2020 sucks and we're not even half way through
Twenty-twenty is a lot. Unless you are wilfully ignorant, the news is always overwhelming, and that's just the things that get reported on. The only solace is the fact that more people are becoming aware of how much of a shit-show our government is. And it's good that people are getting angry, but we need to keep that energy and put it to work.
So why are people angry?
First off, the UK government is yet to condemn Trump's actions regarding the current Black Lives Matter protests taking place in America. Standing silent on an issue such as this only supports the oppressor, in this case the US government. These protests have found their way across the pond and have ignited a fire in the hearts of activists in the UK, causing us to look to our own divisions. What it has shown is that we are not innocent, our country has seen its' fair share of racial discrimination and police brutality.
Last week in Lewisham, a 28 year old woman, Kamyimsola Olatunjoye, was held to the ground by six police officers whilst shouting 'I can't breathe'. In February this year, Birmingham police officers tasered an unarmed black man, Trevalie Wyse, after demanding him to get on the ground when he witnessed a car crash. In May, Desmond Ziggy Mobeyarara was tasered in front of his young child after being pulled over. These are just a few examples. In addition, during lock-down in the UK, black, asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people are 54% more likely to be fined for apparent breaking of restrictions.
A government report describing how those in the BAME community have been disproportionately affected by the covid-19 pandemic was due to be released at the end of May and has been delayed. Sources from Number 10 have stated that the report had been pushed back due to 'current global events' and 'racial tensions'. The report was released yesterday, after public backlash (02-06-2020) but lacked any recommendations on how to alleviate the increased risk to the BAME community and had redacted third party contributions which had stated institutionalised racism as a contributing factor.
Secondly, asylum seekers in the UK are currently being asked to survive on £5.39 per day, which is 74% below the poverty line. As covid-19 hit the UK, universal credit was raised by £20 per week while asylum seeker allowance remained the same, despite some food banks closing and food prices rising. Currently, people seeking asylum are banned from working in the UK while their claim is assessed. Moreover, after the virus hit, many detainees from detention camps were moved into shelters due to fear of covid-19 breakouts. The shelters in question are overcrowded, meaning that those living there are often asked to share rooms and sometimes even beds. In south London, a man with latent tuberculosis was made to share a room with three other men. In the room there were two singles and a double and he was told to share the double with a stranger. During a pandemic, which affects your lungs.
Next up, the government was praised (rightly so) for bringing in as many homeless people as possible at the start of lock-down. The project, coined 'Everyone in', gave 5,400 people a roof over their heads, facilitating self isolation and quarantining as necessary. A £3.2 million boost was given to councils to put this into effect, but nothing has been received since. The money has dried up and many homeless people have been forced back onto the streets, unable to self isolate. In response, the Ministry for Housing has promised to make 3,300 homes available for rough sleepers within the next 12 months. However, I want you to remember that rough sleeping was virtually stopped overnight and allowing people to live without shelter is a political choice.
Now lets talk #Cumgate, Dominic Cummings broke the lock-down rules, using the 'exceptional circumstances' clause as an excuse. Whilst there, his wife was treated to a jaunt in Barnard Castle for her birthday, under the guise of an.. eye-test...whaaaat?! When asked to address his blatant lack of respect for the sacrifices the public has made, he used lie after lie to attempt to cover his tracks. Since then, senior medical adviser Jenny Harries said that breaking lock-down regulations are a 'matter of personal and professional integrity'. Boris has attempted to block science advisers from answering questions regarding his pal during press conferences claiming they need to remain 'politically unbiased'. De Montford University researchers found that after CumShot's jolly the percentage of people breaking lock-down rules due to disagreeing with them more than doubled, from 4% to 9%.
Other Members of Parliament have been under fire, Matt Hancock has also made a tit out of himself by promising that the NHS tracking app would be available from June 1st. This has not happened. Instead tracking is being done manually by 25,000 people through the company Serco. Employers have spoken up about their lack of training. One employee told about applying for a 'customer service adviser role' and then having an online call with one trainer and one hundred employees many of which had no idea about what the role entailed. Another said that they had not been able to log into the training system before starting work. In addition, there has been a very low work level for those employed with the scheme.
Another Matt Hancock 'oopsy' which angered many was his comment to the Shadow Minister for Mental Health, Rosena Allin-Khan regarding her 'tone'. When the A&E doctor and MP pressed Matt Hancock on how the lack of testing front line workers was costing lives, he told her that she was wrong and that she should 'take a leaf out of the shadow secretary of state’s book in terms of tone'. An obviously sexist remark. Thankfully, this did not silence her and she has since gained a lot of support online. But his poor demeanour does not stop there; on a recent Sky News interview, he began laughing when accused of lifting lock-down measures early in order to divert attention from the Cummings story.
It is evident that the world is on fire right now, we are living through extraordinary times. It is okay to be angry, overwhelmed or feel helpless by what is happening. But there are things you can do!
BUT, please please please take breaks from the news and social media regularly. You need to be informed but being too involved can hurt your mental state. Be kind to yourself and others.
So why are people angry?
First off, the UK government is yet to condemn Trump's actions regarding the current Black Lives Matter protests taking place in America. Standing silent on an issue such as this only supports the oppressor, in this case the US government. These protests have found their way across the pond and have ignited a fire in the hearts of activists in the UK, causing us to look to our own divisions. What it has shown is that we are not innocent, our country has seen its' fair share of racial discrimination and police brutality.Last week in Lewisham, a 28 year old woman, Kamyimsola Olatunjoye, was held to the ground by six police officers whilst shouting 'I can't breathe'. In February this year, Birmingham police officers tasered an unarmed black man, Trevalie Wyse, after demanding him to get on the ground when he witnessed a car crash. In May, Desmond Ziggy Mobeyarara was tasered in front of his young child after being pulled over. These are just a few examples. In addition, during lock-down in the UK, black, asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people are 54% more likely to be fined for apparent breaking of restrictions.
A government report describing how those in the BAME community have been disproportionately affected by the covid-19 pandemic was due to be released at the end of May and has been delayed. Sources from Number 10 have stated that the report had been pushed back due to 'current global events' and 'racial tensions'. The report was released yesterday, after public backlash (02-06-2020) but lacked any recommendations on how to alleviate the increased risk to the BAME community and had redacted third party contributions which had stated institutionalised racism as a contributing factor.
Secondly, asylum seekers in the UK are currently being asked to survive on £5.39 per day, which is 74% below the poverty line. As covid-19 hit the UK, universal credit was raised by £20 per week while asylum seeker allowance remained the same, despite some food banks closing and food prices rising. Currently, people seeking asylum are banned from working in the UK while their claim is assessed. Moreover, after the virus hit, many detainees from detention camps were moved into shelters due to fear of covid-19 breakouts. The shelters in question are overcrowded, meaning that those living there are often asked to share rooms and sometimes even beds. In south London, a man with latent tuberculosis was made to share a room with three other men. In the room there were two singles and a double and he was told to share the double with a stranger. During a pandemic, which affects your lungs.Next up, the government was praised (rightly so) for bringing in as many homeless people as possible at the start of lock-down. The project, coined 'Everyone in', gave 5,400 people a roof over their heads, facilitating self isolation and quarantining as necessary. A £3.2 million boost was given to councils to put this into effect, but nothing has been received since. The money has dried up and many homeless people have been forced back onto the streets, unable to self isolate. In response, the Ministry for Housing has promised to make 3,300 homes available for rough sleepers within the next 12 months. However, I want you to remember that rough sleeping was virtually stopped overnight and allowing people to live without shelter is a political choice.
Now lets talk #Cumgate, Dominic Cummings broke the lock-down rules, using the 'exceptional circumstances' clause as an excuse. Whilst there, his wife was treated to a jaunt in Barnard Castle for her birthday, under the guise of an.. eye-test...whaaaat?! When asked to address his blatant lack of respect for the sacrifices the public has made, he used lie after lie to attempt to cover his tracks. Since then, senior medical adviser Jenny Harries said that breaking lock-down regulations are a 'matter of personal and professional integrity'. Boris has attempted to block science advisers from answering questions regarding his pal during press conferences claiming they need to remain 'politically unbiased'. De Montford University researchers found that after CumShot's jolly the percentage of people breaking lock-down rules due to disagreeing with them more than doubled, from 4% to 9%.Other Members of Parliament have been under fire, Matt Hancock has also made a tit out of himself by promising that the NHS tracking app would be available from June 1st. This has not happened. Instead tracking is being done manually by 25,000 people through the company Serco. Employers have spoken up about their lack of training. One employee told about applying for a 'customer service adviser role' and then having an online call with one trainer and one hundred employees many of which had no idea about what the role entailed. Another said that they had not been able to log into the training system before starting work. In addition, there has been a very low work level for those employed with the scheme.
Another Matt Hancock 'oopsy' which angered many was his comment to the Shadow Minister for Mental Health, Rosena Allin-Khan regarding her 'tone'. When the A&E doctor and MP pressed Matt Hancock on how the lack of testing front line workers was costing lives, he told her that she was wrong and that she should 'take a leaf out of the shadow secretary of state’s book in terms of tone'. An obviously sexist remark. Thankfully, this did not silence her and she has since gained a lot of support online. But his poor demeanour does not stop there; on a recent Sky News interview, he began laughing when accused of lifting lock-down measures early in order to divert attention from the Cummings story.It is evident that the world is on fire right now, we are living through extraordinary times. It is okay to be angry, overwhelmed or feel helpless by what is happening. But there are things you can do!
- There are plenty of petitions, donation pages and guidance online for Black Lives Matter at blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/.
- For Asylum Seekers and Refugees, take a look at unhcr.org/uk/ and refugeecouncil.org.uk.
- For the Homeless Community look at shelter.org.uk/, crisis.org.uk/ and centrepoint.org.uk/.
- Write to your MP if you have concerns about the government or an issue in your local area (parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-your-mp/).
- Remember to register to vote for change and use your vote at every opportunity.
BUT, please please please take breaks from the news and social media regularly. You need to be informed but being too involved can hurt your mental state. Be kind to yourself and others.
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