Cold calling

Sorry to have to go on about this but cold calling, especially to the ill, elderly, disabled or anyone thats routine is out of sync with societies usual 9-5 rota is not just a nuisance but can cause huge amounts of physical, emotional and yes mental distress, worry or even worse.

These people making the calls likely work on commission and have little thought nor empathy for those they ultimately end up harassing. They may only make one call about a fabricated accident, or old boiler but once one company has a number many more also jump in upon the bandwagon.
If folk have already anxiety and depression, even not answering the calls can push folk over the edge with worry. A unrecognised number can develop its own story in someones mind, as can a withheld one.
I know sometimes working for these companies is a last resort, but its not an acceptable one.
The telephone preference service has no teeth especially for foreign registered companies or scams from outside the UK.
Why is there not proper legislation against such activities? Because sadly many members of the government and their friends and yes family benefit from the companies carrying out such immoral practice.
It is not bloody good enough, but sadly pails from so much other corruption from these vile creatures that currently have such power and control over our lives and future.
So this is yet another marker of my opinion of the vile Tory Government and the neoliberalism supporters before them.
Profiteering before humanity!
Jonesy Jones

British historical

There is nothing wrong in being proud of our heritage and culture. Today is St Georges day the patron Saint of Christian England. People rightly want this to be as recognised as St David’s day or St Patrick’s day or that of St Andrew. It is part of our heritage.

Its only xenophobia and racism that we should shame. It angers me that the right wing neo nazis constantly try to steal our identity. All humans need history, whether its right or wrong. The Americans (immigrant Americans not the indigenous folk) prove that. Without cultural identity they either retain their ancestral ones eg the ‘founding fathers’ the Irish, the ‘Italian’ but then shun togetherness and inclusion, or they invent their own using extremist morality and actions. Its a messed up world. We cannot always judge our preceeders by their actions within their time, but we can always judge the greed and cruelty of those lording it over everyone else.
Aristocracy, Barons, Royals, and now the Corporations that make up the worlds establishment.
Jonesy

British or not?

So is my bike British? Granted its a Suzuki GS engine, the wheels and forks are Suzuki too. But the frame was built in England, it was put together in England, the seat came from China, the leads are British, the Battery Chinese, painted in Britain, the rubber for tyres possibly Indonesia, (I dunno) handle bars British, switch for horn British, the list goes on.

The point being I truly do not know of any modern vehicle where every component is British, Chinese, German or the like. Components are sourced from all over the globe. Yet for some reason calling my chopper which was built in Britain, that due to the builder is actually a piece of British motorcycling history is deemed as wrong, yet a Triumph built in the East is ‘British’.
Its all pedantics I guess, in reality it was built on earth, using earths resources. So its kinda same as me, not completely belonging to any nation, a bit of a mongrel, a thing/being of this planet. Nothing else really matters. Its made of metal and plastics as are all (ok most) bikes, I am made of flesh and blood as are most (ok all) humans!
So is it British? Probably as British as you or me, does it really matter? Nope it is fun, makes me giggle and I love it, kinda like my folk!
Jonesy Jones

The self indulgence of chronic illness

Warning Not meant to be a self indulgent or whinging article but may well seem so. Therefore if you do not like such words I suggest you move on now!

Every morning I wake up hoping to have a positive, pain free and energy filled day. I have things I planned and want/need to do. I have chores and then social needs to fulfil.
Sadly I have chronic illness. This means in my case due to several debilitating conditions from Crohns Disease, Diabetes, Fibromyalgia, Neuropathy, SVT of the heart to anxiety and depression brought on by the other illnesses and the effect upon my life, I cannot often fulfil any of my commitments to even myself let alone others.
Yes I do have good days, days where all aligns so for a while I can pretend to myself and others that I am not ill, that I am a healthy 50 odd year old blokey, but I am never ever pain free.
I cannot be somewhere and decide yep I will stay over at a B&B because I am likely not to have any meds with me (twenty odd tablets and lots of injections daily) but even if I have may not be able to vacate the room on time or at all the next day.
I may often agree to come along to an event or party but sadly am probably unlikely to get there, even if pain levels do allow such ideas , my social anxiety or lack of self worth may not.
When folk say every day is a struggle they are telling the truth. I have to argue each morning for a reason to remain here, luckily as a parent the weight of the discussion is usually stacked in favour of remaining alive, but often its close and I am not ever sure of the outcome.
Remember these illnesses caused me to end a career I loved, stripped my self esteem and took all I saw as the important side of me. I now have no self confidence and even those brief pipe dreams I do get are often quickly dissolved by either my own fears of not being good enough or the decisions of others that I am a liability to their social group.
Its not ever long for those that say they understand to drift away, sometimes it seems on an aggressive rip tide.
The reason I started this article with the warning is because so many times those on social media that disagree with my views will post that they ‘unfriended’ (a facebook word for fell out with) me because of my self indulgent wining or whinging rants. Sadly for them I do use facebook and other media to share my experiences, sometimes people in the same position will relate to my words and gain a recognition that they are not alone, other times folk with no such challenges to their lives may see that there are people who are ill and are not just pretending. You cannot see m illness, not by looking at me. I look like a middle aged chap with his own views upon expected fashion.
Yes I do ride a motorbike on good days, at I may ad my consultants orders as it is gentle exercise that does not challenge my body but encourages movement! Those who have never ridden may not realise that. But you do not pedal a motorbike nor if you ride right do you hold its weight. Even then its rare i get out.
I am made to by society as are all disabled to feel guilty for trying to live on my better days as a pose to existing often in a pain, exhaustion and depression induced purgatory upon the rest.
This is but a small snapshot of my life and that of many others. There are many others far worse off but when in that constant daily pain, when you are physically and emotionally drained, cocooned in your enclosed enforced prison that home becomes it is difficult to remember that. I/we do become self indulgent, I/we do moan, for life often is but that existence, though with luck a sprinkle or two of living does occur too.
So again sorry if my words miff you off, sorry if I offend you by not committing or letting you down, but sadly every day, yes every single day I let me down. That is my life, but I have no choice, you cannot ‘unfriend’ yourself, well not until the day comes where I finally lose the argument!
Jonesy Jones
Triker Poet
http://www.thejonesy.com

My hate

Why am I frustrated? Angry? Pissed off? Suicidal? Maybe because all my life choices have gone and my life is marginalised as are those of so many others. I no longer count. I pretend I can keep going but do not think will be for much longer. This is no longer my world! Not my reality. Chance of ever thriving now zilch and no longer prepared to just exist.
I could earn my keep. I worked hard to get my career. I was damn good at it.
I hate not working. I hate not coping. I hate constant pain. I hate spending a day trying to live then paying for it ten times over with all my reserves. I hate breaking down, i hate not remembering, I hate collapsing, I hate not being able to be comfortable, I hate not being able to bear clothes or sheets on my skin, I hate pity, I hate guilt, I hate accusations, I hate having to claim the entitlements we work for, I hate society, I hate now, I hate that I am full of hate, I hate me!
Make sense? Does to me.
No pity or ‘hugs’, do not say chin up, man up, pull yerself together! Do not minimise my grief for the future I planned, the past I lost!
Don’t like me posting this? Me neither, but its letting it out right now or …….. So feel free to move on, you don’t need to read my words, to comment or respond. No one owes me anything. The world owes me nought. My debts cannot be paid.
Jonesy

Time to open eyes

Do you know what will happen if we leave the EU or dont leave? I dont, all I know is the bollocks both sides spread.

I do know the Tories are killing off the sick and disabled, are putting folks including ex service people on the streets, have robbed our kids of school meals, are intent on re-dividing Ireland, are robbing our resources and stripping us of public owned assets to sate their greed.
The parasites making decisions about our economy, our society, or health, our support services, our lives and more importantly to me the lives of our friends and family are not doing so with our interests at heart, they are profiteering in every way.
Before private companies were brought in costing us much more through taxes and NI contributions the NHS ran well, the buses were on time, people could afford to heat their homes, people could afford to be ill, to be disabled and not be disadvantaged, to live. Now so many cannot.
Zero hour contracts are their to benefit who? You? Your son or daughter?
Paying to see your GP aids who? Haven’t you already paid?
Saving a few million on building social housing allows them to give away billions to fake companies, does that give you opportunity?
Dropping bombs in our name that costs billions upon folk that we never met is right because why?
Spending millions on a royal wedding and then fining folk for existing on the streets is moral in which universe?
Brexit may be important but all the other shit is far more so.
Wake the hell up Britain. Please! Please! Please! Before it is too late.
Jonesy

Greed of greed

There is no excuse for anyone having to struggle financially, physically or emotionally in todays society. The only reason for it is the greed of the wealthy. Its that simple folks.

There is no reason for austerity beyond greed. Bankers needing us to pay their bonuses – greed.
Shareholders including the prime minister, profiting from arms sales on fabricated unjust wars – greed.
NHS being privatised and sold off to companies owned by family members of politicians – greed.
Made up ferry company being given multi million pound contract – greed.
Private companies corrupted assessment of benefit claimants and costing more than the benefit system – greed.
MP’s getting huge pay rises – greed.
The list goes on and on. There are no other valid reasons and yet we let these corrupt people continue to govern and subdue us.
Power does not corrupt, greed corrupts, and these people in power are greedy beyond words.
So when you see that someone died on the street, someone died waiting for medication or an operation, someone died because they had been sanctioned by the cruel benefit system, people starving to death in Yemen or being blown to bits in Syria, or someone being knifed on a British street because all the support services have been closed due to them no longer being profitable for the shareholder of the private companies or quango’s that were being paid to profiteer from ghettoising human beings in the inner cities, remember the cause is not lack of money it is purely the wealthy skimming it off not only the poor but the reserves of our country, off you and me. And for what? GREED! Thats what!
Wake up Britain. Wake up.

Jonesy Jones

Faith or fear

If there is a heaven what will it be like?

Will it be humans with bodies or just gaseous forms, maybe just electricity free flowing?
Will there be folk just from the winning faith or will all whether religious or atheist be there? Does a heaven mean a hell, a limbo and maybe somewhere even worse? Or will even Nazis, Tories and other mass murderers be in heaven too?
Is there a chance of reincarnation? Of returning as a person, an animal or a tree? Coming back to Earth or somewhere else? Maybe we get reborn as our selves or maybe we all share one soul, one existence so the hurt we do to others is truly self harm?
Is god if there is one, alone? Many gods? Male? Female? Both or none?
If there is a ultimate divine being do they realise we exist? Or are we just a form of bacteria? Growing on a discarded cheese toastie?
Do any of these theological questions & suppositions make you hate me? Make you want to kill me? To join with me? To take my words as gospel? To call me evil or good? Do I deserve ostracism? To be turned out of my home? To be shot at on the street? To be given money? To own you? To have power over you?
Would it make a difference if I wore white or Black? A crucifix or star? A pentacost or upturned cross? If I shaved my head or grew a beard?
Maybe in a millenia these words would be seen as holy?
I know my belief and its unlikely that its yours. I do not hate you because you believe in a deity or not. I might dislike or hate you as an individual, we cannot all like everyone, but I don’t hate because of faith, culture or creed. I do hate violence, oppression and death caused by those who perpetrate such vile acts in the name of any god. I will condemn them on all sides, but in particular will raise my voice against the aggressor more so than the defender.
I do not condone war nor terrorism. Especially in the name of a supposed understanding and loving god, prophet or holy ghost.
We were (the folk of my generation) taught that the Christian god was a god of peace and love. It seems that given human history those teachings were wrong. That wars have been fought with both sides claiming the same god was on their side. ‘Gott Mitt Uns’ was on the Nazi Soldiers belt buckle. Every regiment of every army seems to go into battle with chaplains or religious leaders in the ranks. Even those whose political allegiance discounts any formal religion.
Now believe what you believe, feel free to dicuss it with me if we ever meet, but do not ever tell me your religion, your faith or your god tells you to kill, to maim, to oppress, to subjugate, to torture, to imprison, to ostracise, to injure, to fight others because their beliefs are not yours.
I believe in humanity, there lies my hope, and I truly pray I live to see that force take control of this planets destiny.
Jonesy

Alarmist

I presume anyone calling me alarmist for my views has not faced riot police, have not worked in communities where poverty kills, have not seen children living in true squalor not because of ‘bad parents’ but due to a ‘bad’ system. Have not faced knives or guns in our own cities, have not seen corruption of those that supposedly are there to protect us at first hand. These folk have not seen a battered child leaving the cells too scared to make a complaint, have not watched families ripped apart because there is nothing left to offer them support with. Not seen the start of a full blown riot, not seen the black uniformed antagonists attacking the public. Sadly I have!

But thats fine. You get your knowledge and wisdom from TV, newspapers and radio. Therefore you must be right, I am just alarmist and over reacting.

Jonesy.