The Buffoon Face of the Tories Belongs To Boris

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has called the protestors at London Occupy St.Paul's 'hemp-smoking hippies...crusties' and he said that the demonstration was 'baffling protests against capitalism that have not led to a single resignation of a banker, but of three clerics'.

Some of you reading this will agree with Boris and that's fine. I am angry with him because as Mayor of London he has no mandate to be so downright dicriminatory against a group of people who have a lot of support and whose cause is widely recognised.

Message to Boris -Why are there so many people preparing to go on strike tomorrow, Boris? The Bankers, you ridiculous man. Of course, no banker has resigned. Nothing has been done by you to make them resign. The Occupy people and those who support it live in false hope that someone like you who has the power will listen and do something. But 'do nothing' is your option apart from to use insulting adjectives to raise laughs. Contact me and I will show you around Occupy St.Paul's so you can learn about the struggles of many.

To make matters worse Boris made these comments at a masked ball for bankers at the Royal Courts of Justice. It makes me very, very angry. Boris was hobnobbing with those people whose actions have caused so much misery and then letting the 99% down by making fun. No sensitiveness to the disabled, vulnerable and poor who are downright worried about their financial sitution.

The last word on the new culture in the UK of treating the vulnerable as pariahs must go to the City of London Corporation who said that the tents have to go because the 'camp is attracting vulnerable people'.

Which Side Is Democracy In?

Police Surround Protesters Yesterday at Occupy Toronto

Is Student Debt the Next Sub-Prime Mortgage?

University graduates are among the 1 Million young people who are out of work in UK. I know a few of these young people and it is so sad to see them having to downgrade their ambitions. When they first went to University they had dreams and hopes and now they are sending applications off for jobs that they didn't need to go to university for. They worry about paying off their student debt eventhough they aren't eligible yet to pay it off. Nobody wants debts.

But if these students aren't paying off their debts and are having to claim benefits then isn't the Government going to end up paying a lot more? I know that in America the student loans are private loans but in the UK these loans are Government backed so loans in the UK can't quite become sub-prime loans. Nevertheless, I worry that student loans will end up costing the country in the long run. With the student fees going up the level of debt will increase.

I think it is time to stop selling young people the false dream of a University degree providing a secure future for all and that it equals employment.

Tents going up in Trafalgar Square

Are we seeing a revolution take place in the UK? As I write this tents are being put up in Trafalgar Square. At this rate London will become a campsite for people who really care about their cause. Fighting for the justice of inequality is the modern day battle. The press keep referring to how the Occupy movement is a leaderless revolution as if nothing of significance can happen without a leader. This misses the point that a collective voice, especially a global one, can act as a leader in itself. This could be the 21st century model of leadership in democratic societies.
I am ill at home otherwise I would be heading off to Trafalgar Square after school. I was at Occupy St Paul's recently and spoke about how the Chinese government bulldozed squatter homes when they hosted the Olympics to make the place look nice. This isn't the model of democracy that we want in the UK. Let debate in the UK be confined to causes and not aesthetics.

Mothering is Serious Work

My title may state the obvious but what I mean to say that is that most people don't realise that there are different dimensions to mothering. I spoke at a MIRCI conference in Toronto, Canada last month which was titled 'Mothering, Education and Maternal Pedagogies'. My talk was on how my life has benefitted from having an empowered mother who takes an active interest in my education and in my life.

MIRCI is one of a few organisations in the world that specialises in the academic and activism of mothering. Women came from all over the world to attend this conference because it was the first of its kind to look at maternal pedagogies which is about how traditional thinking about motherhood is being challenged.

I must admit that before I went to this conference I didn't quite know that there were so many disciplinary perspectives to mothering. Popular culture has it that mothering is about making brownies, sewing costumes and dresses and fretting over stains on clothes. This conference was about feminist mothering and how mothers have special talents. beliefs and values which they can pass on to their children. Mothering is not just an act, a verb, but is an academic and subjective practice.

It is time that feminist mothering is viewed as being part of the feminist movement in the UK. Feminism is not just about fighting against Page 3 pictures or equality in the workplace. Mothers are excluded from feminism because feminism is also viewed as being an issue associated with women who don't have children. Feminist Mothering brings informed thought on issues that affect us all such as race relations, gender bias and the effects of capitalism on family life. My mother will be speaking at 'Occupy St.Paul's' on Saturday 12 November in the Tent City University at 11 am on Feminist Mothering.