So one the possible, future prime ministers is claiming that she cares more because she is a mother.

Oh great, just what mothers need, someone like that putting their foot in it. It is already too easy for the world to completely discount all the skills you learn raising kids as having any relevance to the outside world and then an idiot comes along and pretends that I'm a mother arguments make them superior. Being a mother doesn't give you superior rights to caring but it does teach you a lot about many different subjects very quickly indeed.

The trouble is that, as with any other job, you need to outline and prove the relevant skills and experience. I expect that if you wrote a job description for the perfect people to run a country it would include such key issues as conflict resolution, managing your money, working out where it is going to come from and not running out, making sure everyone gets food and clothing when the need it, understanding in great detail what happens when people get bored and fed up, the importance of clean water and basic hygiene, what happens if too many people end up crammed into small spaces. Forward planning in the areas of housing, health, education and employment. THERE WAS A REASON THAT YOUR MOTHER HOPEFULLY TRIED TO TEACH YOU HOW TO SHARE NICELY AND NOT BE GREEDY.

Also carrying on when the world gets difficult because people are depending on you for their survival because simply resigning and saying sorry will only make things worse and it not an option.

I must say that as a mother I have yet to find a use for an in-depth knowledge of classics (and that is with two kids with a Greek background), how to run a good war and what makes a great general have also not been needed.

Do you need to be a mother to have all these skills? Of course not!

My point is that the skills of being a mother have long been ignored or derided (our economy is based on the work of Adam Smith who spent a long time looking at the production of a loaf of bread but forgot to mention that someone bought it, sliced it, cooked it and served it (can't remember where I read this but great illustration)) while we soul search about where our classically trained politicians have gone wrong. They have gone wrong because they haven't a clue how to run a household budget, probably haven't lived at home since they were 7, saw nothing about caring for other people beyond knowing if there was enough money to pay the school fees or hire a nanny. If they wandered around a dilapidated council estate they would find a lot of women who had more relevant experience on how to run a country than the whole of parliament put together.

Note, this is not an endorsement for any Tory politician, just fed up with the stay at home mum stereotyping that I see

It the EU debate has taught us anything, it is anger.  A nation voted out of anger and frustration, now there is anger at the result, at the lies, at the economic mess we are in and now I say, let's use this anger.  We have long joked that it doesn't matter how you vote, the politician always gets elected.  Let us use this anger and take a long, hard look at the system that has got us to this point.

The second thing we have learnt in the last week is that voting can change things, it can make massive changes.   We should use our votes and our anger to actually make this country a better place and we can do it.

I have been getting cross about politics for quite a long time, my friends have put up with a lot of ranting of the "it is just not right," type.  I even tried to raise a particular subject with my local councilors, their answer?  "have you ever thought of standing for the local council?"

No, I have not thought about standing for election, or more accurately, I have looked at the option briefly and decided that it most definitely not for me.  We have politicians to do that.  The trouble is that trust in UK politicians is at an all time low. The system has been broken for years and we have all put up with it.  Only now the country is heading for a crisis is it becoming clear how badly the system fails to deliver for a modern country.

We are proud of our history in the this country.  Unfortunately, in the same way that we are discovering that Victorian water systems were ground breaking and revolutionary but not fit for purpose (ask Yorkshire Water about none pumping, gravity feed water engineering sometime) we should also be asking if being the proud owners of one of the world's oldest democracies is actually a good thing for us today.

The last few days has been a massive shock to the whole country.  Even the people who won, the politicians that won and have to deal with their victory are walking around looking shocked and stunned.  Mr Farage is dancing in the streets but he is not the one who has to push the buttons, sign the cheques and carry the can.  He can waltz off into the sunset and sit smugly on the sidelines while the elected, Westminster MPs have to sort out the mess.

Those who lost are also having to have a re-think. Usually the loosing side sit around for four years quietly saying "I told you so" and "don't blame me, you are the one that voted for them" until another election comes around and we all have another go.  This time there is no second go, no change of mind.  We have voted and realised that our system is lacking in checks and balances.

Politics in this country has been characterised by an endless merry-go-round of small changes that alter nothing. Until the EU Referendum.

We wall woke up to the fact that our vote can and does change things and that vote is not a joke to be used lightly.

What is most startling is that while the country is reeling with shock, jubilation and despair in roughly equal measures all the elected politicians seem to be doing is carrying on with business as usual.

The man who put the country in such a dangerous position, the elected leader who is supposed to, well lead, has resigned.  He is supposed to run the country but as the Pound falls on the stock markets, prices rise at the petrol pumps (to be followed the supermarkets and heating bills soon after I suspect) does he stand up and do something useful to calm the money markets?  Does he bring out the emergency plan the government put together just in case?  Does he do anything at all helpful?  No, he walks away at the time when the country needs stability the most.

Mr Cameron, you should not be allowed to walk away.  You made this mess, now have the courage to deal with the consequences!  If you resign then you should pay back the salary that you have been earning for running the country and you should pay back in full because your job is to make this country a better place and you have failed.  Suddenly we see that the whole country has been put on performance targets but MPs don't have to go through an annual review at work and justify their pay rise like everyone else.  Yes, they might loose their jobs but that is what safe seats are for.

And the opposition, what are they doing?  They are busy getting back to what the Labour Party do best at the moment, ignoring the people that traditionally vote for them in order to keep their own seats in Westminster.  They immediately announce that they have no confidence in their leader and that they won't be able to get elected into  Government with Jeremy Corbin in charge.  Wake up and smell the coffee, your voters all voted for him to be leader.  They only voted for you because you wear a red ribbon and you are a slightly better choice than the person with the blue ribbon.

No one is actually looking at the bigger problem here, that our democracy is not working for the country!  Even the Conservatives must now realise that first past the post is not a good system of voting but I am talking about more than that.

I think the system of local MPs is not working either.  At the moment, if a large factory closes and thousands of people in one area loose their jobs then under our system of government only one MP actually cares about it.  Sure, others might make noises and if you are lucky and the right party is in power they may try and help but at the end of the day the local MP is the one that cares.

I was lucky enough to visit the Houses of Parliament for a brief visit years ago.   The government were bringing in the CRB checking system and the charity sector realised that this was going to bankrupt them.  The Guide Association hosted an event on the terrace at Westminster so we could lobby on behalf of the rest of the charity sector.  Also in the news at the time was the IRA.  They bombed two different English cities on the previous 2 Mondays and the whole country was worried who would be next.  Everyone in the country cared, this was a big issue and any city could find itself targeted a few days later.

When we arrived the ushers apologised and told us that there would not be many people at our reception as there was an emergency vote on Northern Ireland happening that evening.  We understood, this was important stuff, why would they come and talk about CRB checks when so many lives were at stake.

Anyway a small number did turn up and the GA staff quietly managed all the conversations.  Over the evening I pretended to actually live in Durham (where I was living), Tyneside, the West Midlands and Worcestershire (where I came from), because an elected MP, it turns out, will only actually engage with someone who is able to vote for them.  They will rapidly ask where you live and politely get rid of you very quickly if you are not their voter.  So the event comes to an end and the ushers ask us if we would like to visit the House.

Of we go to see democracy in action.  We were going to watch an important debate about our National Security.  What we found was about 6 MPs in a nearly empty room.  Shocked and stunned we ask the usher where they all are.  It is a Northern Ireland debate he explains.  Yes, the IRA are bombing us at the moment, where are our MPs we ask?  Well, gone home early of course.  This is a Northern Ireland debate.  Only the MPs from Northern Ireland care about being here tonight.

That evening about 20 young women who were politically interested and motivated realised that there was no point in even trying. We had it all wrong.  The elected MPs were only interested in their own area.  They didn't care about the country as a whole.  They didn't care who got bombed next Monday, as long as it wasn't them!

Can we blame them for going home early?  No, because at the moment that is how our system works.  Their job is to care just about the small area that voted for them.  The Cabinet is concerned with the business end of things.  As long as they get enough money going around the system to stop us going bankrupt then they are doing their job.  They all sit in safe seats so they don't have to worry about keeping their voters happy.  They can assume they will win their seats and the problems of an industrial wasteland that was our country and once provided all the money?  Not their problem!

So lets use the current anger we all have!  Vote for another referendum if you want but I say, lets call for a complete change, lets call for a change of how we run the country.  Not just a change of colour but a whole change in how we vote for them, how they work and how we hold them responsible.

We voted for change, lets call for some real change.  Yes, this is a big ask, yes, it would be expensive, yes we would have to learn a lot about political science and economy but isn't it about time that every kid in Britain learnt enough basic political and economic science to hold their politicians to account and not just those who go to Eton?  

I want to put together a Change.Org petition.  I want to stop feeling helpless, I want the whole country to stop feeling helpless.  Now I need advice and to probably spend a lot of time learning about how other countries run themselves.

What's in a name?

Just a little thought for the day

So far I have put up just a couple of posts about natual cleaning products but I am well aware that I am walking over a lexicographical minefield.

First of all, natural.  What exactly does that mean?  While defining it might be fun I do know that it should not be used to mean that a products is automatically safe to use, non-toxic or in other ways benign.  Borax is a great cleaning agent, derived from natural mineral deposits but you would not want your kids or pets messing around with it.

Next - chemicals.  this ia whole nest of controversy waiting to happen.  I know that everything is a chemical.  It matters not whether a product was dug up from the ground, given a quick dust off and popper straight into a box of whether it was brewed up in a complex, industrial process, they are all chemicals.

The difficulty comes on how to  differentiate correctly between the unpleasant, potentially harmful, industrially derived sort of chemicals and the ones that are in teh air around us, or in fact, are the air around us.

Bicarbonate of Soda

Bicarbonate of Soda

When it comes to cleaning naturally then bicarb is where it is at.  Some people (just do a search) think that is probably the only cleaning agent you will ever need.  I personally like a few more weapons in my arsenal against house hold muck and germs but bicarb is a very good place to start.

Warning and Disclaimer

I am not an expert on essential oils.  I tend to follow the guidelines on other people's recipes.  Remember that natural does not mean safe!

The oils I use are:

Lavender, Tea Tree and Lemon oil.  These all have antibacterial and anti-fungal properties

Cleaning the bathroom

Dampen a sponge scrubber, the sort with a darker layer of scrubber on the top, and use a teaspoon to put a small amount of bicarb on.  Rub well into grimy bathroom and then rinse clean.  

This works really well on soap scum marks but, and this a big but, you do need to scrub a bit and water may not be enough to rinse it off.

If you don't rinse it of properly then you get a powdery residue on your bath.  This looks dusty but is nothing to worry about.  On the toilet seat though it leads to a less than satisfactory, gritty sensation.  Not what you want at all.

If you are getting bicarb residue then use a second sponge, spray this one with white, household vinegar and use this to give your bathroom a final wipe down.  This will leave everything shiny, even the loo seat.  You might even find that you hear a nice fizzing noise as the bicarb and vinegar react.

Smelly Carpet and Shoe Mix

I got the recipe from the "How Clean is Your House" programme and it never fails.

Take an old ice cream box or similar.  

Empty in a small box of bicarb.

Add 2 or 3 drops of your favourite essential oil.

Put in the lid, shake well and leave for a few days for the smell to infuse.

To use:

Get an old plastic bottle and use a skewer to make holes in the lid.

This can then be used as a sprinkler.

Shake the mix over your carpet and leave for as long as possible before hoovering.

Or shake into the bottom of smelly shoes, just a little.

Alternatively, use the mix to make up little smell sachets that you put into your shoes while not wearing them.

You could also sprinkle some onto upholstery, leave and then brush off or hoover. 

Important points to remember

Hoover the mix off your carpet before pets or children go on it.  This really depends on the type of essential oil you have used, some are more of a problem than others.

Shake the mix out of your shoes before you wear them.  A few bits of powder won't do you any harm but I don't know about prolonged exposure.  

Cleaning with vinegar

I have found that spraying vinegar onto a microfibre cloth makes a great, instant shoe shine cloth!  I am going to keep a vinegar cloth in an old plastic tub so the kids can clean their own shoes without going anywhere near shoe polish.

It is way past bed time and I have a busy day tomorrow but sometimes I just have to write.  I really enjoy writing when the mood takes me.  Unfortunately, most of the time, when I have to write invoices, cookery adverts and Twitter posts, the mood takes me somewhere else and no writing happens at all.

This evening, while browsing for cheap white vinegar and baking soda on-line I decided it was time for a new blog.  This will not have anything to do with cooking or recipes, not matter how interesting.  This will be the place where I write stuff for the sake of writing and I won't worry about visitor stats or whether all the views I do get are from robots.  This is where I will witter on about random stuff like larp and gardening and probably my kids.

This evening I will mainly be wittering on about cleaning.  I bet you are all feeling excited already.  As some of you know I am actually a very qualified (if that is possible) and experienced cleaner due to many hours of lovingly caring for a National Trust house.  I have even been on whole training courses on the subject of cleaning.  Seriously, you can spend a whole day just talking about cleaning books.  More specifically we spent a lot of time worrying about to clean things without actually damaging them at all.   This generally led onto discussion on where you could still get old fashioned products and whether certain brands of metal cleaner where on the British Museum safe list.  It also led onto the wonderful world of natural cleaning products.

While I was working for the Nt the early episodes of How Clean is your House were just airing and the UK was waking up to remembering that people have used all sorts of things to clean their houses in the past and some of those things are very useful today.

In fact, not only are some of the old fashioned and natural (yes, I am using the term in a loose sense) products useful, they are often a lot cheaper than branded products and contain significantly lower levels of chemicals.  Best of all, they are relatively easy to get hold of.

My favourite 2 natural cleaning products are vinegar and bicarbonate of soda.  You can buy both in Wilkinsons, in the cleaning aisle.

Next time you reach for expensive bathroom cleaner try buying a spray bottle of vinegar.  Spray all around your bathroom and wipe clean! Spray on the floor and wipe clean.  I recommend using a microfibre cloth.

You can get a whole range of these cloths, depending on your budget.  I find that the five for £1 from Tesco ones work fine.

Yes, your bathroom will smell like a chip shop but not for long!

In contrast, the branded anti bacterial cleaning I have to have in my bathroom (I run a food business from home and the local EHO says I have to use it by law) contains 0.07% benzoalkonium chloride.  It is a very low percentage but a quick look a the Wikipaedia pages (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzalkonium_chloride)  really puts me off using it at all.  If we were in the middle of an nasty epidemic then I wouldn't mind but for a daily clean I would rather use the vinegar.

Luckily I only cater from home once a week.  Then out come all the approved cleaners and my home gets a really thorough drenching in mysterious mixtures I don't understand but most of them have warnings on the back.