Monday 6 August 2012

PUK interviews Keith Ordinary Guy



Politics UK · 4,429 like this.
about an hour ago · 
  • This is the thread that we will use for tonights interview with Keith Ordinary Guy.

    Please be aware that all question will be via PoliticsUK. There will be an opportunity to ask questions directly to Keith at the end of the interview.
    PUK interviews Keith Ordinary Guy
    Today at 20:00 at Politics UK
    1 ·  · 
    • Ellen Evans, Jack Barker, Jim McArthur and 17 others like this.
      • Politics UK Some background info first:
        http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2183142/Is-Britains-biggest-whinger-Retired-youth-worker-61-written-different-letter-David-Cameron-EVERY-DAY-March.html
        Is this Britain's biggest whinger? Retired youth worker, 61, has written a different letter to David
        www.dailymail.co.uk
        Keith Lindsay-Cameron, from Peasedown St John, near Bath, has penned 137 missive...See more
        about an hour ago · 
      • Politics UK PoliticsUK would like to welcome Keith Lindsay-Cameron aka Keith Ordinary Guy
        Hi Keith, You have come to the nation’s attention by the Daily Mail Article titled “Is this Britain's biggest whinger?”
        What was your reaction from that article? Are you a ‘whinger’? Do you believe that the article was fair?
        about an hour ago · 
      • Keith Ordinary Guy Hi everyone.

        Papers like the Mail are a business, they sell stories, fair has nothing to do with it. As a person I am as irrelevant to them as much as they are irrelevant to me, apart from as an irritant. They did not consult me or ask my permission, they just took their pound of flesh and they are welcome to it. I see them as much a part of the problem of lies and deception as politicians and as fundamentally dishonest.
        about an hour ago · 
      • Politics UK You have written over 130 letters to the Prime Minister. Have you received any response?
        about an hour ago · 
      • Keith Ordinary Guy I have had 5 bland and meaningless responses which I have used and pimped up with my able friends Mr Suggs (my bear), Eeyore and Ribbit. Like many others I have felt let down by replies in the past, so knowing what was likely to come I decided to use them to further my campaign and was not disappointed.
        about an hour ago · 
      • Politics UK What did you hope would be achieved by your communications with the PMs Office?
        about an hour ago · 
      • Keith Ordinary Guy I have achieved what I set out to do, to make my views, posted daily to the PM, a matter of public record. I want change, but am very aware of the difficulties involved and the isolated feeling of ‘we cannot effect change’. I have broken my silence and made it public, I do not claim to have got it right, but it’s in as plain English as I can manage and, as far as I am able, without deceit or guile, it’s information and information is power. I have no control over the use of that information; it’s up to others what they make of it, or not, but I stand by and up for what I have said.
        about an hour ago · 
      • Politics UK Are you surprised that you by the support that you seem to have received from the online community?
        about an hour ago · 
      • Keith Ordinary Guy Yes, I am literally and personally overwhelmed. I can’t keep up with the Facebook activity. I was pretty sure I’d gain some supporters, I am an intelligent guy and am a pretty good writer and am not turning out meaningless rants, but I had no idea of the nerve the letters would touch nor the incredibly positive response they’ve had and are still having.
        about an hour ago · 
      • Politics UK Can you tell us a little about yourself? What sparked your passion in politics?
        about an hour ago · 
      • Keith Ordinary Guy 
        I grew up in a very poor family, with just our mother, who regularly went without food for our sakes. I have also experienced very poor mental health all my life and been very ill at times. When I look back at my life, the moments that made
         the difference for my survival, were moments of simple kindness, those kindnesses stand out as what have shaped my life most and influenced and informed everything I have done.

        I am a community and youth worker and I don’t think it’s possible to do that job without being impacted daily by politics. The essence of youth work is empowering people and you can’t do that without seeing and being intimately involved with how disempowered people are.
        about an hour ago · 
      • Politics UK You are obviously not a fan of the coalition government. Do you accept that budget cuts were needed?
        about an hour ago · 
      • Keith Ordinary Guy 
        I do not accept that the budget cuts were needed at all. Money is not a natural resource, it can’t get used up, so the question is always, where has it gone and why? This depression, as with the 1930’s depression, was manufactured by the ba
        nks and the astonishing power houses of wealth behind them. The only country in the world to stand up to the banks is Iceland and they are now recovering and they are recovering because the real wealth of a nation resides in its people and resources, money is just a token of exchange, but we are being controlled by the token and not the real thing.
        about an hour ago ·
      • Keith Ordinary Guy 
        I do not accept any of the benefits cuts as necessary. As far as I can see they are punitive and unreasonable in a civilized nation. I think the minimum wage is far too low, a living wage is one that supports the lives of the workers and th
        eir families, if it does not, it is not a living wage. We do not live to work, we work to live and if we cannot live off our labour, I would like to know what people we are supposed to live on?
        about an hour ago · 
      • Politics UK What effect do you think of the government’s plans to stop housing benefit to under 25s will have?
        about an hour ago · 
      • Keith Ordinary Guy I am as opposed to this as I am opposed to the all cuts. This cut in HB for the under 25’s is draconian and fails to take on board the many young people who have no family to live with or who cannot live with their families for whatever reason.
        about an hour ago · 
      • Politics UK What policies of the Government do you support?
        about an hour ago · 
      • Keith Ordinary Guy I have no idea, there must be some, or I hope there might be, but my attention is on the unfolding disaster that is sweeping the people of this nation and the world.
        about an hour ago · 
      • Politics UK What’s your view on the UK role in the EU?
        about an hour ago · 
      • Keith Ordinary Guy I think that the EU is a behemoth and a failed experiment, but I am a lot less informed about the EU than I feel I should be. Again, it isn’t the focus of my attention.
        59 minutes ago · 
      • Politics UK In your opinion, does immigration help or hinder our country?
        59 minutes ago · 
      • Keith Ordinary Guy I think that immigration is a handy demon to rile the people with and is a whole lot less of a problem than the government and the media would have us believe. I suspect it is a handy way to keep our eyes off the ball of the banking and corporate dictatorship and the polarization of wealth which immigrants have nothing to do with.
        59 minutes ago · 
      • Politics UK Its 5 years this week since the credit crunch started. What mistakes do you think have been made by Governments since then?
        58 minutes ago ·
      • Keith Ordinary Guy Not controlling the banks and leaving the control of money with the banks who have in every way proved to be criminals and their punitive attacks on the people and specifically the poor and vulnerable who they have been at great pains to demonise.
        58 minutes ago · 
      • Politics UK Do you feel that there is a chance that the youth today will be a ‘lost generation’?
        57 minutes ago · 
      • Keith Ordinary Guy 
        No I do not think of youth like that at all. This world will be theirs tomorrow, they’ll meet the challenge, some better than others, but meet it they will. As far as I am concerned calling todays youth lost is stupid and meaningless. Most 
        of the young people I know are far smarter and wiser than I was at the same age. There may well be some who are as dumb, lost and naive as I was, but that’s nothing that a bit of living won’t solve.
        57 minutes ago · 
      • Politics UK What can be done to help young people in the UK?
        55 minutes ago · 
      • Keith Ordinary Guy Believe in them and stop demonizing them and expecting them to be something they are not. The end.
        55 minutes ago · 
      • Politics UK It was this time last year when riots were happening in England? What do you believe were the core reasons of the rioting and what lessons need to be learnt from that experience?
        54 minutes ago · 
      • Keith Ordinary Guy I live in a small rural town now, I have not spoken to any of the rioters and I would not presume to speak for them or about them or whatever lessons need to be learnt. That would be rude and disrespectful.
        54 minutes ago · 
      • Politics UK Does the UK drug policy help or hinder young people in the UK?
        53 minutes ago · 
      • Keith Ordinary Guy 
        I grew up with drugs and have been around them all my life, they are part of a culture I admire and respect. Alcohol is a great example of a dangerous drug, if you screw up on alcohol it’ll kill you. I can still recall being so drunk as a t
        eenager I couldn’t stand up or stop vomiting. I learnt the hard way, and that’s not a bad way to learn. People have to learn for themselves, a culture of telling is ridiculous, you learn to live by living and making a lot of mistakes. Locking people up for cannabis use is ludicrous, it’s a victimless crime. Harder drugs, like smack, should be restricted, but imprisoning people for using it serves no one.
        53 minutes ago · 
      • Politics UK Do you believe that the Government is picking on the disabled and vulnerable in the UK?
        52 minutes ago · 
      • Keith Ordinary Guy ‘Picking on’ is a playground bully term. This government has wilfully and deliberately targeted the disabled and the vulnerable with such callousness it takes my breath away. It was realizing their vicious intent that took me to the tipping point and why I write in order to expose them daily.
        52 minutes ago · 
      • Politics UK Finally, what can ‘ordinary’ people do to change politics?
        51 minutes ago · 
      • Keith Ordinary Guy 
        If people want to, that’s the thing. I hate this whole ‘sheeples’ thing, that’s just blaming and pretty dishonest too. I am responsible for my own actions, not the actions or non-actions of others. Just about anything as long as it’s not ‘n
        othing’. Silence is a vote. I abhor violence and always will, but it may be that there is no other way, I am trying to avoid that in what I am doing, but if the oppression and suppression continues, it may be that the last resort of violent insurrection is all there is. I fear for it but I don’t fear it. I hope for any other solution, but the decision lies with those in power. As people we can ask politely, we can demand, we can protest and we can occupy, the responses so far are far from encouraging. I’ll finish with a famous quote from Mohandas Gandhi when he responded to a question about western civilization, “Western civilization? I think it would be a good idea." That’s where we are still.
        51 minutes ago · 
      • Politics UK Keith will now take questions direct from PoliticsUK Users. Can you bear in mind that Keith is neither a politician nor promoting a cause.
        He is just an Ordinary Guy.
        50 minutes ago · 
      • Politics UK Keith will now take questions from PUK users.
        49 minutes ago · 
      • Craig Paul Nightingale Keith I must say after reading all this I can offer only gratitude and respect for someone like you standing up for our nation. As a 20 year old I regard myself as fairly young. Do you have any advice for me in general?
        48 minutes ago via Mobile · 
      • Politics UK Via Laura Louise Bentley

        Can you ask Keith what he thinks the affects will be on the children within the care system due to the housing benefit changes.
        47 minutes ago · 
      • Lyn Wilson do you think this government is more interested in spending our hard earned tax on wars rather that the wellbeing of its citizens.
        46 minutes ago · 
      • Keith Ordinary Guy Thank you Craig. Wow that's a question. Be as authentic and true to yourself as possible. That will expose a lot of fears, but it's the only way I know to really live.
        45 minutes ago ·
      • Politics UK Via Jayne Stafford
        How has you life had changed since all the media attention?
        44 minutes ago · 
      • Keith Ordinary Guy Hi Jayne. It's got busy and as much as I would like to thank each person who has supported me personally, it's got way past that. I have to tell myself, 'You write letters', and stay focussed on that.
        41 minutes ago · 
      • Mick Constable One of the questions asked by PUK was

        "Its 5 years this week since the credit crunch started. What mistakes do you think have been made by Governments since then”

        To which you replied

        "Not controlling the banks and leaving the control of money with the banks who have in every way proved to be criminals and their punitive attacks on the people and specifically the poor and vulnerable who they have been at great pains to demonise.”

        I assume from this that you also wrote regularly for 3 of those years to the previous Prime Minister, could you tell us what sort of response you got from him ?
        40 minutes ago · 
      • Mr.Captain Proton Can Mr Suggs and his friends put an airshow on for all of us! I would gladly watch!
        40 minutes ago · 
      • Craig Paul Nightingale Thank you Keith, I wish you all the best and will keep supporting your campaign as best I can.
        37 minutes ago via Mobile · 
      • Keith Ordinary Guy I did not write Mick, I am writing now.
        37 minutes ago ·
      • Zen CA Hi Keith, be interested to see if you agree with the following short post on a site i help manage.
        http://creativealternatives.info/?p=971
        Creative Alternatives – Stronger Democracy
        creativealternatives.info
        Take our challenge and see how many things you can switch to on our site. CreativeAlternatives.info – Alternatives for a creative society.
        36 minutes ago ·  · 
      • Keith Ordinary Guy I shall have to consult with Mr Suggs about that Mr.Captain Proton, his agent is a swine.
        35 minutes ago · 
      • Politics UK PoliticsUK would like to thank Keith for his time on this interview and wish him all the best for the future.

        Thank you.

        ********************************************************************************************
        34 minutes ago · Edited ·
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