Having a Voice

Old people, especially women, often say that they feel they are invisible. They can feel like unwanted outsiders in society, and may withdraw into isolation, in reality it's possible that we oldies collude in that. It's a form of ageism.

According to research by the Mather Institute the UK had the most negative ageist attitude, followed by a cluster of India, Bangladesh, Canada, the US, and Kenya. The most positive were Sri Lanka, followed by Ghana and Tanzania. "They found that ageism was not related to the proportion of older adults in the population or speed of ageing population growth. However, greater long-term orientation and greater masculine cultural dimensions were associated with greater ageism". "Ageism may be greater in these societies because they favour strength and competition, characteristics that are generally not associated with older adults". Conversely countries influenced by Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, such as Japan, China, Korea and Vietnam all value wisdom imparted by elders and treat them with a high degree of respect.

Fridays debate in the UK Parliament gave a voice to politicians on the issue of assisted dying. For once, it was a debate worth listening to. As a free vote there was no party affiliation & cross bench "yah booing". People actually listened to the points being well made. The voices on both sides were heard. I wish that happened all the time. 

We all have a voice, whatever our age, position in society, education & condition. The trouble is some voices are louder than others, some out shout more moderate voices. Some people even feel that their opinion is actually more important than others because of their intellect, education or status. These things may be important, but I think that experience matters more. 

We need to listen to people who know first hand what a situation is like. That is why we do need to listen to the voices of the elderly. They have years of experience of a huge variety of situations. They see repeating patterns & cycles & learn from them. 

On the other hand, we oldies really shouldn't "bang on" about our lives repetetively & boringly. We shouldn't be trapped in the past, it really wasn't necessarily that brilliant. We should be selective & just pass on the real nuggets of experience that might help in our current very complex world. 

We need to earn respect. It isn't a right.

 

A time to Die

I don't sit around wondering if I'm going to wake up tomorrow. I do know that my body is a complex system of interlinked parts that has been working more or less efficiently for nearly 80 years. Therefore, I know intellectually it is wearing out. My sell by date is approaching. That is logical & entirely acceptable.

In the meantime I am going to enjoy the life I have. I'm going to do the things that give me pleasure. I'm going to decline to do the things that don't. I'm also going to spend as little time as I can with people who are negative & self absorbed because they drain the joy out of life. I want to enjoy being with people I actually like. If you know you have a finite time remaining, then why waste it?

I do however spend a little time thinking about the "how" of dying. There have been people in my life who have had a "good" death. There are also those who haven't. I don't have a problem with dying, but I am a little concerned about the "how". I've lived alone for 15 years & am happy with that. But I really don't fancy being incapacitated & unable to look after myself. I would not want to have a fall or heart attack on my own without being able to summon help. The idea of lying in my house slowly dying or in pain until someone realised they hadn't seen me in a while isn't appealing. It is a reality however because there are quite often days when I don't speak to anyone.

I know I'm a bit of a control freak. So I have a house I designed to be future proof for my old age. I wear a personal alarm linked to the phone. I have quite a wide circle of friends. I have an on line presence to keep in touch with people I don't see.

There is a time to die for all of us. It can come at any age, any time, or place. We often have little or no warning. In reality we are dying from the moment we are born. All of that is acceptable & part of the natural order. 

The big change in my lifetime is that we are living longer & as a consequence there seems to be far more dis-ease. More people seem to have chronic conditions that involve pain, fatigue & disability. Much of that is probably bearable. The situation I cannot accept is that a proportion of people will have a very poor experience of death, involving great pain & disability, which are not properly controlled. There is a lack of good hospice care & what there is is dependent on donations.

I understand the complex issues around assisted dying, but I really hope that I will live long enough to have the choice if I get to that stage. I do not want to suffer. I want to have some agency over my death.

We are watching people dying in their hundreds of thousands around the world in places like Palestine, Yemen & Sudan & we are doing little or nothing to help. If we can tolerate that, surely we can make a conscious decision to help people who really want to die for very good reasons & have safeguards for those who shouldn't be helped. Or are our  lives more important than theirs?

Making a Difference - Individual Agency

I had a conversation with a friend the other day about holidays & travelling. He didn't feel that what he does makes any difference to the climate emergency issue & wants to visit as many places as possible while he can. We are good friends, and although we agree on a lot of things, we do disagree on some major issues. Fortunately we can argue our corner without getting annoyed.

It did make me think though.

I do believe that when individuals mobilise to make change happen we can be really powerful. I used to live near Newbury & supported the demonstrators at Greenham Common & Aldermaston. (I didn't camp out though). I have marched on issues I believed needed to change & would do so again if I had the physical capapbility. I lobby a lot & support charities financially. I try to tread lightly in our world & not aid & abet it's destruction. 

"We are like raindrops, but together we turn into the sea". Iranian protester.

Public opinion is very powerful for both good and ill. I don't accept that an individual can continue doing things that they know are harmful because they are just one person & many others are doing the same. That way just stops beneficial change from happening. To my mind, if what you are doing is both harmful & unnecessary, you are simply being selfish. I can understand that it is very hard to change ingrained habits & practices. But once you have evidence that you should stop, then you should.

The difficulty is knowing what to believe, what is evidence based. Greenwashing is rampant about Climate Change, backed by huge resources of money & power. We live in a post truth world where knowing what to believe about a lot of issues is very difficult. Everyone has a responsibility to be confident in sources of information & not to believe any crackpot or conspiracy theory. 

But at the end of the day the survival of our world & all it's inhabitanats is dependent on every individual playing an informed & engaged part. Everyone acting together can make a difference. No one can opt out. Do you really believe that something magical will happen to put everything right? I stopped believing in fairies & Father Christmas decades ago.

If we don't all use our individual agency to change it really might be the end of not just the day, but much worse.

Inherited Wealth & Inheritance Tax

I've probably mentioned before I don't believe in inherited wealth. So many reasons, but mainly - an accident of birth shouldn't be able to determine that you have wealth, position or influence that you haven't earned in any way whatsoever. I also think that wealth you have been given, but not worked for, means less than wealth you have created yourself through your own endeavours. I don't believe that wealth should be concentrated in a very small percentage of the population. We humans need to be altruistic & share what we have. We can and should be prepared to even out wealth distribution fairly. That doesn't mean I believe in giving hand outs to people who aren't prepared to make any effort to support themselves. But we can & should support people who are struggling to have the basics in life. It also doesn't mean that I am not prepared to help my family or friends if they get into financial difficulty.

I actually think that the excesses of many of the extremely wealthy are obscene in light of the fact that people are starving, dying of curable disease, don't have clean water & sanitation, are displaced & don't have homes.....I don't know how they justify it. 

I actually don't mind paying taxes, including inheritance tax. I would be willing to pay more if it would improve life & support people who needed help. I do, however, object to our outdated & complex tax system, which very few people, including tax officers understand.

A report by IFS researchers, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, argued that the parts of the UK tax system that dictate how different forms of income are taxed are not fit for purpose. "There is no pain-free way to fix the current tax system: any meaningful reform will create losers as well as winners. But keeping the status quo is also a choice – one that unfairly penalises ordinary employees and investors, and creates inefficiency and administrative costs that make us all poorer.” "This report highlight(s) the unfairness, inefficiency and complexity inherent in the current approach to taxing different forms of income, specifically the different treatment of employment and labour income compared to business ownership and capital incomes. This penalises employees and distorts investment decisions, to the detriment of social well-being". 

The tax Competitive Index has repeatedly selected Estonia as having the best tax code in the OECD.  "Estonia’s transparent and simple tax system attracts investments with no corporate income tax, no capital tax, no property transfer taxes". The UK is 26th in the 2022 list.

Surely we can do better than this? The UK government uses the tax system  to achieve social and political goals rather than simply using tax systems for what they are good at – raising revenue for government spending.

I've been fortunate to become far more financially secure than my parents were. Partly due to both my husband & I having secure professional jobs with good pensions & partly due to circumstances in the property market. If people with disposable wealth simply hold on to it all & pass it on to their children we perpetuate unfairness & inequality. 

Not all are born equal, but all should have equal opportunities.

Leadership

I think I know what leadership is - an ability to influence or guide people, teams, organisations or even countries. It involves understanding people's motivations and using them to achieve a shared goal. Leaders have to recognise skills, talents & experience in others & enable them to use them. Leaders have to have a vision of what they want to achieve & set the direction to reach it. They need to be adaptable, because circumstances change & scupper any well laid plans. Importantly they need to inspire trust & commitment to the goals. That involves actions as well as words or position held.

If I'm correct, then I have to consider whether those criteria fit current & future leaders of countries & important corporations. The people who actually have power to improve or adversely affect our lives. I imagine you know where I'm heading. 

If we consider political leaders then I have to say the picture is bleak. I am completely baffled why anyone would think that Trump fits the description of good leadership, especially of a country as wealthy & influential as the USA. Oddly he does influence people & he understands the motives of the masses. He certainly knows what he wants to achieve, but I would argue it isn't in the best interests of anyone but himself. I certainly can't see how he inspires trust. 

I could go on. Assad, Putin, Kim Jong-il, Mohammed bin Salman, Xi Jinping...There are a lot of very powerful men who do not rule in the best interests of their populations. So we have to consider how they gained such power, because gaining power does involve making people believe that you have the qualities of leadership. They are able to persuade a substantial number of people that it is in their best interests to put them in charge as leaders. So they must have leadership qualities. 

It's simply that they are the wrong types of leadership qualities. They use unethical methods to gain & keep positions of wealth, power & influence. 

The same can be said for the leaders of big multinational corporations. The UK & USA are littered with inquiries into big organisations who have lied & used their positions for gain. The Post Office Horizon inquiry, the Sackler OxyContin fraud are 2 examples. 

So my conclusion is that leadership qualities can be used for good or ill. There must be a huge number of people who use their leadership skills to good effect, to move organisations forward & help people. Unfortunately they are not necessarily the ones we hear about or who get recognition. We hear about the bad ones. 

Even worse, there are obviously bad ones we don't hear about because they haven't been caught yet. The difficulty is that we really don't have effective monitoring & sanctions. The failures of the UN & COP convention on climate change organisations are testament to that.

We really do need to put things right.

Are Humans Parasites?

I'm reading a book by a Norwegian author that suggests humans are parasites engaged in collective suicide. At first it seemed a bit drastic, but it intrigued me. I did A Level biology so I know what a parasite is - a living organism that lives on or inside another organism, (the Host), & harms it. The analogy is that our World is the Host & we are destroying it. 

Well, actually I can't argue with that. We are polluting our world in all manner of ways. Man made Climate change is proof of that, as are dying species, oceans & rivers. We are destroying the forests & ecosystems that are a vital part of the whole of our complex world. We are grabbing natural resources that are finite & in doing so we destroy the places where we find them.

The difference between humans & other parasites is that we are sentient beings. We know what we are doing. We are presented with the evidence every day, both in our own lives & through the scientific evidence & news media. That is why this is collective suicide. 

So I accept the premise. The question is why we continue to do something which any intelligent person must see has the real probability that it will ultimately cause our own destruction?

I think that most of us are cocooned, (protected from pain or an unpleasant situation), in a mindset that we can't reverse this. That we individually cannot exert any control. That anything one person does will not even have the effect of a butterfly wing. We are selfish. We want to carry on doing all the things that we have become accustomed to doing. Someone else will sort this out in the fullness of time. Technology will be the solution.

We are deluded.

Each & every one of us has to make a personal effort to stop doing the things that make us parasites. We all have to stand up to the powerful, wealthy, vested interests that are now controlling our politics & international companies. 

If you don't believe me look at what is happening in America now that Trump has been elected. The people in charge of Trumps America include;-

• Matt Gaetz as Attorney General, who is under investigation ny the ethics committee & is very right wing.
• Robert F Kennedy as Health & Human Services Secretary, promoter of baseless conspiracy theories about vaccines and other public health staples, such as water fluoridation.

There is a whole list in the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/14/trump-cabinet-administration-maga-extremism  America has power, money & influence. It doesn't look as if it will go in the right direction when Trump actually becomes president for the second time. Obviously the lesson of the first presidency has not been learnt. 

Or perhaps it has. Maybe the Parasites are winning & we are actually participating in our own collective suicide. If we are, hopefully the Host, (the World), will recover without us.
 

Choice & Democracy

The recent American election made me wonder just how democratic Western democracy is. Are we really saying that Trump & Biden were the best candidates for America to chose from? Or even Trump & Harris? If we are I think we should all be deeply worried, because similar patterns can be seen in other, so called, democracies, including the UK. 

Running for election in the USA is all about money. Both Trump & Harris raised hundreds of millions of dollars for their campaigns. If you can afford it, and there are no limits on spending, you can stand. It used to be funded by public money, but now private money is much more widespread. Candidates who are backed by the likes of Elon Musk with assets of $304 billion literally buy the election. Candidates who relied on public money had to agree to spending limits. Private donors give candidates far more freedom.

I don't believe private donors are driven by altruism or the good of the nation. Having spent shedloads of money private donors expect a return on that investment. They are business people. It's the art of the deal. They want jobs for the boys & political power or they want a quid pro quo in terms of future legislation. One way or another they want control. In simple terms it's blackmail or bribery.

Instead of being concerned about voting errors or fiddles, which are largely eradicated in the west, we do have a transparent & fair system of voting with proper oversight, we should be much more concerned about money. We can argue about the different methods of voting - first past the post or proportional representation. Personally I would get rid of F P T P. 

But we should all be far more concerned about the undermining of democracy through the current imbalance in funding for parties & candidates. What we need is a level playing field where there are limits on spending for everyone involved in the process. I do think that private money should be removed from the process because it isn't like giving to charity. The donors are paying for something they want. It's transactional.

Time will tell with every new government elected to office whether they do what is in the long term best interests of the country & even international affairs. But by then it's too late. Cronies will have  important, decision making roles in government. International companies will have their way to new contracts eased. Wealthy individuals will become even more wealthy & powerful. Leaders will inevitably be compromised & justify it in some way. 

I know we live in a world dominated by consumerism. But buying elections really should be the last straw. Voters should unite & stop it. 

expenses potentially reaching $1 billion.

Read more at:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/us-elections-2024-how-much-does-it-cost-to-elect-a-president-of-the-united-states/articleshow/112824555.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

expenses potentially reaching $1 billion.

Read more at:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/us-elections-2024-how-much-does-it-cost-to-elect-a-president-of-the-united-states/articleshow/112824555.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

NHS - How Much Does it Cost? -

My husband always thought that we don't really value the NHS because we don't directly pay anything for what we get. It's free at the point of need. I don't think that is sustainable any longer. 

So I'm digging to find out what the cost of the simple basics are. It isn't easy. The Kings Fund is helpful. https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/data-and-charts/key-facts-figures-nhs

Full Blood test - Couldn't find NHS cost. Private (Spire Healthcare) approx £160. Includes the practice charge for taking the sample and a laboratory fee for processing the specimen. £109 (Nuffield Healthcare).

Urine Test - Couldn't  find NHS cost. Private (Spire) includes a consultant fee £150 - £230

RSV Vaccination - Ive just had this free on the NHS. Privately it costs £180 - £200 (Pharmadoctor)

Flu Vaccination - Boots £21.95. Rowlands £17.99.

GP Appointment - A 2022/23 study estimated that a 10-minute face-to-face GP consultation costs around £56.

Prescription -  NHS estimates that the average prescription costs around £28. 

Outpatient Appointment -  NHS is around £120 

Inpatient Cost -  General ward: £351 per bed day. Isolation ward: £586 per day. ICU: £1,621.16 per day.

What we need to do, in the face of the ever rising costs of NHS care, is have a real conversation about how we can make the NHS viable, without the huge cost to the taxpayer while retaining the general principles that we all love. We need to think about a hierarchy of need. Obviously A&E and serious medical conditions need to remain free at point of need. But why shouldn't we either be prepared to pay something towards the day to day smaller costs or be prepared to take out insurance to cover those?

According to the Irish nurse who did my RSV vaccination, health insurance is not uncommon in Ireland. I think that may be the Republic, not Northern Ireland. https://www.movehub.com/uk/moving-abroad/ireland/healthcare-for-expats/#four

If we accept that neither the UK nor the NHS is the same as it was in 1948, we surely have to accept that we need to find a new model for the 21st Century. Rather than ever increasing taxes shouldn't we be prepared to either pay a bit towards some things or have basic, relatively inexpensive, insurance for some things?

I certainly think that if we make lifestyle choices that increase the risk of needing healthcare, like taking part in some sports, we should be responsible for having an insurance policy. I also think that now the NHS sends out text reminders for appointments there is no excuse for simply not turning up or cancelling. There should be a hefty fine. Having everything, always, free just doesn't seem viable.

Leaders Facing Justice.

As far as I can see from research there have been judicial cases against leaders of 15 different countries between 2000 - 2020. (9 of them in Africa). Between 2020 - 2024 I have found 11 more. My list may well not be exhaustive. My point is that this is not isolated behaviour. It is becoming more & more prevalent. The increase starts to become much more evident in 1993 with the Jugoslavian war tribunals. It is becoming learned behaviour by unscrupulous & greedy leaders. They know that they can get away with it. 

2000 -2020 - East Timor, Sierra Leone, Italy, Cambodia, Peru, Congo, Sudan, Libya, Kenya, Tunisia, Egypt, Guatemala, Chad, Ivory Coast, Kosovo.

2020 - 2024 - Croatia, Argentina, France, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, South Africa, South Korea, Pakistan, Russia, USA.

To my mind this pattern, which seems to be endemic, matters because of what is now happening in Ukraine, Gaza & the West Bank & possibly even more crucial, the American presidential elections. Putin, Netenyahu & Trump, if he is elected, are not leaders intelligent & caring people want to be in charge of wealthy & powerful countries. 

The problem is that although there is International law & there are International courts, bringing transgressors to justice isn't easy. For a start you have to be able to get the leaders into an International courtroom. They aren't going to volunteer, so they have to be extradited if there is regime change, or they have to be forcibly brought to court. They can be tried in absentia, but not sure that really puts them off. 

Then there is the difficulty posed by gathering a verifiable evidential trail & credible witnesses prepared to risk testifying. In addition, the Prosecutors & Judges face intimidation & worse from supporters of the criminals. It takes courage to go against incredibly powerful & usually wealthy men, (mostly). Not only the people trying to enforce the law themselves are at risk, but also their families. Not sure I would put my head above the parapet. 

It's a quagmire. Law is important, but it does have to be enforceable & have consequences for the perpetrator. Especially when it involves death, destruction, genocide, starvation, crimes against human rights & humanity & complete corruption.

The really startling thing is that there are so many men, (usually), prepared to behave in this inhumane way to retain power & accumulate obscene levels of wealth.

We need to find a solution that works.