Life with only the scraps.

Is it the business of government to involve itself in fixing problems or should it let the market fix them according to ‘it’s’ needs. It seems to me that after years of believing market forces know best is the what people need perhaps it’s time to ask the people. Intervention with an eye to the needs of the market has produced one of the most lop sided nations in the western world where inequality is often spoken about in awe but little done to alleviate it so entrenched are the forces which run this country. Jeremy Corbyn was demonised in the press for daring to rock the boat with a dose of good old fashioned  socialism. The press screamed that he would upset the status quo with his socialism but that’s what’s needed, proper long term planning with policies to help the people and the country as a whole. Tinkering and sound bites has been our governance for years now and apart for the radical Thatcher/Reagan years when unfettered capitalism was allowed to prosper and the rich secured a lock on the Treasury threatening to pull out if they didn’t get their way, which only ensured that 1 to 2% of the population secured the wealth whilst the remaining 92 % were left with only the scraps.

Capitalism is like that, look across the world, from the favela of Brazil to the shanty towns in South Africa euphemistically named ‘informal dwellings’. They are a product of don’t care governments who don’t see the horror of living there or understand their role in perpetuating the degradation of their own flesh and blood. Many northern towns in this country were built on the principle of feeding the factories with workers but rarely for caring for the workers themselves and the gulf between the aspiration of boys and girls becomes a post code lottery.

So convinced of the radical mould breaking philosophy proposed by Jeremy Corbyn, long term planning, turning away from market led solutions, that the city were determined to break him, just as Margeret thatcher broke the unions and break him they did. The very people who stood to gain the most voted for Boris and his promise of cake today they were convinced by the leader-writers in the newspapers where traditionally they gained their political direction and the rest is history with our nations slide into obscurity. Nothing appears to have been done to mend the roof when we had a priceless period of cheap money instead when borrowing was painless we set about the most stringent reduction in public services and now those services, almost non existent are being phased out. Where ever you look from the NHS to education, house building to prisons, military spending to social services we have hit rock bottom but the government is steadfast in its determination to limit top rate taxation and the bonus system which highlighted the inequity by tabulating the remuneration the chief executive of Nat West Alison Rose is entitled to, a salary of £2 million plus a £3 million pound bonus scheme and and a £5 million pension pot.

 She is in line with the other banking executives such as Bob Diamond of Barclays (£11 million), Stuart Gulliver of HSCB (£7.2 million), Antonio Horta-Osorio of Lloyds (£11.5 million), all banks who were rescued by the tax payer (you and I) in the 2008 banking crash which was brought about by bankers greed, and an over reliance on the derivative phenomenon in the lending market. which were shown to be a falsehood.

So why do I still bang on about these statistics. Well the destitute have increased by 2.5 times over the last couple of years, millions of children go to school hungry and millions of their mums and dads fret about making ends meet. The Tory’s have recently promoted an increase of 10% on the minimum wage but it only means an increase worth about £2 per hour,  an amount, which Bob  Diamond and Alison Rose wouldn’t consider as change in their pocket. Modern slavery laws are continually flaunted, the contractual notion of employment is destroyed by the temporary nature of jobs, “why do I bang on” well it’s because I care - don’t you ?