Some Historical Perspective......

Over the years I've watched political changes from the likes of Harold MacMillan, through to the Wilson/Heath battles and on to Callaghan's defeat by Thatcher. Most of the time I was busy with life making some small gains and some massive mistakes! (One step forward, two steps back, if you like.) All of the time, however, aware of the impact of politics on our lives, albeit in a very naïve way: Labour for the workers, Tory for the bosses and Liberals for some centre ground. After the miners strike ('84-'85), I sensed a seismic shift had occurred. The unions lost power and those hard-earned workers' rights began to erode. At job interviews, when allowed to ask questions of the interviewer(s), I remember, as a young man, asking if the company had a union. That was a sensible question in the 60s and 70s! Ask that now and you can guarantee a failed application.

But beyond work is the everyday existence of folk trying to survive in a hostile world where every aspect of life is based on the 'ability-to-pay' rule. Even this is gradually being eroded for many of our fellow countrymen and women. And it's happening without opposition! More and more people are being forced into destitution, despair, starvation and untimely death, because of the actions of a few greedy individuals who care not one jot, or iota, for the suffering of our fellow beings. I DO care. And not just about what's happening all around us right now, but about the damage that's being done to our future.

Our children and grandchildren will pay the price for the follies of today. The welfare system, which we're being asked to believe is “unaffordable”, will disappear. There will be no 'safety net', nor pensions for our kids. “Work, or starve” will be the mantra. There will be no affordable health care. Transport will be the reserve of the commuter class and the luxury of the wealthy. The poor, infirm and disabled will be ghettoised, leaving the rich to enjoy the spoils. Does this sound like I've gone too far?

Here's a little anecdote: The Chris Evans Radio 2 Breakfast Show has a 'pause-for-thought' section. I was listening to it a few days ago when a lady religious luminary was talking about her recent visit to India. She described a visit to a small shanty-town just outside Delhi where she met some “wonderful people” who had made a life for themselves among landfill sites. There were piles of plastic in one area, piles of paper in another, wool and other clothing materials in yet another, and so on. The small community would help themselves to these materials to sell for what little they could to pay for food and essentials. Everyone, of all ages, would take a hand in foraging. This lady was, apparently, “inspired” by these people and their “sense of community and fun” in the face of such adversity. She extolled the virtue of being “happy with our lot”, contrasting the 'difficulties' of our lives with theirs! It's this kind of nonsense that I find almost impossible to swallow. Our kids, and their kids, could easily end up in the same pit of deprivation if things are left unchallenged.

I post because I want people to open their eyes to what's happening around them – right under their noses! Our infrastructure is being sold off to the lowest bidder, including the NHS, education, Royal Mail, railways, energy, property. In fact, if it isn't nailed down, these neoliberal fraudsters will steal it and sell it! That translates to; we pay more for less, whilst they pocket the cash. Taxes reduced, or even avoided by the rich, whilst the poorest take on the burden (for less and less of the services tax revenue is supposed to pay for), the infirm and disabled being ostracised and gradually killed off, education being unaffordable to the less privileged, where will it end? Should we be “happy with our lot” like our Asian brothers and sisters? It shouldn't happen in India, never mind in our “developed” economy! Did you know there's enough wealth among the top 1% wealthiest to end World poverty THREE TIMES OVER!! And they want more! I say - “NO MORE!”

I'm too old and impoverished to do an awful lot about these things, but there are lots of people among my friends, and yours, who can make a difference. So forgive me if I continue to post my political “bollox”, but I will carry on until neoliberalism is eradicated from our political landscape. I want a future for all our kids!