Politicians, eh? While they feather their nests with cosy pensions, travel expenses, food and second home allowances, and all sorts of other top perks that no one in an 'ordinary' job ever gets to see, they're currently targeting the most vulnerable people in society, the sick and the elderly. The ones who don't enjoy the 'benefits system' that the politicians get to exploit.
Old people now have to work longer before they can retire (thereby exposing the nonsense of Tomorrow's World, which once assured us that, in 'the future', we'd all have much more leisure time), and people in wheelchairs and with cancer (I kid you not) are now having pressure put on them (under the false description of 'assisting' them) to return to the 'jobs market'. (At a time when there are far fewer employment opportunities around than ever.)
Not only do some politicians pick up 'attendance fees' (actually paid for turning up for work on top of their wages - strewth), all of them have access to 25 subsidised bars in the House of Commons and goodness knows exactly how many canteens or restaurants. Just think - those who already have far too much handed to them on a plate (literally), can partake of the finest wines, ales and spirits in the world - for a nominal fee - while you have to pay full price for your pint of Stella in a dirty glass down your local pub on a Friday night. (A little hyperbole in that last part, but don't worry, it's free.)
And as you wonder if you have enough money to afford that microwave meal for one and a can of Coke, they tuck into a king's banquet of the most tantalisingly-delicious meals available - all laid on at our expense. Aren't they supposed to work for us? Do tell, pray, why they get to dictate to their collective employer (that's you and me, buster), the terms, conditions and remunerative fee for sitting about on their fat @rses all day, stuffing their faces with the best bevvy and grub that our taxed-to-the-hilt dosh can buy for them.
Remember when Norman Tebbitt told us to "get on our bikes" and look for work? That's rich coming from some titled tit who has at least two homes, one of which the taxpayer pays for, so that him and his ilk don't have to get on their own bikes; or rather in one of their several luxury cars which adorn the mono-blocked driveways of their country estates (or London apartments). No sirree. We pay their first-class transport costs to and from the plush offices in which they're supposed to toil on our behalf. Make you sick or what?
The so-called benefit reforms currently under way, spring from nothing more than a resentment by the 'haves' of society, who begrudge having to part with even the most minimal portion of their over-abundance in order to assist the poorest and most unfortunate amongst us, the 'have nots'.
Of course, there are those who abuse the system, and no decent person is happy with the situation, but the amount of unclaimed benefit which never finds its way to those entitled to it probably far outweighs the sum collected by the spongers and malingerers in our midst. It is certainly significant, but you don't see the government putting as much effort into ensuring that it finds its way to those who need and deserve it.
Don't be fooled: this is Robin Hood in reverse. (More like Robbin' B@st@rds in fact.) The rich are stealing from the poor, the better to weather the continuing downturn in the economic climate.
Politicians? Nothing but money-grubbing, self-serving, cheating, lying b@st@rds!
Or do you think I'm over-reacting?
If anything you have understated the truth.
ReplyDeleteA master of understatement, T47, that's me. Same as when I said that the relaunched Dandy wasn't even fit for lining a budgie's cage, as the point of that is to take sh*t out, not put it in. The Dandy, of course, by that time was far worse than that.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you say but how the f*ck are politicians attacking the elderly? On the contrary, pensioners have never had it so good with free bus fares, free TV licences, the winter fuel payment, the triple-lock pension, exemption from austerity cuts and so on.
ReplyDeleteIn the 2017 election 64% of pensioners voted Tory and the Tories look after their pensioner base!!
"Language, Timothy!" CJ, you're on another planet at times, you really are. Not all pensioners are as well-off as you seem to think they are. Otherwise, you wouldn't get any of them dying because of being unable to heat their houses, or suffering malnutrition because of being unable to feed themselves properly. Also, for most elderly people, being a pensioner is an extremely short-lived prospect, so all these things you list are available to them for only a relatively short time, after a lifetime of paying into the system. Are you telling me that they aren't entitled to something back?
ReplyDeleteSome may call it cynicism but in my experience the older you get the clearer view you have of our political system and human nature and how one is in the long term detrimental to the other.
ReplyDeleteYou see the cycle of some bright-eyed idealist entering politics in an effort to change the system or champion their particular cause but once they make it into office they get sucked in the bubble of rights and privileges and become divorced from and unable to relate to the daily lives of the people who put them there in the first place; the voters. Thereafter life becomes about securing all of their perks and adding more! Can't see it all changing anytime soon either, unfortunately.
Spot on, PC, that's what I've always felt. However idealistic they may be (if they are) when they enter politics, they eventually become corrupted by the gravy train - some sooner than others. Which is just what you said, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to reiterate it.
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