my thoughts on the planet this week

The title maybe old news to you, but what happened? did you suddenly become quashed by the greater powers that run the Country or are you actually happy with where we are all headed for ours and future generations to come? A previous piece on the topic of ID cards provoke a similar feeling of unease with the concept of being monitored even more than we already are and somehow, our daily lives are encroached upon even more in being told what to do and how we should do things.

In England in the UK, a child protection database is being launched with plans to expand it across the UK. It has apparently taken almost 9 years to complete and perfect the technology, having discovered technological delays along the way.

It has taken many years to implement the database and training is taking place for over 300,000 professionals who work with children with access to the database. There is no opt-out option for any parent who wishes for their child’s information to be removed from the database. The project itself has cost millions of pounds and I wonder how long it will last. Without wanting to sound too pessimistic, I am not quite sure what exactly is helpful about having the details of a child’s address, parents’ contact details, date of birth, school and doctor of every child in England, when most places your child might be, like school for example, will already have these details. Every child will have a unique identifying number, it is claimed that the database will improve co-ordination between the thousands of professionals working with children. 

The above is not all that will be stored, education authorities will be alerted as to whether a child has come to be flagged up by social services or health workers. Local authorities, health services, childrens’ charities and the police will also be among those who have access to the database.

The only children who will be safe guarded and not on the list are those who are in danger from being on the list. I wonder, how do they come to be safeguarded and why is there an exception for them to be on the list if the database is being used by professionals only, who would they be at threat from?

There are plans for the adult professionals working with children also to be on another child protection register, storing their details as adults also.

It is proposed that the same will be done for 11 million adults in the UK according to The Independent Safeguarding Authority.

Is it really necessary that so many people have access to such sensitive information? There are many scenarios that come to mind with the possible dangers of such information being so freely accessed. How simple would it be for someone to start really messing about with peoples lives, maybe change or delete some information on their personal file, would the database track these changes also. And is the local doctor going to be checking out his neighbours who happen to be parents in his spare time?

 I appreciate that it is important to keep people safe, and especially children given the evil that bestows the planet in many shapes and forms, children and adults alike can be subjected to violence, mental abuse, neglect, murder or physical abuse, no child should have to be subjected to any, amongst many other examples and neither should an adult. But we as people know that sometimes the streets are not safe, crimes exist and that bad things can and do happen.

We are already aware that government blunders are always in character and I needn’t really mention HMRC and the recent loss of data of millions of people’s personal information to reiterate my point, but are we relying upon technology when really we should be focusing on looking at the things that cause us to have the need for what I called paranoid acts of monitoring. I would also like to point out with regards to the database, that the technological delays were no minor issues evidently after so many years of production, how sound is its reliability?.

I appreciate that a social worker can maybe work on a case and be able to act on any concerns at hand or deal with presented issues for example, maybe quickly or more efficiently than that of present, but there are millions of unsolved crimes, and who’s to say the culprit for any one of these crimes isn’t one of the over 300,000 people with access to sensitive information who has just never been caught? We can only control so much, and to control essentially everything is impossible and also unnecessary.

We certainly shouldn’t put our trust in everybody, this fresh in my mind from some of this month’s events, but why should we put our trust in technology also? After all, it provides none of the essential needs of human necessities, is a link to many cases of fraud and identity theft, but it does have its uses, including this blog.

Rather than a database, which could easily corrupt files or easily be corrupted, I believe there are more appropriate uses of an initial start up cost of £224 million and an annual £41 million pounds to maintain.

£41 million alone annually, not to mention the £224 million that could have been spent in other productive ways, fuelling small businesses, funding investments, creating industry to create more jobs, land reclamation, local community projects and so on. Giving people more productive things to do to occupy their time rather than invest in technology that is essentially a giant human microscope.  Sure there were possibly more jobs created for the production, use and maintenance of the technology behind the database, but did it create many jobs and for the long term? and to what necessity?

What if we did have a giant human microscope and used it to monitor the planet and all it contains via one mother-ship of a computer as suggested in many sci-fi flicks, would we then decide that we know who the baddies are and as nations all unite, dig out the bad from the good and in what manner would we deal with the presented problem? Would we hook up the offenders to a self zapping taser and electrocute them for their every bad deed?. Will we blast them out into space on a giant catapult and leave them to the future of being space junk? The resolve to these possibilities is leaning toward the probability of them not happening. And speaking of things not happening, control is a word that stands upright starkly announcing itself with clear audacity, as we as humans do not have super powers or super human abilities to be able to control all and everything. Therefore, we can not always control the loss of data, the crimes of others, the actions of others, we can only accept what time has produced and has and will present to us.

Why do we try to emphasise control over the already in existence measures of control? We have customs at airports, national security amongst other known government agencies, national insurance numbers, several forms of identity, police and authorities and various other forms of control. Yet things still happen as they are out of our control and a database cannot and will not change that.  It can provide statistics, however, in the case where a child is concerned, statistics are not what’s necessarily needed. With all the governments plans for improvements based on technology, I am highly sceptical and also slightly concerned at the nanny state approach that is creeping upon us with great pace. 

The start to the new year has been a strange one to say the least. The last week feels like it was surrounded by a certain negativity, as though the air was filled eerily with malice. It has been somewhat of an eventful week, but most of the events have had a theme of bad news or happenings. It started with something being stolen in the first instance, then the next day my Mum fell and cut her hands quite badly and being a bit of an elderly lady, she was quite shocked and distressed from the fall. I was also, as I knew she had hurt herself and obviously didn’t want that to be  the case. So I got her home and had to become nurse for a while, cleaning the cuts and grazes and trying to ensure she was ok as she is unwell anyway. When I left Mum to rest and got back home in the afternoon, we had a DIY task to attend to, and in trying to fix one thing another had broken, so it was a case of more work to be done another day. I called my mum again in the evening to check that she was o.k. she was fine, but a bit sore from the fall. At the time of it happening, I didn’t know whether she would need an ambulance or not, as I recall when I was younger I saw that an ambulance was called for the old lady that I had seen trip and fall down on the pavement, she couldn’t stand back up and was being sat up by members of the public, with blood starting to drip down her face. Luckily my mum had put both hands out as she fell, but the palms of her hands were pretty much bloodied and there was dirt deep in the cuts, and grit embedded in the skin. So I had to check she was alright, and thankfully she was. The salt water bathing of the hands, which I am sure must have hurt, but she only flinched once when trying to pat her hands dry, the plasters and cup of tea I am sure was a patch up job that was suitable for this incedent rather than my initial reaction of my Mum’s hurt with blood on her hands, does she need an ambulance? was a bit of an over reaction to say the least. It was just that it was my Mum and I really didn’t like to see her hurt. The next day was a really good day as there were no bad things that had happened and we received no news of anything bad either, whether this had anything to do with the fact that we stayed at home or not, I don’t know, but after the week I have had I began to question it. The next day was also a good day. The day after brought with it an incident where I was only trying to be helpful and I maybe over stepped the mark in my helping, but I was only trying to resolve what I considered an important matter for someone, and it resulted in me being upset by the reaction that I received when I was just trying to give 110% (as I quite often do). The following day brought with it the discovery of finding out that someone had led me to believe otherwise regarding a certain matter in agreeing on something, then only to find out they disagreed with it by someone else, which left me with a feeling of annoyance at someones dishonesty and incapability to be upfront. The next day was when we received news that our family’s home had been burgled and the car stolen. I was beginning to think that things couldn’t really get any worse could they? surely not? this must have been the only week ever that I have ever experienced the continuation of a series of events to be what I consider, awful. The following day I even joked about how not much else could possibly go wrong, but evidentally I was wrong. I then received news of something else then being stolen. What a week, I hope the good news starts flowing soon, as I am really beginning to tire of the bad in people, and on which note, a nicer topic of conversation, I will be doing the London to Brighton this year, in the hope that just maybe, my efforts might just counter-act or somehow almost compensate for the acts of those who are not good natured. I could have almost forgot to smile amongst this weeks events, and at one point did lose my smile as you can only take so much. And as a person, I really don’t wan’t to change my outlook or positive attitude because of the negativity of others.

My father always used to say to me that you can never trust anyone, and he didn’t tell me it the way that he meant it as a father talking to a young child, he used to say it like it was a life lesson, like a rule, that you really never can trust anyone and that you should never forget it. I never wanted to believe him as it made me question as to how he would untrust others all the time and I questioned his reasoning for it also. I say its a sad day when we can’t have trust and yes, I do expect it, no matter what my fathers beliefs ever were, I would like to think that others are trustworthy and this is not just an ability that only good people have, it is all down to choice. I just wish some people would make the right choice more often.  

Well 2009 is here and underway. Yesterday was the first day back at work after the Christmas and New Year festivities. As you walk along the streets of London with its cold and grey skies, snow having fallen overnight, the first Monday in January looked like a rather sombre one with the not so smiley faces and the shivering cold. There is a cloud that lingers from the year end of 2008 with the economic downturn/financial crisis/credit crunch/recession/human stupidity however you want to label it, I can’t help but think that it’s all a bit false really. What if maybe, just maybe, we never had it so good and we grew complacent. Yes, we are seeing the retailers that have held rank in their high street stores through the decades as well as those that are new to the retail world going into administration. But when the going was good but may be not so good for small businesses and so on, who really ever kicked up a fuss then? I see the difference in numbers, but in reality, there is only really one profiteer, the owner. Yes there has been and there will be more job losses, but why are we all in some state of mourning? is that really necessary? o.k. I do see the social and economic situation as a serious one, but is it really that much of a dire one? We have survived centuries, we will survive this as well. I think we should rename economic ups and downs as the change. All that affects us is change, we change our habits in order to accommodate the need to be different in our approach. It is a cold winter for the UK compared to what we are used to, but the UK was at one time susceptible to outrageously cold weather compared to our youthful modern standards. The serpentine would freeze over by up-to 7 inches deep with people skating on it. I wonder what the year was the last time that happened… The reason for my rant about the cold winter is that it seems that we all like our comforts and we are also facing the ultimatum of the planet with regards to climate change. For what sacrifice shall be enough? Should I not have the heating on to save money as the electricity cost is rocketing like most things or should it be thought of more as a conscientious effort to save the planet? The two options stand side by side like its almost laughing out loud at us. The cost of the planet relies on us to use resources wisely and maybe the current situation is putting a flag on what we should consider as necessities. Is it necessary that I should have heating on when I have the oven on, as the oven heats most of the flat, so the heater will be off when the oven is on. I will enjoy my comfort of turning on the fan heater when in the bathroom so not to catch a cold. But what method would we have had when the days of living in caves provided mostly shelter and cover alone, warmth would come from the fur or pelts and then fire when it was invented. Yet again another side by side situation. Would I be any less happier if I had to step out of the shower to the confinement of the four cold walls within the bathroom, the answer is yes. But if the question is would it harm, hurt or be unbearable, the answer is no. With all taken into consideration, we have luxuries compared to some, and luxuries is quite possibly an understatement of exactly what could be considered a luxury to some of the people of the planet.

 My thoughts are I will save some money on the electricity bill and will happily cosy up with a snugly bathrobe, blanket, and socks. why is it such an issue and of course I am a hypocrite as I have occasionally moaned recently how cold it is and how there is no heating in the bathroom or bedroom. but nonetheless, I have a positive outlook on this which is: I have a roof over my head, there are no major disasters or traumas within my life at this moment in time, hopefully it stays that way and I am grateful for how things are right now. I am not so happy with other worldly concerns, but generally I have a partner who loves me, a place to sleep that is nice and safe and can honestly say I have never gone hungry, I am without poverty and by no means weary of the world, as much as it does tire me sometimes, I am what I would consider a fortunate person. I had a great Christmas and New Year and see only positivity for whatever comes next, whatever that may be. I don’t really know if the table will turn for me, but if it ever does I hope I could fight my way through it with dignity and courage and face it as a challenge like so many others do in trying situations on a daily basis.  Value of money is a pity with its importance over life and pity the man who gauges himself on wealth alone.

So in light of all the recent doom and gloom over money, I say get your socks out and snuggle up in the blanket, a blanket is a comfort also and it costs less, is reusable and in turn you will reward yourself with the thought that your saving the planet and down the road the neighbours are roasting as they don’t care, but what the hell, you might save a little money whereas they wont and at least you tried.  We quite often have misconceived ideas of who we are, what purpose we have and our expectations sometimes leave us with gormless expressions. But planet Earth holds a great many pleasures and no matter what the newsreader may announce for the current years financial forecast, I will not allow money to hold me at Ransom. I will find a way around it, even if it does mean my blanket gets used as though I were attached to it as though I were Linus out of Snoopy. But hey either way, I am happy and there is reason for others to be too. Its as though people had a good Christmas and are not really facing any real major effects but are not admitting to it. maybe much debate will come of this piece?