31 Tweets to Mark Butler

Inspired by both @AlisonFairleigh in her challenge of 30 blogs in 30 days, and from hearing the song Shout To The Top by The Style Council on rage this evening (...um... perhaps this morning is more appropriate), I have decided to try a challenge of my own - 31 tweets to Mark Butler in 31 days.

You see, in February, Better Access will be discussed in parliament again.  And I have to do something, however small, to try and convince Hon Butler of our "worth".  At the moment, the government sees fit to put most of it's funding into youth inner-city and suburban mental health, fucking the rest of us.  The rest of us being anyone who lives outside of these areas and anyone in any area over the age of 25.  Thing is - I think that we're worth something.  I am worth something.  We are all worth something.  We all have something to contribute to society, and quite frankly, what we can contribute is a shitload more than most people.

I heard Stephen Fry tonight discuss bipolar, and how if people with bipolar could flip a switch to stop their illness, most of them wouldn't do it, because the highs are worth the lows.  Guess what?  I don't have bipolar, but I feel the same.  When I'm "well" (i.e. pretending), then everything is grey, and I just drone alone with everyone else.  Having a mental illness can suck the very life from your soul, but on your good days - it offers a spectrum of colour that no other person gets to witness.  The trick is finding a therapist that can stop you from killing yourself before you get a chance to find your own place in the world, where you can see the colour and handle the lows without being droolingly zonked out.  The place where you can achieve greatness.  Some are able to do it on their own, as history has shown.  Some of us need help.

And regardless - isn't the sign of a great society one where each of it's citizens is granted help getting up when they fall down?  And not just the token kind either smart arses - I mean actual help that helps!

Anyway - I think that we're worth the reinstatement of the cut Better Access sessions, and more besides, and I'm going to try and convince the Hon Butler of that.

My first tweet is going to be a link to this blog - where I've included the video and lyrics to the song "Shout To The Top" by The Style Council.  It was written as a bit of a fuck you to Margaret Thatcher in the mid 80's, and while the topic isn't the same, the sentiment sure as hell is.


Shout To The Top by The Style Council

I was half in mind, I was half in need,
And as the rain came down
I dropped to my knees, and I prayed...
I said "oh Heavenly thing, please cleanse my soul,
I've seen all on offer and I'm not impressed at all".

I was halfway home, I was half insane,
And every shop window I looked in just looked the same
I said "now send me a sign to save my life
'Cause at this moment in time there is nothing certain
in these day's of mine".

Y'see it's a frightening thing when it dawns upon you
That I know as much as the day I was born and
Though I wasn't asked, I might as well stay and
Promise myself each and every day that

When you're knocked on your back, and your life's a flop
and when you're down on the bottom there's nothing else but 
to shout to the top - shout!


We're gonna shout to the top - shout! (ad nauseum)

LindaMadHatter Linda Wemyss

@Mark_Butler_MP Welcome to 2012 :) Apologies - seems I made it this far after all *big grin* ... enjoy... http://lindamadhatter.blogspot.com/2012/01/31-tweets-to-mark-butler.html

1 minute ago