#HeadlineTherapy Andy Burnham and Angela Rayner confirms plans to confiscate private homes in crackdown.

Thanks to James Rodger and Birmingham Live for the Headline

Absentee landlords and Property that is sitting empty because it’s part of an investment portfolio for someone who most likely has little or no connection with the location of the property.

The plan is to give Council’s more powers to commandeer these properties and turn them over to the Council for much needed accommodation .Unfortunately, this means the Council’s themselves will have to bear the cost of bringing them up to standard if they have deteriorated.

I do think it’s a good idea for houses that are sitting empty and that could be used for Social Housing requirements should be put to good use.

However, the counter argument from the Conservatives is that Labour is stealing the right to property ownership from those who own the property. Surely it is the owners right to do what they want with the property. If they decide to leave it empty then it’s their choice.

I think it’s going to prove tricky and expensive to commandeer property, however, owning property and possibly renting it out to others should come with responsibilities which need to be monitored and recognised by the Law. Empty , neglected properties are unsightly in any area and can reduce the quality of life for those living near them, particularly when there is a local need for housing.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading 🙏

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On Foot

Daily writing prompt
What’s the best way to explore a new city?

Obviously you have to be aware,

That there’s those of whom you must beware,

But on foot and in the dark at first,

Should satisfy your wanderlust thirst,

A little rain is all the better,

It doesn’t matter if all you have is your sweater,

Those glistening pavements will make your

eyes glisten,

And for the dawn chorus you begin to listen,

Suddenly a large Church appears,

So beautiful it almost brings you to tears,

It’s getting light now and the City begins to stir,

Behind a railing you hear a cat purr,

Perhaps you’ll browse the travel guide at breakfast,

Noting sites as you enjoy your repast,

But for a moment the City is yours,

Not for you the busy bus tours

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#HeadlineTherapy Final attempt to save disabled adults centre fails

Thanks to Sarah Booker-Lewis and Cash Murphy and BBC Online News for the Headline

Sad to see that despite evidence to the contrary not being made available to the decision makers ( or did they just not want to know?) that Wellington House in Brighton which offers care to 21 people is going to be shut with an estimated saving of £336,000 a year.

Although the facility will not close until all of the 21 people affected “have a been transitioned to an alternative service”. Their words.

Some Councillors argued that Evidence should have been made available to the Cabinet meeting of Council prior to them making their decision from Leaders in special schools in the area, who know the numbers who will require Wellington House in the future.

One estimate of costs relating to the needs of these adults currently using Wellington House is £250,000/year for each adult. So for a saving of £336,000 , the Council may end up spending over £5 million/year. Yes I’m scratching my head too.

Not to mention the loss of social cohesion and community that the people of Wellington House currently have. I’d be interested to know what plans the Council have for the real estate Wellington House is part of.

Although this is in Brighton , to be honest decision making like this can be anywhere in the UK or the World for that matter.

Namaste and Thank you for Reading.🙏

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You’re alive, so get on with it!

Daily writing prompt
What’s a moment in your life that made you feel truly alive?

Actually feeling “truly alive” in this context of an AI prompt,

Reflects the values of the avaricial swamp,

There’ll be endless responses about winning ,

And how it is actually quite fun sinning,

In this I’m afraid life is defined,

But this poem is just to remind,

From the spark of our conception,

To our inevitable passing with no exception,

Our lives are miracles of their own,

Alive is a currency and the seeds are sewn,

So celebrate every moment,

You are alive so you better get on with it!

Wildflower meadow overlooking a winding river and mountains at sunset
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Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

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#HeadlineTherapy New prisoner early release scheme begins as probation officer warns “I’ve no idea how we’ll cope”

Thanks to BBC News Online and their live coverage which covered the story from all angles.

I have empathy with everyone caught up in this “early release scheme”. I have chosen the Probation Officer’s view, as they are the ones who are responsible for supervising the released prisoners where the release scheme requires it. It seems that they have been given a significant extra work-load without any increase in resources.

One of the biggest problems is that many people on the early release scheme will have no fixed address , so how do you contact them about appointments, missed appointments or even just to ask how they are doing?

Let’s face it overcrowding in Prison’s did not happen overnight and maybe for some prison was definitely the wrong place to be, but you can’t just pass the problem along to someone else as I believe is the case with the Probation Officer.

Responsibilities and Possibilities should have been clearly defined otherwise this “Early Release Scheme” will fail , and ex-prisoners will return to the already overcrowded prisons and we’ll be back to square one.

Probation officer making a phone call

Namaste and Thank you for Reading.🙏

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A man appeared in my room,

Daily writing prompt
The genie grants you a wish. What is it?

A man appeared in my room,

I thought him the harbinger of some doom,

I really hadn’t noticed what he was wearing,

That bare chest and turban were really quite daring,

The gold bangles on his arm,

Reassured me that he meant me no harm,

” You can have a wish” he abruptly said.

” World Peace ” I said and all went quiet,

The television screen went quite blank,

For it had been showing a picture of an army tank,

Some books exploded the newspapers began to ignite,

I doused them out with my water pitcher alright,

Outside as the day began to break; I knew,

That what the genie had done was true.

For everything was calm and quiet,

And what was happening well you couldn’t buy it.

It took some magic from a Genie’s spell,

To take us out of this man made hell.

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Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

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#HeadlineTherapy UK believes Iran involved in RAF Fairford incident, Burnham says

Thanks to Chris Mason from BBC News Online for the Headline,

Terrorists are scary people and there’s no doubt that we should be aware of the threat they pose.

However, as an ex-Mayor of Manchester who doesn’t know much about rural life, there is a lot of rural crime around, particularly when the price of diesel has gone up astronomically due to the situation and uncertainty surrounding Iran’s status. Yes perhaps Iran did play a role in the attempted theft of diesel if the rise in prices motivated those men.

Perhaps it is worth the effort of driving all the way down from London in three white vans to rob the well-heeled farmers that are distracted by a ploughing competition and perhaps have kept their eye off the ball with protecting their assets, such as quad bikes, diesel storage and any other agricultural implements that they can get there hands on.

As Wes Streeting said about the farmer who initially rang the Police after trying to contact base security and on the “special number ” they were given by the base for emergencies such as this one. Only for it to ring and not be answered. That they only had “a partial picture” of the situation. A pretty scary partial picture if you are confronted by three white vans blocking the road and masked men running around. One of whom gets scared and rings the Police himself, perhaps thinking the farmer is going to run him down in his 4×4. That police call should be interesting evidence.

Yes ,Politicians on all sides, perhaps you have access to information that we don’t and we rightly so can only have a” “partial picture”. However, this Headline is pretty abhorrent. Even weapons of mass destruction need evidence( Tony Blair didn’t come too well out of that ).

Prime Minister Burnham should be more responsible and should let the Security Services do their job and also ensure that those living near the base have their needs respected. Why else give them a “special telephone number” if you don’t plan to answer it? Meanwhile stop this gainsaying and making statements which in reality are heightening people’s fear.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

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I tried E-bay

Daily writing prompt
What are your favorite side-hustle ideas?

When I was young,

Things seemed quite hum-drum,

And it just seemed to pique my curiosity,

To see if I could make some extra money,

At first I tried the old recycling game,

But the plastic bottle introduction drove me insane,

Glass jars and Bottles made a penny for my till,

But plastic only went to land fill,

That idea was quite passé,

So I thought I’d have a go on e-bay,

Selling things that didn’t seem useful to me,

Like my brother’s retro jet-ski,

I made a packet on that at first,

The punters lined up with rabid thirst,

It seemed to be such a bargain,

I never understood all that seller’s jargon,

About ownership and despatching on time,

Perhaps stealing stuff was a nasty crime,

It was only my brother for heaven’s sake,

But they all accused me of being on the make,

So there my hustling came to an end,

And knitting became my timely godsend,

That is really hustle free,

As a jumper takes an eternity.

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#HeadlineTherapy Spain proposes ban on evictions as ousted 87-year old accepts offer to return home.

Thank you to Reuters and NBC News for the Headline.

Pleased to say that Spain’s coalition government are working together to stop “Vulture” funds ie. private funds that buys housing for speculation. At the moment the definition only applies to large funds, however , as Urbagestión is a relative small player in the field that it may prove difficult to get an agreement, as many property owners will fall into the small player category.

However, we all know that charging someone double the rent or indeed outpricing property in the local area just to remove a tennant of long standing and good reputation is wrong. So hopefully common sense will prevail and perhaps the tennants circumstances should be considered.

Senora Maricarmen Abascal , I hope returns to her ‘home’ and perhaps the Government will acknowledge the role of a proper ‘home’ in people’s lives,

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

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I used to be a member of an expensive gym

Daily writing prompt
What are five simple exercises to do at home?

I used to be a member of an expensive gym ,

No longer and I know now how to keep trim,

Two plastic containers full of sand,

Swinging them around my head one in each hand

Tones my arms and burns calories,

You can send that gym subscription to hell to freeze,

The rest are stretches of which there are many,

To tone up that belly fat if you have any,

Finally I often repeat,

Stepping on the stairs with my feet,

And finally just to give me balance,

Around the kitchen I will dance,

And there you have it my AI curious friend,

The Battle of the Bulge is at an end.

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