The other side of the story

We didn't know him, yet over the past couple of days he became "our" child.  And now we mourn. 

When little Mikaeel Kular was reported missing from his home in Edinburgh a couple of days ago, he immediately went from being just an ordinary three year old child to being the centre of attention in all our lives.  The little boy had been put to bed by his mother on Wednesday evening, and the next morning he was gone, seemingly having disappeared overnight.  Fuelled by non-stop news coverage, he was the main topic of conversation.  Where could he be? How could he have got out of the family flat on his own?  Who could have taken him when there was no evidence of forced entry?  We all hoped and prayed for his safety, but this morning the country woke to the devastating news that Mikaeel's body has been found in Fife, the home of a relative is being searched, and that his mother has been detained.  That's all we know just now. 

I can't find the words right now to describe how angry, hurt and horrified I feel about this.  But plenty of others can, because Twitter court is in session.  We don't know the full story as yet, but one thing is for sure:  Twitter court is already passing sentence and is ruling that it's all social work's fault. 

Yes, yet again a child dies and the social services are to blame.  Just sit back now and watch the media outcry, as the usual indignant suspects take to their laptops.  They will say that Mikaeel died because social work was not doing its job. 

They will not say that social services budgets have been cut to ribbons, a caring profession brutally undermined by the most uncaring government since the Thatcher regime.......as inexperienced social workers with unacceptably high caseloads, face burnout almost from the minute they're qualified.  Social work staff are doing the best that they can do, with the minimum of resources, to help families exist and survive amid a timebomb of mental health issues, drug and alcohol misuse and real poverty - the DWP's got to meet its benefit sanctions target, remember - and in these sick and sad times, it's harder than ever to improve the quality of people's lives when they are being eroded by the day.

Never mind that the high profile murders of children in recent years were, in many cases, an act of unforgivable evil by a parent, a relative, or a mother's partner who was not the child's natural father.  All services involved with children, not just social work, have a role to monitor children but they can't do this 24/7.  Short of having someone live-in with every family 'known to social work', or CCTV cameras in every home, this is an impossible task. 

There will of course, be an inquiry.  But the strange thing is that at the time of every inquiry into why a child was murdered, we don't hear the government of the day stepping in to increase the funding for social services, for increased free nursery provision, for mental health support/counselling, for services to empower women, for better education, for valuable services such as the Citizens' Advice Bureau or Women's Aid.  We don't hear anyone banning those hideous payday loan providers or those high street shops which will sell anyone a sofa or a large-screen TV as long as they're willing to pay it back at 50% interest.  We don't hear anyone taking steps to reform the buy-to-let housing market which has led to people living in unacceptable housing conditions whilst the landlords make big money - the sections of the media which demonise people on housing benefit always forget to mention that this goes to those landlords.  And we don't hear anyone attempting to improve the quality of vulnerable people's lives.  Who would have thought in this day and age that we would need food banks?

None of this, of course, may have had anything to do with Mikaeel's death.  It was, as I said earlier, an act of unforgivable evil.  Yet in such a dark time there was one positive factor - the way the local community in Edinburgh came together to search for him, in the hope that he would be found.  In a time when 'community spirit' is a thing of the past - how many of you even know your next-door neighbour's name? - it was inspiring the way everyone came together.  It's just a shame that it had to be in such dark circumstances. 

Rest in peace, Mikaeel.

The "big year" (yawn)

Two days into 2012 and I'm already bored with the London-centric media's obsession over this "big year". Which of course means only two things: the London 2012 Olympics and the Queen's Jubilee. Both have a lot in common: in a time where there seems to be no solution in sight to the national (and worldwide) recession which is still spiralling out of control, both are a luxury which this country can't afford.

I have always loved the Olympics, yet the idea of them coming to this country still leaves me cold. Don't ask me to explain why, as I honestly don't know, but when I look at some of the practical aspects it all becomes a bit clearer.

Competitors and spectators from all over the world will descend on not just London, but also some other British cities too. No doubts they will be made very welcome by the majority of the population, but after the summer's so-called "riots" I would worry that they may be a target for the scum/low-lifes who despite the recession will always find money for drink, drugs and designer goods "by any means necessary". I've visited many countries over the years, but all of them felt safer than this one.

Then there's the poor transport system in this country. Having travelled all over Europe, the one thing I never fail to notice is the impressive transport infrastructure in place in many countries, even those with a lower standard of living to our own. Arrive in some European countries by air and you can take a train directly from the airport into the city, where you are then faced with a choice of buses and trams which run from stops which clearly state when the next bus/tram is coming, and it might even arrive on time. Transport in Britain is a shambles - bus and train companies whose timetables aren't worth the paper they're written on, poor services, rising fares etc. And don't even ask a bus driver why the bus was late or why you've been waiting for about 40 minutes since the last one, when it's allegedly a 10 minute service - you'll only get a grunt at best, or a torrent of abuse.

Finally, there's our climate. The Olympics is a summer showpiece, so why give it to a country where the weather is an obsession, probably because it's so rubbish most of the time?

Then of course there is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Never mind that this country is going to hell, that the government is killing off public services and making us work till we drop, that's if we'll all still have jobs, that is. No, let's wave a flag and be proud to be British, for just one day let's forget how crap this country is. There is one good thing about it though: as with the royal wedding last year we're getting an extra day's bank holiday. Now that is worth celebrating.

9/11 remembered, ten years on

As with all major events/tragedies, people always ask the question, "where were you when ......happened?" We all have our stories, and as we commemorate the 10th anniversary of that shocking, tragic day, I thought I’d share my own personal story here.

On 11th September 2001, I was heading off to Barcelona with faithful travelling companion for our annual summer holiday. Sitting in a departure lounge in Luton airport, surrounded by a vast majority of Spanish citizens, we were completely unaware that the attacks had taken place. Flights continued to depart and by the time we boarded the flight from Luton airport, the Twin Towers had fallen, and we still didn’t even know.

Our flight was probably one of the last to leave the UK, before airspace was closed and all flights were suspended. We arrived in Barcelona, still completely unaware. September 11th had a different meaning for the Catalans - it was (and remains) Catalunya’s National Day. After checking into our hotel we headed out on that hot, sunny Tuesday evening. The streets, bars and restaurants of Barcelona were buzzing and busier than ever due to the public holiday, and we wanted to be part of it. We joined in the party atmosphere, still unaware of the events which unfolded.

It wasn’t till very, very late that evening that we finally found out. On our way home, people were handing out free newspapers in the street - a Spanish-language equivalent of the Metro newspaper. On the front page, there was a picture of two skyscrapers, on fire, and a headline about the USA. I couldn’t understand a word of Spanish, so couldn’t really make sense of it. Back at the hotel, I got a message to phone home - when my mother finally told me about the terrifying events in New York.

One week later it was time to go home. It was a difficult journey home for many reasons, including missing our connecting flight due to long (but very necessary) delays/security measures. But we got home eventually, back to a changed world when things would never be the same again.

It will never get any easier watching the images of what happened that day, watching them over and over again in the numerous commemorative documentaries which have been screened over the past two weeks. Today many commemorative events are taking place to remember those who lost their lives on September 11th, and who will always be remembered in the hearts of their loved ones. My thoughts are with you.

What's the world coming to?

I am still shocked and saddened by the events in Norway yesterday: the Oslo bomb, followed by the Utøya massacre. I wanted to write something about it, yet it's impossible to find the words to describe my anger, shock, revulsion at an act which appears to have been carried out by a lone, sick individual.

My thoughts and prayers are with you all in that beautiful northern land. May you all stay strong and let no-one destroy your spirit.

Volcanic ash cloud continues to spread :(

After last week's eruption in Iceland, the volcanic ash cloud continues to spread across Europe with no sign of abating : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8627720.stm

With the closure of airspace all over Europe, and the uncertainty of when things will be back to normal, we decided not to book our spring break (due to depart two weeks from tomorrow) until we know what's happening.

Watch this space...

Needless to say the havoc created by the closure of airspace all over Europe has caused tempers to rise, and of course it has also created an unlikely internet celebrity - the "I Hate Iceland" guy from Edinburgh Airport :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34mHZgP9vkc

Hello Mr President

I got home from work just in time to watch Mr Obama being sworn in at his inauguration tonight. I thought his speech was quite inspirational, bringing a message of strength and defiance but also of equality, peace, freedom and renewal for his country.

I wish him well.

Woolies R.I.P.

Recessions come and go, but the big stores always survived. Till now anyway. Woolworths have always been there, for everything from Pick n' Mix to half price suitcases to top 40 CDs to Ladybird children's clothes to insoles and superglue. They seemed to sell a little bit of everything, but even that wasn't enough to save them.

In a big city it probably wouldn't really matter whether they were there or not: but in a small town like the one I live in, Woolies is/was an essential part of life.

Their heyday is long gone of course. They started selling too much, the shop became so packed that you couldn't actually find anything in it and it all became a bit tacky. Back in the 70s of my childhood, their Christmas TV adverts were legendary and star-studded, in the days when celebrities actually were celebrities. But now, as those great philosophers the Kaiser Chiefs once said, everything is average nowadays. Celebrities, advertising, Woolies. Yet I'll miss them.

MFI has also gone into administration. Who's next?

He's done it.

Well done Mr Obama - welcome to the presidency!

I can't remember a time in recent years when the whole world seemed to be buzzing with excitement about a U.S. election result, there is such optimism in the air and the world really needs that right now I think, what with all this economic doom and gloom and the c****t c****h (I refuse to mention that catchphrase-to-describe-the-recession, it sounds like a cereal bar or something), anyway you just get the feeling that this is not just a fresh start for America but it's a new era for the rest of the world too.

So let's celebrate :))

America, it's up to you.

Two days to go till the American presidential election. The amount of coverage it’s been getting over here is quite remarkable, but it’s understandable too. It’s a bit like the 1997 General Election when a young, charismatic politician swept to power in a wave of hysteria. We can only hope that if he’s elected, Barack Obama doesn’t make the same mistakes and have the same fall from grace as Tony Blair.

I’m not American, but since everyone else has a view about it, here’s mine. Obama must win, because (a) if he doesn’t, we’re all doomed; and (b) there would be something truly encouraging about a multi-racial nation electing a mixed-race president for the first time in its history, and that alone would go a long way to changing the world’s view of America.

Is it just me, or did the world feel a safer place with a Democrat president in power? The last one, Bill Clinton, is now best known for dangerous liaisons and indiscretions, but I prefer to remember him as the man who helped end the Cold War. Republican presidents don’t end wars, they start them...

Since the Republicans have now run out of Bush family members to represent them, they’ve moved on to yet another over-the-hill guy named John McCain, and by picking Sarah Palin as his potential VP this has been a political masterstroke as she gets all the attention and could pick up the all-important religious vote. Obama on the other hand is a confident and strong campaigner who has impressed since beating Hillary Clinton as the Democrats’ candidate.

On Tuesday, American voters have the chance to change not just their own country, but the world we all live in. I genuinely believe that by electing Barack Obama as president, they might just save the world.

Fingers crossed...