Why Should the Government do it All?

 The first thing to say, of course, in response to the question posed by the heading is that they do not.  I am writing down these thoughts in answer to some who always complain that feeding the hungry, looking after children with free school meals and supporting people out of work should not be government’s responsibility.

 I have to say that I think this view, comes from a privileged position. It arises from people who have not by birth or by circumstance had to struggle with poverty, or to ever ask the question, “Where will the next meal come?”

 Power. Money. Government.

 Where do power and government come from? Who decides what shall and shall not be? If we look back on History, which, for this discussion is a good thing to do, rulers, powers, and if you like, government usually comes from the strongest, the most ruthless.  Maybe nowadays, in a democracy,  it comes from the ones who can tell the best stories in order to get voted in, be that truthful or not.

 Historically thinking, who is it that governs? It's the ones with the best swords, power and/or violence that ends up running the show.  We have to, at this point bring in the King James I perspective (1603 -1625) of his “Divine Right” to be King. One of the stipulations he placed on the translators was to make sure that such “Divine Right” was exhibited in the scriptures. It needs to be added that the translators did not heed his injunction in the translation. Of course, he was not the first to play that card.

 From 1066 onwards the King owned it all. That is evidenced in Domesday Book. From then onwards, the population ceased to be free citizens per se, but subjects owned by the King. (Domesday Book commonly pronounced as “Doomsday Book” was so named after the 12^th century because its statements were reckoned as a final judgement on taxes – like the final judgement before god. Hence the evolved reference as “Doomsday Book”.

 In those days, “As with slaves, serfs could be bought, sold, or traded, with some limitations: they generally could be sold only together with the land, could be abused with no rights over their own bodies, could not leave the land they were bound to, and could marry only with their lord's permission. Serfs who occupied a plot of land were required to work for the lord of the manor who owned that land. In return, they were entitled to protection, justice, and the right to cultivate specific fields within the manor to maintain their own subsistence. Serfs were often required not only to work on the lord's fields but also in his mines and forests and to labour to maintain roads. The manor formed the basic unit of feudal society and the lord of the manor and the villeins. To a certain extent, the serfs were bound legally: by taxation in the case of the former, and economically and socially in the latter.

 Societal Structures

 societal structure is the way society is organised. Let us remember who it is that decides or legalises those structures.  Who is it?  It is the people with levers of government, the levers of money, levers of control, levers of the controllers of business structures.  These are the people that hold societal power.

 These days, the media has revealed that these people who hold the levers of power are those who see cleaners, care workers, and the like as, “unskilled workers” and are thus deserving of a lower wage. That is a wage that means even if they are working a full week, they might still need free school meals for their children or have to use a food bank.

 I remember in the '60s working for a large company. The Directors called us in one day and said, “We are doing well! We are making a good profit; we want to give you all an increase in salary.” They then said, "However, we are prevented from doing so because the government says we cannot."

 There was a time, I think up until the late 30s, that government sought to hold down wage increase to even a living wage because “the lower class would waste such increase. They might have more children, and it would reduce them to being poor again.”

 So, when power, government and rulers assume to take over the lives of people, the answer is, “Yes!” They do become responsible by making sure that they are educated, fed, housed and clothed.  If you don't want this to remain as the case, then they must cease the power structure situation that makes those things necessary.

 

 

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Adrian Hawkes.

www.adrianhawkes.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

 

The expectation of gratefulness and its difficulties

 

The expectation of gratefulness and its difficulties

Watching a section of the press and then the comments of others who have difficulties in understanding the problem of thankfulness and an inability to emphasise and walk in another's shoes lead me to write this piece.

Training people to become foster carers one of the things that I always emphasise is the fact that if you are expecting a foster child to be grateful, you are probably going to be disappointed.  I am sometimes wrong, and some are incredibly grateful, but we should not expect it.

Why should a child who has been taken away from birth parents be grateful? Instead, they might see you as the enemy.  Can you get into this paradigm and understand just how they feel and see you?

I was responsible for setting up housing in another part of the UK. Kindly offered to a house by a group on a rental basis.  After a short time,  offer withdrawn as placing people there, they decided that these asylum seekers were just not grateful, that recurring problem again.

Then there are those making it to the UK which then put into the Asylum-seeking group.  Should they be grateful for finding a safe place?  Sometimes discovering that place has itself been fraught with trauma by people who do not believe you, express racist attitudes towards you or regard you as an economic migrant. What do we mean by economic migrant? If you are starving and move somewhere to earn a living, are you an economic migrant? Maybe you had better die where you are.

Why should my expectations as an asylum seeker be ever so grateful?  Did I ask to be born in a country surrounded by war, did I pre-request that I will be placed in a country where food is short? Was I aware that despite my education, my degree there would be no work for me to earn a living, support myself and even a family and children?

Connecting with such people has been an enriching and educating experience.  Listing many times to heart-rending stories and very often thinking to myself, could I have gone through what you have gone through and If I had wouldn't, I be simply crazy mad?

Of course, many are suffering mental stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, acting in ways that seem to those who have not had the experience ungrateful, demanding unreasonable.

Then again, we argue about the cost of getting to the UK without any understanding of the shoes they walked in, and from whence they came. Several times in my experience, I have run into such people.  One young lady I regularly gave a lift to places in my car, a stranger in the UK, not demanding but looking for help.  One day I entered her home and was surprised to see pictures of her with many of the World Leaders, shocked, I asked how come that is you.  My Dad was the Prime Minister of so, and so country came the casual reply.

Another time with an asylum seeker who was surprised to find themselves in the UK, I asked where did you think you were, the reply was Belgium, and I could not understand the language here why are they not speaking French.

I asked another what they wanted to do and was told they planned to be the Minster of Health in the UK surprised at such ambition I wondered about the background.  Oh, my Father, who was killed in front of me was the Finance minister of my country they replied.  Why should we be surprised at their expectations of maybe meals and the like?

I have witnessed very bizarre reactions from such people, for which one should not be surprised considering their history and journeys.  Often with the increased pressure by a suspicious bureaucracy and cynical people.

One of our key workers pretended to by an asylum seeker, to try and understand the process, unbeknown to me until after the event I hasten to add.  Their report though was not encouraging, they felt badly treated, and belittled and was glad that they were born a UK citizen and did not have to face any more hostility.  I guess lots of us do not even want to try to empathise; we do not want to walk in anyone else shoes perhaps we prefer our ivory palace and its ignorance and who can blame you. I do not wish to risk my life on a rubber boat across the busiest shipping lane in the world. I would need to be significantly pushed to do that.

If you are going to stay in your corner; please do not become an armchair critic of people who are trying to survive, running away from persecution, war famine and just a terrible life.

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www.adrianhawkes.blogspot.co.uk

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Let Me Clarify

Let Me Clarify

I feel I need to state what I believe to be the whole problem with the points-based system and Illegal immigration.

Reasons why I have a problem:

1. Such a system is totally selfish.  It really does not take account of the needs of those who are wanting to come. A points-based system does not take account of the jobs and posts that need to be filled, which are usually not at the levels of income that is being offered by those who live within a silver spoon lifestyle assuming theirs is the average pay.

2.    2.  The usual cry that I hear from such a post as this is: “Are you going to allow everyone to come to the UK?”  This is such an argument of straw.  I feel it is really a waste of space replying. However, the current 70 million people displaced via war, famine, and mismanagement of their governments are not all trying to come to, or want to come to the UK. Why are we behaving as if they did? Why are we even having such a discussion?

3.    3.    Along with this argument goes the thought, “But they are illegal!” Doh! Unfortunately for me, I have this debate with Insurance Brokers who tell me that they cannot insure certain places that house refugees.

“Why not?” I ask.  

“Because you know that they are illegal.”

“Yes, I know that they are refugees,” I respond.

“ …and refugees are illegal,” they say.

“Really!” I say with a higher-pitched tone of voice.  “Do you know what a refugee is?” I ask frustratingly.

“Of course, we do!” they say. “You know that too!”

“OK then! Let me put the record straight once and for all. Refugees are NOT illegal!”

4.       4. Another issue about these disagreements is that most of the people I hear have got their figures wrong as to how many are here in the UK, how many come to Britain and how many leave the country! Even the government can’t get that figure right.  Surely it is not rocket science to computerise and be able to check people into the county and out of the country?

5.    5.    Usually, alongside the wrong numbers, goes the line that the UK is taking more than any other country. I will not bother to put the correct figures here, but just to say that it is total nonsense.

6.     6.  If we really wanted to do something about these terrible 7 million displaced people, running from danger, running from starvation, running from terrible unimaginable situations, we could do so. However that would take political will and a forceful, “we want to”. Unfortunately, we would rather spout about how “hard done” we are as a nation and what jobs we are losing. And we must not forget that our wages are going down and our schools are too full.  Most of these assumptions are incorrect. It would take working with the EU to do it.  However, certainly, it could be done. All that is required is the will and the care to do it.

7.     7.   As I said in the UN, “We can do these things, but we will need to get our hands dirty. And we do not want to do that.”

8.       At least I got some of these issues discussed in the House of Lords. However, talk still does not get it done. One has to do it.

  http://adrianhawkes.co.uk/refugees-the-current-issues-is-there-a-solution-2/

Adrian Hawkes

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Have You Allowed Your Training to Put You in a Box?

Don't get me wrong. I am very much in favour of training and I believe Dr Donald Howard’s comment that, “Education is life and you never finish learning.”

When I was in college, one of my German roommates, Gerhard, said to me one day, “You must not get frustrated about the machine that is producing these students.”  I was in training at the time when, in the UK, they were pushing the fact that “eggs are good for you”, and they had a little lion stamp which was put on each egg, to tell you they were excellent and fresh.  All done by the UK Egg Marketing Board.

So, my German friend said, "If these students all come out with a lion stamped on their production line exterior, all looking and saying the same, it will be because they cannot be anything other than that."

Sir Ken Robinson FRSA claims that, "Schools kill creativity," arguing that, "We don't grow into creativity, we grow out of it, or rather, we get educated out of it". ... "True creativity," he argues, "is based on knowledge, which, in turn is based on literacy".

The difficulty, it seems to me, is that when we read, listen to lectures, in all sorts of disciplines we assume that what is said, because the person is a teacher/expert/master of the subject, then it all must be correct. So, people read newspapers, which they say they don't believe, and then quote what the article stated, as if it is undeniable factual truth.

In one course I attended, the lecturer said something that has become my mantra; he said: "Believe nothing. Check everything".  Why is it when trained in any discipline, social work, teaching, pastoring, whatever - we disengage that valuable critical part of our brain and assume, “Now, if I follow this to the letter, I have all the answers.”

Many times, I come into conflict with people trained in various disciplines because I can think of another way, or even dare to question that what's told is not feasible or practical.  Then I suggest another way to do it. 

I was being trained at college to be a preacher. The Principal of the college, a great guy, first-class Principal but a boring preacher, was, I noted, being copied by all the students in delivery and content.

“Why?” I asked them.

"He's the principal," was the answer. “Therefore, that is the way it should be done!”

“But he is boring and bad at delivery,” I complained. “He maybe good at lots of other things I confess, but no, not that one please.” 

I guess they needed the lion stamping on their head; I am told I was dropped on mine.

Henry Ford, the motor car construction line inventor, was asked if he had asked people what they want. His reply was, “Why would I do that? I know what they would say; “faster horses”. I am, however, building cars that they have not yet seen.”

I want trained social workers, teachers, lawyers etc., but I really don't want the ones that have, at an early stage, cut out the critical part of their brain, and only believe that what they have been taught is the only way it should be done.  I am fed up with that approach; it is not enough and will not take us into the future. 

Rutger Bregman says it well: "If we want to change the world, we need to be unrealistic, unreasonable and impossible!"

I am a Jesus follower and He was raised from the dead. So, yes! I want to change the world, and do not want to be put in a box. For that reason, it seems to me that unrealistic, unreasonable and impossible is the way to go. They are words that people use who do not have box thinking.

Maybe, before I go on anymore, I should stop with some more Henry Ford:

“I cannot discover that anyone knows enough to say definitely what is and what is not possible.”

“I refuse to recognize the existence of impossibilities. I don't know anyone who knows enough about any subject to be able to say that something is or is not impossible. If someone who takes himself for an expert and declares that such and such a thing is impossible, right away there's a horde of nincompoops who sing the chorus: “It's impossible…”

(Two quotes famously attributed to Henry Ford.)

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Adrian Hawkes

Adrianhawkes.blogspot.co.uk

The Spirit Level

The Spirit Level

Over the years I have listened to Politicians quote from this book and thought to myself, very clever but that is not your quote we have read the same book.

Going past the current debate on leaving the EU though one does have to consider which party and why this is and has been pushed so strongly we need to think about some the issues raised by The Spirit Level.

It is a fact that the UK is up there as one of the most prosperous countries, but it is also up there along with the USA as one of the most unequal countries.  It is a fact that since the referendum we have consistently dropped in the rankings of the most prospers countries we were number 5, not sure where we are now down to about 9 I think.

The spirit Level analyses countries and, in the USA, separate states to ascertain equality, and shows that the more equal a society is the better of everyone is.  Better of not just financially, but better of health wise, better of because the prisons are less full, better off because crime drops, in fact they live a safer healthy life all together.

Now we constantly here the phrase from the right wing that there will be a ‘drip down benefit’ when people are making more money, when right wing policies are followed, this for all to see is patently not working.  When that does not happen what happens is we scape goat, and one can see that being enacted out in policies, such as the ‘hostile environment policy’ which is supposed to be no more but its affect I am still witnessing, much as we are still witnessing the horrific effect of the wind rush problems.

I also am seeing, even from relatives that terrible comment that if you are poor then obviously you are lazy. Such terrible sound bite infantile answer to real politicly motivated structural societal problems.

So where am I going with this, well seems to me that we have moved for all sort of reasons to a more right-wing political establishment, and it seems the pressure is on to move that even further.  That kind of politics will not bring better equality, and surely if we are all better of in a more equal society isn’t that better for all of us?  So maybe we need to push hard towards the left, that might bring us back a little towards the centre. Hopefully bring us towards a more equal society.

The Spirit Level

The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better was published in 2009. Written by Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson, the book highlights the "pernicious effects that inequality has on societies: eroding trust, increasing anxiety and illness, (and) encouraging excessive consumption". It shows that for each of eleven different health and social problems: physical health, mental health, drug abuse, education, imprisonment, obesity, social mobility, trust and community life, violence, teenage pregnancies, and child well-being, outcomes are significantly worse in more unequal rich countries.

As of September 2012, the book had sold more than 150,000 copies in English. It is available in 23 foreign editions.

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Adrianhawes.blogspot.co.uk

Only Remembered Because ...

Only remembered because…

Recently, I was told that answered prayer is not a reality. “It’s just one of those coincidences.”  To counteract their argument, I quoted a complicated story of what for me was an amazing answer to prayer. Here is my story:

In my Newcourt days we had to our Sunday Service one time a special speaker by the name of Dr Coker, from Nigeria. After he had spoken, people wanted to be prayed for, and I let him get on with it. One lady came forward who told him she had been married, very many years and wanted a child. However, nothing had happened. She asked him to pray that she would have a child. He answered her and said, “The next time I am here in this church, I will dedicate your baby.” Being perhaps a little cynical, as I sat on the platform, I thought to myself, (which of course the congregation would not know) “That wasn’t the wisest thing to say. The invitation for him to come and speak is in my prerogative and gift.  I might never ask the man to come back again.”  End of my thought. To be honest I never gave the prayer and his remark another thought.

Ten months or so later the lady came to me, now having given birth and asked me to dedicate her baby. My answer was, “Of course I will, bring the baby and family next week Sunday, we are dedicating a lot of babies then.” To tell you the truth, I had not remembered the prayer and “prophetic” word of Dr Coker. The lady, baby and family lined up with lots of other families and their newly born offspring. I began to move along the line and pray for each one. 

That Sunday too, we also had a special speaker. It was not Doctor Coker. I finally arrived at the lady in question. I was about to take the baby in my arms when the door at the back of the Newcourt auditorium opened and in walked – yes, you guessed it - Doctor Coker. It was almost the end of our meeting time together. As I saw his face, immediately I remembered his prayer and prophetic word. I asked the congregation if we could pause for a moment or to , as I wanted to question the man who had just walked in.

I asked Doctor Coker, “What are you doing here?” He answered, “Well! I had a few hours to kill and did not want to spend it at Heathrow as my flight to Nigeria is late tonight. I have been at a conference in Europe.  Your speaker is a friend of mine and I knew that he was with you today. So, I have come to see him.” I then answered him, “As you came through the door, I remembered your prayer and prophetic word that you gave to this woman the last time you were here. I believe you should join us on the platform and dedicate her baby, which he duly did.

I was at the said baby’s wedding recently, and I asked the Mother, if she remembered the circumstances surrounding her son’s birth and dedication. “How could I possibly forget,” she said animatedly.  Great coincidence, I guess. But personally, I hardly think so.

My friend’s response to the details above was, “The anecdote you give is certainly a remarkable story. The reason stories like this are so remarkable is because they very rarely happen. If “miracles” and answers to prayer like this were something of a banality, it wouldn’t have stuck in anybody’s mind. Sorry to be a wet blanket, but such is the reality of everyday life.”

By the way, a “Banality” refers to the fact or condition of being unoriginal or commonplace. Dictionaries offer synonyms to “banality” with words like: triteness,  predictability, staleness, unimaginative, lack of originality, lack of inspiration, prosaicness dullness or even ordinariness. 

Of course, my friend did not answer the question, “Is this an answer to prayer or not?”

The thing is; my friend says they “rarely happen.”  It is not rare. For those who know God it is common, and, yes, sure, some of the more complex answer do stand out in your mind, but there are so many, if you will, smaller answers to prayer that it would take me a long time to recite. I would need the right mental prod to recall them all. 

Just for fun though I will tell you another of those “rare stories” that I really don’t think are rare.

When I moved to London, I often did not have very much money.  I had agreed and signed a form to say that my two children at the time (I ultimately had three), could attend a school outing.  It was only £5.00 each child.  The day came when the money had to be paid and Dad really did not have the afore mentioned and committed £10.00.  My young children were very agitated, and were just about to go to school on the final day for the school receipt of the £5.00 each.

What to do? 

It is very hard to reason with young children who have a set approach in which their Dad is supposed to be compliant.  So, it went a bit like this:

Me: “I am sorry kids, but I don’t have the money. I will come and explain to your teacher. I will come in with you to the class this morning.”

Children: (Dresses ready, coats on waiting for Dad to take them to school.) “No Dad! That is terrible! That is embarrassing! Just give us the money. 

Me: Err!! but I really don’t have it and I don’t know what to do!  (It is amazing how that kind of answer does not work – especially with young children.) 

Children: “Dad, you signed the form. You said we could go. Just pay the money. 

Me: “I know I signed the form. I thought I would have the money. I am not very sensible. Let me come and see if I can pay it all a little bit at a time.

Children: “No Dad! That’s a terrible Idea. It’s embarrassing. We do not want you to embarrass us. Just give us the money.”

Me: (Wondering frantically with silent screaming thoughts) “How do I give them £10.00 when I do not have £10.00. Even the bank account is overdrawn. Oh, dear! These children thought they had a bad Dad! So:- “I know children, let’s pray.”

With not very good grace they both bow their heads and their dad prays.

Me: “Father, I know I have signed a form to say I will pay today, but you know I don’t have the £10.00. My children are very cross with me and I have not been very sensible. Now, I don’t know what to do. Please could you help me somehow. Thank you for hearing me.  Amen.”

The children offered a grudging, “ Amen”.

Before they can say anything else, I say, “OK! Let’s go to school.” I hastily head out down our side corridor to our side door. We never ever use the front door. I open the side door and the biggest gust of wind blows in the largest pile of leaves I have ever seen.  That phenomena had never happened before and has never happened since.  I say to the Children, “Hang on! I can’t leave this pile of leaves for your mother.” I rush back in and get the dustpan and brush, still not wanting any further conversation with the children. I start to sweep up and then deliver said leaves back to our bin.  I think it was the second sweep when I noticed in the pile of leaves something that did not look like leaves at all. I put in my hand to extricate the “non-leaf item” and pull out  - a £10.00 note.  

My children were very impressed, and let me tell you, so was I. A coincidence? Well, let me keep praying for  coincidences  then!

Adrian Hawkes

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