Mark Mr T Thompson

Make a stand

by Mark Mr T Thompson

Tuesday 2nd October 2018 9:01 am (first posted Sunday 27th November 2011 9:51 pm)

Make a stand

You can make a stand against wrong-doing or stand for what is right,

You can make a stand as a pacifist as to stand is not to fight.

You can make a stand with a fist aloft or stand with a lowered gaze,

You can make a stand that’s popular or stand without seeking praise.

You can make a stand by marching or stand up by sitting down,

You can make a stand if your skin is pink, yellow, black or brown.

You can make a stand quietly or stand up loud and proud,

You can make a stand alone but it’s harder to ignore those who stand with a crowd.

You can make a stand for others or stand up for yourself,

You can make a stand because to not stand would be bad for someone’s health.

You can make a stand on principle or make a stand for a friend,

You can make a stand at the very start or just before the end.

You can make a stand right now, but if you choose to wait,

Please ensure you make your stand, before it is too late.

list poem pensions politics protest Strike trade-unions

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Comments

M.C. Newberry

Wed 30th Nov 2011 20:22

I do recall betting tax - as 10p. in the £1 -
I used to tot it up religiously on my betting slips...and was heartily relieved to see it go!
Executive pay affects a small percentage but
is cited freely to create envy and distrust.
Why is a movie actor's substantial income from his or her work/business acceptable, yet a co. executive's almost laughably smaller income paraded as something as something shameful and
even obscene? Discuss! Or write a poem perhaps?

Mark Mr T Thompson

Wed 30th Nov 2011 19:49

I have been meaning to respond to an earlier comment "Victorian politicians took as little as was needed in taxes to run the country AND its empire."

The empire was actually crucial to how it could afford to run the country with low taxation. The empire supported the state by the exploitation of the human and other resources taken from countries often persuaded by diplomacy delivered by the barrel of a gun.

Of course it was also cheaper to run a country with with no pension, health service and minimal outlay on education.

Rachel Bond

Wed 30th Nov 2011 19:17

was at manchester strike rally today, in support of public sector workers.
itwas a good day, positive.
i am currently on hunger strike until a man i like comes round and cooks my dinner....i may never be seen again.
good poem x

Anthony Emmerson

Wed 30th Nov 2011 14:11

Hi Mark,

As a UNISON convenor of over 25 years standing I will be withholding my labour today. Our current government is completely out of touch with the circumstances of ordinary working people - this is government for the rich by the rich.

I wholeheartedly agree with what many have already said; the financial sector has screwed us all and walked away with an "untouchable" smile on its face.

We need a new kind of government that is both fully transparent and accountable. All lobbying, whether by trade unions or corporates, should be made public and public bodies should be just that - run for public and NOT corporate interests.

Power to the people.

Regards,

A.E.

Ray Miller

Tue 29th Nov 2011 16:23

I think that teachers and other public employees would feel more inclined to make sacrifices were others similarly imposed upon. We all know about executive pay, the government refuses to contemplate an infinitesmal tax on financial transactions, yet demands that the public sector bears all the brunt. The average NHS pension is £8000 a year, by the way. A long way from being gold-plated. You'll remember how much we used to pay in betting tax, M.C.Newberry - 9p in the pound. What's the rate of the Tobin tax? .0001 %? It's all about priorities.

M.C. Newberry

Tue 29th Nov 2011 14:48

I wonder just how much of this has been the result of Gordon Brown's notorious plundering
of pension plans some years ago. These were
the envy of the world, it was said.
The Victorian politicians took as little as was
needed in taxes to run the country AND its empire. Today's politicians take as much as they can and fritter it away on things the
electorate don't want or ask for.

Mark Mr T Thompson

Tue 29th Nov 2011 13:56

Well I don't know quite how the different pots are set up, but I do know a lot of people considered that the pension was one of the things that attracted them to the profession, when they were qualified for other work.

But there is a lot of misinformation about giving the impression that all these schemes require huge subsidy, when in fact the intention is in fact to claw back monies to cover yet more quantative easing.

I went through the comprehensive education system where what you wrote was more important than your spelling, it was for me, a positive experience. I am also yet to see a school that thought literacy or numeracy isn't important.

However, I believe in the truest sense of the word, teaching is a political act, as it is never possible to cover everything. But the decisions about what should be on the curriculum are so subjective. Additionally how you teach them can also give a hugely differing perspective. If any other country cuts the head of their king and forms a republic, it's called a revolution, but here it's merely a Civil War.

Educated people are often political, so the politicisation teachers is probably a professional hazard.

M.C. Newberry

Tue 29th Nov 2011 13:36

Mark - I referred to the online address yousupplied and found it informative. I can seethe thinking behind the reasoning that if apension pot/plan is pretty healthy then why should its members be penalised (along with others less thrifty perhaps?). In a wider sense, I wonder if the teaching profession hasdone itself any favours with the public bybeing seen (in the past as much as now) as overtly political. I recall this taking shapeback in the 60s and thought then that it wasa somewhat sinister step - as if was plannedto politicise the youngsters as much as teachthem the three "R"s (which seem to have becomeobsolete when reading much of what is writtenonline and elsewhere these days!).Cheers.

Lynn Dye

Mon 28th Nov 2011 19:15

Agreed, there are certainly times we have to make a stand, and this is one of them!

<Deleted User> (6315)

Mon 28th Nov 2011 16:37

I support your stand too Mark....well said indeed :)

Mark Mr T Thompson

Mon 28th Nov 2011 12:55

Hi M.C.
The piece was not written with this in mind but when I reread it last week I thought it apt.

In terms of what is on the table, as qualified teacher I know most about that particular pension dispute. While there are pension shortfalls in many situations (Royal Mail had an awful one I seem to remember) the teachers pension scheme is sustainable without government support for the next fifty years, but instead they want workers who have paid their dues to work longer and collect less. This article from a Conservative voting anti-strike head says it all for me.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-15909788

M.C. Newberry

Mon 28th Nov 2011 12:32

Well thought out and persuasively put. I am not sure if it relates totally to the coming
public service strike and since I have no access to all that is "on the table" in the offer by government, I'll refrain from any
comment in that specific political area. I
certainly agree with being counted when the
conscience tells you - and that applies to a
variety of topics, so this post is always
relevant.