10 years of misery, and the rest!

Earlier this week Ed Balls pointed out the obvious, that there will be years of misery for millions of people in Britain, unless the government does a rethink.

Before this apology for a government got in I don’t think there were many who didn’t agree that the deficit needed to be reduced, but it was a question of how best to do it. Unfortunately a lot were scaremongered into believing the only way was very fast & very hard. And being the oil-slick bully boys they are, these Consters painted an awful (& false) picture of what would happen if this wasn’t acted upon, told lie after lie about it being Brown & Labour’s fault, but at the same time conveniently failed to point out who would actually end up ‘paying’. But now it’s all too clear to everyone, with the notable exception of the wealthiest who are getting wealthier day by day, that this government have got it wrong - badly and disastrously for millions of people, those who were NOT to blame for either the global financial crisis, or the one the banks created in Britain.

These days when jobs are cut, it no longer just means that you will have to find another job, which is bad enough, but now it’s quite likely that you’re on the scrap heap because there isn’t another job! And this government are fuelling this problem with its bad habit of needlessly giving away jobs as it did when it awarded Siemens the train building contract instead of Bombardier. And surprise, surprise, the company that put Siemens offer together happen to have various accounts in tax havens abroad.

And of course it doesn’t end there – another person out of work means less money being spent in the economy, with a negative knock-on effect on other possibly struggling businesses, plus a further drain when they rightly draw benefits.

This Labour Conference week has been a fairly positive affair, and hopefully will have given the rank & file a boost. But what would really help is if Labour & the unions can act now – and I mean NOW! – working together to force the government to ease up on Jill & Jo Public, rein in the banks, and tell the utility companies to lower prices. Otherwise it’s going to be a cold, oh so very cold winter, and many more to come!

Your vote might count

I've just come across an a-political site www.voteofnoconfidence.org.uk which is hoping to get rid of the government. For what it’s worth I’ve added my vote and this comment :

“Cameron & Osbourne and the rest of their millionaire chums just have no conception whatsoever of the lives of real people.

They may be excused for this as they have never had to live in the real world. However what is inexcusable is their total denial in the face of so much evidence, from those who are on the receiving end to all the many respected financial experts, that their policies simply are NOT WORKING!

How dare they treat others in this way when they weren't even given a mandate to run, or should I say RUIN, the country.

How dare they continue to ignore the plight of millions of people.

How dare they continue to let off the banks, allow the utility companies to bleed people dry, to allow tax evaders to carry on as if nothing has happened etc etc

But is this all much more sinister, that they simply want to go back to what for them were the 'good old days', when the rich were powerful and could do as they liked, whilst the poor knew their place and were firmly kept there? Not only a frightening thought, but totally unacceptable, and the only way to make sure this doesn't happen is to get rid of this government!!”

Les

A Open Letter to David Cameron

One comment the PM made after the riots struck me so much that I felt a blog coming on, hence this ...

"How dare you say that the recent riots are evidence that we live in a ‘sick society’!

Society isn’t sick – indeed when you read day in day out stories of people’s selfless courage, and the countless number who do so much for charity then you really are talking dangerous nonsense. But society, all of us, are getting desperate, so bloody desperate about these cuts, slated by numerous experts as being totally over the top. They need to be to be stopped and NOW!

Let’s take a rational rather than kneejerk look at what happened with the riots, and the possible causes. Your government has taken a sledgehammer approach to deal with the budget deficit. The awful knock-on effect is gradually trickling down and one group – one of many I might add – that this is having a devastating effect on is young people who see no hope for the future. Not surprisingly many are angry, and some of them decided to show it. With no real outlet for that anger it turned to rioting. I am NOT excusing them, just understanding the reason behind their actions. But let’s not forget that there will ALWAYS be those who take advantage of these situations. Yes, there were without doubt those who joined in with peaceful intentions but got carried away – the rest of us would be foolish not to deny that we might have done the same in those circumstances – but many of those involved in the looting and destruction will have included a hard core just there with the sole purpose of causing mayhem. And sad to say for the media there would be no story without them as all too often they just want a sensational headline.

But of course you haven’t got a clue what society really is because you don’t live in the real world like the rest of us, those that aren’t born to money. It’s you who should be given a tough jail sentence, for the criminal way you are treating thousands if not millions of the citizens in Britain. Whether you are a liar, have no common sense, or simply have no idea, whatever the reason for what you have said and done, there is no doubt that you are not fit to be an MP let alone Prime Minister. After all, you just haven’t got the right experience, the one called real life."

Les

Goodbye or is it au revoir?

Just a line to say I'm giving myself a well earned break from politics for a while. Hope you've enjoyed what you've read so far. You never know I might just succomb if the mood takes me!

Les

Swansea and the City Centre – the way forward

I have been involved over the last couple of months in assessing Swansea – the city in general and what it has to offer, through comments made on a Linked-in discussion, and the city centre in particular. The former has been almost all positive, with virtually everyone saying Swansea has so much to offer, and that as long as we positively address any negatives these can be overcome. So what about the latter?

Well, I get the impression from my involvement with the FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) that there has also been a lot of positive talk since the issues in the city centre have been highlighted. So it is very frustrating when you read the articles in the Evening Post which don’t say this.

The most recent one from Monday 18th July just dwelt on the antics that went on at the council meeting. Yes, it is annoying that councillors from different parties can end up just point scoring & finger pointing – this has been happening for centuries and will probably carry on for many more. But it would have been so refreshing if instead of reporting back on this the paper had mentioned the motion that whilst put forward by Labour virtually had all party agreement, and with a few amendments was carried. And that urgent measures would be, and since have been introduced, and relatively quickly, to try and help alleviate the problems traders are facing – fewer antisocial problems, free & cheaper parking fees around the High Street, traffic wardens applying a bit more leeway.

I suppose I must accept that newspapers will always be selective in what they choose to write, but I can at least wish that they leave in the important bits as well as the peripheral stuff that they obviously feel sells their papers.

Les

Double Pensions Whammy

As I haven’t done anything on this blog for a while (and assuming some of you missed me!) thought I’d do a double whammy on pensions …

Following the Bully Boys’ mantra on public sector pensions some other ghastly Tory was going on the other day comparing them with the private sector. Needless to say he was arguing that the proposed changes are ‘fair as public sector get a far better deal than those paying into private pensions’. In that case improve the pensions that the private sector get ie get the fat cat employers to contribute more (anything!), not reduce those that people have worked hard most of their lives for!

(if you want to know why have a picture of these 'two', you'll just have to read to the end!)

And then there is the question of men & women retiring at the same age. I do agree with but I cannot see why the Tories have speeded up the timescale which means that thousands of women – many low paid, many struggling to carry on but do so because they could see the end of the road – will have to wait up to another TWO YEARS before getting their state pension. By now the vast majority of these women will have paid more than enough into these schemes so basically this government is ROBBING THEM! Yes, I admit I'm one of them but then I've finally found a career I enjoy and will carry on doing for as long as I can, but I feel very angry on behalf of those so not lucky.

I have said this more than once but the only way these, and all the other disastrous Tory measures, are overturned is by getting rid of this shower. But I just feel so wretched that even if this happened tomorrow it will be too late for the businesses who will have gone under, the workers who will have lost their jobs, the schools, libraries & other civic ammenities that will have been closed, and the communities & families whose lives will be wrecked.

So I will end with my new (but probably not original!) tag line ...

It just isn’t fair, but then they don’t care!

Les

PS Another glimmer of hope? Governments like this one are often brought down by a side issue and mayby, just maybe, the 'brothers' Iain Duncan Smith might have sunk the ship with his 'British Workers for British Jobs'. Before he said this only most people were against them but I think/hope that this just about alienates all of them!

United we Win, Divided we Don't!

I caught the latter part of the following conversation on the radio yesterday. One person pointed that disabled people will be amongst those hardest hit by the government’s cuts, using quite reasoned & well thought out arguments to put her case. When asked the other person disagreed and made disparaging remarks inferring that other charities would be making similar unwarranted claims over the summer. I immediately thought ‘typical Tory’ but he then went on to say the worst off would be the hundreds of thousands who will be out of a job.

Oh how David Cameron would laugh his head off to hear a perfect example of ‘divide & rule’! It doesn’t make any difference who will be the least, in between, or worst affected. What does matter is that millions of people will suffer genuine hardship because of what this government is imposing, now clearly (mis)lead by the Gruesome Twosome.

They are the only people who gain out of this facile kind of point scoring. It seems obvious to me that we must NOT fight amongst ourselves but must unite to fight them, and so get rid of this selfish, heartless, uncaring government AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

Les