I Couldn't Care Less: On the March
Created | Updated Dec 2, 2012
On the March
There is a Doctor Who radio adventure starring Paul McGann called Prisoner of the Sun. The long and the short of it is that the doctor is not a prisoner because he cannot escape, but because he feels obliged to stay until he has made the unstable sun safe. A prison of responsibility.
My last article prompted Websailor to speculate as to what would happen if carers and volunteers downed tools and went on strike. It's an interesting idea, and it's certainly tempting, but it isn't going to happen. The trouble is that rather than being encouraged, as people are to gainful employment from which they might strike, by money, they are motivated by the need to ensure that the thing they are doing gets done. These are the people who pick up the pieces when there isn't anyone else and make sure that stuff gets done. From the volunteer red cross personnel who pitch up after an earthquake to dish out fresh drinking water to the two old ladies in a hospital shop, they are all doing stuff which needs to be done, and they are doing for that reason, and no other. Which, of course is why they, why we, are so easily exploited by Governments. We are like the Government's mum and dad, we can always be relied upon to come out and pick them up at three in the morning when they've had too much to drink and missed the last bus.
About a year ago I was briefly acquainted with a wheelchair bound lady who was telling me about the protest she was due to take part in outside the houses of parliament, which was to be in the form of a sit in. A sit in, just to be clear, is where protestors occupy a space by sitting down and refusing to move. So I asked this lady how it is possible to stage a sit in when you are in a wheelchair, given that you are pretty much sitting down where ever you go. She told me that the form is that a convoy of people in wheel chairs roll up, disable their chairs and dare the police to arrest them. I think it's brilliant. It can't be easy to protest when you're disabled, but you can be quite effective just by being disabled in the most inconvenient place possible.
So does this give us an idea about how to flex our voluntary muscle? Well maybe. Other ideas welcome, but in the meantime, here's mine: While the wheelchair bound to their sitting in the most awkward places, we shall volunteer where it is least helpful. The next time the prime minster wants an independent inquiry, we'll conduct it, thanks. We'll do it for free, no bother, so it'll save the taxpayer a fortune (we're good like that) but you can be damn sure as mustard we'll be thorough.
Got an MP who wants to take a week off? No problem, we'll send in a volunteer. They don't need to be paid but they will ask a lot of awkward questions and they will pester anyone they think could be doing their job better and they will make a thorough nuisance of themselves in the interests of getting things done.
So, Dave, here's the offer: Care for your carers. Value your volunteers. Or we'll come round to your house and care at you until you realise quite how much we're worth and give it to us so that we'll leave you alone.
Deal?
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