Browsing All Posts filed under »The Not So Big Society«

A Year On – Riots, Olympics and Inspiration

August 6, 2012 by

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A year ago this week, as Londoners, we went  to bed amid  chaos, conflict and fear  in Croydon, Tottenham, Ealing, Hackney, Clapham as well as many other places throughout and beyond London. We woke up to the desolation and disbelief was something that shattered that self-assurance and confidence. Broken glass yes,  but also a break […]

Researching and Improving Dementia Services

March 26, 2012 by

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Today the government has announced an increase in funding for dementia research, indeed, the figures given by the BBC talks about raising the money put into dementia research from £26.6m to £66.6m by 2015. Great news, really it is. I think it’s essential that there is a focus on dementia and what can prevent and […]

The case for health and care privatisation

March 21, 2012 by

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Yesterday, the Health and Social Care Bill finished its passage through Parliament. Today is the budget speech. Saturday’s Guardian had a piece entitled ‘What will the 2012 Budget mean for you?‘. It was not about the NHS, nor privatisation, just about how the budget affects the lives of ordinary people. But one of the ordinary […]

How can I change the world? Or Thoughts from #TedxObserver

March 12, 2012 by

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I was fortunate enough to attend the Tedx event sponsored by the Observer last Saturday. Fortunate in the sense that I had both the time, money and wherewithal to remember to book far enough in advance to acquire tickets. All of which, especially the financing part, require an element of having a fortunate life with […]

International Women’s Day and Feminism

March 8, 2012 by

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Today is International Women’s Day. Does there need to be a day specifically for women? Maybe, maybe not. It would seem churlish not to mark it in some way though. I remember growing up with a sense that ‘feminism’ was of the aggressive variety and with the perception that it was about radical women who […]

Fostering Aspirations As The Downturn Bites Hard In Tyneside

January 26, 2012 by

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Another day, another report on the parlous state of foster care. Media coverage, such as it is, homed in on the shortage of carers, variously estimated at between 8000 and 10,000, and on the poor outcomes for children in care in fundamental areas such as educational achievement, incidence of mental health problems and offending behaviour. […]

Suicide and Social Welfare

January 25, 2012 by

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I came across this paper from the International Journal of Social Welfare titled ‘Role of social welfare in European suicide prevention’ – happily with open access so freely available. I thought it was useful to share as it echoes some of my concerns about the move towards stigmatising those who receive welfare payments that is […]

From Clicktivism to Activism

January 16, 2012 by

5

Reflections on Bevan’s Run Yesterday, I went to the Department of Health to watch the end of Bevan’s Run. If you haven’t come across ‘Bevan’s Run’ it involved two hospital consultants, Clive Peedell and David Wilson – both cancer specialists in Middlesborough, running from Aneurin Bevan’s statue in Cardiff to the Department of Health based […]

The Not So Big Society – Lessons from Greece

December 20, 2011 by

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As regular readers will now, I’ve been using the title of this blog as an excuse to ponder the kind of social changes we’re going through, and what it will mean for the most vulnerable in society. I’ve been reading a fascinating article about a Greek island, and how it’s been affected by the economic […]

Body Count of the Not So Big Society

December 17, 2011 by

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Here’s a chilling bit of news. For years we’ve been congratulating ourselves on a steady reduction in suicide rates. Not any more. In 2008, 5,706 people killed themselves in the UK, an average of almost 16 deliberate deaths a day. After close to a decade of annual declines, recession triggered a sharp spike in suicide. […]

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