Dear all,
For those who missed another fabulous ARM conference that left me buzzing. Here is my 5 minute speech to hopefully give you a buzz.
Buy that book and make that vow!
Changing the way the wind blows
ARM November 2024
Because it is important to grasp, that politicians; at Westminster, the Town Hall, NHS Commissioners and managers – politicians are wet fingered: they hold their wet fingers up to SEE WHICH WAY THE POLITICAL WIND IS BLOWING!
And so it is true to say that change will happen not so much by replacing one wet-fingered politician with another, as much as changing the way the political wind blows. As ordinary women and men, we may not be able to change the actual people making the decisions in the health and maternity services, but we do have it within our power to change the way the political wind blows: by that I mean the criteria, the culture, the context in which those decisions are made.
We need to be determined, clever, fun.
We need to band together to organise and unionise, to write letters and demonstrate.
And we need to educate, educate, educate.
Talk to our daughters, sisters, mothers;
Talk to our sons, husbands, brothers;
And we need to fearlessly claim our heritage to birth and bring to birth,
To be the women, the mothers, the midwives we are.
We need to campaign as determinedly and creatively as we give birth,
Because our daughters are worth it – not sire why this is red either
– and so are we.
Nb This below should not be in italicised apart from Everyone!
I am so pleased to be here alongside two other authors publishing their books today. As a community we need to be publishing books, we need to be writing reports and setting up studies and publishing research. We need to be lobbying Government and health agencies, standing for Parliament and nominating our senior leaders to the Lords. We need to do all this and more as part of demanding a maternity service that is fit for purpose.
I remember years ago Caroline Flint talking to a previous conference about the beginning of the ARM. She talked about making a vow to speak everyday about midwifery and about homebirth. There at the supermarket checkout….beep…we drink a lot of tea you know…beep…I am a midwife and midwives drink a lot of tea…beep… and biscuits…whilst we are attending a homebirth….
I made a similar vow in my own way talking about birth and breastfeeding at the school gates, at work, at church, on the train – that was a laugh with a carriage full of drunk firemen! Honestly, even now at a business meeting I will have the birth story of everyone at a meeting including the men – especially the men thinking about it!
To change the way the wind blows it will take all of us every day doing something to champion midwifery and a proper maternity service. Every day. It will mean different things depending on our roles in life, but every day we all need to be doing something to champion midwifery and demand a maternity service fit for purpose. It will take thousands of us, techno-literate and media savvy to make it impossible for our cause to be ignored.
I would like you to buy BORN STROPPY – of course I would! – I think it will help you make change happen, it gives you tools and strategies and ideas- AND there is a never to be repeated offer for you conference delegates – £15 a book signed and delivered!.
But, it really does not matter if you buy my book or if you don’t – it really does not matter. Because what really matters (to me) is that you make that vow today, you make that vow and go from here championing midwifery and autonomy for women and birthing people every single day using every tool and trick in the book. HANDS UP FOR MIDWIFERY! Because then I will know that in my life time we might change the way the political wind is blowing for maternity and have the maternity care we deserve. That is my dream and I hope it is yours.
Remember politicians; at Westminster, the Town Hall, NHS Commissioners and managers – politicians are wet fingered: they hold their wet fingers up to SEE WHICH WAY THE POLITICAL WIND IS BLOWING! So let’s change the way the wind blows today!
