Some years ago I was in a shop on Green Lane, Harringay.
While I was in the process of waiting to pay for my goods a woman came to the counter and asked if she could change a £20 note for some small change.
The shop keeper did this, and the woman went back next door to her place of Employment.
Nothing so remarkable you might think, except for just one fact.
She worked in a branch of the Bank of Cyprus.
I’ll make no further comment.
So here we go: –
Cuts in education.
Cuts in the number of hospital staff.
Cuts in library expenditure and opening hours.
Cuts in spending upon Museam and art galleries.
Cuts in social spending.
Cuts in the support for public transport.
Cuts in the support for energy conservation.
Cuts in help for the elderly.
Yet millions & millions are being spent on the 2012 olymics.
My prediction for next year
2013 : –
More cuts in education.
More Cuts in the number of hospital staff.
More Cuts in library expenditure and opening hours.
More Cuts in spending upon Museam and art galleries.
More Cuts in social spending.
More Cuts in the support for public transport.
More Cuts in the support for energy conservation.
More Cuts in help for the elderly.
While we will still be paying for the 2012 olymics.
While tax payers money is still being spent on Nukiller weapons.
Energy Issues.
I keep reading about the high prices which the energy companies
charge to their customers within Britain.
This is related to the problem of Fuel Poverty.
At the same time there is a major debate about energy subsidies.
This goes hand in glove with the idea of giving tax breaks to
‘green energy’ and carbon capture projects.
The problem about this is that the nukiller industry getting in to
the act, and erroneously claiming that these power plants help to
halt climate change.
This is the kind of argument which George Monbiot has fallen for:
– despite the fact that the mining and transport of uranium contributes to climate change.
Yet take away all of these subsidies,
and what do you get?
The use of solar and windpower as the cheapest form of energy production.
Some Real Alternative To Energy Production.
Of course the real challenge is to cut down upon the use or
energy,
or better use just what energy we do produce.
This should be done in conjunction with a major push to introduce
better energy conservation measures throughout the UK and the world.
Rather than give tax breaks to the energy companies,
it would be much better to put the money in to energy saving
measures.
Just cutting VAT ( Value Added Tax ) on double glazing,
or sales tax as it known in the rest of the world,
might be a good starting point.
At present the Energy-saving materials in the UK are VAT rated as 5%.
All energy conservation products should become zero VAT rated !
At the same time a lot of the present problem of fuel poverty,
and pensioners being killed as a result of hypothermia,
could be alleviated by increasing the Winter Fuel Payment from
the present derisory level of just £200 a year.
Such measures would be cheaper for us all in both the long and
short term too.
In the long term all these measures might help to cut down our
taxes and other expenditures,
and increases the amount which is paid out in pensions.
Thus in turn it would alleviate the whole set of problems which come with fuel poverty.
When I was a child in the 1950s and 1960s people would talk about purchasing items on the ‘ Never Never’.
i.e. By hire purchase.
This expression goes with the
‘Use Now and Pay Later’
way of thinking.
It also goes hand in hand with a way of thinking which includes
that of paying by credit card,
‘pay day loans’,
increasing personal loans
building up national debts,
and in turn the kind of global financial mess we are all so familiar
with right now.
The same principle also seems to apply when it comes to just how
we all will have to continue to pay to look after nukiller waste for
many centuries after these plants have been closed.
The Daily Mail has just published the following news story which
illustrates this point:-
The most toxic pond in Europe: Sellafield will cost £10bn to make safe.
In the same news story they point out that once the nuclear fuel is
removed from the newly decommissioned nukiller power plant at
Oldbury, that these used fuel rods will be stored untouched upon site until at least 2096.
That is some 84 years in to the future.
If nukiller power is the ultimate example of ‘built in obsolescence’,
then we really are going to take a long time to pay for it on the
Never Never.
Switch off or take no notice.
That’s my attitude to most advertising,
and here is the reason why.
Most advertisements make a presumption about both ones
lifestyle,
and those social values which do not apply to me.
I also know just which lines tend to show that I’m about to be
conned out of my money.
So – Here is a check-list of those words or expression which will
never work on me: –
– Mortgage.
– Credit card(s).
– Take away food menu(s).
– Cable Television.
– Mobile phone.
– Retirement & funeral plans.
– Loan offers.
– Celebs.
– ‘ As seen on TV ’.
– Branded goods.
– Christmas.
– Sports sponsorship.
– Corporate sponsorship.
– The Olympics and all that goes with it.
– The internal combustion engine.
– Offers for two.
– Anything which says ‘family friendly’.
– Upgrade(s).
– New or Exciting.
&
– Special offer.
Now I could write something about those words and expressions
which might work on me,
but I just don’t want to deal with yet more spam or junk mail.
No thank you very much.
University education is not an automatic right,
but something which is a privilege.
In many parts of the world even the most rudimentary form of
education is something which a lot of people still strive for.
Those of us who are in our 60s & over can remember a time
when university was only available for those who came from a
wealthy background,
while the majority of the population started work at 15 or
earlier. Continue reading Work Time – Study Time.
Last week I saw an advertisement which claims that one in
eight of the people who use the tube are victims of identity
theft.
I just sat there and thought that equates to12.5% of the
population,
which must also mean that 87.5% of the population do not
suffer from any form of identify theft.
The interesting difference between saying 1 in 8
and 87.5%
is that one of them sounds alarmingly high number,
while the other sounds like a reasonably low percentage.
Perhaps that’s why I always like to see the raw statistics,
rather than any one else’s interpretation of just what they
might mean.
When it comes to any fiscal or population figures then it
makes a lot of sense to do so.
For even 1% of a population can equate to many thousands of
people, which in turn will equate to many thousands of
individual tragedies.
When it comes to percentage cuts in public finances it is not a
question of looking at the figures,
but just what this means to individuals,
and the social impact it will have upon the population as a
whole.
There is a very good argument that all social services should
be protected.
On the other hand there is a conservative argument that
people should not be encouraged to stay within a benefits
reliant culture,
but do something in order to help themselves.
The problem with this comes with a belief that this can be
solved with a totally unrealistic and totally unatonable
‘enterprise culture’.
There is an old socialist saying:
‘ From each according to his abilities
From each according to his means.’
I would agree with the conservatives that we do need to get
away from a benefit reliant culture,
but that must mean setting up more self help projects,
while also establishing more workers & consumer
co-operatives.
Perhaps it is time to look at the figures again,
and see just what will work of the benefit of all.
Talk of cutting public expenditure by 25% may sound very
draconian,
but cutting military expenditure be 100% would be most
welcome indeed.
It might also be worth while if we could all start to think of
public expenditure in terms of encouraging social cooperatives.
If cuts are on the way, then we are going to really need to
money in to those projects which would benefits us all,
rather than just keep paying out money to the individual.
Failure to do so will mean a lot more poverty stricken
individuals that will need some sort of fiscal help.
It’s not the percentage figures which matter,
but just what those figures mean within the real world.
For a lot of people on low salaries there is but one
compensation to be had,
and that is a reasonable pension,
or at least one which does not mean living in dire poverty
after retirement.
One of the consequences of low pay is never being able to
own ones own property,
and so having to pay rent until the day one dies.
Work in libraries and you will both earn far less that an
average salary,
and never be able to own the place you live in.
Now both the UK government,
and many financial bodies are claiming that all public sector
workers are receiving pensions which are
‘Too generous’.
Not a word do they say about how state pensions are so low
that they are below the poverty line.
Not a word about increasing the level of public worker
pensions to that which is enjoyed by finance workers.
Not a word about giving ‘key worker’ status to all low paid
library workers.
Not a word upon the need to increase the level of state
pensions.
The self contradictions which result from all of the above
facts needs to be faced up to.
The choice is obvious in terms of preventing poverty in
retirement.
Either: –
– Pay library workers more in order that we may be able to
both purchase their own properties,
and save enough for their old age.
or
– Keep the present public sector pensions at the same levels.
Failure to do so will mean that yet more people will not be
able to undertake working in public libraries,
and we will all suffer as a result!
The True and Very Shocking History of Ebenezer Scrooge.
Ebebezer Scrooge was a hard working man.
An elderly gentleman who had to work well beyond what is now the state retirement age.
His only pleasure was to go home to his none centrally heated flat,
eat a simple but healthy meal,
and read a library book about economics.
He cared nothing for consumerism,
but was a strong supporter of
Buy Nothing Day.
He would pass the legalised beggars such as the UCKG* during the season of Gloom & Despondency, which some perverse individuals call Xmas,
and tell them that what they were selling was all humbug.
One night three con men turned up at his door,
and persuaded him to give away all of his money.
As a result of this he had no savings to live on,
and died in penury within a run down council flat.
Let this be a warning to all you pensioners.
Be very careful when your next asked to give your money away,
and always avoid being taken in by the
*Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.
Here is The Deal.
Library & Information workers get below average incomes,
but most will get a pension after years of service.
Such pensions are based upon years of hard work on low pay,
and the below average wage which they may be receiving at
the point of retirement.
The deal being that one will put up with such low pay in
exchange for a pension that will lift one above the penury
which is the state pension.
Now some clever investors are claiming that this is an
unreasonable deal for the tax-payer.
Well you can’t have it both ways!
Either you start to pay the real economic worth of library
workers during a working life,
or
you pay what is not an unreasonable pension.
Though it might also be remembered that:
– All pensions are paid for over a working life time by those
who receive these pensions.
&
– A pension is a form of savings during ones working life, which is withdrawn in stages after one retires.
So it is not the tax-payer who is funding these pensions,
but the workers themselves.
If anything does need to be done in terms of pension reform,
then it should be the ending the spouse or partners
allowance.
Such an allowance is a form of Discrimination against single
people.
This would also release a lot of money which could be better
used to make sure that everyone who has a pension might
continue to do so,
and increase the level of pension pay-outs for all.
Enough said …….. We are not all overpaid bankers.