Political

Husbands art work sometimes done via using his mouth!

I don't often get political publicly but it seems every one is doing so these days, we all seem to have a political opinion on every ones lives so heck, may as well join them as can't beat them. 

On Mumsnet yesterday, they had a guest blogger in the name of Louise Mensch, a Conservative member of parliament. She was discussing the merits of Social Networking and the impact it has had on the lives of women around the world.

To this I say hear hear! I am in agreement ,for once, with a Conservative MP! However, as is always the case, the Conservative mob think little of emotional connection and instead only money talks in their circle. So of course she was highlighting one of the founders of Lastminuet. com, a woman, being an idol to all ladies who know how to go online and use social networking. Gosh this isn't the 1950s my dear, we all are aware! Often women go online to formulate intellectual discussion and share thoughts and feelings. To feel comradeship, we are all capable of going online, we don't need a patronizing "girl power" speeches thanks. What she fails to sight because money talks is that there are doors opening to the minority groups of women, not just for the multi million business owner ladies amongst us. Social networking and blogging gives those minority groups a safe place to discuss issues that affect them and to seek advice from those who understand, share feelings and thoughts on how to tackle issues.  

Then of course lets not forget the men, again this is not the 1950s, women are becoming the higher owners slowly.On the occasions my dad has helped me go to Bounce and Rhyme with my son ,I am heartened to see men attending the group with their little ones. So there is a forming group of men who now are the ones who stay at home and do child rearing, unfortunately the outside world is still very "mother and baby" orientated so you can imagine these guys need social networking, blogging to make them feel part of the world still. 

Above all the online community opens vast doors for severely disabled people and this, Louise, is where the Conservative party should be investing their thoughts in terms of up grading the work place to incorporate the use of social networking, the concept of men and women having to commute onto a crowded train to sit in an office and rattle of emails or have a few meetings is so old fashioned. With the rise of facetime, skype,email and The Cloud why are we still insisting that in order to "work" we have to all be sat in an office?? If work came to the disabled person, ie. they can work from home without need to go into an office they are likely to get many more into work. I know many a bright disabled person who has an excellent brain, many of them studied with the Open University for their degrees because the OU have been the pioneers of harvesting the power of online to eliminate the need for students to attend lectures, all exams, essays,lectures are done at home. Equally many of us need help getting on and off a bog!

Then there is the environmental issue of thousands commuting to big cities every day, why, if aliens were watching this you can imagine them having a good old laugh. We have this technology but errrr no one seems to be using it as a tool for their work force. Why? Are corporations seeing the internet capabilities as a toy perhaps and missing out on a real trick to stop wasting employees time with commuting and get more work done via their homes because they don't have to travel for an hour.  

Finally all the single parents out there who want to work but can not afford ridiculous child care fees or the cost of a car or train tickets to commute to work, then my modern vision of work would throw open so many opportunities for this group as well. 

Perhaps one aspect going for old fashioned working method is the face to face contact we have with other humans, this obviously is enriching but many disabled people or single parents don't even get off the starting run to experience this because if we need help on and off the loo etc then we are unlikely to even be able to ever set foot in an office, most disabled people would rather feel productive from their bed than feel useless because they can't fulfill an old fashioned need of commuting and working in an office. 

Something to think about the Conservative party, I appreciate you guys are firefighting at the moment, getting those with a sore big toe back into work but perhaps when you have done this you can find time to make work work for those that appreciate their bodies are a car crash but really want the dignity of using their minds. 

Here are some pictures my husband has done with his deformed hands it takes him months per picture but look at what is out there not being utilised! 

Marks black and white art work.

Mark did our own copy of the classic, Night before Christmas for our little boy.