As we all look forward to the budget on Wednesday and wonder if it will be one about austerity or one for the aristocracy, Chard Labour Councillor Graham Forsyth gives his perspective.
We now have George Gideon Oliver Osborne (St Pauls Cathedral School 1509) as chancellor who is the son and heir of a 17th Baronet and perhaps when he assumes ownership of that Baronetcy he would like to see the return of the country to as is was a few centuries ago with a few wealthy ruling Barons and a sea of peasants trapped in poverty, uneducated and living in poor housing conditions.
The Prime Minster David Cameron is an Old Etonian but he has married into the aristocracy, with Lord Astor his father-in-law. Again so far removed from the lives of ordinary people. But it will be him and his elitist cabinet that will decide the lives of so many people.
At the top level of society Chancellor George Osborne seeks to continue to divide and rule as a member of the aristocracy, as he attacks the public sector workers and their terms and conditions stating that the private sector needs to be able to compete with the unnatural higher wages in the public sector.
I think we all know that the private sector is driven by profit and share dividends for the few and we only need to look at the disasters that the private care homes have caused or see the private health care responses to the poor quality breast implants undertaken. No rush to sort out the problem only a rush to protect profits and any costly liabilities!
Divide and Rule
It’s the same old tactic of divide and rule with the ‘sound byte’ taxpayers money should not be used for union work! But on the other hand it’s OK for many private companies to be supported by the taxpayer either during startup or the expansion phase; and many given National Insurance holidays and tax breaks for taking on staff.
No one likes to see taxpayers money being used inappropriately and so one should cast our minds back a few years to the ‘Expenses Scandal’ when David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne were in opposition and acted with greed as both are fabulously rich with David Cameron having in excess of £30m, and George Osborne estimated worth is £4m and will inherit a great deal more as heir to the Osborne baronetcy. Yet these two men had structured their personal affairs so that British taxpayers financed mortgages on their second homes of about £300,000. Neither needed to have mortgages on their second home, and neither man needed to claim the second home allowance from the taxpayer, yet they both did they ‘milked’ the situation.
These changes to many in the public sector are being progressed by a Chancellor and Prime Minster born into a life so privileged and one wonders what the full impact was with Rupert Murdoch supporting the Conservative party together with all the captains of industry, all singing from the same hymn book that free market forces and private investment is the only way forward.
The rich have inherited the Earth and soon a camel will be able to pass through the eye of a needle!
Shame on those people who did not vote and more shame on those who voted Liberal Democrat that allowed deep cuts to our transport system, youth services and of course flood defences.
Cllr Graham Forsyth
Avishayes Ward
Chard