A scary thought has been scaring me.
What if the Government really aren't fit to govern?
Now that I've recovered from the blast of scorn you all just harrumphed at me, ("Well, of course they're unfit to govern") I mean really unfit to govern. Literally incapable?
I mean, we've had incompetent ministers before, or shambolic departments, or disastrous decisions taken undemocratically. We've had sleaze and scandals, out-of-touch chancellors and dodgy economics. We've had inequality, we've endured arrogance, we've seen tough times and recessions.
Our high streets have looked just as desolate before, our living standards have been squeezed, it's not the first time unemployment has soared to the 3 million or so it is today.
I'm sure we've had Prime Ministers more lazy - some may even have taken more holidays than our own. I imagine there may be one somewhere back in the mists of time who has made more U-Turns.
The Tudors were very fond of criminal spin doctors, I'm sure they encouraged strikes and unrest during the Industrial Revolution. We tried austerity in the 30s and got it horribly wrong then too. We've had a two tier education system before and we've seen politicians argue against the existence of a National Health Service.
Previous Chancellors have designed car-crash budgets and it's far from the first time disabled people have been used as a convenient punch-bag. Why, it used to be de-rigeur to see cripples with begging bowls, in rags, outside the gin joints. It's certainly not the first time our civil liberties have been threatened.
But all of it? All at once? Not one minister capable of getting something right? All of them lying to us and to Parliament? A Chancellor so wrong it hurts? A Prime Minister so flaky, his new nickname is "Cadbury's? A Home Secretary that the police detest, and an education minister reviled by teachers? No, more than reviled, mocked for his odd megalomania? A Justice secretary ripping up our Human Rights and access to, erm, justice. A Work and Pensions Minister hell bent on a zealous, slightly Spanish-Revolutionary mission? I haven't even mentioned the Health secretary - my adjective-drive is overheating.
There are no job interviews to become an MP. Experience is not required. You don't need to understand the NHS to run the health portfolio, or to have been a teacher to dabble in schools. In fact, you don't need to have had any kind of job at all.
What if, 2010 was the year we elected a Government so incapable it's actually dangerous?
I did send a tweet to the Queen asking her to dissolve this incompetent lot, but she ignored me!
ReplyDeleteWe didn't really elect this government. And I agree with all of the above
ReplyDeleteYou are right and we should not forget this is a minority government in the form of a coalition of two parties that actually won nothing and certainly do not represent the whole country
DeleteTheir tactics have been breathtakingly scary, Read macchiavelli it's all there
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with every word as with most of your posts! @andrewtmj
ReplyDeleteThese they are not MPs, they are bussinessmen. They don't care about the people or the country - profit is their sole purpose. Did you know that our country is actually...a company?
ReplyDeleteUNITED KINGDOM CORPORATION LTD
COMPANY NUMBER 05853448
and Scameron, and the parties too?
So of course they'll serve their share holders - we are the mere slaves working for them for exchange of bread...crumps.
Check the link - I am not pushing any agenda here, but be open minded and see it all make sense. The 2nd part is where the juice's at.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0IM7Hobd_k
There's no doubt that a large number if not most of them are NOT FIT to govern and that's one of the big problems with government; on top of that legislature needs to be put in place holding them accountable and to certain standards. They should not be able to be involved in anyway in any legislation in which they have a personal interest. They shouldn't be able to use Financial Privilege unless the intent is made before a Bill starts it's journey through the Lords and the list goes on. The problem is what can we do about all of this or can we do something about all of this? That been said would that give YOU and other's like you who are smart, honest, caring citizens a way into government! : )
ReplyDeleteJust noticed my typos, sorry.
DeleteThey are incapable. It is an entire cabinet of Boris Johnson-type characters. They don't know what they're doing AND they don't care about workers. Even Thatcher had some experience of working, of real life, some desire (albeit twisted) to improve people's lives. This lot ARE dangerous.
ReplyDeleteYou know, Anon 02.07, I've said many times lately that I'd actually take Maggie over this shower like a shot. She may have been misguided and I may have hated her policies and outlook on life, but she didn't get things this WRONG. She would NEVER have allowed even one of her ministers to screw up like this. She wouldn't have gone ahead with the NHS nonsense, seeing clearly it would lose her support. She'd NEVER have dropped the 50p rate while squeeze the rest of the country.
ReplyDeleteShe understood what losing hundreds of £s meant to working families and understood that she had to encourage ordinary people to aspire, not jut fat cat bankers.
If you'd asked me pre-election to defend Maggie I'd have struggled, but this lot have put her time in power into perspective in a way that is utterly utterly terrifying.
Also Maggie didn't wind up the police. This lot are so arrogant/incompetent/determined to sell everything off to their mates that they wind up the police. Barking.
ReplyDeleteNo, she was always very pally with the Police, knowing full well she would need them to sort out the civil unrest she was fostering.
DeleteMight not be exactly a win-win, but at least it was a win-lose.
They have a programme to dismantle the State as far as they can get away with and transfer even more power and wealth to corporate interests through privatisation. Thatcher started this, Major continued it, Blair did a bit too. The economic crisis is a perfect cover. They bang on about having no money and having to make "hard" decisions, poor dears. But really, they do know what they are doing. The chaos is collateral damage. Look at their priorities. Everything they do (not always what they say) can be understood clearly in this context. There is a parallel process in the US. Democracy is too good for us, it might dent their profits. No wonder they're tapping your phones, Sue.
ReplyDeleteMike
anonymous 1.47 can i copy this please to my fb page?...Sue T
ReplyDeleteOf course, you never need to ask :)
DeleteSorry, didn't get the question - you can use the link and go straight to youtube
DeleteWe are governed by criminals
ReplyDeleteI have a more pressing question for the general populace: What are YOU (the collective 'you') going to do if this government is actually incompetent? Make some tea? Write an epetition? Sigh and just keep going hoping Someone Else will solve the issue?
ReplyDeleteThat's a very pressing question as well...a question I don't see many people wanting to answer. Because it's a frightening answer.
I am beginning to think this bunch of Right winged lunatics want civil unrest to bring in even more unjust laws.
ReplyDeleteOur only hope is independent MP,s.They are not accountable to a party and could possibly blow the whistle on some things that are going on.
Now I expect my Computer will be under surveillance for uttering discontent with our Dear Leader,as they say in Korea.
To quote a certain movie: "People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." This current government is arrogant enough to believe that they are above and beyond fearing us. They flaunt their criminal activity in front of us day in and day out, as if to say "We are above the law, but YOU aren't." They got into power by unscrupulous means, they believe themselves infallible, and they mock us with their corrupt behaviour. You're right, Sue - this government is dangerous.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that the last democratic election of a government happened in May 1997 - fifteen years ago. I don't know what you would call this government now, but "democratic" is not the word I would use.
http://eoin-clarke.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/wow-court-rules-that-tory-nhs-bill-was.html
ReplyDeletesue, I've been reading your blogs for a while and i am extremely concerned that you are NOT helping the disabled cause at all actually i would say you are putting the fear of god into very sick and disabled people. Yes i agree disabled people should be aware of whats going on but the way you do it is just plain wrong. you have taken it upon yourself to be some kind of advocate yet you seem to make it all about you you you you you . You need to realise not all disabled people can deal with the constant stream of bad news that you put up on your blog its not just me who thinks this either
ReplyDeleteAnd you are the spokesperson of "those people who can't deal with it"? Can I ask if you can't handle what is being said, why don't you just not READ it?
DeleteHere's the thing...how is sticking your head in the sand going to help? Believe me I know plenty of people who just don't want to deal with the bad news and have therefore stopped having anything to do with welfare reform. Well, if that's all they can deal with, then fine, that's their right, but doing an ostrich impression isn't going to change things either.
Sue says what she says because, well, it's her blog. She's not putting herself out there as the Grand Pumbah of disabled people and has said time and time again the whole Spartacus Movement is a group effort of people who want and wish to take it on. Any pedestal she may be placed upon is because people saw fit to put her there, not because she crawled up there herself.
So, here's a clue - if you want to hide, then hide. Nothing is stopping you. But if you think Sue is doing it "wrong", then by all means, start up a blog, and start up a campaign to do things the way YOU personally think they should be done. It would save a whole lot of time, and would be more effective, too.
I agree as well, used to look forward to reading your blogs Sue, now you seem to spend all your time on Twiiter and only communicating with people who can offer you some information.
DeleteI'm sorry to hear that guys. Tell me more of what frustrates you and where you think I should be communicating?
DeleteI started my blog to report what was happening politically. I never set out to do anything other than that. In fact, I set out to blog about the NHS - if you look at the first 6 months or so it is a mix of political comment and NHS/health blogs.
I fought the welfare bill because I believed it needed fighting. There were no politicians willing to "oppose" no friendly media outlets.
I simply report the stories as they come. I wish with all my heart there were more positive stories to report - though when there are I do. Just check back through this months blog posts.
I think it's vital that sick and disabled people are as reliably informed on the changes that will affect their lives as possible. There are many many other sites willing to jump on any conspiracy that comes forward.
I don't do that. I just report the facts as they arise.
I do get lots of information from some of my friends on twitter. That's because it's instant.
“I am Spartacus”
DeleteI am talking to you… “Warriors of Life”
Because as you stand here alone… we also stand together!
“One who knows” will call you by your name
And you will know them as yourself
Even in the shadows of the darkest night
Each one of you will be known
Not as a lesser person or citizen
Neither as a burden to the state
But as a human being
An equal
I can see on your face that you are tired, withered and broken
Maybe not from sticks or stones
But from the many names they call you
And always by your health condition that limits you
But we must rise to face the fears of the known and unknown
And through our tears and fears
Stories of the truth must be told
And we will not fold to tyranny
Nor succumb to our critic –
Our friends that fabricated us as an enemy of the state
For they themselves could not live the life of the warrior spirit –
While their hearts are closed, and the silence of others remain deafening
But the more of us that fall from grace, by the hands of our enemy friends
The louder our voices must be heard
We will not go away quietly
We will keep coming back and may even die opposing
“Because we have nowhere else to go!”
We must allow our fear to come forth
And through our fear and vulnerability
Our hearts will grow deeper with absolute compassion
Though our bodies may be caged by pain and illness
Our hearts will remain open and free
And through this freedom touched by the warrior spirit
You will hear the voices of the sick and disabled souls shout!
I am Spartacus!
Who are you?
Sue - please keep on doing just what you have been doing; your blog is a fount of information. It's not your fault everything is so dire at the moment, and yes, I agree, this government is dangerously incompetent as well as utterly callous.
DeleteBrian that's amazing!! Did you write it?
DeleteHi Sue,
DeleteYeh... I wrote it just a few days ago, but when I read some of the comments left on your blog today I thought I'd share it. Fear comes from within, and with inspiration (like your blog!) arises heart - also from within. With heart anything is possible... Thank you!
Wow, really? You wrote it and shared it because of the comments? I don't know if I know you in "real life" but I related to it very much.
DeleteThank you so much for posting it. It sums up exactly why I write - almost as though I'd replied myself!
The British public cant help themselves they have always voted for the worst of mankind and i cant see that changing
ReplyDeleteThe British culture one of slavery and greed and deceit may never be able to turn the tide
Even if i were the prime minister it would still take many years of hard work to eradicate a society of it's own self interest of greed and selfishness along with it's lies and deception
My thoughts exactly. These people are not fit to run the country. They are devoid of humanity. They don't care what the public thinks and ignore the pleas of the people. They want to 'fight' welfare. The language of war against poor people again. We're living under the shadow of mass unemployment, no prospect of real jobs and no they haven't got a long term plan to get the economy moving. They are brilliant and spin and little else. The sick and those with disabilities are terrified for their futures. We're all being scrutinised and labelled and put into categories that don't fit the individual. People ARE being made destitute. Other's are losing their homes. Living standards for all are but the millionaires are falling faster than a lead balloon.
ReplyDeleteInformation and knowledge for me is everything. The sooner the whole country wakes up to the dire reality the better. Then we can vote en masse to get them out.
Oops, I meant they are brilliant AT spin. Hardly a positive quality is it?
ReplyDeleteHi Sue, this is the first posting to your blog, even though I have been reading it for months.
ReplyDeleteYour fight with the Spartacus Report is something that has never left me, and I don't think it will, because I see it as one of the greatest injustices inflicted by a government on its people. It was one of those rare moments in life where you know with every part of you, that something is fundamentally wrong.
The sad thing is, those rare moments are no longer rare. This government is unfit to govern. It consists of vandals and mercenaries who seem intent on unpicking a welfare system that, although open to abuse and flawed in many ways, has helped those at a time of need.
I really fear what will be left of our country will be left after the Coalition have pillaged and privatised what few assets we have left. But they will most certainly be remembered as the government that failed the poor and the sick for their own gain.
Now they want to take away Housing Benefit from under-25's, the ToryConDemLibFibs obviously think all young people come from families stable and/or rich enough to support them. When will these dangerous idiots realise that not everyone has a bloody baronetcy or trust-fund?
Deletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/apr/05/housing-benefit-cut-young-people
Thanks for commenting Christian!
DeleteIf it's any consolation I've never, ever known of a Gov that "fast-forwarded" to being such a mess.
Though they will leave devastation everywhere, at least they seem to be doing all they can to make sure they never, ever, get voted in again.
I think your worries are shared by many. A great thought provoking piece.
ReplyDeleteSue I have been saying this government is unfit to govern for many months now, I have written about it on my blog and I am just compiling a little article for tomorrow concerning something similar to this. It's scary.
ReplyDeleteNO they are VERY capable.....ok not capable as Mps in the sense that they do not represent us BUT make no mistake they are so very capable.Capable of looking after thier five year plan and that is to sell off everything that can be sold...outsourcing as an ideology...and in the process become so entwined in every aspect of the companies that they end up with thier grubby paws on our family silver so tightly that we can never get rid of em.
ReplyDeleteFlog it and laugh is thier mantra.Even bloody atos is running the premium bonds accounts (in fact in Private Eye this issue there is an article on how they lost 30 grand of one mans money....)and A4 E is preffered bidder to run the echr..talk about taking the piss i mean come on they are so fkin arrogant that even under investigation the wicked witch still gets our money to run OUR organisations.And there is more to come from Scameron and co before we finally get rid of em .So yeah they are very capable of looking after themselves and the money grabbing bastards that support em and in truth they have taken as much as they can from the state and we bloody pay em to do it so in fact they are all in truth the REAL benefit fraudsters.OUR money ...thier benefit.
Oh and on the subject of the NHS Private Eye this issue page 14 and again on page 32 another piece on a4e .Both worth reading and just these two articles should tell us all we need to know about the very very capable bunch of bastards...
They may very well be unfit to govern Gracie, but that's not what they aim to do. Rather, I strongly suspect, their aim is to DE-govern: http://pinkpolitika.com/2011/01/11/incompetent-conservative-government-or-de-government/
ReplyDeleteThey don't care whether they're competent to administer / develop social (etc) policy, what they want to achieve a.s.a.p. is a situation whereby they're not remotely responsible or accountable for any of it. They're rapidly razing the welfare state to the ground, whilst we all carry on about whether they're competent to run it.
Does George Osborne care whether the welfare state is working properly? What do you think?
But does he care about establishing the free market, as fast as he can? Again, I leave you to judge...
32 die a week after failing test for new incapacity benefit
ReplyDeleteWell as i predicted the death figure is getting high
http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2012/04/32-die-a-week-after-failing-in.html
I also thought Hitler was dead ???
ReplyDeleteThey can't govern and I'm not of anyone of the main parties who can...
ReplyDeleteI have mentioned before about being worried about having a roof over my head and whether I'll be able to continue to claim financial help being that I am not in good health after Mum passes away.
I might've been able to manage until the new rules and criteria were introduced by the coalition Government we have in power who are going after seemingly everyone that they can and keep saying "We're all in this together!" and really they have no idea as most have a nice nest egg or investments and are mainly millionaires.
I keep being told I have nothing to fear and in my case having lived here 50+ years and having had my name on the rent card for almost 30 years I am safe.
I like the area that I live, I like the fact it is near the shops etc...and it is a safe neighbourhood.
I might concede a smaller house/bedsit might be better for me as a single person and that a three bed roomed house would be better given to a family but on the other hand I don't want to be put just anywhere nor do I want to move to a different town. Also there are very few small properties available so where are they to be found?
There has just been a letter in a local free sheet that popped through the door where someone has not had a permanent home for maybe 20 years+ but has finally managed to get back onto this town and been given a two bed roomed house and it means he can live near to and look after his aged mother.
But as he says now thanks to the new rules coming in he will lose or have to pay £13 for the spare bedroom he will not be using and he says its unfair when there are no properties available from the Housing Association that runs all the social housing in the area cannot offer anything smaller.
Another fair point he makes is that you may need a spare room for visitors, guests or returning family members as none of us know what the future holds but whilst that room is empty you'll still have to find £13.
And we all know that even if you could move into a smaller property eventually the rent will rise so you will end up paying probably what you were paying for the property you moved out of.
Its tempting to go into private property and hope you get a decent landlord but once you do that if things go wrong you are back to square one.
Someone said on the radio that the problem is that rents are too high and that's probably due to private landlords and rents should really come down, if that happened tenants might be able to afford to live there or the Government might be less likely to withdraw Housing Benefit. Its not going to happen. Its not helped by the Government using London and similar cities to judge the whole country.
Proper Social Housing is better priced but the problem is that there is some kind of condition that was brought in some time ago where the rents are raised and they look at private properties in the area as guide as to what they should charge. Far better if they could put pressure on others to bring rents down.