Big Society: RIP

On the 13^th February 2013, on the Andrew Marr Show, the final death blow was administered to the Big Society by God’s emissary on earth, The Department of Work And Pensions minister Ian Duncan Smith. He threw a massive hissy fit because his Forced Labour Scheme, in which people are used as unpaid labour to fatten the bottom lines of millionaire companies, had been declared unlawful.

A geology graduate had been carrying out volunteer work in the community, in much the way I’m sure Cameron had hoped for in the Big Society, when the failed politician and Catholic zealot Duncan Smith decreed from on high that the humble geology graduate must cease her nefarious activities. She could no longer carry out her unpaid activities, enriching her local community whilst working for an institution that provided knowledge and education. No! Instead, she must go unto the realm of Poundland and fatten their bottom line, increase their margins and doeth their shelf stacking.

Presumably, because we live in a land of full employment, there is nobody available to be employed and paid a wage for a fair days work anymore so these desperate businesses must trawl the charity shops and soup kitchens for employees.

Duncan Smith, the failed Tory leader, has a commonality with several high ranking members of the Nazi party. Hitler ( refused admission to The Academy Of Fine Arts in Vienna because of his 'unfitness to be a painter'), , Himmler(  inferiority complex for not seeing action in WWI and was a weak and sickly person) Heydrich ( dismissed from the German Navy for 'conduct unbecoming of an officer), Goebals ( failed writer, club foot and far from the Aryan ideal) . They all seemed to turn their unreconciled anger on vulnerable members of the community with a zeal that made the Inquisition look like a bunch of wimps and when they were challenged they also flew into rages of fury.

 I don’t know why, but I expect Duncan Smith will get the Solution, finally.

  

Tory Ideologue Triumphs Over The Economy.

As the government embarks on mass evictions of the poor and socially cleansing some of the richer parts of London and the Home Counties, there are many private landlords rubbing their hands with glee.

With the introduction of the bedroom tax and welfare cap, many former tenants of social housing will have to take up tenancies in the private sector, where rents are higher by as much as 40%  thus pushing up the welfare bill even higher ,as Housing Benefit or ‘Landlord Benefit’, as it should really be called ,will still have to be claimed.

Other side effects of this nasty ideologue will be families split up, children uprooted, increased homelessness and lives destroyed. I appreciate it is inappropriate for people to receive excessive amounts in benefits, but if the Tory’s had any economic competence then perhaps before implementing their unpleasant policy they could have taken steps to regulate the rental market, so the taxpayer didn’t end up footing an ever ballooning bill for what is an incredibly stupid and ill thought out policy, based on hate for a section of the community they have no understanding of whatsoever.

Boom!

The Universal Credit time bomb is set to go off in approximately 6-8 months. You read it here first. Cover your eyes and ears as the multi million pound system self destructs under the weight of claimants attempting to access it online. Be wary of people screaming into phones, as they try to sort out their housing, jobseekers, income support, disability or child, benefits with someone called Keith, who is in a benefit processing centre in Sunderland or Merthyr Tydfill. Be prepared to comfort the elderly and explain to them what the ‘interweb is, and that it’s all done by computer now, All those friendly council officials you used to deal with at the town council offices and who knew where Smeathorpe was, have been sacked.

 And finally listen and laugh at the excuses that pour out of the mouths of the detached and uncaring Tory’s as they wonder why out loud, why if somebody hasn't received their benefits, then why can’t mummy or daddy help them out?

Falling Jobless Figures, a Tanking Economy and An Increase In Borrowing.

5 Reasons for falling jobless figures and rising costs and borrowings.

• People are declaring themselves as self-employed and signing off Jobseekers Allowance. Unfortunately as their revenue stream is so small, due to a lack of spending in the economy, they claim Working Tax Credits to supplement their income, therefore increasing the Welfare bill.
• People are employed on zero contracts and work on a 'when needed' basis. As above, they need to supplement their income with Working Tax credits with the same result.
• People that require Full time jobs have to take part time low paid jobs and fall back on welfare to supplement their income.
• Wages are suppressed and do not provide a living wage forcing people to top up thier income with benefits.
• Private 'back to work' companies are encouraging jobseekers to go self employed which enables the companies to claim commission whilst increasing the welfare bill. 

The economy this country needs is one that provides sustainable full time employment that pays a living wage. Releasing people from the burden of having to, reluctantly, fall back on the state. Until that is achieved the rich will get richer and the poor will get much poorer.

The Common Agricultural Policy: A Slush Fund For The Rich.

Some of the richest landowners in this country are in receipt of millions in benefits(Tax payer funded benefits) via the Common Agricultural Policy while honest hardworking and struggling farmers suffer.

Although the government refuses to allow the full figures to be published  ( I wonder why!, Cameron is always bleating on about transparency when it suits him and the government has lobbied against a cap of £250,000),some of those in receipt of millions are:

The Queen.
The Duke of Westminster.
Prince Charles.
The Duke of Marlborough.
1 in 5 Tory MP's, including Wildlife minister, Benyon (£211,000), His Englefield Estate has been in receipt of over 2 million euros.

All in this together. I don't think so.

IVF And Right Wing Didactism. Check definition

With the recommendation that the age of recipients suitable for fertility treatment should be raised, as summer follows spring, so comes the migration of didactive reactionaries, invariably people who already have children, from beneath rocks and floorboards around the land towards the nearest radio phone-in. They generally put forward an opposing view that centre’s on the premise that it’s nature way of controlling the population, that it’s not a right to have children and medicine should not be used to overcome obstacles supposedly put there by a mightier being.

As we have created a society where young people find it financially impossible to buy a house or start a family before they reach their mid thirties, then surely it is society’s responsibility to facilitate the opportunity that previous generations have been able to enjoy at an earlier age. 

People who decide that it is not financially viable to start a family in their twenties and decide to wait until they can afford to care for a child, should be applauded, not stigmatised. 

Elder parents are normally more financially stable, find the trials of parenthood easier to deal with, because they are more experienced in life, and so the child or children will hopefully experience a more fulfilling upbringing, leading hopefully, to better adjusted adults.

I personally would not impose any upper age limit. When IVF is being considered, the first step should be to take a blood sample, which can be used to establish the biologically health of the prospective recipient of the treatment. If the test shows that a 45 yr old is biologically suitable to receive IVF then I see no reason why they shouldn’t receive it.

On a more basic and obvious point, I’m sure the people who oppose IVF on the grounds we shouldn’t intervene, medically, with nature, would not consider it acceptable to deny a child suffering from leukaemia, medical assistance or, if they suffered a heart attack, insist nobody dials 999 because they preferred to let nature take its course.

 If that’s the case then we may as well tear down all the hospitals and close down all the cancer charities.

I bet the IVF haters vote Tory.  Tee Hee

The Stupidity of Libertarianism.

Of the many political ideologues that blight this world, Libertarianism has got to be one of the stupidest. The definition of a Libertarian is someone who wants to live by their own rules and expects others to live by those same rules, regardless. It’s really Fascism for the smug chattering metropolitan classes, who like to spend the weekends in the country, probably slaughtering defenceless game birds.

Joke

A boy visits his Granpa, who is watching football on the TV. He sits next to him and notices a bowl of hazlenuts on a table in front of him. He helps himself to them while he continues to watch the football.Before he knows it, he has eaten all the nuts.He turns to his Granpa.
'Sorry Granpa, I've eaten all your nuts'
His granpa turns to him, smiles, and says. ' That's all right son, once I've sucked all the chocolate off I normally throw them away.'