The ramblings of a disabled political activist

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My Biography 

My name is Star Etheridge and I was born 40 years ago,  I grew up on a council estate in Bury,  Lancashire. I did not have a private education, I had free school meals and free uniform grants from the Local Authority. 

I grew up in a very deprived area but that did not stop me appreciating the values and  of Margaret Thatcher and I must say that she helped mould my attitudes to life and gave me the determination to work hard and succeed.

I personally believe in the principles and values of freedom for the individual and that through hard work you can achieve. 

I went to university, despite being a truant and a "naughty girl" at my first high school and being absent for around 99% of year 9  (3rd year in my day).  Luckily I went to another school for Year 10 &11 and I was able to turn my life around.

I was not the best student and I had been through some very traumatic experiences but that should never be an excuse not to succeed and achieve all that one is capable of.  

I have experiences of things that most people can only imagine but I did not let that stop me from being who I was meant to be, after all we can never let the Bullies win.

  I managed to get some GCSE's and then some A level's and eventually after begging Bolton Institute I was admitted to study at the Business school reading Business Studies and Law.   I was so apprehensive but I loved my time at University and it really did set me up for my future.

I enjoyed studying so much that I undertook a PGCE also qualified as a lecturer as I wanted to help inspire others to achieve their personal goals.

Later I was given the golden opportunity to sit study the PGDL and LPC. This opportunity was one that could not be refused and I grabbed it with both hands.  I worked full time and studied in the evening and at weekends.  I did the very best I could and I qualified as a Solicitor in April 2005. 

 I did this whilst bringing up my 3 children so combining education and a career can be done but it is not easy and one does need the support of family and friends.  I was lucky to get that vital support as I could never have afforded a nanny or other live in help.  

I am not special, I am not a genius, I am not even that intelligent.  I just worked hard and was determined.  So I know that coming from a deprived background is not a barr to achieving nor is it an excuse to sit on ones backside and get the taxpayer to fund a life of sitting about on the dole. 

Anyone can do what I have done, anyone can achieve their goals, ok we can't all be premiership footballers, rock stars, actors, models or all the glamourous jobs but we can achieve things. 

If each of us tried to the best of our ability we can be the entrepreneurs of the future, the leaders of industry, our own bosses.  We can be anything we want to be if we try. 

Like I say we may not get the dream job but we can do a job, a worthwhile job, a job that contributes to the well being of society as a whole.  We can all make a small difference and together we can make a big difference to the country.

I know you will think, it is easy for you to spout on about this, well it is not.  I takes courage to say such things these days but it does need saying. 

It is essential that we stop blaming others for our own shortcomings and we start taking responsibility for our own lives. 

We may not earn millions of pounds in our chosen career or job but as long as we are earning something then that is the thing that will give us personal pride. 

It is a signal to the children of tomorrow that nothing comes for free, there is always a price to pay. 

You may think things come for free from the government or local authority. 

They don't, we all pay some tax somewhere along theline, VAT on petrol, cigarettes, alchohol, utility bills, clothing and luxury items, income tax, inheritance tax, national insurance, council tax etc etc etc, so we are all paying in one way or another. 

So if we all try the best we can then we can all contribute something to the coffers and make life better for ourselves, our families and communities.

Those on low pay may not pay much in income tax but they are paying something, they are contributing to society.  The personal pride gained from earning and paying your way is immesurable. 

It also gives a person a purpose, cuts down on depression and the feelings of uselessness.  This in turn reduces the burden on the state in the form of healthcare and social security benefits.  Thus ensuring that our overall tax burden can be reduced in time. 

Just think how much debt our country is in currently, it is enormous and can only be paid off by us all working together to get rid of it and become prosperous again. 

Our university students now have to pay to study, yes all should have the chance to go to university but surely it should be better to fund those who are going?  At present there are so many degrees on offer and how many of them are really necessary to do the job?  I think we should streamline Further and Higher Education and those who really need that level of study to do the job properly should go. 

Others should learn on the job via old fashioned apprenticeships.  How many media studies graduates does one country need?  Not all of them will be able to use the qualifications they have worked hard for and will be paying for until they are old themselves.  What kind of a start is this really for our young?  Surely we should be helping them and that way we should be able to keep the real talent in this country. 

It is just bizarre to want 50% of the 18 year olds to go to University, still I suppose it was a good way of keeping a lot of them off the dole figures and charging them for 3 years studying that will not get them a job at the end with a salary of more than £15k.  It is all smoke and mirrors.  It needs to go back to how it was before and we should be helping our youngsters to study for things that really matter and that will benefit society as a whole.

  I have said it will not be easy, cuts and savings will have to be made but it can be done.

Just imagine a country where;

• those who can work do their best to be in work and pass on the work ethic to their children
  
  
• there is an education system that gives everyone the oppotunity to work to their own personal strengths so that they can achieve their goals be they vocational or academic,
  
  
• there is a health service that provides the best care for our sick and elderly, 
  
  
• crime is reduced ensuring the police are freed up from paperwork to patrol the streets preventing crime,
  
  
• social workers have a case load they can manage so they can protect those who need them most
  
  
• banks are regulated by a single central bank to stop reckless lending practices and gambling on stock markets,
  
  
• we are free to make our own decisions about our personal freedom and treated like adults
  
  
• children are able to enjoy being children and not pressured into growing up too quickly,
  
  
• students do not have to pay to go to university but only the best 10% are admitted 
  
  
• disabled people are cared for properly
  
  
• special education schools are there for those who need them
  
  
• children are taught according to their ability
  
  
• the good of the many is put above the needs of the few
  
  
  
  
  We must get out of the EU and stop paying into the great EU abyss.
  
  
  The UK is a Sovereign Nation and we MUST stop the EU making our laws and controlling our Parliament and legal system.
  
  

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