We all know that the British economy is in a critical mess. We all know that the great European experiment of building a federal political power bloc to accommodate the sheer hubris and arrogance of the political elite class has spectacularly failed – Europe is utterly bankrupt and largely disunited. We all know that we cannot expect the state, of any country, to bail out everyone with basic needs. Like the rest of Europe – Britain is totally bust too and we’re not even (thankfully) members of the catastrophic eurozone. We are literally at the bottom of the barrel as far as our current economic prospects are concerned. The economic future of our country is superbly – grim.
But the age of austerity has fallen hardest on those that can ill afford to pull in their belt – the poorest in our society already have no trousers to keep up. Reports tell us that over 500000 people are having to use expensive Same Day Pay Day Loans that are crucifying those who have no choice but to use these semi loan shark facilities just to buy food. Charity food banks are a growth industry. The situation for the most vulnerable people in our society is truly shocking and yet the Chancellor appears to be waging war of some kind on these poorest groups.
Boy George (not a grey hair on his head) Chancellor gave us more of his empty rhetoric as he wielded out yet another round of stark austerity measures in his spending review last week. He says we must cut another £11.5bn of spending for 2015-16. To do this he again hits benefits and public sector pay. That’s the pockets of the poorest and most needy in our society together with clobbering the pay of teachers, nurses, policeman, fireman etc., etc. The man is simply out of his economic mind as well as his intellectual depth. Where is the vision? Where is real innovation? Where are the imaginative, creative economic ideas? Where is the real investment to create jobs for our youth, and, immediate plans to stir the green shoots of recovery into life, instead of drenching the roots with toxic stagnating weed killer that is bound to come with such a massive attack on any degree of real spending of any significant kind which might promote recovery?
Some five years into this economic catastrophe caused by the criminal acts of reckless casino playing, greedy bankers – we seem to be still sinking in a quagmire of debt and economic stagnation. And, it is the most vulnerable people and families that are suffering the most. The Chancellor has consistently attacked the benefits of the weak and the vulnerable under the guise of rooting out a benefits culture that favours the lazy, workshy and the benefit cheats over hard working, responsible citizens. We all want to weed out that kind of abuse. But to throw the baby out with the bath water in this regard and hit hard the genuinely poverty stricken is the act of a silly and unthinking man.
Further, I would like to know why I don’t see any red socked, red belted bracer, flaming-flamingo cocktail necking, cigar smoking, Turnbull & Asser shirted, loads-a-money wide Boy investment bankers in prison? But why not? Dozens of these wide Boy city slickers, a vile and slippery crooked bunch of characters if there was ever such – should have been well and truly banged up long ago once their recklessness and often-criminal activity became exposed.
It is this greedy, ugly and debased investment-banking crowd that have brought the Western world to its financial knees. Yet the authorities have been painfully slow to bring to account even the odd one or two small time players let alone the key operatives from that greedy, selfish-self-seeking band of gangsters in that so profligate criminal banking game. A sleazy, sordid, corrupt game that came to dominate our once unimpeachable British banking industry. This reckless banking culture was truly rampant throughout the nineties right up until 2008 when the bubble didn’t so much burst as rather simply exploded in a sea of gargantuan toxic debt which saw the house of cards come crashing down like never before seen in living memory – if at all.
Meanwhile, the rest of us pick up the pieces and face decades of austerity at a level not seen here since the depths of World War II. Worse, this current financial crisis is likely to lead to a long-term legacy – a financially barren earth with vast empty coffers for our children and grandchildren to inherit.
At this time we need Churchillian leaders: men of vision, strength and sheer political genius to heave us out of this mess. What do we get? We get Osborne, Cameron and Clegg! Three hapless, young, inexperienced, naïve, pretty stupid, career obsessed, chillingly ambitious politicians. These are the characters that we have been lumbered with to try and steer us through this god almighty mess. Not one of them would understand or recognise personal debt or the feeling of real poverty if you shoved up their collective over privileged nose.
Whilst no one is saying the state should always be there to assist every member of society but it should certainly be there as the ultimate safety net for the genuinely needy and vulnerable. Clearly, this Chancellor thinks not. For he consistently targets the weak and the vulnerable to pay the price of this monumental and criminal, banking triggered economic meltdown.
Most of us learnt to be self reliant from the first time we realised we will always need to fend for ourselves. And, we all have an innate dislike for those who are simply playing the social benefit system and shirking their personal responsibilities to look after themselves. But we must not become a nation that proffers the philosophy of an anti-welfare state – simply because that looks the easiest option or the quickest tool with which to try and repair our economy. The weakest, poorest and most vulnerable members of our communities must always be protected. All civilised societies would champion that humanitarian notion. So why is Osborne hell bent on attacking these groups whenever he sees an opportunity to do so? God only knows.
The basic notion of support for the most vulnerable in our communities is what any civilised and decent society would want to see take priority. Yet the basic tenet of Osborne’s economic policy is to keep attacking social benefits, the public sector of services and the whole concept of a caring, civilised welfare state. It seems to have escaped this silly coalition government’s notice that some people cannot fend for themselves no matter how hard they try or want to be independent. It is just impossible for them to be self sufficient in the world as it is today. Whilst their silly schoolboy Chancellor – complete with his bizarre burger ‘n’ chips photo-posing stunt – looks at times like a very frightened and lost political figure who can come with no better or more effective strategy other than to keep hammering the welfare state.
The man obviously struggles to grapple with the enormous problems that face his Office. Any one who doubts this fact – just witness the expression on his face as he performs at the despatch box – it is that of a young deer trapped in car headlights awaiting its fate. A man bereft of any positive, clearly thought through economic strategy. Save, of course, for the notion of cut, cut, cut and cut again. A man who thinks – I can solve this situation – just take a hatchet to everything that moves or even stands still for half-a-second – “ why take the bus pass away – when I can simply take away the bus? ”. This style seems to be his economic strategy to solve the current crisis.
Of course, the hapless Ed ‘the Red’ Miliband (even more chillingly ambitious than any politician ever in British political history) and although barely out of his thirties – he has already, ‘Et tu, Bruted’ his own brother. Miliband, together with the swivel eyed, head-banger that is Ed Balls are equally, indeed, even more inept. These terrible political twins, two very strange characters, would be an even worse option than we have with this current hopeless shower who are trying to govern our country. If you listen to this pair of chancers on their last performance in Office – they are both quick to grasp onto the catchphrase that when they were in government – until 2010 – at the start of this economic collapse – they claim to be simply innocent victims of a global economic meltdown to explain why our country ended up completely and utterly bankrupted. This catastrophic economic mess is (you understand) nothing to do with their own inept and abject fiscal incompetence? That is what they say. That’s what they would try and have everyone believe. If anyone falls for that one then they are even more stupid than this foolish and very dangerous pair of political wannabes.
Everyone with half a brain knows that there was no “global collapse”. There was only a seismic Western economic collapse. And, the former government of this country were very much involved in mismanaging the country’s fiscal affairs and its coffers until they literally ran to empty, zilch – nothing in the pot left to squander.
Whilst the Western economies collapsed in debt ridden toxic failure – the Eastern economies have done pretty well throughout our troubles. Indeed, the BRIC nations (or BRICS) if you now include South Africa together with Brazil, Russia, India and China have prospered over this last decade or so. These newly emerging economic powers have shown economic growth like never before, and, this current state of affairs is indicative of the profound shift in economic power from West to East. Perhaps this is a bloody good thing too I say. The West have had a good kick of the ball for long enough. Yet global world poverty, human suffering and strife for many people in many nations have hardly been touched. Let’s hope the East can make a better fist of things on this front than we have achieved in the West. Somehow – I think they just might.
China, of course, come 2040 or so, will rule the world from the economic perspective. To undoubted surprise to most people – this is actually a prospect I find very exciting. I’m sure this mighty country can show the West a thing or two about how to structure their economic affairs to benefit the majority of their vast 1.3bn population. And, before all the bleating, liberal-leftist doom mongers shout foul – and scream on about Tiananmen Square and Human rights abuse – take a close look at the record of the warmongering West before you are quick to choke on your prejudiced disbelief. I don’t see China trying to spread its political doctrines around the world with the bullet and the bomb. Do you?
As for our own economic trials and tribulations – they are going to be with us for a very, very long time to come. There is no political party in this country that gives me much hope for our future economic prosperity. The talent and experience is simply not there. We need a revolution. A profound and deeply far reaching revolution in political thinking is required if we are to make an impact on the current situation. We need game changing political thinking. This is the only way to proceed if our country’s economic policy is to stand any chance of even being on the pitch, let alone playing in the game of competing with the emerging economic powers. I will give you my vision for a bright British economic future and how that can be achieved – in my very next blog.
But, regrettably for all of us, for the time being at least, we have to make do with an apology for a government. A government whose economic policy is managed on their behalf by a silly, naïve, inexperienced Boy George Chancellor. A man, whose only vision is to cut, cut, cut and cut again. He will do his cutting and slashing until the blood runs dry from the veins of everyone and everything. For a man who thinks “why would l take away the bus pass – when I can simply take away the bus ” – will one day see the error of his ways but it will be too late. The express train of economic growth of the emerging economies will have long since passed us by.
Come May 7th 2015 – perhaps we can find the appropriate transport for this Chancellor and his motley, shallow political crew? We can vote to send them peddling away on their buckled wheeled push-bikes, peddling like crazy over the distant barren hill that their bankrupt policies so successfully cultivated and left behind for everyone to ponder: “How on earth did we let this happen to our once great and very prosperous nation?”
