Sunday 26 March 2017

Calling the kettle black ( the pot's view)


One of the reasons I started this page is the ridiculous notion that labour has not been a good opposition under Corbyn. That They have been letting the tory government get away with their attacks on the poor and disabled.
Well those people who are making those assertions are, first, showing a lack of understanding of the way majority politics work. And secondly, following the mass media force fed line that the government can do no wrong, and the Labour MPs can do no right.
Then there is the statement that opposition is only coming from the SNP.
This is mainly because of the Young Campaigning MP Mhairi Black. She has proven that a person with Compassionate views can be a force in politics no matter what party you are from. But even here, this well-respected newcomer has found that no matter the value and obvious need of your Bill, the Government majority can talk it out, or vote it out.
Labour is not doing itself any favours. Under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, and McDonnell the labour party has started to return to its founding principles, a situation that is being fought at every chance by groups funded in part by the same people who fund the Tory party.
There is a lot of talk, no anger, at the moment about the perceived influence and motives behind Momentum. A group that has, from the start, made no effort to hide its views or aims. It supports Jeremy Corbyn, It wants the Grass roots of the party to have influence on decisions, it wants the end of Top Down Dictatorship. It is attacked as Trotsky, Entryist, and far worse. It has almost as many attacks on it as JC himself, with as much journalistic value.
Progress is another group, set up in 1996 to influence the way the Labour party was run, it hardly gets ANY press. Yet it is registered at Company house, it quite openly opposes JC and McD, It supports EVERY candidate that opposes JC, And it is even behind the challenge of the Unite Leader. These are the people that call others Entryist!
Make no mistake in your opinion, there is a battle at the heart of the Labour party. On the one hand are the ones trying to Drag the party towards a Democratic Socialist model, one that has been PROVEN to work in the past and is actually seen as NORMAL in the Scandinavian Countries. And on the other are those looking to drag the party towards the right of centre views that did so well for Blair, Brown and Prescott. These policies and views saw the back of one of the most Entrenched Tory Partys ever, and had many good points for their time. But they are also the policies and attitudes that Lost labour Scotland, that support the tory party in many ways (voting with the cuts to the PIP, voting with the bedroom tax). They then have the utter gall to call out the present leadership for not doing enough to oppose the Tory Party!
You have to be in power, to wield power. So let us call out those who blame the Labour party for the tory mess, let us shout back at these Tory apologists that its their mess, they have to clean it up or move over for those that will. Let us shout down the those who blame the victims for their situation.
And let us push back at the Entryist Red Torys who stole the Labour party from the people and sold it to the companies and business men.

Thursday 9 March 2017

The Workhouse is Closer.



https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207444656468260&set=a.1599382718142.79461.1643276356&type=3

Today I found articles that scared me. THe first was a short film taken from a BBC report, I do not onow when it was shown, or where, It showed an ex Squadie, homeless and destitute. He fully admitted he was dependent on drink. But he also said he stole drink, not just to get the Drink itself, but to ensure that when he was caught he would have a few days in a nice warm Cell. 

In another Story, reported in a few places, Is the story that the Self employed drivers for the privatised Parcel force. Self employed, but not allowed ot work for anyone else. These people are fined £250 if they are ill and do not provide cover. So they will loose the £200 day rate, be fined £250, costing them £450 to be ill. Apparently they were advised to club together to hire someone to be their cover. So now Employers have in one nice package managed to Underpay their workers, Find a way to reduce their fleet costs, (because the drivers have to provide their own van, tax it, and insure it), avoid paying the new workplace pension, avoid having to pay employers NI costs. And are forcing their "workers" to provide cover. 

Workfare, and starbucks. Starbucks now makes any young applicant for work spend 5 weeks working on Workfare wage, in other words Starbucks do not pay them, we do via the welfare system. At the end of that period they are told if they are good enough to apply for a job, funnily enough there are seldom enough jobs going as the next batch of "applicants" are wiating. Hey they got work experience out of it, not that it helps.

And In todays Budget made things worse. Now Corporations that hire these people get a tax break, but the self employed have to pay more NI. 

People are Dying because of this present Governments policies, Fact. Irrefutable, verifyable FACT. Fact highlighted by the UN. 

Pointing out that Labour started a lot of the policies that this government are refining is a falacy, as we ALL know that the New Labour GOvernment was at heart Tory like in many of its attitudes, playing lip service to Socialist ideals at best. 

So now. I will give an example of how hard it is to survive in the UK.

You are Young, just out of School. Your grades were good enough to get you in to a university, if you want this. Your parents are Just about managing to hold things together , both working in minimum pay jobs. So they are not going to be able to help you much. if at all. Your options are few, give up on the university application, or apply for the student loan. Whilst using the loan to pay for your tuition fees you will also have to find a job to pay for luxuries such as food and shelter. 

After struggling your way through the university course you leave with a degree, or a certificate of education. and find yourself in the Workers trap. "to highly qualified, or Not enough experience". So that job packing shelves may no longer be available. But you can work for ASDA, or tesco, Maybe Starbucks, on workfare. If you get a job with ASDA you may only get enough to ensure you still qualify for welfare top up. Paying off the student loan, nah. Moving out of your parents house. Dream on.

And this is the society we are living in, one where we are repeatedly told we are the 6th largest economy in the world, yet our workers are some of the lowest paid in Europe. Unless that is, you class the Charmen, and upper echelons of big buisness as a worlker, then here you can earn fantasy wages for a few hours work. Up to £650,000 a year for one day a week. ( our ex chancellor).. but then, you have to be born in to that type of stratosphere.

Welcome to the revival of conditions that Charles Dickens would reconise.Welcome to the new world order. Welcome to a Britain so bleak and meek Soldiers of the second world war would Weep. 
 




Tuesday 7 March 2017

The Privatised Transport CON

The following paragraph is a policy statement from the Labour party. find more at:- http://www.jeremyforlabour.com/policies

"Jeremy Corbyn has unveiled a transport strategy that will transform Britain’s public transport into an integrated, green, efficient and affordable system.
Britain’s public transport system is becoming a national embarrassment. Our railway network is now the most expensive in Europe – whilst taxpayers and passengers get a bad deal. Our bus services are facing cuts which threaten to leave low income and rural communities cut off, with too little local democratic municipal control.
Whether it’s buses or trains, the issue is the same. Transport is something which should be run as a public service for everyone’s benefit. Instead, we’re spending millions every year subsidising the profits of private companies, whilst all too often passengers are left frustrated as their local services are removed or not properly funded, fares keep going up, and staffing levels are cut."
..............................................................................................................................................................
But Privatisation has been proved to be more efficient, cry the opposition to this policy, it is the old unworkable idea.

THE BIG CON again

If Privatisation is so efficient, how is it that in actual fact a Large proportion of the rail system is actually being run by the state, just not our state. Many of the companies running British Rail way companies are owned by Public Rail companies from other countries!

East Coast Rail, initially failed under private companies, It was taken back in to public ownership and started to run at a profit, so the Conservatives sold it off again!

No rail operator in the UK owns its own stock, they lease it, From the government. No rail operator owns the tracks that they run the trains on. Rail track do, and they are PUBLICLY owned, and subsidised by the government.

When the rail network was 'Privatised', the rail stock maintenance and manufacturing parts of the British rail  were not, and there were no orders for new stock. Result? Loss of jabs, loss of manufacturing expertise, and now our ageing stock has to be replaced from abroad, funnily enough from State owned Manufacturers in a lot of cases!

Now state owned and run companies in China, Japan, Germany, France, Holland, and other countries run our rail for us, whilst using the profits they gain to provide their own citizens with Faster, cleaner more efficient, and cheaper Rail networks than ours.

When you look for the truth behind the CONS, It makes sense to look to the alternative.

(Image if rail lines from Freedigitalphotos.net, by tiverylucky)




Monday 6 March 2017

History and the big Con

The Big Con 

How often have we heard the statement that the Conservative party are the party of economic competence, and that the Labour party is the party of Spend Spend Spend.

Margret Thatcher’s famous comment " The trouble with Socialists is that they will eventually run out of other people’s money", has somehow become a truth.  And her Political policy of New Liberal economics and Austerity have become the recognised Norm.

After the Second World War Europe was devastated, The USA was relatively unscathed but even here they had industries geared up for war that had to be retooled. Africa, well Northern Africa had been used as a battleground with little or no regard for the locals. The middle east, well it had been used as a distraction. Japan had been brought to its Knees, and the far east was in a ferment after the Japanese invasions and subsequent battles.

The world had changed. The old Empires were in their death throws, and America was starting to flex its international muscles after so long in isolation.

So, what happened in these countries? Infrastructure decimated, Populations without homes, without proper sanitation, whole cities reduced to mainly rubble, Road and rail networks damaged or destroyed. In short, devastation.

Well they rebuilt. But not just rebuilding. 

In The UK the man credited with leading the victory was voted out. And a Socialist government voted in. It was a time when people understood what their MPs were there for, and a time when their MPs had to engage directly with their constituents, there was no TV for people to pose on, there was no national press eager to propagandise a party (well not as itis now). MP candidates had to do town halls, village halls, street corners. Debate and explain.

This Socialist government started the reforms that the Conservatives and those in the richer part of society have been trying to dismantle ever since.

First the NHS was formed, and if you look at the fight it did not come easy, it was understood that the NHS would cost, and that costs would rise, that was why a new Tax called National Insurance was created. And this tax was there Purely to fund the NHS. It was supposed to be paid in part by a worker, and His/her employer. Remember that fact its important. 

World class health care, free at the point of service and from the cradle to the grave. Paid for over a working life by workers who knew they were being looked after, who knew they and their families would not be put in to poverty by illness.

Next came Council house building, slum clearance, and community rebuilding. Gone were the slum houses with one or two families in a room. Councils built housing that were then rented out to people. The money earned from rents went to the council who used it to maintain the property’s, and hire workers to do this, not outside contractors. Men learned their trade, apprentices learned, Men and to a small extent women were employed to make sure that council housing was provided.

Gas, electricity, water, rail, Nationalised, so that the Essential services were run for the people, not profit. 

Now remember when I said that the NI contributions were important. Here is why.

When the Tory party allowed the creation of Zero hour contracts, they did so because if a person works less than a certain number of hours a week the employer is no longer obligated to take the persons NI contribution out at source, and they are not obligated to pay the employers part either. This saves a business a lot of money. Also, if a person earns less than a certain amount they become eligible for welfare assistance, thus the employer does not have to pay a Living wage, he uses the Government to subsidise his business on the sly. The added bonus to the Conservatives is this means there is even less money directly set asside for the NHS and the welfare state, thus they can say they are increasing funding when in reality they have reduced it!

I call this the big Con. I will be talking about other Cons perpetrated by the elite on the masses later.

Such as the Tax Con.

The welfare benefits the poor Con.

The Conservative economic competence Con.

Informed people make informed choices, but the present government has proven that misinformed people can be made to make directed choices.
Be informed. And be involved.