in need
without judgement or precondition. Whether we're people of faith or not, its been said that the measure of a civilised society is how it treats its most vulnerable members ..... well I rest my case on that one.
So the purple page led to some purple prose on this occasion, which gave me a chance to air some of my despair at the things being said and the policies being enacted. I'd like to send the Cabinet to spend a day down at our local Food Bank (run by the Salvation Army) which our church supports. I'd like to say to those who bang on about welfare rates being too high, or how they aren't going to support the feckless through their taxes .... hang on a minute,
I live on welfare! I don't have a choice because I've been disabled by a chronic condition. Before that I worked and paid into the system for many years, and at quite a high rate. Now I am unable to work but still do the best I can to continue to make a difference in society, and I'm not getting anything for free or that I'm not entitled to. Its not YOUR taxes that pay my benefit, but mine, the ones I already paid, the insurance scheme I contributed to all my working life. Remember too that things don't always go the way we hope, and redundancy or foreclosure can happen to you too, so think hard before you consent to welfare being cut or programmes dismantled.
OK, I will crawl back into my box now and mutter quietly to myself. I might recommend you leave me there until I recover my normally sunny and optimistic temperament. It may take some time. I leave you with one thought - which is that its been calculated that the average person is 3 pay packets away from total meltdown. That is, once they'd missed those three they'd be seriously struggling - unable to pay their rent or mortgage, their bills, and what about those credit card debts? Don't JUDGE people on welfare - most of them are just like you, going through a bad patch. Keep paying your taxes and pray like hell that when/if you ever need support it will still be there to help you through.
5 comments:
Your passion and energy pump out of every purple word, Rosie, and your page bears witness to your caring and despair in equal measure. Art journalling is not just about pretty psges but also for genuine protest as you bear witness here. It would make a great card sent to your MP!
I certainly can sympathize with your feelings - I worked in Social Services for 37 years and heard the refrain of "people that don't want to work living off taxpayers" blah, blah, blah. The funny part was some of those complainers ended up in my office after applying for benefits once they fell on hard times & were complaining that either they couldn't get benefits because their resources were too high or that the benefits we issued were "too low to exist on, what are we supposed to live on, this pittance" (their words). I often wanted to reply "yeah, this is the direct result of your votes at the polls, you might want to rethink who you elect." Of course, I couldn't say that but I really wanted too...
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Well said Rosie. Whilst there are undoubtedly some lazy sods in this country, the majority are hard working and doing their best.
As someone who was made redundant some five years ago whilst a single parent of two teenagers I know exactly how scary it can be. Fortunately I was only out of work a few months and I temped for some of that as and when there was work on offer but it was enough to mean me and my family suffered financially through no fault of our own. I had worked for in excess of 20 years before that and paid into the system and was appalled that I was made to feel like some low life scum at our local job centre. I will never ever forget that experience and have every sympathy for folks struggling to make ends meet. My job now is not so well paid but each month when I get paid I thank my lucky stars I can pay my bills
Just spent the last hour wandering through your blog from a journal page on pinterest. A lot of my crafty friends journal and one of them is making videos for those of us who don't. Love your pages and doodling and think the headlines are a great idea. aia was diagnosed with fibromyalgia nearly 2 years ago but luckily I am back to work full time. Thanks for your creative journey and sharing the process x
I adore you. This post - well, change the language from UK to US and I could have written the text. I am saddened though. I held out faint hope that the UK wasn't regressing as much as the US. You've shattered my illusion. sigh.
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