Friday 8 July 2016

THOUGHTS ON THE REFERENDUM

THOUGHTS ON THE REFERENDUM
NOW WE HAVE THOSE WHO ARE AGAINST THE BREXIT RESULT
Yet for the first and only time many went out to vote and took the chance to get out of the EU clutches.  70% of the UK electorate went out to vote and this is surely a legally binding result.
Much more so than us being governed by the conservatives who received only 30% of the vote in the general election.  Now we have accepted this situation as normal and get on with life as normal under our heavily biased PR system. Yet there are those who do not want to accept the most fair electoral result we have ever had in the countries whole electoral history.

Let us look at how things work in Switzerland. Here Referendums are an accepted part of this countries government and it is making much better progress than  our country. Itl may well be that it’s people are more politically interested than people in the UK, but we are now at a time when we must wake up and take part in what is happening around us – only time will tell but as new contracts are made with othewr countries surely we also will move ahead of our present position. Surely much to do with how the UK performs is to do with its educational system and more must be done to make this viable than it is at present. The solution to the problems that makes our teachers unable to teach properly and want to leave their profession are to do with discipline and heavy and unnecessary paperwork and can be relieved in a very short time. It is well time a revised and workable system of education was proposed and another referendum to bring in a government who will bring this about is exactly what we need most!     

Monday 20 June 2016

SEEKING A COPING MECHANISM* WE ALL NEED IN THESE HARD TIMES

SOUL STUDIES – IN THIS SECTION OF OUR WORK WE ARE SEEKING A COPING MECHANISM* WE ALL NEED IN THESE HARD TIMES; We may lose our tempers, drink, take on Religion or Spiritualism. as we  struggle to find a better way forward; and obviously these Hopes often fail. BUT our  SOUL is the part of ourselves we often refer to in songs and psalms ; It is difficult to define exactly; we may send a message from our ‘shipwreck’; we may call out ‘SAVE OUR SOULS,  HEAL OUR DISTRESS’.  Why do we call for help, can we contact this personal coping mechanism? if you believe we can then join us; that is why we undertake our ‘journey’ in SOUL STUDIES.   Please read carefully the piece written next.

“YOU are with me, I need nothing more. Sometimes I find the peace of still waters; Sometimes I find storm , I feel trouble is near and I fall very low; then, suddenly, there is goodness all around me and I have new strength given. YOUR rod and staff comfort me and YOU restore my Soul; so I Live again, every day is new and fresh, and I may be with YOU for ever!  

Who is this YOU who is with us and restores us? Find out more, join us at our forum.  Or you may recognise where this comes from, then you are very near to the coping mechanism we are discussing here.

Monday 21 March 2016

A report on our Friends Forum, 29 01 16

First we brought up the job seekers Allowance Scheme for this is the lifeline for many young people.(link for details ) .

 I suggested it was a hard start for young people who had just left school; Certainly extra help or mentoring was needed.    

** M. had been on JSA. in his special case could not get any help. He mentioned he had spoken about his situation before. 

** I asked E. to talk on his experience of teaching thedrop out youngsters. He did this very well and explained in his special school they had a machinery shop.  But, because of bad behaviour, none of his colleagues would take the chance with youngsters in their charge, in this room, as they would certainly damage themselves on the machines. The teacher would then be blamed and their jobs would be in jepordy. However on the positive side, interested youngsters got to go to a motorcycle firm to work on engines and repairs and this was very popular.

** I then noted that, in any year, 6 of 10 did not get to university, even though the government had poured money into the universities. And of the 40% who got to university and  obtained degrees, many did not get the jobs their qualifications ‘qualified’ them for –  and here showed up a lot of ‘skills mismatch’ So, for instance, many with English degrees would  find themselves in bar work, clerical, secretarial work or telephone cold calling.

And ,for those 60% of the young who tried the  further education route the government has recently cut funding by 40%! For instance in Leeds there have been huge mergers of colleges. This was talked of as being to ‘save duplication’ but is it really to save money that cuts are made. Or is there a great chance at Leeds City College, follow the link for more details

   **Government talk is now to take up the slack by increasing the number of apprenticeships and this ideais being pushed hard. A good idea, and no doubt, it will work well in countries with a good manufacturing base. ‘Guided apprenticeships’ can be lined up ready to fill the opportunities that exist. However here in the UK, where we build on service industries, the outlook is more uncertain; will there be sufficient real opportunities available?    

There is further talk of ‘Elite Apprenticeships’ but these are for those who have good A level passes and begin to want an alternative to ‘ordinary university courses’ for ,as said before, the premium on these is now often lost. However Apprenticeships should be set for those  who need help to move their skills up from more basic levels and not simply those already in the higher education stream.

In the theme for this forum we talked on the desperate situation for youngsters, how they needed guidance and hope to have any chance at all to get on jobs ladder.

Not just younger people, but all ages met this very difficult problem; where could courses be ound to follow with the chance of a job at the end?   So the main theme of our Friendly Forums this year is to look at and share possible solutions.  and this work will continue through the year. We will publish the work on our site and in print locally (when possible)

The meeting agreed with many of these thoughts   but S.  came back with ‘it is too much to do – there is far too much red tape to get thru, it’s far too ambitious’

I replied “Ok, but we must be ambitious and at least try for this change so desperately needed. I  wondered how to demonstrate the level of action that was really needed. I took the example of George Fox who worked in the religious field. Here he succeeded in making practical changes in the methods of worship that were allowed;  and all who felt a ‘mission’ are now allowed to join in these meetings and influence the work in progress – (for more  follow link)

“To conclude now; we will make this dreadful problem much more transparent. It is so easily brushed under the carpet but we will bring it out and show just how important this finding of meaningful employment is; for it applies directly to the progress and wellbeing of the whole UK.

“Please stick with us through the project. It will be made to work as we use co-operation and sharing of views as our modus operandi.”   Of course all who are interested in work are welcome to join us in our next meeting.        

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Wednesday 2 March 2016

So to All Hallows to eat ‘for anyone and everyone - pay-as-you-feel donation basis.’

All Hallows Leeds 6.   A notice as we walk in,  ‘Asylum Seekers and Refugees Welcome.’   ‘All Welcome’.    So we go to All Hallows to eat and not a bad meal  ‘for anyone and everyone on a pay-as-you-feel donation basis.’   All Hallows  remembers Noah’s voyage in the Ark and the rainbow he saw as the flood ended and calls itself   ‘A church of the rainbow people of God’.

And sometimes we all need asylum and refuge.  here.   I looked up these just above words and their meanings - refuge, safe haven, sanctuary/bolt hole , retreat, harbour. 


After a morning in the dentist’s chair at LDI for some restorative work I certainly needed a bolt hole. And so do we all if we are honest, for life is not always easy, and when it’s somewhere to eat and rest,  a place like the  TRJFP @ All Hallows’ Cafe acting on behalf of our  Father and Friend,   is sometimes worth it’s weight in gold!    See if you can find the meaning of TRJFP.  
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