I know someone who, because of depression, hasn't been able to work for years. Some days he is OK, some days not. There is no way he can hold down a normal job, because there are days he just can't get out of bed. He lives in London and can barely scrape by on the welfare payments he is able to claim. He can't afford to go out with friends or do anything that most of us take for granted. Now Gideon "George" Osborne and the government of old Etonians and assorted other people who have no idea what life is actually like for poor people, have decided that he should lose his right to incapacity benefit (unless he can manage to be classified as "seriously disabled", which sounds like a physical definition rather than a mental one). His story is not in any way unique. In crafting a budget which they claim to be "fair" and "progressive" they have in fact attacked the poor of Britain in a way that even Thatcher might have balked at.
Benefit fraud costs the UK taxpayer something like £1bn a year. Tax evasion is thought to cost in the region of £40-70bn a year. Which one is the government targeting?
I'm sickened by these scum. I urge everyone to read this fantastic and savage piece by
Johann Hari in today's Independent. It says everything better than I ever could. This is war on the poor, pure and simple.
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5 comments:
I agree with everything you say here Andy - well put! I didn't know the statistic about tax evasion, either. Thanks for pointing that one out.
The only thing I disagree with is whether Thatcher may, or may not have balked at these cuts. She wouldn't have, for sure.
Not quite sure which yet, but the day the old baggage dies, I'll wear a flower in my buttonhole to celebrate (though I'll have to find a jacket with a buttonhole first- Looks like I might not have long to find one, either!)
EFL Anarcho.
That's a fair comment, EFLA. Thatcher would have loved to have done something like this. She's probably even now cackling maniacally from her hospital bed.
http://www.isthatcherdeadyet.co.uk/
Yes it's sad what happens..
By the way I remember I read "Nice work" by David Lodge and apparently the novel was written in Ms. Thatcher' time..she had quite a view of society in general..:)
Camy
Andy, I am one of your readers, I just wanted to see how a foreigner is coping in our country.
Your comment is right. I know how destructive a depression can be. In 1998, I wasn't able to work, I nearly got fired from the job. Thanks God I went to a psychoterapeut in Bucharest and since then I am nearly back in the saddle.
In Romania the depression is considered either as mental insanity or laziness (this is just one reason the mental health of the population really suffers).
And our wannabee thatcherite government would not even consider helping people with depression.
See for instance on hotnews.ro an interview with the eonomic advisor of Boc titled "compassion for those who work, afterwards for the assisted". Sure great compassion! They will change the Work Code so that the boss can fire you immediately.
And finally my experience showed me that the ones who are frauding te social assistance are usually very resourceful. The first ones who are suffering are the affected persons who have no one to support them...
Buna Seara!
Eu sunt Vlad, unul dintre membri Radio Whisper - un radio antimanele dedicat bloggerilor şi nu numai.
Am găsit întâmplător blogul tău, am citit câteva articole şi nu am vrut să ies înainte să te felicit – mi-a plăcut mult ce am găsit aici. Am fost atras de subiectele interesante si de originalitatea articolelor. Felicitari ! Noi promovăm la radio diferite articole ale bloggerilor, iar azi am promovat un articol de-al tău; am specificat sursa articolului şi am deschis şi un subiect pe baza acestuia. Dacă doresti, poţi să ne recomanzi orice articol, iar noi îl vom promova.
Ne-ar face plăcere să ştim că ai dori să ne susţii în acest proiect de radio şi să accepţi o eventuală colaborare.
M-am gândit aşadar să vin cu o propunere:
Pe Radio Whisper se difuzează toate genurile de muzică, exceptând manele şi piese necenzurate. Avem şi câteva emisiuni, ştiri etc. Ne-am propus să realizăm un proiect mare, iar pentru asta avem nevoie de susţinerea şi ajutorul tău şi al celorlalţi colegi bloggeri. Dorim să creăm o echipă cât mai complexă de oameni cu un talent aparte şi m-am gândit că poate ai vrea sa ni te alături şi să colaborăm (binenţeles, pe unul dintre domeniile care îţi place). Dorim de asemenea să îţi acordăm un scurt interviu. Pentru noi sunt importante ideile şi modul de a gândi al bloggerilor şi al ascultatorilor noştri.
Îti multumesc pentru timpul acordat, iar acum îti propun sa adaugi linkul sau bannerul nostru pe blogul tău şi să ne dai add la id-ul asculta.whisper sau un e-mail, tot la asculta.whisper@yahoo.com, pentru a discuta mai multe.
www.radiowhisper.com
Multumesc,
Cu stimă Vlad!
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