(Not sure if I should apologise here but this week's budget has sent me off course a bit! I'm also wandering into the territory of 'economics' which is a bit of a minefield for me)
Giving individuals the choice to make decisions in their own lives is a big selling point for any Tory government.
Removing the needs for people to buy an annuity with their 'pension pot' sounds like a good idea - let people manage their own money they cry!
But, looking beyond the headlines, what else do we find? Well, for starters the government get immediate income from tax paid on money withdrawn and then there is the boost to the economy when folk start buying new cars, new kitchens or whatever
But, what happens when people live longer than they expected and need to pay for care? Will the state pick up the tab or will the next 20 years see an increase in the number of our old people dying in abject poverty?
Underneath the veneer of giving people choice over their own lives we see short-termism and the government's belief that if everyone looks after themselves we will all be better off.
Whatever happened to 'We're all in this together?' - to my mind, making sure that older people, once they are beyond working age, live with dignity and security is the mark of a civilised society and we should all join together to insure that this happens.
And then there's a reduction on fuel tax for some long haul flights and no increase in petrol tax - and that's from the greenest government ever at a time of increased threat of climate change
Must get back to looking for the good news now ...
Hi Eileen,
ReplyDeleteit is not a comment directly about your blog entry, but does relate. I know you are always looking for positive things that might help change our awful societal situation. I heard of this tonight "The Re-Set". It is a constitutional idea, to use the power of the parishes to bypass the government and bring back the rule of law, not legislation, Law. I'm not into postive things the way you are but this one has me intrigued.
http://www.thereset.org/
There is not much info yet. There is a nice 4 min video that graphically paints the general idea, Have a look, I do think you'll appreciate it.
I looked at the website and the video which looks wonderful. Beautifully creative. I'm just a bit concerned that they are just another group who are setting themselves to challenge the status quo but who would perhaps be better joining up with other groups who are travelling the same path. The Transition Town movement? The Green Party? For a mainstream political party the Greens in the UK have a very radical agenda and are, I think, well worth supporting. I'm sending them a donation to their European Election Fund because I think they have a good chance of moving us towards a better future. I'm not quite sure how much can be achieved through the normal political channels but if any party can change things I'm putting my hopes on the Greens. There is a lot of support for changing things radically but the groups seem to be fragmented instead of working together.
DeleteI would have to say that In the early stages of societal responses, fragmentation is a common stage on which to pass through as things have time to mature and spread and get exposed to more and more people. The Re-Set was officially born only 6 days ago AFAIU so this is very early stages. I wonder how long it will take you to face that fact that these government criminals no matter which party they belong are never going to do anything in your best interests. We have to take back the power to the people that these government criminals believe and like to tell us that they have, but they DO NOT. WE NEVER GAVE CONSENT. Have you not said yourself you've noticed the abuse of power everywhere, at all levels, mps, police judiciary, banks, social services and on and on and on and on. It isn't working Eileen. I'm in my 60s now and in my entire life I have honestly never once seen anything the 'state' do that has been in the real and long term best interests for ordinary people, not in a truly meaningful way.
DeleteThanks for that - always pleased to hear of good things happening out there - a good antidote to starting the day with the gloomy news we are fed from 6 am onwards on Radio 4's Today! (I must story listening ... )
ReplyDeleteHi Eileen,
DeleteI've come across a really good source of videos explaining our constitution and clearly showing we do in fact have a written constitution along with our very own Bill of Rights (the granddaddy of all(most of) the others. Do a search for
"John Bingley" +constitution
it will get you good links. It is a bit of a long winded tale (well it does cover a lot of centuries of our history) but IMO much more effective when taken in one helping. If that is not your taste then there is a seven part set covering the same material. You'll see the links clearly for this.
I hope you'll give this a bit of attention Eileen as then you'll see that we have a perfectly good constitution, which if fully obeyed and prosecuted would not only have protected us ordinary folk from the abuses of government, but also demonstrate without a doubt where the Power lies
WE THE PEOPLE
tkf