Throwing Stones

This past week, I have had to explain to my son why there are nasty people in the world who want to throw things at other countries. It is not an easy conversation to have and one I really don't enjoy. I have limited my explanation so my son likens any threat to something akin to the canon ball launchers he has with his Imaginext play castle. After all, he is only six and really isn't ready for the full horror of what inter-continental ballistic missiles are capable of. That is really what his schooling is for.
In the past week, words have been used which no one would want to hear used in media news broadcasts. Words such as nuclear and strike have been used in the same sentence along with anti-missile and defence. During the 70's and 80's the use of such words would have sent a chill through the population and prompted the circulation of 'protect and survive' leaflets. Since those days, freedom of information means that we now know how futile any form of advice would be and it is now accepted that there would be little or no protection from a nuclear exchange.
Just how much of this is just words? I suspect rather a lot. I listened with interest to a piece on this morning's Broadcasting House where we heard that domestic television news in North Korea barely mentions any kind of crisis and places more importance on the publication of a book about 'The Great Leader' and an exhibition of photography. If North Korea are building up to war then it would appear the populous is blissfully unaware. So is it all a show? Quite possibly. After all, they have done it on numerous occasions before. What is more dangerous than the 'crisis' in relations is the talk about nuclear war. This can lead to misunderstandings and mistakes. A game of threats is not one to be playing when those involved have the means to trigger a conflict from which there would be no return.
This last week, if nothing else, has been a stark reminder of how quickly international affairs can deteriorate to a point whereby we begin talking about the use of nuclear weapons.
I keep hearing in the media whether we should be worried. I don't think so. The retaliation to anything fired at us would be massive. What we should be worried about is the wider effect of any military action between North and South Korea. The inevitable involvement of the US and military build up in the region would not be tolerated by China, as they have made clear, and would risk it adopting a defencive stance. Any accidents or mistakes could easily result in a far wider conflict developing, and it's this that should worry us.

A Fine Course & A Broken BBC

A bit to catch up on in this post. My last week has been pretty good. I attended a Mental Health First Aid training course in Louth Thursday and Friday along with one of my support group colleagues. It was my first time in Louth since accidentally visiting it a few years ago in a desperate search for petrol one night. We were staying in Mablethorpe at the time.
The course was excellent. It was delivered by two of the finest mental health experts I know - Linda O'Hara and Jean Westcott. It covered every aspect of mental health first aid - the differing types of illness, causes, symptoms and treatments. They did very well to cram everything into two days and I found the course to be the most informative I have attended to date.
The attendees were made up of professionals, sufferers and parents - a real mix. During the introductions, the group found out that I help run a support group and this attracted considerable interest. I was reminded once again of the shortage of support services throughout the county. As a result, I was approached by two of the attendees - the first were parents who's son suffers with mental health problems. He is keen to find a support group in the area. The other is a chap who has served in the RAF for more than thirty years. He suffers PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and severe mental health problems. He too is keen to attend a support group, and doesn't mind travelling. I'm sure he will fit in very well, and I am confident the group will be able to provide the support and comfort he seeks.
We learnt a great deal, including how the government spending cuts are impacting on mental health services. It was worrying to hear that the Crisis Response Teams are only able to attend situations between the hours of 9-5 Monday to Friday. Anyone having a crisis outside of these times will have to wait until the service is next available. How terrible... I can honestly see a situation soon where trained volunteers will be required to provide these much needed services, much in the same way that David Cameron wishes to have a million trained Dementia Volunteers in the next couple of years to spot the early signs of Dementia.
It is very sad that the real sufferers of the government's spending cuts are those who most need the services that are being restricted and at worst, withdrawn completely. The cumulative effect can only be to increase fear and suffering, increase the risk of self-harm amongst the vulnerable, and increase further the number of needless suicides attributed to government health and welfare policy.
I nearly forgot to mention that we also came away from the course with our very first group fundraiser. She is the mother of a son who suffers, and she told me that she had decided to redirect all her fund raising activities to supporting our group. How wonderful and how kind that someone I hadn't met before has chosen to do this.

On the subject of Blue Skies, we now have our draft constitution which I need to edit slightly. We need this in order to open a bank account next week so we can deposit our funds and provide an account for any funding bid monies to be paid into. I'm not sure yet as the the position I will occupy on the Committee. I believe we need at least five committee members and we are required to meet regularly, similar to the way in which companies and CIC's operate. I should be in a better position to know what my duties and responsibilities will be next week.
I came away from the MHFA course with a load of leaflets and booklets on a broad range of mental health subjects. The information in them is very good so I have decided to set up a small library of documents and booklets available to the group. For the time being, it will need to be a mobile library that can be carried to each session. This will compliment what I already have available on my site.

I have to mention the crisis affecting the BBC. I do so as I'm actually quite fond of it and value greatly the quality and range of programming it makes available.
What is very clear to me is that a systemic failure has led to serious errors being made. The resignation of George Entwistle has been unavoidable given the lack of basic management that led to a film being shown accusing a senior public figure of one of the worst possible crimes. This film was shortly after transmission found to be wholly inaccurate and it beggars belief that such a film could have been shown unchecked and without being passed by someone in a senior management position. If I had been DG, I would certainly have requested that anything as high profile be shown to me first together with the supporting evidence. This clearly did not happen and I suspect George Entwistle won't be the last to fore go his position.
It really is so sad to see such an esteemed organisation as the BBC left open to such criticism and distrust, especially when the mistakes appear to be so rudimentary and basic. The live radio grilling by John Humphreys played a huge part in the events that led to Entwistle's resignation last night. It made for painful listening and it was clear that the damage caused by the on air mauling had been pretty massive.
Someone needs to take a firm hold of the BBC rudder to restore public confidence and instill a renewed code of ethics and editorial control.

Comfort Zones

The first part of this month has certainly been manic. Europe seems to be slowly destroying itself, Occupy London protestors have setup camp at St Paul's Cathedral, the economy of this country and many others are stagnating and we saw a devastating accident on the M5 motorway which claimed the lives of seven people. The economic catastrophe is one that closely mirrors my own. I am in debt and heading for financial ruin if nothing changes in the next few months. I wonder like many if the economies of Europe will ever recover. All we seem to read about is how much debt each country is in and how much more money they are borrowing to pay it off. But surely it is exactly the same as me using a credit card to pay off my debt. All it amounts to is moving debt from one place to another. It never gets paid off, it just gets worse. So what a mess and what needs to be done? Have the Occupy London protestors got it right? Is capitalism a failed system? The richer get richer and the poorer get poorer. How much longer can we go on like this and how much more can people stand before they start looking for a way out? Isn't this how radical political groups seize power? There seems absolutley no alternative but to begin looking for something different and I echo some of the things I have heard from those protesting in London. Maybe they are right.
As we approach Christmas, the pressure increases. There is enormous financial pressure this year on families up and down the land. If we are in any way typical of a UK family then I extend my sympathy and more importantly my empathy. People are looking for cheaper alternatives, ways to make the pound in their pocket go further than ever and to settle for second best. I know this as the things we have on eBay are selling. In the past we have struggled to attract any level of interest. Now, things are different. People are desperate and probably like me wonder what the future holds. I am frankly fearful of where we are heading. When your dreams are constantly better than reality, you know things are bad. The waking up each morning and the realisation that reality really is that bad. It's not good. I worry for my son. What will things be like for him and can I tell him with any confidence that he has a wonderful future ahead of him? The truth is I cannot. I would be misleading him. Luckily he's not old enough to know what's going on around him. We put on a brave face and try to act as if nothing's wrong. He'll have a marvellous Christmas and he'll get all the toys he's asked for. This year, it's all about him and so it should be.
So where do comfort zones come in? Well I am out of my comfort zone and I guess this is true also for many thousands of people. The feeling of knowing that I have £10 or £20 in my wallet, that the bills are all taken care of and that this will be home next year, all things that provide comfort and security. That is no more and I think it's fair to say that no one really feels as secure as they did a year ago. Many are wondering (and worrying) if they will have their job next year. The people providing those jobs are wondering of they can continue paying salaries and offering wage increases.
So I, the people I know and the family of Europe are all out of the comfort zone. The question has to be not how long it will last but how long can it last...
Better news next time?