As a new year is about to start, it's naturally time to reflect on the old one. Memory might fade and be unreliable, but in addition to the diaries we have a blog to remind us of the journey we've all been on. Begun from a strong sense of frustration and annoyance at the beginning of the decade, so remarkably it ends in the same vein:-
Saturday, 4 September 2010
In the Beginning
All blogs have to start somewhere - and this is it. I'm fed up with work - a job I absolutely loved has gone horribly wrong and is about to get a whole lot worse. I moan endlessly to colleagues - and clients - they listen politely and think 'poor sod, he'll be retired soon'. Nobody understands what the hell probation is all about - there's never been a decent tv drama series and this void of universal ignorance is ruthlessly taken advantage of by successive governments in order to wreak havoc upon us. We've been nationalised, rationalised, marginalised, bureaucratised and will shortly be privatised. I feel helpless as this madness goes on around me and then suddenly all becomes clear - start blogging!
Sadly, due to 'improvements' to the platform I use for blogging, it no longer seems possible to reproduce graphically the level of interest, but suffice it to say we are in steady decline from a peak of a million 'hits' a year to almost exactly half that figure. Still not an inconsequential figure, but as any endeavour would be wise to note, the writing is on the wall so to speak. Despite this and for what ever reason, at least a thousand people continue to tune in daily even if nothing much is happening, but if 'probation' gets into the news for any reason, that easily quadruples and in so doing proves the 'brand' still has mileage in it.
Although it clearly remains a mystery to many, I still love the essential concept and ethos that lies behind the term 'probation' and despite many good people continuing to jump ship and there being a new nasty government in control, I sense in 2020 there will still be a job to do for all those who still care about our profession and its laudable aims. As always, thanks dear reader for taking the trouble and using this platform to inform, educate, debate and share.
To all friends and colleagues, I will raise a glass tonight and wish you all a very Happy New Year!
A Happy New Year for 2020 to you too, sir, & here's hoping for some better developments.
ReplyDeleteJust read this. It probably won't change anything but its good to know there's a strength of feeling:
"More than 200,000 people have signed a petition calling for Sir Iain Duncan Smith's knighthood to be revoked.
Tory MP Sir Iain was the architect of the government's heavily-criticised Universal Credit benefits system when he was work and pensions secretary under David Cameron. The system has been blasted for leaving poorer claimants less well-off.
Last week, he was named in the New Year's Honours list and knighted for "political and public service", sparking uproar.
That has now manifested itself in hundreds of thousands of signatures objecting to his knighthood.
Psychiatrist Mona Kamal said on the Change.org petition blurb that Sir Iain "was responsible for some of the cruellest, most extreme welfare reforms this country has ever seen".
The Labour Party activist, who has been pictured with leader Jeremy Corbyn, said she has witnessed people driven to panic attacks and depressive illness "over the prospect of losing their welfare payments".
"This has only intensified with the chaos and uncertainty of Universal Credit, a system known to be causing hardship to millions and for which Iain Duncan Smith is again culpable."
She added "the fact that Iain Duncan Smith, the individual responsible and the architect of such misery, is to receive the honour of a knighthood is an insult to the hundreds of thousands of vulnerable individuals across this country who are suffering as a result of his policies and to those who have tragically lost loved ones as a direct result".
She demanded: "He must not be knighted."
The petition passed 200,000 signatures on Monday evening, just three days after it was set up."
"Nobody understands what the hell probation is all about - there's never been a decent tv drama series and this void of universal ignorance is ruthlessly taken advantage of by successive governments in order to wreak havoc upon us."
ReplyDeleteOften thought that the probation office would provide the ideal setting for a TV drama. Probation pervades into althings CJ, deals with all kinds of social problems, and all kinds of people. Finding a storyline once a week wouldn't be very difficult at all.
But when I've thought about it a bit more it becomes more complex.
I have a feeling that the general public are as interested in the daily mechanics of the probation service as they would be in watching a rerun of Crossroads.
So how would you catch their interest? Make it hard hitting like the police force dipicted in the Sweeny? A barrel of laughs like the prison service dipicted in Porridge? Maybe just use the setting to focus on people's lives and relationships but not much to do with being a real representation of probation?
It's difficult to see how a TV drama could be presented, to capture an audiences attention and being really representative of probation work without losing the essence to humour or total overkill and fantasy.
I watch for sure if ever you do get around to writing one Jim, but please don't make it like Drop the dead donkey!!!!
Hope the new year brings something good to all!
'Getafix
As if to remind me of why I still think there's mileage in this blog, here is something that came in yesterday and left on an earlier blog post:-
ReplyDelete"The whole system is broken. I made it clear to the court that due to the circumstances and losing my licence I had to leave my job. Putting me out of work and having severe complications to my mental health. I haven't seen my RO in over two months...
I now lack the confidence to leave the house to find work. Every time I've brought this up I've been silenced in group therapy. I've been given an application form for a company that went into liquidation over a year ago. I've been promised counseling since September and still nothing.
Nearly every time I went for Community service there was an issue. Twice I wasn't allowed on the minibus because the ROs can't send simple messages between each other to update community service lists. I was sentenced to 120 hours and worked about 4 as the rest of the time worked wasn't planned or we'd already been the the same site raking up leaves the previous day. The whole process is bogus and is clearly a way of milking taxpayers money. ROs are salaried above 25k and the things I've witnessed would be cause for disciplinary action. Who do I complain to? Know one. Why? Who's going to listen and care?
I'm now dependent on cannabis because that's all CS is... New contacts for your phone book. Just so fat cats can take your money for something they don't do. None of issues have been addressed and the company behind this is incompetent...."