Yesterday was a national holiday in the UK and unusually I caught the BBC lunchtime news, where I watched a depressing piece about how spending cuts are impacting on people in need of care. The person interviewed on the programme was a wheelchair bound lady introduced as former ballerina Elaine MacDonald. She desperately requires assistance to enable her to remain in her own home, but the cuts mean that no help is available.

Elaine MacDonald was originally a stalwart of Western Theatre Ballet which went on to become Scottish Ballet and I also remember that she danced with the New London Ballet for a short time. She was a great favourite with choreographers of her time, notably Peter Darrell and I believe John Neumeier also created a role for her. It is terribly sad to see her being so cruelly neglected by the authorities, though I am aware that the policy of cuts the present government is pursuing is harming the poor and vulnerable disproportionately and Ms MacDonald is just one of many that are suffering to satisfy political ideology.

The charity Age UK challenged Elaine MacDonald's local council in court and lost.

Full story here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14042078

A despicable ruling. After reading the details of the case I'm disgusted by the lack of compassion and basic humanity shown to this lady and of course this ruling sets a precedence for ignoring the old and vulnerable in Britain further reflecting on the moral bankruptcy of the current government that presides over a society where the poor get poorer by the day whilst the wealthy are richer than ever.

This has become a huge news story here in the UK with discussions of the implications of this ruling on radio and TV as well as in the press. One of the judges in the case has spoken out at what she considers to have been the wrong verdict (she was overruled by four others)

The Guardian, always at the forefront where social issues are concerned, has provided the best coverage and as usual the story is opened up to readers to log their own thoughts. One reader comments that PM David Cameron, also a Kensington and Chelsea resident, received a very expensive care package for his now deceased infant son in spite of the fact that he was a multi millionaire who could have easily afforded to pay privately for that care. Presumably Mr Cameron has paid into the UK’s national insurance scheme along with every other British tax payer, so I don’t have an issue with that; what I do have an issue with is that Cameron’s government now snatches the right to that care away from a vulnerable person that has paid into the system all her life.

The dissenting judge

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jul/0 ... kensington

More, From the Guardian’s Joe Public blog.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/joepu ... -decisions

Some extra detail on Ms MacDonald at the Daily Mail:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... -care.html

Hopefully Ms MacDonald will appeal over this but I’ve a bad feeling the vicious policies being imposed by central government will prevail in this case.