Wednesday 4 August 2010

From the horse's mouth

People seem to be accepting Tory Scum's apocalyptic cuts to public services because we're in a terrible financial hole. OK, they're saying - we'll suffer in the short term to improve things over the long term.


Sorry people - it's a con. The plan is just to abandon lots of public services (health, education and lots more) to corporations and charities. How do I know?


David Cameron (inherited millions, attended Eton at £30,000 per year plus extras including 'tipping staff', Oxford University) said so.

Citing the dramatic increase in the deaths of firefighters, and an increase in deaths as a result of fire, she asked him: "Will you give me a pledge today that when these austere times are over, and you have the money back in the bank or you're balancing your books, that you will look at anything that is cut during this period and go back and get in those fire engines back in the places they are needed to support the public?"
Cameron refused to make the pledge.
"The direct answer to your question, should we cut things now and go back later and try and restore them later, I think we should be trying to avoid that approach," he said.
Stewart Lee had something to say about Call Me Dave, in this week's New Statesman:
Dave seems to be encouraging charity organisations to take on many of the social services currently provided by the government. There may be some logic in getting us to take responsibility for ourselves; Dave himself is a good example of someone who has made it to the top of society on is own initiative despite a difficult start in life. 
Personally, I don't think there is a financial crisis. As Amartya Sen says about famines, there's never been a food shortage: just a distribution problem. 


There's loads of money floating around - we gave it all to the banks, and to hedge fund traders by not taxing them properly, and to buy-to-let speculators through the tax system, and to the rich by turning a blind eye to their tax avoidance, and spent a lot more on illegal wars. We've let the Tory Scum and their hateful newspapers persuade us that taxation and government are inherently evil. 


My solution: either copy Norway or simply invite them to take over this country. You've invited the Dutch and Germans in voluntarily before (and King Alfred has a lot to answer for) - why not beg an enlightened Scandinavian country to take pity upon you? You'll get high taxation, beautiful, friendly cities, low crime, lots of bikes, low pollution, sensible financial planning, proper democracy, reluctance to throw yourselves into whichever foolish military adventure the Americans propose, and you'll all magically become very very attractive. You might even get fjords.


The Dark Place as it could by under the enlightened rule of Norway



The Norwegian Birmingham



Stoke-on-Trent, Norwegian style



The Hegemon. Potentially

Invadere oss, behage!



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