With a little help from my friends....

there have been results. I did not do this alone of course. Many others also complained - loudly.
They hit the airwaves. Several internet sites almost crashed under the strain of keeping up with the howls of rage over the attempts to intimidate. The legislation I spoke of yesterday is to be repealed retrospectively. The Attorney-General must be cursing the fact that the election had not been called. He would then be in caretaker mode and nothing could have happened. (Reminder to self - send letter pointing that fact out.)
I sent out an e-mail to a network of people who do not see newspapers and that would have added several hundred complaints to the list as they passed the message on. There was support from as far away as Scotland, Seattle and Singapore. I will leave it at that.
The process made me think again of networks and friendship. My father keeps saying, "Everyone needs a support group" - all very Milton's "no man is an island" perhaps. We both know people who have no support network. Our next door neighbour on one side is an example. They never have visitors. The new baby is four months old and we have yet to see him. We have inquired politely over the fence that all is well but she has not invited us in or brought him to see us. She appears to be happy with that but, if anything went seriously wrong, she would have nobody to turn to. Her partner has exchanged telephone numbers with us. He knows he can call on us in an emergency - but doubts she would. She simply does not welcome any intrusion. It is her choice - but perhaps not good for the children and clearly frustrating for her partner.
On the other hand my father is heading out this morning to look at a workshop full of tools. The tools belonged to a man who died last year. Colin had Alzheimer's. He had not used the tools for some years. His wife does not know whether they are of any value or, if they are, how much value they have. She will probably give them to family but she wants to be certain they are fairly divided. Would my father come and look at them? He knows enough to help her out. It is the sort of thing friends do for friends.
Networks. Links. They make us human.