David Cameron says that there will be “difficult decisions” on pay, pensions and benefits. He says that there will be “painful” cuts ahead, but that in dealing with the deficit “our whole way of life” will be affected but not in a way that hits the vulnerable or “divides the country”. Pull the other one, Dave. Already cuts are being announced in services for vulnerable people in Brighton and in East Sussex. Council funding from central government has been cut. These cuts are being passed on to the poor and vulnerable.
I haven’t used illustrations in this blog before (other than the almost photographic likeness of me). But this cartoon from the Great Depression, reflects to a certain extent what I think will happen over the next few years. The mantra will be that there will be ‘pain for everyone’, ‘We will all be in this together’. and that ‘There must be equality of sacrifice’.
My only disagreement with this cartoon (apart from the gender limitations – in my last post I said low paid women will suffer the most) is that I think the rich and the very rich will benefit from the shock and awe approach planned by Cameron, Osborne and Clegg. They are true class warriors, disciples of Milton Friedman, and they will look after their own, the rich and the very rich.
Filed under: Capitalism, Economy, Politics | Tagged: budget deficit, cuts, David Cameron, Economy, George Osborne, Milton Friedman, Nick Clegg |
Brighton Politics Blog 
Heres an idea for free…
You can be 100% sure that MP’s won’t feel the pinch… And we don’t want to damage their ability to do their job (represent us) that would be self defeating…
So… I suggest serving MP’s be banned from having foreign holidays until the budget is balanced.
Making MPs holiday in the UK would be good for British tourism and services – it would not damage their ability to do their job, and would put them in the same boat as many of the people they serve…
I really think this would be a great way of MPs sharing out pain, without impacting their work.
The cartoon reminds me that things haven’t changed very much since the Great Depression. But at least democracy has incorporated some of the main callings of the Communist Manifesto of 1847.
1) Abolition of property and land. CONSERVATIVE HOLD
2) Progressive income tax. LABOUR GAIN.
3) Aboliton of right of inheritance. NO OVERALL CONTROL WITH SLIGHT MAJORITY FOR CONSERVATIVES.
4) Centralization of credit by the State. CONSERVATIVE HOLD AND WE PAID FOR IT TWICE !!
5) Communication and Transport in the hands of the State. CONSERVATIVE GAIN ON A RECOUNT.
6) Free education of children. LABOUR GAIN.
7) Abolition of factory children. LABOUR GAIN.
Pretty paltry considering more than 150 years of struggle by Marxists.
The great mistake of Marxists was not to incorporate some of the best callings of Capitalism – but China did. We would’ve ended somewhere in the middle.
Marxists were too dogmatic, unlike capitalists who are quick to recognise an opportunity when they see one.
Hi,
This is a great post and hits the nail on the head. There’s a campaign site here that you might be interested in:
http://www.noshockdoctrine.org.uk/
Peter