Let's move into politics...

And now for a little political grumping.

I have a conundrum for you.

The UK has a problem with unemployment. There are too many people out of work and not enough jobs for them all to start work (even if they wanted or were able to do so).

The UK also appears to have lots of problems with education. I won't list everything I think is wrong, but let's start with the standard of education in the generation unable to find work. Many can't spell properly. Many can't do basic maths. There seems to be a problem with turning up for work on time, properly dressed and with a helpful attitude. Pretty basic stuff, you might think, but in the 1980s and 1990s many didn't seem to have those things instilled into them at school, and it's really difficult to teach them now they're adults. Obviously this doesn't apply to everyone in that age range - some are hugely skilled and talented - but there are certainly a number to whom it does apply.

One way to teach the necessary skills might be a kind of adult apprenticeship (or better still, a normal apprenticeship when they left school, but it's a bit late for that). If someone wanting to work but lacking the skills could shadow an older worker and learn from them, they may well become valuable, skilled workers themselves.

But there's a problem. Older workers are still working. They are not retiring. And why is this, you might ask? It's because many (especially women who took some years out to raise families), can't afford to retire without a State pension - which they were led to expect was due to them and for which they worked all their working lives. And what has the Chancellor done? He's stopped them from taking their pensions at the time they expected to be able to do so.

I'm sure none of us would object to doing their bit (yes, of course I'm one of them!). We wouldn't mind if he stuck to his word and just put the pension date back a year or two, as he first proposed. But no - out of the blue, just as we approached the magic age of 60, the pension was pulled away by a couple of years. Then another few years. 

I'm not now expecting to be able to retire until 70. If at all - I expect he wants us to 'die in the traces' as Victorian old workers used to have to do. The Health Service is being dismantled around us, so if we get stressed out or bits of us stop working, there will be very little help - we seem to be just be expected to lay down and die on the job.

Well OK. Working keeps your mind ticking over, and keeps you feeling part of things. You slow down, and productivity might suffer a bit, but do we give a damn? We do not. At least, we don't care if the government's income suffers. What does bother me is that I'm sitting there in a job I wouldn't object to retiring from, when other younger people could do with that job, and I can't make room for them. That's the reason there aren't enough jobs to go around - because they're full of people who are strictly speaking of retirement age.

Perhaps one of the millionaires who are running this country might like to explain how in their world this makes any sense at all.

Because I can't.

Where to start?

So many topics bother me, and where to start is a good question.

Today I visited the hairdresser's for a trim. Being female, that means a wash, trim, additional products and blowdry/hotbrush. The end result looks wonderful - most grown up, so that's good, given my age! But I do have a couple of issues with the subject.

1. The various 'products' available now run a high risk of upsetting me. I seem to be allergic to hairspray, mousse and possibly even some shampoos. Having had a bit of a moan in the hairdresser's this morning, it turns out lots of other people have a similar problem. So why are we buying these products? Well, once I realise what is causing my gritty eyes, rashes and itches, I stop using them and try something different. Very soon I'll be down to washing my hair with soap - I'm already using the most basic shampoos/conditioners I can find. Do these companies have a death wish?

2. I'm aware I don't have a lot of patience (I can hear my family laughing sarcastically before they even read this!) but I can't reproduce any hairdresser's work, so my hair won't look like this for more than a few hours. Even when I try to make it look similar, it doesn't. And it's not just because I'm using the wrong products because as you see above, I have been known to use them - for a short time, anyway! Perhaps I should revert to the old-fashioned methods - dry trim, wash and go. It'll look dreadful, but at least I can do that!

3. Just to make it plain, I'm not complaining about my hairdressers (ScissorBox at Goxhill, if you are also a difficult customer!). They do a fantastic job on pretty poor material in my case. It's the fashions and the products that companies try to make us buy that I'm complaining about. It's not just hair products. Have you bought a moisturiser recently? My skin isn't getting any younger, so I need more of them, but the ones intended for older skin really upset me. I had a bright red spotty rash all over my face after using one. I can stand it for a few hours, and it did make my wrinkles smoother, but if I leave it on all day, the spots appear by evening. That's another cosmetic manufacturer who's lost my custom! I do like to complain, but with these products I can't be bothered. I can live without them, and by jove, I will!

Why start a blog?

Why does anyone start a blog?

Well in my case, we thought we'd like one at work, but nobody knew how to do it, so muggins volunteered to have a go and see how it works.

I could write a work blog quite easily, but this is mine so I need to decide on subject matter for myself. Well, I'm a community development worker, I'm a dabbler in politics, and since I'm now 'getting on a bit' I also have lots of opinions which I try not to go on about too much because I can see people glazing over.

I think Twitter and Facebook are wonderful inventions, because I can go on about what I think and be reasonably guaranteed to find someone who agrees with me. I'm not sure that's necessarily a Good Thing - we all need someone to argue with us and moderate our opinions.

As a woman, who was brought up basically to be a housewife or perhaps a secretary, I like this Brave New World where women go out to work, have opinions which they can voice, have the vote and can make a difference. I wish more women, especially younger ones who were born into this World, would use their rights more often. Too many sit on the sidelines, let men make the decisions, and wait for things to happen to them. Don't! Get out there and initiate things. Life really is very short, even if you live to 100. Things get in the way, so if you think something should happen, do it now!

I realised that as I hit 60. I had expected to be able to retire at 60, but the Government decided otherwise. I can't afford to retire without the state pension I'd always expected to receive, so I'm still working. But having reached the age at which I thought I'd be an OAP, I thought 'who's going to argue if I say what I think?' What's the worst that can happen if I decide to dress in purple and dye my hair green? Not a lot. So I stood for election in the 2015 elections - for MP, for our local council, and for our town council. I got elected to the Town Council, which was fair enough. As a newcomer, I hadn't expected to be elected for any of them, and Town Council is my size of authority. I can make a little difference - I'll tell you about that later; and I don't have to commute to the hell that is London. London is for the young and the mad. I'm neither.

So, this is your starter for 10. If you like my rantings, follow along. If you don't, cheerio!