Wednesday 16 October 2013

Irrecoverable

What use is a job, if your wages cannot buy you anything?

Meanwhile, yes, you heard that correctly: the Red Cross is now distributing food parcels in Britain for the first time since the War. And yes, you heard that correctly: David Cameron says that "that is their choice," because of course the Red Cross has no other call on its resources. 

Chaired by a Labour Party member? So what? Charities at local level are routinely jumble-selling ladies' branches of the Conservative Party. Or, at least, they were. Before that party decided to attack the fiscal base of charity in this country. 

He only chairs it in Britain. He does not decide which countries need these things in the first place. The Red Cross has looked at the globe, and Britain is where the need is.

People here are taking food back to food banks because they cannot afford to heat it up. I shall say that again: people in the United Kingdom, in 2013, are not only getting their food from food banks, but are having to take it back because they cannot afford to heat it up.

Thank you, George Osborne, whose career ought to have ended on Sunday, anyway. And would have done, if the Bullingdon Broadcasting Corporation had taken up the Mirror story. If you do not know, then that is the point.

Meanwhile, thank E.ON, via its official Twitter account, for this: "Using warm coloured lamp shades can make your home feel warmer without touching the thermostat." Fuel poverty? What fuel poverty?

14 comments:

  1. No mention on this blog of the fact that the number claiming unemployment benefit has fallen to the lowest level since 1997.

    "Bullingdon Broadcasting Corporation".

    You've got to be kidding-the Corporation that single-handedly defeated David Davis's leadership bid because he was right-wing, has been screeching non-stop about "cuts" to anybody that would listen.

    It was in the embarrassing position of having to hide its own poll results this week when it revealed the majority of British voters actually think public services have IMPROVED since the so-called "cuts".

    As for a living wage-only if, and when, we cut the abominable "green" regulations etc, and high taxes that businesses are labouring under in this country.

    We can start with an exemption for small businesses (those with under 15 employees) from all maternity rights so that they can start creating jobs again.

    Then the Government might have some credibility in calling for a 'living wage'.

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  2. The unemployment point was dealt with in the first line. Only about half of the unemployed receive JSA, anyway. Today's figure is essentially meaningless. Just as a job is, if you cannot buy anything with the wages.

    The Tories voted in favour of the green taxes at the time, and you will notice that they never suggest repealing them now. They only point out that Labour in general and Miliband in particular imposed them. But Labour in general and Miliband in particular are not now in office.

    Not that they are ever asked about this by the Bullingdon Broadcasting Corporation. Any more than Osborne, who has just been fawned over on air by Maitlis in the last hour, is ever asked about the police raid on his former madam last week, just before she was due to publish her memoirs.

    A national newspaper ran the story. Then the BBC, by not picking it up, killed it. Par for the course.

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  3. I worked for a business with just 5 employees when I left Uni.

    I personally saw the first company I worked for having to scrap its plan to hire two extra staff when one of the women working there suddenly decided to take maternity leave just a few months after starting-it caused a complete crisis.

    We had to take on her workload on top of our own while they desperately searched for a temporary replacement whom they then had to train and pay, while also paying her.

    We lost a client as a result.

    If you knew the regulatory strain small businesses were under, you'd begin to understand this.

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  4. You'll be supporting Labour's business rate cut for small businesses, then? But what has what, exactly, to do with this post, or with the previous comments on it?

    The Tories are never asked the question, "Why don't you repeal them, then?" Never mind, "Why did you vote for the green taxes, under your present Leader, who promised "the greenest Government ever"?"

    They are never asked any question like that, about anything. By anyone squealing against the Royal Charter (or most of the people squealing for it), not just by the BBC. Free Press, my left bo**ock.

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  5. "you will notice the Tories never suggest repealing them now".


    Indeed-which gives the lie to all the imbeciles who claim they are secretly "Right-wing".

    If we had Davis in charge, however, it would be another matter.

    He's the only distinguished serving Tory who speaks for the Right in this country.

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  6. He has become a rebel for every cause. Every single one. And he expressed none of this when he was on the frontbench.

    Did he vote against the green taxes? He could not possibly have done so, as a frontbencher at the time. Is he even against them now, come to that?

    But I see that you are exhibiting your usual schizophrenia, cognitive dissonance, or whatever you want to call it, about the Conservative Party.

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  7. I have no idea why what someone may or may not have done with a girl while at Uni should have any bearing on their career.

    As for "free press my left bollock"-if your complaint is that it isn't critical enough of the Government, then shackling it permanently certainly isn't any kind of a solution to that problem.

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  8. It wouldn't make any difference. It would change a thing.

    Sending the rozzers round to an ageing or aged, presumably but not necessarily former, sadomasochistic prostitute in order to intimidate her out of spilling the beans about the Chancellor of the Exchequer is likewise hardly the mark of a regime at the top of any human rights index as it is.

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  9. He's held all the same views all along.

    He spoke against green taxes-when Cameron spoke for them-during his leadership bid.

    He was for the death penalty even when he was Shadow Home Secretary.

    He voted against gay adoption, against abortion and for retention of Section 28 when on the front bench.

    What cognitive dissonance?

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  10. The press criticises the Government on many issues, all the time.

    If sections of the press aren't critical enough of the government today-even when they are unregulated-then state regulation will help ensure that state of affairs continues forever and is set in stone.

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  11. And do we know that's why the police were "sent round" and for no other reason?

    Since she hasn't even "spilt" those particular beans then we don't have any evidence that the rumours about them are true.

    Presumption of innocence, Dave, for goodness sake.

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  12. Look up the Mirror story.

    It is already set in stone. Outside the Mirror Group, the Morning Star, odd columnists elsewhere (Peter Oborne, Peter Hitchens, Owen Jones, Mehdi Hasan), RT, and Al Jazeera on a good day, no one ever criticises the Government in any substantial or profound way.

    A parade of clichés, yes: Delingpole, Littlejohn, that kind of thing. Clever people pretending to be stupid for stupid people. Much of the Left is much the same.

    It is extraordinary that they are still going on about the MPs' expenses business. That had nothing to do with politics. The people involved just happened to be politicians, which is not the same thing at all.

    You can never decide whether you hate the Tories or you are desperate for them to be in Government forever.

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  13. Britain has the fastest growing inflation in Europe, with soaring food and fuel prices. Your first point is exactly right, what good is a job in that case? You are also right that this is only the figure for JSA claimants, it is not the real unemployment figure, it no longer works like that.

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  14. David Davis supports the death penalty. Bloody good job he didn't win then.

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