I think it gives the reactionaries a massive erection to victimise the poor and strip away their dignity, as they cruelly continue their attack on the weakest and most vulnerable in society.
It's a shame they do not put the same amount of energy into recouping the £69 billion lost in tax avoidance every year, but I suppose it would be somewhat embarrassing having to report your friends or relatives to Her Majesty's Customs.
As always this attitude is triggered by anecdotal inaccurate evidence, fueled by the lying right wing press, about people claiming benefit and spending it on fags, booze and Sky TV, when anybody with half a brain (which probably does exclude the dim witted Duncan Smith) would be able to work out that it is impossible to afford cigarettes and bottles of White Lightening and satellite TV on £71 a week without starving to death.
This has nothing to do with the economy and asking people to spend their money responsibly. It is just another attempt to dehumanise and stigmatise a defenceless section of the community for sport and ideologue. Why bother with a prepaid card, why don't they ( this suggestion will probably be Government policy next month) go the whole hog and force anybody on benefits to sew a yellow star into their clothing, so people can spit on them in the street and refuse to serve them in shops.
I wonder if the middle and upper classes, who are in receipt of Child Benefit, would be happy to tolerate receiving their benefit in the form of a payment card which they could only use for buying nappies and baby food, rather than spending it on a nice bottle of Merlot, a skinny latte or a skiing holiday in the Alps.Or, perhaps, as 70% of the welfare bill goes towards paying state pensions, then maybe Pensioners should be issued with prepayment cards so they don't go blowing the lot on Werthers Originals and Bingo.
If they want people to be responsible with the little money they have, then surely infantilising the recipient and denying them the opportunity to shop around and buy goods as cheaply as possible by denying them access to market traders, fruit and veg stores and pound shops is just going to exacerbate the problem, forcing people to sell the cards/vouchers for cash or turning to crime.Interestingly Mastercard and Asda are keen to get involved with this programme.
I wonder why?
Mark Hoban. Tory Employment Minister.
The Tory Employment Minister, Mark Hoban, is cracking down on people who are scrounging off the taxpayer, he may well be interested in these figures – red silk cushion covers, £79; toilet roll holder, £25; chrome shower rack, £100; toilet brush, £10; LCD television, £749; curtain, £1,600; music centre, £199.
All of them claimed by Mark Hoban MP as part of his parliamentary expenses.
His total claims under the Additional Costs Allowance over four years – £82,662.
Living a life on benefits???????
David Miliband.
Has he left politics for good? Probably not. If Labour lose the election in two years time, then he will probably be Leader of The Opposition within a year. If they win, well, no problem then.
Class Hypocrisy and Snobbery. Well,What's Good For The Goose..........
In the sleepy Dorset town of Sherborne, the middle and upper classes are revolting. It's true, they are revolting. As well as being disgusting and hypocritical. Why? Because Tesco want to build a new store in the town and the pompous, barbour clad, plummy voiced, snobby retirees and incomers from London don't want it.
They dress their hypocrisy up of course. Saying it will ruin the local businesses. But it will only ruin the local businesses, if the locals choose to shop in Tesco, rather than continue to give their business to the local shops. If they do not want the shop, then don't shop there. If there is no custom then the Tesco will fail and have to close. Meanwhile all the latter day Hyacinth Bouquets, retired hedge fund managers and people from the meeja, who moved down from the smoke, can continue shelling out £20 a pop for six organically grown sausages.
The sad aspect of this horrible insight into the self serving and privileged lives of these class grotesques is how the requirements of the section of the community who cannot afford venison for Sunday lunch, have been ignored. The people on low incomes, who would benefit from cheaper food and clothing. Even sadder, is the fact that the local vicar has also been railing against Tesco. You would have thought he would have been more concerned for the well being of his poorer and less fortunate parishioners, who are probably struggling to make ends meet, rather than siding with the self important blow-ins. How sad and predictable.
Apparently there is a Sainsbury already in the town. And a Costa Coffee! Although I doubt they've got a Gregg's. So they can't be totally anti-supermarket/chain. Perhaps they are holding out for a Waitrose.
I think I'll give Lidl a ring.
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