The Undeserving Poor
I turned the TV news off in disgust last night ; I felt patronized to my core.
David Cameron ; after he spoke about "fairness", I could not bear to watch anymore
The traditional yardstick of fairness has always been the "reasonable " person in the street. Overnight it's suddenly become the hard working tax payer and what they "think" about supporting the "family next door who choose to lounge about on their sofa all day".
Since they came to power this UK Coalition has not slacked to characterize those on benefits as slackers, or to instill in the public consciousness, as Mick Hall explains (http://www.organizedrage.com/2009_08_01_archive.html), that the poor do not suffer their plight due to any defects within the system, "but because they are indolent, lazy and criminally inclined, in other words we are heading back to the 19th Century philosophy of the undeserving poor."
You just need to try surviving as a Severe ME sufferer, for one day, never mind 17 years, as my wife has done, Mr Cameron, to know there's plenty wrong with the system; how the biomedical truth about ME , is continually distorted and twisted by powerful vested interests, how people with ME are portrayed as some kind of inadequate nut case and are left for decades upon end in incalculable suffering.
The Big Society and Fairness.......it's not the reasonable tax payer on his sofa is it ? It's the unbridled big business, the unbridled millionaire, the unbridled Medical Insurance Company , that is setting the agenda, that is insisting that the poor shoulder five times the burden of paying back the deficit than the rich, that is insisting that people with ME are denied proper medical care, that is insisting upon ethically cleansing the inner cities of the poor, the sick, the vulnerable, that is insisting upon labeling people on benefits as the "undeserving poor."
In Europe, in the 1930's , the strict austerity and economic measures, that were implemented lead to complete chaos , the collapse of democracy and the rise of murderous dictatorships right across the continent. Who began by putting to death who, in their tens of thousands ?
The sick and disabled .
These are terrifying times.
David Cameron ; after he spoke about "fairness", I could not bear to watch anymore
The traditional yardstick of fairness has always been the "reasonable " person in the street. Overnight it's suddenly become the hard working tax payer and what they "think" about supporting the "family next door who choose to lounge about on their sofa all day".
Since they came to power this UK Coalition has not slacked to characterize those on benefits as slackers, or to instill in the public consciousness, as Mick Hall explains (http://www.organizedrage.com/2009_08_01_archive.html), that the poor do not suffer their plight due to any defects within the system, "but because they are indolent, lazy and criminally inclined, in other words we are heading back to the 19th Century philosophy of the undeserving poor."
You just need to try surviving as a Severe ME sufferer, for one day, never mind 17 years, as my wife has done, Mr Cameron, to know there's plenty wrong with the system; how the biomedical truth about ME , is continually distorted and twisted by powerful vested interests, how people with ME are portrayed as some kind of inadequate nut case and are left for decades upon end in incalculable suffering.
The Big Society and Fairness.......it's not the reasonable tax payer on his sofa is it ? It's the unbridled big business, the unbridled millionaire, the unbridled Medical Insurance Company , that is setting the agenda, that is insisting that the poor shoulder five times the burden of paying back the deficit than the rich, that is insisting that people with ME are denied proper medical care, that is insisting upon ethically cleansing the inner cities of the poor, the sick, the vulnerable, that is insisting upon labeling people on benefits as the "undeserving poor."
In Europe, in the 1930's , the strict austerity and economic measures, that were implemented lead to complete chaos , the collapse of democracy and the rise of murderous dictatorships right across the continent. Who began by putting to death who, in their tens of thousands ?
The sick and disabled .
These are terrifying times.
Is there anyway to get updates by email.
ReplyDeleteThank you
Hi Ann,
ReplyDeleteIt is a really good question. I've been looking into it and as far as I can see there's no easy way to notify people of new posts. It's crazy !
I've just posted this :
http://carersfight.blogspot.com/2010/10/ten-rules-for-me-activist.html
I will keep on looking .....
Thanks,
Greg
Cameron & his over-privileged old school chums are waging war on the working class and using the sick & unemployed as scapegoats, it's the oldest trick in the book; divide and rule. But by the most vicious and insidious means. They are the Nasty Party.
ReplyDeleteAnn, clicking on 'Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)' right at the bottom of the main page can do this sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteTerrifying times indeed.
ReplyDelete