SMALL ACORNS

Today, Tuesday 14th July, Mhairi Black summed up exactly how I have been feeling since the Chancellor’s budget last week (watch it here on youtube.com). I think she has summed up beautifully why many people are opposed to what the Tory government are doing with the latest budget and going by the thousands of hits her speech has had online, many others would agree. The smirk on Osborne’s face on budget day said it all. I am now unshackled from those pesky liberals and I can wield the full force of Victorian Tory values.

A press release today (Thursday 16th July) states –

The ‘appalling’ impact of the Tory government’s continued attack on the working poor is being highlighted again today – as new figures from the IFS confirm that a growing number of children living in poverty live in working households.

New IFS figures published today find that 63 per cent of children in poverty lived in a working household in 2013/14 – up from 54 per cent in 2009/10.  The new analysis also finds that despite the UK Government’s decision to increase the minimum wage, there will be ‘upward pressure’ on absolute poverty for working households due to the cuts to tax credits and other social security spending.

This is before he starts taking away the top up credits that allow many ‘in work’ families to survive. By survive I don’t mean package holidays, trips to the cinema or theme parks every month. I mean to pay the household bills and feed the bellies. Rural children are luckier than city ones as they at least have the open outdoors and beaches to amuse them, which are free on their doorstep. A holiday is often a few days at grannies.

As if taking from the family budget is not bad enough they are also raiding the workplace of the parents. Again today Hannah Bardell, S.N.P. Fair Work and Spokesperson says –

“The Tory government seem determined to the take the UK back in time with their Dickensian policies.

“Trade unions are key social partners and play an important role in our society through effective democracy, helping ensure good employment practices which directly promote economic competitiveness, and social justice in wider society.
“No-one wants strikes, but the way to avoid them isn’t to provoke confrontation by legislating them out of existence. The right way is to pursue a relationship with both workers and employers based on respect and co-operation. The UK government must halt this attack on the rights of our workforce – it is bad for individuals, bad for our economy, and wrong for this century.”

Not only are they moving the goal posts on voting conditions to strike, they are allowing agency staff to fill the gaps of the strikers so that the public are not aware there are deep problems in the workplace. The only piece of this bill I am happy with is the levy to the labour party being stopped. It is time in this day and age that the unions allow an option as to which party, or none, that the member makes a donation to. As for their pathetic attempt at a working wage………….Keep up England! I see J.D. Wetherspoon is saying in the press today that the living wage will add ‘considerable uncertainty’ to the UK pub industry. Personally I feel that the likes of Wetherspoon’s ‘with their stack it high sell it cheap’ attitude has already ruined the pub industry. Give us back our local pub that was individual and catered for the local customer.

All in all I think this week has been quite a successful one for our 56 elected members in Westminster. We haven’t won any big debates but by constantly being in the chamber asking questions, committing to vote on debate they have caused the UK government to take issues back to the table and review what they were offering. If the Tories haven’t learned a lesson this week then they are in for a rough ride. Our group are going to be like a bunch of toddlers at that annoying stage where they question everything. I look forward to many more of these little triumphs. From small acorns………………………………