If this is a recovery, why is the patient still on the critical list?
Time ticks on: We are told the recovery is well under way but have yet to enjoy any of its benefits. Why?
Official figures say the British economy has grown by 0.8 per cent in the last three months.
The Conservatives are rejoicing over this feeble effort, while saying there’s more to be done; an amazing attempt to travel in two directions at once, that should fool nobody.
It seems the recovery is becoming more balanced, with services, manufacturing and construction all registering expansion.
And it is predicted that the economy will recover to the same level as its pre-recession peak by the middle of this year.
But who, exactly, is this recovery helping?
I’m actually worse-off than this time last year. How is it for you?
My income has not increased appreciably since 2007. Meanwhile the rent has gone up and the costs of energy and groceries have skyrocketed.
The Labour Party has calculated that average earners will be more than £2,000 a year worse-off than they were in 2010, by the time of the general election next year.
What conclusions may we draw from this?
Well, we know that the recession did not harm the richest in society at all. Their profits increased massively, even while the economy was flatlining, because that’s what happens in times of hardship; the poorer, more precarious firms go out of business while the larger ‘fat cats’ mop up the trade those competitors would have had.
If the economy is recovering to its pre-crash level, and average people are worse-off by around eight per cent of their pre-crash earnings (if you say the average wage was around £25K per year), then somebody must have benefited – and the most likely candidates are the same rich businesspeople who were never touched by the recession or austerity in the first place. Also the bankers who caused the mess in the first place.
So we have a situation in which the average earner – who, don’t forget, makes the entire economy work (we spend a higher proportion of our earnings than anyone else – by necessity, and this pushes money through the system and creates economic growth; the very rich hoard their massive wealth, usually in offshore banks) facing increasingly hard times, while the richest enjoy all the benefits.
…and the gap between the earnings of the richest and poorest increases massively…
… all engineered by a government of millionaires who have financial interests in big business and whose political party is backed mainly by bankers.
This has all the hallmarks of a conspiracy.
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I firmly believe the whole economic melt down was engineered as are all recessions.
[…] If this is a recovery, why is the patient still on the critical list?. […]
Reblogged this on Beastrabban’s Weblog.
the only recovery is in the minds of the elites – because they are better off than ever
meanwhile as ‘help to work’ comes along we find that the government has altered the conditions for claiming benefits – – which appears totally contrary to the Human Rights laws they endorse and totally contrary to any manifesto claim or say so from the electorate – we are no longer ‘entitled’ to benfits without working , under compulsion, for them
http://welfaretales.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/slavery-in-britain/
meanwhile the labour party does and says nothing
Reblogged this on stewilko's Blog.
And so it begins again, all three party leaders are millionaires, all three have, and will continue to, pander to big business, all three are intent on their MP’s toeing the party line or else, all three are happy to see the poor and vulnerable go away and not cause a nuisance. They are happy to watch as the gap between rich and poor widens.
Figures have been fiddled for years, and will be for the forseeable future.
Meanwhile the press demonises a “feckless” mother of nine along with other claimants.
They give little mention, however, to the pending stoppage of the ILF, failiure of the work programme or corporate bad practice, need I go on?
Hmmmmm!
Reblogged this on jaynelinney and commented:
I’m reblogging this because I agree totally with Mike – his closing comments sum it up but…Read the whole post and see if you can disagree?
Indeed, I try to show this in my last blog comparing bankers’ bonuses to the issues faced by staff in health and social care. We bailed out the banks at the expense of the poor and vulnerable in my humble opinion. I will continue to rant about this and try to encourage others to stand up.
Waiting for change……How about you?
Reblogged this on sdbast.
The rich will always hoard money, it’s like a drug to them. They forget that they are still mortal and they will die and take nothing with them – idiots!
We are worse off this year, we’ve had benefit reductions, not increases – we get less money than we did last year, the bills are soaring and it’s all we can do to get everything paid and have enough over for the food. We don’t drink, smoke, eat out, buy newspapers, pay a tv licence as we don’t watch tv, and have no social life. We have a car on the Mobility scheme but it still needs diesel which we find expensive, but not as expensive as getting a taxi!
So the teeny tiny recovery is not for us, it’s for the rich and the rich only.
Meanwhile – Labour does “F” all…
Reblogged this on Jay's Journal and commented:
What recovery?
If they say something often enough maybe our brains will turn to mush and we’ll believe them.
I really do believe that is what they are hoping
Reblogged this on Citizens, not serfs.
I think the Elite,now deem the poor as dispensable assets.Yes they think of us like that.Ask Lord Freud,he calls us “Stock”.Not people,not human beings but stock.I am sure their mindset is,we don’t need them,why pay them.
With technology increasing,robots making cars,mechanical road sweepers,factories with not much more than maintenance staff.They think there are to many of us.They see a over populated world were Prince Philip has stated he would like to come back has a virus,to decimate the population.I bet he would not infect the HRH mob though.
Unemployment was a price worth paying,to smash the unions,and now,the social contract.In the eighties,we marched,had clashes with the Police,went on strike.But we don’t seem to have much power now.After the Russian Revolution,things improved for us in the West.The Americans wanted to prove Capitalism was better than Communism,so people got a better deal to reinforce that message.In Europe,other countries were also frightened of revolution.Fear of Communism got Herr Hitler into power.The Rich thought they could control him,they didn’t take into account that he was stark raving bonkers.A brief look at Mien Kampf would have showed his true direction,
After WW11,things improved in the UK,ex servicemen,my Father included wanted a better deal after fighting for six years for king and country.Has they thought then.They would not go back to being glorified serfs.So they got a better deal.
This country,with the Governments divide and rule tactics,is a tinder box.If this carries on,something will give.A push to far could have riots countrywide.Ordinary people,fed up with the lies and propaganda,will turn a blind eye.I doubt if they would condone riots,but expect they will understand why.Politics has swung to far to the right,it needs counter balancing,without that,their will never be harmony.
The troubles in Northern Ireland started because the Protestants thought they could treat the Catholics has second class citizens.And I am a Protestant before anyone cries foul.I remember the B Specials.Not much more than a para military force,kicking around the Catholics.When Wilson sent the troops in,the Catholics welcomed them.It was only when the Tories got back in,they being more Unionist,and Bloody Sunday,that the fighting really started.
We do not want another Northern Ireland here,but could it happen,are people aggrieved enough?
The Labour Party can’t be fully trusted in my view, but the new left wing parties are too small.