NC Lawyer Assistance Program’s Post

NEW Blog Post! How to Avoid Money Arguments with Your Partner During the Holidays Click the link below or in bio to read it! https://lnkd.in/gS_ZCR97 #HolidayRelationshipTips #ConflictFreeHolidays #HealthyCommunication #RelationshipGoals #HolidayStressRelief

Alarm bells ring for Poor Old Henry Last weekend, the Country Liberal Party was resoundingly elected to the Northern Territory Assembly for the next four years. With some authority, The CLP which had eight years ago been voted out of office leaving only two seats, turned that all around and came back to secure 17 seats in the new assembly. Labour has been reduced to probably four or five seats. Along with many other Northern Territorians, I am looking forward to some of the issues we have confronted, being overcome. When opening the Australian newspaper on Friday, August 30, I saw the advertisement below. This advertisement creates significant concern for me, because bringing a plethora of people into the Northern Territory from elsewhere to do all we get devising, guiding, and everything else, Will without doubt, defeat the purposes of this new government. What we do not need coming into the territory to fill key roles are experts with wonderful CVs, great university credentials and limited experience – if any – in the Northern Territory and its unique politics and specific lifestyle. We have had the past governments of the Northern Territory undone by the practice of bringing in outsiders who do little other than establish the depth and breadth of their own experience before taking off to greener pastures. Far too often in the past governments and various of its departments, have been short-sheeted and left floundering in embarrassment by this practice. We do not need more of the same! We do not need a government with the potential to be undone and reduced to mediocrity because of the infusion of those who, in practical terms, know very little about our territory. But alas! I can already hear the flow of expressions of interest coming upon us like an avalanche.

Our latest blog post shares tips that may help you get back on your feet after overspending during the holidays. https://lnkd.in/ezd6GM-V #HolidaySpending#FinancialAdvisor #FinancialPlanning #ManchesterNJ #ManahawkinNJ

New year, new personal observance leave availability! Eligible State employees may use eight hours of Personal Observance Leave each calendar year, so plan accordingly for 2025! Learn more at https://bit.ly/3T1MF9C.

What does the resignation of Sue Gray and the appointment of Morgan McSweeney in her place mean for Keir Starmer’s government? My conclusion is that it will bring new energy to the government after a difficult few weeks, and set the course for the remainder of this Parliament. The appointment of Sue Gray had a brilliant logic to it. Here was a senior civil servant who knew how government could be made to work, and who would be able to drive through the public service reform which lies at the heart of this new government’s programme. The logic followed that it would be Morgan McSweeney who would help Labour win the election; and then Sue Gray would be the person who took over and would deliver Labour its second term by delivering the government’s agenda. But we now can see that the logic had a flaw - by making Sue Gray the Downing Street Chief of Staff she had to become more of a political animal than she had previously been. Modern politics is relentless; judgement and decisions are constantly required. And the political implications of those judgements and decisions need to be carefully considered. It’s a near impossible task - but it feels that some of the political consequences of decisions were not foreseen in the 3 months since July 4th. And of course Sue Gray had become the story. I am confident from conversations which I have had that there was no Sue v Morgan battle taking place in Downing Street. But clearly someone was sufficiently disillusioned to brief against her repeatedly. So this has been an appointment which hasn’t worked. It’s a shame, but the PM and those around him have recognised that fact with sufficient speed so that the government can set a new course and put aside the distracting stories of Downing Street disquiet. In 2008 Boris Johnson appointed a businessman Tim Parker as his de-facto Chief of Staff. It didn’t work and within months he had replaced him with Simon Milton. Johnson’s mayoralty was able to move on from this apparent disaster and he won reelection in 2012. With Morgan McSweeney now the PM’s Chief of Staff, the government has a key architect of Labour’s victory in charge. Morgan passionately believes in the reforms which government and public services need - and he has proved himself to have the finest political judgement. Having known him for 20 years I know he will be relentless and work every minute to deliver meaningful change. I am sure that today’s events make a Labour victory at the next election even more likely.

Political party conferences help us to connect with policymakers and share best practices from the frontline. Following the recent Liberal Democrats, The Labour Party and The Conservative Party party political conferences Deven Ghelani wrote about why it's important for Policy in Practice to attend. 👉 Read here (and take a leaf through the selfies Deven took along the way) https://lnkd.in/eJ7xCgsH

As a balm in this news-drenched week, Oliver Burkeman dropped some election season wisdom in The New York Times. Here's the gist: You can’t care about everything. Or, you can, but the cost is high. To attempt to care for everything steals your ability to take meaningful, concrete action on anything…and threatens your mental health in the burglary. “It’s easy to find yourself, metaphorically speaking, living inside the news cycle — treating the latest campaign developments or polling data as somehow more real than your home, career, neighborhood or friends,” writes Burkeman. “It’s a grim irony that many people thus mesmerized by the news feel themselves to be fighting for democracy’s survival, when the total colonization of inner life by politics is a traditional hallmark of totalitarianism.” Instead, this moment requires a willingness to withhold our attention, even from some causes and stories that matter, so that we can pick the battles where our energy and actions can make a tangible difference, Burkeman says. “It would be one thing if this nervous fixation [on the news] at least helped us make a difference in the wider world. And it can seem that way: Scrolling, sharing and refreshing on social media certainly simulates the feeling of efficacy, as if you’re acting on the news, not just watching it in slack-jawed panic." Instead, focus on meaningful action and retain “your ability to assert primacy over your own mind.” You can’t care for everything, let alone act of everything you care about. Choose, instead, assert your personal agency and care, and act, on what matters to you. As Burkeman writes: “Even when the future fills you with foreboding, your only option, and thus your only responsibility, as Carl Jung observed, is to do “the next and most necessary thing.” Good medicine as you watch #election results come tonight. #meditationsformortals

The festive season is here, and so are the expenses! 🎁✨ Wondering how to make your budget stretch without losing the holiday cheer? We’ve got you covered with practical tips to survive (and thrive) this silly season. Check out our latest blog for smart budgeting hacks and make this holiday season stress-free and wallet-friendly! 📖 https://lnkd.in/gMJEhW9F - - - #legalblog #attorney #attorneys #attorneysouthafrica #debtreview #debtlawyer

What is the trick to surviving the chaos of the holidays? Treating your holiday schedule like you treat your business. 👏 Read more about what this means at our latest blog. https://buff.ly/3ZIeREr

As the holidays approach, remember to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Otherwise, you might face a court order to take opposing counsel to lunch. Happy holidays to all. (note: the first paragraph below is on page 1 of the order; the report on the lunch is available at https://lnkd.in/gH5dhZ73)