Ed Davey has written a book about his own varied and lifelong caring experience and it’s coming out on 22 May, just in time for me to take my copy with me on my Highland holiday.
He sent an email to party members telling us about the book and letting us know that we can get 30% if we pre-order by today.
He said:
As you know, caring is, and has been, much of my life. And yet, it is only since becoming Leader that I have felt comfortable and compelled to speak about it. In my first speech, I talked about being a voice for carers, and you will remember how the message grew into the story I shared in our election broadcast.
Opening up like that was a big decision for both Emily and me. But since then, we have received a fairly constant stream of support and kindness. My inbox has become almost like a meeting place for carers from all over the country to share their support, advice and kind words, and talk about their problems.
It truly solidified for me that telling our stories – the realities of caring, the joys and the struggles – is the most powerful way to change things. It cuts through the noise and reminds everyone of the human beings at the heart of this issue.
The thought that care might slip down the priority list scares me. It too often feels like governments see care as something that’s just… too complicated, too difficult to really tackle. And that’s a shame, because I believe it’s the very foundation of a healthy society.
And so, I have written a book.
I will be honest, it’s deeply personal for me, and for the four other carers whose stories I tell. At times, I found it difficult to write.
But with these personal stories, and my reflections on what it’s going to take to really fix care, I hope we can put care at the forefront of people’s minds, make it so real that it can’t be ignored.
My greatest wish is that this book will spark conversations and remind us all just how essential care is – not just for individuals, but for the kind of world we want to build together.
So if you are a member who receives emails, search your inbox (or your spam) to find out how to get your 30% off.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
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3 Comments
Reading the extract from Ed’s book that he shared on his e-mail worries me. Because he outlines the same type of difficulties in getting help with John when both he and Emily were concerned about John’s development at between 6 and 9 months old in 2007 as the experiences my Mum and Dad had with me when I was the same age in 1977 showing that nothing much had changed in the intervening 30 years.
It’s 18 years since this time. Has anything changed for the better? It would be nice to think so. But my guess is if things couldn’t change in the 30 years up to 2007 why would they have changed over the past 18 years particularly as cuts have been made in the specialists who can assist parents of children with Cerebral Palsy understand their child’s condition and how to help them in that time.
Should Sir Ed every be fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to find himself in a future Coalition government, would he press for and insist on the implementation of the Dillnot report, and would he resist any further cuts to the welfare system ?
It is a wonderful book – I comment it to all.