Harriet Harman wears Kevlar body armour to tour her own constituency. Whoa! There! Isn't she one of the New Labour harridans who lambastes us ordinary folk all the time about how the crime rate is falling year-on-year? Doesn't her colleague the Home Secretary tell us how safe it is to live in London and other big cities? So, what was she scared of? Why did I so not believe her self justifying (self righteous?) interview.
As a Londoner what am I to think of Harriet's stunt? What message am I to read into this? As is usual, the message I take from this stunt is the one that perhaps she never intended (or perhaps she did?). That she, one of the governing elite is worth more than I. I mean, her life is clearly worth more than mine.
Today I had to go out and see a highly disturbed young man who, last night had tried to strangle his own mum. I visited him at home. He would only sit in the kitchen (all those knives). Its my job. I am a mental health social worker. It doesn't happen every day, but it does happen some days. My boss doesn't think I am worth that much to him that he wants to give me a Kevlar vest. I don't know of any social worker who is issued with such kit. But we social workers are not just walking the streets (and, no, I never feel endangered on the streets during office hours) but, actually going into people's houses, sometimes challenging our clients, telling them things they don't want to hear, telling them we are going to take their kids away, send them to a mental hospital they don't want to go to. And, no, the Police don't always attend even when we ask them to. In people's houses (all those knives), in their spaces where they feel (perhaps) particularly invulnerable. Yes, a few social workers have died doing their duty. I don't know of any Labour MP who has ever died in similiar circumstances.
So, who is she kidding? No, I don't like Harriet Harman. Never have. But I expect the feeling is mutual.
Comments