The NHS ( you don't know what you have lost till its gone )

I've been reading recently on the internet negative stories surrounding the NHS. Everywhere I seem to look somebody is running this great national institution down.  I see some of  the same people who were strongly opposed to the NHS reform bill when it was ping ponging back and forth the House of Commons and the House of Lords now writing articles in the press which, in my opinion completely justifies what the Coalition have been saying all along about the need to reform.
Let me give you some back ground about why I am jumping to the defence of the NHS . I was born with a whole range of disabilities . I have Osteogenisis Imperfecta , Very severe Kypho-scoliosis which makes my lung capacity extremely limited, spinal cord compression which means I cannot feel my legs for periods of time , I have deformities ( I hate that word, but thats what they are ) of both my arms and hands and an undiagnosed facial deformity . I have spent most of my 30 years of life in NHS hospitals all over the country most my childhood , teenage years and early / mid twenties were spent in the places . My parents stayed beside me on each of these occasions and it disrupted their lives massively and I have to live with the guilt of that everyday ( but thats a whole different blog for another day ) . Each occasion of hospital stays I  endured operation after operation, test after test , drips after drips you name it they did it to me and although i hated every living minute of it and it was a nightmare I have the NHS to thank for me still being here today.
 so, whats the point, well the point is that I am worried about these reforms to the NHS not just for myself but for other sick and disabled people. I am worried that a child who is born severely disabled under this or any future government is not going to receive  the quality of care i received and I'm petrified that these children are going to be written off without even getting the chance at life. I know of a few people ( including myself ) who were written off at birth , our parents were told we wouldn't achieve anything, wouldn't talk, walk or be able to feed ourselves basicially our parents were told we would be a burden to them BUT at least the doctors/surgeons/nurses/physios tried for us, they gave us the treatment we needed and we slowly but surely proved our doubters wrong WE COULD DO THINGS with that extra bit of support. Now , however i am not so convinced that a child in my situation would get a) the treatment they needed or b ) the support they require afterwards to live a relatively normal life. With cuts to services like social care and to statements for disabled children in education families with disabled children are going to be hit extremely hard. Just as adults with disabilities have been with cuts to social care , access to work and vital benefits such as Disability Living Allowance ( DLA) and Emplyment and Support Allowance ( ESA). I am not saying the NHS is perfect by any means. They have made some things worse for me with regards to my facial deformity for instance. I am also not saying that all nurses are angels because we know there are a few who are not but most are caring. Yes the NHS needs work doing to it but i am strongly opposed to it being sold off bit by bit for profit where the repercussions will be detrimental to patient care. ( if that patient can afford the care in the first place )
I am so thankful for the NHS  a private system like the Americians would impact me and many chronically sick and disabled people as no private company would  touch me with a 100 ft barge pole.

DWP brown envelopes of doom

I was talking to someone on Twitter today about The DWPs brown envelopes and how just by looking at them as they lay on the mat quite innocently they can give you palpitations. I'm sure those people reading this who have had dealings with our lovely friends at the DWP can relate to this. So, what is it about these envelopes that put the fear of god into us when we see them. Well , when you rely on benefits as your only income those benefits are a safety net and when   a brown envelope clangs  through the door you are scared that safety net is going to be taken away from you. The DWP know this only to well. When you are sick or disabled and cannot work through no fault of your own if these benefits are withdrawn then you are in no position to get a job  (despite  what the Daily Mail might say ) . Whenever I see a brown envelope in my post cage I am not ashamed to admit that I start feeling a little bit sick and my tummy does summersaults . I open it with dreaded anticipation. My heart beat rises and I shake a little. Now, this may sound like I'm over reacting a teeny bit maybe some of you think I'm being a bit of a drama queen but as I said above its a security thing . I wonder if everyone feels like this ? Maybe i should send my idea into Royal Mail about when the postie is about to post the dreaded envelope through the door they should play the theme tunes to JAWS in the background as a warning of impending danger........... just a thought .

Christians are more likely to be left wing

So the Daily Mail have an article today saying people who are christians are more left wing and are more sympathetic to issues such as immigration and equality according to the think tank Demos While it pains me to share this link ( I despise the Daily Mail ) I do actually see their point. I'm a christian and am a member of the Socialist Party. I've always believed in socialism ,I believe the poor and the vulnerable should be protected, I believe there is far to much capitalism and commercialism in our society and this has overtaken the values in which Jesus taught .. Whats more important having the new iPad or spending time with your family , friends and making memories which can last a life time . I believe we are all equal rich, poor, old , young , disabled , able bodied etc . Obviously I understand we need some form of capitalism otherwise businesses would go under which would impact on consumerism and the money we have coming into our country however I believe this should benefit 100 % of the people by using that money wisely not 1 % of people who are at the top creating an elitist two tier society of the haves and have nots