My Life on a Plate

Rule Britannia

The British Government are attempting to make massive cuts to the amount of benefits they hand out. Since I finished work through ill health and receive only a small pension, I have been able to claim a small top up from the state. This morning I had to attend a medical and an interview to see if my benefit is still viable. Nothing unpleasant about it, but I'm assuming that as I'm fairly well now and receiving a pension, the benefit will be stopped. It will make things tighter but I'm quite prepared to accept it providing the money saved is used to help those who are truly in need.

I know the media loves to provoke the public by reporting and blowing cases out of proportion but earlier this week a British woman was complaining on the News that her three daughters, sixteen and under, had all fallen pregnant due to lack of sex education in schools. With no men in the family at all, it was reported that this family are receiving £30,000 a year on benefits. I've nothing against single parents and try to be tolerant of teenage mums. After all, anyone can make a mistake and I'd never want to see children deprived because of lack of funds. What does annoy me though is the percentage of teenagers who deliberately become pregnant, over and over again, because they know the state will provide. Sex education is a parent's duty in my mind and having been a teacher, I know it begins in schools as early as eight! If the elderly and genuinely needy are going to suffer as a result of the government supporting these sort of families, then that does make me angry.

Britain has been awaiting the promised high temperatures forecast today. They told us it would be in the high seventies. I'm not denying it's warm, but they neglected to say the sky would be covered with heavy cloud! I hear the government are planning on sending out leaflets entitled 'What to do in a Heatwave.' In England? If we manage one week of sunshine the government goes into a panic, declares drought conditions and bans hose pipes. And who needs telling what to do in a heatwave for God's sake? Do they think we have no sense at all? I'd find it hilarious if it wasn't for the cost of producing those leaflets. Okay, I'm stepping off my soapbox now - not had any wine yet so should make a safe landing.

I did sit outside for a bit this afternoon - hope I don't get cloudburn. Took some of my files out to organise. (Yes, I have a stationary fixation too. ) I keep files (all labelled of course) of one-liners, philosophies, quotes, jokes, ideas, hints and tips etc etc. All these things will help me write a novel one day, the problem being I spend more time organising them instead of getting on with writing! Anyway, before it started to spit with rain I found one entitled 'I'm proud to be British because...'

1. Only in Britain can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.

2. Only in Britain do banks leave both doors open and chain pens to counters.

3. Only in Britain do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries and a DIET coke.

4. Only in Britain do sick people have to walk to the back of the supermarket for medicines, while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

5. Only in Britain do we leave thousands of pounds worth of car on the drive and lock our junk in the garage.

No wonder England trembles. Off to cloudbathe again.