In Work Poverty and PMQs

The government are going to cut Universal Credit. Or rather, not cut it, but instead allow he temporary uplift in it to expire. Over the last few years, we have seen the rise of Child Food Poverty as well as In Work Poverty.

The issue of if this should be cut came up in PMQ’s today.

Needless to say, Boris Johnson did not answer the questions posed to him about how he is to cut help to those who need it most.  And this was a matter that came up on several occasions.

I do think that Keir Starmer would have done better if he had used the personal examples that Jeremy Corbyn did in this role as ignoring reality is so much harder when real people are used.

I hope our MP does not vote for these cuts.  But he is a Conservative and I suspect will toe the government line on this.

13 Reasons Why; The World Closing In

Is redemption possible if true repentance has taken place?  In my view yes.  I think my daughter thought so when watching this before, but my son does not appear to agree, yet.

On a different note, my son was not able to go to school today as he vomited last night, but my daughter returned.  My wife and I spent the morning shopping either on-line or in Waitrose while he looked after Leia (his school said that there was no work for him as him being home was not COVID related).

13 Reasons Why; Always Waiting for the Next Bad News

Drugs screw up the lives of people.  And it can be very hard to kick the habit.  This episode looks at some of he issues involved, but not the deaths that I have seen due to drugs.

Hawkstone Hall & Gardens, Spa & Gym

We are home! Hawkstone Hall was amazing. I did get freaked out as there was very little mask wearing and people must have thought I was mad for wearing mine.  But a colleague caught COVID at a wedding recently and I had no intention of doing the same. It was a good meal after the speeches and later there was dancing and a free bar.  I love dancing but could not do so inside, so on occasion, danced outside with my wife.  

Come the morning, I went for a walk in the grounds.  After that, breakfast and the long journey back.  We dropped off my Mother-In-Law and then to Colchester. My wife felt we should leave Leia for one more day but my daughter and I got her to change her mind.

Anyway, time to rest and rest. 

Church Farm Guest House, Wrockwardine

Our trip continues. Today is the day of the wedding that we have travelled here for.  I am glad that the hotel we are now in was booked as the guest house has been lovely.  The children loved it here, though I am not sure if that is because we booked the place out and they have their own rooms, a novelty for them when we travel, but one we hope to continue, but not for tonight!  Breakfast was lovely, not as amazing as I have had in the past, but filling and it has kept me going so far.  I did go for a walk about the village, a habit that having a dog has made me desire and it allowed me to appreciate the grounds so much more.

The wedding we came for is now over, a sweet Catholic service where we, along with some others, wore face-masks. I am a bit nervous of the mixing considering that a GP at the surgery I work contracted COVID at a wedding she had been to two weeks before and while starting to work, is not back to full speed.

Anyway, I am taking a break from moving the luggage up the stairs in our residence for the night, but more about that tomorrow (or tonight) after the wedding reception.

The Pheasant Inn, Admaston

What an exhausting day.  My day started with the morning walk for Leia, but then we had to take her to Helen, her dog sitter who looks after her on a Tuesday.  That involved packing up her crate and as normal, she was overjoyed to be there.  My daughter took her with me and we both were a bit sad as we knew it would be Sunday at the earliest that we would see her again.

After that it was packing, and collecting the Ford Tourneo, that my wife affectionately calls ‘The Party Bus’ for our trip.  We drove to collect my mother-in-law but realised that we had left some items at home.  Once at the parents of my wife, we had to retrace some of our trip due to traffic on the M25 & M1, but took a detour to get the missing items.

My wife and I shared the driving and we soon got to terms driving it.  It was an experience, and one that makes up appreciate our cars.  She got the worst of the weather though.  Anyway, we are back at the Church Farm Guest House in Wrockwardine after eating a meal at the nearby Pheasant Inn at Admaston.  The service is kind and the food surprisingly good (I loved my chicken with potato rosti) but what freaked me out was that none of the staff where wearing face-masks.  This was something we are not used to as when eating out on holiday in Devon, and also back in Colchester, staff wore masks.

Now to bed for the wedding tomorrow.

Trusting Priti Patel

According to Priti Patel, the answer to the surge in migrants and refugees coming across the channel to the UK is to send them back while on the open seas, but only of it safe to do so.

I doubt that France will be pleased with that, or the threat to take away funding that had been agreed for extra patrols.  

Ignoring the issue of if it is right to send boats back to France if intercepted, the fact is that Priti Patel has thrown others under the bus when the heat is on, notably Cressida Dick, who obeyed her request when it came to the Sarah Everard vigil.  If any fatalities happen, I suspect that given her previous form, she will be quick to blame those obeying her instructions due to her caveat of “if safe to do so” and those who work in the coastguard had better recall her bullying nature as there is no doubt that they will be abandoned by her.