5 Ways to Save Money for the Non Saver!

 There are so many phrases that are flung around when it comes to talking about money and saving.  None of them sound much fun, which I think is half the problem when it comes to needing to save up or cut down on your spending.

Tightening your purse strings, cutting corners, every penny counts, waste not want not.  I’m bored just by typing them out.  

I think it was Sophia Amoruso who said “Money looks better in your bank than on your feet”.  Clearly she has never owned a pair of Louboutins.  (Never have I TBH, but one day…….)

What I wanted to do today is share some tips that you can incorporate into your everyday life that will save you money and also cut down on your spending in the long run.   

So let’s start with the fun tip to begin:

Go shopping to save more

Yes. I did tell you to go shopping in order to save money.  

Every day on my lunch break I walk into town to look around the shops.  

Whoever you are, there are always things in your life that are the staples that you use time and time.  Skincare, haircare, makeup.  It can be anything really that you use on a regular basis.  The rule is simple, regardless of whether you need one or not, if it is on sale at a great price, buy it.  But only if it is something that you use regularly.

That does not mean that new shade of nail varnish that Sally Hansen brought out that you are convinced you will wear all the time.  This means the moisturiser that works for your skin that you use every day.  The BB cream that brightens up a tired work day face.  The expensive shampoo/conditioner that you love but is now on three for two.

This will not only save you money in the long run.  It also enables you to continue using the products that you love, keeping that extra luxury, but at a more affordable price.

For example, I love John Frieda products (not a recommendation, everyone’s hair works better with different products.  I like the range for what it does to my hair, but also that there are a wide range of products).

So, my staples from the range are the regular shampoo, conditioner, the blonde shampoo and conditioner, the hair serum and the frizz ease product (I do recommend that last one for anybody, I love it).

All of that costs £37.00.  Not cheap.  Buying them in bulk on three for two means I buy two of everything (£74.00).  Averaging the price of each item at £6.17, knocking four products off I get for free, means the price goes down to an average of £4.11, £49.16 total.  A saving of nearly £25.00.

I can justify a price of £4.11 per product much more than £6.17.

Store Advantage Cards

Get them.  Get them all and use them.  But don’t just get the card, download the app.  Stores like Boots regularly have an offer such as extra points when you spend a certain amount of money, or things like double points on certain products.

But again, only buy what you need and ideally, try to use these offers in conjunction with the offers already on in store, such as three for two.  

I try my best to save these points for Christmas year which I can then use to buy presents, perfume, that Clinique moisturiser I love that is NEVER on sale.  Last year I had saved £90.00 worth of points.

Go Through a Cashback Site Online

Every time I go online now, even when I am not intending to purchase something; I open up a tab with my go to cashback site provider, in my case, TopCashBack.  A lot of the cashback you get can be minimal, like 2% on purchases at a clothing store; but it does add to your total.

What you can really make money on are the larger purchases that you need to buy every day.  Home insurance, car insurance, holidays.  Everything you buy on the internet, you can usually get some form of cashback on.

Recently I needed to renew my VPN.  Instead of paying £120.00, I ended up paying £60.00 with the offer, plus 55% cash back.  Meaning that instead of paying £120.00, I will have spent around £36.00.

Over the past couple of years, even with forgetting sometimes to use the site, I have got £275.00 in cashback.  That’s nearly one Louboutin right there.  Or a good payment towards a holiday (whenever we get to go away again).

Save Your Change

When I first thought about saving the cash in my purse, I started with saving pound coins and fifty pence pieces.  Don’t do this.  Because at the end of the month I inevitably opened up my savings jar to raid the money to pay for my lunches for the week before payday.

Instead, do this.  Save only silver.  Every few days when you come home from work, open your purse and spread out your coins.  Put back the pound coins and the fifty pence pieces (unless you have a lot).  Put away in your savings any tens, twenties and fives.

Today I put away 85p.  Not a lot, but it adds up.  Every few months I accumulate around £40 - 50.00.

For the Product Lovers

Again, another fun one.  Subscribe to a beauty box.  There are many out there, I am currently with Glossybox and pay £11.75 a month.  

Most boxes have a minimum value of £50.00 worth of products, sometimes I have had a box worth over £100.00.  Last month I got a face serum worth £43.  Another month I received an Illamasqua highlighter worth £27.00.  

My skincare has definitely improved with the products that I have received and saves you buying items at the regular price.  I can’t remember the last time for example I needed to buy face serum.

What I love is that they also put up regular short surveys for the products that you receive. which then gives you credit to spend.  Again, it all adds up.

Click on this link to subscribe (if you wish, I am not pushing you) and you will receive £5 credit which you can then spend on the Look Fantastic site.

I know that this has been a long post, but I hope that it helps someone like me who likes the nice products in life, but would like to cut down on spending.

If you use all of these tips in your life, you will save a decent amount of money in the long run.  That first pair of Louboutins may not be that far away!

I was not paid to write this piece, all comments and suggestions are my own

The Basics of Life We All Need To Be Happy

 No one’s figured out the meaning of life yet, and it’s likely that nobody ever will. As such, we get to make up our own meanings. And doesn’t the pursuit of happiness seem like a pretty reasonable ambition? Life’s not only more enjoyable when you’re happy, but it can even extend your life! Plus, there’s no denying that happy people want to make the world a better place. It’s the haters that hold us back. But what are the keys to happiness? We’re going to run through some of the essentials in this blog.

Pexels - CC0 Licence

Somewhere to Live

It’s amazing how often people take their good fortune for granted. If you have a roof over your head, then you should be grateful. There are plenty of people out there who don’t have that, and if you extend the catchment area to all people who have ever lived, you’ll find that virtually nobody had that. It’s impossible to quantify just how much having a home to call your own can impact your life. Without it, you’d be sleeping outside in all weather, have nowhere to store your stuff, nowhere to relax, and so on. 

The Right to Live Where You Are

Having a roof over your head is one thing. But what if you didn’t have a country to call home? If you live where you were born, then this won’t be something that you’ve thought about all that much. But it happens all the time -- people have to leave their home country for all kinds of reasons. Thankfully, there are options out there for other people, especially in the UK. From arriving on a visa to applying for British passport after indefinite leave to remain, the immigration journey can be long but eventually worth it. And if you have the right to live where you are without giving it a second thought, then consider yourself blessed!

Other People

Some people have a low opinion of humanity or wish that everyone would disappear. But can you imagine what life would be like if that were to actually happen? It’d be impossible. You’d have to catch and cook all your meals. If you got sick, then, unless you’re a doctor, you’d have no idea what to do. And it’s not just about the technical details. It’s other people that make us laugh and keep us entertained. Where would we be without them?

Capacity to Improve

It’s true that life isn’t always a stroll in the park. There are times when it feels like we’re up against it or when it feels like we’re no longer enjoying what we had. But the good thing about life is that you don’t have to settle for your situation. In nearly all instances, there are ways that you can improve your situation. Even if we don’t decide to change our lives, knowing that we have the capacity to improve can have such a big influence on our lives. If you know that everything’s possible, you’ll be well on your way to happiness! 

QuietOn & Camping

 Last weekend I went to Wales to go camping for three days.

Now anyone that knows me will know that I am not a camping person.  I have memories of camping years ago and my recollection of it included cramped tents, always been cold, uncomfortable on the floor and being woken up at 5.00am with blazing sunshine and the birds singing.

Now I love sunshine and birdsong, but not at 5.00am.  I am not a morning person it has to be said.

Having been promised a comfortable tent that I could stand up in, a double mattress and a cozy duvet to sleep with; my only qualms led to being woken up in the morning.  Our tent had a bedroom with blackout so the light would not be a problem; but what about those pesky birds?

So I decided that this weekend would be the perfect time to try out my new QuietOn 3 earbuds.  I have previously reviewed the previous generation of these earbuds and use them to great use in my home office.  They drown out the sound of the household perfectly and enable me to get on with my work.  But for the outdoors, I decided to go for the newest version to see how they would work out.

Here is what they say about the QuietOn 3 earbuds:

"Everything that we want in life – professional success, personal well-being, physiological health – begins with a good night’s sleep. And a good night’s sleep begins with quietude. QuietOn 3 leverages breakthrough ANC technology to create a better environment for sleep, effectively eliminating the low-frequency noises that so often disrupt our sleep.

Some of the most common noises that interrupt sleep are low-frequency sounds from heating systems, appliances, traffic, airplanes, snoring and noisy neighbours. QuietOn 3’s ANC technology eliminates ambient sound by automatically generating opposite waveforms to nullify the low frequencies, resulting in a much quieter and more peaceful environment for sleep."

As you can see, the carrying case that holds the earbuds is tiny and therefore easily transportable to wherever you need to go.  You get a charging cable within the case with a USB and four different sizes of earbuds to ensure that you get the perfect fit.  The case also has handy lights to indicate when the earbuds are charged.

A single charge lasts 28 hours which is amazing frankly and lasted me for my whole trip without losing power.

But did they work you ask? Well the answer is, perfectly.  I tested out each earbud for sizing and found that the second smallest fit my ears perfectly.  The buds expand slightly when in your ear so there is no worry that they are going to fall out during the night or when you turn over in bed.  I can attest to this.  My partner says I turn around and around in bed all night and they never moved.

I think that I slept more soundly in those three days than I have in a long time.  As promised by QuietOn, the earbuds removed all of the noises that would normally have woken me in the night and ensured that birdsong did not wake up at sunrise, which I was extremely grateful for.

I lent them to my partner for a few days in the next week as he is often woken in the night by the cat padding around and street noise.  He said that he too had a wonderful sleep and I think we may be battling to use them from now on.  At least now, I know what to buy him for Christmas!

I can highly recommend the QuietOn 3 earbuds.  Sleep is so important to have a productive day and uninterrupted sleep is a rarity in modern life.  They are a must!

Here was our view while we were in Wales.  We will definately be revisiting, with our earbuds in place!

Chicken Licken, The Sky is Falling In

 I have had various conversations with people over the past few years about "trans issues" with varying degrees of success.  Some are shocked, horrified at what I tell them.  "I had no idea.  How can this happen?"

Some miss the point entirely and simply say "Live and let live".  Their ears are open but they are not listening.  These are the people that think that it is all really a big to-do about nothing.  It will all go away, sort itself out, somehow, they think.

Then there are others who simply don't care.  Unless something directly impacts on their life, they do not care.  It is happening to someone else, somewhere else.  Not them.  They listen to the party line of "transwomen are women" and think that if the media are saying it, it must be true.

What will it take for them to care?

There has been much in the media recently about "Laurel Hubbard", the trans athlete who identifies as a woman and is competing as a woman in the Olympics.  I see outrage from many, but many of those take it as a single incident.  An "how terrible" and never think about it again.  

Last week a Judge ruled that transwomen could enter women's prisons.  It rocketed around like a meteor of shock and pain in the gender critical circles I circulate in; but has been ignored by the main media.

Again I have had conversations.  I talk about the fact that Californian female prisoners who are sleeping in shifts to keep themselves safe.  I talk about Karen White (as the most high profile trans prisoner they may have heard of).  I talk about sex attacks happening as a result of transwomen in prisons.  I talk about nearly half of trans prisoners are in prison for sex crimes.  That 1 in 50 male prisoners now identify as female.

I see shock from some, but no anger.  No pledge to tell people, do something.  Anything.  Speak out.  Join the cause.  From others, I see their eyes glaze over.  They think "well I'll never be in prison, so".

Lets look why women are in the prison in the most part.  

53% have survived emotional, physical or sexual abuse in childhood.  7 in 10 are survivors of domestic abuse.  80% have been sentenced to prison for non violent offences, such as shoplifting and not paying your TV licence.  

I tell people about four year olds in gender clinics.  About teenagers prescribed life altering puberty blockers.  About the teenager detransitioners, let down the medical professional who are now missing breasts, have had hysterectomies.  Who have suffered loss of bone density and vaginal atrophy.

About little girls and boys who like toys or clothes deemed for the opposite sex who are put on the transgender path by the parents; who are told by the schools (thanks Stonewall) that this the right thing to do.

I tell them about women who are assaulted by transwomen who are forced by Judges to lie in Court and call their perpetrators "she".  About fathers who fight for their children going through the transgender path who are put in the dock and found in contempt of Court for calling their biological daughter female.

I get asked by these fence sitters and the people who care none; "Why do you care"?  My question is 

WHY DO YOU NOT CARE?  WHAT WILL MAKE YOU WAKE UP?

To quote the X-Files, the truth is out there; if only you would see.

What Has Happened To Us?

I am a British woman.  I am proud, very proud to be British.  

Not for who is currently in Government from one year to the next.  At this point, they are mostly the same.  Labour is no longer a party for the working class and there is no real alternative to what they used to be.  They believe in self ID which would be disastrous for women.  The Greens think that women are "non-men" (given the subject matter of this blog post, it amused me that I found myself Googling an "acceptable" news source for this link, more later).  The Liberal Democrats, do they even really exist anymore after their Judas move on tuition fees?

I am proud to be British because of the people.  Our determination.  Our self deprecation.  Our sarcasm.  The way in which we act when everything around us is a mess, but we can still come together as a nation when it counts.  The Blitz spirit that still lives in all of us.  It is part of our make up.  Who we are.

I remember when we hosted the Olympics.  Days before there had been riots in the streets.  Yet the next day, a clean up was organised on Twitter and people turned up with their brooms.  That is us.

Then watching the Olympics, the pride we felt as a nation.  The way we got behind and cheered our own.  Lets not forget.  We came third in the world that year.  This tiny island.  With so much heart.

That is what being British is to me.  Our heart and our spirit.   Our backbone.  I refuse to apologise for it.

So I have a question.  What is happening to us?  

I have said this before, but when did we as a country agree that the left were right and the right were wrong?  That there was no in-between.  No centre.  That only an ultra left leaning perspective (far past the realms of what you previously call left wing) could be listened to and anything other was Nazism.  Evil.  Not to be listened to. Deplatformed.

Because that is what is happening.  Even businesses cannot escape it.  The speed in which they immediately backtrack and change their policies is frankly shocking.  

I remember a lady known on Twitter as flashmaggie who dared to say "Death doesn't misgender. You die as you were born".  (You can read about her experience here). That is a fact last time I checked.  Nothing controversial there.  Is is biology, pure and simple.

Yet drinks company Innocent, after one tweet from someone with the massive total of 45 followers who complained to Innocent that they were following a "clear transphobe"; took it upon themselves to issue an apology for following her, and promptly unfollowed her account.

I would add that Sussex police also investigated her for a hate crime for that tweet.  Thankfully she did not fall to the current wave of "non crime hate incidents" that have been recorded on no less than 120,000 times. 2000 of those have been children under 16 (I make no apology for the Daily Mail link, when did that become a social crime?).

This week was the launch of GB News.  The reaction to this has made me simultaneously laugh, eye roll but also; frankly despair.

Again we see companies who originally signed up for advertising on the site, quickly issuing apologies for daring to do so.  Now it seems that a single tweet can change the minds of major companies.  

We see people in faux horror, dropping their knitting (sorry to knitters for that quip) and screaming in some sort of self righteous disgust that a news channel dares to have voices and opinions that might not be automatically ultra left.  Not bowing down to the current "words are violence", I am "triggered" culture that seems to be becoming more and more prevalent.

Lets look at some of the recent headlines from them.  Child marriage is child abuse.  The pandemic has blown up the public finances.  No jab, no job?  Shocking I know.  I think I need therapy just from reading them.  I jest.

But honestly.  Is this what we have become?  Given the current state of some of the press and what is reported/misreported, I would have thought another news site with a more open way of reporting would be welcomed.

Look at all the things that are kept from us.  The fact that people have been rioting in Paris, until recently, every weekend for the past two years.  Look at the many BLM riots that have either been ignored or misreported.  Do you remember the reporter saying on live telephone that the ongoing riot behind him was in fact a peaceful protest, despite the massive fire on the background.

Now, look at this image.  I bet you think that it was from the so called "insurrection" at the White House in January.  But no, it wasn't.  This was BLM/Antifa the year before.  The press called it a demonstration.  That looks like people setting things on fire and rioting to me.  

I still hold hope that the majority of the UK has better sense than those who faint on social media at voices and opinions that differ from their own.

We are British FFS.  It is time that we remembered that.  We have backbone.  We have opinions and thoughts.  Stand up.  Remember who and what we are.

Simple Methods For Getting Out In Nature More

 

Pexels - CC0 License

Most of us are relatively tired of feeling cooped up in our homes, despite how important that has been over the last year. Of course, even if we have been, most of us have had the chance to try and get out in nature, to walk in parks, and to exercise outside to try and offset some of the societal closures we’ve all had to encounter.

That said, when the world slowly returns back to normal (or at least, as normal as it can be), it’s not hard to let the overwhelming business of our lives to take centre stage once more and make us feel a little out of sorts. For this reason, it can be a good idea to focus on getting back out in nature and maintaining more of a consistent habit in doing so.

Of course, not all of us can take an hour out of our day every single day to walk in the park, so what options do we have? Well, in this list, we have three tidbits of advice that might help. Let’s get started:

Consider A Little Carefree Fun

A little carefree fun can’t hurt, especially when than involves enjoying the outdoor space with your friends. Going on a simple bike ride to welcome a weekend morning can be a great idea, particularly if it takes you through a few scenic routes. You might even decide to engage in a fun and passive activity, like flying a kite during a sunny and social day, or sourcing a Sky Rover Knightvision at Alpha Toys and flying it around in a meditative state. Carefree fun is the best fun, and little implements like this can make your day.

Invite Your Friends Or Dates Here

Inviting your friends or even a date to your local natural reserve can be a great idea, even if that’s simply to walk lazily through the paths and talk about life and topics you want to get through. It can be tremendously freeing and a routinely bonding experience to have this private time with someone, especially when the natural backdrop is otherwise so awe-inspiring to look at. 

Spend Some Time In Creativity

There’s perhaps no better way to bust stress than to enjoy a little creativity from time to time, and that goes double in a gorgeous natural environment. Setting up your easel and paints near a local river and painting the fishermen as they try for catches in the lake over the course of an afternoon can be tremendously fulfilling to your spirit, even if you’re not experienced at painting in the least! You may decide to walk to the park to journal every other Sunday morning, or perhaps simply getting involved in a local gardening initiative can help you get out of the house and ensure you have a chance to get your hands dirty. The possibilities are endless.

With this advice, we hope you can get out in nature more and adore doing so.

Time For a Staycation

Last year my mum was due to have a milestone birthday (80 but don't tell her I told you!).

As she is a lover of all things theatre related, I decided to find accommodation through hotels.com for a room in Manchester together with tickets to see Sister Act at the Palace Theatre.  Sadly, due to the pandemic, the show was cancelled and as such, our plans.

In current climes, it is important that when you make any plans, you bear in mind current Government guidelines so that you can prepare and organise accordingly.  This was especially important when starting to arrange her birthday this year.

Looking at the Government road map going forward, restaurants are due to open with the ability to eat indoors from the 12th May, with hotels opening from the 3rd July 2021.  We are due to be out of lockdown by the 21st June and with any luck, everyone able will be vaccinated by the 31st July 2020.

Bearing in mind the above, I decided to book a staycation for my mum and I for September; with as much luxury as I can think of, whilst being mindful of the rules and what is safe to do for ourselves, and all.  

Rather than taking public transport to Manchester for our staycation, I have organised a car to transport us to and from our location.  This both adds a little luxury touch, whilst reducing our contact with others where possible.

With restaurants eager for diners to return to their establishments, we already know that proper distancing between tables will be in place and enhanced hygiene practices will be well established.  I plan to choose a few different restaurants for both lunch and dinner options for our two day trip.

With the theatre option not being available, I am looking at visiting the Manchester Museum to see the fantastic T-Rex, as well as a not to be missed visit to Chinatown.  We may decide to also utilise one of the free walking tours around Manchester which allows you to see many of the old and new architecture around the city.  Although at 81 by then, I suspect that the walk will be more of a stroll!  Again, don't tell her I said that!

For our accommodation, I have chosen to book an aparthotel which offers us both privacy and an added safety aspect rather than mingling with other guests; whilst maintaining a high quality of accommodation and a high level of cleanliness.

All of our bookings and planned trips will of course be subject to Government guidelines as well as any travel restrictions in place.  By then, both my mum and I should have had the vaccine so will also be in line with any Covid checks that are in place for any of activities and bookings.

Now is time the time to start planning your next staycation; where will you be going to for yours?

Images from Unsplash

In collaboration with Hotels.com, but all views are my own

Simple Ways To Stay Looking Youthful In Spring

 

Image 

Spring is finally here and it’s time for us to get back out in the world as the pandemic comes to an end. Spring is a time for a fresh start, and many of us want to go out with our best foot forward and look our best. 

Today we want to share some of the simple beauty tips you can use to help you feel more youthful and fresh in the spring and into summer. There are so many simple ways you can look and feel great at home and we want to share them. 

Wear colors that suit you 

The first thing you can consider doing to help you feel your best this spring is wear colors that work for you. We all have a different skin tone and certain colors will suit us and others might wash us out. Try to figure out if your skin is cool or warm toned by looking at your veins - if they are blue then you have cool toned skin and if they are green you have warm toned skin. Once you know this you can look at the different colours that suit each tone. For example, cool skin often suits jewel tones such as deep red, blue and green - whereas warm toned skin looks great with yellows, browns and pastels. Dress to suit your skin and you will look more youthful right away. 

Moisturise your neck 

If you have been considering a neck lift or you simply want to prevent wrinkles in this area you need to start moisturising your neck properly each day. It is so important that you moisturise your neck at least once a day when you moisturise your face. When applying moisturiser to your neck make sure to go in upward and outward motions to ensure that it is able to penetrate the skin and keep it looking smooth. 

Hydrate your eyelashes 

Eyelashes can be a great feature of your face if you maintain them - and there are some simple ways to make them look both thicker and longer. One way to do this is to use argan oil and apply this to your eyelashes after a shower - and take the time to massage the oil into your eyelashes and the follicles of your eyelids and it will promote hair growth and help them stay both longer and thicker. 

Cleanse with a face mask 

If you want to help your skin look and feel more youthful every day it is important for you to cleanse it with a face mask once a week. A face mask is a deep cleanser that will draw out all of the dirt and grime under your skin, leaving it feeling tight and clean. If you apply a clay or charcoal mask once a week you will soon notice a glow to your skin and it will feel much younger and healthier. 

Rid your skin of acne 

Acne is something no one ever wants as an adult - and it’s easy to see why. Acne can be uncomfortable as well as unsightly and it’s never nice to have it when you are an adult trying to make your way in the world. To get rid of and prevent acne - you can cut a lemon in half and squeeze some honey onto it before rubbing this in circular motions around your face. Leave it for 20 minutes and then rinse it off. Lemon will help to dry out the acne, and honey has antibacterial properties that will kill the infection. This simple natural remedy will leave your skin feeling youthful and glowing. 

Moisturise with oil 

If you are looking for a simple way to make your skin look more youthful and plump this year, consider moisturising your skin with oil. Vitamin E oil is a great choice and this is highly hydrating for the skin and will provide the essential nutrients your skin needs to keep it plump. You can use vitamin e oil all over your body after a shower and it will soak right into the skin. 

Keep your hair silky and soft 

Your hair is a huge feature and if you want to look youthful and happy during the spring, your hair could do with some TLC. A simple way to get your hair looking silky and soft during the spring is to apply a conditioner and leave it in your hair for an hour before rinsing it out and washing. If you do this once a week or so you can keep your hair soft and supple for years to come.

Is It Time To Abolish Hate Crime Law?

*This piece was written before the advertised tabling of The House of Lords debating an amendment to hate crime law, adding misogyny.  Comments added at the end of the post in this regard.

Apologies for the sheer length of this post, but it turns out, I had a lot to say.

Image Credit

Firstly, lets deal with the facts.  What is classed as a hate crime and what is a hate incident?  

According to the Met Police, a hate crime is:

'Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person's race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender.'

According to the Gov.uk website, the number of hate crimes since 2011 were reported as below:

2011 -2012                43748 

2013 - 2014              44480

2015 - 2016              52528

2016 - 2017              94098

2017 - 2018             103,379

2019 - 2020             105,090

As can be seen from the figures, following the Government's introduction of "Action Against Hate" in July 2016, the hate crime figures have doubled.

A hate incident is: 

'Any incident which the victim, or anyone else, thinks is based on someone’s prejudice towards them because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or because they are transgender.'

Evidence of the hate element is not a requirement. You do not need to personally perceive the incident to be hate related. It would be enough if another person, a witness or even a police officer thought that the incident was hate related.

Non-crime hate incident reports were introduced in 2014 after recommendations were made by the independent Macpherson inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence.

The College of Policing’s definition of a hate incident is “any non-crime incident which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice” towards a person because of their characteristics.

Police guidelines have also been updated so that they apply to schoolchildren and state that hate incidents can include “ill-will, spite, contempt, prejudice, unfriendliness, antagonism, resentment and dislike”.

School children, can be prosecuted, for a hate incident.   A simple falling out in a playground can now lead to prosecution. 

In the past five years, 120,000 non crime hate incidents have been recorded by the police.  Yes, that is a non crime hate incident.  

As we know from the case of Harry Miller, a hate incident can be reported to the police and investigated for as little as someone being merely told about a retweet, not even related to or about them, but that might cause them offence.

What we also know is that the person reporting the hate incident is automatically called "the victim" in the report, and following a consultation by the CPS started in 2016, worryingly, in order to treat a crime as a hate crime for the purposes of investigation, there is no need for evidence to prove the aggravating element.

These non crime hate incidents can be recorded against you, without you ever been informed of the fact.  Barrister Sarah Phillimore recently discovered, after a Twitter user boasted that the police had a record for life for hate crime against her, that the police held twelve pages of tweets that had been recorded by the police as non crime hate incidents.  These records stay on your DBS checks for six years.

As an experiment, she posted a tweet joking that her cat was a Methodist and asked a friend to report her for a hate incident.  After all, what is one more report when you have twelve pages of "incidents" against you?

When reporting the tweet, her friend was asked why he thought her tweet was hateful, to which he replied that she meant to imply that Methodists were "wandering pests were that defecate in people's gardens".  South Yorkshire Police dutifully recorded the incident.

In the title of this post I asked whether it was time to abolish hate crime law?  The answer, for me, has to be yes.

Whilst inciting violence against other or a protected group is wholly wrong and should be dealt with as a crime, the definitions of a hate crime have been stretched and broadened to the extent that anyone saying the most innocent thing, or, a biological fact; can be investigated.

Think of Paul Lancaster for his airport tweet.  Think of Mark Meechan aka Count Dankula for recording his pug doing a "Nazi salute".   Think of Harry Miller.  Think of 120,000 people who have non crime hate incidents recorded against them, for no crime committed.

You might disagree with what these people have said or done.  But free speech cannot exist only when you agree with it.

I read many things on the internet every single day.  I see abuse, harassment and threats made against people like me for example who believe that biology is a fact and that sex should remain a protected class.  Unlike with Scotland's newly amended hate crime law which omits to include sex as a protected characteristic.

I have removed the identity of the poster in the image below, but all details are documents in the link above.

Can you imagine if that tweet had been made about one of the protected characteristics just as religion, sexual orientation, race or transgender identity?  The police would be at your door.

Hate crime law needs to be abolished because it is no longer fit for purpose and is being actively used as a weapon against people. 

Hurt feelings should not be a crime.  A disliked comment should not be a crime.  Someone being rude or who offends you might be a cruel person, but cruelty is not a crime.  Someone stating biological fact is not a crime.  A childish insult in a playground should not be a crime.

All that current hate crime/hate incident law is creating is a generation that cannot cope with life.  A world where words are actual violence.  A world where a slight against you becomes a crime.

How far can this go?  Well look at this article from July 2020 (see image at top of post).  A hate crime investigated, because of a car tyre track on a road.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to live in that world.  And neither should you.

**ADDED to cover The House of Lords proposed debate to add misogyny to hate crime

From what I understand from the proposals, the policy will not criminalise anything that was previously legal i.e. a sexual assault against a woman is still a sexual assault, but would additionally be recorded as a hate crime.  

My comments as above still stand in that anyone advocating violence against other should be a crime.  Adding a hate crime factor to something that is already illegal I do not have any issues with.  But, in all honesty, I do not think that it will help women.  At all.

Adding a hate crime element to an already existing crime does not help women.  It will not make those men who would wish to commit a crime against a woman think against because he may also have a hate crime against his name.

Reporting will still be split into hate crimes and hate incidents.  An article which reported on a study done on a trialling of misogyny becoming a hate crime in Nottinghamshire noted that 174 reports were made by women between April 2016 and March 2018.  73 were classified as a crime and 101 as a hate incident.  

The report noted after concerns about the policy being trivialised in the media, that things wolf whistling would not be a hate crime.  As this is not illegal.  It could however be recorded as a hate incident.

Here is where I will probably receive, ironically, hate from some circles.  

Wolf whistling is not a hate incident.  A builder catcalling you from a scaffold is not a hate incident.  It is, as a woman I know, irritating at best and can be intimidating.  But I do not think that the answer to this is recording these incidents as a hate incident.

I do not know the answer for improving women's safety.  But I do not think that "hate incidents" being recorded will help.  Recording a non crime hate incident on someone's record, on their DBS check, will not help.

I think that it will increase misogyny.  I think it will put a greater divide between men and women.  And that is the last thing we want.

Do You Have Rosacea?

 From the Hollywood A-listers to the regular girls and guys on the street, a common skin condition called rosacea is prevalent. It can affect people from all ages, but mostly it's those in the 30-50s bracket that deal with it. Rosacea is categorized by a redness in the skin, and while it affects more women it's worse when it occurs in men. Rosacea looks like bright red or purple skin on the face and flushing easily. Sometimes, it occurs due to temperature changes, but for some people it comes on as a result of food triggers.

Rosacea can knock your confidence as you can't hide it, and for some people it can be more severe, causing conditions like blepharitis which affects the eyes. Rosacea isn't all about the color changes, either, as the skin can become exceptionally sore and uncomfortable when it's reddened this way. When you are dealing with a skin condition, you need to consider the fact that you're going to need to test out an array of different make-up for sensitive skin to know what will work while your skin is reacting. It can help to learn what the triggers are for your skin flushing, too, as once you learn the triggers you can ensure that you are avoiding the flushing as much as possible. The question is knowing whether you have rosacea in the first place.

Image source: Pexels

To be able to understand whether you are dealing with rosacea, you should consider that it starts with flushing. The rash on the face and neck can appear and you may find that it happens frequently in response to stress, certain foods and even sunshine! If you notice some of the flushing, you're going to need to know how to treat it. The good news is that there are long-term treatments that you can use to help you to clear up the rash on your face. They are very effective and these treatments are usually topical and in cream format. They are applied to the skin and can cool you down and reduce the redness and swelling.

For some people with more severe rosacea, antibiotics can be used to stop the redness from occurring. The good news is that you can also treat rosacea from home without using too much intervention from the doctor if you want to avoid it. Some of the tips you need to treat rosacea at home include:

• There are cleansers that you can use that have redness-reducing properties to ensure that you are keeping your skin hydrated while you are reducing the redness on the surface. These are gentle and can be used everyday.

• Avoid any perfumed and alcohol-focused soaps and products that are for the face. These can cause a flare even when you don't mean for it to happen.

• Blot your face dry, never rub it! If you have a wet face after cleansing, you need to consider blotting with a soft towel as rubbing it could cause some damage to the surface of the skin, which is what you want to avoid.

• Always use a good SPF on your face. If sunshine and warmth can trigger rosacea, then you need to make sure that your skin is as protected as possible.

• Red onions, tomatoes, spicy foods and caffeine can all trigger facial flushing and rosacea. Avoiding these triggers is key to you feeling good!