DAVID BLUNKET ????

[g.herschel]

DID I HEAR HIM CORRECTLY LAST NIGHT ???
He was on the 10-00 pm news (Westminster hour) he informed us of the social care problems that we face in the future due to the fact that we will have more elderly / disabled pensioners than ever before ( thats good news aint it ) he then spoke about the increase in the social care bill some 6-8 billion pounds year on year but what got me annoyed was his idea`s to help with social care cost`s he suggested that charities ,volunteers and some kind of new "community service volunteers" could help with the financial problems - they could be recruited from the so called "sink estates" in a previous statement he said "community service workers" could be "conscripted" however he said that went down like a lead balloon so he now prefers to call them volunteers .
He also said something about families who need social care they he said should not depend on the state for financial help this is where the charities , volunteers and our so called social care community service volunteers would step in to help from what i heard the mans got no idea about social care he should remember what his leader has said in the past re social care

the elderly said GORDON BROWN should not have to sell their own home to fund their social : care they should if they so wish be cared for within their own home they should be allowed to chose their own care package to suit them and their family they should be treat with dignity .compassion and fairness and chose their own level of care .
Many elderly/disabled dont want social workers or care staff working for them let alone "voluteers " some of whom may have voluteered to save their J.S.A/ 3 strikes and you are out.
This is where carers are invaluble why did he not mention carers in his rant last night he ridiculed IIAN DUNCAN SMITHS report into social care even though SMITH is a former tory leader i found his report one of the best for all aspects of social care lets remember he asked for the carers allowance to be doubled.
If in the future all carers called it quits and gave up their care work the social care bill would be well over the expected 6-8 billion more like 40-60 billion year on year

[Scally]

The right wing social policy theorists are all running around like headless chickens at the moment because their dream of insurance-funded care is going up in smoke as they watch. The meltdown of the banks and systemic, massive fraud in the markets and exchanges, the almost complete absence of effective international regulation, and the colossal greed of the fat cats who run the financial institutions has led to a situation where some ordinary savers can kiss their life savings, pension policies and investments goodbye.

The only form of social insurance that is safe is the government backed variety - safe index- inked pensions, national insurance, the NHS with its guarantee of universal free health care for all, government backed savings bonds and so on. And all of these are under attack and need to be defended at all costs.

As for the volunteer/conscript workforce that is envisaged, I think that very special skills are required to care for vulnerable people, and I certainly don't want conscripted labour in this area. The social care workforce should be properly paid and trained for their vocation - I can imagine the outcry from the Trades Unions and charities if that ever changed. That said, many of the folk now in other jobs under threat might find that a career in social and health care has a lot to offer - not materially, but in terms of the other kinds of rewards.

[charles47]

It's bad enough with paid staff "volunteering" for low wage jobs. A conscripted "volunteer?"

Recipe for disaster.

[susieq]

I would not wish our situations on anybody - friend or foe; but I do wish these politicians would engage brain before mouthing off about things that most of them have never experienced Even those politicians who have disabled/elderly relatives that have to be cared for don't exerience the financial and everyday difficulties that we face; their salaries mean that they are cushioned from the real world that we live in.

It's been said before but they do truly need 'to walk in our shoes' before they are qualified to pontificate

[Pete the Paint]

It's been said before but they do truly need 'to walk in our shoes' before they are qualified to pontificate

HEAR HEAR!!!!

[MaryB]

I cannot take this man seriously ever!
He at one time was banging on about inclusion in schools being the absolute best thing for children with disabilities because of his own experiences, not a thought for those children with mental health problems being "forced" into inclusion, in environments grossly underfunded and ill prepared.
As far as disability is concerned this man is the proverbial chocolate tea pot, presumably when he gets older in the not too distant future he will be first in line for a volunteer carer.
Does anyone remember the minister who thought prisoners should be made to work with disabled children? Was it Mo Mowlam?
These people should be made to try out their suggestions on themselves and their own families before they spout this nonsense.
Vicky

[Lazydaisy]

Anyone ever watched him walking with his guide dog?Or getting into a car?

Guide dog owners are taught a level of independence, but he appears to need human suport as well as his dog. I only know my husbands guide dog, but am constantly amazed, as he always puts my husbands life and safety above his own. Even if my husband is ill, and I take the dog for a walk, when we come to a roadside, or to steps,(and he is not in harness), he stands in front of me to warn me that there is an obstacle.

It may well be that Mr Blunkett has other problems with mobility, that we do not know about,and if so, I apologise, but the fact is, most guide dog owners can walk about town without holding onto another human being.

[TurboZed]

Excuse the pun, but the man is blinded by his own stupidity.