Stuff
I think anyone with any remotely socialist leanings probably shares many of my concerns with the way society has been headed since the coalition government took control.
I am highly numerate and highly educated, but I certainly don't presume to understand the whats and wherefores of government debt. I have no idea what level of deficit would be acceptable, what income streams mitigate the impact of government debt, or what would happen if our level of debt continued to rise. These topics are not generally covered in your average physics or maths degree.
Still, that acknowleged, I still think it's irrelevant. Because to me the primary purpose of govenment is not to balance the books. That's a secondary concern. The primary purpose of government is to represent the interests of its citizens. At present it looks to me like the interests of citizens are being crudely sacrificed at the altar of economics, and although I've read a lot of detailed press reports as to why this is a bad idea, so far I haven't seen much more than government soundbites to try and convince me it's a good idea.
I'm not poor, in fact my little family is probably well into the middle class pay bracket. But at present, almost all of our income goes into meeting today's immediate needs -- mortgage, car, council tax, bills, student loan repayments, fuel and food. Because we're earning well, we don't get government support for much -- and I feel a bit guilty for taking the free prescriptions that Heather's birth entitles me to. But clearly there are things we need to be saving for. Our own retirement. Heather's -- and any subsequent siblings' -- university education and perhaps her/their mortgage deposit costs. As we bought our property with a 103% mortgage at the peak of the market, we can't expect much of a windfall from selling it since the market has more or less stalled. There simply isn't enough there to spread around all these commitments, and it worries me. My student loans total just over £10k, and yes I'm still paying them off, and yes it's a pain in the neck. Heaven help anyone with 5 years * (£9k tuition plus living expenses) under the government plans.
I'm 100% behind the protesting students. Anyone who's read Night Watch by Terry Pratchett may remember the scene where Sam Vimes stalls a riot with a mug of hot chocolate. I wish someone had tried a similar tactic with the student protests. Lines of riot-clad police are an invitation to trouble, and the reports of kettling used against peaceful protesters are hugely troubling. The government is making huge sweeping changes to the very focus of what a government has been for the last sixty years or so; they're doing so without any sort of democratic mandate since they barely won the election -- and the Lib Dems in particular won what votes they did get on a completely different stance to what they're delivering -- and now when we protest they brush us off as extremists and ignore us?
That sounds to me like the sort of behaviour from people in power that breeds extremism and terrorism. Democracy is supposed to give us a voice, but that voice has to be heard, and at present it seems no-one's listening. What option does that leave frustrated citizens who are losing the support they need to get by except to shout louder?
I hope the green party gets itself together in time for the next election -- if they play their cards right they could very well completely upend the status quo, now that we can't actually vote for any of the three major parties. After all, Labour betrayed our trust on Iraq, the Lib Dems betrayed our trust on just about every election pledge they made, and the Tories are just toffs out to serve the mega-rich and hang the rest of us. Not to mention the whole lot of them dipping their hands in the public purse to pay for phony second homes and duck houses for their moat.
If I sound bitter, that's because I am. And if I'm not protesting that's because I can't just now, I've just had a baby and she comes first.
I am highly numerate and highly educated, but I certainly don't presume to understand the whats and wherefores of government debt. I have no idea what level of deficit would be acceptable, what income streams mitigate the impact of government debt, or what would happen if our level of debt continued to rise. These topics are not generally covered in your average physics or maths degree.
Still, that acknowleged, I still think it's irrelevant. Because to me the primary purpose of govenment is not to balance the books. That's a secondary concern. The primary purpose of government is to represent the interests of its citizens. At present it looks to me like the interests of citizens are being crudely sacrificed at the altar of economics, and although I've read a lot of detailed press reports as to why this is a bad idea, so far I haven't seen much more than government soundbites to try and convince me it's a good idea.
I'm not poor, in fact my little family is probably well into the middle class pay bracket. But at present, almost all of our income goes into meeting today's immediate needs -- mortgage, car, council tax, bills, student loan repayments, fuel and food. Because we're earning well, we don't get government support for much -- and I feel a bit guilty for taking the free prescriptions that Heather's birth entitles me to. But clearly there are things we need to be saving for. Our own retirement. Heather's -- and any subsequent siblings' -- university education and perhaps her/their mortgage deposit costs. As we bought our property with a 103% mortgage at the peak of the market, we can't expect much of a windfall from selling it since the market has more or less stalled. There simply isn't enough there to spread around all these commitments, and it worries me. My student loans total just over £10k, and yes I'm still paying them off, and yes it's a pain in the neck. Heaven help anyone with 5 years * (£9k tuition plus living expenses) under the government plans.
I'm 100% behind the protesting students. Anyone who's read Night Watch by Terry Pratchett may remember the scene where Sam Vimes stalls a riot with a mug of hot chocolate. I wish someone had tried a similar tactic with the student protests. Lines of riot-clad police are an invitation to trouble, and the reports of kettling used against peaceful protesters are hugely troubling. The government is making huge sweeping changes to the very focus of what a government has been for the last sixty years or so; they're doing so without any sort of democratic mandate since they barely won the election -- and the Lib Dems in particular won what votes they did get on a completely different stance to what they're delivering -- and now when we protest they brush us off as extremists and ignore us?
That sounds to me like the sort of behaviour from people in power that breeds extremism and terrorism. Democracy is supposed to give us a voice, but that voice has to be heard, and at present it seems no-one's listening. What option does that leave frustrated citizens who are losing the support they need to get by except to shout louder?
I hope the green party gets itself together in time for the next election -- if they play their cards right they could very well completely upend the status quo, now that we can't actually vote for any of the three major parties. After all, Labour betrayed our trust on Iraq, the Lib Dems betrayed our trust on just about every election pledge they made, and the Tories are just toffs out to serve the mega-rich and hang the rest of us. Not to mention the whole lot of them dipping their hands in the public purse to pay for phony second homes and duck houses for their moat.
If I sound bitter, that's because I am. And if I'm not protesting that's because I can't just now, I've just had a baby and she comes first.