PROTEST

[Guest]

I agree Belle (do I get the £1?). It's clearly more difficult for people with 24/7 caring responsibilities to arrange a protest including people from across the UK than to mount a protest when you have plenty of spare time and live in the capital. The quickest way to get this protest off the ground is if everyone joins in the preparation and gives any spare time they have how ever little that time is and this includes me at the moment, I have virtually no time spare for anything. Standing on the sidelines making negative comments is hardly going to make any difference, helping will.

[kenm]

Any comments can be used to formulate a positive outcome.

I have said all along that the protest organisers took in the wrong people/organisations to help. I still stand by that.

Whether or not that is the reason for the apathy-only 28 joined the protest board so far--I have no way of knowing.

Surely a change of tack couldn't hurt before it ends up as a small-polite-banner wave as it has in the past.

Admit mistakes have been made-correct them- and let's get a real protest going.

[Guest]

Hi Kenm
I agree with you we would like something to be done about carer's but we cant always rely on other's to do it for us (ie) we can all load the gun then look for someone else to fire it for us.
Until we can all agree on what this protest will be we wont get anywhere with it.
What was said about that protest for the young man that was stabbed that was a gut feeling and done with very little planning and it got the message home people took notice.
John.

[kenm]

Hi John

Exactly my point----the protest was done while the anger/grief was still there.

I was one of the first in favour of the protest-- but it was taken over by CUK and people who have openly attacked carers on here. I would have worked with the original organisers but not with these people.

The protest is bogged down with planning and waiting for CUK to come up with a miracle plan-- it will never come!
Carers everywhere should have already protested about the strategy- as it is everybody is waiting for something that is being lost in planning.

The anger after the strategy was announced was not only against the Government- but was also against the charities for the way they meekly welcomed it.

The protest would have got immediate media attention if it had included "carers reject their charity for failing to fight for them"
As it is--if the protest ever gets off the ground- it will be a watered down CUK event.

Regards- Ken

[Guest]

I agree Ken that a spontaneous protest in response to the Strategy and the way the charities handled it would have had most impact and media coverage. I don't know about you but spontaneity is not part of my life, even a monthly trip to the hairdresser takes forward planning, preparation and is still a nightmare on the day.

Under the circumstances a protest takes time to organise, it needs a plethora of preparations from provision of sitting services, getting the message to as many carers as possible, including the hundreds of thousands, millions maybe, who don't have Internet access and are unaware of it, to alerting the media. Like it or not, the most effective means of doing this for a group of people without resources is to use the resources available via the charities. The failure was on the part of those of us, me included, who realised that the Strategy wouldn't include anything that would benefit the majority of carers and who sat on our hands, doing nothing, until the Strategy was published by which time it was too late to respond given our circumstances.

To those who feel that the protest could be better handled I suggest that you join in and make your points on the board provided, if you feel that you aren't being listened to and it's not for you, you can leave or just stop contributing. I've joined, whether I continue to post will depend on what happens, this is true of every board we join for whatever reason but to not even try to engage and express your opinions where they would have most influence seems pointless to me.

[philippa_150712]

Annie said:

Like it or not, the most effective means of doing this for a group of people without resources is to use the resources available via the charities.

Annie's right (makes a change from saying I agree )...as carers we have limited resources in terms of time and contacts...it makes sense to let CUK take the lead in organising the date and making the necessary practical arrangements for a march in London etc

Matt has posted on the Poverty Protest Board and has said staff at CUK think a protest as soon as possible would be best (november preferably). That's good isn't it?

Once we know the day there's nothing to stop us either joining the protest in London..with banners saying what we want to say...or in getting together with carers locally to arrange some sort of local protest...

Once i know the date i will get in touch with all the local carers, carer groups and voluntary organisations that I know of and will work with anyone willing plan and to take part in a good local protest.. as part of the national day..

I plan to be holding a banner calling for a 'Carers Wage'...I suppose CUK will go with aims of the Short Change Campaign...I don't see that difference as being important..they both highlight the issue of carer poverty...

My own hope is that the protest will be the start of carers becoming 'politically active'...lets face it, it isn't all going to change because of one national day of protest...it's a good start though..let's use it, learn from it and make the best we can of it...

[Cheril The Peril]

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I can't help but get the feeling that if the charities were not involved some people would screaming blue murder that they should be. And because they are some are not happy with their involvement. To coin a famous phrase, you just can't please all of the people all of the time Such is life.
.

[krys]

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Admit mistakes have been made-correct them- and let's get a real protest going.

what mistakes have been made?
we took up the challenge, matt got in touch with us,
we are trying to arrange it, if you have any ideas, why dont
you join us then you can help?
cheryl is right in what she has just posted.

krys

[smiler]

Admit mistakes have been made-correct them- and let's get a real protest going.

Why not say what mistakes, in your opinion, and not just mistakes have been made anybody can just say mistakes have been made show examples

[Myrtle]

.
I can't help but get the feeling that if the charities were not involved some people would screaming blue murder that they should be. And because they are some are not happy with their involvement. To coin a famous phrase, you just can't please all of the people all of the time Such is life.
.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.