Thursday 30 April 2015

I’ve made my mind up, have you?

There’s a week left until polling day so all those who did take my advice and registered to vote now have seven days to make their minds up. Most people I speak to are completely blown away by the election coverage and do not know who to vote for. However, I do. I wasn’t going to divulge the content of my ballot paper (after all it is a secret) but the electorate seems so undecided at the moment so I thought I’d try to help. I have carefully considered all the parties and have concluded that Labour will be getting my vote come May 7th.

You’re probably all not shocked by that revelation because I’m quite left wing in my views and my family do not have much money. Most of you are probably also thinking that I am just following my dad like a moronic robot but that’s wrong because if I was, I’d be voting UKIP. I just think people should be independent and not be influenced by others opinions. As Scroobius Pip once said, “Thou shalt choose a political party based on their policies, as opposed to just going with whom your family has always supported; they are not a football team”.

If you reach the same conclusion as your parents, fair enough but you have a fully developed brain so use it. Don’t let it be shaped by another adult. You’re not a child anymore. This applies to what I am about to say. I’m not demanding that all of my UK based readers go and vote Labour next week. I just thought I would make a few points and explain why I have decided Ed Miliband is the right man to be Prime Minister in case anyone is interested.

Up until a couple of weeks ago, I felt like most young people. Apathetic and unsure who to vote for (as you know, I have always believed in the importance of having your say so my visit to the polling station was never in doubt). What was certain was that I would definitely not vote for the heartless Conservatives who make out people are disabled by choice, are worthless drains on society and should be eradicated. I would also definitely not vote for the spineless Lib Dems who now claim that they limited the Tories from being nastier but in actual fact acted as their stooges throughout this government.

As the campaign has heated up, I have been warming to Ed Miliband and feel that his passion to make this country fairer and balanced again is clear to see. Everything seems to be in favour of the rich and the poor seem to suffer because of it but he wants to change this. Yes, he looks goofy and has a funny voice but so do I. Hopefully you all think I talk sense most of the time (If you don’t, why are you even reading this blog?). What I’m trying to say is like I always say, don’t judge a book by its cover.

Personally, I believe the country’s future, as a whole will be much brighter if the outcome on May 7th is a Labour majority, not a minority one where Nationalists hold the balance of power. Not because Nicola Sturgeon and co. are dangerous (although getting rid of Trident DETERRENT is extremely risky) but because these separatist movements are even more selfish than the Tories. At the end of the day, we live in a United Kingdom made up of four countries. All joined up, not independent of one another so it seems a tad selfish to look after your own part of Britain and disregard everyone else.

Like I said, that’s my view but you can vote for whoever you like.

Bye for now!

Wednesday 22 April 2015

Generosity wheeled the cat…

Before I begin, I feel must apologise for the cringeworthy headline above. It’s probably worse than ‘Let’s get quizzical…’ as far as embarrassing attempts at humour go. I do not even know what ‘Generosity wheeled the cat…’ means because, contrary to what I have suggested, this post is not about felines. It is however about how generous people have been to me over the past month or so.

When I first set up the Crowdfunding campaign back in March to raise the money needed for a new wheelchair transfer system, I did not think that I would get to the  £1000 mark by the deadline let alone the target of £3734. However, I was completely blown away (I am starting to run out of superlatives to describe how I felt) that people’s generosity took me past the aforementioned figure with over a week left.

As I mentioned in a previous post, my friend (Sophie Hudson) and I had already organized a pub quiz (I probably should describe it as ‘huge’ because of the sheer amount of people who turned up in the end) and could not cancel it because of the hard work we had put into securing a venue (Slug & Lettuce), getting a sponsor (SA Law), persuading companies to donate raffle prizes (see list below) etc. You probably will not believe this but the night raised a further £1148.31, which is incredible for one single event.

So not only did I raise enough for the ‘Carony Classic’ but with the extra money donated, I now can afford a ‘FM Hearing System’. Both pieces of equipment are vital and will improve my quality of life significantly. To think that just over a month ago I couldn’t afford either is truly unbelievable. I hope everyone knows just how grateful I am for all the support (thanks to those who donated and also to everyone who made the quiz a tremendous success last Thursday) but if you do not… THANK YOU!

Now that the fundraising is over, I have ordered the chair so I’m just waiting for the seat to be delivered (I will upload a picture when it’s here) and then hopefully the mechanics will be able to fit the system into my car without a problem. Hearing aid wise, I have seen one online but will be able to weigh up my options when I go to the hearing aid shop in town later this week.

Bye for now!

Thank you to all these wonderful companies/individuals who donated raffle prizes and in the case of SA Law, sponsored the evening.
•    John Lewis
•    San-Rizz
•    Relish Real Burgers
•    Côte Brasserie
•    St. Michael’s Manor
•    Everyone Active
•    Alban Arena
•    Hob Salons
•    Lush
•    Greys Hair and Body
•    The Entertainer
•    Wilde About Hair
•    Millie Hudson
•    Slug & Lettuce
•    SA Law

Monday 20 April 2015

Put a cross in the box…

I mentioned the importance of voting in my second and final upload when I dipped my toe in the Vlogging pool last month. Amidst the obscene swearing and cringeworthy (but spot on) impression of a Russell Brand follower was the serious message that everyone, who is entitled to, should have a say in the 2015 United Kingdom General Election. Polling day is not actually for another two-and-a-half weeks (May 7th) but the reason that I am posting now is that the deadline for UK citizens to register to vote is today at midnight.

Do not worry, I am not going to do what seems to be popular over the past few days and dictate to people who are disenchanted with politics to register on the electoral role (eventhough I sort of did in that second video). People seem to forget we live in a free country so if someone decides that voting is a waste of time and they do not want to participate in the process, it’s their prerogative to abstain. No one person can say whether that makes them good or bad. However, I have to be honest and say that not voting is quite a selfish act.

Not only are the non-voters insulting the legacy of those brave people who sacrificed their lives for democracy (the two World War’s) and the ability to vote (the Suffrage movement), they are also consigning the most vulnerable members of society like myself to attacks from a ConDem government. Hardly fair is it? I am not a die-hard supporter of any party and know full well that a coalition of Labour and SNP could be equally as dodgy. That’s why I think getting the 34.9% of the country who did not turn out back in 2010 to vote is so important.

That is over a third of the country who just do not bother to go to their local polling station, simply put a cross on a piece of paper and pop it into a ballot box.  Even worse is the knowledge that the figure of those who do not vote could increase thanks to the revolutionary nonsense spewing out of the mouth of morons like Russell Brand (who is slowly becoming everything he hates). The main argument from those who reject their right to vote is that all the parties are similar and the only change is the colour of their ties.

The answer though is not to turn your back on politics, it’s to become more involved. If you want a real revolution and proper change, how about all the abstainers actually get together and vote for an independent candidate. For example, 11.9% of the electorate voted for others (outside the main three parties) at the last General Election so if the 34.9% of ‘wannabe Brands’ voted for different to the norm, there would be no more Cameron, Clegg and Miliband hogging all the power. Those who did not vote last time could have a pivotal say and ruffle a few feathers in Westminster.

If the whole concept of registering to vote is news to you, I would like to know what rock you have been hiding under? Seriously though, it is not too late (unless you’re reading this after the 20th) so do not hesitate clicking this link: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. The form is simple and will take no longer than 5 minutes to complete. Just have your National Insurance number at the ready. Even if you have no intention of voting, just register in case what I have said does sink in and you change your mind by the time the election does come around. Better to be safe than sorry…

Bye for now!

P.S.

Apologies if this post has been boring and has turned into a rant in certain places but everyone seems to be having their say on the subject of voting so I thought it was ‘Wheelchair Boy’s turn to air his opinion. If I have not convinced you, so be it but remember that next time you’re moaning about almost anything (except the weather because that’s out of the government’s hands).

Thursday 9 April 2015

Let’s get quizzical...

For the past month or so, my amazing friend (Sophie Hudson) and I have been organizing a quiz night to help raise funds for the new wheelchair transfer system that I so badly need. As you will know if you’re a regular reader, the ‘Carony Classic’ costs £3734 in total and I thought I would not even get close to the target figure so I’m utterly astounded that I have reached my target with 10 days to spare. The fundraising event at the Slug & Lettuce in St. Albans next Thursday will still go ahead as planned but any extra money raised will go towards another expensive piece of equipment I need; the FM hearing system (that I have spoke about in previous posts).

I knew that it cost a fair bit because the NHS are not prepared to fund it but I have only just discovered that the price of the whole system is £1300. Unfortunately, this is more proof that everything is ridiculously priced when it comes to disability. I’m not suggesting that I will reach the stretch target in 10 days but I’m just pointing out that any money made from hear (get it?) on in will go towards the FM System. If you planned to donate to the chair, I would very much appreciate it if you now chipped into my hearing aid pot: http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/carony-classic-wheelchair-system

If you do fancy your chances in a quiz, want to win some great raffle prizes or would like to meet the famous ‘Wheelchair Boy’ visit the Facebook event for more information: https://www.facebook.com/events/776911342386542/
Or if you don’t do social media, please read this invitation:

Bye for now!

Tuesday 7 April 2015

Stick to the writing…

You know me! Get an idea in my head, run with it (not literally obviously) for a little while then decide it’s not working out as I had hoped and pack it in. I’ll try ALMOST anything but if it’s not going swimmingly, I’ll simply knock it on the head. It’s not that I give up on things easily, I just believe that life is too short to do stuff that causes you stress. Sometimes in life you have no choice but to face stress front on and find a way to overcome it/deal with it but my mantra is if there is an option to eradicate stress completely from your life, grab it with both hands.

So that’s why I have decided to call it a day with my YouTube channel after two whole uploads.  I know some people enjoyed the first one, especially as I didn’t swear, but I wasn’t enjoying the making process and found it quite infuriating. I know you are all probably thinking, “How can shooting and editing a video be stressful?” and that is exactly what I would’ve thought before. However, it’s surprisingly more difficult than it looks. For every one clip, I had to do 20+ takes because I kept making massive mistakes. Even then, what I said wasn’t coming out perfectly. Also the audio was out of sync with the footage, which made editing tricky and time consuming.

The only good thing about this little ‘Vlogging’ experiment is that it has illustrated (for those who have not had the privilege to meet me) that I find speaking quite hard. It’s not just that I find the physical act of talking tiring and often run out of breathe mid sentence but I as well have difficulties verbalising my thoughts. There seems to be some sort of mental block that prevents me from getting out my words and forming intellectual sentences. I seem to go off on sweary rants and don’t present myself well. When I write, I think you get a preferable version of me and more people seem to like that.

Bye for now!