Family holiday photo
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What a fantastic evening I had yesterday. AT DOWNING STREET. Just thrilling to be there. I was invited to attend the launch of First News' "My Way" Awards with Henry "The Fonz" Winkler.
The beautiful Francis Osborne introduced the event and I stood right next to her husband Chancellor George Osborne (he's taller and better looking than he appears on TV). Then seven children who have all been helping the Government with their plans for special education needs each took to the stage to announce who they had nominated for the "Thanks For Helping Me To Learn My Way" award. Seriously, by the end there was not a dry eye in the house. Their choices included significant teachers, siblings and mothers. It was very inspirational to be there and to hear Henry Winkler talking about how each individual child should be allowed to learn in the way most suitable for them.
We had drinks after that and I talked to Frances Osborne's mother all about her daughter's book and Africa and stuff. So interesting. I told her that my Grandmother always claimed to know where the gun was hidden - the one used to shoot Joss Ackland in Kenya during those White Mischief years.
Whilst on the balcony we could see the pretty courtyard garden of Number 10. We watched David Cameron finish a casual outside meeting and then stroll down to the play area to mess about with his children for a bit.
Here I am with my friends posing outside Number 10. Honestly, not in a million years sitting in Hong Kong drooling over The Fonz whilst watching "Happy Days" would I ever have predicted that I would be standing outside No.10 Downing Street having my photograph taken with him 35 years later. Really not sure why I decided that it would be a good look to pretend that I was Henry Winkler's second head. Even worse than that, immediately after the photo was taken I gave him a huge hug and told him I loved him. I CANNOT believe I did that. Possibly the most uncool thing I've ever done:-
Look at this iconic London view that I took from inside Downing Street on our way out:-
My friend works for World Vision and following on from my earlier post about the death of a child, it seems fitting to make this particular request. In just eleven days’ time a special UN summit will focus on how world governments tackle poverty. At this summit Nick Clegg will represent the UK and join world leaders in reviewing their progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): the eight goals, culminating in 2015, which aim to halve global poverty and save millions of lives. Before this, World Vision are bringing their "Finish the Job" campaign to a close. This campaign - part of their wider Child Health Now campaign that aims to save 6 million lives every year - is calling on world leaders to keep their promises and to not leave a job unfinished. Currently, World Vision have 9,631 signatures to contribute – a shortfall of only 369 from their 10,000 signature target. So, in these last few days of the campaign, THEY NEED OUR HELP: Please click on the following link: http://e-activist.com/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=25&ea.campaign.id=6650&ea.param.extras=urltracker:WV You will be asked to sign a petition and put your name to an email letter which will be sent directly to David Cameron:- "Dear David, I am writing to call on you and other world leaders to finish the job you started. Please fulfill the promises world leaders made to the poorest and most vulnerable people in 2000 by getting the Millennium Development Goals back on track at the upcoming G8 and MDG Summits. It is vital that you use this opportunity to ensure children and mothers get the healthcare they need to stay alive. I need you to take real and concrete action at both of these events and to take the international lead by calling on all other global leaders to: • Adopt a global action plan to improve child and maternal health • Increase funding to strengthen health systems vital for protecting maternal and child health • Improve the effectiveness of aid ensuring that it gets to the people who need it most"
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I wrote this post in December, but it's being discussed in the news at the moment, so I'm putting it back out there as my view and I completely agree with Nick Clegg:- David Cameron is planning to introduce tax breaks to married couples. So does that mean that although my marriage broke down because my husband had an affair, when he remarries, I will lose the tax break and he and his new wife would keep it. Is it fair to reward couples for simply tying the knot? Why are the Conservative party so obsessed with the nuclear family and marriage anyway? Is it not patronising to assume that couples cannot make their own mind up about whether staying in the marriage is in their children's best interests or not? Obviously committed stable relationships are important but surely not simply "marriage" for marriage sake? I think the politicians have misjudged the general mood of the nation by choosing to over-focus on marriage. Also, given that marriage is about to acquire minority status anyway with only 52% of men and 50% of women being married (OK so where are the other 48% of men hiding?) - the lowest since records began in 1862, it makes almost half of us feel completely inadequate to constantly be reminded that we're not married. Do people really want to be given money for getting married anyway? It's going to cost a lot - up to £5 billion according to one report. Wouldn't it be better spent on childcare so we can all work more effectively? Or to provide free mediation services where needed, or more nurseries, or more flexible working hours or a greater equality of pay between the sexes or a number of other things that would relieve the pressure on working parents and give them more of a chance to enjoy staying together. Family is family. That is it. In all it's glorious shapes and sizes. Some of us might be a little bit broken or dysfunctional as far as the perfect example of family is concerned but we don't need the state to pay us to get married or stay together. It's an insult. Pay us to go on holiday instead - then we'd be more inclined to stay together anyway.
David Cameron is planning to introduce tax breaks to married couples. So does that mean that although my marriage broke down because my husband had an affair, when he remarries, I will lose the tax break and he and his new wife would keep it. Is it fair to reward couples for simply tying the knot? Why are the Conservative party so obsessed with the nuclear family and marriage anyway? Is it not patronising to assume that couples cannot make their own mind up about whether staying in the marriage is in their children's best interests or not? Obviously committed stable relationships are important but surely not simply "marriage" for marriage sake? I think the politicians have misjudged the general mood of the nation by choosing to over-focus on marriage. Also, given that marriage is about to acquire minority status anyway with only 52% of men and 50% of women being married (OK so where are the other 48% of men hiding?) - the lowest since records began in 1862, it makes almost half of us feel completely inadequate to constantly be reminded that we're not married. Do people really want to be given money for getting married anyway? It's going to cost a lot - up to £5 billion according to one report. Wouldn't it be better spent on childcare so we can all work more effectively? Or to provide free mediation services where needed, or more nurseries, or more flexible working hours or a greater equality of pay between the sexes or a number of other things that would relieve the pressure on working parents and give them more of a chance to enjoy staying together. Family is family. That is it. In all it's glorious shapes and sizes. Some of us might be a little bit broken or dysfunctional as far as the perfect example of family is concerned but we don't need the state to pay us to get married or stay together. It's an insult. Pay us to go on holiday instead - then we'd be more inclined to stay together anyway.
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