Wednesday 23 October 2013

What's it come to when you have to turn to John Major for your crumbs of comfort

Former Prime Minister John Major does at least have the knowledge from his youth of what it is like to be poor.  In a welcome intervention he said "it is not acceptable to me, and ought not to be acceptable to anyone, that many people are going to have to choose between keeping warm and eating."

Even if those in Government won't admit it,the reality for so many people today is a constant grinding slide into poverty, deprivation and debt.  John Major talked about the poor - He argued that all parties had neglected the pressures faced by the “silent have-nots” and the “dignified poor, or near-poor”, as well as the “lace curtain poverty” endured by the elderly.

As even a commentator in the Daily Telegraph wrote: "The Channel 5 documentary On Benefits and Proud has grabbed headlines with its monstrous cast of unrepentant spongers – but where is the programme called “Struggling to Make Ends Meet and Ashamed”?"

The trouble is that John Majors remedy - a few pounds off peoples fuel bills is so inadequate as to be laughable. Sadly this has been the
The chairman of British gas I am told is paid £5 million a year - I am sure that is just basic pay and his real income (it would be a he) is a lot more  - pension,share options, bonuses - and what does he have to do to 'earn' that money - put the price of energy up - how hard is that ? Work - he wouldn't know the meaning off it.  David Lloyd George said money was like water - too much and it caused floods where nothing grows, too little and it caused deserts where nothing grows - it has to be irrigated and distributed.

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