I read a twitter post by Neely Mozawala saying how she used to put money she’d saved into her Mum’s purse. How her Mum found out and told her not to do it again. “I used to pick up food I wanted & put it down because I knew it would be expensive and she would say take it, I said I didn’t like it anymore.”
Neely’s post resonated, a memory reignited.
Like my children, I was never allowed to touch my Mum’s purse. I too remember sneaking money into my Mum’s purse when I had my first job, a paper round and later at Woolworths. I remember feeling a huge weight of guilt that I’d touched her purse.
Dad would shame Mum when she asked for “housekeeping” yet at the same time he wouldn’t allow her to work because he felt that shamed him. That’s just some of the bullshit that the patriarchy came up with in my childhood home.
It’s been another good week for the patriarchy (see link: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/met-police-told-to-e2-80-98publicly-commit-e2-80-99-to-being-anti-racist-organisation-after-report-uncovers-racism-misogyny-and-harassment/ar-AATmdli?ocid=uxbndlbing) These the same organisation that are investigating our government (https://news.sky.com/story/downing-street-parties-is-a-culture-change-in-no-10-possible-while-boris-johnson-stays-pm-12518002)
Like people blame the weather for their ailments this week has been one of vomiting. Days spent on the sofa, intermittently throwing up, extreme fatigue, a touch of vertigo. Did you know that you’re required to tell the DVLA if you have a medical condition that might effect your driving? Vertigo is one of those. My husband did the school run. (https://www.gov.uk/health-conditions-and-driving/find-condition-online).
Two PCR tests (and two negative lateral flows) but no covid. Except in more family members that we haven’t been with. A new sore throat reported (not covid, according to the lateral flow), bushfires and flooding sweeping the road away.
The pile of letters filed from my MP. When will this government and ineffectual governance go? Where is the change, it’s too slow. (racist abuse: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/feb/04/jimmy-carr-condemned-for-joke-about-gypsies-in-netflix-special) as Professor Sunny Singh points out, this joke made it through multi layers of so called governance?
Helping with homework as I write, looking up the definition of low-cunning.
I’m currently reading A kick in the Belly, Women, Slavery & Resistance (https://www.wob.com/en-gb/books/stella-dadzie/kick-in-the-belly/9781839763885) by Stella Dadzie Rizwan Malik’s tweet about his sister working with vulnerable kids where the Mum said “I’ve always seen it and wondered what it tastes like but at £1 could risk buying it if they didn’t like it”. Reminds me of the passage in the book where indentured labourers reflected on the food that they were eating. It would have been a huge contrast to the food at home or the food that the enslaved had access to. History to present brings a nauseating realisation.
There is some good news a call to action on plastics, like the racism that poisons us 100 countries are now calling for a new global treaty to end plastic pollution: https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/plastics_treaty_loc/?cqqOVob
This week has been one of early spring clean. Bags of clothing to the charity shop, A fresh bag purchased while I was there, a tidy cupboard. Papers finally filed.
Options discussed.
A fresh look at our Wills. Papers from the solicitor “An LPA can help prevent your financial affairs from falling under the control of the Court of Protection, which can be expensive, time consuming, inflexible and frustrating.” (see link to make an LPA https://www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney) How about if the COURT OF PROTECTION wasn’t any of those things described, what would that look like?
I’m wondering what that “protection” looks like from the view of those caught up in life here. Windrush? Common law partners? Those with so called protected characteristics?
“the right to life, liberty and security of the person, the right to be free from arbitrary
arrest or detention, and the right to seek and enjoy asylum from persecution;
(ii) the right to be free from discrimination based on race, sex, language, religion,
national or social origin, or other status;
(iii) the right to be protected from abuse and exploitation, the right to be free from slavery and involuntary servitude, and the right to be free from torture and from cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;
(iv) the right to a fair trial and legal redress; and
(v) the right to protection of economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to
health, adequate standard of living, social security, adequate housing, education,
and just and favourable conditions of work (for the list of rights, see Global Migration Group 2010).
Introduction | 11
This handbook is intended as a tool for legal practitioners (lawyers, judges, public
officials, human rights defenders) to better understand the European human rights of
migrants and the means to claim their respect or implementation at the national and
international levels” (taken from A handbook for legal practitioners Yannis Ktistakis).