Our distinguished government is on a crusade. Determined to stamp out the threats to sacred British Society. Any sacrifice for Queen and… Sorry…. King and Country, confident that the People are behind them.
Right behind them.
Wait, they were there a minute ago, I swear.
Were’d all the people go?
Number one issue for the people is the Cost of Everything Crisis, but you wouldn’t know it if you just looked at our government. In policy and publicity stunt, they are showing how disconnected they are from the British People.
Let’s start with the Anti-Immigration drive. At this festive time of year, a time for charity and outreach and giving, Rishi Rich and Cruella Braverman are hell bent on keeping those in need out of the country and sending those already here to RWANDA. Braverman is blaming the civil service for not processing refugee claims fast enough. I assume that’s because they are actually investigating each claim and not, as Cruella would prefer, just stamping DENIED on each application.
The government moans on about how much refugees are costing them. Housing them in hotels while their claims are processed costs over £2.3 Billion per year. Braverman wants to cut those costs by housing them in disused cruise ships. Of course, they would still need to feed and clothe the refugees, and if you put people on the ships, they are no longer ‘Disused.’ Money will need to be put into electricity and plumbing. (Plumbing is a notorious foible of the Cruise industry). I have to wonder if the Home Secretary or her friends own some disused cruise ships, and they would rather pay that £2.5 billion to their cronies rather than to small, independent hotels and BnB’s. I mean, God forbid they put any money into the British economy.
That’s in addition to the £140 billion they’ve paid to the Rwandan Government ad a, let’s call it what it is, bribe for taking in all these refugees who have absolutely no connection to the country. Plus the cost of flying them there. Plus the costs of all the court cases as they fight deportation to Rwanda.
The Official government reason for not wanting refugees is that it’s expensive. One reason it’s expensive is that refugees are not allowed to work while their claims are being processed, so they are totally reliant on government handouts. So the government forbids them from supporting themselves, then blames them for leeching off the British taxpayer. They get slapped with an open hand and then slapped again on the backhand.
The slap on the face to everyone is that they care more to (unfairly) apportion blame than to implement the obvious solution. There is a staffing crisis in the UK; retail and hospitality sectors being particularly hard hit. (Brexit, leaving the EU, ending the free movement of people has really dried up the UK staffing pool).
But for the Tories, immigration has always been a good issue for firing up their base. They don’t care about solutions because the problem is so useful to them. It’s certainly worked in the past.
Not so much, this time.
Immigration isn’t the only hornets nest the Tories want to stir up. Scotland has recently passed The Gender Recognition Reform Bill. It makes it easier for Trans people to obtain legal recognition of their chosen gender with a Gender Recognition certificate. It’s a Bill that makes it easier for people to be who they are. It has no direct impact on anyone not applying for the certificate.
Rishi Sunak has declared that Westminster may block passage of the Bill. He claims to be concerned about the Bill’s impact on women and children. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard him voice concern for women and children. He makes no reference to what his concerns are or what the impact would be, but he is “concerned.” Either he is concerned about the views (and therefore the donations) of some Transphobic rich people, or he is looking to split some left wing groups that wouldn’t support him anyway.
Or he’s trying to create headlines that will dominate the new cycle and reporters will stop asking him questions he doesn’t want to answer.
They are also being very loud about their new Voter ID laws. They are playing up the importance of the Vote; that it is not unreasonable to ask for ID for such a sacred and important act, when we require it for lesser things. They must counter any potential voter fraud.
Except, voter fraud doesn’t exist. At least, not on a large enough scale to swing an election. You need ID to order a pint in a pub to show your old enough. People will show a fake ID because they want a pint and if it works, they get one. People will show fake ID to get a loan at the bank, hire a car, get a prescription. In each case, there is a benefit to the individual committing the offense. With Voter Fraud, there is no benefit to the individual committing the fraud. The biggest controversy in their ID laws is the blatant Anti-Youth discrimination. The Tories are trying to make a big fuss out of nothing. The only reason I can see for it is…Distraction.
The Number One Issue on everyone’s mind right now is the Cost of Everything Crisis. Energy, Food prices, stagnant wages, strikes; everything is related to the spiraling cost of living, what the Tories have done to cause it and all the things they are not doing to ease it. Energy prices are through the roof because the Tories lifted the cap on what the energy companies could charge, meanwhile those same companies are recording record profits.
The government could tax them. They choose not to.
The current rash of public sector strikes is also the responsibility of the Tories. 12 years of pay increases the were below the rising cost of living means people who were already falling behind have now been left in the dust. Healthcare workers are using food banks. Nurses at the top of their pay band qualify for universal credits. If someone earning as much as they legally can is also eligible for benefits, there is something seriously broken in the system. But Rishi Sunak et al refuse to negotiate pay.
After the Johnson and Truss governments, both of which U-turned so quickly and frequently the resembled the tilt-a-whirl at the fairground, we finally have a government that sticks to its word. Why oh WHY is this the word they choose to stick on?
And they’re pulling out all the stops in trying to cow the nurses. Calling Nurses greedy, claiming they already make more than other professions, which is really just highlighting how poorly the private sector is paid as well. They are trying (through the right wing papers) to shame the nurses and ambulance workers, asking how many people will die while they strike? It’s not working.
The strikes have Massive public support. People are tired of all the money going to the 1%. Liz Truss’ bid to resurrect “Trickle Down Economics” was the last straw, as it showed such blatant greed. #EnoughisEnough. The government is meant to represent the people. The People want them to address the economy and give some relief to the those who are struggling; a number that grows everyday.
Meanwhile, our PM, during his required Christmas publicity stunt, asked a Homeless man if he worked in business. Was it something he would like to get into? The man replied with Maybe, but mostly he just wanted to get through the winter.
Immigration, Transphobia, Voter ID; The Tories are rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. They’ve already driven us, deliberately into the iceberg so the 1% could have their Scotch on the rocks. Could they now please deal with the gaping great hole in the side of the ship?
At the moment, the only way the people will get behind them is with torches and pitchforks. The government won’t be leading, they’ll be targets.
So That Happened 