Part 2
Liberty of any kind is never lost all at once.
David Hume (XXII)
Try to live in a place you like
Sir Billy Connolly (III)
Civil government, so far as it is instituted for the security of property,
is in reality instituted for the defence of the rich against the poor,
or of those who have some property against those who have none at all.
Adam Smith (IV)
201 home
To be functionally well your home environment matters.
The people running Scotland have a history of messing up.
Speculation by those in charge ruined the economy and almost led to bankruptcy.
Betrayal, treachery and bribery then led to the act of union.
This was followed by the Scottish Enlightenment .
The time when Scotland provided the spark, which shifted beliefs from religion to reason.
Yet we've been left in the dark
Here’s 5 reasons why.
The Highland Clearances were forced evictions in 18th and 19th-century,
Landlords replaced farming communities with sheep to increase profits.
People lost their homes and livelihoods, leading to poverty and mass emigration, often to North America
Approximately 690,000 Scots served in World War I, around 100,000 Scots were killed or wounded.
An estimated 560,000 Scots served in World War II, around 50,000 were killed or wounded.
The decline, evident in the late 20th century
This resulted in the closure of shipyards, steel mills, and coal mines.
Traditional manufacturing disappeared, causing high unemployment and poverty
This reshaped Scotland's economy,
shifting towards Health as an industry, and also servitude and technology.
The Right to Buy policy, led to the sale of over 500,000 council homes, reducing affordable housing
It encouraged homeownership, but created housing shortages and inequality.
The policy was abolished in 2016 to protect remaining affordable homes for rent.
As industries disappeared, so did jobs, role models and apprenticeships.
Half a million houses were sold and never replaced.
The SNP are currently at the centre of a financial scandal.
These people are responsible for looked after children
They are then thrown to the wolves , at the mercy of non-existent and failing services.
Homelessness, poor health, food and fuel poverty, are a reality for many, even those who work.
The Scottish Government, has been systematically failing for hundreds of years
NOW PLAY SONG 4
we’ve been cheated.
202 family.
To be functionally well, it helps to have family support
The 5th wave of public health in Scotland, seeks to address the consequences of ACE’S (J).
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) : are traumatic events occurring before aged 18,
Including, physical or emotional abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction.
These experiences have long-term effects on health.
Possibly leading to depression, substance abuse, and chronic diseases in adulthood.
Having traced my family back to 1758, that period of enlightenment
Adverse Childhood Experiences have been affecting my family long before I was born.
I’m Scottish. my family come from, all over from Caithness, to the Borders
Their jobs were farming, mining, fishing, and trades, they worked building the rail bridge.
People used to be connected to Scotland, they fished the seas and worked the land. They fought and died for this country
Post war life in Scotland was hard. The country was broke.
People were skint, poverty was normal and kids were treated with brutality
My Grandad was a good man, but he was abused by his dad as a child.
He was diagnosed schizophrenic and suffered because of someone else’s actions his whole life,
My Mum was born prematurely in 1949, she only weighed 2 pounds.
She suffered neglect for the first 2 years of her life .
She was later diagnosed with depression and struggled
Marrying a man who, like most other men at that time were nice to everyone else but a bully at home.
Like Jekylll and Hyde, home life could be challenging,
The kind of environment where no-one, feels safe,
Family should be a support system, sometimes they’re the problem
Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACEs. have long-term consequences (L):
Traumatic experiences during childhood, affect how we feel and act as adults
203 needs
To be functionally well, our basic needs must be met,
In 1943, Abraham Maslow, a psychologist, proposed a theory
A simple explanation of human needs.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
1. Security :
This includes basic needs such as breath, water, food, sex, sleep, balance, and toilet needs.
2. Safety :
This includes, security of body, employment, finances, beliefs, health, and property.
3. Social :
This level involves family, friends, and relationships.
4. Self :
This is characterised by happiness, confidence, achievement, respect for yourself and others.
5. Satisfaction:
This level represents a fulfilling and satisfied life.
Each level should be satisfied before one can progress to the next. Safety and security are vital; They are the foundation.
Children should be living lives with opportunity
Children need safety and security, not learned helplessness.
People need what's been stripped away, security, safety, homes, and hope.
May explain why this happens, by looking at how the nervous system deals with stress .
Helps us understand why tough experiences in childhood can affect how we feel, act, and handle stress even as we get older.
Children are being still being failed
NOW PLAY SONG 5
204 economics
To function, you need enough money .
Poverty is like trauma,
Something that you'll never understand by reading a book.
After spending a month in hospital, only after I was discharged
The Universal Credit System was new, and it's my first experience of benefits.
I was given statutory sick pay at £80 per week, my rent was £405. I was destitute for those first six months, spending some days without electricity and decent food.
Relying on others for the basics needed to survive
I had no cash for appointments or to pay any bills.
I could not feed my dogs.
I was isolated, ashamed and stressed.
My only option was to approach a charity.
The Lighthouse Club helped me financially, by providing the £400 a month I needed .
Had this not happened, I may have given up
Orthopaedic Consultants had advised me that it would take 2 years to heal. I was told that PTSD was highly likely,
Although I received no formal diagnosis.
Despite this less than three months later, a universal credit assessor, declared me fit for work
PLAY SONG 6
205 Beliefs
To function well, our beliefs matter.
In Scotland, we grow up believing freedom is possible.
Scotland's heroes stood up against tyrants.
It feels like they've won,
Men struggle to receive any kind of help, believe me, I tried.
What I believe affects my
1 Behaviour :
What we believe is a guide for action, guiding what we do and how we respond .
2 Emotions :
What we believe can lift us up or bring us down, affecting our well-being and resilience.
3 Decisions:
What we believe plays a crucial role in our choices, from small decisions to life-changing ones.
4 Relationships:
What we believe shapes how we relate, how we bond, communicate, and how we resolve conflicts.
5 Self :
What we believe about ourselves impacts our self-esteem.
Scotland has always had a fight to survive.
Scottish men have been hit hard and the Gap is growing.
When you're at the back of the queue, eventually you give up.
We have a prison population that’s 95% male and have long been known as, The sick man of Europe
Jobs here ruined peoples health, right up until those jobs were taken away.
I know someone who believes Glasgow was poisoned, creating a knife crime epidemic . All from drinking soft water from Loch Katrine, supplied through lead pipes.
Not believing everything I think is clever, while not believing what others think is wise.
After nine months, a consultant looked at my x-rays.
He believed my leg had healed.
He's a specialist, so I believed him.
He was wrong
PLAY SONG 7