Free Speech?

What the hell is happening to freedom of speech and expression in this country. Liberal Democrat MP is censured over his remarks about the appalling treatment of the Palestinians by Israel, I copy it here for you:-

” Mr Ward said he was “saddened that the Jews, who suffered unbelievable levels of persecution during the Holocaust, could within a few years of liberation from the death camps be inflicting atrocities on Palestinians in the new State of Israel and continue to do so on a daily basis in the West Bank and Gaza”.

Now, what is unreasonable about that statement? There is another outcry regarding the cartoon by Gerald Scarfe in the Sunday Times which more forcefully expresses the same sentiment. Even Rupert Murdoch has been issuing grovelling apologies. Arguably it might have been insensitive to publish it on Holocaust Memorial Day although I would argue that there could hardly be a better time.

We are losing hard won freedoms and rights in this country on a regular basis and if we let freedom of speech slip through our fingers the future is not looking just bad, it is looking horrifying.

What Do They Expect?

Figures just out report unemployment has risen to the end of November by 49,000 to 2.5million. The number of 16-24 year olds out of work is at the highest level since records began. These figures are just the beginning with the effects of the VAT rise and public sector redundancies yet to come to fruition along with reductions in benefits and pensions.

The current bunch of boys playing at government with their half baked, half thought out ideas appear at first glance to just be idiots but I’m beginning to wonder. The Torys have always liked to have high unemployment as it tends to keep wages at low levels thus creating more wealth for their business compatriots. Changes planned for the Health Service will eventually cost far more than the suggested £3bn but will virtually privatise the NHS with vast profits going to you know who. Education will be similar.

Of course, paying off the necessary debt that the country has, at such a reckless rate will undoubtedly mean that come the next election, in about four years time, there will be quite a bit of cash sloshing around in the nation’s coffers so that ‘the boys’ will feel happy to bribe the electorate with gifts from on high. The expectation being that voters will reward them with re-election. As the public so quickly forgot the eleven out of thirteen years under Labour, of vast improvement in public services and exceptional improvement in living standards it wouldn’t surprise me if the ruse worked.

 

The Tory Plan Comes Together

Ian Duncan Smith is about to unveil plans to force the long term unemployed to do unpaid work. What work you may ask? Well, work that used to be done by people who had ‘proper’ jobs employed by local councils etc but have now been made redundant by the government’s cut backs.

Of course the long term unemployed need encouragement to get back to work if possible but this encouragement should be along the lines of ‘Here’s a job you could do, we’ll arrange an interview.’ This plan of the Tory’s is little short of forced or slave labour given that for a start there are five unemployed people chasing every vacancy and that’s before the cuts really bite. If this is where our country is headed then I’m ashamed to be British and this disgraceful coalition should hang their heads in shame too but I doubt very much it’ll happen.

HM Department of Loan Sharks

The Dept of Work & Pensions under Iain Duncan Smith (IDS) is today announcing a loan ‘service’ for the poor and vulnerable in our society. (Let’s ignore for a moment whether in the 21st Century there should still ‘poor & vulnerable and that an earlier Tory had said ‘there is no such thing as Society’)

This scheme called My Home Finance is supposed to protect people who are in dire straits from the clutches of loan sharks who charge exorbitant rates of interest often backed up with threats of violence.  From this perspective it’s a good idea. The scheme though, when rolled out nationwide, will be charging 49.9% interest! At a time when the Bank of England Rate is 0.5% and credit card companies are offering around 12% and Credit Unions are prohibited by law from charging more than 26.8% but usually charge less, I would call this Government scheme Loan Sharking.

If further proof were needed that this Con/Dem coalition is intent on fleecing the poor to pay for the capitalist excesses you must be very difficult to convince.