When politicians promise the earth
You can guarantee they are pandering to your greed, not the greater good.
David Cameron, the leader of the Conservative and Unionist party (the Tories to you and I) has promised increased spending on public services and tax cuts! Sounds good, eh? until you examine the small print. The weasel words sound great but the substance is somewhat flawed. Take in less but spend more? It doesn't work. He talks about "sharing the wealth" - If he was sincere he would address the fact that now less than 7% of the population control over 84% of the wealth. He would be talking of tax increases on the most wealthy and tax relief for the poorest.
If he believed in sharing the wealth...truly believed it he would dismantle the current state structures, would impose a maximum wage and would bring many privatised services back under the control of the state. After all, how does Centrica making a profit help share the wealth between state and citizens? How does Thames water making massive profits whilst leaking away a third of our water and making massive redundancies share the wealth? Our employment laws enslave our workers. Our pensions impoverish them and our laws imprison them.
On the bright side, it's not difficult to see through Camerons prostituting himself for votes. His policies change with the weather, constantly shifting in a never ending quest to attract voters. If the Labour party weren't so institutionaly corrupt it would actually be funny. Look out any day now for the bold David to promise "each and every voter in the country one million dollars" if the Tories are elected. It's the level of desperation they are reaching. He's becoming a caricature - like Doctor Evil in Austin Powers, a guy who has utterly lost the plot in a quest for power and the more he wants power the more ridiculous he becomes.
If you want to examine further just exactly how hypocritical both of our main parties are, examine their environmental policies. You'll hear phrases like "tax motorists", "carbon trading" and a whole host of buzz words. Look more closely - what cars do David Cameron, Tony Blair, Prescott etc drive? Do they drive cars that reflect the fact there are typically only two people in them? Or even big cars with low emissions? Hybrids perhaps? Nope! Take a look for your self. You'll find that "wealth sharing" actually meants nothing more "What's yours is mine, and what's mine is mine" One rule for you, one for them. Democracy? Equality? Liberty? Only if you're in government, royalty or super rich.
David Cameron, the leader of the Conservative and Unionist party (the Tories to you and I) has promised increased spending on public services and tax cuts! Sounds good, eh? until you examine the small print. The weasel words sound great but the substance is somewhat flawed. Take in less but spend more? It doesn't work. He talks about "sharing the wealth" - If he was sincere he would address the fact that now less than 7% of the population control over 84% of the wealth. He would be talking of tax increases on the most wealthy and tax relief for the poorest.
If he believed in sharing the wealth...truly believed it he would dismantle the current state structures, would impose a maximum wage and would bring many privatised services back under the control of the state. After all, how does Centrica making a profit help share the wealth between state and citizens? How does Thames water making massive profits whilst leaking away a third of our water and making massive redundancies share the wealth? Our employment laws enslave our workers. Our pensions impoverish them and our laws imprison them.
On the bright side, it's not difficult to see through Camerons prostituting himself for votes. His policies change with the weather, constantly shifting in a never ending quest to attract voters. If the Labour party weren't so institutionaly corrupt it would actually be funny. Look out any day now for the bold David to promise "each and every voter in the country one million dollars" if the Tories are elected. It's the level of desperation they are reaching. He's becoming a caricature - like Doctor Evil in Austin Powers, a guy who has utterly lost the plot in a quest for power and the more he wants power the more ridiculous he becomes.
If you want to examine further just exactly how hypocritical both of our main parties are, examine their environmental policies. You'll hear phrases like "tax motorists", "carbon trading" and a whole host of buzz words. Look more closely - what cars do David Cameron, Tony Blair, Prescott etc drive? Do they drive cars that reflect the fact there are typically only two people in them? Or even big cars with low emissions? Hybrids perhaps? Nope! Take a look for your self. You'll find that "wealth sharing" actually meants nothing more "What's yours is mine, and what's mine is mine" One rule for you, one for them. Democracy? Equality? Liberty? Only if you're in government, royalty or super rich.
posted by p8ddy at 12:54 pm
9 Comments:
p8ddy
Your comments re cars are 100% correct by me.
There is nothing that get's me in a lather more than these folks in their gas-guzzling 4x4 monstrosities trundling around the town, or towing their caravans.
Last year I spent £2000 on my VW diesel, which covered my daily commute to & from work (38 miles each way - don't say "get a house nearer to work", at around £175000 for a small 2 bedroom flat? it ain't going to fly!), trips to see my ex-girlfriend down in Sheffield (I am in Aberdeenshire), business trips and running my kids around at weekends. Due to it's frugal fuel consumption, I get about 56 mpg at best, with an average of around 52 mpg.
One of the guys I work with has a Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4, a typical yank tank with, wait for it . . . . a 4.7 litre, V8 engine, that he gets around 18 mpg with when commuting, but this drops to less than 12 mpg when he is towing his 25 ft long, twin axle caravan!! WTF is that all about?
That is my other pet hate - bloody caravans, moan, grumble, bah humbug, etc.
Anyway - FIRST? GIRUY noel90!
Always wanted to do that, but never going to happen on CQN cos I'm tooooo slow!
Hail! Hail!
Curly
Curly-
I walk 40 miles to work every day.
and 40 miles back.
I don't wear shoes because my feet are too swollen to get them on.
and the road to and from work is strewn with broken glass and rusty nails.
So don,t come whinging to me about the cost of fuel for your capitalist VW..........
:P
noel.
noel90
Your telling lies.
Noel
You Lucky man!
For me it's twice the circumference of the globe and I'm only allowed to use the areas coloured blue on the map.
I have to wear shoes made of thorns- 2 sizes too small. I have to hold my breath the whole way, whispering Kabbadi style that David Murray is a genius, and when I arrive at work they beat me with flutes made from live vipers.
But you try telling that to young folk like the bhoy molloy and all you get is "Your telling lies".
Oh Aye , and welcome back p8ddy.
p8ddy,
More seriously. I am a diesel driver too. My work commute is a minimum of 26 miles each way. I can't live nearer work because my wife works 20 odd miles away north of Glasgow as I head south west each day. After arriving, we both have to travel out as part of our jobs to save more people from having to come to see us.
So, apart from concern that diesel may be a convenient and mileage efficient fuel but not a clean one, I am also concerned by the more simplistic notions of fuel tax, single car occupancy etc;
Of course, if good direct bus and train links existed between Glasgow and our respective places of work, we could consider using a fleet car during work hours, but I haven't heard too much in the way of sophisticated ways of promoting this development.
All of these may be points which are moot if Al Gore is right on the effects of global warming. There would be no greater incentive than this to create subsidised public transport again. I first heard about this back in 1975 with Gordon Rattray Taylor's Doomsday Book.
Incidentally, does not carbon trading sound a bit like the practice of hiring a substitute to do your service in the American Civil War.
Curly,
I know what you mean - for me the notion of buying a house close to your work is a signal of a deeper malaise in this country. As humans, work should be our vocation, but it shouldn't be our primary motivating factor - family, friends and our community should be the primary focus, with work enabling the best outcome for all.
Thing is, your doing what you can driving a frugal car. In the absence of a decent public transport system there is little else.
setting free the bears...
Cheers! (for the welcome back). It's nice to be back. :-)
setting free the bears...
Of course, if good direct bus and train links existed between Glasgow and our respective places of work, we could consider using a fleet car during work hours, but I haven't heard too much in the way of sophisticated ways of promoting this development.
I think most people would use public transport if it were good, clean and reliable. It's a shame also that both you and Curly, as drivers of clean, efficient cars are both apologetic about car use. By that I mean, you have no real alternative, yet maintain a public spirit and a concience. It's a great thing, an affirms my faith that the problem doesnt lie with the people but with the system. It's just odd that the people who should feel a sense of shame about the current state of affairs don't.
As for the fuel tax? As a percentile, the fuel tax hits the poor much harder than the wealthy - as is the case with most taxes. It's no coincidence that the road tax on big, inefficient cars doesn't reflect the comensurate step up in income that they require. If it were me, those "luxury" car drivers would be facing a far more stern test of their automolove.
p8ddy
Tried to post when at work, but my new, super-duper, all-singing, all-dancing, Dell (ptoo, gimme back my Compaq) decided to crash on me just as I hit the "Login and Publish" button. Finally online at home, but no post, so trying to re-write now.
Basically was agreeing with you (again! - be afraid, be very afraid!) on your reply re the family and friends side of life.
I am officially an auld haun, and where once I preferred city living (Glasgow between 1976 - 1982, Aberdeen 1982 - 1993), I now hanker after a quieter existance. The anonimity of city life is also not to be desired in my opinion.
I live in a fairly large village, or maybe classed as a small town (Turriff), where most people have, as a minimum, a passing acquaintance with each other, or more likely a happy (aye right!) greeting of "Fit like, loon".
Fact is that nearly all my friends live in or nearby the village. There are a couple from work who may just sneak into that classification, but in the majority they stay on the work side of the line.
Strange though this may sound, I actually feel that the guys on CQN are my friends. We are after all united by a common bond in our passion for Celtic. They are such a disparate bunch, ranging from the occasional poster who may seem to be quiet in a blog stylee way, through to the out-and-out blog nutters - step forward noel90, wg, and others too numerous to list - that'll be the majority then!!
Back to your original post. I initially replied with my usual rant about cars, big cars. And caravans. But there is more than that to your opener.
The distribution of wealth in this country, indeed any country is always going to be a difficult, even emotive subject. I am in the lucky position of working in the Oil Industry (Boo, Hiss, carbon creators, etc, etc. I get that all the time).
What this means is that in my chosen career (Engineering), and after 25 years in the oil game, is that I am fairly well paid. Not at the top of the tree (or "super rich" as you called them, but certainly not at the bottom.
I don't feel guilty about this, because I have worked my butt off over the years. But I do try to do my bit to help others. I try where possible to buy Scottish / British goods in order to help my fellow countrymen and women. Failing that, I will try to buy European.
I also try to help a number of charities where I can. I am a Shoreline member of the RNLI, regularly helping out with fund-raising, a regular contributor to Barnardo's, and plan to sponsor a Guide Dog puppy from next month.
As I said, this is not to assuage feelings of guilt, but because I genuinely want to help my fellow man.
The RNLI thang stems from 6 years in the Merchant Navy (Denholm's of Glasgow), Barnardo's from having a less than happy childhood (enough of that), and the Guide Dogs . . . . well, apart from loving dogs (used to own Golden Retrievers when I was married), that is the one sense I would be afraid of losing. Just a personal thing.
Anyway, stop rambling Curly, on another of your points - Thames Water. How the hell can they get away with having more leaks than MI6 during the cold war? One way to get that sorted would be to prevent the distribution of dividends to shareholders until the leaks are reduced to a maximum of say, 5% of consumption.
Right, enough of my ramblings - I'm away over to CQN for some fitba nonsense. Sorry about the length, but once I get going . . . . . *¬))
Take care y'all.
Curly
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