Poverty is a state of mind

who’s mind

no jobs

weary

hopeless

depressed

anger at the struggle for daily living

made to feel worthless and lazy

second class citizens by the very people who should help

tired

ashamed

who do you think you are to say my struggle is all in my head

with your silver spoons and Eton education

do you really think you know how we suffer to live on seven quid a day

you say we need to cut the GDP

what about our debt

the fat cats sit on their cushy jobs and with no mind to the results

cut here cut there

slicing into our lives

but never their own

never their own

the old boy network help themselves and look down on the degraded suicidal

sanctioned

how can we pull ourselves out of this mess when there are no resources for us to use

we are not all lazy

worthless

work shy

scroungers

tell us enough and maybe we start to believe it

is poverty the state of my mind

the struggle is not in my head

we suffer the abuse

the prejudice

the shame of joblessness

oh they say

there are schemes for you to try

but where are the jobs

get yourself back into work

but where are the schemes to help start your business

stress

fear

despair

we will beat it and we will better it

poverty is not a mindful thing

it is that family pushed and shoved and squeezed into debt just because that 1% help themselves and the country goes to pot

but we will do it and we will do it well

and f*uck the government

we will do it without your help

no longer sanctioned

no more shame

not ostracised

stigmatised

demonised

but once again a member of the working class

poverty may still be there

but not in my mind

 

 

Do we really want another golf course on the Wirral

Do we really want another golf course on the Wirral? We already have over a dozen courses, there is even a women’s course, does it differ to men’s? Hoylake, Wallasey, Caldy, Leasowe, Bidston, Heswall, Eastham etc etc….. they rang in difficulty, Hoylake home of the Open golf championship to Adventure Golf in New Brighton. Dotted around the edges of our beautiful peninsular making the most of our parklands, there are short courses (9 holes), windy, sandy courses, a women’s course, flat courses, historic courses,  i suppose if you were a serious golfer you could play any way you fancied, as long as your a member.

If you look at the Wirral as a whole it is made up of 60 square miles of fabulous seaside, parkland, woodland,  rural walks and cycling routes, historic villages, industry, great restaurants and many wonderful artists in an active artist community. There are over 320.000 people situates in towns and villages over the Wirral but there is also a lot of rural land, we have farms, pigs, cattle, sheep, turkeys, award winning farm shops, Tam O’shanter urban farm and GreenBelt land which should be left untouched.

Because of where we are situated Wirral is lucky enough to be visited by many unusual birds through out the year with Parkgate being one natural hotspot. Both the Mersey and Dee estuaries are internationally important wildlife sites for waders and wildfowl in winter. We also have marsh land and reed beds home to Natterjack Toads. Do we want all of this spoiled by yet another Golf course/resort?

Jack Nicklaus is going to design our new course, he has been involved in the design of 290 courses. At least 70 Nicklaus Design courses have been ranked by major industry publications but how many have failed? Polaris World in Spain crashed and burned, Mount Holly Club Utah didn’t work so why should it work here? We dont need our environment disturbed, our animals moved from their homes, our flood plain interfered with so a minority can wack a small ball around our countryside. This will lead to new roads, new homes we wont be able to afford and more traffic!

This is not one of those ‘Not in my back yard’ type of cries, we really dont need this golf resort, change one of the established courses, give it a new designation but seriously dont let Jack Nicklaus ruin what is such beautiful countryside. There is a meeting on March 29th 2016 at West Kirby United Reform Church starting at 7.30pm for anyone who would like to air their views or just find out more details. Please dont leave it to others to raise their concerns, every voice needs to be heard.

6 Top Lake District and Lancashire Photography days on the edges of Morecambe Bay

Lake District Malarkey

6 Top Lake District and Lancashire Photography days on the edges of Morecambe Bay

Morecambe Bay is actually a multiple estuary with 5 rivers draining into it. The area is approx 120 square miles stretching from Walney Island near Barrow in Furness to Fleetwood.

1 MORECAMBE & HEYSHAM PENINSULA

Sunderland Point (tidal) is a quirky village where the River Lune meets the sea. One visitor attraction is Sambo’s grave. There are seabirds, boats and views towards Glasson Dock and Fleetwood. Toilets are available which are kindly  looked after by the local  residents.  Sunderland Point

The Heysham Coast. The 8^th century St Patrick’s Chapel is popular with photographers with views across to Black Combe and Grange over Sands, there are a few ruins remaining including the famous stone ‘open graves’ which were features on a Black Sabbath album cover. Adjacent is St Peter’s Church, Heysham, a church building has…

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I have a new project in the pipeline and it is called…..

Poverty is a state of mind

Poverty doesn’t really exist according to the Tory government it is just a ‘state of mind’ and when i heard this i began to look at what they meant and the governments idea of poverty and what is actual poverty are very very far removed.

I decided to start a photographic project ; http://spikeymousephotography.co.uk/poverty-is-a-state-of-mind and i am funding it through; http://en.fotofund.org/campaigns/poverty-state-mind-damn-government-dictates/ if you would like to donate to it.

The country needs to cut the overall deficit which is expected to be £1.5 trillion in the 2015-16 fiscal year. Now bearing in mind the 33 members of the Tory cabinet who are able to attend cabinet meetings is presently made up of 53% independently educated ministers, with 50% having attended either Oxbridge or Cambridge. They are not short of a quid or two, they get a good stipend for what they do and the perks are many. So when they are gathered around the table and looking at ways to cut the countries deficit they seem to protect themselves, keeping their tax low, giving themselves raises over the 1% the nurses receive, cutting benefits for the people who need them the most. And it is this that got me thinking and looking at how it has affected ordinary people.

 The bedroom tax,  a cut in your housing benefit if you live in a council or housing association property and have what is classified as a ‘spare’ bedroom. You can only claim for a certain number of bedrooms, depending on how many people live in your home. This means that the amount of net rent covered by housing benefit is cut by:

• 14% if you have one spare bedroom
• 25% if you have two or more spare bedrooms

So this means if you are disabled and have an empty bedroom where you keep your medical equipment because its close to you or you have no where else to store it, you are penalised for living in accommodation that it too large for your needs.

Disability benefits have been reassessed, changed from what you cant do to what you can do, which completely rules out certain disabilities from receiving benefits full stop and they are then placed onto benefits forcing them back to work regardless of them being fit to or not. And if they don’t find work or jump through hoops looking for work they are sanctioned, their money stopped for weeks, months or upwards of THREE years. Which then leads to food banks and well yes, poverty.

So the ministers sitting at their table with no money worries, perhaps they have old family wealth behind them, or are lucky to know someone who knows someone who can get them onto the board of the large companies, decide how to add money to the coffers to pay back the £1.5 Trillion the Country owes, not by raising the taxes on the rich or on the big multinational companies but by penalising the every day person, Mr and Mrs Normal. And they say ‘Poverty is a state of mind’.

If you have enjoyed reading this post please share it on your social media sites, thank you.

*Telegraph.co.uk, Guardian.com, Sutton Trust for additional data

 

I need new walking shoes!

I need new walking shoes now i have wet feet! Walking on Bidston Hill to the Windmill and getting wet feet and taking some great photos in the process.

Source: I need new walking shoes!

Chester Art Fair

Dipping your big toe into the Craft Fair pond is ok if you are prepared to put in the time and money, stand behind a table all day and not make any where near enough to live on. I have dipped my big toe in the Craft Fair pond, found the traders very friendly but the shoppers very tight with their money.

I have 2 VIP tickets and 10 weekend tickets for those who REBLOG this post. Good luck.
If you are trying to make a living out of your art it is quite disheartening when shopper after shopper looks through your work, has a chat and then walks away empty handed, no matter how hard you try to sell them one of your fabulous photos. Looking around there are various options open to you, give up, carry on as you are, look for exhibition space or go for bigger more prestigious art fairs.
I decided to ‘have a go’ at the Liverpool Contemporary Art Fair, nestled among the galleries and established artists from all over the world and it was great! As it is a ticketed event you knew that who ever stopped by your stand was actually in the market for some new wall art and had the ready cash burning a hole in their wallets. The fair prints the tickets, has the website, hires the space and stands, invites the VIP’s and you use your social media to advertise and turn up.
That’s why we decided to do another and signed up for the Chester Art Fair.

Chester Arts Fair

A Quick Guide to Cleaning Your Camera Sensor – PictureCorrect

One of the biggest things to consider when owning a camera is maintenance. Not only do you have to take care of the camera when using and when storing it, but every once in a while you have to perform some maintenance tasks to keep it in tip top shape. Toby Gelston addresses one of […]

Source: A Quick Guide to Cleaning Your Camera Sensor – PictureCorrect

You Know You’re a Photographer When… – PictureCorrect

You Know You’re a Photographer When… – PictureCorrect.

Liverpool Contemporary Art Fair

Art Lovers,

Liverpool Contemporary is nearly upon us! Opening Saturday 26th June, no where else in the North West will you see such a large collection of contemporary and affordable art to view and buy. Entry is free all weekend so pop in to the Royal Liver Building and browse from our range of visual art, sculpture, glass work, ceramics and photography.

Here below are the best 6 reasons to visit the Liverpool Contemporary this weekend:-
Affordable Art for Everyone
The Liverpool Contemporary is the perfect opportunity to purchase artwork that you love and which inspires you, ranging from £40.00 – £10,000 plus.
World Exclusive Collection by L.S Lowry
For art enthusiasts, a £3 million collection by the much loved British Painter L.S Lowry will be on display with paintings never before seen in the UK.
Live Demonstrations and Artist Workshops
A full programme of live demonstrations by leading UK Artists will be running all day Saturday and Sunday. Starting at 11am and finishing at 4pm, make the most of your trip to the Fair and watch the artists in action.
Exclusive Darren Baker Collection
Leading Hyper Realism Artist, Darren is the official artist to the Professional Footballer’s Association, the 2012 Olympic Games and this year’s Ashes. A stunning collection, you wouldn’t want to miss out.
Located in the Prestigious Royal Liver Building
Taking place in the Royal Liver Building on the Waterfront, this magnificent building is an iconic symbol of Liverpool making it the perfect place to display such beautiful pieces of art.
Children’s Area and Café
Fun for all the family, our children’s area offers a range of arts and crafts activities for your budding artists, and don’t forget to visit our cafe area serving up hot and cold refreshments throughout the weekend.
You can download your tickets here https://gallery.mailchimp.com/d46ae5305f2d2b93309481b7d/files/complimetary_newsletter_ticket.pdf
or here
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/liverpool-contemporary-arts-fair-2015-tickets-14896302241

20 Helpful Items for Landscape Photography – PictureCorrect

20 Helpful Items for Landscape Photography – PictureCorrect.