Thursday 21 July 2011

Osborne got his one chance - don't give him another

GDP figures will be out any minute now and estimates are dire, ranging from between a -0.2% contraction and a paltry 0.2% growth.

Extraordinary though it may sound, cutting services, freezing benefits and wages, rising unemployment and high inflation is not encouraging anyone to go shopping or invest in their businesses.

I know, it's a mystery! No-one could possibly have predicted that cutting this much during a recession wouldn't work, but there we have it.

Now, other countries that thought austerity would work have simply gone back to their treasuries and drawn up lists of even more eye-watering cuts. Obviously, their plans will work, they can't possibly be wrong! They just need to cut more!! Well, phew.

Weirdly, those cuts haven't worked either and Spain, Greece, Portugal and Ireland look likely to default.

So, possibly not this quarter, but maybe next George will stand before Parliament, oh so solemnly, and tell us we must cut more. If we don't the deficit will never go down! The markets will hold us to ransom! We'll be doomed I tell you, doomed!

Remember those 40% contingency plans he wanted every department to draw up? Well what do you think they were for? Certainly not an end of year Maths test for civil servants!

Gideon will swear that the only option is to cut an even deeper swathe of destruction through our society and our services - "There is no Alternative" he will wail! The Mail, Telegraph and Times will jump to his aid with earnest assurances of approaching Armageddon and debt-clock front pages. The public may even fall for it again,  paralysed by this manufactured fear.

In welfare, we've already shouldered the worst of the cuts Then, with a gap in the figures, Osborne demanded Duncan-Smith find a few billion more. Today, we are facing 15 BILLION in welfare cuts.

Should Gideon try to persuade us all of that is not enough, that despite leaving old ladies to sit in their own filth, cancer patients left without a hospice, 200,000 dispossessed from their homes and cities, millions unemployed, child care cut and other horrors too numerous to mention we must cut more, we have no choice but to tell him "no".

We cannot, must not and will not allow him to reduce us to a society with no compassion. 

He can achieve this elusive growth by listening to advice from almost any source and stimulating the economy. NOT by following his austerity ideology down a route that could ruin us all.

We've allowed him one attempt to make the impossible possible. He should not get another.

6 comments:

  1. I deal with my adult son's affairs and have received a letter on his behalf from the DWP. It is addressed to ME but they are still wanting to assess him for Limited Work Capability - someone who rarely leaves the house, goes nowhere unaccompanied, never uses the telephone and does not look after his own affairs. He will not manage to get to an interview so he will be another "off benefits success" story :(

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  2. Anon, All is not lost so please dont give up hope, its dreadfull what is happening to disabled people all ove rthe country but together we will win.

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  3. We already are a society with no compassion. The question now is whether we're going to be a society at all, or just a bunch of people who happen to all live in the same country.

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  4. [QUOTE]Anonymous said...

    We already are a society with no compassion. The question now is whether we're going to be a society at all, or just a bunch of people who happen to all live in the same country.[/QUOTE]

    That is the plan I'm afraid conservatives like David Cameron don't care for society and prefer everyone to be on their own and independent with their own means. Big government is what they hate most no government is what they love

    With a small government they can push through polices at will like The BSB / Sky Merger that would have sailed through unopposed if Cameron and co had their way why ? Because that's the nature of the beast Murdoch / Cameron and co won’t to create a power base that's global

    All the sick and disabled do is to prevent that power base from materializing because of cost so they will attack you at every opportunity as they always have done and will continue to do so for years to come in one way or another

    I know because I've had 30 years of it and am still abused by the DWP to this day and despite my conservatives mp's help it has not made a blind bit of difference and never will do

    For every sick or disabled success story you read or hear about there are far more failures that you don't and never will do panorama or no panorama?

    How comes you say? well the system and the DWP that run it have very sophisticated plans in place with a vast number of staff so when things go wrong he takes years to sort out which is a good way of suspending payments until after the investigations have taken place

    All that happens in reality is that those affected die whilst they wait for a decision to be made especially if they live on their own as after the death there is unlikely to be any follow up the coroner just put on his notes the death and not what may have contributed to it stress etc. He won’t be aware of any dealing with regards the DWP or their involvement

    If on the other hand you have a large family and a wide ranging circle of friends then you will be one of the lucky ones with regards payments being made as they can pitch in and fight on your behalf and like any bully the DWP back down and pay up

    We need to stand solid at all times so that society can still flourish but I do believe that were heading for a free for all take what I can society and it will be up to today's younger generation to see how it will eventually pan out

    You can only go to ways my why the traditional one of looking out for everyone irrespective of who they are or the David Cameron way to look after yourself only and that I'm afraid are the only two alternative's

    Sadly I'm not in power so it looks like my way will fail

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  5. I'm afraid I have given up hope. No-one cares because they can see nothing wrong with re-assessments. They cannot understand that for someone like my son (first comment), they would be an impossible hurdle. We cannot even get to the assessment centre as we have no transport and there is no public transport in our area. So I will lose my CA and my OH will have to try to support us both as I will still have to have my caring role, even if it is not recognised as such.

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  6. I have seen the same schema of continuous re-examinations of vulnerable people with serious and irreversible diseases also in Italy and in other States of Europe.
    In particular in Italy the insane finance minister Tremonti, cruel enemy of sick and disabled, recalls for re-examination also patients affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and that are bedridden and cuts their benefits. Tremonti is responsible of a true gallery of the horrors.
    http://www.ilcarrettinodelleidee.com/notizie/la-storia-di-francesco-malato-di-sla-e-costretto-a-letto-ma-gli-sospendono-la-pensione.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/discussion/comment-permalink/11663544
    In Italy there is the company ATOS with chairman the french Bernard Bourigeaud, Riccardo Morandi street 32, Rome.
    In Greece there is the same problem where the missing personalities of the prime minister Papandreou and finanance minister Venizelos, a "constitutionalist", want submit to
    re-examination with abusive, much tighter evaluation criteria all the greek disabled people. http://www.guardian.co.uk/discussion/comment-permalink/11663536
    Also in Greece the french ATOS is present.

    Atos Origin Hellas SA, Kifissias Avenue 18, Maroussi, 15123 Greece

    Is it only a coincidence ?
    Regarding these barbarian re-examinations, I remind You that are an inhumane treatment for sick and disabled with serious and irreversible diseases and therefore a violation of the article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (http://www.hri.org/docs/ECHR50.html), ratified by Britain.
    For the Equality and Human Rights Commission are normal these barbarities ? http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/feb/23/government-reform-disability-benefits
    "The Equality and Human Rights Commission will work with the government as it moves towards single equality legislation. The Commission will seek to help government to create effective legislation that protects people’s rights and helps to bring about a Britain confident in its diversity.
    The government has committed to promoting a fair and equal society, where everyone has the opportunity to prosper and reach their full potential. The Commission will monitor the performance of the government in relation to these commitments.
    The Commission will also seek to influence the development and amending of all government policy, making sure that policy takes into consideration the importance of equality, diversity and human rights." http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/about-us/vision-and-mission/
    Where is the control of this Commission ? The Equality and Human Rights Commission supports Human Rights or supports with its silence BARBARITIES ?

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