I feel one coming on, however, at the endless repetition of the big fat lie from the posh boys now running the country on behalf of the wealthy that "we're all in this together". Easy to say when you're one of the 18 (count 'em) millionaires in the cabinet.
In not quite so many words, we're getting "this is going to hurt me just as much as it's going to hurt you". Bollocks is it.
Seamus Milne (in this article) reminds us of a 1930s depression era cartoon "...four class stereotypes...on a ladder. A cloth capped unemployed man is standing at the bottom, up to his neck in water. "Equality of sacrifice - that's the big idea, friends!" says the silk-hatted figure at the top. "Let's all step down one rung.""
The outrageous porkie that this week's emergency budget was "fair" seems to be the mantra of the disgusting snout-in-trough Bullingdon boys and their little pet Liberal Democrats.
No, No, No - it's quite patently a genuine (and who's surprised?) and malicious attack on the ordinary working person and the lowest paid of our society.
The VAT increase will punish the lower paid far more than the wealthy if for no other reason than that a far bigger portion of our income has to be spent rather than invested or saved. Therefore we pay a higher proportion of our incomes as tax through this mightily unfair system which is loaded towards the "haves".
Why would the government do this? In the name of fairness? Perhaps there's a clue in the prime minister's and the chancellor's backgrounds. Here's Cameron amongst his caring-sharing Bullingdon Club bullies.
Oh, and look, Osborne was counted among their number, too. (Number 1 in the photo below).
The fact that these are massively wealthy people is bound to affect their thinking when it comes to what is actually fair and what is not. VAT attracts the comment that "you have the choice about whether to spend your money or not" - yes, but only to a point. The wealthy have far more choices than those lower down the income scale.
This government has deliberately weighted policy towards their own kind.
Note also the £2billion levy on the banks and City - the very organisations that actually caused the financial mire that the government is enjoying so much. £2billion is petty cash in the city. The £20billion estimate of revenue from the VAT increase should have been more justly and far more affordably been raised from a transaction tax on financial institutions. They (and their customers) can afford it; ordinary working people cannot. But, of course, the financial institutions are best buddies with this bunch of multi-millionaires who pretend to have the public's interests at heart - heaven forefend that anyone rich enough to afford it should pay.
I also note, from today's news, that the state pension age is to rise to 66 for men from 2016. This is personal - I've worked and paid into the social contract since the age of 17. That contract said that I get my state pension at 65. Changing the terms is nothing short of theft. (Note the change of terms is coming from people who simply have no need of a state pension as they have massive personal wealth already). If the pension age has to rise it should only rise for those not yet paying in - otherwise the state has broken its contract with the people.
Of course I understand that the demographics have and are changing rapidly; that a smaller working population is having and will have to support a larger retired one. This does not change the fact that someone (the government over many years and of whatever hue) has had my (and your) money under false pretences. Liars, cheats and thieves the lot of them.
The only answer is to increase taxation on the wealthiest - a national maximum wage of no greater than 20 times the national average (that would make it in excess of £400,000 a year) with 100% taxation on anything over that and a graduated higher rate band of 60-80% on incomes over £50,000 should go some way to helping out.
Now that would be "fair". That would go a little way towards me believing that "we're all in this together".
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The full list of who's who in the photos of the Bullingdon Club can be found here.
The cartoon of George Osborne is by the great Steve Bell of The Guardian.
1 comment:
Excellent rant, Millbrooker.
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