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| Letters: We need to find a strategy for supporting family carers | Letters: We need to find a strategy for supporting family carers |
| (2 months later) | |
| Sun 19 Nov 2017 00.01 GMT | |
| Last modified on Sat 2 Dec 2017 02.29 GMT | |
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| I welcome your call for a bigger debate about the extent and limits of familial responsibility (“Family life is changing as never before”, Editorial, last week). This debate must be informed by the experiences of the 6.5 million unpaid carers in the UK. | I welcome your call for a bigger debate about the extent and limits of familial responsibility (“Family life is changing as never before”, Editorial, last week). This debate must be informed by the experiences of the 6.5 million unpaid carers in the UK. |
| The numbers of people providing unpaid care rose by 16.5% between 2001 and 2015 and increased most sharply for those caring for 20 or more hours per week. Despite what we sometimes hear from politicians, we are a society caring more, not less. | The numbers of people providing unpaid care rose by 16.5% between 2001 and 2015 and increased most sharply for those caring for 20 or more hours per week. Despite what we sometimes hear from politicians, we are a society caring more, not less. |
| Many of us are willing to take on full-time care for others, but this should not mean signing up to the financial hardship, poor health and reduced retirement income that so often goes with caring for a loved one. Others want to and can juggle providing care with paid work, when employers are flexible and good quality, reliable care services are available to back them up. | Many of us are willing to take on full-time care for others, but this should not mean signing up to the financial hardship, poor health and reduced retirement income that so often goes with caring for a loved one. Others want to and can juggle providing care with paid work, when employers are flexible and good quality, reliable care services are available to back them up. |
| Increasingly, employers realise that supporting the one in nine people caring in their workforce is necessary to retain experienced and valuable employees. Government is recognising the case for action, too, as the reality of an ageing population and longer working lives means growing numbers of us will be combining paid work and care. | Increasingly, employers realise that supporting the one in nine people caring in their workforce is necessary to retain experienced and valuable employees. Government is recognising the case for action, too, as the reality of an ageing population and longer working lives means growing numbers of us will be combining paid work and care. |
| Consensus on the balance of state and family responsibility and the support needed by carers now and in the future is, without doubt, an area where we need a cross-government approach. The health secretary began the development of a cross-government carers strategy to do just this. Yet, despite the evidence and ideas provided by carers, employers, technologists, economists and health and care professionals, we’ve yet to see the government publish its plans. It must now do so.Heléna HerklotsChief executive, Carers UK London SE1 | Consensus on the balance of state and family responsibility and the support needed by carers now and in the future is, without doubt, an area where we need a cross-government approach. The health secretary began the development of a cross-government carers strategy to do just this. Yet, despite the evidence and ideas provided by carers, employers, technologists, economists and health and care professionals, we’ve yet to see the government publish its plans. It must now do so.Heléna HerklotsChief executive, Carers UK London SE1 |
| We must do away with ‘belief’ | We must do away with ‘belief’ |
| Your review of Rachel Hewitt’s book A Revolution of Feeling (“Passion and the fantasy of political progress”, New Review, last week) failed to mention the Enlightenment, the real precursor of change in the 18th century. Change brought about by a battle between belief and reason, not feelings and reason as argued in the book. | Your review of Rachel Hewitt’s book A Revolution of Feeling (“Passion and the fantasy of political progress”, New Review, last week) failed to mention the Enlightenment, the real precursor of change in the 18th century. Change brought about by a battle between belief and reason, not feelings and reason as argued in the book. |
| Prior to the Enlightenment, belief ruled the roost – religious dictatorship exploited by priests and princes alike to enhance their power. The age of reason brought about a vital shift towards scientific explanations for our existence, inventions, new industries, the growth of a middle class, liberty, equality, fraternity, democracy – all still ongoing, but the exact opposite of “belief”. Belief, after all is, by definition, the very opposite and absence of fact, evidence and rational thought. I am not undermining the importance of feelings, instincts and impulses, but these are better working hand in hand with reason rather than belief. We must do away with “belief”. Our survival as a species depends on it. But we’re getting there!David StapletonTavistock, Devon | Prior to the Enlightenment, belief ruled the roost – religious dictatorship exploited by priests and princes alike to enhance their power. The age of reason brought about a vital shift towards scientific explanations for our existence, inventions, new industries, the growth of a middle class, liberty, equality, fraternity, democracy – all still ongoing, but the exact opposite of “belief”. Belief, after all is, by definition, the very opposite and absence of fact, evidence and rational thought. I am not undermining the importance of feelings, instincts and impulses, but these are better working hand in hand with reason rather than belief. We must do away with “belief”. Our survival as a species depends on it. But we’re getting there!David StapletonTavistock, Devon |
| A poison too easy to buy | A poison too easy to buy |
| Jamie Doward’s report on super-strength alcohol should be taken as seriously as articles on spice and other drugs. (“The killer on our streets – super-strength cider”, News, last week). | Jamie Doward’s report on super-strength alcohol should be taken as seriously as articles on spice and other drugs. (“The killer on our streets – super-strength cider”, News, last week). |
| Unfortunately, the potency and cost of these drinks means that it affects more than just homeless people. My descent into alcoholism began with very expensive wine and culminated in drinking three litres of this cider every evening for two years. I doubt there are many problem drinkers who will not turn to this poison at some point because, as mentioned, for £3.50 you can buy the equivalent of eight and a half pints of lager. | Unfortunately, the potency and cost of these drinks means that it affects more than just homeless people. My descent into alcoholism began with very expensive wine and culminated in drinking three litres of this cider every evening for two years. I doubt there are many problem drinkers who will not turn to this poison at some point because, as mentioned, for £3.50 you can buy the equivalent of eight and a half pints of lager. |
| For all their shortcomings, alcoholics are experts at weighing up the volumes and units of cans and bottles in order to get more for less. Each morning without fail, before the shutters are even raised, there are problem drinkers waiting to buy this stuff at my local shop. As the homeless people in the article suggest, however, without these drinks, an alcoholic will find an alternative, though probably not a cheaper one. I’m not certain what the answer is to this issue. What I do know, however, is there is very little difference between someone queueing for super-strength cider at 7am and another person buying heroin or crack-cocaine. Is it wrong that opiate addicts should have to break the law to buy their drug of choice, or wrong that, for alcoholics, theirs is so easily available?Paul RobsonSheffield | For all their shortcomings, alcoholics are experts at weighing up the volumes and units of cans and bottles in order to get more for less. Each morning without fail, before the shutters are even raised, there are problem drinkers waiting to buy this stuff at my local shop. As the homeless people in the article suggest, however, without these drinks, an alcoholic will find an alternative, though probably not a cheaper one. I’m not certain what the answer is to this issue. What I do know, however, is there is very little difference between someone queueing for super-strength cider at 7am and another person buying heroin or crack-cocaine. Is it wrong that opiate addicts should have to break the law to buy their drug of choice, or wrong that, for alcoholics, theirs is so easily available?Paul RobsonSheffield |
| Brown saved country from ruin | Brown saved country from ruin |
| Could you please remind Iain Dale that Gordon Brown was not responsible for nearly bankrupting the country (“Is this Britain’s worst postwar government?”, In Focus, last week)? To quote Iain, “only if you are completely ignorant of our political history and basic economics” would you not know that it was the bankers and their gambling with the sub-prime mortgage securities market that nearly bankrupted the UK back in 2008. Brown’s intelligent reaction to the collapse of the sub-prime market actually saved Britain from bankruptcy. Time for Iain to swot up on both his political and economic history!Steve ChapmanBradford | Could you please remind Iain Dale that Gordon Brown was not responsible for nearly bankrupting the country (“Is this Britain’s worst postwar government?”, In Focus, last week)? To quote Iain, “only if you are completely ignorant of our political history and basic economics” would you not know that it was the bankers and their gambling with the sub-prime mortgage securities market that nearly bankrupted the UK back in 2008. Brown’s intelligent reaction to the collapse of the sub-prime market actually saved Britain from bankruptcy. Time for Iain to swot up on both his political and economic history!Steve ChapmanBradford |
| Drink is not curse of class work | Drink is not curse of class work |
| My former students (“E=mc2 … and make mine a pint while you’re there”, Comment, last week) often quote my line: “We are going to work our butts off all day, then go to the pub.” This is where class continued in both curricular and non-curricular subjects and we were closer because of it. Learning is a reciprocal experience, on duty and off.Dr John HolderCambridge School of ArtAnglia Ruskin University | My former students (“E=mc2 … and make mine a pint while you’re there”, Comment, last week) often quote my line: “We are going to work our butts off all day, then go to the pub.” This is where class continued in both curricular and non-curricular subjects and we were closer because of it. Learning is a reciprocal experience, on duty and off.Dr John HolderCambridge School of ArtAnglia Ruskin University |
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