I have never wanted this blog to be a political one, but social justice issues are important to me, so I suspect there will always be an element of politics in whatever I say. I have also been reading a lot of lists lately – so here’s mine:

Black Lives Matter. No if’s, no but’s, no maybe’s. If your first reaction to the words Black Lives Matter is to speak up about something else, even something related but not immediate, then my advice to you is Shut Up And Listen. Listen to the people who live through these horrors, then do whatever they need you to in order to improve yourself and the rest of society. We (white people) have to STOP thinking we know what’s what…because we don’t (and never will, unless we listen).

Demilitarise the police. If you arm people like soldiers, then train people like soldiers, they WILL behave like soldiers. The police are supposed to protect and serve the communities they work in and yes, sometimes that will mean protecting and serving people who have broken the law, because innocent before proven guilty demands just that. If your police force is protecting and serving politicians and corporations before their communities then they are protecting and serving the biggest criminals of all.

If your Prime Minister uses the word ‘Thug’ to describe protesters then you have the wrong Prime Minister. I have decided, based on the evidence available to the public, that Boris Johnson is 50% ignorant/stupid and 50% heartless/compassionless and that goes for his party colleagues too.

If you love and support the NHS then you cannot vote Tory. If you claim to support the NHS but still vote Tory then you are a hypocrite in one direction or the other…pick one.

If your personal freedoms (to shop for fast fashion and fast food in particular) outweigh other people’s lives, health and well-being then you are a selfish arsehole…please stop being one because you are robbing people of their families.

Image credits: Welikela.com Wikipedia (riot police) Wikipedia (NHS)