Yesterday for me was a coalition landmark and a day of reaffirmation. Opening a tweet from UKUncut, I learnt that council workers accompanied by police, though nowadays they are employed more as government forces than officers of the law, proceeded at 2am to return to the Kensal library and empty it of all remaining books.
The Deputy Prime Minister, a title worth less every day, Nick Clegg, a man worth less every day speaks of supporting social mobility one day and being subjected to " bullying" the next. Indeed sir ?? , well poor little you! Removing avenues of learning, support and information from the less well off in our society hardly encourages opportunities for social mobility. Evidence has shown, it does exactly the reverse. No wonder your leader, for Mr Cameron isn't ours, he's just a pillaging stooge of the corporate elite taking advantage of his position, wisely stays quiet on the subject. He plainly has no time for such fanciful ideas as social mobility, better that the public hear lame baseless explanations from Clegg, the fall guy, the meek mouthpiece of mediation.
This after a weekend when UK uncutters and other anti-cuts activists in several towns and cities across the country held Great British Street parties, peacefully protesting against the continued slashing of the austerity axe. The Sheffield event, which all reports say passed off peacefully, was held outside Mr Clegg's current constituency home. Come the following day a disgruntled Mr Clegg bleated to the press about unfairness and bullying tactics. Indeed sir ??, well poor you. In fact, how bloody dare you complain, what about the tens, no , hundreds of thousands of children you are pushing into poverty? What about the disabled people who are being assessed as fit to work when quite clearly they are not? What about all the young unemployed and all those being forced to work for their benefits for companies that rake in profits quarter after quarter? If you want to know about bullying Mr Clegg, talk to some of the people whose lives have been thrown into turmoil by policies that you have meekly stood by and watched wreak havoc in your leader's Big bloody Society. Guilt by association in this case is an inescapable fact. You, Mr Deputy Prime Minister, have supported the implementation of these austerity measures which affect those most blameless whilst the guilty walk free with not punishment but encouragement.
Forget red,blue, yellow has destroyed itself !, left right or any other convenient label, the only two groups that will count are the have everythings and the have nothings!
What is happening now in our country will have consequences for future generations which is why thousands of British citizens are angry. We refuse to have our children and love ones suffer the coalition"dream", because in truth this is all about neoliberal economics isn't it, and we will not go away.
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Monday 21 May 2012
Worldwide Poverty
Is it any wonder people are getting more and more angry at global financial injustice . Our Prime Minister David Cameron would rather see children die in 3rd world countries, our elderly and special needs children suffer at home than risk offending the corporate elites who take far more from society than they ver give. Please take a moment to take a look at this worldwide map. It;s nothing but pure greed that makes this situation a reality :
http://t.co/bHlm0Ww0
Cameron, a "World Leader"
20th May 2012
David Cameron, our illustrious "world leader" Prime Minister flies off to hob nob with the rest of the ineffectual G8 club in America. The bankers and financial gamblers who are wholly responsible for the lion's share of our deficit can rest easy knowing that, in their corner sits an ally who will do everything he can to help them avoid having to contribute a single penny, euro, cent or yen to deficit reduction. Far easier for him to turn his back on the British people, the hard working taxpayers and those for whom our welfare state proudly struggles to take care of than take the "tough choice" and demand the bankers et al contribute just a fraction of their immense wealth!
Public services are being systematically starved of funding and charities are being crippled deliberately. Mr Osbourne tightens the purse strings whilst thoroughly cruel policies are being implemented by the likes of Andrew Lansley and Ian Duncan Smith.
Our public services are being bankrupted to the point where they become ineffectual to those who need them. It will be at that point when a bright new dawn shall be promised and public services will be opened up to private business because, we will be assured, they can ensure the survival of those services. This will happen, and remember, private business is in it for profit for it's shareholders and its shareholders alone despite what spin it might feed the public. It's worth pointing out that, as a result of the introduction of Private Finance Initiatives under Labour which were supposed to provide better services cheaper as in " good value for taxpayers money" , British Taxpayers are forking out £275m a year in interest payments to those PFI agreements. We simply must not let this happen!
Andrew Lansley, Secretary of State for Health, has this week yet again , despite being directed by the courts, refused to release the findings of The NHS Risk Register. Why?, because, he says in spite of his and this government's commitment to transparency, the electorate should be denied access to all the evidence because we might misinterpret the words used.
Anyone with an ounce of grey matter should be outraged. The Secretary of State not only ignores the law, he deliberately prevents evidence being brought into any open debate. It would seem reasonable therefore to assume that he knows his reforms are detrimental to the public good. The coalition have no mandate to break up our NHS for the benefit of private profit and are demonstrating a complete lack of concern for the most vulnerable in society.
Variable pay rates for NHS staff
Before I offer my thoughts for your readers consideration, I should declare my interest. I am an NHS employee who will, I have no doubt, qualify for a Lansley pay cut. Naturally I'm not happy at the prospect given that I am now into a third consecutive year without a payrise and having to cope with the same increased living costs as other readers.
Since the late 70's successive governments have employed divide and conquer tactics as a means of imposing economic policy on UK citizens, have Echo readers considered who might be in the firing line after healthcare staff? What about Teachers, Police, Fire and Ambulance workers? Why shouldn't all public sector workers be paid less than their counterparts in the south of the country?
If the coalition, and frankly anyone, believes such a move will help our nation tackle the deficit they are gravely mistaken.
I suggest that, if imposed, several thousand public sector workers in our regoin will be earning less and therefore paying less tax because, despite what government ministers would have people believe, public sector workers, like most of us, pay taxes. Those same people will have less money to spend in the local economy, possibly causing job losses. That's possibly less money spent locally on leisure activities, luxury items, eating out etc. Unless of course they increase personal debt by using credit cards in which case even more money deserts the local economy because credit accrues interest which has to be paid for with real money from a real wage to financial institutions who take that money, their profits, offshore to avoid paying tax.
Perhaps private firms might want to move into the area. After all, the average wage will be lower than elsewhere so labour must be cheaper to come by and employers can pay workers even less. Lower paid jobs are on offer then but those workers still can't get on the property ladder or afford little luxuries between paydays, they still have bills to pay which account for a larger chunk of a smaller wage. Even less money in the local economy then, maybe even more job losses? Why give workers a raise? The public sector workers don't get one! Still there's always credit cards...... you know where I'm going with this!
The notion that regional pay rates will help our economy is false. This policy will serve only to make our local economy weaker, increase the wealth inequality gap and exacerbate the problems that already exist because of it.
The Health Secretary has already said that only those appointed to implement his health reforms will be exempt from pay cuts. I wonder, in Mr Cameron's "Big Society", as "We're all in this together", will our local Conservative M.P's and the great and good of the public sector be taking a pay cut too ?
Since the late 70's successive governments have employed divide and conquer tactics as a means of imposing economic policy on UK citizens, have Echo readers considered who might be in the firing line after healthcare staff? What about Teachers, Police, Fire and Ambulance workers? Why shouldn't all public sector workers be paid less than their counterparts in the south of the country?
If the coalition, and frankly anyone, believes such a move will help our nation tackle the deficit they are gravely mistaken.
I suggest that, if imposed, several thousand public sector workers in our regoin will be earning less and therefore paying less tax because, despite what government ministers would have people believe, public sector workers, like most of us, pay taxes. Those same people will have less money to spend in the local economy, possibly causing job losses. That's possibly less money spent locally on leisure activities, luxury items, eating out etc. Unless of course they increase personal debt by using credit cards in which case even more money deserts the local economy because credit accrues interest which has to be paid for with real money from a real wage to financial institutions who take that money, their profits, offshore to avoid paying tax.
Perhaps private firms might want to move into the area. After all, the average wage will be lower than elsewhere so labour must be cheaper to come by and employers can pay workers even less. Lower paid jobs are on offer then but those workers still can't get on the property ladder or afford little luxuries between paydays, they still have bills to pay which account for a larger chunk of a smaller wage. Even less money in the local economy then, maybe even more job losses? Why give workers a raise? The public sector workers don't get one! Still there's always credit cards...... you know where I'm going with this!
The notion that regional pay rates will help our economy is false. This policy will serve only to make our local economy weaker, increase the wealth inequality gap and exacerbate the problems that already exist because of it.
The Health Secretary has already said that only those appointed to implement his health reforms will be exempt from pay cuts. I wonder, in Mr Cameron's "Big Society", as "We're all in this together", will our local Conservative M.P's and the great and good of the public sector be taking a pay cut too ?
Voter Apathy, I love writing letters !
Dear Editor,
In the wake of last week's local and mayoral elections both Messrs Cameron and Miliband must be delighted with the results. Whilst Labour may have won the numbers game, 65% of the eligible electorate chose not to vote, thus providing the coalition a mandate to continue with it's program of cuts. The Labour leadership must also be heartened that so many of us have forgiven them their part in our current situation or that they have failed to promise to reverse cuts to public services.
In the wake of last week's local and mayoral elections both Messrs Cameron and Miliband must be delighted with the results. Whilst Labour may have won the numbers game, 65% of the eligible electorate chose not to vote, thus providing the coalition a mandate to continue with it's program of cuts. The Labour leadership must also be heartened that so many of us have forgiven them their part in our current situation or that they have failed to promise to reverse cuts to public services.
Commentators call it "voter apathy" whilst individuals will cite a lack of trust of politicians or choice and any number of reasons not to exercise their right. Whatever the "excuses", for that is all they are, politicians and their corporate masters will continue in the same vein until we the people vote when we can and show them that we will hold them to account for their actions. To complain that nothing will change is a groundless argument. Tax evasion and avoidance issues are still making news because activists and campaigners against wealth inequality continue to demand change. Two recent cases were highlighted where HMRC denied rebate claims from participants in tax avoidance schemes that it considered illegitimate. Only this week shareholders at Aviva and Astrazeneca voted against excessive pay deals for their executives.
In Australia voting is compulsory. Considering the bravery we witnessed of citizens demanding democratic freedoms in last years "Arab Spring" it seems ludicrous, if not shameful that we should need to consider such a policy. Naturally parliament's current incumbents would resist such a move and it would be speak volumes about our society if we had to introduce it here. If our country is to grow and develop for the good of all it's citizens, we all need to accept our shared responsibility to, whatever our views, be aware of what is done in our name and have our say whenever the opportunity arises.
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