Unicef has just released its 'Child Poverty In Perspective: An Overview of Child Wellbeing in Rich Countries' report, which is a study of how industrialised - i.e. rich - nations look after (or otherwise) their children.
In a BBC website poll asking 'Is the UK failing its children?' over 73% have answered 'yes', over 18% answered 'no', and over 8% said 'don't know'. (Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6359363.stm )
This has come at a time when the UK is undergoing a lengthy transit of its 5th house, the house of children. In January 2005 on the Astrology for the 21st Century website (http://www.astrology21.co.uk ) this was written:
"Venus is in the 5th house of the UK's chart, and Neptune has recently crossed the cusp of the 5th and is now moving through it for the next few years.... The 5th house representes things like: children, royalty, sport, leisure and recreation, sex, gambling (including the National Lottery) and risk-taking activities, creative self-expression."
The Unicef report is making waves in the UK, but will it be truly listened to by the UK people? No doubt the government will ignore it; both Labour and the Conservatives have spent the last 24 hours pushing out their PR to obscure the issues. They talk of a need for 'aspiration'...... which is a very Neptunian idea, but not at a useful one at all - it's just a way of escaping accountability for the consequences government actions.
What we should be talking about is the healthier Neptunian and 5th house qualities: caring, warmth, compassion, heart, being wanted, being loved, but not wanted as machines to be economic units whose existence is designed to service society's wishes from on high (the worst, most unhealthy side of this astrological configuration) but as real people with real hearts, souls, minds, not the ersatz 'hearts and minds' that are churned out of the PR spin machines at every available media opportunity.
Here is the Unicef ranking of rich nations, with the UK coming last:
1. Netherlands
2. Sweden
3. Denmark
4. Finland
5. Spain
6. Switzerland
7. Norway
8. Italy
9. Republic of Ireland
10. Belgium
11. Germany
12. Canada
13. Greece
14. Poland
15. Czech Republic
16. France
17. Portugal
18. Austria
19. Hungary
20. United States
21. United Kingdom